Defect Hath more preeminence and virtue eake Then the Earthes totall Globe in each respect Then Powre in weaknesse show'n workes this effect And naturally Contraries spill each other Then how can Nature these Diu'ls God compound The disagreeing Elements togeather But that shee must those Elements confound In Nature no such force was euer found Then must some Power supernaturall Giue to each Element his vttmost bound That though they swarue in Nature yet they shall In one agree through One vniting All. The Sunne doth warme the cold wombe of the Earth The Moone and Starrs hir reasons doth assigne The Aire and Water bringeth foorth hir birth Which serueth Beasts and Beasts serue Men in fine If from Eternity these things thus were How could they to them selues an end designe Seeing the ende for which things formed are Before the things themselues must needes appeare And in our selues we finde and feele a Minde That can at once a thousand Worldes containe Which needes must be of a celestiall kinde Then can we thinke no Minde doth else remaine When to our Mindes that Mind appeereth plaine For we can nothing minde or good or bad But it directs our Mindes with might and maine Vnto a Minde that ne're beginning had By whome in our beginning ours were made If not from thence from whence was our beginning Did we beginne our selues that once began For that must needes begin that needes hath ending And runne we vp Mans race from Man to Man A first we finde from whome all others ranne For could we make our selues why make we not Such as our selues are where we list and whan Why hath a wise man to his Sonne a Sotte But that he cannot make his Sonne God wot Man cannot make a Moath much lesse a Man For as no hand but his that Man did make Could make an Angell so no other can Make the least haire or make it white or blacke If not a haire nor colour if it lacke Can Man create how make himselfe can he No no he cannot that Taske vndertake For through his ignorance he needes must see His blessed Being that made him to Be. Because we see him not not as he is But by effects which from him doe proceede Shall we deny his being or his blisse And so subuert the fore-front of our Creede Then raze we Reas'n and Conscience by that deede Were we endungeon'd from our birth yet wee Would weene there were a Sunne whose beames are shed Through chincks on vs though him we could not see Then shall we question if a God there be And shall wee question make if God there be When through Sun Moone and Stars and all below them He darts his Glories beames for vs to see And yet shall we not see them though he shew them But wincke wincke hard because we wil not know them For should we thinke nought is which we see not We should not thinke we had eies though we owe them For though with them we see yet well we wot We see them not themselues though free from blot Much lesse they see the Soule by which they see Yet Reas'n perswadeth Sense there is a Soule From whom the Senses powres deriued bee Yet shall our Sense our Reason so controule To make it to maintaine this error foule That God is not without whome nothing Is. For all that Is is but as t' were a Scroule Wherein in letters plaine that none can misse God is enroulde aboue all Deities But some there are ah woe that such there are That do confesse perforce they do confesse There is a GOD yet hold hee hath no care Of worldly things but raignes in blessednesse And of the World makes Fortune gouernesse These Diuills are more dampned then the rest Sith they confessing God make more transgresse For if a Prouidence bee not confest Who will not liue to liue as hee thinks best These fooles confessing God doe God deny Whom to confesse without his Atributes Doth to that fond confession giue the ly Because it selfe against it selfe disputes And to their shame it selfe it selfe confutes For aske a Sauage if a God hee holdes Why so he weenes he straight his reasons sutes From Order drawne which hee in all beholdes Which hee beeleeues some ord'ring Pow'r vpholdes By nought so much as by his prouidence Is God discern'd which all must needs discerne That hath a humane Soule and common sence For common sense the outward'st sense interne At the first sight that principle doth learne For if through the effects we see their cause Then may we plainely see whose Nature 's Sterne By that Decorum wee see in hir lawes Namely this Powre that Land and Ocean awes Who if he carelesse were of wordly things It is for want