a sufficient answer namely That the Substances of things were created together but not formed and fashioned together in their seuerall distinct kindes They were disgested together by substance of matter but appeared not together in substantiall forme for that was the worke of six dayes Moreouer when Moses in his first Chapter of Genesis saith That things were created in euery one of the six dayes seuerally in the second chapter of the same Booke he speaketh but of one day only by way of Catastrophe or Epilogue All which hee had before distinctly described saying These are the generations of the Heauen and the Earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the Earth and the Heauens Neither is this any contradiction for we must not take the dayes according to the distinction of Times for God had no need of Time as being first made by him but by reason of the works of Perfection which is signified and compleated by the number of Six which is a most perfect number Moreouer as the Psalmist saith A thousand yeares are vnto him but as one day Avenzor the Babylonian saith That he which knoweth to number well knoweth directly all things Neither was it spoken in vaine but to the great praise of Almighty God Omnia in mensura Numero Pondere disposuisti i. Thou hast disposed all things in Number in Measure and in Weight It is moreouer said in Eccles. 1 2. Who can number the sands of the Sea and the drops of the raine and the dayes of the world Who can measure the height of the Heauen the bredth of the Earth and the depth Who can finde the Wisedome of God which hath beene before all things c. It is worthy remarke which one ingeniously obserues Two wayes saith he we come to the apprehension and knowledge of God by his Workes and by his Word by his Works we know that there is a God and by his Word we come to know what that God is his Workes teach vs to spell his Word to reade The first are his backe-parts by which we behold him afarre off the later represent him vnto vs more visibly and as it were face to face For the Word is as a booke consisting of three leaues and euery leafe printed with many letters and euery letter containeth in it selfe a Lecture The Leaues are Heauen the Aire and the Earth with the Water the Letters ingrauen are euery Angell Starre and Planet the Letters in the Aire euery Meteor and Fowle those in the Earth and Waters euery Man Beast Plant Floure Minerall and Fish c. All these set together spell vnto vs That there is a God Moses in the very first verse of Genesis refuteth three Ethnycke opinions first Those that were of opinion the World was from eternitie and should continue for euer in these words when hee saith In the Beginning Secondly he stoppeth the mouth of stupid and prophane Atheists in this phrase Elohim created Thirdly and lastly hee opposeth all Idolaters such as held with many gods for the saith in the conclusion of the same Verse Elohim He created Heauen and Earth vsing the singular number It is the opinion of some antient Diuines That the Creation of the Angels was concealed by Moses lest any man should apprehend like those Heretiques spoken of by Epiphanius that they aided and assisted God in the Creation For if the day of their Creation which as the best approued Theologists confesse was the first day had beene named by Moses wicked and vngodly men might haue taken them to haue been Agents in that great and inscrutable Worke which indeed were no other than Spectators Therefore as God hid and concealed the Body of Moses after his death lest the Israelites so much addicted to Idolatry should adore and worship it so Moses hid and concealed the Creation of the Angels in the beginning lest by them they should be deified and the honour due to the Creator be by that meanes attributed and conferred on the Creature Rabbi Salom affirmeth them to be created the first day and some of our later Diuines the fourth day but their opinions are not held altogether authenticall It is likewise obserued That God in the creation of the world beginneth aboue and worketh downwards For in the first three dayes he layd the foundation of the world and in the other three dayes he furnished and adorned those parts The first day he made all the Heauens the matter of the earth and commeth downe so low as the Light The second day he descendeth lower and maketh the Firmament or Aire The third lowest of all making a distinction betwixt the Earth and Water Thus in three dayes the three parts or body of the World is laid and in three dayes more and in the same order they were furnished For on the fourth day the Heauens which were made the first day were decked and stucke with starres and lights The fift day the Firmament which was made the second day was filled with Birds and Fowles The sixt day the Earth which was before made fit and ready the third day was replenished with Beasts and lastly with Man And thus God Almighty in his great Power and Wisedome accomplished and finished the miraculous worke of the Creation Rabbi Iarchi vpon the second of Genesis obserueth That God made superior things one day and inferiour another His words being to this purpose In the first day God created Heauen aboue and Earth beneath on the second day the Firmament aboue on the third Let the dry land appeare beneath on the fourth Lights aboue and the fift Let the waters bring forth beneath c. On the sixt day he made things both superior and inferior lest there should be confusion without order in his Work Therefore he made Man consisting of both a Soule from aboue and a Body from beneath c. An Allegorie drawne from these is That God hath taught vs by the course he took in the framing and fashioning of the world how we must proceed to become a new Creation or a new Heauen and Earth renewed both in soule and body In the first day he made the Light therefore the first thing of the new man ought to be light of Knowledge for Saint Paul saith He that commeth to God must know that He Is. On the second day he made the Firmament so called because of it's stedfastnesse so the second step in Mans new Creation must be Firmamentum Fidei i. the sure foundation of Faith On the third day the Seas and Trees bearing Fruit so the third step in the New man is That he become Waters of relenting teares and that he bring forth fruit worthy of Repentance On the fourth day God created the Sunne that whereas on the first day there was light without heate now on the fourth day there is Light and Heate ioyned together So the fourth step in the new creation of the New man is That
thither and entertained into his wonted lodging Philemium his Beloued came into the chamber spake with him supt with him and after much amorous discourse she receiued of him as a gift a Ring of iron and a Cup guilt and she in interchange gaue him a Ring of gold and an hand-kerchiefe which done they went to bed together The Nurse being very diligent to see that her new ghest wanted nothing came vp with a candle and saw them both in bed together She ouer-joyed runneth in hast to bring the Parents newes that their daughter was aliue They amased rise from their bed and finde them both fast-sleeping when in great rapture of ioy they called and pulled them to awake At which shee rising vpon her pillow with a seuere looke cast vpon them thus said O you most cruell and obdurat Parents and are you so enuious of your daughters pleasure that you will not suffer her for the space of one three dayes to enioy her deere Machates but this curiositie shall be little for your ease for you shall againe renew your former sorrowes which hauing spoke she changed countenance sunke downe into the bed and died at which sight the father and mother were both intranced The rumor of this came into the city the Magistrats caused the graue to be opened but found not the body there only the iron Ring and the Cup giuen her by Machates For the same Coarse was then in the chamber and bed which by the counsell of one Hillus a Soothsayer was cast into the fields and the yong man finding himself to be deluded by a Specter to auoid the ignominie hee with his owne hands slew himselfe Possible it is that the inferiour Diuels at the command of the superiour should possesse the bodies of the Dead for a time and moue in them as by examples may appeare Eunapius reports That an AEgyptian Necromancer presented the person of Apollineus before the people But Iamblicus a greater Magition standing by told them It was not he but the body of a Fencer who had before been slaine When whispering a stronger charme to himselfe the Spirit forsooke the body which falling down dead appeared to them all to be the stinking carkasse of the Fencer before spoken of and well knowne to them all The like is reported of one Donica who after she was dead the Diuell had walked in her body for the space of two yeares so that none suspected but that she was still aliue for she did both speak and eat though very sparingly onely shee had a deepe palenesse in her countenance which was the only signe of death At length a Magition comming by where she was then in the companie of many other Virgins as soone as hee beheld her hee said Faire Maids why keep you company with this dead Virgin whom you suppose to be aliue When taking away the Magicke charme which was tied vnder her arme the body fell downe liuelesse and without motion Cornelius Agrippa liuing in Louvaine had a yong man who tabled with him One day hauing occasion to be abroad hee left the keyes of his study with his wife but gaue her great charge to keepe them safe and trust them to no man The Youth ouer-curious of noueltie neuer ceased to importune the woman till shee had lent him the key to take view of his Librarie Which entring he hapned vpon a booke of Conjuration hee reads when straight hee heares a great bouncing at the doore which hee not minding readeth on the knocking groweth greater the noise louder But hee making no answer the Diuell breakes open the doore and enters and askes what he commands him to haue done or why he was called The Youth amased and through feare not able to answer the Diuell seiseth vpon him and wrythes his neck asunder Agrippa returneth findeth the yong man dead and the Diuels insulting ouer him Hee retyres to his Art and calls the Diuels to account for what they had done they tell all that had passed Then he commanded the homicide to enter into the body and walke with him into the market place where the Students were frequent and after two or three turnes to forsake the bodie Hee did so the body falls downe dead before the Schollers all iudge it to be of some sudden Apoplexy but the markes about his necke and jawes make it somewhat suspitious And what the Archi-Mage concealed in Louvaine being banished thence hee afterward feared not to publish in Lotharinge Don Sebastian de Cobarruvias Orozco in his treasurie of the Castilian Tongue speaking how highly the Spaniards prise their beards and that there is no greater disgrace can be done vnto him than to be plucked by it and baffled reporteth That a noble Gentleman of that Nation being dead a Iew who much hated him in his life stole priuatly into the roome where his body was newly layd out and thinking to do that in death which hee neuer durst doe liuing stooped downe to plucke him by the beard at which the body started vp and drawing his sword that then lay by him halfe way out put the Iew into such a fright that he ran out of the Roome as if a thousand Diuels had been behind him This done the body lay downe as before vnto rest and the Iew after that turned Christian. Let these suffice out of infinites Hauing discoursed in the former Tractat of the Astrologomagi it shall not be impertinent to speake something concerning Astrologie which is defined to be Scientia Astris a knowledge in the Starres of which as Pliny witnesseth in the 57 booke of his Naturall Historie Atlanta King of the Mauritanians was the first Inuentor Of this Art the sacred Scriptures in diuers places make mention As in Deutron 4.19 And lest thou shouldst lift vp thine eyes to heauen and when thou seest the Sun and the Moone and the Stars with all the Host of Heauen shouldst be driuen to worship them and serue them which the Lord thy God hath distributed to all people vnder the whole heauen Againe Esay 47.13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels let now the Astrologers the Star-gasers and Prognosticators stand vp and saue thee from those things that shall come vpon thee c. Now wherefore God created those blessed Lights of heauen is manifest Gen. 1.14 And God said Let there be Lights in the Firmament of the heauen to separate the day from the night and let them be for signes and for seasons and for dayes and yeares Againe Cap. 8. vers 22. Hereafter seed time and haruest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease so long as the earth endure Esay 44.24 Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer and hee that formed thee from the wombe I am the Lord that made all things that spread out the heauens aboue and stretcheth out the earth by my selfe I destroy the tokens of Sooth-sayers and make them that
concealed from the knowledge of the Ciuill Magistrate A third is The pulchritude order effect propagation conseruation and duration of the things in the world A fourth The distinction of euery Species which we see daily and yearely to propagate and multiply vpon the earth A fifth The Societies Kingdomes and Empires which are not planted and setled rashly or by chaunce confirmed sustained and changed A sixt The great and remarkable punishments of impious and wicked malefactors who though they escape the hand of the temporall Iudge here below yet cannot escape the rod of the Auenger aboue for it is a generall rule obserued as well in Moralitie as Diuinitie That for the most part heinous sinnes haue horrible punishments impending which neuer could be executed if God were not the Executioner of his owne Iustice. The seuenth The blessing and benefits conferred vpon good and godly men nay euen amongst meere Naturalists we see honour and offices bestowed vpon such as are meriting and wel meaning The eighth is The Order of Causes which in the nature of things doth not proceed into Infinites but of necessity they comply and returne to some prime Mouer by which they are gouerned and in which they insist Lastly Prodigies and Signes which forewarne great strange accidents as Eclipses Comets Earthquakes Gapings and openings of the earth in which whole Cities and Islands haue beene swallowed vp in an instant monstrous and prodigious births c. But I now proceed to speake something concerning the Vnitie of the Godhead This is hee of whom Petrarch speaketh in these words Who sees and heares vs before we speake He who said vnto Moses being silent Why do'st thou call vnto me He preuents our words and anticipates our actions Hee who knowes our very thoughts afar off long before they be conceiued He who heares our prayers before they yeeld any sound Hee who spieth our necessities before they appeare vnto our selues He who knows our ends before wee finde our beginnings and though Hee prooues vs to be wretched and vnworthy yet is alwaies ready to shew vs his grace and mercie And this is the sole God of Loue and Vnitieâ— of whom Boethius thus speakes Quod Mundus stabili fide Concordes variat vices Quod pugnantes semina Foedus perpetuum tenent c. That the World with stable Faith Concordant courses varied hath And that the wearing seeds of things From a perpetuall couenant springs Why Phoebus in his golden Throne The Roseat Morne and Day brings on Or Why those Stars that Hesperus Doth vsher forth to shine on vs The Moone takes charge of all the night Or why the Waues that hourely fight And with impetuous clamors rore To menace not inuade the shore For further than it's limited bounds No spot of Earth the Water drownds 'T is Loue that Soueraigne Empire hath Of Heauen Earth Sea that calmes their wrath And in a league of vnitee Bindes all the states of things that be ¶ So the Poet Claudian Nonne vides operum c. See'st not the World in glorious splendor shine Not by Force gouern'd but by Loue Diuine How vncompel'd in a most sweet desire From Age to Age the Elements conspire And how the trauelling Phoebus is content With his mid-road-way through the Firmament To no hand erring How the Sea 's restrain'd As willingly in his owne bounds contein'd And how the Aire wandring throughout the world Is hourely this way tost and that way hurld c. Pythagoras Samius in his Metempsuchosis or transmigration of Bodies as Cicero witnesseth of him was wont