IT is a question that hath beene much exagitated in the Schools , how farre Philosophy should have place in the Church of God and in Divinity . Some have gone so farre upon the one extremitie , that they have advanced her in the Church , above Divinity it selfe , and they have framed the whole platforme of their religion as Philosophy hath taugth them ; others againe bending the sprig other way , would altogether have Philosophy banished out of the Church . But wee are here to follow a middle course , neither to seclude her out of the Church , neither to suffer her to advance her selfe above Divinity ; shee is but the hand maid to her mistresse Divinitie : therefore shee must not take upon her to rule in the house , and to over-rule her mistresse , as Hagar would have usurped above Sara : if she have any charge , it must be over those who are under her ; she must then submit herselfe as a dutifull hand maid to her mistresse .

There is in a man sense , imagination , reason and faith : sense corrects imagination ; as when the Disciples saw Christ they thought he had beene a spirit : But Christ corrects this wrong imagination by sense , saying , Touch me , for a spirit hath not flesh and bones . When sense is deceived , reason corrects it ; When one puts a staffe in the water , to his sight the staffe seemes to be broken : but yet reason corrects his sight , and teacheth him that the water cannot breake the staffe ; so when a man is in a feaver , sweete things seeme bitter to his taste , yet this reason teacheth him that the fault is in his taste , and that the things are sweete in themselves .

When reason erres , shee cannot cure her selfe , but her mistris Divinitie must come in and teach her . Sara , when she was old the Lord promised that shee should have a childe , she did laugh at it , her reason thought it impossible , that a woman stricken in yeares should have a child : but her mistresse faith corrected it , and shee beleeved by faith , that which her reason could not take up . Philosophy is but a hand-maide to Divinity , therefore shee must bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , that is , she must hold herselfe within her owne bounds and not transcend them . Nicodemus reasoning against regeneration failed in this point when he reasoned thus : He that is borne againe must enter into his mothers wombe againe . But no man can enter into his mothers wombe againe : This principle is wrong applyed by him in Divinity , for wee are borne againe as Christ teacheth , Iohn 3 , by the water and the Spirit ; and not by entring into our mothers wombe againe . This vaine excesse of reason and fleshly wisedom , is that which the Apostle condemnes , 2 Cor. 10. so 1 Cor. 3.19 .

Againe , when by naturall reason and Philosophy , we take up a thing ; and by faith wee beleeve the selfe same thing , if reason claime the first place here , then she is not a dutifull hand-maid .

There are some things in Divinity which are mixtly divine : there are other things meerely divine : these things which are mixtly divine , in such reason may serve but onely in the second place ; primo creduntur , & postea intelliguntur : as a man beleeves the immortality of the soule : then he begins to take up the same by reason ; must reason here advance her selfe as farre as faith ? or must reason come here before faith ? God forbid : for that which I beleeve , I beleeve it , ex authoritate dicentis , relying upon the truth of him that saith it , and al the evidence which I get by reason is nothing to this certitude : if reason should goe before like an usher to make way to faith , we should never beleeve . The Schoolmen say well , Rationes praecedentes minuunt fidem ; sed rationes subsequentes augent fidem Reasons going before faith weaken faith , but reasons comming after faith strengthen it : reason makes not the matter more sure , ex parte veritatis dictantis , sed ex parte intellectus assentientis : in respect of God the speaker , but in respect of the weakenesse of our understanding , for by this accesse of further knowledge it is more canfirmed . A gardiner when hee is about to plant a tree , first hee digs the earth and makes an empty roome in the bosom thereof for the planting of the tree : then after he takes the same earth ( which if it had not beene digged up , had stayed the planting of the tree ) and casts it about the roote of the tree againe , for the fastning of it : hee takes also the stones which he had digged up with the earth , and kills the mole which would have beene hurtfull to the tree : so , first the Lord empties our soule of all naturall reason ; and this heavenly gardiner makes a roome , wherein hee plants this supernaturall grace of faith by his owne hand ; but when he hath planted this heavenly plant faith in the soule , reason will serve for two uses ; first , for the confirmation and establishing of our faith new planted : another for killing of all contrary heresies besides which might hurt our faith : But in things which are meerely divine , & quae cadunt directè sub fide , and fall directly under faith , as the mysterie of the Trinitie and the incarnation ; what can reason or Philosophy doe here ; but admire these hid mysteries which she can never reach unto ? if reason the hand-maid have alwaies her eyes towards her mistresse , then we may make good use of her in the Church .

