A Treatise of Knowledge and Love, Part 1 · Chapter 11
Chap. 11.
The Signs and Common diſcoveries of a proud ſelf-conceited underſtanding, and of pretended knowledge.
BY ſuch effects as theſe the moſt of men, do ſhew their guilt, of overvaluing their own appprehenſions.
1. When they will be confident of things that are quite above their underſtandings, or elſe which they never throughly ſtudied; ſome are confident of that which no man knoweth; And moſt are confident of that which I think they are unlike to be certain of themſelves, without miraculous inſpiration, which they give us no reaſon to believe that they have. Things that cannot ordinarily be known, 1. Without the preparation of many other Sciences, 2. Or without reading many books, 3. Or without reading or hearing what is ſaid againſt it. 4. Or at leaſt without long and ſerious ſtudies we have abundance that will talk moſt peremptorily of them, upon the truſt of their teachers or party, without any of this neceſſary means of Knowledge.
2. The haſtineſs of mens concluſions diſcovereth this Preſumption and Self-conceit. When at the firſt hearing or reading, or after a few thoughts they are as confident, as if they had grown old in ſtudies; the beſt underſtandings muſt have a long time to diſcern the Evidence of things difficult, and a longer time to try that Evidence by comparing it with what is brought againſt it: and yet a longer time to digeſt truths into that Order and Clearneſs of Apprehenſion, which is neceſſary to diſtinct and ſolid Knowledge, when without all this ado▪ moſt at the firſt lay hold of that which cometh in their way: And there they ſtick, at leaſt till a more eſteemed teacher or party tell them ſomewhat that is contrary to it. It is but few of our firſt apprehenſions that are ſound, and need not reformation; but none that are well digeſted, and need not much conſideration to perfect them.
3. Is it not a plain diſcovery of a preſumptuous underſtanding, when men will confidently conclude of things which their own tongues are forced to confeſs that they do not underſtand? I mean not only ſo as to give an accurate definition of them, but really not to know what it is that they talk of. Many a zealous Anabaptiſt I have known, that knoweth not what Baptiſm is. And many a one that hath diſputed confidently for or againſt Free-will, that knew not at all what Free-will is. And many a one that hath diſputed about the Lords Supper, and Separated from almoſt all Churches for want of ſufficient ſtrictneſs in it, and eſpecially for giving it to the ignorant, who upon examination have not known the true Nature of a Sacrament, nor of the Sacred Covenant which it ſealeth. Many a one forſaketh moſt Churches as no Churches, that they may be of a right conſtituted Church, who know not what a Church is. What abundance will talk againſt an Arminian, a Calviniſt, a Prelatiſt, a Presbyterian, an Independent, that really know not what any of them are? Like a Gentleman the other day that after long talk of the Presbyterians, being urged to tell what a Preſbyterian was, could tell no more but that he was one that is not ſo merry and ſociable as other men, but ſtricter againſt ſports or taking a Cup. And if I ſhould tell you how few that can judge the controverſies about Predeſtination, do know what they talk of, it were eaſy to evince it.
4. May I not diſcern their Prefidence, when men that hold contraries, five men of five inconſiſtent opinions, are yet every one confident that his own is right? When at beſt it is but one▪ that can be right. When ſix men confidently expound a text in the Revelation ſix ways. When five men are ſo confident of five ſeveral ways of Church Government, that they embody themſelves into ſeveral Policies or parties to enjoy them. Is not here Self-conceitedneſs in all (at leaſt) ſave one?
5. When men themſelves by turning from opinion to opinion, ſhall confeſs their former opinion was falſe; and yet made a Religion of it while they held it; was not this a preſumptuous underſtanding? When a man ſhall be one year of one Sect, and another of another, and yet always confident that he is in the right.
