and eat flesh for I spake not to your Fathers nor commanded them when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt concerning sacrifices and burnt-offerings but this thing commanded I them saying Obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you And Isaiah 43. 23. Thou hast not brought me faith the Lord the sheep of thy burnt-offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy Sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an Offering nor wearied thee with Incense thou boughtest me no sweet savour with money neither hast thou made me drunk with the fat of thy Sacrifices but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins and hast wearied me with thy iniquities And Chap. 66. v. 2. To him will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my words For it is not thy fat flesh that shall cleanse thee from thy iniquities For Chap. 58. v. 5. It is such a fast that I have chosen vers 6. to loose the bands of wickedness to take off the heavy burthens to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke vers 7. To deal thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that wandreth into thy house when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and hide not thy self from thine own Flesh. Verse 8. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning and thy health shall grow speedily thy righteousness shall go before thee and the glory of the Lord shall compass thee Verse 9. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer Here am I. I will not deny but that as by Moses and Aaron formerly in the Synagogue and after him by the succeeding Priests Judges and Prophets even to the Scribes and Pharisees so also in the Christian Church it was the practise of the Apostles Evangelists Fathers Priests and Doctors to deck and adorn her with decent Rites Ceremonies and Institutions to render her a more amiable Bride to her Celestial Spouse To which later Ages have added many things too much savouring of Humane Weakness But as it often happens that that which is provided as a Remedy turns oftentimes to nourish the Disease so happens it now with the Ceremonies of the Church that through the folly of Popish Superstition Christians are now adays more clogged with continual innovations than were the Jews of old and which is worse though these Ceremonies are many of them neither good nor bad in themselves but things indifferent yet the superstitious people groping in the dark of Popery and Superstition place a greater belief in them and observe them more strictly than the Commands of God the Bishops Abbots Monks and Priests conniving all the while thereat and well providing thereby for their Bellies Now these Ceremonies though they have been the occasion of few Heresies against the Faith yet have they introduced innumerable Sects into the Church and have been the seed of many Schisms For from hence it came to pass that the Greek Church was separated from the Romans while the one Consecrated Vnleavened the other Leavened Bread when it matters not which so the Bread be consecrated Hence the Bohemian Church separated from the Roman that they might administer the Sacrament in both kinds but as St. Paul saith Gal. 6. 15. Neither circumcision availeth nor uncircumcision but the observance of the Commands of God which the same Author in the same place calls the new creature Therefore is it a most abominable piece of Iniquity for such slight causes and about things indifferent to disturb the Unity of the Church and divide the Body of Christ and as our Saviour objects to the Pharisees to Cleanse the outside of the Cup and swallow a Camel Therefore by the providence of God the Pope did himself little good when he was so stingy against the Leaven of the Greeks and the Bohemian Cup. CHAP. LXI Of the Magistrates and Superiours of the Church IN the Government of the Church it is necessary to make use of Ecclesiastical Magistrates and Officers for the avoiding confusion Now whatsoever is done in the Church either for Ornament or for the increase of Religion whether it be in the Election of Overseers or in the Institution of Ministers unless the same be done by the instinct of the Divine Spirit which is the Soul of the Church it is altogether impious and contrary to the Truth For whosoever is not call'd to the great Office of the Ministry and Dignity of Apostleship by the Spirit as was Aaron and whoever enters not in at the door which is Christ but gets another way into the Church through the window that is to say by the favour of men by purchasing Voices in Election or by superiour Power certainly such a one is no Vicar of Christ or of his Apostles but a Thief and an Impostor the Vicar of Judas Iscariot and Simon the Samaritan Therefore it was so streightly provided by the antient Fathers in the Election of Prelates which they therefore call the Sacrament of Nomination that the Prelates and Apostles who were to be Overseers of the Ministers of the Church should be men of most unspotted Integrity in their Lives and Conversations powerful in sound Doctrine able to give a reason of all their doings But the antient Constitutions falling from their Majesty and the late Pontifical Jurisdiction by damnable Custome getting a head such a sort of Popes and Prelates now adays ascend into the Throne of Christ such as were the Scribes and Pharisees in the