to say oftenâ— There is one God and not as many thinke without the administration of the world but Totus in Toto All in All. His Scholer Philolaus affirmed no lesse thus speaking There is one God Prince of the Vniuerse who is euer Singular Immouable and like onely vnto Himselfe Lactantius Diuinar Institut lib. 1. cap. 4. saith That Seneca the Philosopher though in his Writings hee inuocated many gods yet to shew that he beleeued but One you shall reade him thus Do'st thou not vnderstand the Maiestie and Authoritie of thy Iudge the Rector and Gouernor of Heauen and Earth the God of gods of whom all inferiour Deities adored amongst vs haue their dependance Againe in his Exhortations He when he first layd the foundation of this beautifull Machine and began that than which Nature neuer knew a Worke greater or better yet that all things might be gouerned by Captaines and Commanders though his sole Prouidence as He created so still guideth all he begot other gods as his Ministers and Superintendents Damascenus a Greeke Author writeth thus One hath produced all things who is adored in silence and is as the Sun which directly looked vpon is scarce seen the neerer the more obscurely but next it taketh away the very apprehension of the Opticke senses Iamblicus de Secta Pythagorica saith That there is of all things one Cause one God the Lord of all of whom euery good thing ought to be petitioned According to that of Horrace Epistol ad Lollium Sed satis est orare Iovem qui donat anfert Det vitam det opes c. Sufficient'tis if we to Ioue do pray Who life and wealth can giue or take away And Ovid lib. de Art Amand. facilè est omnia posse Deo An easie thing it is to God to do all things He is likewise the aime and end of all Contemplation nor is He any other thing to be contemplated than as an Abstract from a Multitude to an Vnitie This Vnitie therefore is God himselfe Prince of all Truth Felicitie Substance and of all Beginnings To this that of Lucan seemeth to allude si numina nasci Credimus To thinke the gods were borne we should be mad Most certaine 't is they no beginning had Heare what Proclus saith Who is the King The sole God of all things who notwithstanding he is separate from them yet from Himselfe produceth all things and to Himselfe conuerteth all Ends The End of Ends and first Cause of Agitation and Working and Author of all Good If thou dar'st beleeue Plato He is neither to be expressed nor apprehended Therefore this prime Simplicitie is sole King Prince and Ex-superance of all things that haue being He is supereminent ouer all Causes and hath created the substance of the gods so far as there is in them any apparance of Good Porphyrâ—us in his Booke wherein he discribeth the life of his Master Plotinus saith That God in his Vnitie hath generated and produced Many but so that this multitude cannot subsist if this Vnitie doth not still remaine One. And That they neither are of themselues nor haue any power to make others blest and happy Boethius hath these words Sedet Interia Conditor altus rerum regens flectit habenas Rex Dominus Fons Origo c. In th' Interim sits the Builder high And
he joine the heate of Zeale with the light of Knowledge as in the Sacrifices Fire and Salt were euer coupled The fift dayes worke was of Fishes to play in the Seas and the Fowles to fly and soare towards Heauen So the fift step in a New Creature is To liue and reioyce in a sea of Troubles and fly by Prayer and Contemplation towards Heauen On the sixth day God made Man now all those things before named being performed by him Man is a new Creature They are thus like a golden Chaine concatinated into seuerall links by Saint Peter Adde to your light of Knowledge the firmament of Faith to your Faith seas of repentant Teares to your Teares the fruitfull Trees of good Workes to your good Workes the hot Sun-shine of Zeale to your Zeale the winged Fowles of Prayer and Contemplation And so Ecce omnia facta sunt nova Behold all things are made new c. Further concerning the Angels Basil Hom. sup Psal. 44. saith The Angels are subject to no change for amongst them there is neither Child Yong-man nor old but in the same state in which they were created in the beginning in that they euerlastingly remaine the substance of their proper nature being permanent in Simplicitie and Immutabilitie And againe vpon Psal. 33. There is an Angel of God assistant to euery one that beleeues in Christ vnlesse by our impious actions wee expell him from vs. For as Smoke driueth away Bees and an euill sauour expelleth Doues so our stinking and vnsauory sinnes remoue from vs the good Angell who is appointed to be the Keeper and Guardian of our life Hier. sup Mat. 13. Magna dignitas fidelium Animarum c. Great is the dignitie of faithfull Soules which euery one from his birth hath an Angell deputed for his Keeper Bernard in his Sermon super Psalm 12.19 vseth these words Woe be vnto vs if at any time the Angels by our sinnes and negligences be so prouoked that they hold vs vnworthy their presence and visitation by which they might protect vs from the old Aduersarie of Mankinde the Diuell If therefore wee hold their familiarities necessarie to our preseruations wee must beware how wee offend them but rather study to exercise our selues in such things in which they are most delighted as Sobrietie Chastitie Voluntarie Pouertie Charitie c. but aboue all things they expect from vs Peace and Veritie Againe hee saith How mercifull art thou ô Lord that thinkest vs not safe enough in our weake and slender walls but thou sendest thine Angels to be our Keepers and Guardians Isidor de Sum. Bon. It is supposed that all Nations haue Angels set ouer them to be their Rulers but it is approued That all men haue Angels to be their Directors He saith in another place By Nature they were created mutable but by Contemplation they are made immutable in Minde passible in Conception rationall in Stocke eternall in blessednesse perpetuall Greg. in Homil Novem esse Ordines Angelorum testante sacro eloquio scimus c. i. We know by the witnesse of the holy Word That there are nine degrees of Angels namely Angels Arch-Angels Vertues Potestates Principates Dominations Thrones Cherubim and Seraphim And proceedeth thus The name of Angell is a word of Office not of Nature For these holy Spirits of the Coelestiall Countrey are euer termed Spirits but cannot be alwayes called Angels for they are then onely to be stiled Angels when any message is deliuered them to be published abroad According to that of the Psalmist Qui fecit Angelos suos Spiritus Those therefore that deliuer the least things haue the title of Angels but those that are imployed in the greatest Arch-Angels for Angeli in the Greeke tongue signifieth Messengers and Arch-Angeli Chiefe Messengers And therefore they are character'd by particular names as Michael Gabriel Raphael c. We likewise reade Nazianzen thus Orat. 38. Atque ita secundi Splendores procreati sunt primi splendoris Administri c. i. So the second Splendors were procreated as the Ministers of the first Light whether of Fire quite void of matter and incorporeall or whether of some other nature comming neere vnto that matter yet my minde prompteth me to say thus much That these spirits are no way to be impelled vnto any euill but they are stil apt and ready to do any good thing whatsoeuer as alwaies shining in that first splendor wherein they were created c. The same Nazianzen Carmine de Laude Virginitatis writeth thus At talis Triadis naturae est vndique purae Ex illo puro certissima lucis origo Coetibus Angelicis mortali lumine cerni Qui nequeunt c. Such is the nature of the purest Trine In whom th' originall Light began to shine From whence the Host of Angels we deriue Such Lights as can be seene by none aliue The Seat of God and his most blessed Throne They alwayes compasse and on him alone Th' attend meere Spirits If from the Most Hy Sent through the pure aire they like Lightning fly And vndisturb'd be the winde rough or still They in a moment act their Makers Will They marry not in them 's no care exprest No griefe no troubled motions of the brest Neither are they compos'd of limbes as wee Nor dwell in houses but they all agree In a miraculous concord Euery one Is to himselfe the same for there are none Of diffrent nature of like soule like minde And equally to Gods great loue inclin'd In daughters sonnes or wiues they take no pleasure Nor are their hearts bent vpon Gold or Treasure All earthy Glories they hold vile and vaine Nor furrow they the spatious Seas for gaine Nor for the bellies sake plow they or sow Or study when to reape the fruits that grow The care of which hath vnto Mankinde brought All the mortiferous Ills that can be thought Their best and onely food is to behold God in his Light and Graces manifold Hauing discoursed sufficiently of the Creation of Angels it followeth in the next place to speake something of the forming and fashioning of Man The sixt day God created the four-footed Beasts male and female wilde and tame The same day also he made Man which day some are of opinion was the tenth day of the Calends of Aprill For it was necessarie saith Adam arch-Bishop of Vienna in his Chronicle That the second Adam sleeping in a vivifying death onely for the saluation of Mankinde should sanctifie his Spouse the Church by those Sacraments which were deriued out of his side euen vpon the selfe same day not onely of the weeke but of the moneth also wherein hee created Adam our first Father and out of his side brought forth Evah his wife that by her helpe the whole race of Mankinde might be propagated God made Man after his owne Image to the end that knowing the dignitie of his Creation he might be the rather incited to loue
these that Truth transcendeth all The King 's inthron'd his Peeres about him stated To heare this strife betwixt them three debated The first begins O men who can define Vnto the full the pow'r and strength of Wine For needs must that be said to tyrannise Which tames the Strong and doth deceiue the Wise. The minde it alters and 't is that alone That makes the Scepter and the Sheep-hooke one For you in Wine no difference can see Betwixt the Poore and Rich the Bond and Free It glads the heart and makes the thoughts forget Trouble and sorrow seruitude and debt It doth inrich the minde in ev'ry thing That it remembers Gouernor nor King And causeth those who are in state most weake Not thinking of their wants of Talents speake It puts a daring in the cowards brest To loue those Armes he did before detest To draw his sword in fury and to strike Opposing his best friends and foes alike But from the Wine and when the tempest 's o're He soone forgets all that had past before Then ô you men for I 'le not hold you long Thinke Wine that can do these things is most strong He ceast the next began and thus O men Are not you strongest first by land and then By sea Are not all things in them contain'd Yours as at first vnto your vse ordain'd But yet the King is greater he rules all And is the Lord of these in generall Such as negotiate by sea or land Are but meere Vassals and at his command If he shall bid them war with least facilitie They take vp armes and run into hostilitie And if he send them against forrein Powers They breake downe Citadels demolish Towers Mountaines they with the vallies shall make ev'n Or in the dales raise structures to braue heav'n They kill or they are slaine in ev'ry thing They do not passe the precept of the King And if they ouercome by right or wtong The spoile and honour doth to him belong Nay those which do not to the battell go But stay at home to plow to till to sow The fruits of all their labours and increase They bring vnto the King to keepe their peace Yet he is but one man If he bid kill There is no sauing then much bloud they spill But if the word passe from him they shall spare To shed least bloud who 's he so bold that dare If he bid smite the smite or if he frowne And bid demolish all things are torne downe If he say Build they build or if destroy All goes to hauocke and yet he in ioy Meane time sits downe doth eat doth drinke doth sleep And all the rest a watch about him keepe Neither can any tend his owne affaires But the Kings only ev'ry man prepares To do him seruice reason too for they Dare not but his great potencie obey Then aboue others is not he most strong This hauing said the second held his tongue The third reply'd O men neither confine Strength to the potent Monarch nor to Wine Nor to the Multitude 'gainst their opinion Hath not the Woman ouer these dominion Woman into the World the King hath brought And all such people as haue Empire sought By land or sea from them had Being first Bred from their wombes and on their soft knees nurst Those that did plant the Vine and presse the juice Before that they could taste it to their vse Had from them their conception they spin they weaue Garments for men and they from them receiue Worship and honour needfull th' are no doubt As being such men cannot liue without If he hath gath'red siluer or got gold Or found out ought that 's pretious to behold Doth he not bring it to his choice Delight Her that is faire and pretious in his sight Leaues he not all his bus'nesse and affaire To gaze vpon her eyes play with her haire Is he not wholly hers doth he not bring Gold to her siluer and each pretious thing Man leaues his Father Mother Countrey all What he esteemes most deare to become thrall In voluntary bondage with his Wife To leade a priuat and contented life Which life for her he hasardeth and her 'Fore Father Mother Countrey doth prefer Therefore by these you may perceiue and know Woman to whom Man doth such seruice owe Beares rule o're you Do you not trauell sweat And toile that of your labors they may eat Man takes his sword regardlesse of his weale And Madman-like goes forth to rob and steale He sailes the seas sounds Riuers nothing feares He meets a Lion and his way he steares Through darknesse and what purchase spoile or boot Is got he prostrats at his mistresse foot This shewes his Woman is to him more deare Than he that got or she that did him beare Some haue run mad some Slaues to them haue bin Others haue err'd and perisht in their sin Do I not grant the King in pow'r is great And that all Nations homage to his seat Yet I haue seene Apame her armes twine About his necke the Kings lov'd Concubine And daughter to the famous Bartacus I haue beheld her oft times vse him thus From the Kings head to snatch the Royall Crowne And smiling on him place it on her owne Then with her left hand on the cheeke him smite Yet he hath gap'd and laught and tooke delight To see himselfe so vs'd If she but smil'd As if all pow'r from him were quite exil'd He laught on her If angry he was faine To flatter her till she was pleas'd againe 'T is you ô men whom I appeale vnto Are they not strongest then who this can do At this the King and Princes in amase Began each one on others face to gase When he proceeded thus Say ô you men Resolue me Are not Women strongest then The Earth is spatious and the Heav'n is hye And the Sun swiftly in his course doth flye For in one day the Globe he wheeleth round And the next morning in his place is found Him that made these things must we not then call Great and Truth therefore great'st and strong'st of all All the Earth calls for Truth Heav'n doth proclaime Her blessed all things tremble at her name For Truth no vniust thing at all can doo The Wine is wicked so the King is too Women are wicked all the sonnes of men Most wicked are and such must needs be then Their wicked works there is no Truth therein And wanting Truth they perish in their sin But Truth shall abide strong and still perseuer For it shall liue and reigne euer and euer With her of persons there is no respect She doth to this way nor to that reflect She knowes no diffrence what is just she loues But what 's impure and sinfull she reproues And all men fauor her good works because Her judgements are vpright and iust her lawes Shee 's the Strength Kingdome Power Dignitie And of all Ages Sov'raigne Majestie Blest be the
