the worke of the fire which doeth seethe the fleshe in the pott and giuethe no vertue to the fleshe it doeth onely seeth and prepare that which is in it euen as the Carpenter which buildeth the house to be dwelt in but he maketh not the dweler he fashoneth only the forme and the outwarde house with his signes by the whiche eache thing maie bee knowne accordyng to his forme and fation By these and such like testimonies whiche in many places yea euery where almost in his workes be found he sheweth that the Philosophie which he teacheth is agreable to y t which S. Paule teacheth y e Athenians y t God dwelleth not farre from euery one of vs so saiethe the psalmist thou arte nere vs O God and al thy commandiments are trueth The Prophet likewise saienh I am God nere at hand and not God a farre of sateth the Lorde Yet the greatâ—elle of the dâ—â—me power is not streightened in spaces or limites but is euery where as the inuisible and incorporall soule is diffused and disperâ—ed into all the members partes of the bodie and is not absent from aÌ„ny seuerall parte although it haue one priuate and principal seate in the whole bodie yet it is diffused and dispersed into the vaines fingers and other partes And if any member of the bodie be corrupte and neede to be cut of because that member beeng dead by defect hath not his proper vse that fâ—â—she which is rotten and corrupte is cut of without any detriment of the Soule euen so the invisible incorpeâ— all and immesurable God we doe vnderstande to be in this corporall cuâ—â—mscriptible world and sufâ—erith no detriment by the death or rather dissolution of any thyng therein he passe the through all thynges and ail thinges are full of him Therefore both heauen earth shew forth his glorie how is heaueÌ„ y t scate of God the earth his footestole as the Psalmist saieth But that bothe in heauen and in earth his vertue might power replenisheth al things So therfore is God the parent of al thyngs repleneshing all the worlde in the fulnesse of his vertue This kynde of Philosophie certain of the Poets before Sainct Paules tyme haue confessed as Sainct Paule saiethe for their great god Iupeter or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they cawhed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifiyng by this worde that we liue by hym for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as muche to saie as to liue Aratus also the Poet saied the waies markets gates and all thinges are Iouis Plena so saide Democritus omnia plena diis sunt all thinges are full of gods Therefore Christians ought not to attribute the vertues power and worke of God to Nature or other creatures or to dead qualities nor yet the office of life to dead thynges For this cause Selsus the hereticke is worthely reprehended for attributyng the creation and generation of one thyng out of an other as Bees out of ane Oxe Waspes out of a Horse c. to the temperature of qualities of heat cold moisture and drinesse c. and not to the workes of God For to giue life or to quicken belongeth to no creature but onely to the Diuine nature onely God quickeneth all thyngs and the spirite of God giueth life to all thinges For first there must be quod est Viuere afterwarde Vita because that Viuere is the cause of life and life is the effect of liuyng for Viuere bringeth forth life by force of Nature there must be Actor before ther be Actio for Agens begetteth Actionem wee must therefore confesse that there is a certain might and power wherby al thyngs doe liue and as it were with a liuyng spring be watered and erected into life to the ende that they may liue And because they doe liue they obteined their beyng God the Father whiche is principal Viuere and Potentia viuendi and tht Sonne whiche is Vita is that might and yower and cause of all life the fountaine and originall of liuing things the which from him that is Esse doeth giue Esse and beyng to other thynges accordyng to the power of that whiche receiueth and that moderateth the power of liuing and substance accordyngly But this cause of life doeth neuer forsake life for his inuisible thynges vz. his vertue power and prouidence doeth gouerne things visible liuyng and created otherwise without that eternall and inuisible vertue nothing can abide nor continue stedfastly in his essence beyng life for wheÌ„ that vertue of God is taken away that gouerneth and quickned the thyng visible then it liueth nor moueth any longer then hath it no beeyng longer then is it subiect to corruption therfore to giue life to liue and to maintain life beloÌ„g to the diuine nature so theÌ„ they be eternall For this cause the nature of the Elementes haue not of them selues that they cann avoyde corruption neither doe they consist of themselues but by the wordes and spirite of God If to liue and to giue life and to maintaine life be immortall and eternall of their owne nature then were thei not created neither can they suffer corruption And if at their creation thynges be inspired