said The Lord our God's one Lord In which word One the Vnitie is meant Of the three Persons solely Omnipotent In which by One 't is well observ'd That he The second Person in the Trinitie Meant in the second word who hath the name To be Our God 'T is because we may claime Iust int'rest in him And though all the Three May be call'd ours more in particular He. One reason is Because he Heav'n forsooke And on himselfe our humane nature tooke In all things like so did his Grace abound Saue only that in him no sinne was found Next That he bore our sinnes freed our transgression And last For vs in Heaven makes intercession Two natures in one person so ally'd Some hold in Mans creation tipify'd From Earth his body Adam had 't is said His Soule from Heauen both these but one Man made Christs humane nature had with man affinitie Being very Man and from God his Diuinitie Being very God In both so to subsist Godhood and Manhood make vp but one Christ. In Iacob's Ladder figur'd this we see Which Ladder Christ himselfe profest to be Of which the foot being fixt vpon the ground The top to heauen thus much to vs doth sonnd That in this Scale at such large distance set The Heauen and Earth at once together met So Christs Humanitie from Earth was giuen But his Diuinitie he tooke from Heauen As from Earth Earthy as from Heauen Diuine Two Natures in one Person thus combine The choicest things about the Arke were fram'd Of Gold and Wood Wood worthlesse to be nam'd If with Gold valu'd for the Cedar's base Compar'd with th' Ophir Mine yet had it grace With it's rich tincture to be ouerspred In this respect the Godhood may be sed To be the Gold the Manhood baser wood And yet both these as truly vnderstood Made but one Arke So the two Natures raise Betwixt them but one Christ. He forty daies Fasted i' th Desart and did after grow Hungry by which the Text would haue vs know Hee 's God because of his miraculous fast Hee 's Man because he hungry grew at last He slept at sea when the great tempest rose This shew'd him Man as needfull of repose When he rebuk'd the Windes and Surges tam'd He his great Godhood to the World proclaim'd He wept o're Lazarus as he was man But foure dayes buried when he rais'd him than He appear'd God He dy'de vpon the Crosse As he was Man to redeeme Mankindes losse But at his death when th' Earth with terror shooke And that the Sun affrighted durst not looke On that sad obiect but his light withdrew By strange Eclipse this shew'd him to be true And perfect God since to confirme this wonder The Temples Vaile was seene to rend asunder The Earth sent forth her Dead who had abode Long in the earth All these proclaim'd him God The tenth of the seuenth moneth the Hebrew Nation Did solemnise their Feast of Expiation So call'd because the High-Priest then confest How He with all the People had transgrest His and Their sinnes Obserue how thence ensu'th A faire agreement 'twixt the Type and Truth Aaron the High-Priest went into the place Call'd Holiest of Holies Christ by ' his grace Made our High-Priest into the Holiest went Namely the Heauen aboue the Firmament Aaron but once a yeare He once for all To make way for Mankinde in generall He by the bloud of Goats and Calues but Christ By his owne bloud the blessed Eucharist Aaron went single in and Christ alone Hath trod the Wine-presse and besides him none He with his Priestly robes pontifically Christ to his Office seal'd eternally From God the Father Aaron tooke two Goats Which ceremoniall Type to vs denotes That Christ assum'd two Natures that which fled The Scape-Goat call'd to vs deciphered His Godhoods imp'assibilitie And compris'd In th' other on the Altar sacrifis'd His Manhoods suffering since that Goat did beare The Peoples sinnes Which in the Text is cleare Saint Paul in his Epistle we reade thus That Christ without sinne was made Sinne for vs. Hence growes that most inscrutable Diuinitie Of the three sacred Persons the blest Trinitie Which holy Mysterie hath an extension Aboue Mans braine or shallow apprehension Nor can it further in our brests take place Than we' are inlightned by the Spirit of Grace How should we then Finite and Mortall grow By meditation or deepe search to know Or dare ambitiously to speake or write Of what Immortall is and Infinite And yet 'mongst many other deuout men Heare something from the learned Nazianzen The Monady or number One we see In this great Godhood doth arise to three And then this mysticall Trine sacred alone Retyres it selfe into the number One Nor can this Diuine Nature be dissect Or separated in the least respect Three Persons in this Trias we do name But yet the Godhood still One and the same Each of the Three by right a God we call Yet is there but one God amongst them all