6. When men that are known to be ignorant in other parts of Religion, ſhall yet in ſome one opinion which they have eſpouſed, ſeem to themſelves much wiſer than their Teachers and make nothing of the Judgments of thoſe that have ſtudied it many a year, is not this a preſuming mind? Take the ableſt Divine that ever you knew living, ſuppoſe him to be Jewel, Andrews, Uſher, Davenant, Calvin, Chamier, Camero, Armeſius, Gataker, &c. Let him be one that all Learned men admire, whoſe Judgment is ſent for from ſeveral Kingdoms; who hath ſpent a long life in hard and very ſucceſsful ſtudies, every Boy and Silly Woman every ignorant vicious clown, that differeth from him in any point, ſhall ſlight all the wiſdom of this man, as if in compariſon of himſelf he were a fool. Let it come but to the point of Anabaptiſtry, Separation, Antinomianiſm yea the groſſeſt opinions of the Quakers, and what ſenſeleſs fellow or wench is not much wiſer than all theſe Divines? And they will pity him as a poor carnal ignorant perſon, which hath not the teaching of God which they have. Yea let him but ſeek to draw a ſenſualiſt from his Voluptuouſneſs, this poor ſot doth preſently take himſelf to be the wiſer man, and can prove all his Gaming, his Idleneſs, his Wantonneſs, his precious time waſted in Plays and long Feaſtings, his Gluttony, his Tipling, his Prodigal waſtefullneſs to be all lawful things, whatever the Learned Paſtor ſay.
But why do not ſuch men ſuſpect their underſtandings, and conſider with themſelves, what likelihood is there that men as holy as I, that have ſtudied it all their days, ſhould not be wiſer than I that never ſearcht as they have done? Doth not God ſay, he that ſeeketh ſhall find; and wiſdom muſt be laboriouſly ſearched for, as a hidden treaſure? and doth not God uſe to give his bleſſing on ſuppoſition of mens Faithful endeavours?
7. Is it not palpable Pride when a few men, no wiſer nor better than others, can eaſily believe that all the reſt of the Chriſtian World, the moſt Learned, Godly and concordant Chriſtians, are all deceived ignorant Souls, and they and their few adherents only are in the right, in ſome doubtful controverſies, wherein they have no advantage above others, either for capacity or grace? I know that when the World is drowned in wickedneſs, we muſt not imitate them, be they never ſo many, nor follow a multitude to do evil; and I know that the Certain Truth of the Goſpel muſt be held faſt though moſt of the World be Infidels: And that when the Arrians were the moſt, they were not therefore the righteſt; And that even among Chriſtians, Carnal Intereſts uſe to breed and keep up ſuch corruptions, as muſt not for the number of the vicious be approved. But when thoſe that truely fear God, and ſeek the Truth and Faithfully ſerve him, as ſelf-denyingly as any others, ſhall agree in any part of Holy Doctrine or Worſhip, for a few among them to riſe up in a conceit of their own underſtandings, and ſeparate from them as they ſeparate from the World, and this upon leſs ſtudy than many of the reſt have uſed, to find out the Truth; I am ſure none but a Proud perſon will do this, without great jealouſie of his own underſtanding, and great fear of erring, and without long and ſerious ſearch and deliberation at the leaſt.
8. Is it not Pride of underſtanding, when we ſee men confident upon inconſiderable Reaſons: when they bring nothing that ſhould move a man of any competent underſtanding, and yet they build as boldly on this Sand, as if they built upon a Rock.
9. And when they ſlight the ſtrongeſt and cleareſt arguments of another: And in their prefidence diſdain them, before they underſtand them, as not worthy of conſideration, and as ſilly things.
10. When they obtrude all their Conceits magiſterially upon others; and expect that all men preſently be of their mind and ſay as they do: when they value men juſt as they agree with or diſagree from their opinion, and all are dear to them that hold with them, and all are ſlighted that think they err. When a man that without chewing preſently ſwalloweth their conceits, is taken for a ſounder man than he that will take nothing as ſure till Evidence prove it to him: Is not this notorious Pride of underſtanding? And O how common is this impoſing Pride, even in them that cry out againſt it and condemn it? They that will vilify one party as Impoſing all their own conceptions, even in words and forms and ceremonies, on the Churches of Chriſt, will yet themſelves be rigid Impoſers; No man ſhall be of their Communion, nor judged meet for the Holy Sacrament, who cometh not to their opinions in many of their ſingularities; Nay worſe, that will not abſtain from communion with other Churches; whom their preſumption ſeparateth from.
