man the life the death and the resurection There câ—sented to the destruction of man The Serpent the woman and the man There haue repaired that downfal The Father the giuer the Sonne the gift and the holy Ghost the comforter In the numof three is a perfect conclusion of all things Much may be said of the nomber and orders made by this trinitie As fire water ayre and earth to make the world the Spring Somer Autum Winter to make the yeare East West North South to quarter the world Creatures going creeping flying swiming w e infinit milioÌ„s of celestial terestial bodies which he keepeth preserueth boundeth in holdeth within this Trinity And briefly to wind vp this point concerning nomber I hold it the original most worthy part of the three I mean that number is of higher coÌ„sideratioÌ„ theÌ„ place or time for God himself the can by no means stoup to be known to the capacity of man neither can be coÌ„tained within any place nor limited to any time in respect of his onÌ„ipotent greatnesse and eternall essence before and without respect of time yet hath hee vouchsafed to bring himselfe within the compasse of number And therein by the power therof to create man in a blessed and happy estate Thus hauing in som measure discouered the nature worthines of original number desiring by al meanes to auoyd tediousnes I leaue to be considered that these and diuers other auncient writèrs that haue left behind them learned workes had no other meanes to vnderstand any thing of the deity eternity of the God-head or immortality of the soule but the vse and helpe of Reason only proper and peculiar to man And so I proceed to the rest Of place IN respect of God before the creation of the world beginning of time All was Place And yet in respect of his greatnessâ— there was no place for he cannot be coÌ„tained in any thing but in himselfe If any be curious to demaund how spacious large or ample this place was let him take his answere with Cato of Vtica who would needs know of God why Caesar ouercame Pompey It is as if the meanest vassal in a kingdome should require the king to giue a reasoÌ„ for all things he doth or coÌ„mandeth Porpherius being much encumbred with vnderstanding of supernaturall causes breaketh out into these words Seeing that God did by skill dispose and ouerrule all things and ordereth them by incomparable propriete of vertue And on the contrary part mans reason being very smal is ignorant of most things how skilfull soeuer it seeme to be of the truth Surely we may theÌ„ cal it meaning Reason wise wheÌ„ it is not curious in searching such doubtfull and hard matters as are matched with danger of blasphemie but rather graunteth that the things which are done are very well as they be for saith he what can our weak reasoÌ„ find fault with or reproue in that great ReasoÌ„n meaning of the deitie As if he shuld haue said The waies the works the place of God and Eternity are not to be searched nor enquired after by any creature whatsoever If we descend but to the diuersitie of the condtion and nature of Creatures confined vnto place and their vnderstanding of matters not designed nor prouided for their estates conditions we shal haue sufficient cause to say that Place was such so much as it pleased the purpose prouideÌ„ce power wisdoÌ„ of God Before there was a creation of things and a beginning of time Place was infinit indefinit indeuisible without space or distance without being repaired vnto or departed froÌ„ neither containing nor contained w e out Center CircoÌ„ferieÌ„ce rule or diameter consisting neither of matter substaÌ„ce nor whatsoeuer stuffe Euery thing hath his point his Center his place and beginning Only the diuine esceÌ„ce place nature of god hath none as euery maÌ„ that wil seriously looke into his own self shall be enforced to coÌ„fesse In nature the greater can neuer be coÌ„prehended by the lesser But God in his nature place and essence is greater then man Therefore cannot â—od his incomprehensible place and nature be comprehended by the reason or vnderstaÌ„ding of maÌ„ Nature is a thing wrought by God Now no worke how great soeuer can perfectly expresse the cause or worker thereof Therefore nature caÌ„not vnderstand the diuine essence place and nature of God The reasonable soule is the admirable nature of man Now whosoeuer shall come to know his owne soule and the place thereof meerly by the power worke of it selfe shall confesse himself to be absolutely ignoraÌ„t thereof Therfore if nature reason with the powers affects of the soule reason commeth short to know it self much more must it come short to discouer or vnderstand the incircumscriptible nature essence and place of the holy Trinitie We see in the cours of the creatures of God as well terestrial as celestial coÌ„tinual mouings froÌ„ plà ce to place all those moued by their Creator the first mouer which argueth subiectioÌ„ obedience in the creatures to the Creator and out of a cessarie consequent of the contrarie it discouereth that God the mouer is neither moued nor doth moue