Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 9 · Part 1
Exercitat. Divine. 1. Of the excellency of DIVINITIE, above all other Sciences.
2 TIMOT. 3.16. All Scripture is given by inſpiration of God, &c.
HVmane Sciences and Arts,Humane Sciences and Arts compared to the dough brought out of Egypt, and Divinity to Manna. have beene fitly compared to the dough which the Iſraelites brought out of Egypt, Exod. 12.34. which they fed upon untill they got Manna: This dough was prepared by much labour; by plowing, by ſowing, by reaping, by grinding, kneading, and baking: So humane Sciences which are the birth of reaſon, are bred below here: but Divinitie is like unto Manna which was prepared or ready to their hand; they neither plowed for it, neither did ſow it, nor reaped it. So Divinity is prepared in heaven, and ſent downe to teach the Church here below. The dough which they brought out of Egypt, The dough the bread of the poore.Deut. 16.3. is called, panis pauperum, the poores bread; it is called the poores bread, becauſe the poore in their neceſſity could not bee at leaſure to ferment it, and it had not ſo pleaſant a reliſh; therefore it is called the poores bread:Manna the bread of Angels. but Manna is called the bread of Angels, Pſal. 78.25. It is called the bread of Angels, becauſe it was brought downe by their miniſterie; and it was ſo pleaſant in taſte, that if the Angels had eaten bread, it might have ſerved them: So 1 Cor. 13.1. If I ſpeake with the tongue of Angels, that is, if the Angels had tongues to ſpeake with: And as farre as Manna ſurpaſſed the poores bread, as farre and farther doth Divinity ſurpaſſe humane Sciences and Arts.
The world compared to Egypt, and the Church to Canaan.Againe, the world hath beene well compared to Egypt, and the Church to Canaan: Egypt was a Land that was watered with the feete of men, Deut. 11, 10. It was ſaid to be watered with the feete of men,Egypt watered with the feet of men. as a garden, becauſe they carried water on foote out of Nilus, and watered their Land with it:Canaan a land bleſſed of God. but Canaan was a Land bleſſed of God, and his eyes were upon it from the beginning of the yeere to the end, Deut. 11.12. It was a land of hils and valleyes, and drinketh water of the raine of heaven. The world is but watered with humane Sciences and Arts, which are drawne out of the troubled reaſon of man like Nilus: but the Church is watered with theſe celeſtiall graces which come from above.
A compariſon betwixt Divinity, and all other Sciences and Arts in generall.Now that we may ſee the excellency of Divinity above all other Sciences and Arts, let us obſerve wherein they differ in generall, and then let us make a particular compariſon betwixt Divinity & other Sciences and Arts.
Differ. 1 Firſt, they differ origine, in the originall: humane Sciences and Arts proceede from God as hee is God and generall ruler of the world, but Divinity proceeded from the Father by the Sonne to the Church, Revel. 22.1. And he ſhewed me a pure river of water of life, cleare as criſtall, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lambe: but theſe humane Sciences and Arts, although they proceede from God, yet they proceede not from God and the Lambe like a criſtall river.
Differ. 2 Secondly, theſe humane Sciences and Arts, are but humano-divinae, they are but the broode of reaſon, which proceedeth from God enlightning every man that commeth into the world,Scientia hūano-divina Scientia humana. Scientia diabolica. Scientia divino-divina Iohn 1.9. Some againe are humane and the birth of corrupt man onelyonly, as Sophiſtrie: And thirdly, ſome are Diabolicae, as necromancie and witch-craft: But Divinity is Divino-divina, that is, it is originally from God and immediately.
Differ. 3 And if we ſhall compare Faith the daughter of Divinity,A compariſon betwixt ſenſe, reaſon, & faith. with Reaſon the mother of all other Sciences and Arts, we ſhall ſee how farre Divinity excelleth all other Sciences and Arts.
There are in man, ſenſe, reaſon, and faith; and as farre as reaſon ſurpaſſeth ſenſe, much farther doth faith ſurpaſſe reaſon; and by conſequent Divinity ſurpaſſeth all other Sciences.
