Chapter XIV.—Curiosity Ought Not Range Beyond the Rule of Faith. Restless Curiosity, the Feature of Heresy.

So long, however, as its form exists in its proper order, you may seek and discuss as much as you please, and give full rein to149 your curiosity, in whatever seems to you to hang in doubt, or to be shrouded in obscurity. You have at hand, no doubt, some learned150 brother gifted with the grace of knowledge, some one of the experienced class, some one of your close acquaintance who is curious like yourself; although with yourself, a seeker he will, after all,151 be quite aware152 that it is better for you to remain in ignorance, lest you should come to know what you ought not, because you have acquired the knowledge of what you ought to know.153 “Thy faith,” He says, “hath saved thee”154 not observe your skill155 in the Scriptures. Now, faith has been deposited in the rule; it has a law, and (in the observance thereof) salvation. Skill,156 however, consists in curious art, having for its glory simply the readiness that comes from knack.157 Let such curious art give place to faith; let such glory yield to salvation. At any rate, let them either relinquish their noisiness,158 or else be quiet. To know nothing in opposition to the rule (of faith), is to know all things. (Suppose) that heretics were not enemies to the truth, so that we were not forewarned to avoid them, what sort of conduct would it be to agree with men who do themselves confess that they are still seeking? For if they are still seeking, they have not as yet found anything amounting to certainty; and therefore, whatever they seem for a while159 to hold, they betray their own scepticism,160 whilst they continue seeking. You therefore, who seek after their fashion, looking to those who are themselves ever seeking, a doubter to doubters, a waverer to waverers, must needs be “led, blindly by the blind, down into the ditch.”161 But when, for the sake of deceiving us, they pretend that they are still seeking, in order that they may palm162 their essays163 upon us by the suggestion of an anxious sympathy,164—when, in short (after gaining an access to us), they proceed at once to insist on the necessity of our inquiring into such points as they were in the habit of advancing, then it is high time for us in moral obligation165 to repel166 them, so that they may know that it is not Christ, but themselves, whom we disavow. For since they are still seekers, they have no fixed tenets yet;167 and being not fixed in tenet, they have not yet believed; and being not yet believers, they are not Christians. But even though they have their tenets and their belief, they still say that inquiry is necessary in order to discussion.168 Previous, however, to the discussion, they deny what they confess not yet to have believed, so long as they keep it an object of inquiry. When men, therefore, are not Christians even on their own admission,169 how much more (do they fail to appear such) to us! What sort of truth is that which they patronize,170 when they commend it to us with a lie?  Well, but they actually171 treat of the Scriptures and recommend (their opinions) out of the Scriptures! To be sure they do.172 From what other source could they derive arguments concerning the things of the faith, except from the records of the faith?

CAPUT XIV.

Hanc regulam a Christo institutam nullas apud nos habere quaestiones, nisi quas haereses inferunt, et quae haereticos faciunt.

Haec regula a Christo, ut probabitur, instituta, nullas habet apud nos quaestiones, nisi quas haereses inferunt, et quae haereticos faciunt. Caeterum, manente forma ejus in suo ordine, quantum libet quaeras et tractes, et omnem libidinem curiositatis effundas; si quid tibi videtur, vel ambiguitate pendere, vel obscuritate obumbrari, est utique frater aliquis 0027B doctor gratia scientiae donatus, est aliquis inter exercitatos conversatus, aliquis tecum, curiosius tamen, quaerens; novissime, ignorare melius est, ne quod non debeas noris, quia quod debeas nosti Fides, inquit, tua te salvum fecit (Luc., XVIII, 42); non exercitatio Scripturarum. Fides in regula posita est: habes legem, et salutem de observatione legis: exercitatio autem in curiositate consistit, habens gloriam solam de peritiae studio. Cedat curiositas fidei; cedat gloria saluti. Certe aut non obstrepant, aut quiescant. Adversus regulam nihil scire, omnia scire est. Ut non inimici essent veritatis haeretici, ut de refugiendis eis non praemoneremur, quale est conferre cum hominibus qui et ipsi adhuc se quaerere profiteantur? Si enim adhuc vere quaerunt, nihil 0027C adhuc certi repererunt ; et ideo, quaecumque videntur interim tenere, dubitationem suam ostendunt, 0028A quamdiu quaerunt. Itaque tu qui perinde quaeris, spectans ad eos qui et ipsi quaerunt, dubius a dubiis, incertus ab incertis, caecus a caecis in foveam deducaris necesse est (Matth., XV, 14). Sed, cum decipiendi gratia praetendunt se adhuc quaerere, ut nobis per sollicitudinis injectionem tractatus suos insinuent; denique, ubi adierint ad nos, statim, quae dicebant quaerenda esse, defendunt: jam illos sic debemus refutare , ut sciant nos non Christo, sed sibi negatores esse. Cum enim quaerunt adhuc, nondum tenent; cum autem non tenent, nondum crediderunt, non sunt christiani. At, cum tenent quidem et credunt, quaerendum tamen dicunt, ut defendant. Antequam defendant, negant, quod confitentur se nondum credidisse, dum quaerunt. Qui ergo 0028B nec sibi sunt christiani, quanto magis nobis? Qui per fallaciam veniunt, qualem fidem disputant? Cui veritati patrocinantur, qui eam a mendacio inducunt ?