too or from any place For to say he is here or there it is all one for he is euery where as it is anthentically prooued If I clime vp to heauen thou art there If I goe downe to hell thou art there also If I take the wings of the morning and remaine in the vtmost part of the sea euen there also shall thy hand leade me and thy right hand shall hold me for the heauen is his seate and the earth is his footestole To conclude this point we fee and confesse that God made and knoweth all things and hath appointed their natures beings times and places Now if he had in him the nature of any of his creatures that is to be limited vnto one contained in place or consisting of any materiall substance the same would incomber his diâ—ine essence for hee doth not come within the compasse of their limited nature place nor number for by that meanes wee should derogate from his holy and diuine Deitie and essence of a Creator Seeing therefore that God is not compounded of material substance he can not be a bodie And seeing hee is not a bodie he can not bee contained in place neither wholly nor in part wherof it may properly be said that hee is no where namely that no part of him is limited within any place to be pointed at or described For like as hee made all things by the power of his beeing So doth the same power enter into al things fill all things containe all things And for so much as the same being power is indiuisible it is whole in all and whole in euery part So likewise is he himselfe whole throughout in whome all things haue their being how be it he is not definitely nor
earth and water And so of fire water ayre and earth they hold the bodies of man to be composed wherein still number and place partake together in all occasions If I should speak at large of the infinite numbers of ioynts sinews arteries muscles vaines organs instruments matter and things whereof a perfect man doth consist beside his immortall soule it would be as admirable as the whole frame and hoste of heauen and earth and all wherewith they are replenished But if I should discourse of the reasonable and immortall soule and minde of man the qualities affects effects condition state attribute faculties of the soule and minde It would farre surmount all the creatures that eâ—er God made and all in number place and time which is the next point to be handled Then gentle friend I leaue thee a spectacle in thy selfe to behold all these 3. excellent things number place and time with the stuffe substance matter and essence wherof thou art composed much exceeding all the rest if they were all compared with thee Abuse neither of them least time turne thee instead of a better place from the number of the blessed to a place of damnation among the number of the damned spirites So that whether thou seeke heauen earth or hell thou shalt finde all things to consist of number and place therefore make account of them as of their worthinesse Much might be said of the number and place of the fixed and mouing Starres Of the number of Monarkes Kings Emperors and their Countries the vegitatiue and sensitiue creatures and of the things that haue onely being without sense or growing But because I am to speake in the next place of Time and of the vse thereof I cease further to enlarge this point with this conclusion that the exercise of reason euen amongst the heathen and prophane men hath waded farre into this matter Of Time IN this discourse of Time there is an other way to discouer the truth thereof then is vsed in handling the former For in number and place there is neither prioritie nor posteritie For though in the Deitie there be three distinct persons in number yet in reputation of place greatnesse or number none is greater or lesse then another and in respect of Time none is before or after an other But the whole three persons are coequall together and coeternall The Philosophers of auncient time found in the reason of their soules that there was a certaine nature and essence in which they alleage to bee three inbeings as is aforesaid And that this great and eternall nature and essence doe make the beginning of all other natures which are contained in Time And besides among many opinions There were of these Philosophers that did maintaine and vphold two beginnings which in all likely-hood they were induced vnto out of the two seuerall dispositions and inclinations of the same in men one to vertue the other to vice To these beginnings they giue seuerall names The one good which they call Oramases Tâ—e other euill and that they call Arimarius This opinion is furthered by some to haue his beginning from Zoroastres the grand child of Noa and from him by tradition to the Persians and from the Persians to the Manathiâ—s Their meaning vnderstanding in this behalfe is that the Elements the Plants the herbs the trees beastes men and Spirits were diuided between these two Gods holding one to bee Creator of the good and the other of the euil To the one they allotted light to the other darknesse to the one Sommer