analogy is betweene both if you please to obserue with patience and to condemne nothing vnheard I doe well hope that many things will be for our instruction and all for our example and imitation And first of that knowledge which wee haue of the Creatures how there should be such a mutuall intelligence or correspondency betweene vs as that we should truely know them and their religion as if wee vnderstood their language were thorowly acquainted with all the secrets and mysteries of their Church and State The first notice then which wee haue of the Creatures it is by an information of sence wherein the Diuine prouidence hath so fitted and porportioned things each to other suppose the faculty to the obiect sence to things sensible that wee instantly receiue them not with any difficulty of learning but by a naturall instinct Thus it is betweene the sensible man and the visible world being Creatures of like condition we doe easily conceiue them Thus sence first serues to informe vs but if wee should here rest onely in the information of sence this were most dangerous from hence grew our first error whereas beauty was giuen to the Creatures to point out the incomparable beauty of God many beholding them haue so doted vpon them and so farre enamoured with their beauty that they could goe no farther but haue taken the Creatures for God supposing that God himselfe could not be more glorious Thus whereas a right vnderstanding would conclude great is the beauty of Creatures therefore how great and incomparable is the beauty of God! sence as being of a lower straine not able to aime at such a high pitch rather inferres Such is the beauty of Creatures that our sence cannot possibly comprehend any greater beauty therefore the Creatures are God Thus sence and sence alone without other information is indeed the mother and nurse of idolatry and if wee should proceed to no further search and inquisition then the Creatures might seeme to blaspheme to make themselues Gods being onely witnesses to the Deity they might seeme to assume vnto themselues the right of the Deitie yet herein let me excuse them they are innocent they doe it not of themselues but through our corruption some sensuall men haue ascribed it for being not able to conceiue greater perfection it is naturall to man to acknowledge God in the highest Thus some haue worshipped the Sunne the Moone the Starres diuers and seuerall Creatures and the like By the way giue me leaue to make some vse of their error and here to crie out O what an excellent workeman is God that euen his owne common and meanest workes should be of that excellency as that they should be taken for God! And thus Idolatry which seemes wholly to detract from God and to ascribe all to the creatures yet by an ouer-ruling prouidence of God contrary to her owne intent in so much magnifying the Creatures doth in them and by them set foorth the supereminent greatnesse of God the Creator This were sufficient if mans whole knowledge were plunged and puzzled in sence and that hee had no other guide or direction saue onely sence but man hath further a reasonable soule which taking information from sence as it well beseemes his condition vseth degrees of discourse and in this reasonable soule wee shall finde this ingrafted as a first ground and principle that in all our knowledge we must first search out the cause of euery effect for euery effect naturally points out his cause and there is no relation so necessary as is that which is betweene the cause and the effect As it is the truth of things that nothing can subsist without a cause so in our apprehension that wee cannot conceiue the one without relation to the other there is no knowledge without the knowledge of causes and therefore we striue and endeuour to discerne the cause in the effects and the effects in the cause By vertue of this ingrafted principle wee cannot consider the creatures alone and by themselues but together with them and in them wee must search out their cause Here then Reason would faine know whether the Creatures be the effects of another or causes of themselues This is the first proposition or Quare Now you shall vnderstand that euery search and inquisition when we know not things of our selues but that wee take our information from others wee seeke them from others and learne them of others this is a kinde of demand of whom then should reason demand this not of her selfe then surely of none but the Creatures or who should make answer to this demand not reason to her selfe then surely none but the Creatures Marke then the answer of the Creatures to this demand of reason their answer as giuing an account of their faith faith is the ground and foundation of religion and without faith religion cannot subsist Marke then the faith of the Creatures in their answers their answers I say not in expresse termes for this is not necessary men that are speechlesse and dumbe may notwithstanding make a confession of their faith Digitis nuâ—â—que loquuntur so may the dumbe and speechlesse Creatures