description of Psyche affirmes her to be the youngest daughter of the great King intimating that she is not infuâ—ed till the body be first framed Many testimonies I could set downe here if I were not in haste Tenthly the Scripture is â—or us affirming that the soules returne to God that gave them but the bodie to the â—arth from whence it came therefore God keeps the same order in generation that hee did in creation first framing and articulating the body and its organs and then infusing the soule But the maine reason that enclines you to the opinion of traduction is the monstrous productions of men with beasts for in these you â—ay there is an impression and tincture of reaâ—on So I may say that Elephants are â—en because in them is an impression and â—incture of reason more then in any such â—onstrous birth Secondly if I should grant that in these equivocall productions there were more reason then in otheâ— beasts it will not prove the traduction oâ— the reasonable soule because the formative power of mans seed or the vegetativâ— faculty thereof which is not the worke oâ— the reasonable soule being conveigheâ— with the seed makes organs semblable to these of men and therefore somewhat fitter to exercise functions like those of men in which you may see the shadow of reason but not a reasonable soule which is not conveighed by the seed but infused into the body when it is articulated Thirdly if mens soules with the seed bâ— transfused into beasts then these monstrous productions must be men and so capable of salvation and damnation of faith and the Sacraments and the other mysteries of Religion You will not have the body the instrumeâ—â— of the soule but rather of sense and this thâ— hand of reason As if I would say The axâ— is not the proper instrument of the Carpeâ—ter but of his hand and this of the Carpeâ—ter Causa causae est causa causati what is subject to the sense is also subject to the soule But if you will speak properly the body is â—ot the instrument of the sense but the â—ense rather the bodies instrument for whether depends the body on the sense or â—his on the body the body can subsist without the sense not the sense without â—he body The whelp hath a body before â—he ninth day but not the sight because â—he corporeall organ of that sense is not till â—hen fitted for sight but to speak Philosoâ—hically the sense is the instrument of the whole compositum You cannot find in the braine the organ of â—he rationall soule which wee terme the feat of â—eason There is no reason why you â—hould seeing you confesse that this is a â—ensible argument of the soules inorganiâ—ie Shew me the seats of the Intellect and â—he Will and I will shew you the seat of Reason Though you can discover no more in 〈◊〉 mans brain then in the cranie of a beast yet mans braine differs specifically from that of â—he beast Now why we call the brainâ—â—he seat of reason is because the ratioâ—all soule makes use of the senses and â—he phantâ—sie which have their being in and their originall from the braine You find nothing in death able to daunt the courage of a man and you cannot highly love any that is affraid of it Then you would hardly love David that prayed against it and Ezechia that wept so bitterly when newes was brought to him of it Sure Christ as man was not quite exempt from the feare of it Hee often avoided it and wills his Disciples in persecution to flie from it The Apostle shewes that the Saints desire not to be unclothed but to be clothed upon There is something in it able to daunt the courage of man as it dissolves his fabrick of a wicked man as it is an introduction to eternall death of a Christian man as it is the fruit of Adams sinne and a part of that punishment laid on him and us all for sin Nullum animal ad vitam prodit sine metu mortis said hee who feared death as little as you And the greatest of all Philosophers not unfitly called it the most terrible of all terrible things The Philosophers Stone hath taught you that your immortall spirit or soule may â—ye obscure and sleep awhile within this house of flesh I am sure the Scripture teacheth you other Divinity to wit that the soule returnes to God that gave it Christ did not tell the penitent Thiefe that his soul should sleep in his house of flesh but that it should be with him in Paradise The soule of Lazarus was not left to sleep in that putrefied house of his flesh but was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome Saint Paul desired to be dissolved not to sleep in the grave but to be with Christ who will not leave the soules of his sons in that hell nor suffer them to see corruption whose comfort is that when this earthly tabernacle of their house shall be dissolved they have a building given them of God made without hands eternall in the Heavens You see then what a bad Schoole-master the Philosophers Stone is which hath taught so many to make shipwrack of their estates and you of the soules immortalitie You cannot dreame that there should be at the last day any such judiciall proceeding as the Scripture seemes to imply It seemes then that in your opinion the Scripture speaks here mystically but your bare word will not induce us to subscribe to your conceit being the whole Church from the beginning hath to this day beleeved that