acquire And therefore we must in this sincere Truth Our selues examine How we spend our Youth Manhood and Age and then by searching finde How fraile weare how'vnstedfast and how blinde And next when we our miseries haue skan'd Sifting all actions that we take in hand How vaine they are Necessitie will leaue That Consequent behinde That we must cleaue Onely to that great Pow'r nor from it shrinke Without which we nor moue nor speake nor thinke And because we haue falne from Him by Sin To intimate There is no way to win Our peace and reconcilement or dispence With our transgression but true Penitence I thus proceed Great hath the Decertation Bin 'mongst the Learned men 'bout the Creation Of blessed Angels Some of them haue said They many Worlds before this World were made To'attend th' Almighty Others haue againe So curious a scrutinie held vaine And almost irreligious aiming still To penetrate into his secret Will Without his Warrant and conclude That they Had with the Light subsistence the first day Were with it made of Nothing had no Being At all till then The Fathers disagreeing About this point some haue opinion held But by the later Writers since refel'd As Hierome Ambrose Gregory Nazianzen Cassianus Damascenus Origen Hilary Basil These with others were Resolv'd That because nothing doth appeare From Moses in his Booke of things created Concerning them That they were fabricated Long time before Againe Because Saint Paul Writing to Titus saith God first of all Before the World th' Hope of Eternall life Promis'd to vs c. Hence they maintaine this strife Interpreting the Text Er'e the Creation Which words include If Before God did fashion All things that Being haue in earth or heauen There must be some to whom this power is giuen And those the Angels But on this Assertion Learned Saint Austin layes a great aspersion Affirming them with th' Heav'ns Emperiall made And that before they no existence had Saint Paul interpreting Th' Almighty gaue This Promise and blest Hope Mankinde to saue From all Eternitie to elevate Mans Fall in that pure Lambe Immaculate His Sonne and our deare Sauiour And thus Opinion'd were graue Athanasius Gregory Theodoret Epiphanius With diuers others Which no sooner mov'd Was in the Lateran Councell but approv'd Of all the Bishops as of both the best Which in the sacred Scripture is exprest For thus 't is writ God ended the seventh day The Worke He made for so doth Moses say And in the day whch He his Sabbath nam'd Rested from All the Worke which he had fram'd Which vniuersall word perforce doth carry Spirituall things as well as Elementary Such as before the World thinke them created In many doubts themselues haue intricated I would besides haue them resolue me How Vnlesse his Worke imperfect they allow It can with reason stand that if they were In Time before Time was and with sincere Faith and Obedience had so long aboad They onely then revolted from their God Should this be granted it must needs inferre Strong argument a second way to erre Namely That no Coelestiall Hierarchy Subiects of that eternall Monarchy Who haue remain'd as by the World appeares In blest estate so many thousand yeares But notwithstanding the great grace th' are in May slide like Lucifer and fall by Sin Which the Church holds erronious Be it then Granted That God did make the Angels when Th' Imperiall Heav'ns were fashion'd at first pure And without sin for euer to endure Had they not falne through Proud Imagination By which they then incur'd his Indignation For nothing Euill can from Him proceed So much the Text implyes where we may reade God said when he his rare Worke vnderstood All things that I haue made be greatly good And lest the Church might that way be deluded 'T is in the Lateran Councell thus concluded All Spirits were created pure at first But by their selfe-will after made accurst To make things cleare Although we must confesse That Moses doth not in plaine termes expresse When how and in what order Angels were At first created yet it will appeare How that their Essences and Natures bright Were signified by names of Heav'n and Light And though they seeme forgotten in that Text Obserue how other Scriptures are connext To giue them Name and Being In that Oad In which the three blest Children prais'd their God In the hot flames to giue to vnderstand That Angels were the Worke of his great Hand O all ye Workes of God the Lord say they Blesse praise and magnifie his Name for aye Praise him ye Heav'ns ye Angels praise the Lord. Let vs to Daniels adde the Psalmists word Praise Him all ye his Angels Some haue said That Angels were the last worke that God made But most absurdly He in Iob thus sayes When the Stars of the Morning gaue me praise Then all