Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A29868
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Religio Medici
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Browne, Thomas, Sir, 1605-1682.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing B5166; ESTC R4739
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58,859
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162
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common faâ—e of time Mens Workâ— have an age like themselves and though they out-live their Authors yet have a stinâ— and period to their duration This onely is a Work too hard for the teeth of time and cannot perish but in the generalâ— flames when all things shall confesse theiâ— ashes I have heard some with deepe sighs lamâ—nt the lost lines of Cicero others with as many groanes deplore the combustionâ— of the Library of Alexandriâ— for my parâ— I thinke there be too many in the world and could with patience behold the urneâ— and ashes of the Vatican could I with â— few others recover the perished leaves oâ—Solomon I would not omit a Copy of Eâ—nochs Pillars had they any better Authoâ— than Iosephus or did not relish too mucâ— of the Fable Some men have written more than others have spoken Pinedaâ—otes more Authours in one worke than â—e necessary in a whole world Of those â—ree great Inventions in Germany there â—e two which are not without their inâ—mmodities and it is disputable whether â—ey exceed not their use and commodies It is not a melancholy Utinam of â—ine own but the desires of better heads â—â—at there were a generall Synod not to â—â—ite the incompatible difference of Reliâ—ion but for the benefit of learning to reâ—uce it as it lay at first in a few and solid Authours and to condemne to the fire â—hose swarmes and millions of Rapsodies â—egotten onely to distract and abuse the weaker judgements of Scholars and to â—aintaine the Trade and Mystery of Tyâ—ographers I cannot but wonder with what exceptions the Samaritanes could â—onâ—ine their beliefe to the Pentateuch or five bookes of Moses I am ashamed at the Rabbinicall Interpretation of the Jewes â—pon the Old Testament as much as their â—efection from the New and truely it is â—eyond wonder how that contemptiblâ— and degenerate issue of Iacob that areâ—â— devoted to Ethnicke Superstition and 〈◊〉 easily seduced to the Idolatry of the Neighbours should now in such an obstnate and peremptory beliefe adhere untâ— their owne Doctrine expect impossibilities and in the face and eye of the Churcâ— persist without the least hope of conversion This is a vice in them that were a vertue in us for obstinacy in a bad cause 〈◊〉 but constancy in a good And herein must accuse those of our Religion for therâ— is not any of such a fugitive faith such aâ— unstable beliefe as a Christian none thaâ— doe so oft transforme themselves not unto severall shapes of Christianity and oâ— the same Species but unto more unnaturall and contrary formes of Jew and Mahometan that from the name of Saviouâ— can condeâ—cend to the bare terme of Prophet and from an old beliefe that he is come to fall to a new expectation of his comming It is the promise of Christ to make us all one flocke but how and when the union shall be is as obscure to me as the last day Of those foure members of Religion we hold a proportion there are I confesse some new additions yet smal to those which accrue to our Adversaries and those only drawne from the revolt of Pagans men but of negative impieties such as deny Christ but because they neâ—er heard of him But the Religion of the â—ew is expresly against the Christian and the Mahometan against both for the Turk â—n the bulke he now stands he is beyond â—ll hope of conversion if he fall asunder â—here may be conceived some hopes but â—ot without strong improbabilities The â—ew is obstinate in all fortunes the perseâ—ution of fifteene hundred yeares hath but â—onfirmed them in their error they have â—lready endured what soever may be inâ—licted and have suffered in a bad cause â—ven to the condemnation of their eneâ—ies Persecution is a bad and indirect way â—o plant Religion It hath beene the unâ—appy method of angry devotions not onâ—y to confirme honest Religion but wickâ—d Heresies and extravagant Opinions It was the first stone and Basis of our Faith â—one can more justly boast of persecutions and glory in the number and valour of Martyrs for to speake properly those are true and only examples of fortitude Those that fetch it from the Field or draw it from the actions of the Campe are not 〈◊〉 truely presidents of valour and audacity and at the best attaine but to some bastard piece of fortitude If we shall strictly examine the circumstances and requisites which Aristotle requires to true and perfect valour we shall find the name onely in his Master Alexander and as little in the Roman Worthy Iulius Caesar and if any 〈◊〉 that easie and active way have done so nobly as to deserve that name yet in the passive and more terrible piece those have surpassed and in a more heroical way may claime the honour of that Title It is not in the power of every honest faith to proceed thus far or passe to Heaven through the flames every one hath it not in the fulâ— measure nor in so audacious and resolute a temper as to endure those terrible testâ— tryals who notwithstanding in a peaceable way do truly adore their Saviour and have no doubt a Faith acceptable in the eyes of God Now as all that dye in war are not termed Souldiers so neither can I â—roperly terme all those that suffer in matâ—ers of Religion Martyrs The Councell of Constance condemnes Iohn Husse for an Heretique the Stories of his owne party â—ile him a Martyr it is false Divinity if I â—ay he was neither one nor other there are â—any questionlesse canonized on earth â—hat shall never be Saints in Heaven and â—ave their names in Histories and Martyâ—ologies who in the eyes of God are not â—o perfect Martyrs as was that wise Heaâ—en Socrates that suffered on a fundamenâ—all point of Religion the unity of God have pityed the miserable Bishop that â—uffered in the cause of Antipodes yet canâ—ot chuse but accuse him of as much madnesse for exposing his life on such a trifle â—s those of ignorance and folly that conâ—emned him I thinke my consâ—â—ence will â—ot give me the lie if I say there is not a â—an extant that in a noble way feares the ace of death lesse than my selfe yet from â—â—e morall duty I owe to the Commandeâ—ent of God and the naturall respects that I tender unto the conservation of my essence and being I would not perish upon a Ceremony Politicke points or indifferency nor is my beliefe of that untractable temper as not to bow at their obstacles or connive at matters that are not manifest impieties The leaven therefore and ferment of all not onely civill but Religious actions is wisedome without which to commit our selves to the flames is Homicide and I feare but to passe through one fire into another That Miracles are ceased I can neither prove nor absolutely deny much lesse define the time and period of their cessation that they survived Christ is manifest upon record of Scripture that they
