and positive nature are proved to be the immediate causes of both those alterations in the generall Element of Waters I Have made it as I imagine most plain and evident unto your understandings as well by the testimony of the antique Philosophy and infallible wisdom of holy Writ as by ocular demonstration that the common or universall matter and subject of all things was the Waters which were inacted and created by the bright Spirit of the Lord before all things Which being so and for that all Condensation and Rarefaction do regard a subject or materiall substance wherein it should be performed or effected it followeth therefore that the onely matter which doth endure or suffer the act of either of them must be water or a humid and moist nature being it is the onely substantiall stuff which filleth all the vast cavity of the world and consequently the materiall existence of which both Heaven and Earth and all things therein are framed and were originally shaped out This is therefore that main subject of Condensation and Rarefaction by the means whereof all things in this world are made to differ from one another and are disposed and ordered by God according to weight number and measure in their proper rancks and places that is they are placed in a higher or lower region according unto that dignity which the catholick or eternall Actor hath bestowed upon them in their creation The common matter therefore of incrassation and subtiliation being thus made manifest we are to finde out the universall actor or operator in this work And I did signifie unto you before that it was the sacred emanation of that divine splendour which did operate from all beginnings and doth at this present operate and shall hereafter work all that which hereafter shall be effected in the heavens above and the earth beneath which assertion of mine accordeth well with this axiom of the Apostle oftentimes and that not without a just occasion repeated by me Deus operatur omnia in omnibus God worketh all in all And David In sapientia omnia fecisti Thou hast made all things in thy wisdom And Solomon Sapientia operatur omnia Wisdom worketh all things And the Apostle in another place Christus portat omnia verbo virtutis suae Christ beareth all things by the word of his vertue And St. Peter The heavens were of old and the earth of waters and by waters consisting by the word Again St. Paul saith that Christ is in all and filleth all And in another place Christus omnia est in omnibus Christ is all and in all Now this holy spirit of wisdom is said to be omnibus mobilibus mobilior more swift and movable than any movable thing And therefore he must needs act all in all according unto his will and pleasure Again when he is pleased to withdraw his actuall beams within himself he seems to rest and the act of the creature doth cease and then death doth ensue namely cessation from the activity of life Now being he is the most agil and moovable of all things the vertue of heat doth evermore accompany the motions of his light yea and are essentially united unto the actor even as we see in the Sun which Sydrach the wise-man compareth with Divinity saying that the body is likened unto the Father the the beams or emanation unto the Sun and the active heat which issueth from them both unto the Spirit that the beam is continuate unto the body of the Sun as the emanation from the divine fountain is one individuall essence with the fountain of eternall light and the virtue issuing from the Sun and his beams is in like manner unseparable in essence from the other two even as we find that the holy Spirit which is emitted from Father and Son is one in essence with them both For this reason therefore the divine Philosopher Hermes saith Mens ab essentia Dei nequaquam divisa sed illi potius eo modo connexa quo solis corpori lumen The mentall beam is not at all divided from the essence of God but rather joyned and knit unto him after the same manner that the light is continuated unto the Sun Whereupon it is evident that the vertue of heat is essentiall unto light as the act of motion is never absent from the emanating brightnesse I conclude therefore that Rarefaction is nothing else but the dilating of water by heat which was first contracted by cold and Condensation on the other side is a contraction or sucking and drawing together of those watry parts which were dilated or dispersed by heat So that the subject of both these actions is water and the fountain as well of the privative as positive agent is the Nolunty or Volunty that is to say the negative or affirmative will of that one eternall Unity who is that all-informing and operating Spirit which acteth and accomplisheth his pleasure in all and over all by his divers organs as well angelicall as celestiall and elementary which according unto their diversity in disposition are moved by this internall act to operate in this world the will of the Creator both positively and privatively as shall be told you in the Chapter following CHAP. II. How this Divine spirit or Ruach Elohim being but one in Essence worketh both by his Angelicall and Astrall organs in this sublunary world after a four-fold manner THe Eternall spirit of wisdome who is the initiall principle of all things and in whom and by whom as the Apostle teacheth us the Angels Thrones potestates and dominations were Created doth operate by his Angelicall Organs of a contrary fortitude in the Catholick Element of the lower waters both the effect of Condensation and that of Rarefaction And to verifie this out of the holy Bible's testimony we read first that this one spirit is the arch Lord and Prince of the 4. winds or else the Prophet by the commandement of God would not have said Come O spirit from the 4. winds and make these dead Carcasses to live againe Now that this one spirit worketh in and by spirituall and Angelicall Organs in the execution which is effected by the property of the 4. winds it is proved out of the Apocalyps where we find these words I saw 4. Angels stand on the 4. Corners of the Earth holding the 4. winds of the Earth that they should not blow on the Earth neither on the Sea c. By which it is evident that these Angelicall Presidents over the 4. winds were the Ministers and Organs by and in the which the spirits or blasts of the winds were emitted or retained according unto the will of that eternall spirit which guideth them when and where he list But we find by daily observation that the essentiall vertue in the Northern spirit is cold and therefore contractive or attractive from the circumference unto the centre and by consequence a causer of congelation and condensation By
