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A95810 Unpremeditated thoughts of the knowledge of God, whom to know, is life eternal. With some discoveries of the mysteries of creation, in the six days work, and the seventh days rest. : To which is added, a short discourse concerning those two great principles of natural philosophy, matter and motion. / Humbly offered to consideration, by one of the Philadelphia Society, who calls her self Irena. Institut de recherches européennes sur les noblesses et aristocraties. 1697 (1697) Wing U92A; ESTC R185871 42,220 173

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moved upon the face of the Waters Fire and Water are the two most substantial Principles Earth and Air are produced from them Water is the Root and Beginning Fire the Perfection and End of all things The Unctuousness Oyliness of the Chaos produc'd the Light or rather was the Light and Fire the Water was in this beginning of things the greatest quantity till the Fire gets the Predominancy the Firmament the Light and Heat divided the Waters from the Waters thus a vast quantity of Waters was most wisely placed part of it below the Fire that its piercing substance might not with its fiery heat penetrate the Earth too swiftly with its quick motion till the Earth was brought more towards a state of Perfection the Firmament was placed between the Waters to Concoct and Ripen them and to bring their Watry into a Fiery Substance the Oleous Quality of the Chaos was Fire but when it was expanded into the Firmament it much lost its force and became more properly Light and Heat than Fire as it is now placed so that we here see the meaning of that word The Voice of the Lord divideth the Flames of Fire the most compact Body of Fire is divided till it comes to be hardly any longer Fire Bodies are divisible Spirits not the nearer any Body is to Spirit the more hard to have its parts divided Fire is that wonderful Substance I must not I dare not at this time say any more of the Nature of it But notwithstanding the Fire is brought into this peaceful Temperature in the making the Firmament yet it retains so much the Nature of Fire that if it is agitated and contracted it becomes Fire again as we see by a common Experiment it is done by the Burning-Glass But it is made out Excellently and Clearly by the account we have of the Last Great Conflagration in the Scriptures it is said The Element shall melt with fervent heat and that it shall be wrapped up like a Scroul which passage explains the former it s being wrapped up contracted and brought into a narrower compass will so increase the intense heat that the Element shall melt and the Earth and all things in it shall be burnt up And thus it is shewed mo the Conflagration burning the Earth by Fire shall in some respects resemble the Deluge by Water then the Windows of Heaven were opened and the Fountains of the great Deeps were broken up So in the Dispensation of Fire the Element shall perform its Office of Burning as hath been a little before described also the imprisoned Fires in the Powels of the Earth shall be set at liberty their Deep shall be broken up that they may meet their beloved upper Flames to which they always tend And it appears to me that as the World grows nearer its period nearer this Dispensation of Fire the Central Fires do more break their Prisons make their way out of the Earth gain Victory over the Waters under the Earth and sometimes above the Surface of the Earth as is seen by Vesuvius Aetna and other Burnings that in our time have wonderfully issued forth and shewed their Conquest over the Water by sad Effects And Earthquakes may be sometimes caused by the strife of Fire and Water which when Fire gets the predominancy causes the Earth to open for we commonly see the excess of Driness makes the Earth chap and gape Moisture makes it more continuous or clinging together Now I cannot but return with Admiration to behold the Beauty and Wisdom of this Second Day 's Work and say t It was very good And the Evening and the Morning was the Second Day O Admirable Order of things How am I ravished with the sight Who can enter into the deep of this one Sentence The Evening and the Morning was the Second Day According to my scanty measure I shall describe the Philosophers Second Day 's Work It is not to be wondred if I do it not so exactly as some others who have more of the Spirit of Wisdom and are Possessors of her Treasures while I profess to be only a Seeker and Lover It appears to me that the Philosophers Firmament is spread out like a Molten Looking-Glass and to me none but a wise Man can well understand this Passage he hath seen his Light arise out of the Darkness and expatiate it self to the filling his Recipient how large soever it be his Firmament is Light hath the Nature of Fire in it which is encompassed with Water above and underneath the Water is predominant in the beginning of his Work is the greatest quantity that he is ready to call it Superfluous Humidity but as his Work grows towards a state