loth is to communicate He by the mouthes of our forefathers and The holy Prophets who did vnderstand His sacred will The Scriptures hath so fram'd To haue his Singularitie oft nam'd As thus Because the Lord is God alone Peculiar and besides him there is none Againe O Israel attend and heare The Lord thy God is One him thou shalt feare The God of gods I heare the Psalmist say Doth only worke great wonders Him obey For 'mongst the gods none 's like him Go and tell Saith he vnto my people Israel I am the Lord thy God and none but I Who brought thee from th' AEgyptian slauerie And from the house of Bondage set thee free Therefore thou shalt adore no God saue me Lycurgus in the Proëm of his Lawes To the Locrenses not without great cause These following words prefixt Needfull it were That all the people which inhabit here Should be persuaded There 's one God aboue By whom all liuing Creatures breathe and moue Who as in all his Works he is exprest So is he not the least made manifest In our inspection to the Worlds great frame The Heauen and goodly order of the same Be no man of that stupid ignorance To thinke that such things are dispos'd by chance The gluttons Belly is his god the cause In that his Appetite prescribes him Lawes The griping Auaritious man hath sold His Soule so dearely bought to purchase Gold Voluptuous men solely deuote to Lust Their Idol's Venus for in her they trust Th' Ambitious his All-Honour'd makes his Fame As before Gods preferring his owne Name And is not he vaine Studies doth prefer Before his Christ a meere Idolater And do not all those that ought higher prise Than Him to Idols offer sacrifise But he that shall beleeue in him aright Shall haue accesse to his Eternall Light When those that haue Religion in disdaine And Pietie in contempt and so remaine They striue to haue no being to their shame And to returne to nothing whence they came All such as are not numbred 'mongst the Saints Whom euill thoughts possesse and Sinne supplants Haue lost themselues as hid behinde a Skreene How then can the least part of them be seene But those that through their Sauiour proue victorious They in Heauens kingdome shall be great and glorious Two Principles as some Philosophers write There are Eternall both and Infinite Makers of things yet in their Natures vary As being in themselues meere contrary Their error note If two such in their prime Of power should haue existence at one time Since two so great must greater be than one Euen in that clause the Infinite is gone Being distinct in number and diuided Needs must they be by seuerall motions guided One borrowes not of the other for majoritie Being equall two there can be no prioritie And contrary as I before haue said In opposition they must needs inuade Th' agreeing Fabricke and so without cease Disturbe old Natures long-continued peace Neither from these two Equalls can arise A third this their great strife to compromise Againe If two one needlesse is and vaine Or as we call it Empty Now 't is plaine That Nothing cannot haue in Nature place For she hath Vacuum in continuall chase And is at war with 't Therefore I hope none But will confesse a Godhood and that one One Monarch of the world the great Effector Of all therein sole Parent and Protector All such as of their multiplicitie speake Disable them as wanting power and weake As if nought gouer'nd were that hath been made Which One can do without anothers aid Him only a true Monarch we may call That hath no parted kingdome but swayes all But where a Principalitie misguided Is amongst seuerall Optimates diuided It needs must follow In no One can be An absolute and exact soueraignty For none of these but by vsurping dare Challenge the whole where each haue but a share There is a certaine Bound which circumscribes His Iurisdiction Each hath seuerall Tribes To gouerne and dispose Should we agree In many gods it then perforce must be concluded There can be no Soueraigne Minde Since euery one hath but his Lot assign'd When as of Power it is the true condition Not to be ty'de to stint or exhibition But as the sole Supreme and Principall Guiding disposing comprehending all If God be perfect he can be but one As hauing all things in himselfe alone The more you make the more you shall depraue Their Might and Potencie as those that haue Their vertue scanted so allow not any Since all things cannot be contain'd in Many By which 't is manifest Those that maintaine More gods than one be people vile and vaine In the like blasphemy ready to fall With the dam'nd Atheist who knowes none at all The Manichees they hold a strange opinion That two betwixt them share the high Dominion Who as they did create so guide it still One Good disposeth and the other Ill. The first is Lord of Light and gouernes Day The last of Night and Darknesse beares chiefe sway One Heate in charge hath and the other Cold Yet who by daily proofe doth not behold That by the sole and Diuine Prouidence Man with all Creatures of them both hath sence And from them comfort That the Night for rest Was made to cheare Man wearied and opprest As well as Day whose cheerefull light prepares Vs to our needfull and best knowne affaires Do we not see from what we counted bad Much good to vs great solace hath been had Againe That seeming Good forg'd by the Deuill Hath been to vs th' occasion of much euill Heauens blessings let vs taste in their communitie Ascribing all praise to the God of Vnitie This sempiternall Minde this Consummate And absolute Vertue that did all create This Power who in himselfe hath his Stabilitie Maiestie Wisedome Strength and true Soliditie From whose Sublimitie no man 's so mad To thinke he can detract To whom none adde This of himselfe all Fulnesse all Satietie Is then the sole Incomprehensible Deitie Sometimes what 's proper vnto Man alone Is giuen to this Trias three in One As when we attribute vnto him Wings It straight vnto our aphrehension brings How he protects and shadowes vs. If Eares With what facilitie and grace he heares Our deuout Prayers And when his Arme stretcht out That of his Power and Strength we should not doubt His Finger nam'd doth to the world auer His Vertue and that no Artificer Can worke like him His Skill The glorious frame Of this great Machine doth to all proclaime His Face sometimes his presence doth imply Sometimes his fauour and benignitie If we reade Wrath we must consider then Those Iudgements that impend o're sinfull men And with what terror when they come they fall His Hand doth vnto our remembrance call His
said The Lord our God's one Lord In which word One the Vnitie is meant Of the three Persons solely Omnipotent In which by One 't is well observ'd That he The second Person in the Trinitie Meant in the second word who hath the name To be Our God 'T is because we may claime Iust int'rest in him And though all the Three May be call'd ours more in particular He. One reason is Because he Heav'n forsooke And on himselfe our humane nature tooke In all things like so did his Grace abound Saue only that in him no sinne was found Next That he bore our sinnes freed our transgression And last For vs in Heaven makes intercession Two natures in one person so ally'd Some hold in Mans creation tipify'd From Earth his body Adam had 't is said His Soule from Heauen both these but one Man made Christs humane nature had with man affinitie Being very Man and from God his Diuinitie Being very God In both so to subsist Godhood and Manhood make vp but one Christ. In Iacob's Ladder figur'd this we see Which Ladder Christ himselfe profest to be Of which the foot being fixt vpon the ground The top to heauen thus much to vs doth sonnd That in this Scale at such large distance set The Heauen and Earth at once together met So Christs Humanitie from Earth was giuen But his Diuinitie he tooke from Heauen As from Earth Earthy as from Heauen Diuine Two Natures in one Person thus combine The choicest things about the Arke were fram'd Of Gold and Wood Wood worthlesse to be nam'd If with Gold valu'd for the Cedar's base Compar'd with th' Ophir Mine yet had it grace With it's rich tincture to be ouerspred In this respect the Godhood may be sed To be the Gold the Manhood baser wood And yet both these as truly vnderstood Made but one Arke So the two Natures raise Betwixt them but one Christ. He forty daies Fasted i' th Desart and did after grow Hungry by which the Text would haue vs know Hee 's God because of his miraculous fast Hee 's Man because he hungry grew at last He slept at sea when the great tempest rose This shew'd him Man as needfull of repose When he rebuk'd the Windes and Surges tam'd He his great Godhood to the World proclaim'd He wept o're Lazarus as he was man But foure dayes buried when he rais'd him than He appear'd God He dy'de vpon the Crosse As he was Man to redeeme Mankindes losse But at his death when th' Earth with terror shooke And that the Sun affrighted durst not looke On that sad obiect but his light withdrew By strange Eclipse this shew'd him to be true And perfect God since to confirme this wonder The Temples Vaile was seene to rend asunder The Earth sent forth her Dead who had abode Long in the earth All these proclaim'd him God The tenth of the seuenth moneth the Hebrew Nation Did solemnise their Feast of Expiation So call'd because the High-Priest then confest How He with all the People had transgrest His and Their sinnes Obserue how thence ensu'th A faire agreement 'twixt the Type and Truth Aaron the High-Priest went into the place Call'd Holiest of Holies Christ by ' his grace Made our High-Priest into the Holiest went Namely the Heauen aboue the Firmament Aaron but once a yeare He once for all To make way for Mankinde in generall He by the bloud of Goats and Calues but Christ By his owne bloud the blessed Eucharist Aaron went single in and Christ alone Hath trod the Wine-presse and besides him none He with his Priestly robes pontifically Christ to his Office seal'd eternally From God the Father Aaron tooke two Goats Which ceremoniall Type to vs denotes That Christ assum'd two Natures that which fled The Scape-Goat call'd to vs deciphered His Godhoods imp'assibilitie And compris'd In th' other on the Altar sacrifis'd His Manhoods suffering since that Goat did beare The Peoples sinnes Which in the Text is cleare Saint Paul in his Epistle we reade thus That Christ without sinne was made Sinne for vs. Hence growes that most inscrutable Diuinitie Of the three sacred Persons the blest Trinitie Which holy Mysterie hath an extension Aboue Mans braine or shallow apprehension Nor can it further in our brests take place Than we' are inlightned by the Spirit of Grace How should we then Finite and Mortall grow By meditation or deepe search to know Or dare ambitiously to speake or write Of what Immortall is and Infinite And yet 'mongst many other deuout men Heare something from the learned Nazianzen The Monady or number One we see In this great Godhood doth arise to three And then this mysticall Trine sacred alone Retyres it selfe into the number One Nor can this Diuine Nature be dissect Or separated in the least respect Three Persons in this Trias we do name But yet the Godhood still One and the same Each of the Three by right a God we call Yet is there but one God amongst them all When Cicero with graue and learned Phrase Had labour'd long the Godhood to emblaze He doth conclude it of that absolute kinde No way to be decipher'd or defin'd Because ' boue all things Hee 's superior knowne And so immense to be contain'd in none A prime and simple Essence vncompounded And though that many labouring to haue sounded This Diuine Essence and to'haue giuen it name They were not able yet to expresse the same As 't were afar off Epithites deuis'd And words in such strange circumstance disguis'd Nothing but quarrels and contentions breeding As Natures strength and Reasons much exceeding The Martyr Attalus when he was brought Before a Tyrant who esteemed nought Of God or goodnesse being askt in scorne What name God had A space from him did turne And after some small pause made this reply As th' Author doth of him historifie Your many gods haue names by which th' are knowne But our God being but One hath need of none Wise Socrates forbad men to enquire Of what shape God was Let no man aspire Saith Plato what God is to apprehend Whose Maiesties immensenesse doth extend So far and is so'vnimitably Great Beyond all vtterance or the hearts conceit Why then is it so difficult and rare Him to define It is because we are Of such streight Intellect narrow and rude Vncapable of his great Magnitude Our infirme sight is so obtuse and dull And His bright fulgence is so beautifull Hence comes it by no other names we may Call this great God than such as best display His Excellence Infinitie and all Wherein He'appeares solely Majesticall According to his Essence Him to know Belongs vnto Himselfe the Angels go By meere Similitude Man by a Glasse And Shape of things and can no further passe For he by contemplation
place to relate for they would require too large a circumstance Concerning the name of God it is generally obserued That none can properly be conferred vpon him because he is onely and alone And yet to distinguish the Creator from the Creature needfull it is that it should be done by some attribute or other which ineffable name in the Hebrew language consisteth of one word containing foure letters i. Iehovah which descendeth of the verbe Haiah fuit which is as much as to say He Was Is and Shall be Which declareth his true property for as he hath bin alwaies so hee shall be eternally for Eternitie is not Time nor any part of Time And almost all Nations and Languages write and pronounce the word by which the name of God is specified with foure letters onely foure being a number euen and perfect because hee hath no imperfection in him For besides the Hebrewes the Persians write the name of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Wisards and Soothsayers of that countrey 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Arabians Alla the Assyrians Adad the AEgyptians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Latines Deus the French Dieu the Spaniards Dios the Italians Idio the Dutch and Germanes Gott the English and Scots Godd with a double d as hath been obserued in all Antiquities He is likewise called Alpha and Omega which are the first and last letters of the Greeke Alphabet His Epithites or Appellations in Scripture are Almighty Strong Great Incomprehensible Vncircumscribed Vnchangeable Truth Holy of Holies King of Kings Lord of Lords Most Powerfull Most Wonderfull with diuers other Attributes Some define him to be a Spirit Holy and True of whom and from whom proceeds the action and agitation of all things that are to whom and to the glory of whom the end conclusion of all things is referred Iustine Martyr in his Dialogue with Tryphon the Iew defineth God in these words I call him God that hath essence in Himself and is continually permanent in one and the same kinde without receiuing any change and hath giuen beginning to all the things that are created Cicero calleth God a certain Intelligence or Spirit free and ready separate from all mortall mixture or concretion knowing and mouing all things and hauing in himselfe an eternall motion So much many Ethnyck Authors haue acknowledged as in their Workes is to be frequently read Dionysius in his booke de Divin Nominib is of opinion that all things which denote perfection and excellence are in God most eminent and on Him deseruedly to be conferred On the contrarie all such things as are subiect vnto imperfection or defect because they do not fall within His nature are to be remoued and banished from his description Therfore in these words Ens Infinitum i. Infinite Being he includes the prime chief and soueraign Truth Soueraigne Goodnesse Soueraigne Mercy Soueraigne Iustice Wisedome Power Benignitie Beneficence Clemency Intelligence Immortalitie Immobilitie Invariabilitie Amabilitie Desiderabilitie Intelligibilitie Stabilitie Soliditie Act Actiue Mouer Cause Essence Substance Nature Spirit Simplicitie Reward Delectation Pulchritude Iucunditie Refreshing Rest Securitie Beatitude or whatsoeuer good laudable or perfect thing can fall within the conception or capacitie of Man But when all haue said what they can let vs conclude with Saint Augustine Solus Deus est altissimus quo altius nihil est Onely God is most high than whom there is nothing higher And in another place Quid est Deus est id quod nulla attingit opinio id est What is God Hee is that thing which no Opinion can reach vnto There is no safetie to search further into the Infinitenesse of the Diuine Nature than becommeth the abilitie of finite Man lest we precipitate our selues into the imputation of insolence arrogance For God saith in Iob Comprehendaem sapientes in Astutia eorum Which is as much as had he said I will make it manifest that the wisedome of all those who seeme to touch Heauen with their fingers and with the line of their weake vnderstanding