otherwise then Adam contained in himself Eve which was the Mother of the little world or man after Adam and therefore Hermes saith Mens autem Deus utriusque sexús foecunditate plenissimus vita lux cum verbo sic alteram mentem peperit God being full of the fertility of both sexes and being life and light brought forth another Divine Spirit by his Word And Scriptures seem to intimate thus much in this sense Qui caeteris generationem tribuo an sterilis ero It is evident therefore that out of one and the same radicall Unity existing before all antiquity both the matter and form of all things do proceed and that they appear in regard of their being or births but aeviall that is having a beginning but no end though in their essentiall Root they are Eternall in God the abstruse Monady or Unity of all things So that as the dark Chaos and the bright informing Spirit are two principles opposite and contrary to one another in nature and property for from the dark principle discord evill cold congelation rest death privation negation or Nolunty do proceed but from the other which is the type of beauty and grace namely the bright beginning light concord goodness heat resolution motion life and position or Volunty are poured out into the nature of the world to cause it to exist and live so also both these are but main branches arising from one and the same essentiall Unity which when they cannnot pass or exceed the limits of their infinite fountain are in him light and darkness and no way differing in essence from their Root which is all in all because that as the Psalmist doth say Tenebrae sunt ei sicut ipsa lux Darkness is unto him as lighâ— For all is one in him who is onely one and the same in himself In whom by whom and therefore from whom are all things For his Volunty and Nolunty is but all one in him that is one simple Identity and what is his Volunty that is as well his affirmation as his negation which is all but one good in him that is all goodness And yet in regard of the creature when his negation hath the supremacy he hides the light of his loving countenance and all is dark and then he operateth in regard of his privation For where he hideth his face all is deformed and as it were void of essence and goodness Lo here is his Volunty negative or privative which may rightly be termed his Nolunty If his affirmation hath dominion he emitteth the beauty of his benignity and the creatures expecting spirit is enlightned by his presence and consequently replenished with goodnesâ— Lo here is also his Volunty affirmative or positive called his Volunty in the right sense But least any man should think this strange let him but observe the mentall beam which is assigned by God unto man to inform him with reason and adorn him with understanding We know that man hath but one Divine nature which giveth him intellect Spiritus est in homine saith Job sed inspiratio omnipotentis facit eum intelligere And yet this Unity in essence which is the Image of God operateth in generall by two contrary properties Whereof the one is apt to affirm give and grant a petition by an affable emanation Lo here is the Act of position scored out in mans spirituall Unity or else to deny take away or be against the demand of him that craveth by a privative ablation of the wished rewards Lo here is the effect of negation deciphered for the mentall beam shineth not out unto the Petitioner but is reserved or contracted in it self In these two actions we may observe but onely one effect wich is laudable in this one simple and absolute unity unto the petitioner for though I grant by the friendly and pitifull emanation or emission of my mentall beam so that it is according unto the petitioners wish or though I deny his demand contrary unto his desire and so it appeareth to be a great evill or mischief unto the demander yet unto my mentall spirit both the affirmation or negation appeareth good and are founded upon good reason and therefore are indeed but one thing though they seem divers to the demander In like manner in the eternall and archetypicall mentall unity whose type or similitude the beam of our understanding is as well the act of Volunty as Nolunty is all one and that is goodnesse for he that is all goodnesse hath in it self no contrariety although in the creature which is subject unto the effects either of his privative or positive will his privative or dark action is esteemed for evill as contrariwise his positive and light emanation that is full of love and benignity is received for good and therefore embraced with joy For doth not the holy Text tell us Bonum malum vita mors à Deo sunt Good and evill life and death are from God And doth it not tell us in another place Quod Deo abscondente faciem suam a creaturis conturbantur recipiente spiritum eorum exspirant emittente spiritum suum recreantur bono God hiding his face from the creatures they are troubled and sick taking his bright vivifying Spirit from them they dye and sending it forth again they are recreated with goodnesse health and life And again Visitatio tua saith David praeservat spiritum meum Thy visitation doth preserve my spirit Attolâ—e faciem tuam emitte lucem supra nos efficiet ut videamus lucem splendentes efficiat tenebras nostras Send out the light of thy countenance and it will cause us to see light and it will make our darknesse bright and shining And again Tenebras ponam iis in lucem I will put darknesse in them in stead of light Tenebras in diem incurrent astuti quasi in nocte sic palpabunt in meridie Crafty men shall in the day-time run into darknesse and they shall grope at noon-day as if it were in the night In tenebris est in tenebris ambulat qui odit fratrem He is in darknesse and walketh in darkness that hateth his brother And the Prophet saith Tenebrae persequentur inimicos Dei Darknesse shall persecute the enemies of God Abscondit faciem suam ab iis ut obtingant iis multa mala angustiae He hideth his face from them that evill and misery may befall them And yet there is neither of these two properties in this one essentiall unity but is good absolutely though the latte be privative passive odious disturbing and deadly unto the creature that end â—reth the effect Is it not written that he hath the power of life and death and doth â—â—ad down unto the mouth of the grave and can bring back again to life when he pleaseth And yet all this is but according to his double property of Volunty and Nolunty that is of his
them lines others sorts on which the virtue of things do depend They erre not much in this saying onely in appearing to divide the Godhead into diversities of gods but they seem to excuse themselves of that error in saying that all those gods had relation unto one Jupiter and so by that word relation they preserve the continuity and indivisibility in the Soul They agree therefore with Scriptures in that their meaning is that this divine essence is in all things For as Scriptures acknowledg that the catholick Spirit of Wisdome is one simple Spirit and yet it is tearmed by Solomon multiplex or manifold in respect of his multiplicity of action or property in creatures which it animateth for it is said to fill the universe And the incorruptible Spirit of God to be in all things and to give life and motion unto all forasmuch as it is omni re mobilior more movabâ—e and sprightfull then any thing and being but one thing it is able to do all things it being permanent in it felf and therefore doth animate all being that it is in all and every where For this reason also the Poets say Omnia Jovis plena that all are full of Jupiter That is to say the essentiall beams of this Eternall Jupiter or JEHOVA are in every particular place of the world making things to live and exist by a different property And for this reason they conclude that omnia diis plena as is said all things are full of gods I come unto the third The Platonists and all those Philosophers which partake with them differ in nothing from Orpheus Democritus and the rest saving that those call that the Soul of the world which the other tearm Jupiter and the Gods which possesse all things they nominate peculiar souls or mentall beames which depend and have a continuated relation unto the Anima mundi as the incorruptible Spirit of the Lord that filleth each particuler is not discontinued from that humid fountain which filleth the universe It is evident therefore by this which is already said that all the subsequent opinions of the Philosophers touching the Anima mundâ— may be fully confirmed and maintained by the self same reasons and therefore I will say no more touching this point at this instant I conclude therefore thus that seeing the Soul of the world hath for his internall act the bright emanation of the eternall Unity and the subtile catholick created Spirit for its humid Vehicle or materiall Organ which is its externall in which and by which it operareth in all and over all We must acknowledg that there is a kind of contrariety in the very catholick Soul for else would not action and passion be in the created Soul which is so called because it is made of alterity that is of two namely of a creared passive which is an off-spring of the dark Chaos and therefore apt to move unto darknesse by a naturall inclination and of an increated active which seeketh to Deify this Spirit if it do adhere or incline unto it and to exalt its light Hence cometh it that by reason of this Spirit 's divers inclination there are good or bad passions ingendred not onely in the heavens and earth of the great world and their creatures as well celestiall and elementary as animall vegetable and minerall but also in the little world which is man as shall be expressed in the first Chapter of the next Book But first I deem it most fit to open unto you the true mystery how the peculiar Soul of the little world and then how all other Souls as well animal vegetable and mineral do proceed and spring from and afterwards are preserved and multiplied by this catholick Soul of the world which is a doubt not fully decided by the best Philosophers even unto this very day And therefore ought this discourse of ours not to be slighted or lightly regarded even of the learnedest of this our Age. CHAP. V. How all particular Souls are said to spring forth or proceed and then afterwards to have their preservation and multiplication from this generall Anima mundi or Soul of the world and first to begin with that of the moâ—â— noble which is of the little world or Man HErmes called also for another reason Mercurius Trismegistus said rightly that the world was made after the similitude or Type of God and therefore as the one is tearmed Archetypus so also the other is said to be Typus For this reason therefore in another place he saith Scio mundum à Deo atque in Deo hominem vero a mundo in mundo consistere principium autem comprehensioque omnium Deus I know saith he that the world is from God and in God and that man is of the world and in the world But God is the beginning and the comprehension of all things And again he speaketh thus else where in a generality Deus est Cosmi Pater cosmus vero eorum quae in Cosmo cosmus quidem Dei filius jure Cosmus appellatus est quia omnia veritate generationis exornat necnon indesinenti vitae operatione perpetua necessitatis celeritate elementorum commistione ordine genitorum Cosmus quaecunque ab ipsa origine suscepit à Deo perpetuò servat God is the Father of the world the world is the father of them that are in the world and the world is the off-spring of God and it is rightly called Cosmus because it adorneth with verity every kind of generation and also with a never ceasing operation of life and a perpetuall celerity of necessity in the commixtion of the Elements which by order are brought forth c. In all this he varieth not from Scriptures For that in the beginning God is said to have made the world of a matter without a form and to have adorned his humid nature or the heavens with his vivifying Spirit which filleth and operateth all in all as I have told you before and that from the breath of the self-same Spirit of life all the creatures of the world are animated and from the substantiall Elements in the world they receive their matter So that as God by the pouring forth of his bright vivifying and all-acting Spirit did make the humid and passive nature of the world to operate and that so animated Spirit which is mixed secundum totum in qualibet ejus parte in all and every part with his increated Animatour is rightly called the Soul of all the Universe So we ought to make no question at all but that every particular Soul in this vaulted machin of the world doth depend and is procreated preserved and multiplied from that catholick Soul because it is an axiom infallible among Philosophers that the whole doth comprehend each part and again each particular hath his existence and being from the whole But the world's catholick materiall Spirit is inacted and preserved by the catholick Eternall Spirit
the root and originall foundation or point from the which all Antipathy and Sympathy do spring namely the first from the privative property or its Nolunty the second from its positive or Volunty I told you next that from this one root or Unity in essence a two-sold branch or member did spring forth expressing typically and explicitly the effects and conditions of these two contrary properties or dispositions which were contained complicitely in the Ideall root namely darkness which is the privative fruit of his Nolunty and light the true character or badge of his Volunty And then I proved unto you that these two were the beginnings of all things Lo here the two Principles of Antipathy and Sympathy extracted out of one root Thirdly I demonstrated unto you that by the separation of the pure from the impure from the dark Chaos which act was effected by the spagerick vertue of the bright emanation or word of the eternall Unity the humid or watry nature of the world was created that is to say essentially informed by the lively presence of the said all-informing Spirit so that through that union of two contrary natures in one namely the informing essence or naturating nature and the informed substance or the nature naturated the spirit of the world was animated and afterwards by the wisest Philosophers termed the Anima mundi which is that angelicall composition of two called therefore by the Sages Alteritas as God in his simple nature is called Identitas Now the passive portion of which alterity was made is said to be the humid created nature oâ— naturated matter of the world whose active essence is the ever-living emanation from eternity which as the Apostle teacheth us doth vivifie all things and filleth all things and is all in all The union of these two maketh the catholick soul of the world called in respect of the simple creating and vivifying emanation Mens in regard onely of the spirit informed Spiritus and as these two are united in one Anima Lo here the third degree of the sympatheticall and antipatheticall progression from the simple root of eternity namely the created matter or spirit in the soul of the world being the child or off-spring of darknesse or the dark Chaos which is therefore naturally prone unto the negative or privative effects of darknesse and consequently apt in its own condition to receive any discordant and antipatheticall impression which the angelicall spirits of darknesse shall imprint upon it For as the sacred light which animates the humid spirit of the world and consequently the whole masse of the waters whereof the heaven and the earth was made as St. Peter doth justifie is the most movable agill and active of all things so on the contrary party the matter that is informed and therefore the created body and spirit is most degenerate from it in that it is no way enclined of its own nature unto motion or life For the Philosophers words are Materia est per se ad motum inefficax ab ipsa anima seu luce degenerans Wherefore of its selfe it endueth its mother Chaos or Hyles her condition and is enclined to rest immobility darknesse cold spissitude and congelation For this cause therefore it suffereth the impressions and characters of both oppositions to wit sometimes it enclineth unto darknesse and then it groweth spisse opak cold immobil thick and ponderous and tendeth in that his property downwards to the cold center or the seat of darknesse which is its mother and then it is in rebellion and opposition with light motion and heat and so it is antipatheticall unto the actions of light and life as we see the airy spirit of the world which is clear light diaphan thin movable and soaring upward by the operating power of the descending light becommeth by the Northern cold congealed opak spisse and immobil or fixed into snow hail ice frost and such like So that by this antipatheticall accession of the cold characters of the dark abysse it is discordant from the loving union and symphoniacall accesse which it had unto the region of light Contrariwise the bright form of the soul which is the essence of that eternall emanation doth give the matter or spirit of the soul's life action motion hear tenuity and diaphanity and that more or lesse according as it hath power and dominion over it And we must note that the more the spirit approacheth unto the nature of light the firmer are the bonds of its sympatheticall accords For as sympathy doth consist of things of a like nature so the nearer the spirit approacheth unto form the greater is the sympathy and accord the surer the tie and the more virtuous the effect for the more that the created spirit is illuminated the lesse it remembers that naturall inclination and love that it had unto its dark originall insomuch that by such an extream purified exaltation it becommeth as it were deified And therefore Plato's opinion is that if the middle spirit which is between the mentall beam and the dark bodily substance doth more adhere unto the divine or mentall beam than the dark body then it will become a good Demon or Angel but if it respect the body more than the divine beam it will descend unto the nature of a Cacodemon or spirit of darknesse Also by Scripture we are taught that by adhering unto this divine light namely unto Christ we shall be transformed into the same image to wit if we forsake this dark world and the lusts of the obscure body or flesh But to return unto the soul of the great world If the airy spirit be given over unto the power of darknesse it becommeth bodily and turnes into the same image namely frost snow hail c. but if the hot effect or the formall act of light prevail a degree over the stupid cold of darknesse it leaveth his opake quality and becommeth diaphan and returneth from an earthly fixt and obscure nature unto a clear transparent and fluxible substance and by another degree of the divine act it is made more subtle more dilated more invisible and pure and it is called Aire by a third it is purified unto fire by a fourth unto aether when it loseth all the appetite of mutation and forgetteth the privative stock from whence it came by a fifth it becommeth angelicall or emperiall and so it is exalted more and more in dignity according as it is more and more obedient unto the actions of the eternall and catholick influence of form which shineth forth from the fountain of infinity For we must understand that the whole inclination of the eternall emanation is to reduce this child of darknesse unto eternall light unity and life as contrariwise the endeavours of the potentiall darknesse which is the stamp of Gods Nolunty or privative nature are clean contrary So that all the end of the creating light 's action is to unite all by the symphoniacall band of love and
a receptacle for the Angelicall Spirits and blessed Souls as it hath its position betwixt both the extream worlds namely that of Eternity and the other of Temporality for it hath an immediate relation or commerce with them both For first it receiveth its immediate light life or formall existence from Eternity and then it poureth it out or communicateth it with the temporall or inferiour mansion to create and vivify it with the creatures thereof insomuch that as the formall act of the temporall world is Angelicall so the vivifying soul or spirit of the aeviall is divine or eternall Wherefore it followeth that the nature and property of Angells is neither to be excluded from the Subject of Theology forasmuch as they participate with the Divine Light or bright presence of Eternity neither can they be exempted from the body of Philosophy being that the Angelicall light is the soul and life of the Temporal nature and consequently the true Philosopher must acknowledg his essentiall science or Philosophicall grounds to proceed radically from the Eternall God by his aeviall or Angelicall Spirits into his temporall creatures I mean the Stars Winds Elements Meteors and perfect mixed bodies and therefore in respect that the Philosophicall Subject is animated by Angelicall influences it must needs pierce with a mentall regard into the eternall Light which doth centrally vivifie both the aeviall and temporall creatures beyond the which there is nothing to be found or imagined This therefore is the perfect tri-partite measure of that Ladder which Jacob dreamed of when he laid his head upon the stone which in its longitude latitude and profundity contained the images or characters of these three worlds and for that reason it was termed by the Patriarch himself Domus Dei The tabernacle of God Whereupon as that stone had his externall and internall so in his divine dream he observed Angells to ascend by it namely from earth which is the Creator's soot-stool unto the Eternall world where his Throne is by the aeviall mansion and also to descend again by the same degrees Thus may the sacred Philosopher with the Prophet not onely perceive by a more externall spirituall vision Rotam in Rota or the aeviall essence in the temporall beeing but also by a most internall or mentall aspect he may contemplate Rotam in medio Rotarum to wit a centrall mover and Eternall Spirit in the aeviall by the which the temporall or corporeall creature is immediatly vivified and agitated whereby we may boldly infer with the Scriptures that God is essentially one and all And therefore I may lawfully conclude with these axioms of the divine Theo-Philosophists which appertain as well unto the formal act in the Creature which is the true life of Philosophy as the essentiall virtue of Divinity that God operateth all in all He vivifieth all things He filleth all things His incorruptible Spirit is in all things By the Word all things were made In the Word was life and that life was the light of men He giveth life and inspiration and all things In him we live move and have our beeing He is the Father of all who is above all and through all and in all of us From him by him and in him are all things He sent his Spirit and created all things He giveth breath unto the people and spirit unto the creatures that tread on the earth O Lord how manifold are thy works in Wisdom thou hast made them all the earth is full of thy riches c. If thou hidest thy face the creatures are troubled if thou takest a way their breath they die if thou sendest forth thy Spirit they are re-created or revived By him were all things created which are in heaven and which are in earth things visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominations or Principalities or Powers all things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and in him all things consist Note here how the Apostle doth livelily set forth in these words the foresaid three worlds Again Christ is all and in all things He sustaineth all things by the word of his Virtue In him are all the treasures of Wisom hid God by his Wisdom giveth or proportioneth a weight unto the aire and hangeth the waters or clouds in measure and maketh a decree for the rain and ordereth a way for the lightnings of the Thunders He speaketh in Thunder and answereth Job out of a Whirl-wind He by his Word giveth Snow like wool and scattereth the hoary Frost like ashes he casteth forth his Ice like morsels who can resist against his cold He sendeth out his Word and melteth them so soon as he sendeth forth his breath the waters do flow again By his breath the Frost is engendered and the breadth of the waters is made narrow I could produce an infinity of other places out of Scriptures to manifest the universall acts and virtuous operations which are effected in the Elementary creatures by that most essentiall and eternall Wisdom which is the main ground and true Corner-stone whereon the purest Mosaicall Philosophy doth rely but I esteem it needless being that they are copiously expressed already by me in this my Philosophicall Discourse and therefore I imagine that these which are already produced will be sufficient to content and satisfy all such as are unpartially judicious unto whose better wisdom and favourable constructions I recommend these mine indeavours and finally both them and my self unto God's blessed protection Your Friend Robert Fludd MOSAICALL PHILOSOPHY The First Book Section 1. The Argument of the First Book THis first Book sheweth that whereas the minds of worldly men are at this very day erected and soared up even unto the highest pitch of infidelity insomuch as they require and demand after signes and ocular demonstrations as the Jewes did For it is said The Greeks hunt after wisdom the Jewes demand for signes c. or else they will in no case be drawn to believe our Author did esteem it the greatest means of conquest in this Herculean-combat which is to be effected betwixt the two deadly enemies and strong champions Truth and Falshood that is to say the wisdom of God and that of the World if he could find out some vulgar and well known Experiment or practicall Insâ—rument which might serve our celestiall Champion Truth instead of an Herculean-Club to tame and exanimate that foul monster Infidelity who standeth so stifly in the maintenance and defence of his Lord and Master I mean the Prince of darknesse and errour his privileges being that such persons as will not be conducted and directed unto the center of Veritie by reall practise and ocular demonstration may rightly be adjudged more irregular and extravagant from the square and polished rules of reason than the brute beast who warned by experience which in that respect may rightly be esteemed for the mistresse of fools doth make his
did build a temple and city in the honour of the Sun Wherefore the chariot and horses of the sun which the ignorant Jewes had set up before thâ—â— gate of Gods temple were justly puâ—led down which distinguished not the Creator from the creature This errour which to this hour cleaveth it self unto the Aristotelically learned of this world is delineated in its true characters by that Evangelist who did assure us that all life is in the Word This word or lighâ— saith he is in the world and the world was made by it and the world did not know him But as many as did receive or acknowledge him namely that he made all and was all and in all were numbred among the children of God Wherefore all true Christians ought to understand that he filleth all vivifieth all sustaineth all operateth all in all for without it they cannot be esteemed the legitimate children of God they ought not to be so ignorant of the Creator in the creature being that his glory shineth forth of them and may be perceived by them more of lesse thinking that he is absent even from the most beautifull creature of the world who is present with all for it is said that he filleth all and that not virtually or accidentally as some worldly wisemen by their Ethnick distinction distorting by that means the truth of the Scripture will have it but in essence being in plain tearms it is said in one place Christ is in all and over all in him are all things But Christ which is the true wisdom is the vertuous or essentiall emanation from the Father and therefore no accident In another place The incorruptible Spirit of God is in all things but that Spirit which hath no corruption in it and preserveth from corruption and giveth really life is no accident but a perfect essence In another place Of him by him and in him are all things therefore this is meant essentially and not accidentally In another place God is all in all And again the Apostle Of God the Father are all things by our Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things All which cannot be meant otherwise than by Gods essence which is in and over all because that in himself he is onely essentiall and therefore no accidents can be attributed unto him and consequently we may conclude that Gods Spirit is essentially in the creatures and for that reason we ought simply to consider him and acknowledge him in his works For that person which professeth himself a Christian and doth not know this is but a Christian in name and consequently vain and miserable And this is partly confirmed by the words of St. Paul and partly out of those of Solomon before mentioned The anger of God saith St. Paul is revealed from heaven upon the impiety and iniustice of those men which do detaâ—n the verity of God in unrighteousnesse because what is known of God is made mâ—nifest unto them for God hath revealed it unto them For the invisible things of him are discerned of the creature of this world by those things which are understood by creation as also his everlasting vertue and divinity So that they are inexcusable because that when they knew God they did not glorifie him or give him thanks but did fade away or vanish in their own imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned and therefoâ—e in saying that they were wise they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the similitude of a corruptible man and of birds and of four-footed beasts and of serpents c. Whereby he argueth first that God ought to be pondered and known in his creatures and that we ought to acknowledg and ascribe all the glory and vertue of them unto his Spirit or divinity in them and not to mistake the Creator for the creature For he seemeth expresly to argue and signifie that his everlasting vertue and divinity is in the creatures and that it appeareth out of them For his words import that the invisible things of him are discerned by the things that are created as also his everlasting vertue and divinity And why not being that in the Word is and was from the beginning life or the vivifying Spirit but life is in the creatures Ergo the Word and by consequence the incorruptible Spirit But Solomon confirmeth the above mentioned place in this All men are vain by nature who are ignorant of God and cannot understand him that truly is by such good creatures of his which they behold nor acknowledg the workman by the consideration of his works Wherby he argueth that divinity in the creature may be perceived in and by the aspect of the creature Wherefore it is evident that the Prophet said rightly when he did affirm that the heavens did declare the Glory and Majesty of God by the beauteous apparition of that glorious Spirit which did inact them and adorn their beauteous Eie I mean the Sun with such divine vivifying and illuminating vertue which in aboundance doth possesse and inhabit it And therefore I conclude that the Prophet said rightly and instructingly unto the ignorant world that the bright Spirit of God did dwell in the Sun of heaven as in a Tabernacle and did impart and distribute his gifts of form life vegetation and multiplication unto every creature out of it And yet I will not acknowledg with Aristotle that Sol homo generant hominem That the Sun and man do begeâ—â— man but rather that the vivifying Spirit which is potent in the Sun and not weak in every specifick creature is onely he that vivifieth all things sending his spiracle of natural Heat and life by an ordinary course out of the Sun to help and assist the creatures to live and multiply and yet he is not inclusively in the Sun but worketh also all in all as well within as without it being that it filleth all things And this is good doctrine which arrogateth all vivifying actions as well immediate as mediate soly unto him who wholly acteth and effecteth all things and consequently not unto the created organ in which and by which he operateth for in doing the contrary we shall derogate from the Creator to ascribe that which indeed is not unto the creature As for the later interpretation which saith Soli posuit tentorium in coelis He made the Sun a pavillion or tabernacle in the heavens What profit I beseech you can that doctrine bring unto man The first Interpretation teacheth man that the Spirit of God is in this bright creature of heaven and therefore teacheth us to adore the Lord and not the palace being that the ignorance of the divine Spirit 's being in the beauteous creatures hath been the occasion of infinite errours in the world And therefore it is an interpretation of especiall moment and instruction The Second is a thing so triviall that it needed no such curiosity of expression to signify that
there is not any bodily substance that is viod of a soul and that the world and every part thereof doth consist of a body therefore there is an intermediate spirit betwixt this soul and body which they neither call a soul or a body but a mean substance participating of them both to reduce both extreams together into one The wiser sort of Alchymists do make the Soul a certain infinite nature or power in all things which doth procreate like things of their like for this nature doth engender all things yea and multiplieth and nourisheth or sustaineth them and they also style it the Ligament or bond of the elements since by it they are fastned together with the Symphoniacal accords of peaceable harmony although of themselves that is in regard of their matter they are dissonant Also it is termed the true virtue that mingleth and proportionateth every thing in this sublunary world allotting unto each specifick creature a convenient and well agreeing form that thereby one thing might be distinguished and made to vary from another and in conclusion the mysticall Rabbies do averre that this occult fire is that Spirit of the Lord or fiery love which when it moved upon the waters did impart unto them a certain harmonious and hidden fiery vertue without whose lovely assistance and favorable heat nothing could be generated of them or multiplied in them Thus you may discern the manifold opinions as well of Christian as Heathen Philosophers touching this Anima mundi or soul of the world which will appear to vary little or nothing at all from the tenent of Holy Scripture in sense but in words onely Neither are these their opinions so hainous or abominable as some more superstitiously zealous than truly understanding Christians of this our Age will make them if they will scan the matter wisely and with moderation for then they shall really perceive that it doth concurre with the Bible of Truth And to confirm what I now say my purpose is in the first place to expresse unto each learned and well minded Reader the harmony of the Scriptures touching this point and then I will compare every one of the foresaid opinions with the sense and grounds of the said harmony that each wise man may thereby the better conjecture and guesse at the truth of the business before he shall rashly enter into the censuring of that deep and profound mystery which concerneth the Divine action in naturall effects I told you in my precedent discourse that the Eternall Unity which is the God of gods and Beginning of beginnings did cause by a double property in one essence two divers principles to issue out of himself whereof the one was potentiall and no way as yet inacted by the brightnesse of his emanation and in that respect is termed Darkness privation Nolunty opposit to Light and a friend unto death and rest The other was actuall and nothing else but a pure catholick form and brightness which is tearmed Light Position Volunty and in nature opposit to Darknesse and a friend unto life and action or motion And then I signified unto you that by the bright appearance of Eternity or the Eternall Spirit of Wisdom which I termed with the Scriptures the radiant emanation or effluxion from the Almighty which is all one with him in essence the deformed waters were inacted and made manifest out of this dark Principle or Chaos that is reduced from Potentia Divina or the Divine Puissance without form in which they abode into Actum Divinum the Divine Act and because all the humid and passive catholick nature of which both the heavens and the earth were framed did issue from this Mass of watery matter which the Poets call Pana or the second birth of Chaos we must imagine it to be that spirituall matter of the world which was made fertill and multiplicable by reason of that hidden active and formall Light or invisible fire which this increated emanation imparted unto it immediatly before the creation of the heavens and the earth Whereupon the holy Text hath it Spiritus Domini serebatur super aquas The Spirit of the Lord moved or was carried upon the waters And as St. Aâ—gustin addeth to it igneum illis vigorem impâ—râ—ieâ—s Bestowâ—ng upon thâ—m a fiery vigor or formall and actâ—ve vertue Now as we see that Man which is called the little-world is composed of soul and body whereof the soul is his heaven or spirituall part or as we may say the superiour and higher waters and the body with the humours thereof as it were the lower waters is the earth and gâ—osser humouâ—s and each of these two are informed united and vivified by the Spirit of life which God inspired into it even so we may observe that the heaven or spirituall humid nature of the great world is animated by the eternall emanation or spirit of the supernaturall wisdom of God to give life and figure unto the world And forasmuâ—h as it is eaâ—ie to discern that the macro cosmicall heavens are of two sorts namely composed of upper spirituall waters which are called Aeâ—her or heavenly and of the lower spirituall waters which are called Aer or elementary no otherwise than in the lesser world or man the receptacle of the heavenly spirit is known to be Aer so that Physitians distinguish by reason of this difference between the vitall or aetheriall spirits and the naturall or elementary body So we ought to consider that this materiall humid spirit of the heavens in both worlds which are the subtlety of the waters are in themselves dead but in respect of the super-celestiall emanation into them which informeth and vivifieth them they live move and are thinner or thicker according unto that more or less formall grace which the all-informing Spirit doth allot them for the more the sacred Spirit of life doth abound or really act in this or that region of the universall aire the more that sphear is thin subtle active worthy and noble Doth not Scripture seem to verifie that Deus sapientia sua aptet pondus aeri appendat aquas in mensura fecerit terram in fortitudine sua preparaverit orbem in sapientia sua prudentia sua extenderit coelos appenderit aquilonem super inane suspenderit terram super nihilum In coelorum structura cum Deus stabiliret fundâ—menta terrae ipsa aderat cuncta componens And again Wisdom saith Ex ore altissimi prodii primogenita ante omnem creaturam in initio ante seculum creata sum usque ad futurum seculum non desinam habitatione sancta coram ipsum ministravi In coelis â—eci ut oriretur lumeninde ficiens sicut nebula texâ— omnem terram In altissimis habitavi thronus meus in columna nubis coeli gyrum circuivi sola profundum abyssi penetravi in fluctibus maris ambulavi in omni terra sâ—eti Feci Arcturum Orionem converti in
mane tenebras diem in noctem mutavi vocavi aquas maris effudi eas super terrae faciem Coelos den que mediante Spiritu meo ornavit Deus converti coelum in gyro in locum suum uno die omniaque numero pondâ—re meâ—sura disposuit temperavit God by his wisdom giveth proportion of weight unto the aire hangeth the waters in measure He made the earth in his strength prepared the world in his wisdome and extended the heavens by his prudency He hanged the North upon emptinesse and inâ—nity and ballanced the earth upon nothing For she was present at the building of the heavenâ— and it was â—he that did compasse and fashion out all things When God did establish the foundations of the earth she was present and composed all things And in another plaâ—e this Spirit of wisdom saith I came out of the mouth of the most high being first-born or brought forth before any creature I was created in the beginning before all ages neither shall my beeing cease in the latter age of the world and I do administer before him in his holy habitation I caused a never failing light to rise in the heavens and I covered the earth after the manner of a mist. I dwelled in the highest places and my throne was in a câ—owdy pillar I alone did compasse round about the heavens and did penetrate into the profundâ—â— of the abysse and I walked in the waves of the seas and I stood upon every earth I made the North or pole-star and Orion and I turned the darknesse into day and the day unto night I called the waters of the seas and poured them out upon the face of the earth I turned the heavens about unto his place in one daies space To conclude God adorned the heavens by my spirit and did proportionate and temper all things in number weight and measure c. By which testimonyes it is most apparent that all changes alterations actions ornaments of beauty motions numbers weights measures and consequently all diversities that are made in the generall homogeniall mass of the waters are effected by this vivifying emanation of the benigne and bright spirit of the eternall Unity whose root is the Word for in verity according unto St. Paul it is onely this Spirit that doth operate all in all And therefore I must needs conclude with the kingly Prophet and say Opera Dei mirabilia ampla sunt quae omnia fecisti in sapientia The works of God are marvellous and ample which thou hast effected in thy wisdom And again Verbo Domini firmati sunt coeli Spiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum By the word of the Lord the heavens were fashioned and fastned and by the Spirit of his mouth each vertue thereof Which words do seem to infer not onely the materiall substance of the world which is intimated by that word Heavens but also the inacting form that is the vivifying beginning of all things which hath no beginning and this is signified by the Word and his off-spring the Spirit from the which the waters first received their beeing and then of these catholick waters were the heavens the earth and elements made in number weight and measure that is to say were effected by a subdivision through the spagerick act of the self-same word or spirit And therefore St. Peter hath it Coeli erunt priùs terra de aquis per aquas consistentes verbo Dei The heavens and the earth were of old of waters and by waters consisting by the word of God As who should say after the Spirit of the Lord had issued out of the dark abyss for it is said Verbum erat in principio The Word was in the beginning and had given act and form and consequently a name unto the waters for it was said that the Spirit of the Lord was carried upon the waters the same Spirit did operate to reveal explicitely and particularly that which the Chaos did at the first contain in it self complicitely and confusedly and that in a generality wherefore when it had revealed the universall matter of all things which was water it did by little and little anatomise it and open the secret closets thereof to shew forth and make manifest that which from all eternity lay hid in it and was without form or beeing and therefore esteemed rightly for Nothing And first the substance of the world was made of it in generall as it appeareth by this Text Manus omnipotentis mundunt ex informi materia effecit The hand of the Omnipotent did make the world of a matter without form or shape And as St. Jerom interpreteth it Ex materia invisa Of an unseen or invisible thing Then that watry and humid substance was divided into the heaven and earth in distinguishing the waters from the waters by the same Spirit which is the ministring hand of the Almighty for the Text hath it In habitatione sancta coram ipso ministravi I did administer before him in the holy habitacle And again Sapientia apud ipsum fuit cuncta componens Wisdom was she that composed all things with God And this was the second daies work Then the lower waters were divided into elements namely earth water aire c. and that was the third daies separation as Moses doth methodically demonstrate All which Hermes expresseth thus as is said before Ex luminis voce verbum factum prodit verum hoc naturae humidae astans eam fovebat Ex humidae autem naturae visceribus sincerus ac levis ignis protenus evolans alta petit aer quoque levis spiritûs parens in mediam regionem inter aquam ignem sortiebatur terra verò aqua sic invicem commixta jacebant ut terrae facies obruta nusquam pateret The word which was made did issue out of the Light 's voice and this Word being present and assistant unto the humid nature did foster and preserve it Then the light fire proceeding out of the bowells of the humid nature soared or mounted aloft The thin air aâ—sâ— which is the father of the spirit did elect the middle region which is between the fire and the water for his abode The earth and water did lie so intermingled together that the face of the earth was no where overflowed or drowned by the waters Whereby it is evidently proved that this thin spirituall water or humid nature in it self is no more than mans spirit without the vivifying act of life for as in the soul of every creature that liveth there are two things chiefly to be required namely an Agent and a Patient so where the one of these are wanting there can be no created soul for if that the world's life was onely the essentiall breath of God without the vehicle of the created humid spirit which is the matter of heaven then that life would be simple identity and of one and the same property
in the animals it is easie to know how blood in the animals body is transmuted from a white chylous substance into a rubicund and ruddy blood By reason of his vegetation and multiplication in substance it is an easie matter to guesse the manner of augmentation and vegetation and also of the quantitative multiplication by way of generation of the animal For verily I have observed so worthy an experiment in this vegetative salt in the Wheat of which the blood of man by eating of bread is full that we need not to make any doubt but that it is the onely substance of vegetation as well in the animall as vegetable For on a day when I had cast away the faeces or superfluous part of the substauce out of which I did draw the salt liquor into a large Pipkin and covered it with a thin plate of iron within three weeks or a months space I found it to have struck up out of the pot quite through the plate of iron and to make above a thousand blades like an iron-coloured saffron to grow up out of the superficies of it which argueth the admirable vegetative property that it hath in it But letting this suffice to expresse the occult puissance of this secret fire of God in nature in all vegetables mineralls and other animals I will now convert the file of my speech onely unto that wondrous act and operation which this admirable Spirit effecteth in the little world or man The spirit of life was by God so inspired into man that he was made a living creature no otherwise then when Elohim Ruach was breathed on the waters they were animated and vivified and became a great world which the Platonists for that reason called Magnum animal A great living creature But as the world was made after the image of God before man was made and afterwards man by the same Spirit in the world was framed by the Word after the pattern of that Spirit of life and the substance of the waters which were in the great world Therefore we must conceive that man hath the vivifying means of his sustentation preservation and multiplication by generation from the soul of the world and his elements Wherefore Hermes doth not unadvisedly expresse the descent and ingression of the worlds vivifying spirit into man after this manner A er est in corpore anima in aere mâ—ns in anâ—ma in mente verbum Verbum verò est eorum pater The aire is in the body the soul or life is in the aire the mentall Spirit is in the soul the Word is in the mentall Spirit and the Word is the Father of them all And he concludeth in that place Quod Verbum sit imago Dei mens verbi anima mentis aer animae corpus aëris That the Word is the Image of God the mental beam the image of the word the vitall Soul the image of the mental beam the aire of the vitall Soul and the body of the aire Whereby we may discern the admirabletie which every portion of each dignity in the great world hath unto other in the composition of the little world and therefore it is made evident that the purest portion of elementary matter is aire the purest sublimity of the aire is the vitall form in which is the mentall beam and in it is the Word which is God and we must observe that by mentem or the mentall Spirit is meant the vivifying Spirit of Wisdom which filleth all things whose fountain as Ecclesiasticus doth teach us is the Word of God as if I with Hermes should say the bright and eternall Spirit of life in the quintessentiall Spirit maketh the Soul the Soul in the aire is conducted into the body where it operateth the effects of vivification and internall multiplication of the Species and therefore he saith in another place Anima hominis in hunc vehitur modum Mens in ratione ratio in anima anima in spiritu spiritus in corpore Spiritus per venas arteriasque sanguinemque diffusus animal undique ciet The Soul of man is carried into his body after this manner The mental beam is the reasonable spirit the reasonable spirit is in the Soul or ethereall spirit the Soul or ethereall spirit is in the airy spirit and the airy spirit is in the body which moveth through the veins and arteries and being dispersed over all the blood doth agitate and move the body on every side We must therefore imagine that the aire which is drawn into our heart by inspiration is full of that divine treasure of life the which residing in the heart of man sucketh and draweth his life into it by a magnetick force and virtue For nature coveteth and rejoyceth at the presence of its like as is said And again that the heart is the precious store-house of the active treasure of life we may collect out of this speech of Solomon Cor tuum custodi supra onâ—nem observationem quia ab eo procedunt actiones vitae Gard with the best diligence and keep charily thy heart seeing that from it proceed all the actions of life The nature and instruments by which the Spirit attracteth magnetically and expelleth after attraction that of the humid vehicle of aire which is inutil and superfluous in this Being that without the sparks of life and generation which swimme in the aire no creature amongst the which we esteem Man to be the chiefest can live scarsly a moment of time it is most necessary that they should be drawn and sucked in by the creature every minute for without this necessary act with the salutary effect thereof the animal will forthwith be suffocated or strangled for by the deprivation of the aire the soul will soon cease his vivifying operation forasmuch as it is nothing else but a portion of eternall light in the soul of the world which is composed as I proved before of the divine emanating virtue and the subtil humid nature of the world whereof the first affordeth the Calidum innatum or natural heat of life and the last the humidum radicale or radical moisture unto the creatures existence and therefore by the inspiration of aire this double virtue is every moment renewed and refreshed in the creature This Spirit therefore the Animal and by consequence man inspireth or sucketh into the left chamber ventricle or region of the heart by the contraction of the straight fibres of the heart when the transverse and oblique fibres will be relaxed whereby the heart will be dilated or opened and this action is called of the Physitians Diastole In the time thereof or interval of this motion the heart doth draw into his left vessell by the Arteria venosa or veiny artery out of the lungs whither it first was conveyed by inspiration through the aspera arteria or weesell-pipe a portion of the airy store-house of nature with his vitall treasury contained in it being as is