they may likewise vse outward signes and tokens to giue a confession of their faith their answer is answerable to their nature their silent nature and their still properties giue this resolution and make this answer and that without any difficulty For their bounden nature must necessarily imply that the limitation of their nature proceeds from another Here is their answer their composition and dissolution must necessarily presuppose first a compounder here is their answer their seuerall times of rising and setting must argue that there being a time when they were not needs they must want a cause first to subsist being not by themselues or for themselues alone but carrying a mutuall respect each to other suppose the heauens to the earth the earth to the heauens the faculty to the obiect the obiect to the faculty this must needs inforce that they could not thus seuerally ordaine themselues but that there was some other extrinsecall cause which knowing both and making both appointed each for other To conclude that vnreasonable creatures should mooue according to the rules of reason and such as want vnderstanding should be guided by the direction of an vnderstanding this must needs argue that some intelligent cause did first ordaine them which now preserues them in their naturall course This in briefe is their answer for they intimate thus much the Creatures acknowledge themselues to be no more then effects they pointed out a cause an intelligent cause Here then we must exclude blind fortune for that things by great chance should fall into such an excellent order reason it selfe seemes to oppose it which admits no fortune but deemes it as a base-borne childe of ignorance which if wee should yeeld it would rather prooue the cause of disorder and confusion
a world of consultation were requisit for the framing of this world were it not supplied in an instant by the infinit wisdome of God which wisdome more especially and immediatly appeares in the comprehending and vnderstanding of himselfe Secondly hauing once laid downe the plot-forme then succeeds a most absolute freewill in bounding and disposing his owne actions Thirdly intending to create and being resolued of the manner then followes an infinit power to put all in execution Fourthly hauing once finished the worke necessary it is that there should be a continuance of the same infinit wisdome will and power in his Prouidence for the continuance and preseruation of his workes The Creatures can no more preserue themselues then at first subsist of themselues and therefore they want a continuall concourse and sweet influence of this first moouer for as it is a property of God to be independent so it is a property of Creatures to be alwaies dependent and this serues as a bridle to curbe them besides the ouer-ruling power and prerogatiue which God reserues in himselfe whereof I will not dispute See here how many excellent attributes of God are discouered by the information and instructions which wee haue from the Creatures these are the Articles of their faith and all these arise out of this one ground as the Schoole speakes ratione necessitate causalitatis as wee consider God to be the first cause and moouer Alas I should be infinit if I would proceed in this subiect to speake of God onely so farre forth as the Creatures doe testifie of God which in effect is their faith but I will passe this ouer yet giue me leaue to passe my censure vpon it Audita approbata sunt omnia vpon due examination I finde them to be sound and Orthodoxall I cannot taxe them with Atheisme or Heresie but what they say or testifie of God it is most true onely with this defect that they say not enough nature cannot be raised aboue nature the mysteries of grace fall not within the compasse of naturall bounds Why thus there are degrees of faith amongst vs we see but in part wee know but in part all cannot conceiue mysteries alike and the most faithfull man may truly say Lord I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe And thus it is with the Creatures what they testifie of God is most true but they testifie not enough yet what they testifie not it is not out of frowardnesse or that they are hard of beliefe but it is for want of capacity here then they are sufficiently excused Excused I say in respect of themselues but whether any wrong or iniurie be done vnto vs this is a question for if the Creatures propose vnto vs this knowledge of God as a perfect rule of our faith to which we should not adde but that we should be tied to the stint of their beliefe to haue no more faith then they this were dangerous for to admit this were to oppose and contradict all the mysteries in religion which are not discouered by their light this were in effect to seduce vs to make vs of Christians meere naturalls Indeed they haue already too farre preuailed on our passions and on our affections that we are almost growne sensuall and beastly like vnto them as if we were of their common-wealth but if they shall presse further vpon vs to worke vpon our soules