When Cicero with graue and learned Phrase Had labour'd long the Godhood to emblaze He doth conclude it of that absolute kinde No way to be decipher'd or defin'd Because ' boue all things Hee 's superior knowne And so immense to be contain'd in none A prime and simple Essence vncompounded And though that many labouring to haue sounded This Diuine Essence and to'haue giuen it name They were not able yet to expresse the same As 't were afar off Epithites deuis'd And words in such strange circumstance disguis'd Nothing but quarrels and contentions breeding As Natures strength and Reasons much exceeding The Martyr Attalus when he was brought Before a Tyrant who esteemed nought Of God or goodnesse being askt in scorne What name God had A space from him did turne And after some small pause made this reply As th' Author doth of him historifie Your many gods haue names by which th' are knowne But our God being but One hath need of none Wise Socrates forbad men to enquire Of what shape God was Let no man aspire Saith Plato what God is to apprehend Whose Maiesties immensenesse doth extend So far and is so'vnimitably Great Beyond all vtterance or the hearts conceit Why then is it so difficult and rare Him to define It is because we are Of such streight Intellect narrow and rude Vncapable of his great Magnitude Our infirme sight is so obtuse and dull And His bright fulgence is so beautifull Hence comes it by no other names we may Call this great God than such as best display His Excellence Infinitie and all Wherein He'appeares solely Majesticall According to his Essence Him to know Belongs vnto Himselfe the Angels go By meere Similitude Man by a Glasse And Shape of things and can no further passe For he by contemplation
Minor the Serpent Arctophilax Corona Eugonasia Lyra Olor Cepheus Cassiopeia Andromeda Perseus Heniochus Ophiuchus c. Or else let them peruse his book De Signis Coelestibus Or reade Aratus the Greeke Poet his Phaëonomena excellently interpreted in Roman Verse by Caesar Germanicus Or learned Proclus De Sphaera Axi Polo Horozonte and such other I passe from that to enquire of those three Religions before-named and to sift the examine them to finde out and make it apparant which must of necessitie be the truest and best To the which before I enter it shall not be amisse to speake something of Truth her selfe Pierius Valerius telleth vs That there is but one Truth whereof the Hierogliphycke is the Sunne being but one only for all duplicities or multiplicities are opposite to Truth there being but one Truth simple of it selfe which wheresoeuer or whensoeuer it appeareth is of extraordinarie splendor The AEgyptians figured her in a Persique Apple leaning vpon one leafe the form thereof representing the Tongue and the Heart Intimating That as they were so annexed the heart should not conceaue one thing and the tongue vtter another Cornelius Nepos remembreth vs of one Tytus Pomponius for his excellencie in the Greeke tongue syrnamed Atticus a Romane Knight and the familiar friend of Marc. Cicero who was neuer known to speake an vntruth neither but with great impatience heare any related his vprightnesse being so apparant that not onely priuat men made suit to commit their whole estates to his trust but euen the Senat themselues besought that hee would take the mannagement of diuers offices vnto his charge Heraclides in his Historie speaketh of the Abbot Idor who so much affected Truth that of three things hee was neuer knowne to be guilty the first That hee neuer told lye the second That he neuer spake ill of any man and the third That he spake not at all but when necessitie required And the Theban Epaminondas as Alex. ab Alex. deliuereth vnto vs was so true a Sectarie thereof that he was carefull left his tongue should any way digresse from truth euen when he most sported Papias in a great Disputation held about Religion hearing the Truth to be mangled and thereby called into some suspition cried out aloud We must not giue care vnto those which labor to speake much but vnto such as striue to speake vnto purpose not to them that question Truth but that sincerely deliuer it For so Eusebius reporteth of him lib. 6. cap. 10. in Histor. Ecclesiast And King Agesilaus hearing a Rhetorician much commended because from a small seeming ground he could deriue many arguments by amplifications and vnnecessarie circumstances I saith hee for my part approue not him for an expert Shoo-maker that will fit large Shooes to little feet Implying That it is not the flourish and ostentation of much speaking but the sincere object of Truth which is plain and simple in it selfe which ought chiefely to be respected Thales being asked how much a Truth differed from a Lie answered As far as the Eye