Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	good_a	work_n	5,591	5	6.3844	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11620	The tillage of light· Or, A true discouerie of the philosophicall elixir, commonly called the philosophers stone Seruing, to enrich all true, noble and generous spirits, as will aduenture some few labors in the tillage of such a light, as is worthy the best obseruance of the most wise. By Patrick Scot, Esquire.	Scot, Patrick.	1623 (1623)	STC 21862; ESTC S116882	23,614	62

kinde of light we apprehend as it is a meanes whereby the eye discerneth his oblect or as it is substansified in man or as it is fixed in a Homogeniall body of naturall radicall heate as in precious stones salts and mettals of the last whereof we are heare to consider specially what nature and art can doe either ioyned or seuered in reducing of mettalls to the perfection and multiplication of millions by proiection of an Elixar vpon vnrefined metalicall substances whether the Philosophers perfection is literally to bee vnderstood of a materiall Elixar or whether Vrim and Thummim aurum dei Ezekiells coales of fire quintessence and Philosophers elixar are meant of multiplication of gold by art or whether Alchimists haue wrongfully enforced these titles vpon the Philosophers worke as Sophisters cauill vpon words when they want matter which are onely to bee vnderstood in an allegoricall sense In this consideration wee must beginne againe at the true ends of diuine light and Philosophy whose designes are as I haue said vnder shadowes to exalt the excellency of wisdome and not to keepe her as a Buson to spend idle time neither to wrong nature or flatter art by making the one beleeue what shee cannot doe and by perswading the other to bring imposture into the world Nature onely extendeth her selfe to the first perfection of the Creatures and produceth naturall effects from naturall causes Art by it selfe can but dignifie and pollish natures workes by a kinde of sublimation separate the grosse parts from the pure rectifie the substance of things draw from vile things wholesome and good effects but neuer adde essence to the first substāce other then it had before Nature art ioyned may attain more glorious perfections yet is miraculous multiplication of vnrefined substances of another nature by proiection without the extent of their Commission least surrepticiously they should vsurpe vpon the great wheele of the world their Ruler and presumptuously intrude into their soueraignes place For that All-seeing eye which pearceth through ages as the sunne through the ayre did from the beginning foresee the corruption of nature curious peruersenes of art therefore to stay the one and the other hee did confine them within the precinct of his will least they should extend their il actions as farre as their ill wills I grant through an admirable wisdome hee hath left some part of these low terrestriall things vnperfected in a kinde to serue vnto man as matter to worke vpon he hath giuen vs corne not bread but art to make it woole and not cloth but art to make it mines not money but art to coyne it and hee hath giuen vs stones not buildings but art to make them This Al-seeing light hath established a rule and certaine law whereby all things must bee produced disposed and maintained in their owne kinde which regular order so long as wee make it not an essence separate from him wee may call it nature hee hath apointed art to bee natures helper and to cooperate with her in the great hopes of the world But hath barred both of them from transmutation by a prematured birth of things of another quallity into such a fixed perfection as may multiply millions neither can nature and art multiply otherwise then by putrifaction and propogation it is his eternall decree that none of his Creatures be inuested in that glorie which is proper to himselfe least foolish man should ptesume vpon base earth or thinke that hee had committed the gouernment of his Creatures to his seruants nature and art to set himselfe at rest who is still in action shyning in his wonderfull workes in communicating his infinit goodnesse to all his Creatures and aboue all to man These be great Master-peeces of light which none but his owne hand can worke whereby it must necessarily follow that whatsoeuer powerfull faculties wee obserue in the second causes they must not induce vs to thinke that the first cause is idle or that the others doe any thing but the direction of the first farre lesse must wee beleeue that this order and continuance of things which wee call nature is the chiefe cause of them but the effect of the will of diuine prouidence and beames of the great light no more then in musicke the melody is not the cause but the effect of concords produced by the skill and art of the Musitian who gathereth the sounds and reduceth them to consonance This diuine prouidence is so powerfull that he can apply any thing to doe his pleasure though hee seldome lets the naturall course and vse of nature and art yet carrieth hee them where he pleaseth and like that great circle of heauen that inuellopeth all the rest doth hee dragge them after him about the world You see then that nature and art either seuerally or ioyntly are but the handmaids of diuine prouidence which filleth gouerneth ouerspreadeth all things and ruleth euery part thereof with infallible councell and most certaine reasons that wee doe not apprehend this sacred light but either very late or not at all is because this wisdome is so deepe that we cannot penetrate vnto it or that our negligence or stupidity is so great that wee vouchsafe not to consider rightly what nature and art can doe and what they cannot doe What more fond conception can there bee then that art by fire can force nature to produce that which in the current of her course and connexion of causes shee cannot doe or that nature and art ioyned can Metaphisically transmute natures works to other ends then they were created or forme them in other moulds then their own Wee may as probably suggest that art may enable fish to liue and multiply vpon the land beasts in the ayre and foules without ayre as that Mineralls remooued from their naturall places may by art bee brought to multiply in a greater perfection then by nature in the wombe of the earth where the sunne applieth his force according to the quallity and disposition of the matter for Mineralls can neuer be said properly to multiply or propogate because they haue onely elementall mixture but wants either vegetable seed or sensible quallity That the mysticall inuolution of all those titles and operations which might seeme to point at a materiall Elixar were to other and better ends then Alchimists imagine shall be prooued by the truth of diuine and humane wisdome First as the Almighty did shadow vnder the great name of Iehouah his eternity omnipotency iustice and mercie to teach the sonnes of wisdome to admire adore feare and magnifie him who was before all time glorious in Maiesty omnipotent in power impartiall in Iustice and superabundant in Mercie so in beautifying the Priest-hood with the rich ornaments of nature and art hee adorned the breast-plate of Aaron with twelue precious stones according to the twelue Tribes leauing a place in the midst for Vrim and Thummim intimating by the first the purity and graces wherewith

