368 ADVANCEMENT 0? LEARNING. [BOOK IX. 



NINTH BOOK. 



The Compartments ol Theology omitted. Three Deficiencies pointed 

 out. The Right Use of Reason in Matters oi Faith. The Know 

 ledge of the Degrees of Unity in the City of God. The Emanations 

 of the Holy Scriptures. 



HAVING now, excellent king, with our small bark of 

 knowledge, sailed over, and surrounded the globe of the 

 sciences, as well the old world as the new (let posterity judge 

 with what success), we should pay our vows and conclude ; 

 did there not still remain another part to be viewed ; viz., 

 sacred or inspired theology. But if we were disposed to 

 survey it, we must quit the small vessel of human i eason, and 

 put ourselves on board the ship of the Church, which alone 

 possesses the divine needle for justly shaping the course. 

 Nor will the stars of philosophy, that have hitherto princi 

 pally lent their light, be of farther service to us ; and, therefore, 

 it were not improper to be silent, also, upon this subject, as 

 well as upon that of government. For which reason, we 

 will omit the just distribution of it, and only contribute, 

 according to our slender ability, a few particulars in the way 

 of good wishes. And this we do the rather, because we find 

 no tract in the whole region of divinity, that is absolutely 

 deserted or uncultivated : so great has the diligence of men 

 been, in sowing either wheat or tares. We shall, therefore, 

 only propose three appendages of theology; treating not 

 of the matter already formed, or to be formed by divinity, 

 but only of the manner of forming it. Neither will we here, 

 as we have hitherto practised, give any sketches, annex any 

 specimens, or lay down any precepts for these treatises ; but 

 leave all this to divines. 



The prerogative of God extends over the whole man, and 

 reaches both to his will and his reason ; so that man must 

 absolutely renounce himself, and submit to God : and there 

 fore, as we are obliged to obey the divine law, though our 

 will murmur against it, so are we obliged to believe the 

 word of God, though our reason be shocked at it. For if 

 we should believe only such things as are agreeable to our 

 reason, we assent to the matter, and not to the author : 