invisible waters the subtiler part whereof is the vast spirit of the aire and for this reason both Thales and Anaximenes do seem in some sort to agree in one subject And yet if we penetrate more profoundly into the businesse we shall perceive that these two did insist but upon the materiall or passive principle forasmuch as from it the substance of heaven and earth and every thing therein hath his existence or materiall beeing On the other side Zoroaster did not without reason make choice of fire for the primary beginning of all things in that it did proceed and appear in act before the waters or humid nature were made manifest no otherwise then action goeth before passion or the cause precedeth the effect And yet neverthelesse he erred in this his assertion because the active principle can in no wise rightly be considered but as it hath his relation unto a passive originall The Stoick Zeno therefore being more wary than the rest establisheth his opinion concerning the first Principle by a firmer tye or obligation saying That the substance of the fire being by the aire converted into water is the beginning of all things But Empedocâ—es would be sure to lay his grounds more surely as he vainly imagined than Zeno and for that cause did ordain the four Elements to be the radicall principles of all things whereof two of them are agents and two patients Now the main errour of these philosophers in their judgments concerning the principles was that they did not mark or consider that the divine puissance or sacred word was more ancient and of a greater Antiquity then were any of their foresaid principles the which if by a riper contemplation they had understood they would have confessed being instructed and directed by reasons produced from the eternall unity or essentiall point and beginning of all things that the divine light or sacred emanation which Scriptures entitle by the name of the holy Spirit of wisdom was the actuall beginning of all things as neverthelesse before it there was another property in one and the same sacred essence which was termed the divine puissance or potentia divina which did precede his act or emanation no otherwise than the Father in time order and being is justly said to exist before the Son or the Creator before the creature And thereupon the wise man hath it Omnium prior creata est sapientia Wisdom was created before all things And yet it is most apparent that some of the Greekish and Aegyptian Philosophers namely Plato Pythagoras Socrates Hermes c. did so instruct their understandings partly by the observation of their predecessors doctrine and partly through the experience which in their long travails and peregrinations they had gathered among the Aethiopians Aegyptians Hebrews Armenians Arabians Babylonians and Indians for over all or most of these Countries did Plato Pythagoras Hippocrates and others of them travell for the augmentation and increase of their knowledge as Historiographers that are worthy of credit have related that without doubt they did discern though afar oft and as it were in a cloud the true light in the humid nature And among the rest it is reported as also it appeareth by his works that Plato had the knowledge of the Word and had read the Books of Moses and for that reason he was called Divinus Plato the divine Plato In like manner the excellent Philosopher Hermes otherwise termed Mercurius Trismegistus expresseth plainly that he was not onely acquainted with Moses his books but also was made partaker of his mysticall and secret practise as by his Sermons which he calleth Pymander a man may plainly discern where he doth mention the three Persons in Trinity and sheweth the manner of the worlds creation with the elements thereof by the Word And therefore of all other antient Philosophers I may justly ascribe divinity unto these two But in this I cannot much commend them viz. in that they having had a view of Moses his labours which were indited by the Spirit of God did gather out and confesse the truth of his doctrine touching the principles of all things and yet would not in open tearms acknowledge their Master but altered the names of them but as Plato served his Master Moses even so was he dealt with by his schollar Aristotle who knowing that his Masters three Mosaicall Principles of all things masked under strange titles were but truth would neverthelesse arrogate his doctrine unto himself and for that cause did alter the assumed names of Plato's principles gilding them over with new denominations and did afterward rear up upon them a spurious philosophicall structure carved and framed out after his own inventions which may be therefore rightly compared unto a house of straw or stubble which though it be erected upon a firm rock or foundation yet because their stuff is Heterogeniall unto the truth and evilly compacted it will not endure a storm no not the least blast of truth but will easily be destroyed and cast down Thus may every good Christian discern how each of the Ethnick Philosophers have stolen their principles from Moses his grounds stolen I say because they expresse them under covert names without any acknowledgment of their Master which did arrogate his doctrine and learning unto the Spirit of God which did teach him it and did practically express the grounds thereof in the apparition which God made upon the Mount Sina For upon the grounds of these three Principles the true mysticall Philosophers or Theosophers did pronounce that as well the externall Law of Moses as the internall of Jesus Christ was erected which was not discovered or discerned by Aristotle how cunning soever he maketh himself which if it had been so he would not without all doubt have founded or built upon the true Corner-stone I mean the eternall Wisdome a bastard Philosophy which did differ in shape and essence from the true Foundation And although he was taught in some sort by his diviner Master yet was he as it doth appeare all together ignorant of the centrall truth thereof wherefore it was but a folly in him who is so vainly magnified for the Prince of Philosophers to make a privation where there was no precedent position or information being there was a Chaos before any thing else was created But it was no marvel being that he surmised the world and all things or Species thereof to be eternall that is to say without beginning and end which if it had been true indeed he then had said but rightly that the dark Abysse or Chaos in respect of its beeing without form was a Privation of some Act or form in an actuall pre-existent matter But that this is false the whole concurrent of the Scriptures do confirm being that it is said that God created the world of matter without form and that the heavens and the earth were first of waters and by waters and consisting by the word of God And that
sanctus quem mittet Pater ille vos docebit omnia suggeret vobis omnia quaecunque dixero vobis The holy Spirit which my Father sendeth even he shall teach you all things whatsoever I shall say unto you Now that this spirit is that eternall wisdome which effecteth and exciteth this Rhetoricall and Oratoricall function the scriptures testifie in other places Sapientia saith Solomon aperuit os mutorum linguas infantum fecit diserias Wisdome hath opened the mouth of the dumb and hath made the tongues of children eloquent And the Sonne of Syrach Sapiens aperiet os suum in oratione The wiseman will open his mouth in an oration And again Tanquam imbres mittet eloquia Sapientia Sapientis et in oratione confitebitur Domino The wisdome of the wiseman will send forth her eloquence like a showre and in his oration or speech will confesse to the Lord. I could expresse many other examples out of holy Writ to confirme this more amply namely that all Rhetoricall eloquence is from this good spirit of wisdome but for brevities cause I will passe them over that I may proceed unto the Mechanick Arts and prove unto you that their inventions did originally proceed from the doctrine of this good Spirit though fouly commaculated by the succession of time through the scarrs of Envy and Ignorance As concerning Mechanick arts we find that the invention and shaping forth or making of Garments was derived from the instruction of this spirit Loquêris cunctis Sapientibus corde saith Jehovah to Moses quos replevi spiritu Sapientiae ut faciant vestes Aaron in quibus Sanctificatus ministret mihi Thou