their maladies may become ours but being bound by faith to believe that the soul is the workmanship of God that she is not drawn from forth the matter of the body though she be inclosed therein and that she is a pure spirit though she doth inanimate her body It is almost impossible to make us discerne how shee becomes criminall when she is thereinto infused she is altogether pure whilst in her Authors hands and she becomes not guilty till she becomes the bodies forme I very well know that she is infused as soon as created and that the same hand which hath extracted her out of nothing hath bound and fastened her to the body but I know not why the father who contributes nothing to her production should contribute to her pollution and wherefore since he gives not life unto her hee should make her inherit his sin Divines are much perplexed with this difficulty and touching the resolution thereof Saint Austin hath oft-times doubted whether the soul were not produced by generation as wel as the body all his reasons seem to be grounded upon this belief he wil have it that the body doth infect the soul and generation is as it were the channell of sin which hath corrupted us He grounds three principles which do produce three severall effects in man God which hath created him his father who hath begot him and sin which hath sullyed him The soul was from God the body proceeds from the begetting Father and the impurity derives from sin he admirably describes the Nature of concupiscence and he is never more learned nor more eloquent then when he sets forth what havock she hath made in our souls he teacheth us that every sin is a particuler concupiscence and that instructed by our own Misery we call Avarice the concupiscence of riches Pride the concupiscence of glory and unchastity the concupiscence of voluptuousnesse he concludes by convincing reasons and which receive no reply that it was necessary that man being guilty should beget sinfull Children and that it was not just that the Children should be more innocent then their Fathers he perswades us effectually that Christians not being regenerate but by the spirit cannot communicate grace to those that descend from them by the way of generation which rests yet in Impurity but truly he doth not sufficiently prove that the soul should become guilty for being engaged in the body nor that to make up one Composition with it she should contract a sin whereof she her self is not capable for though concupiscence reign in the body to speak properly it is not a sin till it pass into the soul Irregularity is the matter thereof but her aversion from God is her Forme and it is impossible to Comprehend that the soul for being infused into a wretched body should become Criminall whence then proceeds this Originall sin by what waies doth it slide into our souls by what Channels doth it shed it self into the handy work of God and how comes it that the Chief workmanship of his hands becomes guilty assoon it is engaged in the body Theologie hath been forced to Imagine a secret Treaty between God and Adam by the which God having made Adam head of all men he had given him grace for all his Posterity and that by the same law that all his Children should share in his sin that this Treaty whereby Gods Justice is not injured discovers unto us the greatnesse of his Sovereignty that it is not strange a Prince should put into the hands of his Subjects the fate of all them that should descend from them that in all the best regulated States the Children share in their Parents evils that receiving the glory of all their best Actions they should likewise pertake of the Pain and Infamy of their offences that so the privation of Grace in men is the punishment of Adams fault that by a necessary consequence the aversion of our will derives from the losse of Innocency Some building upon some Passages in S. Paul would perswade us that all men were included in Adam that there will was united to his that his fault was their sin and that therefore there was no inconvenience that those that lived in him should share in his guilt some others differing but a little from the former have represented us with two universall men whereof one is the 〈◊〉 of sin the other of Grace We are united to the former by Generation and become sinners like him by regeneration we are fastned to the other and become just as he is Thus sin disperseth it selfe as well as Grace unrighteousness is communicated as well as Innocency and we contract sin without a wil thereunto as we receive grace in Baptisme without deserving it All these opinions which I embrace and honour doth sufficiently explain how Adams sin is ours but they do not cleerly enough declare how we do contract it they teach us that we are sinners but do not discover unto us by what means we become so wherefore re-assuming Saint Augustines Principles me thinks a man may say that Adams sin is the sin of all men that that which was voluntary in him is naturall in them that it passeth from the father to those that descend from him as Maladies do which are hereditary in Families or as the Ethiopians which is seen in his Childrens faces To Comprehend this truth it is not necessary to Imagine a Treaty between God and Adam whereby the fathers fault and Punishment becomes the sons but it sufficeth to know that being faln from the State of Innocency and having lost originall righteousnesse he cannot longer transmit it into his Progeny that by necessary consequence he makes them share in a Malady which he could not cure himself of and that he communicates his sin unto them in communicating his concupiscence T is enough for them to be guilty that they are descended from him and without seeking for causes further off it sufficeth to prove their guilt that they are a part of him t would be a Prodigie if a sinfull Father should beget Children void of sin and we were to wonder if nature not being re-establisht in her former Purity her productions should not be Corrupt The difficulty is to know how the soul which issues pure and spotlesse from out the hands of God contracts sin when she is infused into the body To this I answer that her streight union with the body is one cause of her fin that she sullyes her self by Informing it that she receives death by giving it life that wanting original righteousnesse whereby to preserve her self from the contagion occasioned by the first mans sin she is no sooner made companion to the body but she becomes Criminall Thus is she unpleasing to God because she is not in Grace with him she is not in Grace with him because Adam hath lost Gods grace both for himself and his Children and she is
must be set free from the servitude of sin by the Grace of Iesus Christ. THe Passion which all men have for the preservation of their Liberty is no weak proof of the Excellency thereof there be but few who do not prefer it before life and do not rather love an honourable death then a shamefull servitude all revolts have had no other pretexts and Conquerors have only been odious because they have intrencht upon the Publique Liberty we suspect their Vertues because they bear with them some shadow of Tyranny and men have hardly believed that they were very just who would Command over free people yet man hath no advantage which he oftner loseth then his Liberty he becomes a slave without a Master and finds servitude as well in a Republique as in a Monarchy he hath not the use of this perfection till a long time after he be be born he lives when he is not at liberty and he who ought to command the whole world begins his life in slavery Nature gives him Kings in his Parents and if death take them away the laws appoint him Tutors which supply the place of Masters in his minority he is a slave and wanting wisedome to govern himself he is not suffered to dispose of himself the better part of his life is spent in servitude and unlesse he have permission from the Prince he must be 25 years old before he can dispose of his goods When this age puts him in possession of his principall advantage enemies arise who clap Irons upon him for the passions are Imperious Mistresses who intrench upon our Liberty and which making use either of fair or foul means makes man do a thousand things unworthy of his condition he sometimes breaks his Chains but forgeth new ones himself and he thinks he is free because he is the Author of his own servitude If he calm his passions and amidst their quiet recover his Liberty he cannot defend himself from a pleasing Enemy which deprives him of the use thereof for sleep which preserves our life bereaves us of our Liberty his poppies which sweeten our vexations and inchant our sorrows take from us the disposall of our will We are not at Liberty when we sleep and as the good actions which we do in that estate cannot expect recompence so neither ought our bad ones to fear punishment Thus Liberty is a Treasure which we are oft robbed of t is a Good which we are not always Masters of and if rest be reasons Grave t is also Liberties Sepulchre t is true that it restores us what it had taken from us and the same awaking which delivers us from death frees us from servitude but we make tryall of a Tyrant who treateth us much more rigorously then doth sleep for when sin hath possest it self of our Liberty it never makes restitution Our slavery ends not with our lives we are born dye slaves thereunto There is nothing but the Grace of Jesus Christ which can free us from the Tyranny thereof It enters into our soulby our body and gives us death wheÌ„ our Parents give us life and penetrating even into our will sets there the Characters of its usurpation and of our servitude Reason is too weak a succour to defend us against so powerfuâ—l an Enemy and Prophane Phylosophy is not a sufficient remedy to cure us of so dangerousa Malady Wee cannot drive away sin but by help from Heaven nor can we recover perfect Liberty but by the servitude of Jesus Christ we may well shun one fault by another but hardly can we do anything which is solidly vertuous without our Saviours assistance we defend our selves from intemperance only through vain glory if we be chast t is because we are proud but in the one and the other of these Actions we are slaves to sin To understand this truth which is Saint Austins very Doctrine we must know that in our belief Piety was never parted from Morality and that to be vertuous a man must always have been Faithfull The will was created together with grace they both contributed unto merit and when they were once divided sin seized upon the will and man operates by this mischeivous principle all his actions began to be criminall proposing no other end but himself unto himself he strayed from the latter from grace and looking upon the creature forbore looking upon the Creatout Let reason infuse what light it pleaseth into his understanding she cannot redresse it for she her self is blinde and as the will cannot love the Summum Bonum the understanding hath much ado to know supremam veritatem they each of them have received a mortall wound which cannot be cured unlesse by a Physician who was never sick the remedy must derive from Heaven and the same hand which had united grace and nature together in the first man must reconcile them in his off-spring and restore unto their will the Liberty which she had lost Till this deliverance come man is still a slave to sin wheresoever he goeth he carryeth his Tyrant a long with him and let him do what good action he pleaseth t is hard for him not to have therein some bad Intention To enlighten this imagination a little more we must remember that Gods design was not to make man meerly a rationall Creature he would have originall righteousnes to be his principall advantage this Divine quality joyned the soul to the body by cords as holy as pleasing she did accord so well with Nature as if she pertook not of her Essence she pertook of her perfection whatsoever proceeded from this principle was holy and whatsoever man did by the motion of grace deserved an everlasting recompence But when sin had banished Originall righteousnes and that man became a slave to his concupiscence he began to work by the motions thereof he suffered himself to be led away by her blinde impetuosity did cowardly obey her unjust Ordinances and till he be freed from this tyrant which possesseth him he undertakes almost nothing but by her Orders Thus the most part of his good works are sins and his actions proceeding from a bad principle must needs be faulty this misfortune is the spring head of all our mischief this disorder is the originall of all our servitude as long as we are slaves to sin we cannot recover our intire liberty and till the son of God doth infranchize us our inclinations are strong to evil But as the Nature of any thing is not better discovered then by the opposing unto it its contrary to know the wils servitude we must compare it with her first liberty and by the difference of originall righteousnesse and Christian grace Judge of the divers conditions of man in innocencie and in sin Man whilest innocent had the use of liberty but because the end that was proposed unto him was supernaturall he stood in need of Grace to elevate his will
what she hath received by the eare and as she is rich onely by means of the senses so is she by them onely liberall She observes the different qualities of objects by the eyes she judgeth of the diversity of sounds by the eares she comprehends mens intentions by their discourse she makes hers known by the tongue and this miraculous part of the body frames words which draw her thoughts unto the life If those who are absent cannot understand her she hath recourse to the hand which draws her dictates upon paper and which makes that appear to the eyes which the tongue could not make the eares comprehend Thus the soule acts onely by the body and all Sciences by which we are either instructed or perswaded are as well the work of the senses as of the soule Vertue it selfe owes her birth to the meanest part of man and were he not made of flesh and bloud he could offer no sacrifice to God neither could he satisfie divine Justice by his repentance The purity which equals him with Angls is not wholly spirituall if be borne in heaven 't is bred upon earth and if it begin in the soul it ends in the body Fasting and silence keep the flesh under to purifie the soule and if man had not a tongue and mouth he could neither praise God in silence nor honour him by self-affliction Martyrdom which is the utmost of charity and the highest degree of perfection is consummated onely in the flesh meer spirits cannot be a prey to wilde beasts and a soule which hath put off her body cannot overcome Tyrants nor triumph over Executioners Mortallity is requisite to Martyrdom and if the Angels be somwhat more than we men because they cannot die they are in some sort lesse because they cannot suffer death is the triall of our love and as oft as we lose our lives in Christs quarrell we strike terrour into devils and fill Angels with admiration In fine the honour which God receives on earth proceeds from the body 'T is the body which is his Priest and Victime 't is the body which bears his imprinted characters in it's face 't is the body which commands on earth and which playing the part of Gods Lieutenant findes obedience amongst the Elements and mildnesse amongst savage beasts 'T is the body which fights for the Glory of the Son of God and which defends his Interest to the face of Tyrants and which sings his praises amidst the Flames 'T is the body which being made by his hands and in-livened by his breath hath the honour to be his workmanship and his Temple 'T is the body which is the object of his love and of his care which seeth the Sun surround the world to lighten it fruits bud to nourish it flowers spring up to recreate it and whole nature labours for it's pleasure or service In fine 't is the body which is offered up upon Altars which fights in persecutions which praiseth God in prosperity which blesseth him in afflictions which honours him in death which in the Grave expects his promises which will rise again at the end of the World and which will reign for ever in Heaven The second Discourse Of the miseries of the Body in Generall THe evils which we receive from the body are so great as that al Philosophy is nothing but an invective against this enemy of our repose If we beleeve the Platonists t is a prison wherein the Soul is inclosed to expiate the sins which she hath committed in Heaven If we will listen to the Academicks t is a grave wherein the Soul is buried and where being more dead than alive she cannot make use of all those perfections which she hath received from Nature If we trust the Stoicks t is a disobedient slave which opposeth it self to all the souls desires and which being born to obey hath no so great passion as to command t is a subject which aspires to Tyranny and which forceth its legitimate sovereign to forgo both honour and vertue and to embrace voluptuousnesse If we will give ear to the Peripateticks who come neerest the truth t is the least part of Man which being given him to serve the soul crosseth all her designs and hinders the execution of her noblest enterprises Hence it is that all Philosophers do what in them lieth to have no commerce with the body and wish for death or old age to the end that the one may weaken this Domestick enemy and that the other may free them from it Christian Religion which marcheth in the midst of errours with assurance confesseth that the body is as well the workmanship of God as the soul is and though it be not altogether so noble it ceaseth not to be destined to the same happinesse But as slaves are punisht for their masters and as children sometimes bear the punishment of their fathers sins the body hath been punisht for the soul and from the time it became confederate in her crime it partook in her punishment Though the soul be the more guilty the body is the more unfortunate and of the two parts which go to the composure of man the most innocent seems to be the most miserable For to boote that it is subject to pain by reason of the elements bad intelligence that it undergoes sicknesses whereby the health thereof is prejudiced that it cannot be cured but by troublesome remedies that the fear of death be a punishment which lasts as long as its life it is notwithstanding occasion of the most sins whereof the soul is guilty and this Sovereign thinketh she should be innocent if she were not fastened to so guilty a Party To disintangle all these things we must know that when the soul lost her priviledges the body lost likewise its advantages for the same grace wâ— made the soul pleasing to God made the body subject to the soul the same innocencie which preserved the sovereign from sin warranted the slave from death But when once man became guilty he became unfortunate and when once he lost originall righteousnesse he therewith lost all the dependencies thereupon Errour and blindness slid into the understanding malice glided into the will and by a consequence which Divine Justice made necessary illusion crept into the senses sicknesse altered mans temper pain disquieted his rest and death sho tened his life These punishments are so irksome as each of them deserves a discourse and not to enter upon a subject which I should handle more at large it shall suffice me for the present to make it manifest that though the body be the Souls slave since sin it is become her Tyrant and that it neither tastes of contentment nor suffers sorrow wherein it shares not with her Pain is a sensible evill and were not the Soul ingaged in the body she without the least commotion would behold the most grievous punishments but nature having composed man of these two
deteined in his body by art The least accidents do sever her from it a vapour doth suffocate her she is choaked with a little flegme and blood which is the seat of life is oft-time the cause of death whithersoever so miserable a creature doth convey himself she receives there new proofs of his weaknesse the change of climates troubles his health a new air incommodiates him cold water hurts his stomake the Sun which lights him scorcheth him and whatsoever is cause of good unto him is cause of Evil. In the State of innocencie grace linkt the Soul to the body death unseconded by sin could not break the chains the elements durst not assail him originall righteousnesse made them observe respect they appeased their differences lest they might trouble mans temper fire agreed with water to preserve his health there was as profound a peace in his person as in his state but since he forewent his duty grace abandoned his body to sin the elements had liberty given them to war one upon another man became the scene of their combates and after once he revolted from God he saw all creatures take up arms against him sorrow death set upon him he was sentenced to live in pain die in sorrow For the sweetest life bears it's punishment with it There is no rose which is not grafted upon a thousand thornes and how handsome soever the chains be which link the soule and body together they are both of them equally exposed to suffering The soule is more capable of sadnesse than of joy though she display her selfe to receive in pleasure yet doth she never taste it purely she weeps amidst her contentments she expresseth her joy by sighs and as if she were not accustomed to great happinesses she seems to suffer when she receives them Though she shut the doore upon sorrow yet suffers she her selfe to be easily siezed on by it though she resist it she cannot withstand it and as if nature had made her more sensible of misery than of happinesse a small displeasure is able to make her forget all her former contentments The body is not more fortunate than the soule for it hath not many parts which can tast delight but it hath not any one which is not capable of pain Pleasures do enter-shock and always leave some of our senses in languishment or need pains agree in their assailing us and though they should not come in a crowd one alone is sufficient to make it selfe be felt by all the parts of the body their straight union makes their mischiefes common and if the head suffer the tongue complains the eyes weep and the heart groanes Thus the happiest life is miserable and that moment passeth not wherein we are not inforced to bewail our innocency to condemn our sin Death comes in to the aid of pain and by an ingenious peece of cruelty agrees with life to augment our miserie For though they appear to be enemies they joyn in our punishment and joyn with Gods Justice to revenge God we live and die daily the change which makes us subsist is deaths taster this cruell one siezeth on us by degrees all the time we have lived is already gotten by him and the years which we hope to make use of are so many titles which he produceth against us As soon as we begin to live we begin to die Death shares with us in all the moments of our life it takes unto it selfe what is past because that is certain and leaves to us only what is to come because that is uncertain So as by a strange mis-fortune the increase of our life is the diminution thereof The farther we grow from our birth the nearer we grow to death our purchases are meer losses m and things are so disposed of since sin as we cannot count our years without either flattering our selves or lying T is perhaps for this reason that the Hebrew that holy language which the blessed shall make use of in heaven imployes but one and the same word to expresse both life and death with the difference of one only point to teach us that death and life are divided onely by that moment which unites them In effect life is nothing but a brittle chaine consisting of three links the past the present and the future the past is no more we retain but a weak remembrance of it all the vows we can make will not fetch it backe it is not void of doubt whether Gods absolute power which finds no resistance amongst his creatures can gather together the present with that which is past and unite these differences of times without destroying their essence The future time is not as yet hope which expects it cannot advance it and wisdom which hath an eye unto it cannot dissipate the obscurity thereof it is lesse at our disposall then the time that is past and for all the vain conjectures which we may flatter our selves withall we know not whether it shall come to us or we shall go to it the present time to say truth is in our power we are masters of it and it is the onely thing which we can say we possesse t is the onely part of our life which we are assured of and who promiseth himself more is either ignorant or impious But this present time is but a moment and this difference of time hath no parts time past time to come comprehend whole ages but the present consists but in an instant so as death and life differ only in a point these two which we judge so contrary are intertained by that moment which doth separate them Though I honour this imagination by reason of the gallantry therof and that respect which I bear to the Hebrew Tongue obliege me to reverence it yet me thinks it doth not sufficiently expresse the miseries of life whose alliance with death is neerer then is thereby represented death subsists only by life and life is only preserved by death they commence end together as soon as a man begins to live he begins to die nature which very well knows that two moments never subsist together Commands death to hurry away the one to leave to life the other that ensues As she doth with moments and houres so doth she with those years whereof the degrees of our life are composed She makes our infancie die to give life to our Boyish age she takes away a childe to substitute a man and robs us of our youth to make old age succeede Thus if we advance in life t is by the favour of death and we enjoy our last years by the losse of the former who will not praise death since it makes us live and who will not blame life since it makes us die who will not confesse that sin is very cruell since it accords these two enemies to our undoing and that for our punishment it hath turned a happy and immortall life into an
his mother had brought him into the world After this crowd of reasons and authorities I know not what can be said against the belief of originall sin who can deny an evill of whose effects all men have a fellow-feeling Since all Phylosophers before they knew what name to give it knew the nature thereof and all the complaints they have made of our miseries in their Writings are so many testimonies born by them to the truth of our Religion The second Discourse What the state of man was before Sinne. THough there be nothing more opposite to the state of sin then the state of innocency there is not any thing notwithstanding which better discovers unto us the disorders thereof and it seems to be a true looking glasse wherein we may see all the other deformities To know the greatnesse of mans miserie wee must know the height of his happinesse and to know with what weight he fel we must know the height of his dignity Man was created with originall righteousnesse his Divineâ— Quality made a part of his being and seemed to be the last of his differences Reason and Grace were not as yet divided and man finding his perfection in their good Intelligence was at once both Innocent and rationall Since sin hath bereâ—t him of this priviledge he seems to be but half himself though he hath not changed Nature he hath changed condition though he be yet free he hath lesse power in his own person then in the world And when he compares himself with himself hardly can he know himself In the state of innocency nothing was wanting to his perfection nor felicity and whilst he preserved originall righteousness he might boast to have possessed the spring-head of all that was good T was this that united him to God and which submitting him to his Creator submitted all Creatures unto him t was this that accorded the soul with the body and which pacifying the differences which Nature hath plac'd between two such contrary parties made them find their happinesse in agrement this it was in fine which displaying certain beams of light about his Countenance kept wild beasts in obedience and respect In this happy condition man was only for God he found his happinesse in his duty he obeyed with delight and as Grace made up the perfection of his being it was not much lesse naturall for him to love God then to love himself he did both these Actions by one and the same Principle The love of himself differed not from the love of God and the operations of Nature and of Grace were so happily intermingled that in satisfying his Necessities he acquitted himself of his duty and did as many holy Actions as naturall and rationall ones He sought God and found him in all things much more happy then wee he was not bound to seperate himself from himself that he might unite himself to his Creator Godlinesse was practised without pain Vertue was exercised without violence and that which costs us now so much trouble cost him nothing but desires there needed no combates to carry away victory nor was there any need to call in vertue to keepe passions within their limits Obedience was easie to them nor is Rebellion so naturall unto them now as was then submission This Grace which bound the soule unto the body with bonds as strong as pleasing united the senses to the Spirit and assubjected the passions to reason Morality was a Naturall science or if it were infused t was togetther with the soul and every one would have been eased of the Pain of acquiring it all men were born wise Nature would have served them for a Mistris and they would have been so knowing even from their births as they would not have needed either Counsell or Instruction Originall righteousnesse govern'd their understanding guided their wills enriched their memories and after having done such wonders in their souls it wrought as many Prodigies in their bodies for it accorded the elements whereof they were Composed it hindred the waters from undertaking any thing against the fire tempered their qualities appeased their differences and did so firmly unite them as nothing could sever them Man knew only the name of death and he had this of comfort that he knew it was the Punishment of a fault from which if he would he might defend himself All nourishments were to pure that there was nothing superfluous in them Naturall heat was so vigorous as it converted all into the substance of the body was in all other respects so temperate as it was not prejudiciall to the radicall moisture Man felt nothing incommodious Prudence was so familiar to him as he prevented hunger and Thirst before they could cause him any trouble in his person and in his State he enjoyed a peacefull quiet and he was upon good Terms with himself and with his subjects because he was the like with his Sovereign he waited for his reward without anxiety and grounding himself upon the truth of his Creators promises he hoped for happinesse without disquiet Death was not the way to life there needed no descending to the earth to mount up to the heavens the soul fore-went not the body to enjoy her God and these two parts never having had any variance were joyntly to tast the same felicity But when the Devill had cozened the woman and that the woman had seduced the man he fell from this happy condition and losing Grace which caused all his good he fell into the depth ofall evills He received a wound which hecould never yet be cured of he saw himself bereft of his best part and could not conceive how being no longer righteous he continued to be rationall and left us in doubt whether he was yet man being no longer Innocent His Illuminations forsooke him together with Grace self-love came in the place of Charity He who before sought nothing but God began now to seek himself And he who grounded his happinesse upon his obedience would build his felicity upon Rebellion as soon as his soul rebell'd against God his body rebell'd against his soul these two parts changed their love to hatred and those who lived in so tranquill a peace declared open war one against another the senses which were guided by the understanding favoured the bodies revolt and the passions which were subject to reason contemned her Empire to inslave themselves to the Tyranny of Opinion If man were divided in his person he was not more fortunate in his condition wherein he underwent a Generall Rebellion the Beasts lost their respects they all became Savage and violence or Art is required to the taming of some of them the Elements began to mutiny following their own inclinations they broke the peace which they had sworn unto in behalf of man whilst Innocent the Seasons grew unseasonable to hasten the death of man grown guilty the very heavens alter'd their Influences and losing their
sinfull because the father which unites her to the flesh as a secondary cause Communicates unto her his disorder not giving her a remedy for it powers his poyson into her and doth not present her with an Antidote makes her Inherit Adams sin and doth Communicate unto her the Grace of Jesus Christ. This it is which Saint Augustine insinuates unto us in other Termes when he says that the Contagion of the body passeth into the soul that the close Cōmerce that is between them makes their miseries cōmon between them and that without extraordinary helps an Innocent soul cannot be lodg'd in a guilty body the purest Liquours are tainted in musty vessels corrupted Air poysons those who breath therein and infected houses give the Plague to those that live in them Thus doth concupiscence glide from the body into the soul and this wicked Host gives death to her that gives him life If these reasons do not content the reader let him know that I glory to be ignorant of what Saint Augustine understood not that I should shew my self too rash if I should think to give an entire light to the obscurest part of Divinity and that I should be unfaithfull if I should pretend to make a truth evident by reason which is only known by Faith The fifth Discourse Of the Nature of Concupiscence CHristian Religion may truly boast that all her Maxims are Paradoxes which agreeing with truth give against humane reason for she proposeth nothing which is not as strange as true and which causeth not as much astonishment as light in the soul he who would prove this truth must make an Induction of all our Mysteries and represent all the wonders which she comprehends but without straying from my subject it will suffice to say that Originall sin is one of her strangest Paradoxes and that if much of reason be required to prove it no less of faith is requisite to believe it for what more prodigious is there then that the sin of one man should be the sin of all men that a Fathers Rebellion should ingage all his Children in disobedience that his malody should be Contagious that he should be the murtherer of all men before he be their Father and that unfortunately he be the cause of their death many ages before they be born Thus is this misfortune more generall then the deluge which drowned the world more universall then the fire which shall consume it and War and Pestilence which doth so easily enlarge themselves are not so Contagious Evills as is this sin If it be wonderfull by reason of it's Effusion it is no less miraculous through it's other qualities for we are taught by Divinity that it is voluntary in the Father and naturall in the Children that that which was only a fault in Adam is both a sin and a punishment in those that descend from him that we contract by birth what he willingly committed and that that which was free in it's beginning should become necessary in the progress thereof He might have kept from disobedience And we can neither shun the punishment nor the fault we are surprized by this misfortune in our Conception we are slaves before we have the use of Liberty and we have already offended God before we knew him we are rather the objects of his anger then of his mercy but that which is more deplorable we are so corrupted from the moment of our Birth as that we oppose our selves to his will If he favour us in our Baptisme the first use we make of Reason is for the most part engaged in Errour we follow the Inclinations of our first father and his sin makes such powerfull Impressions upon our souls as we sin in our first thoughts we for the most part make use of our liberty only to estrange our selves from God we have a secret opposition to his ordinance we are so inclosed within our selves as we can love nothing but for our own interests which is the Rule of our actions and we neither love nor desire any thing save what is either usefull or pleasing to us Such is the corruption of our nature as there is almost nothing in it which is not repugnant to the laws of God It is so misled by sin as all the Inclinations thereof are perverted In this unfortunate Condition man can neither know nor doe good he is inslaved not having so much as the desire of Liberty though he groan under the weight of his Irons he is affraid of being freed from them and though his Imprisonment be painfull yet is not he weary thereof he delights in doing evill and findes difficulty to do what is good the great inclination he hath to sin doth not excuse his offence And he ceaseth not to be guilty though he cannot shun sin in generall to fill up the measure of so many Evils he is blind and insensible he sees not the Evils that environ and threaten him he is full of wounds and hath no feeling of them believing himself to be whole he seeks not for help through proud blindness he despiseth the Physician that would restore him to health Every man that comes into this world is in this miserable q condition and we are guilty of all these Crimes And charged with all these punishments before we be regenerated in Baptisme after this Sacrament we become Innocent but cease not to be miserable sin forsakes us but punishment waits upon us and though we be no more guilty we are notwithstanding out of order our Fathers sin forgoes us but Concupiscence remains This monster is not much lesse savage then is the Cause which produced it It follows the Inclinations thereof and if it be not altogether so wicked it is at least full out as irregular it is much more opinionated then the father that begot it our life is to short to cut it off it 's an enemy not to be overcome wounds give it new life it gathers strength by skars and it must cost us our life to be the death thereof Our first Divines which were the Apostles have given it the very name of sin and as if t were more fatall then it's Father they term it the strength and law thereof it is not content to perswade us to the Crime but endeavours to enforce us thereunto it mingles force with perswasion and when it thinks the way by solicitation to be to mild it hath Recourse to violence and Tyranny it grows the more furious by opposition it 's stomack is set on edge by Inhibition it never becomes more insolent then when Laws are prescribed unto it To Expresse the Nature thereof to the life we must represent a Tyrant who being born of sin will enlarge his Fathers Empire make al mankind his slaves it establisheth it's throne in our souls darkens our understanding infuseth wickednesse into our wils and fils our memories with the remembrance of all unjust acts It abuseth all