11. And do not thoſe people moſt value their own underſtandings, who chooſe Teachers to pleaſe them, and not to Teach them, and hear them as Judges or cenſurers, and not as Learners? How ordinary is this? If they be to chooſe a Paſtor, they will rather have the moſt injudicious man who thinks as they think, than the wiſeſt man that is able to teach them better. If they hear any thing which agreeth not with their former conceits, they go away magiſterially, cenſuring the Preacher; He taught unſound Doctrine, dangerous things; And neither underſtand him, nor endeavour to Learn. I have ſeldom Preached in ſtrange congregations, nor ſeldom written on any ſubject, but among many Learners, ſome ſuch hearers and readers I have had that neither have underſtanding enough to Teach, nor humility enough to know it, and to Learn: but they go away prating among their Companions of what they never underſtood; and if it fall out that I know of it, and anſwer them, they have nothing to ſay; But a putarem, or non-putarem: I thought you had meant thus or thus (contrary to what I ſpoke) or I noted not this or that word (which the ſence depended on.) Do but ſay as they would have you, and you are an excellent man! But if you tell them more than they knew, if it detect any error or ignorance which they had before, they condemn your teaching, inſtead of learning of you. Poor Souls! If you are wiſe enough already, what need you a Teacher? If you are not, why will you not learn? If you were wiſer than He, why did you chooſe or take him for your Teacher? If you are not, why will you not learn of him?
12. The deep and cruel cenſures which they paſs againſt Diſſenters, doth ſhew their ſelf-conceitedneſs. None more cenſorious than raw unexperienced perſons, not only Ignorant Preachers, but Women and Boys. How readily and boldly without any fear of God doth one ſeek to make his Brother odious as a Schiſmatick and a Fanatick, and worſe than words can deſcribe him; and another to reproach others as Antichriſtian and Carnal, whom he never underſtood? Nothing but Pride could make men ſo ready and bold and fearleſs in their moſt fooliſh cenſures.
13. And it further ſheweth their proud preſumption, when they dare do all this upon bare rumors and hear-ſay, and ungrounded ſuſpicions. Were they not proud and preſumptuous, they would think, Alas, my underſtanding is not ſo clear and ſure, nor my Charity ſo ſafe and ſtrong, as that I ſhould in reaſon venture to condemn my Brother, upon uncertain rumors, and ſo ſlight reports? Have I heard him ſpeak for himſelf? Or is it Charity or common Juſtice to condemn a man unheard? What though they are godly men that report it? So was David that committed Adultery and Murder, and haſtily received a Lie againſt Mephiboſheth; and perhaps many of thoſe Corinthians, againſt whoſe falſe cenſures, Paul was put ſo largely to vindicate himſelf.
14. Yea, when they dare proceed to vend theſe falſe reports and cenſures upon hear-ſay, to the deſtruction of the Charity of thoſe that hear them. And ſo entangle them all in ſin: As if it were not enough to quench their own Love to their Brother by falſe Surmiſes, but they muſt quench as many others alſo as they can.
15. Yea, when they dare venture ſo far as to unchurch many Churches, yea, moſt in the World, and degrade moſt Miniſters, if not unchriſten moſt Chriſtians, or at leaſt themſelves withdraw from the Communion of ſuch Churches, and all for ſomething which they never underſtood; about a Doctrine, a Form, a Circumſtance, where ſelf-opinion or ſelf-intereſt draweth them to all this bold adventure.
To ſay nothing of Condemnations of whole Churches and Countreys, the tyrannical, proud Impoſitions, the cruel Perſecutions, which the Papal Faction hath been guilty of by this Vice, judge now whether it be not too common a caſe to be guilty of an unhumbled underſtanding, and of pretended knowledge?
Obj. If it be ſo, is it not beſt do as the Papiſts, and keep men from reading the Scriptures, or medling with divine things which they cannot maſter, any further than to believe what the Church believeth.
Anſ. 1. It is beſt no doubt, to teach men to know the difference between Teachers and Learners, and to keep in a humble learning ſtate, and in that ſtate to grow as much in knowledge as they can: But not to caſt away knowledge, for fear of over-valuing it, nor renounce their reaſon, for fear of errour. No more than to put out their Eyes for fear of miſtaking by them, or chuſing madneſs leſt they abuſe their wits: Elſe we might wiſh to be Brutes, becauſe abuſed Reaſon is the cauſe of all the errours and miſchiefs in the World.
2. The Popiſh Clergy who give this counſel for the blinding of the vulgar, are worſe themſelves, and by their proud Contendings, Cenſures and Cruelties, ſhew more ſelf-conceitedneſs than the vulgar do.
3. The truth is, the cauſe is the common frailty of man, and the common pravity of corrupted nature, and it is to be found in Perſons of all Ranks, Religions and Conditions; of which more after in due place.