shalt speak unto all the wise in heart whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdome to make habilements for Aaron in the which he being sanctified may minister unto me Also all the inventions of Goldsmiths works and of the Jewellers artifice and Carpenters with the Sculpters of wood did proceed from this fountaine of knowledge and therefore Jehova saith unto Moses Ecce vocavi Beseleel implevi eum cum spiritu Dei sapientia intelligentia et Scientia in omni opere ad excogitandum quicquid fabrefieri potest ex auro argento aere marmore et Gemmis diversitate Lignorum Dedique eâ— socium Ooliab in corde omnis eruditi posui Sapientiam ut faciant cuncta quae praecepi tibi Behold I have called Beseleel and I have filled him with the spirit of God with wisdome understanding and Science in every work to invent and find out every thing that may be fashioned out of Gold Silver and Brasse of Marble pretious stones and variety of woods and I have given him for a companion Ooliab and in the heart of every wiseman I have infused wisdome that they may effect what I have commanded them By which words it is evident that the beginning of every true Mechanick Art is this spirit of God in whose only power it is to teach a man all things but this is confirmed else where more plainly Moses said unto the children of Israel Ecce vocaverit dominus Beseleel implevitque eum spiritu Dei Sapientia et intelligentia et Scientia et omni Doctrina ad excogitandum faciendum opus in auro argento aere ferro sculpendisque lapidibus opere carpentario Quicquid fabrè adinveniri potest dedit in corde ejus Ooliab quoque Ambos erudivit sapientia ut facian opera Abietarii Polymitarii ac Plumarii de hyacintho purpura coccoque bis tincto bysso texant omnia c. Behold the Lord hath called Beseleel and hath filled him with the Spirit of God with wisdom with understanding and with science or knowledge and with all manner of doctrine or skill to invent and make work in gold in silver in brasse and iron and in graving of stones and in the carpenters work of carving Whatsoever can be invented in workmanship hath he put into his heart and into that of Ooliab his companion He hath instructed both of them by wisdom to do the works belonging unto the Carpentâ—â—s art and unto embroidery and weaving and needle-work in blew silk and in purple and in scarlet and in fine linnex even to do all manner of works and subtle inventions c. Moreover by wisdom Noa fuit in Arcae structura instructus Noah was instructed in the building of the Arke And therefore the text hath it Sanavit Sapientia terram per contemptibile lignum justum gubernans Wisdom restored the earth guiding the just man by a contemptible peece of word By it the Art of Musick was revealed unto Juball For the words are Jubal fuit Pater Canentium Citharâ Organo He was the Father or beginner of playing on the Harpe and Organ And Jubal-Cain was the Inventor of iron and brass works For it is said Ipse fuit malleator faber in cuncta opera aeris ferri He was a Smith or hammerman being cunning in all works of brass and Iron Again Ada Jubal was Father of them who dwelled in Tents and Prince of Shepheards To conclude there is no true Mechanick work but had its originall from this Spirit in whom only and in nothing else is the gift of teaching all things I come now to the morall and politick Arts which do arise from this radicall Spirit All Morall Discipline also hath her root and beginning from this holy Spirit of Discipline as by the whole file of Scriptures we are taught And it was the essentiall voice of this Spirit which did teach the Christian world by the mouth of Christ Jesus to embrace and follow goodnesse and to eschew evill I will not say much therefore touching this point but will only in few words speak unto our purpose with the Wisemans mouth Sapientiâ servat semitas justitiae vias sanctorum custodiens Wisdome doth observe the paths of Justice keeping the ways of the Saints Per eam intelliges justitiam judicium aequitatem omnem semitam bonam si intraverit cor tuum consilium custodiet te Prudentia servabit te Per eam eruêris à viamala Te custodiet à muliere ex tranea By wisdome Saith Salomon thou shalt understand justice and judgement equity and every good and straight way If she shall enter into thy heart she will save and preserve thee with prudency By her thou shalt be drawn from the evill way she will preserve thee from the strange woman Also Sapientiae docet temperantiam prudentiam justitiam fortitudinem quibus utilius nihil in vita hominibus Wisdome teacheth temperance prudence justice fortitude than the which nothing is more profitable unto the life of man In another place Sapientiae est consilium aequitas prudentia fortitudo Counsell justice prudence and fortidtue is of wisdome Where is expressed the four Cardinall-vertues which are the pillars of
seeing that in him we live move and have our being as Paul saith we should by consequence and that without all question dispute or brabling-quarrels know and understand in our selves that summum bonum which truly-wise men seek after and with Tantalus his appetite do so fervently affect Doth not the Philosophy of Christ teach us that Regnum Dei sit intra nos The Kingdome of God is within us Et quod sit in nobis omnium mirabâ—lium operator And that the worker of all marvails is within us Et quod sumus Tempâ—a Dei Spiritùs Sancti And that we are the Temples of God and the Holy Ghost and that we are the members of Christ c. Which being so why should we be at strife disputes and brables about difficulties or ambiguities of questions or why should our riper senses be battered in peeces by foolish distinctions in which are the inventions of humane or diabolicall wisdome on set purpose to immerge and drown us deeper in the abysse of multitude or profundity of ignorance when the only indeavour of truth is to conduct us through those clouds of errors in which the foolish wisdome of this world hath involved our understandings unto the fountain of Unity and Concord which is the eternall Wisdome the spirituall Christ Jesus Thus we see how contrary the Greekish wisdome is unto that of the Apostle's for as much as the Greekish Philosophy is contentious litigious full of disputes brables and emulations for which reason it is pronounced by St. James to be terrene animall diabolicall and not from above whereas contrarywise that Philosophy which is grounded on the true wisdome which is from above must be first pure then peaceable gentle easy to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without judging envy or hypocrisy For this cause therefore our Christian Philosopher Paul admonisheth his Schollar Timothy to eschew all profane and vaine babling and opposition of Sciences falsly so called which whilst some profess they have erred concerning the Faith All such Christians as have their Anchor-hold too firmly fastned on Aristotles Philosophy should seriously ponder this that our eminent Master St. Paul seemeth to advertise them with such fervency that the observation of this Ethnick Philosophy which consisteth in contentions questions vaine bablings and opposition of Sciences which seeme such but are not so indeed though they are called so falsely is the occasion that well-intending Christians have been deceived and have erred concerning the Faith in the true Wisdome and only verity Jesus Christ. Again saith the Apostle James The wisdome which contradicteth the Truth is not from above but terrene animal diabolicall Now I am assured that all good Christians will