of powre or want of will If want of powre his powre in bounds it brings If want of will his goodnesse it doth spill For of his works to haue no care is ill But if thou God confesse confesse thou dost That he is good and most almightie still Ifso he be then needs confesse thou must That he is prouident or most vniust For Prouidence being but a wise connay Of things created to some certaine end And that no humane soule hir powres imploy Ought to effect but doth the same intend Then shall we say he to whom all doth tend VVhen he made all meant not they should doe so As if against his will to him they bend So spill his wills and spoile his wisedome to If not then must we say God all must do For as his will had pow're the World to make So had his wisedome might to sway the same For Wisedome infinite cannot mistake But as it deemeth so will all things frame And in lesse power neuer looseth ame For as he made the whole the parts he made And if the whole he cares for sure I am The parts he cares for though they seeme to fade Which sence and common reason doth perswade Nature we well perceiue makes nought in vaine And thou mak'st nought but to some end or vse Thou ween'st thou merrits praise for that thy paine As sure thou dost and think'st thou dost misse-vse In making vselesse things thy wits and Muse Darst GOD bereaue of what returnes thee praise And giue him that in thee thou deem'st abuse O Men O Manners O most damned Dayes What Tongue or Pen can paint your iust dispraise Alphons the tenth that Spaine did signiorize The maine obiection gainst all Prouidence Said O that such a Slaue from Kinges should rise Had he bin with God when things did commence They should haue better bin in their essence This Foole the Only wise would needs direct But for his paine Paine was his recompence Who for he would surmount God in effect This Lucifer to Earthes Hell was diject Pherecides the damn'd Assirian For scorning God and Prouidence out right Lice him consum'd for on him so they ran That he for shame abandoned all mens sight And desolately died
Mirum in modum A Glimpse of Gods Glorie and The Soules Shape Eyes must be bright or else no eyes at all Can see this sight much more then mysticall LONDON Printed for William Aspley 1602. To the most noble iudicious and my best beloued Lorde William Earle of Pembrooke the most honorable Sir Robert Sidney Knight Lord Gouernor of Vlishing and the right right worshipful Edward Herbert of Mountgomery Esquire my most honored and respected Friendes TO subdiuide Soules indiuisible Being wholy in the whole and in each part For me were more then most impossible Though I were Arte it selfe or more then Arte. Yet must I make my Soule a Trinitie So to diuide the same betweene you three For Vnderstanding Will and Memorie Makes but one Soule yet they three Virtues be The Vnderstanding being first I giue Unto the first for Order so doth craue And Will Good-will the second shall receiue Then Memory the last shall euer haue And as I part my Soule my Booke I part Betwixt you three that shares my broken hart All yours wholy and to you most humbly deuoted Iohn Dauies Mirum in modum A glimpse of Gods Glorie and the Soules shape Wlt yeeld me words Wits words Wisedome bewray My Soule infuse thy selfe in 't Same 's diuine The froath of Wit O Wisedome skumme away Powder these lines with thy preseruing Brine Refresh their saltnesse salt their freshnesse fine That Wits sweete words of Wisedomes salt may taste Which can from crude Conceit corruption stay And make the same eternally to last Though in Obliuion be buryed ay The skumme of Wit the witty Skummes repast Which like light skum with those lewd Skums doth waste O Thou maine Ocean of celestiall light From whom all Lights deriue their influence The light of Truth infuse into my sprite And cleere the eyes of my Intelligence That they may see my Soules circumference Wherein the Minde as Centre placed is Wherein thou restest Center of true Rest Compass'd with glory and vncompass'd blisse Which do thy Lodge with glorious light inuest Then lighten thy darke Inne O glorious Ghest The Soule of Man immortall and diuine By Natures light beholds the light of Nature Like as the Bodies eyes when Sunne doth shine Doe by the Sunne behold the Sunnes faire feature So by that light shee sees shee is a Creature Created to her faire Creators forme In Wisdome Knowledge and such goodly graces Which doe the Vnderstanding right informe To guide the Will aright in sundry