to take measure of my Nature is their meere ignorance let them beware lest their obstinacie without their repentance and my mercie hurry them into irreuocable destruction Augustus Caesar compared such as for light causes would expose themselues to threatning dangers to them that would angle for small Fish with a golden hooke who should receiue more dammage by the losse of the bait than there was hope of gain by the prey There is reported a fable of an Huntsman who with his Bow and Arrowes did vse to insidiate the Wilde-beasts of the Wildernesse and shoot them from the couerts and thickets insomuch that they were often wounded and knew not from whence The Tygre more bold than the rest bad them to secure themselues by flight for he onely would discouer the danger Whom the hunter espying from the place where he lay concealed with an arrow wounded him in the leg which made him to halt and lagge his flight But first looking about him and not knowing from whom or whence he receiued his hurt it was the more grieuous to him Him the Fox meeting saluted and said O thou the most valiant of the beasts of the Forrest who gaue thee this deepe and terrible wound To whom the Tygre sighing replied That I know not onely of this I am sensible to my dammage That it came from a strong and a daring hand All ouer-curious and too deepe Inquisitors into Diuine matters may make vse of this vnto themselues Sentences of the Fathers concerning the Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie AVgustine lib. de Trinitate we reade thus All those Authors which came within the compasse of my reading concerning the Trinitie who haue writ of that subiect What God is according to that which they haue collected out of the sacred Scriptures teach after this manner That the Father the Sonne and the Holy-Ghost of one and the same substance in an inseparable equalitie insinuate one and the same Vnitie and therefore there are not three gods but one God though the Father begot the Sonne therefore he is not the Sonne being the Father The Sonne is begot of the Father and therefore he is not the Father because the Sonne The Holy-Ghost is neither the Father nor the Sonne but onely the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Sonne and to the Father and the Sonne coequall as concerning the Vnitie of the Trinitie Neither doth this infer that the same Trinitie was borne of the blessed Virgin Mary crucified vnder Pontius Pilat buried and rose againe the third day and after that ascended into heauen but it was onely the Sonne who died and suffered those things the Father the Sonne and the Holy-Ghost as they are inseparable so they haue their vnanimous and vnite operations And againe Lib. 1. de Trinitate Neither more dangerously can a man erre neither more laboriously can
others were of a contrary opinion as shall be made plaine vnto you in the sequell Lucan lib 7. de Bell. Civil vseth these words Communis mundi superest rogus ossibus astra Mixturus Id est There is a common fire yet to come which with our bones shall mix the Stars As likewise Seneca in Hercule Octas Mundo conueniet dies Australis Polus corruet c. Vpon the World a Day shall call When as the Australl Pole must fall And whatsoe're by Lybia lyes What Spartan Garamas espyes The shrinking Northerne Pole shall flat And vtterly subuert Nay what Is at that season found to be Plac't beneath either Axle-tree What the North winde hath blowne vpon Shall all be in that ruine gone The Sun shall then cast off the day The Heav'n it selfe shall quite decay And haue a sure and certaine end The gods shall not themselues defend But either Death or Chaos shall To former Nothing turne them all No face shall be of Earth or Skye And Death must be the last shall dye Ovid agreeth with Seneca in this for you reade him thus in his Metamorphosis Esse quoque in fatis reminiscitur adfore tempus c. Amongst the Fates there 's registred a Time When Sea and Earth and all the Heav'ns sublime Shall burne at once and all this goodly Frame Must be consum'd and cease to haue a name Lucretius you may likewise heare to the same purpose Principio Maria Terras Coelumque tuere First looke ô Memmius on the Sea the Land And Heav'n whose triple nature vnderstand Three bodies three formes so vnlike yet such As cannot for their shape be admir'd too much Yet this great Mole and Machine of the world Shall in one day be into ruine hurl'd Seneca in his Tragedie of Octavia thus speakes Nunc adest Mundo Dies c. Now to the World a Day drawes neare And that the last that shall appeare Which by Heav'ns ruine shall make immolation Of this most wicked Generation That a new Stocke may thence arise Of better Natures much more wise With a condition like sincere As in the Worlds first Age they were Hither may that speech of Tindarus in Plautus morally and not altogether vnproperly be applied Hic ille est Dies cum nulla vitae salus Sperabilis est mecum Neque exilium exitio est c. This is the Day in which no hope Or health of life can be by me expected Exile can be to me no end All helpe all comfort I haue now reiected Vnto my crafty fraudulencies Which were vnlimited and kept no bound For all my cunning sycophancies No shelter no euasion can be found Neither for my perfidiousnesse Can intercession any way preuaile For my apparant wickednesse There is no purchase of reprieue or baile For all my craft fraud and deceit There is no way by which I can euade It now too late is fauour to entreat All that I kept conceal'd is open laid My juglings are made manifest Bootlesse it is my punishment to fly And since I haue so far transgrest Doubtlesse that I an euill death shall dye All these may serue to expresse the Worlds dissolution Now concerning the Creation heare Claudian in Laudem Stellicon speaking of the great power and strength of Clemencie Principio magni custos Clementia mundi c. She that Clemencie is styl'd Was first who on the great World smyl'd She is the Zone that Iove embrac't And still she dwells about his wast The middle Firmament she swayes And both the heate and cold allayes And she is to be vnderstood The eldest of the Heav'nly Brood For Clemencie did first vnty As pittying the deformity Of the rude Chaos all that Heape And caus'd the Light from thence to leape Dispersing Darknesse Shee 's the prime That with cleere lookes made Age and Time Hauing heard the Poets let vs now heare what the Philosophers say Aristotle vseth these words Non plures Mundi sunt c. There are no more Worlds nor more can be if this consist of the vniuersall Matter as of necessitie it must And again Lib. Phys. 4. All things that are vnder heauen in time grow old corruptible and vile As concerning the multiplicitie of Worlds diuers Philosophers held with Many and of these some to be greater some lesse of which certaine of them to be enlightned with Sunne Moone and the rest of the Planets others to haue no illumination from any Star or Coelestial body and others againe to haue the benefit and vse of far more of these heauenly Lights than we in this inferior world enioy Moreouer that some of these worlds daily encrease and grow greater others of the contrary are obnoxious to contraction and diminution of which sundry of them are quite destitute of Plants Creatures and Inhabitants c. But which appeares most childish and ridiculous to all that are apprehensiue of any humane reason they maintaine That these worlds by mutuall wearing and ruine according to our plaine English Phrase fall foule one vpon another and are interchangeably shattered and broken life so many glasses or earthen vessells Metrodorus was of such madnesse that hee blushed not to attest That it was as preposterous to all true Iudgements to thinke that in so infinite a Vacuum there should be but one world as in a large and spatious field there to be but one spike or blade of grasse But these delirements and imaginarie Chimaera's haue been opposed by the better experienced Sophists as Pythagoras Samius Thales Milesius Anaxagoras Anaximander Melissus Heraclitus Zeno Citicus c. as is more amply expressed by Aristotle the Prince of Philosophers Aboue the rest Plato with his Scholler Aristotle conclude vpon one World namely this in which we now liue and reside To make this plaine let ys go no farther than the definition of the World according to Aristotle The World saith hee is that in which all things are contained and without which there is nothing that is or can be found So by consequence if there were any thing without the world then the world could not containe all things and therefore no world But to omit as many arguments and those too vnanswerable as would swell this single leaued Pagin into a many-sheeted Volume in these few words this question may be fully determined There is but one world and that perfect as there is but one most perfect Creator the absolute Prince and Gouernor thereof without which world there is neither Place Vacuitie nor Time Place there is not because there can be no Place without a Body if there be no Body then no Motion if no Motion all Time is excluded Nam Tempus est mensura motus i. For Time is the measure of all motion Let vs leaue then these wrangling and selfe-opinioned Sophists to their errors and for our own satisfaction as an vnfailing refuge sanctuarie our selues in that which the Holy-Ghost speaketh by the
beginning Plato and Socrates sorted the prime procreation from Three God Idaea and Matter Zeno admitted but Two God and the Elements The Hebrewes held Matter Forme and Spirit Some of the Greeks and amongst them especially Hesiod and of the Latines Ovid they stood with a Chaos To reckon vp all their opinions and quarrelling arguments to confirme them would grow to as great an infinite as Democritus his Atomes which were an vpossible thing to number for as in the maine they differ one from another so they are at great distance and contrarietie among themselues S. Augustâ— contra Manich. vseth these words Compescat sâ— humanatemeritas id quod non est non quaerat â—e illud quod est non inveniat i. Let mans rashnesse bridle it selfe That which is noâ— let him by no means seeke lest that which is he can no way find And in another place Multo facilius inveniaâ— syderum conditorem Humilis pietâ—s quam siderum ordinem superba curiositas i. The Maker of the Stars is more easily found by humble pietie than the order of the Stars by proud curiositie Euclides the Philosopher being demanded by one What kinde of things the gods were and what manner of workes they most delighted themselues in made him this answere That he was not very familiar with their persons nor much acquainted with their purposes onely so much he vnderstood from them That aboue all things they hated such polupragmaticall Inquisitors Demonax when one solicited him to know Whether the World were animated And had Spirit and Life And againe Whether it were fashioned round after the maner of a Sphere or Globe cut him off with this short answere Why dost thou friend thus trouble thy selfe to enquire so much after the World who oughtst rather to apply thy diligence to liue vprightly in the World Seneca in his Epistles speakes to this purpose Why dost thou trouble thy selfe about questions which were better for thee to be ignorant of than to be resolued in What tends it to Vertue or good Life to studie perfectnesse in the enarration of Syllables to labour Words trauell in the strict lawes of a Verse or to keepe fabulous Histories in memory Which of all these can take away from thy feares or bridle thy irregular desires Musicke can shew vs which are the lacrymable notes but can it demonstrate vnto vs in our misery how not to vtter a lamenting voice Geometry teacheth how to measure spatious grounds and fields when it should rather instruct vs how to take measure of our graues and how much quantitie of earth would serue for our bodies how we ought not to spend or wast any part of our Inheritance and not how to measure much and purchase little No Artificer but can tell which things are triangle which round which square with the quantitie and dimention thereof but can he search into the depth or secrets of the heart or into the minde of a man to know how streight or capatious it is Thou knowest a line if it be right and direct but what doth that profit thee if in what should guide the perfect and vpright line of thy life thou beest ignorant In another place he saith Sophismata nec ignorantem nocent nec scientem iuvant i. These sophismes and impertinent riddles neither hurt the Ignorant nor benefit the Knowing c. Many of these vnnecessarie curiosities being deliuered to Spiridion and diuers other Bishops in the Nicene Councell to be resolued and amongst others That it was absurd to conceiue that God in his infinite eternitie before foure or fiue thousand yeares past should now at length make this world and to endure so short a season what did he then before it or what could he finde himselfe to doe after it To whom Spiridion as the mouth of the rest gaue this answer That lest hee should be said to doe nothing in that Vacuum he was then making a place of eternall torments for all such ouer-curious Inquisitors c. And therefore all Orthodoxall Doctors and Diuines with the whole Catholike Church against these former exploded opinions conclude out of Genesis That there is one world made by God in the beginning of Time and that all the generations of Mankind were propagated proceeded from the Protoplasti Adam and Eue our first great Grandfather and Grandmother and whoso shall presume to search further are not onely guilty of vnprofitable curiositie but worthily branded with irreligious impietie Moreouer Temporum quorundam cognitionem Deus sibi ipsi reservavit i. The knowledge of some times and seasons God reserues to himselfe for we know that the time in which the Messias was to come into the World was concealed from the Patriarchs and Prophets though with many prayers and teares they besought it Besides our Lord and Sauiour would not shew his Disciples of the last day when he was to come to iudge the world though they vehemently entreated it in these words Tell vs when these things shall be and what signe of thy comming and consummation of the world Moreouer to shew what a great secret it was Of that day saith he and that houre no man knowes no not the Angels of heauen but the Father onely So likewise after he was risen from the Dead being asked by his Apostles When the kingdome of Israel should be restored he told them That the eternall Father had reserued the knowledge of that time vnto himselfe For saith he It is not for you to know the times and the moments which the Father hath put in his owne power c. Pius pulsator plerumque invenit quod temerarius scrutator invenire non potest saith a learned Father The godly knocker doth oftentimes light vpon that which the curious inquisitor by much search can neuer finde Therefore as Socrates aduised all men most especially to beware of those viands and delicacies which persuade and prouoke them to eat when they haue no appetite or stomacke and to abstaine from all such wines as tempt them to drink when they are no whit athirst so ought we in all our discourse labour to auoid all such vaine and vnprofitable questions which resolued help not and vndecided hinder not But as the AEgles when they rest and the Lions when they walke the one pluckes in his tallons the other his clawes to keepe them sharpe as loath to dull them til they meet with their prey so it is not fit that we should trouble our heads or exercise our wits vpon things impertinent but rather reserue them for things onely behoofull and necessarie Plautus in Sticho saith Curiosus nemo est qui non sit malevolus There is none that is curious but is euilly disposed And againe in Haecyra Tua quid nihil refert percontari desinesâ— i. That which concerneth thee not enquire not after I conclude with that of S. Bernard in one of his Sermons Curiosus foras engreditur exterius omnia
