A Treatise of Knowledge and Love, Part 2 · Chapter 15
Chap. XV.
Uſe, Exhort. Not to deceive our ſelves by overvaluing a dead or an unholy Knowledge.
IT grieveth my Soul to obſerve how powerfully, and how commonly Satan ſtill playeth his firſt deceiving game, of calling off man from Love, Truſt and Obedience, to an enſnaring and troubleſome, or unprofitable ſort of Knowledge: And how the Luſt of knowing carryeth away many unſuſpected to miſery, who eſcape the more diſhonourable ſort of luſt! And eſpecially what abundance in ſeveral ways, take Notional Knowledge, which is but an Art of thinking and talking, for real Knowledge, which is our acquaintance with God and Grace, and which changed the Soul into the Image of him that we ſeek and know, and filleth us with Love, and Truſt, and Joy.
Two ſorts are eſpecially here guilty.
I. The Learned Students before deſcribed.
II. The ſuperficial ſort of people accounted Religious.
I. I have already ſhewed how pitiful a thing it is, that ſo many Academical Wits, and ſo many Preachers, (to ſay nothing of the groſly proud, tyrannical and worldly Clergy) do ſpend ſo many years in ſtudies, that are uſed but in the ſervice of the fleſh, to their own condemnation, and never bend their minds to kindle in themſelves the Love of God, nor a heavenly Deſire or Hope, nor to live in the comfortable proſpect of Glory: How many preach up that Love and Holineſs, (as the Trade that they muſt live by) which they never fervently preached to themſelves, nor practiſed ſincerely one hour in their lives! How many uſe to preach Funeral Sermons, and bury the dead, that are unprepared for death themſelves, and hardened in their ſecurity and unholy ſtate, by thoſe ſights, thoſe ſtudies, thoſe words which ſhould awaken and convince them, and which they plead themſelves for the conviction of their hearers! O miſerable Scholars! Miſerable Preachers! Miſerable Doctors and Prelates, who ſtudy and preach to their own condemnation, and have not knowledge enough to teach them to Love God, nor to ſet more by the heavenly Glory, than this World; but by ſpiritual words do both hide and cheriſh a fleſhly and a worldly mind! You will find at Death that all your Learning was but a Dream, and one of the Vanities that entangle fools, and you will die as ſadly as the unlearned, and be beaten with more ſtripes than they that knew not their Maſters will.
1. Unholy Knowledge is but a carkaſs, a ſhadow, the activity of a vain mind, or a means without the end, and unfit to attain it. A Map is not a Kingdom, nor doth it much enrich the owner. The names of meats and drinks will not nouriſh you: And to know names and notions giveth you no title to the things ſo named. You may as well think to be ſaved for being good Muſicians, Phyſicians, or Aſtronomers, as for being Learned Divines, if your Knowledge cauſe not holy Love: It may help others to Heaven, but it will be but vanity to you, and you will be a ſounding Braſs, or a tinkling Cymbal, 1 Cor. 13.1. You glory in a lifeleſs picture of Wiſdom, and Hell may ſhortly tell you that you had better have choſen any thing to play the fools with, than with the notions and words of Wiſdom mortified.
2. Nay, ſuch prophanation of holy things is a heinous ſin. Who is liker the Devil than he that knoweth moſt, and loveth God leaſt? To know that you ſhould love, and ſeek God moſt, and not to do it, is wilfully to deſpiſe him in the open light. As the privation of God's Love is the chief part of Hell; ſo the privation of our Love to God is the chief part of ungodlineſs or ſin; yea and much of Hell it ſelf. Knowledge puffeth up, but Charity edifieth. Unholy Knowledge is a powerful Inſtrument of Satan's ſervice; in the ſervice of Pride, and Ambition, and Hereſie; one Learned and witty ungodly man, will merit more of the Devil by miſchieving Mankind, than many of the common unlearned ſort: And none are ſo like impenitently to glory in this ſin: They will be proud of ſuch adorned Fetters; that they can ſin Philoſophically, and Metaphyſically, in Greek and Hebrew, and with Logical ſubtilty, or Oratorical fluency, prove againſt unlearned men, that they do well in damning their own Souls, and that God and Heaven are not worthy of their chiefeſt love and diligence; ſuch men will offend God more judiciouſly than the ignorant, and will more diſcreetly and honourably fool away their hopes of Heaven, and more ſucceſsfully deceive the ſimple: Their Wiſdom, like Achitophel's, will ſerve turn to bring them to deſtroy themſelves: And is it any wonder if this be fooliſhneſs with God? 1 Cor. 3.19.
The underſtanding of a man is a faculty unfit to be abuſed and proſtituted to the ſlavery of the Fleſh. The abuſe of the ſenſes is bad, but of the underſtanding worſe; becauſe it is a nobler faculty. When they that knew God, glorified him not as God, but became vain in their imagination, their fooliſh heart was darkened, and profeſſing themſelves wiſe (Philoſophers or Gnoſticks) they became fools, Rom. 1.21, 28. And as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to vile affections. And yet many are proud of this mortal Tympanite, as if it were a ſound and healthful Conſtitution! And think they have the ſureſt right to Heaven for neglecting it knowingly, and going learnedly in the way to Hell.
