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A47125 The arraignment of worldly philosophy, or, The false wisdom its being a great hinderance to the Christian faith, and a great enemy to the true divine wisdom / by George Keith. Keith, George, 1639?-1716. 1694 (1694) Wing K143; ESTC R1585 27,083 30

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THE ARRAIGNMENT OF Worldly Philosophy OR The False Wisdom It s being a great hinderance to the Christian Faith And a great Enemy to the True Divine Wisdom By GEORGE KEITH 1 COR. 1. 19 20 21. For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent Where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the Disputer of this World Hath not God made foolish the Wisdom of this World For after that in the Wisdom of God the World by Wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe LONDON Printed for R. Levis MDCXCIV The Preface to the Reader Friendly Reader I Thought fit by this Prefaceto prevent thy Offence at the Title of this small Treatise which I call the Arraignment of Worldly Philosophy as if thereby thou might suppose I did intend any true and real knowledge of things either Divine or Natural that any of these call'd Ancient Philosophers had or the real and sincere study enquiry and search into them that any of the children of men have had whether in former Ages from the beginning of the World or now have in this present Age so as to condemn the same But this is far from my Intention for on the contrary I do judge that the sincere study enquiry and search after Truth and the true knowledge of God and of his Creatures is most commendable and praise worthy and they are the most Noble Souls who in all Ages of the world have given and applied themselves unto the same for true Knowledg is of more value than all worldly Treasure being that which truly adorns the Mind and Soul of Man and is a perfection to it yea what eyes and sight is to the Body that true Knowledg is to the Soul and as we cannot love an outward and visible Object unless we see it or have some knowledg of it by some of our outward senses so we cannot love God our Creator unless we have the true knowledge of him And tho the highest and most excellent degree of the knowledg of God is to know him in a nearor and more immediate way than by the contemplation of the Creatures yet God hath set his Creatures and the glorious Fabrick of the visible Creation before us as a book in a large Volume whereby we may read and understand not only that God is but also whereby we may know in some sort his manifold divine perfections even his exceeding great Power Wisdom Goodness Purity Mercy and Justice But as no man can read a book that is blind or if he have eyes without light so none can truly and rightly read and understand the great book of God's Creation but as the eyes of his understanding are opened and as his eyes when opened are enlightned with a divine Light that cometh from God himself for let it be granted that mens rational faculties are as the eyes of their minds yet they can never see into the great wonders of the Creation of God without he the great Creator doth enlighten them as our natural and bodily eyes cannot see bodily Objects without a natural and bodily light for seeing God made all the Creatures by his eternal Wisdom nothing can give to man the true knowledge of them but the same Wisdom by which he made them and this is man's dignity and excellency above the Beasts of the field that he is capable to receive of this eternal divine Wisdom and be taught by it and as the Rivers that come from the Sea lead to the Sea so the Creatures in a secondary and subordinate way lead the Mind and Soul of Man to God that made them as the divine Light of the eternal VVisdom that shines in his heart is eyed and regarded that shews him how and after what manner this Current and Stream of the Creatures that come from God lead to him that so man may rest in him and not in them But if a man think by the bare search of his natural understanding and meer human Reason to know either God or the Creation without the divine Light he greatly erreth and this hath been the great Error of most of them called Philosophers that by the bare search of the natural understanding and meer human Reason without the divine Light they were busied to make their search into the wonderful works of God in his Creatures which they not being able to do they fell into many Errors which do contradict the true Christian Faith and Doctrine delivered by the Prophets and by Christ and the Evangelists and Apostles as the design of the following Treatise is to shew and therefore this is to inform the Reader in the entrance it is not any good thing or any matter of Truth or any true discovery of knowledge in things either divine or natural that this small Treatise points at and blames but the gross Errors in those called Philosophers which I have found too many at this to day be deeply tinctured and leavened with and these not only some that profess to be Students of Philosophy and Proficients in the same but many other persons either wholly or in great part illiterate and who neither esteem themselves nor are esteemed by others studious in Philosophy I have found deeply so tinctured and most tenariously adhering to these gross and pernicious Errors and when I have warn'd them of these Errors telling them that they were the noted Errors of them call'd Heathen Philosophers who did long ago in Ages past oppugn and gainsay the True Christian Faith and Doctrine in many things and the Errors of the Jesuits Philosophy and of some other Schoolmen in the Church of Rome stiffly maintained by them to defend the false Antichristian Doctrine that that Papal Society is guilty of They have reply'd to me They know neither the Philosophy of the Old Heathens nor of the late Schoolmen and Jesuits being simple unletter'd men But to this I have answer'd them That tho they know not that such Errors held by them are the Errors of the Old Heathens and of the late Schoolmen such as Jesuits and others yet they are these very Errors for even as in another case a man may have in his House some things that he may not know to whom they do properly belong so in this case men may hold erronious Opinions invented by others long ago and yet not know the Authors of them and they might have come by them without any curious search study or enquiry into the Writings or Books of the first Authors or Inventers of them either by having them occasionally mention'd to them or finding them by some accident in some one or other late VVriter that writ in their Mothers Tongue and the mind of man while it is more sway'd with Darkness than Light and with the spirit of Error than with the spirit of Truth beside the many disadvantages it hath by wrong Education and