excellently-bright throne of Eternity All this in effect we may collect from the Fathers of the Church for St. Dionys. saith That an Angell is the image of God and the shining forth of his hidden light a mirrour pure and most bright without spot without wemm and withâ—ut defiling And for this cause he calleth the Angels Algamatha that is mâ—st clear Mirrâ—rs receâ—ving the light of God arguing theâ—eby that they are the images of the catholick Emanation from whence they spring For Scriptures say that the Spirit of wisdom is the brighâ—nesse of the eternall light a glasse or mâ—rroâ— of the maâ—esty of God wâ—thout â—pot and the image of his Goodnesse And Bartholâ—mâ—w saith That an Angell taketh his hidden light from God by influence and sendeth it forth unto those Angells whiâ—h are of a lower order or condition And Austin and Damascens say that Angeâ—ls are intellectuall lights receiving their light from the first light Again Baâ—tholâ—mâ—w saith that they are called Gold by reason of the beams which they send forth Also they are called Fiery Rivers by reason of the bright influences which they receive and send forth to those of a lower region Also St. Dennis saith that the higher Ordeâ—s receive most plentiously the light of God which afterward they impart by influence unto such Spirits as are lower And this Law is observed in the Oâ—der of Angels namely that some be the first and some the second and some the last For this cause therefore the SERAPHINS are Angels so called because they are said to burn and be set on fire by reason of their immediate presence befâ—re the face of God But letting all these testimonies passe we are instructed by many places of Scripture that Angels are bright â—â—ning lights that they are above in the third heaven attending on the Throne that there are seven which are Presidents in heaven as there are seven Candlesticks which import the seven Planets and that there is one great Angeâ— that is head or master over them all which held the seven stars in his hand And that there are four Angels which have dominion over the four winds who have power to hurt the earth and the seas And that they are commanded and over-ruled by one great Angel who beareth the soveraâ—gn seal of preservation And that there is a Prince of daâ—knesse who is that great opposite spirit which hath dominion in the aire And that there are as well deadly as hurtfull Principalities Potestates and Governours in this world which are adverse unto Gods creatures as good Angels or Angels of light which are friends unto them To conclude the multiplicable fruit or seeds we compare unto the stars of heaven and the leaves unto the creatures below which have their natures and mutations from those internall or spirituall organicall agents So that we may see that Eternity giveth life unto eviality and eviality unto tempâ—rality And as we see that in the eternall world the First Person addeth a beeing unto the Second and the Third proceedeth from them both so the aeviall or Emperiall Angells poure down the influences of life into the Olympicall or heavenly ones and the Olympicall or starry spirits do send them down on the Elementary In the same manner the Emperiall Spirits are the soul or life unto the Starry or Aetheriall heaven which animateth by his influences the Elementary and the earth is animated by them all Thus therefore we see that God operateth by his divine organs variously all in all which being well understood in the first place we may boldly conclude that also all the peculiar angelicall lights do proceed from one and the self-same catholick Emanation aâ—d consequently we find that the diversity and opposition of their natures proceed from the multiplicity of properties which is in that generall emanation proceeding from the throne oâ— God or Unity before all beginnings And this is the reason that this eternall creating Spirit of wisdom is tearmed by Solomon Unicus multâ—plex One and manifold One I say in regard of his essence and manifold in regard of the multiplicity of its properties by which it worketh variously and sometimes by opposition in the world But all this is excellently expressed by the learned Cabalisticall Rabbies in the description of their Numericall or Sephiroticall Tree You must therefore understand that as the mysticall Theologians did observe but ten speciall names or attributes which were ascribed unto God in the Hebrew Bible a proprietate so they did perceive that each of these did import a diverse operation to be effected so that the Hebrewes did call upon this or that Name of God mentioned in the holy Text according unto the nature of the severall necessity they had of Gods assistance And though they collected by the word of God that as the Divinity or Godhead is but one internall immutable essence and therefore hath but one onely essentiall title to be expressed by namely Tetragrammaton or Jehova which is his unseparable name forasmuch as it is appropriated unto him onely for it includeth as Rabbi Moses the Aegyptian hath it and argueth by a pure signification the substance of the Creator without any respect or participation that it hath unto the creature yet neverthelesse they found that the other names ascribed unto him in Scripture do note or signify God as he participateth with his creatures or as he hath relation unto things that are created and consequently are known by the effect of his works As touching his essentiall name it was had amongst the Hebrewes or Jewes in that high esteem and reverence that it was never uttered but in the Sanctuary and that by such Priests as were consecrated and made holy onely unto the Lord and then it was pronounced in that Benediction which the High Priest uttered in the day of fasting For this reason that name was had in that honourable regard that it was never rashly spoken or uttered because as the said Rabbi Moses saith denotat Deum esse fuisse super omnem essentiam quatenus antequam ullares esset existeret Iâ— importeth that God is and was above any essence forasmuch as he did exist before that any thing was existent in the world And this was that pretious Name of God which Moses was so desirous of him to hear and know when he received from him this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hoc est nomen meum in aeternum IEHOVA is my everlasting name Which name is so pure and simple that it cannot be articulated or compounded or truly expressed by mans voice As for the other denominations appropriated unto God they do not expresse him according unto his Essence but onely in respect of his works as is said namely as he appeareth all in all and existeth in all things We must understand therefore for our better instruction that seeing the Divine Nature is and operateth in all created things as also without them for he is the
are reasonable namely Man as unreasonable to wit the Stars of heaven and earthly creatures both animals vegetables and minerals And therefore Archangelus the Cabalist maketh many degrees in the offices of Angels For some saith he do stand before the divine tribunall of God still praising him some administer unto him and unto us also some have the custody of the watches of the night of which CHRIST maketh mention If he came in the second or thâ—â—d watch of the nâ—ght c. Some have the government of the four quarters of the year and these are Presidents over the four stations of the Sun others are ordained rulers over the seven Planets and some do dispose of the influences and vertues of the fixed Stars and twelve Signes of which St. Joâ—â— doth seem to make mention saying That in the twelve gates that is the twelve Signes which as Plato saith are the ports of heaven are the twelve Angels Some are tuâ—elar Angels and are ordained for the creatures safeguard some have the custody of beasts others of plants others of pretious stones and mineralls All these the secret Theologians and wisemen do affirm averring withall that God worketh all in this inferiouâ— world by the administration of Angells And therefore St. Paul saith That all are administring spiâ—â—ts sent to effect that office Thus far Archangelus And again Reuclin argueth That the influxion of angelicall beams from the stars must be divers and of sundry natures because that the Angells do not by their voluntary action move the celestiall Orbe alwaies after one manner though by reason of the violent motion it doth move daily by a diurnall motion from East to West But what needs many words when the progression of the foresaid Cabalisticall work doth open and discover all the myâ—ticall operation and variety of action in the Angells For if once the ten names of God which produce ten divers emanations of different conditions which are sent by the ten foresaid numerations or sephiroticall ports or channells do breed contrary effects both in heaven above and in earth beneath it followeth by the foresaid testimony of the Prophet David that there must be so many angelicall vehicles to conduct them into the lower world as there are Cabalisticall ports and channells and consequently as many diversities of the divine properties proceeding from the variety of his will as also varieties of vehicles to conduct them For I would have each judicious Reader to conceive that the Hebrew Doctors did judge of the nature and property of each Name or attribute ascribed unto God in holy Writ by that self-same effect which it produced after the uttering or expressing of it therein no otherwise than the Philosopher useth to judge of the nature and property of the complexion by the aspect of the Physiognomy or as by the signes whiâ—h he beholdeth in the heavens he determineth of their effects to wit of rain winds thunder c. namely because such presages in the heavens do use to bring forth such and such effects Now as I have proved before if it be the divine influence of light which animateth and informeth each angelicall spirit it must needs follow that every one of these angelicall conductions or vehicles of these influences must have also a divers property because the formall influences which do animate these intelligences which carry them are different and therefore they will be naturally prone and enclined to operate the will of the Creator according unto the nature of emanation or beams of that property which it receiveth from his proper port As concerning therefore those angelicall receptacles or organs which are ordained to receive the divers kinds of divine influences or irradiations I purpose briefly to expresse them in the first place for the better understanding of the Reader with the channell they do belong unto and then the order of Angels which doth first receive them After this I will set down the celestiall Orbes or Stars into the which as unto their particular store-houses they are conveyed And lastly I will speak somewhat of the effects that these influences which are conveyed down from their starry treasury into the elementary world do effect both in the aire seas or water and earth Touching therefore the Names or attributes of God as also their emanations or streaming forth of beams with their peculiar properties I have in few words written them in the precedent Chapter as for the rest I would have the Reader to know that those ten severall divine emissions of ten severall lights out of so many Sephiroticall or Cabalisticall spouts or channells into the vast cavity of the world to accomplish the will of the Creator have their particular angelicall waggoners or conductors for in this the best Theosophers agree that as the upper Order of the Angels do receive their light and bright emanations immediately from God so do they emit them and manifest them unto the inferiour Orders and for this reason they are called Mirrours because they receive their light from the face of God or his eternall catholick emanation which as I have proved before is the head and fountain of all these Angelicall lights And again as the secret Theologians have by their serious observation of the holy Bible espied ten distinct properties as also ten divers cognominations or Names of God appropriated unto them so they perceived that there was a singular Angel appointed to receive each of these emissions of beams endued with the self-same property or condition as the lights which they receive do possesse forasmuch as these Spirits do live and are animated by them being that as the externall of the Angell is a spirituall aire so the internall of it is the formall irradiation or emanation which is according unto Gods will emitted into it And this is a generall note amongst all the secret Theologians unto whom Bartholomaeus and St. Dennis do adhere touching this point that no Angell can intermeddle with anothers businesse or take upon him the work that belongeth unto another except it be such inferiour Angels as are destinated to serve under their Arch-angels in the same function or property as shall be said more at large We must therefore understand that the office of the great and catholick Angell Mitattron was so universall that it was employed first about the information of the whole world and the division of light from darknesse as also for the vivifying of the watry spirit of the world and the diurnall rouling about of the heavens And therefore it is said and not without a good cause That it was the divine and generall Emanation that is the eternall Sapience which for this reason is said to be created before all things by whom afterward all things were made or created And for this reason it is said That this Angel doth contain in it all the angelicall perfection no otherwise than the universall beams of the Sun are comprehended in the body of the Sun Wherefore we
thereof with the burning fire of this nature or property making the starry Globe of Mars their residence from whence they poure out their influences unto the Elementary spirits which are of that nature The next emission of divine beams is out of the gate or channell Tipherith over which the Divine Attribute ELOAH hath dominion and these are infused immediatly into the Angelicall order of the Virtues so called because the divine Virtue doth shine forth of it For as Isidorus saith The Angells of this order do receive illumination purgation and perfection from God And this order doth send them down by the Archangell Michael which signifieth Quis tanquam Deus into the next region below the Sphere of Mars and there these golden and vivifying beams do inform and animate such bright intelligences with their like property as do dwell-in and Illuminate the visible Sun in heaven and therefore are termed Solar spirits from whence this mighty Archangell which is called Câ—stos animarum the keeper or preserver of living souls doth order that they be hourly poured out into the Elementary region to vivify and refresh those spirits which are formed out after their own image and nature The seventh effluxion or irradiation is out of the Sephiroticall port of Netzeth over which the Attribute of God JEHOVA ZEBAOTH is Lord and they pass immediatly into the Angelicall order of Principalities And this influence is committed to the Archangell Anaol's custody who conducteth them down into the next Sphere below the Sun where it animates according unto his good property all such Olympick spirits which do inhabit the Globe and Sphere of Venus which are therefore tearmed Venerian Spirits from whence the like vigour and force is sent out unto the Creation of Elementary spirits of the nature of these formal influences which are radically sent down from the divine influence The next flux of divine beams issue from the spout or channell called HOD over which the Attribute Elohim Zebaoth is Preâ—ident and descendeth immediatly down unto the order of Archangells and from thence is conducted downward by the Archangell Raphael into the next Sphere below Venus and there it createth and continually vivifieth those Olympick spirits which possesse and adorn the Orbe or Globe of Mercury and are therefore termed Mercuriall spirits which send down such mutable and changeable influences to animate those Elementary spirits which were created first by this Attribute and therefore do Sympathise with the nature of such beams as are sent down from this Sephiroticall gate The ninth effluxion or irradiation springeth out from the eternall fountain by the bright port Jesod whose Rector or President is the Attribute Sadai and passeth down unto the order of Angels and is committed unto the custody and conveyance of the Archangell Gabriel who directeth it downward unto the lowest aethereal or starry Orbe where it animateth those spirits which inhabit the Globe of the Moon and are thereupon styled Lunary spirits from whence they rain down showers of these influences upon such spirits or demons in the Elementary world as have received their Creation from the influences of this Property in God The last effluxion or flowing and streaming forth of the Divine beams is effected by the channell or gate Malchut whose President is the divine Attribute Adonai and this descendeth immediatly according unto the Cabalists opinion into the order of the blessed Souls from whence they deem them to be conducted directly into the Elementary world By the continuity therefore of thse severall and opposite irradiations or emanations of beams from God unto the Imperiall Angells and from them unto the Olympick spirits and so continuated from these unto the Elementary spirituall shapes or demons we may gather thus much namely first that God doth onely operate essentially all in all in and over all next that according unto the variety of his Volunty he worketh diversly in this world and therefore we must know that his Volunty is manifold in property because that thinge are effected as well in heaven as in earth after a manifold operation wherefore if God operateth all and in all the diversity of his work must proceed from the multiplicity of his Volunty And for this reason Hermes saith Voluntas Dei summa est rerum perfectio quam necessitas sequitur necessitatem verò concom tatur effectus The Volunty of God is the highest perfection of things which necessity doth follow and the effect doth accompany the necessity So that what God doth will must be perfect and consequently the effect must follow of neâ—essity And therefore he concludeth that God accomplisheth at an instant of time both his will and the effect thereof But what he would not have that cannot be and therefore what existeth in rerum natura of what property soever it be it is effected according unto the will or Volunty of one of these Divine Attributes Neque saith he credibâ—le est Deo displic â—urum esse quod placuit cum futurum id placâ—turum mulio ante sciverit Neither is it credible that that should displease God which did please him bâ—ing that he did know long before both the thing that was to come and what should be pleasant unto him And therefore Solomon Could any thing exist which thou wouldâ—st not have to be Thirdly That according unto the variety of his divine Volunty things were created the one either Sympathising spiritually in affection with another or Antipathysing among themselves by reason of beams of a contrary disposition according unto the concordant or opposit nature of the Angelicall irradiation or shining out of the beams of one spirituall creature another which contrariety of conditions did proceed from the varieties of properties which is in the Volunty or will of one and the same radicall and eternall Essence Thus therefore were all creatures in the world as well spirituall as corporall composed and thus were they vivified and animated by beams the one either contrarie unto the other or else by reason of their concordance and likeness of nature rejoycing greatly when they meet together by irradiation of all one influence And we must know and understand that although each creature had his radicall information by these Emanations yet in their generations and multiplications they may vary from the condition of their created or generated Parents by the uniting together of two different irradiations at the hour of their birth So therefore cometh it to pass that a man both in shape and condition may be unlike unto his Parents a horse more fierce or sluggish then his sire a plant or fruit more lax waterish or unwholsome then the stock from whence the seed or sap came and consequently by the application of Angelicall beams of an opposite nature in the birth of a man it may happen that the radiation of a plant or flower or beast or such like thing may for ever Antipathise with this man which did aptly agree and Sympathise
Light flieth from darkness and being delighted at the presence of more light and life avoideth and hateth the presence of his contrary namely of death and evill Hence therefore it cometh that the children of Light which are grafted unto this catholick illuminated spirit do flie as from a pestilence the children of darknesse and their works And the reason is because this humid created spirit finding now the pleasure volunty and felicity of its illuminated estate is affraid least the privative beams of darkness or the dismall Emanations of God's wrath should dimm their light and obscure the brightness of life that is to say lest they should turn their Sympathizing passions of joy and gladness into the Antipathizing storms of sadness and mourning by sucking or contracting the beauteous Emanations of joy love and gladness from the Circumference into the Center of the Spirit and so deprive it of that salutary and sprightfull irradiation of love and life by hiding of God's face which he did emit from the Center to the Circumference of the creature to recreate and rejoyce it According unto that of Moses God forsakes the wicked and hideth his face from them that much evill may befall them Or unto that of David God hiding his face from the wicked they are troubâ—ed receiving their spirit they expire That is vexation and privative passions befall them which may also be understood of the catholick Microcosmicall wordl's spirit as of the Microcosmicall and other creatures all which have their beeing from the Macrocosmicall Spirit For when the Divine nature which animateth the Sun of heaven was displeased at the Passion of our Saviour it did Centrally withdraw his beamâ—s from it and it lost its beauty and became dark against the common course of nature So that the pleasant Sympathy which it produced by its presence unto the creatures beneath and in the heavens above was quite changed into Antipathy for a while This therefore was a privative passion in the heart of the great world or as a man may say a Syncope or swooning of the world when ELOAH did abstain for that season to pour forth his influence of beauty by the port of TIPHERETH Also that palpable darkness which happened in Egypt was a privative passion caused by the hiding away of God's face or by the contracting the beams of light within himself Such privative passions also are menaced unto the Sun Moon and Starrs towards the latter end of the world For if the world was made by the sending forth of God's bright Emanation for by the Spirit of the Lord the heavens were adorned as Job telleth us it followeth that by taking it away all will return again unto darkness and plain nothing or deformity even as it was before But this producing of good and Sympatheticall passions by emitting of light from the Center to the Circumference and again the effects of Antipatheticall passions which do oppose the concord and Sympathy of life is excellently described and painted forth by the due examination of the vital action in man For as there are noted to be in generall two severall active Virtues in man's spirit whereof the one is voluntary which is the Prince over the other and commandeth and moveth the inferior actions even as the Divine Angell Mitattron doth in the Primum mobile of the great world which is referred unto the Volunty and moveth by it the celestiall orbs and Elementary world so in the Microcosmicall Fabrick the first mover is that Divine mentall beam which is the head of man's soul and the other kind is involuntary because it is commanded and ruleth after the will of the intellectuall or rationall beam no otherwise then all the lower Orbs are constrained to move after the will of the mover in the Primum mobile So the vitall action in man is one of those branches which is involuntary and no otherwise subject unto the Volunty of the mental beam then the starry heaven which is the seat of life forasmuch as the Sun which is the heart of the world hath his residence there is commanded by the Emperyall Spirit Now as we find that according unto the will of the Divine essence poured out into the heavens and consequently here below as well joyfull and compassionate effects do spring from the positive and dilative property of Unity to recreate and stir up volupty and pleasure in the creature as also trist and sad effluxions proceeding from the contractive Virtue whereby God hideth the face of his benignity from the creatures and thereupon as well concupiscible as odible or irascible passions are caused in the world Even so we find it manifested as well by experience as by the observation of the learnedest in Physick and Philosophy that the vitall action which is over-ruled according unto the mind of the superior Volunty either is opened or enlarged by the dilative property of the first movers will and thereby openeth the cabinet of the heart to produce in the vitall spirit those good passions which Sympathize with life and light namely gladness hope confidence love miserecord and affability or it is contracted and thereby gathereth together also the spirits in the heart whereby is engendred in the vitall spirit such bad privative passions as do antipathise with those good ones which rejoyce and comfort the life and these passions are termed Antipatheticall because they are wholly contrary unto the nature of those which are good of which number proceeding from the hearts contraction are sadness care dispaire fear hatred anger furor bashfullness and so forth So that as by the former the spirit by dilatation did look up unto the Fountain of Light and did rejoyce to see the volupties and pleasure thereof So by the later the spirit was forced by contraction to be deprived from the vision of light and to look pâ—onely downward into the abysse of darkness and to participate with the dark passions thereof And by this decifering and opening therefore of the two opposit passions in the little world we may easily collect the reason and manner of them in the great world being that as eadem sit ratio parcis totius so also the passions of the great world may easily be considered by those of the little world As for example The Load-stone is in comparison of its mother earth even as man is to the whole world wherefore Man is called the Son of the world by Heâ—mes as Cardanus Bap. Porta D. Gilbert and others have made the Load-stone the child or son of the earth We find I say in the Load-stone all the passions as well sympatheticall as antipatheticall which do affect his mother earth for it hath his Poles with the earth and it escheweth all in conformity with the earth it flyeth from that which is contrary unto its nature And again doth sympathise with that which is its like it hath its Aequinoctialls Colures Meridians and Tropiâ—ks as the earth hath and in conclusion it argueth not onely
one is given by the Spirit the word of Wisdome and unto an other the gift of healing Now that this Omnipotent and all-operating Spirit is that Wisdom which giveth life and health to every creature it is made manifest by many places of the book of Verity saith the Wiseman Sapientia custodiet salutem Wisdome will preserve health In Sapientiae dextra est longitudo dierum In the right-hand of wisdome is the length of daies Est lignum vitae omnibus qui apprehenderunt eam Shee is the tree of Life unto all them which can possessâ— her where it is meant as well of body as of soul as it did appear by those cures which Christ and the Apostles did effect by the means of this Spirit upon the earth Sapientiam qui invenerit inveniet vitam hauriet salutem à Dâ—mino He that hath found wisdome shall find life and shall draw or attract health from the Lord. And in another place Ipsa hos qui se observant a doloribus liberavit wisdome preserved such from dolours as observed her And again Sapientia sanati sunt quicunque placuerint tibi ô Domine à principio They were healed O Lord whosoever have pleased thee from the beginning Yea verily each prudent Reader ought seriously to understand that there is not an animal vegetable or minerall but hath and receiveth immediatly his curative act from this Spirit And therefore the foresaid Son Syrach saith Altissimus de terra creavit medecinam vir prudens non abhorrebit illam The most high hath created medicine of the earth and the Wâ—se man will not despise it whereby we may discern first that the trees herbs roots and mineralls being of springs of the earth were ordained by God to be the means of curing and healing of men and then that the gift or act which is imparted unto them is from this Spirit of wisdome forasmuch as it is said to be in all things and to operate all in all in them though after a divers manner as the Apostle doth affirme confirming in this the Wisemans saying before recited Verbum tuum sanans omnia Thy word which healeth all things And therefore he inferred Non herba nec maâ—egmaâ—e sed verbo tuo sanante omnia not by herb or plaister but by thy word which healeth all things If the Word therefore heal all things then nothing can cure but the Word or the spirit of wisdome whose Fountain is the Word as is proved before But seeing this incorruptible Spirit of God is in all things and since it is the most active and movable thing in this world and since by his purity he penetrateth through all and acteth in all What should hinder me or any good Christian else to say that he acteth all in all in and by this word of himself and by himself and that immediatly and therefore not any Creature of it self or by it self as the Peripatetick doctrine doth most erroniously and to the seducing of true Christian hearts from their Creatour publish unto the World alluring them thereby to derogate from God who is all in all by arrogating abâ—olute authority unto the Creature in making and ordaining so many essentiall distinct subalternate agents which must forsooth operate per se as the Sun the Stars the winds the Elements and the compounded creatures as well imperfectly as perfectly mixed Verily in so doing they make the world believe that the Organ doth act per se essentially and not this hidden and centrall word or incorruptible Spirit existing in every thing which is the fountaine or foundation of the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or wisdome and the main mark or Summum bonum which the true Philosopher or Lover of wisdome doth ayme at Therefore doth Salomon the Prophets and Christ with his sanctified followers exhort all men to be Amatores verae Sapientiae Lovers of this wisedome in whom is all Act as well intellectuall condescending unto the sublimation of mans knowledg as more materiall namely operating to vivification vegetation and multiplication But of this more at large in another place I will return unto my purpose and conclude this brief discourse upon the true Physick with Salomons confession who sayeth Per sapientiam novi na turas animalium was bestiarum differentias virgultorum virtutesradicum imò quae sunt occulta et manifesta mihi patefecit omnium artifex Sapientia By wisdome I knew the natures of living creatures the raging conditions of Beasts the dâ—fferences of plants and the vertues of roots yea all the mysteries of creatures as well occult as manifest were revealed unto me by wisdome which is the worker of all things Whereby he argueth that wisdome even that heavenly Spirit which did bestow on herbs animals and minerals their virtues as well hidden and secret as apparent and evident even that eternall Word which is all in all and operateth or acteth all in all and therefore can only teach and instruct by an externall revelation what he internally doth and by what vertue he operateth in each creature and although Ethnick Philosophers and Physitians have by practicall effects or sensuall observations and demonstrations à posteriori found out the occult properties in plants as for example of the Piony to cure the falling-sickness of Herniaria to respect the rupture of Tussilago to be proper for the Lungs of Euphragia to be good for the eie-sight of Thecilea and Viscus quercinus to prevaile against the falling-sickness c. In animals of the Toad to stanch blood of the Alsaeus hoof and also the Frog to cure the falling-sickness of the Scorpion chiefly to cure the bitings of the Scorpion c. yet because they are ignorant of the centrall grounds of Sympathy and Antipathy which consisteth in the Volunty or Nolunty of one and the same Spirit they can give no other reason for such hidden things but only that they are ab occulta proprietate of a hidden property And in fine can say no more but that they are talia quia talia and so we receive from these learned Doctours nothing else but Ignotum per ignotius A thing unknown by a more unknown To conclude it is certain that Salomon learn'd so much of the nature of Planets and other creatures by the discovery of this Spirit that it was said of him that he was instructed by this his Schoolmistriss in the vertues of all vegetables beginning even from the lowly Hysop and so mounting unto the lofty Cedars of Libanus Having then in few words expressed unto you the power of this Spirit in her documents of Physick or Medicine and proved that shee is the Basis or ground of every sanative property in the world I will shew you in the next rank her act and vertue in the essentiall Musick Touching the harmony of this world and how every sublunary element and superlunary sphear are disposed by an essentiall kind of symphoniacall
sanctus quem mittet Pater ille vos docebit omnia suggeret vobis omnia quaecunque dixero vobis The holy Spirit which my Father sendeth even he shall teach you all things whatsoever I shall say unto you Now that this spirit is that eternall wisdome which effecteth and exciteth this Rhetoricall and Oratoricall function the scriptures testifie in other places Sapientia saith Solomon aperuit os mutorum linguas infantum fecit diserias Wisdome hath opened the mouth of the dumb and hath made the tongues of children eloquent And the Sonne of Syrach Sapiens aperiet os suum in oratione The wiseman will open his mouth in an oration And again Tanquam imbres mittet eloquia Sapientia Sapientis et in oratione confitebitur Domino The wisdome of the wiseman will send forth her eloquence like a showre and in his oration or speech will confesse to the Lord. I could expresse many other examples out of holy Writ to confirme this more amply namely that all Rhetoricall eloquence is from this good spirit of wisdome but for brevities cause I will passe them over that I may proceed unto the Mechanick Arts and prove unto you that their inventions did originally proceed from the doctrine of this good Spirit though fouly commaculated by the succession of time through the scarrs of Envy and Ignorance As concerning Mechanick arts we find that the invention and shaping forth or making of Garments was derived from the instruction of this spirit Loquêris cunctis Sapientibus corde saith Jehovah to Moses quos replevi spiritu Sapientiae ut faciant vestes Aaron in quibus Sanctificatus ministret mihi Thou shalt speak unto all the wise in heart whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdome to make habilements for Aaron in the which he being sanctified may minister unto me Also all the inventions of Goldsmiths works and of the Jewellers artifice and Carpenters with the Sculpters of wood did proceed from this fountaine of knowledge and therefore Jehova saith unto Moses Ecce vocavi Beseleel implevi eum cum spiritu Dei sapientia intelligentia et Scientia in omni opere ad excogitandum quicquid fabrefieri potest ex auro argento aere marmore et Gemmis diversitate Lignorum Dedique eâ— socium Ooliab in corde omnis eruditi posui Sapientiam ut faciant cuncta quae praecepi tibi Behold I have called Beseleel and I have filled him with the spirit of God with wisdome understanding and Science in every work to invent and find out every thing that may be fashioned out of Gold Silver and Brasse of Marble pretious stones and variety of woods and I have given him for a companion Ooliab and in the heart of every wiseman I have infused wisdome that they may effect what I have commanded them By which words it is evident that the beginning of every true Mechanick Art is this spirit of God in whose only power it is to teach a man all things but this is confirmed else where more plainly Moses said unto the children of Israel Ecce vocaverit dominus Beseleel implevitque eum spiritu Dei Sapientia et intelligentia et Scientia et omni Doctrina ad excogitandum faciendum opus in auro argento aere ferro sculpendisque lapidibus opere carpentario Quicquid fabrè adinveniri potest dedit in corde ejus Ooliab quoque Ambos erudivit sapientia ut facian opera Abietarii Polymitarii ac Plumarii de hyacintho purpura coccoque bis tincto bysso texant omnia c. Behold the Lord hath called Beseleel and hath filled him with the Spirit of God with wisdom with understanding and with science or knowledge and with all manner of doctrine or skill to invent and make work in gold in silver in brasse and iron and in graving of stones and in the carpenters work of carving Whatsoever can be invented in workmanship hath he put into his heart and into that of Ooliab his companion He hath instructed both of them by wisdom to do the works belonging unto the Carpentâ—â—s art and unto embroidery and weaving and needle-work in blew silk and in purple and in scarlet and in fine linnex even to do all manner of works and subtle inventions c. Moreover by wisdom Noa fuit in Arcae structura instructus Noah was instructed in the building of the Arke And therefore the text hath it Sanavit Sapientia terram per contemptibile lignum justum gubernans Wisdom restored the earth guiding the just man by a contemptible peece of word By it the Art of Musick was revealed unto Juball For the words are Jubal fuit Pater Canentium Citharâ Organo He was the Father or beginner of playing on the Harpe and Organ And Jubal-Cain was the Inventor of iron and brass works For it is said Ipse fuit malleator faber in cuncta opera aeris ferri He was a Smith or hammerman being cunning in all works of brass and Iron Again Ada Jubal was Father of them who dwelled in Tents and Prince of Shepheards To conclude there is no true Mechanick work but had its originall from this Spirit in whom only and in nothing else is the gift of teaching all things I come now to the morall and politick Arts which do arise from this radicall Spirit All Morall Discipline also hath her root and beginning from this holy Spirit of Discipline as by the whole file of Scriptures we are taught And it was the essentiall voice of this Spirit which did teach the Christian world by the mouth of Christ Jesus to embrace and follow goodnesse and to eschew evill I will not say much therefore touching this point but will only in few words speak unto our purpose with the Wisemans mouth Sapientiâ servat semitas justitiae vias sanctorum custodiens Wisdome doth observe the paths of Justice keeping the ways of the Saints Per eam intelliges justitiam judicium aequitatem omnem semitam bonam si intraverit cor tuum consilium custodiet te Prudentia servabit te Per eam eruêris à viamala Te custodiet à muliere ex tranea By wisdome Saith Salomon thou shalt understand justice and judgement equity and every good and straight way If she shall enter into thy heart she will save and preserve thee with prudency By her thou shalt be drawn from the evill way she will preserve thee from the strange woman Also Sapientiae docet temperantiam prudentiam justitiam fortitudinem quibus utilius nihil in vita hominibus Wisdome teacheth temperance prudence justice fortitude than the which nothing is more profitable unto the life of man In another place Sapientiae est consilium aequitas prudentia fortitudo Counsell justice prudence and fortidtue is of wisdome Where is expressed the four Cardinall-vertues which are the pillars of
Morall Phylosophy For in Counsell Temperance is considered and then there is Justice Wisdome and Fortitude Again the Son of Syrach In Sapientiâ est Decor vitae qui operantur in ea non peccabunt In wisdome is the comliness of life and who so operateth in her will not sin Now you know that sin is the breach of the Law and the Mosaicall Law is grounded as well upon the Morall rules of behaviour between man and man as in mans duty unto God And Salomon in another place Cum Sapientia venerunt mihi omnia bona innumerabilis honestas per manus illius With wisdome came unto me all good things and innumerabâ—e honesty from her hands To conclude this is expressed unto us more really and to the quick in the Text above mentioned Sapientiae labores magnas habent virtutes sobrietatem enim sapientiam justitiam virtutem docet quibus in vita hominibus nihil est utilius The labours or works of wisdome have great vertues For she teacheth sobriety and wisdome justice and vertue than the which there is nothing more profitable or commodious in this life By which places and many more which I could produce it is plain that the Instructrix and foundation of all Morall or Ethicall doctrine is the Spirit of true wisdome which descendeth from the Father of Light As for the true and sincere Politick Government which belongeth unto Kings Princes and Magistrates of this earth we finde it warranted by Scriptures that wisdome is the root from whence it springeth if it be good For we find in one place that Sapientia facit Regem ut digne regnet in populum Wisdome maketh a King to govern or raigne over his people worthily And Salomon Sapientiâ— Reges regnant Legum-conditores justa decernunt By wisdome Kings do raigne and the Law-makers do discerne just things Again Sapientiâ— Principes imperant Potentes decernunt justitiam By wisdome Princes do govern or command and powerfull men do decern justice And elsewhere Sapientia melior est quam arma bellica Wisdome is better then armor of war And Ecclesiasticus Sapientiam qui audit judicabit Gentes He which beareth wisdome hall judge Nations Sapientia ministrabit in medio magnatorum in conspectu Praesudis apparebit Wisdome shall administer in the middle of the Nobility and shall appear in the sight of the President or Judge And Salomon after the manner of a confession saith Ob Sapientiam habebam claritatem apud turbas honorem apud seniores juvenis acutus inveniar judicio in conspectu potentium admirabilis ero For my wisdom I did shine among the people and was honoured among the Elders being but a young man I shall be found sharp in judgment and in the eyes of the potent I shall appear admirable Again Per sapientiam disponam populus nationes mihi erunt subditae By wisdom I will order the people and nations will be subject unto me Sapientem timebunt audientes reges horrendi Ob sapientiam multitudini videbitur bonus in bello fortis sapientia deducit me ut disponam populum tuum justè Fearfull and dreadfull potentates hearing a wise man will be afraid He will appear by reason of his wisdom good in the eyes of the multitude and valiant in war Wisdom directeth me to dispose of the people justly c. By which and many other places it appeareth that the divine wisdom is the onely guide of true government in every Common-wealth and where her rules are not respected or followed that government must needs proceed of wordly wisdom which is terrene animal and diabolicall Lastly I will conclude and finish this Chapter with the miraculous and supernaturall effects it produceth and the admirable acts which it bringeth to passe beyond the capacity of mans imagination so that the man which is partaker of this divine Agent and can firmly unite it unto his own spirit may do wonders Sapientia intravit in animam servi Dei Mosis stetit coram reges horrendos in portentis signis Transtulit Israelem per mare rubrum inimicos dimersit Wisdom entred into the soul of Moses the servant of God and he stood before mighty Kings in prodigies and signes He carried Israel through the red sea and drowned their enemies Sapientia muâ—tiplicem experientiam docet nam scit illa praeterita de futuris aestimat scit versutias sermonum solutiones aenigmatum signa monstra antequam fiant praesagit evenius quoque temporum seculorum Wisdom teacheth manifold experience she is acquainted with things that are past and judgeth of things that are to come She understandeth the wilinesse of speech the solutions of aenigma's or riddles and knoweth signes and prodigies before they appeaâ—e she is also familiar with the Events of times and ages And the Apostle Spiritus omnia scrutatur etiam profunda Dei The spirit searcheth out all things even the profund inscrutable things of God It was that by the power of which wine was made of water five thousand persons were sustained by five â—oaves of bread by it Chrâ—st did waâ—k safely upon the waters did cure one that was blind from his nativity did raise Lazarus from the dead did enter into the Chamber where his disciples were etiam clausis januis he doores being shut did cause an infinity of fishes to be taken compelled the wind and storme at sea to cease and be obedient unto his command did cast out divells from such as weâ—e possessed So also it was sayed signa prodigia in virtute spiritus sancti effecit Christus per Paulum Christ did effect signes and prodigies by the vertue of the holy spirit by Paul By this Spirit Adam had virtutem continendi omnia the vertue to comprehend all things And Solomon did by it understand the thoughts of men and knew all things which were occult and hidden To conclude Moses Joshuah Gideon Samuel Daniel Elias Eliâ—ha with the other Prophets Judas Maccabaeus Chriâ—t and his Apostles which were all the observant disciples unto the true wisdom did by her secret art and operation bring to passe all those miracles which are mentioned in the holy Testament both New and Old as each man may find to be true if he will be pleased to make a due enquiry into that holy story But all this is most aptly expressed by the Prophet Daniel in these words Ipse revelat profunâ—a abscondita novit in tenebris constituta lux cum eo est He is the revealer of things that are profound and hidden an understandeth the things which lurk in darknesse for light dwelleth with him All which being so it is most apparent that there is no art or science whether it be abstruse and mysticall or manifestly known be it speculative or practicall but had his root and beginning from this true wisdom