with life for life is the cause that thynges haue their beeyng and creation he the worke and vertue of the highest nature and of the onely God of all thynges for immittit spiritum creantur then it seemeth to be cheifly against the diuine glorie to say that God hath giuen to nature or to any thing created and subiect to corruption the office of creatyng and giuing life and to bring forth things that were not Likewise the secret operatioÌ„ and working of God giueth increase and norishment to all things and the inner power of the creator whiche filleth both heauen earth giueth forme figure and mouing to all things yea all those thnigs whiche we call natures of thyngs whiche doe worke in this sorte or that fashion do not proced outwardly nor are the workyng of creatures but are the workes of the highe God whose seecrete power perseth all thynges and causeth to be what soeuer is by any meanes For vnlesse he make it to be such or in suche sort it should be nothyng Therefore it is not lawfull to saie that those thinges that be proper to the diuine and vnspeakable Nature can naturally be in any thyng made by hym or to attribute the power of God to creatures or dead accidents vnlesse you will vnderstand naturally to be the workyng of summa natura in his creatures for this cause saieth Paracelsus the vertues of thinges be not naturall And not only in that we are begotten and liue but also in that wee moue wee haue it of the might and power of God so saieth the Psalmist thou hast put thy hand vppon me that is thou gouernest conteinest makest orderest and bearest me And if thynges liue not and haue not motum vitulem or stuendi refluendi naturam they bee
Paracelsus herein is that euery creature maie iustly bee saide to be in God because without God there is nothyng but yet they be not so in God that they be of his substance or parte of hym For it followith not that the thyng that is in an other is that thyng in which it is For wine is in the botle yet the wine is not the botle The sunn is in the glasse and the glasse in the soun yet neither of them is that y e other is Sainct Augustine teacheth by expresse wordes that euery creature is in the creator and God is in euery creature for saieth he euen as if a man were at Rome if he doe thinke vppon the whole Cittie and comprehended and included all the Cittie with all the people thereof in his mynd by immagination it may very well be saide that Rome is in his mynde and his mind is in Rome so is it truely affirmed that God is in euery creature and euery creature is in God But to goe a little nerer to the matter euen as in a little corne or grane all thynges be inuizible at one tyme whiche in processe of tyme doe appere in the stalke and eare as the roote stalke knottes or ioyntes blade eare blossom chaffe brissels and corn and nothing riseth commeth or is in the stalke or eare whiche is not deriued or desended froÌ„ the secret treasure of the corne or graine For all those thynges were first in the graine not in the huâ—ge quaintitie but by vertue and power whiche causeth all those things and hath the commyng to worke all those seuerall formes figures and thynges belongyng to the stalke and eare in iust and true order and proportion by dewe separation and diuizion as in the same graine all thynges were inuizible whiche in tyme did growe in to the stalke and eare so is it to be thought in the beginnyng when God created all thynges of nothyng he had all thynges together in hym which were made Chapter 22. Of the seperation of vizible and materiall bodies AS concerning the separation of materiall and vizible bodies Paraselsus in his booke de meteoricis axpressionibus saieth that in the beginning God created the iiii Elements of nothing by his word fiat and that nothyng was made somewhat by hym and was made into one substance and one bodie so that all thynges were included in that one vz materia prima After that he separated ech of them out of that as pleased hym wherefore God did woorke six daies vntill he had drawen out seperated and formed out of Materia prima materià s vltimas y t is to saie all creatures and had put in eche of them peculierly his proper nature condition and state and placed and ordeined hym in his place and mantion so that after that he ceased from creatyng and all places were replenished with the number of creaturs of all kinds and their Essentiis Euen as the Potter hath his earth or claie before hym in which be contained diuers formes of vesselles and instruments for he maie out of one lumpe of claye frame and fashion a thousand and more sondrye fashions of pots and vesselles Likewise the Carpenter and image maker maie forme out of one peece of timber what he list so that he knowe how to seperate from it that which is superfluous and not meete for the Image so God did drawe and seperate all creatures out of one lumpe and matter which he made of nothyng And as the earth in the winter is bare rude and baren without beautie but yet hath in it al colours as