The two books of Francis, Lord Verulam. Of the proficience and advancement of learning.

  • Bacon, Francis, 1561-1626.
Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The two books of Francis, Lord Verulam. Of the proficience and advancement of learning. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    386/428 (page 362)
    The use, notwithstanding, of reason in spiritual things, and the latitude thereof, is very great and general: for it is not for nothing that the apostle calleth religion our reasonable service of God ; inso- much as the very ceremonies and figures of the old law were full of reason and signification, much more than the ceremonies of idolatry and magic, that are full of non-significants and surd characters. But most especially the Christian Faith, as in all things, so in this deserveth to be highly magnified, holding and preserving the golden mediocrity in this point between thelaw of the heathen and the law of Mahomet, which have embraced the twro extremes. For the religion of the heathen had no constant belief or confession, but left all to the liberty of argument ; and the re- ligion of Mahomet, on the other side, interdicteth argument altogether : the one having the very face of error, and the other of imposture: whereas the faith doth both admit and reject disputation with difference. The use of human reason in religion is of two sorts : the former, in the conception and apprehen- sion of the mysteries of God to us revealed ; the other, in the inferring and deriving of doctrine and di- rection thereupon. The former extendeth to the mys- teries themselves ; but how ? by way of illustration, and not by way of argument: the latter consisteth indeed of probation and argument. In the former,