vaine by nature who are ignorant of God and cannot understand him that truly is by such good creatures of his which they behold nor yet can acknowledge the workman by the consideration of his works It well behoveth therefore each Christian to be wary in his reading the Ethnick Philosophy and to consider seriously before he wade too far in it or give too much credit unto it the sayings of the two foresaid Sacred Philosophers which followed the rules of the true Wisdome And again let him call to minde the precepts which the first of them I mean St. Paul did impart unto the worldy Philosophers of Athens when he espied that they did adore and worship strange and unknown Gods and how he taught them a new Philosophy and new Wisdome namely Jesus Christ which was strange doctrine unto them And therefore they said Let us heare what this babler will say that bringeth in this strange doctrine of Christ. Whereby it appeareth that the true Wisdome never sounded into their eares or dived into their hearts Let him I say observe that it was at this kind of bastard Philosophers with their Philosophy that the Apostle pointeth where he saith in the place above cited Let no man deceive you in subtility and swasibility of speech Beware of Philosophy and vaine Fâ—llacy which are according unto the traditions of men and according unto the Elements or rudiments of this world and not after Christ c. In which words he distinguisheth the false Philosophy or wisdome from the true Sapience and he seemeth to intimate that the false Philosophy is but vaine Fallacy framed after the manner of men of this world namely as at Athens it was taught that is to say with vain Fallacie subtilties and seeming more in appearance and probability then it was indeed And for that reason it filled men fuller of doubts by inquiries made through misty and foggy passages then if they had gone the plain and simple way of teaching to wit after the true image of the reall and essentiall Philosophy or rather Sophia or Wisdome which as the Wiseman telleth us is Spiritus intelligentiae Sanctus unicus simplex modestus dâ—sertus suavis perspicuus amans bonum humanus benignus stabilis certus omnem habens virtutem amicos Dei constituens in animas sanctas se transferens The holy spirit of Wisdome is unique and simple in his essence modest eloquent sweet plaine and open without ambâ—guity Loving that which is good humane benigne stable sure comprehending in it selfe all vertue and an introductor of man unto the friendship of God by transferring it self into the souls of pious and godly men Lo here we see that in condition this description of the good and true Wisdome doth exactly agree with that Wisdome whose character is described by St. James as is said before For he termeth it modest benigne peacefull suasible without envy or emulation Again as St. James saith that it is from above namely from the Father of Light So also doth Salomon express her pedigree thus Sapientia saith he est vapor virtutis Dei emanatio quaedam seu fluxus claritatis omnipotentis Dei sinceri candor seu splendor lucis aeternae speculum sine macula Majestatis Dei imago bonitatis illius Wisdome is the vapor of the vertue of God and a certaine emanation or flux of the sincere shining forth of the Omnipotent God and the brightness of the eternall light and a mirrour without spot of the Majesty of God and the image of his goodness By the which definition it is evidently discerned First that it is that Wisdome which is from above next that it is not the vaine wisdome of this world which is nothing else but a plaine fiction or empty shadow in regard of this which is only truth lastly this wisdome bringeth good fruit with it for it imparteth unto men essentiall vertue and power to act as well naturally as miraculously and therefore the Apostle saith Signa Apostolatûs mei facta sunt super vos in omni potentia in signis prodigiis virtutibus The signes of mine Apostleship are upon you in all patience in signes prodigies and virtues And again Qui tribuit vobis Spiritum operatur virtutes seu miracula in vobis Who bestoweth upon you the Spirit who worketh also virtues or miracles among you Lo here our Christian Philosophers may see how this Wisdome bringeth forth power and vertue which St. James in the before-cited place doth call good fruits for he saith that Wisdome which is from above is full of good fruits But Paul seemeth to call the Ethnick Philosophy vaine fallacy and therefore if it be vaine then it is void of good fruit and consequently there is no true fructifying Philosophy nor truly fructifyed Philosopher but that which is grounded on that true and eternal Wisdome Jesus Besides all this the true Wisdom is peaceable not ambiguous nor apt to be cavilled with or contentiously to be disputed of neither needeth it an infinity of distinctions and quiddities framed out of mans braine which rather leadeth the disciple by the multiplicity thereof into ignorance then it doth elucidate the brightness of naked truth But the false Philosophy is so full of distinctions subtil and sophisticall evasions so subject to cavills and disputations and so contentiously composed and in fine so difficill and in effect so fruitless that instead of the true and essentiall graine we find but chaff instead of truth we gather but words instead of essentiall reality we collect scarce a type or shadow of Verity in lieu of sincerity we find but vanity and in conclusion is more in appearance overmasked over for the most part with a seeming probability then indeed really to be discerned and for this cause the Apostle saith Praedicatio mea non est in persuasivis humanae sapientiae verbis sed in ostensione spiritus virtutis My preaching is not in the perswasive words of humane wisdome but by the manifestation of the Spirit and of power For this reason therefore we find in the one of the two kinds of wisdome the fruits of power vertue and miracles such as the true and divine Philosophers did produce by the Omnipotent Corner-stone I mean the true Wisdome in times past and made them manifest unto the world Whereas the other can do nothing indeed but produce cavillings dispute contentions and fallacies the fruits whereof in the conclusion is naught else but vanity It is not I but the Spirit of truth that assureth you thus much And yet now even in this later age of the world in which Satan the prince of this world which is darkness hath the upper hand this terrene wisdome or vaine Philosophy which is dawbed over with dark ignorance hath the dominion or upper hand and so by that means Christ which is the true Wisdome is daily crucified among some Christian Philosophers and buried in darkness through
seeing that in him we live move and have our being as Paul saith we should by consequence and that without all question dispute or brabling-quarrels know and understand in our selves that summum bonum which truly-wise men seek after and with Tantalus his appetite do so fervently affect Doth not the Philosophy of Christ teach us that Regnum Dei sit intra nos The Kingdome of God is within us Et quod sit in nobis omnium mirabâ—lium operator And that the worker of all marvails is within us Et quod sumus Tempâ—a Dei Spiritùs Sancti And that we are the Temples of God and the Holy Ghost and that we are the members of Christ c. Which being so why should we be at strife disputes and brables about difficulties or ambiguities of questions or why should our riper senses be battered in peeces by foolish distinctions in which are the inventions of humane or diabolicall wisdome on set purpose to immerge and drown us deeper in the abysse of multitude or profundity of ignorance when the only indeavour of truth is to conduct us through those clouds of errors in which the foolish wisdome of this world hath involved our understandings unto the fountain of Unity and Concord which is the eternall Wisdome the spirituall Christ Jesus Thus we see how contrary the Greekish wisdome is unto that of the Apostle's for as much as the Greekish Philosophy is contentious litigious full of disputes brables and emulations for which reason it is pronounced by St. James to be terrene animall diabolicall and not from above whereas contrarywise that Philosophy which is grounded on the true wisdome which is from above must be first pure then peaceable gentle easy to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without judging envy or hypocrisy For this cause therefore our Christian Philosopher Paul admonisheth his Schollar Timothy to eschew all profane and vaine babling and opposition of Sciences falsly so called which whilst some profess they have erred concerning the Faith All such Christians as have their Anchor-hold too firmly fastned on Aristotles Philosophy should seriously ponder this that our eminent Master St. Paul seemeth to advertise them with such fervency that the observation of this Ethnick Philosophy which consisteth in contentions questions vaine bablings and opposition of Sciences which seeme such but are not so indeed though they are called so falsely is the occasion that well-intending Christians have been deceived and have erred concerning the Faith in the true Wisdome and only verity Jesus Christ. Again saith the Apostle James The wisdome which contradicteth the Truth is not from above but terrene animal diabolicall Now I am assured that all good Christians will maintain that the fountain of Truth and Verity is the holy Bible What will our Christian followers of Aristotle say if I will prove evidently that Aristotle's doctrine doth erre from the maine grounds of holy Writ which is the treasure of Verity and consequently from that wisdome which is the Father of Light It is a common phrase among our lip-learned Sophisters to say when any contradiction is found between some axioms of Greekish Philosophy and the sacred Assertion Oh this is true in Philosophy but in Scripture it is found otherwise I say to these that if there be found any contradiction between the points of the one and that of the other there is a foul error and falshood or contradiction in the one or other and therefore the one of the two must needs issue from a terrene and diabolicall or mundan and human wisdome Now judge each good Christian whether we should rather stick unto Gods Word which is the only Truth or the affirmation of Aristotle which deriveth his wisdome from the father of lyes I mean the mundan wisdom which is for that reason termed of the Apostle diabolicall or devilish Others say that men are so deeply conversant in the secrets of nature or naturall Philolosophy that they are become Athiests and will acknowledg no God They must needs understand of the Ethnick Philosophy and not point at that of Jesus Christ for that leadeth and directeth the understanding spirit of man even unto the Throne and Majesty of the true God and perswades him to forsake the multitude of this naughty world to betake and contract it self unto that blessed union from whence his bright Spirit was originally derived A third sort of men seem to repine and storm that any man should presume to mingle naturall Philosophy with Divinity or should dare or attempt to draw any axioms or Authorities out of Scriptures to prove or maintain the Principles or causes of Philosophy averring boldly but erroniously that the Bible doth onely teach unto man what belongeth unto Salvation that is to say how we should feare God and behave our selves unto our neighbours As who should say that the holy Scriptures had indited any thing in vain And yet it is plainly found in them that all the treasure of wisdome and science doth lie hid in Christ. And it is said in another place A me discetis omnia Ye shall learn all things of me And again Spiritus Sanctus vos docebit omnia The holy Spirit will teach you all things Are we not likewise taught that all men are vain that do not know the Creator by the creatures which he hath made and the invisible God by the visible things which he hath created Besides all this man shall find therein most lively described the three principles whereby God made all things namely the dark Abysse or Chaos which they call first-matter the second matter which they term water and the first Act or light which they call their form Also the true manner of generation of Meteors of condensation and rarefaction of generation and corruption of action and passion and of all things else which can be imagined in that kind of learning which the Aristotelians call naturall is rightly and not Sophistically expressed in this true Philosophy as also every other kind either Morall or Politick with all other Sciences both liberall and Mechanick as is already prooved What was all this I say vainly set down and expressed by the Saints of God which were in their inditings or writings guided by the Holy Spirit of Truth No verily but rather we may excuse these zealous accusers without true understanding and say that they meant of intermingling the false Aristotelian wisdom with that of the Spirit of God which is onely truth for would these persons but rightly understand that Philosophia in his originall sense importeth sophiam or wisdom they would acknowledge and confesse that the true and essentiall philosophy or sophia is nothing else but the sacred wisdom or holy spirit of discipline which is the ground of not onely that which animal men of this world tearm Naturall Philosophy but also of the whole subject of Theology So that if we consider the case rightly we shall plainly perceive
this cause St. Paul saith in excluding all other essentiall acts or operations out of this world saving onely this which is from God Dii sunt qui dicuntur in coelo in terra nos tamen agnoscimus unum Deum Patrem a quo omnia unum Domâ—num Jesum Christum per quem omnâ—a Though there are which are termed Gods in heaven and earth yet we acknowâ—edg but one God the Father of whom are all things and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things As if he had said however the world speaketh of the actions of the Angels Stars Elements Winds Meteors Waters Animals Vegetables or Mineralls we do not acknowledg them to act essentially and by themselves but by the Spirit of God who onely acteth and operateth in the creatures and by the creatures what he pleaseth To conclude of this spirituall Corner-stone or sacred Wisdome and Vertue of God as is said before the Scripture speaketh thus Christus implet omnia Christ filleth all things In ipso condita sunt universa in coelis in terra visibilia invisibâ—lia omnia in ipso per ipsum sunt creata Ipse est ante omnes omnia in ipso constant Ipse in omnibus primatum tenens nam in â—pso omnis plenitudo divinitatis inhabitat In principio terram fundavit opera manuum ejus sunt coeli Nam ipse est verbum De aqua per aquam mediante hoc verbo coeâ—i eâ—ant prius terra creata Denique est splenâ—or gâ—oriae figura substantiae Dei portans omnia verbo virtutis suae In Christ all things in heaven and earth are madâ— as well visible as invisible By him and in him are all things created He is before all and aâ—l consist in him He holdeth the Principalâ—ty in aâ—l things for in him all the pâ—enitâ—de of divinity dweâ—leth In the beginning he established the earth and the heavens were the works of his hands for he is the word But the heavens were made first and the earth of the wâ—ters and by the waters by the activity of the Word To conclude this divine Spirit is the splendor of Gods glory and the figure of his sâ—bstance which beareth up and sustaâ—neth all thâ—ngs by the word of his vertue By which it appeareth that it is this Spirit of Wisdome which operateth woâ—keth guideth informeth viâ—â—teth maintaineth sustaineth feedeth and illuminateth all thingâ— with life and being And again by his absence darkneth depâ—iveth and causeth death and â—orruption to all things in this world as shall be delivered more at large in the sixt Chapter of the Book which followeth CHAP. V. Of Plenâ—tude and Vacuity and what true fulness and voidness or inanity is NOw that we have in few lines discussed and set down the nature both of the two constituting or compoâ—ing Principles and also of the privative and decomposing nature It is necessary for us to know the property and sense of Pâ—enitude and Vacuiy according unto the true Wisdome or Christian Philosophy And first I will speak a word or two of that Vacuity or Emptiness which is so detestable and odious in the works which the Creator hath made As well the Fathers of the Philosophers as such as have been expert in Theology have termed it by the name of Nihil or Nothing Moses doth call it a deformed darkness or a dark abysse Hermes a fearfull or horrible shadow void of shape or form The Cabalists a potentiall being which is as yet nothing in act Plato maketh it a thing scarcely credible and therefore hardly to be imagined and likneth it to a mere dream which when a man is awake proveth nothing St. Augustin saith Cum aliquid informe concipâ—o prius nihil intelligo quam intelligebam quemadmodum nâ—hil videndo videntur tenebâ—ae nihil audiendo auditur silentium When I conceive any deformed thing I do first understand nothing else then I understood before as when I behold nothing Darkness is seen when I heare nothing Sâ—lence is heard Whereby it appeareth that he compareth this Nothing unto darknesse and silence Job therefore saith Aquilonem Deus extendit super mane vacuum suspendit terram super Nihilum God did extend the North upon Inanity and Vacuity and he hanged the Earth upon Nothing And again elsewhere Revelat fundamentaâ—e tenebris educit in lucem umbram Lâ—thalem God revealeth the Foundations out of Darknesse and maketh the deadly shadow to appear into Light By all which he argueth that Vacuity Inanity Nothing and Darkness are one and the same thing to wit Vanity Inanity or Voidness because that all fulness and plenitude is from God in his actuall property But God did not as yet shine forth unto the world and therefore as the first deformed matter of the world was void and destitute of all inacting grace and formall goodness it was said to be Vain Empty and Darkness For this reason Moses said before the act of Creation Terra erat inanis vacua The earth was void and empty because it was not as yet indued with the beames of Light Life and Form Tenebrae fuerunt super faciem Abyssi Darkness was upon the face of the Abysse before the all-informing and creating Spirit of the Lord was caried on the waters but after the Spirits apparition it is said that God calleth that which appeared dry out of the water Earth and God saw that it was good and it produced the tender herbs and seeds of every kind c. Wherefore the Earth that was before the revelation of Gods Spirit inane and void is now become full of divine Light and multiplying Grace Whereupon it was no more void and empty that is to say destitute of essentiall being but became fertill and fruitfull being now replenished with divine fire and the incorruptible Spirit of God according unto that of Solomon Spiritus Disciplinae sanctus implet orbem terrarum The spirit of Wisdome filleth the Earth And again Incorruptibilis Spiritus inest omni rei The incorruptible Spirit of God is in every thing Per hanc lucem saith St. John mundus est factus By this light the world was made And the Apostle Christus implet omnia Christ filleth all things Whereby we may perceive that all plenitude is from the divine Act as contrariwise Vacuity is when that formall life is absent from the waters and this is the reason that Vacuum or Inane is held so horrible a thing in Nature Forasmuch as the utter absence of the eternall emanation is intolerable to the creature because that every thing desireth fervently to be informed and that by a naturall appetite and affection and therefore it is abominable unto each naturall thing to be utterly deprived of being For this reason it followeth that unless God had filled all things in this world with his Spirit Vacuity and empty deformity would have possessed the world but because he by his presence did
and positive nature are proved to be the immediate causes of both those alterations in the generall Element of Waters I Have made it as I imagine most plain and evident unto your understandings as well by the testimony of the antique Philosophy and infallible wisdom of holy Writ as by ocular demonstration that the common or universall matter and subject of all things was the Waters which were inacted and created by the bright Spirit of the Lord before all things Which being so and for that all Condensation and Rarefaction do regard a subject or materiall substance wherein it should be performed or effected it followeth therefore that the onely matter which doth endure or suffer the act of either of them must be water or a humid and moist nature being it is the onely substantiall stuff which filleth all the vast cavity of the world and consequently the materiall existence of which both Heaven and Earth and all things therein are framed and were originally shaped out This is therefore that main subject of Condensation and Rarefaction by the means whereof all things in this world are made to differ from one another and are disposed and ordered by God according to weight number and measure in their proper rancks and places that is they are placed in a higher or lower region according unto that dignity which the catholick or eternall Actor hath bestowed upon them in their creation The common matter therefore of incrassation and subtiliation being thus made manifest we are to finde out the universall actor or operator in this work And I did signifie unto you before that it was the sacred emanation of that divine splendour which did operate from all beginnings and doth at this present operate and shall hereafter work all that which hereafter shall be effected in the heavens above and the earth beneath which assertion of mine accordeth well with this axiom of the Apostle oftentimes and that not without a just occasion repeated by me Deus operatur omnia in omnibus God worketh all in all And David In sapientia omnia fecisti Thou hast made all things in thy wisdom And Solomon Sapientia operatur omnia Wisdom worketh all things And the Apostle in another place Christus portat omnia verbo virtutis suae Christ beareth all things by the word of his vertue And St. Peter The heavens were of old and the earth of waters and by waters consisting by the word Again St. Paul saith that Christ is in all and filleth all And in another place Christus omnia est in omnibus Christ is all and in all Now this holy spirit of wisdom is said to be omnibus mobilibus mobilior more swift and movable than any movable thing And therefore he must needs act all in all according unto his will and pleasure Again when he is pleased to withdraw his actuall beams within himself he seems to rest and the act of the creature doth cease and then death doth ensue namely cessation from the activity of life Now being he is the most agil and moovable of all things the vertue of heat doth evermore accompany the motions of his light yea and are essentially united unto the actor even as we see in the Sun which Sydrach the wise-man compareth with Divinity saying that the body is likened unto the Father the the beams or emanation unto the Sun and the active heat which issueth from them both unto the Spirit that the beam is continuate unto the body of the Sun as the emanation from the divine fountain is one individuall essence with the fountain of eternall light and the virtue issuing from the Sun and his beams is in like manner unseparable in essence from the other two even as we find that the holy Spirit which is emitted from Father and Son is one in essence with them both For this reason therefore the divine Philosopher Hermes saith Mens ab essentia Dei nequaquam divisa sed illi potius eo modo connexa quo solis corpori lumen The mentall beam is not at all divided from the essence of God but rather joyned and knit unto him after the same manner that the light is continuated unto the Sun Whereupon it is evident that the vertue of heat is essentiall unto light as the act of motion is never absent from the emanating brightnesse I conclude therefore that Rarefaction is nothing else but the dilating of water by heat which was first contracted by cold and Condensation on the other side is a contraction or sucking and drawing together of those watry parts which were dilated or dispersed by heat So that the subject of both these actions is water and the fountain as well of the privative as positive agent is the Nolunty or Volunty that is to say the negative or affirmative will of that one eternall Unity who is that all-informing and operating Spirit which acteth and accomplisheth his pleasure in all and over all by his divers organs as well angelicall as celestiall and elementary which according unto their diversity in disposition are moved by this internall act to operate in this world the will of the Creator both positively and privatively as shall be told you in the Chapter following CHAP. II. How this Divine spirit or Ruach Elohim being but one in Essence worketh both by his Angelicall and Astrall organs in this sublunary world after a four-fold manner THe Eternall spirit of wisdome who is the initiall principle of all things and in whom and by whom as the Apostle teacheth us the Angels Thrones potestates and dominations were Created doth operate by his Angelicall Organs of a contrary fortitude in the Catholick Element of the lower waters both the effect of Condensation and that of Rarefaction And to verifie this out of the holy Bible's testimony we read first that this one spirit is the arch Lord and Prince of the 4. winds or else the Prophet by the commandement of God would not have said Come O spirit from the 4. winds and make these dead Carcasses to live againe Now that this one spirit worketh in and by spirituall and Angelicall Organs in the execution which is effected by the property of the 4. winds it is proved out of the Apocalyps where we find these words I saw 4. Angels stand on the 4. Corners of the Earth holding the 4. winds of the Earth that they should not blow on the Earth neither on the Sea c. By which it is evident that these Angelicall Presidents over the 4. winds were the Ministers and Organs by and in the which the spirits or blasts of the winds were emitted or retained according unto the will of that eternall spirit which guideth them when and where he list But we find by daily observation that the essentiall vertue in the Northern spirit is cold and therefore contractive or attractive from the circumference unto the centre and by consequence a causer of congelation and condensation By
a divine emanation which made 2. and had the self-same regard unto unity as the diapason or perfection hath unto an unison Now this bright emanation by the which all things were created and framed in true harmony elected in this world the perfect seat of its royall regard unto all creatures in the point of diapason which is ever in the middle of the unison and therefore in the center of the heavens But it appeareth unto the eyes that the Sun is ranked in the middle of the seven Planets and again it appeareth by the divine glory which shineth from it that it is a seat of divine perfection and therefore the Platonists have imagined that the Solar orbe or sphear is the seat of their anima mundi or soul of the world Now as this royall and most consonant Diapason doth comprehend in his capacity the other two inferior accords in Musick namely Diapente and Diatessaron for of these two united is the Diapason composed it is likely that the whole harmony of the heavens and consequently of the world are put in practise in this created organ the actor or player whereon is the eternall Spirit which soundeth out every minute from this his glorious Instrument straines of life vivification multiplication pacification or preservation unto the creatures for this is the office of the eternall Christ in this world I mean the divine Word in the which as the Evangelist John testifieth is life But of this in the next Eightly it is proved by a physicall or naturall regard For we observe and not we onely but the beasts themselves nay the very herbs and vegetable plants of the earth do feel and as it were confesse that the Sun is the chiefest treasury of vivification and multiplication in this world Whereupon it is apparent that when the Sun approacheth near us the herbs and trees which seemed as dead before do now revive put on their green coats and flourish with their blossoms and flowers But contrariwise when it departs on the other side of the Aequinoctiall they put off their flowers and green apparell and begin to mourn as it were for his departure But saith St. Paul Deus vivificat omnia God doth vivifie all things And therefore if the Sun by his presence bringeth unto the world the vertue of vivification it is apparent that it hath this gift from the Spirit of God which is the Spirit of life and being abundantly poured on it by God into this heavenly vessell it doth effect these vivifying acts in the world no otherwise than the same spirit being affluently infused on Christ Moses Elijah and other Saints upon earth did effect wonders upon the earth in healing reviving from death c. Doth not the sacred Text also aver that Sapientiam Deus effudit supra omnia opera sua secundum datum suum God hath poured out his spirit upon all his works more or lesse Why then should any man make any scruple or question touching the Spirit 's habitation in the Sun in abundance This therefore is the chiefe subject of this Psalme of David to expresse that the glory of God doth palpably appear out of the creatures of heaven yea out of every creature the eternall Spirit doth shine or expresse his glory more or lesse and is according to the gift which is given unto him to be discerned out of it And thereupon Job saith Coelos ornavit Deus Spiritu suo God hath adorned or beautified the heavens with his Spirit By which words it is manifest that it is the essentiall spirit of God which giveth by the abundance of his presence the lustre and glory unto the Sunne which for that reason is termed and that not erroneously by the Platonists who therein have imitated the divine Poet Orpheus Oculus mundi because that in and by it as in a certain clear and smooth looking glasse or mirrour all things are seen and discovered And again the philosopher Heraclitus Si solem è mundo sustuleris quid est nostrum Corpusculum s◠desit anima Nulla ibi contractatur vena pulsatilis sentiendum nullum inest judiciuns Nullus in eo vitalis halitus aut respiratio If thou takest away the Sonne out of the world what is our little body if the soul be wanting There is no beating veine or pulse to be discerned in it there is no judgment to be perceived in it there is neither breath nor respiration in it For this reason also it is termed Co◠caeli the heart of heaven because that as in the heart doth exist the lively fountaine of blood which doth water and humect the other members of the body So also it appeareth by effect that the vertue vegetation and conservation of all things both inferiour and superiour doth issue and spring from the Sun forasmuch as it imparteth and inspireth by his light life and heat unto inferiour things and bestoweth formall light unto the superiour Now this light is a certain simple act which converteth unto it self all things by a vivificall or lively heat which penetrateth all things and conducteth their vertues over all and withall disperseth and expelleth away all darknesse and obscurity Whereby it is apparent that if the life in generall be in the word as St. John saith and if this catholick spirit of life vivifieth all things as St. Paul and Judith affirm and if the spirit of wisdom be brighter than the sun and a simple and pure spirit which is more movable and active than all things and therefore operateth all in all and if it penetrateth all things by reason of his purity as Solomon saith and all these properties are found in the solar vertue What should disswade man from thinking that the Hebrew Text was not rightly understood of Jerom when he interpreted it Posuit tabernaculum suum in sole He put his tabernacle in the sun Verily this was necessary for man to understand being that unto this very hour there are but few that will acknowledge that the Spirit of God doth immediately operate and work in his organ the Sun and by the Sun but being rather seduced by the Ethnick learning they will admit many subalternate agents or efficient causes per se that is of themselves distinguished from the essentiall act of God which is the reason of Idolatry and worshipping of the creature for the Creator and neglect or ignorance of the Creator in the creature For although it be said by Solomon Quod solem praevenire oportet ad benedictionem Dei We ought to prevent the sun-rising to give thanks unto thee And again we read that when we pray we should conver our faces unto the east or rising sun Yet ought we to imagine that he teacheth this doctrine for the Creator's cause which dwelleth in that bright tabernacle and not for the tabernacle's or creature's sake For it was into this errour that the Aegyptians fell who adoring this illuminated creature in lieu of the Illuminator
the Sun hath his seat or place in heaven Alass what child knoweth not this by an ocular direction without any such precept of the Prophet And what is this pertinent unto the Text going before The heavens declare the glory of God c. Why should he mention the Sun immediatly afterward What To tell us that the Sun was in heaven A thing known unto every man No but that the heaven's beauty was derived from that glorious Spirit of God which had chiefly his abiding or dwelling in the sunny Tabernacle that thereby blind worldly men might discern that it was God in that beauteous creature and not the creature which sent down so affluently those vertuous influences and lights which were effused out of the vessell of the Sun being that by the mistaking of that knowledg so many of Gods creatures which he framed out after his own Image have been seduced into errour and allured ignorantly to adore the Sun and other Starrs for Gods Which in verity are nothing of themselves Spiritu suo ornavit coelos saith Job He doth not say Sole but Spiritu suo which made the Sun its Tabernacle And now to our last Argument wherein I will shew you how by the assertion of certain wise Philosophers that exposition of Jerom seemeth to be confirmed Saith one unto whose opinion also St. Austin doth adhere Quaelibet res tantum sibi Dei vindicat quantum capax est luminis Every thing doth challenge unto it self so much of divinity as it is capable of Light But the Sun is the brightest creature in the world Ergo it possesseth abundantly the Spirit of divinity Many Philosophers therefore consent in this not erring from the tenent of Scriptures namely that In lumine numen in numine lumen In Light is divinity and in divinity is Light And Plato Ne loquaris de Deo sine Lumine Speak not of God without Light Doth not Scriptures confirm all this in saying that God is Light and that vestitur seu â—miâ—tuâ— est Lumine quasi vestimento He is clothed with Light as with a garment Yea verily he is said to be a consuming fire I conclude therefore that Jerom hath translated that place according unto the true sense and consequently we may gather the reason of Rarefaction and Condensation from the presence or absence of the the Sun and confess after the due examination of the case that the onely Agent of these two operations in the waters or catholick Element is the Eternall Spirit 's presence action and emanation or his absence and rest And this is easily demonstrated by our experimentall glass for the nearer the Sun is unto us and the deeper we are in Summer the more will the aire in the glass be dilated which is manifested therefore because that in summer-time the water is beaten down and precipitated lowest Again the further the Sun is from us and the deeper we are in winter the more is the aire condensed in the glass and that is made evident by the elevation or exaltation of water in the neck of the mattrass or glass Neither do we say that the whole reason of Condensation and Rarefaction doth proceed from the Spirit in the Sun onely being that the same Spirit is as well present in this Elementary region as aethereall and hath the power and life of the winds in his rule by which both in the winter and summer he exalteth or depresseth the waters in the glass and consequently causeth Condensation and Rarefaction of the aire as well included in the Instrument as excluded and by that means causeth a diuturnall change in the generall Sublunary Waters or catholick Element of aire after a four-fold nature from one condition unto another Which mutation or alteration of the inferiour humid nature out of one form into an other is commonly called Elements as shall be expressed hereafter But first we will come unto the Fabrick of the heavens and shew how they were framed out by Condensation and Rarefaction Effected by this one Eternall Ruach Elohim or Spirit of God CHAP. IV. After what manner this Eternall Spirit or Ruach Elohim did frame out the Heavens and shaped or made the Starrs thereof by his Act of Condensation and Rarefaction IT is the Apostle Peter's assertion that the Heavens and the Earth were of the Wateâ— and by the Waters by the Word of God So that the Word we see is the Agent as wâ—ll in the Condensation of the invisible waters into waters that are visible and then of these visible waters into a visible earth Thus was the world in generall distinguished into thicker and thinner regions by that divine Spirit Ruach Elohim which was carried on the waters And this is well argued by Hermes in these words Distinctis libratisque rebus quae igneo Spiritu vehebantur emicuit coelum septem in circulos Things being distinguished and ballanced the which were sustained by a fiery Spirit the heaven did shine forth into seven circles Where he signifieth that it was a fiery Spirit and a little before he calleth it Splendorem Sanctum the holy Splendor which sustained and bore up every circle or Sphere of the heavens in his due place And hereupon the Wiseman Omnia mensura numeroque pondere disposuisti seu temperâsti Thou hast disposed all things in measure and number and weight that is to say in a distinct measure and proportion in ponderosity and levity and in a due and convenient number namely into seven distinct Spheres and an infinity of condensed bodies For although all the heavens be composed of aire and fire and therfore it is called Aether quasigneus aer yet by the rule of St. Paul who teacheth us that things visible were first of things invisible we are instructed that both the visible bodies in heaven and also all visible lights were first of invisible waters and invisible formall Light which hath its root in God the bright eternall Unity of all created numbers and therefore as Aristotle saith that Stellae are densiores partes sui orbis So I say that as the Substance of the heavens is invisible by reason of its rarity in like manner are the starrs visible by reason of their density For it was Condensation that caused visibility and Rarefafaction which is the occasion of invisibility And yet for all this it is not concluded with Aristotle that the starrs are the denser parts of their orbs but rather Lights which were included in the spirit of the dark shadow of the abysse which spirit in separating of Light from Darkness sored upward by vertue of the included Light and so according unto the proportion of that eternall formall fire which it retaineth unto this day as his corner-stone it is sustained and elevated in its proper place no otherwise then we see that the artificiall squib according unto the proportion of its artificiall and fading fire with the ponderosity of its body is during the time of the
gunpowders force raised in the aire to a certain height moving neither lower nor higher then the form all vigor affordeth it vertue and there remaineth untill the force of the corruptible and wasting fire be spent and then it falleth down againe But the Light of the star carrieth and raiseth up the spirituall body according unto the proportion of the mounting Light which soreth as high as its power and the ponderosity of the body will permit and so it hangeth perpetually at a certain distance from the center because the fire is of an eternall and incorruptible nature and will not fade as that artificiall fire of the squib doth Now as all the illuminating vigors and animating forces or flames that are imparted unto the universall waters was bestowed on them by that bâ—ight catholick Spirit or emanation which was sent forth by God to be carried on the waters which as Scripture doth averre is brighter then the Sun or Starrs So there is none of all those Lights which are separated or divided in essence from that glorious and glittering Spirit whose beams were dispersed over all the waters in the abysse in giving of them life and being For this reason therefore because each Light had a diversity in proportion of formall brightness and measure of corpulency it is that one celestiall body doth vary in his manner of vertue motion and influence from another but because the extracted quintessence or purer materiall essence of all the Chaos with the purity of Light that issued from the creating Spirit were united into an Angelicall alterity both of those natures in the figure of one masse sored up out of the dark abysse into the heaven's center where they challenged the Royall Phoebaean Throne and that Sphaericall masse is to this hour termed the Sun of Heaven which as from the created Fountain of Light enflameth and formally enlightneth all the rest of the Starrs in the heavens above and the Element and elementated creatures below So that after the universall contracted Light was effected the fourth day of the Creation it was ordained to be that capitall Organ of life and vegetation in the starry world which did send and showre down his influences and fiery spiracles of life conservation vegetation and multiplication upon the sublunary earth and waters Thus therefore in few words you have the reason of that Condensation and Rarefaction whereby both the invisible heavenly Substance and visible celestiall bodies were made And it seemeth not to disagree from the opinions of the learned Theologians Basil and Damascene touching the causes of the divine Spirit 's action in Condensation and Rarefaction before the apparition of the Sun in the heavens Forasmuch as they will have the daie's Rarefaction or cleare heaven to be occasioned by an emission of Light ordained by the divine will or act of this Omnipotent Spirit But they think that the night's Condensation and the opake or condensed bodie in the heavens are effected by a contraction of Light which was also caused by the sacred Spirit 's volunty Thus therefore we see out of the confession of certain of the prime Fathers of the Church what was the cause of the cold condensing Night and the hot rarifying Day before the Spirit was congregated into the Tabernacle or quintessentiall substance of the Sun which was extracted by the Spageâ—ick or separative action of the divine Spirit out of the huge deformed waters of the abysse And therefore this also must be the reason of Condensation and Rarefaction unto this day For as the Spirit in the Sun being far from us and as it were contracting his beames in regard of us unto himself or absenting himself from our Hemisphere so that the cold waters do incline unto the nature of their mother Chaos by reason whereof the night and darkness are long and the light and day but short and faint in heat So also in that season the common sublunary Element is subject to Condensation and Incrâ—ssation and therefore is constrained or contracted into the consistence of Frosts Snows Hail Ice and Cold showers c. Again when it is neare unto us it dilateth it self and by his heat and presence the cold waters become hot and the daies are augmented and fortified or made strong in heat and then the common sublunary Element is apt for dilatation and subtiliation being easy to be inflamed and set on fire with Lightnings coruscations and such like But I leave the history of the Condensation and Subtiliation of the aethereall Spirit to descend unto the like acts or conditions in the sublunary Element CHAP. V. How the lower waters or catholick sublunary element were distinguished ordered and shaped out into sundry distinct sphears which are called particular Elements and that by the foresaid all-working Spirit or dâ—vine Word SInce that it is most certainly proved already that the universall substance of the world's machin was made but of one onely thing namely of a matter that was produced out of the potentiall bowells of the dark chaos or abyss by the spagerick vertue of the divine Word the which matter Moses tearmed Waters and Hermes the humid nature of the which in generall as both Moses and St. Peter aver the heavens and the earth were made of old it must needs follow that out of this catholick masse of waters the universall sublunary element was derived which is commonly termed by the name of Aer as all that humid substance in the celestiall orbe is called Aether Now this generall element is by the breath of the divine Spirit Râ—ach Elohim altered and changed from one shape unto another for that which is the visible waters was made first of the aire which is an invisible water as again the visible water by condensation is made earth And this is proved first by the words of St. Paul who saith Per fidem agnovimus quod semper ita actum sit cum mundo per Verbum ut ex iis quae videri non poterant fierent ea quae possunt videri We know by faith that it hath been ever acted with the world by the word that those things which can be seen were effected or made of those things which could not be seen And again Solomon saith that the world was made of a matter that was not seen But besides these proofs we are taught by chymicall experience that earth is nothing else but coagulated water nor visible water any thing else but invisible air reduced by condensation to a visibility nor fire any thing else but ratified aire And in conclusion all the sublunary waters were in the beginning but an invisible humid or watry spirit which we call by a common name Aire and consequently the catholick sublunary element was in its originall nothing else but one aire being that heaven was made before the seas or the earth as Moses teacheth us And therefore by faith we must believe according unto St. Paul's doctrine that all
nostrills the waters were gathered together thou dâ—dst blow with thy winde and the sea covered them And Job Glaciem edit Deus vento suo flante Deo concrescit gelu God doth bring forth the ice with his breath when he doth blow the frost and ice ice is ingendered Deus facit pondus vento God giveth proportion unto the aire or winde And the Prophet David Qui facit angelos ventos minâ—stros suos ignem urenâ—em Who maketh his angels winds and his ministers flames of fire And hereupon such learned personages and Doctors as are profoundly seen and dived into the mysteries of the true nature do averre that the externall of the Angels is aire or the subtle humid nature of the world and that their internall or formall portion is a hidden divine fire And for this cause St. Denis doth tearm the Angels Algamatha that is to say clear Mirrours or looking-Glasses which do receive the splendour or light of God and do represent his image And therefore the Prophet in the place above mentioned doth describe both the hidden and invisible winde and that which is fiery and doth manifestly appear in the form of lightning to be an angelicall spirit animated by the divine fire or bright emanation from God All which being rightly considered we must either confesse that the Spirit of the nostrills or mouth of IEHOVA is a hot and dry exhalation subject unto preternaturall passions and arising out of the earth which would appear too profanely uttered out of a Christian's mouth or that this member of the Peripateticall definition is most false and erroneous But this shall be discovered more plainly in my enquiry and laying open of the other members The second member of this definition doth intimate unto us that the place wherein that exhalation which is the materiall cause of the winde is ingendred and from the which it is derived is the earth but the place or seat unto the which it tendeth saith it is the middle region of the aire and the medium and space in which that moveth as well upward and downward as laterally is the lower region of the aire In the which assertion of this Ethnick Philosopher I will make plain and prove evidently that there will be found divers grosse errours and palpable absurdities But that we may the better effect our enquiry and hunt after the truth of the businesse that is to say for the exacter examinations cause it will be necessary for us to divide this member or clause into three parts in the first whereof we ought seriously to consider whether the matter of the winds be extracted out of the earth or no. In the second if that substance do onely soar up and make his way unto the concave superficies of the middle region of the aire onely In the third whether the place in which the wind moveth be onely the lower region of the aire To the former question or doubt we say That either the sacred Bible which is the fountain of truth is false or this particle of the second member must be most erroneous for saith St. John Spiritus ubi vult spirat vocem ejus audis sed nescis unde veniat aut quò vadat The wind or spirit bloweth where it will and thou hearest his voice but thou knowest not from whence it commeth or whither it goeth Which being rightly pondered by wise-men they must conclude that either Aristotle saw further into the mysteries of God and nature than the Evangelist who was a true and sincere Christian Philosopher and Theosopher and then St. John must be proved a lyar in his doctrine which were a great impiety in any Christian to imagine or else the assertion of Aristotle must clearly be found false and in all things contradictory unto the truth Aristotle saith that the matter of the winde doth move from the earth and ascendeth into the middle region of the aire and from thence is repelled downward But St. John saith that the winde moveth not constrainedly that is to say by coaction nor any accidentall compulsion but voluntarily and according unto its own pleasure and appetite for his words are Spiritus spirat ubi vult It bloweth where it will and that although the voice and noise of it be familiar unto the ears yet neverthelesse it is not known from whence it commeth or whither it will This doctrine of the Evangelist which so mainly differeth from that of Aristotle is maintained out of divers places of holy Writ for the royall Psalmist with the Prophet Jeremy saith Depromit ventos è the sauris suis He draweth forth the winds out of his treasuries But the Scriptures prove that the earth is not the seat or place of Gods treasure where it speaketh thus Aperiet tibi IEHOVAH thesaurum suum optimum coelos dando pluviam terrae suo tempore IEHOVA will open unto thee his best treasure the heavens giving rain unto the earth in his due time He doth not say the earth but the heavens so that between these two there is a great difference as between night and day Wherefore it is evident that the heaven or catholick element of air is the secret cabinet of these meteorologica Dei magnalia or meteorologick wonders Hereupon it is said in another place Januas coelorum aperuit pluens Manna c. He opened the gates of heaven raining down Manna Again it is so hard a thing for a mortall man that is not illuminated with the spirit of wisdom to find out or discover this arcane treasury of God that JEHOVAH himself speaketh unto Job though he were a just man and one that feated God much more he pointeth at the wise-man or Philosopher of this world who never was acquainted with the divine Word in this manner Pervenisti nè in the sauros nivis et in the sauros grandinis inspectionem habes Camest thou ever into the treasury of the snow or hast thou any insight into the treasury of the hail Arguing that without his Spirit had shewed or revealed his treasury it was impossible to know it And for this cause Solomon saith Corpus infectum corruptione aggravat animam vix conjicimus ea quae in terra sunt quae autem in coelis sunt quis investigavit nisi tu dederis sapientiam The body which is subject unto corruption doth aggravate and depress the soul and we scarcely conjecture or guesse at those things which are upon the earth Who hath found out or discovered the things which are in heaven unlesse thou give and bestow upon him wisdom Now Soâ—omon confesseth that he knew the force of the elements and power of the winds and consequently of their reall originall or beginning for Sapientia saith he omnium artifex me docuit Wisdom the worker of all things taught him Now Aristotles false Philosophy and his Ethnick and worldly wisdom sheweth that he never attained unto the wisdom which
