6 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



and conclude th thus : God hath made all things beautiful, or 

 decent, in the true return of their seasons : also He hath placed 

 the world in man's heart, yet cannot man find out the work 

 which God worketh from the beginning to the end : declaring 

 not obscurely, that God hath framed the mind of man as a 

 mirror or glass, capable of the image of the universal world, 

 and joyful to receive the impression thereof, as the eye 

 joyeth to receive light ; and not only delighted in behold 

 ing the variety of things and vicissitude of times, but 



10 raised also to find out and discern the ordinances and 

 decrees, which throughout all those changes are infallibly 

 observed. And although he doth insinuate that the 

 supreme or summary law of nature, which he calleth, The 

 work which God worketh from the beginning to the end, 

 is not possible to be found out by man ; yet that doth not 

 V derogate from the capacity of the mind, but may be referred 

 to the impediments, as of shortness of life, ill conjunction of 

 labours, ill tradition of knowledge over from hand to hand, 

 and many other inconveniences, whereunto the condition of 



20 man is subject. For that nothing parcel of the world is 

 denied to man's inquiry and invention, he doth in another 

 place rule over, when he saith, The spirit of man is as the 

 lamp of God, wherewith He searcheth the inwardness of all 

 secrets. If then such be the capacity and receipt of the mind 

 of man, it is manifest that there is no danger at all in the 

 proportion or quantity of knowledge, how large soever, lest 

 it should make it swell or out-compass itself ; no, but it 

 is merely the quality of knowledge, which, be it in quantity 

 more or less, if it be taken without the true corrective 



30 thereof, hath in it some nature of venom or malignity, and 

 some effects of that venom, which is ventosity or swelling. 

 This corrective spice, the mixture whereof maketh knowledge 

 so sovereign, is charity, which the Apostle immediately addeth 

 to the former clause : for so he saith, Knowledge bloiveth up, 

 but charity buildeth up; not unlike unto that which he 

 delivereth in another place : If I spake, saith he, with the 