greene blewe white with all other fine and noble colours and all other things which in the spring and sommet doe appeare and come forth whiche a man woulde not beleue to be in it vnlesse he did see theÌ„ euen so all the diuersitie of bodies did proceed out of materia prima This doctrine doeth seeme to agree with that place of the holy Scripturs whiche saiethe God made the worlde de materia infromi vel inuisa And with Sainct Basill and others which affirme that there was some what before this vizible world And it auoideth certaine obiections whiche certaine heretikes did make against Gods holy worde and did aske from whom the water was vpon which the spirite of God was caried for it was not written before that God made the waters and suche like questions for the water is not so called in this place that we should thinke it to be suche as we can nowe see and touche neither was the earth which is there called voide and inuizible such as this whiche maie bee seene and handled but where it is saide in the beginnyng God made heauen and earth vnder the name of heauen and earth all creatures are signified which God made and created out of it afterwarde For prima materia was made confused and without forme out of the which all thynges were made whiche were seuerally formed And therefore it is rightly beleeued that God made all thynges of nothyng For though all thynges were made of that prima materia yet that was made of nothyng and that prima materia whiche God made of nothyng was calle Coâ—lum terra as it is saied in the beginnyng God made heauen and earth not because it was so presently but because it was so potentia for it is written that God made heauen after Euen as we maie saie of a kernell of an aple that in it bee the roote bodie bowes leues and fruites not because they be so presently but because they wilbe so after So it was saide in the beginnyng God made heauen and earth as it were the seede of heauen and earth whilest the matter of heauen and earth was therein confusedly And because it was certaine that the heauen and earth should thereof be made therefore the same matter was called the heauen and earth This is the opinion of Sainct Augustine in diuers places of his workes and in his xii book Confessionum he saieth God made this world de materia informi which he made of nothyng out of which he made all thynges which be in this world And an auncient Chimist likewise saiethe de simplici substantia primordialis cuiuslibet elemeÌ„tii elemeÌ„ta que sunt materia naturae fuerant pure creata cum diuina separatione Chapter 23. Certaine notes and cautions giuen for the better vnderstandyng of this Chimicall Peisicke THus I haue giuen thee gentle reader a taste of the dealing of Erastus aganst Paracelsus he hath stuffed fiue volummes with the â—â—ke stuffe for suche matters inâ—einyg against hym as either he is ignorant and vnskilfull in and which he doeth not vnderstand or such as he hath mistaken and for such as by hym be falsly gathered or peruersly reâ—eited or craftely handled and maliciously mangled hauyng either somethyng cut from them or some more added or racked out of their place or wrested to a wrong meanyng whiche the place giueth not or else whiche in
neither doth a Sparrowe light vpon the ground without thy good will O almightie father And all the heires of our head be numbred thou câ—riâ—st all things by the word of thy power thou art the Lorde of all flesh thou art the Lord of all spirites thou workest all things according to the decree of thy will Therefore O God graunt we may cast our care vpon thee that thou may nourish vs take thou care ouer vs touch the apple of our eye be thou our shield and brasen wall Bee thou our helper and wee care not what man may doe to vs. Giue vs a newe heart and a newe spirite as thou hast giuen vs thy Commaundements so make vs to walke in them By these and such like testimonies of thy most sacred and holy worde O good God we learne thy diuine prouidence ouer man and all other thy creatures and that thou doest not leaue nor forsake them when thou haddest made them but doest of thy most tender goodnesse gouerne not only man but also whatsoeuer thou hast created whose infinite power worketh euery thing in euery thing And thy seruaunts doe acknowledge O God that a peculiar force and vertue was giuen to euery thing at the beginning by thy worde voyce and commaundemeÌ„t which yet are in continuall force but yet the same bee but onely seconde and instrumentall causes not working of themselues not principally but depend vpon thy power and commaundement without which thou workest the same effects when thou pleasest which thou art wont to do by meanes of the second causes And all thinges which are in this world and which are seene doe not onely take their beginning from thee to bee thinges but also to haue such power and vertue and to be such maner of thinges as they are Therefore is the worlde a looking glasse in which thy wisedome is perceiued If wee ascende into heauen thou