One God before the World began XIX Father Vnborne the Sonne Begot Spirit Proceeding let vs not Through their procurements And sly allurements Be stain'd with Sinne but keepe vs without spot XX. O Thou the glorious Trinitee Whose pow'rfull Works inscp'rable be Support and aid What Thou hast made And keepe our Soules from their Temptations free XXI Thou President of an vnequal'd Parity Thou Plurall Number in thy Singularity Those Diuellish Foes Still to oppose Grant vs firme Faith strong Hope and constant Charity XXII Whom Father thou hast Made do not forsake Of whom thou hast redeem'd Son pitty take Good Spirit guyde Those sanctify'd And keepe vs from the euer-burning Lake XXIII That We with Saints and Angels may Thy Honour Pow'r and Praise display Thy Glory bright Mercy and Might Within Thy New Ierusalem for ay Deus est indivise vnus in Trinitate inconfuse Trinus in Vnitate Leo Pap. THE VERTVES Ex Sumptib Gulielmi Beescom Generos THE ARGVMENT of the fifth Tractate THe Consonance and Sympathy Betwixt the Angels Hierarchy The Planets and Coelestiall Spheres And what similitude appeares 'Twixt One and Other Of the three Religions that most frequent be Iew Christian and Mahumetist Vpon what Grounds they most insist Ridiculous Tenents stood vpon In Mahomets blinde Alcaron Where he discourseth the creation Of Heav'ns and Angels A relation What strange notorious Heresies By â—the Prescillians and Manechies Were held The truth made most apparant By Text and holy Scriptures warrant The second Argument WE aime at the Coelestiall Glory Below the Moone all 's Transitorie The Vertues THree things hath God shew'd in this Worlds Creation Worthy mans wonder and great admiration In making it his Power most exquisit In ord'ring it his Wisedome infinit And in conseruing it his Goodnesse such As neuer can by man be'extold too much The Angels in the next place we confer Wi'th ' second part of this Worlds Theater Namely what reference the Seraphim Hath with the Primum Mobile Then what kin The Cherub from the Starry Heav'n doth claime Or Thrones with Saturne in what consonant frame With Iupiter the Dominations trade What 'twixt the Vertues can and Mars be made The neere similitudes that hourely run In league betwixt the Potestates and Sun With Venus how the Principates agree And with the great Arch-Angels Mercurie Last how the holy Angels are accited To be in friendship with the Moone vnited First as the Seraphims in Loues pure heate Next God himselfe in his supernall seate Still exercise their faculties and turne By that inflaming zeale by which they burne Towards His Essence so in a swift motion The Primum Mobile shewes his deuotion To the First Mouer from whence it doth take Those Vertues which the Heav'ns inferior make Go round with it the Seraph's feruor's great So That hath lasting and perpetuall heat By benefit of whose swift agitation The Heav'ns are wheel'd about it wondrous fashion Maugre of that huge Machine the great force And magnitude that still resists his course The Seraphims are sharpe so needs must be The needle-pointed Primum Mobile Which by transfusing influence we know Doth penetrate inferior Orbs below And as the Seraphims most feruent are To them in that we fitly may compare The Primum Mobile whose feruor's such And so incessant that where it doth tuch And is in hourely motion it no doubt The other Heav'ns doth whirle with it about Inflexible the Seraphims motion is So likewise is the turning round of This Which though it be as swift as thought can thinke Yet in it's course doth neither quaile nor shrinke As at a becke by power that God them gaue The Seraphims all other Angels haue So by the motion of that Primum all The motions of the Heav'n in generall Are gouern'd and vnited Seraphs be Actiue Exemplars call'd This Mobile Beares the same stile because it not alone Incites the Heav'ns to motion one by one But as a Guide least they should take the wrong Still goes before and hurries them along And as the Seraph's with Loues fire inflam'd A zeale so hot that neuer can be nam'd Ev'n so this fierie globe still without cease Gyring about doth grow to that encrease Of sultry heate the feruor by reuerses A warmth into all other things disperses But with this difference that as they their might Immediatly take from the God of Light From the twelue Revolutions it receiues What power and vertue to the rest it leaues And purg'd by labour winding in a frame Returnes still to the place from whence it came The Seraphs haue no creature that can vaunt To be aboue them as predominant Ev'n so this Orbe is next th' Imperiall Throne Gods proper Mansion and aboue it none The Seraphims for their vicinity To God are full of Diuine purity And such a fulgence through their Essence runnes That they are brighter than ten thousand Sunnes So this Orbe to the Imperiall Heauens so neere Shines by the light of that incredi'bly cleere And as these Spirits with flaming ardor burne And at no time from their Creator turne So this high Orbe by the celeritie And inextinguishable claritie Prodigall of it's Vertues doth bestow them To purge and to make perfect things below them So that all dregs and drosse consum'd and wasted They new refyn'd are in swift motion hasted Vnto their first beginning where in sweet And most mellodious harmonie they meet As Those from God immediately are Without the interpose of Minister Ev'n so from the first Moâ—er it doth take Immediate force which doth it's motion make Herein the Diuine Wisedome doth appeare That so the Angels with the Heav'ns cohere Heav'ns with the Elements conour and then These Spirits are in such a league with men And all so conjoyn'd and concatinate A Picture euery way immaculate Cherub doth in the Chaldaean tongue imply What picture fairer or more pure hath eye Beheld than the Coelestiall Firmament Imbelished and stucke with th' ornament Of so'many bright Stars luminous and cleare Incorruptibly decking euery Sphere All full of influent vertue in their places So the Cherubicke Spirits are stucke with Graces And Diuine gifts so many that indeed In countlesse number they the Stars exceed And as this Orbe is circumgyr'd and wheel'd As to the Primum Mobile forc'd to yeeld So doth the Cherubs second order moue From the first Seraph next to God in Loue. 'Twixt Saturnes Sphere and the Thrones eminence Is the like semblance and conuenience By Thrones the Seats of Monarchs are exprest On Saturnes seuenth day God himselfe did rest From his great Worke. Now Saturne is a word Which in th' Originall nothing doth afford If we together shall compare them both Saue Cease from Labor or a Sabaoth The Thrones on Loue and Veritie consist And so the Planet Saturne who so list Giue credit vnto Firmicus endues Man both with Loue and Truth prompts him to chuse Vertue good Manners Diuine Contemplation Iudgement
that in all other things they shall keepe and obserue our Lawes and Ordinances Moreouer That in gratefull acknowledgement of this their free permssion they shall stand obliged to pray vnto their God Iesus for our life and safetie as likewise for the prosperity of the Roman Commonwealth and our Cities continuance in peace and flourishing estate To these I adde what I finde recorded in the Tartarian Historie of the great Emperour Cublay who was a meere Infidel honoring and acknowledging no other God than the Sun the Moone and the Starres This King was of incomparable greatnesse and wisedome not to be paralelled by any Prince of that Age in the which he liued Who hauing dispatched his puissant Captaine Baâ—aim to conquer the almost inuincible Prouince of Maugy which included the rich and inestimable Countrey and City of Cinquemay it hapned that in the absence of this mighty Captaine who had taken with him in that seruice the prime soldiers in all his Dominions two of his Nephews the one called Naim the other Cadue Princes of great power and command vnder him reuolted and grew into open rebellion and affronted him in battell But this magnanimous Emperour as politique in warre as prudent in peace commanding from the great Armenia vnto the borders of Calicut a kingdome in the East-India gaue them battell surprised the Rebells and put their Army to flight But that which I especially obserue in this historie is That the people reuolting after this manner were for the greater part Christians his Tributaries and seruants howsoeuer tainted with diuers heresies for some were Nestorians some Armenians some Abessines c. Hereupon the Iewes and Mahumetans being victorious vnder the pay of Cublay surprised of them to the number of fifteene thousand and hauing first disarmed and then with many bitter scoffes and taunts â—erided them they presenred them before the Emperour expecting when he would command them to be cut in pieces and they attending ready to play the Executioners But hee quite contrarie to their expectation being at that time mounted on a strong Elephant vpon whom he sate in his seat Royall their insolencies and mockeries being appeased and silence commanded he caused the Christian Prisoners to troupe about him to whom he deliuered an Oration to this purpose Though I confesse my great Victorie this day gotten was by the power and fauour of my gods the Sunne the Moone and the Starres abiding in the glorious Firmament of Heauen yet because the Prisoners being all or most of them Christians appeare before me not onely despoyled of their Armes but mocked and taunted of the Iewes Mahumetans and others vpbraiding them with their god Iesus who was sometimes fastned vnto a Crosse by the fore-fathers of these Iewes notwithstanding they haue opposed me in battell that so many of their Ensignes lye here prostrate at my feet yet that all the Nations and Languages that liue vnder our Principalitie and Dominion may know that Wee and our Grace can finde as soone Will to pardon as Power to punish from this day forward we forbid and strictly charge all Nations vnder vs of what Qualitie or Religion soeuer That they neither deride iniure or oppresse any of these captiue Christians vpon penaltie to be depriued of their Armes and disgracefully scourged with rods The maine reason inducing vs to see this exactly performed being no other but that their God Iesus is highly esteemed and honoured by Vs as being one of the greatest among the Coelestiall Deities full of all equitie and justice for he knowing those Christians injuriously to raise themselues against Vs as being our sworne Subiects and wee their Protector and Soueraigne hee therefore in his great justice hath permitted me to win the honour of this day which otherwise I had not power to do because I haue heard him stiled the God of Battels c. I giue you further to vnderstand That if any in this my victorious Army hath kept backe any Christian Prisoner not here presented before me he shall not dare to offer him the least affront or violence whatsoeuer but immediately set him at libertie deliuering him vp into their Quarter armed and with all equipages to him belonging and this to be performed vpon paine to passe through the danger of the Armies Now our Imperiall Charge imposed on these Christians for their delinquencie is That they pray vnto their God for our prosperitie and preseruation and doe vs nine moneths seruice in our intended war against the King of Nixiamora who denieth to pay vs Tribute and striueth to equall himselfe with our Greatnesse receiuing for the same equall wages with the rest of the Soldiers in our Army This great honor done vnto the name of Christ and vnto Christians for his sake by the Heathen and Infidels puâ—â—eth mee in minde of that which the Psalmist saith Out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine Enemies that thou migtest confound the Enemie and the Auenger c. We shall enquire further of the Messias in whom we build our Faith and in whom the hope of our saluation consisteth and find him out by his Miracles The word Miraculum importeth a thing mouing stupor and admiration for those which behold a Miracle stand amased as confounded at the effects when they cannot apprehend the causes Or else it is a thing which from whence it comes or by what meanes passeth apprehension for whatsoeuer happeneth beyond the course of Nature begetteth admiration Saint Augustine saith As it was possible for God to appoint a certaine course for all Natures according to his Diuine will and pleasure so it is not impossible vnto him to alter that course and change those Natures as him best liketh And elsewhere We know that God is able to doe all things though we cannot conceiue the meanes by which he worketh them And in Miracles all the reason that can be giuen of the thing done is onely the power of the Doer And in his booke De Confess We wonder at the bredth and height of the Mountaines the ebbing and flowing of the Ocean the windings and turnings of Riuers the motions of the Spheres and Planets yet neuer wonder at our selfe when Man in himselfe is a greater miracle than all the miracles that can be wrought by Man Greg. in Homil. saith That all Diuine Miracles ought to be meditated on by Study not examined by Reason for to enquire into the secret purpose of the Almighty is to be too arrogant and saucy in his Counsels Lipsius ex Greg. M. vseth these words Diuine Miracles are to be considered not disputed And againe True Miracles witnesse one true God but false Impostures acknowledge many and those euill Chrisostome vpon Math. saith As the Morning precedeth the Sun and Darkenesse goeth before the Night so at the comming of Christ the Prophets before him and the Apostles with him and after him by the help of the Holy-Ghost
three Presents bring Myrrhe to a Man and Gold vnto a King Incense to'a God To proue himselfe Diuine In Cana he turn'd Water into Wine Fiue Loaues two Fishes haue fiue thousand fed When surplusage remain'd of meat and bread To the borne-Blinde he shew'd the Suns bright rayes Who on th' vnknowne light did with wonder gaze He caus'd the light on Lazarus to shine After he foure dayes in the graue had ly'ne With his right hand he fainting Peter stay'd But with his word his faith more constant made She that the bloudy Issue had endur'd For many Winters by her Faith was cur'd The palsied man who had been bedrid long Took vp his bed and walkt thence whole and strong He cast out Diuels by his Word sincere He made the Dumbe to speake and Deafe to heare He it was of whom some thinke Virgil prophecied Eclog 4. in these words Vltima Cumaei venit iam Carminis atas The last day 's come of the Cumaean Ryme A great One's now borne from the first of Time The Virgin is return'd with Saturnes Crowne And now a new Birth is from Heav'n let downe He was miraculous in his death Of whom elegant S. Bernard thus speakes How sweetly Lord Iesus didst thou conuerse with men how aboundantly didst thou bestow many blessings vpon man how valiantly didst thou suffer many bitter hard and intollerable things for man hard words hard strokes more hard afflictions O hard hardned and obdure Sonnes of Adam whom so great sufferings so great benignitie so immense an ardour of loue cannot mollifie Againe God loued vs sweetly wisely valiantly sweetly in assuming our Flesh wisely in auoyding sin valiantly in suffering death but aboue all in that Cup which he vouchsafed to taste which was the great worke of our Redemption for that more than all challenges our loue it gently insinuateth our deuotion more iustly exacts it more strictly binds it more vehemently commands it And in another place In the Passion of our Sauiour it behoueth vs three things more especially to consider the Worke the Manner the Cause In the Worke his Patience in the Manner his Humilitie in the Cause his Charitie Patience singular Humilitie admirable and Charitie vnspeakeable And now me-thinks I heare the Redeemer and Sauiour of the World thus speake from the Crosse. Huc me sidereo discendere fecit Olympo His me crudeli vulnere fixit Amor c. Loue drew me hither from the starry Round And here hath pierc'd me with a cruell wound I mourne yet none hath of my griefe remorse Whom Deaths dire Lawes in vaine intend to force Loue brought me to insufferable scorne And platted on my head a crowne of Thorne It was meere loue thy wounded Soule to cure Made me these wounds vpon my flesh t' endure It was my Loue which triumphs ouer all That quencht my thirst with Vineger and Call The loue which I to Mankinde could not hide With a sharpe Speare launcht bloud out of my side Or'e me Loue onely me of Kings the King Doth now insult who hither did me bring For others gaine to suffer this great losse To haue my hands and feet nayl'd to the Crosse. Now what do I for all this loue implore Loue me againe and I desire no more Thinke saith Thomas de Kempis of the dignitie of the Person and greatly lament because God in the Flesh was so contumeliously handled Ecce Altissimus supra omnes infra omnes deprimitur Nobilissmus dehonestatur Speciocissimus sputo inquinatur c. Behold how the most-High aboue all is depressed below all The most Noble is vilified The most Faire spit vpon The most Wise derided The most Mighty bound The most Innocent scourged The most Holy crowned with Thornes The most Gentle buffetted The most Rich impouerished The most Bountifull despoyled The