our consciences and our vnderstandings to intice vs to be of their faith of their Church of their religion to make vs meere naturals like to themselues this were most intolerable So then the question remaines whether the Creatures or nature I meane in the Creatures or that which is the same in effect whether naturall reason proceeding vpon naturall grounds whether these supposing their owne ability in the fulnesse of Gods knowledge seeme to exclude grace or otherwise in the weakenesse of their knowledge shewing their owne insufficiency seeme onely to make way and serue as an introduction to grace It is a question indeed in my iudgement of all others most worthy to be resolued for in effect it implies the whole ground and foundation of all our mysteries and it stands thus whether by the light of our owne naturall reason we are to beleeue no more of God then appeares in the Creatures or whether the same light of our owne naturall reason will informe vs that there are other greater mysteries to be receiued of God more then those natural attributes which are discerned by his works For your satisfaction herein you may be pleased to vnderstand that what knowledge wee haue of God by the light of our naturall reason it is not deriued immediatly from God himselfe but by a reflection onely so farre foorth as God is discerned in the glasse of his Creatures now this is a rule in all arts that no causes can fully exactly and totally appeare in their effects as hauing first a proper nature allotted to themselues before they were ordained to action first they are in themselues before they come to relation so that for the knowledge of causes in themselues there must be some further search and inquisition more then the effects demonstrate this shall appeare by considering the diuersity of causes which I will suppose to be of three sorts First naturall causes and these are not sufficiently discerned by their owne naturall effects E. g. by the nature and properties of a weed you cannot discouer the whole nature and properties of the Sunne or the earth for the inward nature and the outward actions are not alwaies of like extent nor doe they agree in all accidents More especially this will appeare in voluntary causes that they cannot totally be discerned by their workes when as the limitation of the worke and the diuersitie of the worke proceeds not from the necessity of the nature but depends vpon the free will of the Maker Thus one and the same voluntary cause brings foorth various and different effects and therefore cannot imprint her whole and perfect image in all Thus if man were knowne by his workes we should neuer make search for malefactors but euery one should instantly appeare Now there are yet other causes and these are of a different nature and condition suppose the Angelicall spirits and the materiall world God and the Creatures a spirituall Deity and a corporeall worke haec differunt toto coelo differunt plusquam genere how is it possible then that the one should fully and perfectly discouer the other Thus in a word to make application of all God being a cause a voluntary cause a cause of another nature surely the whole vertue and power of the Deity cannot be discerned or laid open by the workes of the Deity E. g. By the building of this house though the skill of the workeman sufficiently appeares yet you cannot informe me of his age his name stature strength condition complection the
and it would vndoubtedly imply a contradiction to ascribe the workes of foresight and prouidence vnto a blind guide Thus then the Creatures being true reall positiue effects they seeme to confesse or rather to challenge vnto themselues a true reall positiue efficient cause which in effect is to acknowledge a God a Maker And this their knowledgement of God as it is fitly gathered from the Creatures so it is in verity and in truth no lesse then a naturall implicit faith of the Creatures all of them testifying the same truth doe in a sort make one common confession of their faith Accedentem ad Deum oportet credere quod fit Deus this is the first article of their Creed that they acknowledge a God thus they cannot be iustly taxed with infidelity Herein they farre exceed the Atheist who denying his Maker must therefore make himselfe liue of himselfe and so consequently should preserue himselfe Surely of all others he is the greatest and the most notable Impostor denying the true God he makes himselfe God for he made himselfe But I will as easily beleeue that man either should not be borne or being borne that he should not decline in yeres not be subiect to sorrow griefe or infirmity and that he should neuer taste of death or corruption as that he should first subsist without a Maker Thus then the Creatures agree that there is a God Now let vs heare what other Testimony they giue of this God and looke how many Testimonies they giue of God in effect they rehearse so many Articles of their Creed the first attribute of God is vt sit vnus as God speakes of himselfe Ego Deus vnus non habebis Deos