cases Whenas the Sence deluded Reason out-faces For as the Uaynes the body ouer-spreds And to its vtmost bounds themselues extend So Science in the Soule from certaine heads In great varietie her vaines doth send To whatsoe're the soule may comprehend This is her Birth-right with the body borne Kinde Natures larges giu'n with hand displai'd Which doth the Minde illustrate and adorne To and from whom all knowledge is conuai'd That tends vnto the soule or bodies aide Which is deduced from pow'r more supreame Then in th' externall Senses doth reside This light proceeds from that infused beame Which in the Soules supreamest part doth bide The Bodies motions and hir owne to guide For though th'incomprehensible hath stampt His wisdome in his workes to prooue his Beeing Yet all saue Man from this Light is exempt By which the Soules eyes sees past sense of Seeing Celestiall sweets with hir sweete selfe agreeing For th' outward Senses Beasts with vs enioy Nay they possesse the same in greater pow'r But yet those Senses they cannot imploy To Reasons vse and Understandings cure But these effects doe flowe from Sense more sure Which from an vnderstanding Soule proceeds Yet nought that Understanding doth digest But first on it the outward Senses feedes Both which inuites the Will vnto their feast Those Senses beeing tastèrs to the rest Then if the Senses bee affected ill Or apprehend their Obiects with offence They wrong the Vnderstanding and the Will With false reporte of their experience But first they misse-informe th' Intelligence It giuing credit to their information Misse-leads the Will that way ward is by kinde Which moues the Members wih all festination Beeing instrumentall agents of the Minde To doe what ere the Senses pleasant finde But when we say the Understanding seazeth On nought but what the Senses first surprizeth It s meant of things that pleaseth or displeaseth And to the Senses sensibly ariseth Then herevpon the common Sense deuiseth And then transferres it to the Intellect Which by hir pow'r inherent doth discourse By Reasons rules from Causes to th' effect And beeing there runnes forth with greater force Till Iudgement with strong hand doth stay her course Herehence it is the Soule her selfe doth know Hir owne effects shee to hir selfe discloseth So to herselfe herselfe herselfe doth shew By powres which shee within hirselfe encloseth Whereof hirselfe not of hirselfe disposeth But are directed by a higher Pow'r Yet hath shee eyes to see and sence to feele The way vnto hirselfe though most obscure Which hirselfe virtues to hirselfe reueale Through which she wots what works hir woe or weale This knowledge of the vnknowne parte of Man Namely the knowen Soules vnknowen parte From Man is hid since he to sinne began For Ignorance of Sinne is the iust smart Which now doth hold enthrall'd his vniust hart But sith the Soule is such a precious thing As cost the price of past-price deerest bloud Then can no knowledge more aduantage bring Then knowledge of the Soule as first she stood Or since she fell from her extreamest Good For she enwombes worldes of varietie Of Sunne-bright Beauties and celestiall Sweetes Vnited all in perfect sympathie Whereas the Minde with diuerse Pictures meetes Which Fancie formes and from the Fancie fleetes From whence proceedes all maruellous Inuentions Which doe produce all Artes and Sciences That Doubts resolue and doe dissolue Dissentions Touching the vniuersall Essenses Subiect t' our inward or our outward Senses Then what Soule on the Soule excogitates But it is rapt with ioy and wonderment Sith when the Minde but her adumberates In Fancies forge it feeles such rauishment As yeeldes therewith a heau'n of high content Then sith all Weale or Woe that vs befall Flowes from the Soule as from their speciall Spring We should not to her Weale be neuterall But study to preserue that precious thing As that conserues the Soule and Bodies Being Wherein three Faculties still working be Animall Vitall and the Naturall The Animall diuided is in three Motiue Sensitiue and Principall The Principall hath three parts speciall Imagination Reason Memory The power Sensitiue includes the powres Of the externall Senses seu'rally The Motiue powre the Corps to stirre procures As long as Vitall faculty indures Which Facultie is seated in the Hart Infusing Spirites of Life through eu'ry vaine The vertues Animall doe play their part In all the seu'rall cauerns of the Braine The virtues Naturall the wombe containe Which doe consist of three essentiall partes