rather from Infirmity then malice if her subjects forget their duty they are never the first Authors of disorder the tongues diligence in expressing her thoughts exceedeth belief the eyes makes prodigious hast to bring her news and the ears as lazie as they are are wonderfully faithfull in informing her of what they understand the hands invent a thousand means to content her the five branches whereof they are Composed are the mothers of all Arts and they are so affectionate to their Sovereign as she hath no sooner design'd any thing but these industrious officers do forth-with faithfully execute it Nature would be jealous of their labours did she not know that their Power is boūded and that for all they can do to imitate her they can neither give life nor motion to their workmanship in fine the soul which governs them so dexterously and which seems to foregoe all the other parts of the body to inanimate them loseth half her Power when she hath no hands and this high and mighty Sovereign seems to execute her greatest designs by the means of these faithfull confederates As she is absolute in her servitude she is immortall in her grave and all the atteints which sicknesse gives her cannot trouble her rest if she apprehend Pain t is because the body that she inanimates resents it if she fear death t is because it destroys her Mansion and if she seem to be moved or affraid t is because she loves the slave that would foregoe her the knowledge she hath of her own Immortality makes her rest quiet she takes delight in entertaining her self with thought of the life which must succeed this life she sees far into ages that are to come she ordains things which must not be accomplished till after her departure she is very jealous of her honour and knowing very well that death which will destroy her body shall not ruine her she endeavours to do Actions for which she shall suffer no reproach in the other world her cares which extend themselves beyond the precincts of time are proofs of her Immortality and the Paision she hath for Glory witnesseth that she is not ignorant of the happinesse which is prepared for her in Heaven when the moment wherein she is to make her entrance thereinto approacheth and that she is ready to be divorced from her body she operates with a new strength she sees things with more light all her words are Oracles it seems that freeing her self from Materia she becomes a pure spirit and that having no further Commerce with men she treats invisibly with Angels her last endevours are usually the greatest she gathers strength out of her bodies weaknesse and death destroys her Prison only to set her at liberty she beginsto tast the sweet of Heaven and she looks upon parting from the earth as upon the end of her servitude I should be too tedious if I would perticularize in all the souls advantages the rest of this discourse must be imployed in shewing what out rages she receiveth from sin for as soon as she took up her lodging she became slave to the body she lost her Power when she lost her Innocence when she ceased to obey she ceased to command and as if obedience had been the foundation of all her greatnesse rebellion was the cause of her miseries of all the cognizances whichwere together with Grace infused into her none remain'd in her but doubts and jealousies which makes her as oft embrace fals-hood as truth though she know God she adores the workmanship of his hands her enlightnings detein her not from engaging her self in errour and the great Inclination which she hath for the Summum Bonum doth not estrange her from the love of perishable things she is the Image of God and ceaseth to resemble him she expresseth his greatnesse and doth no longer imitate his vertues she conserves the Trinity of her power in the unity of her essence yet cannot conceive one God in three Persons she makes and Idol unto her self of every Creature all that pleaseth her seem Gods unto her her Interest is the soul of her Religion her love ariseth from fear she adores whatsoever she fears and unlesse the God which she serveth had thunders wherewithall to punish her she would have no victimes to load his Altars withall Her Punishment is the Picture of her offence she meets with rebellion in her slave the conspiracy of all the parts of her body is generall her senses do seduce her Her Passions do torment her her Imagination troubles her and her subjects do despise her she sees her self obliged to encourage their disorders to give life to Rebels which justle her Authority to nourish up monsters which rend her in peices and to arme souldiers which plunder her estate but nothing ads more unto her Pain then the love which she bears her enemy for though he prosecute her she cannot resolve to hate him dares not make War against him without assistance from heaven this Traitor is so full of cunning as he makes himself be beloved by her whom he abuseth she is sensible of all the evils that he endures and as if her pain arose from her love she never ceased to suffer since she began to love him she apprehends her slaves miseries more then her own she fears death more then sin she is more affraid of ruine then of falshood and as if this inclination had changed her Nature she desires no other good nor dreads no other evill then what is sensible Musick charms her discontents Pictures serve her for a diversion she is pleased with smels and the greatest part of her delights consists in what contents her senses by a sequell as shamefull as necessary she is burnt by Feavers pained by the Gout weakened by sicknesse and whatsoever hurteth her body abaseth her courage After the Injuries which she hath received from this domestick enemy It is hard to judge which of the two hath juster cause of complaint for each of them seem to be equally guilty and that the one and the other of them are the mutuall cause of their displeafures In Adam sin arose from the soul but in his Children it draws it's birth from the flesh and in the most part of their errours t is the senses which seduce them Pleasures which corrupt them sorrows which keep them love and passions which tyrannize over them Thus our misfortunes drive equally from these two and if the soul made our first father guilty It is the body which makes his Children unfortunate yet must we avow that the soul is the greater Delinquent in us as well as in him for if she have no freedom to defend her self against Originall sin and if necessity may excuse a misfortune which is not voluntary she is more guilty then the body because she commits so many faults with delight stays not for being solicitated by the senses and that by a blind Impetuosity
to believe that she was yet spirituall This violent though irregular love was occasionally the cause of good and served the soul to free her from the body for Divine Justice which oft times makes us find our Punishment in our faults condemned the soul to forego the body as soon as she began to love it in excesse the same sin which did unite them did by death divide them their Chains grew weaker as their affection strengthened and when the soul had most passions to retein her body she was forced to forsake it for when Originall righteousnesse was retreated the Elements began to mutiny Naturall heat usurped upon the radicall moisture and all these contraries which lived in Peace declared open War Nature was enforced to call in industry to her succour and tooke advice with Physick to appease all her domestick divisions but she knew by experience that losing grace she had lost all remedies and that death was an incurable evill Thus did mans life become a long sicknesse in the which he was for some years preserved by food which could not notwithstanding keepe him from dying his soul was fain to employ her care to defend her self from death and she who by an irregular love was become Corporall by a just punishment became mortall for though the soul be immortall in her substance and that she continues this advantage even in her very sin yet is she punisht in her bodies death she is so well pleased with her Prison as she loves the lothsomness thereof and she is so accustomed to serve as she abhors the very name of Liberty she trembles when one speaks to her of death she makes her fear appear upon the body which she in-animates she weeps through the eyes thereof looks pale in it's visage sighs by it's mouth and in this mutuall suspiration a man cannot tell whether it be the souâ— that is afflicted or the body that complaineth The evill hath it's beginning in the body but passeth into the soul it is the body that perisheth but t is the soul that suffereth the body which is corrupt but the soul which despairs in fine it is upon the body that death exerciseth his cruelty but it is the soul that is pierced through with sorrow This is the bodies death the souls punishment and two guilty parties are punished with one and the same scourge But this bodily death is the effect of a spirituall death which is peculiar to the soul and which though it be invisible ceaseth not to be veritable this death is nothing else but the privation of Originall righteousnesse which commits more outrages upon the soul then natural death doth upon the body for man by losing grace lost all the advantages whereof Grace was the cause he ceased to be upon good Terms with God and began to be upon bad with himself all his Inclinations were changed all his enlightenings darkened and all his faculties out of order he could not conceive how being still himself in appearance he was no longer effectually so and that the fault which had drawn down Gods just anger upon his head had bereft him of all those glorious Qualities which he possessed with Innocency he sought himself out and could not find himself he was ashamed of his bodies nakedness and affraid of his souls misery he could not indure himself when he yet loved himself better by a strange miracle self caused hatred and the same sin which made him proud loaded him with confusion He was sensible of all evils at once and passed in a moment from supreame happinesse to extreame misery we are not sensible of sin because it is born with us we are not touched with the disorders thereof because it fore-runs our reasons Nature and sin are mutually confused in us and nothing doth so much comfort us in our misfortunes as that we have been always unfortunate If we have recourse to Grace in Baptisme t is of so nice a Nature as it is undiscernable and as we continue to find illusions in our senses and revolts in our Passions we have much ado to believe that Grace should reign there where sin doth yet live when by a voluntary offence we lose it we were hardly sorry for the losse of a thing the Possession whereof we are hardly sensible of we must become convinced by reasons before we be perswaded to believe that we are unfortunate preserving in our offence whatsoever we value most in our Innocence we cannot believe that we are faulty for a Phylosopher becomes not ignorant though he lose Grace a Prince though faâ—ulty descends not from his Throne the avaricious rich man augments his Revenue by continuing his usury a proud man loseth not his greatnesse though he lose humility nor doth a fair woman lose her beauty though she stain her honour Our sins bereave us not of our advantages and finding no change neither in fortune nor body we cannot believe that any such hath befaln us in our soul if the same sin whereby we lost Grace had taken from us our health we should strive more to preserve our Innocence and did Crimes cause the same disorder in our conditions as it doth in our souls we should oft times set Phylosophers ignorant Kings without subjects rich men ruined proud men abased and fair women become ill-fauoured but all the losse being spirituall it is insensible and because it leaves us whatever is most precious to us we doubt whether it be true or no. The Pledges of Heaven which Grace giveth unto us the quality of the Children ofâ— God which she obteins for us the dignity of the Temples of the Holy Ghost which she procures us and the honours of being the Members of Jesus Christ which she acquires in our behalf are the advantages which we possesse without being sensible thereof and which we lose without sorrowing Faith is requisite to the knowledge of our souls health and of our losse and unlesse we carefully enquire into our conscience hardly can we know whether we be guilty or innocent but Adam had all miseries poured down at once upon him his losse was not by degrees as ours is it was great at the first and if any advantages remain'd to him after his losse of favour he needed new Grace to make good use thereof he was sadly sensible of the privation because it was generall he was so much the more unfortunate for that his misery succeeded a height of happiness and he had so much the less reason of Comfort for that the fault which bereft him of righteousnes took therewithall from him all that he was thereby indow'd withall his soul found no longer any submission in her body no more faithfullnesse in her senses nor obedience in her Passions she was forced to encourage all their disorders and to give life to Rebels or such as were guilty she felt her self distracted by her own Inclinations and not comprehend how being but one in her Essence she
was divided in her will But nothing did so much astonish her as to see that Rebellion was spread abroad throughout her whole Empire and that all her subjects were become Rebels for her Passions which formerly followed her orders now did nothing but by their own motions they waited no longer for Commands from reason and consulting with nothing but their own Interests began to rise as oft as they were solicited either by Pleasure or Profit so to do if her senses were not disobedient they were unfaithfull and being corrupted by objects made her no more true reports Falshood entred into her by the eyes or by the ears under the likenesse of Truth vice did insinuate it self into them with more delight then vertue and these wicked Spies holding Intelligence with the enemy tooke Pleasure when once they had suffered themselves to be corrupted to abuse their Sovereign In fine the revolt was so generall as it passed even into all the parts of the body the operations whereof being necessary it seemed they could not be irregular Naturall Heat did no longer perform all it's Functions and were it either that it had lost it's strength or that it found any resistance in Food it could not perfectly digest nourishment and crudities were occasioned thereby which furnished matter for sicknesses Old age which was a consequence of this disorder tooke from her the use of her Members and the soul was never more troubled then when she found that an humour falling upon the Nerues hindred their motion and caused Pain in them Man abhorred himself he saw wrinckles in his face and he thought his death was not far off when he saw his hair grow gray that his eyes lost their lustre that his ears distinguisht no more of sounds and that his legs grown weak could no longer sustain him To all these evils that the soul of our first Father suffered after having sinned our disorders have added some more direfull for the soul seems only to be fastened to her body that she may undergo a thousand Punishments Death presents himself before her in a thousand dreadfull shapes every sicknesse is a Torment every part of the body is a place where Pain may assail her the remedies which she seeks for to cure her are new pains and the very vertues which she cals in to her ayd are so austeer as they oft times send her back to despair sometimes she changeth her disease into a remedy by an extravagancy which Nature teacheth her she makes use of the rigour of death against the miseries of life Though this blind Fury be always unjust and that it be not lawfull for any how unhappy soever to hasten the hour of his death yet it is a good proof of the misery of sinfull man and an excellent argument to prove that the soul is very unhappy since she finds no more wretched Place of abode then her body and that she resolveth to lose life that she may recover her liberty The third Discourse Of the weaknesses which humane understanding hath contracted by Sin IF the understanding be not the Noblest of all the faculties of the soul it is at least the most illustrious it is the Sun of our soul which conveys light into the will which guides this blind Queen which dictates her decrees unto her which pronounceth them for her and which serves her for an Interpreter when she will expresse her intentions t is this which seeketh out truth and finds it which vaunts it self to be to be the Father of Sciences and which solicited by admiration discovers the causes the effects whereof she hath observed It is this which conceiveth the perfections of each Creature and which without losing it self from the soul hath the vertue of attracting objects and of transforming them into it's self that it may know them it makes the Sun descend from the Skie without Magick it makes mettle rise from the bottom of Abisses without violence and dissects whole Nature without the effusion of bloud It is this Noble faculty likewise which appears first in man which entertains Company and takes the heart and which makes it self be admired even by those that do condemne it but though it retein so many advantages as makes it be generally esteemed of yet hath it it's defects and a man may easily judge by the weaknesse thereof that as it had a great share in the sin of man it had the like in his punishment for to convince mans understanding and oblige him to condemne himself making him his own Judge you need but set Nature and Religion before him and let him see the shamefull spots he hath contracted by sin in these two faithfull looking-glasses Since it's Rebellion it is become slave unto the senses and cannot discover truth but by their Inter medium it is inwardly possest with ignorance it 's cruellest enemy is it's first hostesse it carryes it's butcher in it's bosome and though nothing be contrary unto it then errour yet nothing is more natural it hath much ado to rid it's hand thereof and knowledge which promiseth to free it of Errour is not got without much labour it's roses are mingled with thorns Curiosity is a Punishment and it is disputable whether sciences be not more troublesome then the evils whereof they cure us Colledges are shamefull Prisons the Masters thereof are unsufferable Tyrants and the Scholers unfortunates innocents to learn Sciences we lose content and liberty and our understanding is so out of the way as it must be made to endure a great deal of evill before any good be done unto it whatsoever cunning is used to make arts pleasing unto us they always cost us tears and that we may see ignorance is naturall unto us since we are become guilty t is hardly driven away but returns with ease But the rigour of our Punishment is the more augmented in that the understanding is enjoyned to employ unfaithfull Officers to be instructed by ignorant Masters and to be led by blind guides In the state of Innocence truth was written by the hand of Nature in the bottom of our soule knowledge was thereinto infused and was not seduced by the senses the soul learnt nothing of them which shee knew not before of her self she was wise without trouble or errour and if she made triall of her eyes or eares 't was rather for recreation then necessity but now Ignorance reigns in our understanding and to overcome this Monster we must make use of our senses which hold intelligence with it What Victory can a Prince hope for who employs Rebels to defend his State or to fight against his enemies and what good success can mans understanding hope for which is necessitated to be instructed by Masters which are as ignorant as its self the senses perceive but the appearances of things their substances are unknown unto them their operations are uncertain and they stand in need of Air or Light to be inform'd
ridiculous Pagan did one might read in the forehead the hearts most secret thoughts If Physiognomie be a Science she hath no certainty but what she draws from the connexion which nature hath placed between the soule and the body all her observations are grounded upon the noblest part of the body if all be true that is said of her as soon as she sees the face she knows the humour and without or Charmes or Magick she knows their intentions whose Lineaments she observes Though I dare not acknowledge all this and that I have much a do to believe that a Physiognomist can discover the designes of a wise Minister of State by looking him in the face and that without racking a malefactour he may read his fault in his eyes it sufficeth me to know that this Science is grounded upon the commerce between the soule and the body and that she draws her conjectures from the straight union that is between them As the Soule doth not forme any designe wherein the body is not a complice so doth she taste no contentment wherein the body doth not share a part if she enjoy the beauties of nature 't is by the Senses if she see the Azure of the Skie the light of the stars if she discover the extent of Fields the fertility of vallies if she hear the fall of Rivers the musick of Birds if she judge of the Glosse or Sent of Lillies or Roses 't is by the benefit either of the sight hearing or smelling It seems the world was made for the bodies diversion and that all those pleasing parts which go to the composure thereof have onely been made to delight the senses the Sun is of no use to the glorified Spirits and all the brightnesse of that goodly Constellation cannot light the Angels those noble Intelligences have a spirituall world wherewith they are possest and ravisht they finde their happinesse in God and all that we wonder at in the world affords them no delight Materia is requisite to tasting the pleasures of sensible nature such contentments presuppose a low condition and it is common with Beasts to partake of such diversions 'T is notwithstanding one of the bodies least advantages that the world should be made for it's use and that this chiefe piece of Gods workmanship is destined either for it's service or it's delight Jesus Christ followed his Fathers steps and when he came upon earth he would have the body to be the object of his mercy and of his power though he laboured for the conversion of sinners his greatest miracles were wrought for the healing of the sick and the body being mans weakest part he thought he was to treat it with most mildnesse and to furnish it with as many remedies as sin hath procured it maladies Somtimes he clensed it of the leprosie and restored to it 's former purity somtimes he freed it from blindnesse and restored unto it the noblest of it's senses somtimes cured it of the Palsey and restored it to the use of it's Members somtimes he withdrew it from the Grave and re-united it to it's soule contrary to the hope of nature somtimes he freed it from the Tyranny of Devils and re-establisht it in it's former freedoms Neither did he neglect it in the institution of the Sacraments for though they were chiefly ordained for the soules sanctification and that these admirable Channels poure grace into the soule yet are they applied upon the body before they produce their effects in the will and they respect joyntly the two parts which go to mans composure The body is washt in water to the end that the soule may be purified the body is marked with the Figure of the Crosse to the end that the soule may be fortified the body receives the unction to the end that the soule may be consecrated the body receives the imposition of hands to the end that the soule may receive Grace and the body eates the flesh and bloud of Christ Jesus to the end that the soule may be thereby nourished Thus doth not religion destroy nature and in her highest mysteries the provides for the soules safety by means of the body This maxime is so true as that all Divinity confesseth that the soule can no longer merit when she is once parted from the body whil'st they are together in company their grace may be augmented and whatsoever vertues they have acquired they may yet acquire more but when once death hath divided them and that the body losing 't's lustre is reduced either to ashes or to wormes the soule can no longer increase her merit and in that condition she is onely capable of punishment or of reward Having so many obligations to her body she cannot forget them nay even in the state of Glory where all her designes ought to be satisfied she wisheth to be re-united to her body as that wherein her intire felicity consisteth For though she reign with Angels that she behold the divine Essence and that she enjoy a happinesse to which even wishes cannot adde yet hath hath she a passion for her body and all the good she doth possesse cannot take from her the desire nor memory thereof though she hath made triall of it's revolts though this friendly enemy hath oft-times persecuted her and that she hath desired death to be freed from the Tyranny thereof yet doth she languish after it and contrary to their humour who have recovered liberty yet she longs for that which did engage her in servitude Though the body be reduced to dust though it cause pity in it's Enemies and though it cause horrour in those to whom it was so lovely she forbeares not to desire it and to expect the resurrection with Impatience that her body may partake of the blisse which she enjoyes And 't is not without much justice that she beares so much love to her body since she owes the greatest part of her advantages unto it and that she hath hardly any vertue or light which she hath not acquired by the assistance of the senses The soule is ignorant when first infused into the body the knowledge which the Platonists attribute unto her is but a meer capacity of apprehending If she will be intrusted she must be advised either by her eyes or by her eares she must consult with these Masters if she will free her selfe from ignorance How noble soever she be by birth she hath but weak conjectures of truth if these faithfull officers should faile her and should she be ingaged in a body which should have no use of senses she would be plunged in eternall darknesse Sight and hearing are the Organs destined to knowledge and he who is borne deafe and blinde is destined to live and die ignorant As the soule receives these advantages by the body so doth she distribute them by the bodies assistance and doth not expresse her thoughts but by the mouth of her Interpreter she gives with the tongue
have no occasion to complain of the shortnesse of our life and though it be composed but of moments we shall finde that if well employd 't will suffice to purchase eternity The eighth Discourse That death is the punishment of sin OF all the pains which sin hath procured us death is the most cruell and the most common all others have their remedies and self-love teacheth us how to shun them we by our industry and labour overcome the earths sterility We fence our selves from the shame of our nakednesse by the means of our clothes we save our selves from the injury of the aire and unseasonablenesse of weather by the commodiousnesse of buildings physick furnisheth us with remedies against sicknesse and reformeth our temper by the government which it prescribes us Arts are invented onely to free us from the miseries of life and the greatest part of Artificers labour onely to fence men from the punishment of sin But death is a punishment as rigorous as inevitable humane wit hath not yet been able to free man from it All her care cannot make a man live a hundred years our first fathers lived longer and the heavens which would people the earth by their means prolonged their life to allow them leisure for it but they died after some hundred years and the oldest amongst them could not attain to a thousand years The rigour of this punishment doth equall it's necessity for death is deafe to pitty tears cannot appease it and whatsoever causeth either respect or pitty in us cannot stay the fury thereof It enters Princes Palaces as well as shepheards cottages it knaps in two the Scepters of Kings with as much insolency as the shepherds crook it keeps no other law than what is prescribed unto it by divine Justice it siezeth on the son before the father the daughter before the mother sets upon Infants in the cradle or Monarchs in their Thrones and on Judges on their Tribunalls There is no sanctuary against it's fury and those who can pardon the condemned cannot obtain the like favour from death There are many prodigies in the world whereat we wonder and there is nothing so strange whereof there hath not been some example which facilitates our beliefe there be some whole intire Provinces where the Inhabitants liâ—e so happily as that they are never troubled with sicknesse there are some so auspicious Climates as that in them the plague doth never mow down men where the ground is not made sterill through â—amine and whereas thunder never falls upon the guilty head France cannot nourish Monsters nor are her houses at any time shaken with earthquakes Some men are seen to grow old yet not grow gray and women who preserve their comelinesse in their age and lose it not but with losse of life Italy hath mountains whose entrailes are full of fire and their heads covered with snow as if nature took delight in according these two contraries and by ending their differences to make her power appear But how fantasticall soever this mother hath pleased to shew her selfe what ever diversity she hath put in her workmanships to delight us and what ever miracles she hath wrought to astonish us she could never free man from death The devill who promised us immortallity to engage us in disobedience could not make good his word and the law which bindes us to die is too generall to admit of any dispensation or exception When God himselfe became man he became mortall and taking our nature upon him he would not exempt himselfe from death All Gods friends have born this punishment the justest have oft-times lived the shortest life and death to astonish others hath made examples of them if some have been rapt up to Paradise that favour did not bereave death of his rights for after having lived a long time with Angels they shall descend on earth again to die there with men This rigour would be pleasing were it not accompanied with circumstances which make it unsupportable but death assumes fearfull shapes to affrighten us he is not content to part our soules from our bodies to break in two the chains which did unite them and to destroy Gods chiefest workmanship but to satisfie his cruelty tire our patience he assumes a thousand frightfull shapes and leaves marks of his fury in the persons of the dead which terrifie the living He appears hideous even in the beautifullest visage that ever was he shrinks up the nerves hollows the eyes defaceth the complexion alters the lineaments and turns a miraculous beauty into a dreadfull Monster Somtimes he burnes the bowels by the scorching heat of a fever somtimes swels up the body by a long continued dropsie somtimes he makes an anatomy or skeleton thereof by an irksome consumption somtimes forms strange characters in the lungs or brain somtimes he covers the face over with an ulcer and changes the Throne of beauty into the Seat of deformity Violent deaths are yet more uncoucht than such as are naturall they are not to be beheld without terrour and those who have courage enough to tolerate the gout or stone have not constancy enough to endure the torture of fire or rack 't is therefore that it is said that our father Adam knew not the heinousnesse of his sin till he saw the picture of death in Abels face the losse of grace Gods anger the Angels indignation his banishment from Paradise the creatures revolt the alteration of seasons warring of Elements nor yet the insurrection of the body against the soule were not sufficient to make known unto him the exorbitancy of his sin nor the injustice of his disobedience but when he saw his son want motion his eyes want light when he heard no words proceed from his mouth saw no colour in his face nor felt no motion of his heart he thought his sin was very great since it deserved so sore a punishment To say truth death is the image of sin this father makes himselfe seen in his daughter his uglinesse is seen in his production and there needs no more to acknowledge the misery of a sinner than to consider the aspect of a dead man Those pale lips those sunk eyes those hollowed cheeks and that corruption which always accompanies stench is the shadow of a soule which mortall sin hath bereaved of innocency and grace All teacheth us that we are criminall and that the evills which we endure are as well the portraitures of our punishments as of our offences The rebellion which we meet withall in the Elements and creatures is the punishment of our disobedience the irregularity of the seasons is a signe of the disorder of our passions the blinding of our eyes proves the like in our understanding and the sicknesses which our bodies suffer under are the effects of our souls infirmity but of all the punishments wherewith we are afflicted death is the onely true copy of sin and in this copy it is that we
must observe the horrour of the originall To discover all his rigours we must examine the terme of our sentence we must consider what punishments he condemned us unto and observe with how many evills he threatens us The first is to die the same day that we have sinned and to bear the punishment as soon as we have committed the offence Few are aware of this punishment and though it be severe enough we suffer it without being sensible of it or complaining we perswade our selves that life and death cannot agree in our punishment and that God himself is not powerfull enough to make two so contrary things serve his justice but notwithstanding 't is true that we die as soon as we are born that death assailes us as soon as we are surprized by sin and that we bear Adams punishment as soon as we contract his offence For death holds so good intelligence with life as these do equally part our years we perish for our preservation as soon as we enter into our boyes estate we forgoe infancy we divide every houre of the day between death and life and we neither conceive the heinousnesse of our fault nor the greatnesse of our punishment if we think that that death which puts an end unto our life is our onely one because it is our last We die every moment we lose the years which we number and part of our being glides away with them we are but halfe our selves all of us that is past is deaths purchase and the youth which hath left us is a losse which we cannot repaire That complexion the freshnesse whereof was more lively than that of the rose that whitenesse which sham'd the lilly that lustre which sparckled in the eyes that Majesty which appear'd upon the forehead those pearles which shewed themselves within the currall of the lips and all those ornaments which nature had united in a handsome face to make thereof her chiefest workmanship do they not serve for a prey to death and who hath no longer these advantages are they not obliged to confesse that they have lost the best part of themselves the destinies end their work in silence death gives blows which hurt not he mingles himselfe so pleasingly with life as that he is received insensibly and under hope of living men take a kinde of pleasure in dying The second punishment which our decree bringeth is that in not expressing what kind of death we shall die we are obliged to fear all sorts of death There is nothing more certain than this punishment neither is there any thing more secret Every one knows he must die every day affords us proofs and examples of it our friends and enemies confirme this truth no man is so ignorant or vain-glorious as to doubt it the sepulchres of Kings are faithfull witnesses thereof and those heads for which the lives of a whole Nation are exposed make us see that death spares no body but the manner thereof is as unknown as the hour is uncertain The stars do not shew the particulars thereof and unlesse the heavens reveale it the devill cannot foretell it to those that serve him our decree pitcheth not upon any one that we may stand in fear of all and after the example of Princes which have ended their lives by deaths from which their qualities ought to have warranted them we may justly apprehend all It may be 't will be naturall it may be violent it may be 't will sieze on us in war it may be in peace it may be 't will be short and cruell it may be lesse cruell but languishing the Judge which hath condemned us hath not been pleased to expresse himselfe therein to the end that the fear of death might be a severer punishment unto us then death it selfe it may suffice us to know that he is incensed and that we may justly expect from his just anger whatsoever death our sin deserves The truth is we can suffer but one the weaknesse of our constitution doth not permit both the waters to drown us the fire to burn us and the wilde beasts to devoure us but the darknesse of our decree obligeth us to fear all these punishments and there is no Monarch whose greatnesse can exempt him from so just a fear the plague hath not so spared our most pious Kings and the valiantest among them hath been murthered amidst the triumph which he prepared for his dearest wife A clap of thunder bruiseth the pride of crowned heads poison is mingled in their drink and violent death doth but too oft befall Sovereigns Who ought then to stand in fear when he shall read a decree which threatens every guilty person with a hundred thousand deaths and who ought not to dread a Judge who conceals the condition of our punishment only to make us reverence his power and have recourse unto his clemency The third punishment is not lesse severe then are the rest for though we know not what sort of death we shall die yet we know we shall be reduced to ashes and that divine Justice following us even into the grave will war upon us after death it treateth us like those notorious Malefactours who finde not the end of their punishment in the end of their lives they are degraded to make them lose their honour their children are prosecuted to make them lose their posterity their bodies are burned that their ashes may be scattered in the winde their houses are beaten down to ruinate their workmanship and nothing is left in any part that did belong unto them but characters of their faults and of their Princes anger Thus doth our supream Judge deal with guilty man he drives him out of the terrestiall paradise and banisheth him into the world he threatens the place of his exile to be totally consumed with fire for having received this guilty person he confiscates all his goods takes from him all the honourable marks of his greatnesse and reduceth him to the condition of beasts who did pretend to the glory of Angels he makes all his subjects despise his authority he makes his slaves either Rebels or Tyrants and after so many punishments he shortens his shamefull life by some tragicall end But all these punishments leaving yet some remainder of the guilty person they pursue him into his sepulchre he commands the worms to devoure him and what escapes their fury he reduceth into dust you shall see dreadfull marks of the execution of this decree in the stateliest monuments of our Kings descend into the most magnificent Maâ—soleums you will finde nothing there but ashes the earth covers the pride of Conquerours and of all these Monarches greatnesse wherewith their subjects in their life were astonished there remaines nothing after death but a little dust A man must be a Saint to be exempt from this punishment God affords not this favour save to those that serve him unworthily he preserves their bodies in the sepulchre
he guards their precious relicks in the bosome of the earth the waters cannot corrupt them nor the flames devour them being innocent he will not deal with them as guilty death spares their body after having separated it from their soul they seem to rest in their graves to repose themselves after their labour and to expect with joy that dreadfull day which all the guilty do apprehend Death then is the punishment of our sin it is the workmanship thereof we have procured it unto our selves by our disobedience God hath ordeined it by his justice and Jesus Christ who draws good out of our evil hath made a sacrifice of it for our salvation The ninth Discourse What advantages we may draw from death by the means of Grace THough death be the first production of sin and that the malice and deformed lothsomnesse of the Father appear in Sons visage some Philosophers have gone about to make apologies for death and after having made use of their reason in the defence thereof they have imployed their cunning in praising it Being ignorant of the first mans fault they would have death to be a law and not a punishment they have excused his rigour by his necessity and have gone about to perswade us that he was pleasing because necessary All things in nature perish this mother hath brought forth nothing which she hath not sentenced to die nothing is immortall and few things durable fountains grow dry and their spring-heads are either lost orstrayed out of the channel the mountaines give way to the violence of floods the sea advances and wins upon the earth whole isles have sunke into the earth we see lakes now where our Ancestours have seen Towns and husbandmen plough up fields where Pilots have steerd their ships The Change which preserves Nature is a kinde of death nature subsists onely by alteration were it not for change she would utterly perish kingdomes which apprehend nothing like vicissitude cannot shun it as oft as they lose their Princes they hazard the losse of their liberty they grow jealous of all their neighbours and ambition is so perfidious as their allyes may become their enemies all those great Colossuses which past for miracles in their age their subsistance depends now only upon paper Time hath made them know that all the workmanship of man is perishable and that frail hands can build nothing which is eternall In fine the world it self is not exempt from death the deluge wherewith it was drown'd and the fire wherewith it shall be consumed teach us that it may perish the Stars which never are at a stay are threatned one day to lose their influences and their light the same hand which hath seated them in the firmament will one day pull them from thence and though Aristotle imagines the heavens to be incorruptible Jesus Christ assures us that they shall perish together with the world Wherefore then do we complain of death since he spares not the Stars and wherefore do we wish that our houses may never have an end since the world cannot escape the fall which threatens it Death is not so cruell as men imagine the fear which we have thereof is rather an effect of opinion then of Nature if we were lesse wise we should be more couragious we augment our evil by thinking too oft of it the weapons wherewith we indeavour to withstand this enemy serve only to make him the more redoubted a Philosopher apprehends him more then doth an ignorant person and all the constancie of the stoicks cannot equall the stupidity of a country clown These silly people are easily comforted they look after no priviledges which their Ancestours have not enjoyed they prepare for death when they see their friends die and having no plots which may fasten them to the world they are not troubled to be interrupted therein by their death All men seem to conspire to be cause of astonishment to themselves and that it fares with them as in the route of an Army where those that ran away cause fear in those that fight Every particular man frames unto himself an Idea of death and he who can make it appear the most hideous passeth for the ablest man Sciences which ought to incourage us do intimidate us and there is not any one who doth not adde somwhat to the image of this Monster to increase his uglinesse and our apprehension Painters represent him as a ghastly skeleton bearing a coffin upon his shoulders and a sithe in his hands to mow down the whole earth Poets whose fictions are more pleasing then those of painters do give him arrowes each of which being shot doth wound a heart physicians decipher him as the enemy of nature and to no end seek for remedies against his wounds Philosophers who boast that they know him that they may withstand him do astonish their disciples by the number of their reasons and perswade them that the Monster which they assail is very terrible since so many preparations are required to overcome him Yet experience teacheth us that he takes upon himselfe pleasing formes to reclaim us that he glides so pleasingly into the heart as those whom he wounds feele him not he set upon Plato sleeping and it was hard to discern sleep from death in this Philosopher one of the Crassuses died laughing and the Romans ceased to fear death seeing it so amiable upon his face Chilon was choked with joy his sons victory was as fatall to him as to the enemies of the State and whil'st men sought for Laurell to crown the Conquerour others sought for Capres to put upon his fathers head Clydemus died not lesse pleasingly since the praises which Greece gave him were the cause of his death and that he lost his life amidst his Triumph He also since the corruption of our nature makes up a part of our selves He is as well an effect of our temper as of a fever and as the agreement of the Elements makes us live their disagreement makes us die We carry the principles of death about us and from once that originall righteousnesse ceased to appease the differences between those parts whereof we are composed we began to die It is not necessary that the world disorder it selfe to bereave us of our lives though the seasons should not be put out of their pace we should not cease to perish And if death be to be feared we must resolve to fear life There are some people who apprehend any thing that happens of disorder in the world and who grow pale as often as they see rivers over-flow their banks as often as they hear thunder or see earth-quakes They think that every clap of thunder comes in pursuit of them and that the sea exceeds not her bounds but to drown them on the earth but the causes of our death are much lesse violent and more naturall For the earth should still stand stable under our feet though the
