84 THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



world ; but the Scriptures never vouchsafe to attribute to the 

 world that honour, as to be the image of God, but only the 

 wvrk of His hands; neither do they speak of any other image 

 of God but man. Wherefore by the contemplation of nature 

 to induce and enforce the acknowledgment of God, and to 

 demonstrate His power, providence, and goodness, is an excel 

 lent argument, and hath been excellently handled by divers. 

 But on the other side, out of the contemplation of nature, or 

 ground of human knowledges, to induce any verity or persua 

 sion concerning the points of faith, is in my judgment not 

 safe Da fidei qua Jidei sunt. For the heathen themselves 

 conclude as much in that excellent and divine fable of the 

 &quot;olden chain, &quot;That men and gods were not able to draw 

 Jupiter down to the earth ; but, contrariwise, Jupiter was able 

 to draw them up to heaven.&quot; So as we ought not to attempt 

 to draw down or submit the mysteries of God to our reason, 

 but contrariwise to raise and advance our reason to the divine 

 truth. So as in this part of knowledge, touching divine philo 

 sophy, I am so far from noting any deficience, as I rather 

 note an excess ; whereunto I have digressed because of the 

 extreme prejudice which both religion and philosophy hath 

 received and may receive by being commixed together ; as that 

 which undoubtedly will make an heretical religion, and an 

 imaginary and fabulous philosophy. 



(2) Otherwise it is of the nature of angels and spirits, which 

 is an appendix of theology, both divine and natural, and is 

 neither inscrutable nor interdicted. For although the Scrip 

 ture saith, &quot;Let no man deceive you in sublime discourse 

 touching the worship of angels, pressing into that he knoweth 

 not &quot; &c., yet notwithstanding if you observe well that pre 

 cept, it may appear thereby that there be two things only 

 forbidden adoration of them, and opinion fantastical of them, 

 either to extol them further than appertained to the degree 

 of a creature, or to extol a man s knowledge of them further 

 than he hath ground. But the sober and grounded inquiry, 

 which may arise out of the passages of Holy Scriptures, or 

 out of the gradations of nature, is not restrained. So of de 

 generate and revolted spirits, the conversing with them or the 

 employment of them is prohibited, much more any veneration 

 towards them; but the contemplation or science of their 

 nature their power, their illusions, either by Scripture or 

 reason, is a part of spiritual wisdom. For so the apostle 

 saith, &quot;We are not ignorant of his stratagems. And it is 

 no more unlawful to inquire the nature of evil spirits, than 

 to inquire the force of poisons in nature, or the nature of sm 



