The Drunkards Character, Section 157
§ 157.
FIrst,They not alwayes the wise… which know most not the humanist; for they are not alwayes the wisest, which know most as I have proved at large …. 50. 51. I will further confirme it.
There are a generation of men, that mightily thirst after wisdome and knowledge; and to get it, they are no niggards of their labour, for they leave nothing unstudied, but themselves; they know all parts and places of the created world, can discourse of every thing, visible, and invisible, divine, humane, and mundane, whether it bee meant of substances, or accidents, are ignorant of nothing, but the way to heaven; are acquainted with all Lawes and customes, save the Law of God, and customes of Christianity; they are strangers no where, but in the Court of their own consciences; yea, they build as hard, and erect as high, as did the Babel projectors, but never come to the roofe; they spend alltheir time in seeking after wisdome; as Alchymists spend all their present estates to finde the Philosophers stone, but never find it; for their thirst after knowledge being a natural thirst (which stands more upon the quanity, then the quality, themselves being like Ballances, which make no difference betwixt Gold and Lead, but in the weight; for a worldling is as well pleased with the handmaid, humane, or mundane wisdome, as with the Mistresse, divine and supernaturall; wheras none but this will content the generous Christian; natural men resembling the three lower elements, of Aire, Water, and Earth, which are pleased with lower romes; the regenerate, the element of Fire, which no place will content, but the uppermost, it's owne Region) they never attaine to that which is true wisdome indeed. For as the ragged Poettold Petronius, that Poetry was a kind of learning, which never made any man rich; so may I tell these, that humane learning, of it selfe, never made a wise man. For so long as men desire knowledge, and not a blessing with it, for no other end, but to remove their ignorance; as Pharaoh used Moses, but to remove the plagues; and studie the Scriptures and other bookes, only to make gaine thereof, or to bee the abler to dispute and discourse, as boyes go into the water to play and paddle there, not to wash and be cleane, as many, with Eue, doe highly esteeme the tree of Knowledge, but regard not the tree of Life, they may heape up knowledge upon knowledge, bee ever powring into their brains, as the fifty daughters of King Da…us, who killed their husbands, are faigned to bee alwayes filling of a Tunn, with water, that is bored full of holes, but labour they never so much about it, yet they can never bring it to passe; for whensoever they dye, they are undone, that houre, like Penelope's night, will undoe all that ever the day of their life did weave; wherein they resemble Albertus Magrus, who bestowed thirty yeares stud…e and pai…es upon an Image, or St…t…, till with engines and wheeles within, he had made it able to speake divers words very distinctly, the which Thomas Aquin… …t…terly spoyled in one minute
But to make it more plaine. I would faine know, what it is, or what it profits a man, to have the Etymology and derivation of wisdome and knowledge, without being affected with that which is true wisdome indeed: to be able to decline vertue, yet not love it? to have the theory, and be able to prattle of wisdome by roate, yet not know what it is by effect and experience? to have as expert a tongue, and as quicke a memory, as Portius, who never forgat any thing that hee had once read? A perfect understanding, great science, profound eloquence, a sweet stile, to have the Force of Demosthenes, the depth of Theseus, the perswasive art of Tully, &c. if withall he live a wicked life? with the Astronomer, to observe the motions of the Heavens, while his heart is buried in the earth? with the Naturalist, to search out the cause of many effects, and let passe the consideration of the principall, and most necessary? Viz. 1. Sinne the cause of all Misery and wretchednesse. 2. Grace the cause of all Good and happines. 3. God's will of all other causes, the cause 4. God's glory of all other causes, the effect With the Historian, to know what others have done, and how they have sped, while hee neglects the … of such as are gone the right way? with the Law-maker, to set downe many Lawes in particular; and not to remember the common law of nature, or law generall, that al must dye? or lastly, with Adam, to know the nature of all the creatures, as appeared in his naming of them; and with Solomon, to be able to dispute of every thing, even from the Cedar to the Hysope, or Pellitory, when in the meane time hee lives like Dives, dies like Nabal, and after all goesto his owne place, with Iudas? …lasse! many a foole goes to hell with lesse cost, lesse paines, and more quiet.
That is true knowledge, The religious man wi…er than the b…ma…i…t.which makes the knower blessed; to be wise and happy, are … termes, saith Aristotle in his Ethicks; and mans happinesse, …aith another, consists in believing the Gospell, and obeying Gods commands, which is sure to be crown ed with everlasting felicity: yea, Socrates could say, that learning pleaseth me but a little, which nothing p…ofits the owner of it to vertu…; and being demanded who was the wisest man? he answered, he that offends least.
