THE SECOND BOOK. 187 



ticulars, the greater peril of error you do incur ; so much more 

 in divinity, the more you recede from the Scriptures by in 

 ferences and consequences, the more weak and dilute are your 

 positions. 



(13) And as for perfection or completeness in divinity, it is 

 not to be sought, which makes this course of artificial divinity 

 the more suspect. For he that will reduce a knowledge into 

 an art will make it round and uniform ; but in divinity many 

 things must be left abrupt, and concluded with this : alti- 

 tudo sapientice et scientice Dei I quam incomprehensibilia sunt 

 judicia ejus, et non investigabiles vice ejus. So again the apostle 

 saith, Ex parte scimus : and to have the form of a total, where 

 there is but matter for a part, cannot be without supplies by 

 supposition and presumption. And therefore I conclude that 

 the true vise of these sums and methods hath place in institu 

 tions or introductions preparatory unto knowledge; but in 

 them, or by deducement from them, to handle the main body 

 and substance of a knowledge is in all sciences prejudicial, and 

 in divinity dangerous. 



(14) As to the interpretation of the Scriptures solute and at 

 large, there have been divers kinds introduced and devised ; 

 some of them rather curious and unsafe than sober and war 

 ranted. Notwithstanding, thus much must be confessed, that 

 the Scriptures, being given by inspiration and not by human 

 reason, do differ from all other books in the Author, which by 

 consequence doth draw on some difference to be used by the 

 expositor. For the Inditer of them did know four things which 

 no man attains to know; which are the mysteries of the 

 kingdom of glory, the perfection of the laws of nature, the 

 secrets of the heart of man, and the future succession of all 

 ages. For as to the first it is said, &quot; He that presseth into the 

 light shall be oppressed of the glory.&quot; And again, &quot;No man 

 shall see My face and live.&quot; To the second, &quot; When He pre 

 pared the heavens I was present, when by law and compass He 

 enclosed the deep.&quot; To the third, &quot;Neither was it needful that 

 any should bear witness to Him of man, for He knew weU 

 what was in man.&quot; And to the last, &quot; From the beginning are 

 known to the Lord all His works.&quot; 



(15) From the former two of these have been drawn certain 

 senses and expositions of Scriptures, which had need be con 

 tained within the bounds of sobriety the one anagogical, and 

 the other philosophical. But as to the former, man is not to 

 prevent his time: Videmus nunc per speculum in cenigmate 

 tune autem facie ad jdciem ; wherein nevertheless there seemeth 

 to be a liberty granted, as far forth as the polishing of this 