the Angels of my Sonnes the choice Extold my Name with an exalted voice Now when the Great and most Diuinely Wise Did the rare Fabricke of the World deuise And by the vertue of his Word create The Heav'n and Earth in their so goodly state He made the Angels in the first of Time Of Substances most noble and sublime Amongst which Lucifer was chiefe and hee As he might challenge a prioritie In his Creation so aboue the rest A supereminence as first and best For he was chiefe of all the Principalities And had in him the three stupendious qualities Of the most holy Trinitie which include First Greatnesse Wisedome next then Pulchritude The Greatnesse of the Sonne and holy Spirit The Father is which they from him inherit Now of the Father and the Holy-Ghost The Wisedome is the Sonne so stiled most The Father and Sonnes Pulchritude is he That 's the third Person in the Trinitie And though of Angels the great pow'r be such As hath in Scripture been extolled much For their nobilitie and excellence As first of Michael whose pre-eminence Daniel relates as naming him for one Of the prime Angels that attend the Throne As Raphael who told Tobit Of the seuen That still before th' Almighty stand in Heav'n Himselfe was one Or as the Seraphim Who as the holy Prophet speakes of him With a cole toucht his lips from th' Altar tooke Or as of Gabriel whom the holy Booke Mentions who to the earth made proclamation Of our most blessed-Sauiors Incarnation Yet aboue these was Lucifer instated Honor'd exalted and much celebrated And therefore many of the Learned striue His greatnesse from Ezechiel to deriue For thus he saith and what he doth infer 'Gainst Tyrus they conuert to Lucifer Thou sealst the Sum vp art in Wisedome cleare Thy beauty perfect doth to all appeare Thou hast in Eden Gods faire Garden been Each pretious stone about thy garment's seene The Ruby Topaz and the Diamond The Chrysolite and Onyx there were found The Iasper and the Saphyr dearely sold The
By Gods blest Spirit an Epiniceon sing Ascribing Glory to th' Almighty King Miraculous thy Workes are worthy praise Lord God Almighty iust and true thy waies Thou God of Saints O Lord who shall not feare And glorifie thy Name who thy Workes heare Thou onely holy art henceforth adore Thee All Nations shall worship and fall before Thee Because thy Iudgements are made manifest This Song of Vict'rie is againe exprest Thus Now is Saluation now is Strength Gods Kingdome and the Power of Christ. At length The Sland'rer of our Brethren is refus'd Who day and night them before God accus'd By the Lambes bloud they ouercame him and Before Gods Testimonie he could not stand Because the Victors who the Conquest got Vnto the death their liues respected not Therefore reioyce you Heav'ns and those that dwell In these blest Mansions But shall I now tell The Weapons Engines and Artillerie Vsed in this great Angelomachy No Lances Swords nor Bombards they had then Or other Weapons now in vse with men None of the least materiall substance made Spirits by such giue no offence or aid Onely spirituall Armes to them were lent And these were call'd Affection and Consent Now both of these in Lucifer the Diuell And his Complyes immoderate were and euill Those that in Michael the Arch-Ange'll raign'd And his good Spirits meekely were maintain'd Squar'd and directed by th' Almighties will The Rule by which they fight and conquer still Lucifer charg'd with insolence and spleene When nothing but Humilitie was seene And Reuerence towards God in Michaels brest By which the mighty Dragon he supprest Therefore this dreadfull battell fought we finde By the two motions of the Will and Minde Which as in men so haue in Angels sway Mans motion in his body liues but they Haue need of no such Organ This to be Both Averroes and Aristotle agree It followes next that we enquire how long This Lucifer had residence among The blessed Angels for as some explore His time of Glory was six dayes no more The time of the Creation in which they I meane the Spirits seeing God display His glorious Works with stupor and amaâ—e Began at once to contemplate and gase Vpon the Heav'ns Earth Sea Stars Moone and Sunne Beasts Birds and Man with the whole Fabricke done In this their wonder at th'inscrutabilitie Of such great things new fram'd with such facilitie To them iust in the end of the Creation He did reueale his blest Sonnes Incarnation But with a strict commandement That they Should with all Creatures God and Man obey Hence grew the great dissention that befell 'Twixt Lucifer and the Prince Michael The time 'twixt his Creation and his Fall Ezechiel thus makes authenticall In midst of fierie stones thou walked hast Straight in thy wayes ev'n from the time thou wast First made as