A Treatise of Knowledge and Love, Part 1 · Chapter 19
Chap. XIX.
Of the Cauſes of this Diſeaſe of Prefidence, or Proud Pretended Knowledge, in order to the Cure.
THE Cure of Prefidence and pretended knowledge could it be wrought, would be the Cure of Souls, Families, Churches and Kingdoms. But alas, how low are our hopes? yet that may be done on ſome, which will not be done on all or moſt. And to know the cauſes, and oppugn them, is the chief part of the Cure, ſo far as it may be hoped for.
1. The firſt and grand cauſe is the very Nature of ignorance it ſelf; which many ways diſableth men, from knowing that which ſhould abate their groundleſs confidence. For 1. An ignorant man knoweth but little parcels and ſcraps of things: And all the reſt is unknown to him: Therefore he fixeth upon that little which he knoweth, and having no knowledge of the reſt, he cannot regulate his narrow apprehenſions by any conceptions of them. And all things viſible to us (not light it ſelf excepted which as ſeen by us is Fire incorporated in Air) being Compounds, the very Nature or Being of them, is not known where any Conſtitutive part is unknown. And in all Compounds each part hath ſuch relation and uſefulneſs to others, that one part which ſeemeth known is it ſelf but half known, for want of the knowledge of others. Such a kind of knowledge is theirs that knowing only what they ſee, do take a Clock or Watch to be only the Index moving by the Hours, being ignorant of all the cauſal parts within: Or that know no more of a Tree or other Plant, than the Magnitude, Site, Colour, Odour, &c. Or that take a man to be only a Body without a Soul; or the Body to be only the Skin and Parts diſcerned by the Eye in converſe.
Now that which ſuch perſons do ſenſibly apprehend, they are confident of, becauſe that Nature teacheth them to truſt their ſenſes: But not knowing the reſt, their little partial conceptions are lame, defective and deceitful. For moſt will hence raſhly conclude of the Negative, that There is no more, becauſe they know no more. But if any be more wiſe and modeſt, yet do they want the conception of the unknown parts, to make the reſt to be true Knowledge, or to tell them what is yet unknown: And ſuch uſe to turn a Judicial Rule, into a Phyſical, that non apparere & non eſſe are to them all one.
2. And an Ignorant man doth not know what Conceptions other men have of the ſame things which he is ignorant of: So that he neither knoweth the thing intelligible (what it is) nor yet the Act of Knowing it, which he never had: But as a man born blind hath no formal conception either of ſight, or of light, or viſible objects; ſo is it here.
3. Nor hath he uſually a true Knowledge of his own Ignorance; how imperfect his underſtanding is, and how much to be ſuſpected, as liable to miſtake: Though in ſome ſenſible matters it is eaſie to convince men of a total Ignorance; yet when they know any thing, it is hard to convince them what more is to be known, and to keep them from falſe and haſty concluſions. A man that cannot read at all, is eaſily convinced that he cannot read: But he that can read a little, is apt to think that he readeth rightly when he doth not. A man that never heard of Phyſick, is eaſily convinced that he hath no skill in it: But if he have read, heard of, and tryed a few Medicines, he is apt to grow conceited, and venture mens lives upon his skill. A man that never ſaw Building, Navigation, or any Art or Manufacture, is eaſily convinced that he is ignorant of it: But if he have got ſome ſmattering knowledge, he is ready to think that it is more than it is, becauſe he knoweth not what he wants.
And to err, and know that a man erreth (at the ſame time, about the ſame thing) is a contradiction: For he that erreth judgeth a falſhood to be a truth: But to know that ſo to judge, is to err, is certainly not ſo to judge: For Intellectus vult verum, that is, Truth is the object which it is naturally inclined to. The ſame light which diſcovereth Errour cureth it: And that light which diſcovereth the Thing it ſelf, is it that muſt convince me that I before erred about it, by miſapprehenſions.
4. And an ignorant man doth not ſo much as know the difficulties of the caſe, and what may be ſaid on the other ſide: What contrary Evidence convinceth others, or what weight there is in the objections, which are or may be brought againſt him. So that all men being naturally ignorant, and little being known for much that's unknown, even to the wiſeſt; alas, the temptation to Errour and falſe Confidence is ſo ſtrong, that few eſcape it.