thunder should never roar over our heads and though the sea should never exceed her bounds the elements which we bear about us would notwithstanding condemne us to death Death is so a punishment as it is also a consequence of our constitution Whatsoever is composed of contrarieties can not subsist without miracle and when the contrary parties do no longer agree their division must be the ruine of what they compose Mans immortality in the state of innocency was not an effect of nature he lost this priviledge as soon as he lost his righteousnesse and experience taught him that nature without grace could not keep him from death He should then be unjust if he should complain of a mis-fortune which is in some sort naturall unto him and he might justly be accused of too much nicety if he should not patiently endure a punishment which he could not escape without a kind of Miracle But I dare adde that death is rather a favour than a punishment and that in the estate whereinto sin hath reduced man it is not so much a mark of justice as of mercy the evils which we undergo considered to live eternally would be eternall misery earth would become hell and the continuance of our torments would make us wish death which is not dreadfull save to those abused soules which think themselves happy The miserable desire it and as death to one who lives contentedly is a punishment so is life to him who lives discontentedly Cain desired to die had not the heavens prolonged his life to punish his parricide he had prevented Lamechs cruelty and after having been his brothers murtherer he would have been his own hangman Poets who cloke truths under fables have not without reason fained nature to have invented death to oblige her children for seeing that their offence had incensed heaven that their life became a misery that fortune intrencht upon their goods calumny upon their innocency and sicknesse upon their health that the fever burnt up their entrails by unsupportable heat that the gout stung their nerves and that they lived not but in fear and sorrow she broke the cords wherewith the soul was fastned to the body and ended their lives to shorten their miseries To leave fables to Infidels is it not a constant truth amongst Christians that life would be an eternall punishment did not death come in to the succour of old age to deliver us from it and that we should pray to go out of the world if we were condemned to live there after we had lost the use of our members by the palsey and were grown blinde and deaf Hell is onely more cruell than earth for that death is banisht thence if the pains of the damned could have an end they should losâ— the greatest part of their rigour and those miserable ones would finde some ease in their sufferings if after many ages they were assured to die nothing makes them despair but that eternity of their punishment and nothing doth so much comfort men as the shortnesse of their tortures Tyrants who unjustly endeavour to imitate God in justice complain that death freed their enemies from their indignation and that by assisting the miserable it hindred their designes for they very well knew that he knows not how to revenge himselfe of his enemy who puts him suddainly to death and that those who will taste the pleasure of revenge never condemne a guilty man to die till he be re-possessed of their favour In fine there are few who owe not thanks to death Those who fear him in prosperity invoke him in adversity those who shun him in opulency seek him out in poverty and those who list not to know his name in health call upon him in sicknesse He is the onely cure of the incurable the assured succour of the afflicted the desire and hope of the miserable and of as many as implore his succour there are none more obliged unto him than those whose miseries and desires he preveneth Though these thoughts may seem uncouth to those who love life they cease not to be approved of by Christianity and to passe for truth amongst the faithfull If death be rigorous because he is the punishment of sin he is pleasing because he is the childe of the Crosse he hath changed nature since he was consecrated in the Person of Jesus Christ he hath forgone those dreadfull names which caused terrour to assume those pleasing ones which bring consolation He is onely asleep which charms our disquiets a passage which leads us unto life a happy shipwrack which throws us into the haven an enemy which takes us out of prison a Tyrant which breaks our chains and a son of sin which furnisheth us with weapons wherewithall to fight with and to overcome his Father In the state of innocency death was a punishment wherewith divine Justice did threaten man in the state of sin it was a chastisement wherewith she did punish the faulty and in the state of grace 't is a sacrifice which she requires at our hands and whereby she is appeased Formerly to astonish man he was told if thou sinnest thou shalt die and now to fortifie him in persecution it is said unto him if thou dost not die thou shalt sin death which was a punishment is become a victime and the sinners chastisement is become the merit of the just The Son of God hath thus instructed us by his example when he would fight with sin he took up no other arms than death he thought the victory would be more honourable wherein he should employ the son against the father and where he should make use of the effect to destroy the cause this is that which the great Apostle teacheth us in these words where he saith that the Son of God hath overcome sin by sin and that in the punishment of our offence he hath found a remedy to cure us Fictitious Hercules vaunts himselfe amongst the Poets to have overcome Monsters by other Monsters to have made himselfe weapons by their spoils and to have ended his last labours by the help of what he had purchased in the former This fable of Hercules is become a truth in Jesus Christ and the Gospell obligeth us to acknowledge that in the death of God which falshood had found out in the life of man For he by dying hath satisfied his Father he hath destroyed sin by it's Son he hath saved the sinner by his punishment Religion bindes us to confesse that death is the rise of our happinesse that it is the Christians vow that without being miserable they rejoyce in being mottall and that they should want somewhat of their glory if since Jesus Christ did lose his life upon the Crosse they were to ascend to Heaven without dying they live with pain they die with pleasure and to describe a true Christian according to Tertullians language we must say that they are a sort of men
and the Antipodes would passe for a fable had not these faithfull guides brought our Pylots thither This good turn would be rare did not mans fury abuse it but we make them serve our avarice or our ambition by their means we seek out new dangers and new enemies we load our ships with souldiers to pillage strange countries we commit our life to the infidelity of the sea and the lightnesse of the wind we indevour to overcome tempests which astonish nature we run upon death without hope of a grave and we seek out a doubtfull war upon such conditions as would seem unjust to those who would undertake an assured victory what blind madnesse doth possesse us wherefore do we raise troops to carry them through rocks and tempests wherefore do we trouble the Seas quiet for our unjust designes are there not hazards enough on the earth but that we must seek for new ones in another Element whether do we complain of Fortunes favours or of natures goodnesse is the former too faithfull or the latter too indulgent are our bodies so strong or our health so certain that we must go seek for sicknesses and dangers amongst the waves do we desire to assaile the destinies in the midst of their Empire to declare war against them then where their power doth most evidently appear is not death terrible enough on Land but that we must provoke it on the Sea shall we not finde it soon enough in a house without seeking for it in a ship and is not our life short enough but that we must make it yet shorter by the accidents which are subject to those who saile upon the Ocean must not a man have lost his reason to expose himselfe voluntarily to dangers unnecessitated to fight with men without any cause and conquer Countries without justice wilde beasts war not one upon another untill enforced by hunger or provoked by injuries and we who take our name from humanity are profuse in shedding of humane bloud we come aboard frail vessels we trust our safety to the fury of Tempests and wish for fair windes to carry us into forreign Countries where we must either because of death or die our selves We think not any one part of the world a Theater large enough for our ambition Every one will have his madnesse manifest and that it have as many witnesses as it hath made men miserable Thus the King of Persia entered Greece which he could not overcome though he covered it all over with Souldiers Thus would Alexander passe over unknown seas carry his forces to the utmost parts of the earth and after he had overcome so many Kings vanquish Nature her selfe Thus did Crassus strive to enrich himselfe at the cost of the Parthians and would enter the large desarts which border upon their State he despised the Tribunes who opposed his voyage he laughed at the Tempests which shattered some of his ships the Thunders which fore-told his bad successe could not stay him and not withstanding that both God and man were offended with him he would go whether his avarice called him and seek out the death which destiny had prepared for him Had not Nature been more favourable unto us if she had caused the windes to cease and if to hinder the execution of so many unjust designs she had forced all Conquerours to keep peacefully within their own dominions should not we be much beholden to her if interdicting us to enter on the sea we should have nothing but our own misfortunes to fear and undergo and if the winds made us not dread those unknown waves which bring war servitude and death to the Countries whereon they coast we are not the more secure for the distance of places there is no enemy how far off so ever he be who may not surprize us as oft as the winds blow we have cause to fear lest they bring either enemies or Tyrants upon us The Tempests which they raise are the least evils which they threaten us withall Shipwracks which fear makes appear so terrible unto us are but the first tryals they expose us to those dangers when they carry us to war and the evill which wait for us on the shores whither they conduct us are more vexatious then those which assail us at full sea Thus are all things in the world armed against us Every Element is become an executioner since we are become male factours Nature is plentifull in punishments and all the pieces whereof she is composed are so many faithfull Ministers which serve God in taking revenge upon his rebels The ninth Discourse That Monsters and Poysons are the workmanship of Sinne. DIvine Providence knows so well how to husband the defects of creatures as most men take them for perfections and we gather such advantage from our misfortunes by it's guidance as we should be unfortunate if we had not been so Death which is sins severest punishment is so precious in it's hands as it seemeth rather a favour then displeasure and a reward then a chastizement Sicknesses are cause of so much good unto us by bereaving us of our health as it were to be wished that most men should fall sick and that pain might make them out of love with their bodies to make them be the like with the earth the injuries of the Elements are of such use to the faithfull as they ought rather to be praised then complained of by them when they with patience suffer all the pains which sin hath occasioned they may make a happy use thereof to destroy sin and a sweet smelling Sacrifice to Gods Justice Hence it is that Philosophers who know what advantage we draw from our mis-fortunes perswade themselves that Nature is not corrupted and account her disorders advantages they term death a law more necessary then rigorous they call sicknesse the souls salve the tryall of vertue and the exercise of patience they call poverty a dis-ingagement from uselesse things a nearer cut to vertue a help to argue with more freedom they term the persecution of the Elements an innocent war which causeth the worlds peace a hatred which conduceth to a perfect friendship or an excellent picture of musick whose harmony is composed of the differences of voices and contrariety of tones By the same reason they justifie the disorders of nature and call Monsters irregularities which heighten her other works they plead in the behalf of poysons and make them passe for remedies whose use we are yet ignorant of In effect Monsters seem to serve for ornament to the world that they contribute to the beauty thereof that they constitute that admirable variety wherein consists honest mens most innocent delight that they are in the world what shadows are in Pictures and that not to excuse them they are handsome faults and pleasing debaucheries This wise Mother hath her serious businesses and her serious diversions she sports her self after having laboured and to recreate
Evill p. 91 9 That the will to be able to doe good must be set free from the servitude of sin by the grace of Iesus Christ. p. 97 10 That evill habits bereave the will of her liberty by ingaging her in Evill p. 103 The third Treatise Of the corruption of the Vertues Discourse 1 APaneggrick of Morall Vertue p. 109 2 That Morall Vertue hath her faults p. 115 3 That vain glory is the soule of the Vertue of Infidels p 122 4 That the Vertue of Infidels cannot be true p 128 5 That Wisdome without Grace is blinde weak and malignant p. 134 6 That there is no true Temperance nor Iustice amongst the Pagans p. 140 7 That the Fortitude of the Pagans is but weaknes or vanity p. 149 8 That friendship without grace is alwayes interested p. 156 9 That the uncertainty and obscurity of Knowledge derives from siâ—ne p. â—65 10 That Eloquence is an enemy to Reason Truth and Religion p â—73 The fourth Treatise Of the corruption of Mans Body by sin Discourse 1 OF the Excellencies of Mans Body p. 182 2 Of the Miseries of the Body in generall p. 190 3 Of the Infidelity of the Senses p. 195 4 That the Passions are fickle or wilde p. 201 5 That the health of Man is prejudiced by sicknesse p. 207 6 〈◊〉 the Bodies beauty is become perishable and criminall p. 214 7 That the life of man is short and miserable p. 225 8 That Death is the punishment of sin p. 231 9 What advantages we may draw from Death by meanes of Grace p. 237 10 That Sleep is a punishment of sin as well as the Image of Death and that it bereaves us of Reason as Dreames doe of Rest. p. 243 The fifth Treatise Of the corruption of all exterior Goods called by the name of FORTUNE Discourse 1 THat we must feare what we desire and desire what we feare p. 249 2 That Honour is no longer the recâ—mpence of Vertue p. 255 3 That Greatnesse iâ— attended by Slaveâ—y and Vanity p. 261 4 That the Birth and Cruelty of Waâ—re derives from sin p. 270 5 That Riches render mâ—n poore and sinfull p. 278 6 That since the losse of Innocency poverty is glorious p. 284 7 That aparrell is a mark of sin p. 290 8 That the shame which 〈◊〉 Nakednesse is a punishment for our offence p. 296 9 That Buildâ—ngs are the work of necessity pleasure or vain glory 302 10 That the greatest part of our pasâ—mes are occasions of sin p. 3â— The sixth and last Treatise Of the Corruption of all Creatures Discourse 1 OF the beauty greatnesse and duration of the world p. 319 2 That all creatures have lost some of their perfections p. 328 3 That the Sunne hath lost much of his light and vertue through sin p. 335 4 That there is no creature which men have not adored p. 341 5 That all creatures do either tempt or persecute man p. 348 6 That it is more secure to sequester a mans self from the creatures than to make use of them p. 355 7 That Deluges and Earth-quakes are the punishments of the world become corrupted p. 361 8 That Thunder Plagues and Tempests are the effects of sin p. 368 9 That Monsters and poysons are the workmanship of sin p. 377 10 That God will consume the world corrupted by sin that he may make a new world p. Of the Corruption of Nature by SINNE The First Treatise Of Originall Sin and the Effects thereof The First Discourse That Faith acknowledgeth Originall Sin That Nature hath a feeling thereof and That Phylosophie suspects it THough mans misery witnesse his sin and that to believe he is guilty sufficeth to prove his misery yet is there no one Truth in Christian Religion more strongly withstood by prophanePhylosophers then is this shee cannot allow of a chastisement which punisheth the father in his children neither can shee conceive a sin which precedes our reason as well as our birth Shee appeals from so rigorous a decree and thinks to defend Gods cause in pleading ours Shee attributes all our disorders to our constitution she imputes our errours to our education and the greatest part of our irregularities to the bad employing of our time She opposeth experience by arguing and what ever misery shee makes tryall of shee will not acknowledge the cause shee thinks a man may herein defend himselfe by reason and that there being no sin which is naturall neither is there any which may not be amended by will alone shee makes use of the examples of Socrates Aristides and Cato shee opposeth these Sages to our Saints and pretends that the works of Nature yield not to those of Grace Briefly shee corrupteth the purity of our beliefe by the subtilty of her reasoning and whereas Christians ought to convert all Phylosophers some Christians are perverted by Phylosophers We confesse Originall sinne because we dare not deny it We avow that it hath bereft us of Grace but assure our selves that it hath left us an entire Liberty We confesse it hath robb'd us of our innocencie but maintain that we may recover our innocencie by the means of reason and that if we cannot merit heaven we may at least secure our selves from hell We admire the famous Actions of Infidels our eyes are dazl'd with the lustre they receive from the writings of Phylosophers we side at unawares with Nature against Grace and through an inconsiderate zeale We will have their delusive vertues rewarded with a true happinesse Yet notwithstanding to believe original sin is one of the prime Articles of our Faith if Adam were not guilty Jesus Christ was not necessary and if Humane nature be yet in her first purity it 's in vain that we seek a Saviour Hence it is that the great Apostle of the Gentiles doth so often in his Epistles oppose sin to grace servitude to freedome and Adam to Jesus Christ he is pleased to represent unto us the disorders of Nature to make us admire the effects of Grace and he glories in his Infirmities the more to heighthen the advantages of RedemptioÌ„ He teacheth us that we are conceived in sin and that at our first enterance into the world we are the objects of Gods wrath He shews us that Adams sin is shed abroad throughout mankind That his Malady is become a contagion and that all the Children that do descend from this unfortunate Father are Criminall and Miserable The Prophets agree with the Apostles and this truth is not much less Evident in the Old Testament then in the New The most patient most afflicted of al men coÌ„plaines of the misfortunes of his birth and makes such just imprecations against the moment wherin he was conceived as we may easily conceive he thought it not void of fault David confesseth he was conceived in sin and that though he were born in lawfull Matrimony his birth ceaseth not to be shamefully sinfull The Church confirmes this truth
the Angels sin and that having learnt by Revelation that God was to allye himself to humane Nature he could not tolerate that the Angelicall Nature should be deprived of this honour imagining that the Angels did very well deserve whatsoever dignity God would confer upon man Others have thought that self-love was the sin both of the Angel and of man that seeing themselves so perfect they grew in love w th themselves that forgetting the greatnesse of God they considered only their own beauty that they made an Idoll of their own understandings that not envying Gods perfections they sought for all their happinesse within themselves and that rather by an Amorous then Proud blindnesse they endeavoured to find out their contentment in the Possession of their own advantages If it be not rashnesse to go about to discover what our leaders have been ignorant of and if a man may divide that which hath neither parts nor moments I would say that the sin of man and of the Angell is neither single nor yet Composed of all sins as S. Augustine affirmeth weaknesse which is so naturall to the Creature was as it were the disposition thereunto negligence the beginning self-love the ensuing or progresse and Pride the accomplishment thereof weaknesse is so naturall to the Creature as to free it thereof it must suffer change and be raised above itself Grace whose effects are so many miracles dares not undertake to free the Creature from it there is nothing but Glory which can fix the fancy of the Creature and take from it that Inconstancy which is the cause of all it's offences We acknowledge none but Jesus Christ to be void of sin The Angell and man not being raised to this height of happinesse we must not wonder if they be fallen and if those which proceeded ex nihilo did not defend themselves from sin every perishable Creature may become Criminall that which may lose its being may lose Grace and what cannot preserve it selfe in Nature will have much a doe to preserve it selfe in innocencie Weaknesse then prepared that Angel and man to sin and these two noble Creatures became faulty only because they were not unchangeable negligence begun the fault which weaknesse had prepared they made not use of all the grace which they had received they left a vacuum in their being which made place for sin they did not employ all the advantages which they had received from God and deserved to lose them for having neglected them as this fault was yet but an omission it might have been expiated by humility and by abasing themselves before God it may be they might have obteined pardon they became Idolaters at unawares and framed vain Idols to themselves out of the workmanship of God This fault was already well grown and the Angel and men were guilty of having turned their eyes from Divine perfections to settle them upon their own advantages yet did they only love those beauties which God had placed in them they might have adored his Image in these Looking-glasses and have returned to the Spring-head by these Rivolets and by these beams have raised themselves up to the Sun but Pride finished their fault they grew proud of Gods favours their vain-glory proceeded from his grace that which should have submitted them to their Creator was cause of their Rebellion and the more they were beholding unto him the lesse were they acknowledging from the times they thought themselves able to reigne without him they would reign in despight of him and as soon as they had raised up a Throne unto themselves they would have Subjects the Angel got a party in heaven he debauched some of his companions hee made slaves of his equals and these excellent Spirits were not ashamed to adore a creature which though it were more elevated was not lesse dependent upon God then were the rest Rebellion did not not withstanding disperse it self throughout all their Orders the number of the faithfull exceeded that of the revolters Michael couragiously opposed himselfe to Lucifer and be it that he made good use of his graces or that he received addition thereunto he kept the greater part of the Angels in their obedience and drove the Rebels from the Empyerean Heaven Man was more absolute in his unjust designe for his sin became the sin of all his off-spring not any one opposed himselfe to his blinde fury those who lived in him and descended from him were guilty of his Rebellion they lost themselves together with their unfortunate Father they suffered for a sin which they could not hinder they found themselves engaged in death before they knew life and wondered that not being reasonable they were already criminall This sin which shed it self like a contagion became the Spring-head of errour in the World The greatest part of Hereticks have withstood it and the pride of Phylosophy wherewith they were puft up would not permit them to confesse a disorder which would have forced them to be humble Catholicks believe it though they conceive it not Faith teacheth them what reason cannot perswade them unto and they care not though they be esteemed ignorant so long as they may be esteemed faithfull They finde by experience that man is become guilty but they know not how he hath contracted this crime they dispute not the maladie but cannot comprehend by what secret wayes the Father hath communicated it to his children and the children have received it from their father This is that which we will examine in the pursuit of this Treatise The fourth Discourse How ADAM'S sin did communicate it self to those that are discended from him IT must be acknowledged that there is nothing more hidden nor any thing more known then Originall Sinne unruly nature is an evident proofe thereof mens wicked inclinations doe sufficiently witnesse it and it 's easily to be conjectured that so unfortunate a creature cannot be innocent But certainly the way how this sin sheds it self through mankinde and passeth from the father into the children is extreamly unknown all that is said of it doth but weakly prove it and after having listned to reason we must betake our selves to the light of Faith Doubtlesse Saint Augustine is he who hath written the worthiest thereupon his proofs are efficacious his discourses solid if he had as well established the beliefe of Originall Sin as that of concupisence all men would be convinced and we might as easily make Phylosophers believe Adam's fault as the irregularity of Nature for all men see that Fathers communicate their diseases to such as do descend from them that the Aethiopians Complexion appears in their childrens visages that there are maladies which are more hereditary in Families then are possessions and that there are men which suffer for their fathers debaucheries we must not wonder if we partake of their diseases since we are composed of their substance and since our bodies are a part of theirs it is easily conceived that
mean expression of his truth and but a false beame of his beauty To know him perfectly we must raise our selves above his workmanship to conceive his greatnesse we must rather oppose it to the creature then cōpare it there with all but concupiscence is the Lively Image of sin we see all the Linaments of the father in the Daughters face and she doth nothing wherein a man may not discerne the motions of the father I know that all our punishments are the pictures of our sins and God would have our Chastizement to be the Image of our offences but to take it aright every punishment expresseth but one only quality of sin the Heat which accompanieth fears represents only it 's immoderate heat to us blindness discovers only it's Ignorance The palsie which takes from us the use of our members figures onely out unto us it 's incapabilty of doing good deafness declares only it's obstinacy unto us and death it self which is sins most rigorous punishment represents to us only the death of the soul and the losse of Grace But Concupiscence is a finisht picture which hath all the Colours and Linaments of sin she hath all its wicked Inclinations is Capable of all its Impressions accomplisheth all it's Designes and this unfortutunate Father can undertake nothing which his daughter is not ready to Execute But one only name not being sufficient to expresse all the wickednesse thereof the Fathers have been fain to invent divers names to decypher out unto us the different effects of a Cause which is as fruitfull as fatall Saint Augustine according to Saint Paul terms her the Law and Counsellor of sin Reason was mans Counsellor and in the state of innocency he undertooke nothing but by her advice when sin had weakned Reason and that the darknesse thereof had Clouded the the luster of it's Eternall light God gave him the written Law for a Counsellor and Ingraved those truths in Marble which he had formerly ingraven in his heart Great men formed no designe before they had Consulted with this visible Law and David with all his illuminations protests that the law of God was the best part of his Councell it was the morall Phylosophers wherin the learn'd vertue it was his Politicks and were he either to Conduct his subjects or to fight his enemies he learnt the knowledge both of peace and war in the mysteries of the Law but the sinner hath no other law then Concupiscence he is advised by one that is blind and unfaithfull he executes nothing without her orders he is brought to this extremity That his Counsellor is Pensioner to his Enemies Reasons self is a slave to this perfidious Officer she sees only through her eys and after having well debated a businesse she forsakes better advice to follow the pernicious Counsell of one that is blind who is absolutely the Devils Purchase and who holds Continuall Intelligence with sin When he is weary of perswading us he Chides us when we have received his advice he signifies his Commands unto us and having deceived us as a perfidious Counsellor he torments us as a merciless Tyrant Counsellours never work upon us but by their Reasons they never make use of violence to oblige us to receive their advice and they oftentimes foregoe their own opinions to receive ours if they think them better but Concupiscence is a furious Officer who makes use of Force when Perswasion will not prevail This Tyrant is more insuportable then those who formerly comanded in Greece whō the Orators of that Country have charg'd with so many just opprobries For these Enemies to mankind exercised their cruelty only upon the body and assubjected to their power only the leastpart of man Whosoever valued not theirown lives might make himself Master of theirs and who feared not death might deride their violence but this Tyrant whereof I speak exerciseth his fury upon the spirits he blots out the remembrance of all vertue from out his memory he darkens the understandingwith his mysts oppresseth the will by his violence and leaveth only a languishing liberty in the souls which he possesseth This Monster which had only the faces of men were not alwaies in the Company of their subjects their absence was a truce of servitude some private Closets were to be found where one might tast the sweet of liberty A man might meet with a freind before whom he might lay his heart open and though freindship had been banished from off the heart Compassion would have made it revive for his Consolation T was in these private Conferences that the death of Tyrants was Conspired the parties safety joyned to the desire of liberty caused the Conception of the designes and the desires of glory put it in execution But Concupiscence never parts from sinners this Tyrant keeps his Court in the midst of their wills he hath raised a throne in their hearts He finds so much of obedience and weaknesse in his slaves as he knows they cannot shake of the yoke of his Tyranny without forreign Ayd these publike plagues could not make themselves be beloved in their states though they left some shadows of Liberty they could not win their subjects Hearts there faults were always repaid with publike Hatred and the Necessity they had to make themselves feared was not the least punishment of their Injustice they grew weary of being the Horror of their people and if they could have made themselves be beloved they would have ceased making themselves feared but their subjects were so Incenst against them as to keep them in respect t was necessary to keep them in awe and since they could not purchase their love to resolve to merit their Hatred but though Concupiscence be the cruellest of all Tyrants yet hath she found the secret of making her self be beloved all her subjects reserues their Loyalty even in persecution they are pleased with the pains they undergoe Torments are not able to make them wish for liberty let them be neuer so ill dealt with all by their unjust Sovereign they never blame his cruelty And though they be the most unfortunate slaves of all the world they cease not to be the faithfullest lovers In fine to put an end to this discourse These Tyrants do not allways vex their subjects with angersome Commands all there decrees are not unjust their polluted mouthes have sometimes pronounced Oracles and the Graecian Phylosophers have registred their words who had bereft them of their liberty the Dionsii made laws which the Politicians reverenced their Ordinances were able to instruct legitimate Princes and they have uttered maximes which may serve us for instructions But all the commands made by Concupiscence are unjust all her orders are sin one cannot obey her without blame and to speak in Saint Augustines language a man cannot follow the motions of Concupiscence without contesting against the motions of grace nor can a man live at full liberty unlesse he
heart unto the Devill he indiscreetly suffered the immoderate desire of knowing all things to enter there Pride or the Ambition of Command is the last and most dangerous effect of Concupisceuce Flattery whose cheife imployment is to praise sin confounds this Passion with vertue and makes all glorious faults lawful to Conquerors She builds the glory of the Alexanders upon the sin of Maligne spirits and she will perswade Princes of the world that the furious desire which changed Angels into Devils can turn men into Gods but our Religion teacheth us that there is no more insolent Passion then this and that all other sins are the ushers in of Pride In effect if other sins do busie the mind this possesseth it if others fly from God to shun his justice this draws neer unto him to set upon his greatnesse if others leave us when we grow old this accompanieth us even unto death and if the rest chance sometimes to be the sin of the Elect this is almost always the Reprobates fault it will supply Gods place whatsoever name is given to the Impiety thereof it 's design in making it self be either loved or feared is to govern over men either by force or fair means and to commit a rape upon that Glory which belongs only to him who is the beginning and end of all things this Passion dies not with men they preserve the sense thereof after death and their care of having their Prayers recorded in History their Statutes erected in publique Places and stately Monuments in Churches are assured proofs that their Ambition ends not with their lives this disorder can only proceed from the first man who not being able to permit that even God should be his Sovereign unjustly pretended to Independency and endeavouring Sovereignty by Rebellion reaped thereby nothing but a shamefull servitude all these irregularities which derive from self-love as from their spring-head and all our fins which burst out from thence like rivers the Devil who very wel knows how to tēpt man makes no use of any other means then these to seduce him he beats us with our own weapons and he loseth the hope of overcomming man when man keeps himself from delight Curiosity and Ambition he raised all these batteries against the first man and judging of their Power by their good success he made use thereof against Jesus Christ in the Desert but seeing that his soul was sufficient proof against all his on-set she resolved to set upon him by sorrow and gr◠whom he could not seduce by delights The ninth Discourse Wherefore Concupiscence remains in Man after Baptisme WE are taught by Divinity that nothing but the Power of God can make all things out of nothing nothing but his Providence can draw good out of evill and make a mans fault to amend his life Naturall Phylosophy cannot comprehend the former of these wonders and morall Phylosopy cannot comprehend the second Nature worketh nothing without materials her workmanships are rather alterations then productions shee may well change one thing into another but she cannot make a new thing and there is so little proportion between nothing and subsistancy as Aristotle chose rather to believe that the World was eternall then that God created it of Nothing This great Genjus found it lesse inconvenient to acknowledge numberless causes then to confess one only the power thereof was unlimited and morall Phylosophy which is not greatly more enlightned then naturall Phylophy findes such opposition between good and evill as shee would rather think to draw light out of darkness and beauty out of deformity then Vertue out of Vice but Religion which adores in God Almighty a Power which hath no bounds and an unclouded Providence confesseth also that the one may have framed the World out of nothing and that the other may have extracted Grace out of sin in effect the work of our Redemption is the sequell of ou◠loss And if Adams sin be not the cause it is at least the occasion of our salvation the same sin which hath drawn reproches from forth our mouth hath return'd prayses for it And the Church calleth that sin fortunate which hath merited so excellent a Redeemer Concupiscence being the daughter of sin we must not wonder if divine Providence hath made it serviceable to her designes and if she employ her Enemy to execute her will for though this guilty habit be past as it were into nature and that it makes sin so hard to be overcome yet did God leave it in the souls of his faithfull Ones to exercise their vertue to allay their Pride and to make them have their Remembrance of their misfortune always before them During the happy estate of their Innocencie Vertue was so naturall to man as it met with no Resistance Man took delight in doing what was good and the greatness of Merit was not measured by the difficulty of the work his passions were obedient to reason his senses were faithfull to his soule and his body had no other motions then those of the soule the practise of Piety was not as yet become a Combate Continencie and Fortitude were not enforced to give battaile to bear away the victory and these two Noble Habits were given man rather for his ornament then for his defence so we must confess that if he had more quiet then we hee had less glory and that if he tasted more delight he could not hope for so great reward for all our life is spent in Exercise and fighting all our vertues are austeer they are always environed with Enemies they cannot go out of their ordinary tracks without falling into a Precepice and they are Reduced to the Necessity of Continuall fighting unlesse they will be defeated but of all the Enemies that sets upon them they are most vext with Concupiscence and yet win most glory thereby for she is so opinionated as 〈◊〉 cannot be overcome Grace which triumphs over all our Evill complains of being resisted by this although it lose it's vigour it loseth not it's courage and though the Saints do still weaken it yet they cannot stifle it they must dye to defeat it and it must cost them their life to get the full victory yet is this the field wherein they purchase all their Bayes t is the matter of their fights and Triumphs and their vertues would languish in Idleness did not this domestick Enemy keep them in breath To say truth they run much danger but gain much Glory the same subject which causeth their Pain heighthens their courage and increaseth their merit If Concupiscence be of use to vertue she is no lesse fatall to sin for though she be her Daughter she is likewise oft her Murtherer and of all the remedies which Grace hath ordained to cure us of Pride there is none more safe then that of this disorder We are naturally Proud and Miserable and it is hard to say whether Pride or misery makes the greater