differeth from the Eare. Inferring thereby That those things onely wee may boldly affirme for truth of which we are eye witnesses and see done but not euery vaine and idle noueltie which we heare reported Maxim Serm. 39. AEschines affirmed Truth to be of that incomparable strength that it did easily conuince all other humane cogitations And Demosthenes being demanded What Man was endowed with by which he might be likened to the gods replied To do well and to loue the Truth Stobae Serm. 11. It was a saying of Democritus That our religious pietie ought publiquely to be declared and the sinceritie of Truth by vs constantly defended Anton. Serm. de Veritate To lye or sweare saith Saint Ambrose Ad Caelsum let not the tongue be acquainted with but let so great a loue of Truth possesse thee that whatsoeuer thou vtterest may be beleeued as an Oath And Bernard De Grat. Human. There be three degrees or staires of Truth to the first we ascend by the labour of Humilitie to the second by the tendernesse of Compassion to the third by the practise of Contemplation In the first she is Seuere in the second Holy in the third Pure To the first Reason leadeth vs by which we may examine our selues To the second Affection guideth vs by which we commiserate others To the third Purity draweth vs by which we are eleuated to contemplate things Mysticall and invisible Simplex est sermo Veritatis saith Euripides And Plautus in Mistellaria Nolite assentire mihi c. Ego vero amo verum volo dici mihi Mendacium odi Delude me not by flattering me for I Loue Truth to heare it spoke I hate a Ly. And one of the Greeke Comicke Poets is thus interpreted Est tempore omni vera proloqui optimum Hoc facere adhortor c. To speake the truth at all times doth become To this I counsell thee Better be dumbe Than vtter ought that 's false Truth hath great strength And shall thy line of life draw to the length Another thus Haud Arte tantam Pictor vllus assequi Statuariusque c. No Painter by his Art shall e're attaine Albeit his colours be of purest staine Or Caruer of that cunning to compose A statue of that exc'lence to inclose Though therein onely they consume their yeares Halfe the perfection that in Truth appeares You may reade Martial thus lib. 8.75 Oras Gallice merogásque semper Durum est me tibi quod petis negare c. O Gallicus thou dost entreat and aske And for me to deny 't were an hard taske Attend thou what doth true as Truth appeare Truth Gallicus thou willing wouldst not heare Concerning Truth you may reade Cardinall Pascalis thus Culturae nostrae id est Virtutis primum instrumentum est Veritas c. Of our culture or ornament that is of Vertue the first instrument is Truth neither can any vertue be attained vnto but by her only who is of that sacred Societie the most choice perfect whom the wisest and best vnderstanding men haue so highly magnified that they haue stiled her the Mother of all Vertues the most certaine the most perfect amongst them and therefore the Summum Bonum than which there is nothing more manifest in respect of those things which in our humane condition are vncertaine doubtfull and fading In the earth there is nothing permanent those things which now are in a small space haue no being and what is future is concealed from vs which no sooner happeneth than vanisheth Truth alone standeth vpon her owne strength remaineth in the same state stable in her selfe subiect neither to increase nor decrease repaire shee needeth not impaire shee suffereth not her Knowledge is the gift and secret of the Almightie Truth is the absolute habit of the Minde vnwearied kindled by Diuine Light all-knowing Shee
Of Thunder Tempest Meteors Lightning Snow Chasemates Trajections of Haile Raine And so With piercing eyes he hath a deepe inspection Into the Sunne Moone Stars the true direction Of all Stars fixt or wandring Zodiacke Lines Articke and the Antarticke Poles and Signes The courses of the Heav'ns the qualities Their influence their effects and properties And as they haue a vertuall pow'r to know All our inferior bodies here below So of the Sp'rits of Glory or Perdition The Orders Offices and the Condition Briefely There is no Creature God hath made From the first Chaos but it may be said Whether it be abortiue or full growne That to the Angels nature it is knowne Since then so great and so profound 's their skill Infus'd into them by the Makers Will No wonder 't is that they such strange things can Beyond the weake capacitie of Man We onely by things sensible attaine To a small knowledge and with mighty paine And into error we may quickly fall For in it is no certaintie at all Sp'rits cannot erre and be deceiv'd as we Seeing and knowing all things perfectly In their true reall Essence which is meant Onely