of Perfection the Fire prevails it becomes a Child of the Fire lives in the Fire feeds on the Fire I mean not Devouring Fire this appears not to be in it unless it is agitated and stirred up by too violent motion But Light or Fire so mingled by gentle procedure with the Water that it partakes of the Meek Peaceful Nature of the Water and gives forth so much of its own permanent compact Substance that they become one excellently qualified Essence Fire being in this state of Perfection predominant but such a Fire as is before described that doth not destroy but exalt the Substance to a more fix'd pure permanent state I say something of this Work as it is at the conclusion in this Second Day 's Work because Light and Heat whereof the Firmament consists are powerful Agents to begin and end the Work withal But the spreading forth the Light into a Beautiful Mirror is the end of his Second Day 's Work Now there is an admirable Teaching in this it is a Figure of the Work of the Spirit of God in illuminating the Minds of Men which is a Translating them out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of the dear Son of God This is done in some measure in the beginning in the first Day 's Work but is greatly increased in the Second till we are brought into his Marvellous Light When the Light Center is open in us which was shut and vailed in the Fall it is a blessed thing but when it spreads it self that the Understanding is enlightened in the Knowledge of God of himself and in some degree of the Creation round about him he comes again to be but a little lower than the Angels who are Intelligences who are Fire He maketh his Angels Spirits and those Ministers of his Flames of Fire Nay Man in his first Creation was an Excellently Noble Creature he was the Epitomy of the whole World he was the Little World in which the Great was comprised he had the Elements and all Creatures within himself We may well say We are fearfully and wonderfully made with holy David who had his Eyes opened to see his own Excellent Make. But if the first Creation was glorious how much more is the Second the New Creation in Man
when old things shall pass away and all things become new And one admirable part of this Work is the bringing forth the New Heaven in us the New Firmament wherein is Light Serenity Calmness the Fire being tempered with the meek Waters of Quietness so that the wrathful property of the Fire is changed into a sweet peaceful Light but this Light Centre cannot be opened in us but by our blessed JESUS who hath the Key of David who opens and no Man shuts and shuts and no Man opens O! 't is our blessed JESUS who opens his own Light in us by his Spirit he causeth his glorious Light to shine out of the Darkness and to arise and to enlarge it self till our whole Body is full of Light There is a certain sign given to know whether the whole Body is full of Light If thy Eye is single our dear Lord tells us our whole Body is full of Light The single Eye is when we fix our Eye upon the Light on the Good first in God himself and in all the Creatures where it is scattered up and down but all from the same Root Now God himself beholds the Evil and the Good but he dwells in the Light So tho' we may see the Evil we must shut our Eye to it and open it to the Good thus stedfastly beholding the Light we shall be transformed into its Likeness However every thing is beautiful in its Season The Evening as well as the Morning is the Second Day And God said again Let the Waters under the Heaven be gathered together into one place and let the dry Land appear and it was so Then God said Let the Earth bring forth the Bud of the Herb that seedeth Seed the fruitful Tree that beareth Fruit c. and it was so And God saw that it was good And the Evening and the Morning were the Third Day In this Third Day 's Work there was a gathering together of vast quantities of Waters that made the Seas those mighty Oceans where the Wonders of God are seen by those who go down into the Deep in Ships Surely the Waters were at first the greatest part of this Globe of the lower World They yet remain very great tho' more Ground hath been gain'd since the first Creation as is plain in many parts of the World There remains in the Sea such a quantity of the Oleous Light or fiery part of the Chaos as ripens them and sometimes gains advantage and a little dries them up and lessens their Quantity This Substance when it is agirated makes the Sea boil like a Pot it often appears like Fire And who know the Nature of Salt especially Sea-Salt will know that this is so and they will know the meaning of that word Every Sacrifice shall be seasoned with Fire and salted with Salt which are equivalent terms Now in the separation of the Elements when the Light was carried upwards and much Water with it and the Waters were gathered together in this Globe the dry Land appeared the Light and Waters being separated from it the Earth appear'd but a Caput Mortuum a Dead Earth till the Prolifick Virtue was call'd forth by the Word of God and then it