to the other winter c. The sins the wickednesse corruptions which they saw in the nature of me differing from the perfection of a righteous Creator drew them into these absurd opinions because they held their corruptions and euils in time and qualitie to be in the creation of those euill creatures Which opinion hath come neare to some in these Ages who entering into consideration of the euill things will not sticke if not to affirme yet at least to demaund whether God be the author of euil These opinions may be answered thus That making or creating are referred to natures and substances and that all originall natures substances are good And therefore that God who is al good is the Creator and maker of them Now euill is neither a nature nor a substance but an income which is fallen into natures and substances And therefore not in the time of creation but is come in since by a colaterall meanes Euill is a breathing or diminishing of the foure good qualities effects which natures and substances ought naturally to haue Hereby wee see that euen in time it selfe good was before euill and in place shall be farre preferred aboue it I conclude therefore that Euill being neither nature nor substance hath not nor can haue any being in it selfe but in the thing that of his originall nature or stuffe is good Euill is not an effect but a default not a production but a corruption Plato and Plotin hold opinion that euill is not a thing of it selfe nor can bee imagined but in the absence of goodnesse as a depriuation of the good which ought to bee naturally in euery thing And that euil is a certaine kinde of nothing hauing no abiding but in the the good whereof it is a fault or diminishing of perfectioÌ„ By which they conceiue that these things which haue their being nature and substance onely temporary and are finite with time tending to the matter whereof they were first created that is to an vnbeing of that it formerly was or to not beeing at all as were the things whereof they were created and vnto which creatures haue still a certaine inclination whereby they may fall froÌ„ their goodnesse By these many other reasons may bee concluded that there was not two beginnings but one beginning of creatures and time But the euill is crept in since in the default decay or absence of the good which in the originall creatioÌ„ was in the same natures substances that are now become euil Many supposals imaginations and opinions haue beene holden of euerlastingnesse eternitie of the world and of Time by old writers that had no other meanes to reach vnto the same but the scope of their owne weake reasons But omitting the rest I will come shortly to the point Plotinus in his booke of Eternity and of Time saith That Eternitie and Time differ in this respect That Eternity is verified only of the euerlasting nature meaning the Creator But Time is to be verified of the things that are created So as Eternitie is and abideth in God alone which hee calleth the world that is to be conceiued but in minde and vnderstanding And Time hee intendeth to abide in the world that is subiect to the senses Adding further that the world was not made in Time but together with Time Which opinion the Diuines themselues do hold The same Author hauing
vse or abuse the blessings and benefits of God least in gathering too much it turn to wormes as Manna did in the wildernesse or to Quayles and it become the destruction of the eaters thereof in stead of nourishment These benefites God hath bestowed on Man principally chiefely to serue his turne and to instruct and teach him in this first life which shall finish and ende Behold there are further matters and benefits bestowed and prouided for Man besides these the meanest farre exceeding the greatest of these They are such as I dare not define or treate of and therefore with reuerence leaue them to the Readers consideration with such descriptions as they are left to me They are such As the eye hath not seene the eare heard nor the heart of man can conceiue Oh inestimable riches peace plentie ioy fulnesses which God hath prouided for this immortall reasonable soule if it vary not from the direction of the Creator And are not these yet sufficient but man must needes be medling with himselfe patching and playing the tinker or botcher vpon some imagination of his owne and so marre all which the the auncient Philosophers hold to be the reason that man was cast out of the company of the Gods into this lower base and corruptible Sphere of the Elements This is not all I say that God hath done for man for beside his creation he doth still by his holy hand vphold and support him he hath receiued him to fauour being abiected for vsing the creatures of God contrary to his ordinance he hath set his holy Angels to preserue defend him his only Son to loose his life to redeeme him his most gratious holy spirit to be his comfort and consolation A fulnesse of all benefites in this life and eternall ioyes in heauen c. Prouided alwayes that wee doe not vse his creatures