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CHAP. XCVIII.
Of Interpretative Theologie.
INterpretative Theologists believe, That as by the li∣berality of Nature, Grapes, Olives, Wheat, Flax, and many other such things, increase and ripen, of which afterwards, by the wit and help of Man, Wine, Oyl, Bread and Cloth, and other works of Nature are compleated by humane Arts: so the Divine Oracles, delivered to us obscure and hidden, are to be explain∣ed by Interpretation; not by the force of our own Wit
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or Invention, but by the help of the Spirit, who di∣stributes his good things as he pleases, and where he pleases, making some Prophets, and some Interpreters. Therefore this Interpretative Divinity consists not in Compounding, Dividing, Defining, after the manner of the Peripateticks; neither of which belong to God, who neither can be defined, divided, or compounded, but leads to Knowledge by another way, which is in∣different between this and Prophetical vision, which is a kinde of discovery of the Truth to our purifi'd In∣tellect, as a Key to a Lock: and this, as it is the most covetous of all Truth, so it is the most susceptible of what things are to be understood, and is therefore called Possible Intellect; wherewith though we do not discover by a full light, what the Prophets mean, and those who beheld the Divine things themselves; yet there is a door open to us, that from the conformity of the Truth perceived, to our Intellect, and by the Light which illustrates us, out of those open windows we gain more certainty, than from the appearing Demon∣strations, Definitions, Divisions, and Compositions: and we read and understand, not with our outward eyes and ears, but with our better senses; and extract the Truth flowing from the sacred Scriptures, which the other delivered in dark sayings, and mysterious sentences; and thereby see what is hidden from the wise and great Philosophers, yet apprehend them not with so much certainty, as that all perplexity may be removed. And whereas there is a manifold. Truth conceal'd in sacred Scripture, holy men have gone a∣bout to try various and manifold Expositions of the same. For some gently walking along the back of the Letter, and expounding one place by another, and one letter by another, and making out the sence by the Order, Etymologie, and Propriety and Force of the signification of the words, hunt out the truth of
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Scripture: which is therefore call'd Literal Expositi∣on. Others refer all things written to the business of the Soul, and works of Justice; whose Expositions are therefore call'd Moral. Others remit them by va∣rious Tropes and Figures to the Mysteries of the Church; whose Exposition is call'd Tropological. Others given to Contemplation, refer all things to the Myitery of Celestia glory; and this Exposition is call'd Anago∣gick. And these are the four most usual sorts of Ex∣position; besides which, there are two more, of which the one refers all things to vicissitude of Times, Muta∣tions of Kingdoms and Ages; therefore call'd Typick. Wherein, among the Ancients, Cyril, Methodius, and Joachim Abbas did most exel: of Modern Authors, Jeremy Savanarola of Ferrara. The other enquires in∣to the nature and qualities of the Universe, the Sensi∣ble world, and of the whole Fabrick of the World and Nature: which Exposition is therefore call'd Phy∣sical or Natural; wherein Rabbi Simeon ben Joachim excell'd, who wrote a very large Volume upon Leviti∣cus, wherein discoursing of the natures of all things, he shews how Moses, according to the congruencie of the threefold World, and nature of things, ordain'd the Ark, the Tabernacle, the Vessels, Garments, Rites, Sacrifices, and other Mysteries, for the appeasing and worshipping God. Which Exposition the Cabalists fol∣low, especially those who treat of Beresith, or the Crea∣tion. For they who discoursing concerning the Judge∣ment-seat of God, by Numbers, Figures, Revolutions, Symbolical reasons, refers all things to the first Arch∣type, search for the Anagogical sence. And these are the six most famous Senses or Meanings of the holy Scripture; all whose Expositors or Interpreters are by a general word call'd Divines: among whom we finde Dionysius, Origen, Polycarpus, Eusebius, Tertullian, Ire∣neus, Nazianzene, Chrysostome, Athanasius, Basil, Da∣mascene,