most Worthy blasphemed The most Good despised The most Louing hated The most Knowing reputed foolish The most True not beleeued The most Innocent condemned The most skilfull Physitian wounded The Sonne of God crucified The Immortall subiect to death and slaine The Lord of heauen and earth dying for the redemption of wretched and ingratefull seruants Sic de Cruce suo Christus loquitur Vide Homo qua pro te patior Vide Claâ—es quibus confâ—diâ—r Vide poenas quibus afficior Cum sit tantuâ— dolor exterior Interior planctus est gravior Dum ingratum te sic experior See what I for thee endure Nail'd to the Crosse by hands impure Behold the paines I suffer here Since outward griefe doth such appeare How great then is my griefe within Whilest thou ingrate abid'st in sin Briefely The whole Passion of Christ according to the sentence of Dionysius was for imitation compassion admiration contemplation inflammation and thanksgiuing According to that of Thomas à Kempis It is of diuine Loue the Incendiarie of Patience the Doctrine in tribulation the Comfort It is the solace of dissolution the substance of holy compunction the exercise of internall deuotion the exclusion of desperation the certaine hope of remission the support of sharpe reprehension the expulsion of peruerse cogitation the repression of carnall temptation the consolation of corporall imperfections the contempt of temporall aboundance the abdication of our proper affections the restraint of superfluous necessitie the exercise of honest conuersation the inflammation to amendment of life the induction to coelestial consolation the approbation of brotherly compassion the reparation of diuine contemplation the argumentation of future blessednesse the mitigation of paines present the purgation from the fire future and the great satisfaction for all our sinnes and offences whatsoeuer Briefely the Passion of Christ is of a godly and religious Soule the Mirrhor of our life the Director of the way to heauen the Load-starre of all tempests the shadow and protector and of all Soules in the houre of death the comfort and supporter The Passion of Christ saith Rabanus de laude Crucis sustaines heauen gouerneth the world pierceth hell in the first the Angels are confirmed in the second the people redeemed in the third the Enemie subdued Saint Augustine in his Sermon De Natali Domini saith That the Maker of man was made Man that he which gouerned the Stars should sucke the breast that the Bread should be hungry the Fountaine thirsty the Light should be darkned the Way should be weary the Truth should suffer by false witnesse the Iudge of the liuing and dead should by a mortall man be iudged that Iustice by injust men should be condemned that Discipline it selfe should be scourged the prime Branch crowned with thornes he that made the Tree be hanged on the Tree Strength weakned Health wounded and Life made subiect vnto death Saint Bernard in his first sermon De Nativit Christi vseth these words Vt in Paradiso terrestri quatuor fuere fontes c. As in the earthly Paradise there were foure Riuers which watered the whole earth so in Christ who is our Paradise wee may finde
confidently beleeued his wife soon after died leauing him her vniuersall heire of great possessions and mighty summes of money which both emboldened and strengthened him in his diabolicall proceedings so that by the assistance of Sergius the Monke hee now openly proclaimed himselfe a Prophet and sent of God to prescribe new lawes vnto the Nations And hauing before made himselfe skilfull in all their Lawes the better to countenance and corroborate this his Innouation he thought to accord with the Iewes in some points to continue them his friends and in some things with the Christians lest he should make them his enemies He likewise complied with diuers Heretiques with the Macedonians he denied the Holy-Ghost to be God with the Nicolaitans he approued the multiplicitie of Wiues c. On the other side he confessed our Sauiour Christ to be an holy man and a Prophet and that the Virgin Mary was an holy and blessed woman whom in his Alcaron he much extolled With the Iews he held circumcision with many other of their ceremonies Besides his Religion gaue all the abhominable vices of the flesh free scope and libertie which drew vnto his new Sect much confluence of people from many Nations and Languages to be his abettors and followers His booke he called the Alchoran and lest his diuellish impieties and absurd impostures should be examined and by that meanes discouered hee made it a penaltie of death for any man To argue or make difficultie of any Tenent contained therein making protestation That they ought to be supported maintained by Armes and not by Arguments His first attempt was To set vpon the confines of Arabia Heraclius being then Emperor who held his seat at Constantinople at the same time Boniface the first was Pope and Honorius his successor The newes of this great insurrection comming to the Emperors eare he prepared to suppresse it with all speed possible and to that end he entertained into his Pay the Scenites a warre-like people of Arabia who before had in their hearts much fauoured Mahomet by whose aid in the first bloudy Conflict he was victorious and dispersed this new Sect and had hee followed his present fortune he had quite abandoned it from the face of the earth But supposing them by this first defeat sufficiently disabled and himselfe secured hee failed to keepe promise with the Scenites and detained their pay who in meere despight that they had bin deluded and so injuriously dealt with ioyned themselues with Mahomets dis-banded Forces and by reason of his former râ—putation elected him their Captaine and Generall growing in time to that strength and boldnesse that they attempted diuers places in the Roman Empire entring Syria and surprising the great city Damas inuading Egypt Iudaea with the bordering prouinces persuading the Saracins and people of Arabia That the Land of Promise solely appertained vnto them as the legitimate successors vnto their father Abraham and Sarah from whom they deriued their Name Thus animated by the successe in these wars he was suddenly puft vp with a vain glorious ambition to conquer and subdue the whole world His next expedition therefore he aimed against the Persians a Nation at that time very potent and held to be inuincible His first aduenture succeeded ill for his army was defeated but after hauing re-allyed his forces in his second attempt fortune so fauoured him that hee compelled them to embrace his Religion Briefly and to auoid circumstance after he had run through many hazards and prosperously ouercome them he was poysoned and dyed according to Sabellicus in the fourtieth yere of his age And because he had told his complices and adherents That his body after his death should ascend into heauen they kept it for some dayes vnburied expecting the wonderment so long till by reason of the infectious stench thereof none was able to come neere it At length they put it into a chest of iron and carried it to Mecha a City of Persia where it is stil adored not onely of the people of the East but the greatest part of the world euen to this day And so much concerning the Impostor Mahomet With which relation the most approued Authors agree as Platina in the liues of the Popes Blondâ—â— in his booke of the declining of the Roman Empire Baptista Ignatius in the Abridgement of the Emperours the Annals of Constantinople Nauclerus Antoninus and others And now when I truly consider the stubborne Atheist the misbeleeuing Mahumetan and stiffe-necked Iew it putteth mee in minde of that of the Psalmist Is it true ô Congregation Speake ye iustly ô sonnes of men iudge ye vprightly yea rather ye imagin mischiefe in your hearts your hands execute crueltie vpon the earth The Wicked are strangers from the wombe euen from the belly haue they erred and speak lies Their poyson is euen like the poyson of a Serpent like the deafe Adder that stoppeth his eares which heareth not the voice of the Inchanter though he be most expert in charming Breake their teeth ô God in their mouthes breake the jawes of the yong Lions ô Lord let them melt like the waters let them passe away when he shooteth his arrows let them be broken let them consume like a Snaile that melteth and like the vntimelâ— fruit of a woman that hath not seene the Sunne c. Amongst Theodore Beza's Epigrams those which by a more peculiar name he inscribeth Icona's I reade one of Religion in the manner of a Dialogue Quae nam age tam lacero vestita incedis amictu Religio summiver a patris sorholes c. What art thou in that poore and base attyre Religion The chiefe Father is my Sire Why in a robe so thread-bare course and thin Fraile Riches I despise which tempt to sin Vpon what Booke do'st thou so fix thine eyes My Fathers reue'rend Law which I much prise Why do'st thou go thus with thy breasts all bare It fits those best that Truths professors are Why leaning on a Crosse Because indeed It is my welcome rest none else I need But wherefore wing'd Because I looke on high And would teach men aboue the starres to fly And wherefore shining It becomes me well Who all grosse darknesse from the minde expell What doth that Bridle teach vs To restraine All the wilde fancies of the brest and braine But wherefore Death do'st thou beneath thee tread Because by me ev'n Death it selfe lies dead This shewes the qualitie and estate of true Religion and the Professors thereof which is builded on the Messiâ—â— whom the peruerse and obstinate Iewes will not euen to this day acknowledge Concerning which I obserue an excellent saying from Gregorie Pap. The Iewes saith hee would neither acknowledge Iesus Christ to be the Sonne of God by the words and testimonie of his Heralds and fore-runners the Prophets not by his infinite Miracles and yet the Heauens knew him who leant him a bright star to light him into the world The Sea knew him who against
Emerald the Carbuncle with Gold The Timbrel and the Pipe were celebrated For thee in the first day thou wert created Thou art th' anointed Cherub made to couer Thee I haue set in honour aboue other Vpon Gods holy Mountaine placed higher Thou walked hast amidst the stones of fire At first of thy wayes perfect was the ground Vntill iniquitie in thee was found Thy heart was lifted vp by thy great beauty Therein tow'rds God forgetfull of thy duty By reason of thy Brightnesse being plac't ' Boue them thy Wisedome thou corrupted hast But to the ground I 'le cast thee flat and cold Lay thee where Kings thy ruin may behold In thy selfe-wisedome thou hast been beguild And by thy multitude of sinnes defil'd Thy Holinesse A Spirit still peruerse Stain'd by th' iniquitie of thy commerse Therefore from midst of thee a fire I 'le bring Which shall deuour thee into ashes fling Thee from thy height that all the earth may see thee This I haue spoke and who is he can free thee Their terror who did know thee heretofore Most Wretched thou shalt be yet be no more In this the Prophet as these would allude Striues in this first-borne Angell to include All Wisedome Pow'r Gifts Ornaments and Graces Which all the rest had in their seuerall Places God this precelling Creature hauing made With all the Host of Angels some haue said He then began the Vniuersall Frame The Heav'ns Sun Moon and Stars and gaue them name Then Earth and Sea his Diuine Will ordain'd With all the Creatures in them both contain'd His last great Workemanship in high respect Of Reason capable and Intellect But to the Angels natures much inferior Who with th' Almighty dwell in th' Heav'ns superior To all Eternity sounding his praise Man whom from Dust he did so lately raise Subsists of Soule and Body That which still Doth comprehend the Vnderstanding Will And Memorie namely the Soule Partaker Of those great Gifts is th' Image of the Maker The nature of the Body though it be Common with Beasts yet doth it disagree In shape and figure for with Eyes erected It beholds Heav'n whilest Brutes haue Looks deiected This compos'd Man is as a ligament And folding vp in a small continent Some part of all things which before were made For in this Microcosme are stor'd and layd Connexiuely as things made vp and bound Corporeall things with incorporeall Found There likewise are in his admired quality Things fraile and mortall mixt with Immortality Betweene those Creatures that haue Reason and Th' Irrationall who cannot vnderstand There is a Nature intermediate That 'twixt them doth of both participate For with the blessed Angels in a kinde Man doth partake of an intelligent Minde A Body with the Beasts with Appetite It to preserue feed cherish and delight And procreate it 's like in shapes and features Besides Man hath aboue all other Creatures That whereas they their Appetites pursue As solely sencible of what 's in view And gouern'd by instinct Mans eminence Hath pow'r to sway his Will from common Sence And besides Earthly things himselfe apply To contemplate things mysticall and hye And though his Excellence doth not extend To those miraculous Gifts which did commend Great Lucifer at first in his Majoritie Yet in one honour he hath iust prioritie Before all Angels to aduance his Seed Since God from all eternitie decreed That his owne Sonne the euerlasting Word Who to all Creatures Being doth afford By which they first were made should Heav'n forsake And in his Mercy humane Nature take Not that he by so doing should depresse The Diuine Majestie and make it lesse But Humane frailtie to exalt and raise From corrupt earth his glorious Name to praise Therefore he did insep'rably vnite His Goodhood to our Nature vs t' excite To magnifie his Goodnesse This Grace showne Vnto Mankinde was to the Angels knowne That such a thing should be they all expected Not knowing how or when 't would be effected Thus Paul th' Apostle testates 'Mongst the rest Without all opposition be 't confest Of Godlinesse the mysterie is high Namely That God himselfe apparantly Is manifest in Flesh is iustify'd In Spirit by the Angels clearely ' espy'd Preacht to the Gentiles by the World beleev'd Into eternall Glory last receiv'd With Pride and Enuy Lucifer now swelling Against Mankinde whom from his heav'nly Dwelling He seemes in supernaturall Gifts t' out-shine Man being but Terrene and himselfe Diuine Ambitiously his Hate encreasing still Dares to oppose the great Creators Will As holding it against his Iustice done That th' Almighties sole begotten Sonne Mans nature to assume purpos'd and meant And not the Angels much more excellent Therefore he to that height of madnesse came A stratagem within himselfe to frame To hinder this irrevocable Deed Which God from all eternitie decreed And that which most seem'd to inflame his spleene And arrogance was That he had foreseene That many Men by God should be created And in an higher eminence instated Of place and Glory than himselfe or those His Angels that this great Worke ' gant t' oppose Disdaining and repining that of Men One should be God Omnipotent and then That others his Inferiors in degree Should out-shine him in his sublimitie In this puft Insolence and timp'anous Pride He many Angels drew vnto his side Swell'd with the like thoughts Ioyntly these prepare To raise in Heav'n a most seditious Warre He will be the Trines Equall and maintaine Ouer the Hierarchies at least to raigne 'T is thus in Esay read I will ascend Into the Heav'ns and there my Pow'r extend Exalt my Throne aboue and my aboad Shall be made equall with the Stars of God Aboue the Clouds I will my selfe apply Because I will be like to the Most-Hye To this great Pride doth the Arch-Angell rise In boldest opposition and replies Whose name is Michael Why what is he That like the Lord our God aspires to be In vaine ô Lucifer thou striv'st t' assay That we thine innovations should obey Who know As God doth purpose be it must He cannot will but what is good and iust Therefore with vs That God and Man adore Or in this place thou shalt be found no more This strooke the Prince of Pride into an heate In which a Conflict terrible and great Began in Heav'n the Rebell Spirits giue way And the victorious Michael winnes the day Thus Iohn writes of the Battell Michael Fought and his Angels with the Dragon fel The Dragon and his Angels likewise fought But in the Conflict they preuailed nought Nor was their Place in Heav'n thence-forward found But the great Dragon that old Serpent bound They Diuell call'd and Sathan was cast out He that deceiueth the whole World about Ev'n to the lowest earth being tumbled downe And with him all his Angels headlong throwne This victorie thus got and he subverted Th' Arch-Angell with his holy Troupes directed