are there If we descende into hell thou art present And though thâ—se vertues and powers haue in them great strength and eâ—fâ—â—acie and thou O God 〈…〉 often tymes worke by them as thou doest by thâ—â—e Angels thy ministers which doe thy will yet are they all but the second causes and instruments of thy diuine prouidence and can doe nothing vnlesse thou bee present to gouerne the things and helpe and bring forth the effect For thou O God doest not so giue force to thinges nor doest so send thy Angels thy ministers that thou art absent thy selfe for thou reachest and touchest from end to end mightely and disposest all thinges sweetely and profitable to thy glory Therefore art thou O most mightie God the first and efficicient cause of all things For thou O God almightie father art the resting and quiet fountaine of al things that be perfect of thy selfe needing none other Thou art the first action and workest inwardly thou art the true light Thou art not onely all in each seuerall thing but all in all spiritually in power and essence so thou art euery where thou art the being first cheefe and principall liuing and parent of life hauing quiet motion in thy self and mouing thy self inwardly being not moued by motion Thou art the being and beginning of all other things Thou art silence thou art quietnesse or resting abyding in thy selfe that is secret mouing or secret action Wherefore thou art sayd as it were to sit in the Center of all thinges that bee from whence with an vniuersall eye that is with the light of thy substance by the which each thing hath his being life and knowledge thou doest beholde them thy will is the still worde Thou O Father art the beginning of being of all substaunces which from thee that is the being it selfe doest giue being power of life and substaunce to all thinges according to the power and capacitie of the receiuer All thinges dwell in thee potencially thou art the parent of all things in power Thou art omnipotent thou art all in all in those thinges whereof thou art the originall and cause in vertue and power Thou fillest heauen and earth and thy spirite hath filled the whole world yet it is in secrete that is in power For there must bee a certaine might or power wherwith all things are quickened into liuely Spirits as it were from a liuely fountaine that they may liue of that and because they do liue they obteine their being For there must be an Actor before there be action the Agent bringeth fâ—orth action Therefore thou O Father which art the principall and first liuing doest bring forth life Thou O God the Sonne by whom all thinges were made and without whom nothing is made art the fâ—ood or riuer running from the Father the fountaine thou art the light of the worlde for by reason of thee all worldly things liue Thou art the Image of the Father the word the wisedome of the father and the vertue and power of operation and working Thou O God the Sonne art the apparent and manifest motion or mouing moued by motion the actiue motion or action and actiue worde for the manifesting of the power is action which action hauing all thinges that bee in power liuing and knowledge according to motion doth bring forth and make manifest all thinges not by locall motion neither by transferring into place but by a better and diuine motion such as belongeth to the Spirite which by his owne motion doth giue life and bringeth foorth vnderstanding 〈…〉 in it selfe and not cut from the first power in the operation Thou O Christ art life hauing life in thy self appearing outwardly in quickning And because thou art life therfore thou art motion quickning al that is quickened for life is cause of motion And because thou art manifest motion comming from secrete and inwarde motion and life taking life from liuing and the principall life and beginning therefore life is begotten of liuing or principall life and thou art the Sonne of the father and by thee all thinges are made Thou art life in al things seing thou art euery where all fulnesse doth inhabite in thee corporally that is in operation substantially And because the very life had no beginning being alwaies of it selfe to it selfe of the father therfore it neuer câ—asâ—th and it is alwaies infinite and there is no life which in so much that it is life doth not pertaine to the riuer of life it giueth life breath to all thinges and in all thinges from supercelestiall thinges to coelestiall and to heauenly bodies to â—â—yall waterie and earthly thinges and to all thinges that the earth doth bring forth and to all other thinges therefore euery matter whereof the worlde consisteth is indewed with life and Christ is in the life by whose power all things doe come forth and proceede into generation and consist according to their matters and substancies to the which thou giuest such propertie and vertue as they haue Thou art the vniuersal word remayning impassible and not turning yet life is before