Chair of Moses who talk and do nothing binding heavy burthens to the shoulders of the people to which they will not put the stress of a little finger Meer Hypocrites performing all their works to be seen of men making a shew of their Religion as it were in Scenes they covet the chief Seats at Feasts in Schools in the Synagogues the upper hands in the streets and to be saluted with the ponderous appellations of Rabbi and Doctors They barricado up the Gate of Heaven not onely not going in themselves but excluding others They devour Widows houses jabbering long Prayers traveling Land and Seas to seduce children and ignorant persons that having by the addition of one Proselyte encreased their forlorn number they may with a more numerous train enter the Regions of Fire prepared for them With their idle Legends and Traditions they corrupt the most Holy Laws of Christ and neglecting the true Temple of God the living Images of the Son of the Father and the Altars of the peoples Souls with a covetous eye seek after onely Gold and Gifts and minding the more profitable and sinister parts of the Law are very strict in their Decrees touching Tithes Oblations Collections and Alms Tithing Fruits Cattel Money not sparing also things of the smallest price as Mint Anise and Cumin for which
and Prince of this World in Leviticus nam'd the Prince of the Deserts to whom it was said in Genesis Thou shalt eat the dust all the days of thy life And in Isaiah The Dust is thy bread that is our Corporeal Body Created out of the dust of the Earth so long as it remains unsanctifi'd and not chang'd for the better to be no longer then at the disposal of the Serpent but of God according to the word of St. Paul It is sow'd corporal but shall rise spiritual And in another place All shall rise but all shall not be chang'd for that many shall remain perpetual food for the Serpent This foul and detestable matter of the Flesh the food of the Serpent lies in the Grave in hopes of a better Lot and spiritual Transmutation which is already come to pass in those that have already tasted the first-Fruits of Redemption and some have attain'd it by vertue of the Deifick Spirit as Elias and Enoch and as some are of opinion Moses whose bodies being chang'd into the nature of Spirits never saw corruption nor as other Carcasses were left to the power of the Serpent And something to this purpose it was thought was the great dispute of Michael with the Devil about the body of Moses which St. Jude mentions in his Epistle Thus much concerning Conjuring and Necromancy CHAP. XLVI Of Theurgy MAny there are that believe Theurgy not to be unlawful which pretends to have to do with none but good Angels and the Divine Numen himself though under the names of God and Angels it proves to be onely the delusion and mockery of evil Spirits It pretends no natural Power but to make use of Celestial Ceremonies by which they think to attract and reconcile the Divine Natures Concerning which the antient Magi have deliver'd several Rules in several Volumes But the chiefest part of their Ceremonies is in observing Cleanliness first of the Soul then of the Body then of those things about the Body as in the Skin the Garments the Dwelling Vessels Utensils Immolations and Sacrifices which cleanliness renders them capable of being the receptacles and fit for the entertainment of Divine Spirits and is very much encourag'd and commended in Sacred Scripture according to the words of Esay Be glad and be clean and take away the evil of your thoughts But uncleanness which often corrupts and defiles and infects man disturbs the most clean and pure Society of Celestial Beings and chases away the spotless Spirits and Angels of God It is true that many times unclean and delusive powers to the end they may be ador'd and worship'd for Gods do counterfeit this Purity and therefore great diligence and care is to be us'd for the avoiding thereof and therefore we have abundantly discours'd thereof in our Books of Occult Philosophy Now of this Theurgy or Divine Magick Porphyrius having delivered many things at length concludes that by Theurgick Operations the soul may be made fit to receive Spirits and Angels and to see and converse with them but that there can be any access to the Deity thereby he altogether denies His Rules and Directions are contain'd in his Art Almabel his Notorious Art his Art Pauline his Art of Revelations where are abundance of Superstitions to be found which are so much the more pernicious by how much they seem more Losty and Divine to the unskilful CHAP. XLVII Of the Cabalists HEre the words of Pliny come into my minde There is saith he another Sect of Magicians of which Moses and Latopea Jews were the first Authors which words bring to my remembrance the Cabala of the Jews which as the constant opinion among the Hebrews goes was delivered by God to Moses and thence through succession of Ages even to the times of Ezra preserv'd by Tradition onely without the help of writing As of old the Doctrine of Pythagoras was delivered by Archippus and Lysiades who kept School at Thebes in Greece where the Scholars learning all their Masters Precepts by heart made use onely of their Memories instead of Books So certain Jews despising Letters plac'd all their Learning in Memory Observation and verbal Tradition whence it was call'd by the Hebrews Cabala that