maintain that the fountain of Truth and Verity is the holy Bible What will our Christian followers of Aristotle say if I will prove evidently that Aristotle's doctrine doth erre from the maine grounds of holy Writ which is the treasure of Verity and consequently from that wisdome which is the Father of Light It is a common phrase among our lip-learned Sophisters to say when any contradiction is found between some axioms of Greekish Philosophy and the sacred Assertion Oh this is true in Philosophy but in Scripture it is found otherwise I say to these that if there be found any contradiction between the points of the one and that of the other there is a foul error and falshood or contradiction in the one or other and therefore the one of the two must needs issue from a terrene and diabolicall or mundan and human wisdome Now judge each good Christian whether we should rather stick unto Gods Word which is the only Truth or the affirmation of Aristotle which deriveth his wisdome from the father of lyes I mean the mundan wisdom which is for that reason termed of the Apostle diabolicall or devilish Others say that men are so deeply conversant in the secrets of nature or naturall Philolosophy that they are become Athiests and will acknowledg no God They must needs understand of the Ethnick Philosophy and not point at that of Jesus Christ for that leadeth and directeth the understanding spirit of man even unto the Throne and Majesty of the true God and perswades him to forsake the multitude of this naughty world to betake and contract it self unto that blessed union from whence his bright Spirit was originally derived A third sort of men seem to repine and storm that any man should presume to mingle naturall Philosophy with Divinity or should dare or attempt to draw any axioms or Authorities out of Scriptures to prove or maintain the Principles or causes of Philosophy averring boldly but erroniously that the Bible doth onely teach unto man what belongeth unto Salvation that is to say how we should feare God and behave our selves unto our neighbours As who should say that the holy Scriptures had indited any thing in vain And yet it is plainly found in them that all the treasure of wisdome and science doth lie hid in Christ. And it is said in another place A me discetis omnia Ye shall learn all things of me And again Spiritus Sanctus vos docebit omnia The holy Spirit will teach you all things Are we not likewise taught that all men are vain that do not know the Creator by the creatures which he hath made and the invisible God by the visible things which he hath created Besides all this man shall find therein most lively described the three principles whereby God made all things namely the dark Abysse or Chaos which they call first-matter the second matter which they term water and the first Act or light which they call their form Also the true manner of generation of Meteors of condensation and rarefaction of generation and corruption of action and passion and of all things else which can be imagined in that kind of learning which the Aristotelians call naturall is rightly and not Sophistically expressed in this true Philosophy as also every other kind either Morall or Politick with all other Sciences both liberall and Mechanick as is already prooved What was all this I say vainly set down and expressed by the Saints of God which were in their inditings or writings guided by the Holy Spirit of Truth No verily but rather we may excuse these zealous accusers without true understanding and say that they meant of intermingling the false Aristotelian wisdom with that of the Spirit of God which is onely truth for would these persons but rightly understand that Philosophia in his originall sense importeth sophiam or wisdom they would acknowledge and confesse that the true and essentiall philosophy or sophia is nothing else but the sacred wisdom or holy spirit of discipline which is the ground of not onely that which animal men of this world tearm Naturall Philosophy but also of the whole subject of Theology So that if we consider the case rightly we shall plainly perceive
in natura causae proferri pâ—ssiâ—t tamen prodest videre quousque humanaratio progredi pâ—ssit Sacrae quidem literae dicut Deum ventos producere de thesauris suis unâ—â— ipsorum â—latus and 〈◊〉 sed unde venâ—um aut quo vadunt nescimus Although the whole disputation concerning the Winds as also touching the other 〈◊〉 be full of the marvells of God of the cause whereof there can be rendâ—ed no sufficient reason in nature yet it will be necessary to enquire into the cause of them so far as 〈◊〉 reason wilâ— permâ—t The holy Scriptures say that God doth produce the winds out of his treasury from whence we hear the noise of their breath but aâ—e ignorant of the place from whence they come and whither they will Again on the other side Margarita Philosophia a work I say that hath been highly esteemed of the Peripateticks themselves by reason of the Aristotelicall suck or sap that it containeth besides an epitomy of many other Arts after a strict search made into the nature of Thunder in the Physicks of her Master Aristotle and being put as it were to a nonplus through the want of skill which it observed in her Master to reveal such a secret which none is able really to effect but by the true wisdom for by it Solomon confessed That he knew the force or power of the winds and mutations of the elements And Job That it is the divine wisdom which giveth weight unto the aire and ordaineâ—h statutes unto the rain and maketh way unto the lightnings of the thunders That Philosophy I say so much respected of the Peripateticks is found in conclusion to utter these words Quidam philosophorum saith it considerantes mirabilem fulminis operationem ipsum non opus naturae sed summ Dei effectum immediatum arbitrati sunt Some of the philosophers considerâ—ng the marvellous operation of the lightning and thunder did imagine it to be no work of nature but the immediate effect of the highest God Again touching the beginning and originall of Fountains Johannes Velcurius who hath spent much time and labour in the Peripatetick doctrine and writ a Commentary upon Aristotles physicks groweth somewhat cold in his confidence which he had in his Master's doctrine concerning the true cause of fountaines which issue out of the earth Non consentiunt plane saith he Sacrae literae cum Physicis de ortu fontium et fluminum quae ex mari per varios alveos meatusque fluere ac ad suos fontes restuere Ecclesiastes 1. testatuâ— dicens Omnia flumina intrant in mare mare non redundat ad locum unde exeunt flumina revertuntur ut iterum fluant Coeterum Aristoteles et Physici Peripatetici dicunt materiam istorum esse pariter vaporem resolutum in aquam liquefactum à frigore calore simul intra terram The holy scriptures do not consent with the Naturalists concerning the originall of fountains and rivers which do come out of the Sea through divers Channells or passages and flow or runne againe into their fountaines as Ecclesiastes 1. dâ—th testifie saying all Rivers do go into the Sea and the Sea is not the fuller And they return again unto the place from whence they came that they might flow from thence again But Aristotle and his Peripatetick Schollars affirm that the matter or substance of them is a vapour resolved into water and melted or liquified by cold and heat together wâ—thin the earth Thus judicious Reader you may discern out of the confession of Aristotle's own pupills how contradictory and opposite is the mind of