trueth consisting onely in God whome they knewe not and in his Christ the trueth it self whome Galene the prince of that phisicke in his workes hath blasphemed of set purpose and by expresse wordes And therefore he and the rest his folowers were sedused with the spirit of contradiction and error Yet their folowers thinke wee doe them great wrong in saying such haue not sayde nor written the trueth As though Artes and Sciences may be possessed and exercised by mans braynes and inuētions without God that made them This may well be called blasphemie Herein Plato may be sufficiēt witnesse against them saying that no man can rightly vnderstande and haue knowledge of things belonging to man if he be ignorant in things parteyning to God and doe not first know things diuine For seeing Christ is the way by the which we ought to begin proceede goe onward and to the ende in all our actions artes and Sciences we ought to walke in this way aswell to attaine knowledge health and life in this world as life in the world to come The heathen Phisitions not walking in this way must needes erre and stray not receiuing the key of wisdome which is science of GOD himselfe who giueth wisedome to the wise And seeing that all things which the Father hath be his sonnes Christes and seeing wisdome and science be the riches of God and all wisedome is of him and the power of God is wisdome and science and the working power of GOD is Christ and Christ is the trueth therefore hee that swarueth from Christ neither hath the treasures and riches of the wisdome and science of God neither is lead into the trueth by the trueth it selfe therefore hath not trueth And seeing Christ is life it selfe which is the power of life to himselfe and to al others by whome all things are made and moue and by whome life is in all things frō things celestiall to things in the heauens ayer water and earth and to all matter in the world which hath life and he is in the life and is the power of the seede of all things which become and proceede to be manifested and come to action of whom euery body brought forth by touching and coniunction doth grow and increase and by whome all thinges are one not as a heape of Corne or graine is one body onely by lying together but because all partes doe hang together and be as it were one chaine For God Christ the holy Ghost the soule Angels and all corporall things is as it were this chaine and the Father is the principall life and cause of life and al things in the world haue bèing and life of Christ the life it selfe which giueth them to all things and is in the life and all in all Who also is the light of the light that is of God which sitteth in the Center of all things that be from whence with his vniuersall eye that is with the light of his substance whereby he is their being and life doeth behold all things For from the Center all things are seene at once and alike Therfore all perswading speaches and fayre and plausible arguments hauing great shewe and colour of reason being deriued out of mans braines or corrupted or mingled with the leuen of mans inuētions swaruing from Christ or not resting in him or leauing nothing or very litle to him in whose power and gouernement all things are from whome health and life is deriued in whom all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge are hidde must needes be not onely confuse and vayne but also erronious foolish deceitfull false and counterfeit though they beare neuer so gay titles of Philosophie wisedome or phisicke Such is the Philosophie whereof S. Paule giueth vs warning Col. 3. saying beware lest there be any man that spoyle you through the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world and not after Christ for in him dwelleth al the fulnesse of the Godhed bodily Such Philosophie and phisicke hang not together in the chaine aforesaid nor yet bee illuminated from the right Center nor seene from the same but be founded vpon diuers Centers whereby their Circles doe cut one another or touch ech other therefore they doe not consist in vnion but are contrary to eche other Such Center is the Center of dualitie contrarietie and discord The originall thereof is worthely called Binari the author of diuersitie and contrarietie which alwayes maketh sedition and discord as vnitie is the band of concord For concord is the vnion of diuers appetites of those things that doe desire whereby they be of one minde Therefore euery thing in the worlde doth so long indure and abide as long as it is one but it dieth and is dissolued as soone as it sesseth and leaueth to be one Vnquietnesse beginneth in things where Meum tuum is become to be knowen in them whereof commeth griefe which is a sense or feeling that can not abide deuision or corruption Whereby it appeareth how desirous Anima which is medium inter corpus spiritum is of vnitie in his body which bendeth it selfe and striueth against that passion or griefe of his body by the which it greeueth him that his vnitie and integritie should be weakened Chapter second The originall