it's own nature made it selfe passable for his feet The Earth knew him which shooke and trembled at his Passion The Sun knew him who hid his face and withdrew his beames from beholding so execrable an obiect The Stones and Buildings knew him who split and rent themselues asunder The Graue and Hell knew him the one by yeelding vp the Dead the other by witnessing his descension Thus according to my weake Talent Crassa Minerva I haue spoke something generally of those three Religions still continued in the world As for the differences betwixt our Church and the Church of Rome I must needs confesse my weaknesse no way able to reconcile them or determin betwixt them and therefore I leaue that to those of greater knowledge and iudgement But as touching Iudaisme and Mahumetisme I conclude with an Epigram transferred out of the Greeke tongue into the Latine and by me thus paraphrased Pinxisti pulchrae super Phaâ—tonta tabella Altera Deucalion picta tabella tua est c. A Painter on one table figured had Yong Phaetâ—â— as he the guidance had Of the Sunnes Chariot In another stood Dencalion as hauing scap'd the Flood These hauing done he call'd an Artist forth And ask'd him what he thought these two were worth Who after he had both considered well Answer'd What they be worth I cannot tell But if what they be worthy you desire To know th' one Water the other 's worthy Fire The Emblem IT representeth a man amongst rockes and concaue mountains speaking softly vnto himselfe when the Woods and Groues are silent but when he eleuateth his voice into a loud clamor the Echo with a re-doubled sound resulteth vpon him According with that of Saint Bernard Quando fidelis humilis fervens oratio fuerit Coelum hand dubie penetrabit vnde certum est quod vacua redire non potest i. Where thy Prayer is humble faithfull and feruent it doubtlesse pierceth the heauen from whence most certaine it is that it cannot returne empty As also that in the Apostle Saint Iames vers 16. Acknowledge your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed for the prayer of a righteous man availeth much if it be fervent And Luke 11.9 And I say vnto you Aske and it shall be giuen vnto you seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto youâ— for euery one that asketh receiueth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened According to the Psalmist Clâ—â—â—verunt Iusti Dominus exandivit eos The Motto to this Emblem is Ora dâ—bitur Vpon which the Composer thus writes Intensis opus est clamoribus vt sonet echo Dum strepâ—â— exigno murmure nympha silet Nympha tacet tacitis sed surgat ad athera clamor Mox responsa tibi vel geminata dabit Vota quid effundis summis innata labellis Ad tepidas Coeli non patet Aula preces Tende lat us clamore Deus responsa remittet Hic pia mens hic vox fervida pondus habent ¶ Thus paraphrased Onely loud clamors make the Echo speake Whisper to her and silence shee 'l not breake Shee 's to the Mute mute let thy voice sound hye And thou shalt heare her doubly make reply Why with close muttering lips then do'st thou pray Thy luke-warme words to heav'n can make no way But stretch thy lungs in clamor and God then Will answer and re-answer thee agen An excellent Morall from the same Emblem may be collected to this purpose Vbi percontator ibi est garrulus Agreeing with that of Seneca Alium silere cum volis prius sile i. When thou desirest that another man should be silent hold thou thy peace And Phocion saith Silence is a gift without perill and a treasure without enemies And Salust Silence is more safe than speech especially when our enemies are our auditors And of women it is said They are much more apt to conceiue children than conceale secrets But of men Archimides saith He beareth his misery best who hideth it most Non vnquam tacuisse nocet nocet esse loquitum i. Of silence it hath neuer repented me but of speech often And Lactantius informeth vs concerning the vertue of silence That as the Viper is torne asunder when shee produceth her yong so secrets proceeding from their mouthes which are not able to conceale them are for the most part the vtter ruin of those which reueale them According to that of the Poet Quaerit aquas in aquis poma fugantia captat Tantalus hoc illi garrula lingua dedit Tantalus his punishment in hell for his too