descendeth from above even from the Father of light But to proceed unto the doubt which is Whether according unto Aristotles intention the originall matter of the wind be of the earth and his first motion from the earth into heaven A man more learned and wise by far in the mysteries of nature than Aristotle ever was answereth in this manner Venti viam saith he ignorat homo ignorat homo opus ipsius Dei qua via faciat haec omnia Man knoweth not the way or path of the winds man knoweth not the work of God namely by what means he effecteth these things But Aristotle was a man yea and an Ethnick man and therefore could so much the lesse judge rightly of such abstruse things as are these wherefore JEHOVAH seeming to deride the boldnesse of such a worldling and as it were in reprehending of him speaketh in these words Nosti nè ubinam sit via in qua dividitur exhalatio quae spargit ventum super terram Knowest thou where is the way wherein the exhalation is divided which spreadeth the wind upon the earth Arguing hereupon the impossibility for a worldly mans capacity to conceive or understand these things unlesse he be taught and instructed by the Spirit of wisdom who teacheth all things the which Spirit is bestowed by God on whom he pleaseth And yet Aristotâ—e seemeth impudently to answer God and say I know it well for the way of this exhalation is from the earth upward unto the middle region of the aire where partly by an Antiperistasis caused of cold driving it downward again and partly by other exhalations which are successivly ascending the exhalation is compelled to move laterally upon the face of the earth c. But I will shew the impossibility of this reason by that which followeth immediately hereafter To the second and third part of this clause I say that the medium by the which the winds are carried or moved is by far more vast and large then that which Aristotle assignes unto it for the winde doth not blow and act onely in the lower but also in the middle yea and in the upper region of the aire If therefore the winde do blow in the middle region of the aire then will the vigour of Aristotle's definition be taken away forasmuch as the efficacy thereof doth chiefly consist in this namely that such a hot and dry exhalation as is the cause of the wind is not permitted to penetrate the middle region of the aire but is reverberated precipitated and beaten down again by the vertue of the middle region's cold which resisteth the heat of the sublimed exhalation Now if there be any wind in the middle region of the aire this cause of the winde will be taken away forasmuch as then the exhalation will not be repelled downwards into the lower region where it should meet other ascending exhalations to make a noise and to be dispersed laterally on the earth for the exhalation which causeth a wind in the middle region will not be driven down by the cold but is observed to blow and to move the clouds and thunders in the middle of that sphear yea it is made manifest by daily experience that as well the upper or higher clouds which are white and yellow and therefore more light and subtle by reason of their fiery brightnesse as the lower which are grosser and more obscure are driven and pushed by the winds from any quarter of the world unto the opposite for except the winds were also present in that region they could never move as on the wings of the winds in that manner Do we not also observe that the south-wind bloweth from the southern horizon and another from the next which is northern so that both winds have dominion in either of the horizons at all one and the same time whereupon it often happeneth that great and dark clouds moving from each opposite quarter by four of those contrary angelicall spirits do meet in the point of each Horizon and cause one masse or huge sea of clouds serving as a Tabernacle unto the great spirit of wonders which worketh or causeth these things whereupon there followeth great lightnings and thunders by the concourse of opposite angelicall natures being the messengers ministers and voice of the Almighty which never could have been effected unless the winds by the will of the Almighty had moved impetuously the one against the other in the middle-region of the aire And this we have also confirmed out of Scripture where it is said Ascendit fumus e naribus IEHOVAE carbones accensi sunt ab eo inclinavit coelos descendit caligo sub pedibus ejus ascendit super Cherubin volavit lapsus est super pennas venti Posuit tenebras in circuitu suo latibulum cribrans aquas de nubibus coelorum prae fulgore in conspectu ejus nubes succensae sunt tonabat de coelo Dominus c. Smoak ascended out of the nostrils of IEHOVA coales are kindled by him He inclined or bowed down the heavens and descended and darkness was under his feet and he ascended upon the Cherubin and did flie and glide upon the wings of the wind He put the darknesse round about him to serve for to hide him sisting out waters from the clouds of heaven before his face for at his presence the clouds were set on fire and the Lord did thunder from heaven c. Out of which speech we gather that not only the Clouds and Thunder and Lightnings are moved by the windy ministers or Angels of the Lord but also that Divinity it self being compassed about with dark clowds in the middle region of the aire is carried upon the airy Cherubin and useth the wings of the winds as organs to move on Whereby each wise man may easily perceive that the worldly wisdome or Peripateticall Philosophy is plain foolishness being that it would falsly perswade the world that such essentiall Acts as are the Angelicall winds whose inward essence is the bright Spirit of the Lord are caused accidentally and are moved and stirred up by externall violence when by the doctrine of the true wisdome it is evident that they are indued with most essentiall internall Agents and therefore do move where and when they list according unto that before-mentioned of St. John For saith he Spiritus spirat ubi vult The Spirit bloweth where it lists Which being so as is apparent that the wind hath actum formam principium internum An essentiall and inward act form and Principle at the motion whereof it is moved or caused which way the invard mover pleaseth and therefore the Text saith Spirat ubi vult It bloweth where it will and consequently it is indued with a volunty or will whereby each man may see how extravagant from the Truth is the Peripateticks reason touching this point who admit no essentiall and internall form unto the Winds but make it a thing meerly
endued with a various and divers condition or property insomuch as the one is hot and moist the other cold and dry the third hot and dry and the last cold and moist It were impossible that this difference and variety should happen if all winds were framed and fashioned onely after one fashion that is if they did move laterally by compulsion as Aristotle telleth the tale I come now unto the last clause or member of the Peripateticall definition which doth touch the finall end or reason of the production or creation of the winds His opinion is that his nature doth produce this manner of ventilation for the purging and purifying of the aire and for the preservation thereof But we are taught by experience that this is not true being that we with Galen and Hippocrates do discern that the southerly winds are contagious and pestiferous forasmuch as they render the aire thick and make it putrid and rotten by their malignant heat and lax humidity And this also we have confirmed by the sacred Text Ne timeto saith David à lue seu daemonio vast ante in meridie Fear not the pestilence oâ— corrupt daemon which commeth from the south And Habacuck Deo à meridio veniente praecessit vel ante-ivit eum pestis antrax ad pedes ipsius God comming from the south the pestilence went before him and at his feet went the boch or carbuncle Yea verily and all winds in a generality as also the other meteors of heaven are ordained by the Creator as well for a whip and scourge as to assist preserve and save the creature as by many places of Scripture we are certified and Job in expresse tearms hath taught us And therefore Aristotle hath erred in his judgment concerning the finall cause of the winds as well as in the rest We may justly hereupon conclude that this definition of our pagan Peripatetick whom we Christians do adore and follow with such devotion and reverence is altogether false and of no validity because the winds are creatures of a nature more essentially eminent and divine than either Aristotle or any of his factious sect did ever understand forasmuch as they are not things without internall lights and essences and do not consist onely of externall and adventitious motions that is to say are not made of fumes or exhalations arising by accident or chance out of the earth But as Zacharias doth teach us they are created and animated by an angelicall spirit and stand before the Lord of all the earth and are hid in the power or treasury of their Lord out of the which he calleth them at his pleasure to do and accomplish his will and pleasure upon the earth and upon the seas either ad vinâ—ictam seu punitionem to revenge and punish or else ad misericordiam benignitatem creaturis praebendam to shew unto the creatures his mercy and benignity CHAP. III. The true and essentiall definition of the wind is divers waies and that according unto the sense and assertion of the holy Scrâ—ptures expressed in this Chapter NOw me-thinks I hear some of the Peripateticall faction to murmur against me and reply If this definition of Aristotle be not good as by your proof it appeareth assigne us a better if you can Tell us therefore essentially what is the winde or how you define or describe it rightly by the warrant of holy Writ To this I answer that it may be effected many waies under one and the self-same essence And first of all we may describe it and that not impertinently after this manner The winde is an airy spirit of a mean consistence inspired and animated by the breath or inspiration of JEHOVA the which he draweth forth of his treasury to execute his will and pleasure either by the way of malediction and vengeance or of benediction and misericord Every particle of this definition is proved out of convenient places of holy Scriptures and first that his externall is aire of a mean consistence it is made manifest in that the words aire winde and spirit are expressed in many places of Scriptures by all one Hebrew word namely by Ruach Again that his internall or moving soul and centrall act is the divine Spirit or inspiration it is proved and confirmed by the places which are cited before A flatu narium tuarum saith Moses coacervatae sunt aquae flavisti vento tuo operuit eos mare By the breath of thy nostrills the waters were gathered in a heap thou didst blow with thy wind and the sea did cover them And again Glaciem Deus fortis edit flatu suo The mighty God bringeth forth ice with his breath c. as if they had said God inspired the aire with his Spirit So that there appeareth no difference between an angelicall creature and the aire so divinely inspired for the aire is said to be the externall or manifest of an Angell as well good as bad animated by God for the effecting of his will either to punish or to extend and shew forth his benigne mercy or clemency as his internall and occult portion is the immediate breath of God and therefore as I said before they are by St. Denis tearmed Algamatha that is to say clear mirrours or looking-glasses which receive the light of God Is it not in plain words expressed by David Quod angelos suos fecerit ventos that he made his angels winds where by his angels is meant the emissions from his throne and they being incorporated with the aire are tearmed angelicall natures Again JEHOVA said of the Angel that went before the Israelites to conduct them in the wildernesse Nolite exacerbare eum nam non feret defectiones vestras quoniam nomâ—n meum est in eo Do not anger him for he will not bear your errours because that my name is in him that is to say The bright impression of my word For the son of Syrach said that wisdom went before them in a pillar of cloud and was a light unto them in the night and a shadow or cloud in the day to keep them from the extream heat For this reason therefore the same Angell is called in many places of that book sometimes Jehovah in regard of his inward and increated essentiall act and sometimes Angelus in regard of his alterity or composition of two or as he was a creature and therefore as God is identity namely an absolute simple pure and increated essence so an Angell is by the wiser Rabbies tearmed Alteritas to wit as he is compacted of the uniform inspiration of God and the humid or aery nature of the world that is of a created spirit or a created aire which made the Psalmist say that which is above cited Qui facit angelos ventos ministros suos ignem urentem For in this saying he seemeth to include both the occult and manifest nature As concerning the next clause of this definition
plants relent liquifie and become animated and fluent the birds rejoyce and are quickened and the dull and senslesse aire is by little and little refreshed and taketh flight into the southern regions for reasons I will shew you in my demonstrative positions immediately following And yet for all the absence of the bright and inacting Spirit in the Sun it followeth but that one and the self-same Spirit which filleth all may alter his privative property when and where he list for we see oftentimes quite contrary unto the common constitution of the year that by it thunders and lightnings are effected in the midst and hardest of the winters and the winds which are most active namely the east and south blow beyond expectation all which is effected by him at his pleasure who operateth all in all how and by what means and where and when he list This therefore being well pondered I enter into the state of this my demonstration The demonstration or proof how the annuall winds are moved by the vivifying spirit which is in the Sun I have told you that the whole effect of the divine action in the humid nature of this inferiour world did consist in Congelation and Rarefaction and that the first was caused by the privative and northern act of Gods Spirit which doth operate by cold and the other by his positive operation which is guided by heat Now as these two have their dominion or depression by the presence or absence of the Sun so also is the universall aire more cold spisse opake and sluggish or stupid when the Sun is farthest off and again more hot subtle bright transparent agil and active when the Sun is nearest Mark therefore the properties of the aire included in the glazen vessell of the Calender-Instrument and remember that it is but one and the same Spirit in essence that worketh as well privativly as positivly for it was one and the same Spirit which was called by the Prophet from the north and south for the Text saith Veni spiritus à quatuor ventis c. wherefore this Spirit is it that governeth the universall sublunary aire as well privatively as positively And although this Spirit be most plentifully in the Sun yet it being neverthelesse every where is able at all times and in every place to expresse himself in both properties I come therefore unto the point or mark In the first Chapter of the first Book of this present Section I have most clearly demonstrated unto you that the aire included in the Weather-glasse hath in every respect a relation unto the aire or catholick element of the great world where also it is proved that the aeriall humid nature doth as exactly fill every place of the vaulted world where the earth or water are not lest any vacuity should be found in the cavity thereof no otherwise than the dilated aire in the head and neck of the Weather-glasse doth fill the cavity thereof and therefore as the aire included in the glasse doth work by dilatation at the presence of the Sun namely in the Summer-season when the externall aire is heaâ—ed so also and after the self-same manner will the aire of this northern hemisphear be dilated when the Sun is present yea and the nearer the Sun is and the more perpendicular his beams are the greater will the generall aire 's rarefaction be and consequently of that particular aire which is in the glasse On the other side when the Sun is absent from the Boreall hemisphear namely when it moveth beyond the Aequinoctiall then will the common aire in that hemisphear wax cold and be contracted and condensed and consequently the particular aire in the glasse will be contracted after the same proportion which may easily be measured or conceived by the degrees of ascent of the water in the glasse as the rarefaction may be collected by the descent thereof This therefore being well conceived or understood and that the cause of this rarefaction is the presence of this divine act in the sunny tabernacle and that the reason of the condensation is the absence or remotenesse of the said act or operating and emanating Spirit and consequently the presence of the divine puissance which is darknesse for as we said the absence of heat is the presence of cold which is the essentiall worker in the divine puissance and again the presence of heat is the absence of cold So also the absence of positive light conceiveth privative darknesse and the absence of privative darknesse imparteth the presence of positive light We may easily hereupon collect the reason of the annuall winds and perceive what their externall is and how that aire is animated by the vivifying Spirit which is sent out from the Sun Consider therefore that when the Sun is present with us the Summer is created by his presence the aire is calefacted by the bright beams of his Spirit and by calefaction is rarified and by reason of rarefaction of parts requireth a larger place for his existency As for example We put two pound of Vitreol into a Retort and fasten the nose thereof unto a huge Recipient or Receiver stopping the joynts fast that the spirits do no way expire We force out the Spirit from the Retort into the Receiver and we find it tried by experience that part of the Vitreol being dilated into spirits those spirits finding the ample Receiver not sufficient to contain them do violently break the Receiver into an infinity of pieces Whereby it is made plain that a thing which is condensed will occupy but a small place but when it is dilated it will require a very large continent for his existence All this is argued plainly by our experimentall Instrument for when the Sun is present the aire included is forthwith dilated more or lesse according unto the vigour of the solar spirits and winds that blow but when it is dilated it requireth by so much the more a larger place to be contained in by how much the more it is dilated or â—arified and that is proved thus namely because the water is thrust down by so many degrees lower by how many the aire excelleth in rarity So that it is evident that the onely reason why the water is precipitated more and more downwards is because being by degrees subtiliated it maketh it self a larger room to abide in Now that I have shewed you thus much mark that when the Sun commeth newly into an hemisphear where winter did reigne or had dominion and therefore the cold did incrass and thicken the aire as for example when it passeth from us into the southern hemisphear to convert the winter estate of that part into summer it doth forthwith begin to attenuate the aire of that part of the world and that aire so rarified being animated and as it were revived by the operating beams of the Suns bright spirit becommeth light-winged or feathered wherefore it flyeth away from the south and seeketh a larger place for
his abode or entertainment being that the australl hemisphear is not sufficient to receive his dilated body For this reason it is forced to pass a-traverse the Aequinoctiall and to visit by a successive motion the northern hemisphear and at its entrance therein to make a windy noise by reason of the thickness and coldness of the aire which resisteth the hot vaporous and lately dissolved or rarified aire which is animated with the southern light from whence it receiveth his agility And this aire thus animated and forced by the divine act in the Sunny tabernacle to fly from the south unto the north is that which we call the southern winde which for this reason happeneth so frequently among us in the beginning of winter namely immediately after the Sun hath passed the Aequinoctiall that is to say through Libra into Scorpio This is the reason that the southern winds I say are so plentifull among us in October November and December and consequently that we are saluted with such southern showers by reason that the northern coldness doth condense the fugitive southern aire into clouds as shall be told you in the description of the clouds All this is demonstrated out of the Weather-glass for at the heat of onely a mans hand being placed on the head of the Weather-glass the included aire is rarified and so dilateth it self and flyeth to an opposite Pole namely unto the heat of the cold water the which it beareth down before it On the other side the northern winds and the ice and snow which are more frequent in winter are caused by that breath or spirit which is sent forth from God in his potentiall and privative nature the which he doth exercise or put in execution in this world when the treasure house of his actuall power is farthest and therefore he hath ordained the Magazin or store-house of his cold in the poles of the world being farthest off from the Aequinoctiall For this reason it is said in Scriptures that cold commeth from the north and that before the cola of God who can consist and that the breath of God maketh ice and frost And again Hast thou come into the treasure-house of the snowes or hast thou any knowledge in the treasury of the hail Neither is Gods actuall light severed or distinguished from him though he breathe at his pleasure from the north in his potentiall or privative property for darknesse unto him is as light And for this reason also when he is displeased he breatheth from the north as well in lightning and thunder as in snow and hail Whereupon Ezekiel said Behold a whirl-winde came out of the north and a great cloud involved with fire c. And yet both the cold snow hail and frost and the lightnings and melting heats proceed but from one and the same spirit though divers in properties which as I said was by the same Prophet called from the four winds that is to say one and the same word in essence but multi-form in property Of which the Psalmist God sending forth his word upon the earth by it he poureth down snow on the earth like wool and disperseth the frost like ashes who can resist against his cold So soon as he sendeth out his word it doth liquifie them so soon as he bloweth forth his winde the waters begin to flow and the snow frost and ice to melt Whereby it is evident that God is ever one in himselfe wheresoever he be namely be he in the north where he operateth privation or in the Sun in which he doth expresse his actuall glory Yet doth his Volunty as well as his Nolunty that is his positive property as well as his privative accompany the unity of his essence As for example His negative property in his positive was discerned when he made the Sun to stand still at Joshuah's prayer and to go backwards or become retrograde for the confirmation of Hezekia's belief And his absolute privative when at the death of our Saviour he contracted his manifested bright glory into the center So that the Sun became as black as pitch I conclude therfore that when this potentiall property of the Divine Spirit doth move or act in the aire the aire is sucked towards the pole or center and so is made Frost Snow c. In which space our experimentall Instrument sheweth a nature quiâ—e contrary from the precedent For after the imitation of the aire in the great world it is contracted and sucked up into the bolts-head as to the cold pole and this then demonstrateth that the catholick externall aire doth also work after the same fashion It appeareth therefore that the reason of this emitted Spirit is occult and not known unto any of us that are drowned in the abysse of Ignorance but onely is made known unto him who hath been so happy as to be instructed by the true Wisdome of God which Solomon confesseth to be the worker of all things and therefore the most faithfull Schoole-mistress to teach all mysteries But I will proceed further in the search and inquiry of this Ethnick Peripatetick man's skill in the Science and knowledg of Meteorology And first I will see what he can say touching the Generation of the clowds and the rain CHAP. V. How Aristotle's Doctrine touching the Generation of the Clowds and production of the Drops of Rain is found to be altogether contradictory unto the true Wisdome's Institutions WE will now come unto our inquiry and examination of Aristotle's skill in the watry Meteors and because that the causes of mists called Nebulae and thinner clowds termed Nubeculae are comprehended under the title of Nubes or Clowds I will onely insist upon the Mystery of the clowdy impression For I purpose not to make any great Volume of words to weary your eies with reading them over but onely to touch with brevity such kinds of principall Meteors as may in their generality include by their descriptions every speciality that may be comprehended under them I will therefore briefly begin with Aristotle's opinion and then compare it with the Testimony of holy Writ that thereby the essence of it may be examined with the fire of verity to see whether it will indure the Test or withstand the tryalls of Truth 's touch-stone or no. His opinion therefore with that of his Christian followers is that A clowd is produced of a vapour which is elevated from the earth and water into the middle region of the aire by the attractive power of the Sun or Starrs where it is contracted and as it were congealed into the consistence of a visible clowd by vertue of the extreame coldnesse of the place the which clowd is afterwards partly by the heat of the Sun and partly by the force of the winds carried or forced this way and that way through the middle region of the aire Lo this is the Substance of the Peripateticall definition of a clowd Now that we may
calore simul intra terram The holy Scriptures do not agree with the Naturalists concerning the Originall of Rivers and Fountains which Ecclesiastes 1. saith to flow by divers channels or passages out of the Sea and to flow again unto their Fountains saying All rivers enter into the Sea and the Sea is not the greater they return again unto the place from whence they came c. Whereby it is plain that he must accuse his Master of false doctrine or else he must condemn Solomon in his Judgment For if the one be contradictory unto the other it ought of all wise-men to be chased away or expelled from Christian mens remembrance Now it were a foolish thing for any religious person to say that the divinely-wise Solomon lied to save the reputation of the Ethnick of diabolically wise Aristotle But if they would yet will I teach them in the next Chapter by an evident ocular demonstration that Solomon's assertion is most true and that of Aristotle's most erroneous and fantasticall I conclude therefore that I gather out of the aforesaid places of the Bible that this following Definition doth best agree with the nature of a Fountain A Fountain is a continuated Flux of water issuing from the Sea as from his beginning and flowing into bowells of the earth and after that from the bowells of the earth as from the mean by which it passeth unto the upper or higher Superficies of it by vertue of the divine act in the mundan Spirit as well positive or dilative as privative and contractive for the benefit and sustenance both of man and beast In which definition plain water without any alteration of his shape is expressed for the materiall cause and is said to have its beginning from the Sea from whence it moveth unto the Mountain's tops The efficient cause of this work we find to be the act of the Divine Word in a double property as shall be more at large demonstrated in the next Chapter And hereupon Solomon said Sapientia erat apuâ— IEHOVAM in principio viae suae cuncta componens quaâ—do roborabat fontes abyssi ponebat mari statum Wisdome was with IEHOVAH in the beginning of his waies as a composer of all things when he did establish the Fountains of the abysse and set the Sea within his limits or bounds And lastly The finall cause is to give drink and food unto both man and beast as we may gather out of the forementioned Text of the royall Prophet We come now unto the demonstration CHAP. IX Wherein Solomon's assertion touching the Fountains and Rivers is maintained partly by an ocular demonstration and partly by true Philosophicall reasons which are founded thereon I Did advertise you Learned Reader in my precedent discourse that Gods Spirit doth operate annually in the common Element of the Sublunary world by a double vertue whereof the one is dilative which is effected in his positive and manifest property namely in his light active and warm disposition the principall Treasury and store-house whereof he hath made the Sun Forasmuch as his bright emanating Spirit of Wisdome did elect that pure vessell for his Tabernacle The other is contractive which is effected in his privative and secret condition namely in his dark fixing and cooling disposition whose principall treasury is about the poles Forasmuch as it being contrary in effect with the first is seated in the farthest quarters or points of the world from the Sun So that as the vivifying Spirit which is seated in the Sun doth by his presence operate onely by dilatation in the common sublunary Element in banishing of the Northern cold and undoing the actions thereof by the way of Rarefaction In like manner by the absence of the Sun the spirits of the Polar property doth take possession of that portion of the Element and undoeth by the way of congelation all the subtill actions of the Spirituall and active solar vertue As for example all that in the winter time among the nations of the Southern world that is to say beyond the line the Sun being then in the Northern Hemisphere causing by his vertuous Spirit our Summer season the Antartick pole's cold property doth effect namely in thickning the aire raising the Fountains or Springs and multiplying the waters producing the Snows Frost Ice and Hail mortifying the herbs fruits and plants and such like the Sun at his next visitation of those quarters which will be in our Northern winter by the vetue of that dilating and vivifying Spirit from the Fountain and Father of Light which aboundeth in it will undo converting the thick aire to thin striking down the Fountains more towards the bowels of the Earth which were raised in the winter dissolving the Snow Frost ice and hail and of fix and opake bodies making them movable and transparent waters reviving the spirit of the trees plants and herbs which were almost livelesse through congelation and renewing their mourning bodies with new green garments blossoms and flowers and lastly with wholsome fruit To conâ—lude there is nothing that the polar cold prevaileth over in the one hemisphear but the solar heat operateth contrarily by the same pâ—oportion in the oppoâ—ite region of the world for else the world must endure an augmentation or a diminution in its substance that is sometimes it would be bigger and sometimes lesser But as Sâ—lomon averred that the seas for all the comming in of rivers are never the greater so also though fountains rise in one part of the world and sinke in another and although also the aire by attenuation made by the active spirit of the Lord moveth from the warm or summer hemisphear unto the cold and winter hemisphear yet is the world no bigger or lesser in its existency for all that What therefore the winter properly doth operate in one hemisphear of the world the summer-hemisphear must needs act in the same proportion in the contrary for if beyond the Line are made great raines in their winter we must needs have great drought in the summer on this side the Line When it is hottest with us it will be coldest with them if it prove temperate with us it will be so with them as the Sun being in the Aequinoctiall maketh daies and nights equally long and the season temperate to both hemispheares These things therefore being considered maturely in the first place I proceed unto my practicall conclusion and my naturall observation thereupon is that the aire included in the Weather-glasse is made Hybernall or of the nature of winter by the dominion of cold for as soon as the head of it feeleth the externall cold the contained aire will immediately shrinck up and contract it self into a little space and consequently the aire is made more dense and thick and that this is so it appeareth by the mounting or attracting up of the water for there is such a naturall tye betwixt the one and the other that if the one contracteth it self in a
suae God doth weary the thick clowds and disperseth abroad the light of his clowds for the watering of the earth Whereby it appeareth that God doth ordinarily gather together the clowds and maketh them his organicall instruments to utter his voice unto mortall men for the prospering of the annuall fruits upon the earth And therefore thus in another place Si consideraret homo extensiones densarum nubium fragores in tugurio illius exteâ—dâ—t super illud lucem suam cum his judicaturus est populum daturus cibum abunde Also in another place all this is more plainly expressed where it is said Vide arcum benedic eum qui fecit illum valde specio sus est in splendore suo gyravit coelum in circuiâ—u gloriae ejus manus Excelsi aptaverunt illum imperio suo accelerat nivem accelerat coruscationes emittere judicii sui Propterea aperti sunt thesauri evolarunt nebulae sicut aves in magnitudine sua posuit nubes confracti sunt lapides grandinis in conspectu ejus movebantur montes in voluntate sua spiravit Notus Vox tonitruum ejus reverberavit terram tempestas Aquilonis congregatio spiritus aspergit nivem c. Behold the rainbow and blesse him that made it it is wondrous beautifull in his brightnesse it did compasse the heaven in the circle of his glory the hands of him that is on high made it By his command he hastens the snow and maketh speed to send foâ—th the lightnings of his judgment Therefore are the treasurâ—es opened and the clowds fly forth like birds He placed the clowds in his greatnesse and the stones of the hail are broken In his sight the mountains did move and according to his will the south-winde hath blown and the voice of his thunder have reverberated the earth The tempest of the north and the congregation of spirits doth spread abroad or besprinkle the snow c. In this speech of the son of Syrach the Lord of lords is proved to be the sole essentiall and efficient cause of all meteors namely of the rainbow the snow the lightnings the clowds the hail the thunder the winds and tempests as also it sheweth that the matter of them is the aire Wherefore he saith in the conclusion The congregation of spirit doth spread abroad the snow Lastly it telleth us that the hands or Spirit of God are not idle in the effecting of such works as Aristotle termeth natural and therefore operateth not only primarily but also secundarily yea and catholically in and over all things as well in their generation as preservation and corruption To the last clause of his definition wherein he seemeth to aver that the lightnings move downward because the stuff of it is of a terrestriall compacted nature I answer that this reason is over weak considering the Gigantean author that alledged it for it may in the self-same manner be inferred that the Gun-powder which is of a far grosser stuff then is that of the lightnings must therefore strike downwards and yet we see by experience it riseth in spight of a mean resistance by its naturall inclination upward as we may perceive by places that are undermined and squibs which are violently carried upward I come therefore unto such true definitions of lightning and thunder as are maintained and allowed by the Book of Verity CHAP. XII How the lightning and the thunder oughtrightly to be described by the true Philosopher and that seriously according unto the tenour of holy Writ SInce therefore it hath been made manifest in the precedent Chapter that Aristotle hath utterly erred in his conceit touching as well the materiall as essentiall and formall cause of the lightnings let me gather as near as my weak capacity will give me leave what should be the true nature and originall essentiall cause of the lightnings according unto the harmonicall consent of holy Scriptures Lightning is a certain fiery aire or spirit animated by the brightness of JEHOVA and extracted out of his treasury which is the heavens or catholick aire to do and execute his will for the good or detriment of the creature Or else in this manner Lightning is a shining brightnesse proceeding out of the clowds being the pavilion of JEHOVA and is sent from the throne of God even down unto the earth covering the surface of the seas But if we would describe the lightning with all his accidents and consequently expresse the whole essence of the thunder which is a mixed nature we may effect it thus out of the testimony of the holy Bible Lightning is a fire burning from the face or presence of JEHOVA at the sight or contact of whose brightnesse the clowds do pass away and the Almighty doth thunder and utter his voice from heaven and sendeth forth his arrowes for the destruction of the wicked Or thus Lightning is a fire proceeding from JEHOVA being sent out of his dark tabernacle from above at the sight whereof the waters or clowds as being terrified and the abysse as it were troubled do haste away in which turmoil the voice of his thunder moveth circularly and the fiery or kindled coals are sent forth as arrowes sent out from a well bent bow to effect his will as well for benediction as for vengeance both in heaven and earth Or in this sort Lightning or coruscation is a clear and pure light in the clowds above the which the winde that passeth by doth purifie c. By the first of these descriptions the manifest materiall cause of the lightning is expressed to be a fiery aire the place out of which it is drawn is the treasure-house of God or the heavens Also the formall cause is expressed in that it is set down to be a fiery spirit or aire the efficient cause I said according unto the truths testimony to be the will or word of God on which dependeth that spirit of wisdom by which God operateth all things Lastly the finall cause is also noted forasmuch as it is said That it was created to do the will of him that ordained it either for the pain or pleasure of mortall men All which is evidently confirmed out of the places of Scripture mentioned before The second definition is confirmed out of the Revelation which saith Fulgura procedunt à throno Lightnings proceed from the throne Again he is said Fulgurare lumine suo desuper cardâ—nâ—sque maâ—is operire To lighten with his brightness from above and to cover with it the corners of the Sea And again prae fulgore in conspectu ejus nubes transierunt The clowds did move by reason of the Lightning and brightness which was in his sight or presence And again ignis ab ore ejus evolavit Fire flew out of his mouth And again Ab ore ejus velut taedae praeeuntes quasi halitus ejus carbones accenderent flamma â—x ore ejus prodicret From
of unitie's Nolunty and sometimes affecting and imitating the action and property of light which floweth from the eternall and all-acting fountain of unity And this is the vertuous effect of the sacred Volunty For it seemed unto the Author that by reason that the whole world was composed of these two contrary properties namely of formall light and the humid dark matter it must needs follow that the catholick soul or generall vivifying spirit thereof and consequently every particular essence or formall existence which is derived from that catholick soul no otherwise than beams from the Sun must be obnoxious subject unto opposite passions and alterations From hence therefore springeth that originall love or hatred which is known to be between the good Angels and the evill Spirits from hence do issue all those assiduall mutations and alterations which happen in the aetheriall sublunary heavens namely by reason of the cross variety of the starry influence From hence proceed those oppositions and contrary effects which are expired or breathed forth from the winds From hence are derived the discord and concord of the Elements with the diversity of natures in the meteorologicall Impressions From hence do flow the multiplicity of affections the opposition of dispositions the passion of spirits and in a word the sympathy and antipathy which is observed to be between all creatures as well simple as compound be they animal vegetable or mineral The Author therefore concludeth upon these grounds that it is but just and reasonable to consent unto the opinions of the two notable and famous Philosophers Heraclitus and Empedocles touching this point whereof the first hath exposed it as an infallible Maxim Quod omnia fiant per litem amicitiam That all things are made and composed of strife and friendship that is to say Of hatred and love The last hath pronounced it for an oracle of truth Quod ex quatuor elementis ex amicitia lite composita sit anima That the soul is composed of four elements and of peace or concord and contention or discord signifying thereby that contrary disposition which is between the watry spirit and the bright mentall beam in regard of their originall For by litem or strife he argueth as well the spirituall contention as the corporall in respect of that contrary puissance and hability which is between the formall light and dark matter both in regard of the body in the act of corruption when the soul would part from it and in the antipatheticall or irascible passion in respect of the soul in which the spirit laboureth and suffereth unnaturally In these opinions of the fore-said Philosophers they seem not to vary from that of the son of Syrach speaking thus Gemina sunt omnia quorum alterum est contrarium alteri nec quicquam factum est quod mancum sit All things are of a double nature the one of them contrary to the other and yet there is nothing made which is defective CHAP. I. In this Chapter it is demonstrated that God is that pure and catholick Unity the which includeth and comprehendeth in it self all multiplicity AS there is no man be he never so highly exalted in the sphear of Mathematicall perfection or profoundly dived into the mysticall bowells of the abstrusest Arithmetick that can with the quick eye-sight of his ripest understanding observe or discry any thing either by order or antiquity to challenge justly unto its self a place or ranâ—k before Unity and for this reason the wisest Philosophers do ingenuously confesse that it is the onely principle or root of all number and multitude so also ought each person of judgment to acknowledge that this radicall Identity as it is considered in its pure and absolute nature and condition cannot be limited by any quantitative dimension nor yet included or comprehended by any member nor divided into distinct portions nor yet defined by any substantiall quiddity or entity And hereupon it hath been judiciously concluded by wise men that Unity is the most antique and radicall principle of all others forasmuch as it comprehendeth in it self all substances quantities and qualities no otherwise than the Geometricall prick or point being considered in its naked simplicity is observed to be indivisible and scarcely to be perceived yea verily and as it were nothing to be determined and yet nevertheless the prick or point is evidently known to be the infallible beginning not onely of every Geometricall line but also of all other continuated Mathematicall dimensions whatsoever seeing that it comprehendeth all magnitudes and is not comprehended of any These two principles of all dimensions whatsoever since that they in order rank and antiquity do precede and excell all others did the expert Mathematicians invent after the typicall imitation or image of the most internall centrall and abstruse point of Divinity or divinest and brightest Unity remaining in that very estate in which it stood before the creation of the world namely when it reserved it self within it self and remained occult and hidden from all potentiall creatures which it was pleased afterward by the revealing of it self or emission of its vivifying light to inact and make manifest for its abode in its simple and absolute nature of unity without having any respect or consideration to things which it would create So that in this manner of this Unitie's being and existence it could not be esteemed for God forasmuch as hitherto it had not produced any creature by the which it might be adored or acknowledged for God neither could it rightly be stiled or termed a Father For it did not appear to have thought on any Son or issue either Archetypicall and ideall or typicall and mundane neither could it be reputed for the Summum bonum or higheâ—t goodness being that the defoâ—med matter or dark Chaos or rather Hyle did not as yet taste of that his bright and all-inacting blessing which was concealed and hidden in its potentiall darkness and obscurity which was therefore void of all form neither could it be intitled fair forasmuch as it did not hitherto impart his beauty for the decoration or inacting of any creature noâ— could it rightly be said to be eternity being that in this manner of his occultation within its self it seemed unto humane capacity not to exist at all and consequently not to have any reference or commerce with either eternity or aeviality or temporality moreover it could not assume or challenge unto it self the name of principle because it had no relation as yet unto any thing that did spring or issue from any beginning To conclude the nature of this simple Monadicall existence was before all created so occult and obsâ—ure unto mortalls apprehension in its order and antiquity so unknown yea and so inscrutable and incomprehensible in its essence that it could not any way be conâ—luded to be either substance or quantity or quality but rather was conceived to be a certain transcendent entity or
flatly dissonant unto that of the antient Fathers and School men I will in few words express some of their minds touching this point St. Austin's opinion is Quod ideae sunt formae aeternae incommutabiâ—es in menâ—e divina That the idâ—a's of things are eternal formes and incommutable shapes in God And Sonus will have them to be Res ob octivae câ—gnitae ab intellectu divino Certain objects which are known unto the divine inâ—ellect But there is nothing in God but that which is God because the Godhead is one and the same Spirit Whereupon it followeth that the Idea's in God although they be many for man was made after one fashion and a horse after another c. yet all are one in God as St. Austin seemeth to prove and confirm else-where in these words Primus summus intellectus est ars quaedam omnipotentis atque sapientis Dei plena omnium rationum viventium incommutabilium omnes unum inea sicut ipsa unum de uno cum quo unum The supream and highest intellect is a certain act of the omnipotent and wise God full of all the unchangeabâ—e reasons of living things and all of them are one in it as it is one of one with whom is one And in another place he saith Tu es Deus meus Dominus omnium quae creasti apud te omnium stabilium sunt causae omnium mutabilium apud te immutabiles manent origines omnium rationabilium irrationabilium atque temporalium semper vivunt rationes Thou art my God and the Lord of all that thou hast created with thee all originalls remain immutable and the reasons or causes of all reasonable and unreasonable and temporall things do alwaies live And Boetius hath it thus Tu cuncta superno Ducis ab exemplo pulchrum pulcherrimus ipse Mundum merte gerens similique in imagine formas Thou framest all things after a high and super-celestiaâ—l example and being most beautifull bearing the fair world in thy minde dost fashion it according unto the like image To conclude Anselm doth learnedly expresse the manner and progression of every exemplary thing from the ideall fountain of all verity thus Forma rei saith he arteficis est archetypa veritas dum à potentia in actum ducitur motus est in maâ—eria vero jam producta est similitudo imago The form of a thing is the archetype and verify of the workman and whilst it is produced from puissance into act it is motion being specified in matter it is a similitude or image And for this reason Odo that learned Abbot averreth Quod numerus ternarius sit principale in animo conditoris exempâ—um condendorum That the teâ—nary number meaning the divine and formall kind of numeration is the principal image in the Creator's mind of such things as are created In the very self-same sense speaketh the divine Philosopher Heâ—mes in the place before mentioned saying Quod mâ—naâ— generat monadem in se â—psum reflexit ardorem That one begaâ— one and did reflect his beams into it self Whereby he argueth that unity in the framing of the Ideall or Archetypicall world did emit or send forth his word as an essence begot of it self and afterward did reflect that spirit of wisdom which issued from them both into it self For the son of Syrach saith Fons sapientiae verbum Dei in excelsis ingressus illius mandata aeterna The fountain of wisdom is the word of God most high and the everlasting commandements are the entrance unto her Thus therefore was the Archetypicall world framed in and of all one unity but in a three-fold or triple manner namely by the egression of one out of one and by the regression of that one unity so emitted by emanation into it self whereby the three divine properties in one infinite essence may easily be scanned We conclude therefore that according to this ideall Image in triplicity of variety this our world was afterwards fashioned and proportioned as a true type and example of the divine Pattern after the which it was drawn for out of unity in his abstruse existence namely as it was hid in the dark chaos or potentiall masse the bright flame of all formall beeing did shine forth and the spirit of wisdom proceeding from them both did conjoyne the formall emanation with the potentiall matter so that by the union of these two namely of the divine emanation of light and of the substantiall matter of darknesse which was water the heavens were made of old and the earth and consequently the whole world as it shall hereafter be evidently demonstrated in our Divine Philosophy and is well proved by the warrant of the Apostle Peter We may therefore boldly conclude that if the unities or members of the ideall world be all extracted out of one radicall unity as children out of one father and are included by the self-same unity which is inâ—â—niâ—e in it self it must then follow of necessity that the triple member of this created world must also be from and in that self-same unity being that the whole typicall world with his parts are shaped after the image or representation of the Archetype which is that eternall monady or unity in which are all things and therefore he is rightly termed of the Apostle to bâ— all and in all And again All things are created by him and in him and he is before all and alâ— consist in him And in another place Of him by him and in him are all things c. And hereupon it is rightly termed of the Philosopher Hermes The center of all things whose circumference is no where that is to say including all not being included by any And Rabbi Zâ—ar All things are one in respect of God but many in regard of us And Plato Not onely all things are in God but aâ—so all things that exist forasmuch as they are in God and do proceed from him they are bâ—t one Entity Moreover Hermes in his Smaragdine Table As all things were by the meâ—iatiâ—n of one so also are all things sprung from this one thing by adaptation And Proclus in his Theologicall Problems As all things are sprung from one onely in like manner do they hasten by a continuall course to return unto that unity with whom the greater the concord is by the which they meet together by so much the more thâ—y participate of him Again Plato All things part from the high God and do strive to return unto him again forasmuch as in hâ—m câ—nsisteth their small repose and the sustâ—nance of their existâ—nce For this cause therefore did the Philosopher Leucippus make this essentiall unity the summum bonum or the soveraigne good and felicâ—ty Thus therefore you see that the antique Philosophy doth not jar or dissent in this from the fore-said harmony of holy Writ There are some well seen in