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Lactantins, Cyprian, Jerome, Austin, Ambrose, Gregory, Ruffinus, Leo, Cassianus, Barnardus, Anselm, and many other holy Fathers which those ancient times brought forth: and some of later years; as Thomas, Albertus, Bonaventure, Egidius, Henricus, Gandavensis, Gerson, and many others. But now seeing that all these Interpretative Divines are but men, they are sub∣ject to humane frailties; sometimes they erre, some∣times they write things contrary or repugnant some∣times they differ from one another: in many things they are deceiv'd, all of um not discerning all things: for onely the Holy Ghost has the perfect knowledge of Divine things, who distributes to all men according to a certain measure, reserving many things to himself, that we may be always learning of him: for, as S. Paul saith, All of us know and preach by art onely. There∣fore all this Interpretative Theologie consists onely in liberty of speech, and is a Knowledge separate from Scripture, whereby every one has the liberty to abound in his own sence, according to those various Expositi∣ons recited before, which S. Paul in one word calls My∣steries, or speaking of Mysteries, when the Spirit speaks Mysteries; whence Dionysius calls this Significative Theologie, treated of by those holy Doctors in several Volumes. Nor are we to believe all that they say, see∣ing that many hold very Erroneous Opinions of Faith, which are exploded by the Church; as we may instance in Papias Bishop of Hierapolis, Victorinus Pictoviensis, Irenoeus Lugdunensis, Cyprian, Origen and Tertullian, and many others, who have err'd in the Faith, and whose Tenets have been condemned as Heretical, though they themselves are among the Canoniz'd Saints. But this requires a deeper spirit of considera∣tion, to judge and discern which is not of men, nor of flesh and bloud, but granted from above by the Fa∣ther of lights. For no man can utter any thing rightly
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of God, but by the light which comes from himself; which light is the Word, by whom all things were made, and who illuminates every man coming into this world, giving them power to become the sons of God whoever shall receive and believe. Neither is there any who can de∣clare the things of God, but his own Word: for who besides can know the minde of God, or whoever was made of his council, but the Son of God, being the Word of the Father? But of this we shall discourse no farther, till we have perfected the next Chapter of Prophetick Theologie.
Of Interpretative Theologie.
INterpretative Theologists believe, That as by the li∣berality of Nature, Grapes, Olives, Wheat, Flax, and many other such things, increase and ripen, of which afterwards, by the wit and help of Man, Wine, Oyl, Bread and Cloth, and other works of Nature are compleated by humane Arts: so the Divine Oracles, delivered to us obscure and hidden, are to be explain∣ed by Interpretation; not by the force of our own Wit
Page 337
or Invention, but by the help of the Spirit, who di∣stributes his good things as he pleases, and where he pleases, making some Prophets, and some Interpreters. Therefore this Interpretative Divinity consists not in Compounding, Dividing, Defining, after the manner of the Peripateticks; neither of which belong to God, who neither can be defined, divided, or compounded, but leads to Knowledge by another way, which is in∣different between this and Prophetical vision, which is a kinde of discovery of the Truth to our purifi'd In∣tellect, as a Key to a Lock: and this, as it is the most covetous of all Truth, so it is the most susceptible of what things are to be understood, and is therefore called Possible Intellect; wherewith though we do not discover by a full light, what the Prophets mean, and those who beheld the Divine things themselves; yet there is a door open to us, that from the conformity of the Truth perceived, to our Intellect, and by the Light which illustrates us, out of those open windows we gain more certainty, than from the appearing Demon∣strations, Definitions, Divisions, and Compositions: and we read and understand, not with our outward eyes and ears, but with our better senses; and extract the Truth flowing from the sacred Scriptures, which the other delivered in dark sayings, and mysterious sentences; and thereby see what is hidden from the wise and great Philosophers, yet apprehend them not with so much certainty, as that all perplexity may be removed. And whereas there is a manifold. Truth conceal'd in sacred Scripture, holy men have gone a∣bout to try various and manifold Expositions of the same. For some gently walking along the back of the Letter, and expounding one place by another, and one letter by another, and making out the sence by the Order, Etymologie, and Propriety and Force of the signification of the words, hunt out the truth of