in that place I before noted To the same purpose Esay too is quoted How fell'st thou Lucifer from Heaven hye That in the morning rose so cherefully As should he say How happens it that thou O Lucifer who didst appeare but now In that short time of thy blest state to rise Each morning brighter than the morning skies Illumin'd by the Sunne so soone to slide Downe from Gods fauour lastingly t' abide In Hells insatiate torments Though he lost The presence of his Maker in which most He gloried once his naturall Pow'rs he keepes Though to bad vse still in th' infernall Deepes For his Diuine Gifts he doth not commend Vnto the seruice of his God the end To which they first were giuen but the ruin Of all Mankinde Vs night and day pursuing To make vs both in his Rebellion share And Tortures which for such prepared are Of this malignant Spirits force and might Iob in his fourtieth Chapter giues vs light And full description liuely expressing both In person of the Monster Behemoth The Fall of Adam by fraile Eve entic't Was his owne death ours and the death of Christ. In whose back-sliding may be apprehended Offendors three three ' Offences three Offended The three Offendors that Mankinde still grieue Were Sathan Adam and our Grandam Eve The three Offences that Sin first aduance Were Malice Weakenesse and blinde Ignorance The three Offended to whom this was done The Holy Spirit the Father and the Sonne Eve sinn'd of Ignorance and so is said Against the God of Wisedome to haue made Her forfeit that 's the Son Adam he fell Through Weakenesse and 'gainst him that doth excell In pow'r the Father sinn'd With his offence And that of hers Diuine Grace may dispence Malicious Hate to sinne did Sathan moue Against the Holy-Ghost the God of Loue And his shall not be pardon'd Note with me How God dealt in the censuring of these three He questions Adams Weakenesse and doth call Eve to account for th' Ignorance in her fall Because for them he mercy had in store Vpon their true repentance and before He gaue their doome told them he had decreed A blessed Sauiour from the Womans seed But Sathan he ne're question'd 't was because Maliciously he had transgrest his Lawes Which sinne against the Spirit he so abhor'd His Diuine Will no mercy for him stor'd Moreouer In the sacred Text 't is read The Womans Seed shall breake the Serpents head It is observ'd The Diuell had decreed To tempt our Sauiour the predicted Seed In the same sort though not the same successe As he did Eve our first Progenitresse All sinnes saith Iohn we may in three diuide Lust of the Flesh Lust of the Eye and Pride She sees the Tree and thought it good for meat The Fleshes lust persuaded her to eat She sees it faire and pleasant to the eye Then the Eyes lust inciteth her to try She apprehends that it will make her wise So through the Pride of heart she eats and dies And when he Christ into the Desart lead Bee'ng hungry Turne said he these Stones to Bread There 's Fleshly lusts temptation Thence he growes To the Eyes lust and from the Mountaine showes The World with all the pompe contain'd therein Say'ng All this great purchase thou shalt win But to fall downe and worship me And when He saw these faile to tempt him once agen Vsing the Pride of heart when from on hye He bad him leape downe and make proofe to flye And as the Woman yeelding to temptation Made thereby forfeit of all mans saluation And so the Diue'll who did the Serpent vse Was said by that the Womans head to bruse So Christ the Womans Seed making resist To these seducemeâ—ts of that Pannurgist Because by neither Pride nor Lust mis-led Was truly said to breake the Serpents head Angels bee'ng now made Diuels let vs finde What place of Torment is to them assign'd First of the Poets Hell The dreadfull Throne Where all Soules shall be sentenc'd stands saith one In a sad place with obscure darkenesse hid
a sufficient answer namely That the Substances of things were created together but not formed and fashioned together in their seuerall distinct kindes They were disgested together by substance of matter but appeared not together in substantiall forme for that was the worke of six dayes Moreouer when Moses in his first Chapter of Genesis saith That things were created in euery one of the six dayes seuerally in the second chapter of the same Booke he speaketh but of one day only by way of Catastrophe or Epilogue All which hee had before distinctly described saying These are the generations of the Heauen and the Earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the Earth and the Heauens Neither is this any contradiction for we must not take the dayes according to the distinction of Times for God had no need of Time as being first made by him but by reason of the works of Perfection which is signified and compleated by the number of Six which is a most perfect number Moreouer as the Psalmist saith A thousand yeares are vnto him but as one day Avenzor the Babylonian saith That he which knoweth to number well knoweth directly all things Neither was it spoken in vaine but to the great praise of Almighty God Omnia in mensura Numero Pondere disposuisti i. Thou hast disposed all things in Number in Measure and in Weight It is moreouer said in Eccles. 