causes of all diseases in the greate worlde and in the little worlde which is man GOD almightie the creator of al things did see the angels which he had created fall from vnitie and he made all the world to the image and similitude of vnitie wherein it did consist Also by his bountifull goodnesse and prouidence he created Microcosmum or little worlde vz. man his ternarium and last creature and substituted him in the place of his other creatures which were cast out of heauen From this one did God deriue all mankind And hee did not create the woman which should bee cowpled to man as he made him but out of him that al mankind should spring out of one to the commendation of vnitie and concord The worlde did persist in this vnion and did obserue the nature of vnitie vntill that wretched creature Binarius which fell from vnitie and made a dualitie contrarietie enuying the state of man that persisted in vnitie by captious sophisticall reason did perswade him to eate of the Apple forbidden whereby he brake vnitie and fell headlong into disobedience dualitie and contrarietie Then was he spoyled of perfection and of the health of his soule and body and purchased to himself all the filthinesse of vice infirmitie and sicknesse Also the Seedes of all things of the world which by vertue of the word of God at the beginning had receaued power of generatiō and multiplication were perfect and sound without corruption aud did persist in vnitie vntill such time as by the said counsel of Binarius man fell into disobedience and brake vnitie Whereupon by the curse of God impure Seedes were mingled with the perfect seedes and did cleaue fast
saith he when soeuer this Trismegestus Phisicke shall winne credit and furderauce that their authoritie shal fall to the ground For thei are ashamed after their doctershipp and long exercised weening practise to learne any more of Paracelsus and his folowers not withstandyng in greuious deceases they haue no knowledge either to councell or to helpe Against all whiche dezeases Theophrastus hath left to his folowers true and approued remedies After his Epistle he hath placed Paracelsus his picture and his owne by it hauyng Sentensis in lattin adioyned In the right hande of his picture he holdeth a Serpente by the brest the rest of his bodie writhing about his armes and handes Ouer the picture is the lattin of this englishe placed Questions framed vppon thy principles speakyng as it were to Paracelsus taken out of the pith of nature wee will in the light of Nature beyng from God illuminated resolue expound and wee will establishe the verities Under this picture is this sentence Sophisters alwaies writhing trimbling and shouing to heare the voyces of them whiche wisely charme them neither are wee afraied of nor make any accompt of you nor yet with their vnlearned rayling are we any thing moued standyng on the rocke of verity others there be many like wherof I wil name some as Adam Bodesten Gerardus Doru Michaell Toxites Iohannes Huerius Leonardus Turneihisserus Iosephus Quercetanus Iohannes Chrisippus Michael Neanger Theodorus Suingerus Theodorus Brickmanus D. Rochefort and Lieband Iohannes Gwinterus Andernacus And a number of others fauourers and folowers of this Arte aswell of them that haue written thereof as haue not written sence the tyme of Paraselsus Chapter 20. The true meaning of Paracelsus in dedicating his booke entituled Philosophia magna to the Athenians wherewith Erastus one of his aduersaries is so greued BEcause y e folowers of the heathnishe Phisitions doe seeke to deâ—ace this auncient tâ— Chimicall Phisicke by slaunderyng Paracelsus to whom the ignorant doe attribute the first invention thereof obiecting against him aswell heresie coniurations lacke of learnyng as also hurt and danger of mynerall medicines and obscuritie in writyng I will breefly explicate some obiections that be made against him such as maie giue some lyght to the better vnderstandyng of him And also sett downe some causes why he is not vnderstoode by reasen whereof his aduersaries run at large when vpon matters not by hym thought nor ment they persecute onely his shadowe and not him One greate fault is found with him for that he dedicated his booke intituled Philosophia magna vnto the Athenians whichr Erastus sayeth bee barberusse Tnrckes and Mahumetans His meaning herein was that all Arts and Philosophie ought of necessetie to haue their foundation in light of the holy Scriptures as expresly in the 119. leafe of that book and in the 38. leafe and in the 45. leafe and in the 48. 