The Portraiture of the Image of God in Man, Part 1 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Of Adams inbred knowledge of God.
MAn before his fall, Prop. had an inbred knowledge of God, before he knew him by his creatures, or any other teacher.
As light is the firſt object of the eye, and not the light of the Sunne or Candle. Illuſt. 1 So God is the firſt object of the mind, but not this or that way revealed, by his creatures, or by his word.
The principles of things, Principia de deo velſunt per ſe nota vel ſecundum nos.are either manifeſt in themſelves onelyonly, or, they are manifeſt to us; that there is a God, is a principle manifeſt in it ſelfe, becauſe there is no neede of a middle to proove it. But it is not a principle knowne in it ſelfe to us, becauſe we muſt uſe middles, that this principles may be ſtirred up in us.
The firſt principles which we have of God, are naturally inbred within us; Illuſt. 2 but the firſt principles of other ſciences ariſe without from the ſenſes. Principia de Deo, & principia ſcientiarum ex oppoſito differunt; cognoſcimus deum per extromiſsionem, cognoſcimus ſcientias per intromiſsionem. The knowledge of God wee have it by extromiſſion; but the knowledge of the firſt principles wee have by intermiſſion. The underſtanding at the firſt is voide of all formes, yet it is capable of all formes; as the eye being void of all colours, yet is capable of all colours; Duplex eſt intellectus, agens, & poſſbilis.the way how the underſtanding receives theſe formes into it is thus, the ſenſe lets in the particular objects to the imagination where they are more refined, than they were in the ſenſe; and by the light of the intellectuall agent, the poſſible faculty now actually underſtands. As the woman in the Goſpel who loſt her groat, could not have found it againe untill the candle was lighted: ſo this poſſble power in the underſtanding, could receive no objects from the imagination, unleſſe this light intervened, and thus the firſt principles of ſciences are bred in the minde; For if I had never ſeene with my eyes, totum, the whole, I could never lay up this firſt principle in my minde, that, the whole is more than the parts. So that all this knowledge comes from the ſenſe firſt, and that maxime holds true, Quicquideſt in intellectu, prius fuerat in ſenſu.
Object. foreign.If all our knowledge comes from the ſenſes, how are theſe principles ſaid to be naturally in man.
Anſw. They are ſaid to be naturally in him, becauſe they are framed in the minde, without any reaſoning or diſcourſe; but the concluſions drawne from theſe, are made up by diſcourſe, and are not alike amongſt all men, as the firſt principles are.
Ob. If all our knowledge of things come by the ſenſe, how is it then that the man in the Goſpel, who was borne blind, when he began to ſee, ſaid that, he ſaw men walking a farre off like trees, Matth. 8.24. If hee had not had ſome notion of trees in his minde without helpe of the ſenſes, how could hee compare men to trees?
Anſw. This notion which he had of trees was by other ſenſes, as by feeling and hearing; but if hee had beene both deafe and blind, &c. He could have had no notion of trees, as no blind man can judge of colours.
The principles of ſciences, Conſequence. are not naturally inbred in us, therefore Plato, Origen, and Averrois, erred who held that the ſoules were from eternall, and the principles of all ſciences, were from all eternitie, inbred with them; and to learne was onelyonly to remember, and an actuall knowledge of thoſe imprinted notions. This compariſon then, cleares not the purpoſe well, if a maſter were to ſeeke his fugitive ſervant in a multitude, it were in vaine for him to ſeeke him, unleſſe he had ſome pre-notions of him, in his ſhape and favour; or carried ſome picture drawne by others. So unleſſe ſomething were drawne within us, wee could never take up thoſe things without; but there is no ſuch principles drawen in our minde at the firſt, untill they be formed out of the imagination, and laid up in the minde; and by theſe we may enquire, after that which we underſtand not. Conſeq. 2
Wee underſtand nothing by intromiſſion through the ſenſes to the underſtanding; then Adams knowledge which he had of all the creatures when he awaked out of his ſleepe, was an extraordinary infuſed knowledge, and was not naturall to him: But the firſt knowledge of God, is inbred with us, and is inlightened with that firſt light, which enlightens all men comming in to the world, Ioh. 1.9.