injury as revenge and no such revenge as the contempt of an injury that to â—hate another is to maligne himselfe that the truest way to love another is to despise our selves I were unjust unto mine owne conscience if I should say I am at variance with any thing like my selfe I find there are many pieces in this our owne Fabricke of Man and this frame is raised upon a masse of Antipathies I am one me thinkes but as the world wherein notwithstanding there are a swarme of distinct essences and in them another world of contrarieties which carry private and domestick enemies within publike and more hostile adversaries without The devill that did but buffet Sainâ—Paul playes me thinkes at sharpe with me Let me be nothing if within the compasse of my selfe I doe not find thâ—â— battaile of Lepanto passion against passion reason against faith faith against the devill and my conscience against alâ—â— There is another man within me rebukes commands and dastards me 〈◊〉 have no conscience of Marble to resisâ— the hammer of more heavy offences nor yet too soft and waxen as to takâ— the impression of each single peccadillâ— or scape of infirmity I am of a strangâ— beliefe that it is as easie to be forgiveâ— some sinnes as to commit some others For my originall sinne I hold it to bâ— washed away in my Baptisme for my actual transgressions I compute and reckon with God but from my last repentance Sacrament or absolution Anâ— therefore am not teâ—â—ifyed with the sinâ— or madnesse of my youth I thanke the goodnesse of God I have no sinnes that want a name I am not singular in offences my transgressions are Epidemicall and from the common breath of our corruption â—et even those common and quotidian infirmities that so necessarily attend me and doe seeme to be my very nature have so dejected me so broken the estimation that I should have otherwise that I repute my selfe the most abjectest piece of mortality that I detest mine owne nature and in my retired imaginations cannot with-hold my hands from violence on my selfe Divines prescribe a fit of sorrow to repentance there goes indignation anger sorrow hatred into mine passions of a contrary nature which neither seeme to sute with this action nor my proper constitution It is no breach of charity to our selves to be at variance with our vices nor to abhorre that part of us which is an enemy to the ground of charity our God wherein we doe but imitate our great selves the world whose divided antipathies and contrary faces doe yet carry a charitable regard to the whole by their particular discords preserving the common harmony and keeping in fetters those powers whose rebellions once Masters might be the ruine of all I thanke God amongst those millions of vices that I doe inherit and hold from Adam I have escaped one and that is a mortall enemy to charity the first and Father sinne not of man but of devils Pride a vice whose name is comprehended in a Monosillable but in its nature circumscribed with a world I have escaped it in a condition that can hardly avoid it those petty acquisitions and reputed perfections that advance and elevate the conceits of other men adde no feathers unto mine I have seene a Grammarian toure and plume himselfe over a single line in Horace and shew more pride in the construction of one Ode than the Author in the composure of the whole booke For my owne part besides the Fargon and Patonis of severall Provinces I understand no lesse then six Languages yet I protest I have no higher conceit of my selfe then had our Fathers before the confusion of Babel when there was but one Language in the world and none to boast himselfe either Linguist or Criticke I have not onely seene severall Countries beheld the nature of their climes the Chorography of their Provinces Topography of their Cities but understood their severall Lawes Customes and Policies yet cannot all this perswade the dulnesse of my spirit unto such an opinion of my self as I behold in nimbler conceited heads that never looked a degree beyond their nest I know the names and somewhat more of all the Starres in my Horizon yet I have seene a prating Mariner that could onely name the Points and the North Starre out-talke me and conceit himself a whole Spheare above me I know almost all the Plants of my time and of those about me yet me thinkes I do not know so many as when I did but know an hundred and had scarcely ever Simpled further then Cheap-side for indeed heads of capacity and such as are not full with a handfull or easie measure of knowledg think they know nothing till they know all which being impossible they fall upon the opinion of Socrates and onely know they know not any thing I cannot think that Homer pined away upon the riddle of the Fisherman or that Aristotle who understood the uncertainety of knowledge and confessed so often the reason of man too weake for the worke of nature did ever drowne himselfe upon the flux and reflux of Euripus we doe but learne to day what our better advanced judgements will teach to morrow and Aristotle doth instruct us as Plato did him that is to confute himselfe I have run through all sorts and find no rest in any though our first studies and junior endevours may stile us Peripateticks Stoicks or Academicks yet I perceive the wisest heads prove at last almost all Scepticks and stand like Ianus in the field of knowledge I have therefore one common and authenticke Philiosophy I learned in the Schooles whereby I discourse and satisfie the reason of other men another more reserved and drawne from Experience whereby I content mine owne selfe Solomon that complained of ignorance in the height of knowledge hath not onely humbled my conceits but discouraged my endevours There is yet another conceit that hath made me shut my bookes which tels me it is a vanity to waste our dayes in the blind pursuit of knowledge it is but attending a little longer and we shal enjoy that by instinct infusion which we endevour all here by labour and inquisition it is better to sit downe in a modest ignorance and rest contented with the naturall blessing of our owne reasons then buy the uncertaine knowledge of this life with sweat and vexation which death gives every foole gaines and is an accessary of our glorification I was never yet once and am resolved never to be married twice not that I disallow of a second marriage as neither in all cases of Polygamy which considering the unequall number of both sexes may be also necessary The whole world was made for man but the twelfth part of man for woman man is the whole world and the breath of God woman the rib onely a crooked piece of man I could wish that we might procreate like trees without conjunction or that there were any way to perpetuate