By Gods blest Spirit an Epiniceon sing Ascribing Glory to th' Almighty King Miraculous thy Workes are worthy praise Lord God Almighty iust and true thy waies Thou God of Saints O Lord who shall not feare And glorifie thy Name who thy Workes heare Thou onely holy art henceforth adore Thee All Nations shall worship and fall before Thee Because thy Iudgements are made manifest This Song of Vict'rie is againe exprest Thus Now is Saluation now is Strength Gods Kingdome and the Power of Christ. At length The Sland'rer of our Brethren is refus'd Who day and night them before God accus'd By the Lambes bloud they ouercame him and Before Gods Testimonie he could not stand Because the Victors who the Conquest got Vnto the death their liues respected not Therefore reioyce you Heav'ns and those that dwell In these blest Mansions But shall I now tell The Weapons Engines and Artillerie Vsed in this great Angelomachy No Lances Swords nor Bombards they had then Or other Weapons now in vse with men None of the least materiall substance made Spirits by such giue no offence or aid Onely spirituall Armes to them were lent And these were call'd Affection and Consent Now both of these in Lucifer the Diuell And his Complyes immoderate were and euill Those that in Michael the Arch-Ange'll raign'd And his good Spirits meekely were maintain'd Squar'd and directed by th' Almighties will The Rule by which they fight and conquer still Lucifer charg'd with insolence and spleene When nothing but Humilitie was seene And Reuerence towards God in Michaels brest By which the mighty Dragon he supprest Therefore this dreadfull battell fought we finde By the two motions of the Will and Minde Which as in men so haue in Angels sway Mans motion in his body liues but they Haue need of no such Organ This to be Both Averroes and Aristotle agree It followes next that we enquire how long This Lucifer had residence among The blessed Angels for as some explore His time of Glory was six dayes no more The time of the Creation in which they I meane the Spirits seeing God display His glorious Works with stupor and amaâ—e Began at once to contemplate and gase Vpon the Heav'ns Earth Sea Stars Moone and Sunne Beasts Birds and Man with the whole Fabricke done In this their wonder at th'inscrutabilitie Of such great things new fram'd with such facilitie To them iust in the end of the Creation He did reueale his blest Sonnes Incarnation But with a strict commandement That they Should with all Creatures God and Man obey Hence grew the great dissention that befell 'Twixt Lucifer and the Prince Michael The time 'twixt his Creation and his Fall Ezechiel thus makes authenticall In midst of fierie stones thou walked hast Straight in thy wayes ev'n from the time thou wast First made as in that place I before noted To the same purpose Esay too is quoted How fell'st thou Lucifer from Heaven hye That in the morning rose so cherefully As should he say How happens it that thou O Lucifer who didst appeare but now In that short time of thy blest state to rise Each morning brighter than the morning skies Illumin'd by the Sunne so soone to slide Downe from Gods fauour lastingly t' abide In Hells insatiate torments Though he lost The presence of his Maker in which most He gloried once his naturall Pow'rs he keepes Though to bad vse still in th' infernall Deepes For his Diuine Gifts he doth not commend Vnto the seruice of his God the end To which they first were giuen but the ruin Of all Mankinde Vs night and day pursuing To make vs both in his Rebellion share And Tortures which for such prepared are Of this malignant Spirits force and might Iob in his fourtieth Chapter giues vs light And full description liuely expressing both In person of the Monster Behemoth The Fall of Adam by fraile Eve entic't Was his owne death ours and the death of Christ. In whose back-sliding may be apprehended Offendors three three ' Offences three Offended The three Offendors that Mankinde still grieue Were Sathan Adam and our Grandam Eve The three Offences that Sin first aduance Were Malice Weakenesse and blinde Ignorance The three Offended to whom this was done The Holy Spirit the Father and the Sonne Eve sinn'd of Ignorance and so is said Against the God of Wisedome to haue made Her forfeit that 's the Son Adam he fell Through Weakenesse and 'gainst him that doth excell In pow'r the Father sinn'd With his offence And that of hers Diuine Grace may dispence Malicious Hate to sinne did Sathan moue Against the Holy-Ghost the God of Loue And his shall not be pardon'd Note with me How God dealt in the censuring of these three He questions Adams Weakenesse and doth call Eve to account for th' Ignorance in her fall Because for them he mercy had in store Vpon their true repentance and before He gaue their doome told them he had decreed A blessed Sauiour from the Womans seed But Sathan he ne're question'd 't was because Maliciously he had transgrest his Lawes Which sinne against the Spirit he so abhor'd His Diuine Will no mercy for him stor'd Moreouer In the sacred Text 't is read The Womans Seed shall breake the Serpents head It is observ'd The Diuell had decreed To tempt our Sauiour the predicted Seed In the same sort though not the same successe As he did Eve our first Progenitresse All sinnes saith Iohn we may in three diuide Lust of the Flesh Lust of the Eye and Pride She sees the Tree and thought it good for meat The Fleshes lust persuaded her to eat She sees it faire and pleasant to the eye Then the Eyes lust inciteth her to try She apprehends that it will make her wise So through the Pride of heart she eats and dies And when he Christ into the Desart lead Bee'ng hungry Turne said he these Stones to Bread There 's Fleshly lusts temptation Thence he growes To the Eyes lust and from the Mountaine showes The World with all the pompe contain'd therein Say'ng All this great purchase thou shalt win But to fall downe and worship me And when He saw these faile to tempt him once agen Vsing the Pride of heart when from on hye He bad him leape downe and make proofe to flye And as the Woman yeelding to temptation Made thereby forfeit of all mans saluation And so the Diue'll who did the Serpent vse Was said by that the Womans head to bruse So Christ the Womans Seed making resist To these seducemeâ—ts of that Pannurgist Because by neither Pride nor Lust mis-led Was truly said to breake the Serpents head Angels bee'ng now made Diuels let vs finde What place of Torment is to them assign'd First of the Poets Hell The dreadfull Throne Where all Soules shall be sentenc'd stands saith one In a sad place with obscure darkenesse hid
Thy Maiestie and Might With Thy great Glory shining bright Are still to be adored solely V. The Heart that 's obstinate shall be With sorrowes laden heauily He that is wicked in his wayes What doth he but heape sinne on sin Which where it endeth doth begin Whom nothing being downe can raise VI. To the persuasion of the Prowd No remedie there is allow'd His steps shall faile that steddy seem'd Sinnes Root in him is planted deepe And there doth strong possession keepe He therefore shall not be esteem'd VII We know the Sinne from whence it grew We know the Torment thereto due And the sad place for it assign'd And yet the more we seeme to know The more we dull and stupid grow As if we sencelesse were and blind VIII Ope then our hearts our eyes vnmaske And grant vs what we humbly aske So much of Thy Diuinest Grace That we may neither erre nor stray But finding out the perfect way We may evade both Paine and Place IX Though Atheists seeme to jest at Hell There is a Tophet we know well O Atheismes pestilent infection There 's a Gehinnon a sad Graue Prepar'd at first for such as haue No hope in the blest resurrection X. Three times our Sauior wept we read When he heard Lazarus was dead Bewailing Humane frailty then When to Ierusalem he rid And a poore Asses Colt bestrid At the grosse folly blinding men XI He wept vpon the Crosse againe 'Gainst Humane Malice to complaine Seeing their insolence and pride When in such bitter grosse despight They crucify'd the Lord of Light Him who for Mans redemption dy'de XII How necessarie then are Teares To free vs from all future feares Of Death of Torment of Damnation Teares that can wash our Soules so white To bring vs to Eternall light Instating vs in our saluation XIII A contrite Spirit a broken Heart Moist eyes whence many dew drops start O grant vs then thou heav'nly King So we with Hearts and Tongues vnited May with the Psalmist be accited And Praise and Glory to Thee sing XIV Ye Sonnes of Men with one accord All Strength and Glory giue the Lord You that are Sonnes to men of Fame Giue them the Lord they are his due For know that it belongs to you To magnifie his holy Name XV. Within his glorious Temple Hee Deserueth Worship on the knee O kneele then at His sacred Shrine His Voice is on the Waters great His Glory thunders from his Seat His Pow'r doth on the Waters shine XVI His Voice is mighty glorious too For all things the Lords Voice can doo The strongest Cedars He doth breake When the Lords Voice from him is gon The Cedars ev'n of Lebanon Torne as they stand his Pow'r can speake XVII His Voice them of their leaues can strip He makes them like yong Calues to skip Nor doth the stedfast Mountaine scorne Or Hermon for his Dew so prais'd But when his voice aloft is rais'd To skip like a yong Vnicorne XVIII When the Lords Voice is lifted higher It doth diuide the flames of fire It makes the Wildernesse to quake Ev'n the great Wildernesse of all The Desart which we Kadesh call It doth compell to moue and shake XIX His Voice doth make the Hinde to beare And all those Forrests that cloath'd were Stand at his pleasure nak'd and bare And therefore in his Temple now All meet and to his Glory bow With Sacrifice of Praise and Prayer XX. The Lord the raging Seas doth sway The mighty Flouds to Him obay And neuer shall his Kingdome cease The Lord shall giue his People strength And will deliuer them at length And blesse them with his ioyfull Peace Non Delinquenti sed peccata relinquenti condonat Deus Ambros. THE PRINCIPAT Ex muner g glouer sculpt THE ARGVMENT of the seuenth Tractat. OF Gods great Works a serious view For which all praise to him is due The seuerall Classes that are held Amongst the Angels that rebel'd Of Lucifer the principall And his strange figure since his Fall Of Such as most in Power excell And of their Gouernment in Hell Their Orders Offices and Names And what Prioritie each claimes The List of Those that fell from Blisse The Knowledge that in Daemons is And how far stretcht Next of their Wrath Tow'rds Mankinde and what Bounds it hath Discouery of those Ginnes and Snares They lay t' entrap Men vnawares Of Compacts common in these Ages And of the Astrologomages The second Argument IN Heav'n in Earth in Hell some sway Others againe are taught t' obay The Principats GOds wondrous Works that haue before me beene I will record and speake what I haue seene Saith Wisedome No Worke present or decay'd But by his pow'rfull Word at first was made The Sun that shines and doth on all things looke What is it else but an illustrious booke In which th' Almighties Glory may be read Hath not the Lord who hath accomplished All things in season made each thing so rare That all his Saints his Glory shall declare These wondrous Workes surpassing humane sence T' expresse his Maiestie and Excellence The Heart he searcheth and the depth of man In his pre-Science knowing all he can Or thinke or act the wonders of the Skies And each obscure thing 's plaine before his eies Things past nor future can escape his brest All secret paths to Him are manifest No thought can Him escape of that be'assur'd Nor can the least word be from him obscur'd His Wisedomes exc'lent Works He doth extend From Euerlasting Neuer to haue end He needs no Counsellor his Will to act To Him can none adde no man can detract O how delectable Thou Lord of All Are thy stupendious Workes in generall By vs to be consider'd from things higher Ev'n to the very common sparks of Fire They liue by Thee created firme and sure And they to euerlasting shall endure And when he calls them to a reck'ning still As His they are obseruant to his Will Doubled they are one set against another And there is nothing his rare Works can smother The one the others workmanship commends How far then ô thou Mighty God extends Thy wondrous Pow'r or Who to Earth ally'd With thy great Glory can be satisfy'd Behold this high and sublime Ornament The beauty of the Heav'ns the Firmament So glorious to the eye in it the Sunne A maruellous Worke by the Creator done Which in it's dayly progresse through the Skie Points vnto vs the hand of the Most-Hye He burnes the Soile from his meridian seat And who is he that can abide his heat Three times more hot the mountaine tops he makes Than he that with his great care vndertakes To keepe a furnace in continuall â—lame His fiery vapors He casts out the same In their owne kinde so luminous and bright As that they dazle the beholders sight Great is the Lord that made the Sunne indeed And by his Word commands it run with speed The
Moone He likewise made in substance cleare According to the Season to appeare That it should be a future declaration Of Time and the Worlds Signe to ev'ry Nation Feasts are by it appointed the Moneths claime Proper denomination from her Name Waining or growing be she bright or dull In her continual Change shee 's wonderfull Shee 's a lampe plac'd aboue our heads and thence Sends downe her shining beames in excellence The beauty of the Heav'ns perceiv'd from far Is ev'ry great or lesse refulgent Star These lustre to the Firmament afford And shine in the high places of the Lord. From whose command they no way dare rebell But all night long keepe watch and sentinell Looke on the Rain-bow in it's mixed hew Obserue how beautifull it is in view What sev'rall colours with what cunning layd And praise Him who so great a Worke hath made He into such a spacious arch extends it It is the hand of the Most-High that bends it At his command the Snow makes haste from hye The Lightnings of his judgements swiftly flye When He vnlocks his Treasure Clouds repaire And like so many Fowles soare in the aire His Pow'r doth giue them strength When he but speaks The mighty Hail-stones into small he breaks At his dread sight the mountaines skip like Roes 'T is at his pleasure that the South winde blowes His Thunders sound the trembling Earth doth beat As doth the stormy North the fields entreat The Whirle windes like so many feather'd Fowle Scatter the Snow the white flakes downeward rowle As if so many Grashoppers together Should light-on th' earth brought in by stormy weather The Eye admires the whitenesse and the Braine Cannot conceiue the beauty of the Raine The Frost like Salt vpon the ground he powres Which hardned stickes vpon the Herbs and Floures When the bleake North winde from his Quarter blowes A congeal'd Ice vpon the Water growes Vpon the gath'ring of the waues it rests And with a chrystall couering armes their brests The Mountaines it deuours the Desaâ—ts burnes And like the Fire what 's greene to nothing turnes Yet by a melting Cloud and timely Raine These seeming dead are soone refresht againe He by his Word the blustring Windes doth still The Seas rough Surges All obey his Will He in the vnknowne Deepes foundations layes And in the midst thereof doth Islands raise They that the Ocean saile which hath no bound Tell of the wonders that are therein found Which so miraculous to vs appeare When they are told we stand amas'd to heare For there be his rare Works of Beasts and Whales Begetting terror from their sinnes and scales Through Him all things are aim'd as blessed ends And his establisht Word his Worke commends When we haue spoken most yet all ' â— but raine We neuer to their knowledge shall attaine This is the sum of all That He alone Must be the sole All and besides Him none Of his true Praise how can we giue account Since He we know doth all his Works surmount The Lord our God is terrible and great Who shall his Pow'r and marv'lous Acts repeat Praise laud and magnifie him all we can Yet doth He far exceed the thoughts of Man Exalt Him in our strength and be not tyr'd Yet shall not his â—east fully be admir'd Who is 't hath seene Him that his shape can tell Or who can praise him as He doth excell For greater things haue yet escapt our view And of his rare