this mysticall kind of progression which do express it in this manner In Dâ—o omnâ—o eranâ— nihil nisi mere Deâ—s Ex Deo omnia veniebant in principium tum omnia nihil erant nisi mere principium manâ—â—te tamen Deo Ex principio omni procedebant in verbum tum omnia nihil erant nisi mere Verbum manente tamen principio Ex verbo omnia procedebant in spiritum Dâ—mini tum nihil erant nisi Spiritus Domini manente tamen verbo Ex spiritu Domini omnia procedebant in aquas scilicet sâ—periores tum omnia nihil erant nisi mere aquae superiores manente tamen Spiritu Domini Ex aquis superioribus omnia descenderunt in aquas inferiores tum omnia nihil erant nisi mere aquae inferiores manentibus tamen superioribus Ex aquis inferioribus hoc est ex elementis astris invisibilibus omnia procedâ—bant in corpora visibilia tunc omnia erant nihil nisi mere corpora visibilia manentibus tamen elementis astris invisibiâ—ibus c. In God all things were nothing but meerly God Of God all things were made a beginning and then all things were nâ—thing else but a mâ—â—r beginning God remaining neverthelesse in his entire existence Of the beginning all became the Word and then were all things nothing else but the word meerly and that not without the permanency of the beginning From the word all did proceed into the Spirit of the Lord and then they were nothing but the Spirit of the Lord and that without any diminution of the Words existence From the Spirit of the Lord all became waâ—ers namely the upper waters and then all things were nothing else but the upper waters meerly and that without any diminution of the Spirit of the Lords existence From the upper waters all did descend into the lower waters or elementary region and then all were nothing else but meerly the lower waters and yet the upper waters lost not their permanency Of the lower waters that is of the elements and invisible stars or starry influences all became visible bodies and then all things were nothing else but visible bodies without any derogation neverthelesse unto any existency of the elements and starry influences c. All which I could also prove to be true as well by the Scriptures as expert Cabalists and divinest Philosophers assertions For by Scriptures we are taught That God the fountain of all beeing did first create darkness and that this darkness was that deformed principle or primary matter without shape which did complicitely contain all things And that the Word was in that beginning or principle And again that this word issued out of darknesse And that the spirit was carried on these waters which appeared out of the bowelâ—s of the dark abysse And that all were waters at the first the bright Spirit of the Lord being not in any thing extinguished And that these waters were divided â—nto the higher and lower namely heaven and earth As also St. Peter teacheth us that of the lower waters the elements were framed by the distinguishing Spirit of the Lord. Which Job saith doth aptare pondus aeri appendere aquas in mensura facere pluviae statuta viam fulgetro tonitruum that is giveth a portion unto the weight of â—he aire and hangeth the waters or clowds in measure and maketh statutes or giveth lawes unto the rain and a passage unto the lightning of the thunder c. And Racanat that excellent Master in Cabal upon the beginning of Genesis saith as is already told you Et â—orte quaeres Cum sap entia sit numeratio secunda qâ—are dicatur principium Scriptum est in libro Bahir Nihil est princâ—pium nisi sapientia Cui equidem â—ecte mihi videar respondere quod infinitudo ipsa trium sammarum Cabalisticae arboris numerationum quas vos â—res in diviâ—â—s persoâ—as appellare consuevistis absolâ—tâ—ssima essentâ—a quum sit in abyâ—sso tenâ—brarum retracta immaneâ—s ociosa vel ut aâ—unt ad nihil respiciens idcirco dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Nâ—hil sive non-ens ac non-sints quâ—a nos tam tenui erga res divâ—nas ingenâ—i paupertate 〈◊〉 de â—is quae non apparent haud secus atque de iis quae non sunt judicamus At ubi se ostendâ—rit ut sit a iquid revera subsistat tunc Aleph tenebrosum in Aleph lucidum convertitur Scriptum est enim Sicut tenebrae ejus ita lux ejus appellaâ—ur 〈◊〉 Aleph magnum quando exire cupit apparere omnium rerum causa per Beth proxime sequentem literam nominaturque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. pater omnis geneâ—ationis pâ—oductionis facâ—t enim res omnes c. And per chance you will demand Since sapience is the second Cabalisticall numeration wherefore it is called Principium or the beginning It is written in the book of Bahir that nothing is principium or the beginning but Wisdom Unto whom me-thinks I may rightly answer That the infinity it self of the three highest numerations of the Cabalisticall tree which ye are accustomed to call the three Persons in Divinity of one absolute essence when it is retracted in the abysse of darknesse and remaining idle or vacant and as it were having respect unto nothing is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Nothing or non-entity because that we being endued with such poverty of understanding in divine matters do â—udge of such things which appear not no otherwise than of those which are not at all but when it doth so reveal it self that it existeth in our senses somewhat indeed then is dark Aleph converted into light Aleph For it is writ As his darknesse is so is his light namely when it desireth to issue out of darknesse and to appear to be the cause of all things by Beth which is the next ensuing letter and it is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ab that is to say the father of all generation and production of things for it effecteth all things Moreover Mercury Trismegist whom others term Hermes doth more expresly seem to mention this progression from unity in darkness down to the creation of the elements in this very form of speech Pimander mens divinae potentiae mutaviâ— formam universa subâ—to revelavit cernebam enim omnia in â—umen conversa suave nimium atque jucundum quod intuentem me mirifice obâ—ectabat Paulo post umbra quaedam horrenda obliqua revolutione subterlabebatur in hum damque naturam migrabat ineffabili tum vu tu exagitabam inde fumus magnus in sonitum erumpebat ex sonitu vox egâ—edâ—ebatur quam ego luminis vocem existimabam ex luminis voce verbum factum prodiit verum hoc naturae humidae astans eam fovebat ex humâ—dae autem naturae viscerâ—bus sincerus ac levis ignis
therefore coeternall in being with God because there can be no goodnesse which hath not relation unto his contrary namely badnesse For this reason they will have forsooth the God of evill and naughtinesse to be of a coeternall existence with the God of goodnesse By which means they would not onely exclude the Devill out of the list of creatures but also banish Unity out of the bounds of nature and justle Diady or duality which in verity is nothing else but a confusion of Unities in its place And verily this point did seem so ticklish and diffiâ—ult to be scanned and resolved that there were some of the wiser sort of Poeticall Philosophers that did incline unto their part as it appeareth by such mysticall and allegoricall expressions as they did aenigmatically rowl up or bewrap in their fabulous discourses Amongst the rest we find that the Poet Pronapis in his Pro o-cosmus averreth that Demogorgon by which is meant the greatest of the Gods was garded or incircled about with Eternity and Chaos And that on a time whilst he was in his majesty he did perceive a great tumult and troublesome motion to be stirred up in the bowells of the Chaos Whereupon to help her in this her travels and ease her of her trouble he put forth his hand and performing the office of a Midwife did suddenly deliver her of the foul and deformed Monster Litigium or strife the which after such time as it had moved great storms and troubles and had ambitiously attempted to sore or fly upward was forthwith by Demogorgon cast down into the deep But when he yet perceived her to travell and be oppressed miserably with fervent sighs and dropping sweats Demogorgon would not in these her agonies remove his hand from her untill she was delivered of Pan with his three Sisters which were called the Parcae or Desâ—inyes and when Demogorgon was much affected and taken with the beauty and excellent form of Pan he made him the Ruler of all his familiar businesses in the world and commanded his three Sisters as his Hand-maids and Ministers to obey his behests and will It followeth that Chaos being over burthened and oppressed with the weight of so great a heap or Mass as she travelled with and now being delivered and freed from it did at the perswasion of Demogorgon place her Son Pan upon her Throne This is the Parabolicall fable of Demogorgon and Chaos familiarly told by the Poets Their Allegory importeth that the generation and procreation of all things did spring from the highest God or Creator which they signify by the name of Demogorgon unto whom Eternity is joyned by an inviolable link in one essentiall society because that he onely is truly to be called Eternall who is and ever was the beginning or primary cause of all things And they fain also that Chaos made a third in that endlesse Society forasmuch as she is by Ovid's relation the common mixed and confused matter or stuff of all things in the world and therefore the Ancients did affirm her to be eternall with God as being a rude Mass or dark abysse out of which Demogorgon as an universall Father and Work-master did according unto his will procreate and fashion out all things and therfore they esteem this catholick Substance or matter of all things to be the generall Mother on which and out of which the universall Father did beget and frame out every thing for the which cause they concluded that there were two generall Parents of things from endless antiquity whereof the one was the Father and the other the Mother But they consented that God was their chiefest cause and they would have the Chaos serve onely as his passive companion to engender on And although it may appear that the wise and divine Plato doth seem in some sort to verify that the Chaos was God's companion from all antiquity yet he doth intimate to us well as many other of the like profundity that though she be termed a companion with God in the Creation yet did she issue from him by a certain eternall generation or production and that God did afterward frame all things out of Chaos For which cause they conclude that it did spring from God and is never divided from him as also it serveth God as a female companion for procreation and generation no otherwise then Eve being framed out of Adam was called a companion unto Adam This is the opinion of both the Heathen Philosophers and mysticall Cabalists But to proceed in this Allegorie's exposition The hand of Demogorgon importeth the Divine Puissance The first-born of Chaos namely Litigium with a foul shape signifieth the true Prince of Darkness the Author of opposition the Father of discord and therefore for his presumptuous attempt against the Prince of Light and the Lord of Life he was cast down into the abysse By the Second birth of Chaos namely Pan they point at the universall nature of the world and the peaceablenesse and accord of contrary Elements arguing thereby that after that great discord which was in the first opening of Chaos her womb concord did follow in the second place which was as beautifull and acceptable unto God in the later birth as deformed discord was foul and odious in his sight in the first Thus you see how in the first beginning of the world all the Elements were at strife in the bowels of the Chaos The three Parcae or Sisters of Destiny Clotho Lachesis and Atropos which were born with Pan do signify the three orders of time namely the time present the time past and the time to come Clotho hath the care of the present time and her office is to twist the thread of life Lachesis is the superintendrix of the time to come and looketh to the flax or hemp which is not yet spunne nor twisted And Atropos doth import the time past which is irrevocable and therefore she doth finish and cut off the thread now spun I infer upon this parabolicall relation that though the Chaos or dark abysse be with God before the world's creation yet did the infinite and sole eternall Unity or radicall Essence create it and produce it out of its self For that Eternall Unity saith Ego Dominus non est alter sormans lucem creans tenebras faciens pacem creans malum I am the Lord and there is no other who do inform light and create darkness making peace and creating evill As if he had said I am the Father of Light or of the bright Spirit of Wisdome and I created the dark Chaos out of which I framed the world and out of her I produced as well the concord and discord of the Elements in the world that is to say Litigium and Pan so that we may discern still that there is but one Eternall Unity which in it self is male and female and all that can be imagined which of himself and in himself produceth all things no
granting or positive emanation and privative or negative condition which are as I have said both good in him who is nothing but pure goodnesse in his simple and absolute nature and therefore are one in him who is sincere unity in himself Whereupon the wise Philosopher not disagreeing in this from Scriptures saith Non est â—n monade divinâ nisi unum bonum ab ipso enim factore nihil malum nihilque turpe In the divine essence there is not any thing but unity and goodnesse for from the Creator there is neither evill nor filthinesse And for this cause when Job saw that God did strike him as it seemed to him without a cause forasmuch as he was a just man and as the Text saith according unto Gods heart he being egged forward notwithstanding all his pains with a pious zeal towards his Creator though he knew that his affliction proceeded from the hiding of his Maker's countenance from him did break forth into these terms Et tamen absit à Deo impietas ab Omnipotente iniquitas And yet for all that far be it from me that I should deem any impiety to be in God or that iniquity should proceed from the Almighty It is most apparent unto the sleightest Philosopher that God is conversant in the created nature as well about corruption and privation as generation and position and yet no good Christian can be ignorant but that either of these opposite properties so familiar in one sincere essence is absolutely good in that it is compleatly excellent in goodness in it self although nothing is more terrible fearfull abominable and wicked to the creature than is his own death and corruption If we Christians deny the property in the Ideal unity namely as well to deprive the creature of his life by withdrawing his act of life from it into it self we may justly imagine our selves to be inferiouâ— in judgment unto the Infidell Poets and Philosophers who do verifie this fore-mentioned axiom of the wise-man Bonum malum vita mors honestas paupertas à Deo sunt Good and eviâ—l life and death riches and poverty are all from God Whereby he intimateth that this one essentiall divinity operateth oppositely in the created world by a two-fold differing property Their Allegoricall story is this Proclus follâ—wing the antient Theology of Orpheus Ilesiode Euripides and Eschylus which personages have inveloped in their fabulous Counts or Stories such hidden secrets as they had learned of divine persons and such as were profoundly seen in the mysteries of God doth decipher the properties of the supream and archetypicall Son under the shadow of the visible and typicall Sun in this manner expressing thereby that one and the same eternall essence doth operate all in all as well privatiâ—ly as poâ—â—tivly These Poets tearm it by the name of Apollo in the day-time because they pretend that in his position and benigne nature which is manifested by the vivifying property of the Sun he composeth the creature of seven parts fo◠〈◊〉 â—he quaternary number the Pythagoreans did signifie matter which is â—â—amed of the Elements for it is the square oâ— 2 which is an unperfect number and therefore doth deâ—ipher matter and by the ternary which is the number of perfection they express the form of things so that these two numbers united do make up the septenary number whiâ—h doth inâ—lude the perfect complement of the creature Again they intitle it Dionysius in the night time namely in his dark and privative disposition saying that under this name he useth to tear and divide that creature into seven pieces which under the title of Apollo or in his positive property or solar and divine nature it had composed So that they seem to argue that the self-same unity in essence is the author as well of destruction and corruption as of the generation and vivification of the creature but they therefore tearm it according unto the variety of his property by a differing name no otherwise than the Cabalist calls it in his hidden and privative property Aleph tenebrosum or darâ— Aleph namely when he keepeth in his beams of life in himself or withdraweth his face from the creature and Aleph lucidum or light Aleph when he shineth forth unto it and extendeth his beams of life upon it By this therefore we Christian may see that the very Pagans did grant or acknowledge that which the Scriptures do testifie though it be by an allegoricall way concluding with them that it is onely in the power of one and the same radicall unity to save or destroy to give life or take it away to will or to nill and in conclusion to operate all and in all and that according unto its pleasure Thus have we confirmed that the two members of an opposite condition or disposition do spring out of one eternall root and that they operate in this world by clean contrary effects and consequently that since the mass of waters whereof as St Peter doth testifie the heavens and the earth were made of old did come out of the dark chaos and was as it were her second birth which the Poets feigne to be Pan or the universall nature it is easie to be considered by the wise Philosopher that this passive portion of the world is by a naturall instinct inclined to darkness and unto all the privative conditions thereof so that if it were not for the formall portion of the world which proceeded from that bright spirit of wisdom which Solomon calleth The vapour of the vertue of God and the sincere emanation of the brightnesse of the omnipotent and the splendour of the divine liâ—ht and the mirrour without all spot of his goodnesse that divided the waters into distinct orbes or sphears and gave a proportionall weight unto the aire and tyed or hanged up the waters in the thick clowds by measure and gave orders unto the rain and made a passage for the lightnings of the thunders if it were not I say for the act of this Spirit all things would be alike It is this Spirit that said Ab ore altissimi prodij retunditatem coelorum circumivi solus in profundo abâ—ssi ambulavi I came out from the mouth of IEHOVA and compassed about the heavens I walked in the profundity of the abysse c. It was the bright wisdom which IEHOVA did possesse in the beginning of his waies before his works before all time before the world was made when there was not any abysse before there was any fountain before the mountains were raised or the earth created When he made the heavens it was there when he did fortify the superiour waters it was there when the limits of the sea were framed lest the waters should passe their bounds When he gave the earth her foundation it was there with him as a helper to compose all things To conclude by it all was formally made and
without it was nothing made and preserved So that if it were not for the present action of this formall spirit the watry matter of the world would return unto the deformed estate of her mother Chaos for being in this world it is inclined unto the disposition of her mother being that it is passive feminine and serveth in place of the mother of all things and in another respect the vivifying and bright emanation of the eternal Unity is become the masculine actor or father of all things being that it doth vivify every thing in this world as the Apostle teacheth us and as the before-said Poets do seem to intimate unto us under the name of Apollo or the father of light This therefore being well observed we may by the detection of these two abstruce and mysticall principles I mean of Light and Darknesse attain unto the radicall knowledge and originall of the true sympathy and antipathy being that it is evident that the first proceedeth from that concording and vivifying love which ariseth from the benigne emanation of the Creator which desireth to be joyned with his like and seeketh to preserve his like by union and the other issueth from that discording privative and hatefull affection which darknesse and deformity doth afford unto the children of light and life and to all the beautious offsprings thereof By this therefore it appeareth that as before the separation of these different properties or effects of one unity namely of light from darknesse which was brought to passe by the divine word all things were one and the same without distinction and difference and that unity or one was no way to be numbered among those things which were created so that light was darknesse and darknesse light and neither of these discernable nothing was really distinguished but all were one in the first matter of all things which was in the eternall unity So that then there was neither light nor darkness nor day nor night nor heaven nor earth nor spirit nor body nor good nor evill nor pure nor impure nor generable nor corruptible nor this nor that and yet nevertheless all these as well spirituall as corporall proceeded from that potentiall subject which remained complicitely in that infinite Unity which both was and is and ever shall be all in all and over or without all O admirable wisdom of God in all his works All things I say proceeded from one matter the which nevertheless was nothing of these things which were made All things were abstrucely hidden and in secret but according unto our Saviours words nothing was so occult and obscure but was to be revealed and made to appear unto sighr by the penetrating operation of the admirable word Fiat by whose divine spagericall action or vertue that one thing was divided into two contraries upon the which names well befitting their natures were imposed for the one as I have told you was called Light and the other Darkness the first also was tearmed Day the last Night and thus was the pure separated from the impure Hence therefore it commeth that all the world was originally divided into two contrary Kingdoms that correspond unto these two radicall branches of one unity by the which relation it is easie to express what in verity is light and darkness what day and night what goodness and what badness what is heaven and what is hell what is truth and what is falshood what is humility and what is pride what justice and what injustice what is gladnesse and what is sorrow what is sweet and what is bitter what is action and what passion what is life and what is death what is generation and what corruption what is pure and what impure what is wholsom and what pernicious what is a medicine and what a poison and to conclude what is amiable and what is odious what is concord and what is discord and by consequence what is sympathy and what antipathy in an infinity of creatures in this world That the whole world and every creature thereof is composed of these two contrarieties or opposite natures we find it justified as well by the sacred authority as testimony of Ethnick Philosophy for the son of Syrach saith in the place before specified Gemina sunt omnia quorum alterum contrarium est alteri nec quicquam factum est quod mancum est All things are of a two-fold nature whereof the one is contrary unto the other and yet there is not any thing which is defective And thereupon the Philosopher Heraclitus concludeth that all things in the world are made by strife and concord and Empedocles will have the soul to be composed of the elements and of friendship and enmity To conclude lest some scrupulous Reader should condemn me for making so long a discourse upon these two contrary principles proceeding from one Root I thought it most fit to certifie each judicious person that the true knowledg thereof is of an especiall importance because that the two foresaid principles are observed to be the reall and onely foundation both of universall Philosophy and Theology For that the root and bases of them both doth consist on the true understanding of these two contrarieties And therefore if they be not first of all well opened and conceived how is it possible afterwards that they should be rightly handled either in true Philosophy or understood in those places of Holy-Writ wherein they are so often mentioned Touching the explication of this most profound Sphyngian Riddâ—e or abstruse question namely Why God in his secret sense or mentall intent did raise up and ordain out of the informed matter or Ideally delineated in himself these two contrarieties to cause thereby that all things in the world should be put into a mutuall dissonance or fight and conflict with one another so that there is found nothing which participateth of goodness which hath not his contrary that is to say which doth not communicate with badness insomuch that God himself is not without an adversary verily it is too occult a Caball to be explained by mortall capacity being that it may well be esteemed the profoundest secret of all the divine mysteries wherefore there is required a mentall aspect well purged and mundified from each misty cloud of ignorance and error to search into the bowells of this question and therefore it is impossible to be revealed unto any but to such as God doth immediatly bestow his grace and holy Spirit which is the searcher out of all mysteries the which Spirit is in us and breatheth and blows when and where it listeth and it is called in Scriptures the Spirit of Truth the Spirit of Sanctification the Spirit of Illumination the Spirit of Revelation which is the best interpreter of the Divine Secrets mentioned in holy-Writ neither verily doth it become us of our selves to enquire why God made this or that or thus or after this fashion But it behoveth the zealous to refer all this unto the
and consequently there would be neither variety of action neither any contraction or dilatation of systole and diastole in things and therefore no action or passion in the soul for without a passive nature there can be no action and also without an active nature there can be no passion Now matter which proceedeth from water is the subject of all passion as here mother Chaos was the female or passive unto the action of Demogorgon or God Also act or form which proceedeth from light is the subject of all action as its father Eternity or the bright emanation of the spirit of wisdom from the fountain of light was the male or agent From hence therefore it is an easie thing to gather first what the soul of the world is and therefore of what parts it doth consist for we must consider that as every creature hath his interior and exterior so also we must exquisitely search after an internall and an externall in the soul being it is a creature and again that it is a creature it is most certain because it is not Identity but Alterity for if it were Identity it would be the divine unity or essence and consequently it would not be created Now that it is Alteritas it is plain because it is compounded of two after the consistence of Angells forasmuch as his internall is a vivifying flame issuing or proceeding from the eternall emanation of life and his externall is an aeviall spirit which is created inacted and animated by this eternall emanation from God And forasmuch as the nature of that most essentiall and never-dying fire is said to be all and in every part of the world and therefore Scriptures say Christus adimplet omnia Christ filleth all things Christus est omnia in omnibus Christ is all and in all Dei Spiritus est in coelo in inferno in extremis maris in nocte in tenebris c. The Spirit of God is in heaven in hell in the extreamest parts of the seas in the night and in darkness Sapientiam effudit Deus super omnia opera sua God hath powred out the spirit of wisdom upon all his works Spiritus Dei incorruptibilis inest omni rei The incorruptible Spirit of God is in every â—hing Coelum est ei sedes terra autem scabellum pedum ejus The heaven is his seat and the earth is his footstool Spiritus sapientiae implet orbem The spirit of wisdom filleth all the world c. Forasmuch I say as it is in every particle of this humid spirit the which by his presence is now full of dignity that before was vile and deformed it is certain that it maketh this catholick spirit to live And therefore this angelicall spirit thus composed of alterity or of two is called Anima mundi because it is that catholick or generall spirit divinely animated from the beginning which doth vivifie afterwards each particular creature of the world proceeding from the generality to the speciality and from the speciality unto the individuality So that the mighty question so often revolved by the Peripatetick Philosophers and so slenderly by them resolved may hereby be fully determined and enucleated if it please the wise and impartiall Reader rightly to consider things as indeed they do stand for by this it is easie to express and distinguish mentem divinam or the divine emanation from anima or the soul and again the anima from spiritus or the spirit being that it is evident that the mentall radication is the eternall and formall emanation which is given or sent out by the Creator in her positive property to create the world and consequently the earthly body and heavenly spirit thereof of nothing or non-actuall existence The spirit is that inward created spirit of the world or subtle substance of the waters or humid nature simply considered in its self which is animated and illuminated by that Archetypicall emanation and the soul or anima is that union which is made between this humid created spirit and the increated formall emanation which doth inform or create So that by this we may discern first what the forma informans or natura naturans is then what the forma informata or the natura naturata is The forma formans or natura naturans is God or the divine emanation which created all things the forma informata or natura naturata is the created light or the spirit informed or illuminated by the presence of the bright increased Spirit and the increated Spirit clothed with or enduing that created spirit is said to be vestitus or amictus lumine quasi vestimento cloathed with light that is with an illuminated spirit as with a garment We shall find also in Exodus that in the same Chapter the spirituall creature in which the divine Spirit acteth and resideth is tearmed an Angell in regard of his externall spirit in composition but again in the same Chapter it is tearmed JEHOVA in regard of the eternall form that acteth in it Also the Angell is said to go before the Israelites in a pillar of clowd by day and a pillar of fire by night And again it is said in the same history that JEHOVA went before them in the said order And the wise man said Fuit sapientia iis tegumentum interdiu lux stellaris noctu Wisdom was a cover to them in the day time and a starry-light in the night And the reason of all this is expressed elsewhere thus Noli exacerbare eum quia non feret defectionem vestram quoniam nomen meum est in eo Do not anger this my angel for he will not endure your defections because my name is in him c. Where by his name he signifieth his word which is God as if he had said I do essentially animate him and I am within him c. That the soul of the world or Mens divina in mundo simply taken is the divine mentall emanation absolutely in it self being distinguished from the created spirit this Text in Scriptures doth warrant Animam Spiritum dividit discernit sermo Dei vivus The Word of God doth devide the soul and the spirit c. Where by the word is ment the mentall beam by the Spirit the humid nature that existeth by the presence of the mentall beam which God by his Word can withdraw unto himself or emit according unto his will and pleasure Whereupon David said Deo recipiente Spiritum suum à creatuâ—is eâ—spi aâ—t â—miâ— erte spiritum recreantur bono God receiving or withdrawing his Spirit from 〈…〉 they exspire but sending out his Spirit they are recreated with life and goodness Aâ—d â—ow I will prove all this out of such definitions or descriptions which as well the Faâ—heâ—s of the Church as the Philosophers both Christian and Gentile have made upon the soul in generall both as it hath a relation unto a body and also as it is
consideration that the etymology of the word by interpretation may import donum Dei or the gift of God for what greater gift could God impart unto his potentiall creatures and in generall unto the great world then his eternall Spirit of wisdom or his onely Begotten to make them of somewhat nothing and to take away all deformity and nullity from the water and to shape out of them a Heaven and an Earth and to figure out in them all the creatures thereof and to preserve them in existence essence and lively being This was therefore indeed the true catholick donum Dei or gift of God whose incorruptible nature is in all things and filleth all things and as it is the most movable of all things so it operateth all in all according to the will of him that sent him And therefore in regard of the office and as he was an emissive Spirit so was he not unworthily named by them the great or catholick Angell had not Scriptures in plain tearms seemed to intimate so much I could also demonstrate that the world and his soul or life was shaped after the image of the Archetype in this manner From 1 which was all light in whom is no darknesse did 2 issue which was quoad nos darknesse or the dark Chaos so called because unity did not as yet shine forth to inform them Betwixt these two extreams is 3 interposed as a peaceable or charitable unity between meer light and darknesse or the Spirit of divine love who resting in the midst between these two principles uniteth the divine formall fire with the humid materiall nature or spirit of darknesse making a union of two opposite natures so that both natures do remain in one sympatheticall concordance and therefore this formall ternary is called Ligamentum elementorum litem amicitiam concoâ—diae vinculis connectâ—ns The ligament of the elements tying together hatred and love with the bands of concord I expresse them thus Deus 1 Lux. Coelum 3 Sphaera aequalitatis Terra 2 Tenebrae This excellent harmony of the soul of the world is else-where most fitly expressed by me by two equall Piramidicall shapes whereof the one is formall the other materiall the basis of the formall is the immediate act of God or the infinite and onely bright Unity and it importeth the emanation of the creating and informing Spirit so that his Cone doth penetrate unto the very center of the dark earth or abysse And contrariwise the basis of the materiall or watry Pyramis is in the earth or center of darknesse and the Cone ascendeth unto the center of the basis of the formal Pyramis in this manner Now where the intersection is made between the two principal concurrences I have framed a piece of a circle which circle because the portions of the formall Pyramis and materiall are there equall we therefore with the Platonists do call Sphaeram aequalitatis or the Sphear of equality or as they in another respect tearm it the orbe or sphear of the soul of the world which is just in the midst of the starry heaven called for that reason Aether quasi igneus aer a fiery aire as who should say an equall portion of the spirit of the waters and of the formall fire descending from God or Unity as I have expressed before And therefore as we placed in the precedent demonstration the 3 in the center or middle of the line between the divine illuminating unity 1 and the dark Chaos or deformed duality 2 so in the world was the spirituall body of the visible Sun of this typicall world placed in which the invisible and increated Sun of the Archetypicall world did put his Tabernacle and for this cause it is rightly tearmed of the Platonists the sphear of the soul. And verily by effect we find that all vivification doth potently spring from the solar or Sunny influence and as for the excellent beauty of the creature as also in respect of the vivifying act thereof it is an evident argument that it aboundeth with the blessed sparks or vivifying beams of divinity Again that it is the bright organ by which he that vivifieth all things doth impart and pour forth the showre of his benignity or divine Nectar of life continuall experience teacheth even the meanest plowman Now that this most excellent and perfect concord of life doth remain principally in the midst of the line drawn from unity or the fountain of form to the earth or duality which is the fountain of matter I prove it thus by the accords of Musick The perfectest consonance in Musick is Diapason and of all the other symphoniacall accords it approacheth nearest unto the sacred Unity in Divinity for it is half unison and therefore it is rightly compared unto the blessed emanation of life which came from unity and for that reason it is rightly tearmed the Idea or image of a unison And as the unison like one essence in Divinity doth comprehend three Persons importing the three accords in the Archetypicall harmony So also the Diapason comprehendeth in it the two other accords besides it self namely Diapente and Dâ—atessaron Now that this most perfect consonant of Diapason is planted in the midst of a unison and doth as it were beget in it self two perfect chords or Diapasons which be contained within it self I prove it thus Take a Lute or Bandora and strike any of the strings open and then stop that same string exactly in the middle of it and each half will sound a Diapason unto that open unison so that the unison which is made by the striking of the whole string open will be divided into two Diapasons or most perfect consonants unto the whole which is an evident argument that the perfection of the Diapason is in the seat of the Sun and consequently that the formall and lively accord of all the world is no otherwise in that centrall or middle place then the heart which is the seat of life is in man And yet by the beams of the Sun this life of the world is made catholick and filleth all no otherwise than the vitall blood doth universally expanse it self in the Microcosm by the channells of the arteries But I fear I have followed this point too far to prove and maintain the soul of this world wherefore I leave it to come directly unto the point being that in my Mosaicall Philosophy to wit in the fourth book thereof I have fully proved and maintained that Translation of Jerom to be right namely Posuit tabernaculum suum in sole he put his tabernacle in the Sun I will proceed therefore unto the second opinion of the Philosophers The ancient Philosopher Democritus Orpheus with the Pythagoreans do judge that all things are full of gods and again all these gods they referre unto one Jupiter where by gods they â—ntend the divine virtues infused into things which Zoroaster called divinos illices Synesius the Bishop Symbolicas illecebras others tearm
infinity of his formall beams we may perceive that these mysticall Hebraick Theosophers did understand that very power which the Apostle doth in the place before mentioned assigne unto our Lord Jesus Christ. Being that as they made this Mitattron the catholick Angell or Praefectum universitati the ruler of the world proceeding by emanation from Ensoph or Infinity so the Apostle saith that all forms and what else proceedeth from God the Father and have their being from our Lord Jesus Christ. To our purpose therefore As God ordained from his infinite fountain of Unity two principles of a clean contrary nature namely Light and Darknesse so the first-born of Darknesse was Litigium or the Prince of darknesse which was termed Sathan and his rule is in darknesse and over all dark things or privative properties and he hath his four-fold Angels or Demons of a different nature which have their dominions over the winds and elements and are ready to effect their Prince his behests in a businesse of darknesse and therefore of discord and privation be it of the property of what winde that bloweth according unto that of the Apocalyps I saw four angels standing upon the four angles of the earth being presidents over the four winds of the earth unto whom it was granted to hurt the earth and the seas c. Now each of these Angells have many divisions and subdivisions of legions under them who do then act at their volunty when they have dominion to blow and trouble the aire All these are animated by the influences which are sent down from the Olympick spirits as they likewise have their animation and times of dominion appointed them by the Emperiall Arch-angell And these are the immediate dispensators of the will of their eternall head and well-spring For this reason therefore as we ocularly behold that the Sun-beams do illuminate wholly what object soever the same looketh upon being enlightned by reason of an infinity of beams which are united in and upon it So also all emanations which are carried down unto the stars do fill them with an infinity of beams which are insteed of subdivided Angells having the nature of all that whole emanation which did animate the stars And therefore all the Olympick spirits of each star are alike in property The self-same reason also there is from the angelicall beams which issue from each wind and fill the whole aire and water and earth with an innumerable number of hurtfull spirits of their nature And yet it is sure that as God made all things to exist and be as Solomon saith he had a care to appoint over the winds as many good Angells with their inferiour spirits which arise from their good beams to over-rule the malice of the bad spirits with their subjects which also have their abidings in the aire And that each of these hurting or harmfull angelicall Presidents of the winds have a master to curb his malice it appeareth by the consequence of the foresaid Text Et vidi angelum ascendentem ab ortu solis habentem signum Dei vivi clamavit voce magna quatuor angelis quibus datum est nocere terrae mari dicens Noliâ—e nocere terrae mari neque arboribus c. And I saw another angel ascend from the east having the seal of the living God and he cryed with a great voice unto the four angels in whose power it was to hurt the earth and the seas and the trees c. So that we see here that there is an Emperiall Angell which is a spirit or Intelligence of goodnesse and preservation who hath power over the Angells of the world as well bad as good and consequently is a Lord and commander over the harmfull Angels not onely of that Easterly quarter but also over all the other three and that was Michael unto whom the government of the Sun and East is ascribed And this great and soveraigne Angell by others is said to be Mitattron of which we have spoke before whom others esteem to be the image of the eternall Sapience by which all things were made Howsoever it was that emperiall Angell that had victory over the Dragon and his Angells and therefore hath them his vassalls So that as Satan is the Prince of darknesse and an enemy unto light and therefore unto Christ and his creatures so this great Angell in whom is JEHOVA's Name as the Scripture affirms in which is life and in whom is light without darknesse is the Prince of light and hath power over light position and life and therefore an utter enemy unto darknesse with the Prince thereof And for that cause as Satan hath his armies scattered in the aire by the four winds so also hath the emperiall and victorious Prince of light his conducting Angells dispersed over the face of the earth and waters and in every place over the catholick element of the aire to resist the violent and subtle or invisible assaults of the army or spirits of darkness which good spirits also are under the conduct of four good Captains of the nature of the four winds which Captains are full of goodness and grace Therefore the Mysticall Theologians and Cabalists do aver Quod ut in exercitu Dei quatuor sunt Ante signani nempe Michael Gabriel Uriel Raphael Sic in exercitu pariter Satanae latissima gerunt signiferi ultores vela Samael Azaeel Azael Mahazael as Mnahem Racanat affirmeth Whereof the first of each kind do war in the East the second in the North the third in the South and the fourth in the West For these four spirituall Captains of Satan are thought to be the four harmfuls Angell which are said to cause the four winds to blow and as for the other four of God's Captains that they are also Presidents of the four winds we find it confirmed by Rabbi Tedacus Levi in this sense Deus quatuor ventis creavit quatuor Angelos qui praefecti sunt super eos in die in nocte Michael qui est ex parte clementiae miserationis constituitur Mamona i. e. praefectus super ventum orientalem usque ad dimidium diei usque ad noctem regit que ventum Occidentalem Raphael qui similiter est de parte clementiae Tum Gabriel in virtute judicii severitatis praefectus est cum vento boreali super dimidium noctis duas mensuras mundi Noriel verò vel Uriel praesidet Austro God created for the four winds four Angels which are Rulers or Presidents over them in the day-time and in the night Michael which is of the part of clemency and commiseration is made the Lord and Ruler over the East wind untill midday and untill night And Raphael which is also of the part of misericord doth govern the West Then Gabriel in the power of judgment and severity is constituted Lord over the North wind And Noriel or Uriel is made Overseer of the South So that
