Of Ht~mane Learni11,g. 15 • All N1tions on Earth that have not the Gofpel, are obligedby God to tbe ufc of certain me::~HJ, (tf) All.q. and ii'Jlprovcmcnt of certain mercies, in ordc:r or tcndt:ncy to their S~lvation. And it is their fin if ~~7. 17, :tS', they ufc them not. . . , 9 Jo 1 6. God hath <1ppr1inted no means in vain; which men rnufi either not ufe, or ufc defpairingly, R;m, 'r. 19 , But his Command to ufe any means for any end, containeth (though not an ex;plicire prornife, yet) 2o, :a, u. earand comfortable encouragement w ufe that means in hope. . & 2 •4, 7, ro, gr 7 Therefore the world is now in comp.-.rifon of the Catholick Church, much like what it {(' ':'! 6 ' 17 ' wa~ before Chrills incarnation in comparifOn of the Jews Church; who yet had many waycs great r:6) J~n1 ah_·4• advantage though God was not the <:?od of the Jews ~nly, .but alfo of the Gentiles, who had ~ ...Law 2, & J.ro. written tn tht:ir hearts, and an accutmg or cxcufing Confc1ence. ~Ct. 1o. Jr~ 1 g. Thofc over·doing Diviues who pretend to be ctrtain, that all the WOt1d are damne~ ~hat arc Ir:.1~:.' 1 r;.' not Chriltians, do add to G~ds word, an~ are great .a~ent.s, for Sata~ t? tempt men to lnhdellfy, and Deut. 32 . 47 , to Athcifm it ftlf, and to d1ffwade mankmd from ddccrmng the ln~nue goodnefs of God :, and occa- Ma/.1. 1o. fion many to deny the Jmmorrality of the ~oul,. rather ~han they Will be1Jeve, that five puts in fix ;ro:· t. 2.:., of the world now, and almoll all before Chnits mcarnauon, hav~ I. I~mortal fouls purpofdy created in {!;n.!: 7 , ~he: m ro be damned without any propounded means and pofiJbJluy-natural of remedy; And as 1 Rom. 3 • know' they will pour out their biuer ccnfi.1re on thefe lines ( which 1 could avoid if I regarded it R.om. 2. 4 more than uuth) (o wirh what mea.fure they mete, it £hall bemeafurtd to rht:m : and prhcrs wjU . damn them as contldently as they damn almofl all the world; And I will be bold to cenfurc that rhey arc u N D0 ER S of the Church by 0 V ER· D 0 I N G. See more in my Vindication of Godt Goodnrji. Q!ell:. 158. Should not [hrijl:ia1zs take up wit/1 Scripwre zvifdom only, without Jlt~• dyi1!Z Philofophy and other Heathem /Jummze Leamu~,g? .Anfw. }Have already proved the ufcfulnefs of common knowledge called Hum,ne Learning, by . twenty Reafom in my book called Tllf Vnrtafonablenr[r of Infidrlity, pag. r6j.part.2._feU. 23. Pmv, ' · & l· to wh1ch I refer the Reader : And only fay now, 1. Gric'c prcfuppoferh Nature; We arc mmm order & 4 • & 5.&~, of nature at leafi before we are Saints, a1id Reafon is before fupernarural Revelation. 2. Common PfaL 9!.. 5, 6, knowledge therefore is fubfervient unro ftith : we mufi know the Creator and his works; And the ! Jo4.t4, 2.5. Redeemer refioreth us to the due knowledge of the Creator : Humane Learning in the fenfe in quefli. & :~~· ~, 6 ·5' on is alfo Divine: God is the Author of the light of nature, as well as of grace. \Ve have rnore 21, • 1 1 ' than Heathens, but mull not therefore have lefs, and call away the good that is common to them Pf:al. 66, 3, 4· and us: Elfe we mufi nor have fouls, bodies, reafon, health, time, meat, drink, cloaths, &c. becaufe Pf:ll.r;r.z.,J, Heathens have them. Gods works are honourable, fought out of all them that have pleafure therein. ~ ~~r.'7 8 . And phyfical Philofophy is nothing but tfie knowledge of Gods works• . 3· And the knowledge of 9, to, u; 1 t, Languages is nccelliry both for humane convcrfe, and for the underJhndmg cf the Scriptures them~ rS, 19. fclvcs. The Scriptures contain not a Greek and Hebrew Grammar to underlland the languages in :a. 2 • 6, 7, which they arc written, b~t {uppofe us otherwile ta.ught·thofe tongues that we may interp~et them. &:;. 40 • 4 • Th~ ufe of the Gofpel1s not to teach us all thin?s needful to be knowo,. ,but to reach u.s~- on fop- & 24 . 2 • pofition of our common ~Kor:rlctige, how to advance lnghcr ro fupernatur.d faw.ng Jt11owledge, fatth, Lo~re t Cor. J4. z., and praCtice. Scripture telleth us not how to build a houte, to plow, {ow, weave, or make our 4,9, IJ, 14• works of arr. Ev~ry one that.lcarneth his ~ountrcy tOngue of his Parents harh hum01ne ~eii.rning :/e'v:6;.~~·. of the fame fort wuh the lcarnmg of Greek and He:brew: He that learncth not to read) cannot read & , 4 , 1 ,. the Bible. And he that underf\andeth it not in the Original tongues mull trufl other mens words that & 5.9. have Humane Learning, or cUCremain a £hanger to it. ~;~~4~;~.'~)3. Prov. u) :., 3,4. & 8. 9, ro, 12..1Cor. If. 34, .Prov•. '9· 2.. Job 32. 8. & JS. }6. Yet I refer the Re:~.der to~i9T!~t. of Know/eJ~c, wbich fucwetb the V.aotty of preteJ ded Le.amUlg. · But though none but proud fools will deny the need of that humane Learning w]oich improveth Col.o.s, 9 ,,,. nature, and is fubfervient to our knowledge of fupcmatural Rtvelations, yet well doth Paul adrno· 1 C(Jr, 2. 1,4, ni(h us ro take heed that mme decrive U! by vain Pbilofophy) and faith that the wifdom of the world U 5, 6, r;. fooli(hmfl with q od, and that the l(_nor•lcdge of Chrijt Crucifird is the true ChriOian Philofophy or~(~/;: " • Wtfdom. For mdeed the dark Ph1lofophm gropmg after the knowledge of God, did fr<qu<ntly ] ob 2 s. >8. llumble, and did introduce <~.bundancc of Logical and Phyfical vanities, .uncertainties and falfiries Prov. r. 7, under the name of Philofophy, _by meer.niceties and high pretendings feeking for t~c glory of wif- & t 1o. dom to them[elvcs; when as tt 1s one thmg to know Gods works and God in them, and another thing ~ i 17 ' 3· to c~mpofe a fylleme of Phyficks and Metaphyficks containing abundance of errours and confufion Epah.· ;· i;. and Jumbling a few ccrcainrics with a great rna~y un~ercainties and untruths, and every feet pulling t}oh.2.13,•-4~ down, what others afft:rted, and all of them d1fprovmg the methods and affertions of mhers and Col. 1.9, z.;:, none proving their own. And the truth is, afrer all h.tt:r difcoverics, there is yet fo muC'h e:rour ~\ 6 d.ukncfs, uncettain!Y and confufion in the Philofophy of every pretending fi.ct, (the Peripatcticks: 1 ~~r."2.1.~·1 • Z 1. 1. z z che Col. 3· 16.
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