Christ rightly shunned death

 

 Consider death in itself, and nature teacheth Christ to shun it.

-- Richard Hooker 

Gnosticism alert: Get in touch with R E A L I T Y . . . just by reading . . . about sacraments . . . in one easy sitting!

As often as we mention a sacrament, it is improperly understood [poor thing!] ... our restraint of the word to some few principal divine ceremonies, importeth in every such ceremony two things, the substance of the ceremony itself, which is visible; and besides that, somewhat else more secret . . ..

-- Richard Hooker 

Same as it ever was: This present age, full of tongue and weak of brain

 And of discerning goodness there are but these two ways: the one the knowledge of the causes by which goodness is made good; the other the observation of those signs and tokens, which being annexed always to goodness, argue that where they are found, there also goodness is, although we know not the cause by force of which it is there. The former of these is the most sure and infallible way, but so hard that all shun it, and would rather walk as men do in the dark by haphazard, than tread such long and intricate mazes for knowledge’s sake. As therefore physicians are many times forced to leave such methods of curing as themselves know to be the fittest, and being overruled by their patients’ impatience are obliged to try the best they can, in taking that way of cure which the cured will yield to; in like sort, considering how the case does stand with this present age full of tongue and weak of brain, behold we yield to the stream thereof; into the causes of goodness we will not make any careful or deep inquiry; to touch them now and then it shall be sufficient, when they are so near at hand that easily they may be conceived without any far-removed discourse: that way we are contented to prove, which being the worse in itself, is notwithstanding now by reason of common imbecility the fitter and likelier to be brooked.

-- Richard Hooker, The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity I.8.2 (1594) 

The mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. 

-- Proverbs 15:2

The learners suffer, the ignorant rest

 The soul preferreth rest in ignorance before wearisome labour to know.

-- Richard Hooker

Jesus was no Calvinist, and neither was Hooker: No one prays for God's will to be done, if it already is and ever will be

Our Saviour himself, being to set down the perfect idea of that which we are to pray and wish for on earth, did not teach to pray or wish for more than only that here it might be with us, as with them it is in heaven.

 

-- Richard Hooker

 

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς). 

 

-- Matthew 6:10

 

 

The sign of perpetual slavery

 

 

He which was minded to make himself a perpetual servant, should, for a visible token thereof, have also his ear bored through with an awl.

-- Richard Hooker (1554-1600)

Fear makes us untrue to our better selves

 

 

The wise man doth so say of fear, that it is a betrayer of the forces of reasonable understanding.

-- Richard Hooker (1554-1600)

On the utility of heresy

Till Arianism had made it a matter of great sharpness and subtlety of wit to be a sound believing Christian, men were not curious what syllables or particles of speech they used.

-- Richard Hooker (1554-1600)