Igo] THE FIRST BOOK. — 9 
or will of God, then indeed is he spoiled by vain philo- 
—_—" . ‘ 
sophy: for the contemplation of God’s creatures and 
works produceth (having regard to the works and crea- 
tures themselves) knowledge, but having regard to God, 
no perfect knowledge, but wonder, which is broken know- 
ledge. And therefore it was most aptly said by one of 
Plato’s school, Zhat the sense of man carrieth a resem- 
blance with the sun, which (as we see) openeth and revealeth 
all the terrestrial globe; but then again tt obscureth and 
concealeth the stars and celestial globe: so doth the sense 
discover natural things, but it darkeneth and shutteth up 
divine. And hence it is true that it hath proceeded, that 
divers great learned men have been heretical, whilst they 
have sought to fly up to the secrets of the Deity by the 
waxen wings of the senses. And as for the conceit that. 
too much knowledge should incline a man to atheism, 
and that the ignorance of second causes should make a 
more devout dependence upon God, which is the first 
cause; first, it is good to ask the question which Job 
asked of his friends: Wl you lie for God, as one man will 
a 
do for another, to gratify him? For certain it is that God = 
worketh nothing in nature but by second causes: and 
if they would have it otherwise believed, it is mere im- 
posture, as it were in favour towards God; and nothing 
else but to offer to the author of truth the unclean 
sacrifice of alie. But further, it is an assured truth, and 
a conclusion of experience, that a little or superficial 
knowledge of philosophy may incline the mind of man to 
atheism, but a further proceeding therein doth bring the 
mind back again _ to teligion. For in the entrance of 
philosophy, when the second causes, which are next unto 
the senses, do offer themselves to the mind of man, if it 
dwell and stay there it may induce some oblivion of the 