is to say a receiving from one to another by the Ear An Art by report very antient though the name be but of later times known among the Christians Now this Cabala they divide into three parts the first contains the knowledge of Bresith which they call also Cosmology explaining and teaching the force and efficacie of things created Natural or Celestial expounding also the Laws and Mysteries of the Bible according to Philosophical reasons which for that cause differs little from Natural Magick wherein they say K. Solomon excell'd Therefore we finde in the Sacred Histories of the Jews that he was wont to discourse from the Cedar of Libanon to the low Hyssop as also of Cattle Birds Reptiles and Fish all which contain within themselves a certain kinde of Magical vertue Moses also the Egyptian in his Expositions upon the Pentateuch and most of the Talmudists have followed the Rules of this Art The other part thereof contains the knowledge of more sublime things as of Divine and Angelical Powers the contemplation of Sacred Names and Characters being a certain kinde of Symbolical Theology wherein the Letters Figures Numbers Names Points Lines Accents are esteemed to contain the significations of most profound things and great Mysteries This part again is twofold Arithmantick handling the nature of Angels the Powers Names Characters of Spirits and Souls departed and Theomantick which searches into the mysteries of the Divine Majesty his Emanations his Names and Pentacula which he that attains to they account endu'd with most admirable power By vertue of this Art they say Moses wrought so many Miracles changing his Rod into a Serpent the Water into Blood and plagu'd Egypt with Frogs Flyes Lice Locusts Emrodes and Pestilence slaying the first-born of Man and Beast By this Art he divided the Red-sea caus'd Water to flow out of the Rock brought the Qualls into the Wilderness sweeten'd the bitter Waters made Lightning by day and a Pillar of Fire by night to lead the March of his people call'd down the Voice of God among the people By this Art he punish'd the Arrogant with Fire the Murmurers with Leprosie Mutiners with sudden Destruction causing the Earth to swallow them up preserv'd the Clothes of the Israelites from wearing out and gave them Victory over their Enemies Lastly by means of this Art Josua commanded the Sun to stand still Elias call'd down Fire from Heaven and rais'd the dead Youth to life Daniel muzzled the Lions mouths and the three Children sang in the middle of the fiery Furnace Nay the perfidious and unbelieving Jews stick not to aver that Christ himself wrought all his Miracles by vertue of this Art Solomon as they say did excel in this Art and that he discovered several secrets thereof
written Zenophon and Mago great Captains have done the like together with Oppian the Poet. And besides them Cato Varro Pliny Columella Virgil Crescentius Palladius and many others of later times Cicero believ'd there was nothing better nothing more gainful nothing more delightful nothing more worthy the employment of a generous Spirit than the occupations above mention'd Not a few plac'd the chief Good and Supream Happiness in them Therefore Virgil calls Husbandmen Fortunate Horace Blessed The Oracle of Delphos also pronounc'd one Aglaus a most happy man who having a little Farm in Arcadia never stir'd out of it His Content keeping him free from the Experience of Evil. But miserable men that they are while they so highly honour Agriculture little do they consider that it was the Effect of Sin and the Curse of the most High God For chasing Adam out of Paradise he sent him to till the Earth saying Cursed be the Earth for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou Eat of it all the days of thy Life Thorns also and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the field In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the Earth for out of it thou wast taken Nor are there any persons that feel the sadness of this saying more than Husbandmen and Countrymen who after they have Plough'd Sow'd Harrow'd Weeded Mowed Reap'd Graz'd Shear'd Hunted Fish'd here one looses his Father for Grief to see his Labours all on a suddain come to nothing and wasted with Hail and Tempests Another Mans Sheep dye another man's Oxen or else they are driven away by the Souldiers Beasts of Prey devour his Lambs and destroy his Fish the Wife laments at home his Children cry Famine follows and after all with uncertain hope of benefit he is forc'd to return to his hard Labour Before the Fall there was no need of Artificial Tillage no want of Grazing Hunting or Fowling for the Earth was to have produc'd all things of its own accord always flourishing with all sorts of Fruits fragrant Smells constant Summer and verdant Meadows Nor had the Earth brought forth any thing noxious no Herb endu'd with poysonous Qualities no venomous Toads Vipers or other Reptiles And Man himself being then Lord of the whole Creation having had the least occasion for the wild Beasts had found none such but all naturally Tame had he but beckned to the Beasts of Carriage they had willingly submitted to his Burthens Man then but new Born had had the use and strength of all his Members and Limbs not wanting Garments to hide his Nakedness Houses for Shelter nor Sawces to provoke his Appetite and had prolong'd his happy days