the Will proceedes And with that Good the Will it freely feeds Yet lest the Soule beholding hir faire forme Aboue hirselfe should of hirselfe aspire He giues vs proofe he can hir parts deforme That form'd hir parts if pride prouoke his ire Then lets hee Fiends the Fantacie enorme VVith strong delusions and with passions dire Herehence it is that some suppose they are Stone dead some all Nose some more brittle ware Some hauing this parte perfect are defected In the powre rationall the Soules sentinell That is with doting dulnesse so infected As what they say or do they wot not well Yet is their Memory right well affected And all their other Faculties excell So Sicknesse some Mens Memory vnframes That they forget their country friends and names Some others not in parte but wholy loose The vse of all the Sences of their soule Because they did their faculties abuse Those beeing franticke Reason with Rage controule And worse then beasts they liue and cannot chuse The Good from Bad ne yet the Faire from Fowle But like infernall Furies fare they than Iniurious to themselues to God and Man Thus may these Powers perish all or parte VVhen that almighty Powre his grace withdrawes Then let high Spirits retaine a lowly hart That may obedient be to Reasons Lawes For ill successe proceeds from worse desart And good effects proceeds from no ill cause If thy Mindes eyes see more then such eyes can Thanke God therefore yet thinke thy selfe a man For if thy thoughts flie higher then that pitch And Luciferian pride thy Minde inflate Thou mayst with him fall hedlong in the ditch And runne into Gods vnreuoked hate Then will the Fiend so much thy Mind bewitch That thoushalt be possesst in endlesse date VVith his strong Legions Then let Reason raine Thy head-strong Will and thy high thoughts restraine Now hauing seene how each internal Sence Contained is in cauernes of the Braine And how their works haue mutuall reference That so they may their common good maintaine Let vs with Eagles eyes without offence Transview the obscure things that do remaine For Mans aye-searching Sp'rite with toil 's opprest Til it haue found that Good that giues it rest Yet this breeds bate twixt Reas'n and Fantacie For Fantacie beeing neere the outward Sences Allures the Soule to loue things bodily But Reason mounts to higher Excellences And mooues the spirit her nimble wings to trie In pursuite of diuine Intelligences Who in the iawes of Fantasie doth set A Snaffle to o're-rule her wilde coruet And all this vigor to the Spirite is giu'n To flie with restlesse wings of Contemplation Vnto that Powre which in the highest Heau'n Makes his no powre-impeaching Habitation Of which Powre if this Powre be quite bereau'n Her dignitie incurreth degradation For as nought is more rare in Man then Spright So nought but rarest things should it delight For it beseemes not that high Maiestic To Man his creature lower to descend Then Man by force of his Mindes Ingeny Is able to him easly to ascend That makes him not appeare to Mans weake eie Because his Reason can him apprehend If Reason then by vse be cleere and bright She may see him vnseene by her owne light For by our Reason and Intelligence We know him from which knowledge Loue doth slowe For we may loue that we see not by Sense But cannot loue the thing we doe not know Our Soules we loue and loue the place from whence Our Soules first came though Sense them cannot show So that high Powre though our Sense cannot show him Yet may we loue because our Reasons know him For can it be Mans Soule should be endow'd With Understanding Reason Will and Wit To whose high powre the highest Powre hath bow'd His goodnesse to be conuersant with it But that the Soule is therewithall allow'd On sempiternall Thrones with him to sit If so what can be worth the Soules discourse But that same Minde that gaue the Soule such force Let Beasts whose soules are meerely Sensitiue Whose Beeing ceaseth with their Bodies beeing Let those with Tooth and Naile striue here to liue Because they die for euer with their dying To them no other Soules did Nature giue But such as to this life was most agreeing But sith Mens soules of God Characters bee With nothing but with God they should agree Which Soules without their corp'rall Instruments By vertue of their intellectiue powres Within themselues can act some good intents Though not expresse them to this sence of ours Who