The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 1Browne, Thomas, Sir
Religion
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 1
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Christianity; Ethics; Religion and medicine
For being unable to wield the intellectuall arms of reason, they are
fain to betake themselves unto wasters, and the blunter weapons of
truth: affecting the gross and sensible ways of Doctrine, and such as
will not consist with strict and subtile Reason. [SN: _Fable._] Thus
unto them a piece of Rhetorick is a sufficient argument of Logick; an
Apologue of _Esop_, beyond a Syllogysm in _Barbara_; parables than
propositions, and proverbs more powerful than demonstrations. And
therefore are they led rather by Example, than Precept; receiving
perswasions from visible inducements, before electual instructions. And
therefore also they judge of human actions by the event; for being
uncapable of operable circumstances, or rightly to judge the
prudentiality of affairs, they only gaze upon the visible success, and
therefore condemn or cry up the whole progression. And so from this
ground in the Lecture of holy Scripture, their apprehensions are
commonly confined unto the literal sense of the Text, from whence have
ensued the gross and duller sort of Heresies. For not attaining the
deuteroscopy, and second intention of the words, they are fain to omit
the Superconsequencies, Coherencies, Figures, or Tropologies; and are
not sometime perswaded by fire beyond their literalities. And therefore
also things invisible, but into intellectual discernments, to humour the
grossness of their comprehensions, have been degraded from their proper
forms, and God Himself dishonoured into manual expressions. And so
likewise being unprovided, or unsufficient for higher speculations, they
will alwayes betake themselves unto sensible representations, and can
hardly be restrained the dulness of Idolatry: A sin or folly not only
derogatory unto God but men; overthrowing their Reason, as well as his
Divinity. In brief, a reciprocation, or rather, an inversion of the
Creation, making God one way, as he made us another; that is, after our
Image, as he made us after His own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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