of Naturall things and hath extent No further For as Angels Creatures bee Th' are limited in their capacitie In all such things as on Gods Pow'r depend Or Mans Free-will their skill is at an end And vnderstand no further than reueal'd By the Creator else 't is shut and seal'd Hence comes it that the euill Angels are So oft deceiv'd when as they proudly dare To pry into Gods Counsels and make show By strange predictions future things to know This makes their words so full of craft and guile Either in doubts they cannot reconcile Or else for cettainties false things obtruding So in their Oracles the World deluding Whose answers either were so doubtfull and So intricate that none could vnderstand Or meerely toyes and lies for their words were By interpointing so dispos'd to beare A double sence and seeming truth to tell Whether or this or that way the chance fell But the good Angels they can no way erre The reason is That they themselues referre Wholly to Gods good pleasure from which Square And perfect Rule they neuer wandring are They iudge not rashly hid things they desire not And after future chances they enquire not Nor further of ought else to vnderstand Than they are limited by his command How many thousand traines hath Sathan layd By which he dayly doth fraile man inuade By entring Contract as a seeming friend Thereby to draw him to more fearefull end Of which the Fathers witnesse for one saith The Diuell with Magitions compact hath Another That all Magicke cov'nants bee Meere superstition and Idolatrie Which growes from a societie combin'd Betwixt the euill Daemons and Mankind If these were not Why should the Ciuill Law Firm'd by th' Imperiall sanction keepe in awe Such damn'd Impostors For the words thus run Many we know abstruse Arts haue begun To put in practise to disturbe the Aire Vpon the innocent Soules these likewise dare Vomit their malice and from the graues call Spirits from rest by Diabolicall And cursed Spells All such as shall rely On things preposterous and contrary To Natures course Gods people to annoy The Churches Curse them and their Arts destroy The like against these selfe-opinion'd fooles Is Articled in the Parisian Schooles Of such like Miscreants 't is in Esay said We haue strooke hands to league with Death and made Cov'nant with Hell How can Man be exempt From this Seducer he that dar'd to tempt The Sonne of God All these will I giue thee If thou wilt prostrat fall and worship mee Of these Compacts and Couenants we finde Two sorts and both blasphemous in their kinde The first When willingly we seeke inspection Into that Art and labour our direction From Magicke bookes or vse their Circles Lines Their superstitious Characters and Signes The second when without maleuolence We search into that art with no pretence Of Curiositie onely we vse it Knowledge to gaine and got not to abuse it And that is dangerous too all Such compact League with the Diuell as in word or act Breathe words vnknowne obscure inserted vainly Or such things as are holy vse prophanely As by obseruing certaine Characters Signes Figures Angles Squares Diameters c. Certaine Dayes Houres Stars Planets Constellations Graines Numbers Instruments of antique fashions And these beyond their naturall operations When Sacraments or any thing that 's holy Shall be abus'd by their ridiculous folly When Images of Wax or such like matter Are cast into a pot and boyl'd in water When certaine Numbers vnknowne Markes or Notes Writ in strange coloured paper he deuotes To superstitious vse When as to Coine Of gold or siluer or of brasse they ioyne Stamps of new Characters and this to bee When such a Planet is in such degree Such Pieces did Pasetis vse to weare What e're he bought he neuer payd too deare Who parting from the Merchant did but name The sum he payd and backe to him it came When holy Ceremonies through the Malicious Are made idolatrous and superstitious When Linnen neuer washt is vs'd and hee Must hold a Wand that 's cut from such a Tree With which he strikes the East and then the West The North or South as to his purpose best That all his Haire shaues off by night or day Thinking thereby to driue the Div'll away That takes dust from a Sepulchre to vse Or from the Graue the Deads bones to abuse Or ought besides that shall seeme retrograde To Reasons course or what 's by Nature made Further Vnto this Cov'nant doth belongâ— All such as stand in their opinions strong To meditate those fond Bookes bearing name From Ada Abelus Enoch Abraham Cyprian Albertus Magnus or Honorius Paulus with those in Magicke still held glorious Who boast ambitiously with great ostent This Art had both it's birth and ornament Either from Adams Custos Razael Or else from Tobits Keeper Raphael Another