Impression in our souls Pride is so well engraven therein as we in our sad Condition continue the coveting after all those greatnesses which we did possess whilest innocent We perswade our selves that we are Princes because our Father was so We will have Nature to obey us because she bore respect to his will and we think that all honours are due to us because he enjoyed them in the Earthly Paradice Death which is the reward of sin cannot be the cure thereof the Creatures revolt cannot perswade us that we have lost the Empire of the world and the sicknesses which do alter our Tempers cannot teach us that the Elements are our enemies but Concupiscence teacheth us humility this insolent Mistris teacheth us obedience and her frequent rebellions makes us know that we are no longer Masters of our selves by two contrary Motions she inspires us with Pride and teacheth us modesty she fils us with courage and makes us know our weaknesse she incites us against Heaven and obligeth us to implore the assistance thereof In fine she wounds and cures us at the same time and like to those prepared poysons whereof Medicines are made she is the antidote of al our evils For who is so proud a Prince as doth not humble himself when hee sees he is less absolute in his person then his state that his Passions are more rebellious then his subjects that there goes more to tame them then to reduce Rebels to obedience and that though reason super-intend in his soul she hath irrationall subjects who despise her Authority Saint Augustine confesseth that this Punishment is as shamefull as cruell and of as many Irregularities as sin hath produced in men hee findes none more infamous then Concupiscence She makes us also see the unfortunate state of our condemnaâ—n and even in the State of Grace she presents unto us the Condition of sin for we are divided between Adam and Jesus Christ we belong to two Masters we are the Members of two opposite Commanders and we the Children of two Fathers that war one against the other Wee holâ— still with Adam according to the flesh wee follow his Inclinations and in Christian Religion we forbeare not to obâ—y his will his sin hath made such an Impression in our soul as we continue to bear about with us all the marks of his Rebellion and unlesse we contend against our senses we find by experience that our desires are the Pictures of his All our sins are so many undertakings against the Authority of God we will be Independent in our Government we will tast delights unmingled with bitternesse and have knowledge â—exempt from errour we still seek after the effects of those abusive promises which the wicked Fiend made unto us and pretend in the depth of our Miseries to arrive at the height of greatnesse from whence we are faln thus doth Adams sin triumph yet in our souls and this Father which is dead so many ages ago lives yet in his Children T is true that according to the spirit we belong to the only Son of God his Grace is shed abroad throughout our hearts we work by his Motions if we be inanimated by his spirit and we desire to kill Adam that Jesus Christ may live in his place but this is but a languishing life we are but imperfect works Grace meets always with contradictions in her designs and the soul being engaged in the bodies rebellion hath very much ado to submit her self to the Spirit of God We wait for the day of resurrection to the end that Jesus Christ may be the Father both of our body and soul and that the two parts whereof we are Composed may submit themselves to his will We wish that death may bereave us of all that Adam gave us and to the end that Jesus Christ may reign absolutely in our Soul we desire that our soul may be loosened from the sinfull body which she inanimates from thence derive the opposite motions which divide the greatest Saints from thence arise those contrary desires which divide their wils from thence finally proceeds those differing inclinations which do so diversly agitate them and which teach them that though they be Subjects to the Empire of Grace they are not notwithstanding freed from the Tyranny of sin t is true that they Comfort themselves amidst their misfortune When they consider that they are not made guilty by the motions of Concupiscence save when they are voluntary and that Baptisme which hath left them languishing hath not left them Criminall for our revolts are not always sins if our will approve not of them they are rather Subjects of Glory then Confusion The disorders of our Passions become not offences save when they draw along our consent as long as the soul opposeth the disorders of the senses she is innocent and as long as she surpasseth Sorrow and Anger if she do not triumph she is at least victorious He who looks Pale and sigheth is not always overborn with Feare or Sorrow he whose colour riseth when he is offended is not always overcome by choller These Passions must be voluntary to be Criminall and to be really tearmed sins they must pass from the body to the soul he who trembleth is not affraid if he will not Commit some base act he who weeps is not sad if he will wipe away his tears he who finds Anger to arise in him is not irritated if he endeavour to quench his flames and amidst all these Passions a man may boast that he is void of fear Grief and Anger if his will goe not along with their motions by all this discourse a man may easily gather that Concupiscence may be made good use of by the Faithfull and that if of her own Inclination she be the root of all vice when conducted by Grace she may become the seed of all vertues The tenth Discourse That Gods Iustice hath permitted that Man should be divided within himself for the punishment of his sin THe Phylosopher Seneca being desirous to make it known that Destiny hath no share in the Worlds Government and that whatsoever accidents befall us in the Course of our life are guided by a Sovereign Providence vaunted that he had undertaken a work which was not difficult since hee therein pleaded Gods cause and that he had the honour to defend it Me thinks I may begin this Discourse in his words and boast together with him that the businesse I undertake is not very hard since I plead in the behalfe of the Justice of God and that I go about to free it from the out-rages which it receives from so many foul mouthes which accuse Gods Justice for leaving so many wicked men unpunished I very well know that the unfortunate Innocent have complained of these and that without dis-regard to the respect which is due to the Justice of God they have often desired that God would be more speedy in his Punishments
body composed only of Light and Heat But Christian Religion teacheth us that she is a spirit created by God in time infused into a body to inanimate it the spring head of Motion and Life and that in her noblest operations she stands in need of her salves Organes to operate withall Light is in some sort naturall to her in her understanding she comprehends the Principles of all Sciences her will hath in it the seed of all vertue the senses are so many Messengers which informe her with whatsoever passeth in the world and by their faithfull reports teach her those truths which she was ignorant of t is true that there are some truths which are rather infused into her then acquired by her and which Nature hath so powerfully imprinted in her Essence as Errours self cannot deface them she without an Instructer knows there is but one God she preserves this belief in the midst of Superstition in this point she is Christian even when Infidell whilst she offers Incense to her Idols she trusts in him who seeth all things and after having invoked Saturn and Iupiter she implores ayd from him whom her Conscience tels her is the true Creator of Heaven and Earth she is ignorant of the fall of Devils and by the hatred which she bears unto them makes it appear that she is not ignorant of their guile whilst she is possessed with these Tyrants she ceaseth not to think upon her lawfull Sovereign and sin which hath not been able to destroy her Nature c could not deface her knowledge nor her love she loves God though she offends him all the tyes she hath to these perishable things are the remainders of that Naturall Inclination and because every Creature is an Image of it's Creator she cannot see them without being in some sort transported the shadow of God awakens her flame but having neither light nor heat enough to raise her self up to him she remains engaged on the earth and by a strange blindnesse she forgets the Summum Bonum to fasten her self to his Picture she presageth her misfortune before she hath any knowledge thereof she prophesieth it before she disputes and when she first enters into the world she witnesseth by her tears that she hath some sense of her miseries as soon as she hath by her cryes saluted the Sun she teacheth those that understand her that she very well knows the earth is the seat of misery and that one cannot live long there without suffering much sorrow When age indues her with the use of Reason she doth not lose the use of Prophecie her dreams serves for presages The Heavens whilst she is at rest advertize her of her disasters and the Angels treating with her in a condition wherein she cannot treat with men acquaints her with the good and bad successes of her enterprizes she makes out salleys which cause men to believe that though she be fastened to the body yet she is not a Prisoner for when she pleaseth she abandons the senses and collects her self that she may be the lesse interrupted in her Meditations she seeks for knowledge in the Center of her essence and as if she did complain of the sights Infidelity or the ears sloath she endeavours to learn at home within her selfe what she cannot find out in the world in effect she would be very ignorant if she knew nothing but what she learns from her Officers for as they are but the Organes of the body they can only observe the qualities of the objects and can only inform their Sovereign of the lustre of Colours the diversity of sounds and of the varities of smels but when she withdraws within her self she knows subsistances she treats with spirits and raising her self-above all things created she forms unto herself certain Ideas of a Divinity Nay she is an Image thereof and it seems God took pleasure to draw his own Picture in the soul of man and to make us admire in this chief work of his power the unity of his Nature and the Plurality of his Persons for though this spirit be engaged In Materia and that it works differently according to the severall Organes of the body that it digests meat by naturall heat converts it into bloud by means of the Liver distributes it into all parts by the veins and by a miraculons Metamorphosis gives a hundred severall shapes to the same food yet is it not divided and representing the unconceivable unity of God it is Tota in Toto Tota inqualibet parte Thus the soul conteins that which seems to inclose her she lends her hoast house room she upholds her house she inanimates her Sepulchre and this Created Divinity is so great as she Circumscribes the Temple wherein she makes her residence This admirable unity agrees with a Trinity of powers which makes the soul an excellent Image of God for she hath an active understanding which conceives all things a happy memory which records them and an absolute will which disposeth of them she knew the highest of our miseries by reflecting on her self before Faith had revealed unto her the procession of the Divine persons Nature had given her some glimmering thereof by studying what she found to be in her self she learnt what was in God and seeing that she conceived a word in her understanding and a love in her will she had no trouble to comprehend that the father begot a Sonne and that the Sonne together with the Father produced a Holy Ghost Plato who had read no other book then that of his own soul guest at these Truths Trismegistus who had only learn'd these lights out of the bosome of Nature had some weak knowledge of the mysteries and we are bound to confess that neither the one nor the other would ever have known the Divine Originall had they not seriously considered the copy As the soul is the shadow of the divine Essence it shares in part of his highest perfections her light is not obscured by her Prison the body which is formed but of earth doth not derogate from her Nobility nor Power and death which threatens the House wherein she lives injures not her Immortality she is knowing in the midst of obscurity Absolute amidst the revolt of her Subjects Immortall in the bosome of death it self the senses which endeavour to seduce her by their unfaithfull reports cannot abuse her and let them use what foul play they please she hath always light enough to discover their Imposture she corrects their errours and when she will make use of her own rights she finds Counsellors in the Basâ— of her being who convince these faithless Officers of fals-hood she finds oft times lesse resistance in her body then in her self one only Act of her will makes the eyes open the arms be lifted up and the legs go these parts are so obedient to her commands as they never resist when in health their Rebellion ariseth
frame rivolets We are poor amidst our treasure and vnlesse we trim and prune our understanding it either continues barren or brings nothing forth but thorns the senses which seem to be ordâ—ined by Nature for the service of reason keep her in ignorance or throw her head-long into errour The passions which are born to obey her rise so tumultuously against her as she is forced to follow their Motions and to side with Rebels To enjoy peace she is content to be engaged in a fault she believes that to serve willingly is to reign that to follow her passions is to command them and to approve of their Revolts is to preserve her authority Yet is she so little at liberty in this coÌ„dition as that one must excuse her sin by her servitude she is only thought innocent because she is a slave her faults are forgiven unto her only because she cannot and she preserves her reputation only through the losse of her Liberty When the first Motions of her Passions are a little alaid and that she may avenge her selfe of the affronts done unto her by her insolent subjects t is observed that by siding with them she is infected with their Inclinations that by suffering their disorders she corrupts her own purity and that by going about to excuse their revolt she her self becomes guilty Thus man is almost never rationall because he is always passionate and he dâ—th but seldome make use of his reason because he oft times followeth his passion To so many Enemies which bereave man of the most glorious of all his Qualities sicknesse is added which making war upon our bodies declares it openly also against our souls for these two parts are so streightly bound together as their good and bad are Common between though the soul be the more Noble yet stands she in need of the body in her chiefest operations she must follow after that which she would avoid borrow forces from her Enemy to fight him and make use of the senses to reduce him to his duty If this slaves Temper be altered by any disorder the soul rescents it if the bloud spring in the veins if the vapours which arise from thence trouble the Imagination or if a burning Feavor seize upon the brain the soul can reason no longer This Noble part of man fals into extravagancies the confusion of species puts it in disorder and all the wisedome thereof is turn'd to folly Sleep is not so violent yet is it little lesse shamefull then sickness for it benums the senses luls the faculties of the soul asleep blots out the remembrance of Glory from out the minds of Conquerours stops the designs of Monarchs interrupteth the waknings of Phylosophers Levels the conditions of the living to that of the dead and to preserve our life takes from us the use of reason For my part I cannot think that sleep did us thus much injury before the State of sin I am of opinion that the power thereof extended only to the senses that it undertook nothing upon mans most Noble Part that it leâ—t him the liberty of reasoning and that like to Jesus Christ his soul was awake though his body slept For what likely-hood of belief is there that man should be every day reduced to a Condition wherein his highest operations should be interrupted wherein his will can command nothing his understanding conceive nothing nor his memory represent nothing unto him Who can suppose that in so happy a condition man should passe half his life away in sleep that his soul should be able to do no other functions then what the souls of beasts do and that all her employment lay in the digesting of meat dissolving of vapours and moving of Arteries When I consider what disorder sin hath caused in man I am forced to say that he hath very much altered his Condition and that Phylosophers had reason to believe that death was as much of his Essence as reason was for from the time he began to live he began to die he lost his life as soon as he received it and this decree pronounced against him is executed the very first moment of his Birth that which we call life is but a prorogued Death and Divine Justice seems to take pleasure in prolonging it that we may be sensible thereof Life would be undeservable did it last but a Moment and our Punishment would not be very great if it ended at the same instant that it began We dye in life and live in death death is engaged in life and life subsists only by death but reason is as it were a stranger to man When he began to be Criminall he began to be iâ—ationall he lost his principall advantage in losing his Innocency and he left us in doubt whether he was any longer man being become a sinner for reason which is his principall difference is an accident which forgoes him upon a thousand occasions Nature admits him to life before she admits him to reason When age grants him this benefit Passion forbids him the use thereof when passion doth not molest his judgment she dozeth it and of all things that man is Master of he loseth none more often then his reason Yet this losse is indifferent to him he complains of all the rest and laughs at this he esteems himself unhappy if he have lost his wealth he gives himself over unto sorrow when he falls from his greatnesse and languisheth in Pain when he hath lost his health But when passion bereaveth him of the use of reason when sleep reduceth him to the condition of beasts or when sin blots out the Image of God from out his soul he doth but jest at his disaster and takes pleasure in hazarding that thing which of all the world he ought to esteem most precious This is also that dread full punishment wherewith divine justice chastizeth the greatest sins God never gave a more fearfull example of his rigour then when he bereft Nebuccadnezar of his reason when he turned a Sovereign Prince into a wild beast and that together with the shape of man he took from him his understanding and judgment There is no monarchy which hath not seen some of her Princes stript thereof Providence takes Pleasure in beating down Thrones in 〈◊〉 of Septers and in taking away of Crowns she sets upon Sovereigns in their Palaces and after having raised them up to the highest pitch of greatnesse she throws them into a precepice of miseries her most ordinary revenge is changâ— no age passeth over wherein she witnesseth not her power by these sorts of Punishments but when Innormities of the fault deserves a greater punishment she together with their Scepter takes away their reason from such Monarchs as she will Chastize she troubles both their State their judgment and brings them to a Condition wherein they are both the scorn and the hatred of their subjects By all this discourse t is easie to conclude that
vertue is a solid good who ever possesseth her may vaunt to have in her immortall riches true Honours and innocent delights T is the way which Nature teacheth us to mount to Heaven by the means which she furnisheth us with all to make our selves like God without sin and of so many things which we seek after there is none but Vertue which can procure us that happinesse We ought not to hope for riches since God hath nothing but himself and that he hath not made the world so much for his use as for his Glory we ought not to wait for reputation since he is unknown since the greatest part of praises that are given him are blasphemies and that the Libertines do unpunisht condemn his providence T is not in fine in the Number of our Followers that our Felicity consists since God lived without Subjects before he made the world and that of as many happy spirits that do wait upon him there was not any one neer him before the Creation of the Universe His Glory wholly consists in his own greatnesse and without heightening himself by the Splendor of his workmanship or number of his slaves he finds his happinesse in his Essence Thus Vertue is the proper good of man he is rich enough if he be vertuous he despiseth the praises of the world and finds himself satisfied with the Testimony of his Conscience he seeks for no other pleasure than what he finds in doing his duty and as God would not cease to be happy though he should ruin the world the wise man would not cease to be content if though he lost his family he preserved his vertue he needs not care for his body though it be the Organe of his soul and without drawing any advantage either from his strength or comlinesse he onely values that Good which neither fortune nor death can bereave him of T is an errour to imagine that the bodies beauty contributes to that of the soul and that Vertue appears the more pleasing for being lodged in a handsome personage as a great man may come forth of a little village so a great spirit may proceed from a deformed body and Nature oft-times fastens il-favour'dnesse to Vertue to teach us that we ought to love her onely for herself for he is unjust who considers the ornaments which do imbellish her and who not regarding the excellencies which she keeps inclosed within her self amuseth himself in considering the Pomp which doth environ her This great Princesse is so high spirited as she cannot tolerate a rivall she is angry when she is sought after for the pleasure which doth accompanie her and likes not such lovers as only serve her that they may by her reap profit or Glory She will be her self the recompence of their labours and though she promiseth them innocent contentments and true riches she will be the onely motive of their search Her beauty well deserves this respect and he is yet ignorant of her worth who loves her onely out of Interest We must never ask what she promiseth us since she gives us her self We must not looke upon her hands but upon her countenance nor must we consider her favours but her desert she is lovely enough though she appear without ornaments glorious enough though without a Train sufficiently magnificent though without splendor and liberall enough though she promise us nothing when she cals us If there go courage to fighting under her Banners there goes glory to dye in her quarrell and as souldiers love that Prince for whom they will powre out their bloud and glory in the hurts they receive in his service Wise men love that Vertue for which they lose their lives and Glory in the outrages which they receive in her defence their minds are not altereed by ill successe when their souls issue forth by their wounds they by their mouth publish her praises and having been her servants they rejoyce to be her Martyrs Her beauty doth well deserve this Fidelity for in whatsoeve condition we shall consider her she is so full of allurements as he who hath a heart must love her How Generous is she when undet the name of Fortitude she despiseth whatsoever causeth Fear in man when without pale looks she assails death provokes pain and wins the victory over all those angersome accidents which intrench upon mans Liberty how sacred is she when under the name of friendship she in sinuates her self into their hearts and inspires them with such courage as they can neither be astonished with threats nor corrupted with bribes burn us cry they when inanimated by this vertue invents new Torments we will never betray our friends the more Pain shall endevour to wrest our thougts from us the more carefull will we be to conceal them and to deserve the names of Faithfull though it cost us our lives How delightfull is she when under the name of Temperance she commands over all sensualities chaseth away such as are Impudent moderates those which are irregular when she fits our desires to our need and foregoing all superfluous things contents her self with necessaries How sweet is she when under the name of humanity she becomes affable to all the world when she forbids us to raise our selves above our equals commands us not to be severe to our Inferiours when she perswades us that another mans mischeif can never redound to our advantage and that we receive Glory by what is advantagious to our Neighbour How full of charms is she when under the name of Clemency she Pardon 's the guilty spares anothers Bloud as her own when she converts the Criminall by her mildnesse and by her goodnesse comforts the miserable wee must also confesse she is as well the ornament of our body as of our soul and that there are no charms like those which we borrow from Vertue See you not what life Fortitude puts into our eyes what Majesty wisedom makes appear in our behaviour with what sweetnesse Modesty doth season our words what a pleasing blush shamefac'tnesse drives into our forehead and what a Serenity a good conscience causeth in our countenances Truly if women knew how much vertue doth inhaunce beauty they would be vertuous that they might be baeutifull and without corrupting Nature by Paint they mould make use of no other red than that of shamefac'tnesse of no other white than that of Innocency of no other Majesty than that of Justice of no other sweetnesse than that of Clemency nor of no other pomp than that of modesty but the mischief is we are more carefull in acquiring Glory than vertue and labour more to make our name famous than our souls innocent we despise the testimony of our Conscience and seek for the peoples approbation and preferring appearances before Truth we do not greatly care to be vertuous so as we may have the reputation of being so One cannot notwithstanding merit this glorious
consists in the difficulty which accompanieth her she would not be beautifull were she not difficult and seeing that humane mindes betake themselves onely to what is painfull she endeavours to heighten her desert by Labour she decks her self with thornes in stead of flowers covers her self with dust in stead of sweet powders drops sweat and bloud in stead of perfumes and promiseth such as court her nothing but disasters and ill luck she is lodged upon a hill which is smooth slippery and steep on all sides where a man cannot come at her without danger of falling into a precipice though she promise honour to such as love her she suffers them oft times to be confounded and judgeth onely of their love by misprising glory or pleasure Shee invites them by her discourse but endues them not with strength she perswades their understandings but doth not raise up their wills and like the Law of Moses she may well have some light but no heat This is the cause why her pertakers have faln into despair and after having a long time served this rigorous Mistris they have been forced to accuse her of ingratitude and to blame her cruelty but what could they hope for from an idol which being the workmanship of their mindes had no other perfections than what it had borrowed from their praises which was onely vigorous in their writings only beautiful in their Panegyricks and which was not generous save in their actions Thus had Cato recourse to despaire finding no relief in vertue and Brutus acknowledged when he died that she could not assist such as served her that she dazled mens eyes by a false light and that she was but a vain idol which forsook her followers at a pinch not being able to warrant them from the outrages of Fortune We may truly affirm there have been two sorts of idolaters in the world the one worshipped the workmanship of their own hands and by an Immense folly put their hope in images which they themselves were Authors off though they cannot understand them they serve them with respect though they cannot defend them they fly to them for protection and dread their anger The other adore the workmanship of their minds and form unto themselves Noble Ideas which they fall in love with the more beautifull the idols were the greater impression did they make upon their wils and the more eloquent they were in describing them the more superstitious were they in honouring of them This errour blinded all Philosophers vertue which is but a habit which we acquire that we may do Good was the only Divinity which these hood winckt people worshipped and not considering that there is nothing in the soul of man which merits a Supreme Honour they bore respect to the good inclinations thereof when they were governed by the rules of morality this superstition cost the Apostles much more pain than the superstition of the people they had more ado to convert Philosophers than Tyrants and experience taught them that reason was more opinionated than force Two ages were sufficient to overthrow all idols of brasse and marble and though their adorers used cruelty to defend them martyrs through their patience triumphed over them But all the Reign of Jesus Christ hath not sufficed to destroy the idols of the minde The Doctors of the Church have in their writings set upon them but have not been able to bear them down and there be yet some libertines amongst the Children of the Church that do adore them They are not so much attracted by the grace of the Son of God as by the vertue of the Pagans good Nature appears more considerable to them than godlinesse and they more esteem Seneca's or Aristotles morals than those of Saint Paul or of Saint Austine his disciple yet the Vertue which these Philosophers taught in their Schooles had her esteem heightened onely by reason of her difficulty and was admired by her partakers onely through a vain beauty which did dazle them But Christian vertue is at once both beautifull easie you need but love her to acquire her to possess her cost us nothing but desires and the Holy Ghost who sheds her in our souls endues us with strength to overcome the difficulties which accompany her therefore is it that vertue in Christians did oft times fore-run reason they were wise before the years of wisdom and the Agnesses who had Jesus Christ onely for their Master were vertuous before rationall Grace fupplyed their weaknesse torments excited their courage they were constant not having read the death of Socrates the life of their spouse made up all their morality and his maximes confirmed by his examples inspired them with more of Constancie than was requisit to triumph over the cruelty of Tyrants and to confound the vertue of Philosophers But truly I do not wonder that the vertue of Pagans was so weak since they were divided and that reason which did guide them could never reconcile them for though they be said to have one the same father and that they are so straitely united together that a man cannot possesse one of them without possessing all the rest yet experience teacheth us that they have differences which Philosophy hath not yet been able to terminate Though they conspire together to make a man happy they trouble his quiet by their division and make so cruel war one upon another as to have peace in his soul he is obliged to drive out one of the parties from thence Mercy and Justice cannot lodge together in one Heart their Interests are so different as they are not to be accorded A man must renounce mildnes if he will be severe and severity if he will be mercifull Morality hath not yet found out a secret to reconcile these two vertues nor to unite them together thereby to make an accomplish't Prince Wisdom and simplicity hold no better intelligence the one is always diffident that she may be secure she oft-times hastens her misfortune whilest she thinks to avoide it she had rather do ill than suffer ill and her humour is so given to guile as the best part of her being is made up of dissimulations simplicity walks in a clean other track for she findes her assurance in her goodnesse she fears no outrage because she beleeves no injustice she had rather be unfortunate than blamefull and she is of so good an inclination as she resolves rather to receive an injury than to do one If wisdom be not upon good termes with simplicity she is not upon much better terms with valour Nature must do a miracle to make them both meete in one Subject they require different tempers and the aversion is such as morality cannot accord them wise and cautious men are always fearfull and valiant men are alwayes rash wisdom is of a cold constitution and doth not ingage her self in any perill till she see a wicket whereby to get out Valour is hot and firie
considers their honour or desire he is content that they may practise one vertue so as they mix a vice with it he cares not though they overcome love so as they give way to vain glory as learned Tertullian saith he cares not much whether he dam men by debauchery or by incontinencie Thus I doubt not but that 't was ambition which kept Scipio chast that it was the sweetnesse of glory which charmed the like of Pleasure and that in so difficult an Action 't was reputation which he proposed unto himself for recompence All Conquerours were of his Humour they left the Pillage of the enemy to their Souldiers they parted the Provinces which they won amongst their Domesticks they made their slaves Sovereigns and of all the advantages which they got by their victories they only reserved glory to themselves This man feared to lose his reputation by losing his Liberty he was ashamed to suffer himself to be taken by his Captive and he would leave no shamefull marks of his defeats where he had left such glorious proofs of his victories Vain glory was the soul of his vertue his pride increased whilest his incontinencie decreased and Scipio was a slave to ambition whilest he commanded over uncleannesse That which hath been said of the continencie of this Generall of an Army may be affirmed of Lucretia's Chastity with this of difference that hers being accompanyed with Murder can admit of no excuse nor ought in any wise to be praised For though her death seem to be generous and that the Romans who look upon her as the beginning of their liberty would have it to passe for the Noblest sacrifice which was ever offered up to chastitie yet did it deserve punishment in a State well policed And they might have revenged themselves of living Lucretia upon the body of Lucretia being dead They would disguise the crime and make it seem a vertue not considering the unjustnesse thereof they looked onely upon the publique interest and since this Murther had driven the Tarquins from Rome they had ground enough to make thereon a Panegyricke they therefore place Lucretia in the head or first file of all Chaste Women they blame Fortune for having immurde so stout a soul in so weak a body they excuse the sin by the effects thereof and cannot blame a murder which was the rise of the Roman Common-wealth They justifie her Chastity by her death they excuse her death by her Chastity and maintain that as she preserved her Chastity in a forced Adultery she did not violate Justice in a voluntary self-Murther But truely I finde that Saint Austine hath so justly blamed her as that she is not justly to be defended and that he hath made a Dilemma to which the subâ—llest Philosophers cannot answer Whence it is saith he that he who hath committed the sin is not as severely punished as she that suffered it or on whom it was committed the one did lose his Country the other lost her life If you exempt her from the unchastnesse because she was violated how will you exempt her from injustice since she was the death of an Innocent your Roman Laws Pappâ—al to you which will not have the guilty to be condemned unheard what would you say if the crime were in a mooted case put to you and what sentence would you give if it were made evident unto you that she that suffered death was not guilty but Innocent would you not severely punish such a piece of injustice yet this is Lucretias case cruell Lucretia hath kill'd chast Lucretia whom Tarquin had violated but not corrupted Give judgement according to Evidence and if you think you cannot punish her because she is dead praise her not because she was a Murderess For if to excuse her Murther you wrong her chastity and if you think she kill her self to expiate the pleasure she conceived in thà t sin 't is not Tarquin that is onely guilty Lucretia was as faulty as he take-heed what judgement you give upon this occasion these faults are so linkt together as they are not to be parted by taking from the Adultery you adde to the Murther and by excusing the Murther you aggravate the Adultery you can finde no out-let from this Labyrinth and you know not how to answer to this Dilemma which I propose unto you If she were unchast why do you praise her And if she were chast why did she kill her self If you would rather acquit her of Adultery than of Murther confesse at least that it was not so much the love of Chastity as the apprehension of dishonour which made her take up a dagger This Roman Lady and consequently haughty was more carefull of preserving her glory than her Innocencie she feared least she might be thought guilty of some fault if she should out-live the out-rage that was done her and thought she might be judged to be confederate with Tarquin should she not take vengeance on her self Christian Women who have had the like misfortune have not imitated her despaire they have not punisht the faults of others in themselves nor committed Homicide to revenge a Rape The witnesse of their Conscience was the glory of their Chastity and it sufficed them that God who is the searcher of hearts knew their Intentions and shutting up all their vertue in their obedience they went not about to violate Gods Laws to save themselves from the calumnie of men Thus are all the vertues of the Pagans nothing but Pride their Justice be it either slack or severe is interessed Their Continency is vain glorious and their courage hath in it more of despaire then of Fortitude The seventh Discourse That the Fortitude of Pagans is but weaknesse or vanity Though all Vertues be delightfull and that they have sufficent charmes to make them appear amiable even to their Enemies g we must confesse that Fortitude bears most of lustre with it and that severity which doth accompany it doth not detract any thing from it's beauty Justice is reverenced even by her persecutours Tyrants are affraid of her shadow and after having bootlesly imployed violence for their defence they have been fain to have recourse to Justice for their preservation wisdome is adored by all Politicians a man must have lost his wits not to value her if she be not esteemed by fools she is admired by wisemen all sorts of people confesse that she is as necessary for the Government of private Houses as of States All parts of Morality take her for their Guide and without the assistance of this Vertue they can neither make an honest man a States-man nor a Father of a Family Temperance is beloved by all men her Enemies respect her in those that love her they confesse that pleasures can neither be innocent nor yet delightfull when she is absent and that pleasure without temperance is the punishment of the unchast But certainly all the Vertues hide their heads