other things our vnderstanding finde greater difficultie to finde them by resemblance then by contraries It is more hard to discerne white vpon white then blacke vpon white and there is greater wisedome to distinguish good from good then euill from euill because in the confusion of things those that most resemble are least knowne one from an other but in the commixture of diuers things either in quality or substance they are instantly discouered But let vs not trust that one thing may be hote and cold drye and moyst in one posture for two contraries can neuer subsist in one degree therefore if wee know not euery circumstance and gradation of this great worke wee shall neuer bring it to perfection for as diuine prouidence by nature made all things in true number and proportion so euery defect in that number and proportion is imperfect and wrongeth both the first and second cause Wee must then consider wisely of the meanes whereby this worke is compleat and when they are purified in the third degree the purer the meanes bee the neerer to perfection they are and retaines such a part of the vertue of this Art that without their ayde the principall may not giue influence to the finall end neither the effluence answere the expectation of the principall cause As the Soule is tyed to the Body by meanes of a vitall naturall and animall spirit so as long as these meanes keepe the body aliue so long will the soule dwell with the body but when nature or accident take away the meanes the subtile pure immortall soule retyreth from the grosse body to immortalitie for which shee was created According to this say the Phylosophers their Elixar hath corpus animam spiritum all which must haue meanes agreeable to their kinde and must be searched by wisedome least by ignorance or misgouernement the Diuine worke bee quite marred Thus hath my Plough shortly gone through the large field of the Phylosophicall Elixar which by allusion to most pure mettalls is said to conuert and multiply other vnrefined mettals hauing the seed of Gold into pure Gold but as you sowe you shall reape if you sowe sparingly you shall reape sparingly if you sowe darkenesse you shall reape confusion and if you sowe light you shall reape ioy Aurum ab aquilone veniet that is pure ayre of wholesome doctrine duely and seasonably sowen bringeth foorth millions but as this seed is sowen by them who haue their mindes long exercised in vertue so is it increased in none but in those that haue their mindes capable of so holy an impression Threshing winnowing grinding are necessary vses for Wheate yet belong not to the Bakers Craft but sifting mixing and gouernment of fire are workes of greater skill if Reason and holinesse bee the beginning of euery action doubtlesse the visible things will separat from the inuisible that is water and earth from fire and aire for things are corporall because they shall be spirituall which the wheele of the great worke will make manifest when time the Steward and dispensator of euery thing shall one day bring euery thought vpon the Stage But to returne to Philosophy if wee will giue her the due praises which shee deserueth wee shall finde that her refyning of vs in vertue is to a more pure substance then of thrice purified gold if wee would from vice extract vertue quintessence content and true reputation from pouerty and contempt Conuert exile into our natiue Country bonds into liberty want into wealth or would wee multiply some few short earthly crosses into Caelestiall permanent ioyes all these can Philosophy doe Philosophy can make Codrus better content then Cresus Diogenes contemne great Alexanders conquests braue banished Rutilius prefer solitarinesse to the greatnesse and magnificence of his City and affirme that by purchasing the friendship of Philosophy hee hath liued no longer then hee was banished Magnanimous Philosophy will encourage Aristarchus to doe more then all these by teaching him brused in a morter to cry out triumphantly Stampe on you hurt but the case of Arstiarchus but his mind you cannot touch It is Philosophy that in aduersity as steele from flint draweth from vs that sparke of diuine fire left in our soules which kindleth vertue and makes it appeare in its owne colour What other thing shall I call Philosophy then the light of this life Mistres of our affections Tut●ix of our felicity and the vpright couragious gouernment of our selues in all our actions by the rule of reason or may I not name her a stryuing and contention of the soule to repaire the weake mortality of the body by participation of eternall light vnto whose fruition shee draweth vs so much as she can imploying art and industry to procure vs glory and fame for a quiet minde heare and for a happy and glorious hereafter This diuine Philosophy begetteth such pleasure in our soule whilest wee are imployed about braue and generous actions specially when Constancy wrestleth with prosperity or aduersity the habit thereof commeth to such a sweetnesse that none but such as haue tasted it can expresse What greater contentment can come to the soule then the testimonie that Conscience beareth vnto vertue how with vndaunted courage she hath withstood aduerse fortune and hath not yeelded to the Cyrcean cups of honour riches or pleasures then are our ioyes compleat then doth glorie and spendor shine about vs and giue vs preheminence amongst men if it were onely as a torch to lighten vs to faire and glorious actions for if wee owe vnto posterity the most part of our best actions what more earnest wishes should we haue then our liues may be sacrifized to publike good These sweats and labours for generall benefit affoord vs meanes to enrich others by imitation and make our selues illustrious by the commendation of vertue But when we yeeld our selues captiues to the bondage of pleasures then steele we the darts that pearce our owne breasts Base Telegonus begotten on Circe killed his owne Father Vlisses Venus retribution of Helena to Paris for his golden ball was the blazing star that foretold his ruine and the ouerthrow of many worthy Troians beside in one word Great Alexander bewayling the inchantments of effeminat softnesse named the Persian Dames dolores oculorum or bad salues for sore eyes Egesias the Cirenian was so powerfull in a publike Philosophicall discourse of the immortallity of the soule that most of his Auditors hastened their deaths with their owne hands if these Heathen who had onely the gloomy light of nature were so sinisterly zealous to haue the reward of vertue by preuenting nature with vntimely death what ill lucke is it that we who haue the Oracles of eternall truth are so carelesse prodigall of our short time that we doe not freely enioy the happinesse of true diuine light which onely sheweth generous spirits worthy to be the master-peece of that soueraigne worke-master their Creator I can giue no other reason then quos