Reaſon differeth much from ſenſe,How ſenſe, reaſon, and faith apprehend things. for ſenſe the farther that the object is from it, it is magis univerſale & magis confuſum, it is the more univerſall and more confuſed; and the nearer that the object comes to the ſenſe, it is the leſſe univerſall and more diſtinct: Example, when we ſee an object a farre off, we take it up firſt to be ens ſomewhat, then we take it up to be a living creature, then we take it up to be a man, and laſt to be Peter or Iohn; Here the neerer that the object commeth to our ſenſe, it is leſſe univerſall and more diſtinct; and the farther that it is removed from our ſenſe, it is the more univerſall and more confuſed.Simile. The knowledge which a young child hath at the firſt is wonderfull confuſed, and he will ſucke any woman for his nurſe, this knowledge is very confuſed: then his knowledge becommeth more diſtinct and more generall, and then he beginneth to know, this is not my nurſe, and this is not my nurſe, but this is my nurſe; here his knowledge beginneth to be more diſtinct, and he will ſucke none but his owne nurſe: and his knowledge now, reſembleth the knowledge which we have by reaſon, which aſcendeth from the particular to the generall, and the farther that it is from ſenſe, it is the more univerſall and leſſe confuſed. But faith the daughter of Divinity, aſcendeth higher than reaſon or ſenſe, and the further that it goes from ſenſe and reaſon the more perfect it is, and it goeth from minus univerſale, to the ſupreame and higheſt cauſe, God himſelfe; and the neerer that faith commeth to reaſon or ſenſe, the weaker it is and more indiſtinct. Thomas his faith was an indiſtinct faith and weake, and could not beleeve unleſſe hee put his fingers in the wounds of Chriſt, Iohn 20.28. here his faith leaned too much to ſenſe; but faith the higher that it goes from ſenſe and reaſon, the more perfect it is; We have a notable example of this, Gen. 49. when Ioſeph tooke Ephraim and Manaſſe, Ephraim in his right hand towards Iſraels left hand, and brought him neere unto him, and Manaſſe in his left hand toward Iſraels right hand, Iſrael ſtretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraims head, and his left hand upon Manaſſes head, guiding his hands wittingly, or as Onkelos the Chaldee Paraphraſt hath it, Prudenter egit manibus ſuis, when he dealt wiſely with his hands: But when Ioſeph ſaw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it diſpleaſed him, and he held up his fathers hand, and he ſaid to his father, not ſo my father, for this is the first borne, put thy right hand upon his head: and his father refuſed and ſaid, I know it my ſonne, I know it truly, the younger ſhall be greater than he, Gen. 48.19. Ioſeph thought becauſe his father Iacob was blind that his faith was a confuſed and weake faith, but Iacob knew that the farther his faith was from ſence, and the higher that it aſcended from reaſon, it was the more perfect, and therefore he ſayd jadanghti bene jadanghti, I know it my ſonne,foreign I know it; that is, certainely I know it. This is then the excellencie of faith, that the higher that it goes from ſence and reaſon the more perfect it is, which ſheweth the excellency of Divinity above all other Sciences and Artes; for if faith the daughter of Divinity ſurpaſſeth them all, much more doth Divinity it ſelfe: and it may bee ſaid of faith, as it was ſaid of the vertuous woman, Prov. 30. Many daughters in Iſrael have done vertuouſly, but thou ſurpaſſeſt them all.
Differ. 4 Laſt of all, other Sciences and Artes are but handmaids to Divinity, and as the Nethinims the poſterity of the Gibionits were appointed by Ioſuah to hew wood and draw water for the Sanctuary, but never to meddle with the Sacrifices, neyther to kill them nor offer them, Ioſh. 9.23. ſo humane Sciences and Arts are appointed but to attend and ſerve Divinity, they are but to hew the wood, and draw the water onelyonly to the Sanctuarie.
There are three principles from whence Sciences and Arts are derived, the firſt is contemplation,A compariſon betwixt Divinity and other Sciences. the ſecond is action, the third is operation.
For contemplation, the metaphyſicks are the moſt abſtract, conſidering ens ut ens onelyonly: the ſecond are the mathematicks, which conſidereth the quantity and the number of things; geometry the quantity, and arithmeticke the number. Thirdly, the Phyſicks conſider onelyonly naturall properties of the body.
Theſe who are exerciſed in actions and morall philoſophie, are lawes and ſuch.
Arts which are exerciſed in operation are rhetoricke and grammer.
A compariſon betwixt Divinity and Metaphyſicks.Metaphyſicke conſidereth God onelyonly, ut ens vuum, verum et bonum, as he hath a being, as he is one, as hee is truth and goodneſſe; but it conſidereth not God as Creator, Chriſt as Redeemer, it conſidereth not God in his attributes as Divinity doth, & therefore they ſay metaphyſica parit ſcientiam tantum, ſed theologia fidem.
A compariſon betwixt Divinity, Mathematicks, anp Phyſicks.Secondly, compare Divinity with phyſicke and the mathematicks, the mathematician ſearcheth viſible formes in viſible things, the Phyſition inviſible formes in viſible things; but the Divine inviſible formes in viſible things.
