Their Cardinal Cusaen faith, that Obedientia irrationalis est consummata obedientia & perfectissima, &c. Ignorant obedience, wanting reason, is the most absolute and perfect obedience. Chrysostom gives the reason, why they so oppose themselves against reason, gHaeretici sacerdotes Claudunt januas veritatis, &c. Heretical Priests shut up the gates of Truth: For they know that upon the manifestation of the Truth, their Church would be soon forsaken. If the light which maketh all things plain, should shine out, hTunc hi qui prius decipiebant: nequaqua• ad populum accodere valebunt, post quam se senserint intellectos: then they who before cozened the people, could preserve their credits no longer, being now smelt out and espied. Hence the people aim at Christ, but either short or gone, and not with a just Jevell. But iNemo de Christo credat nisi quod Chr•stus de se credi voluit. Let no man believe other thing of Christ then what Christ would have believed of himselfe. Non minus est Deum fingere, quam negare, saith Hilary. It is no less sin to feign a new God, then to deny the true God. The Priests call the people Swine, and therefore must not have those precious pearls. And so the people (k Amant ignorare, malunt nescire, quod jam oderunt,) had rather continue ignorant, as not loving to know those things, which they cannot love, because they know not.
But alas, Ignorance is so far from sanity and sanctity, ⟨p. 35⟩that it is a spilling and killing sickness. Men are urged to read the Scriptures, that never emptied Treasur-house of knowledge: they answer, lNon sum. Monachus, uxorem habeo, & curam domus, I am no Priest, I have a wife, and a domesticall charge to look to. This is that Pestilence (no ordinary sickness) that infects to death many souls; to think that knowledge belongs only to Priests. mThis is a work of the Devils inspiration, not suffering us to behold the treasure, least we grow rich by it. Dices non legi, non est haec excusario, sed crimen: Thou sayest I have not read: this is no excuse but a sin. The Romists stick not, as once the Valentinian heretics (veritatis ignorantiam, cognitionem vocare) by a Paradox, Pseudodoxe, to call the ignorance of the truth, the true knowledge thereof. Like those, Wisd. 14. that living in a war of ignorance, those so great plagues they called peace.
Their Cardinal Cusaen faith, that Obedientia irrationalis est consummata obedientia & perfectissima, &c. Ignorant obedience, wanting reason, is the most absolute and perfect obedience. Chrysostome giues the reason, why they so oppose themselues against reason, gHaeretici sacerdotes Claudunt ianuas veritatis, &c. Hereticall Priestes shut vp the gates of Truth: For they know that vpon the manifestation of the Truth, their Church would be soone forsaken. If the light which maketh all things plaine, should shine out, hTunc hi qui prius decipiebant: nequaqua• ad populum accodere valebunt, post quam se senserint intellectos: then they who before cosoned the people, could preserue their credits no longer, being now smelt out and espied. Hence the people aime at Christ, but either short or gone, and not with a iust Ieuell. But iNemo de Christo credat nisi quod Chr•stus de se credi voluit. Let no man beleeue other thing of Christ then what Christ would haue beleeued of himselfe. Non minus est Deum fingere, quam negare, saith Hylary. It is no lesse sin to faine a new God, then to deny the true God. The Priestes call the people Swine, and therefore must not haue those precious pearles. And so the people (k Amant ignorare, malunt nescire, quod iam oderunt,) had rather continue ignorant, as not louing to know those things, which they cannot loue, because they know not.
But alas, Ignorance is so farre from sanity and sanctity, ⟨p. 35⟩that it is a spilling and killing sicknesse. Men are vrged to reade the Scriptures, that neuer emptied Treasur-house of knowledge: they answere, lNon sum. Monachus, vxorem habeo, & curam domus, I am no Priest, I haue a wife, and a domesticall charge to looke to. This is that Pestilence (no ordinary sicknes) that infects to death many soules; to thinke that knowledge belongs onely to Priestes. mThis is a worke of the Diuels inspiration, not suffering vs to beholde the treasure, least wee grow rich by it. Dices non legi, non est haec excusario, sed crimen: Thou sayest I haue not read: this is no excuse but a sin. The Romists sticke not, as once the Valentinian heretikes (veritatis ignorantiam, cognitionem vocare) by a Paradoxe, Pseudodoxe, to call the ignorance of the truth, the true knowledge thereof. Like those, Wisd. 14. that liuing in a warre of ignorance, those so great plagues they called peace.
- gIn opere imperf. Hom. 44. Sciunt enim, si manifestata essis veritas, quod ipsorum Ecclesia relinquenda esset.
- hHierom. in Esa.
- iAug. de tem. Serm. 145.
- kTertul. in Apologes.
- lChysost in Math. Hom. 2.
- mHo• Diabolicae inspiration is opus. st, non sinentu no• aspicere Thesaurum, ne' divitias acquitamus. Chrys•st, ad Hebraos. Hom. • 17.Ho• Diabolicae inspiration is opus. st, non sinentu no• aspicere Thesaurum, ne' diuitias acquitamus. Chrys•st, ad Hebraos. Hom. • 17.