are sometimes rapt vp with rauishments As parted from the Body certaine howres Wherein they exercise their virtue so That more then erst they knew they doe and kno Wherein the Vnderstanding and the Will Wherewith the Soule are sumptuously set forth Are most imploi'd whose functions are to fill The Soules with Treasures of the rarest worth Which th' Intellect to Will presenteth still And to the loue thereof the will allur'th For Will will nothing entertaine in loue But what the Vnderstanding doth approue And what it doth approue as erst was said It sends to Memories safe custodie So then the powres that most the Soule do aide Is Understanding Will and Memorie Which if by Error they bee not betraid They will the Soules affects so fortifie That shee in spight of all the Pow'res belowe Shall giue hir foes a glorious ouerthrowe Yet as the Sunne to vs imparts his light Now more now lesse as it is cleare or clouded So fares it with our Vnderstandings sight That 's darke as hell if it with Sinne be shrowded Or if that Earthly things inclose it quight VVherewith the Soule may be so ouer-crowded That she may faint and finally may fall To vtter darkenesse hir foe Capitall Besides the Sodies state and constitution May much auaile or disaduantage it Then Riot is no good Phisition To heale or keepe in health mans feeble Wit For excesse tends to Dissolution And Dissolution doth in Darkenesse sit Then wouldst thou haue a cleere Intelligence Feare God fare well but feede without offence For though the Soule the Body should o're-rule By lawe of Nature and in Reasons right Yet oft we see the Body rule the Soule When meates excesse augments the Bodies might The Flesh exalted wil the Spirit controule And make the Bodies manners brutish quight But if thy Flesh be ill compos'd by kinde Mend it with holsome meate and mod'rate minde For what a monstrous vice is this in Man To quench his Spirit with wine and belly-cheare When Beasts will take no more then well they can Although by force they should aby it deare For neuer Man a Beast by rigor wan To eate or drinke more then hee well could beare Then if thou wouldst not haue a Beast excell thee Take thou no more then Nature doth compell thee O that these Healthes that makes so many sicke Were buried in the lake of Leachs quicke For since our English ah were Flusbeniz'd Against good manners and good men
and what they beare The thoughts words deedes of men and then must he In Vnderstanding infinite appeare Who is not chang'd by Place for he fills all Nor yet by Time for he is without time He is not chang'd in Forme nor neuer shall Because he alwayes is an Act in prime Nor chang'd by Chance sith he aboue doth clime For he all moues and yet is mou'd of none He opes the Sluce through which we flowe like slime Which if he shuts we cease and quite are gone But he is aye one and the same alone Place is conceiued as a thing created Or as that which includeth some thing plac'd In this last sence God is in no place seated Yet in the other sence no where displac'd So hee 's no where and each where first and last In no place barr'd but fills and bounds each place For beeing indissoluble and fast Hee 's whole in all and in parte and in each case And without mixture doth all interlase For as the Obiects which our Mindes conceiue Mixt not themselues together with the Minde Albee't they do the Minde in 't them receiue VVithout beeing mixt or clos'd in any kinde Eu'n so God all conceiues and yet doth wind Himselfe in 't all but is conceiu'd of none Like as the Sunne within himselfe confin'd Infuseth Light to all yet he alone Is not contain'd or mixt with any one God which is one yet one of three compact Essentiall nor Personall's vnderstood For to create is an essentiall act Not personall which cannot bee withstoode But when by Lord wee meane the same Godhood Wee take it Personall not Essentiall For it 's referr'd vnto the Fatherhood That did beget the Sonne God coeternall And to beget is an act personall Now none I hope can be so ignorant T' imagine any such begetting here As creatures vse for that were discrepant To Reason for we said They euer were VVhich temporall begetting cannot beare Begetting then doth Cause and Order show Sith to beget the Getter did not steere But from him without motion that did flow That was himselfe and to himselfe did go Then but respectiuely the Sire and Sonne And not essentially distinguisht bee As Sole his beames begets yet so begunne That they are full as