which must give her heat revenge which must provoke her and vain glory which must in-animate her since 't is not Faith that doth assist her All these passions mixt together make up the greatest part of her greatnesse and when one shall examine her intentions or motives he shall finde that her noblest exploits are but magnificall sins All those men who in ancient times have been esteemed couragious have contemned onely pain to purchase Glory they have given their life for a little smoak and in so unjust a battering have sufficiently shewn that their Fortitude was not reall since she wanted Justice and wisdome In effect their most glorious Actions have their defaults their valour is nothing but despair and all that the Roman Eloquence calls courage is but Pusillanimity Certainly Cato was the wise man of Rome he held there the same Rank which Socrates did amongst the Athenians his death goes for the chiefest testimony of his courage and Historians never speak thereof without highly praising it he had fruitlesly endeavoured to appease the Civill Wars he sided which the Common-wealth whilest every one took part either with Caesar or Pompey he remained free whilest every one had chosen a Master he assisted the dying Common-wealth with his counsell and his weapons he opposed his courage to Fortune and if this blinde hus-wife could have seen his merit she would have been inamored thereof After having given all these Testmonies of his affection to his Country what lesse could he do then secure his own Liberty by his death and dip that Innocent sword in his bloud which the civil wars could not defile he therefore considerately prepares himself for this blow he dissembles his design to couzen his friends he spent the night either in reading or taking rest he encourageth himself to die by the thought of Immortality when he was well perswaded he would go see what he had beleeved and by a generous blow free his soul from the prison of her body his hand did not serve his courage faithfully his Friends who came into his succour bound up his wounds and endeavoured to alter his designe he seemed to approve of their reasons so to free himself from their Importunities but when he was alone he tore off his apparel opened his wounds and ended that with his hands which he had begun with his sword Fortune would prolong his death to try his constancie and this Tragedy seemed so pleasing to him as he endeavoured to spin it out that he might the longer taste the pleasure thereof Seneca complaines that Eloquence is not happy enough to make Panegyrickes upon this death He prefers it before all the battels of Conquerours he calls all the Gods to witnesse it he leaves us in doubt whether Cato be not more Glorious then his Iupiter he is troubled that his age knew him not Complains that the Common wealth which should have raised him above Caesar and Pompey hath placed him beneath Vatimus and Clodius and to erect a stately Trophye to this vanquisher of fear and Death he sayes that Cato and Liberty died both on a day and were buried in one and the same Tombe Yet a man need not to be much enlightened to observe the defaults of a so well disguised death for if Cato be to be praised for having killed himself all those that did survive him deserve to be blamed 'T was weaknesse in Cicero to have recourse to Caesars clemencie 't was either Folly or Fearfulnesse in him not to despair of the Republiques well-fare and yet to reserve himself to raise her up after her Fall But not to make use of so weak a reason to condemn him who sees not that pride had a greater share in this Action than Courage Who does not think that Cato was prouder than Caesar and that it was not integrity but want of Courage which put the Poneyard in his hand Who knows not that it was rather weaknesse than Constancie that made him die had he had courage enough to have under-gone adversity he would never have had recourse to despair he wanted patience in his misfortune and if he could have endured Caesars victories he had not Committed self-Murther For if he thought it shame to beg his life of his enemies wherefore did he Counsell his Son to do it If he thought death so glorious wherefore did he disswade his friends from it If he thought the Common-wealth might be restored by their Counsels wherefore did he deny her his and if he advised every one to seek for mercy from the Conquerour wherefore did he by his errour prevent it What ever mischief threatens us we must never flie to despair though the decree be pronounced the Scaffold set up and that all things assure us we must die we must not play the Hangmans part nor hasten our death to free us from misery This is to make our selves Ministers of our enemies cruelty to excuse their fault by preventing it and to commit Parricide to exempt them from man slaughter Socrates who was not better instructed than Cato was more generous because more Patient he might have freed himself from Poyson by a sword and by fasting five or six dayes have acquitted himself from his Enemies violence yet he spent a whole Month in Prison he affordeth death leisure to imploy all its horrours to try his constancie he thought he was to give way to the Laws of his Country and not to refuse his last instructions to his friends they intreating for them If this Pagan Philosopher thought he ought not to attempt any thing against his own life because he was in the hands of justice no man can with reason make himself away for from the first moment of his birth he is subject to the Laws of God and unless he will do an unjust act he must waite till he that put him into the world take him from thence to hasten our death is to intrench upon his rights to kill our selves is to overthrow his workmanship and to bereave him of the least of his Subjects is to attempt against his Sovereignty In this case we have lesse power over our selves than over others for we may kill an enemy in our own defence but it is not lawfull to shun his fury by preventing it We must wait till the same Judge which hath pronounced the decree of our Death make it be executed and it belongs to one and the same Power either to shew favour or Justice to the guilty All those stately words which flatter our vain Glory and do incourage our despair do not excuse our fault when we attempt upon our owne lives Nature teacheth us sufficiently by those tacite instructions which she giveth us that if it be treacherie to abandon a place which a Prince hath committed to our charge 't is perfidiousnesse to forgo the body which God hath given us the guidance of and which he hath joyned so straightly to our soul as that
their humours and opinions had so straightly united their souls that death it self could not part them The Tyrant Dionysius to whom vertue was an Enemy condems one of these faithfull friends to his last sufferings he findes that his occasions ingage him to make a voyage the Tyrant who would adde mirth to cruelty permits him so to do provided he finde out Baile who may take his place and who will be bound to die for him if he defer his return Pythias accepts of this Condition and entring into Prison wisheth that the day of Execution drew nigh that he might deliver his friend the fatall hour being come and Damon not yet appearing Pythias is led to punishment he rejoyceth at his happinesse whilst the people are afflicted at his misfortune he excites the Hangman to make hast and fears death lesse then his friends return and without excusing his delay or suspition of his fidelity he commends Fortune which keeps his friend from making good his word at this very moment Damon arrives quite out of breath he presseth through the crowde presents himself before the Tyrant and the Executioner and calls for his baile in Pithias pleades the hower is past that Damon having failed in his assignment is no more lyable to death and that it is he Pythias that must end what he had begun This strife makes the Hang-man stay his hand moves wonder in the people and softens the Tyrant who for their fidelity revokes his Decree desires to be admitted into their society this monster who had never studied any thing but to make himself to be feared ravisht to see this Miracle wisheth to be beloved It cannot be denied but that this was a rare example and that in this mutuall correspondancy the height of friendship is seen for it was of power to inspire the contempt of death to cancell the love of life to mollifie cruelty to change rage into mildness and to turn the pain of punishment to a glorious recompence but who doth not also see that this contestation might rather proceed from vain Glory then love who thinks not that each of these loved themselves better than their companion since leaving life to him he would keep Glory to himself who will not confesse that in this dispute there was more of Ambition then fidelity and who will not acknowledge that so gallant an adventure might have been wisht for by men not so wel known to one another and between whom there was not so great a friendship as between Damon and Pythias But we must not wonder if friendship be faulty amongst the Pagans since she is not alwayes innocent amongst Christians and since interest which gives against the designes of Charity keeps her from inlarging her self and doth unjustly confine her self between two parties for we suffer our selves to be perswaded by Philosophy that common friendship cannot be reall that he who loves many loves none and that who doth so readily ingage himself doth disingage himself with as much as Ease Yet the Son of God bindes us to love all Christians as our brothers he will have his body and blood to be the bond of all the faithfull and that his chiefest mysteries tend onely to the uniting of them together his pleasure was that we should all have one and the same Father to the end we might have one and the same inheritance he ordeined but one Baptisme to the end that our birth might be alike and that the difference of Conditions being banisht from out his Church reciprocall love might not by mistake be diminished he gave us but one head to the end we might be inanimated by the same spirit and that the conformity of our opinions might be the preservation of our friendship he hath left us his body in the Eucharist to the end we might have one and the same food and that being converted to himself we should be obliged to love one another as being his members he hath caused us to be born in one and the same Church to the end that we might have but one Mother upon earth as we have but one Father in Heaven he hath promised us one and the same Paradise to the end we might have one and the same Country and that being so straightly united in time we may not be separated in Eternity yet all these powerfull means cannot keep friendship amongst Christians self love derides them the division of wealth divides their wills every one prefers his interest before Charity the Common people end their differences by suite at Law Gentle-men by Duels and Princes by Battails Men defend their right either by cunning or by force not considering that Jesus Christ lives in our enemies we kill them to revenge our selves and commit murther to cancell an injury But though we should be more charitable we cannot shun being unfortunate for sin hath so corrupted our nature Divine Justice hath so severely punisht sins as the life of man is rather a succession of miseries then of years man cannot live long without much suffering if his body be in health his minde is sick if his wealth be not exposed to injustice his Innocency is exposed to Calumny if he fence himself from one misfortune he is assayed by another and he learns to his own cost that long life is but a long punishment And then again whosoever engageth himself in friendship obligeth himself to new displeasures as he lives in two bodies he suffers in two places and addes his friends miseries to his own if he have many friends Fortune hath more to lay hold off in him and as afflictions are more common than blessings he must resolve to be often miserable Those deceive themselves who esteem friendship a consolation to the afflicted to give her her due name she ought to be termed the torment of the fortunate because she hath made evil Common between those who mutually love and since she makes a man suffer in his friends misfortune though otherwise he himself should be in a happy condition she augments the number of the miserable under pretence of diminishing it she turns a single Malady into a contagion she inlargeth displeasures under colour of easing them and by an ingenious Cruelty she findes a means to hurt many in indeavouring to heal one Therefore do the unfortunate fear having friends when they are uninteressed they love not that their maladie should be contagious it sufficeth them that they are miserable without making others so they are as covetuous of their Pains as they have been prodigall of their pleasures they think not themselves freed of their miseries by laying them upon their friends they shun company for fear of infecting them knowing that solitarinesse is the abode of the afflicted they forsake the world and hold for certain that an unfortunate man becomes faulty when he wisheth for Companions in his misery Be it confest that friendship is very fantastick and that she imprintes
strange opinions in men for if they be Just they ought not to desire that their friends contentment should be disquieted by their misfortunes they are unworthy of their Compassion if they too eagerly desire it they deserve not to be bemoned if they exact tears they are Tyrants and Hang-men if they will have their friends to be their Martyrs and that for having partaken in their Prosperity they should do the like in their Adversity notwithstanding 't is true that Friendship never appears but in Affliction 'T is misfortune that tries Friends their friendship is approved of when Fortune frowns we must be Miserable to know that we are beloved we cannot get this assurance without the Losse of our Felicity and as long as Fortune favours us we dare not build upon our friends Fidelities Heaven therefore is the true harbour of Friendship 't is there that our Love divides it self without fear of Jealousie and waxeth not weak 't is there that we shall have so many Friends as God makes blessed Saintes 't is there that without trying them by our Misfortunes we shall be assured of their good-wills 't is there that reading their Hearts and seeing their Thoughtes we shall no longer run the hazard of being abused by Words 't is there that without fear of adding to our mis-fortunes by the increase of our Friends we shall enjoy all good and fear no evil 't is there that living for ever together we shall no longer fear to be separated by Death or absence Finally 't is there that being perfectly united to God we shall see our selves in his Light and love our selves in his Goodnesse The ninth Discourse That the Uncertainty and Obscurity of Knowledge is derived from sin IT must be confest that man is very unfortunate in becoming guilty since his perfections and his defects are almost equally fatall to him His vertues are false and his vices true his most glorious actions do oft-times derive from so bad an originall as they are not to be praised without injuring in some sort both grace and reason His ignorance doth not always excuse his sin and his knowledge doth not always enhance his vertue The more he is knowing the more guilty is he as Saint Paul saith He withholds the truth in unrighteousnesse and his light is intermixt with so much darknesse that it may lead him out of the way and cannot conduct him This is notwithstanding mans most violent passion desire of knowledge is born with him and if it makes not his difference it is one of his chiefest Proprieties For Beasts are wrought on by ambition they fight for glory and as if that were the onely reward of their victory they pardon their enemies after they have beaten them they are tormented with love and jealousie Lions can endure no rivalls and if they want rewards to honour fidelity they want not chastisements to punish Adultery Desire of life is not much lesse violent in beasts than in men the same instinct which animates Tigres to seek out prey for their nourishment makes Stags hide themselves in woods for their preservation Nature teacheth them remedies for their evils and this common mother furnisheth them with herbes to cure them the apprehension of death encourageth the most timerous when they are bereft of all hope of safety they turn their fear to fury and to shun danger throw themselves head-long into it But the desire of knowledge is peculiar to man and there is no cruelty which he useth not to content his curiosity He rips open the bowels of the earth to know the secrets thereof he melts metals to discover their essences he descends to the bottome of the Sea to learn the wonders thereof he turns the world upside down to know it under pretence of succouring those that live he dissects those that are dead and seeks out the causes of their maladies that he may finde out remedies for them This passion is much augmented by the esteem which it hath won in the world for nothing is more honoured than knowledge the Devil gave it credit in the earthly Paradise by the praises which he gave it made our first Parents long after it their children imitated them in their errour consecrated their watchings to the atchieving of so rich a fleece Greatest honours have been conferr'd upon the most knowing men and if those which have freed their Countrey from the Insolence of Tyrants have past for Heroes those who have found out Arts who have defended men either from ignorance or from necessity have had Temples and Altars erected to them in so much as the Devill kept his word which his gave our first Parents when to seduce them he would perswade them their knowledge would make them Gods and his promise though false hath been in some sort accomplisht by peoples simplicity who have adored knowing men For it must be confest that the monuments of our mindes are more durable than those of our hands and that Sciences have much better fenced themselves against the injuries of time than the stateliest Edifices of Antiquity Aristotles Philosophy hath had her admirers in all Ages this gallant man had more Disciples since his death than during his life and there have been greater disputes had to maintain his Doctrine than the most famous Conquerour hath given Battels to enlarge his Territories Homers Verses are still read with respect men admire his invention reverence his defects and labour almost as much to understand his Conceipts as to understand Oracles some men passe whole nights in perusing his works who glory to be a dead mans Interpreter who enrich themselves at the cost of a poor man and boast themselves of enlightning all mens understandings by explicating the words of a blind man since his time all Empires have been dissipated Rome hath seen her self twice or thrice buried under her own ruines her Republique hath been turn'd to a Monarchy and her Monarchy hath divided it selfe into as many parts as there are Kingdomes in the world Men know not where the capitall Cities of Media and Persia were situated it is disputed in what parts of the World Thebes and Memphis were built their high walls large circuits and number of Inhabitants have not been able to preserve the memory thereof these works of great Kings have not been able to defend themselves against Time and these miracles of Art have either been ruin'd by the Sword or devoured by fire but Homers works live yet Troy was never so beautifull in Asia as in his Verses if he could not keep it from being burnt he hath kept it from being forgotten The Grecian Achilles and Hector of Troy never won so much renown by their valour as by his praises This onely example makes it evident that Knowledge hath the upper-hand of Courage and that the labours of the brain are more durable than the Conquests of Kings yet hath knowledge her defaults since the state of sin
vertue and that though she may make men more Learned yet shee cannot make them Better In effect the most knowing men have not alwayes been the most vertuous and those who have Written best are not those that have lived best Seneca's life agrees not with his writings the counsels which he gives to Nero in Tacitus are not like those which he gives him in his books of anger and clemencie he is much more generous in his epistles to Lucilius then in his consolation to Polybius and his naturall questions taste much more of Philosophie then that bloody invective which he wrote after the death of Claudius these two pieces discover his nature which in the other he sought to disguise when he sets forth vertue to the life and gives her so many charmes to make her Lovely me thinks I seek a Black-more painting a fair Woman or a corrupt Lawyer pleading an Honest cause Socrates and Plato though they were the most learned of their age were not the most vertuous their actions require rather Apologies than Panegyricks if they condemn rather ambition 't is to authorize uncleannesse if they contemn'd the love of Women 't was thought 't was to authorize the like of yong men and that if quencht impure flames 't was to kindle Hellish ones Epicurus and Zeno breathed forth nothing but either Pleasure or vaine glory if the one wage war with vice 't is onely to purchase Glory and if the other suppresse his Passions 't is onely that he may enjoy the more Rest and that he may adore Pleasure in the temple of vertue Thus is knowledge unprofitable and to reap any advantage by her instructions a man must ask counsell of Charity For to what end is it that we know what is good if our bad inclinations keep us from doing it and what advantage shall we receive from a science which can neither withstand vice nor defend vertue We know that we ought to be ayding to our Parents in their miseries but Avarice keeps us from being so we know that we ought to fight for our Countrey but fear keeps us from doing so we know that we ought to incommodiate our selves to serve our friends but pleasures divert us from it we know that we should prefer Honour before pleasure and innocence before both but ambition and delight will not permit us so to do so as it is to no purpose to advise us unlesse the Obstacles which oppose themselves to that advise be removed and unlesse the will be heated at the same time that the understanding is enlightened But that which is yet more grievous and which obligeth all men to confesse that Knowledge is corrupted by sin is that she is an enemy to vertue and that under pretence of defending her she wageth war against her The Roman Common-wealth did never flourish more then in the first Ages wherein she was content to know that she was to honour her Gods guide her People assist her Allyes and to fight her enemies she lost her integrity when she would increase her knowledge Pleasures entred Rome together with forreign sciences and from the time that once the Romans began to dispute concerning vertue they ceased to practise her the Greeks revenged themselves on them by their Philosophers not being able to overcome them by Arms they found a meanes how to corrupt them by their conferences and giving them Learning they bereft them of Justice whereby they had won so much over all the people of the world Athens was more learned than Lacedaemon but Lacedaemon was more vertuous than Athens Vertue triumphed over Eloquence and this Town which was wholly composed of Philosophers and Orators was brought to serve the other which abounded in ignorance Experience teacheth that knowledge doth abate courage that in polishing the understanding she weakens it and that in teaching how to speak well she makes us forget how to do well The Turks owe their valour totally to their ignorance and if any Innocencie remain amongst the Barbarians 't is because they have not yet been acquainted with the mischeif of knowledge Wisdom her self is not reconciled to her these two Sisters which Philosophers boast to have united cannot agree together in any extraordinary degree It seems impossible for a man to be both Learned and wise Learning doth puzzle the brain as well as vain glory as excessive fortunes make us lose our Judgements much knowledge makes us lose our reason Study dries the Braine great contestations of minde alter mans Temper and it oftentimes falls out that both the Soul and the Body are weakened through an extream desire of knowledge The most dangerous folly is not Stupid that which is occasioned by Ignorance is easily remedied but that which is occasioned through Study makes both Physician and Patient despaire in fine knowledge is the learned mans punishment she is more boundlesse then ambition all her desires are out of Order the more she possesseth the more she wisheth for the Richer she is the Poorer she esteems her self and framing daily new designes she makes those that love her confesse that she is a vexatious occupation which God hath given them onely for their Chastisement that he who addes New-lights to what hath formerly been known addes more Paines to former Troubles and that who labours after more knowledge labours to make himself more Miserable It were to be wisht that as God hath tane immortality from us to shorten our Misery he had likewise deprived us of profane knowledge to lessen our sufferings and then we should have found that ignorance and death are rather Favours then punishments A man must become ignorant to become Faithfull Vain Philosophy is an Obstacle to our belief t is easier to convert an Ignorant man than a Philosopher and humblenesse of minde which serves for the foundation of Christian vertues hath no more mortall enemy than the vanity of Philosophy The great Apostle of the Gentiles declares war against it in his writings he cannot endure the pride which doth accompany it he despiseth the false lights which puzzle the understanding but do not enlighten it though he was taught at feet of Gamaliel he boasts of his ignorance and he teacheth all the faithfull that he knows nothing but Jesus Christ crucified It is enough to know that man can do nothing of himself and that as he holds all whatsoever he is and whatsoever he hath from the Goodnesse of God he is bound to employ it to his Glory The tenth Discourse That Eloquence is an Enemy to Reason Truth and Religion AS Eloquence is the Mistresse of handsome language as she makes the Panegyricks of Princes vaunts her self to put a valuation upon vertue and to reward her for all the glorious troubles she undergoes so hath she not been wanting in giving unto her self those praises which she thinks are due unto her and to imploy all her cunning in making her worth appear For if we will beleeve
shun an ill step or two she falls into a precipice This misfortune may be observed upon a thousand occasions but particularly in what concerns the body of man for some seeing the unrulinesse thereof could not beleeve that it was the workmanship of God and falling insensibly into an Errour perswaded themselves that the Devil was the author thereof some others thinking to withstand this heresie fall into another and considering the beauties of the body thought that it still retained its first purity that the faults thereof were perfections and that all the motions thereof might be represt by free-will without grace The Catholick truth walks in the midst between these two errours condemning the Manichees she acknowledgeth that mans body is made by God enlivened by his breath and fastened to the soul by invisible chaines to make one and the same whole condemning the Pelagians she confesseth that mans body hath lost its innocencie that sin reigns in the members thereof that it infecteth the soul which inanimates it and that the well fare thereof which begins in Baptisme will not be accomplisht till the last generall resurrection Thus God is the Author thereof and 't is a marke of ' its Goodnesse Jesus Christ is the redeemer thereof and 't is a mark of it's corruption I therefore am obliged to part this subject into two discourses the first of which shall contain the bodyes plea the other its condemnation Though the body be the least part of man and that it be Common to him with beasts yet hath it advantages which make it sufficiently known that it is destin'd to be the organ of an immortall soul. For the members thereof are so artificially formed as we cannot judge whether they be more usefull or more pleasing their number causeth no confusion their difference augments their beauty and their proportion gives the last touch to the work which they all together make up All of them have their particular employments they mutually assist one another without intrenching one upon another they hold such intelligence as their good and bad is common the tongue serves for interpreter to the whole body the eyes serve it for a guide the hands for its servants the ears for informers and the leggs for supporters Some of them are in perpetuall motion and never rest Action is their life and rest their death whilest the eyes are lull'd asleep the ears closed up and whilest the feet and hands lie fallow the heart is always in action it seems that nature intended to make it her chief piece of workmanship and that she employ'd all her industry to render it admirable 'T is the first part of man that lives and the last that dies it is so little as 't will not suffice to give a Kite a meal and yet so great as the whole world cannot satisfie it nothing but his immensity that made it can fill the infinite capacity thereof All passions derive from it as from their spring-head 't is this that causeth love and hatred 't is this that shuns what it hates for fear and draws neer to what it loves through desire 'T is lodged like a King in the midst of its subjects it gives its orders without departing from its Throne its motions are the rules of our health and assoon as it is assailed we are sick it s least hurts are mortall Nature which knows the worth and the weaknesse thereof hath endued all its subjects with a secret inclination to expose themselves for its defence the hands put by the blows that are made at it and knowing that their welfare consists in the preservation thereof they hazard themselves to save it from danger To reward this their service this Sovereigne is so vigilant as he never takes rest he labours alwayes for the weal-publick and whilest the senses are asleep he is busied in moving the Arteries in forming the Spirits and in distributing them about all the parts of the Body The Braines finish this work and giving it its last perfection dispose it to the noblest operations of the soul. This work ceaseth not though men sleep though the Soul take some refreshment these two parts of the Body are always in action and when they cease to move they cease to live All these live in so full a peace as the difference of their temper is not able to disturbe it Cold accords there with heat moystnesse is there no longer an enemy to drynesse and the elements which cannot tolerate one another in the World conspire together in man for his bodies preservation If any disorder happen it is occasioned by forreign heat the naturall Subjects never trouble the States tranquility they are so straightly joyn'd by their Interests as nothing can befall the one which the other doth not resent the pain of one part is the sicknesse of the whole body and if the foot be hurt the tongue complains the heart sighes the eyes weep the head bowes to consider the evill and the armes extend themselves to apply remedy If their love be so rare their obedience is no lesse remarkable for they force their own inclinations to observe the orders of the will and their fidelity is so ready as the command is no sooner impos'd then obey'd at their Soveraigns bare motion the hands strive to be acting the tongue explains his intentions the eyes expresse his thoughts and the eares execute his designs The will findes out so much submission in the faculties of the soule as in the parts of the body she is oft-times divided by her desires and opposed by her own inclinations sheis a rebell to her selfe cannot comprehend how one and the same object can cause horrour and love in her at the same time but she never commands her body without being obey'd and unlesse passions make a mutiny in it or that it be disorder'd by sicknesse it fulfils her orders with as much readinesse as faithfulnesse She likewise undertakes nothing without the assistance of this faithfull companion she stands in need of his aid in her noblest operations and though she be a meer spirit she can neither discourse nor reason but by the interposition of the body if she will forme thoughts she must consult with the imagination and if she will explain them she is forced to make use either of tongue or hand she hath no strong agitations which appear not in the eyes and when she is disquieted by any violent passion 't is soon seen in the face A man must be very vigilant to hinder the commerce between the body and the soule the rules of discretion and all art of policy which re-commends dissimulation to Soveraigns cannot keep their countenances from discovering their designes nor their eyes from betraying their wills the soule conceales nothing from this her faithfull confident he that could well study the changes which appear in the face might infallibly know the alterations of the minde and without needing to wish as that
different parts the bodies pain is the Souls punishment their good and their bad are common between them the more noble suffers with the more ignoble and by a strange misfortune the soul which needs no nourishment fears famine she who is spirituall fears pain and she who is immortall apprehends death she is afflicted with whatsoever hurts the body and as if her love had changed her Essence she seems to be become Corporeall By a sequell as shamefull as necessary she takes her part of all the bodies pleasures she shapes desires unnecessitated she follows the inclmations of its senses and forgoing truth and vertue wherein all her innocent delights ought to consist she rellisheth the flowers with the smelling she tastes meat with the Pallate she hears Musick with the ears and seeth the diversity of colours with the eyes Being thus become sensuall she is not to be loosened from the body she forgets her naturall advantages by neglecting them she forgoes commerce with spirits to treat with beasts the fear she hath of death makes her doubt her immortallity the love she hath to pleasure makes her despise vertue and to engage her selfe too far in her slaves interest she learns new crimes whereof she was before innocent For although the soule be not impeaceable and that her will be not so constant in what is good but that she may be unfortunately parted from it yet is she not capable of all sorts of crimes she may be seduced by falshood blown up by vaine glory abased by sadnesse and gnawn by envy but she should be exempt from such sins as she is perswaded unto by the senses if she were dis-ingaged from the body Meer spirits are not scorcht with unchaste flames divels are not unchaste save onely for that they counsell us to impurity They are pleased with this vice onely because Jesus Christ is thereby injured and our soules would finde no trouble in being chaste did they not love unchaste bodies drunkennesse the vapours whereof cloud reason is not so much a sin of the soule as of the body did not the soule swim in the bloud the body would never be drown'd in wine and the greatest drunkard of the world would forgoe his love to this sin if death had un-robd him of his body a man must partake much more of a beast than of an Angel if he fall into this disorder and men who make more use of their soules then of their bodies are not much subject to this infamous Irregularity Gluttony which may be termed the sister or the mother of drunkennesse lodgeth neither in the will nor in the understanding it makes it's abode in the body the pallate which tastes viands the stomack which disgests them are it 's faithfull officers if it make any use of the understanding 't is for the service of the belly and if it reason at any time 't is but to finde out new sauces which may awaken appetite Covetousnesse though it contest with ambition and be insatiable is rather a sin of the senses than of the soule for this illustrious Captive makes not so many wishes for her selfe as for the body which she inanimates Glory and vertue are the onely objects of her desires when she labours to get riches or to seek out pleasure she fits her selfe to the humour of her slave and acts more through complacency than inclination or necessity 't is the body which needs the light of the constellations to light it the fruites of the earth to nourish it the skins of beasts to cloth it and all the beauties of nature for it's diversion All Artslabour onely for the service thereof though they be the work of the understanding they be the bodies servants and set those aside which have affinity with sciences all the rest labour onely to entertain the senses some cut out clothes to cover us others raise houses for us to lodge in some till the earth to nourish us others seek for pearl in the bottome of the sea and diamonds in the bowels of the earth for our adornment if the soule become ingenious in inventing things which are superfluous and of no use she is there unto sollicited by reason of the bodies need and she forgoes all these cares as soon as she is got out of prison The Rebell Angels never fought to divide the riches of the earth the division of Provinces or Kingdoms did never move ambition in them the beauty of women never caused in them loose desires nor did ever any of those sins which arise from flesh bloud tempt those haughty spirits The greatest part of our excesse derives from the body if we were parted from it we should either become innocent or if in that condition we should have either ambition or avarice their motive and object would be altered The greatest Conquerours have no motions which are not common to them with Lions Lovers jealousie is not more noble then is that of Buls and the husbandry of the Avaritious is not more just then is that of Owles and Ants if men be more to blame then beasts 't is because their soule complies with their bodies and that she makes use of her advantages to supply her slaves necessities But the mischiefe takes it's originall from the body and as the woman tempted man after she had been seduced by the devill the flesh tempts the spirit after having been sollicited by objects which flatter the senses I very well know that in the State of Innocency the soule was first guilty and that the body being subject to reason could not excite the first seditions it was obedient to it's Sovereign and as long as the soule was subject to God the body was subject to the soule but when once the soule rebell'd against her God her body scorn'd to be commanded by her And as mans fault had been a revolt his punishment was a rebellion also All our mischief ariseth from the bad intelligence which is held between the two parts whereof we are composed he who could appease their differences might remedy our sins and if the body did no longer rebell against the soule we should have reason to hope that the soule would no longer rebell against God To understand this truth which seems at first to gain-say the rules of humane reasons you must know that Generation is the way by which Adams sin is transmitted into our soules should not inherit the bodies sin nor misery From this impure and fruitfull spring-head do all our mis-fortunes derive the blindnesse which cloudes our understanding draws it's obscurity from the body falshood and vanity enter our soules by the gate of our senses and if sins end in the will they begin in the imagination Love glides into the heart by the eyes he who could be blinde might easily be chaste if calumny be formed in the heart it is dealt abroad by the tongue and what in the thought was but the malady of one particular
