THE SECOND BOOK 383 



of man ; and the future succession of all ages. For as to 

 the first, it is said, ' He that presseth into the light, shall 

 be oppressed of the glory ' ; and again, ' No man shall see 

 my face and live.' To the second, * When he prepared 

 the heavens I was present, when by law and compass he 

 inclosed the deep.' To the third, ' Neither was it needful 

 that any should bear witness to him of Man, for he knew 

 well what was in Man.' And to the last, ' From the 

 beginning are known to the Lord all his works.' 



From the former two of these have been drawn certain 

 senses and expositions of Scriptures, which had need be 

 contained within the bounds of sobriety; the one ana- 

 gogical, and the other philosophical. But as to the former, 

 man is not to prevent his time : Videmus nunc per speculum 

 in aenigmate^ tune autem facie ad faciem : wherein neverthe- 

 less there seemeth to be a liberty granted, as far forth as 

 the polishing of this glass, or some moderate explication of 

 this aenigma. But to press too far into it, cannot but 

 cause a dissolution and overthrow of the spirit of man. 

 For in the body there are three degrees of that we receive 

 into it ; Aliment, Medicine, and Poison ; whereof aliment 

 is that which the nature of man can perfectly alter and 

 overcome ; medicine is that which is partly converted by 

 nature, and partly converteth nature ; and poison is that 

 which worketh wholly upon nature, without that that 

 nature can in any part work upon it. So in the mind 

 whatsoever knowledge reason cannot at all work upon 

 and convert, is a mere intoxication, and endangereth a 

 dissolution of the mind and understanding. 



But for the latter, it hath been extremely set on foot of 

 late time by the school of Paracelsus, and some others, 

 that have pretended to find the truth of all natural 

 philosophy in the Scriptures; scandalizing and traducing 

 all other philosophy as heathenish and profane. But there 

 is no such enmity between God's word and his works. 

 Neither do they give honour to the Scriptures, as they 

 suppose, but much imbase them. For to seek heaven and 

 earth in the word of God, whereof it is said, ' Heaven and 

 earth shall pass, but my word shall not pass,' is to seek 