their Master in his philosophy unto the wisdom of holy Writ and therefore mark the sentence that the Apostle pronounceth against it The wisdom saith he which contradâ—cteth the truth is not from above nameâ—y from the Father of light but terrene animal and diabolicall And the other Apostle speaketh thus If any man preach otherwise then that ye have received let him be accursed Now that this Prince of Peripateticks is most erroneous and averse unto the opinion of the holy Scriptures touching the generation or primary cause of Meteors I will most lively and at large demonstrate unto you in the last Book of this present Treatise where I will prove him a deceiver of the Christian world by such prestigious things as seem probable but in verity and by effect will prove nothing else in respect of the fruits which the true wisdom doth bring forth but deceit vain fallacy and an apparent kind of jugling which being rightly pondered it may seem very strange to such judicious persons as are unpartiall that the Christian world should be deluded thus long yea and in these latter daies with such Peripateticall figments and fables and be so addicted unto Aristotle's idle shadowes since that in conclusion they appear without true substance and reality Nay it may seem strange indeed unto every wise or understanding man that such as are devoted unto Christian zeal should all this while forsake the main fountain of wisdom and verity to seek of Pagans and Gentiles arts science and understanding as did the Agarens of whom the Prophet maketh mention and those which were in Theman who for that errour of theirs never attained unto the knowledge of true wisdom Of this main folly of Christians in future ages and of these our latter ages me-thinks the Apostle doth seem to prophesy in these words Erit tempus cum sanam doctrinam non sustinebunt sed ad sua desideria coacervaebunt sibi magistros prurientes auribus à veritate quidem auditum averient ad fabulas autem convertentur The time will come that they will not endure wholsome doctrine but having their ears itching after their own lusts get them a company of teachers or masters and shall turn their ears from the truth and shall be given unto fables Where he understandeth by a company of masters all erroneous teachers and especially the sputious Philosophers namely of the Epicureall Stoicall and Peripateticall doctrine which as they are framed out after the imaginations traditions and inventions of men and according unto the elements of this world and not after the true wisdom which is Christ Jesus are esteemed as foolishnesse vanity and fabulous before God and his Saints And therefore the Apostle in the foresaid speech doth point at such Christians in future ages as will leave the true wisdom or doctrine of Christ the Prophets and the Apostles and betake themselves to false Masters and such Philosophy which contradicteth the truth Again the said excellent and sacred Philosopher foretelleth that there will be many in future ages so puffed up in their own conceipts that they will contemn and scorn all counsell be it never so good if it be any way dissonant from their grounded opinion His words are these In novâ—ssimis diebus saith he instabunt tempora periculosa erunt homines seipsos amantes
the Originall or primary womb from whence the waters were extracted which were the materiall stuff whereof all things were framed was this dark and deformed Abysse or Chaos and therefore had the beginning of their formall being from the Father of all-informing and vivifying light and essence But that we may directly shew unto you the egregious theft of the foresaid Philosophers from Moses his Principles That Principle which Moses termed darknesse the darke Abysse or potentiall Principle Aristotle doth call his Materia prima or first matter which he averreth to be something in puissance or potentially only because it is not as yet reduced into act Again he seemeth to term it privation but falsly being that no position did precede it On the other side Plato calleth it Hyle which is esteemed to be nothing forasmuch as it is invisible and without form Also he compareth it to a dark body in respect of the soul and spirit As for Hermes he intitleth it by the name of umbra horrenda or fearfull shadow Pythagoras maketh it his Symbolicall Unity From in this its estate it hath relation unto nothing else but it self which is mere Unity and consequently it acquireth not so much as the name of a Father because it doth not by an emanation respect or attempt the production of a Son Hippocrates will have it named a deformed Chaos or an universally troubled mass without form or shape Again as touching the first inacted passive Principle or the primary passive matter out of which all things were carved That which Moses called waters Aristotle doth intitle by the name of Second matter forasmuch as it was begotten and derived out of the bowels of the first-matter or Chaos or dark abysse which also Plato termeth the Spirit and Hermes the humid nature Hippocrates with Anaximenes the vast and universall aire of this world Pythagoras pointeth at it Symbolically by the number of duality which is the mark of imperfection for it argueth thereby the imperfect estate of matter being destitute of the formall character of Unity which maketh three and therefore the ternary number is esteemed amongst the wisest Philosophers for the root of all perfect numbers To conclude that vivifying and animating Principle which Moses called light proceeding from the Spirit of the Lord Aristotle maketh his formall beginning Plato the act or soul of the world Pythagoras delineates it by the number of three and Hippocrates calleth it that immortall heat the which when all things were troubled in the beginning by contention did sore up unto that upper region which the Ancients do call the Aether or Heaven Is not this therefore a notable kind of Robbery amongst the choisest Ethnick Philophers thus fasly to ascribe and attribute the Principles and Doctrine unto themselves which were revealed by God's Spirit unto the wise Prophet Moses and that of pupose to make themselves great and eminent not only in the eies of the Gentiles but also by subtill allurements or false and fading suggestions laid on those foundations to distract Christian men from the Truth And yet as for Plato and Hermes I must excuse them being that they do both of them acknowledg in express terms with Moses that the matter or substance wherof the heavens and the earth were made was a humid nature and the internall form or act which did dispose of it into diversity of figures or forms was the divine Word as you may find most plainly expressed in Plato's works and in the Pimander of Hermes or Mercurius Trismegistus But amongst all the rest Aristotle hath sored highest upon the wings of his own conceited imaginations and built the structure of his worldly wisdome upon the typicall form of the Mosaicall grounds thinking thereby to assume and purchase unto himself in the regard of this world the name of an absolutely wiseman though in the conclusion he appeareth far otherwise in the eyes of God for as much as he doth assigne particular essentiall actions which appertain really unto God unto the creatures with more obstinacy then the rest affirming that they operate essentially of and by themselves when in Verity it is only God that operateth all and in all and that immediatly as the Apostle Paul doth intimate unto us And this is the reason that they give not unto God the only Creator the glory