strange Booke they produce and say 'T was Salomons call'd his Clavicula These Magi by old Sathan thus misguided Another Volume in sev'n parts diuided Stuft with Spels Charmes Oblations all Confusions Of Non-sence and the Diuels meere obtrusions As a Worke learn'd and sacred still prefer To ev'ry curious yong Practitioner All these are but his subtill traines to draw Men from Gods Feare and honour of his Law For in this Art whoeuer striues t' excell He strikes a lasting Couenant with Hell And as in these so likewise in past Ages He wanted not his Astrologomages For most of this prognosticating Tribe Mettals vnto each Planet can ascribe Siluer vnto the Moone to the Sunne was Gold sacred vnto Iove Copper and Brasse To Venus white Lead vnto Saturne Blacke Iron and Steele to Mars nor doth there lacke Amber to Mercury To each of them They
well and carefully conferred strengthen and establish a Kingdome but seruice vnrewarded and gifts vnworthily bestowed weaken and dishonour it Old kindnesses saith Pindarus the excellent Greek Poet are apoplexed and cast asleepe as void of all sence and all men as stupified are turned ingratefull For according to the Cynicke Diogenes Nothing so soone waxeth old and out of date as a courtesie receiued Quintilian is of opinion That all such as receiue gifts courtesies or good turnes from others should not onely frequently remember them but liberally requite them thereby imitating our Mother Earth which still returneth more fruit than it receiueth seed Socrates affirmed all such as were vnthankfull to haue in them neither nobilitie nor justice According to that saying of Stobaeus Gratitude consisteth in Truth and Iustice Truth in acknowledging what was receiued and Iustice in repaying it The Lawes of Persia Macedonia Athens c. punished Ingratitude with death And Plato can teach vs That all humane things quickely grow old and hasten to their period onely that sin excepted and he giueth this reason Because that the greater increase there is of men the more Ingratitude abounds The Ingratefull is held to be of worse condition than the Serpent who reserueth venom and poyson to hurt others but keepeth none to harme himselfe I conclude with Seneca the Philosopher If we be naturally inclined to obserue and to offer all our seruice to such from whom we but expect a benefit how much more then are we obliged to such from whom wee haue already receiued it I come now vnto the Poets Seneca in Aiace Flagell we reade thus Qui autem obliviscitur beneficijs affectus Nunquam vtique esset hic generosus vir Amongst the Generous he can claime no place That good turnes done out of his thoughts doth rase Plautus in Persa speaketh thus Nam improbus est homo Qui beneficium scit sumere reddere nescit Nil amas si ingratum amas Bad is that man and worthy blame That can good turnes from others claime But nought returneth backe He than Nought loues that loues a thank lesse Man Cornarius writeth thus Pertusum vas est ingratus Homnucio semper Omne quod infundis perfluis in nihilum In vaine th' Ingratefull man with gifts thou fill'st In broken Tuns what thou pour'st in thou spill'st And much to the same purpose almost the same sence the Poet Luscinius expresseth himself in this Distich following speaking of the vnthankfull man Rimarum plenus perdit tua dona scoelestus Si sapis integro vina reconde cado A leaking Vessell and consumes what 's thine But thou for a sound Tunne reserue thy Wine Ausonius in one of his Epigrams saith Ingrato homine terra pejus nil creat There 's nothing worse that the earth can Breed than an Ingratefull man And Iuvenal Satyr 11. Ingratus ante omnia pone sodales Aboue all others see thou hate Thy fellowes such as proue ingrate One Michael Traulus slew his master the Emperor Leo who had raised him to many eminent honours and dignities Phraates slew his father Orodes King of the Parthians Romanus junior reiected his naturall mother at which shee conceiued such hearts griefe that she soone after expired Alphonsus Primus King of Lusitania cast his mother into Prison The like Henry the Emperor fift of that name to his father Henry Darius tooke counsell to kill his father Artaxerxes by whom he was before made King And Lucius Ostius in the time of the Ciuill wars when his father Armalius was proscribed and the Triumvirat prosecuted his life he his son betrayed him to the Lictors brought them to the place where he then lay concealed for no other cause but that hee might enioy his possessions Marcus Cicero at the command of M. Anthonius one of the Triumvirat was slain by Pompilius Lemates whose life he had before defended and acquitted from the strict penalty of the Law Alexander the Great forgetfull of his Nurse Hellonice from whom he had receiued his first milk