appeared that Heaven had not left the Earth without first imprinting alovely Image upon it There was left in it so much Life and Heat as quickned it to bring forth innumerable Vegetable Substances of various Size Shape Colour Fruits and Herbs and Flowers with great Variety of Taste and Fragrancy of Smell all to shew forth the Bounty and Magnificence of our Great Creator How freely did the Teeming Earth in this Virgin-state of Purity bring forth the various beautiful Forms of Vegetable Substances before it was Clogg'd and Burthen'd with the Curse The Earth we tread on as Contemptible as we are apt to think of it notwithstanding the Disadvantage it hath by the Fall of Man which brought the Curse upon it there is that Lustre Beauty Excellency in it that if the same Spirit that made it please to open our Eyes to see we shall behold with wonder Sure such Wisdom is worth our seeking and praying for which we have great Enconragement to do when we read of the great Wisdom of Solomon who knew the Nature of all Vegetables from the Tall Cedar to the Low but Sweet Hyssop The residue of the Spirit is with the Lord but for these things he will be sought unto and they that seek shall find a measure of Wisdom if not so great But we must dig deep for it as for hid Treasures and be thankful for a little It is a great blessing to have the Scriptures and any degree of the Spirit of God to open them to us in shewing to us the Wonders of God in the Creatures particularly in the gathering together of the Waters and setting bounds to their proud Waves saying Hither to and no further in causing the dry Land to appear and at the Command of God to appear with an admirable Verdure a beautiful Cloathing which was the end of the Third Day 's Work And the Evening and the Morning were the Third Day The Philosopher's Third Day 's Work is a Separation of the Elements that his Dry Ground appears with a Vegetative Life in it which if he pleases will spring up in his Glass There is in his Ground Beautiful Colours Pleasant Scents and his Earth while in this state may not be Unprofitable or Unfruitful but may be made to bring forth Increase in not Unprofitable Fruits nor is his Verdure unpleasant to behold This is a short Account of the Philosopher's Third Day 's Work A better Hand may supply the shortness and imperfection of it The Third Day 's Work as it is wrought Internally in bringing forth the Fruits of the Spirit is excellently described in the Scripture There is the good Ground spoken of that brings forth Fruit abundantly some fifty some sixty and some an hundred fold It is a blessed thing to have the good Ground in us the Ground that stands out of Dying out of Repentance tho' it was once covered with the Waters it is not now laying again this Foundation of Repentance but they go on to bring forth other good Fruits that they may be rooted and grounded in Love that they may take Root downwards and bring forth Fruit upwards Fruits of Righteousness Fruits of Renown that they may be as Trees planted by the Rivers of Waters bringing forth Fruit in due season How short are many Christians of this Work How then shall we attain to the Seventh Day the Sabbath of Rest However the Work of this Day is very good And the Evening and the Morning is the Third Day Now the Fourth Day 's Admirable Brightness appears before me with such Splendor as is ready to dazle my weak sight wonderful Brightness hinders our sight as much almost as Darkness O glorious Sun of Righteousness arise in my Soul Enlighten my Darkness Let the Shadows flee
this Treasury 'T was placed here by thee O Lord 'T is opened by thy Living Word 'T is he himself doth keep the Key Of all th● hidden Mystery He is my Sun of Righteousness Who my whole Person doth possess He is my Gold tried in the Fire He is my Cloathing my Attire He is my Food on him I feed And find him to be Meat indeed Now prostrate Soul do thou arise For thou hast won the glorious Prize Do not sit sighing here alone Since thou this happy Day hast known The Lovely Garland thou hast won Thy Head is wreathed with the Sun The Fifth Day 's Work of Creation was The Lord 's calling forth the Prolifick Virtue of the Water and Air which was immediately obeyed and they brought forth abundantly And God said Let the Waters bring forth abundantly the moving Creature that hath life and Fowl that may fly above the Earth in the open Firmament of Heaven And God created great Whales c. This word abundantly is twice used in the account of the Fifth Day 's Work this shews the abundant quantity of Water that there was to bring forth and the abundance of Creatures that were brought forth of Fish and Fowl which are innumerable and wonderfully various in their size shape and other qualities their Number being so wonderful and beyond comprehension their disproportion of size was wisely made the most vastly disproportionate of any of the other Creatures the Whale being of the largest Bulk of all living Creatures and therefore may be called the Chief of all the ways and works of God and as Mr. Boyle observes