old and bright as hee And from them both the Light proceeds we see VVhich is as old and bright as Sunne or Beames And nothing differs but respectiuely For first the Sunne begate his radiant Leames Then both yeelds Light and all in like extreames But more distinctly to distinguish them And to expresse their Natures vnity If it be not impiety extreame To liken them to things so transitory Then may we imagine from eternity A Taper burnes which doth a second light Those two doe light a third and ioyned nie They shew all one and all alike are bright Which doe illustrate this darke Secret right Which meerely is all Essence and excludes All whatsoere that is not of the same So though his Essence all his works includes And in his Essence all those works did frame Yet neere his Essence his works neuer came For no Effect is wholy like his Cause If so it be then what a sinne and shame Its for Men that like Men this Essence drawes As knowing nought aboue themselues like Dawes Were Angells Limners to delineate That All but that excelling Maiesty Sitting in chaire of State surmounting State They must with wings displai'd defend their Eie From being confounded with his radiancy Then how shall Man an outcast Eglet view That Glory or paint his Vbiquity That Arte itselfe nor Knowledge neuer knew And Beauty is too base to blaze their hue Put Vacuums foe the cleere corps of the Aire Ten times refin'd therein and giue them Sp'rite T' will file not fill the least parte of that Chaire Nay all the Hoast of Heau'n in one vnite Yea adde to that what all tongues can recite And set it in that Seate t' will scarce appeere But seeme as it were turn'd to nothing quite For nothing can at once be eu'ry where But him alone that no where hath a Peere Borrow from Heau'n and Earth and what they hold The perfect'st parts of Beauties excellence Cast these perfections in the perfect'st mould To make his like t will be but Impotence Compar'd to Glory and Omnipotence Who can precribe a forme t'a formelesse Forme Yet in that Forme all Formes haue residence But to make all in one doth him deforme Then but this ONE who can this All performe Hee 's Infinite put this to whatsoere It makes it God sole cause of things finite Sith infinite can nothing caused beare For to be caus'd is to be definite Chiefe essence must it be that 's Infinite And One alone two Infinites exclude Which One must needs be incorporeall quite Because a Corps a place must needes include Wherein this Infinite cannot be mu'de Then to be Infinite is to be free From matter and from matter to be quit Is voide of Passion and of Change to be For Change hath Passion resident in it And to them both is Motion firmly knit Which Motion tends to Rest which Rest remaines Where Rest remaining resteth Infinite That is in him without whom nothing is Subiect to Rest or Motion Bale or Blisse Though hee his Actions to diuersifie Takes on him parts and passions of a Man Stouping thereby to our capacity Yet none of both's in him that all things can Without them both then both are as a Fan To kepee our Reasons eye from that defect Which cannot apprehend where that began VVhich as the Cause our ioy or griefe effect All which he doth t' informe our Intellect Those Attributes are borrowed from our Kinde To lend our Reason light that Light to see But those essentially to him assignd Of his owne nature and existence bee Namely Ubiquity Simplicity Eternity and sole Omnipotence Consorted all with perfect Unity Yet are these Attributes not his essence For they are diuerse that s but one Immence Which Essence is the Fount from whence doth flow Each fore rehears'd Essentiall property But to that Essence they do not reflow To mix the same with their variety For that stands not with his simplicity What then can aught be first or last in it In Order yea in Time I it deny For Order sets the Will behinde the Wit And yet in Time they both together sit In Order then his Vnderstanding's set Before each one essentiall propertie Which is his forme wherein he doth beget His coâ—ternall Sonne his Wisdomes eye Wherewith vpon himselfe he still doth prie Producing so a third one infinite Yet infintenesse is not their Essence why Beecause that must exist ere it exite That which confineth al that is finite In Tyme they are all one for One is hee In Order hee 's an Essence ere hee 's wise So hee 's sole wise ere insinite can bee VVhich stands with Reasons rules in sence precize And whoso sees it must haue Reasons eyes Yet