A Treatise of Knowledge and Love, Part 1 · Chapter 13
Chap. XIII.
The Commodities of a ſuſpended judgment, and humble underſtanding, which pretendeth to no more Knowledge or Certainty than it hath.
THE commodities of an humble mind, which pretendeth not to be Certain till he is Certain, you may gather by contraries from the twelve forementioned miſchiefs of prefidence; which to avoid prolixity, I leave to your collection.
Moreover I add, 1. Such a humble ſuſpended mind doth not cheat it ſelf with ſeeming to have a knowledge, a Divine Faith, a Religion when it hath none. It doth not live on air and dreams, nor feed on ſhadows, nor is puft up with a tympanite of vain conceits, inſtead of true ſubſtantial wiſdom.
2. He is not prepoſſeſſed againſt the Truth, but hath room for Knowledge, and having the teachableneſs of a Child, he ſhall receive inſtruction, and grow in true Knowledge, when the proud and inflated wits, being full of nothing, are ſent empty away.
3. He entangleth not himſelf in a ſeeming neceſſity of making good all that he hath once received and entertained: He hath not ſo many Baſtards of his own Brain to maintain, as the prefident haſty judgers have: which ſaveth him much ſinful ſtudy and ſtrife.
4. He is not liable to ſo much ſhame of mutability: He that fixeth not, till he feel firm ground, nor buildeth till he feel a Rock, need not pull down, and repent ſo oft as raſh preſumers.
5. Unleſs the World be Bedlam mad in proud obtrudings of their own Conceits, methinks ſuch a wary humble man, ſhould offend but few, and better keep both his own, and the Churches peace than others. Can Perſecutors for ſhame Hang and Burn men for meer Ignorance, who are willing to learn, and will thankfully from any man receive information? What if in Queen Marys days the poor Men and Women had told my Lords of Wincheſter and London, [We are not perſons of ſo good underſtandings as to know what a ſpiritual body is, as Paul deſcribeth it, 1 Cor. 15. And ſeeing moſt ſay that the Sun it ſelf is a body, and not a ſpirit; and late Philoſophers ſay, that Light is a ſubſtance, or body, which yet from the Sun in a moment diffuſeth it ſelf through all the ſurface of the Earth and Air, we know not how far locality, limitations, extenſion, impenetrability, diviſibility, &c. belong to the body of Chriſt, and conſequently how far it may be really preſent; we can ſay nothing, but that we know not. Would my good Lord Biſhops have burnt them for [I know not?] Perhaps they would have ſaid, You muſt believe the Church. But which is the Church, my Lord? Why, it is the Pope and a General Council. But alas, my Lord, I have never ſeen or heard either Pope or Council: Why, but we have, and you muſt believe us: Muſt we believe you, my Lords, to be Infallible? or only as we do other men that may deceive and be deceived? Is any Infallible beſides the Pope and his Council? Truly, my Lords, we are ignorant people, and we know not what the Pope and Councils have ſaid; and we are uncertain whether you report them truly, and uncertain whether they are Fallible or not; but we are willing to hear any thing which may make us wiſer. Would their Lordſhips have burnt ſuch modeſt perſons?
Suppoſe in a Church where men are put to profeſs or ſubſcribe to, or againſt the Opinions of Free-will, or Reprobation, or Predetermination, or ſuch like, a humble man ſhould ſay, Theſe are things above my underſtanding; I cannot reach to know what Free-will is, nor whether all Cauſes natural and free be predetermined by Divine Premotion, &c. I can ſay neither It is ſo, nor It is not, They are above my reach; would they ſilence and caſt out ſuch an humble perſon, and forbid him to preach the Goſpel of Chriſt? Perhaps they would: But there are not ſo many hardened to ſuch inhumanity as there are men that would deal ſharply with one that is as confident as they are on the other ſide. And thoſe few that were thus ſilenced, would have the more peace, that they procured it not by ſelf-conceited ſingularities; and the ſilencers of them would be the more aſhamed, before all ſober perſons that ſhall hear it. Other Inſtances I paſs by.