Chapter 48

Wherein the former discourse is more particularly prosecuted; and it is declared what dispositions are requisite, for the beginning to read, and understand the divine Scriptures, & the holy Doctors.

BUT now if God did take into so zealous care, the honour of that knowledge, which he gave the Gentills, & that which he also gave the jews; how much will he have zeal of that which he giveth Christians; since incomparably, this, is more than that, which either of the other did enjoy. And¹ since men do serve themselves very ill of the knowledge of this so excellent Faith, it is not to be marvelled at, if sometimes God strike such persons, by suffering them with a great chastisement to fall upon heresies, as he suffered those of former times. Can it be said perhaps, that we see not that accomplished, with our own eyes, which S. Paul did prophecy, of the latter times, saying, That God would send the operation of error to certain men, that they might believe a lie; and this lie, is against Faith. For no man can be ignorant of the miserable, and great efficacy, wherewith so much people, hath cordially embraced the Lutheran heresy; so that we see plainly, how God² hath sent this efficacy of error, for the believing of a lie, as S. Paul saith.

Not that God doth send these things, by inciting men to believe a lie, or to work any wickedness; For he is not the tempter of the wicked, as S. james the Apostle³ saith: But he is said, to send the operation of error, when by his just judgement, he⁴ suffereth the understanding of men to be deceived by false discourses, or by false miracles; which either some man, or the perverse Devil, may work; and withal they find in themselves, such force towards the believing of that lie, as to think themselves moved to the belief of it, as if it were some great and wholesome Truth.

A (*) Heresy is one of the most terrible judgments which God inflicts, for the punishment for other sins. great and extreme judgement of God is this; and, since he is just, that sin must needs be great, whereof the punishment is such; and what this sin is, S. Paul⁵ himself declareth to us, by saying, Because they received not the love of Truth, to be saved thereby. For if thou consider, how powerful the Truth is, of that which we believe, for the helping us to serve God, & to be saved; soon wilt thou acknowledge it to be a great fault, not to love this Truth, and not to follow that which it teacheth; and much more, to work wickedly against it. How⁶ far should he be from offending God, who believeth, that for such as offend him there is prepared an everlasting fire, with other innumerable torments, wherewith such an one is to be punished, as long as God shallbe God, without all hope of the least remedy? How will he presume to sin, who believeth, that when sin entereth into the soul, by one door, God goeth out by another? And what kind of creature, a man is, without thee, O Lord, he well knew who prayed, O⁷ Lord, depart not thou from me. For when God is gone, we remain in the first death of sin, which is but an introduction, to the second death, of infernal pain.

With great reason did job⁸ say, Who can find in his heart, to taste that, which being tasted, bringeth death? Without doubt, it is but reason, that since we would not taste of any food, which a Physician whom we believed, should tell us, did carry death therein; we should less taste of sin, since God hath said, That⁹ the soul which finneth shall dye. For the Faith or belief which thou hast in the word of God, doth not work that effect in thee, which the word of that Physician doth work; and yet this later both can deceive, and useth sometimes to do it, which God never doth. And since God hath said, That he is the eternal reward of such a servant, why doth not this make us all, go towards his service, with great diligence, and courage; although we were to pass through many labours; and that it should cost us even our lives? Why do we not love our Lord whom we believe to be supreme goodness; and whom we know, to have loved us first, yea and that so fare as to dye for us? And so¹⁰ we should discourse in all other things, which this holy Faith doth so powerfully teach us, and invite us to, (for as much as concerneth it) & ourselves, are in great fault for leaving to follow it, yea and for doing the very contrary things to it. Can there be a more prodigious thing in the world, then that a Christian, should believe the things which he believeth, and that yet he should do so wicked things, as many of them do? In punishment therefore of this, that they did not love the Truth, whereby they might have been saved, (putting in practice, that which they were taught thereby) it is a most just judgement of God, Who¹¹ is terrible in his counsels over the sons of men, That this Faith be taken from them, & they be permitted to believe error.

And if thou do consider, how God doth suffer the snare to be prepared, whereby jews and heretics, are chastised as we have said, it will appear to thee, that it is a thing rather to be trembled at, then to be talked of. Ask any of these that are so peremptory, in following the obstinacy of their error, upon what it is, that they ground themselves. The¹² one sort will say, that it is the Scripture of the old Testament; and the other of the New, and thou shalt plainly see the prophecy of David accomplished, when he saith, The¹³ Table of these people shallbe turned into a snare, and into a punishment, and into a stumbling block. Didst thou ever see a thing, of so contrary appearance, as that the Table of Life, should be turned into a snare of death; the Table of comfort and pardon, into a punishment; that Table where there is light which guideth men into a way that leadeth to life, to convert itself into a means, of making one lose the way, and fall upon death.