Christ shall in a judiciary way come as a Iudge and call all flesh before him and we shall stand all naked before his Tribunall and receive the sentence of life or death A mysticall and unknowne way of tryall will not stand so much with the honour of Christ as an open and visible that all may see and witnesse the justice of the Iudge First then observe we have the literall sense of the Scripture for our beliefe Secondly the consent of the Church Thirdly Reason for as the beginning of the world was so shall its consummation be that was not created in a mysterie as some have thought but really and visibly neither shall it be dissolved but after the same way it was created Fourthly it is fit that Christ who wâ—s not mystically but visibly and really judged by sinners should be the visible Judge of those his Judges and of all sinners therefore as the Apostles saw him ascend in glory not mystically so they shall see him with reall glory returne Fifthly this visible proceeding will be more satisfactory to the Saints who shall see their desire upon their enemies and vengeance really executed on those that afflicted them Sixthly and it will be more terrible to the wicked who have persecuted Christ in himselfe and in his members when they shall look on him whom they have pierced Seventhly if you thinke
much to the doubtings of the Church of Rome which would rob us of the comforts wee reap in our affliâ—tions and in death it selfe from the assurance of our salvation For if we doubt of our salvation wee must doubt also of our election and of the certainty of all Gods promises and of the work of the holy Ghost when hee seales in our hearts that wee are the sons of God And so to what serve the Sacraments if they doe not confirme and seale unto us the love of God in saving us Nay our faith hath lost its forme and efficacie if we be still doubting Saint Paul was not of your mind hee was perswaded that nothing could separate him from the love of God in Christ. And no question but hee would have sworne this if hee had been required I deny not but many of Gods servants have their doubtings but this comforts them that Christ prayeth for them that their faith shall not faile and this assures them of their salvation Though this fire of the Sanctuary be not alwaies flaming it is not therefore extinguished and though the eye is not alwaies seeing it is not therefore blind Nihil est ab omm parte beatum No perfection here the fairest day hath its clouds and the strongest faith its doubts but to be still doubting is a signe of a bad Christian and as Seneca will have it of a bad man maximum malae mentis indicium fluctuatio The second part YOu say there are mystically in our faces characters which carry in them the Motto of our soules wherein one may reade our natures c. besides these certaine mysticall figures in our hands which you dare not call meere dashes strokes or at randome Fronti nulla fides how many are deceived by the face and hand therefore Christ will not have us judge secundum faciem according to the face or appearance but judge righteous judgement I deny not but sometimes the face proves index animi and by the face and other outward signes in Iulians bodie as his weak legs unstable feet wandring and furious eyes wanton laughters inordinate speeches c. Nazianzen conjectured of the pravitie of his mind and wicked inclination And it was no difficult matter to collect the roughnesse of Esau's disposition by the roughnesse of his hands Wee may also by the face and hand judge of the temper and distemper of the body bloud and other humours but peremptorily to determine the future events of things that befall us or the disposition of the soule by Physiognomy or Chiromancy by the face and hand is such a superstitious folly that the Poet laughs at it and at him Qui frontemque manumque Praebebit vati For first many lineaments yea oftentimes deviations and inordinate conformities are in our bodies rather by accident then by nature Secondly Philosophy good counsell and education doe much alter the nature of men therefore Philemon that famous Physiognomer was deceived in Socrates his face thinking that he was a man of a riotous and wicked disposition whereas his nature by the study of Philosophy was quite altered being eminent for his continencie fidelitie and other vertues Thirdly man by reason of his will is master of his owne morall actions therefore it is in his power to alter his owne inclinations Fourthly supernaturall grace doth quite transforme nature and can turne a Wolfe into a Lamb a Saul into a Paul a Persecutour into a Preacher Fifthly how vain and ridiculous is Chiromancie in placing the seven Planets in each palme of the hands and confining within certaine lines and bounds the power and operation of these Stars so that Iupiter must containe himselfe within his owne line and not encroach upon the line of Venus or Mercury If men would be more carefull to know and follow him who only hath the seven Stars in his right hand they would not so supersâ—itiously dote upon such a ridiculous toy as Palmestry or by the lineaments of the hands or face peremptorily conclude of mens soules and of their future actions and events You hope you doe not break the fifth Commandement if you conceive you may love your frieâ—d before