1 2. Who can number the sands of the Sea and the drops of the raine and the dayes of the world Who can measure the height of the Heauen the bredth of the Earth and the depth Who can finde the Wisedome of God which hath beene before all things c. It is worthy remarke which one ingeniously obserues Two wayes saith he we come to the apprehension and knowledge of God by his Workes and by his Word by his Works we know that there is a God and by his Word we come to know what that God is his Workes teach vs to spell his Word to reade The first are his backe-parts by which we behold him afarre off the later represent him vnto vs more visibly and as it were face to face For the Word is as a booke consisting of three leaues and euery leafe printed with many letters and euery letter containeth in it selfe a Lecture The Leaues are Heauen the Aire and the Earth with the Water the Letters ingrauen are euery Angell Starre and Planet the Letters in the Aire euery Meteor and Fowle those in the Earth and Waters euery Man Beast Plant Floure Minerall and Fish c. All these set together spell vnto vs That there is a God Moses in the very first verse of Genesis refuteth three Ethnycke opinions first Those that were of opinion the World was from eternitie and should continue for euer in these words when hee saith In the Beginning Secondly he stoppeth the mouth of stupid and prophane Atheists in this phrase Elohim created Thirdly and lastly hee opposeth all Idolaters such as held with many gods for the saith in the conclusion of the same Verse Elohim He created Heauen and Earth vsing the singular number It is the opinion of some antient Diuines That the Creation of the Angels was concealed by Moses lest any man should apprehend like those Heretiques spoken of by Epiphanius that they aided and assisted God in the Creation For if the day of their Creation which as the best approued Theologists confesse was the first day had beene named by Moses wicked and vngodly men might haue taken them to haue been Agents in that great and inscrutable Worke which indeed were no other than Spectators Therefore as God hid and concealed the Body of Moses after his death lest the Israelites so much addicted to Idolatry should adore and worship it so Moses hid and concealed the Creation of the Angels in the beginning lest by them they should be deified and the honour due to the Creator be by that meanes attributed and conferred on the Creature Rabbi Salom affirmeth them to be created the first day and some of our later Diuines the fourth day but their opinions are not held altogether authenticall It is likewise obserued That God in the creation of the world beginneth aboue and worketh downwards For in the first three dayes he layd the foundation of the world and in the other three dayes he furnished and adorned those parts The first day he made all the Heauens the matter of the earth and commeth downe so low as the Light The second day he descendeth lower and maketh the Firmament or Aire The third lowest of all making a distinction betwixt the Earth and Water Thus in three dayes the three parts or body of the World is laid and in three dayes more and in the same order they were furnished For on the fourth day the Heauens which were made the first day were decked and stucke with starres and lights The fift day the Firmament which was made the second day was filled with Birds and Fowles The sixt day the Earth which was before made fit and ready the third day was replenished with Beasts and lastly with Man And thus God Almighty in his great Power and Wisedome accomplished and finished the miraculous worke of the Creation Rabbi Iarchi vpon the second of Genesis obserueth That God made superior things one day and inferiour another His words being to this purpose In the first day God created Heauen aboue and Earth beneath on the second day the Firmament aboue on the third Let the dry land appeare beneath on the fourth Lights aboue and the fift Let the waters bring forth beneath c. On the sixt day he made things both superior and inferior lest there should be confusion without order in his Work Therefore he made Man consisting of both a Soule from aboue and a Body from beneath c. An Allegorie drawne from these is That God hath