Hee is the best scholler that learnes of Christ obedience, humility, &c. he is the best Arithmetician that can adde grace to grace; he is the best learned, that knowes how to be saved; yea, all the Arts in the world are artlesse Arts to this.
But few are thus wise and learned; because they thinke that to bee wisdome, Several mispr…sions of wisdomewhich is not; like Eve, who thought it wisdo…e to eat the forbidden fruit; or Absalom, who thought it wisdome to lye with his Fathers Concubines, in the sight of all the people; or the idle servant, who thought it wisdome to hide his Talent; or the false Steward, who thought it wisdom to deceive his Master: for, if a man take his marke amisse, hee may shoot long enough, ere he hit the White: and these men, are as one that is gone a good part of his journey, but must come backe againe, because he hath mistaken his way: for however these mens knowledge may seeme wisdome, (as a Bristow stone may seeme a Diamond) yet it only seemes so, it is not so; for if they were wise, saith Saint Bernard, they would foresee the torments of hell, and prevent them: yea, Epaminondas could say, that of all men he was the wisest, that lived well, and died well; for, quoth hee, the art of dying well, is the science of all sciences, and the way to learne this art, is to live well. We only praise that Mariner, which brings the Ship safe to the Haven. Againe, if thou wert a wise man, thou wouldest know what wisdome is, and not mistake one thing for an other: as Iacob in the dark mistooke Leah for Rachel, and then chose the best: as a traveller for his provision & convenience in his journey, carrieth his money in Gold, thou wouldest like a wise Merchant fraight thy felfe with that commodity, or coyne, which for mettall and stamp will passe for currant, both in this world, and in heaven: wheras thy lip-learning, and tongue-wisdome, and braine-knowledge, is perishing, and wil stands thee in no stead in the next life, nor any way further thee in the way to blisse. For thou art but like a Powdermaster, who hath provision against an enemy, but is ever in danger of being blown up: or some covetous churle, who though hee have lights good store, yet is content to sit in the dark: or an irregular Physitian, who prescribes a wholsome diet to others, when himselfe feeds foully, and surfets with intemperance: which in reason is to play the foole, and to imitate the Miletians, who as Aristotle writeth, were not fooles, but did the selfe samethings that fooles were accustomed to doe: wherein this is all the difference, a man shall be the rather punished, and the more, because he hath knowne good, and done evill, for knowledge without grace, will but sinke men lower in Hell. And great reason shall all such have, who either know, and believe not; or believe, and repent not; or repent, and amend not; or amend, and persevere not in well doing, to cry out upon their death-beds, as Tully did in his latter age, would God I had never known what wisdome meant.
Again, as themselves are never the better for their great wisdome and learning: so, no more are others: for commonly they resemble dark Lanthornes, which have light, but so shut up and reserved, as if it were not: and what is the difference betwixt concealed skill, and ignorance? It is the nature and praise of good, to be communicative, whereas if their hidden knowledge do ever looke out, it casts so sparing a light, that it onelyonly argues it self to have an unprofitable being.
Wee know the Unicorne hath bu… one horne, but hee doth more good with that, then other beasts do with two: so an holy man doth more good with a little knowledge, then a worldling with a great deale; yea, he thinks himselfe as happy, in giving light to others, as in receiving it into himselfe.
Now suppose a mans greatest learning. be religion, and his knowledge only lyes in the best things, as the weaker vessell may hold the better liquor; yet a competent estate well husbanded, is better then avast patrimony neglected. Never any meere man, since the first, knew so much as Salomon; many that have known lesse, have had more command of themselves.
True it is, in some kind of skill they out. strip even the best of Gods people; who, if they are put to it, may answer as Themistocles did, when one invited him to touch a Lute for, as he said, I cannot siddle, but I can make a small Town a great State: so may the godly say, wee cannot give a solid reason in nature, why Nilus should over flow only in the Summer, when watersare at the lowest: why the Load-stone should draw Iron, or incline to the Polestarre; how the heat of the stomack, and the strength of the net her chap, should be so great: why a flash of lightning should melt the Sword, without making any impression in the Scabbard; kill the child in the wombe, and never hurt the mother: how the waters should stand upon an heape, and yet not overflow the earth: why the clouds above, being heavie with water, should not fal to the earth suddainly, seeing every heavie thing descendeth, except the reason which God giveth, Gen. 1. 6. and Iob 26. 8. but we know the mystery of the Gospell, and what it is to be borne anew, and can give a solid reason of our faith, wee know that God is reconciled to us, the law satisfied for us, our sins pardoned, our soules acquitted, and that we are in the favour of God: which many, with their great learning, doe not know. And thus the godly are proved wiser, then the wisest humanist, that wants grace.