A compariſon betwixt the Divine, the Lawyer, and the Phyſition.Thirdly, let us compare the Divine, the Lawyer and Phyſitian; the Phyſitian eſt miniſter naturae, the ſervant of nature, the Lawyer eſt miniſter juſtitiae, but the Divine eſt miniſter gratiae: and looke how farre grace exceedeth nature or juſtice, ſo as farre doth Divinity ſurpaſſe the Phyſitian or the Lawyer.
A compariſon betwixt the Divine, and morall Philoſopher.Fourthly, let us compare Divinity and morall philoſophy, the Philoſopher ſaith, that Iuvenis non eſt idoneus auditor moralis Philoſophiae, that a young man is not fit to heare morall philoſophy, but David ſaith, Pſal. 119.9. Wherewith ſhall a young man cleanſe his wayes. Chryſoſtome hath a good obſervatien to ſhew the force of Divinity above all morall philoſophie, when he compareth Plato the moraliſt and Paul the Apoſtle together: Plato ſaith he, that wiſe Philoſopher came three times to Sicilie to convert Dionyſius the tyrant to morall philoſophy, yet he went away without any ſucceſſe: but Paul a Tent-maker did not onelyonly convert Sicilie, but ran from Ieruſalem to Illyricum, Rom. 15.19. and converted thouſands of ſoules by the preaching of the Goſpel. See how farre Divinity excelleth morall philoſophie.Auguſt. de Civitate Dei. lib. 6. cap. 11. And Auguſtine obſerveth how Seneca the moſt excellent of all the moraliſts, mocked the Iewes, becauſe they ſpent (as hee thought) the ſeventh part of their life in idleneſſe, which was the Sabbath day. Iuſtine Martyr being firſt a philoſopher, and after a martyr, ſearched thorow all the ſects of philoſophy, and could never find contentment to his ſoule till hee came to Divinity. Firſt he came to the ſect of the Stoickes and gave himſelfe to be a ſcholler in that ſchoole, but hearing nothing of God in Stoa in that ſchoole, he turned to be a Peripatetick: but when he entred with the Peripateticks, he perceived his maſter nundinantem ſapientiam mercede (as he ſpeakes) ſelling his wiſedome for gaine, then hee left that ſect alſo. Thirdly, he came to the ſect of the Pythagoreans, but having no skill in geometrie (which knowledge Pythagoras required of his Schollers before he taught them philoſophy) he left the Pythagoreans and fell into the ſociety of the Platonickes: at laſt he met with a Chriſtian Divine Philoſopher who perſwaded him to caſt aſide all theſe circular diſciplines, and to ſtudie Divinity which ſhould give him greater contentment than all the philoſophy in the world, and he renouncing all gave himſelfe to the ſtudying of the holy Scriptures, and of a Philoſopher became both a Chriſtian and a Martyr.A compariſon betwixt Divinity, and Phyſicke alone.
Fiftly; let us compare Divinity and Phyſicke alone, they ſay ubi deſinit phyſicus ibi incipit medicus, Where the naturall philoſopher leaveth, there the Phyſitian beginneth, but we may ſay, ubi deſinit phyſicus, ibi incipit Theologus, where the Phyſitian leaveth off, there the Divine beginneth; for when the Phyſitian hath done his laſt cure and given over the patient, here ſignes him into the hands of the Divine, or if he be a religious Phyſition, hee is glad to play the Divine to him himſelfe; the Phyſitian ſheweth the patient that his health conſiſteth in letting of blood, but the Divine ſheweth that the health of his patient conſiſteth by the letting of the blood of Chriſt.
A compariſon betwixt Divinity and the Mathematicks alone.Sixtly, compare Divinity and the mathematicks, the mathematician conſidereth the length, the height and the breadth of things, but be never conſidereth what is the height, the breadth and the length of the love of Chriſt, Epheſ. 3.8. he never teacheth a man to number his dayes, that he may apply his heart to wiſedome, Pſal. 90.12. as the Divine doth.
A compariſon betwixt Divinity, Grammer, and Rhetorick.Laſtly, compare Divinity with grammer and rhetoricke: hearing of others teacheth us to ſpeake; grammer teacheth us to ſpeake congruouſly, and rhetoricke teacheth us to ſpeake eloquently, but Divinity teacheth us to ſpeake the language of Canaan, Eſay 19.18.
Queſt. Whether commeth Lawes or Phyſicke nearer to Divinity?