taught vs by the course he took in the framing and fashioning of the world how we must proceed to become a new Creation or a new Heauen and Earth renewed both in soule and body In the first day he made the Light therefore the first thing of the new man ought to be light of Knowledge for Saint Paul saith He that commeth to God must know that He Is. On the second day he made the Firmament so called because of it's stedfastnesse so the second step in Mans new Creation must be Firmamentum Fidei i. the sure foundation of Faith On the third day the Seas and Trees bearing Fruit so the third step in the New man is That he become Waters of relenting teares and that he bring forth fruit worthy of Repentance On the fourth day God created the Sunne that whereas on the first day there was light without heate now on the fourth day there is Light and Heate ioyned together So the fourth step in the new creation of the New man is That
gods from him themselues can hide Who not content to looke them in the faces But he will ransacke their most secret places Such is the height of his all-daring minde He hopes himselfe amongst the Starres to finde At such sublimities aimeth the vnlimited Heart of Man but vnto all such as are proudly bold or prophanely impudent I propose that of the excellent Poet Claudian to be weightily considered of in Lib. 3. de Rapt Proserp Quid mentem traxisse Polo Quid profuit altum Erepisse caput pecudum si more c. What profits thee to say That from the Skye Thy minde 's deriv'd or that thou look'st on hye Since that of all thy glory is the least If thou a Man beest sensuall like a Beast The substance of which Mankind subsists is nothing but stone as Ovid ingeniously insinuateth Lib. 1. Metam being repaired by Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha the sole remainder after the deluge His words be these Discedunt velantque caput tunicasque recingunt Et jussos Lapides sua post vestigia mittunt c. They part their heads vaile then their garments binde About them close the stones they cast behinde These stones which who would credit vnlesse we May for our proofe produce Antiquitie Began to lose their hardnesse soft to grow And when they had a space remained so To gather forme soone as they did encrease The ruder matter by degrees 'gan cease And a more pliant temper they put on As sometimes you may see flatues of stone Halfe wrought yet promising the shapes of men Such an vnperfect Worke they appear'd then What part affoorded any humid juice And was of earth turn'd to the Bodies vse And the more sollid substance of the Stones Too sollid to be wrought was chang'd to Bones The Veines still keepe their name and these are they That through the body do the bloud conuey Thus by the helpe of pow'r Diuine at last Those that the man did o're his shoulders cast Attain'd Mans figure and those which she threw Behinde her backe they both for women knew How hard our natures be may here be read For in our liues we shew whence we were bred The instabilitie and corruption of mans Heart is liuely disciphered in Iuvenals 13 Satyre Mobilis varia est ferme natura malorum Cum scoelus admittunt superest constantia c. Mouing and various is the nature still Of corrupt Men yet when they purpose ill In that th' are constant which when they haue long Practis'd they then begin to thinke what 's wrong But yet repent it not Their Natures stacke In any goodnesse bids them to looke backe Vpon their damned manners and what 's strange Remaines immutable and free from change For who hath to himselfe propos'd an end Of sinning and the high Pow'rs to offend Who of his life doth reformation seeke After the blush be once exil'd his cheeke Shew me a man through all the large extent Of the whole earth that 's with one sinne content I may conclude with Claud. lib. 2. in Eutrop. Parvae poterunt impellere causae In scoelus ad mores facilis natura reverti Now concerning the Creation of the Angels when and where they were made let vs wade no farther than to reconcile the Scriptures by the Scriptures and conferring the Text of Moses with that of the Prophet David the Truth will the more plainely manifest it selfe It is thus written in Genesis Then God said Let there be Light and there was Light To which the Psalmist alludeth Psal. 33. vers 6. By the Word of the Lord the Heauens were made and all the Host of them by the breath of his mouth Now who or what can be more properly stiled the Host of Heauen than the Angels Saint Augustine is of opinion That the Angels and incorruptible Soules were created the first day and that the Soule of Adam was created before his body like as the Angels were and afterwards breathed and infused diuinely into him For the creation of the Angels is vnderstood