This inbred knowledge, A collation betwixt the innocent and old Adam.which man had of God before the fall, is moſt obſcure now ſince the fall; as hee who writes with the juyce of an onyon, the letters can not be read at the firſt, unleſſe the paper be holden to the fire to dry the letters, and then they appeare legible. So this is written with the point of a diamont (as it were) in the hearts of all men, Rom. 1.20. deum negarunt, non ex habitu naturae, ſed ex affectu malitiae.that (there is God) although they cannot reade it at the firſt, untill they begin to conſider the creatures more nearely, and to waken that which is lurking within them; The Poets ſay, that Oedipus knew that hee had a father, but hee knew not, that Laius was his father; So man by nature knoweth that there is a God, but he knoweth not the true God.
Queſt. Whether is this imbred knowledge which we have of God; or the knowledge which he have of him by the creatures more cleare?
Anſw. Duplex eſt univerſale, confuſum & abſtractumThis inbred knowledge is more obſcure, than the knowledge which wee get by creatures. The firſt ſort of knowledge which we have of God now, is univerſale confuſum. Example, when we behold a man a farre off: firſt, we take him up to be a creature, then wee take him up to be a living creature, and then to be a man, and at laſt to be Peter or Iohn: here wee proceed, from the univerſall to the particular, from that which is confuſed, to that which is more cleare and diſtinct. So the firſt ſight, which our minde doth get of God now, is but an obſcure and confuſed fight, as that which the Athenians had of God, Act. 17. When they worſhipped the unknowne God; ſo that of the Samaritans, Ioh. Coguoſcimus particularia per ſenſum, ut univerſalia per intellectum.4. They worſhipped they knew not what. Then we are led by the creatures ſome what more clearely to take them up, which is called univerſale abſtractum. So firſt we learne particular things by ſenſe, and then univerſall things by our underſtanding; The Philoſophers found out a ſort of reaſoning by induction, aſcending from the particulars to the generall, as Socrates is a living creature; therefore all men are living creatures; Plato is a living creature, therefore all men are living creatures. Here we goe from the particular to the generall, Duplex ordo, inventionis, & auſcultattonis.and ſo we proceede thus from the creatures to take up what God is. There is a twofold order in diſcipline; firſt, the order of invention, as thoſe who finde out Arts, begin at thoſe things that are moſt knowne to our ſenſe, and moſt familiar to them; the ſecond is the order of hearing, Fonſeca. lib. 2 q 2 S. 8.as when a maſter proceeds in teaching his ſchollers from the cauſe to the effect. In the firſt, Ordo compoſitionis & reſolutionis, ſeu ab univerſali, ad particulare, & contra.wee proceed from the compounds to the ſimple, from the particulars to the generall; but in the laſt, we proceede from the ſimple to the compound, and from the univerſall to the particular; in the firſt wee compound, in the ſecond we divide. When we learne by the creatures to take up God, it is ordo inventionis; but when God teacheth us in his ſchoole, and inſtructs us by the eare, this is a more perfect kinde of learning, this is called ordo auſcultationis.
Man by nature, Prop. hath ſought out and poliſhed all other ſorts of Arts and Sciences ſince the fall; but the knowledge of God, they have detained captive, and more and more obſcured it, Rom. 1.18.
Firſt, they found out Phyſicke, Illuſt. 1 and neceſsitie bred this; then they found out morall Philoſophy, Neceſſitas peperit Phyſicam, civilitas, moralem philoſophiam; delectatio, mythologiam. Triplex mythologia, phyſica, moralis, & theologica.civilitie bred this; then they found out Mythologie or fabulous theologie, and delight bred this. This Mythologie againe, they divided three manner of wayes, firſt, Phyſically, as Homer brings in the gods fighting, thereby hee meant the fighting of the Elements, winds and raine. Secondly, morally when they placed, Virgo Iuſtitia the daughter of Iupiter betwixt Leo and libra; they ſignified that Iuſtice had a hand both in fortitude and equitie. Thirdly, Theologically, as Iupiter begat Venus upon the froth of the Sea; whereby they ſignified, when the gods begat any good motions in the hearts of men, there is nothing but vacuitie and froth in them, no preparation nor diſpoſition to goodneſſe; but the knowledge of God is more and more obſcured in Man ſince the fall.