much loquacity was To be thirsty in the midst of water and hungry where there was plenty of Fruits Nature hath afforded vs double eyes and eares to behold all objects and to listen vnto all voices and sounds but to warne vs that we should be sparing in our speech shee hath afforded man but one tongue and that portall'd with lips and percullis'd with teeth neere to which are placed all the fiue Sences to signifie vnto vs That we ought to speake nothing rashly without their connsell and aduice with the helpe of the faculties of the Soule which are Reason and Vnderstanding which haue their residence in the braine Vpon the like occasion you may reade Iacobus Catsius speaking thus Muta sub obscuris habitaret vallibus echo Ni foret alterius garrulitate loquax Illa silet quoties presso silet ore viator Discit à populo praetereunte loqui Ora loquax premeret nisi percontator adesset Hoc duce tentat opus livida lingua suum Probra creat qui multa rogat qui commodat aurem Turpia sinistris furta receptor alit ¶ Thus paraphrased Dumbe would the Echo in darke Vallies lye Did not the prating Traueller passe by Let him be silent and she talke forbeares For nothing she relates but what she heares Did no man aske no answer she would make And neuer spoke to any but that spake Who lists to bad things may be thought a Chiefe For Where is no Receiuer there 's no Theefe A Meditation vpon the former Tractate I. IF I into my Selfe turne not mine Eyes Not possible that I my Selfe should know Or if I looke within Me then I show So foule and monstrous I my Selfe despise II. Because I nothing can praise-worthy finde But rather subiect vnto reprehension There Vice with Vertue are at loud contention And hath the conquest both of Heart and Minde III. The more my Conscience I examine still The more corrupt it to my Sence appeares So stain'd so spotted that not all my Teares Can wash it cleane from the least thought of Ill. IV. From the first houre that I began to sin I haue gon on without the least cessation Neglecting all the meanes of my saluation Nor ending yet where I did first begin V. How horrid my Offenres be I know And how dis-tastefull in
Euen that doth him and only him obey If he please from the dull or fertile Earth Or Floures or Weeds spring Fruitfulnesse or Dearth If he please into Rocks hee 'l water poure Which like the thirsty Earth they shall deuoure Or from the dry stones he can water spout The wildernesse of Seas the world throughout Submits to him At his Imperious will The rough and blustring Winds are calme and still The Flouds obey him Dragons he can slaue And make th' Hyrcanian Tygres cease to raue He is in the most soueraigne place instated He sees and knowes all things he hath created Nor wonder if he know our births and ends Who measures Arctos how far it extends And what the Winters Boreas limits are What to this Deity may we compare Who doth dispose as well the Spade as Crowne Teaching the counsels both of Sword and Gowne For with inuisible Ministers he traces The world and spies therein all hidden places Of Alexander Aristotle thus writes It is not numb'red 'mongst his chiefe delights That he o're many Kings hath domination But That he holds the gods in adoration Who iustly on their proud contemners lower But vnto such as praise them they giue power The Times of old AEneas did admire Because he brought his gods through sword and fire When Troy was sackt and burnt for that one pietie They held him after death worthy a Dietie Pompilius for his reuerence to them done An honor from his people likewise wone He raign'd in peace and as some writers say Had conference with the Nymph Egeria For him who knew the gods how to intreat And truly serue no honor was too great But the gods Hater impious and prophane Mezentius was in battell rudely slaine And Capaneus after that he had Assaulted Thebes wall which the gods forbad Euen in the midst of all his glory fell And by a bolt from Heauen was strooke to Hell The great Epirus Arcades King we find For spoiling Neptunes Temple was strook blind And the Duke Brennus after many an act Of strange remarke as proud Rome hauing sackt And conquering Delphos yet because he dar'd To rob that Church Apollo would haue spar'd The god strooke him with madnesse who straight drew His warlike sword with which himselfe