Chapter 21.—Popular Renown and Inquisitiveness are Condemned in the Sacred
Scriptures.
38. Popular renown is thus slighted and scorned in the New Testament: "If I wished,"
says St. Paul, "to please men, I should not be the servant of Christ."103 Again, there is another
production of the soul formed by imaginations derived from material things, and called the
knowledge of things. In reference to this we are fitly warned against inquisitiveness to correct
which is the great function of temperance. Thus it is said, "Take heed lest any one seduce
you by philosophy." And because the word philosophy originally means the love and pursuit
of wisdom, a thing of great value and to be sought with the whole mind, the apostle, with
great prudence, that he might not be thought to deter from the love of wisdom, has added
the words, "And the elements of this world."104 For some people, neglecting virtues, and
ignorant of what God is, and of the majesty of nature which remains always the same, think
that they are engaged in an important business when searching with the greatest inquisitive-
ness and eagerness into this material mass which we call the world. This begets so much
pride, that they look upon themselves as inhabitants of the heaven of which they often dis-
course. The soul, then, which purposes to keep itself chaste for God must refrain from the
desire of vain knowledge like this. For this desire usually produces delusion, so that the
soul thinks that nothing exists but what is material; or if, from regard to authority, it confesses
that there is an immaterial existence, it can think of it only under material images, and has
no belief regarding it but that imposed by the bodily sense. We may apply to this the precept
about fleeing from idolatry.
39. To this New Testament authority, requiring us not to love anything in this world,105
especially in that passage where it is said, "Be not conformed to this world,"106—for the
point is to show that a man is conformed to whatever he loves,—to this authority, then, if
I seek for a parallel passage in the Old Testament, I find several; but there is one book of
Solomon, called Ecclesiastes, which at great length brings all earthly things into utter con-
tempt. The book begins thus: "Vanity of the vain, saith the Preacher, vanity of the vain; all
is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun?" 107 If all
these words are considered, weighed, and thoroughly examined, many things are found of
essential importance to those who seek to flee from the world and to take shelter in God;
but this requires time and our discourse hastens on to other topics. But, after this beginning,
103 Gal. i. 10.
104 Col. ii. 8.
105 1 John ii. 15.
106 Rom. xii. 2.
107 Eccles. i. 2, 3.
Popular Renown and Inquisitiveness are Condemned in the Sacred Scriptures.
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Popular Renown and Inquisitiveness are Condemned in the Sacred Scriptur…