man becomes by discourse the contagion of a whole Town Conceptions are spread abroad by words and faults are multiplied by communication if those who are dumb conceive envie they cannot shew it by detraction and if they expresse it by signes 't is either the hands or eyes which makes them guilty our soule is not infected with falshood or heresie save by our most refined sense these two poisons are taken in by the care not by the mouth And as faith and truth enter the soule by hearing their mortall enemies make their passage by the same way a man must stop his eares and shut his eyes if he will keep his heart pure It were to be wisht that men were blinde that so they might not see the beauty which inchants them that women were deafe that they might not hear the praises which seduce them In fine the world abuseth us onely by our senses it 's pernicious Maximes get into our soules by our eares the vanities thereof corrupt our wills by our eyes and all those objects whose different beauties do be witch us make no impression in our soule but by our body We should be invulnerable were we spirituall and of a thousand temptations which we have we should hardly be troubled with one were we not engaged in Materia To compleat our mis-fortune we love our enemy the bad offices he doth us cannot diminish our love All the Maximes of Religion cannot perswade us to revenge and though this motion of the minde be so pleasing to the injured it seems severe unto us when we are invited to punish our body Our passion for this unfaithfull one is not extinguished by death The damned preserves it amidst the flames though they know their pains shall be increased by the resurrection of their body they cannot chuse but desire it In hell hope triumphs over fear and pain and this cruell enemy hath so many charmes as though he be reduced to dust yet doth he cause love in the soule which did inanimate him The remembrance of the injuries which the soule hath received from the body and the fear of pain which she expects from thence is not able to stifle this desire She hopes for the day of Judgement where she must be condemned though she know her punishment will be increased by her re-union with her body she cannot but desire it with impatience and places the delay thereof in the number of her sufferings So as we are bound to conclude that if the body be the cause of sin during life it will be the punishment thereof after death and that if it hath made the soule guilty upon earth 't will make her unhappy in hell The third Discourse Of the Infidelity of the Senses NAture being so intermingled with sin as that the one is the production of God the other the work of man the praises which we give to the former are always mingled with Invectives made against the latter and we cannot value the beauty of nature unlesse we blame the out-rages which she hath received from sin the figure of mans body is an evident signe of his Makers wisdome The Lineaments of his face bindes us to admire the power of the hand which hath formed them and the disposall of the parts thereof draw no lesse praises from our mouthes than the like of the universe But the disorder which we see in mans Temperature the opposition of those Elements which go to his composure and that generall revolt which hath shed it self throughout all his members obligeth us to detest sin which is the cause thereof We must argue in the same sort concerning our senses and confesse that as their use deserves estimation their irregularity deserves blame They are admirable in their structure and were they not common to us with beasts we might be permitted to glory in them The operation of the noblest of them is so subtill as that the soule as divine as she is can hardly comprehend it she admireth these Master-pieces of nature though she have so great a share in their miracles yet knows she not how they are done and thinks strange that she should contribute to wonders which she cannot conceive For the soule inanimates the senses and this spirituall forme is a created Divinity which sees by the eyes heares by the eares and expresseth it selfe by the mouth But if the senses have their perfections they have also their defects and if the soule receive any service by them she is by them likewise much injured They are the gates of falshood and errour vanity slides into our soules by their means they are exposed to illusions the objects wherewith they are pleased corrupt them and being once corrupted by delight they make no true reports unto the soule Nature hath endowed us with them that we might know God by things visible and to raise us up to consider the beauty of the Creatour by the like of his works these deceitfull Guides do notwithstanding abuse us and sollicited either by delight or interest make Idols unto themselves of all the creatures and lead us to adore sensible and perishable Gods Saint Augustine confesseth that he never went astray in his beliefe save when he would follow them and that he never engaged himselfe in errour save when he gave beliefe to their advise he sought out God with his eyes he would have touched him with his hands and thought to have found him in the world whom he carried about with him in his heart He gave commission to all his senses to finde him out but these ignorant messengers could learn him nothing and he found not his God because he knew not how rightly to seek for him Their ignorance would be excusable were it not accompanied with injustice but these evill Counsellours grow insolent in chiding us after they have abused us and make violence succeed superchery they tyrannize over our souls after having seduced them and make the Sovereign take laws from his slaves According to the Government of the Universe Inferiour things are alwas subject to their superiour as the earth is lesse noble than the Heavens it is also lower it receives their influences thereof with respect and all the fruit it beareth raise themselves up towards the stars to witnesse that it's fruitfulnesse derives from their Influences In Civill Government women are subject unto their husbands and slaves obey their Masters in Politique the people hold of their Sovereign and the Kings will is the Subjects laws but in man this order is reverst by an irregularity which can be nothing but the punishment of sin his soule depends upon his body and in her noblest operations she is obliged to be advised by the senses Her condition is so unhappy as she seems almost enforced to believe the ignorant to follow the blinde and to obey Rebels A man would blame a State where fools should command over wise men where children should prescribe laws to the Ancient
to suppresse one Passion by another and to oppose hope to fear choller to remissnesse and sorrow to joy This remedy proved worse than the disease it increased the number of the Rebels whom it would have lessened weakened reasons authority whichit would have established All these different means unprofitably employed are sufficient proofs of our passions Malignity and after all the means used by Philosophy it must be confest that the motions of our Soul are disordered by sin that to make vertues of them their nature must be almost totally altered and that unassisted by Grace they are more dangerous mischiefs than either Pestilence or Famine One of them is sufficient to destroy a whole Province a Monarchs anger is the ruin of a State and that which causeth suites at Law between particular men kindles War between Princes Ambition hath changed the face of the world a hundred times the Deluge hath not made such waste therein as hath the pride and vain glory of Conquerors the marks of their gâ—eatnes are for the most part fatall they build Towns upon the ruines of such as they have beaten down their conquests do oft times begin with violence and injustice vertue hath seldom been the reward of their victory he who hath been most fool-hardy hath oft-times been most fortunate the whole world dreaded Alexanders ambition one only man hath or caused fear in all men The desire of glory made him swim in his Enemies blood this passion was augmented by good successe victory ingaged him in new Battails the more fortunate he was the more was he insolent had not death stopt the course of his conquests he would have made all Nature groan Asia Europe and Affrica would have had but one and the same Tyrant and his Subjects ruine would have been the onely proof of his authority Adams fault never appeared more than in Alexander we should not beleeve that our father aspired to make himself God if this his Son had not imitated him and we should hardly beleeve that man in the state of innocency had any proud desires had not this Prince had insolent thoughts in the state of sin The world seemed too little to his ambition his Vanity thought Usurpation lawfull and he was so blinded with passion as that he thought it no the every to plunder a kingdom or Murther to Defeate an Army By all this discourse t is easie to inferre that the passions are rebels which are partiall in their siding with sin and which are never so much assubjected to the Soul but that they are alwaies ready to obviate her Power and ruine her authority They are like the Praetorian Souldiers who made merry with their Princes heads who made and unmade their Sovereignes onely in reference to their own interest who gave the Empire to those who offered most for it and who made no election which began not with murther for these heady giddy Subjects have no other motion than either their own pleasure or proffit they obey not reason save onely when they like her commands and to reap any profit by them they must be won either by threates or promises they help us onely in hurting us they do rather occasion the exercising our vertue then assist the practice thereof and as if they were of the devils humour they advance our wellfare only in labouring our losse their assistance is almost alwayes pernitious they must be used as the Poets say Aeolus used the windes threates must be used with the orders which we give them They are like those horses in the chariot of the sun in Ovid they must be be roughly dealt withall before they reduced and their Nature must be changed ere their violence be overcome Anger turnes to fury when not moderated desire and hope go astray when not regulated Audacity grows rash when not held in and sorrow turns to despaire when not sweetened so as all passions instruct us that Nature is corrupted by sin and that to assubject them to reason a Man must guide himself by the motions of Grace The fifth Discourse That the health of Man is prejudiced by sicknesse AMongst a thousand differences which distinguish Christian Grace from originall righteousnesse one of the chiefest is that the former sanctifies the Souls onely and the other did sanctifie the whole man and wrought admirable effects in his body For in the profession of Christianity the senses are yet Subject to the Illusions of the Devil objects do yet move the passions and reason is oft surprised by their motions The Sacraments do not warrant us from death and the remedies which Jesus Christ hath left unto his Church do not cure our sicknesses But in the state of innocency originall righteousnes was a plentifull spring-head which dispersed abroad its rivulets into both the parts which go to the composure of man For it brought fidelity to the senses obedience to the passions and peace to the Elements hence it was that man preserving his advantages was exempt from sicknesse and death The seasons not being yet irregular nothing could alter his temper and his humours being uncorrupted nothing could have prejudiced his health But with the losse of his innocency he lost all his priviledges and he was no sooner sinfull but he began to be sick This is so constant a truth as that mans life is nothing but a long sicknesse which never ends but in death he is born in sorrow aswell as in sin his entrance into the world is no lesse painfull then shamefull if this monster like the viper rip up the bowells of his Mother he himself feels a part of the pain which he makes her suffer and he runs as much danger as she who brings him into the world Therefore t is that Saint Austin sayes handsomly that to be born is to begin to suffer and that to live in the body is to begin to be sick The disorder of seasons is sufficient to corrupt the best constitutions and the Alterations which happen in the world make such impressions in the Body as trouble the temper thereof Though Nature be a wise Mother that she prepare us for the Summers heat by the moderate warmth of the spring and that she fits us for the winters cold by the moistnesse of Autumn yet is the body of man so weak as notwithstanding all these precautions she cannot free it from incommodity Physicians themselves observe that every season brings with it its maladie and that ruling over such humours as accord with them they never suffer us to enjoy perfect health The Elements agree not better than do the seasons there is alwayes some one of them which predominates to the prejudice of the rest they commit outrages each upon other and as bloud and choller discharge themselves when over heated flegme and Melancholly do the like when they are corrupted their good intelligence is fatall to man this calm threatens him with a terrible storm and he is never nearer sicknesse
than when in perfectest health besides these incommodities which spring from his temper there are others which proceed from indigencie and which oblige him every day to seek for cure he is dayly tormented with hunger and thirst and these are so pressing maladies as he cannot defer their remedies without hazarding his life Naturall heat commits spoil in the body which ought to be repaired The fire which inanimates us consumes us and if it be not furnisht with nourishment to entertain it it dischargeth it's fury upon the radicall moisture which preserves us 'T is a lamp that goes out when left without oyle and a man is so corrupted since sin as that which we call life is but a long death and that which is termed health is but a continuall sicknesse Nature is become our punishment every part of our body is bound by the Justice of God to punish us so as not needing executioners for the satisfaction thereof it findes enough in our selves to revenge itselfe of us The sicknesses wherewith we are afflicted arise from the mixture of the Elements though the seasons were not unseasonable and though the heavens should have no bad influences we should not cease to suffer our bodily temper suffers for the irregularity of our soules and there are some evils turned into nature insomuch as we cannot live without them Thirst is as usuall as hunger this malady though it be violent ceaseth not to be naturall those who are never troubled therewithall passe either for Angels or for Monsters History ranks it in the number of Prodigies and men are more astonished to see a man that did never drink than to see a man that did never laugh yet this so common punishment is so cruell as in five or six days it destroys the strongest men and makes the most couragious accept of dishonourable conditions Places which can defend themselves against force cannot defend themselves against thirst and the fire which consumes the entrails is of more efficacy than that which blows up walls and bulwarks Watching is not much lesse unsupportable than thirst Tyrants have put malefactors to death by keeping them from sleep Man must have recourse to sleep to refresh himselfe and must seek to preserve his life in the image of death If he neglect this remedy he languisheth away and his very soule which delights in motion hath need of this rest to re-assume it's vigour But all these evills are but pastimes or sports in comparison of these which are occasioned by our debaucheries The stone and gout are punishments which may almost vye with those of the damned they sieze on the most sensible parts of the body had they not their intermissions they would cast men into despair and to free themselves from it the lawes of the Ancients ought to be revived which permitted the miserable to die All the parts of the body hath maladies which assail them there is not any one which hath not some peculiar torments The eye which is one of the least though not of least importancy is subject to above an hundred severall diseases the nerves which give them motion and through which they receive light are as capable of obstruction as those by which the armes and legs are moved the smaller they be the more susceptible they are of pain and by how much the parts of the body are the most noble they seem to be the more painfull The least hurt in the heart is mortall and the throne wherein the soule resides is so fraile as a very vapour is capable to crack it In fine the best Physician who knew not that a man was sinfull wondred he should be so miserable and considering his miseries confest he was wholly a disease The soule which is the bodies guest is also it 's executioner the ones agitations trouble the others humours great men have little health the great designes which purchases them so much glory leaves them but little quiet Violent agitations alter the constitutions more than the countenance more men dye of anger and griefe than by the hands of the hangman lovers and ambitious men are always in a Fever the fire which inflames them consumes them and the Physician who deals with their body cannot cure their sicknesse till Philosophy which guides their mindes hath allayed their passions The soules delights are the bodies punishments and the same meditation which enlightens the understanding and heats the will disorders the temper and alters the constitution thus the whole life of man is nothing but a vexatious sicknesse his noblest operations serve him for punishments and he cannot purchase knowledge but by the losse of his health If the maladies be vexatious the remedies are not more pleasing Physick teacheth that the remedies which she furnisheth us withall are but prepared venomes she cannot drive out sicknesses but by poisons and to cure those that are sick she must seek for Antidotes in the bowels of vipers She is so unfortunate in her cures as she cannot assaile the disease without hurting the party diseased nor can she strengthen the diseased party without augmenting the disease These two maximes which divide the school of physick are are equally dangerous for be it that you will drive away the disease by it's contrary or that you will cure nature by it's like you must either weaken the sick party whil'st you think to destroy his disease or else increase the disease whil'st you strengthen the party that is sick so as the remedies are as dangerous as displeasing and we hazard our life as oft as we endeavour to recover health Hence proceeds the aversions which sick people have to physick hence proceeds the Philosophers invectives against the fear of death and the desire of life which oblige us to endeavour remedies which are more cruell than the evills which they promise to cure For there is the difference between nature and physick the former remedies are pleasing the others nauseous Viands which satisfie our hunger are so conformable to our temperature as they expell the evill with delight and repaires the ruine thereof without pain Wine appeaseth thirst with so much contentment as that drunkards are delighted in the remedy and wish to be thirsty that they may have the contentment of being cured this sort of drink is so pleasing to them as not staying till they have need thereof they seek it out meerly for pleasures sake and violate the laws of nature which hath made it pleasing onely because 't is necessary Sleep charms our wearinesse with so much of content as though it be the picture of death no man doth abhor it the slothfull ground their felicity thereon and those who do most desire to live take delight in dying oft and long A man must be sick to have an aversion of these remedies and either our health is interessed or our taste depraved when meat displeaseth us but physick is so severe in her operations as she never undertakes
pass amongst them as deities and the lovers of beauty were the first Idolaters The command which she exerciseth over men is so powerfull and so pleasing as they are pleased with the losse of their liberty and contrary to the humour of slaves they love their Irons and cherish their prisons could Kings use this art to make themselues be obeyed they should never know what revolts were and all their subjects being their well-wishers they would be absolute without violence rich without imposts and saâ—e without Citadels Thus when the Sonne of God would reign amongst men he wonne their hearts rather by his comlinesse then by his power and he used clemency oftner then justice to reduce his Enemies to their duty consecrated beauty in his person when he took our Nature upon him though he assumed the pain of sin he would not assume the uglinesse thereof and as there was no ignorance in his soul so was there no deformity in his body There was but one Heretique who mis-interpreting the words of a Prophet imagined that Jesus Christ was deformed but tradition upheld by reason teacheth us that he was beautifull without art that the Holy Ghost who formed his body in the Virgins womb would have it adorned with comlinesse and that nothing might be wanting to his workmanship he exceeded men in this advantage as well as in all others His very Types in the old testament were all comely Solomon and David the one of which represented his victories the other his Triumphs were both of them famous for their beauty Nature seemed as if she would picture forth in them the Messias to satisfie the just desires of those who could not see him The Angels took upon them his visage when they treated with the Prophets whilest they spoke in his name they would appeare in his form Abraham saw him in that Glory wherein he appeared on Mount Tabor and numbred this vision amongst the chiefest favours he had received from Heaven Iacob had the honour to see him in the person of that Angell which wrestled with him before the break of day the three Children which were thrown into the fiery furnace saw him amidst the flames his presence freed them from fear they found paradise in the picture of Hell and that Angell which bore the visage of Jesus Christ broke their Irons in pieces preserved their vestures and punished their Enemies In fine Jesus Christ lost not his lovelinesse till he lost his life the Luster of his countenance was not effaced till by buffetting his face grew not pale till by stripes and he lost not that Majesty which infused respect into his Enemies till the bloud which distild from his wounds had made him an object of compassion and horrour In fine beauty is so amiable as her enemy is odious all the Monsters whereby the world receives dishonour are composed of uglinesse 'T is an effect of sin which corrupts the workmanship of God had there been no l sinner there had been no deformed Creature Grace and beauty were inseparable in the estate of originall righteousnesse Nothing was seen in the Terrestiall paradise which offended the eies all things were pleasing there because all things there were innocent There was no deformity known in the world till after sin Il-favourednesse is the daughter and the picture of sin and 't is a piece of injustice to hate the copy and to love the originall Albeit these reasons oblige us to reverence beauty where accompanied with Innocency yet have we as much and as just cause to fear her since she is mingled with impurity For sin hath left nothing in nature uncorrupted this Monster is pleased in setting upon the most Glorious works of nature and knowing that their chiefest ornament lay in their beauty hath pickt out her more perticularly to discharge it's fury upon There are none of nature works now which have not some notable defaults Did not love make men blind he could never make them in love did he not hide from them their imperfections whom they love he should not see so many souldiers fight under his colours and had he not taught women the secret how to imbellish themselves Impurity would have long since been banisht from off the earth The famousest beauties have their blemishes those who are not blind observe their defects had Helen of Greece lived in these our dayes the Poet who put such an esteem upon her would be found to be a lyer and a blind man but say that Nature should make a Master-piece indeed and that Paridoras fable should prove a true story her beauty would notwithstanding be contemptible since she could not grow old and keep it this advantage is so frail as it cannot long continue it is so soon gone as it rather seems a dream then a truth let women take what care they please to preserve it it will vanish from of their faces and when they shall see themselves in a glasse they will have much ado to perswade themselves that ever they were handsome All accidents have some power over beauty Time is as well her murtherer as her producer it effaceth all her glory tarnisheth her roses and Lillies and doth so alter the Godliest workmanship of nature as it maketh horrour and compassion arise in the same hearts which it had struck with love and envy 'T is not death but old age which triumphs over this perfection in women if they grow old they are sure to grow ugly the prolongation of their life diminisheth their beauty and they cannot live long but they must see that die which they loved dearer than their lives In the state of innocency old age would not have injured beauty the food which repaired nature maintained the good liking thereof men lived long and grew not old as death did not put a period to life neither did oldage weaken it the body was as strong at a hundred year old as at forty Beauty was then somwhat durable time bore respect to this quality and divine Justice which found no faults to punish did not punish women with the fear of old age or hard-favourednesse But now this fear is part of their punishment they are compelled to wish to die young if they will not dye ugly and thus divided in their apprehensions they desire to live yet fear to grow old Time is not beauties onely enemy the injuries which accompany it wage war against her and all the evils which we suffer through sin assaile this fraile perfection The mil-dew causeth defluxions which are prejudiciall to her the unseasonablenesse of seasons are averse unto her cold chils her and keeping back the bloud defaceth the vivacity of her complexion heat doth sun-burn her and that constellation which makes lillies white darkens the countenances of women Sicknesses do not so soon alter the temper as they do the tincture and the out-rages which they commit upon the welfare or good liking of the body are
unfortunate and perishable one If this discourse be thought to be too finely spun yet can it not be denied that mans life is shortened since his offence and if a strong man hath made a shift to tumble in the world a hundred years he is a wonder to those that see him History records his name with respect posterity admires him and if he passe not for a miracle he doth at least for a prodigie Every gift of life is so short as we may easily judge we have divided it onely to deceive our selves Our infancy endures but seven years when our tongue gets its liberty and our understanding is formed we enter into our Bovish age which is of no longer continuance it findes its death in our adolescence and as soon as down appears upon a mans face he changeth qualitie This age which is esteemed the pleasantest of mans life and which I think the most dangerous lasts no longer than doth his Boyish-age it ends when youth begins which lasts somewhat longer than the other parts of life which did precede it it begins at Thirty years of age and ends not till sixty old age serves it for a Sepulcher and when the head is covered with snow t is time to prepare for death For this age is shortest of all the rest if it have any hope t is ill grounded and the sicknesses wherewith it is assailed are so many summons to the grave If man arrive at that extremity of the age we tearm decrepit he languisheth in pain he calls in death to his aide and the sorrows he suffers makes him think life tedious But for all this the longest life is but composd of moments which multiplied by dayes and monthes produce some years we divide it to make it seem the longer and perswade our selves that by giving it severall names we adde somewhat to the durance thereof We imitate the vanity of Princes who divide the earth to aggrandise it and part it into provinces to satisfie their ambition Mathematitians teach us that the earth compared to the heavens is but a point they ground their operation upon this maxime and that art which teacheth us to measure hours by the Sun-diall draws her certainty from this truth Yet Princes divide this point into kingdoms they thinke to extend the whole by multiplying the parts thereof and that they do inlarge the world by dividing it into Provinces but let their ambition do its utmost let it make fights by Sea and land let it cover the one with Houses the other with Ships they dispute but for a point a pâ—nctum and this place which they have chosen for the Theatre of their vain glory and the Subject of their differences is but an indivisible atome The bounders which we prescribe to kingdoms are as well the proofs of our weaknesse as of our pride The Alpes and Pyrenean mountains which part France from Italy and Spain are lines which nature hath drawn upon the earth to divide it not to aggrandise or inlarge it the Seas which seem to us vast and the Rivers which we think so deep are lesse considerable in the world then the veines are in the bodie and whatsoever it be that feeds the vain glory of Conquerours it is not so great as the least of those Stars which appear to us to be so little If pismires had as much understanding as men they would give as specious nâ—mes to their little caverns since they have a shadow of policie they would divide their States into provinces and by an Ambition equall to ours they would frame a little world of a foot of earth what Monarchs make of the world men make the like of life they distinguish the ages thereof to flatter themselves they thinke to keep off death by extending life and that they have a great way to go when they have yet to passe through their adolescence and their old age They consider not that the longest life is equall to the shortest if it be compared to eternity and that the condition of children is no better then that of old men if it be compared with the worlds lasting The time we live is almost nothing and Nature hath left us but a moment to merit eternity we can adde nothing thereunto by all our cunning but as if we were more ingenious to work our selves evil then good we have a thousand ways to shorten it and the longest life becomes short through the bad use we make thereof We are prodigall of time and greedy of good We think we give nothing to our friends when we give them whole daies and we consider not that we advance death by consuming our time We heap up riches and scatter abroad years we are streight handed in things the profession whereof is praise worthy and prodigall of those whereof the avarice is laudable The time which we have lived for our selves makes the least part of our life and when we shall have atteined to sixty years of age t is found that we have lost more then the half of it If we will cut off what time we have allowed to company keeping what we have employed in visits what consumed in pastimes and what employed in other mens affairs we shall finde the number of our years to be much fewer then we account them to be Nature All whose examples are instructions teacheth us to husband our time well she is rather prodigall then liberall of her favours she hath sewed the stars confusedly in the firmament and though they be the most beautifull parts of the Universe she would not have them to own their worth for their raritie Rivers flow profusively their spring heads are not dried up and though they water never so much ground they grow not dry The earth is alwayes fertile there is no part of it which produceth not somewhat and if you will except rocks which seems to be the bones of this great body her muscles and her veines abound in milk which nourisheth her children But this mother which is so liberall in her productions is covetous of time she gives it us by measure to make us value it the more she spins it out drop by drop the parts thereof succeede one another and continue not together she never gives us one moment but she takes another from us she takes from us what is past when she gives what is present and she threatens to take the present time from us when she promiseth us the future Of all the liberalities which she hath used since the beginning of the world she was never profuse of time and this her avarice teacheth us that time is the most pretious of all her gifts Let us learn of so wise a Mistresse to Husband our years let us by our wisdom prolong our life and let us not part with so much time for our sports and our affairs but that we reserve the greatest part thereof for our well-fare Thus shall we
who are always ready to die and who placing their happinesse in the resemblance or imitation of Jesus Christ desire to lose their lives a thousand times amidst tortures to repair his charity by their love and to suffer for his glory what he hath undergone for their salvation The tenth Discourse That sleep is a punishment of sin as the image of death and that it bereaves us of reason as dreames do of rest THose who think sleep the most harmlesse part of life wil never be perswaded that it hath drawn some evill qualities from Adams sin for it seems to reduce men to the conditions of Children and that bereaving them of the use of reason it takes from them that unfortunate power which they by their offences abuse The guiltiest actions become innocent during sleep those vapours which do stupifie the senses excuse the sins of those that sleep and as their Vertues are not rewarded neither are their offences punished Murthers are committed without effusion of blood revenge is taken upon enemies without injustice and another mans goods are without violence tane away whilst sleep doth lull the senses The soul is not guilty of the faults which her body commits and though she gives it life and motion she hath not liberty enough to give it the guidance thereof Imagination is the sole faculty which doth in-animate it and this confused faculty not being guided by reason commits evil unpunished and pleads blindnesse for the excuse of it's errour Yet is it certain that in the condition wherein we are sleep is a punishment of sin and had man never sinned he had never proved those disquiets wherewith he is agitated during his rest Nature would have born a respect to her Sovereigns sleep the elements which formed his body would not have troubled his rest and vapours would have been so mild as stupefying all the senses they would have left the soul at liberty In this happy condition man might well have refreshed himself by sleep his eyes would have been closed against the light and his other senses would have dispensed with their ordinary functions But the soul would have retired to within her self and acting according to the manner of Angels she would have known Truth without the interposition of the Organs her rest would rather have bn an extasie then sleep and man might have said that his heart waked whilst his body took it's resti I have much ado to believe that man was reduced to the condition of beasts before he had sinned and that he should have undergone the punishment of an offence which he had not as yet committed If there have been some Saints whom sleep did not deprive of the use of reason and who loved God even whilst they slept I think it not strange that the heavens should have granted this favour to our first father in his innocency that he entertein'd himself with Angels whilest he could not entertain himself with men St. Iohn the Baptist adored the Son of God in the chast womb of the Virgin the obscurity of his Prison could not hinder the light of heaven from enlightning his understanding that stupefaction which continues nine moneths with other children hindred not him from instructing Elizabeth by his motions and from letting her know that the mother which she saw was a Virgin and that the child which she saw not was God The better part of Divines do not question but that the Virgin did enjoy this priviledge all her life and that her soul whilest her body rested was wholly busied in considering the wonders of her son she loved him as well sleeping as waking Sleep did not interrupt her love Sleep which makes us beasts made her an Angel and her soul had this advantage in the night season that it did act without any dependency upon her bodie rest did not bereave her of half her life as it doth us were she asleep or were she awake she did equally apply her self to God her sleep was more operative then all our watchings when her mouth was shut her spirit supplied her silence and she praised God with her heart not being able to do it with her tongue Imagine that Adams sleep did somewhat resemble that of the Virgins that he ceased not to reason when he could not speak that his noblest part slept not whilest his other did that his souls eyes were open when his bodily eyes were shut and that his soul exercising those species which she by the senses had received considered the works of God for why should we beleive that Adam should suffer that out-rage in the state of innocency which the Saints had much ado to tolerate in the state of sin Sleep which is the rest of their body is the punishment of their soul they are afflicted that their will should be rendered so long useless they conjure their tutelâ—ry â—els to wake whilest they sleep and to love in their behalf 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goodnesse which cannot be loved according to its worth they look upon their bed as upon their grave they think to die as oft as they fall a sleep and they murmure that their soule which is immortall should be constrained to suffer such a kinde of death I pardon them these their complaints for 't is true that sleep is the shame of our nature and that the qualities wherewithall it is accompanied teach us that it is become criminall it reduceth men to the condition of beasts it takes from them their noblest priviledges and inhibits them the use of all the senses which may be serviceable to the soul. This punishment seems to be more injurious than death whose image it is for death loosens the soule from the body raiseth her to the condition of Angels and withdraws her from a prison which though she delighted in ceased not to be fatall to her but sleep stupifies the senses sets upon such parts of the body as the soule makes most claim to disperseth it's vapours into the eyes and ears and reduceth man into a condition wherein he can neither speak nor think The heart during sleep is in a perpetuall motion naturall heat disgests meat the liver converts it into bloud and distributes it abroad amongst the veines every part turnes it into it's own substance and by a continuall miracle one and the same nourishment doth extend it selfe into nerves thickens into flesh and hardens into bone Nature repaires these ruines which watchings had made in the body she leaves nothing uselesse in this condition and her diligence extends even to our haire which grows whil'st we Sleep But the noblest of our senses are a sleep our eyes serve no more for guides nor the ears for intelligencers the tongue to which motion is so naturall is no more the soules interpreter imaginations selfe doth only furnish her with confused species and the soul in this disorder is inforced to remain idle and unusefull Passions be they never so