in the Light being at the same time made partakers of the life eternall For so also doth Rupertus expound that place in his booke of the Workes of the Holy-Ghost saying There was then no Light at all seene to be made sauing the brightnesse and illustration of the Aire But many worthy and learned Fathers haue better vnderstood the place viz. That the name of Light signified the Angelicall nature not for any similitude but for a certain truth That when Light was commanded then the Angels were created And when it is said That God separated the Light from the Darknesse by that diuision is likewise vnderstood the dreadfull and terrible iudgements of God against the Diuell and his Angels who were created good in nature but they would not continue in that excellent puritie and therefore of Angels of Light through their owne Rebellion and Pride they were made Diuels of Darknesse We reade in Ecclesiasticus Qui vivit in aeternum creavit omniae simul i. Hee that liueth for euer created all things together or at once To which Saint Basil Saint Augustine Dionys. Ambros. Reuerend Bede and Cassiodor assent saying That God created and brought forth all things together Peter Lombard syrnamed Master of the Sentences by authoritie deriued from Ecclesiasticus maketh this exposition The bodily nature and matter of the foure Elements was created with the spiritual Creatures that is to say with the Soule and the Angels who were created together To approue which he produceth the testimonie of Saint Augustine saying That by Heauen and Earth ought to be vnderstood the spirituall and corporeall Creatures created in the beginning of Time In another place of Ecclesiast it is said Prior omnium ertata est Sapientia Wisedome hath been created before all things Yet hereby is not to be vnderstood that God himselfe is meant or his Sonne Christ who is the Wisedome of the Father for God was not created at all the Sonne was begotten and therefore neither made nor created at all and the holy Trinitie is but one Wisedome Iesus the sonne of Syrach in that place by this Wisedome vnderstandeth the Angelicall Nature often termed in the Scriptures Life Wisedome and Light For the Angels are called and said to be Vnderstanding and though they were created with the Heauen and Time yet are they said to be first created by reason of their Order and Dignity being the most worthy and excellent Creatures Neither were these Angelical Powers saith he made for any need or necessitie that the Almighty God had of them but to the intent that he might be contemplated praised magnified and his liberalitie and bounty be the more aboundantly knowne throughout all generations And whereas it is written That God created all things together being elsewhere said in Genesis That he produced all those bodily Substances by pauses and distinction of dayes Dionysius Rihellus to that hath giuen
he joine the heate of Zeale with the light of Knowledge as in the Sacrifices Fire and Salt were euer coupled The fift dayes worke was of Fishes to play in the Seas and the Fowles to fly and soare towards Heauen So the fift step in a New Creature is To liue and reioyce in a sea of Troubles and fly by Prayer and Contemplation towards Heauen On the sixth day God made Man now all those things before named being performed by him Man is a new Creature They are thus like a golden Chaine concatinated into seuerall links by Saint Peter Adde to your light of Knowledge the firmament of Faith to your Faith seas of repentant Teares to your Teares the fruitfull Trees of good Workes to your good Workes the hot Sun-shine of Zeale to your Zeale the winged Fowles of Prayer and Contemplation And so Ecce omnia facta sunt nova Behold all things are made new c. Further concerning the Angels Basil Hom. sup Psal. 44. saith The Angels are subject to no change for amongst them there is neither Child Yong-man nor old but in the same state in which they were created in the beginning in that they euerlastingly remaine the substance of their proper nature being permanent in Simplicitie and Immutabilitie And againe vpon Psal. 33. There is an Angel of God assistant to euery one that beleeues in Christ vnlesse by our impious actions wee expell him from vs. For as Smoke driueth away Bees and an euill sauour expelleth Doues so our stinking and vnsauory sinnes remoue from vs the good Angell who is appointed to be the Keeper and Guardian of our life Hier. sup Mat. 13. Magna dignitas fidelium Animarum c. Great is the dignitie of faithfull Soules which euery one from his birth hath an Angell deputed for his Keeper Bernard in his Sermon super Psalm 12.19 vseth these words Woe be vnto vs if at any time the Angels by our sinnes and negligences be so prouoked that they hold vs