caused her brother Clitus afterward to be slaine Anthonius Caracalla being aduanced to the Roman Empire amongst many others whom he caused innocently to be butchered he spared not Cilones his tutor by whom he was first instructed notwithstanding he had been a Counsellor to his father and a man notable for his wisdome and temperance No lesse was the ingratitude of the Senat of Rome vnto Scipio Africanus who notwithstanding that he had subdued Carthage the onely City that durst affront or contest with Rome through the whole world yet being accused by Petilius they arraigned him in open Court and proscribed him because that all the treasure which he had woon in Asia he had not brought into the Treasurie of Rome But of all the rest that to me is most remarkable recorded by Zonarus Cedrenus of the emperor Basil. Macedo who being hunting as he much delighted in that exercise a great stag incountring him fastned one of the brouches of his hornes into the Emperors girdle and lifting him from his horse bare him a distance off to the great indangering of his life Which a Gentleman in the traine espying drew out his sword and cut the Emperors girdle by which meanes he was preserued and had no hurt at all But note his reward The Gentleman for this act was questioned and adiudged to haue his head strooke off because he dared to expose his sword so neere the Emperours person and suffered according to his sentence Infinite are the histories to this purpose which for breuities fake I omit shutting vp this argument with that out of Petrus Crinitus Lib. 2. Poemat de Fugiendis ingratis Ingratus est vitandus vt dirum scoelus Nil cogitari pestilentius potest Nec esse portentiosius quicquam puto c. Ingratitude I wish thee shunne As the worst deed that can be done Nothing more pestilentiall can Enter into the thoughts of man Th' Ingratefull man 's prodigious who If his bad acts he cannot show Yet studies ill himselfe he spares But against others all things dares He hateth all but those men most Who iustly may their good deeds boast The reason may be vnderstood As bee'ng sequestred from the Good Hee 's bold and wicked drawne with ease To what is bad which best doth please What of it selfe is good he still Doth labor how to turne to ill As hee 's couetous so hee 's prowd And with no honest gift endow'd There 's only one good thing he can Well pleasing both to God and Man And which though he be sure to pay Yet whilest he can he will delay And 't is against his will too then That 's when he leaues the world and men No Monster from the earth created That is of God or Man more hated But amongst all the ingratefull people of the world the stiffe-necked nation of the Iewes appeareth vnto me to be most remarkable concerning whom you may reade Esdras lib. 1. c. 5.23
they Cannot endure it puts them to dismay Lactantius tells vs When vpon a season An Emp'ror of his Idoll askt the reason Of some doubt that perplext him a long space He answer'd not the cause was that in place A Christian then was present at that time Who had new blest him with the Crosses signe Good Angels when to man they first appeare Although they strike him with amase and feare Their em affies bee'ng done before they part They leaue him with great joy and cheare of heart As he at whose dread presence Daniel shooke As th' Angell Gabriel whom the Holy-Booke Makes mention of who when he came to bring To the blest Maid a message from heav'ns King Frightfull at first appear'd his salutation But th' end thereof was full of consolation But the bad Spirits bringing seeming ioy The end thereof's disaster and annoy From circumstance might many more arise But these for this place at this time suffice Be it held no digression to looke backe From whence I came inquiring if I lacke No fit accoutrement that may be found Behoofull for the journey I am bound Something I had forgot in my great speed Of Musicke then e're further I proceed I must deriue it from the first of dayes The Spheres chime Musicke to their Makers praise In the worlds first Creation it begunne From the word Fiat spoke and it was done Was sound and sweetnesse voice and symphonie Concord Consent and heav'nly harmonie The three great Orders of the Hierarchie Seruants vnto th' eternall Majestie In their degrees of Ternions hourely sing Loud Haleluiahs to th' Almighty King The Seraphins the Cherubins and Thrones Potestates Vertues Dominations The Principats Arch-Angels Angels all Resound his praise in accents musicall So doe the Heav'ns and Planets much below them Touching the first those that seeme best to know them Thus of their quicke velocitie relate As the supreme and highest agitate Their wheeles with swiftest motion so conclude The lowest finish their vicissitude That is