vanity and but few heads which do not bow under the weight of a Crown 'T is hard for a Prince to preserve his modesty amidst his honours and for him to remember that he is a man whil'st all his Subjects endeavour to perswade him that he is a God Great humility is requisite to him to defend himselfe from such pleasing slatteries and the inclination which by reason of originall sin he hath to vain glory being considered he hath much adoe to reject such hopes as Adam was abused withall even in the midst of his innocency T is much more hard to make use of pleasure than to make use of pain and more Philosophers are found to have been patient in afflictions then moderate in pleasures riches cause more disorder than poverty and were not men over-rul'd by opinion want would be more sufferable than aboundance Though we be not stoicks and though the fond imaginations of the haughty Philosophers did aswel give against reason as truth we forbear not to confesse with them that sorrow is to be preferred before joy and that it is better for a man to suffer pain then to tast pleasure All his advantages are pernitious to him the remainders of innocency ingage him in sin and he cannot follow Adams tract without falling into his precipice thus ought he to suspect all his desires and all his hopes the good whlch flatters him deceives him what pleaseth him is fatall to him and to expresse in a word the irregularity which sin hath placed in his nature we must affirm that he is bound to fear what he hopes and to hope what he fears For fear abuseth us aswell as hope and she is unjust and unfaithfull when she paints forth evill to us like a Monster it may suffice us to suffer it when it hath happened without anticipating it by our apprehension That wisedome which foresees an evil and cannot divert it serves but to hasten it and a man had better be surprized by a disaster then fear it long this is not withstanding the usuall effect of fear she fore-runs our misfortunes under pretence of freeing us from them she indiscreetly engageth us in them and through a vain desire of making us more happy she oft-times makes us more miserable 't is thought that she makes up a part of our wisedome that she fore-sees not an evil save onely to prevent it that unlesse it were for fear of poverty we should not heap up riches that 't is fear of war which makes us raise strong holds and that if it were not for fear of famine we should not cultirate the ground But certainly she is vain in her fore-light and whosoever gives himself over to be guided by sotimerous a passion cannot live happily we forestall sorrow before it's birth we go to find it out before it seeks us we are ingenious in multiplying our misfortunes we fear disasters which will never happen we become the Ministers of our own punishments and we invent torments with the cruelty of executioners never dream'd off we are more befriended by fortune than by wisedome nay even when she hath vowed our undoing she deals more gently with us then fear doth An evil finds us already sunk when it sets upon us our fear takes from it the half of it's victory it wonders that she who fights against it should fight under it's colours and that whil'st she would destroy it's power she establisheth its Empire for 't is true she paints forth evill more terrible than it is she adds somewhat to it's il-favourednesse she never represents it to the life she is of the humour of those who give out no news without either disguising or augmenting them she being by nature melancholly fancies ever dreadfull visions to her self the evill which is neerest seems alwaies most dangerous to her she attributes much to our body and not consulting with reason she apprehends all things that can give against the senses she is not astonished at that sin which onely hurts the soul but the Punishment thereof which takes down the body doth frighten her Yet this kind of punishment is usefull to Christians They are sooner saved by sufferings than by pleasures they must change their feeling as well as their condition and remembring that they are fallen from the happy state of innocency they must no longer pretend to their past felicity neither yet complain of their present misery Evils are no longer to be complained of since they are become necessary though the name of punishment which they bear with them make them anxious to our senses yet the name of cure should make them pleasing to the understanding there is not any one of them whereof a man may not make a glorious vertue if death do not make all men Martyrs he may make holy victimes of them T is a favour to die since God hath been pleased to become mortall the punishments of our sins are turned into remedies that which was infamous to us by Nature is in Grace honourable and we would not change condition with Angels since not being able to die like us they cannot sacrifice their lives to Jesus Christ the maladies which prepare us for death do exercise our patience The great Apo stle grounded his glory in his weaknesses and not considering the advantages which he had being Master of the Gentiles he onely valued his infirmities which made the power of his deliverer appear Poverty is no moâ—e the opprobrie of men but the glory of Christians the Sonne of God did consecrate it both in his birth and death it is turned into an eccellent vertue since he hath been pleased to practice it though Aâ—dams poverty proceeded from his guilt most Christians become poor thereby to become innocent profiting by their losse they satisfie their Judge his Justice and revenge themselves of their Enemies hatred Fasting is a vertue which we have learn't at our own cost the barrennesse of the earth hath taught us abstinency we make a sacrifice of the Monster hunger and in the punishment of our disobedience we find a fence for our chastity As evils are profitable to those that suffer them 't is in vain that we fear them As Goods are fatall to those that possesse them 't is without reason that we wish for them The world hath changed it's face since man hath changed his condition if he will not undo himself he must fear what he hoped for and hope for what he feared Hee ought to be dismayed at riches since they may corrupt him and comforted with poverty since it may convert him death ought to be more precious to him than life since it is a sacrifice and he is bound to prefer pain before pleasure since the crosse of Jesus Christ was the rise of his salvation The second Discourse That Honour is no longer the recompence of Vertue THose who will praise honour and perswade us that she is the reward of vertue say with
made the widowes of Carthage weep and the same successe which made them be reverenced made them be hated by their enemies Thus triumph is onely founded upon faults combates are not made without weapons nor are victories wonne without murther This notwithstanding is the glory of Princes and the mightinesse of Conquerours he who hath fought amongst Battails is most valiant he who hath plundered most Townes is most happy and he who hath ruin'd most Provinces is the most August this madnesse hath been common among Christian Princes the lawes forbid murther to particular men and ambition doth oft without reason permit Sovereigns to wage war 't is a piece of injustice to end a difference by a duell and 't is an heroick action to engage fifty thousand men in a Battail upon a triviall occasion faults are secure because they are accompanied with an absolute power and they are publickly praised because they are out of the reach of ordinary Justice There remains nothing to adde idolatry to cruelty but to render divine honour to these illustrious guilty ones and to raise up Altars to those who have ruin'd Kingdoms The example of Pagans may well authorize this impiety for they never granted Apotheosis or Canonization but to such as were famous for their faults The first man whom Italy placed in heaven did sprinkle the wals of Rome in it's rise with his brothers bloud And the first Prince to whom this Republique changed into a Kingdome did erect Altars had oppressed the liberty thereof since Augustus his death Apotheosis or Canonization was the recompence of mutther and incest to become God he must cease to be man and must forego all humane relations to acquire divine honour The Consul placed men in heaven whom they would have driven out of the Senate had they not lived under their Tyranny they appointed Priests to such as deserved Hangmen and Rome was so accustomed to flatter as she numbred those amongst her Gods which she had numbred amongst her Tyrants But grant that honour were justly distributed 't is notwithstanding so frail a good as men would never so passionately seek after it had not sin corrupted his nature and troubled his judgment For to boot that it is not within us and that it is impossible to be happy in a thing which we possesse not it depends upon the opinion of the vulgar who meddle as well in weighing the merit of men as the States-men doe This bad Judge is guided more by humour then by reason his Intetest is the rule of his Judgment and these base persons esteem nothing honourable but what is advantagious to them they change with every wind and as their minds are agitated with hatred love anger or pitty they praise and blame the same thing Thus Conquerors are bound to acknowledge that their reputation depends more upon fortune than victory and that to be glorious it is not sufficient for them to have overcome their enemies unlesse by a continuance of good fortune they win their subjects love I know 't is said that glory is never pure till after death that Kings must lose their lives to purchase esteem and that the Palmes and Lawrels of renowu serve onely to crown their sepulchres but I think there are few Conquerors that would purchase glory at so deer a rate and who would wish to die that they might receive a recompence which is not tasted but in life what are they the better for praises given them in Historie what redounds to them from a vain reputation which cannot get admittance into the other world and how are they advantaged either in heaven or in Hell by their sepulchres adornments Nothing is more famous in antiquity then Caesar he is almost as well known throughout the world as Jesus Christ. All Historians speak of him with Encomiums all Conquerors endevour to imitate him an action is not Glorious save when it doth conform with his Children are rather instructed in his life then in those of the Apostles or Martyrs and they know better what he hath done in Italy then what the Sonne of God did in Palestine his voyages are more admired than Saint Pauls and his Commentaries are read with more contentment then the Epistles of the great Apostle but what advantage reaps he by our praises in hell do's his renown lessen his torments is he lesse unfortunate for being more honoured or is he lesse tormented for being better known hath he any preferment in hell where all things are in confusion and disorder that ambitious humour which could neither suffer a superiour nor yet an equall is it satisfied with our Panegyricks and a soul which suffers so much punishment can it find any contentment in those praises ought we not rather to conclude that his shadow is praised and his person tormented that he is sensible of his pains but not of our praises and that he is well esteemed on on earth and tortered in hell Is not Alexander ill rewarded for all his labours and this lover of glory doth not he repent that he so long served this faithlesse Mistris he over-run the whole world he was troubled that his Conquests should find a stop where the Sun stayes his course he would have gone further then that glorious constellation and have carried his arms where the Sun did not carry his light he hath plaid the part both of a private souldier and of a Commander upon a thousand incounters and hath hazarded his Estate his Army and his Person a hundred times to win a little reputation yet what of all this remains to him in the grave doth his glory allay his sufferings do's the title of great take from him the name of unhappy do the Ghosts of his souldiers or of his enemies tremble at his presence and he who held all the earth in awe and silence is he any wayes delighted with his reputation or our astonishment his pomp was effaced by his death he ceased to be Alexander when he ceased to be man his body is reduced to dust his soul burns in hell and his name which is but a Fantasme receives the vain praises which are given it Let us conclude then that a man must be a fool to imagine that honour is the recompence of vertue and that man never sought after these imaginary contentments till after he had lost those which were solid and reall Mans honour consists in his duty of all the testimonies which he receives there are none but those of his conscience which can satisfie him knowing that vertue depends upon Grace he gives the glory to him who hath indued him with the strength he confesseth that God crowns his own gifts when he crowns our merits Vainglory was permitted to the Pagans who defied honour but she is forbidden Christians who hold ambition a crime she was permitted unto Pagans whose immortality consisted in renown but she is forbidden Christians whose felicity consists in beholding God In
had forsaken their heart their souls descended into hell to end their combate there and fury passing from their bodies to their funerall Pile divided the flames which consumed them This fiction of the Poets is a truth amongst Christians amongst whom there are brothers found whose hatred is immortall who preserve their animosity after the losse of their lives who leave it for an inheritance to their successours who charge their children to revenge their injuries and who shewing a face of war in time of peace do meditate murther when they cannot commit it I wonder not that the same thoughts which did possesse them in their life possesse them likewise in their death and that those who delighted in nothing but bloud did dream on nought but cruelties since an ill habit is an invisible chain which keeps the will captive and will not suffer it to abhor a crime which hath alway been pleasing to it But I cannot well comprehend how sin should so far corrupt man as to perswade him that murther was honourable that there was glory in committing it pleasure in beholding it and that the cruellest action that may be could purchase glory or cause content All Paganisme took pleasure to see the Gladiators fight the effusion of mans bloud was one of their most pleasing spectacles and Rome had much a do to forgo this cruell pastime after she had embraced the Christian Religion people ran to publick places to see men fight they were taught to kill one another handsomly and with a good grace publick schools were erected to teach this bloudy exercise there were Masters who taught how to observe method in murthering who led their disciples into their Arenae or Theators for fencing and who trying their dexterity themselves incouraged them to fight by example he was most praised who shed most bloud and a man sorely wounded who had killed many men was led about in triumph Sin must needs reign in their hearts since it had driven thence all sense of humanity and that making man-slaughter a vertue it had perswaded them that glory consisted in injustice and pleasure in cruelty this madnesse grew in time to so great a height as to make killing more easie and the sport more pleasing men were to fight stark naked with offensive weapons but none defensive Obscenity was joyned to cruelty to the end that one might content two passions with one and the same spectacle and that the sight of a dying wretch might make them love his murtherer yet these combates are but the shadows of war the Gladiators fury is but the souldiers entrance Companies were fill'd up which these people nurst up in bloud and when recruits were to be had those were sought for in the Arenae who had made themselves famous by the death of their Companions And certainly duels which serve for pastime to our nobility are neither more just nor yet lesse cruell so brutish a passion cannot be but in mindes where sin doth Tyrannize a man must renounce both reason and Grace to obey so blind a fury and one must cease to be either rationall or faithfull if he believe that a Gentlemans Glory consists in Murther yet this errour is become a custome Gentlemen love rather to lose their heads upon a scaffold and dye by the hands of a hangman then to be failing in an occasion where they know their conscience is in an ill condition and that they are in danger of losing both soul and body fear of shame hath more power over them then fear of Hell they chuse rather to incurre Gods anger and their Princes then the peoples reproach and by a foolish extravagancy they hazard their soul to preserve their honour As this blind Passion differs not much from that which animates Conquerors to war so doth she likewise proceed from the same principle the one and the other proceed from sin which having put us at ods with our selves puts us likewise at ods with our neighbours and perswades us that all means are lawfull whereby we may acquire honour Upon this false belief we engage our selves in combats we violate the holy laws of nature we fly upon our neighbours and allyes and not considering that the world is a Common-wealth that all kingdomes are the provinces all people the subjects thereof that charity is the law thereof the Holy Ghost the heart and Jesus Christ the head we use such cruelties one towards another as do well witnesse that sin hath corrupted our nature and that the Devil doth possesse our will He who doth not acknowledge the truth and doth not confesse that this irregularity is the punishment of our sin is yet more miserable then they who indure it and complain thereof for the other grounds his glory upon his injustice onely because he hath lost the use of reason and thinks himself onely happy because he is become stupid War is then one of the most fatall effects of sin and one of the severest chastizements of divine Justice it is onely excusable when necessary and yet it were better sometimes to follow the counsell of the Gospell and to lose somewhat of that which by right apperteins unto us then to defend it by so cruell a way for if he whose every word is an oracle recommends peace to us dying how can we resolve to wage war if he command us to forget injuries how can we commit outrages and homicide Let us then conclude that man is sufficiently sinfull since war is his exercise since his glory consists in cruelty since combats are his noblest imployments since he delights in Murther since he esteems a pitcht battle more innocent then a single Duell onely because it is more bloudy since he thinks man-slaughter a sin when it is particular and a vertue when generall and when by an injustice which cannot be sufficiently blamed the sinner finds his impunity onely in the excesse of his sin The fifth Discourse That Riches render men poor and sinfull THough it be hard to say which is the severest punishment man hath suffered since his losse of innocency and that servitude and death are pains equally insupportable to those who love their liberty as their life yet me thinks there is a third more rigorous which all men do resent yet not any one complains off And this is nothing else but the calling to mind the possession of all those good things which we have lost together with our innocency a desire of them remains in us which vertues self cannot efface we sigh when we want them and we never are so sensible of our misery as when we are assailed by pain infamy or poverty Yet are their remedies new diseases and we never do so well know our own weaknesse as when we abound in pleasures honours and riches This is so true a Maxime as that all Christian Religion makes profession of either really foregoing all those advantages which men enjoyed during the state of innocency or else
lesse troubled to see their honour steined then their gown To disabuse these weak women they must be made know that luxury in apparell deserves to be despised by men and to be punished by God Cloaths have two uses which are equally lawfull the first is to cover our nakednesse and to hide our body which began to be shamefull when it ceased to be innocent Adam could not endure himself when he had lost originall righteousnesse and the shame which infused upon his sin made him seek out leaves to hide that from his eyes which did displease his soul he was afraid of himself when he saw his body did no longer obey reason he was afraid to offend nature by his nakednesse not having as yet seen any other monster then himself he withdrew himself into a wood and not being able to shun himself he endevoured to cover himself God himself who was indulgent to him in his sin cut out his first sute and to free him from shame which was not his least severe punishment he clothed him with the skin of beasts The second use of Apparell is to shelter us from the injury of seasons and to free our bodies from the rigour of the Elements for man had no sooner violated Gods Commandements but all the creatures rebelled against him beasts began to grow savage and retired themselves into the woods that they might no longer treat with a rebell those which are now reclaimed owe their mildnesse to our cunning and stay not with us but because we have drawn them from the Forrests if they obey us 't is out of hope of some advantage and our rebellion having freed them from their oath of Allegiance which they had taken in Paradise we must feed them if we will have any service from them Those which do reserve their naturall fiercenesse submit not un-inforced to our will they must be made to suffer before they be tamed and our power being Tyrannicall their obedience is constrained They are slaves which serve but by force and who to free themselves from their servitude attempt somtimes upon our lives At the same time when the beasts fore-went their mildnesse the Elements changed their qualities those four bodies whereof all other bodies are composed declared war one against another to afflict us and breaking the bonds which nature had prescribed them intrencht one upon another to the end their division might be our punishment They did that to punish us which greatest enemies use to revenge themselves they endangered their own losse out of a desire to destroy us The earth which had served us for a nurse became barren to make us perish by famine she grew hard under our feet to weary us forgoing her flowers where with she adorned her selfe to appear more pleasing to us she loaded her selfe with thorns to prick us she opened her bowels to bury us and she who grounded upon her own proper weight was always immoveable quaked under our feet to work our astonishment The Sea which judged aright that our ambition avarice would not be contented with the Empire of the earth hid rocks underneath her waves troubled her calmnesse with storms call in winds to her aid to undo us and advancing her waters into the fields came to set upon us amidst our own Territories the aire which seemed not able to hurt us save by denying us respiration corrupted her naturall purenesse to make us sickly lent her bosome to the Tempests became the receptacle of haile and snow and being serviceable to Gods Justice became the Magazine of his Thunder and Lightnings sent Pestilences into the world turned a simple sicknesse into a contagion and carrying corruption through all parts did oft-times change the earth into a fatall sepulcher Fire being the most active of all the Elements did us more harm then all the rest for this body which seems to be but a pure spirit and by which the Angels themselves did not disdain to be called crept into the Thunder and agreeing with it's enemy formed storms wherein the waters mingled with flames of fire seem to conspire mans death and the worlds over-throw contrary to it's nature which seeks out high places it descends and gliding into the entrails of the earth excites earthquakes consumes mountains and devours whole Towns to revenge it it selfe for the wrongs which we make it suffer by making it a slave to all Arts it burns those who come nigh it it consumes what is given it and not interessing it selfe with mens designes it oft-times mars their workmanship But man was not so sensible of all these persecutions as of that of the Sun for this glorious constellation drew up malignant vapours spred abroad mortall influences disordered the course of the seasons parted the Spring from the Autumne which were all one in the state of innocency stript the Trees of their leaves in winter withered the flowers in Summer and bereft the earth of her ornaments and riches Amidst so many disorders man was bound to make him clothes and to rob his subjects that he might defend himselfe against his enemies He hunted wilde beasts clothed himselfe with their skins he who had aspired to make himselfe a God was brought to a condition of decking himsefe with the hides of Animals and learnt to his cost that no apparell is proofe for all seasons but that of Innocency Thus his being necessitated to cloth himselfe is a mark of his offence let him do what he can to turn this punishment into bravery he is bound to confesse that he covers his body only to fence himselfe from pain and shame had he preserved the respect which he ought to God his body would not have rebelled against his soul and had not this particular revolt been followed by a generall rebellion he needed not have been obliged to seek for Arms to defend himselfe against his subjects He sees then his fault in his apparell they are sensible tokens of his disobedience and would he govern himself by reason he should chastize his body as oft as he puts on his cloths and yet we seem to have a design to out-brave divine justice and to laugh at it's decrees to glory in it's punishments and to make that serve for our glory which ought to serve for our confusion for there is hardly any one who doth not some ways advantage himself by his apparell who doth not heighten himself by the Lustre of gold or pearl and who turns not the shamefull marks of his undoing into stately Trophies of his victory Adam was never so ashamed as when he was forced to cloth himself the skins he wore were the apparell of a penitent before that vanity had found out a means to imbellish them they drew tears from his eyes and sighs from his mouth He never clothed himself but he bewailed his innocency and when cold weather made him put on more cloths he considered how the irregulariry of the seasons was the
punishment of his sin His wife knew not as yet the art of trimming her self all her daughters eloquence could not perswade her that that which was a punishment of her disobedience should adde unto her beauty and comparing her innocency with all her other ornaments she could never think to gain by an exchange where for originall righteousnesse which she lost she got nothing but the slaver of worms or scum of fishes Let us use what art we can to lenifie our losse or to excuse our vanity we cannot deny but that our most gaudy apparell are the spoils of beasts and that we are very miserable since betraying our greatnesse we seek for ornaments in the bottome of the sea or in the bowels of the earth for what else is wooll but sheep fleeces what is silk whereof so many different silks are made but the drivell of worms and the sepulchre which those little animals make unto themselves when they die what is purple which had wont to be the badge of Sovereignty but the bloud of certain fishes what are Pearls but the warts of certain shel-fish and the thickest part of the fome of the sea which could not be turned into it's substance what are diamonds and rubies but water congealed within rocks what is gold which is made use of in so many prophane things which men disguise in so many shapes which is sought for with so much pain which is got with so much injustice and kept with so much care but the excrement of a barren soil to which the fire gives Lustre and our errour valuation what in fine is the linnen cloth with which we are covered all over and wherein the greatest part of our vanity consists but a kind of herb or grasse which we see grow up and die flourish in the fields and in a short time weather away which passeth through womens hands which is wetted with their spittle turned with the spindle strecht upon the loom wrought with the shittle whitened in the dew and at last cut into bands and handcherchiefs must not one have lost his judgment to glory in such trifles and if his ornament deserve any praise is it not rather due to those that made them then to those that wear them whosoever glories in a sute of apparell intrencheth upon his tailors right and who values himself the more for the stuffe he wears injures the worms that spun it or the workmen that wrought it Our glory ought to be in our selves and we ought never to ground our greatnesse upon a thing which we forego as oft as we put off our cloths A man must not adorn himself with that which he borrows from other creatures and to believe that all the spoils of nature can heighten his descent is to have too ill an opinion of himself But if the materials whereof our cloths be made be contemptible the cause why we wear them is criminall for those who may be said rather to set out then to cloth themselves and who joyn pleasures to necessity have for the most part but two designs which are equally unjust The first is to satisfie themselves and to entertein their self-love by the care they have of their body they will make an Idol of a slave adorn a guilty person who deserves death bring him with pomp to his punishment and disguise his misery to flatter his ambition they are like those captives who think the better of their Irons because they are guilded yet all their ornaments are but marks of their sin and mis-fortunes and as a foot-man who wears a gaudy livery makes but his misery more visible those who trim themselves the finest make but their shame more publick The art of trimming or adorning acknowledgeth no author but the Devil He who taught the curious the vertue of herbs to make their inchantments and the influences of the stars to order their Horiscopes by he who taught the avaritious the way to purifie the earth to make thereof the preciousest of metalls he who taught the ambitious the secret of intrenching upon the peoples liberty taught women to mingle colours to polish diamonds to calcive pearls to compose materials and to falsifie whole nature to inhaunce their beauty and to acquire reputation by the losse of their modesty ought not this masters condition infuse distrust into his disciples and if women had not as well lost their judgment as their modesty would they not believe that a sinfull Angell would tarnish their innocence that impure spirits would attempt their chastity and that rebellious slaves would endevour to make them lose their humility The second designe of those who delight in sumptuous apparell is to please those that look upon them to entangle souls in their nets to purchase lovers or slaves to govern by the pomp of their apparell as Monarchs do by the terrour of their Arms. This is the more usuall and the more dangerous motive the more usuall because vain glory seeks out a Theater because self-love as well as ambition will have spectatours To say truth women do not greatly care for dressing themselves when they are alone solitarinesse is an enemy to pomp a body is soon weary of linifying himselfe when he means not to appear the pain he findes in doing it makes him lose the pleasure of it and as Peacocks close up their plumes when no body beholds them women neglect their dressing when no body admires them They reserve their pearls and diamonds for great meetings Courts and Masks are the occasions whereupon they heighten their beauty and when they have neither witnesses to observe them nor servants to adore them selfe love is not of power enough to make them adorn themselves As this motive is the more usuall so is it the more sinfull for to boot that a woman that will cause love in another runs danger of being caught therewithall her selfe that it is hard to carry fire to ones neighbour without self-burning 't is assuredly to imitate the devill to serve for instruments to wicked spirits to lose the souls that Jesus Christ would save and to present poison or a poniard to mad men who would kill themselves Let women disguise their designes how artificially they please let them excuse their intentions by their pretences the endeavouring to seem pleasing to men is never blamelesse the desire of entangling them is always sinfull and the care they take in attiring themselves either to captivate them or to continue them captives is equally prejudiciall to their chastity Pomp and luxury in apparell savours of prostitution or vain glory both these faults are contrary to our religion The difference of condition is but a piece of cunning which self-love hath found out to authorize our disorders Our first condition is the condition of sinners we are sinners before we be Sovereigns our souls were sullied with Adams sin before our bodies were clad in purple and all the titles which flattery confers upon
he knew by the disorders which he found in himselfe that obedience of the soul caused obedience in the body and that the revolt of the one arose from the like of the other Since this fatall hour man had shame mingled with his delights those which are most requisite are most shamefull those delights by which the world is preserved are infamous those which withstand death and make amends for the havock he makes in families require solitude and darknesse Man hides himselfe to re-produce himselfe marriage which is holy in it's Institution and sacred in it's type is shamefull in it's use nor hath the necessity which doth authorize it been able to take away the shame which doth accompany it Mans death is more honourable than his birth they glory in murder though it be unjust and are ashamed of marriage though it be lawfull Open Champions are the Theaters whereon battels are fought these fatall and bloudy actions are done at noon day they are made famous and publique by the beating of drums and sound of Trumpets all men are called in to assist in the routing of an Army the Conquerours ground their renown upon the number of the enemy that are left dead in the place and that which is termed a Triumph is the reward of an hundred thousand murders but mans birth is shamefull this guilty party steals into the world Solitarinesse and obscurity are destined for his production and nature makes him suspect that his conception is criminall since 't is infamous I very well know that a modern Authour hath imputed this shame to mans fantasticknesse that he hath endeavoured effrontedly to maintain that that ought not to be esteemed shamefull that was naturall that amongst Philosophers the production of man was esteemed honourable and that the Art which instructeth how to murder was as infamous as unjust but this Authour who never had other guide than nature no religion but libertinisme no faith but experience nor other felicity then the delight of the sense had not fallen into this errour if he would have consulted the holy Scripture he might there have learnt that shame was born together with sin that nakednesse accompanied innocency and that man did not abhor himselfe till he became sinfull If he commit murder with impunity if he boast of fighting if he be not pleased in the glory thereof save when it is bloudy 't is because sin hath corrupted his reason and that engaging him in cruelty it hath made him turn beast But not to engage my self in seeking out the cause of so strange a disorder which seem to countenance murther and to place mans glory in the destruction of his like 't will suffice to know that shame is the punishment of sin and that nakednesse was banished from off the earth together with innocence Man could not consider his bodies revolt without confusion he was troubled to see that he who was so absolute in the world was now no longer so in his own person and that he who commanded over savage beasts could not commmand the moyetie of himself 'T is argued against this truth that the Barbarians continue their going naked though they have lost their innocency that shame hath not been able to make them cloth themselves and that nature which is equall in all nations hath not imprinted in them that resentment of shame which makes even the most affronted to cover themselves and to carry this their argumentation higher and to give it all the strength they can they say that these people discovered of late are not polluted with originall sin since shame which is the punishment thereof hath not as yet appeared in their faces They laugh at our apparell and their climats being much more hot then ours they are contented with such clothing as nature hath given them and they leave us in doubt whether shame be a punishment of sin or no since they being as well faulty as we they are either lesse ashamed or more affronted To answer this objection we must suppose that shame which is a punishment of our sin is also a remainder of our innocency that Adam who lost grace lost not reason that that light of nature which remained to him in his obscurity was sufficient to make him distinguish between good bad and to make him abhorre that which contradicted seemlinesse Though he endevoured to excuse his fault he observed the disorder thereof and though he loved the greatnesse which he had unjustly endevoured he forbare not to blame his rashnesse Though this remorse was not sufficient to obtein pardon for hisoffence 't was sharp enough to cause shame in him and that of reason which remained in him was sufficient to make him blush His passions revolt caused as much shame as pain in him and the rebellion of his flesh made him cover himself as well as the rigour of the elements this punishment was mixt with grace and God who would not for ever undo him sent him this shame to reduce him to his duty 't was an evidence that though his nature was corrupted yet it was totally destroyed and that sin which had tyrannized over him had not been able to efface all the principles which he had received from his Sovereign but he neglecting the use thereof and those who came of him not improving this remainder of innocency it grew weaker with time and the more faulty they grew the more shamelesse they grew They lost as well the shame of sin as the knowledge of God they lost the onely advantage which remained to them in their misfortune and nature growing obdurate they did no longer lament their past happinesse nor were they ashamed for their present misery This is that which makes the Barbarians not blush at their nakednes which makes them glory in their shame which makes them esteem that naturall which is irregular and which makes them authorize their disorder by their evill custome We must not wonder if those who have lost all the sense of humanity have not preserved the like of shamefac'tnesse if those who make greatnesse of courage to consist in revenge makes simplicity to consist in impudence if those who eat mans flesh do prostitute it and if those wild people who know no religion be likewise ignorant of modesty but I wonder why Christians take upon them the fashions of Infidels why shamelessnesse should passe from America into Europe why believing women who have no more familiar vertue then shamefac'tnesse should imitate Barbarians and that by discovering their bosoms they should defie modesty They put on their apparell not to cover themselvs but to make a shew that which served for their shame serves now for their vain glory apparell which was the mark of their modesty is now a proof of their impudence did not the weather constrein them to put on cloths they would go naked their vanity is such as seeks onely occasion to shew it self they cast off
necessity be troubled with an intestine war which threatens it with an inevitable corruption that the seasons cannot be better regulated since the Sun going over our heads in an oblique line doth according to the Summer or the Winter approach neerer to us and draw further from us That beasts according to their naturall Temper should either be wild or docile that those which have most fire in them are the nimblest and that those which have most earth are the heaviest and the most stupid that thus the faults of the creatures do not proceed so much from the workman as from the matter whereof they are composed This opinion is too injurious to the power of God to be approved of by Christians and since it proceeded from Philosophers schools who did believe that Materia Prima was eternall we must not wonder if laying a false ground they draw from thence bad conclusions some others who are somwhat more respectfull yet not much more rationall imagine that God made the world in the same condition that now it is that he might fit himselfe according to the condition of man who was to become sinfull that he had no regard to his innocency because it was not to last so long and that he left some disorders in his work to the end they might serve for punishment to the faulty These Philosophers seem to me to have lost their reason out of too much fore-sight they do not consider that originall righteousnesse ought to have been as exempt from punishment as from sin that man in his innocency had had reason to complain if having nothing amisse in his person he should have found disorders in his Estate God always waits for our offences before he punisheth them and though his mercies may through his favour fore-run our services his justice doth never through punishments prevene our sins What likelihood was there to lodge an innocent person in an infected house to make the seasons irregular which did measure a life not yet troubled by passions and to give mortall influences to constellations which were to enlighten immortall man what reason have we to believe that man not being guilty the creature should rebell against him and that the Elements should not be at peace in a body which was perfectly assubjected to the soul. I know very well that they reply that originall righteousnesse did free man from these disorders and that serving him in stead of a buckler of defence his body was thereby miraculously preserved from being burnt in the midst of of Summer or frozen in the midst of Winter But say he should have no feeling of these irregularities he would yet have seen them and his eyes would have suffered punishment in beholding an unpleasing object What pleasure could he have taken in seeing a sun the heat whereof did scorch the grasse and cause the flowers to fade to which it had given birth What delight should he have tasted in feeling the earth-quake under his feet or to hear the thunder roar over his head what contentment would he have found amidst boisterous windes and storms at sea should he not have had some reason of complaint if he should have seen so many punishments prepared for a sin not yet committed The best Divines do therefore confesse that the face of the world was changed when man altered his condition that the earth lost his beauty when man lost his innocency and that thorns were mingled with roses when concupiscence was mingled with nature From that time forward divine Justice did fit our abode to our desert and thought it not reasonable that guilty man should be lodged in a Palace prepared for the innocent She punisht man in his state after having punished him in his person and altering the inclinations of all creatures made them the Ministers of her vengeance The earth lost the fertility which was naturall to it this nurse which by her profusions did prevent our need brought forth nothing but bulrushes as soon as she was cursed she grew avaritious her bosome must be opened with the plough share and watered with our sweat and tears if we will get any thing from thence this mercifull mother became a severe step-dame she dis-avowed us for her children when once we ceased to be obedient to our Father and as if her fertility had been affixed to our innocency when we grew sinfull she grew barren every part of the world is a proofe and punishment of our sin it 's irregularity upbraids us with our disobedience and to know upon what ill terms we stand with Creatour a man needs onely to consider the worlds confusion The Sun which doth precede at our birth is oft-times the arbitratour of our death his heat is as fatall to us as necessary and the same influences which keep us in health infuse maladies into us the same stars which denote our good fortunes presage our ill adventures as they have propitious so have they malignant aspects and if some constellations do promise good successe unto us others threaten us with bad Nature is changed into a punishment whatsoever makes us live makes us die and the Elements are as well the causes of our death as of our life The earth is not only barren of fruit but abounds in poisons by detaining what is usefull for us she brings forth what is pernicious her sterility and her fruitfulnesse are equally prejudiciall to us we ought to suspect whatsoever she brings forth without our labour and as there is danger in the presents of an Enemy the free-gifts of this step-dame are fatall she nourisheth Monsters to devour us and all her children are our Enemies our sin hath made them lose the respect which they owed us when they are oppressed with hunger they come forth of their dens over-run our grounds and make us take up Arms to defend us from these revolted subjects In fine the earth hath no one part which doth not threaten us with danger her entrails vomit out flames of fire to consume us her depths open underneath our feet to swallow us up her mountains loosen themselves from their foundations to overwhelme us and she delights in destroying her self that she may un-do us The sea is not more respectfull than is the earth this Element obeys us not but against it's will it punisheth our avarice and our ambition by ship wrack it drowns the vessels which it is forced to bear it raiseth it selfe up in mountains and sinks again into vallies to free it selfe from our servitude and troubles it 's own tranquillity to revenge it selfe of our Tyranny When Divine providence which keeps it within it's channell gives it it's liberty it overflows the fields and makes us know by the rage thereof that it seeks out all occasions to annoy us The waters thereof would cover the tops of mountains did not the Heavens stay their impetuosity and the whole earth would be nothing but a vast sea without either bounds or
