1. There are those who think that the Christian religion is what we should smile at rather than hold fast, for this reason, that, in it, not what may be seen, is shown, but men are commanded faith of things which are not seen. We therefore, that we may refute these, who seem to themselves through prudence to be unwilling to believe what they cannot see, although we are not able to show unto human sight those divine things which we believe, yet do show unto human minds that even those things which are not seen are to be believed. And first they are to be admonished, (whom folly hath so made subject to their carnal eyes, as that, whatsoever they see not through them, they think not that they are to believe,) how many things they not only believe but also know, which cannot be seen by such eyes. Which things being without number in our mind itself, (the nature of which mind is incapable of being seen,) not to mention others, the very faith whereby we believe, or the thought whereby we know that we either believe any thing, or believe not, being as it is altogether alien from the sight of those eyes; what so naked, so clear, what so certain is there to the inner eyes of our minds? How then are we not to believe what we see not with the eyes of the body, whereas, either that we believe, or that we believe not, in a case where we cannot apply the eyes of the body, we without any doubt see?

CAPUT PRIMUM.

0171

1. Etiam in rebus humanis multa credi quae non cernuntur oculis. Voluntas amici bona non videtur, sed creditur. Amici etiam probati benevolentia nobis non constat sine aliqua fide. Sunt qui putant christianam religionem propterea ridendam potius quam tenendam, quia in ea, non res quae videatur ostenditur, sed fides rerum quae non videntur, hominibus imperatur. Nos ergo ad hos refellendos, qui prudenter sibi videntur nolle credere quod videre non possunt, etsi non valemus humanis aspectibus monstrare divina quae credimus, tamen humanis mentibus etiam illa quae non videntur credenda esse monstramus. Ac primum isti, quos oculis carneis sic stultitia fecit obnoxios, ut quod per eos non cernunt, non sibi existiment esse credendum, admonendi sunt quam multa non solum credant, verum etiam sciant, quae talibus oculis videri non possunt. Quae cum sint innumerabilia in ipso animo nostro, cujus invisibilis est natura, ut alia taceam, fides ipsa qua credimus, sive cogitatio qua nos vel credere aliquid, vel non credere novimus, cum prorsus aliena sit ab istorum conspectibus oculorum, quid tam nudum, tam clarum, quid tam certum est interioribus visibus animorum? Quomodo ergo credendum non est quod corporeis oculis non videmus, cum vel credere nos, vel non credere, ubi corporeos oculos adhibere non possumus, sine ulla dubitatione videamus?