Advancement of Learning 2 1 3 



Divinity hath two principal parts; the matter informed 

 or revealed, and the nature of the information or revelation : 

 and with the latter we will begin, because it hath most 

 coherence with that which we have now last handled. The 

 nature of the information consisteth of three branches; 

 the limits of the information, the sufficiency of the informa 

 tion, and the acquiring or obtaining the information. Unto 

 the limits of the information belong these considerations; 

 how far forth particular persons continue to be inspired; 

 how far forth the Church is inspired ; how far forth reason 

 may be used: the last point whereof I have noted as defi 

 cient. Unto the sufficiency of the information belong two 

 considerations; what points of religion are fundamental, 

 and what perfective, being matter of further building and 

 perfection upon one and the same foundation; and again, 

 how the gradations of light, according to the dispensation of 

 times, are material to the sufficiency of belief. 



Here again I may rather give it in advice, than note it 

 as deficient, that the points fundamental, and the points 

 of farther perfection only, ought to be with piety and 

 wisdom distinguished: a subject tending to much like 

 end as that I noted before; for as that other were like to 

 abate the number of controversies, so this is likely to abate 

 the heat of many of them. We see Moses when he saw the 

 Israelite and the ^Egyptian fight, he did not say, Why 

 strive you? but drew his sword and slew the ^Egyptian: 

 but when he saw the two Israelites fight, he said, You are 

 brethren, why strive you ? 1 If the point of doctrine be an 

 ^Egyptian, it must be slain by the sword of the spirit, and 

 not reconciled ; but if it be an Israelite, though in the wrong, 

 then, Why strive you? We see of the fundamental points, 

 our Saviour penneth the league thus, He that is not with us, 

 is against us ; 2 but of points not fundamental, thus, He 

 that is not against us, is with us. 3 So we see the coat of our 

 Saviour was entire without seam, 4 and so is the doctrine 

 of the Scriptures in itself; but the garment of the Church 

 was of divers colours, 5 and yet not divided: we see the 

 chaff may and ought to be severed from the corn in the ear, 



1 Exod. ii. 11-14. 2 Matth. xii. 30. 



3 Luke ix. 50. * Joh. xix. 23. 



6 See Ps. xlv. 10, 14; or it may refer to Joseph s coat of many 

 colours Gen. xxxvii. 3. 