and as if they would side with guilty they obliged the innocent to reverence her They immolated Victimes to wisedome and to acknowledge the favours which they had received from her guidance they injured her through their superstition and adored her under the name of destiny and image of Fortune Philosophers excused their Idolatry by these bad reasons and would perswade Christians that that religion could not be vitious which did onely adore vertue blindnesse increasing with deceit they confounded vices with vertues and added to the number of their Gods to honour their Ancestors debaucheries They consecrated incontinency under the name of Venus they defied drunkennesse under the name of Bacchus they did authorize injustice and the licentiousnesse of war under the name of Mars and not dreaming that Gods could not be one anothers enemies they erected Altars to peace after having built others to Bellona when Impudency was arrived at it's height they adored vices without disguising them and calling them by their proper names they built Templâ—s to fear to fury and to envy The body being scandalized that the passions of the soule should be reverenced would have it's motions and disorders to receive the same honours Pallor or Palenes was deified to give it contentment Ignorance admiration made an Idol of the Ague til Physitians had learnt the course fits thereof ignorant and superstitious peopleimagined it deserved an Altar they adored this Divinity because they dreaded it They thought themselves miserable when they had got it and contrary to the humour of Adorers they sought for nothing more then that a God should keep far from them who had won himself credit only by the evils that he did WheÌ„ impiety had made these tryals she undertook to consecrate men and to build them Temples after having tane them out of their sepulchres Death which denounced their weaknesse and their sin could not alter the course of these unjust proceedings and all the miseries which they had in their life time endured could not extinguish them Interest and sorrow were the beginning of this superstition for subjects to consolate themselves for the losse of a Sovereign who by his labours had defended them and who had taught them the art of building houses or of husbanding land would eternize his memory by solemne sacrifices and lodged the same men in heaven whom they had buried in the earth They invented Apotheosis to ease their sorrow they thought that fire which reduced men into ashes could change them into spirits that that element which doth purifie all things had the vertue to in-noble Princes and take from them all the impurity which they had contracted in the world They thought that Religion knew how to convert men into Gods that the Senates decree was as powerfull as that of destiny and that Iupiter was bound to confirme in heaven what ever a Pope had concluded on earth By this means Apotheosis was oft-times the reward of hainous crimes Princes who were most faulty were most honoured men granted that to the power of Successours which ought to have been refused to the power of their Ancestours people were constrained to adore Tyrants whom they had detested to re-commend the welfare of the State to those who had been the undoing of it and to change their just imprecations into vowes as faint as unreasonable If great mens violence caused impiety in the meaner sort love ingaged Fathers in the Idolatry of their Children For to allay their sorrow for their death they made their pictures be drawn by skilful painters then adding their power to the workmans cunning they bound their eyes to behold these images with respect to offer up incense to young Princes whom death had swept away in the flower of their Age. Following the example of this unjust sorrow every Sonne would make a God of his father All those who bare any credit with the people made their Ancestours be adored and taking advantage of this false piety they perswaded weak mindes that they were descended from the Race of the Gods In fine the naturall inclination which men have to Religion caused Idolatry in the world for not being able to be without Gods they forged sensible deities unto themselves and wanting souls sufficiently elevated to conceive a true Idea of the divine essence they cut out Idols with their hands they through a fearfull blindnesse put their trust in Gods made of clay and wood and consulted with statutes which being deaf and dumb could neither hear nor answer them oft-times one and the same tree served to make Gods and ships both their destinies depended on the artificer their fortune consisted on his fancy and his hand destin'd the one to suffer shipwrack at sea the other to be worshipped on earth But that they might avoid the pain of making Gods they bethought themselves of chusing them and foregoing the care of forging or moulding them they reserved a power unto themselves to declare them they deified whole Nature of every of it's parts they made Gods Flowers were placed in the same rank with Stars these earthy Stars received divine honours they charmed men and purchased themselves adorers by their odour and beauty a man might croud a thousand divinities into one nosegay they joyned Superstition to Vanity women satisfied their devotions in dressing themselves the most vain amongst them was the godliest and those who wore garlands of Lillies and Roses might boast themselves to be in-animated Temples Fruits whereof flowers are but ornaments disputed this honor with them there were some men who preferring profit before beauty judged that Pomona did better deserve temples then Flora and that if every creature was a portion of divinity trees were more to be considered then plants since not being lesse lovely they were more usefull Men being phantasticall in their humours and nothing being so deformed in Nature which meets not with some admirours Onnions contended with flowers and whole Nations drew them out of their Gardens to place them upon Altars the Egyptians instituted ceremonies and Priests unto them these wise men who having confer'd with the Iâ—s mought have some cognizance of the truth ingaged themselves in this errour and becomming the talk of all people placed that in heaven which grew on earth profaned incense to perfume onnions By the same licence they worshipped what they feared Fear infused piety into these servile souls they offered sacâ—ifices to Serpents to be delivered from them and toallay their fury did immolate victimes to them the Devil delighted to see himself adored in a Monster which had served him for interpreter in the earthly paradise he would recompence it's fidelity with this honour and repair the losse which it had suffered upon his occasion by divine homage After this high extravagancy all Idolatry is excusable and we must not wonder if metals and stars have had their adorers since Serpents have had Priests and Altars for if
Interest be the Rule of Superstition there is nothing in Nature more usefull for us then the Stars they are placed in the highest and most beautifull part of the world they seem to rule over us and that their favourable or maligne influences goes to the making of us fortunate or unfortunate We hardly partake of making any sensible favour but by their interposition and prophane men call them the arbitratours of chance and the dispensors of good and evil Though we be free they pretend to a certain power over our wils by the means of our inclinations a man must withstand stifly to resist their impressions and as most men act more by instinct then by reason we must not wonder if forming our temper and our humours they govern our designes and guide our motions Hence it is that all men have reverenced them that this hath been the commonest Superstition that the best wits who would not bow to men have prostrated themselves before the Stars and that the Sun hath passed amongst very Philosophers for the visible God of the world To say truth we owe all things to his heat and light his course governs our seasons his influences distribute forth fruitfulnesse through all the parts of the Universe Nature would be barren were it not for his beams and should this glorious constellation cease looking on her she would neither conceive nor produce his Eclipses though but of a small durance put her in disorder and the earth cannot want his heat without witnessing her sorrow by sterility if he be a long time hidden from us by clouds the yeares are unfruitfull and the Labourers pains are uselesse if he do not favour them by his aspect It must be granted that he who should consult with nothing but his own sense would acknowledge no other divinity but the Sun his very beauty parted from his advantage seems to exact some respect from all men his worth is not sufficiently known if he be valued onely for his effects Though he were barren he would not cease to be wonderfull and if the ripening of fruits and government of the seasons did not depend upon his heat and course his very light would suffice Seneca to adore him but God being jealous of his glory and not desirous that the supremest honours should be rendered to his works he hath revenged himself upon them for our sins he hath disordered them to punish us he hath tane from them their advantages to disabuse us and he hath order'd that the noblest creatures should have their blemishes to the end that their beauty might not make us Idolaters he took from them a part of their perfections when sin bereft us of our innocency and foreseeing that we should through blindnesse fall into errour he would not that their Lustre should serve us either for occasion or excuse he mingled death with life in the Suns beams he parted his light from his heat and did not permit them to joyn always together in acting equally the lightsomest places are not the hottest and those Countries wherein the Sun makes the longest days enjoy not the most pleasing Summers He for our punishment doth corrupt what for our service he had produced and as his influences do cause our health so do they our sicknesse likewise if he dissolve vapours into rain he makes them break forth in thunder if he ripen fruit he dries up flowers if he form meteors he sets Comets on fire if he make the dew fall so doth he also the Sercine or Mildew and if he deserve praise for the good he bringeth us he merits also blame for the evil which he sendeth us The fifth Discourse That all Creatures do either tempt or persecute us SInce Tyranny in Princes causeth rebellion in their subjects we must not wonder if the creatures do disobey man who treateth them with so much rigour and violating the laws of Justice imployes them in his offences against their common Sovereign For there is nothing in the world which hath escaped his fury the most innocent creatures in his hands are become criminall he makes them serve his unjust designes and not considering that he hath received them from Gods liberality he abuseth them contrary to his Glory Whatsoever presents it self before his eyes doth either flatter his ambition or his avarice that which in the state of innocency would have excited devotion in his soul causeth impiety therein now he turns all things to his advantage or to his honour and seeks for nothing in the use of nature but his pleasure or his profit He corrupts his Judges with gold he tames his enemies with the sword he kindles his concupiscence with wine and this furious Tyrant abuseth all things to undo himself his malice reacheth even to the most innocent Creatures making them confederates in his crime by an ingenious cruelty for he finds out the means how to make the chastest serve his unchastity he assubjects the noblest to his Ambition and imploys the holiest in his Impiety There is nothing that appears to be more cleeer then Chrystall if we will believe Philosophers 't is a water congeal'd by cold light is so inamor'd thereof as it cannot see it without penetration their imbraces are so chast as that their purity is not therein concerned their union is so streight as it is hard to say whether the Chrystall be changed into light or the light into Chrystall Chrystall becomes lightfull without softning it's hardnesse Light becomes solid without losse of Lustre or brightnesse their qualities are confounded without alteration of their nature and their marriage is so exact that they possesse in common all the advantages which nature hath given them in particular yet impurity makes chrystall serve it's infamous designes in looking glasses a woman growes in love with herselfe by seeing of her face she turns the fable of Narcissus into a truth she consumes in desires before her Idoll and after being sufficiently in love with her selfe she perswades her selfe she is able to make all men in love with her upon this assurance she undertakes the conquests of all hearts she joynes art to beauty to purchase her selfe lovers and she hazards her honour to encrease her Empire Who would have believed that impurity could have corrupted so pure a thing that the flames of love should be kindled in ice that chrystall intermixt with light should carry both smoak and flame into the heart of one and the same woman Looking Glasses were at first invented to the end that men seeing their defaults might amend them many advantages were made of this innocent art this faithfull Councellour gave good advice his dumb answers were speaking oracles and whosoever would listen unto them could not chuse but put on good resolutions A handsome woman learnt by her looking glasse that she was to shun dishonour that to become accomplisht she was to joyn vertue to beauty and not to be an hypocrite she was to be
as good as fair Shee to whom nature had not been so liberall of her favours learnt by this true friend that she was to amend the faults of her face by the perfections of her soul and that she ought to strive for the advantages of men since she wanted those of women A young Prince who observed in this true glasse that he was in the Flower of his age found himself obliged to undertake such glorious actions as render men famous an old man who saw his wrinkles and gray haires in this chrystall resolved to do nothing unworthy of his condition and seeing by his colour that he had not long to live prepared to die with courage Thus was the use of looking glasses a serious study men learnt vertue by beholding themselves and every one seeing his conscience in his face put on a generous resolution to acquit himselfe of his duty but incontinency hath prophaned this innocent art in this corrupted age if men see their faces in a glasse 't is that they may endeavour to surprize chastity and women look therein only to entertain their vanities Ambition gives not place to impurity and if the latter be ingenious in corrupting the purest things the other knows how to assubject the most noble In effect she teacheth Lions obedience she fastens them to the Chariots of Triumphers and having tamed men she tames wilde beasts She engages Elephants in a fight she encourageth these huge Lumps against her Enemies she loads them with Towers upon their backs she makes use of their Trunck and teacheth them to war that she may win battels at their cost she makes the ground to groan under the weight of her Engines the mountains to quake at the noise of her Cannons she sends death by their bullets into Towns and imprisoning the noblest of Elements in Mines she forceth it to blow up bastions to recover it's liberty she tames the Seas haughtinesse she forceth this Monster to bear her ships to assist her in her Conquests to open the way unto her to lead her into the farthest distant Countries and to serve her for a Theater to fight upon and bear away victory Thus man instructed by this bad Mistresse assubjects all the Elements to his Tyranny he forceth the inclinations of the noblest subjects he makes them guilty of his offences and strangely abusing his liberty he makes them mutiny against their Common Sovereign Taking the same freedom he prophanes sacred things makes the worlds most holiest parts serve his impiety For though heaven be the Temple wherein God resides though the Sun be the Throne wherein he makes himselfe visible though the Stars be open eyes through which he observes our faults yet the Libertine abuses all these excellent creatures in his unjust designes he disposeth of heaven as of the earth he promiseth it unto himselfe after his death and imagines he ought to reign amongst Angels after having commanded amongst men he perswades himselfe that the Sun riseth onely to afford him light that the Stars finish their courses onely to serve him that the Planets meet not but to observe his adventures and to presage his victories and being strangely hoodwinkt hee believes that Nature is onely busied to finde him pastimâ— or for his honour He raiseth up devills by the help of Magick he extends his Empire even unto hell not knowing that he purchaseth his power by the losse of his liberty that he becomes their slave who obey him and that he procures unto himselfe as many Tyrants after death as he imployes officers in his life time The creatures to revenge themselves for so many out-rages conspire his undoing and declare war against him he sees no one part in all his Dominions wherein he findes not either Rebels or Enemies whatsoever he undertakes he meets with resistance and his subjects through despair resolve to free themselves from their unjust Sovereign though by their own undoing Of the so many ways which they finde to revenge themselves or punish him the two most remarkable are violence or cunning The first is more sensible the second more dangerous For no man is so resolute but that he trembles when he sees all creatures armed against him and that wheresoever he turns his eye he either findes factions or revolts in his state Every Element threatens him with a thousand torments he findes no sanctuary amidst so many dangers and let him be how carefull he can to defend himself he knows he cannot shun a violent death for to understand it aright no death is naturall and if we give it somtimes that Title 't is either to sweeten the rigour thereof or to confound nature with sin This war which appears so cruell is not the most dangerous for to boot that we know how to defend our selves from it and that self-love hath found out remedies for all our evils it loosens us from off the earth it makes us abhor our exile and love our dear Countrey it raiseth us up gently into heaven and we may say that if this persecution makes not Martyrs it doth at least make Penitents But the other is so much more dangerous as it is more pleasing it deceives us so much the more easily by how much it flatters us more cunningly for the creatures are in the devils hands to seduce us they are full of snaâ—es and nets to surprize us we can hardly make use of them without hazarding our welfare This Tyrant who got the Sovereignty of them when he lost it in Paradise makes such cunning use of them as it is almost impossible to avoid his snares To preserve our innocence we ought to interdict our selves the use of the world and not to fall under the slavery of devils it seems we ought to have no commerce with his creatâ—res They were formerly faithfull Guides which led us to God and now they draw us far from him formerly they taught us our mysteries and to know the beauty of God a man was only to consider his works now they engage us in errour the Prince of darknesse imployes them either to abuse Philosophers or to deceive the mis-believers formerly they served us for pastime wherein pleasure was mingled with innocency they charmed our eyes without distracting our mindes religion and study were not as yet separated the one and the other of them had their sweets without bitternesse and made men learned and godly without labour but now the creatures serve us for pastime only to undo us the sports which they furnish us withall are almost always accompanied with sin if we exceed necessity we fall into intemperance and if we use them profusely we cannot shun injustice Every creature bears about it's dangers with it a man must stand upon his guard when he intends to make use of them and who sailes upon this sea without very much caution is in danger of shipwrack We ought most to suspect such things as are most necessary for us
terrour of all that are faulty But after having had this service from it he reserves it for the generall ruine of the world and to consume that proud building which was the Palace of sinfull man For when the number of the elect shall be accomplisht when the thrice happy ones who shall fill up the places left void by the Angels rebellion shall have finished their course and their labours and that Christs mysticall body shall have all the number which ought to compose it Divine Justice which cannot be satisfied but by the ruine of whatsoever hath been serviceable to sin wil command the fire to consume the world will drown all his works in a deluge of fire Then this Element mixing it selfe with the clouds wil kindle lightnings in all parts the air being set on fire by so many flames shall burn the whole earth which shall open her entrails to let loose those intestine flames which have devoured it for so many ages from the mixture and confusion of so many fires the generall burning of the world shall arise the mountains shall melt with heat and those great râ—ks where coldnesse seems to make it's residence shall be turned into Vesuviuses and Aetnaes the flames inanimated by Gods anger shall lay all Champians waste walls which resist the Thunder of the Cannon shall not be able to defend their Inhabitants from it's fury all the dead shall be made equall the guilty shall burn in one and the same fire and shall be reduced to the same ashes the Sun shall be darkned with smoak and did not the flames serve for torches the world should burn amidst darknesse all the rivers which bathe the earth shall be dried up in their Spring-heads The fire shall triumph over the waters in their channels and this victorious Element shall make it's Enemy which hath had so many advantages over it feele it's power The Ocean it selfe whose extents are so vaste shall see her waters converted into fire and the Whales burn in the midst of it's abysmes Forrests shall help to consume the little hils which bear them those proud mountains whose tops are always covered with snow to which the Sun in his greatest heats bears a respect shall vomit up flames together with their bowels and all those eminent places which command over the vallies shall see their pride buried in ashes all the guilty shall perish amidst this fire they shall finde hell upon earth and shall wish that the mountains might overwhelm them in their ruins to quench the fire which shall devour them The just shall be astonished to see the fire spare them to see the heavens work the same miracle for them as they did in days of yore for the three unjustly condemned Children and imitating the piety of those Innocents they shall sing Canticles of praises whil'st the wicked shall vomit forth blasphemies How horrible will the spectacle be to see the earth burn the sea consumed and whole Nature buried in a Sepulchre of fire this is the revenge which God will take of sin this is the satisfaction which his Justice will exact for our insolency and this is the last punishment which the creatures shall suffer for having been confederate with man The very Stars shall not be able to escape the rigour thereof that solid matter whereof they are composed shall be dissolved by heat and those beautifull parts of the world having the same destiny as gold and brasse have shall trickle down drop by drop upon the earth their having been serviceable to us in their light sufficeth to make them guilty their having received homage from us and accepted of our sacrifices is sufficient to make them receive this punishment God will not permit that that which hath been corrupted should rest unpunished and his holinesse joyned to his justice cannot tolerate that in Eternity which hath been prophaned in Time Jesus Christ himself was of this opinion he taught that this world did not belong unto him he imprinted in the Souls of his Disciples the horrour and contempt of this present Age and obliged them to wish for the Age to come of which he made himself be called the Father All the perfection of Christianity consists in these two points all vertues are composed of these two points and he is perfect amongst the faithfull who contemning Adams world doth incessantly thirst after Christ Jesus his world Though God be the Authour of them both he detests the former since it was prophaned by sin and since the devill hath submitted it to his Tyranny he hath given over the Sovereignty thereof unto his Enemies he suffers the Turk to possesse the best part thereof he permits his most faithfull servants to be persecuted he will not have us to receive more glory there than he doth and if we will follow his counsels and his instructions we must look upon it as a place of exile or as an Enemies Countrey I very well know he giveth Crowns to Sovereigns Lawrell to the victorious that he makes the Angels fight for Christians and that he arms the Elements for the defence of his Church but in fine his Kingdom is not of this world he will not govern in a world which he will destroy he pretends not to command in a State where his Enemy is worshipped and we must not love a world which he will punish because we have made it sinfull Let us expect that which he will give us let us long after that world which will arise out of the others ashes and let us not fix our fortunes in a Kingdom which shall perish when Jesus Christ shall revenge himselfe upon his Enemies 'T is true that it's ruine will be usefull to it and that it will reap advantage by it's losse for all Gods punishments are favours he puts obligations upon those that he punisheth his goodnesse turns their sufferings into salves and to be strucken by the hand of God brings both honour and advantage with it Death which destroys the body prepares it for the resurrection it changeth it's grave into a cradle and as the corruption of corn is the cause of it's re-assuming life we may say that the putrefaction of the body is in some sort the seed of it's mortality Purgatory which burns the soules of men doth purifie them the flames whereby they suffer prepares them for glory that which we esteem a punishment is a lovely penance and that which seems to retard their contentment serves only to advance their happinesse So shall the fire which shall burn the world contribute to it's perfection it shall perish only to become more perfect it 's beauty shall arise from it's being consumed by fire and this last deluge shall be of more honour and advantage to it then was the former the waters purified the world by drowning it this great havock was Natures baptisme and the same Element which did bereave her of her children did restore unto
her her purity but the fire shall alter 〈◊〉 qualities she shall be no longer subject to the Empire of 〈◊〉 Consistency shall succeed the change which hath preserved her she shall no longer groan under the Devils Tyranny nor under the injustice of sinners she shall lose all the qualities which she hath coâ—acted by sin and shall recover all those which for our punishment she had lost not unlike the blessed she shall enjoy the glory which she is capable of every Element shall be purified by flames all parts of the world shall be reformed by the fire which shall consume them the Sun shall suffer no more Eclipses the lustre of his light shall dissipate all the obscurity of darknesse his influences shall exhale no more maligne vapours Heaven shall be no longer an enemy to earth this over-worn mother shall be freed from her care of nourishing man and her substance being purified by fire shall be changed into chrystall or into diamonds all her parts shall be delightfull and those great rocks which do sustain her shall be turned into Columnes of Marble or of Porphiry In fine Nature shall receive her last perfection by fire and the blessed meeting with no rebellions nor weaknesses in their bodies shall find no more irregularity nor disorder in the Universe Jesus Christ shall reign together with his elect in his world the track of sin nor foot-steps of death shall be no more seen there Death shall destroy these two Enemies and their Raign being finished Punishment shall withdraw it self to hell there to afflict the Damned to all Eternity THE END ERRATA Page 18 line 36 for force r source p 19 l 11 〈◊〉 Aethyopians r blackness ibid. l. ult f doth r doth not p 25 l 28 f creature r Creator p 3â— l 22 f afflictions r affections ibid. l 25 f she r she be p 35 l ult f losing r looseneth ibid. after engage r them p 37 l 17 f praiers r praises ibid. f Statutes r Statues p 40 l 28 f we r we are p 45 l 3 f this r his p 48 l 15 f its r it p 51 l 33 f basest r Basis. p 55 l 23 f of grace r Grace p 57 l 2 f Lord r cord ibid. l 6 f of r as if p 59 l 1 f felt r felt-love ibid. l 18 f faculty r faulty p 60 l 15 f and not r and could not p 62 l 24 f contrary r more contrary p 65 l ult f certainly r certainty p 78 l 5 f keepe it r escape them p 80 l 8 f praising r bruising ib. l 11 f chang'd r change ib. 21 f which so r which we so p 89 l 24 f they familiarly r they treat familiarly ib. l 37 f reduced r seduced p 90 l 26 for peaceably usurped r peaceably enjoy usurped p 92 l 16 f the r their p 96 l 15 f reviling r in reviling p 121 l 16 leave out the second was p 124 l 32 f against them r again ib. after losse insert of his life p 125 l 17 for in r into p 126 l 6 dele not p 129 l 17 f his r this p 130 l 22 f steps r stops ib. 32 f upon r who upon p 131 l 13 f not an r not be an ib. l 14 dele not p 132 l 3 f ement r cement ib. l 6 f less r less weighty p 133 l 29 f longer r no longer p 135 l 12 f often r not often ib. l 26 f known r none p 139 l 22 f envade r evade p 141 l 6 f surprisal r by surprisal p 142 l 10 f to Falisci r to the Falisci p 143 l 7 f his r her p 146 l 1 f one r one crime p 151 l 22 f lookes r tooke p 156 l ult f party r parity p 167 l 36 dele not p 170 l 23 dele rather ib. l 26 f if quencht r if they quencht p 174 l 23 dele love p 175 l 33 f lead r leading p 176 l 6 f with one r without ib. l 18 dele an ib. f hopes r hops p 185 l 13 f out r not p 186 l 30 f notwithstanding r not notwithstanding p 187 l 32 f designes r desires p 192 l 7 f impeaceable r impeccable p 200 l 26 f countenance r contemne p 201 l 26 f one r none p 202 l 24 f alwayes r feeds ib. l36 f of r with p 204 l 7 dele that ib. l 〈◊〉 for adopt r adapt ib. l 24 f to r by p 205 l 14 for rul'd r rule p 206 l 18 after hath r or injur'd p 207 l 13 f reduced r be reduced p 213 l 16 f Spring r Off spring p 215 l 5 f consecrated r he consecrated p 222 l 29 f smallest r usuallest p 224 l 27 f securely r be securely ib. l 28 f sigh r sigh for p 225 l 15 f had r hath p 230 l 18 f profession r profusion p 233 l 17 f untoucht r uncouth p 235 l ult f ought r ought not p 236 l 36 f unworthily r worthily p 239 l 15 f Capres r Cypresse ib. l 83 f the r though the p 244 l 28 f imagine r l imagine ib. l 34 f had r have p 246 l 6 f draws r drowns ib. l 14 f wars r wards ib. l 21 f men be r me to be p 248 l 7 f as r a. p 252 l 18 f truth r extort truth p 253 l 31 f fore-light r foresight ib. l 36 f with r which p 256 l 15 f been r been too regular p 258 l 26 f amongst r most p 264 l 33 f This r Thus. p 265 l 36 f with r which p 266 l 26. f renew r review p 275 l 16 f could r could not ib. 119 f and r one p 277 l 25 f the r this p. 279 l 22 dele who p 289 l 1 f were r we were p 290 l 25 f infused r insued p 291 l 7 f call r called p 295 l 15 f linifying r finifying p 301 l 3 f was r was not p 304 l ult f withstood r withdrew p 307 l 22 f every r every one p 310 l 24 f comfort r consort ibid. l 31 f for served r severed p 313 l ult f gain r game p 314 l 14 f break r betake p 317 l 2 f excuse r Defence ibid. l 15 f Privatives r Privacie p 327 l 3 f it r of p 330 l 23 f with r with our p 333 l 24 f earth r World p 336 l 14 f don r begun p 337 l 32 f harden r hardly p 342 l 37 f take r take him p 343 l 10 f with r with them ib. l 20 f defyed r deified p 346 l 14 dele making p 351 l 34 f he r we p 357 l 24 f perfections r imperfections ib. l 25 his r it's p 359 l 34 f kin r knit p 362 l 12 for learning r leaning p 363 l ult for combustible r solid p 366 l 6 leave out if p
us cannot efface that of guilty It precedeth our birth accompanieth our life and doth almost always follow our death so as from the cradle to the grave our chiefest ornament ought to be modesty and our apparel ought to partake more of penitency then of vanity If we will not have the Angels to be therewithall scandalized they must not savour of novelty they must not be riotous and nothing must be therein observable which denotes insolency or uncleannes cloths were invented by shame and pain whatsoever ambition or self-love hath added thereunto is superfluous and who governs himself by custome or excuseth himself by his condition forgets that he is a Christian or remembers not that he is a sinner The eighth Discourse That the shame which accompanieth Nakedness is a punishment for our offence PHilosophers who knew not the secret of originall sin thought nature rather to be the step-dame then the mother of man and that she had not given such testimony of her care of his preservation as of that of other creatures beasts are born with their weapons and their apparell they are provided either of hair or wool to fence them from the cold and armed either with horns or claws to defend themselves against violence those of the weaker sort have their wiles to free themselves from their pursuers and if they want both strength and cunning nature hath furnished them with agility to shun their enemies who hunt after them thus we see that Lyons are armed with teeth and claws and that these generous animals confiding in force never refuse to fight when combate is offered bulls have their horns stags their coverts wild bores their tusks and all these differing defences are so well munited as a man cannot set upon them without danger of being hurt Hunting is an exercise wherein danger is mixt with delight if the hunters give blows they oft-times receive some and if deer or wild goats suffer themselves to be tame 't is not without revenge Foxes have so many wiles as it is experienced as well in hunting as in war that it is easier to overcome a couragious enemy then a crafty one Does Hindes and Hares are so swift of foot as dogs nor horses cannot overtake them these timerous beasts find their safety in their feet and as the Parthians fight retreating these overcome their enemies by running away Man on the contrary who glories himself to be the Lord of the Universe enters into his dominions without either weapons or apparell He finds his subjects revolted and hath neither strength nor agility to reduce them to their duty he is sensible of the unseasonablenesse of seasons yet cannot fence himself from their irregularities nor defend himself from their disorders He makes triall of the rigour of the elements yet cannot keep himself uninjured by them he is exposed to the fury of his enemies and wants weapons to fight them and nature dealing with him as with a monster or an illegitimate child affords him onely tears to bewail himself he must be brought by time to the use of reason before he can either make himself cloths or weapons for fourteen years space he is a prey for wild beasts and did not necessity make him ingenious he would be the most miserable of all creatures The rest are clothed as soon as born natures self takes care of clothing them their apparell constitutes a part of their body and the hair or wool which covers them is the meer work of nature but man is stark naked when he parts from his mothers womb his skin is so tender as the very air offends it he must be put in prison to be freed from the fury of his enemies he is treated like a slave to save his life and he is not suffered to make use of any of his members lest he use them to his own prejudice When he is grown great he is bound to make war upon nature to preserve himself to unrobe beasts to cloth himself he must use a kind of Tyranny upon creatures if he will free himself from the fury of the elements and he hath so little credit in his dominions that as he must tear up the earth for food so must he strip beasts to cloth himself Though these Philosophers complaints may appear just yet are they irrationall had they known mans fault they would never have blamed nature for she was not his step-dame till he became a sinner neither was she cruell to him till he was disobedient to God during his innocency she had largely provided for all his affairs originall righteousnesse served him for clothes and though this apparell was so very purely fine yet was it proofe against all seasons as Summer was not excessively hot so neither was Winter extreamly cold Spring and Autumne were so pleasantly inter-mingled as man though naked suffered no incommodity Trees which lent him their shade to refresh him did not as yet furnish him with leaves to cover him the earth brought forth no thorns to offend him it was so smooth and so all of a piece as he might touch it and not hurt himselfe the grasse and flowers wherewith it was beautified served in stead of a pleasing Carpet which satisfied his eyes and was easie to his feet In fine sin not having as yet wounded his soule he was not inforced through shame to cover his body he beheld himselfe with delight not with shame Gods workmanship not being yet through disobedience gone astray he observed nothing therein which was not pleasing to him and to say all in a word as he had no faulty parts so had he no shamefull ones he saw not in his body the pictures of his soules rebellion and whil'st the soul obeyed God all parts of the body obeyed the soul but as soon as he grew guilty he was forced to betake himselfe to apparell to free him from pain and shame for in a moment the seasons grew out of order the Elements waged war as well in his Dominions as in his body the earth mingled thorns with roses the face thereof which formerly was smooth became furrowed and stones succeeding in the place of flowers turned a delightfull garden into a horrid desart Man hearing storms thunder over his head and feeling thistles spring under his feet was inforced to cover both head and feet to preserve life He was no lesse opprest with shame then pain and the amazement he was in to see the shadow of sin upon his body made him resolve to cloth himselfe as well as did the irregularity of the seasons the Lord of the whole world who bare the Image of God imprinted in his face was a ghast to see himself he could not endure his nakednesse after once he had lost his innocency he sought for leaves to hide his rebellion and not having yet felt any pain for his sin he was ashamed of his punishment he observed an impudent novelty which made him judge his nakednesse unseemly