Great, without¹⁴ all doubt, is the fault which deserveth such punishment; that a man should be blinded in the light, and that his life should be converted into death. But thou art just O Lord, and thy judgements are just; and there is no wickedness in thee; but that wickedness, is in them, who serve not themselves well of thy goodness; and therefore, it is fit, that they should but stumble upon the same goodness of thine; & that the dishonour should be punished, which they do, both to it, and thee. A great blessing, O Lord, an extraordinary blessing is thy Faith; being revered, obeyed, and put in execution, as all reason doth require. And a great blessing didst thou bestow, in giving us thy holy Scripture, which is so profitable and so necessary for us, in the way of thy service. But¹⁵ because the wind which bloweth upon this sea, is a wind that commoth from heaven; and there have been some who would needs sail by the earthly winds of their own brains, and studies, they have been drowned, and thou hast suffered it. Because, as in the Parables which thou, O Lord, didst preach on earth, those men were secretly taught thereby, who had a good disposition thereunto; whereas others, were blinded even thereby, through thy just judgement; so dost thou also govern the profound sea of thy divine Scripture, which is deputed for the showing of mercy, to the lambs of thy fold, who may swim therein, to the profit both of themselves, and others; and so also is it designed for the showing of justice, in suffering proud Elephants both to drown themselves & others also. A fearful, and very fearful thing it ought to be esteemed, to enter into the divine Scripture; and no man ought to run upon it without much preparation, as to a thing wherein there may be much danger to him. Let him that¹⁶ entereth into it, carry with him the sense of the Catholic Roman Church; and he shall avoid the danger of heresy. Let him for his further profit by it, carry purity of life, as S. Athanasius doth advice, by these words, Goodness of life, and purity of the soul, and Christian piety, is necessary for the search, and true science of the Scriptures. And he saith afterwards, that without purity of mind, and a life which followeth in the steps of sanctity, it is not possible to understand the speech of Saints. For as if a man would behold the light of the Sun, he maketh clear his eyes, and by so doing his sight groweth clear, and by that means to be of some resemblance with the very Sun which he desireth to behold; that so his eye being made light, he may the better look upon the Sun's light: and as also, if a man desire to see any City, or Country, he must come, within a certain distance, for that purpose; so he that would procure the understanding of holy books, must first endeavour to cleanse, & purify his soul, & by a resemblance of life & manners, to draw near to the Saints, who wrote them; that so approaching to them, by his intentions, & actions, he may understand those things, which God revealed to them, & being made, as it were, one of them, he may escape from the danger, that sinners are subject to, & from the fire which against the day of judgement, will be provided for them.

It is necessary to ponder this greatly, which S. Athanasius delivered; that so we may receive profit by the divine Scripture. For though without this purity of life, a man may easily know by Scripture, what God in general requireth of him; yet in particular to know the counsel, & will of God, cannot be learned (as the Wiseman saith) by humane study; but he affirmeth thus, in the manner of a question, Who, O Lord, shall know thy meaning, unless thou give him wisdom & unless thou●end thy holy spirit from on high? This Wisdom¹⁷ is that, which teacheth the way how to please God in particular manner, & this resideth not in wicked men. But when this industry continueth, with experience of holy labours, humble prayers, and the fruit of good works, it maketh a man truly wise; that so by reading of Scripture, and long experience, he may teach others after the manner of an eye witness; and may light upon the vein of another man's hart; instructing it, by that which passeth in his own. And without this, though he may chance to hit right for once, he will mistake many times; and will fall out to be one of them of whom S. Paul saith, That¹⁸ taking upon them to teach the law, they understood not that, whereof they speak. A man who putteth himself upon the study of holy Scripture, must help himself also, by the interpretation and exposition of the Saints; as also of the Schoole-devines. For as for the profit which may be drawn from the study of holy Scripture without accompanying it, by these endeavours, Germany hath taken experience, of it to her cost.

Footnotes

1. God inflicteth grievous punishments upon such as live not according to the true faith which they have received. ↩

2. Do not wilfully mistake the Scripture or this author, but mark well, that which instantly followeth ↩

3. jac. 1. ↩

4. Note. ↩

5. Thess. 2. ↩

6. A good and just consideration. ↩

7. Psal. 4●. ↩

8. job. 6. ↩

9. Ezech. 18. ↩

10. Note. ↩

11. Psal. 65. ↩

12. Almost all heretics do offer to shroud themselues under holy scripture. ↩

13. A passage of holy Scripture excellently pòdered. ↩

14. A holy contemplation of the Author, & of much terror to such as are in heresy. ↩

15. Note: ↩

16. An-understanding exercised in humility, & a lifeled in piety, are good dispositions for the reading of holy Scripture with profit. ↩

17. True celestial wisdom. ↩

18. 1. Tim. 1.
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