Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	divine_a	faith_n	revelation_n	3,413	5	9.3938	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57163	A sermon touching the use of humane learning preached in Mercers-Chappel at the funeral of that learned gentleman, Mr. John Langley, late school-master of Pauls School in London, on the 21 day of September, 1657 / by Ed. Reynolds ...	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1658 (1658)	Wing R1287; ESTC R9227	19,525	40

are exceeding necessary to the the exact distinguishing and digesting of sacred Chronology and of the occurrences of Scripture to their proper times as Austin hath noted Sixthly Many Ecclesiastical Writers who either write against the Gentiles or Apologetical Discourses for Christian Religion cannot be clearly understood without the reading of Secular Authors those kind of Writings as Origen against Celsus Tertullians Apology Theodoret de curandis Graec●rum Affectibus Cyprian de Idolorum vanitate Austin de Civitate Dei Minutius Felix his Octavius and other the like being brimful of such kind of Learning and allusions thereunto To say nothing of the necessity of Grammar and Tongues to understand the words of Scripture of Logick to understand the contexture method argumentation and Analysis of Scripture of Rhetorick to understand the eleganc●es of Scripture When I consider all these things I cannot but beleeve that the more learned men are having gracious hearts as well as learned heads the more sensible they are of their insufficiency for so tremendous an imployment as the sound solid and judicious preaching of the word of God and are more dismaid at the sense of their own wants for so weighty and arduous a service then they do wonder at the boldness of illiterate men who therefore venture with more confidence upon it because they know not that variety of learning as well as of spiritual wisdom and grace which is requisite unto such an able discharge of it as whereby a man may appear to be a workman who needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of truth We have considered some of the many uses of Sec●lar Learning and that within the sphear of one onely profession that it is as a dead hedge wherewith men use to fence a quick one or as Basils similitude is as those fulcimenta upon which men do raise and bear up their Vines or as ground colours upon which gold is to be over-laid I shall conclude with a few inferences from this point for our use First Though there be excellent use to be made of Humane Learning yet it is to be used with much caution as Physitians use Opium or other dangerous things with their due correctives 1. Use it not unnecessarily where the nature of the matter doth not rationally call for it Some learned men have upon this account blamed some of the Antients Origen Iustin Clemens Alexandrinus and others for mixing Philosophy with Theology out of an opinion thereby the easier to gain the Gentil●s unto the Christian faith But none have been more blame-worthy in this case then the old Schoolmen of whom Melancthon saith that their doctrine is chiefly made up of two things Philosophy and Superstition and therefore it is well observed by a learned man that School-men and Canonists have been the fountains of that corruption which hath infected the Church of Christ the School-men in doctrine by opinions of Popery and the Canonists in Discipline by the state of the Papacy of which the main cause hath been the admitting of Aristotle and his Philosophy In ipsa adyta penetralia Ecclesiarum as H●spinian speaketh We finde even amongst the Heathens men were punished for presuming to dispute of heavenly things in the same manner as they did of natural causes and for the like reason Aetius the Heretick being given to an er●stical and contentious way of arguing in divine things as one much addicted to Aristotelical learning thereby purchased unto himself the Title of Atheist as Socrates and Sozomen tell us 2. Use it not vain-gloriously and unto oftentation It is a puffing a windy a flatulent thing knowledge puffeth up 1 Cor. 8.1 Tertullian calleth Philosophers Gloriae Animalia And I beleeve that this vanity doth scarce in any thing mote put forth it self then in pride of Wit or Memory in this way of learning We may learn the danger of it by the example of Herod Act. 12. who was smitten with Worms because he gave not God the glory 3 Use it not proudly with contempt and disdain of the Word of God like that prophane Wit who said he did not dare to read the Scripture for fear of spoiling his stile I have heard of some wretches even amongst us in our days who presume to magnifie Socrates above Moses or Paul 4. Use it not heretically in defence of error as Erasmus saith of the Arrians hoc ipso fuere pestilentiores quod Aristotelicis argutiis essent instructi and as Hierom complains that they rose è Platonis Aristophanis sinu in Episcopatum We must take heed of making our Reason judge of Articles of Faith or setting Humane Learning in the Tribunal against Divine Truth For this it was that Tertullian calleth Philosophers the Patriarchs of Hereticks and that the Apostle exhorteth us to take heed no man spoil us through philosophy and vain deceit Col. 2.8 He meaneth not solid philosophy the genuine issue of Right Reason But the arrogance of Humane Reason to sit as a judge of those things that are supernatural and of divine Revelation as Articles of Faith and forms of Worship when it will acknowledge no Religion but what is deducible out of the princples of corrupted Reason nor admit any conclusions which are not consonant to those principles 5. Use it not prophanely to inflame lust as some elegant Writers do more corrupt by their lasciviousness then benefit by their politeness as Ma●tial Petronius Arbiter * c. Cyprian said of the Adulteries of the Heathen gods that by their examples fiunt miseris delicta religiosa In such a use we may justly fear the rebuke which † Ierom saith he had Ciceronianus es non Christianus But use it with Humility Moderation Sobriety as an Handmaid to Christ as Painters lay a worser colour when they mean to superinduce another Pare the Na●ls cut the Hair lop the luxuriances carry it through the fire as the spoils were appointed to be that it may be purged for the use of the Temple Secondly This justly reproveth all the Enemies of Learning who because the Apostle forbiddeth deceitful Philosophy and telleth us how vain the professors thereof became in their imaginations do thence condemn all the sober and just use of true Learning Such the Weigel●ans who tell us that there is no knowledge of Christ in any Universities that all Schools and Academies are enemies unto Christ and all their Learning merae corruptelae who shut all Learning out of the Church and all learned men out of Heaven Such was it seems Friar Francis the Popish Saint who cursed a learned Minister of Bononia for going about to set up there a School of Learning without his leave Yea such it seems was Pope Paul the second of whom Platina telleth us that he did so hate Humane Learning that he esteemed the lovers thereof Hereticks and exhorted the Romans not to breed up their children thereunto This hatred of Learning must needs proceed either from