II. Another cauſe of it is, the Radical Maſter ſin of Pride: An unhumbled mind; never well acquainted with its own dark and erroneous condition, and its great need of natural and ſupernatural helps. I find it hard to convince men of this; but the formentioned Effects do certainly prove it. The Vice is Born with us at the very Heart. It is the Devils Image: He that is not naturally proud is not a Son of Adam: It liveth firſt, and dieth laſt: And there is nothing that a man is apter to be proud of than his Reaſon, which is his Humanity, and next to that of his Goodneſs, and of his Greatneſs. Men perceive not this in themſelves, becauſe they know not what Pride is while it ruleth in them. They think that it is only ſome womaniſh or childiſh extrinſical Oſtentation, (boaſting) or perking up above others in Garb and Place, or Peacock-like looking upon their own Train, or ſetting it up for others to look on. But Pride is (as I ſaid before) an over-valuing our ſelves, and a deſire that others ſhould over-value us: And how few be there that be not tickled when their wiſdom is applauded, and netled when it is accounted ſmall: It's hard to bear to be accounted and reported a Fool, or a Perſon of little Wit. Many a man ſpendeth all the ſtudies of his Life, more for a Fame of Learning than for Learning it ſelf; what is Pride if this be not? What groſſer Pride, than for a Woman or unexperienced Lad, to ſcorn and deſpiſe the eldeſt and hardeſt Students in Divinity as dark Souls in compariſon of them? The Quakers in their Shops, when I go along London Streets, ſay, Alas, poor man, thou art yet in darkneſs: They have oft come into the Congregation, (when I had liberty to Preach Chriſts Goſpel) and cryed out againſt me as a Deceiver of the people. They have followed me Home, Crying out in the Streets, The day of the Lord is coming, when thou ſhalt periſh as a Deceiver. They have ſtood in the Market-place, and under my Window year after year, Crying out to the people, Take heed of your Prieſts, they deceive your Souls: And if they ſaw any one wear a Lace or neat clothing, they cryed to me, Theſe are the fruit of thy Miniſtry. If they ſpake to me with greateſt ignorance or nonſence, it was with as much fury and rage, as if a bloody Heart had appeared in their Faces; ſo that though I never hurt, or occaſioned the hurt of one of them, that I know of, their truculent countenances told me what they would have done had I been in their power: (This was 1656, 57, 58, 59.) And yet they were poorly clothed: (Some of them went through the Streets ſtark naked) and cryed out over and over all the year, [Woe to the Proud.] Wonderful! wonderful! O the blindneſs of a corrupted mind! That theſe poor Souls did not perceive their ſuperlative Pride. How highly did theſe people think of their own wiſdom and holineſs, while they cryed down Laces, Points and Cuffs?
And when did I ever know either a true Church-Tyrant, or a true Sectarian Separating Humoriſt, which were not both notorious proud over-valuers of their own conceits. To which thoſe that bowed not muſt be perſecuted as unruly Schiſmaticks by the one ſort, and Excommunicated, Separated from, and Damned as Ungodly, Carnal or Antichriſtian by the other ſort?
Several ways doth PRIDE cauſe pretended knowledge. 1. By thinking that our underſtandings are ſo good as that without great ſtudy we can know truth from falſhood; and ſo making us venture to judge of things at the firſt hearing or reading; which we cannot be capable of judging of under long and diligent ſtudies: Becauſe recipitur ad modum recipientis. Therefore it is that when a man by great ſucceſs in Studies hath made things as plain as words can make them, ſo that you would think that all Students ſhould preſently be wiſe at eaſie rates by the light which he hath ſet up to them, they are half as long in Learning for all that, as if he had never given them ſuch a help. And therefore it is that we cannot leave our Learning to Poſterity; Becauſe ſtill the ſtop is in the Receivers incapacity. And he cannot be capable of the plaineſt precepts, but by much time and ſtudy.
2. Pride maketh men haſty in concluding, becauſe they are not humbled to a juſt Suſpicion of their own apprehenſions. And men ſtay not to prove and try things, before they judge.
3. Pride maketh men inſenſible how much they are ignorant of, in all their Knowledge.
4. And it cauſeth men to ſlight the Reaſons and Judgments of other men, by which they might learn, or at leaſt might be taught to Judge conſiderately, and ſuſpend their own.
If over-valuing a mans own apprehenſions be Pride (as it is) then certainly Pride is one of the commoneſt ſins in the world, and particularly among men profeſſing godlineſs who upon every poor ſurmiſe or report are condemning thoſe that they do not throughly know, and in every petty controverſy, they are all ſtill in the right, though of never ſo many minds.