3. You loſe the chiefeſt delight of knowledge: O that you knew what holy quietneſs and peace, what ſolid pleaſure that knowledge bringeth, which kindleth and cheriſheth holy love, and leadeth the Soul to Communion with God; and how much ſweeter it is to have a powerful and experimental knowledge, than your trifling dreams? The Learnedſt of you all have but the Husks or Shells of knowledge; and what great ſweetneſs is in Shells, when the pooreſt holy experienced Chriſtian hath the Kernel, which is far more pleaſant? O try a more ſerious practical Religion, and I dare aſſure you, it will afford you a more ſolid kind of nouriſhment and delight. The pleaſure of the ſpeculative Divine in knowing, is but like the pleaſure of a Mathematician or other Speculator of Nature; yea below that of the Moral Philoſopher: It is but like my pleaſure in reading a Book of Travels or Geography; in compariſon of the true practical Chriſtians, which is like their pleaſure that live in thoſe Countreys, and poſſeſs the Lands and Houſes which I read of.
4. Nay, (yet worſe) this unholy knowledge doth often make men the Devils moſt powerful and miſchievous Inſtruments: For though Chriſt oft alſo ſo over-rule the Hearts of Men, and the Courſe of the World, as to make the knowledge and gifts of bad Men ſerviceable to his Church (as wicked Souldiers oft fight in a good Cauſe, and ſave the lives of better men) yet a worldly mind is likeſt to follow the way of worldly intereſt; and it is but ſeldom that worldly intereſt doth ſuite with, and ſerve the intereſt of truth and holineſs, but more commonly is its greateſt adverſary: Therefore moſt uſually it muſt be expected that ſuch worldly men ſhould be adverſaries to the ſame truth and holineſs which their worldly intereſt is adverſe to. And hence hath ariſen that Proud and Worldly, and Tyrannical Clergy, which hath ſet up and maintained the Roman Kingdom, under the Name of the Holy Catholick Church; and which hath by their Pope and pretended General Councils uſurped a Legiſlative and Executive Power over the whole Chriſtian World, and made great numbers of Laws without Authority, and contrary to the Laws of Chriſt; multiplying Schiſms on pretence of ſuppreſſing them, and making ſo many things neceſſary to the Concord of Chriſtians, as hath made ſuch Concord become impoſſible; preſumptuouſly voting other men to be Hereticks, while their own Errours are of as odious a kind, yea, when holy Truth is ſometime branded by them as Hereſie. And when they cannot carry the Judgments, Conſciences and Wills of all men along in obedience to their Tyrannical Pride and Luſt, and Intereſt, they ſtir up Princes and States to ſerve them by the Sword, and Murder, and Perſecute their own Subjects, and raiſe bloody Wars againſt their Neighbours, to force them to obey theſe proud Seducers: Yea, and if Kings and States be wiſer than thus to be made their Hangmen or bloody Executioners (to the ruine of their beſt Subjects, and their own Everlaſting Infamy and Damnation) they ſtir up the fooliſh part of the Subjects againſt ſuch Rulers, and in a word, they will give the World no peace: So that I am paſt all doubt that the Ten Heathen Perſecutions ſo much cryed out of, was but a ſmall matter as againſt the Chriſtians Blood, in compariſon of what hath been done by this Tyrannical Clergy: And the crueleſt Magiſtrates ſtill ſeem to come ſhort of them in cruelty, and ſeldom are very bloody or perſecuting, but when a worldly or proud Clergy ſtirs them up to it. And all the Hereſies that ever ſprang up in the Church, do ſeem to have done leſs harm on one ſide, than by pretences of Unity, Order and Government, they have done on the other. O how unſpeakably have been and ſtill are the Churches Sufferings, by a proud and worldly Clergy, and by mens abuſe of pretended Learning and Authority!
5. I will add yet one more conſiderable miſchief; that is, that your unholineſs and carnal minds for all your Learning, corrupteth your judgments, and greatly hindereth you from receiving many excellent truths, and inclineth you to many mortal errours. To inſtance in ſome particulars.
1. About the Attributes and Government of God, a bad man is inclined to doubt of Gods particular Providence, his holy Truth and Juſtice, and to think God is ſuch a one as he would have him to be. Whereas they that have the love of God and goodneſs, have his Attributes as it were written on their Hearts; that he is Good, and Wiſe, and Holy, and Juſt, and True, they know by an Experimental certain knowledge, which is to them like Nature and Life it ſelf. Joh. 17.3. Hoſ. 2.20. Pſal. 34.8. &c.