Page 338
Scripture: which is therefore call'd Literal Expositi∣on. Others refer all things written to the business of the Soul, and works of Justice; whose Expositions are therefore call'd Moral. Others remit them by va∣rious Tropes and Figures to the Mysteries of the Church; whose Exposition is call'd Tropological. Others given to Contemplation, refer all things to the Myitery of Celestia glory; and this Exposition is call'd Anago∣gick. And these are the four most usual sorts of Ex∣position; besides which, there are two more, of which the one refers all things to vicissitude of Times, Muta∣tions of Kingdoms and Ages; therefore call'd Typick. Wherein, among the Ancients, Cyril, Methodius, and Joachim Abbas did most exel: of Modern Authors, Jeremy Savanarola of Ferrara. The other enquires in∣to the nature and qualities of the Universe, the Sensi∣ble world, and of the whole Fabrick of the World and Nature: which Exposition is therefore call'd Phy∣sical or Natural; wherein Rabbi Simeon ben Joachim excell'd, who wrote a very large Volume upon Leviti∣cus, wherein discoursing of the natures of all things, he shews how Moses, according to the congruencie of the threefold World, and nature of things, ordain'd the Ark, the Tabernacle, the Vessels, Garments, Rites, Sacrifices, and other Mysteries, for the appeasing and worshipping God. Which Exposition the Cabalists fol∣low, especially those who treat of Beresith, or the Crea∣tion. For they who discoursing concerning the Judge∣ment-seat of God, by Numbers, Figures, Revolutions, Symbolical reasons, refers all things to the first Arch∣type, search for the Anagogical sence. And these are the six most famous Senses or Meanings of the holy Scripture; all whose Expositors or Interpreters are by a general word call'd Divines: among whom we finde Dionysius, Origen, Polycarpus, Eusebius, Tertullian, Ire∣neus, Nazianzene, Chrysostome, Athanasius, Basil, Da∣mascene,
Page 339
Lactantins, Cyprian, Jerome, Austin, Ambrose, Gregory, Ruffinus, Leo, Cassianus, Barnardus, Anselm, and many other holy Fathers which those ancient times brought forth: and some of later years; as Thomas, Albertus, Bonaventure, Egidius, Henricus, Gandavensis, Gerson, and many others. But now seeing that all these Interpretative Divines are but men, they are sub∣ject to humane frailties; sometimes they erre, some∣times they write things contrary or repugnant some∣times they differ from one another: in many things they are deceiv'd, all of um not discerning all things: for onely the Holy Ghost has the perfect knowledge of Divine things, who distributes to all men according to a certain measure, reserving many things to himself, that we may be always learning of him: for, as S. Paul saith, All of us know and preach by art onely. There∣fore all this Interpretative Theologie consists onely in liberty of speech, and is a Knowledge separate from Scripture, whereby every one has the liberty to abound in his own sence, according to those various Expositi∣ons recited before, which S. Paul in one word calls My∣steries, or speaking of Mysteries, when the Spirit speaks Mysteries; whence Dionysius calls this Significative Theologie, treated of by those holy Doctors in several Volumes. Nor are we to believe all that they say, see∣ing that many hold very Erroneous Opinions of Faith, which are exploded by the Church; as we may instance in Papias Bishop of Hierapolis, Victorinus Pictoviensis, Irenoeus Lugdunensis, Cyprian, Origen and Tertullian, and many others, who have err'd in the Faith, and whose Tenets have been condemned as Heretical, though they themselves are among the Canoniz'd Saints. But this requires a deeper spirit of considera∣tion, to judge and discern which is not of men, nor of flesh and bloud, but granted from above by the Fa∣ther of lights. For no man can utter any thing rightly
Page 340
of God, but by the light which comes from himself; which light is the Word, by whom all things were made, and who illuminates every man coming into this world, giving them power to become the sons of God whoever shall receive and believe. Neither is there any who can de∣clare the things of God, but his own Word: for who besides can know the minde of God, or whoever was made of his council, but the Son of God, being the Word of the Father? But of this we shall discourse no farther, till we have perfected the next Chapter of Prophetick Theologie.