their naturall courses much more soone As first in nine and twenty dayes the Moone The Sun and Venus in one twelue-month theirs And Saturne his in thirty compleat yeares But many thousands must be fully done Before the starry heav'ns their course haue runne Such and so great is mans innate ambition Into all knowledge to make inquisition The depth of Natures hidden wayes to sound Mystries to search and diue in arts profound As if we looke into the first of Time When as the World was in it's youth and prime Ev'n to this latest Age those much commended For deepe conceptions greatly haue contended Almost aboue capacitie indeed Laboriously each other to exceed But as the Fable of Ixion proud Saith he in Iuno's stead embrac'd a Cloud So for the most part those of wits refin'd Building vpon their amplitude of mind And by their owne vaine apprehensions sway'd In their maine course erroneously haue stray'd Either in all mistaking or some part Error for Truth and Ignorance for Art The reason is That in things vndecided By selfe-conceit bee'ng obstinatly guided And not acquiring out the perfect ground What 's finite they with infinite confound What 's humane with diuine what 's wrong with right As out of darknesse striuing to draw light Hence comes so many Sects and Schooles t' arise Amongst the Sophists thinking themselues wise As Pyâ—hagorians Epicures Platonicks Pythonicks Scepticks and Academicks Eleaticks Perepateticks Stoicks too With others more And all these as they doo Differ in names so in opinions and Vpon diuersitie of judgements stand For instance First as touching the foundation Of things that since the Chaos had creation And cause efficient some hold Earth some Fire Some Water others Aire some Sects conspire Vpon the full foure Elements to impose it One names the Heav'ns another saith he knowes it The Stars were workersâ— Atoms this man names Another Number and the former blames Some Musicall consent drawne from the Spheres Some Full some Empty by all which appeares Those things are only quarrel'd with not prov'd For nothing's constant sollid or immov'd In all their doctrines each with other jar And are indeed still in seditious war And therefore God reproues Iob for aspiring And to his hidden wayes too deepe inquiring Thus saying Who is he that doth obscure Knowledge with words imperfect and impure Gird vp thy loines thee like a man prepare I will demand and thou to me declare Where wast thou when I layd the earths foundation If thou hast knowledge giue me true narration Who measur'd it now if thou canst divine Or ouer it what 's he hath stretcht the line Vpon what are the solid Bases made Or who the corner stone thereof first layd When all the Morning Starres as but one-voic't Prais'd me together when all Saints reioyc't Who shut the Sea with dores vp when the same As from the wombe it selfe issu'd and came When for it I the Clouds a cov'ring found And as in swathing â—ands in darkenesse bound And said Thou hitherto shalt haue free way No further thou shalt here thy proud waues stay And after this the secrets doth pursue Of Snow Haile Tempests with the Light and Dew Raine Ice Death Darknesse and so further runnes To th' Pleiades Arcturus and his sonnes Saith Paul In this world none himselfe deceiue To thinke hee 's wise but such vaine phaâ—sies leaue And let him be a foole so to be wise For this worlds wisedome is a meere disguise Of foolishnesse with God Scriptures thus treat The Wise he catcheth in his owne conceit In Esays Prophesie the words thus sound The wisedome of the Wise I will confound The prudence of the Prudent reprehend Where is the wise man Where 's the Scribe now or He of this world the great Inquisitor Hath not God made all the worlds Wisedome Folly Who then dares thinke himselfe or wise or holy What was it that to Socrates first gaue Wisedomes great attribute and honour saue That he confest In all he did pursue He only knew this That he nothing knew What saith the Preacher When I did apply My heart to search out Wisedome curiously And to behold on earth the secrets deepe That day nor night the eyes of man take sleepe Gods entire worke before myne eyes I brought That Man could not finde out the worke he sought Beneath the Sun for which mans busie minde Labors to search but it can neuer finde And though the Wise man thinke it to conceiue He cannot doo 't without th' Almighties leaue When as the Academicks of the rest Of all the Ethnycke Sophists were held best Yet in their then supreme authoritie None durst contest and say So this shall be The Pyrhonicks of no lesse approbation Would not of any thing make attestation But made a doubt in all and held for true Whoeuer humane Science shall pursue No other base he hath whereon to sit Sauing the fraile