we see that as well there are good beams or benigne spirits which by a secret and hidden Emanation do stream forth from the fountain of the winds namely those which are poured out by JEHOVA's benigne Attributes as are El by Jupiter Eloach by the Sun Sadai by Venus and then Michael Raphael Gabriel c. do by their Legions execute God's Will And there are bad and corrupt or privative emission of spirits of a contrary fortitude from the winds which have their Originall from Elohim Elohim Gibbor and Adonaia which make Saturn Mars and the Moon their store-house neither would I have any one to wonder that I should derive the multiplicity of the good and the bad properties which are effected by the winds from one Divine essence which imparteth his Will by the diversity of his lively properties unto the 4 Archangells since the Prophet saith Vem spiritus à quatuor ventis insuffla interfectos istos ut revivi scant Come O Spirit from the four winds and breathe on these slain persons that they may live again Here the Prophet acknowledgeth that it is but one essentiall vivifying Spirit that effecteth all this and consequently that the four opposite properties in the four Angells which are the Governors of the winds are the influences or essentiall beams of one and the same Spirit of life in essence By reason of these spirits of a contrary fortitude in the aire sometimes good and propitious events befall the creatures of this lower world namely when the good spirits raigne and wholsome winds do blow which happen when the benign starrs and Planets have dominion in heaven and consequently their influences below and again somtimes bad and dysastrous accidents armed with privative and destructive effects befall the creatures of this Elementary region by reason of severe emissions of beams from the winds which animate those evill spirits that in infinite multitudes do hover though invisible in the aire who are rejoyced and revived at the blasts which issue from the stations of their cruell Princes and are as it were summons and all-arms to stir and excite them unto wrath and to blow the coles of their sleeping malice All this we may gather from this speech extracted out of Joseph Castaliensis A terra usque ad firmamentum non est locus vacuus sed omne plenum formis ex illis purae ex illis capaces gratiae ac mâ—serationum sunt infernis multae effigies foedae noxiae tentatrices omnes commorantes volantes in aëâ—e Et non a terra usque in coelum locus vacuus quin totum sunt species ex iis ad pacem ex iis ad bellum ex iis ad bonum ex iis ad malum ex iis ad vitam ex iis ad mortem omne id in habitatione inferiori in qua nos sumus From the earth unto the firmament there is not a void place but all is full of forms Of the which some are pure and some are capable of grace and mercy and there are beneath many foul hurtfull and tempting shapes and of all these do abide and flie up and down in the aire And from the earth unto the heaven there is not one sparâ— place but all is full of forms whereof some are enclined to peace some to war some of them are given to goodness some to naughtiness and some of them are Agents to life and some unto death and all this chanceth in the lower habitation in the which we are c. Whereby he signifieth that the whole air is replenished as well with spirits of darknesse as with spirits of light And therefore there is a continuall conflict made here below betwixt these spirits of opposit conditions Whereof the one do attend upon their Prince of darknesse being alwaies ready to accomplish his behests and consequently are very familiar unto the humid nature or matter of the world which is the child of the dark Chaos and for that cause have naturally a great dominion and power over it which by reason of its inclination unto darkness is easy to be tempted and allured from the Society of formal Light And hereupon the materiall world the flesh and the Devill are joyned together as also Satan is termed by the Apostle the Prince of the aire which is the off-spring of the waters from whence the materiall substance of the world was taken The other do wait on the Prince of Light their Master who is the eternall Wisdom which springeth from the bright word of eternity And these two dignify the world with life and do employ their greatest care to animate vivify and preserve it with such salutary beams as they receive immediatly from the eternall Emanation or fiery Word in which is the essence of life and being By this means therefore namely from the opposition of these two spirits of a contrary fortitude all the passions in the spirit and consequently of the Soul yea and body as well of the great world and all the creatures therein as of the little world have their immediate beginning namely the good passions as are joy charity hope confidence misericord humanity in the little world which are caused by dilatation of the heart and concord appetite Sympathy desire or concupiscence delight audaâ—ity jucundity caused by dilatation from the Center unto the circumference and by consequence Anâ—ipathy in the great world And again the bad passions in the little world's spirit as are sadness hatred desperatness timidity anger furor and bashfulness which arise from the contraction of the heart and in the great world and his creatures as are stupidity or congelation discord hatred irascibility fear c. and in conclusion Antipathy which comes by contracting from the circumference unto the Center All which are certain passions either well affecting and reviving the vital spirits with comfort by dilatation of those spirits with the beams of a kind of joy and delight or else choaking or suffocating them with the gloomy fog of darkness by contracting of those spirits with the mist of grief or privative sadness CHAP. V. What Actions in the Spirit or Soul in generall do produce Sympathy and what Antipathy How Sympathy or Compassion proceedeth from a certain dilatation of spirits in two or more particulars or an emitting of their internall beams of life or essence positively and benignly from the Center unto the Circumference attempting thereby to make a concord or union betweâ—â—â—wo or more like or homogenial natures and contrariwise Antipathy by contracting the said beams from the Circumference unto the Center moveth after an opposite manner namely by division or discord that is quite contrary unto the beams of the other which are emitted I Have signified unto you first in my precedent discourse that two properties were Archetypically or Ideally and after a complicite manner comprehended in one radicall Unity or Essence namely the one effected by its Nolunty the other by its Volunty Lo here
vegetation multiplication and preservation and hath made his seat in the Center of the heavens that by one most perfect Consonant namely a spirituall Diapason he might illuminate the Angels above and the stars round about him and that by a more material Diapason he might penetrate into the Center of the elementary world to communicate his perfection to each creature thereof that they might be beautified by his bright presence and vivified by the penetrating beams of his essence and consequently that the imps or spirits of darkness may be debilitated by the appearance of his Glory as if one chord were extended betwixt the Fountain of Light and the abysse of darkness which being struck made an unison but being pressed down and divided directly in the middle of it each part will render being struck a double diapason unto that unison importing a double perfection proceeding from the bright catholick Emanation whereof the one respecteth the adorning of the lower waters with life and virtue and the other maketh an accord of friendship among the higher Now as the body of the Sun and substance of the Aether is of a middle or mean spirituall matter or consistence of the waters it is evident that it also is subject to be altered by passion as well Antipatheticall as Sympatheticall For else it would not be the immediate receptacle of those opposit and contrary Emanations which descend from the differing Attributes But by effect we find the contrarâ— For some starrs are friends and Sympathise in nature with some creatures below Some again do hate one another deadly and consequently send down into this lower world contrary influences which move contrary passions or impressions in the vitall spirits or souls of certain Elementary creatures Again we find that the life of the Animal doth consist of opposit actions namely of Systole and Diastole that is of contraction by the property of matter and dilatation by the Act of the formall Light So that the nature of matter is to draw by contraction from the Circumference unto the Center but the condition of the formall essence is quite contrary unto it For it doth dilate or emit his beams from the Center to â—he Circumference Also the Philosophers testify that in sleep and rest the spirits are contracted from the Circumference to the Center after the manner of the dark Chaos or cold North wind which bringeth by that contraction the agill and volatil spirit or aire of the lower world to rest and fixation by condensation But contrariwise in wachfulness or waking they conclude that there is an emission or emanation of spirits from the Center unto the Circumferentce which is an Argument of two contrary effects of the firmaments vivifying operation in the souls or spirits of the creatures below and yet by reason of the equality of each action and passion they have a compound-disposition according and agreeing in the naturall operation of life which descendeth from above Thus therefore you see that even from the starry heaven there descendeth Sympathy and Antipathy As for the Elementary world it aboundeth manifestly with the effects of these two contrarieties and therefore lest there should follow any continuall unnaturall perturbation which may deprave this great formall workman of his expectation which was to put concord and peace in the machine whiâ—h he had ordered and framed he divided each region in this lower world that there might be interposed an indifferent friend between two extream enemies which he effected by weight number and measure So that unto the weightiest portion of the lower waters is imparted the least proportion of form that by its grossnesse and weight it might fall unto the Center and remain fixt in it and it was called earth then unto another portion he bestowed a double measure of Light to make it reside in a higher region and thereby the matter which was next the earth became more thin light and movable And therefore this augmentation of Light melted the frozen waters a little and did make them fluxible and transparent So that he partly by reason of the continuity of his matter with that of the earth and partly because of its cold nature it is a temperate friend of the earth and taketh his place next unto him So that it is not so cold as the earth nor so moist as the aire For it is not enough subtiliated till the bright Agent of the world bestoweth on the dark watery abysse above the water three portions of his Light So that it converted part of the gross lower waters into a thinner and more light shape than was the watery Element and it was the aire which by reason of the triple proportion of formall light was hotter and more dilated then was the water wherefore as the water was cold but not so cold as the earth and moist but not so moist as the aire So the aire is hot but not so hot as the fire and moister then the water By reason therefore of his moisture this portion of the catholick Element is friendly to the water on the one side and on the other side unto the fire because of his heat Lastly that in-created Spirit of life did yet multiply a part of those waters by an other or higher degree of subtility and purity So that it became the most subtil and highest portion of the generall Elements and is consequently hot and dry wherefore by reason of its drouth it agreeth on the one side with the earth which in circulation is next unto him and on the other side with the aire in respect of his heat but it is hotter then the aire and not so dry as the earth Lo here you see the effect of that Sympathy which the Peace and Love of God did put among the discordant enemies of this world For thereby the water as a friend to both the aire and earth becometh a stickler and mediator of peace between them The aire as a friend unto the two enemies fire and water is made an indifferent judge betwixt them both So that the one contrary is kept from strugling and tugging with the other by the super-celestiall and golden tie of peace Thus you see that this Spirituall Christ doth as the Apostle saith bear and sustain all things by the word of his Virtue And as Hermes said the humid nature by the assistance of the world is ordered and disposed harmoniously into Elements So that by this Virtue all Sympatheticall action was effected in the Sublunary world of which the Wiseman speaketh thus In se Elementa dum convertebantur sicut in organo qualita is sonus immutatur omnia suum locum custodiunt But when this harmonicall ranck and Symphoniacall proportion is violated then the enemies come together and rage against one another unto the disturbance of the whole Sublunary fabrick For aire and earth do struggle against one another as also the water doth cruelly invade the limits of the fire and all will be
out of order and in a destructive war with one another were it not for the presence of this Lord of misrule Thus as you see will Dyscracy and Antipathy reigne by their turnes in the neather region of the world when the tye of the elements are loose Thus will friendship be quickly changed into hatred when JEHOVA is pleased to send forth his altering winds and to corroborate and animate by his influence from above the ministers of his wrath here below against the sublunary creature Now come I to prove that all sympatheticall and antipatheticall effects do proceed from the secret and occult actions of the ministring spirits of this world That there is a mighty difference amongst the Angels no man of wisdom can deny for though all Angels were at the first united unto the divine Unity yet by reason of the rebellion and ambition of Lucifer that knot of union was broke and then the waters were divided from the waters that the good Angels might be separated and distinguished from the bad by the interposition of the firmament as a Diaphragma or middle bar between each of their habitations So that the dark Angels were enclosed in the lower or dark fecall and dreggy waters and the light Angels were lodged in the higher waters which were illuminated and dignified by a super-celestiall light and glory Thus you may see that the very Angells of heaven forasmuch as they are created of aire or the humid spirit of the world which is their externall and the bright emanation from Unity which is their internall are subject by reason of their materiall subâ—tance which participates of both extreams unto affections or passions as well sympatheticall as antipatheticall and consequently they aâ—e able by reason of their contrary pâ—operties to produce both sympatheticall and antipatheticall accidents in the spirits of the elementary creatures As for examples sake we will compare the catholick sympathy and antipathy which is in the soul of the great world unto that peculiar soul or spirit which is in man being that every particular was framed out of the universall We ought therefore to understand that the whole essenâ—e of the soul or spirit of man though it be invisible extendeth and manifesteth it self by her vertues and faculties for by her irascibility it contemneth and hateth and by her concupiscibility it doth covet and desire and by her rationability she distinguisheth and discerneth between them both And verily the whole effect of the souls essence consisteth in these three powers whereof the first is compared to the action of the lower waters which is apt to jar and disagree and is the region of Lâ—tigâ—um or the Prince of darkness The second is referred unto the nature of the firmament which is the region of life and salutary love and the last unto the angelicall and intellectuall heaven which doth discern between things that belong unto the lower heavens or regions of the world Whereupon it appeareth that from her rationall property every sense belonging unto the soul of man doth proceed as from the other two every affection motion or passion of the minde doth arise and spring Now there are known to be four affections of the soul whereof two do proceed from her concupiscible power namely Joy and Hope for at that which we love we rejoyce and are glad or we hope for and expect that which shall rejoyce us or make us glad and the two other issue from her irascible faculty or vertue namely Grief or Dolour and Fear for now we grieve at that which we hate or we fear that which would make us grieve or be dolorously affected And verily we shall after a due inquisition find that these four affections of the Microcosmicall soul are not onely the beginnings and common matter or subject of all morall vices or vertues but also the originalls of Metaphysicall or occult and Physicall or elementary and apparent sympathy and antipathy as well in the little as in the great world and every creature thereof For I would not have you ignorant that being the soul in man is derived from the vivifying emanation dwelling in the words spirituall vehicle it must follow that that soul in the great world must needs have in it the faculties which the little worlds soul hath for Quod facit tale est magis tale But these faculties in the soul of man were derived from the great world and the eternal soul that vivified it Wherefore it followeth that there is a rationability a concupiscibility and an irascibility in the soul of the great world though not made manifest unto us First because that it hath attributes of irascibility and displeasure for from his Attribute ELOHIM Gibbor he sendeth down by the port Geburah the fiery beams of his displeasure by his Archangell Samael into the globe or sphear of Mars who is for that cause President of the irascible faculty of the greater world wherefore his influences do cause wrath and angry effects in the aire and earth as thunder lightnings comets and other wrangling accidents which as Scriptures tell us are the arguments of Gods wrath and vengeance also war famine and pestilence and augmenteth the angry nature and spirit of men and beasts And again Gods Attribute IEHOVA Sabaoth poureth down the beams of concupiscibility by the Arch-angell Anael upon the globe of Venus according to Philosophers and Astronomers who for that reason being moved thereto by experience and observation have made this star the president and rectrix of the concupiscible faculty As the Attribute EL doth pour out the beams of reason justice and religion yea and naturall vegetation and life into the sphear of Jupiter But principally this naturall faculty is rained into the soul of the world by the Attribute IAH through his port Sapientia or Wisdom The second reason is because the great world hath an intellectuall or rationall heaven and a concupiscible property manifested in every creature and an irascible which is apparent also by reason of hatred and horrour which appeareth between one thing and another Also that there is an irascible quality in the elements that deadly hatred which is betwixt the fire and water and the aire and earth doth manifest That also there is a love and concupiscence between things it is evident because one nature rejoyceth in his like and therefore by a naturall inclination every thing doth move and convert it self unto his like by all possibility but especially it is most inclinable unto it self So we see that fire doth naturally affect and move unto fire water unto water and earth unto earth But above all the vivifying spirit of every living thing which is celestiall and therefore exceedeth the place of the elements doth with fervency affect and thirst after his like and is rejoyced at the presence and concurrency thereof And for this cause this passion of what creature soever will be the more truly sympatheticall and the sympathy between things will be so much the
a sense in motion but a kind of reason in its action namely its refusing that which is contrary unto it or embracing and desiring that which is agreeing and conformable unto its harmony as shall be more at large expressed as well in the second part of this present Book as in the magneticall experiences which shall be set down in the third or last Book of this Treatise To conclude how this mentall beam receiveth the behests or influxions of benignity or severity from above is expressed in my precedent discourse namely by permitting of bad spirits of darkness to reigne and have dominion or helping the good spirits to execute their offices of joy and delight Lo here is contained the sum of all mysticall and hidden sympathy or antipathy in the world which some do therefore by reason of the profundity and difficulty in the inquisition thereof justly attribute unto the secret act and operation of an angelicall power which is a middle vertue betwixt God and the creature And for this reason as is said before an Angell is defined to be Tanquam inter Deum Naturam virtus media à qua fiunt operationes in rebus quas vel natura eoram non faceret non vel sic faceret quas aliâ— provenire dicunt à proprietate occulta alii quia tale As it were a mean vertue between God and nature by the which certain operations are effected in things which their nature that is their elementary form would not produce at the leastwise would not so effect as that which is said to happen or come to passe by an occult property and as others will Quiatale Because it is so How this is demonstrated by Harmony what Sympathy and Antipathy is IT is a divers proportion or disproportion of matter or mundane spirit guided by one and the same eternall soul. Veni spiritus à quatuor ventis Demonstrated by a Pipe whose notes vary according unto proportion in spirit or aire moved by one and the self-same blast whose proportions when they disproportionably meet do jar but when they proportionably meet accord and agree All spirits in creatures are proportioned by more or lesse aire all in spirit of life moving and acting and according unto the proportions in concord or discord they agree or disagree as the weights of Pythagoras his hammer in bodies proportionate or disproportionate Also two strings being as one stretched up give concording or discording sounds according to their greatnesse or shortness As for example in this case of aire in a pipe The creatures quality doth good or evill not the devill but the devill by it Ergo Diabolicall and to be abhorred The Second Member of this Second Book Wherein the Magneticall Nature is truly anatomised and the reasons of Sympatheticall and Antipatheticall actions ripped up CHAP. I The Author maketh a preamble in this Chapter unto this his Magnetick Discourse and then proceedeth unto the Chaos of opinions touching the originall and attractive vertue of Magnetick Bodies I Did manifest unto you in the precedent Member of this Book the principles and originalls of Sympathy and Antipathy but because it is not every ones gift to soar so high at the first as to be capable of a Theory or speculation which penetrateth into Gods store-house or treasury contained in the abstruse bowells or center of his created nature I will stoop a little for your better instruction and more clear information and elucidate or make more plain the abstruse subject we have in hand by some vulgar or ocular demonstrations which may guide them and perswade them to believe that which may otherwise seem uncredible That I may therefore proceed more methodically I will onely in this member lay down the chief platform on which I purpose to build such experimentall conclusions as shall direct the misbelievers yea and such as by their ignorance do remain hitherto obstinate in their misbelieving errour being that Experienti a est etiam stultorum magistra Experience is the mother of fooâ—s into the more assured haven of faith and solid belief And because the exploits of sympathy and also those of antipathy in every thing are effected by a magneticall power which is both to expell by an irascible or odible expulsion and allure and draw unto it by a concupiscible attraction as shall be shewed you hereafter I think it most fit to search out diligently and that with the Argos eyes of my brightest senses or to penetrate deeply with the Lyncean optick of my sharpest understanding unto the dark mystery of the Load-stone's or Magnet's nature that we may with the more assurance make our ingression into the practicall demonstration of so arcane and occult a contemplation For seeing that the secret operation as well of the Weapon-salve so exclaimed on by the ignorant as the extraction of the Mummy â—both corporal and spiritual out of men or beasts as also the transplantation of the animal's vitalls infirm or wholsom nature into any vegetable or animal with the manner of the stealing of the vertue and strength from one animal and infusing of it into another the secret alligation of the plants spirit with that of man or any other animal so that what befalleth the one namely either wet or dry or cold and heat the other also shall partake of Seeing I say that these operations are tearmed magneticall because they imitate the active vertues of the magnet or Load-stone I will bend all mine endeavour to make an open passage unto the anatomising of all those mysteries by the unripping and undoing the spirituall fardell of the Load-stone thereby to pâ—y and look into the fountain of its formall interiour or centrall and essentiall actions and to espy the grounds as well of his irascible as concupiscible passions For if once we shall be able to find out by the subtillest aspect of our reason the invisible passages and lurking places thereof and can after that observe the point or punctuall root of their essences and discover the internall cause of each action we shall with ease conquer and surpasse all the rest being that what things appear alike in externall effect must needs pâ—ove homogeniall and all one in their internall and hidden natures as shall be pâ—oved more at large unto you But alas why should I being minimus Apostolorum the least of a thousand presume to make so dangerous a voyage unto that unknown Island where this occult magneâ—ick Nature doth dwell among or in the middle of such dangerous and inaccessible Rocks when so many wise Philosophers have â—ailed and wandred on the variable and tempestuous seas of opinion and have at the last returned home onely with the tidings of what others have related of her being her essence and her active vertues and so know nothing of their own but what they have attained to by hearsay or perceived by externall operation Good God how many such ships of fools are there in this world who when they have
being too wary and listning overmuch unto the Proverb Noli alium sâ—perâ— Câ—imbe not too 〈◊〉 have their regard more pronely namely upon the earth and her effects onely and of this ranck is Fracastorius who searching after the reason and beginning of this attracting faculty doth imagine that the Hyperboreall mountaines which abound with rocks of this nature do draw these Iron-natured subâ—â—cts unto them And this his figment seemeth so plausible unto divers persons of learning that they follow it as well in their Astronomicall writings as Geographicall tables or descriptions of the world and Sea-cards or maps which if it were tâ—ue they would easily draw unto them all such Ships as pass in the Northern Seas Olaus Magnus and some other that follow his traditions say that the attâ—active force cometh from some northern Islands which abound in that Magnetick subject But leaving their fancy unto the empty wind I pâ—oceed unto others Lucretius Caâ—us a poet of the Epicurean Sect dreameth that the attraction of Iron is caused of an effluxion of atoms For saith he according unto the Epicures opinions as most subtill atoms do emanate and â—â—ow out from every thing even so do atoms â—lie out of the Iron as Magneticall seeds by a certain coition of it with the Load stone into the interposed place or space that is between them and that by the union or complication of both bodies the iron is drawn c. Unto this sense also do Aphrodiseus Joannes Costâ—us Plutarch yea and Thomas Aquinas incline when indeed they ought to know that no attraction is made by emission from the Center unto the Circumference that is by dilatation but rather by sucking in and contracting from the Circumference unto the Center and therefore the emission of atomicall seeds out of the Iron can be no reason of its Union with or moving to the stone But it must be the Load-stone that must draw the beams or spirits out of the Iron For it appeareth that the Iron doth not draw it self unto the Load-stone but is drawn unto it Thales and Anaxagoras think that the Load-stone hath life in it because it attracteth a substance like it self as lively creatures do Lucâ—etiuâ— and Orpheus think there is that Sympathy between the Magnet and the Iron which is between the male and female and in this they erre not much Averroes Scaliger and the Cardinal Cusanus would have Iron to move unto the Load-stone as unto his originall Mattix Galen thinketh that it draweth by his substantiall form And now I must come unto the opinion of my renowned Fellow or Collegue D. William Gilbert for his Magnetick skill and deep search as well contemplative as experimentall touching this Subject His mind is that this attractive virtue in the Load-stone doth spring from formall actions or originall and primary Virtues or vigours For he concludeth that the Magnetick force proceedeth from a particular or singular form differing from that formall and specifick cause in mixt bodies mentioned by the Peripateticks but saith he it is a certain form which is the proper entity and existence of the starry Globes and their homogeniall incorrupted parts which he calleth the Primarie radicall and astreall Form namely such a one as is in the Sun the Moon and other celestiall Stars And he averreth that after a like manner there is one in the earth which is that true Magneticall Puissance which is called the first act or vigor And this he saith is not derived from the whole heaven affirming that it is procreated by Sympathy through influence or occult qualities neither is it from any peculiar starre For it hath its Magneticall virtue from the earth c. This is my learned quondam Fellow-Collegue his opinion whose pains and industry in the research of this Subject's practicall conclusions as I cannot but commend and extol So on the contrary side reason will not permit me to consent unto this his speculative foundation or root of the Load-stone's virtue in all For who can believe that the earth it self much less the particulars thereof can have any Virtue radically from it self when it is evident that as well the earth as the heavens came radically out of the waters And therefore as the heaven was before the earth it must needs follow that the formall Virtue of the earth did totally descend from heaven and consequently the earth had no such property from it self But of this hereafter more at large Among the Ethnick Philosophers Plato and of the Christians Scaliger and Fernelius do think that the cause of this Attraction is Divine and from above but how and after what manner they express not And therefore though in a generality they have spoken the truth yet in these common words they seem to expresse they know not what In particular I will conclude with the last opinion which is the most idle and insufficient of all the rest and therefore is worthy to be made the last and most unworthy part namely the tayl or excrement of them Franciscus Rucus maketh a great doubt concerning the wonderfull property in the Load-stone and because forsooth the pitch of his capacity can attain no higher then unto Superficiall things and such as are subject unto sense therefore he judgeth all effects beyond his reach to be Cacomagicall and consequently he maketh a doubt whether the cause of these actions in the Load-stone be not an impostury or subtill slight of the Cacodemons or evill spirits And yet this man is more to be born withall then such as do boldly averre that the act and wonderfull effects of the Weapon Salve is cacomagicall For he speaketh not absolutely as they do who without any farther doubting do seem to attribute all hidden effects unto the Divell and so deprive God of his due but onely this man maketh a doubt whether it be so or no. CHAP. II. In this Chapter the Author's Opinion touching the originall intermediate and immediate Action or Virtue of the Load-stone is enucleated and set down at large I Am sure you do remember how in my precedent discourse I have demonstrated that God in a generality doth operate all and in all and then after what manner the self-same Unity in the Divine essence is manifested in its property according unto the multiplicity of his sacred Volunty which is therefore proved to be manifold because the particular effects of his actions which are not put in execution but by his Volunty are infinite in Variety And for this cause I shewed unto you that there are attributed unto one and the same sacred essence Ten severall denominations or Attributes whereof some send out emanations of dilatation and extension by the which the waters were expansed and spread abroad by subtiliation and shaped into bright clear and transparent heavens and of such kind of influences are those which are emitted and infused into the world by HOCHMA through JAH or by the Spirit of Wisdome and those which spring forth from ELOAH
bodies appear to be dead yet shall the naturall Magician know that in his flesh and bones there abideth admirable spirits which operate no less wonders yea and far greater then those of the Load-stone And therefore I would have each self-conceited person that are so apt to envy against the Mysteries of God in nature to learn more discretion and experience before they so vain-gloriously do judge the strange and marvellous effects of man's royall nature and pronounce so boldly without hesitation or sticking that there are no spirits in any amputated members or portion in man no nor in the dead carcass as Casman and Foster aver Nay that the Devill himself can not conferre any into them or it For I would have both them and other temerarious and bold Judges to know that as the Load-stone though appearing a dead mass is observed to suck and draw Centrally unto it with a lively appetite the beams and body of the Load-stone and that all and every member divided from the Load stone will do the like in its proportion Even so I can prove it and confirm it by an ocular demonstration that by a right application of the fleshy parts of a dead man's carcass unto a live man if the application be long it will make the live man faint and feeble the which nevertheless a while after the materiall or corporall Magneticall Mummy be removed will receive again his wonted strength Moreover lest this relation may seem to Mr. Foster and the rest of his Cabalisticall Sect a figment or Chimerious fancy forasmuch as he may alleadge that the application of the thing may work in the live man's imagination and cause him to perswade himself that he is faint and that without any true ground and that there can be no externall effect to prove it I answer That it will suck or draw forth of the live man the spirituall Mummy in a visible manner For by the coldness of the part the spirituall Mummy so extracted will condense it self on the superficies of the corporall Magnet even as aire into a cloud or a cloud into Manna so that it may be gathered and converted into a very pretious and wholsome Panacaea or generall medicine if the party out of which it is extracted be sound and of a wholsome complexion as contrariwise it may prove as corrupt and Antipatheticall a medicine where the body out of which it is drawn is infected with any venomous or contagious disease namely French Pox Plague Leprosie and such like as shall be more at large expressed in the next book Now the reason of this act and operation in the dead man's Magnetick parts is that as when the body was alive it was animated by light and enjoyed all the properties of light to wit it was hot active moveable dilative and in conclusion of an Aequinoctiall or Southern condition so that naturall fire being extinguished it indueth the properties of darkness for it is mortified by cold and is congealed potentiall fix or immobil contractive and in fine of the rigid zone's and frozen Pole's nature So that whereas before whilst it lived it did emit his beams from the Center to the Circumference and did enjoy the blessings of God's vivifying and positive Emanation now it indueth the condition of his contracting privative and mortifying Emanation And yet I would not that wisemen should think that because the lively body is turned into a dead carcass therefore it is void of all spirits of life being that Scriptures confirm that the incorruptible spirit is in all things and consequently as well in those that are dead as in those that are alive For this incorruptible spirit according unto the variety of his property in the four winds is sometime in motion from the center of the thing in which it is unto the circumference for so he vivifyeth and causeth the creature to act and live by a southern or aequinoctiall faculty so I say it operateth from the center of the celestiall sun to the animation of inferiour creatures namely by evocation of their incorruptible spirits which were repelled by the winter or Boreal cold into their center from their center unto their circumference as it appeareth by such vegetables which seem for that reason as it were dead all the winter season because the spirit of life leaves and forsakes the circumference of the plant and betaketh it self unto the center to retire from the assaults of cold which is its opposite as far as it can But when it perceiveth its fountain of light to approach and to send them forth succours they begin by little and little to spring again from their center unto their circumference and being united unto the externall beams which are come unto their aide they expel dark privation and congealing cold from out their tabernacles and do proceed to operate and act unto vegetation and multiplication as also we see in the corn which is buried in the earth Even so I say and no otherwise the Load-stone's Martiall nature being originally by a Saturnine spirit contracted into his center is exagitated and stirred up and with like joy doth suck unto it the formall beams of the Iron from whose Martiall sulphureous spirit they did originally spring And even so also the spirits of the dead body being by mortifying cold driven from the circumference unto the center and resting there at repose without any action maketh the body and every part thereof fixt and unmovable but when they are applyed unto the lively circumference of their species or kind they spring forthwith and in their watery spirits towards the circumference as if they were almost famished in the center and rejoyce to meet with their like in the live man which doth as it were dilate it self and issue forth of the pores in a streaming manner for their assistance and they being partly congealed in the center of the dead member do with a greedy appetite suck them in with the spirituall Mummy which is their vehicle towards their centrall abiding to endue it with life as it was before and to recreate it with their presence but the unctuous spirituall Mummy being full of bright spirits resting upon the superficies of the live man inspissated with the cold and mortifying contact of the dead flesh or part of the carcase is forthwith congealed and may be reserved for a private use But can we I pray you better confirm this than with the contractive restrictive or congelative vertue of the fumous excrescence issuing from the salt contained in the dead mans bones for by applying it I mean the Uznea or masse which groweth on the dead mans bones unto the irruptions of blood or haemorrhoigy in a living man the warm blood as it were moved by an antipatheticall affection returneth back again and is denyed passage by the congealing and binding operation of these northern effected excrescences But leaving these conclusions touching the dead mans magnet and its vertues for a while what will
you say and there may be a microcosmicall Magnes or Load-stone which may be selected and gathered out of the living man without any detriment or prejudice unto his life whose vertues both in regard of its monstrous and unnaturall generation being composed of unlike parents and being compacted of two substances different in kinde as the Mule is namely of an earthly Mercury and cholerick sulphureous human spirits as also in his manner of attraction of the spirituall Mummy out of the living man yea and what is far more admirable by the transplantation of it either to the animal or vegetable kinds it worketh after a strange fashion either sympathetically or antipathetically I know that these newes will streight way be esteemed by some who are apter to judge amiss than rightly to scan to be diabolicall And why Marry because they passe the sphear of their capacities And yet I know this to be true and know them which have put it in execution not without the wonderment of many yea I know this Microcosmicall Magnet and the use thereof the which when it is tryed by wise-men and well pondered by them will appear as naturall as the effects thereof will seem strange and the reason abstruse But if that which I have said before be well understood and seriously pondered the cause hereof will not seem so hidden as that it should exceed the limits of nature Of this kind of magneticall action as well sympatheticall as antipatheticall I purpose by Gods grace to discourse more at large in the third or last Book of this Treatise or History CHAP. V. In this Chapter is expressed the secret cause why and manner how as well the Microcosmicall as Macrocosmicall Load-stone doth operate ad distans and thâ—â— unto an unknown dimension or unlimited intervall MR. Foster hath sufficiently expressed the shallowness of his Philosophy where he averreth That because the light of the Sun and Stars cannot penetrate the thick clowds and opake bodies Ergo the formall essence of a man is not able to pierce and penetrate directly in his course without being stopped or hindred by Castles Hills Woods and such like But had he been a little more profoundly seen or immersed in the bowels of true Philosophy he would have known that the Etheriall sperm or Astralicall influences are of a far subtiler condition than is the vehicle of visible light Yea verily they are so thin so mobile so penetrating and so lively that they are able and also do continually penetrate and that without any manifest obstacle or resistance even unto the center or inward bosom of the earth where they generate mettals of sundry kinds according unto the condition of the influence as the antient Philosophers do justifie The subtlety therefore of this spirit Plotinus according unto Plato's minde doth fully expresse in these words Tanta est Aetheris tenuitas ut omnia corpora penetret universi tam supera quam infera cum ipsis conjunctus aut implicitus ea major a minime reddat quia spiritus iste interior cuncta opera eorum mole minima nullum prorsus augmentum recipiente alit atque conservat The tenuity of the Aether is such that it doth penetrate all the bodies of the world as well above in heaven as below on earth and this heavenly substance being joyned and mixed with them it maketh them not a jot the bigger for all that because this inward spirit doth nourish and preserve all bodies without adding any thing unto their weight or encreasing of their substance And by reason of this heavenly natures purity or subtlety the heaven or coelum is called by the wiser Philosophers and mysticall Poets the Husband unto the earth which they tearm Vesta yea and the very stars of heaven among the which the Copernicans ranck the earth are likened unto his wife being that they are extracted out of the aetheriall substance no otherwise than Eve was out of the side of Adam for they are defined to be the thickest portions of their orbs by reason whereof they are accounted as the members of heaven and consequently there is nothing so thin subtle and piercing as is that spirit from whence by condensation they are derived This is the cause that the true Alchymists do tell such wonders of their Coelum which they call their Quintessence arguing that by reason of its purity and subtlety it is able to penetrate all things And the Philosophers say that it is their nature which they define to be Vis quaedam rebus infinita omnia permeans entia cunctas generans res easque augens alensque ex similibus similia procreans A certain infinite power in things which penetrateth and passeth through all things ingendring every thing and augmenting and nourishing them and procreating like things of their like And verily if you will be pleased to consider really what I have spoken before you will remember how I told you that the angelicall vertue proceeded from the archetypicall emanations and are the types of the divine Idea Again that the aetheriall spirit was filled with the angelicall influences which had their essentiall root from God So that in verity it is not the starry light which penetrateth so deeply or operateth so universally but that eternall centrall spirit with which his divine and unresistable essence penetrateth all things both in heaven above and in the earth and waters beneath And all this the mysticall Philosophers seemed to verifie though darkly when they called Saturn which was the father also of Jupiter or the head of the catholick emanation the father of Coelum or Heaven arguing thereby that in the emission of the spirit of wisdom he produced created or informed the heavens according to that of Job Coelum ornasti Spiritu tuo Thou didst adorn the heavens by thy Spirit And David Verbo Domini fimati sunt coeli Spiritu ab ore ejus omnis virtus eorum By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by his Spirit each vertue thereof And St. Peter Coeli erant prius terra ex aquis per aquas existentes verbo Dei The heavens were first and the earth of water and by the waters existing by the word of God It is certain therefore that the whole essentiall act of the aetheriall spirit is the divine emanation or the bright incorruptible Spirit of the Lord and therefore of necessity that spirit which is worthy to be the immediate vehicle of so unresistible and emanating influence must be conformable to it in purity and subtility which is the informer who is said by the wise Solomon to be Omni re mobilior subtilior attingere ubique propter suam munditiam innovare omnia implere orbem terrarum To be the most active and moveable and subtill of all things and to penetrate and pass everywhere by reason of his purity in essence and to renew and refresh all things and to fill the
earth with his presence This therefore was it that made some even of our Christian Philosophers to break forth into these speeches Deus est Natura Natura Deus God is Nature and Nature is God Whereby they ment that the naturating or radicall informing nature was the eternall emanation which made and informed the humid nature of the world which for that reason was called Natura naturata or the Nature which was made naturall namely by the presence of the Naturating nature or Spirit of the Lord which moved upon the waters and imparted unto them of his fiery informing Vigor or Essence as we may find partly by Sacred Testimony and partly by the confirmation of St. Austin We must therefore after a due consideration of this which is said infer that if the influence be compleatly animated by the incorruptible Spirit of the Lord then must it be indued with the properties of that Spirit or Divine Nature and consequently it must be the most subtill quick movable and penetrating of all spirits and in that respect will be able to pass through all solid bodies without resistance and also to ingender augment and nourish all things and being incorporated or specificated it procreateth like individualities of their like and again it hath in regard of our capacity an infinite extension and therefore cannot be limited All which I purpose by experience or ocular demonstration to demonstrate in this manner We find in practice that the Load-stone by virtue of his subtill spirit which doth internally animate it is made so potent through it in his attractive virtue that it is able without resistance to display and transmit the beams of his active virtue quite atravers the hardest stones the most solid and finest grained wood through thick plates copper tin silver or gold yea and to penetrate quite through the impenetrable glass it self and other such like compacted stuff which have no sensible porosity or spiracle which is an evident Argument that this spirit is of a far more peircing and subtill nature than the sublunary aire forasmuch as it is denied passage through the slightest paper-skin or bladder In the like manner man's inward or celestiall spirit which is the vehicle of this vivifying beam is so subtil in it self that nothing is able to resist it when the inward mentall beam doth aime at any mark how far or how inaccessible soever it may be esteemed in the fleshly mans conceit For being this celestiall or aethereall spirit in man is made after the pattern of the Divine Image which it beareth it must also resemble it in its actions Now the subtilty of the Divine act in man's spirit is expressed by Hermes in these words Quicunque hac Dei Naturà fulti sunt intelligentià suâ cunctà complectuntur quae in terra sunt in mari siquid est praeter ea supra coelum atque adeo scipsos erigunt ut ipsum quoque bonum intueantur Who soever do rely on this Divine Nature may comprehend by their understanding all thingâ— whâ—ch are upon the earth and in the seas yea and besides all this any thing that is in heaven above and also they may elevate themselves in such a manner that they may behold the face of goodnesse it self c. Whereby he signifieth the all-sufficient act of penetration which is in the mentall beam by whose unresistable action the celestiall influence doth penetrate and operate without any intermediate resistance in and through all things By which it is evident that as every inferior specifick creature is indued with this essentiall spirit and doth consist and is as it were founded and edificated on it as on an essential Corner-stone or Foundation so the emission of his beams is not to be limited by any setled Sphere of activity as the unadvised and more sensuall then intellectuall Philosophers have defined it to be being that it is Vis in rebus infinita An infinite virtue or nature in things and therefore not finite or determinable For look how far it shineth or emitteth his active spirit out of the Center of the celestiall star even so far is this Centrall terrestriall bright Spirit able to make his Semidâ—ameter of extension So that as the heavenly starr's beamy influence doth penetrate downward unto the Center of the earth even after the very like manner doth each terrestriall star peirce unto the Center of the celestiall star from whence it was derived and the more rich and exalted is the starry form in the creature the nearer it approacheth unto the nature of the most exalted star in heaven and maketh his extension the more forcible Now as we see that every Astrall influence in the creature doth by a naturall inclination and that Sympathetically aspect the star or celestiall Fountain from which it did spring and likewise that star in heaven by a paternall respect doth send down his influences to feed and nourish his like filiall fire or form in the creature here below and both of them by a mutuall relation do rejoyce together at the spirituall presence of each other whereupon it is said Naturá natura laetatur naturam continet O natura coelestis veritatis naturas Dei nutu multiplicans Nature is rejoyced in nature and containeth nature O celestiall nature which by the Will of God doth mulâ—ply natures so likewise each kind or species which is indued with all one influence doth because of his likness to another send forth by a sympatheticall consent beams of one nature making an harmonious Symphony in the concourse of their beams by which they do agree in union of love And for this reason the axiom of the Philosophers before mentioned runneth in this strain Natura ex similibus similia procreare solet Nature doth use to procreate like of like And this is the cause why each specifick Form doth rejoyce in its like and is ready to produce his kind and doth not use to passe the limits of his kind as for example A Man's nature produceth a Man a Horse a Horse a fenel-seed fenel a bean a bean wheat produceth wheat c. And also the nature of each thing so created is most amiable unto the nature of his like and sendeth forth the amiable and Sympatheticall beams of his affection to concurre with the like beams which are emitted from his like so that both of them do easily consent and rejoyce at each other and by contraction of beams they indeavour to cause a union For this reason therefore the Load-stone rejoyceth at the aspect of its like for if one Load-stone meeteth with another each will aspect the other by their Saturnine Sulphureous spirits and embrace each other For by their applications they will Centrally suck and draw the one to the other with a Sympatheticall imbracing Also because that the Iron is subject unto the self-same constellation and hath his Centrall star in all points correspondent unto the Load-stone for which essentiall consanguinity