84 leafe of the same booke he plainly teacheth and expresseth And to be short in his book de Vermibus cap 5. he hath these words In diuinitie especially in the books of Salamon Prophets and in the new testament al Artes both naturall and supernaturall be conteined out of them we may learne them For in them is hidden the high treasure of the whole world though it be hidden from the simple men And because the originall cause of all creatures doeth prosede onely from God therefore God onely is to be sought for in him onely Arte doeth consist he onely is to bee considered of hym and his worde all Arte is to be learned Wherefore Paracelsus considering that the blindnesse among vs Christians in the true foundation of Philosophie whiche seeke it of the Heathen whiche bee onely gessers at the trueth beeyng not taught by Gods worde is as great as the ignoraunce of the Athenians was in the tyme of Sainct Paule in the true worshipping of God therefore be calleth vs Athenians And therefore he layeth the foundation of Philosophie in the light of the holy Scripture The effect of that doctrine which Saincte Paule did preache to the Athenians Acts 17. was that God made the worlde and all thinges therein c. seeyng he giueth to all life and breath and all things And hath made of one bloude all mankynd to dwell in all the face of the earth and hath assigned the tymes whiche weare ordained before and the bands of their habitation that they should seeke the Lord if so be they myght haue groped after hym and found him though doubtlesse he bee not farre from euery one of vs for in hym we liue moue and haue our beeyng as also certaine of your owne Poets haue saide c. how the doctrine of Paracelsus doeth agree with that of Saincte Paule appereth by that foloweth For in the same booke the first wordes of the same treatise be these All thinges are of God therfore the power vertue of herbes be of God The bringing forth of the Herbes is natural but the bringing forth of his vertue is not naturall For as God is not naturall neither be the vertues naturall All power and vertue is increate because God is without beginnyng increate For all vertues and power weare in God of heauen and earth when the spirite of God was carried vppon the waters euen so likewise when the heauen and earthe shall perishe all vertues shall returne to God againe because they had no beginning but the visible matter of ech thyng is increat for they were not in the begynnyng with God for he created them of nothing endued them with life and vertue Sainct Augustine in his thirde booke De trinitate hath the like doctrine saiyng virtus dei in terius operatur ista creanda againt he saieth Deus interius creans formaus Also the first words of the prologe of the same booke be these There be two sortes of influences of thinges one is of the creatures as of Heauen Spirites c. the other procedeth commeth to vs emediately from God whiche is the true influence The first is Nature it selfe and whatsoeuer God hath put in it Also in his booke de occulta Philosophia he saiteh The vertue power of God is the cause and originall of all creatures and gouerneth all things therefore we ought not to atribute and giue the power of God to cratures as the heathen do and their folowers And in the said booke dedicated to the Athenians fol. 13. he saieth the vertue and power of Stars Herbes c. be of God yea the vertue power is giueÌ„ only of God to al thinges wherfore he calleth Annimam and the secretts of Nature which be in Misteriis whereby a man is healed and suche like Magnalia dei because thei procede onely from God And the influenâ—is of God his giftes and vertues be in Arcanis and the influence and seede together bring forthe all thinges by the grace of God All vertues and power of thinges be of God onely The work of starres is like to
nothyng And that which lacketh to be some what doeth not hold and kepe his being so that truely it maie by no meanes be saied to haue being for quies bringeth forth nothing but motus agendio operatio doth frame to it felf that thing which is or in what sort it is And seing Vita is motus quidam hereof commeth beyng and that whiche is exstant and the substance Hereof it folowith that the liuely might â—â—â— and power flowyng from the worde which is life that is to say from the Sonne doeth cause the materiall thynges to be seene to haue their beyng and guieth to this beyng in eache thyng that which belongeth and is proper to it Furthermore all thynges that bee begotten or made bee made or begotten ex motu but motus ipse quo motus before it be moued is quies for it is a rule that contrarius ortus contrariorum fit ita vt contrario ortu contrariorum vnde hoc ortum est pereat as death folowith life and of deathe life riseth and of esse commeth non esse and of non esse riseth esse likewise of quies risethe motus and of motus quies Uppon this reason semeth to bee grounded that opinion whiche some doe hold that those things which seme here to dye doe passe or goe ad non eus But the trueth is that the thynges whiche seeme to dye haue their beyng For seeyng life is to haue beyng whereof riseth death death also hath his beeyng if life risethe of death likewise if of that which is is made that whiche is not of necessity that whiche is must not bee if that which is rise therof in like maner if there be ceasing or leauing of or quiet of necessatie ther must be ceasing of mouing if mouing be engeÌ„dered