of every action in this world as they ought to do but rather to a created nature and unto Angels and Stars and Elements and compounded creatures which were made and are still sustained and maintained by the all-creating Spirit or word of the Almighty And this is the originall occasion of the multiplicity of Idolatry which hath and doth hitherto raigne in this world namely of the worshipping of the Sun Moon and starres of sacrifices offered unto Idols or false Gods and deceiving Devils of the Veneration of Isis and Osiris of the adoration of Saturne Jupiter Mars Venus and Mercury of the immolations or offerings unto Caelum Vesta Ceres Proserpina Vulcan Pluto and Neptune with many other errours and absurdities whereby ignorant men are rather seduced from the knowledg of the true God than any way induced unto the understanding of him rightly And this very same Doctrine relying on the invention of man hath been the occasion that the world hath erred concerning the divine Word and through blindness have not perceived the operations and properties of the holy Spirit in the creatures yea verily it hath been the occasion why some of our Christian Philosophers themselves have neglected the research of Gods Actions in his creatures as well visible as invisible they are I say so wedded unto the Aristotelian Philosophy that they do voluntarily avert their eies from the true and certain Science of the Meteorologicall Science revealed by the Scriptures which are the fountains of Wisdome to follow the uncertain and scarce-probable doctrine of their Ethnick-Master touching that admirable subject And this is the reason that they will not acknowledg any true Meteorologicall Philosophy to be taught by the Spirit of Wisdome in the said holy Book but only matters belonging to the health and salvation of man when indeed it is most evident that whole pages or leaves as well of the books of Moses Job Psalms and the Prophets as many places of the New Testament are full of that subject All which is expressed in the book of the true Wisdome that thereby we may admire the wonderous works which the Creator hath from the beginning effected and daily doth produce in this lower world to witness his eternall power in his creatures But leaving all allaterall discourses I will proceed now unto our main Subject which concerneth the true Mosaicall Principles with their effect CHAP. II. What were the Mosaicall Principles or beginnings in generall How they were produced and extracted out of Nothing Then what is meant by that word Nothing And lastly the first Principle which is the dark Abysse or Chaos without form is particulaerly described THe
mover in the winds is the essentiall inspiration or breath proceeding immediatly from God Afflatu narium tuarum coacervatae sunt aquae flavisti vento tuo operuit eos mare The waters were gathered together in a heap by the breath of thy nostrils Thou didst blow with thy wind and the Sea did cover them And Job Flante Deo concrescit gelu When God bloweth from the North the yce is made Also that the winds are Divinely animated with a perfect life and intelligence it is made evident by the four Angels which are president over the four winds and that universall Spirit which was called from the four winds to breathe life into the dead carcasses of which we will speak forthwith And yet for all this the Ethnick Prince of our Philosophers will not blush forsooth to say that the winde is a some-thing meerly accidentall and that it hath his motion onely from externall principles and not from that centrall and internall agent which is the actor and operator of and in all things and consequently it could not blow or breathe where it listeth nor yet to hear the voice of the Lord when it was commanded to come from the four winds He according unto his fancy saith that this his figment is extracted out of the earth when Scriptures say that it is the most lively and agil creature of God which he bringeth out of the heavens that are his treasure-house for in this both the Prophets Jeremy and David do consent But in this member of his definition he concludeth that the laterall motion of the winde is caused through that resistance and impediment which is made by such exhalations as ascend O poor argument of so mighty a Philosopher as if such a ventall motion as that is from the north unto the south and so forth could be so certain and direct in his course being guided by so uncertain an agent as is an accidentall striving and contention made between ascending and descending fumes I beseech you tell me my quaint Peripateticks what manner of exhalation did rise out of the earth and shoulder or shove and resist one another in that emission of Spirit which happened when the Prophet said A quatuor ventis adveni Spiritus Come from the four winds O spirit me-thinks that I see the Christian pages or disciples of Aristotle to be clean mute and destitute of tongues to answer and if they should say that it was a miraculous winde and not a naturall I answer that I know no more efficient causes in nature or out of nature but onely one and therefore it is said in the production of Meteors namely in the common course of this world nature God bloweth from the north God produceth by his breath frost snow ice God thundereth from heaven God melteth the thick clouds into rain God sends lightning from his throne and coles of fire out of his mouth God maketh the dark clouds his hiding place God commeth from the south in thunder The voice of the Lord maketh the cedars of mount Libanus to stoop and the hinds to miscarry of their young ones God is a consuming fire Who can stand or resist the cold of God and so forth in many places more as well of the new as old Testament And to conclude that God operateth all in all and that he vivifieth all c. But our Peripateticall Philosophers come with their School-tricks and idle distinctions and say 'T is true indeed that he is causa efficiens principalls but there are many secondary and subalternate causes in nature which do act of themselves I say Plain dealing is a jewell and truth being one simple essence hateth double dealing let us imitate her in plainnesse and simplicity in understanding which we cannot attain unto unlesse we abstract our minds from the subtle multiplicity of worldly Philosophy and vain fallacy of which St. Paul biddeth us to beware for in multitude lurketh an infinity of errours but in unity consisteth that unique verity which is true wisdom Why then should we distract mens thoughts from the simple sense of Scripture by a multiplicity of distinctions which seem to wrest it like a nose of wax a hundred waies Scriptures say Of him by him and in him are all things The holy spirit of wisdom filleth the world The incorruptible Spirit is in all things Christ filleth every thing He vivifieth all things He operateth all in all He giveth life and inspiration and all things All things are from the Father by our Lord Jesus Christ. All things are in Christ and by Christ as well visible as invisible and he in all things He beareth and sustaineth all things by the word of his vertue God is the Father of all who is above all and in all And an infinite of other testimonies of Scriptures which confirm the divine essence to be all in all and to act all things universally without exception And yet our Peripateticks will perswade us that the creatures actions are divided from the act of God so that they do and can act of themselves through an active vertue given unto them by God but not now of God which assertion of