your parents The God of love hath ordained an order in our love that wee are to love those most to whom wee owe most but to our carnall parents under God wee owe our being to our spirituall parents our well being therefore they are to have a greater share of our love then our friends to whom we are not tied in such obligations Secondly whereas God is the measure perfection and chiefe object of our love wee are to love those most who come neerest to him by representation but these are our parents who are to us in stead of God especially if they bestow not only being but also well being and education on us But what needs the urging of this duty which is grounded on the principles of Nature Your phrase is dangerous as your love is preposterous if it be as you say that you love your friend as you do your God For by this you take away the distinction which God hath made between the two Tables the one commanding us to love God above all the other to love our neighbours as our selves Nature will teach you that him you ought to love most to whom you owe most but you owe all to God even that you live and move and have your being Secondly an universall good is to be loved afore a particular A man will venture the losse of his hand or arme to save the body A good Citizen will venture his life to save his country because hee loves the whole better then a part but God is the universall good our friends are only particular Thirdly wee must love our friend as our selfe because our selfe-love is the rule by which wee square our friends love but we must love God better then our selves because it is by him that we are our selves For your originall sinne you hold it to be washed away in your baptisme for your actuall sins you reckon with God and you are not terrified with the sins of your youth Originall sin is washed away in respect of its guilt not of its being the curse not the sin the dominion not the habitation is done away For whilst this root is in us it will be budding the leprosie with which this house of ours is infected will never be toâ—ally abolished till the house be demolished Wee must not look to be free from these Iebusites whilst we are here Subjugari possunt exterminari non possunt the old man is not totally cast off nor the old leaven totally cast out For if there were not in us concupiscence there could be no actuall sin and if wee say We sin not we deceive our selves Saint Paul acknowâ—edgeth a body of death and you had need â—o pray with David Cleanse me from my secret sins And againe Remember not the sins of my youth
of its punishment of the bodies â—lso for sin to be separated for a while Thus have I briefly pointed at your abâ—rrations having snatched some few â—oures from my other occasions for study cannot in these distracted times 't is not â—ut of an humour of contradiction or vain-â—lory nor of any intention I have to bring â—ou or your Booke into obloquie that I â—ave marked out its obliquities but only â—o saâ—isfie the desire of my friends for whom we are partly borne who have laid this charge on me and to let green head and inconsiderate young Gentlemen seâ— that there is some danger in reading youâ— Book without the spectacles of judgement for whilst they are taken with the gildinâ— of your phrase they may swallow unawares such pills as may rather kill theâ— cure them I have passed by divers slips oâ— lesse danger and consequence because I want time and would not seem too Eagle-sighted in other mens failings whereas I have enough to doe with mine owne Respicere id manticae quod in tergo est I acknowledge there is much worth and good language in your Book and because you are so ingenuous and modest as to disclaime these opinions if they square not with maturer judgements I have with as great modesty and gentlenesse as I could refelled them having neither dipt my pen in gall nor mingled my inke with vineger The God of truth direct all our hearts into the way of truth Amen ANIMADVERSIONS UPON Sir KENELME DIGBIE'S OBSERVATIONS ON Religio Medici LONDON Printed for JAMES YOUNG Animadversions upon Sir KENELME DIGBIE'S Observations on Religio Medici I Having done with the Physician was counselled by my friends to view that noble and ingenuous Knights Observations who hastily running over Religio Medici and having let fall some phrases from his pen which have or may startle the Reader I thought good upon the solicitation of my said friends to point at them by a few Animadversions It is no wonder that he hath phrased some things amisse for the best have their failings quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus And S. Bernard wee say saw not all and what are spoken or written hastily are not spoken and written warily Canis festinans caecos parit catulos 1. I find Sir Kenelme to be of opinion that the changing of the condition of a damned soule from paine to happinesse could not be effected without God had made that soule another creature then what it was as to make fire cease from being hot requireth to have it become another thing then fire I doe not see any reason why the essence of the soule must be changed upon the change of its condition from paine to happinesse for these are accidents which may be present or absent without the destruction of the subject in which they are Wee