effecteth For when it vegetateth or causeth to grow and multiply it is called life when it contemplateth it is termed a spirit it is called sense when it is conversant about the function which belongeth unto the externall sense it is termed the mind when it is versed about wisdom it is called Mens or the mentall beam when it understandeth it is termed reason when it discerneth between good or bad it is called memory when it remembreth it is styled Volunty when it willeth and yet all these are but onely one soul divers properties I say but one onely essence So that it is the same essentiall act which causeth life and contemplation which maketh sense and intellect which effecteth memory and reason and to conclude that willeth or nilleth Which being thus Is it not a sinfull thing in ignorant persons to make the occult actions of this abstruce spirit by which they live move understand discern between good and evill remember see feel hear touch and â—ast the effects of the devill and consequently to rob their bright soul of her honour instead of giving her thanks for her assistance by ascribing her arcane operations most irreligiously and falsly unto the devill And why I pray Why because they cannot dive into the depth of her activity by whom they themselves do live move and have their being Yea and to limit her activity with bounds according unto their pleasure who though they know not so much have their life and volunty from her which limiteth them according as she pleaseth who is infinite in her being for so much as she is a portion not divided from that Divine Emanation which is infinite in his extention It is evident therefore that this vivifying Spirit can send forth its action unto any mark in the world from any specifick nature but especially from the Microcosmicall creature and the rather if the mark be of the same specifick condition and the vehicle of the spirit namely the effused blood measuring first the distance between the wound and the Ointment Moreover we shall find this confirmed by other of her operations effected in the same Microcosmicall Mine from whence it emitteth its beams at an unlimited distance As for example It is found by experience and that by naturall means without any suspition of Cacomagicall devices or superstitious artifices that if a persons urine that hath the Yellow Jaundis be conveied at the distance of a hundred miles as by an honourable Person of no small rank and entire in Religion I am informed who hath often times made the tryall hereof unto a place where a composition shall be made of the urine and ashes of a certain tree commonly known and had in this Kingdom with certaine blades of Saffron as hath been told you in my Book entitled The Squeezing of Parson Foster's Sponge it often-times cureth that disease when the best of Physicall experiments have failed and this Medicine misseth seldom where the disease is curable And now I will relate a true story which befell this last yeare 1630 upon a Chirurgion's wife who dwelled not far from the Tower of London She fell desperately sick of the Yellow Jaundis and had sick gripings and shouâ—ings withall about her Stomack my self after many others was called unto her but prevailed but little by our Physicall means over the disease wherefore she hearing me tell of the many cures which this Noble Earl I spake of did perform in having the Parties water she sent her man unto me with her water to request me to make some means unto the Noble Man for her The fellow was sent by me with a letter four miles into the country and when he came unto the house he found two that were there to give thanks for their recovery For by that means they were cured The urine was received for my sake and the fellow sent away But mark the consequence so soon as the fellow was parted with the urine the sick woman was tatled unto by demure Gossips and told that it was done by witch-craft and the devill and therefore dangerous for her soul which made her rage and cry-out upon witch-craft and was much discontented which when I heard I came no more unto her esteeming her ungratefull and sent suddenly to the Earl to request him to undo the business and break the clods which he sent me word he would do but told me it was to late For said he it will work the effect howsoever Indeed the woman mended immediatly after it and no doubt did ascribe the cure unto some other inefficacious Physicall trash applied per chance unto her by some Mountebank All this I spake to my knowledg and I am not ignorant of the manner of the cure For it pleased the Noble Personage to impart unto me the manner yea and the Ladies his daughters have cured many of this disease aswell rich as poore who have made some means unto them for this cure And this worthy Lord did assure me that he had cured at an hundred mile's distance I cannot chose but make you acquainted with another cure which he effected upon a noble Lady that was my patient She had extreamly the Jaundis and though I did in some sort remove them for a while yet it returned again I then requested the Noble Knight her husband to send her water unto the foresaid Honourable Personage and promised him to write my letter by him All was done as I counselled and the Countess her self took it into her care to dispose of the water and the rather because the Lady that was sick was of a Noble Parentage Somewhat i wrought with the disease but not to our purpose Whereupon I did visite this Noble Man and told him of the small success that his Medicine had He willed me to send her water once more and told me that a Lady was with him in the foresaid noble patients behalf the day before I sent again her water and from that time forward she mended apaâ—e and was perfectly cured There are a hundred who can justifie this to be true Neither can it be alledged that it might be done by some medicine used in â—he mean time To â—ut off this objection she was prohibited for all that season to take any medicine but bare food onely Now the reason of this cure is no otherwise effected then that of the weapon-salve for the spirit of the blood in the infected person hath a continuated relation unto his salt yea and its habitation is in the aereall salt of the blood which being a subtle earth in the center whereof is the spirit contracted and being partly dispersed in the urine which is the whey of the blood it sucketh and draweth unto it his like from the infected body whereby it being as it were resuscitated and newly revived it emitteth new beams to meet comfort and correct the infected beams emitted out of the sick body And again the infecting spirit of the iâ—teâ—itious humour is by vertue
aire insomuch as he hath power to stir up tempests in the seas and storms in the elementary heavens and therefore the aire by some is called The Synagogue of Satan What! must we therefore abhor the aire and winds because the devill doth at sometimes act by and in them his mischievous feats when as the aire is cleared and purified from all corruption as Aristotle saith rightly by agitation of the winds for if it were not excited and moved by the winds it would putrifie as the standing waters doth Again if we should fly from and loath the aire how should we live when the airy spirit is the spirituall seed of our life We read also in Scriptures that God causeth the Sun indifferently to rise upon the good and bad and that the Sun and Moon do harm or hurt some as again they are comfortable and propitious unto others and therefore David saith The Sun shall not harm thee by day nor the moon by night The Moon which is termed by the Poets Hâ—ccate is the goddess of witches for unto her did the famous Enchantress Medaea make her orisons for the furthering of her purposes and yet the aire the water and the earth are seasoned with her humid or madid vertues and the plants yea and animals do acknowledge her the Patroness of vegetation the maketh the seas to swell and again by another kind of her position or aspect the seas are abated in their pride and humours are more scanty in every living or vegetating thing Yea we finde that all the malignant watry spirits are subject unto her influences and that Satan also taketh his advantage on the diverse positions of her or conjunctions and applications with other as well fixt as erratik starrs to work his feats for he is an old beaten Souldier in Astrology and knoweth the effects of every situation of the heavens and therefore can take the advantage of their strongest influences upon animal vegetable or minerall creatures which are subject unto them he knoweth the due times when they are poured down upon them and is expert in their virtues which are then onely of greatest efficacy and force when the powerfull point of their proper constellation striketh upon them and stirreth up their Centrall spirits to shew forth the uttermost of their occult or arcane natures and conditions and then at the very instant he collecteth the herb or stone or maketh use of the Animal's members or teacheth such as are Sorcerers to do it without knowing the mystery of the constellation 's concurrence or application at that time of the collection with the naturall creatures so collected So that when they attempt to make use of the same Simples at another time they find them weak and of none effect because the spirits of every herb animal or minerall are weakest when the starre which is their nursing celestiall mother hath least power or dominion in heaven All which the true Astrologicall Philosopher knoweth right well by experience to be true For gathering of a Simple at the point when the constellation as well fixt as erratick which hath the essentiall dominion over it is in his greatest dignity and power in heaven he findeth an admirable efficacy in it as well in his occult as evident property when contrariwise if it be collected at a season wherein the heavenly Patron is weak and feeble they will appear as it were faint and almost dead in their power Whereby it is most apparent that it is the naturall creature 's which by their own essentiall natures work even as well those sympatheticall as antipatheticall effects which the devill doth make use of to perform his devices even as the Physitian Philosopher or naturall Magitian doth to effect their own ends What shall we say then what that whosoever shall use or operate by the same creatures be they animals vegetabls or minerals are Cacomagicians and their work diabolicall because the devill at some times maketh use of their subtil and abstruse action to build himself a name amongst fools Is it not God that worketh such effects in these his creatures Did he not by his Word bestow such virtues on them in their Creation and continued it in their sucession by generation Why then is it not as possible unto Man who is framed after God's Image to know the true time of the collection of these creatures with the uses and virtues thereof as well as the devill What because forsooth he since the fall Adam is blinded with ignorance and cannot see or distinguish light from dakness That Adam knew the virtues of the starrs and of every particular earthly creature subject unto every one of these starrs we partly gather out of Scripture For else could he not have assigned a proper name unto each of them agreeing to his nature But if the sucession of Adam is blind and cannot distinguish of colours and therfore is ignorant also in these hidden treasures of God How I pray you came the devill to have so deep an insight in them being that he fell for his rebellion farre deeper than Man and is clogged with a darker vayl than he and therefore is called the Prince of darkness Oh you reply the devill is a spirit without body and therefore is able to discern the hidden things of God in nature sooner and beter then Man who is a gross bodily creature And again Man dieth every Age but the devill by reason of his long continuance is of great experience I answer That though Man die and continueth not long and though he be obscured in his understanding by reason of his Fore-fathers fall and though he be clad or indued with a dark and combersom body yet hath he the revelation of the Truth and a discovery of the abstruce mysteries of Naturall things first from God bequeathed and left unto him by succession that is by a Cabalisticall tradition even from our Fore-father Adam and by the revelation of God's Wisdom or the good Spirit which he hath bestowed upon the Elect For by it as Solomon himself doth restifie he came to know the disposition of the Earth the virtue of the Elements the beginning end and middle of times the change of manners the division of times the course of the year the disposition of the staâ—rs the natures of living creatures the condition of beasts the force of the winds the differences of Plants the virtues of roots yea saith he and I discovered all hidden and abstruce things For Wisdom who is the worker of all things taught it me c. And again it is said that he knew and was instructed in the mysteries of all Plants even from the lowly Hysop unto the lofty Cedar of Libanon Was it then a diabolicall action in Solomon to look after and to practise upon the abstruce natures of Plants and Animals and to find out by his skill in Astrology the proper starrs which are their true Patrons and charitable Mothers in heaven and to make
that lives not far off from Aâ—x in Prâ—vence is fresh yet in every mouth of that place that with the like philtre did infect the whole City with so desperate a plague that it did destroy moâ—t of the people theâ—eof onely they were preserved and cured when this Hermit pleased who for that cause was styled by thâ— name of Holy Hermit for as he pâ—ysoned the hammers of each of the dores so that whosoever knocked with them was foâ—thwith infected he that poysoned had his counter-poyson to cure This devillish peâ—son was at the last discovered and burnt alive as he well deserved By the like stratagem a little before my comming into Provâ—nce the plague was brought into Tu in in Piamont by certain lewd persons who suffered for it their flesh being torn from them by hot fiery pincers Also lately by the strewing of a venoâ—ous powder the plague was multiplyed in Millan the conspirators disâ—overed and executed And thus by these wicked inventions the internall spirits of men were infected and the externall aire polluted Neither can this to the true Naturalist apppear strange since it is proved by experience that a wholsome aire is oftentimes converted by a venomous blast of the southern winde â—nto a corrupted and contagious disposition and the aire that was pure and unpolluted is now by the pestiferous breath of a plaguy person or the infectiâ—â— carbuncle or both inquinated and made venomous and that aire so corrupted will also corrupt his next aery neighbour which was â—ound and healthfull before Let us but observe how the infected spirit of the plaguy person or one possessed with the small Pox or Measels Ptisick or Ophthalmy or blear eyes doth infect the spirit of a sound man at a good distance and the Leprosy Epilepsy French-Pox by an immediate contact and we shall find how that which was created wholsom and salutary in man is become contaminating and venomous by disorder What therefore shall I say must we conclude that we must abandon our own nature because it may be made infectious and deadly unto us Nay must we therefore esteem human nature to be therefore abhominable and abhorred of man because the witches and sorcerers do by the devills doctrine and instructions make use of mans flesh hair nailes excrements blood yea and of both his spirituall and corporall Mummy to bâ—ing their wicked purposes and inchantments to pass That this is so we find it as well maintained by History as daily practise observed amongst the witches for Apuleius who for his magicall relations was censured by some to be a witch telleth how his sweet-heart â—otis was by her mistress being a notorious witch sent into a Barbers shop secretly for mens hair to employ it about her witchcraft Also he sheweth that it was a thing so frequent in those daies by reason of the abundance of sorceresses which abode in Thessaâ—y to have watch-men with store of lights to attend upon the dead corses or corps immediately after their death to hinder and prevent the witches which used to come in secretly by night in the form of Weasels and such like shapes to steal away some part of the carcase to serve their turns about their wicked art Moreover it is a common thing amongst them and the Necromancers to frequent the Church-yards and to visit the graves of such as are dead either for some part of them or else for a piece of their winding-sheet or of the coffin wherein they were buried by reason of the spirituall Mummy which sticketh unto them to effect their ceremonies and naughty devices It hath been confessed by a witch that destroyed a Noblemans children of this Land that she could have no power over one of them till she had recovered an old glove that it wore and afterward she had power over it the reason was because of the relation which the spirituall Mummy of the child that entered by sweat into the glove had with that of the body no otherwise than that spirit upon the weapon hath unto the spirit of the wounded body so that as that fareth either in hot or cold distempers so also it fared with the spirit in the wound as it appeared when the ax or weapon was uncovered by chance the wound would be dolorous and distempered with cold and when of purpose part of the oyntment was pared off from the weapon that part of the wound which corresponded unto it would ake and be troubled so also the witches applying their naughty venom unto the Mummy in the glove shooe or other part of the worn-shirt smock sock or such like do produce their venomous effect afar off We read also in cacomagicall books in what esteem the members of young children were among enchanters and especially their skin of which after many diabolicall and necromanticall consecrations they create their virgin parchment on which they write the names of god of the angels they invoke and the character of the planet or star unto which they do belong Must therefore the magnetick effect of mans nature or spirituall Mummy with his like be esteemed damnâ—ble and diabolicall because the mystery thereof is by the devill revealed unto witches and the secret pâ—operty thereof converted unto an evill sense and unchristian-like use Must aire be refused and banished from man because it may be by bad means corrupted and so be made to kil or is fire to be excluded as condemnable for that it being ill applyed proveth now destructive which being rightly applyed doth cherish and comfort If by contaminating or changing our spirituall Mummy into a contagious and venomous disposition we infect another as one plaguy person poysoneth anoâ—her ad distans and one house on fire setteth fire unto another though it be not contiguous or touching must therefore the use of the aire and fire be condemned and banished from mans use Or must Gods fire from heaven be abhorred because Satan made use of it in a destructive sense and for the ruine of Job's possession Shall I say the occult property of the spirituall Mummy and the admirable efficacy of mans spirit in wholsome and salutary uses be therefore eschewed and abhorred because by infection it may be converted to a poysonsome disposition Shall a good sword which is ordained for the defence and safeguard of its master bâ—â—herefore broke and cast away because a bad man killeth another with it A good thing being ill applyed may do harm The influence and light of the heavenly Sun in the which is the spiracle of life being ill received doth sometime breed unnaturall effects yea the devill himself maketh use of it to serve his use at severall seasons and yet neither it nor his vertues can for all that be esteemed diabolicall In like manner if we descend from the animal sphear unto the vegetable and mineral we find that the notorious Enchantress Medaea made speciall use in her enchantments as also the same is related of other sorcerers and witches of herbs
of his peares did pass which caused him suddenly to fall sick Francis Follers and Marget Warny and Jacobit Equine confessed the 15. of January 1584. that they had Ointments by which they anointed rods and whips So that if they touched therewith but the vestments of any one he died not long after Also they said that if they anointed their hand with this Magicall Ointment if they but touched any one's garments they died within a small space after Thus you see how the devill cannot work but by naturall poysons For nothing proceedeth meerly of himself but prestigious apparitions namely those which seem but indeed are no more in effect then a painted image is in regard of the true substance And therefore let not the devil's ministers make their braggs that this commeth from his invention For the true Alchymists speak upon their own experience that their Matter when it is in rotting and black is more destructive then the venomous Tyrean or Serpent and therefore it killeth suddenly wherefore they warn the operatours to beware of their Fumes but when it appeareth in decoction between white and black it reduceth the Patient into a straight between death and health that is into a sickly constitution and the white which signifieth perfection of maturity causeth health and cureth infirmities and preventeth the malice that the black and ash colour bring with them So that you see the devill can do no more of him self then man is able Again for strewing of the destroying powder the same was effected by man's wicked invention in Millane the yeare 1629. And for the Ointment which killeth by an immediate contact the Jew and the Cardinall knew that wicked craft namely to abuse God's creatures as well as the devill for whosoever it touched it killed and again the Hermit effected the same business by anointing the hammers of the doores and had his Alexipharmacon or counter-poyson for it as well as the devill So that you may see that the wicked-minded man that abuseth God's good creatures as well as the devill altering it from the true sense for which it was created by God for the benefit of Man may rightly be rancked with the devill and be termed justly a devill incarnate in that without the devil's furtherance he can effect many devilish waies to destroy as well as the devill without flesh and bones I conclude therefore that it is a great absurdity yea and a gross foppery or madness in ignorant men so lightly to adjudge and censure the abstruce Magnalia or occult Mysteries of God in Nature as to affirm them to be actions or inventions of the devill though their effects were bad much less when they are good and salutiferous as is that of the Weapon-salve when it is commonly known unto God and all truly understanding men that it is the animal vegetable or minerall creature which effecteth the one by abuse and the other in the true property and virtue that is for the use for which it was created by God For God created all creatures good and consequently for a good use but it is the malice of the devill that diverteth it from his true use which also is evidently confirmed by the Wiseman in these words Creavit Deus ut essent omnia sanabiles fecit nationes orbis terrarum non est in illis medicamentum exterminii nec Inferorum regnum in terra creavitque hominem inexterminabilem ad imaginem similitudinis suae fecit eum invidiâ autem Diaboli mors introivit in orbem terrarum God created all things that they might exist or be and made all the nations of the earth wholsome and there is not any deadly thing to be found within them nor yet the kingdom of hell and destruction upon the earth And he created Man inexâ—erminable that is to last for ever and he made him after his own image but death entred into the world by the envy and malice of the devill c. For know this that before the fall of Adam all things were streightly and rightly taken and consequently not mistaken but after that he had tasted of the Tree of good and evill his corporall eyes were open and the creatures were interpreted and distinguished for good and evill and were converted unto both uses for from that hour the mysteries of iniquity and righteousnesse began to reigne in the world and evill began in the very first practise after the fall to shoulder goodness and vice did first prevail against vertue and by naturall means was employed by the first fruits of wickedness to wit the vegetable creature or a piece of wood by the envy of unrighteous Cain to knock out the braines of his righteous brother Abel when contrariwise this vegetable creature was in another sense a piece of wood namely in the form of a cross signifying the opposition which in this world is made between good and evill an instrument of Christ's death without the which there was no assurance of salvation We see therefore that all occult operations proceed from the hidden vertue in naturall things which were discovered by Gods Spirit as well unto mankind as conceived by the sharp-witted observation of Satan Unto good men I say they were detected by the good Spirit to do good and prevent evill for except the evill be known a counter-poyson will hardly be found out Unto bad men they were administred to execute mischief and iniquity I will reckon up some of these secret vertues in each of the three kingdoms of compound creatures namely Animal Vegetable and Mineral First therefore for the Animal The Owl is said by Albertus Magnus to have many notable vertues For saith he if his heart and right foot be put upon one that sleepeth he will forthwith tell what he hath done or any thing that you shall ask him and he saith that it hath been tryed by some of his brethren to be most true And again if one do but put it under the arm-pit no dog will bark at him Also the Goat's blood is reported by him to turn glass into a soft and malleable temper if the glass be sod in it and vinegar that one may handle it like paste so that if it be cast against the wall it will not break And if one maketh an oyntment of the same composition and do annoint his face with it things will appear horrible and terrible unto him And if the said composition be put in the fire and there be present one that hath the falling-sickness and a Loadstone touch him he will presently fall into a fit as dead and if some cold water be given him to drink he will recover So saith he if a candle be annointed with the Camel's blood all men in the room will seem to have Camel's heads And thus he proceedeth in his History with a description of admirable wonders which are effected by the occult properties of beasts vegetables and stones If Mr. Foster and his adherents shall say
that all these are lies I reply That it was a learned Philosopher and famous Theologian that relateth them who no doubt would if he lived tell him That he should learn to understand the hours of elections the stars that have dominions on the earth and their times of exaltation or fortitude on the earth And lastly over what creatures in the three compound Kingdoms they have their proper influences For my part I know admirable secrets in man and beasts for the which the Peripatetick Philosophy can yield no reason as for example That the Pike or Jack-fishe's guts dried should mightily provoke urin the sucking of blood from a Mole whose nose is cut off for the same purpose will cure the falling-sickness and that after the taking of it it maketh the party exceeding sick as experience hath taught us by the cure of a Lady in Kent who was cured thereby Also that it being burnt unto powder it should by an occult nature expell the cholick That the heart and liver of the Frogs should be approved for the falling-sickness That a Snake's skin should accelerate and hasten a woman's delivery That the menstrues in a woman should cause a Leprosie That the Toad dried should stench blood as also the Spider being applyed unto the nostrills of him that bleedeth as I have often tried As for other occult miracles in stones mettles herbs and animals the true schollars unto Solomon I mean Hermes Plato Albertus Magnus Diascorides and such like are full and doubtlesse they would not prove so sottish and indiscreet to publish lies and to write things of impossibility averring them to be effected in their knowledge and so by that means lose that reputation which they have gained in the world by their wisdom But as concerning the practise of our main businesse which is touching the sympatheticall and antipatheticall respect that is between the different Mummy which is in mans body and the ocular demonstration thereof produced from the Loadstone I purpose in this next Book to shew and prove more unto you than any one hath done before me unto this present as I may imagine The Third BOOK Which toucheth many practicall Proofs and experimentall Conclusions to confirm the loving Microcosmicall Attraction or sympatheticall Coition and antipatheticall Expulsion or hatred by the magnetick and expulsive property of the Macrocosmicall Load-stone The Argument of this Book The Author's Proem unto this present Book wherein he briefly and in few words reciteth what is said before I Have related to you in my precedent discourse and made sufficient proof of it that the spirituall Christ the divine Word or eternall wisdom is the true basis or foundation of the essentiall Philosophy as is proved by the Apostle's testimony forasmuch as he is the sure and never-failing corner-stone on which every creature is builded and in whom it consisteth seeing that in it is life and that life is the essentiall light which vivifieth all things and consequently operateth all in all as the Scriptures do sufficiently testifie For if the Spirit of the Lord doth impart unto the creature life and inspiration and all things And if again that Spirit doth replenish the earth and be in every thing as Solomon confesseth then must we also acknowledge that this centrall Spirit of every specifick thing is that Divinity wherein the essentiall root of all magnetick sympatheticall attraction and antipatheticall expulsion in every kind consisteth For being it is the catholick love which imparteth it self unto every particular existence to give it action and motion to attract his like nature for a convenient nourishment assistance and consolation so also it maketh the organ in which it acteth to resist and expell all such emanations as either in order quality or essence do disagree and are opposite or harmfull to the specifick existence or conservation For this reason therefore it endueth the creature with a double affection namely with a concupiscible desire and an irascible hatred whereof the one doth rejoyce or sympathize with his like and therefore allureth or draweth it unto him to consolate and assist him in his beeing the other doth eschew and drive away by an antipatheticall and odious aspect that which may be harmfull and noysome unto it And this is the act of that all-creating and sustaining Wisdome which made each creature by a kind of successive preservation which it sucketh from his like in the world to be and exist and consequently hath given it an irascible faculty to defend it self from that which is contrary unto it Whereby we may see how this vivifying spirit doth moderate all things with an unpartiall hand insomuch that though it hath framed all things by opposition namely light and darknesse and therefore in mans regard both good and evill yet he ordained that each individuall should have the faculty to eschew with an irascible and antipatheticall disdain that which unto it is contrary either in order or nature or both untill the time be accomplished in which after he is exalted he shall expell all contrariety and discord out of this world by making a sympatheticall union amongst all things which also St. Paul doth argue in these words Cum evacuaverit omnem Principatum Potestatem Virtutem Oportet autem eum regnare donec ponat omnes inimicos sub pedibus suis novissima autem inimica destruetur Mors Omnia enim subjecit pedibus ejus Cum autem ei subjecta fuerint omnia tunc ipse filius subjectus erit illi qui subjecit sibi omnia ut sit Deus omnia in omnibus When he hath evacuated every Principality and Potestat and Virtue For he must raign untill he put all his enemies under his feet the last enemy death shall be destroyed For he shall subject all things under his feet And when all things are made subject unto him then also the Son shall be subject un-him who hath made all things subject unto him that God may be all in all Whereby it is evident that the catholick Magneticall virtue which resideth in God's eternall Spirit shall at the last be exalted after his glorious victory and draw all things unto him and all things shall be one in him and he in them and consequently all Discord and Hatred being banished and laid apart Love Peace and Vnity shall erect the perpetuall and never-dying Trophy of this hallowed Victory This universall Magnetick Virtue is acknowledged by the Spirit of Christ in these words Si exaltatus fuero à terra omnia traham ad meipsum If I shall be exalted from the earth I will draw or attract all things unto my self that is I will by mine attractive or conjoyning Vnite all things and as it were ingraft them into mine own Nature So that in the beginning all things came from one Unity as comprehending in it implicitly all things which are explicitly unfolded and comprehended under two contrary Principles So in the end all things
matrix yea that out of the Magnet body the perfectest Iron or Steel is extracted it ariseth from the consideration that the Martiall and Saturnine spirit of the Load-stone sucketh and attracteth from his center the body of Iron unto it drawing forth of it his formall beams as it were his spirituall food but because the Iron-body will not forsake so easily his inward spirit it followeth and is suâ—ked unto it And again the Iron finding the like spirits in the Load-stone doth covet as fast to be possessor of them by an equall coition or desire and so a conjunction or union is made no otherwise between them than between man and wife But because the Loadstone is fuller of the Saturnine stony Mercury than the Iron which is purified from it by fire and consequently more near unto the property of the male therefore it sucketh not the Load-stone so greedily unto it as the Load-stone doth the Iron For it is an old confirmed axiom That Matter doth desire and long after Form and as eagerly doth draw and allure it as the female doth the male But that the Iron is in lieu of the male it appeareth in the strength that it addeth unto the Load-stone for if the Load-stones pole be capped with steel it doth so far animate it beyond his own proper nature that it causeth it to draw unto it a far greater proportion of Iron then otherwise it was able This therefore being rightly considered we may with the greater facility collect what that microâ—osmicall Load-stone should be that is able to extract the microcosmicall spirit without any dammage or debilitation of the body If therefore we would attempt to effect this excellent exploit we must do it by such a corporall Magnet as shall be taken out of the Microcosm or Man whose production and generation must in every respect accord and agree with that of the macrocosmical or terrene mineral Loadstone which is mentioned before the which I purpose onely by circumloâ—uâ—ion and not in plain tearms to expresse unto you that thereby so great a secret as this key to unlock the balsamick cabinet of mans Mummiall nature may be hidden from the unworthy and yet sufficiently made manifest unto the worthy and religious Philosopher by evident circumstances for if that such hidden mysteries in nature were vulgarly discovered there would be no difference had between a wise man and a fool And therefore Solomon did teaeh us Quod sit sapientis celare rem It is the part of a wise man to hide the thing And the wise Philosophers in their Writings did so considerately express the secret of nature that they might hide it from the ignorant and uncapable vulgar and yet speak plainly to such as are the children of art and sons of true learning But this is not all for I would have you to understand that the property of the magnetick microcosmicall work is so universall that it sheweth the way as well to infect the Mummiall spirits of man with a venomous and pernicious antipatheticall nature as to extract it in its wholsome and sympatheticall condition whereby it may be employed in good and salutary usages And for that reason namely because evill-minded persons as well witches and sorcerers whom the devill hath instructed in the abuse of this excellent mystery as also wicked minded-men I mean incarnate devills may do great mischief in the world by the publick revelation thereof for most men are proner unto mischief than inclined to do goodness I think it to be the wisest part not to name the internall microcosmicall Magnet openly but onely to express it in more generall tearms I would have therefore each wise man to understand that the magnetick nature as well antipatheticall as sympatheticall of all things consisteth onely in the sulphureous vertue of the vitall spirits which by reason of their incarceration are apt to attract their like unto them by contracting of it self from the circumference unto the center Even so the animal vegetable and mineral salt which is the immediate receptacle of this sulphureous spirit that by reason of its pure Saturnine Mercurial earth sucketh and draweth by the act of the included spirits their like from the circumference whereby they vegetate and multiply both in their airy volatill salt which by a Saturnine or northern condition is like snow or frost condensed and in their aetheriall or celestiall fire And again the sulphureous spirit flyeth back or reflecteth his beams into its centrall salt after it did emanate unto the circumference of the body by northern accidents namely by externall cold as it appeareth by the fiery or heavenly seeds included in the aire that is retained within the Weather-glass which when the north-wind bloweth is contracted by reason that the expansed spirits of the celestiall sulphure or the heavenly fire which is in it flying from his cold opposite betaketh it self unto the center of the aire compassing as it were it self with a clowd or making it a house to resist the northern blasts inclemency For as hereafter I will shew you in my magnetick demonstration that the sulphureous Aequator is an enemy to the cold Mercurial poles Also in mans body when a northern or stupid fear possesseth it the sulphureous spirits contract themselves and leave the externall aspect pale blewish and wan and in so doing contract the internall spirits of the body unto the center but this motion is antipatheticall and caused by unnaturall passion Again those sulphureous included spirits being at liberty they dilate and expanse themselves into the open aire as having no evident magnet to attract or contract them into a narrower room To conclude therefore the microcosmicall Magnet must issue and be ingendred from the microcosmicall sulphureous spirits in his proper salt which is his form from a more strange Mercury which by his vicinity and propinquity is most familiar with it and as it were akin unto it by adoption and this is his passive matter Wherefore of these two microcosmicall portions I mean the formall and materiall our secret Magnes is framed by the which the spirituall Mummy is extracted out of the living man by means whereof admirable cures and pernicious harms may be effected as well ad distans or afar off as near at hand or by an immediate contact or administration Moreover the same internall Magnet or attractive salt in man in whose interior the sulphureous vivifying spirit doth dwell and of whose condition and root our foresaid microcosmicall Magnet is will perform the self same salutary effects and many other rare experimentall conclusions if it be conveyed into the blood by transplantation from the alive person by an effluxion or in the nails and hair separated from him to another subject There is also another microcosmicall Magnet which is taken from the dead man by the means whereof the spirituall Mummy may be drawn out of the living man and applyed for mans health as well by an immediate administration as by
Load-stone be hid in the dust of Steel for a season it will become more strong and powerfull in his attraction also the Steel will be bettered by his nature But Paracelsus commeth more near in his relation and saith That by heating of the Load-stone and extinguishing of him in an oyle of Crocus Martis which is made of the best Carinthian Steel so often till it will imbibe no more it will so corroborate this Load-stone that it will have ten times more force then it had in attraction Application By a like relation the weak spirits in the transplanted blood being imbibed by the animal unguent which hath the self-same relation unto the spirituall Mummy in it as the oyl of Crocus Martis hath unto the weak spirits in the Load-stone will be revived and recreated in his magnetick vigour and being mingled with his unctuous like will make a compounded Magnet which will draw his like spirits more strongly by far then it could before Again as the small or weak Magnet doth recover force by being buried in the dust or ferruginous earth which is of his nature so also the bloody spirits being interred in the unctuous earth of his own nature doth by the attraction of his like from the fountain of blood and of the salutary spirit from the oyntment so unite it self unto the oyntment that it createth by emanation a fit Magnet which communicateth his balsamick nature unto them both and by attraction of the spirit of the wounded member it rendreth it self medicinable so that by a continuity and integrity of spirit it conferreth through an immediate spirituall contact the balsamick spirit of the Uznea and other unctuous ingrediences into the wound Do we not observe that the water which passeth or runneth by a heap of salt doth endue wholly the vertue of the salt though the stream of it be long and doth communicate that nature from one extream unto the other And much more the aire will carry the nature of the place it passeth by afar off and yet all that aire so animated will be continuate and therefore much more that subtle celestiall spirit which doth inhabit the aire 2 Problem Iron being touched doth recreate other Iron by touching it and instructeth it unto magneticall motions Application By the like proportion in the Animal kingdom the transplanted spirit being first animated by his southern or living fountain doth animate and recreate magnetically the unguent so that it doth operate upon the wounded man's spirit being emanated and attracted unto it by bettering of his wounded nature through his balsamick emission 3 Problem Set a Load-stone of no force or strength that can be perceived upon a Load-stone of good strength and vigour especially upon the poles and he will shew a vigour as if he were as strong as the other Load-stone whereunto he was united but after he is taken away he will be as weak as he was before unless it be done again often The self-same effect followeth if a piece of Iron be placed on a strong Load-stone but take it away from the Stone and almost all the vertue will be lost Application In the like manner the weak northern blood being transplanted into the oyntment and applying it self unto the lively spirit's emanation by the preservation and corroboration of the oyntment waxeth strong and draweth or operateth effectually rendring the whole oyntment magneticall But if it happen that the oyntment be either pared off from the place of the weapon in which the spirits did penetrate as Sir Bevis Thelwel did prove on the ax that wounded the Wheeler or be struck or wiped off as did happen unto the ax that wounded the Ship-wright by the striking down unadvisedly of Sir Nicholas Gâ—lburn's hilt of his sword then it will leave his vertue which it received from the bloody spirits in the live man and the balsamick uncture of the unguent and therefore will the wound by that division be as dolorous or more painfull than before But if the oyntment be reapplyed unto the place again and it be wrapped warm the magneticall concourse will be renewed and the dolour will forthwith cease as it hath been tryed by many and this distemper is not made by the cold aire onely causing a chill dolour in the wound but also by the heat of the fire it becommeth inflamingly or burningly dolorous For Mr. James Virot sometimes my servant but now Apothecary unto the Queen and dwelling in Black-Friers did this last year make of the unguent and for a tryall did wound with his Lancet a man in the arm and afterward did annoint the Lancet and applyed it to the fire that the oyntment melted and the Lancet waxed hot and it so fell out that at that instant the wounded person found so great a burning pain in his wound that he could not endure it and then immediately he annointed it again and the wound was forthwith pacifick and healed immediately The Apothecary is extant and will be ready to maintain it The same is better confirmed by this Problem 4 Problem If a weak Magnet be rubbed at one of his poles with a stronger Load-stone it will be bettered by it by his vigour and vertue if not augmented in power Application The very same proportion of action is between the Mummy in the nails and hair and the vegetable Magnet as also between that in the transplanted blood and in the oyntment for the vegetable Magnet or Oke did reduce the occult and secret Mummy in them from puissance unto act by opening the closets of nature no otherwise than the earth doth the grain of Wheat by rotting and even so also is the potentiall or northern nature of the spirituall bloody Mummy being extracted and reduced unto action by the unctuous earth or magnetick oyntment 5 Problem If the magneticall Needle being first touched with a Load-stone be made red-hot in the fire it will lose all his polar puissance or vertue and directive faculty but if it be freshly touched again it will recover his vertue and act again Application So by converting the Proposition for eadem est ratio contrariorum the reason of contraries point at one and the same If the transplanted blood which was touched magnetically with the spirit of life be frozen or congealed with cold it loseth all his strength and operative and directive vertue but if it be conforted by the oyntment and re-animated with the Southern or vitall spirit as before it will not onely wax alive and act again but also render the oyntment magneticall and direct it in his course unto the member affected 6 Problem If there be a thin plate of Steel fastned unto the neather pole of the Magnet or Load-stone namely between the Load-stone and the way of it then the Magnet will lift double and sometimes decuple or ten-times so much as it did From this practice began the capping or arming of the Load-stone with Steel or Iron after divers manners Application