theirs were it true indeed I will shew you how great an absurdity will follow namely that there must consequently be a division made in the divine essence which axiom true divinity will never admit for Athanasius his Creed doth teach us that it is sancta individua Trinitas the holy and undivided Trinity and therefore what act the creature hath received is not divided from the Giver neither is there any such need being the Giver of that formall vertue is by reason of that gift ever present and not divided from the gift and consequently acteth all in all and that immediately And for that cause it is rightly said by the divine Philosopher Hermes to be the center of all things whose circumference is every where so that it is in all but not as a part of any thing but as a composer of all parts and a container of them Wherefore let it suffice our Peripateticks that the creatures are onely organicall causes in which one onely catholick Spirit worketh and operateth according unto the variety of his property which is annexed unto his will and therefore he onely worketh in them and by them according unto his will and that immediately and absolutely and this is that which the Apostle intendeth when he saith Deus operatur omnia in omnibus God worketh all in all But to return unto my purpose How deaf and surd had this invocation of the wise Solomon been if the essence and life of the winds had been no other then that which is set forth by Aristotle Evigila saith he Aquilo veni Auster perflahortum meum Awake north-wind and come thou O south-wind and blow upon my garden To conclude if the winds had been procreated after Aristotle's invention or imagination whence cometh it that each winde is
of unitie's Nolunty and sometimes affecting and imitating the action and property of light which floweth from the eternall and all-acting fountain of unity And this is the vertuous effect of the sacred Volunty For it seemed unto the Author that by reason that the whole world was composed of these two contrary properties namely of formall light and the humid dark matter it must needs follow that the catholick soul or generall vivifying spirit thereof and consequently every particular essence or formall existence which is derived from that catholick soul no otherwise than beams from the Sun must be obnoxious subject unto opposite passions and alterations From hence therefore springeth that originall love or hatred which is known to be between the good Angels and the evill Spirits from hence do issue all those assiduall mutations and alterations which happen in the aetheriall sublunary heavens namely by reason of the cross variety of the starry influence From hence proceed those oppositions and contrary effects which are expired or breathed forth from the winds From hence are derived the discord and concord of the Elements with the diversity of natures in the meteorologicall Impressions From hence do flow the multiplicity of affections the opposition of dispositions the passion of spirits and in a word the sympathy and antipathy which is observed to be between all creatures as well simple as compound be they animal vegetable or mineral The Author therefore concludeth upon these grounds that it is but just and reasonable to consent unto the opinions of the two notable and famous Philosophers Heraclitus and Empedocles touching this point whereof the first hath exposed it as an infallible Maxim Quod omnia fiant per litem amicitiam That all things are made and composed of strife and friendship that is to say Of hatred and love The last hath pronounced it for an oracle of truth Quod ex quatuor elementis ex amicitia lite composita sit anima That the soul is composed of four elements and of peace or concord and contention or discord signifying thereby that contrary disposition which is between the watry spirit and the bright mentall beam in regard of their originall For by litem or strife he argueth as well the spirituall contention as the corporall in respect of that contrary puissance and hability which is between the formall light and dark matter both in regard of the body in the act of corruption when the soul would part from it and in the antipatheticall or irascible passion in respect of the soul in which the spirit laboureth and suffereth unnaturally In these opinions of the fore-said Philosophers they seem not to vary from that of the son of Syrach speaking thus Gemina sunt omnia quorum alterum est contrarium alteri nec quicquam factum est quod mancum sit All things are of a double nature the one of them contrary to the other and yet there is nothing made which is defective CHAP. I. In this Chapter it is demonstrated that God is that pure and catholick Unity the which includeth and comprehendeth in it self all multiplicity AS there is no man be he never so highly exalted in the sphear of Mathematicall perfection or profoundly dived into the mysticall bowells of the abstrusest Arithmetick that can with the quick eye-sight of his ripest understanding observe or discry any thing either by order or antiquity to challenge justly unto its self a place or ranâ—k before Unity and for this reason the wisest Philosophers do ingenuously confesse that it is the onely principle or root of all number and multitude so also ought each person of judgment to acknowledge that this radicall Identity as it is considered in its pure and absolute nature and condition cannot be limited by any quantitative dimension nor yet included or comprehended by any member nor divided into distinct portions nor yet defined by any substantiall quiddity or entity And hereupon it hath been judiciously concluded by wise men that Unity is the most antique and radicall principle of all others forasmuch as it comprehendeth in it self all substances quantities and qualities no otherwise than the Geometricall prick or point being considered in its naked simplicity is observed to be indivisible and scarcely to be perceived yea verily and as it were nothing to be determined and yet nevertheless the prick or point is evidently known to be the infallible beginning not onely of every Geometricall line but also of all other continuated Mathematicall dimensions whatsoever seeing that it comprehendeth all magnitudes and is not comprehended of any These two principles of all dimensions whatsoever since that they in order rank and antiquity do precede and excell all others did the expert Mathematicians invent after the typicall imitation or image of the most internall centrall and abstruse point of Divinity or divinest and brightest Unity remaining in that very estate in which it stood before the creation of the world namely when it reserved it self within it self and remained occult and hidden from all potentiall creatures which it was pleased afterward by the revealing of it self or emission of its vivifying light to inact and make manifest for its abode in its simple and absolute nature of unity without having any respect or consideration to things which it would create So that in this manner of this Unitie's being and existence it could not be esteemed for God forasmuch as hitherto it had not produced any creature by the which it might be adored or acknowledged for God neither could it rightly be stiled or termed a Father For it did not appear to have thought on any Son or issue either Archetypicall and ideall or typicall and mundane neither could it be reputed for the Summum bonum or higheâ—t goodness being that the defoâ—med matter or dark Chaos or rather Hyle did not as yet taste of that his bright and all-inacting blessing which was concealed and hidden in its potentiall darkness and obscurity which was therefore void of all form neither could it be intitled fair forasmuch as it did not hitherto impart his beauty for the decoration or inacting of any creature noâ— could it rightly be said to be eternity being that in this manner of his occultation within its self it seemed unto humane capacity not to exist at all and consequently not to have any reference or commerce with either eternity or aeviality or temporality moreover it could not assume or challenge unto it self the name of principle because it had no relation as yet unto any thing that did spring or issue from any beginning To conclude the nature of this simple Monadicall existence was before all created so occult and obsâ—ure unto mortalls apprehension in its order and antiquity so unknown yea and so inscrutable and incomprehensible in its essence that it could not any way be conâ—luded to be either substance or quantity or quality but rather was conceived to be a certain transcendent entity or