Works we haue seene but few The Lord hath made all things in Earth and Heav'n And vnto such as feare Him Wisdome's giv'n The Orders Names the Qualities and Charge Of the blest Angels we haue spoke at large It followes next to touch the true condition Of those malignant Sp'rits whose proud Ambition Cast themselues head-long both from the blest Place First made for them and from th' Almighties Grace Nor is it to be doubted but that those Who in their peruerse malice durst oppose Their glorious Maker and against Him war But that they likewise still intentiue ar ' And their peruersenesse totally enclin'd To Gods contempt and ruine of Mankind Now since those disobedient Sp'rites that fell With their grand Captaine downe from heav'n to hell Were out of all the Hierarchies extruded It therefore as a Maxime is concluded Not to be question'd That as th' Angels blest Who still inhabit their faire place of rest So likewise those by Lucifer mis-guided Are into sev'rall Ternions diuided And haue amongst them Orders and Degrees And though the benefit of Grace they leese Yet still that naturall pow'r and force retaine At first bequeath'd them bee'ng reduc'd againe To Order and their Offices still keepe As once in Heav'n so in th' infernall Deepe To this the Fathers with one voice agree For one writes thus In the great Hierarchie Of the blest Sp'rits some are employ'd to tell Things futurely to come others excell In working Miracles for no portent Is done on earth but by some Angell sent Some ouer others haue predominance Employing them Gods honor to aduance By executing Mysteries Diuine Others in greater pow'r and eminence shine Hauing vnnumber'd Armies in their sway Vnto whose Hests the lesse degreed obay Some are so plenteously endu'd with grace That God himselfe in them hath chus'd a place In which t' enhabit and these haue profest His secret judgements to make manifest Others are with so sacred links entir'd Vnto their Maker and withall inspir'd With such re-pur'd zeale there appeares not much Place intermediat betwixt Him and Such By what degrees they do precell the rest In ardent loue so much more interest They challenge with acutenesse to behold His Wisedome Iustice and Grace manifold Now as these sev'rall Functions are aboue With Those that still persever in their Loue So 'mongst the Disobedient is remaining Like order still their naturall pow'rs retaining For till the World be quite consum'd and gon It is a Maxim to be built vpon Angell o're Angell which none alter can Diuell o're Diuell Man shall rule o're Man Of the Rebellious Lucifer is prime Captaine and King who in the first of Time From out the seuerall Classes had selected Legions of Angels with like pride infected Against Iehovah and with expedition Hurld them with himselfe headlong to perdition And as in his Creation he was fram'd More glorious far than others before nam'd More goodly featur'd beautifull and bright And therefore had his name deriv'd from Light So since his Fall there 's nothing we can stile So ougly foule abominably vile The putred Fountaine and bitumenous Well From whence all Vice and malefactures swell Whose horrid shape and qualities infest Are by the Poet Dante 's thus exprest L' Imperador del Doloroso Regno Da mezo l petto vsciva Della Gliaccia Et pin eli ch'un Gigante iâ— ti conuegno
giueth vs to know That excellent Spirits are not by Death extinguished or neglected but are rather transmigrated from the earth to reigne with the Powers aboue The second fore-shewes the calamitie of a People new left destitute of a Prince or Gouernor thereby fore-warning them to preuent and prepare themselues against all imminent perils The third giues vs warning that the time of the last expiration being come his friends and Allyes should take notice of the Diuine fauour that his body dying his Soule still suruiueth and that hee is not lost to his friends and familiars This was the opinion of some Philosophers Iamblic de Myster saith That as God oftentimes from the mouth of Fooles produceth wisedome declaring thereby that Man speaketh not but God himselfe so by euery sleight and vile thing hee portendeth what is to ensue keeping still his owne super-eminence and thereby instructing our weake vnderstanding And Guliel Pachimer Hist. lib. 6. saith Prodigium est Divinae irae signum c. A Prodegy is a signe of the wrath of God but whether it portendeth or looketh vpon things past or present is beyond our apprehension But this is an argument which I desire not too long to insist vpon c. In the discourse of Lucifer and his Adherents newly fallen from grace it will not be impertinent to speake something of his first and greatest master-piece in tempting our first Parents to sinne by which came death For Death was not made by God being nothing els as Saint Augustine against the Pelagians saith but a priuation of life hauing a name and no essence as Hunger is said to be a defect of food Thirst a want of moisture and Darknesse the priuation of light It therefore hauing a name and no Being God was neither the Creator nor Cause thereof Salomon saith God hath not made Death neither hath he any pleasure in the destruction of the Liuing for he created all things that they might haue their Being and the generations of the world are preserued And in an other place Through enuy of the Diuell came Death into the world He then being the author of Sin is likewise the author of Death And yet though he had power to tempt man to Sinne Man hauing Free-will he could not constraine him to giue consent This proud Angell by his owne insolence being cast from heauen began to enuy mans felicity vpon earth and to that purpose entred the Serpent which is said to be more subtill than any beast of the field And as Rupertus super Genesis saith Before the Serpent was made the Diuels Organ hee might haue beene termed most wise and prudent for it is said in Mathew Be ye therefore wise as Serpents Him as Saint Chrisostome writes the Diuell found best sitting for his hellish enterprise and in his spirituall malice by meanes of his Angelicall presence and excellent nature abusing both as instruments of his falsehood and treacherie hee wrought with to speake to the woman being the weaker Bodie and therefore the lesse able to resist temptation Neither did the Serpent speake vnto her but the Diuell in him as the good Angell did in Balaams Asse for the good Angels and euill work like operations but to diuers effects Petrus Commestor in his Scholasticall Historie writeth That at the time when the Serpent tempted the woman hee was straight and went upright like a man but after the Curse he was doomd to crawle vpon the face of the earth And Venerable Bede saith That the Diuell chose a Serpent which had the face of a woman Quod similia similibus applaudant That Like might be pleasing to Like The Holy Historie doth recite three distinct punishments of the Serpent the Woman and the Man the Serpent was cursed beyond any other beast or creature to crawle vpon his belly and eat dust all his life time enuy being put betweene the woman and her race on the one side and the Serpent and his race on the other so that Man should breake the head of the Serpent and the Serpent bruise the heele of Man The Woman was punished by pluralitie of paines in her conception and to bring forth her children with teares and lamentations c. In the next place comes Man who hauing heard and giuen consent to the words of his wife and eaten the fruit of the forbidden Tree hee must also be punished God said vnto him That the earth should be accursed for his sake in trauel and pain should he till it all his life time it should bring forth thornes and thistles vnto him he should feed on the herbs of the field and eat his bread in the sweat of his browes vntill he was returned vnto that earth from whence he had been taken Of this great Tempter the Diuell by whom sinne death and damnation first entred Saint Augustine in one of his Meditations vseth words to this purpose The Tempter was present neither wanted there time or place but thou keptst me ô Lord that I gaue not consent vnto him The Tempter came in Darknesse but thou didst comfort mee with thy Light The Tempter came armed and strong but thou didst strengthen mee and weaken him that he should not ouercome The Tempter came transfigured into an Angell of Light but thou didst illuminate mee to discouer him and curbe him that he could not preuaile against me He is the Great and Red Dragon the old Serpent called the Diuell and Sathan hauing seuen heads and ten hornes whom thou didst create a derider and mocker in the great and spacious sea in which creepe Creatures without number small and great These are the seuerall sorts of Diuels who night and day trauell from place to place seeking whom they may deuoure which doubtlesse they would do didst not thou preserue them This is the old Dragon who was borne in the Paradise of pleasure that with his taile sweepes away the third part of the Stars of heauen and casts them on the earth who with his poyson infects the waters of the earth that such men as drinke thereof may die who prostitutes gold before him as dust who thinkes hee can drinke Iordan dry at one draught and is made so that he doth not feare any And who shall defend vs from his bitings and plucke vs ou◠of his jawes but thou ô Lord who hast broken the head of the great Dragon Do thou helpe vs spread thy wings ouer vs that vnder them we may fly from this Dragon who pursueth vs and with thy shield and buckler defend vs from his hornes It is his sole desire and continuall study to destroy those Soules whom thou hast created And therefore ô God we call vnto thee to free vs from our deadly Aduersarie who whether we wake or sleepe whether we eat or drinke or whatsoeuer else wee doe is alwayes at hand night and day with his craft and fraud now openly then secretly directing his impoysoned
they Cannot endure it puts them to dismay Lactantius tells vs When vpon a season An Emp'ror of his Idoll askt the reason Of some doubt that perplext him a long space He answer'd not the cause was that in place A Christian then was present at that time Who had new blest him with the Crosses signe Good Angels when to man they first appeare Although they strike him with amase and feare Their em affies bee'ng done before they part They leaue him with great joy and cheare of heart As he at whose dread presence Daniel shooke As th' Angell Gabriel whom the Holy-Booke Makes mention of who when he came to bring To the blest Maid a message from heav'ns King Frightfull at first appear'd his salutation But th' end thereof was full of consolation But the bad Spirits bringing seeming ioy The end thereof's disaster and annoy From circumstance might many more arise But these for this place at this time suffice Be it held no digression to looke backe From whence I came inquiring if I lacke No fit accoutrement that may be found Behoofull for the journey I am bound Something I had forgot in my great speed Of Musicke then e're further I proceed I must deriue it from the first of dayes The Spheres chime Musicke to their Makers praise In the worlds first Creation it begunne From the word Fiat spoke and it was done Was sound and sweetnesse voice and symphonie Concord Consent and heav'nly harmonie The three great Orders of the Hierarchie Seruants vnto th' eternall Majestie In their degrees of Ternions hourely sing Loud Haleluiahs to th' Almighty King The Seraphins the Cherubins and Thrones Potestates Vertues Dominations The Principats Arch-Angels Angels all Resound his praise in accents musicall So doe the Heav'ns and Planets much below them Touching the first those that seeme best to know them Thus of their quicke velocitie relate As the supreme and highest agitate Their wheeles with swiftest motion so conclude The lowest finish their vicissitude That is their naturall courses much more soone As first in nine and twenty dayes the Moone The Sun and Venus in one twelue-month theirs And Saturne his in thirty compleat yeares But many thousands must be fully done Before the starry heav'ns their course haue runne Such and so great is mans innate ambition Into all knowledge to make inquisition The depth of Natures hidden wayes to sound Mystries to search and diue in arts profound As if we looke into the first of Time When as the World was in it's youth and prime Ev'n to this latest Age those much commended For deepe conceptions greatly haue contended Almost aboue capacitie indeed Laboriously each other to exceed But as the Fable of Ixion proud Saith he in Iuno's stead embrac'd a Cloud So for the most part those of wits refin'd Building vpon their amplitude of mind And by their owne vaine apprehensions sway'd In their maine course erroneously haue stray'd Either in all mistaking or some part Error for Truth and Ignorance for Art The reason is That in things vndecided By selfe-conceit bee'ng obstinatly guided And not acquiring out the perfect ground What 's finite they with infinite confound What 's humane with diuine what 's wrong with right As out of darknesse striuing to draw light Hence comes so many Sects and Schooles t' arise Amongst the Sophists thinking themselues wise As Pyâ—hagorians Epicures Platonicks Pythonicks Scepticks and Academicks Eleaticks Perepateticks Stoicks too With others more And all these as they doo Differ in names so in opinions and Vpon diuersitie of judgements stand For instance First as touching the foundation Of things that since the Chaos had creation And cause efficient some hold Earth some Fire Some Water others Aire some Sects conspire Vpon the full foure Elements to impose it One names the Heav'ns another saith he knowes it The Stars were workersâ— Atoms this man names Another Number and the former blames Some Musicall consent drawne from the Spheres Some Full some Empty by all which appeares Those things are only quarrel'd with not prov'd For nothing's constant sollid or immov'd In all their doctrines each with other jar And are indeed still in seditious war And therefore God reproues Iob for aspiring And to his hidden wayes too deepe inquiring Thus saying Who is he that doth obscure Knowledge with words imperfect and impure Gird vp thy loines thee like a man prepare I will demand and thou to me declare Where wast thou when I layd the earths foundation If thou hast knowledge giue me true narration Who measur'd it now if thou canst divine Or ouer it what 's he hath stretcht the line Vpon what are the solid Bases made Or who the corner stone thereof first layd When all the Morning Starres as but one-voic't Prais'd me together when all Saints reioyc't Who shut the Sea with dores vp when the same As from the wombe it selfe issu'd and came When for it I the Clouds a cov'ring found And as in swathing â—ands in darkenesse bound And said Thou hitherto shalt haue free way No further thou shalt here thy proud waues stay And after this the secrets doth pursue Of Snow Haile Tempests with the Light and Dew Raine Ice Death Darknesse and so further runnes To th' Pleiades Arcturus and his sonnes Saith Paul In this world none himselfe deceiue To thinke hee 's wise but such vaine phaâ—sies leaue And let him be a foole so to be wise For this worlds wisedome is a meere disguise Of foolishnesse with God Scriptures thus treat The Wise he catcheth in his owne conceit In Esays Prophesie the words thus sound The wisedome of the Wise I will confound The prudence of the Prudent reprehend Where is the wise man Where 's the Scribe now or He of this world the great Inquisitor Hath not God made all the worlds Wisedome Folly Who then dares thinke himselfe or wise or holy What was it that to Socrates first gaue Wisedomes great attribute and honour saue That he confest In all he did pursue He only knew this That he nothing knew What saith the Preacher When I did apply My heart to search out Wisedome curiously And to behold on earth the secrets deepe That day nor night the eyes of man take sleepe Gods entire worke before myne eyes I brought That Man could not finde out the worke he sought Beneath the Sun for which mans busie minde Labors to search but it can neuer finde And though the Wise man thinke it to conceiue He cannot doo 't without th' Almighties leaue When as the Academicks of the rest Of all the Ethnycke Sophists were held best Yet in their then supreme authoritie None durst contest and say So this shall be The Pyrhonicks of no lesse approbation Would not of any thing make attestation But made a doubt in all and held for true Whoeuer humane Science shall pursue No other base he hath whereon to sit Sauing the fraile