vnworthy their presence and visitation by which they might protect vs from the old Aduersarie of Mankinde the Diuell If therefore wee hold their familiarities necessarie to our preseruations wee must beware how wee offend them but rather study to exercise our selues in such things in which they are most delighted as Sobrietie Chastitie Voluntarie Pouertie Charitie c. but aboue all things they expect from vs Peace and Veritie Againe hee saith How mercifull art thou ô Lord that thinkest vs not safe enough in our weake and slender walls but thou sendest thine Angels to be our Keepers and Guardians Isidor de Sum. Bon. It is supposed that all Nations haue Angels set ouer them to be their Rulers but it is approued That all men haue Angels to be their Directors He saith in another place By Nature they were created mutable but by Contemplation they are made immutable in Minde passible in Conception rationall in Stocke eternall in blessednesse perpetuall Greg. in Homil Novem esse Ordines Angelorum testante sacro eloquio scimus c. i. We know by the witnesse of the holy Word That there are nine degrees of Angels namely Angels Arch-Angels Vertues Potestates Principates Dominations Thrones Cherubim and Seraphim And proceedeth thus The name of Angell is a word of Office not of Nature For these holy Spirits of the Coelestiall Countrey are euer termed Spirits but cannot be alwayes called Angels for they are then onely to be stiled Angels when any message is deliuered them to be published abroad According to that of the Psalmist Qui fecit Angelos suos Spiritus Those therefore that deliuer the least things haue the title of Angels but those that are imployed in the greatest Arch-Angels for Angeli in the Greeke tongue signifieth Messengers and Arch-Angeli Chiefe Messengers And therefore they are character'd by particular names as Michael Gabriel Raphael c. We likewise reade Nazianzen thus Orat. 38. Atque ita secundi Splendores procreati sunt primi splendoris Administri c. i. So the second Splendors were procreated as the Ministers of the first Light whether of Fire quite void of matter and incorporeall or whether of some other nature comming neere vnto that matter yet my minde prompteth me to say thus much That these spirits are no way to be impelled vnto any euill but they are stil apt and ready to do any good thing whatsoeuer as alwaies shining in that first splendor wherein they were created c. The same Nazianzen Carmine de Laude Virginitatis writeth thus At talis Triadis naturae est vndique purae Ex illo puro certissima lucis origo Coetibus Angelicis mortali lumine cerni Qui nequeunt c. Such is the nature of the purest Trine In whom th' originall Light began to shine From whence the Host of Angels we deriue Such Lights as can be seene by none aliue The Seat of God and his most blessed Throne They alwayes compasse and on him alone Th' attend meere Spirits If from the Most Hy Sent through the pure aire they like Lightning fly And vndisturb'd be the winde rough or still They in a moment act their Makers Will They marry not in them 's no care exprest No griefe no troubled motions of the brest Neither are they compos'd of limbes as wee Nor dwell in houses but they all agree In a miraculous concord Euery one Is to himselfe the same for there are none Of diffrent nature of like soule like minde And equally to Gods great loue inclin'd In daughters sonnes or wiues they take no pleasure Nor are their hearts bent vpon Gold or Treasure All earthy Glories they hold vile and vaine Nor furrow they the spatious Seas for gaine Nor for the bellies sake plow they or sow Or study when to reape the fruits that grow The care of which hath vnto Mankinde brought All the mortiferous Ills that can be thought Their best and onely food is to behold God in his Light and Graces manifold Hauing discoursed sufficiently of the Creation of Angels it followeth in the next place to speake something of the forming and fashioning of Man The sixt day God created the four-footed Beasts male and female wilde and tame The same day also he made Man which day some are of opinion was the tenth day of the Calends of Aprill For it was necessarie saith Adam arch-Bishop of Vienna in his Chronicle That the second Adam sleeping in a vivifying death onely for the saluation of Mankinde should sanctifie his Spouse the Church by those Sacraments which were deriued out of his side euen vpon the selfe same day not onely of the weeke but of the moneth also wherein hee created Adam our first Father and out of his side brought forth Evah his wife that by her helpe the whole race of Mankinde might be propagated God made Man after his owne Image to the end that knowing the dignitie of his Creation he might be the rather incited to loue