drinking in bad Principles from his childish years which are not easily drove out after they have once got entrance will no doubt be more easily and readily inclined to embrace Error than Truth tho no mans mind or understanding embraceth any Error as Error but under a notion or supposition that it is Truth even as the VVill embraceth no evil as evil but as having some seeming appearance of good beside that the mind of man unless it be govern'd by the divine principle of Truth within it self is but too fruitful to bring forth the like Errors as others have formerly done as the Earth it self that is not well and carefully cultivated bp the Husbandman will be fruitful enough to bring forth Bryars and Thorns and hurtful Weeds And notwithstanding that some have objected against me That the Human Learning I received at the University in Arts and Sciences and Languages and that called Philosophy hath enabled me to dispute and contend for and otherways to hold forth both by word of mouth and by writing certain principles of Christian Doctrine as so believed by me and as if I gloried in my Abilities and furnishing of human Learning of such Arts Sciences Languages and that all d Philosophy as I had acquir'd in my younger years and trusted greatly or chiefly to that seeking to get a Name or Applause thereby among men I can and do with great freedom and clearness of mind declare That such who so judge of me do greatly judg amiss my Trust is in the Lord alone and my dependance is wholly and only upon him and hath been to receive of his Divine Wisdom and Power from day to day to strengthen and enable me in that work and service he hath called me unto even to bear Testimony to the great Truths of the Christian Faith and Doctrine and my knowledg and understanding I have in Christian Doctrine and Principles I have received from the spirit of Truth that hath opened my understanding to understand them and not from Natural Arts and Sciences and Languages and that called Philosophy which since ever I knew the Truth as it is in Jesus I never have magnified or highly esteemed nor valued my self upon that sort of Learning for I have abundantly seen to the Insufficiency of it to qualifie any man to be a true Preacher or Teacher of Divine Things or to be a true Minister of Christ Jesus whatever subservient use the True and Genuine part of human Learning may have to a Minister of Christ in subordination to the divine grace and gift of God the spurious and adulterate part of it having long since been rejected by me so far as it hath beeh discovered unto me And for such who through a prejudice in them against the many precious Things of the Truth of Christ that his divine light and spirit hath opened unto me and continueth still more and more to open unto me and enable me to bring forth either by word or writing are realy in their Ignorance to say as some have said These things are but the effects and product of Arts and Sciences human Learning and Philosophy They but too much manifest their want of a True savour and spiritual discerning whatever high pretences they make of it who thus unjustly and unchristianly judg of me and are of the Number of them Isa 5. that call light darkness good evil and sweet bitter while they are but too ready to call that which is darkness in themselves light and evil good and bitter sweet and so they have need to fear the woe that is pronounc'd against such as so do yet many have a better sense and savour of my Christian Testimony But to convince such if there be any room left for their conviction That the manner of Doctrine and Principles held forth by me is not from nor after the worldly Philosophy which is but worldly Rudimentss and human Traditions but from and after Christ as his holy spirit hath taught me and enlightned me and hath opened the holy Scriptures unto me is the design of this small Treatise whereby they may perceive that I am so far from deriving my Ability from that called the Philosophy of either Platonists Stoicks or Peripateticks or any others Ancient or modern of worldly minded Professors and Students that I have very plainly contradicted them and showed wherein many of their great Principles and Conclusions in that called their Philosophy do contradict the holy Christian Faith and Doctrine and upon a due examination they who seek to brand me with dangerous and hurtful Opinions of Philosophy will rather be found guilty themselves in that particular THE Arraignment of Worldly Philosophy c. Colos 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit after the Tradition of Men after the Rudiments of the World and not after Christ IT is very evident out of these Words of the Apostle Paul what that Philosophy is that he cautioneth the Colossians against to wit that which is after the Tradition of Men after the Rudiments and Elements of the World and not after Christ and which in the following words of this same Chapter he calleth the Commandments and Doctrines of Men and having a shew of Wisdom in will-worship and voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels v. 18. 23. and in v. 20. he calleth it a dogmatising the words in our English Translation why are ye subject to Ordinances are more duly translated why dogmatize ye or why are ye dogmatized That is subjected to mens Opinions and Doctrines that tend to overthrow and destroy your Faith such as many of the Opinions and Doctrines of them were that professed themselves to be Philosophers at that time Some of the particular Errors and hurtful Doctrines of these Philosophers he doth particularly mention as 1. the worshipping of Angels 2. a self-will'd Humility 3. the neglecting the body 4. abstaining from meats so as neither to touch taste nor handle them for some of the Philosophers of that time did forbid the use of certain meats and particularly of flesh as being hurtful to the study of Philosophy But the true Christian Faith and Doctrine taught by Christ and the Apostles alloweth the sober and moderate use of all meats that are not in themselves unwholesome to the body as some are Also he describeth the Effects of this vain and hurtful Philosophy of the Gentiles 1. It made them intrude into things not seen 2. It made them vain and puffed up the fleshly mind 3. It led from the Head Christ and from Faith in him But as Paul here cautioneth and giveth warning against the worldly Philosophy or wisdom of the Gentile Philosophers so he exalteth and commandeth the true Wisdom that is after Christ and setteth the one in opposition to the other the one being after the Traditions of Men and Rudiments or Elements of the World the other being after Christ in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge v.