III Another cauſe of Pretended Knowledge is the want of a truly tender Conſcience: Which ſhould make men fear, leſt they ſhould err, leſt they ſhould deſerve the curſe of putting light for darkneſs, & darkneſs for light; evil for good,Iſa. 5.20. & good for evil: & ſhould make them afraid leſt they ſhould defile their minds, reſiſt the truth, blaſpheme God or Diſhonour him, by fathering Errors on him, and leſt they ſhould prove ſnares to mens Souls, and a Scandal and Trouble to the Church of God. A tender Conſcience would not have eſpouſed ſuch opinions under a year or two or manies deliberation, which an Antinomian, or other Sectary will take up in a few days, (if they were true.) O ſaith, the tender Conſcience, what if I ſhould Err, and prove a Snare to Souls, and a Scandal and Diſhonour to the Church of God, &c.
IV. Another cauſe of Pretended Knowledge is a blind Zeal for Knowledge and Godlineſs in the General, while men know not what it is that they are zealous of. They think that it is a neceſſary part of ſincerity, to receive the Truth ſpeedily without delay: And therefore they take a preſent concluding, for a true Receiving it. And he that ſooneſt taketh up that which is offered him, probably as a part of Godlineſs, is taken for the moſt reſolved down-right convert. Which is true in caſe of Evident Truths, where it is the will that by vice ſuſpendeth the mind. But not in dark and doubtful caſes.
V. Another cauſe is, an inordinate truſt in man: When ſome admire the learned too much, and ſome the Religious, and ſome this or that particular perſon, and therefore build too confidently on their words: Some on great men, ſome on the Multitude, but moſt on men of fame for great Learning, or great Piety. A credit is to be given by every learner to his Teacher: But the confounding this with o… Belief of God, and making it a part of our Religion, and not truſting man as man only, that is, as a fallible Wight, doth cauſe this Vice of Pretended Knowledge, to paſs with millions for Divine Faith. Eſpecially when men embody themſelves into a Sect as the only Orthodox or Godly party, or as the only true Church (as the Papiſts do) then it emboldeneth them to believe any thing which their Sect or Church believeth. For they think that this is the Churches Faith, which cannot err, or is the ſafeſt: And that God would not let ſo many good men err. And thus they that ſhould be made their Teachers, and the Helpers of their Faith, become the Lords of it, and almoſt their Gods.
VI. And it much increaſeth this ſin, that men are not ſufficiently acquainted with the Original and Additional Corruption of mans nature, and know not how Blind all Mankind is. Alas man is a dark Creature! What error may he not hold. What villany may he not do? Yea and maintain? Truly ſaid David, All men are Liars. Pitifully do many expound this, as an effect of his unbelief and paſſion, becauſe he ſaith, (I ſaid it my haſte;] When it is no more than Paul ſaith; Let God be true, and every man a Liar, Rom. 3. And than Solomon and Iſaiah ſay, All men are Vanity: And Jeremy, curſed be he that truſteth in man: All men are untruſty in a great degree! Weak, Falſe, and Bad. And his haſte was either as Dr. Hammond tranſlateth it, his Flight, or elſe that his Tryal and diſtreſs made him more paſſionately ſenſible of the Vanity or Untruſtineſs of man, than he was at other times. For Vanity and a Lie to the Hebrews were words of the ſame importance, ſignifying Deceivableneſs and untruſtineſs. And indeed among mankind there is ſo great a degree of Impotency, Selfiſhneſs, Timorouſneſs, Ignorance, Errour, and Viciouſneſs, as that few wicked men are to be believed, where there is any ſtrong Temptation to lying. And the Devil is ſeldom unprovided of Temptations: And abundance of Hypocrites are as untruſty as open wicked men: And abundance of ſincere Godly perſons, eſpecially Women, have looſe Tongues, and haſty paſſions, and a ſtretching Conſcience, but ſpecially injudicious heads, ſo that frequently they know not truth from falſhood, nor have the tenderneſs of Conſcience to be ſilent till they know: So that if one ſay it, another will ſay it, till a hundred ſay it, and then it goeth for currant truth.
Good-mens over-much credulity of one another hath filled the Church with Lies and Fables: Many of the Papiſts S…rſtitions, Purgatory, praying to Saints and Angels, pray… for the dead, &c. were bred by this credulity: It is ſo viſible in Venerable Beda, Gregory the firſt, yea before them in Sulpitius Severus of Martius Life, and abundance more, that to help up Chriſtianity among the Pagans, they laid hold of any old Womans or Ignorant Mans Dreams, and Viſions, and ſtories of pretended Miracles & Revelations, that it made even Melchior Canus, cry out of the ſhameful Ridiculous filth that hence had filled their Legends: Even Baronius upon Tryal, retaineth no ſmall number of them, and with his Brethren the Oratorians on their Propheſying days told them to the people. I am aſhamed that I recited one out of him before my Treatiſe of Crucifying the World, though I did it not, as perſwading any that it was true: For I quickly ſaw, that Sophronious on whom he fathered it, was none of the reporters of it, that Book being ſpurious, and none of Sophronius his work.