2. The very truth of the Goſpel and Myſtery of Redemption is far hardlier believed by a man that never felt his need of Chriſt, nor ever had the operations of that Spirit on his Soul, which are its Seal, than by them that have the witneſs in themſelves, and have found Chriſt actually ſave them from their ſins: Who are regenerated by this holy Seed, and nouriſhed by this Milk. 1 Joh. 5.10, 11, 12. 1 Pet. 1.22, 23. and 1 Pet. 2.2.
3. Yea the very truth of our Souls Immortality, and the Life and Glory to come, is far hardlier believed by them who feel no inclination to ſuc… a future Glory,Rom. 5.2, 3. 2 Cor. 4.16, 17, 18. and 5.1, 2, 3, &c. but only a propenſity to this preſent Life, and the intereſt and pleaſures of it, than by them that have a Treaſure, a Home, a Heart, and a Converſation in Heaven, and that long for nearer Communion with God, and that have the Earneſt and Firſt-fruits of Heaven within them. Math. 6.20, 21. Phil. 3.20, 21. Col. 4.1, 2, 3, 4. Rom. 8.17, 18, 19, 20.
4. The evil of ſin in general, and conſequently what is ſin in particular, is hardlier known by a man that loveth it, and would not have it to be ſin, than by one that hateth it,1 Cor. 2.14. Joh. 9.40. and loveth God and holineſs above all. They that love the Lord hate evil.
5. Moſt Controverſies about the Nature of Grace, are hardlier underſtood by them that have it not, than by them that have it as a new Nature in them. And conſequently what kind of Perſons are to be well thought of as the Children of God? The Phariſees were ſtrict, and yet haters of Chriſt and Chriſtians: Many Preach and Write for godlineſs, that yet when it cometh to a particular judgment, deride the godly as Hypocrites or Superſtitious.
6. In caſes about the worſhip of God, a carnal Mind, how Learned ſoever, is apt to reliſh moſt an outſide, carnal, ceremonious way, and to be all for a dead formality, or elſe for a proud oſtentation of their own Wits, Opinions and Parts, or ſome odd ſingularity that ſets them up to be admired as ſome extraordinary Perſons, or teacheth their own Conſciences ſo to flatter them: When a Spiritual Man is for worſhipping God (though with all decent Externals, yet) in Spirit and in Truth; and in the moſt underſtanding, ſincere and humble manner, and yet with the greateſt joy and praiſe. Rom. 8.16, 26, &c.
7. Specially in the work of ſelf-judging, how hard a work have the moſt Learned that are ungodly truely to know themſelves? When Learning doth but help their Pride to blind them? And yet none ſo apt to ſay as the Phariſees, John 9.10. Are we blind alſo? And to hate thoſe that honour them not as erroneouſly as they do themſelves: And therefore Auguſtine ſo lamenteth the miſery of the Clergy, and ſaith that the unlearned take Heaven by violence, when the Learned are thruſt down to Hell with all their learning! who are prouder and more ſelf-ignorant Hypocrites in the World (expecting that all ſhould bow to them and reverence them, and cry them up as wiſe and excellent men) than the Unholy, Worldly Fleſhly Clergy.
8. And in every caſe that themſelves are much concerned in, their Learning will not keep them from the moſt blind in Juſtice: Let the caſe be but ſuch as their honour, or profit, or relations and friends are much concerned in, and they preſently take all Right to be on their ſide; and all theſe to be honeſt men that are for them, and all thoſe to be wicked Hypocrites, Hereticks, Schiſmaticks, Factious, or Liars, that are againſt them; and dare print to the world that moſt notorious truths in matters of fact are lies, and lies are truths, and corrupt all Hiſtory where they are but concerned: So that experience hath taught me to give little credit to any Hiſtory written by men, in whom I can perceive this double Character, 1. That they are worldly and unconſcionable; 2. And concerned by a perſonal Intereſt; eſpecially when they revile their Adverſaries. And money, friends or honour will make any Cauſe true and juſt with them, and can confute all evidences of truth and innocency. Learned Judges are too oft corrupt.
9. And in caſes of great Temptation, how inſufficient is Learning to repel the Tempter, when it's eaſily done by the holy Love of God and Goodneſs? How eaſily is a man's Judgment tempted to think well of that which he loveth, and ill of that which his heart is againſt?
Many ſuch Inſtances I might give you, but theſe fully ſhew the miſery and folly of ungodly Scholars, that are but blinded by dead notions, and words of Art, to think they know ſomething, when they know nothing as they ought to know; and to hate truth and goodneſs, and ſpeak evil of the things they know not, while for want of holy Love, theſe tinkling Cymbals do but deceive themſelves, and aſcertain their own damnation.
II. I ſhould next have ſaid as much of the vanity and ſnare of the Knowledge of ſuch Gnoſticks, as in an over-valuing of their own Religious skill and gifts, cry out as the Phariſees, This people that know not the Law are curſed. But what is ſaid is applicable to them.