Anſw: Wee muſt anſwer here by diſtinction, the Law hath two parts in it, the firſt is that which is called foreign,Pars legis. foreign. foreign. of conſtituting and making of lawes: the ſecond is that ligitious part which is exerciſed about the pleading of cauſes; the firſt part commeth nearer to Divinity than phyſicke doth, becauſe the Phyſitian is exerciſed onelyonly about the health of the body, and if he ſpeake any thing to his patient of temperance or reſtraining of his paſſions, all this he doth but for his patients health. But the nomotheticke or maker of the law, doth all things for the well ordering of the people; and looke how much more excellent it is to live well, than to live in good health: ſo much more that part of the law excelleth phyſicke. But phyſicke againe is to be preferred to that part of the Law which is called litigi…ſa or the litigious part of the law, becauſe that part of the law doth not reſpect the commonwealth, or the manners of the people, but to give this or that particular man his right: But to cure this or that particular man, is better than to reſtore this or that particular man to his goods; for skin for skin, and all that a man hath will he give for his life, Iob. 1. therefore phyſicke excelleth the litigious part of the Law. Object.
It may be ſaid that Divinity borroweth many things of other Sciences, therefore it may ſeeme not to be ſo abſolute in perfection.
This argueth no want in Divinity, Anſ. but onelyonly a defect in our underſtanding; for by theſe inferiour things we are led to the knowledge of more divine things.
Divinity is not foreign or a generall ſumme of all Sciences and Arts, or one univerſall director to all our actions as they are naturall, civill, or oeconomicall.
But Paul biddeth Timothy take a little wine to comfort him, Object. 1 Tim. 5.23. So Moyſes ſetteth downe weights and meaſures in the Law.
When Paul biddeth Timothy take ſome wine to comfort him, he is not playing the Phyſition here: Anſw. ſo when Moſes ſetteth downe weights and meaſures, this is not his laſt end that there may be commutative juſtice amongſt the children of Iſrael; Pauls laſt end and cheife conſideration is this, that Timothy having a ſound body may be able to glorifie God in his miniſtery. So Moſes conſidereth weights and meaſures, that Gods people might doe no wrong, but glorifie God in their calling; And as one thing may belong to the mathematitian in reſpect of the middeſt, and to the Phyſitian in reſpect of the thing it ſelfe, as when a Phyſitian ſheweth that a round wound is more hardly cured than a long wound, although the Phyſitian ſhew this by the principles of geometry, yet he cureth not the wound as a Goemetrician but as a Phyſitian. So when a Divine ſpeaketh of weights and meaſures, and health of body, although they belong to the politickes or phyſickes in reſpect of the midſt, yet in reſpect of the end they belong to Divinity.
Other Sciences are not directly ſubordinate to Divinity; theſe ſciences which are directly ſubordinate, the concluſions of the ſuperior Sciences are the principles of the inferior, as the concluſions of arithmeticke are the principles of muſicke, and theſe ſciences which are directly ſubordinate here, have but ſome new accident added to them, to make a diſtinction betwixt them and the ſuperior. Sciences, as muſicke ſubordinate to arithmeticke hath this accident ſuperadded to it, to be numerus ſonorus a number with ſound, but Divinity and other Sciences toto genere differunt, they are altogether different.
Subordinatio directa. ratione finis. Sciences and Arts ſubordinate to Divinity, in reſpect of the end.Other Sciences are not directly ſubordinate to Divinity but onelyonly in reſpect of the end, the Apothecary is directly ſubordinate to the Phyſitian; therefore hee preſcribeth unto him all his ingredients, what hot things he muſt uſe and what cold, what drachmes and what ſcruples: the Taylor againe is not directly ſubordinate to the Doctor, but onelyonly in reſpect of the end, therefore the Doctor preſcribeth not unto him how much he ſhould make in a gowne; aske the Doctor why he giveth phyſicke to a man? and he will anſwere, for the preſervation of the body: So aske the Taylor why he maketh cloathes for him? he will anſwer for the ſame end; here the inferior, the Taylor, is ſubordinate to the Doctor, onelyonly in reſpect of the end: So all Sciences and Arts are but indirectly ſubordinate to Divinity, and in reſpect of the end, and therefore they have nor their particular directions from Divinity.
The concluſion of this is:Concluſio. 1. All Sciences are found out for the benefit of man, but all of them can doe him but little good, untill Divinity come in and rectifie him.
All Sciences are ſubordinate to Divinity in reſpect of the end;Concluſio. 2. therefore every man ſhould ſtudie to be holy, what Science ſoever he profeſſe: but profane men thinke that it becommeth not a Phyſitian to bee holy, becauſe they underſtand not that theſe Sciences are ſubordinate to Divinity in reſpect of the end.