without the help of Physick all things offering themselves spontaneously to satisfie his desires The Earth had been his Food his Garments Air And for his Bed the Fields their Flowr's prepare But the mischief of Sin and the necessity of Death rendred all things incommodious to us for now the Earth produces nothing without our Labour and our Sweat but deadly and venomous and as it were upbraiding us that we live nor are the other Elements less kind to us Many the Sea destroys with raging Tempests and the horrid Monsters devour the Air making War against us with Thunder Lightning and Storms and with a crowd of Pestilential Diseases the Heavens conspire our Ruine Nor are the Creatures only our Enemies For Man as the Proverb hath it is to himself a Wolf We are encompassed with innumerable Temptations of Unclean Spirits whereby to draw us into the Dark Receptacles of Pain and Punishment there to be Tormented in Eternal Fire By all which it appears that Agriculture with all its appurtenants of Fishing Hunting Fowling and Grazing is a loss of the greatest happinesses the invention of Mischief and a trouble to Humane Life Those Exercises appurtenant to Agriculture being only incommodious means to restore the Barrenness of the Earth to supply the want of Food and defend us from the Rigor of cold which puts us in mind of Death And yet this Calamity and necessity of ours might in some measure deserve commendation could it have retain'd it self within moderate bounds and not shewn us so many devices to make strange Plants so many portentous Graftings and Metamorphoses of Trees How to make Horses Copulate with Asses Wolves with Dogs and so to engender many wondrous Monsters contrary to Nature And those Creatures to whom Nature has given leave to range the Air the Seas and Earth so freely to Captivate and Confine in Aviaries Cages Warrens Parks and Fishponds and to fat 'um in Coops having first put out their Eyes and maim'd their Limbs had it not also taught us so many varieties of Weaving Dying and dressing of Linnen Woollen Skins and Silk which Nature only design'd for plain and homely Cloathing but invented for the increase of Pride and Luxury Pliny complaining of these inconveniences gives for instance the Seed of Hemp which being but a little Seed in a short time produces a large Sail that by the help of the Wind carries a Ship all over the World occasioning men as if they had not Earth to perish in to perish in the Sea likewise I omit the many Laws and Maxims and Observations of Husbandmen Shepherds Fishers Hunters and Fowlers so ridiculous and not only foolish and ridiculous but Superstitious and Repugnant to the Law of God How to prevent Storms make their Seed Fruitful kill Weeds scare Wild Beasts stop the flight of Beasts and Birds the swimming of Fishes to charm away all manner of Diseases of all which those Wise Men before named have written very seriously and with great cruelty CHAP. LXXIX Of the Art Military BUT now from Husbandmen let us pass to Souldiers chosen out of the Countrymen and therefore more fit for Fight as saith Vegetius and whom Cate affirms to make the strongest and hardiest Souldiers and we find in Scripture That Cain the first Warrier or slayer of Men was a Husbandman and a Hunter Therefore the Art of War ought least to be despis'd which as Valerius remembers made the Roman Empire Mistress of all Italy and of many Cities and Kingdoms of great and Warlike Nations beside open'd the streights of the Pontick-Sea forc'd through the close passages of the Alps and Taurus And Scipio Africanus glories in Ennius that by the slaughter and Blood of his Enemies he open'd a way to Immortality To whom Cicero assents saying that Hercules ascended to Heaven by the same means The Lacedemonians are said to be the first that deliver'd Rules for teaching this Art and therefore Hannibal having taken a Resolution to Invade Italy desired a Lacedemonian General Under the Power of Lacedemon many Kingdoms and Nations grew great neglected by her or neglecting her from large Dominion they fell to nothing for under the Leading of rash Captains fell the Warlike Numantia Corinth the curious Proud Thebes the Learned Athens the Holy Jerusalem
the humility and simplicity of little children who are prepar'd to shed their bloud for the Truth These are they to whom onely the true Deifying wisdom is given that is to bring us to the heavenly Quires and transforms us into Angels As we read in the Sermon of Christ Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be call'd the sons of God Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake It is therefore better and more profitable to be Idiots and without knowledge to believe by faith and charity and to become next to God than being lofty and proud through the subtilties of the Sciences to fall into the possession of the Serpent Thus we finde in the Gospel how Christ was receiv'd of Idiots of the vulgar people and of the simpler sort while he was rejected despised and persecuted even to death by the High-priests by the Lawyers by the Scribes by the Doctors and Rabbies For this cause Christ chose his Apostles not Scribes not Doctors not Priests but unlearned persons of the vulgar people void of knowledge unskilful and Asses CHAP. CII A Digression in praise of the Ass. BUt lest any one should falsly accuse me that I have call'd the Apostles