axioms of the Scriptures Ex ipso per ipsum in ipso sunt omnia Of him by him and in him are all things Omnia sunt ex Deo All things are of God Uuns Pater omnium qui super omnes per omnia in omnibus nobis There is one Father of all who is above all and through all and in all of us Omniaper ipsum in ipso creata sunt ipse est anteomâ—es omnia in ipso constant All things are created by him and in him and he is before all and all consist in him Ipse est omnia in omnibus He is all and in all things And the Son of Syrach Diximus multa nec tamenea assequuâ—i sumus Summa dictorum est Ipsum esse omnia We have said many things without attaining unto them the Sum of all our words is that he is all tâ—ings By the which axioms we may easily gather that God did beget bring forth make and create nothing which was not eternally of himself and in himself so that from him all things did flow and spring namely out of a secret and hidden nature to a revealed and manifest condition from an unknown estate unto an evident and known existence from a pure Archetypicall simplicity into a real type or similittude from a radicall fountain into a Sea and from a meer point into a circle or circumference verifying that saying of the wise Philosopher God is the center of every thing whose circumference is no where to be found that is in all and beyond all To confirm all this we may boldly and without offence infer thus much namely that every thing that is begotten principiated created produced or separated doth radically proceed from one that is unbegotten infinite not made or created noâ— separated but onely one Unity individuall in his essence For it is an easy matter to consider that every inferior thing doth issue from a superior every corporall thing from a spirituall every visible thing from an invisible every temporall thing namely which hath both a beginning and an end from a thing that is aeviall that is to say which hath a beginning but no end and every aeviall thing from an eternall thing to wit that which hath neither beginning nor end and therefore that eternall point or brightest Unity which hath no beginning and consequently no end is the fountain from the which all aeviall and temporall things do essentially proceed no otherwise then all numbers do flow from Unity and are comprehended in Unity For how far soever the number doth extend it self evermore it hath an unity to begin it and an unity to conclude it and in verity it hath nothing bendes an unity to create and compose it within But for your better instruction you may observe by a diligent insight into the cossicall numbers how the Divine and Centrally formall Unity doth comprehend all creatures as well before they were made as since their creation in its self For we must note that there is nothing in the world but it is either a root or a square or a cube or some other such like figure which is framed and composed of these The root doth represent the beginning of all cossicall proportions or magnitudes the Square doth decipher the simple and spirituall principiated figure which is created or made by the multipliâ—ation of that root the cube is composed through the augmenting of that square or principiated shape in its root so that we may discern that the whole cubick body and consequently the square is conteined in the root and in conclusion is nothing else then the root multiplied in it self or from it self But that my demonstrations may yet approach a little nearer unto our purpose let us I pray you with diligence consider the nature and property of this Divine Monady or Unity as it is in its simple and sincere existence and then we shall find it and that without any egression from his own punctuall or centrall profundity to comprehend complicitly within it self the three foresaid cossicall Dimensions and consequently all other things which it hath now by Creation explicitly made evident in this typicall world and that is proved easily by this Arithmeticall demonstration For if we shall multiply an unity as a root in it self it will produce but it self namely an unity for a square the which being again remultiplicated in its self will bring forth a cube which is all one with the root or square to wit a simple unity Whereby it is evident that though we have here three various branches which seem to differ in their formall progression I mean a Root a Square and Cube yet in the essentiall verity and reality there is but this one Unity or Indentity in the which all things remaine potentially and that after a most abstruse manner And for this reason the Wiseman saith Deo omnia sunt cogniâ—a antequam crearentur All things were known unto God before they were created And Esdrâ—s Dei potentia ante omnia creata finis initium omnium est The Puissance of God which was before all creatures was the beginning and end of all things And unto this purpose Hermâ—s saith Ex uno principio cunâ—ta dependent principium ex uno solo principium movetur ut rursus extet principium ipsum tamen unum prâ—stat nec recedit ab unitate All things depend of one principle or beginning that is on one sole Unity and this principle or beginning is moved that it may again become a principle and yet nevertheless it is but one thing onely that doth effect it not departing from the nature of Unity And to this sense saith St. John In principio â—rat verbum In the beginning was the word The which word affirmeth thus much Ego Pater unum sumus Pater in me ego in Patre Pater in me manâ—us ipse facit omnia I and my Father am one my Father in me and I in my Father and my Father in me is he that maketh all things Even unto this very purpose seemeth the wise Hermes to concurre with the Scriptures in the shaping out of the Archetypicall world after whose Image this our typicall world is created and therefore he termeth it elsewhere the visible Son of God Monas saith he generat Monadem in seipsum reflexit ardorem One bâ—gat one and reflected the Ardor and vertue of his emanation into it self that is it shined into it self to the shaping out of an Ideal world and was not as yet conversant about the framing out of any typicall one Whereby it is evident that nothing is really figured in this world which was not ideally fashioned out in the archetype or eternall one But lest some captious person should except against these places in Scripture and else-where cited by me touching this very point and alledge as some of them have already done that these mine opinions are