Indeed I know of ſuch impudent falſe Hiſtory lately Printed of matters of publick fact in theſe times, yea divers concerning my own Words and Actions, by perſons that are far from Contemptible, that Strangers and Poſterity will ſcarce believe that humane nature could be guilty of it in the open light. And I know it to be ſo cuſtomary a thing, for the Zealots profeſſing the fear of God, on one ſide and the other, to receive and raſhly tell about lies of one another, that I confeſs I am grown to take little heed of what ſuch ſay in ſuch a caſe, unleſs the report continue a year uncontrolled! For it's common for them to tell thoſe things as unqueſtionable, which a few months prove falſe: And yet never to manifeſt any repentance, but to go on with the like; one month diſproving what the former hatcht and vended.
And indeed the very wiſeſt and beſt of men are guilty of ſo much Ignorance, Temerity, Suſpiciouſneſs of others partiality, &c. That we muſt believe them (though far ſooner than others, yet) ſtill with a reſerv… …o change our minds, if we find them miſtaken, … ſtill on ſuppoſition that they are fallible perſons, and that all men are Liars.
VII. Another great cauſe of pretended falſe Knowledge and Confidence is the unhappy prejudices which our minds contract even in our Childhood, before we have time and wit and Conſcience to try things, by true deliberation. Children and Youth muſt receive much upon truſt, or elſe they can learn nothing: But then they have not wit to proportion their apprehenſions to the Evidence, whether of Credibility or Certainty: And ſo fame and tradition, and education and the Countreys Vote, do become the ordinary Parents of many Lies; and folly maketh us to faſten ſo fearleſly in our f…rſt apprehenſions, that they keep open the door to abundance of more falſhoods; And it muſt be clear Teachers, or great impartial ſtudies, of a ſelf-denying mind, with a great bleſſing of God, that muſt deliver us from prejudice, and undeceive us. And therefore all the World ſeeth, that almoſt all men are of the Religion of their Country or their Parents, be it never ſo abſurd; Though with the Mahometans they believe the Nonſence of a very ſot, (once reading a quarter of whoſe Alcoran one would think ſhould cure a man of Common reaſon, of any inclination to his belief.) And among the Japonians even the eloquent Bonzii believe in Amida and Xaca; To mention the belief of the Chinenſes, the People of Pegu, Siam, and many other ſuch; yea the Americans, the Braſilians, Lappians, &c. that correſpond with Devils, would be a ſad inſtance of the unhappineſs of mens firſt apprehenſions and education. And what doth the foreſaid inſtance of Popery come ſhort herein, which tells us how Prejudice and Education, and Company, can make men deny all mens common ſence, and believe common unſeen Miracles pretended in the ſtead?
VIII. Another cauſe is the miſtaking of the nature of the duty of ſubmitting our judgment to our Superiours and Teachers, eſpecially to the Multitude or the Church, or Antiquity: No doubt but much reverence and a humane belief, is due to the Judgment of our Teachers credibly made known. But this is another thing▪ quite different, 1. From knowing by Evidence. 2. And from believing God; (of which before and after.)
IX. Another cauſe is baſe ſlothfulneſs, which makes men take up with the judgment of thoſe in moſt reputation (for Power, Wiſdom, or Number) to ſave them the labour of ſearching after the ſcientifical Evidence of things; or the certain Evidence of Divine Revelations.
X. Another frequent cauſe is, an appearance of ſomething in the Truth, which frighteneth men from it; either for want of a clear, methodical, advantageous repreſentation; or by ſome difficult objection; or ſome miſcarriage in the utterance, carriage, or life of them that ſeem moſt zealous for it: ſuch little things deceive dark man: And when he is turned from the Truth, he thinks that the contrary Errour may be embraced without fear.