are all by nature the sons of wrath by grace regeneration we are made the sons of God not by changing of our natures and essences as Illyricus thought for though Paul changed his condition and name hee changed not his nature for he was the same man being a vessell of mercy which he was being a vessell of wrath If hee saith that in Eternity there is no change I answer that that continued duration which wee call Eternitie is unchangeable yet in the things themselves which are eternall there is a passive power or possibilitie of change or else wee cannot say that unchangeablenesse is a property in God but communicable to the creature which cannot be As for the fire it may doubtlesse for a while cease to be hot and yet not cease to be fire as that fire in the Babylonish furnace which did not touch the three Children and yet burned the Chaldeans this it could not have done had it not been fire 2. Aristotle defines light to be actus perspicui which Sir Kenelme likes not because hee knowes not the meaning The meaning is plaine that light is the active qualitie of the aire or water by which they are made perspicuous or fit mediums through which wee see visible objects for in darknesse though the aire be a bodie still yet it is not the medium of our sight but onely potentially let the light come then it is perspicuous that is through which wee may see the objects actually and so it is actus perspicui For in Philosophy that is called the act which giveth a being to a thing whether that being be accidentall or essentiall so the light giving an accidentall being to the aire in making it perspicuous is fitly defined by the Philosopher Actus perspicui quâ perspicuum therefore here are no naked termes obtruded in the Schooles upon easie minds as Sir Kenelme thinketh 3. When Sir Kenelme thinkes that the first matter hath not an actuall existence without the forme he must know that the first matter is a substance and hath a reall actualitie or that which is called Actus entitativus in the Schooles without the forme else it could not be the principle or cause of things for how can there proceed any effect from that which hath no being but when the forme comes it receives formall actuality without which it is but in possibilitie which being compared to this act it is a kind of non-entitie 4. The notions of matter form act power existence c. have in the understanding a distinct entity but in nature are no-where by themselves Againe these words are but artificiall termes not reall things Notions have their being only in the mind 't is true but these are not notions for then all things that are made of matter and forme are made of notions and so notions are the first principles and causes of all things So likewise the objects of the two noblest Sciences to wit Physick and Metaphysick are onely notions and artificiall termes not reall things which cannot be 5. He doth not conceive that wise men reject Astrologie so much for being repugnant to Divinity c. To relie too much upon that vain art he judgeth to be rather folly then impiety I know not who hee meanes by wise men but the Church and Fathers have rejected this art as repugnant to Divinity and impious Aquila Ponticus a translatour of the Bible was thrust out of the Church of Christ for his study in this art And how can this art be excused from impiety which overthrowes the liberty of mans will makes the soule of man mortall and materiall by subjecting it to the power of the Stars makes God the authour of sinne makes men carelesse of doing good or avoiding evill which ascribes the coming of Christ the working of his miracles the Prophets predictions the Apostles labours the patience sufferings and faith of the Saints to the influence of the Stars And so in a word overthrowes all religion and prayer Orandi causas auferre conantur saith S. Austin and therefore this art will rather lay the fault of mans misery upon God the mover of the Stars
with which you say you are not terrified but though you know nothing by your selfe yet are you not thereby justified The heart of man is deceitfull above all things And though your heart cleares you God is greater then your heart The salt-sea can never lose its saltnesse the Blackmoore cannot change his skin nor the Leopard his spots Againe wee must not think that in baptisme sin is washed away by vertue of the water What water can cleanse the soule but that which flowed from our Saviours pierced heart God in Christ hath done away our sins the baptism of his bloud hath purged us from all sinne which is sealed unto us by the baptisme of his Spirit and represented by the baptism of water You thank God you have escaped pride the mortall enemy to charity So did the Pharisee thank God that hee was no extortioner yet hee went home unjustified Pride is a more subtle sin then you conceive it thrusts it selfe upon our best actions as praying fasting almes-giving As Saul amongst the Prophets and Sathan amongst the sons of God so pride intrudes it selfe amongst our best workes And have you not pride in thinking you have no pride Bernard makes twelve degrees of pride of which bragging is one And Gregory tells us that ex summis virtutibus saepe intumescimus even accidentally goodnesse ocassioneth pride which like the scales that fell from Sauls eyes