to vnnatural vnlawfull or forbidden vses or employments This is the happie estate of reasonable man ◠he containe himselfe within his bounds All the worlde will confesse no benefit◠or blessing can be added vnto it Let vs not therefore seeke to alter change charge or incomber the course and way the Almightie power hath appointed in these things least it turne to our vtter confusion Let vs not wrong our reasonable soules therefore but schoole and iustruct them in such rudiments as may preserue their worthinesse Reason is the Founder of Arts. BY the precedent Circumstances it appeareth that among all the creatures vnder Heauen man onely excepted nothing is seene to bee made for it selfe nor man onely for himselfe but for the seruice of God The Sunne shineth and heateth but not for it selfe The Earth beareth and yet hath no benefite thereby The Windes blowe and yet they sayle not The Fire burneth and yet feeleth not this owne force The Water beareth the shippes and yet knoweth not the waight thereof Al these serue onely to the glory of God and benefit of man Behold therfore how neere God hath placed man vnto himselfe nay what plentifull prouision hee hath made for sustentation of this sensitiue life and the necessarie vse thereof The Sunne warmeth the earth the earth nourisheth the Plants the Plants feede the beasts and the beasts serue man So that the noblest creatures haue neede of the basest and the basest are serued by the most noble And all these by the diuine prouidence of God wherein as there can bee nothing wanting so thereunto there may be nothing added Now for the better discouerie of what dignitie honour aduancement benefite and supply this sensitiue life hath by the vse and imployment of Reanon which is an inseperable qualitie of the immortall Soule let vs discend a litle into the Arts whereby Reason doth supply the defects miseries which otherwise this life must abide which in reason should moue the hearts of men to vse these temporall blessings in such a temporall measure as they might supply and serue the turnes and vses of all the race of Mankinde As I meane not to euery one a like so it is no equall sharing that some should haue all and others want If wee consider but this one thing that by the admirable reason of man in his first creation he did sodainely giue all the creatures of God seuerall names and still retained the memory of them when he had neuer seene them before here began the Arte Memoratiue and all other Artes which afterwards had almost perished and beene confounded Hermes taking consideration of these things faith The Sun beames of God are his actions the Sun beames of the worlde are the natures of things And the Sun-beames of man are his arts and sciences Whence should he learne teach or vnderstand this but out of that reason which then remained though imperfect and impayred By which reason he was led to acknowledge the diuinite and omnipotencie of God being more then many men wil at this day acknowledge But to proceede to the Arts albeit they are well knowne yet let me recite some particulars By Reason first the generall knowledge is attained Then Reasō hath proportioned things into diuers parts First in consideration of their natures worthinesse secondly in cōsideration of their numbers and places thirdly in regard of their vses and employments So hath Reasō left nothing vnproportioned which she hath set down and concluded by Arts Sciences By Grāmer ◠course of true speaking by Retoricke the māner of perswasion by Logicke the true proportion of reasoning by Musicke true consent of Harmony by Arithmaticke the proportion of numbering adding diminishing augmenting and diuiding By Geometry the manner of euen infalible proportioning all these come of Reason The petty nay rather the great helpes towards the effecting of these things The inuenting the making and fashioning of the tooles instruments and preparations that serue to these vses The making of pen inke paper letters sillables words edge-tooles notes of musick flat c. cards wheels loomes milles the mecanicall Arts of Weauers Tuckers Spinsters Tailors Smiths carpēters sawyers ioyners w e diuersother of the like quality All these and many others haue bene drawn takē out proportiōed by the noble◠famous arts of arithmatike geometrie which are neither so highly esteemed nor vnderstood as they deserue for the more neerer reason with reuerend careof that creator searcheth into these causes the more neerer doth it bring the soule of man to the principal Artifex and maker of them Let vs proceed a little further By the motion of the Sun which surroundeth the world in 24 hours they haue proportioned the circumference of the world to be 360 degrees they diuide euery degree into 60. miles with many other such diuisiōs which I omit By these Arts they haue found that the sun in the whole yeare maketh her furthest point both toward the North and South pole and thereupon they haue diuided that time into xii monethes To euery of these twelue monethes they proportion an appointed