XI. Another great cauſe of Confidence in falſe Conceits, is the byaſs of ſome perſonal Intereſt prevailing with a corrupted Will, and the mixture of Senſe and Paſſion in the Judgment. For, as intereſted men hardly believe what ſeemeth againſt them, and eaſily believe that which they would have to be true; ſo Senſe and Paſſion (or Affections) uſually ſo bear down Reaſon, that they think it their right to poſſeſs the Throne. Not but that Senſe is the only diſcerner of its own ſenſible Object as ſuch, (and Reaſon by Senſe as it is intelligible:) But that's not the matter in hand. But the Senſualiſt forceth his Reaſon to call that Beſt for him, which his Senſe is moſt delighted with, and that Worſt which moſt offendeth Senſe. The Drunkard will eaſily judge that his drinking is good for him, and the Glutton that his pleaſant meats are lawful, and the Time-waſter that his Plays are lawful, and the Fornicator, the wrathful revenger, &c. that their luſts and paſſions are lawful, becauſe they think that they have Feeling on their ſide. It's hard to carry an upright Judgment againſt Senſe and Paſſion.
XII. Sometimes a ſtrong deluded Imagination, maketh men exceeding confident in Errour; ſome by Melancholy, and ſome by a natural weakneſs of Reaſon, and ſtrength of Phantaſie; and ſome by miſapprehenſions in Religion, grow to think that every ſtrong conceit which doth but come in ſuddenly, at reading, or hearing, or thinking on ſuch a Text, or in time of earneſt prayer, eſpecially if it deeply affect themſelves, is certainly ſome ſuggeſtion or inſpiration of God's Spirit. And hence many Errours have troubled poor Souls and the Church of God, which afterward they have themſelves retracted. Hence are the confidence of ſome ignorant Chriſtians in expounding difficult Scriptures Prophecies; and the boldneſs of others in expounding dark Providences; and alſo in foretelling by their own ſurmiſes things to come.
XIII. And not a few run into this miſchief in ſome extreams, by ſeeing others run into Errour on the other ſide. Some are ſo offended at the credulity of the weak, that they will grow confident againſt plain certainties themſelves. As becauſe there are many feigned Miracles, Apparitions, Poſſeſſions and Witchcrafts in the World, divulged by the Credulity of the injudicious; therefore they will more fooliſhly be confident that there are no ſuch things at all. And becauſe they ſee ſome weak perſons impute more of their opinions, performances and affections to God's Spirit, than they ought; therefore they grow mad againſt the true operations of the Spirit, and confident that there is no ſuch thing. Some deride Praying by the Spirit, and Preaching by the Spirit, and Living by the Spirit; when as they may as well deride underſtanding, willing, working by a Reaſonable Soul; no holy thing being holily done without God's Spirit, any more than any act of life and reaſon without the Soul: And they may on the ſame grounds deride all that Live not after the fleſh, and that are Chriſtians, Rom. 8.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13. or that Love God, or that ſeek Salvation. Yea, ſome run ſo far from ſpiritual Fanaticiſms, that they deny the very Being of Spirits; and many confidently ſet up a dead Image of true Religion, in bitter hatred and oppoſition of all that hath Life and ſerious Holineſs: So mad are ſome made by ſeeing ſome feveriſh perſons dote.
XIV. Another Cauſe is converſing only with thoſe of our own mind and ſide, and intereſt, and not ſeeking familiar loving acquaintance with thoſe that differ from us: Whereby men deprive themſelves of hearing half that is to be heard, and of knowing much that is to be known. And their proud Vice hardeneth them in this way, to ſay, I have read, and I have heard enough of them; I know all that they can ſay: And if a man ſoberly ſpeak to them, their Vices of Pride, Preſumption and Paſſion will ſcarce patiently bear him to go on without interruption to the end; but the Wizzard ſaith, I know already what you will ſay, and you are tedious; and do you think that ſo wiſe a man as I, hath nothing to do but hear ſuch a Fool as you talk? Thus proud men are ordinarily ſo full of themſelves, that they can ſcarce endure to hear, or at leaſt learn any thing from others, nor reſtrain their violent liſt to ſpeak ſo long as either juſt information, or humane civility requireth.
XV. Another Cauſe is Malignity and want of Chriſtian Love; whereby men are brought if not to a hatred, yet to a proud contempt of others, who are not of their mind, and ſide, and way. O they are all — as fooliſh and bad as any one hath liſt to call them; and he that raileth at them moſt ingeniouſly, and impudently, giveth them but their due. And will a man full of Himſelf and his Own, be moved from his preſumptions, by any thing that ſuch a hated or ſcorned people can ſay? Nay, will he not be hardened in his ſelf-conceit, becauſe it is ſuch as theſe that contradict him?
Many ſuch Cauſes of this Vice there be, but PRIDE and IGNORANCE are the proper Parents of it, whatever elſe be the Nurſe or Friend.