The Vine-tree of it selfe bringeth forth the most comfortable grape for our nourishment , and chearing of our hearts ; but yet if we set a Mandrake by it , and then drinke of that wine , that wine will make us sleepe the better . The knowledg of Divinity is the only comfortable knowledg , but yet Philosophy as the Mandrak being set by it , may have the profitable use also . Schoole divinity hath most incroched upon the truth and obscured it ; framing all religion according to the platforme of Philosophie . There was one Demonides a Schoolemaster in Athens having crooked feete , hee had his shooes made according to his feere : one stole his shooes from him ; but he wish : that the feete of those who had stolen his shooes , might become like unto the shooes . This was a foolish wish to desire the straight foot , to be made conforme to the crooked shooe , whereas the shooe should be made conforme to the straight foote . What is Schoole divinity , but a crooked shooe ? therfore to conforme divinity to it , where to conforme the straight foot to the crooked shooe . Divinity must be the square to correct that which is not straight .

Although this schoole divinity hath beene mightily abused , yet the abuse takes not away the use . For the right using of the schoolmen wee must remember , that there is a threefold judgement , 1. the judgement of verity , the second is the judgement of prudency , the third is the judgement of charity .

The judgement of verity is onely to be found in the Scriptures , and all other writings should bee tryed by them , as the canon and touchstone : but the church of Rome would have the Scriptures to be tryed by the Fathers and Schoolemen .

Secondly , the judgement of prudencie is requisite in reading of them ; men should not dote upon them : for this is generally the fault of most of them , that yee shall finde little pietie or matter of holinesse in all their writings . Bucer said well , that there is more holinesse to be found in Seneca than in most of them : if men converse too much with them , they shall finde but little sanctification by them , but having their mindes inlightened by the holy Scrptures , and their affections sanctified , they may make use of them Some of them we may reade distinctly and judiciously ; some of them we are to reade cursorily ; and some of them we are but to looke upon here and there : some meates we cut first , then we chew them , then we digest them ; other meates we swallow them ; and other meates wee taste onely of them . So wee should use these Schoolemen : some of them we should reade distinctly : others of them we should swallow as it were , and run over lightly and others of them wee should tast and looke but upon them here and there .

Againe , prudency should teach us , what wee should observe as impertinent in them , and what to reject ; their questions for the most part are idle and curious , as the most of their hypotheticall propositions , and the manner of their disputations ; for other times they dispute ex alienis principijs , out of the grounds of other sciences : they confound Divinity and Philosophy : and the Me●●s which they use oftentimes are impertinent . They bring innumerable arguments and disputations oftentimes probable on both sides , and they trust too much to the testimonie of men ; they goe very rashly many of them , and speake not soberly enough of the great mystery of the Trinity , and Incarnation ; bringing in philosophicall reasons : whereas these mysteries should rather be adored than searched after : and herein Athanasius sayd well , Eti●● verade Deo loqui est periculosum .

And last of al , they distinguish where the law distinguisheth not .

The third judgement is the judgement of charity ; when wee reade them and finde many grosse errours in them ; wee are not for that to reject them , for we shall finde sometimes points notably well cleared in them . The Iewes have a proverbe , Comede dactylos , & projice foras duritiem ; Eate the Date , and cast away the stone ; so should wee in reading of them , take that which is good , and cast away their errours . The Toade , although it bee a loathsome creature , yet we will take a stone out of the head of it , and use it : the Muske-kat is an il-favoured creature and yet we will take the muske of it to perfume things with : The Raven was an uncleane creature under the Law , yet Elias was fed by it : so wee may get many profitable helpes by these Schoolemen , although they have great errours : but we must take heed , that we fawningly flatter them not .

The flatterers of Dionysius were so grosse , that they would licke up the spittle of Dionysius , protesting that it was sweeter than nectar ; we must not so doate upon them , as to licke up their excrements , but onely follow them in so farre as they follow Christ . We must not give to them glorious titles , for then as Iob saith , We must give titles to men , as Jacobus de Voragine , as though he had eaten up the whole Booke of God in reading it ; and to Thomas Aquinas , they gave the name doctor Seraphicus & angelicus : to Scotus , doctor subtilis ; to Durandus , doctor irrefragabilis ; to another , venerabilis incoeptor ; to another , doctor fundatissimus ; to another illuminatus ; to another , doctor resolutus : and a thousand such .