in his Excellent Book of Natural Philosophy There is bred in a liquid substance in Vinegar the smallest Creature so that there is room left for wonderful Variety to come between which is admirably filled up with great Variety O blessed Eternity that will give Time and Capacity to see the Wonders of the Ways and Works of God! To see them in their Original not only in a Glass in shadowy Representations the great quantity and prolifick Virtue of the Waters is seen in their wonderful Encrease which is seen now in their Spawning and bringing forth Multitudes at once one Fish bringing forth a greater Number at one time than any other Creature doth produce in many years The Fowls those curious Aerial Inhabitants are very admirable they also were the Fifth Day 's Work and tho' they inhabit the Air the Water is only mentioned as the cause of their Production by the power of God which proves what I have before said of the affinity between the Water and Air and there were some of these Creatures made as it were of a Middle Nature as Fish that fly and Fowl that swim These Inhabitants of the Aerial Region are very worthy Contemplation their excellent Situation curious Make variety of Colour pleasant Employment admirable Oeconomy or Government are all cause of much Wonder There is no sort of sublunary Creatures I would so soon change my Make with as these Their Aerial Bodies are so light their motion is swift David was ready to envy their getting so near the Altars he desired the Wings of a Dove to fly away and be at rest Their Employment is pleasant chearfully singing their Creators praise They are immediately under their Creator's bountiful Care and Provision they sow not nor reap yet are taken care of and have their Meat in due season I cannot but particularly admire the Bee that pretty little Chymist that knows how to separate the Substances We may learn Natural and Moral Philosophy from this little Insect It industriously works and wisely improves the matter that it works upon by separating the Precious from the Vile Their Government is Excellent there is Superiority for Orders sake and yet love makes an Equality they dwell in their little Houses one by another without encroaching and yet communicating tho' there is something of particularity it hath one Foundation and is closely joyned so that it encreases into a common stock I cannot but much admire this Order of Beings the winged Choristers If I could understand the Language of Nature they would all teach me much to know the God of Nature who hath made them and taught them and takes care of them continually In the Philosophers Fifth Day 's Work there is the Exaltation of Eagles the Doves of Diana whose meek Natures might teach their Masters Patience their Phaenix is their most Noble Bird for out of its Ashes is produced and doth arise a young One more Noble In the Inword Work upon the Minds of Men there is a great Advance of the Work towards a finishing the New Creation the New Birth and may be called the Fifth Day 's Work when we are made to mount up with Wings as Eagles It is a blessed thing to know this Fifth Number to be accomplished in us when we come to be above the perturbation of the Elements when we dwell in the Upper Region in Serenity and Stillness in the One pure Element If we have Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed it will grow up till at last it will become a great Tree that the Fowls of the Air shall lodge in the Branches our own Spirits will come to dwell in this beautiful Tree of Faith which is another Life than we knew before and other good Spirits will inhabit with us that we shall say with the Spouse The time of the singing of Birds is come and the Voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land We shall joyn with Quires of Angels to sing Hymns of Praise to our God and King Hallelujah Hallelujah Some Souls are redeemed and brought to this state but O when shall the Church be brought from amongst the Pots from amongst the soil and impurity that cleaves to them When shall she arise like a Bird of Paradise with her Wings of yellow Gold O my Soul wrestle in secret with thy God that this may be accomplished that there may be a going on to the Sixth Day 's Work Moreover the Lord said Let the Earth bring forth the living thing after its kind Cattel and every creeping thing c. And it was so Furthermore God said Let us make Man in our Image c. Read to the end of the Chapter The Lord may open more to thee whoever thou art than to me who know nothing but am a little Child I am become a Fool that I may be made Wise I desire that my blessed Jesus may be made of God to me Wisdom 'T is the Fools and simple Ones to whom Wisdom cries She lifts up her Voice and saith Whoso is simple turn in hither And to a poor simple One as I am she may shew the Excellency of the Six Day 's Work of Creation And the Lord said Let the Earth bring forth This was a pure Earth as it came forth immediately from the Lord as it was the immediate Product or Birth of his Spirit And when the dry Land did appear