hinders the sight of our selves till they be removed Nulla alia pestis plura ingenia abrupit quà m confidentia astimatio sui 'T is vanity you thinke to waste our dayes in the pursuit of knowledge which if we attend a little longer we shall enjoy by infusion which wee endeavour here by labour and inquisition better is a modest ignorance then uncertaine knowledge Would you bring in againe ignorance the supposed mother of Devotion but indeed the true mother of Confusion I cannot be of your mind you will not have us trouble our selves with â—nowledge here because wee shall have it â—ereafter But I will so much the rather â—abour for knowledge here because I shall â—ave it hereafter For the Saints beatitude â—hall for the most part consist in knowledge â—herefore I desire to be initiated and to have a taste of that happiâ—esse here that I may be the more in love with it Shall the Israelites refuse to taste and look upon the grapes which the Spies brought from Canaan because they were to enjoy all the Vineyards there By the knowledge of the creature we come to know the Creatour and by the effects we know the supreme cause whom to know in Christ is life eternall For want of knowledge the people perish it were madnesse in mee not to make use of a candle in the darke because when the Sun is up hee will bring a greater light with him By kowledge we come neere to the Angelicall nature who are from their great knowledge called Daemones and Intelligentiae Shall I not strive to know God at all because I cannot know him here perfectly God hath made nothing in vaine but in vaine had hee given to man a desire of knowledge for Omnes homines naturâ scire desiderant In vaine had hee given to him understanding apprehension judgement if hee were not to exercise them in the search of knowledge which though it be uncertaine here in some things vel ex parte cogniti vel ex parte cognoscentis yet all knowledge is not uncertaine The Christians by their knowledge in Philosophy and other humane studies did more hurt to Gentilisme then all the opposition and strength of men could doe which Iulian the Apostate knew well when he caused to shut up all Schooles of learning purposely to blind-fold men that they might noâ— discerne truth from errour And though modest ignorance is better then uncertaine knowledge yet you will not hence inferre that ignorance is better then knowledge except you will conclude that blindnesse is better then sight because blind Democritus was to be preferred to a quick-sighted Kite The perpetuating of the world by coition you call the foolishest act of a wise man and an unworthy piece of folly You let your pen â—â—n too much at randome the way which Wisdome it selfe hath appointed to multiâ—ly mankind and propagate the Church â—annot be foolish if it be in your esteem â—emember that the foolishnesse of God is â—iser then the wisdome of man for as â—reat folly as you think coition to be withâ—ut it you could not have been and sureâ—y there had been no other way in Paraâ—ise to propagate man but this foolâ—sh â—ay There is nothing foolish but what â—s sinfull but that cannot be sinfull which God hath appointed There is sometime foolishnesse in the circumstances but not â—n the act it selfe then the which nothing â—s more naturall As it is not folly to eate drinke and sleep for the preservation of the individuum neither is coition folly by which we preserve the species and immortalize our kind You feare the corruption within you not the contagion of commerce without you You must feare both and shun both Our corruption within is often irritated by outward commerce perhaps our inward tinder would lye dead if it were not incensed by the sparkles of commerce without 〈◊〉 that handleth pitch shall be defiled ' tiâ— dangerous to converse with leprous anâ— plaguie people The Israelites are forbiâ— commerce with the Canaanites and we arâ— commanded to depâ—rt out of Babel lest we be partakers of her sins Grex totus in agris Unius scabie cadit porrigine porci Uvaque conspecta livorem ducit ab uva If you were like the Sun you might freely commerce with all for hee shines upon infected places without infection which you cannot doe and therefore to use your owne phrase your conversation must not be like the Suns with all men except it be in causing your light to shine before them There is something you say within us that was before the elements That something must be the soule which though Plato and Origen thought was before the body yet we know the contrary for God first made the body and then inspired it with a soule To give existence to the soule before the body can stand neither with the perfection of Gods workes in the creation nor â—ith the dignity and quality of the soule â—ot with the first for all that God made â—as perfect but the soule without the â—ody had been an imperfect piece seeing was made to be a part of man Not with â—â—e second for the soule being the forme 〈◊〉 was not to exist without its matter the â—ody nor was it â—it that so noble a guest â—â—ould be brought into the world before a â—onvenient lodging was fitted for her T is true that the soule can and doth subâ—â—st without the body after death but then is necessitated because the body failes it â—nd the house becomes inhabitable and it 〈◊〉 a part