be with the weapon conveyed unto his oyntment which keepeth it from the cold aire and serveth the spirituall Mummie's turn to preserve it as the filings of Steel doth the formall spirit of the Load-stone 2. Problem Baptista Porta did take a Load-stone and kept it in the filings of Steel a good while and afterwards he found it more vigorous and efficacious in his attractive vertue Also Paracelsus by heating a Load-stone and imbibing it with the oyl of Iron did increase the vigour of it by many degrees as is said before Application In like manner if the spirituall Mummy in the transported blood be but weak or faint yet if it be kept a while in the animal salve it will become vigorous insomuch that it will also animate the whole salve 3 Problem Set a Magnet of no force or strength that can easily be perceived upon a Load-stone of good strength and vigour especially upon the poles and he will shew a vigour as if he were as strong as the Load-stone is whereunto he is united but after he is taken away he will be as weak as before unless it be often done Application So also if the spirits transported with the blood be planted on a found and balsamick unguent it will gather strength but if the unguent be either wiped or pared or melted off from the weapon it will immediately lose his force And again if it be freshly annointed and covered warm it will be forth-with recreated again as is said before Moreover this is also confirmed by this Problem mentioned before 4 Problem If a weak Magnet be rubbed at his poles with a stronger Load-stone he will be bettered by it in his vigour and vertue if not augmented therein 5. Problem A stronger and bigger Load-stone doth augment the force of a lesser if it be put on the pole of the greater Magnet for then will the north pole of it be the more vigorous Application The strong blood and spirit in the wounded man by aspect maketh the weak blood and spirit which is transplanted in the oyntment to operate magnetically and to apply and direct the spirit of the unguent unto it strongly which it would not do without the union which it hath with its fountain which is more lively agil and robust The eighth Member of the Proposition with his Proofs The eighth Member of this Proposition is that in all magneticall operations there must be a reciprocall application or aspect made between the lover and the beloved as between the matter or feminine which coveteth and the form or male which is coveted and by a likeness or continuation of formall spirits like is united unto his like which acteth in the matter So the Boreall spirit with his unctuous materiall body coveteth and allureth effectually the formall and aequinoctiall beams or emanating spirit of the wound and directeth the unctuous Magnet to bring to pass the effect of his concupiscence which is easily effected being that there is a continuation between their spirits But to our Proofs Certain Problematicall Demonstrations to confirm this Problem 1 Problem The magneticall coition is an act of the Load-stone and the Iron not of one but of both like man and wife Application As the woman that is colder and of a more northern nature doth covet the man which is of a hotter and southern disposition so also by a sympatheticall likeness in either's spirit they meet and unite their seeds of affection In the very like manner the cold spirit in the congealed blood coveteth the hot spirits of the lively and active blood and after each of them are met they unite natures and procreate a third as a child which partaketh of them both 2 Problem The first vertue of the primary form in the Iron was at the first distinct but is now confused by the fusion or melting of his body when the magneticall or iron-vein was examined and yet nevertheless after that a whole and strong Load-stone is applyed unto it returneth again unto his former act for his form being disposed and ordered with the magnet they both do conjoyne together sociable forces consenting magnetically and mutually unto unity in all motions and are adjoyned together without any corporeall contact and consequently are made all one Application The self-same is the reason of Contraries and therefore the self-same may be said touching the extremity of cold which is in the Problem reported of the extremity of heat We say therefore That the blood which whilst it was in his naturall vein was distinct in his action is now by pouring it out into the cold aire made confused and void of any manifest formall action but when by the assistance of the oyntment it is stirred up and applyed again unto the spirituall emanation of the strong blood it is rectifyed again and doth conjoyne his nature with the adopted power it hath from the oyntment and so a union of both natures is made whereby the wound 's spirit doth participate with the balsamick nature of the Mummy Again in the true nature of the said Problem without any conversion of proposition the bloody spirit in the â—nguent became confused through overmuch heat as it appeareth by Mr. James Viret his experiment in holding the Lancet by the fire after it had wounded and was annointed 3 Problem Two Load stones being disposed into severed Boats and placed on the superficies of the water if they be sufficiently placed within the orbs of their vertues they will with mutuall affection prepare themselves for a meeting and at the last embrace or adhere unto one another Also if an Iron be fitted in one Bark and a Load-stone in another the Iron will hasten in the very same manner unto the Load-stone and also the Load-stone being in his Bark will move unto the Iron insomuch that either of them are carried from their places in such a manner that at the last they are joyned together and so do rest as being well satisfied and contented in their loves The like also will be effected if two wiers excited by the Load-stone be put through like corks and placed on the water to swim for you shall see them make love to one another and moving by little and little they will sensibly meet and with their ends strike and touch one another Application In like manner the Northern or congealed blood or bloody transported Mummy by the conduct of his unctuous vehicle which is also by his presence made Magnetick doth covet the Southern union of the living and moving bloody spirits of the wounded as Matter doth Form or the female doth the male and because the spirit is continuated betwixt them both as the aire is continuated betwixt the North-pole and the South aequinoctial in the great world though each extremity be of different natures namely the one cold and dry congelative attractive and immobil the other hot and moist dissolutive discussive and mobil or agill therefore they easily
extremity namely by receiving from the oyntments spirits and giving or imparting them sympathetically unto the wound The tenth Member of the Proposition with his Proofs The tenth Member of the Proposition is that by a lively southern spirit a portion of his like being made by effusion of it into the open and cold air weak drooping northern or congealed may after transplantation be revived quickened and corroborated and so by returning again unto his southern or equinoctiall nature may by a sympatheticall union be made all one homogeneall nature with the lively bloody spirit conferring along with it by little and little the nature of the plant or animal mass in which he is grafted and so may cause each extream nature to participate with the symptoms of one another be they good and salutary or bad and dolorous Certain Problematicall Demonstrations to confirm this Member 1 Problem If a Magnet of no force or strength that can easily be discerned be set on the pole of a Load-stone that is strong he will shew a vigour as if he were as strong as the Load-stone is whereunto he is united but after he is taken away he will be as weak as before unless it be often done Application The Southern blood penetrating through the unctuous Magnet doth animate it and by animation doth revive it and as well preserving the transplanted spirit from the externall aire 's inclemency as calefacting or heating of it by his attracted southern nature it doth revive again the dead spirits of the fainting blood so transported even as we see the spirits in the dead grain of Wheat buried in the earth is by the earth animated with the Sun-beams being revived as it were from death to life But if that a part of the oyntment be taken away from the place of the weapon where the blood doth stick or the bloody spirits did penetrate then will the revived spirits faint again and the wound will be dolorous as it was before the blood was buried in the oyntment even as also if the earth be removed from the vigorous spirits in the dead grain they will fade and the plant will not grow and multiply But if the oyntment animated as before be re-applyed the wound will prosper and heal without pain no otherwise also then if the earth that was removed from the revived spirit in the grain be re-applyed unto it suddainly it will prosper again 2 Problem If a weak Magnet be rubbed at one of his poles with a stronger Magnet it wil be bettered by it in vigour and vertue if not augmented therein Application This typicall proof doth confirm also exactly the same member namely the lively spirits will vigorate fainting-ones 3 Problem The Magnet will lose some of his attractive vertue and will as it were languish with old age if it be long exposed unto the open aire and be not put again and reserved or buried in the filings of Iron Application So also mans blood effused out of his Mine and exposed into the open air doth languish and becommeth weak if it be not preserved in the weapon-salve which is of his nature 4 Problem One Iron being touched doth recreate another and instruct it unto magneticall motions Application So the Mummiall unguent animated by the emitted beams of the lively blood doth recreate incite and corroborate the spirits in the transported blood The eleventh Member of this Proposition with his Proofs The eleventh Member is That the alteration of the aire doth operate equally upon either extream which is an evident argument of a continued unity in spirit between the transplanted blood in the oyntment and the wound so that what passion the distempered or unclement aire operateth in the one is felt by the other no otherwise than if a thread be tyed at both ends of a Gallem the one end being touched the other end doth sympathize or act likewise by consent which is an evident argument that the aire is the medium or vehicle in which the spirituall influence doth pass and that the said formall celestiall or influentiall spirit which is carried in it doth by an immediate contact communicate with the distempers of its airy vehicle and by consequence it is by that means changed by turns and by portions into a northern or southern disposition And therefore by the externall air 's cold it sucketh spirits from the wound and leaveth it distempered and dolorous it being by that kind of attraction deprived of some naturall heat So that sympathy is turned into antipathy as it appeareth when the oyntment is taken off from the wounding place of the weapon either totally or in part as is said before Certain Problematicall Demonstrations to confirm this Member 1 Problem In the Weather-glass so often mentioned before you shall find between the bolts-head or mattras above and the water below a continued aire in the neck of the glass and you must imagine that such included aire is not without his sulphureous spirits which by dilatation of themselves do also dilate the airy vehicle they are in and with the dilated vehicle the water is stricken down and by contraction of themselves the airy vehicle is also contracted and the water is sucked up And yet we see that the aire which is between both extreams is all one continued aire from the one extream unto the other and therefore much more the occult and celestiall sulphureous spirit which dwelleth and acteth within it and is as the soul in a body in toto in qualibet parte and that indivisibly or not separated into parts And because this included acting spirit being but one in number is derived from the soul of the world Look as the generall worketh in the great world namely from the north or from the south even so also doth this member of the generall operate in his included aire For if the catholick spirit of the world acteth or breatheth from the north and bringeth forth in the air congealative and contractive effects then the centrall spirit in the glass doth operate likewise after the same manner for it contracteth his vehicle and sucketh up the water But if the world's catholick spirit bloweth from the south then is the aire before contracted now again dilated and then also will the included formall spirits in the glass operate after the same fashion and dissipate or extend out their airy vehicle in a larger proportion or manner as by ocular observation you may discern in the said Instrument 2 Problem The north wind blowing in the great world continueth the essence of his blast from north to south but the nearer that it approacheth the equinoctiall line the more weak is his effect in contraction and congelation agreeing in this with the Magnet or Load-stone whose parts the nearer they are unto the pole the more potent are they in their operative or attractive power and the farther they are off the more infirm and debil they are But this emanating spirit from
so that as the vertue of the plant with the Saffron do kill and poison the infection in the urine so also by the mutuall consent which is betwixt the two infecting extreams namely the blood and the urine the infection also in the blood is observed by little and little to dye wither and decay But I will produce unto you a magneticall Problem to confirm the possibility of this Proposition 2 Problem Two Load-stones rightly cohering at opposite poles by the comming of a stronger Load-stone or Iron incited do make an abort and the new commer will easily drive away the other which is with a contrary face and will command him and so the coherence or union of the other two will cease or end Application So that union which was made between the spirit infected with the corrupting humour and the corrupted blood is separated and the unnaturall is forced to fly and depart from the naturall by the help of another which is more potent then the unnaturall which is less homogeneall and proper to rectifie and purifie by the union of his spirit the impurity in the naturall blood and to kill and mortifie the corrupter in the urine I need not to say much more for the proof hereof being that the precedent Chapter doth fully confirm and that by relation had unto the Load-stone and Weather-glass in every particle of this Proposition being that as blood is transplanted from the wounded parties fountain of blood and as it were grafted on the oyntment so also is the urine with bloody spirits transferred from the bloody fountain in the icteritious person and is planted or placed in a bed of salutary ashes from whence it operateth no otherwise in the living blood then the blood or spirits in the oyntment do in the veins of the wounded person I will now proceed unto the microcosmicall Magnet which is taken out of the living man and I purpose to describe unto you briefly and in generall tearms the wonderfull effects in sympathy which it produceth by his extraction of the spirituall Mummy out of mans body and by the transplantation and right application thereof CHAP. VIII Wherein the secret Magnet which is extracted out of the Microcosm or Man yet living is in generall terms mentioned with the manner of his attraction or extraction of the spirituall Mummy out of Man and the application and as well the Antipatheticall as Sympatheticall operation thereof I Will now in few words relate unto you a History of the abstruce manner of healing by Transplantation which if it be rightly considered it doth farre surpass that of the Weapon-salve For it doth not onely cure at distance as that doth but it operateth that feat by the vegetative spirit of the plant And yet I hope that my Story shall no way sound unto Wisemens eares as Cacomagicall but onely naturally Magicall and therefore ordained by God to be wrought upon in the right use thereof for man's good and salutary benefit For unto that end did the Spirit of Wisdom teach those which were inclined unto wisdom as Solomon witnesseth as well those things which are occult and hidden as such as are manifest and apparent unto man's sense And because that good things may by abuse be converted unto evill and unlawfull purposes as a sword to kill as well as to save as shall â—e told you hereafter Therefore is it God's will that these mysteries should be hid from the unlearned or at least-wise from such of the vulgar as are wickedly minded and ordained them to be laid open unto such as are honest wise and discreet But leaving all preambles I will come to the point and proceed with that style and method in which I began The Generall Proposition There may be extracted out of a living man without any prejudice unto his health a Magnet which by a several application of it unto convenient parts of the body will draw or suck out according unto the pleasure of the Applier the animal vitall or naturall spirituall Mummy out of one and the same living Man and that without any detriment unto his person the which being rightly with the Magnet that imbibed it transplanted and made vegetative will operate as well by an internall administration as at a far distance or by a spirituall emanating relatition after it be duly ordered and adapted both to the health and preservation and infection and damage and destruction of mankind An Explication of every Member of this Proposition This Proposition doth consist of many Members whereof the first toucheth the generation condition and preparation of the Magnet The second the manner of application for the extraction of the spirituall Mummy The third openeth the fashion of a manifold Transplantation of that Mummy being so extracted and lastly as well the usages as the abuses thereof Of all which Particles or Members thus in order Of the Microcosmicall Magnet We term this the Microcosmicall Magnet because it hath the properties of the Minerall Load-stone And it may therefore easily be conjectured and guessed by such as are wise in their apprehension what it is by comparing the animal Magnet with that of the Minerall For as the Minerall Magnet is not of a naturall but monstrous birth for it is not engendred of like and equall Genitors but is begotten after the manner of the Mule being that her mother or passive corporeal mass is a common Saturnine and stony Mercury but his Father or active Form is a Metalline Sulphurous Martial spirit So also this our Microcosmicall Magnet doth consist of a Sulphurous Martial spirit being as it were his Formal Father and of a strange or forrein Mercury which is nevertheless a near neighbour in position and condition unto the Microcosmicall Mercury as his passive or Mercuriall matter As for the Mine of which it is extracted it is the living Man and it is taken or derived from him without any prejudice unto his health and after a certain preparation of it it is made a fit Magnet to suck or draw unto it the spirituall Mummy out of the living Man and that without any detriment unto his health The Manner of this Magnet's application for the extraction of the Spirituall Mummy As for the manner of its application it is this We take the Magnet so prepared and if we would extract the Animal's Mummiall spirits we must apply it unto those places which are aptest for their evacuation As for example If we desire the Mummy of the vitall parts then we must adapt our Magnet to suck at that place which nature hath ordained to purge the vitall region Lastly if we would have the naturall spirituall Mummy we must apply it unto that place of the body out of which nature is accustomed to send forth the spirituall fumes or sweaty evacuations from that member namely from the Liver To conclude if you would make a generall Medicine which should respect the animal vitall and naturall parts all at once then must your Magnet
ignarus And therefore I will conceal the rest of his occult properties and their sympatheticall effects from such Criticks and lock it up in the treasury of truth Onely in a word I say that by it the Dropsie Pleurisie Gout Vertigo Epilepsie French-Pox Palsey Cancer Fistula foul Ulcers Tumors wounds Herniaes Fractions of Members superfluity and suppression of Menstrues in women as also sterility in them Feavors Hecticks Athrophy or wasting of members and such like may by this naturall magicall means be cured and that at distance and without any immediate contact And to conclude Paracelsus affirmeth that this magneticall kind of cure which is effected by naturall Magick doth excell in vertue all other Physicall secrets which may be extracted or separated either out of Herbs or Roots or Minerals I will now come to the second Part or Member of this Book which speaketh of the antipatheticall effects of this Mummiall experiment The Second Part or Member of this Book which handleth the practice of Antipathy CHAP. I. In this Chapter the Author expresseth how by the self-same internall spirit in the creature as wel Antipatheticall as Sympatheticall effects may be produced Herein is also set down the reason why a spirit that is infected and corrupted with a poyson some condâ—tion is most venomous and contagious unto his kind AS it is certain that like doth naturally affect his like for Nature doth rejoyce at the presence of his nature and nature doth correct and corroborate his nature if it be sound and full of vivifying and wholsome spirits So also nature if it be poysoned and infected by a venomous nature will by uniting it self unto a sound and wholsome nature quickly corrupt and inquinate it and so by such a kind of abortive and depraved union antipathy is placed insteed of sympathy Now how this is possible in nature I will in few words relate unto you As nature doth magnetically effect and allure unto it her like so if that like which it â—ucketh unto it be inquinated with corruption the said attracting spirit be it never so sound will quickly taste of the bitter with the sweet namely of the poyson and so will also be corrupt equally with that spirit which is homogeneall unto it in which the infection dwelleth being forced unawares to entertain strife dissention and antipathy into his tabernacle unawares even as we see a sound spirit in the Animal which thirsting after his like spirituall celestiall food which hovereth occultly in the aire to be refreshed by it doth unawares draw in an enemy with it namely a pestilent and corrupt fume whereby it is oppressed and inflamed with a putredinous fire so that it was not the appetite or desire of the sound spirit to draw in that poyson unto it but the spirit like it self that was poysoned And again each spirit which is incumbered with any antipatheticall and unnaturall accident desireth to shake off contentious antipathy and to re-assume that peacefull sympathy which it enjoyed before but finding it self unable it is apt to cleave and adhere unto good and sound spirits for its relief being that vis unita fortior and if more sound spirits of his like were joyned unto it then might it the easilier conquer and expell his antipatheticall adversary So also we see that one blear-ey'd person by darting his infectious beams for relief at a reasonable distance becommeth a flame which setteth on fire the sound spirit unto the which it applieth for spirituall poysons are like secret flames of malignant fire Wherefore as spirits are by union joyned together and multiplyed like oyle added unto oyle so doth the infectious flame increase and feed equally upon them both For as the sound spirit desireth the society of his like to comfort it and the corrupted spirit so desired doth also covet the sound spirit to assist it against his enemy So corruption is sucked in by them both and antipathy is forced to roust among them and forsaketh them not untill it hath penetrated and gnawed into even their bowells and poysoned their very entralls And we must note that there is no poysoned spirit that doth sooner take hold of a spirit then such as is specifick and of a homogeneal nature For that is the reason that one Mans spirit being infected with the Plague doth so multiply it in his kind chiefly as also the Murren doth chiefly rage in the spirits of Sheep and medles not with the spirits of Men. Do we not commonly see that a like nature being altered by putrefaction is most deadly unto his like So worms avoided out of the body and dried to pouder do by inward administration kill the worms Spitle that is avoided from the Pulmoniack cureth after preparation the Pâ—isick The Spleen of a Man prepared is an enemy unto the swelling and vegetable Spleen The stone of the Kidney or Bladder by calcination cureth and dissolveth the Stone The touch of a dead man's hand cureth the schirrous tumors The Scorpion being bruised or his body macerated in oyle cureth the wounds of the Scorpion and the oyle of the Viper as also the trochises of his flesh the bitings of the Adder or Viper dead and congealed blood and the salt excrescence out of man's bones is antipatheticall unto the flowing blood In conclusion there is nothing that is more powerfull to check or correct an impediment in a spirit then by applying of the same Specifick spirit being altered from his nature by a contrariety So also there is nothing that infecteth a sound nature sooner than a nature homogeneal unto it self which hath indued corruption and that is the reason that the infirm and corrupted Mummy of one man is so apt to putrify and corrupt that of another as we may not onely discern by these words of Paracelsus Corrupta Mummia corpus etiam sanum quod attingit cum quo unitur corrumpit ea autem sani corporis corruptio est corporis alterus ex quo Mummia sumpta est valetudo sanitas The corrupted Mummy doth also corrupt the sound body that it layeth hold of and is united unto and the corruption of the sound body is the health of the other body out of which the corrupt Mummy was extracted As for example If a man be Leprous and I extract by the Microcosmicall Magnet the Mummy out of him and give it to a sound man it will reduce the Leprous person unto his health again but it will filthily infect the sound man that took it with the same disease as shall be told you hereafter more at large But before we come unto the bulk of this business it will be most fit that I make an Apologeticall transgression lest some persons of more envy and indiscretion than profundity in the true naturall Magia may unworthily accuse me of Cacomagy and that onely because they are altogether ignorant in the mysteries of those lawfull Acts in nature which were taught unto Solomon and revealed unto the wise men of this
coldness of the middle region of the Aire as thou seemest to averre Canst thou restrain the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his time canst thou also guide Arcturus with his sons Knowest thou the course of heaven or canst thou set the rule thereof upon the earth And why not For thou professest by thy Peripatetick Philosophy to understand the causes of everything and he that truly knoweth the mysteries of things can do wonders For by that means my servant Josuah made the Sun to stand still And for the religious Hezekias his sake my Spirit did cause the Sun to move backward Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds that the abundance of water may cover thee Canst thou send the Lightnings that they may walk and say unto thee Lo here we are If the grounds and principles which thou hast invented be essentiall and substantiall all this and more maist thou effect For such of the Elect into whom my Spirit of Wisdome who hath assigned true principles unto the essentially wise hath inspired this knowledg are able to effect all these things as my servant Elias after a long drought caused the clouds to moisten the dry earth and my Prophets Moses and Samuel dâ—d by the power which I did assigne them produce Thunder and Lightnings unto the terror of their enemies Dost thou know who hath put wâ—sdome in the reins or who hath given the heart understanding And darest thou being led by the frivolous effects of thy inventions which are grounded on the Elements of this world and not upon my Spirit which is the true Wisdome ascribe my works who am the sole Creator of all things unto the creatures Is this to learn to strive with the Almighty he that reproveth God let him answer unto it Thus seemeth our great God to speak unto Aristotle and such like Philosophers of this world who being too much elated in their own conceits presume thus over-boldly on their terrene and animal wisdom and would check and contradict the vertuous actions of God by their phantasticall surmises I could wish therefore that these mundane Philosophers would turn from this their worldly wisdom and humiliate themselves before the onely Creator of heaven and earth and answer with the patient Job in this manner Behold I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand upon my mouth I know that thou canst do all things I have spoken the things I understood not even things too wonderfull for me I have heard of thee by report but now mine eyes behold thee in thy creatures And for this cause I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes acknowledging that there is no true wisdom but that which is from thee who art the Father of light by the vertue whereof thou workest all these wonders And therefore we confesse that the wisâ—om of this world is meer foolishnesse and such as wholly addict themselves unto it are deceived forasmuch as they do neglect the divine wisdom Christ Jesus in whom all the treasures of science and sapience are hid Thus have you briefly understood the duplicity of wisdom and by consequence the bi-forked or contrary nature of philosophy that is in this world and how all good Christians contrary unto the custom of this our age ought to leave and forsake the one and with fervency and zeal to love and embrace the other And now in this Book following I purpose to set down those Mosaicall principles on which our sacred Philosophy hath erected the whole bulk or substance of her fabrick The third Book of the first Section touching the essentiall Principles of the Mosaicall Philosophy The Argument of this third Book IN this present Book the Author teacheth in a generality the true and essentiall principles of the divine Philosophy and in particular he expresseth how various and differing the Ethnick Philosophers have been in their opinions concerning the beginnings of all things where he proveth that the wisest amongst those Pagan Naturalists did steal and derive their main grounds or principles from the true and sacred Philosopher Moses whose Philosophy was originally delineated by the finger of God forasmuch as the fiery characters thereof were stamped out or engraven in the dark Hyle by the eternall Wisdom or divine Word And sheweth that although the foresaid pagan philosophers did usurp the Mosaicall principles unâ—o themselves and the better to maske their theft did assigne unto them new Titles yet because they were not able to dive into the centrall understanding of them nor conceive or apprehend rightly the mystery of the everlasting Word they erected upon their principles or foundations but a vain and worldly wisdom carved out not from the essentiall Rock of truth nor relying on Christ the onely corner-stone but framed after a human invention and shaped out according unto the elements of this world much like a Castle of straw or stubble which though it be planted on a Rock yet it is subject to mutation and is easily shaken and tottered at every blast of winde In conclusion here our Author doth set down what the true Mosaicall principles are namely Darknesse Water and Light Then that all plenitude and vacuity in the world doth consist in the presence or absence of the formall principle which is Light And lastly he sheweth how the two apparent active properties namely Cold and Heat do issue from the two fore-said fountaines of Darknesse and Light as the two passive natures Moysture and Drought do challenge their originall from the said active CHAP. I. Wherein is set down the uncertainty of the antient Grecian and Arabian Philosophers in their opinions touching the principles or beginnings of all things IT is an evident Argument that the Ethnick philosophers were not well setled upon the grounds of their philosophy but did waver in their imaginations touching the true principles of nature being that among each sect of them there was maintained and upheld a variety yea and sometimes a plaine contrariety of opinions concerning them as for example Thales Milesius who was inrowled amongst the number of the wise men of Greece had his opinion that Water was the beginning of all things But Anaximenes and his disciples affirmed that an infinite aire was the first cause or originall of every existence And for this reason also Anaximander did esteem this catholick aire to be God Again on the other side Zoroaster will have all things to take their beginning from Fire and light as also the Pythagoreans say that there is one universall Fire in and over all things in this world And verily each of these opinions if they be duely considered will be found to approach and have a near relation unto the Mosaicall truth for a divine fire or light issuing forth of darknesse or the dark abysse did suddainly by its bright presence reveal and make manifest the hidden and
invisible waters the subtiler part whereof is the vast spirit of the aire and for this reason both Thales and Anaximenes do seem in some sort to agree in one subject And yet if we penetrate more profoundly into the businesse we shall perceive that these two did insist but upon the materiall or passive principle forasmuch as from it the substance of heaven and earth and every thing therein hath his existence or materiall beeing On the other side Zoroaster did not without reason make choice of fire for the primary beginning of all things in that it did proceed and appear in act before the waters or humid nature were made manifest no otherwise then action goeth before passion or the cause precedeth the effect And yet neverthelesse he erred in this his assertion because the active principle can in no wise rightly be considered but as it hath his relation unto a passive originall The Stoick Zeno therefore being more wary than the rest establisheth his opinion concerning the first Principle by a firmer tye or obligation saying That the substance of the fire being by the aire converted into water is the beginning of all things But Empedocâ—es would be sure to lay his grounds more surely as he vainly imagined than Zeno and for that cause did ordain the four Elements to be the radicall principles of all things whereof two of them are agents and two patients Now the main errour of these philosophers in their judgments concerning the principles was that they did not mark or consider that the divine puissance or sacred word was more ancient and of a greater Antiquity then were any of their foresaid principles the which if by a riper contemplation they had understood they would have confessed being instructed and directed by reasons produced from the eternall unity or essentiall point and beginning of all things that the divine light or sacred emanation which Scriptures entitle by the name of the holy Spirit of wisdom was the actuall beginning of all things as neverthelesse before it there was another property in one and the same sacred essence which was termed the divine puissance or potentia divina which did precede his act or emanation no otherwise than the Father in time order and being is justly said to exist before the Son or the Creator before the creature And thereupon the wise man hath it Omnium prior creata est sapientia Wisdom was created before all things And yet it is most apparent that some of the Greekish and Aegyptian Philosophers namely Plato Pythagoras Socrates Hermes c. did so instruct their understandings partly by the observation of their predecessors doctrine and partly through the experience which in their long travails and peregrinations they had gathered among the Aethiopians Aegyptians Hebrews Armenians Arabians Babylonians and Indians for over all or most of these Countries did Plato Pythagoras Hippocrates and others of them travell for the augmentation and increase of their knowledge as Historiographers that are worthy of credit have related that without doubt they did discern though afar oft and as it were in a cloud the true light in the humid nature And among the rest it is reported as also it appeareth by his works that Plato had the knowledge of the Word and had read the Books of Moses and for that reason he was called Divinus Plato the divine Plato In like manner the excellent Philosopher Hermes otherwise termed Mercurius Trismegistus expresseth plainly that he was not onely acquainted with Moses his books but also was made partaker of his mysticall and secret practise as by his Sermons which he calleth Pymander a man may plainly discern where he doth mention the three Persons in Trinity and sheweth the manner of the worlds creation with the elements thereof by the Word And therefore of all other antient Philosophers I may justly ascribe divinity unto these two But in this I cannot much commend them viz. in that they having had a view of Moses his labours which were indited by the Spirit of God did gather out and confesse the truth of his doctrine touching the principles of all things and yet would not in open tearms acknowledge their Master but altered the names of them but as Plato served his Master Moses even so was he dealt with by his schollar Aristotle who knowing that his Masters three Mosaicall Principles of all things masked under strange titles were but truth would neverthelesse arrogate his doctrine unto himself and for that cause did alter the assumed names of Plato's principles gilding them over with new denominations and did afterward rear up upon them a spurious philosophicall structure carved and framed out after his own inventions which may be therefore rightly compared unto a house of straw or stubble which though it be erected upon a firm rock or foundation yet because their stuff is Heterogeniall unto the truth and evilly compacted it will not endure a storm no not the least blast of truth but will easily be destroyed and cast down Thus may every good Christian discern how each of the Ethnick Philosophers have stolen their principles from Moses his grounds stolen I say because they expresse them under covert names without any acknowledgment of their Master which did arrogate his doctrine and learning unto the Spirit of God which did teach him it and did practically express the grounds thereof in the apparition which God made upon the Mount Sina For upon the grounds of these three Principles the true mysticall Philosophers or Theosophers did pronounce that as well the externall Law of Moses as the internall of Jesus Christ was erected which was not discovered or discerned by Aristotle how cunning soever he maketh himself which if it had been so he would not without all doubt have founded or built upon the true Corner-stone I mean the eternall Wisdome a bastard Philosophy which did differ in shape and essence from the true Foundation And although he was taught in some sort by his diviner Master yet was he as it doth appeare all together ignorant of the centrall truth thereof wherefore it was but a folly in him who is so vainly magnified for the Prince of Philosophers to make a privation where there was no precedent position or information being there was a Chaos before any thing else was created But it was no marvel being that he surmised the world and all things or Species thereof to be eternall that is to say without beginning and end which if it had been true indeed he then had said but rightly that the dark Abysse or Chaos in respect of its beeing without form was a Privation of some Act or form in an actuall pre-existent matter But that this is false the whole concurrent of the Scriptures do confirm being that it is said that God created the world of matter without form and that the heavens and the earth were first of waters and by waters and consisting by the word of God And that
which is that God doth draw or call his angelicall winds out of his treasury to effect his will we have it confirmed from the pens of the Prophets David and Jeremy Depromit say they ventos è the sauris suis. Lastly touching the use of the winds or the finall cause why they were created or sent forth Scriptures do largely inform us Ventus facit mandatum Dei saith Baruch The wind doth the commandement of God And the Psalmist Spiritus procellarum facit verbum ejus The spirit of the storms effect his word And again Angeli Dei valid ssimi robore efficientes verbum placitum suum The angels of the Lord which are strong in power do effect his word and will And again He maketh the angels lightnings or coruscations his ministers And Job saith Fulgura nunquid mittes ibunt revertentia tibi dicent Adsumus Wilt thou not send forth thy lightnings and they will go their waies and returning back again they will say We are here Where he meaneth of those Angels which reveal their occult beauty for in this regard God is also termed a consuming fire Moreover he affirmeth in another place that the wind the whirlwind the ice frost clouds and the lightnings are ready at his command whatsoever the will of the Creator is that they shall do they are prepared to perform either upon the superficies of the earth or for to punish and afflict the wicked or to shew mercy unto the righteous To conclude I have expressed in the precedent definition first what is the materiall cause of the winde namely an airy substance of a mean consistency Then I told you that the eternall form or essentiall act thereof was the bright aspiration or spiracle of the Almighty which did by his presence animate agitate and move the materiall aire Thirdly that the place wherein the winds are kept and reserved untill it pleaseth the Creator of them to employ and make use of them was the heavens or aire which is the cabinet of his treasures And lastly that the use and end of them was to accomplish the will of their Creator when he did command them and that either in their outward and airly estate without revealing their centrall and formall fire namely when the winds do blow but are invisible or else by emitting of their internall and essentiall light as when they appeare and move in the form of Lightnings or coruscations and this is proved evidently by the above-mentioned place of the royall David For these reasons therefore and upon these grounds we have framed out these Definitions of the wind which follow The Wind is an invisible aire or spirit which is vivified and animated by the divine Light which issueth from the face of JEHOVA as a breath out of his nostrills to perform and accomplish his will and pleasure as well in Heaven above as on the earth and waters beneath Or after this manner The Wind is a certain Angelicall Spirit or subtill aire which is inspired or animated by the fiery Spirit of JEHOVA appearing sometimes visibly in the form of Lightning and sometimes being invisible and occult as when it is onely heard and not seen and is ordained and sent forth by him from some corner of the earth to effect and accomplish his will either in his positive and benign property or privative and destructive disposition Or thus The Wind is an invisible or occult Spirit indued with a siery soul or form from above and inspired by God in an Angelicall manner the which is carried this way and that way according unto the pleasure of him which inspired it being moved or wafted on invisible wings and carrying sometime their Creator on their airy plumes to effect his will and pleasure For it is said IEHOVA ascendit super Cherubin volavit seu lapsus est super pennas venti God ascended upon the Cherubin and did flie or glide upon the wings of the wind Now the Cherubin is an airy Angell as the Seraphin is a fiery Spirit or Intelligence Or else in this form The Wind is a certain Angelicall creature being made and produced by JEHOVA of aire as being his matter agitated and Light being his internall and essentiall form the which being derived or extracted out of his heavenly Treasury is sent out this way or that way either to plague and punish or to solace and recreate the creature Or thus The Wind is an Angelicall Spirit cloathed with aire which moveth occultly and invisibly this way and that way according unto the secret will of him that created it whose voice although it be heard yet is the place from whence it came or the mark whither it tendeth unknown of mortall men Spiritus saith St. John ubi vult spirat vocemejus audit homo sed nescit unde veniat aut quo vadat The Spirit or wind bloweth where it will and man heareth the voice of it but knoweth not from whence it commeth or whither it will Again Scriptures do affirm elsewhere that the way of God and the place whither he intendeth is unknown unto mortall men Or after this manner more briefly and that according unto the mind of our Saviouâ— The Wind is a Spirit that bloweth where it will whose voice although it be heard yet is the mark at which it aimeth unknown and the place uncertain from whence it cometh Or thus according unto the words of David above mentioned the Angelicall winds as well apparent as occult are described after this manner The Winds are the Angels of the Lord strong in power which effect the Word of God and listen unto his voice and his flaming Ministers which accomplish his pleasure Angeli Dei validissimi robore saith David efficientes Verbum ejus ausculâ—antes vociejus efficientes placitum ejus The Angels of the Lord strong in power effecting his word listning unto his voice accomplishing of his pleasure And in the Psalm following Qui facis Angelos tuos ventos ministros tuos flammam urenâ—em Who dost make thy Angels winds and thy Ministers flaming fires By this therefore each wise man may observe how opposit the false Ethnick Philosophy and doctrine which is grounded upon the wisdome of this world is unto this true Philosophy or wisdome which is extracted out from the Fountain of Truth Hereupon therefore it may appeare unto wise men how impossible it is for a Christian Philosopher who doth firmly adhere unto Aristotle's documents to be radicaâ—ly conversant in the true Catholick Faith ye cannot saith our Saviviour faithfully serve two Masters And for this reason St. Paul as is shewed before doth admonish us to beware of Philosophy and vain Fallacie which is grounded upon the traditions of men and Elements of this world and not upon Christ in whom is all the plenitude of Divinity corporally who is the head of dominations and potestates and consequently the life and animator of all Angelicall Spirits
Wherefore we may conclude that this false Aristoteticall Philosophy is the chiefest organ of the Devill to distract worldly men from the true knowledg of God Forasmuch as partly by the sophisticated craft thereof and partly by other vain temptations he seeketh to withdraw the good intentions of Christian men from the true Symphony and Sympathy which ought to be between God and his creatures and to allure him unto his own false discordant and antipatheticall Harmony For it is proved that this Spurious and mundane Philosophy is opposit and contradictory in all things unto the true wisdome which descendeth from the Father of Light as St. James teacheth us and therfore it is terrene animall and diabolicall For which cause it should be eschewed rather of all wise Christians then any way followed and observed with such fervency and supeâ—stitious devotion Being it is the main cause that men even of this our Age howsoever partakers of the divine mentall beame being altogether forgetfull of his excellent and thrice noble beginning and divine race forasmuch as they are masked or guilded over with the prestigiously appearing light of privative ignorance become so rude and unskilfull not onely in the true Arts but also lame in the Rudiments of Theosophy insomuch that they neither understand God truly by and in his Works as he ought to be known nor yet can conceive rightly the mystery of his creatures whose Corner-stone is the brightnesse of the all-animating and informing Word But I will make use of my Experimentall instrument to prove a great deal of this which I have uttered by an ocular demonstration or eye-witness CHAP. IV. Here the Author doth ocularly demonstrate the reason of the Animall South wind 's beginning NOw because all this which is said may by some seeming Aristotelian Christians appear fabulous as either not believing or else imagining that things are not understood rightly which are spoken in Scriptures for some such there are and that learned appearing Christians of this Nation I thing it necessary to prove all this which is related unto you by an ocular demonstration produced from our Experimentall Instrument commonly termed the Weather or Calender-Glass Into the which practicall discourse before we enter I would wish each Reader to remember diligently what hath hitherto been said and to give an attentive eare unto this Preamble which I will set before it You ought seriously to remember and consider that the catholick informing Light by which the Spirit of the Lord that was carried upon the universall waters imparting unto them the Spirit of life did inform illuminate and animate the catholick matter of the world was by the consent of most of the antient Fathers in Theology said to be the fourth day contracted into the body of the Sun and for that reason it is said Gloriae Domini plenum est opus Solis omnia illustrantis The work of the Sun which inlightneth all things is full of the glory of the Lord. Hereupon also it may be understood quod Deus induitur lumine quasi vestimento God is cloathed with Light as with a vestiment And in another place the which interpretation we have maintained to be good in the precedent Book of this discourse Posuit Deus tabernaculum suum in sole He put his tabernacle in the sun Whereby it is evident that it was the pleasure of God the Creator of all things that this vessell should be rich and abundant in his Spirit that from it being placed in the center heart diapason or perfect point of the world it might by its vertuous harmony and life order and govern the animall course and temporall disposition of generable and corruptible things on the earth in the seas and catholick sublunary element namely the universall aire which as it is the vehicle of life in every sublunary thing so also it is necessary to consider that the aire is animated and inspired by it as the higher angelicall natures receive their light and being from the Creator before whose face they are alwaies present I do not say that the Sun giveth life but the increated vertue in the Sun which hath elected the palace of the Sun for his treasure-house or cabinet of his vertue And therefore it is said that Sol est gloriae Domini seu virtutis essentiae divinae plenus The sun is full of the glory and divine vertue of the Lord. And again it is tearmed Vas admirabile opus Exceâ—si An admirable vessell the work of the most High Now that this divine vertue in the Sun doth guide the aire and make it a generall angelicall spirit or winde that is an aire animated by divinity which is apt to move according to the motion of the mover we are taught by these words of Solomon Sol lustrans universa in ciâ—cuitu pergit Spiritus in circulos suâ—s revertitur The Sun illuminating all the world the spirit or aire wheeleth about with it and returneth his circuit Arguing thereby that the Sun by his presence doth animate make mobil and agil by subtiliation and quickening of spirits that aire which was quiet and still Now I would not that any man should mistake me and think that I mean that the whole Spirit of the Lord is included in the Sun for as I said Christ was by Scripture reported to be rich and full of the Spirit So God imparted unto the Sun abundance of his illuminating positive generative and vivifying vertue and yet neverthelesse he filleth all things but not after one manner neither in one and the same property or proportion for according unto that common course which he hath ordained for the disposition or ordering of the annuall or yearly temper where the Sun or his actuall tabernacle is more or lesse absent or far removed there is the potentia divina or the cold privative Spirit of God more or lesse in operation for there it acteth universally As for example When the Sun is absent and under the earth it causeth darknesse coldnesse dulnesse of aire and a grosse spissitude to be present As for example When the Sun is beyond the Aequinoctiall in moving toward the Tropick of Caprâ—corn cold frost snow ice short daies thick clowdy and rainy aire is present and southerly winds are most frequent for then the privative property of God hath dominion over the northern hemisphear whereupon the plants herbs and trees are naked and having their spirits and humours congealed appear as dead the earth forsaketh his viridity and like a steril and barren widow beginneth to mourn But as soon as the sunny Chariot with his Princely Lord doth approach unto our hemisphear and enter into this northern world by the fiery and iron or martiall gate of Aries which is in the Spring-time then these almost dead creatures being before as it were mortified by the cruell cold of northern privation begin to revive the nights grow short the cold diminisheth the congealed and fixâ—d spirits in the