Asses it will not be from the purpose to discourse the Mysteries of the Ass. For this creature the Hebrew Doctors expound to be the Hieroglyphick of Fortitude and Strength Patience and Clemency and that his influence dependeth on Sephiroth that is Hochma which signifies wisdom For his conditions are most necessary for a Scholar of wisdom for he lives by little food and is contented whatsoever it be Patiently he endures Penury Hunger Labour Stripes and all manner of Persecution yet of so low and poor an Understanding that he cannot discern between Lettice and Thistles Of a clean and innocent heart void of Choler being at peace with all living creatures patiently carrying all burthens laid upon his back as a reward whereof he is never troubled with Lice or any diseases and liveth longer than any other Beast An Ass saith Columella performs many and very necessary labours beyond his share for he is many times used in Plowing and drawing heavie Carts He is also used in Mills for the grinding of Corn. There is no Country but wants so necessary a creature as the Ass is How much the Ass is regarded and esteemed in Augury Valerius witnesses of C. Marius who having conquered both North and South being at length declared an enemy of his Country and pursued by Sylla by the advice and guidance of an Ass escaped all his threatnings an Ass being the cause of his flight and safety Also in the Old Law God so far honour'd the Ass that when he commanded every first begotten to be slain for Sacrifice he onely exempted Men and Asses granting that Man should be redeemed for a price and that a Sheep should be exchanged for the Ass. Christ would that this Beast should be a witness of his Nativity as is generally affirm'd And by him he would be saved from the hands of Herod The Ass was consecrated by the touch of the body of Christ for Christ ascending to Jerusalem in triumph for the Redemption of mankinde as it is recorded in the Gospel rode upon an As which was mysteriously foretold by the Oracle of Zachary And we read that Abraham the Father of the Elect rode onely upon Asses So that the Proverb commonly repeated among the Vulgar is not spoken in vain That the Ass carries Mysteries Wherefore I would hereby advertise the famous Professors of Sciences that if the unprofitable burthen of Humane Knowledge be not laid aside and that Lions borrowed skin put off not that of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah but of the Lion that goes about roaring and seeking whom he may devour whereby ye shall be turned into meer and bare Asses that ye will be utterly and altogether unfit to carry the Mysteries of Divine wisdom Neither had Apuleius of Megara's Ass been admitted to the holy Mysteries of Isis if he had not been turn'd out of a Philosopher into an Ass. We read Miraculous actions of divers Beasts as that an Elephant writ the Greek letters and Plutarch relateth a Story of one that being a Rival with Aristophanes the Grammarian lov'd a young Maid named Stephanopolides And in the same Author we read of a Dragon that lov'd a Virgin of Etholis The same also preserv'd his Nourisher running to her assistance as knowing her voice In Pliny we finde that a Serpent call'd Aspis was accustomed to come daily to a certain mans Table who perceiving the son of her Host to be stain by one of her young ones she flew her young one in revenge of the broken law of Hospitality nor would ever after for shame come to that house again The same Gratitude is recorded of a Panther to a man for helping her young ones out of a ditch for which she conducted him out of the desart till she brought him safe into the open Road. Histories also report that Cyrus was suckled by a Bitch and the founder of the Roman Citie by a She-wolf I pass over the Wonders related of Dolphins and the Gratitude of Lions for benefits receiv'd Nor will I speak of the Bear of Daunia nor of the Bull of Tarentum both tam'd by Pythagoras But that which surpasseth all admiration is this That Ammonius of Alexandria Master of Origen and Porphyrie is said to have had an Ass one of the hearers of his Wisdom a Fellow-scholar with the rest We finde also in sacred Story that an Ass was endued with the spirit of Prophecie for when Balaam a wise man and a Prophet went to curse the people of Israel he saw not the Angel of the Lord but the Ass saw him and with the voice of a man spake to Balaam that rode him Thus I say sometimes the simple and rude Idiot sees those things oft-times which a School-Doctor blinded with the Traditions of men cannot perceive Did not Sampson with the jaw-bone of an Ass kill and slay the Philistims and being thirsty when he prayed to the Lord the Lord loosned a tooth in the same jaw-bone and clean water sprang out immediately which when he had drank his spirits were refreshed and his strength recovered Did not Christ by the mouth of his silly Asses and rude Idiots the Apostles vanquish and put to silence all the Learned Philosophers of the Gentiles and great Lawyers among the Jews trampling under-foot all manner of worldly wisdom drinking to us out of the Cheek-bone of his Asses the water of wisdom and everlasting life By what has been already said it is now as clear as the Sun that there is no Beast so fit and proper to retain Divinity as the Ass into which creature if ye be not transform'd ye shall not be able to carry the Divine