alienos c. Let vs then enquire of the Creatures whether they acknowledge one God or will admit a plurality of gods in their seruice And heere vpon the first view and appearance they seeme vnto me to cry and to testifie one God one God for all nature is directed to one end whereas if there were many efficients they would vndoubtedly intend their seuerall ends The world is circular which best resembleth the figure of one all the streames are reduced to one head all the degrees of things still tend to the highest there being in nature a priority and posteriority Euery gouernment tends and ends in a Monarchie Nature will not endure many competitors order and decency require as much in effect All heat is reduced to one first heat all bodies to one first body Philosophy beats vpon this Axiome that nature desires to worke with the fewest instruments and therefore euery thing is to be reduced to the fewest principles In the constitution of any thing she requires but a couple for the effecting of any thing one will suffice to admit of more would rather hinder and distract the worke then any way further or helpe the action Thus to acknowledge one God the workemanship and fabrike of the whole world will testifie as much wherein the foot-steps and impression of one and the same God doe most eminently appeare all of them giuing sufficient demonstration of one and the same wisdome and prouidence which appeares alike in all grounding all his workes and all his actions vpon the selfe-same principles and rules of his owne wisdome there are not gods of the Mountaines gods of the Valleys gods of the Land and gods of the Ocean for the fishes of the sea the birds of the ayre the beasts of the field haue a like fashion and forme for their outward feature and a like inward instinct and prouidence for their course and direction which similitude of nature must needs proceed from one and the same ground of wisdome the voice and verdit of nature will likewise testifie as much which being to admit some infinit power transcending reason and the course of all Creatures will therefore tie it selfe to admit of the least inconuenience rather of one then of a multitude Heere is the second Article of their faith as they acknowledge a God so they acknowledge but one God and therefore they worship the true God Thus the inuisible God visibly appeares in the visible Creatures their multitude altogether concurring to one end betokens the vnity of their Maker which Maker being the first and sole efficient cause needs we must conceiue in him whatsoeuer belongs to a first moouer Now behold how many excellent attributes of God doe issue out of this one ground and are hence discouered as wee consider God to be the first cause and moouer Suppose for his owne absolute necessity that being the first he must subsist of himselfe and can doe no lesse then subsist and therefore subsist from eternity And thus subsisting of himselfe he must be immutable and vnchangeable in himselfe that he may likewise hold out for eternity Being thus the cause of himselfe hee must haue the best and most absolute being And this being must needs be infinit since he is of himselfe and cannot prescribe himselfe bounds nor cannot admit bounds from another when as there is nought but himselfe Being thus one infinit and from eternity he must be without mixture or composition purus actus most pure and simple in his owne nature for heere were not diuers ingredients which being first simple in themselues might afterwards compound him And as he is without composition so he cannot admit diuersity of parts which doe indeed arise onely from a composition which parts in respect of themselues should be more or lesse perfect when as the whole Deity is infinitly perfect and cannot admit degrees of comparison Being thus without composition or diuersity of parts he cannot admit variety of faculties which seeme to be tied and annexed to the diuersity of parts and therefore those many seuerall perfections which appeare in the Creatures they are but one absolute perfection in God Thus the wisdome of God is the power of God the power of God is the will of God the will of God is the iustice of God the iustice of God is the mercy of God all these attributes can admit no difference betweene themselues and all these attributes are but one and the selfe-same God though to vs both for our apprehension and in respect of Gods actions they seeme to be diuers and distinct yet are they linked and together incorporated in that one and infinit nature of God which cannot admit a variety Thus farre of God in himselfe and all this we must suppose in a first cause or moouer and all this it is no lesse in effect then a naturall implicit faith of the Creatures as they doe necessarily point out and demonstrate this first cause or moouer Now in respect of the Creatures nothing can be wanting to God which was necessarily required for the workemanship Suppose an infinit wisdome in contriuing the worke which otherwise would aske an infinit time of deliberation as I may so say