The Advancement of Learning (1605 first edition)

or swelling. This corrective spice—the mixture of which makes knowledge so supreme original: "sovereign"—is charity In this context, "charity" refers to the theological concept of caritas, or selfless love for others, which the Apostle [Paul] immediately adds to the previous statement; for he says, Knowledge puffs up, but charity builds up 1 Corinthians 8:1. This is similar to what he delivers in another place: If I spoke with the tongues of men and angels, and had not charity, I would be like a clanging cymbal 1 Corinthians 13:1. It is not that speaking with the tongues of men and angels is anything but an excellent thing, but rather that if it is separated from charity and not directed toward the good of men and mankind, it possesses a hollow and unworthy fame original: "glory" rather than a deserving and substantial virtue.

As for the criticism of Solomon concerning the excess of writing and reading books Ecclesiastes 12:12, the anxiety of spirit that results from knowledge, and the warning of Saint Paul that we should not be seduced by empty philosophy Colossians 2:8—if those passages are understood correctly, they excellently define the true bounds and limitations by which human knowledge is confined and circumscribed. Yet, this is done without such restriction original: "coarctation" that would prevent knowledge from encompassing the universal nature of all things. These limitations are three-fold:

First, that we do not place our happiness original: "felicity" so entirely in knowledge that we forget our own mortality.

Second, that we apply our knowledge to give ourselves peace and contentment, rather than creating anxiety original: "distaste" or resentment.