Previously Unpublished Works, Fascicle 1

one must proceed against them or for the sake of inclining them toward the truth of the faith. And Christians, for their own sake, ought to willingly extract from the books of philosophers all those things that serve the confirmation and rooting of the faith, as well as its declaration and their training in the wonderful truths that agree with the faith. Indeed, many things are found there which are express articles of our faith, in whatever way God revealed and granted these things to those philosophers. These should be brought 40 a 1. forward for the benefit of Holy Scripture and the Church. But now, almost no one is found who knows how to propose such things by the power of philosophy. This is taken as a sign of ignorance, since we already have all these things completed through the revelation of the faith. This faith helps and trains us to draw out greater things from the fountains of human wisdom than were ever brought forth before.

And what is worse, they neglect to seek out in the books of philosophers the most noble truths which exist there in great abundance. These truths lie there as if dead and as if they had never been written. And what is worst of all, when such truths are sometimes read or heard, they are mocked and despised as unworthy. Some who are less zealous for philosophy even presume to say that it would be beneath the dignity of philosophy to treat matters that serve the simplicity of our faith. They act as if philosophy were seeking greater things, yet it would never find them. Others also do not approve, thinking it not worthy of the faith that philosophers should have discussed things that pertain to it. Yet these same people help themselves in proving the truths of faith, as much as they are able, through the power of speculative philosophy The branch of philosophy concerned with theoretical knowledge and contemplation rather than practice..

Nevertheless, it would be far more suitable if they helped themselves through the power of practical science In this context, moral or applied philosophy.. This is because practical science agrees incomparably more with the profession of faith, as is clear and will be mentioned below. Even the saints used the authors and opinions of moral philosophers for the praise, beauty, strength, and confirmation of our faith. They did this more than they used dialectical and sophistical arguments Logical reasoning and clever but often misleading arguments.. Such arguments are multiplied too much on both sides of a contradiction whenever matters of faith and morals are discussed.

The philosophers, therefore, proved that the First Cause Causa Prima: The primary source of all existence, identified with God, or God, is one and three Bacon refers to the Trinity.. For Plato See another form of this quotation in the Opus Majus, volume 2, page 229. [describes] the Father, the paternal mind, and the mutual love of both, as one...