This semeth to be a strong argument totheÌ„ which haue not tasted true Philosophie For hereby it semeth y t by rising of the contraries the contrary doeth either dye or els is to bee thoughe not to haue beeyng but in truthe it is not so but cleare contrary For they bothe doe abide neither doe they dye concernyng their eternall vertue For in thinges vizible and materiall if there be any death it is the death of the bodie But yet to come nerer to the truth neither is there death of y e bodies in that they be materiall but there is made a dissolution in that figure and forme whiche is now by a certain departure therfore only the fashion forme of the body is dissolued But those thyngs doe remaine haue their beeyng whereof those thinges whiche shall liue â—e repaired renewed and rise For seeyng the first and principall liuyug by his omnipotencie is the cause that all thynges that be or can be haue their life beeyng and mouyng according to the capacitie of the thyngs ond substancies as they bee parted and deuioed for euery one hath his proper beeyng his owne life his proper mouing from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from Viuere Vita what can death preuaile against close vertues and powers which flowe and are deriued from that fountaine and line Therefore seeyng they be eternall whilest they â—e in the matter or substance if death doeth onely loose the composition of them and separate them asonder nothyng dieth and perisheth vtterly Wherefore it is well saied that of life commeth death because there is a dissoluyng of that bodie from the power abilitie of liuyng And likewise there is a repairyng and a renuyng from death by those guides into an other composition and thynges that is newly raised and sprong For God doeth create when by his worde he calleth things into beeyng So the Father worketh euen vntill this tyme as our sauiour saieth But the gentle reader must knowe that I doe not here speake of man that his soule after the dissolution of it from the bodie doeth passe in to another bodie For his soule is created by God therfore those thyngs can by no meanes be vnderstanded of it Chapter 21 Haw materia prima and misceria magna was the beginnyng of all things according to Paracelsus his meanyng and how al create were at one time in the increate ONe other great falt doeth Erastus finde with Paracelsus for that he saiethe that Prima materia and Misterium magnum was the beginnig of al thinges by separation Aud this misterie he saieth to be increate hereof doeth Erastus conclude that accordyng to Paracelsus creation is nothyng but seperation Though in this place and many other places of the same booke ad Athenienses he doth intreate of the influencies which proceed from God as in the first entery of the same booke he plainly confesseth and of inwarde generations fruits and of inward seperations for deepe and secrete purpose yet if Erastus had delte indifferently with hym he myght easely perceiue his meanyng in other of his workes and also in this where he findeth this horible herecie concernyng the creation of vizible bodies to bee accordyng to Gods worde For in his booke intituled Paramirum lil 1. cap. 2. he confesseth accordyng to Gods holy worde that Prima materia mundi was Fiat Aud in the same booke to the Athenians he saieth that Materia prima can net be perceined by senses Also in that booke Lib. 1. cap. primo he plainely affirmeth that the vizible matter of ech thing was create for thei were not with God at the beginning For God created them of nothing and inspired into them life and vertue c. So are we taught by Gods worde that in the beginnyng after God had created the heauens and earth the earth was rude voide and emptie that is to saie it was imperfect and vnfruitfull it brought for the no Herbes Trees nor Flowers of diuers collours â—or sweete smelles nor yet any other thyng whiche afterwarde did growe or spryng in it The heauen also at the first lacked his ornaments and so did the water The earth continued baren vntill God by vertue of the word had commaunded it to be fruitfull whereby it brought forth Herbes Trees and Plantes which haue seeds eche of them in themselues accordyng to ther kynd The firmament was emptie vntill suche tyme God the creator of al thynges had by his word made the Sunne Moone and Stars and appointed them their office duetie and propertie The water also was baren vntill the same worde had made it fruitfull of liuyng creatures in their kindes and made likewise foules in their kyndes and blessed them and gaue them commaundemeÌ„t to increase and multiplie Also God created and made catell beasts and all creping things of the earthe accordyng to their kyndes and likewise gaue them propertie to increase and multiplie For as Sainct Augustine saieth if wee consider the nature of thinges properly without Allegerye this worde increase and multiplie doethe belong to all thynges which doe grow and come of seeds These leeds saith Paracelsus haue receiued by the diuine worde