Among the Iewes , when the holy Ghost was not revealed unto them , then they tooke glorious titles upon them , as one was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lux mundi , R. Iude , his title was , Rabbonu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doctor noster sanctus ; Saddaas was called , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illustris ; Abenezra was called , lapis auxilij ; they were also called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aperti , the men that saw ; for they reckoned the people but blinde , Rom. 1. and the leaders of the blind ; then they disdained the people , Joh. 7.49 . this people who know not the Law : they called also the people populus terrae . So when these glorious titles were given to the Schoolemen , then the holy Ghost withdrew his presence mightily from his Church .

Wee should in charity judge their errors , for they lived in the houre of darkenesse , and few these were then to oppose against them , and what marvaile if they did oftentimes stumble ; so that this was but infirmity in them , and not malice .

But if they could now behold from heaven the Church of Rome ( who brags that shee succeeds to them ) with her new plots , as her equivocations , mentall reservations , allowing the killing of Princes , absolving subjects from loyaltie towards their Prince ; wives from their husbands , children from their parents ; and giving to images not onely cultum respectivum , which the schoolemen granted to them , but also cultum conjunctum , or coadoration ; would they not bee ashamed of these their children , and blush if they could behold them ?

A Cardinall upon a time caused a Painter to paint the twelve Apostles ; the Painter painted them looking somewhat reddish ; the Cardinall asked the Painter whether the Apostles looked so when they were here alive ? no said the Painter : why dost thou then so paint them said the Cardinall ? the Painter replyed , They blush so now when they behold the corruptions of you who take upon you to bee leaders of the Church . If the Schoolemen could behold the grosse and innumerable corruptions which are maintained now in the Church of Rome , which were not then , would they not blush and be ashamed , and disclaime them for their children ?

When Moses was upon the mount , hee brought a patterne of the whole frame of the tabernacle from the Lord , and erected it according to the patterne received , but the Church of Rome hath erected another patterne , framing religion by the mould of humane reason .

If ye will take a view of severall points professed in Poperie , ye may easily perceive whence they have taken the patterne of them , not from Moses on the mount , but from scholasticke speculations .

First , because the Mathematickes consider lines , figures , circles , points , abstracted from bodies , therefore they gather , that accidents may be in the Sacrament without the subject .

Secondly , because morall Phylosophy establisheth neyther punishment nor reward , unlesse the free will of man goe before ; hence they inferre , that there is free will in man : againe , because morall Philosophy knoweth no vertues , but inherent habites and vertues ; therefore it is that they set themselves so against the inputed righteousnesse of Christ : the morall Philosopher cals vice a voluntary evill , therefore they inferre , that concupiscence is not sin , because it is not altogether voluntary .

Thirdly , from the Politickes , in policie , the best sort of government is monarchicall , therefore the Popes government must bee monarchicall . Againe , in Princes Courts , men use mediators to goe to their Prince , therefore they conclude , that we must use the intercession of the Saints to God . In policie , no lawes are given , but which the subjects may fulfill , therefore man is able to fulfill the law of God .

Fourthly , from the Physickes ; Physicke teacheth us that the body turnes to corruption , and dissolves ; upon this they inferre , that man before his fall his body should have dyed naturally , as it doth , if supernaturall righteousnesse had not kept backe corruption ; so that they make God as well the author of death ; as well as of nature , considering man here onely after the principles of nature , and not according to his first creation . Againe , Physicke teacheth us , that the blood alwaies followeth the body , therefore they have taken away the cup from the people in the Sacrament , because ( say they ) if they get his flesh , they get his blood , per concomitantiam .

Fiftly , the Metaphysickes teach us , that every positive thing is good , therefore they define originall sinne to be a meere privation .

Sixthly , the Platonickes were mightily deluded by the apparition of spirits , hence they have borrowed their apparition of spirits .

Seventhly , from the Poets fables they have taken their Purgatory .

Last , from the incantations of the Gentiles , they have borrowed their exorcismes . Thus wee see that they have not taken their platforme from above in the mount with Moses , but from below , from humane reason and Philosophie : and here they ought to have remembred that of the Apostle , Take heede that no man spoile you with Philosophie . Curteous Reader , if there bee any thing here that may serve for the good of the Church and your edification , give the glory to God , and reape you the fruits : if there bee any thing that seemeth not correspondent to reason or the word of God , reprove me for it , and it shall be like a pretious balme unto my head . So recommending you to the grace of God , I rest ,