he slew The Temple of Tolossa in their pride Great Scipio's souldiers spoil'd and after dy'de All miserably And Alexander's when They Ceres Church would haue surpriz'd euen then Fell lightning from the skies which soon destroy'd All in that sacrilegious Act imployd Religion from the first of Time hath bin Howeuer blended with idolatrous sin Temples Synagogues Altars and Oblations Lustrations Sacrifices Expiations Howe're their zeale with many errors mixt None but vpon some god his mind hath fixt The Lybians Cretans and Idaeans they Had Ioue in adoration None bare sway Amongst the Argiues in Miceane but she That shares with Ioue imperiall soueraignty Iuno The Thebans honor'd Hercules They of Boetia the three Charites Th' AEgyptians Isis figured like a Cow The Thebans and the Arabes all bow To Bacchus Bimater the god of Wine Iönia Rhodes and Delphos held diuine Apollo solely Cyprus and Paphos boast Their Venus as amongst them honor'd most Th' Athenians and AEtolians celebrate Minerua Vnto Vulcan dedicate The Imbrians and the Lemnians all their vowes Fertile Sicilia no goddesse knowes Saue Proserpine Th' Elaeans Pluto make Their Soueraigne And the Boëtians take The Muses for their Guardiens All that dwell Neere to the Hellespont thinke none t' excell Saue Priapus In Rhodes Saturn hath praise Osyris aboue all th' AEgyptians raise The Latians and the warlike Thraciaus run To Mars his Shrine the Scythians to the Sun All the inhabitants of Delphos Isle Pray That Latona on their coasts will smile 'Mongst the Lacones Neptune sacred is And through all Asia powerfull Nemesis The Attici haue in high estimation Fortune Th' Eleusians haue in adoration Ceres The Phrygians Cybel Cupid Those That dwell at Colchos Th' Arcades haue chose Aristaeus Diana those of Ephesus The Epidaurians AEsculapius c. So many gods and goddesses did comber The Nations of the earth as that their number In iust account if Hesiod speake true Vnto no lesse than thirty thousand grew As touching Auguries and their abuse In the precedent Times in frequent vse To proue that study to be meerly vain Homer hath made great Hector thus complain The winged Birds thou bid'st me to obey But how they take their course or to which way I nor regard nor care whether their flight Be made vpon the left hand or the right Most requisit it is that I be swaide By the great thundring Ioues high will and wade No farther He hath empire ouer all And whom he list supporteth or makes thrall That 's the best Bird to me and flies most true Bids For my Countrey fight my Foes subdue E're further I proceed 't were not amisse If I resolue you what an Idol is And where they had beginning I haue read Of one Syrophanes in AEgypt bred Who as he nobly could himselfe deriue So was he rich and by all means did striue Like an indulgent Father with great care To make his sonne of all his Fortunes heire And when he had accumulated more Than all his Neighbours in his height of store And fulnesse of aboundance as his pride Was to leaue one t' inherit his Son dy'de And with him all his comfort because then He gone he thought himselfe the poor'st of men In this great sorrow which as oft we see Doth seeke for solace from necessitie He caus'd his statue to be carv'd in stone S'exactly made vnto the life that none But would haue took it for the childe agreeing So neere to him it was when he had being But the sad Father thinking to restraine That flux of teares which hourely pour'd amaine Downe his moist cheeks the course he tooke to cease it Presented him fresh matter to increase it Ignorant That to helpe the woe begon There is no cure like to Obliuion So far it was his moist eyes to keepe dry As that of teares it gaue him new supply And this we may from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borrow The word to vs implying Cause of sorrow Whilest there this new made Image had abode The Seruants made of it their houshold god Some would bring fresh floures and before it strow Others left they in duty might seem slow Crowne it with wreathes and garlands others burne Incense to soothe their Lord who still did mourne And such as had offended him would fly Vnto that place as to a Sanctuary And after pardon seuerall gifts present As if that had been the sole Instrument Of their deliuery By which 't may appeare 'T was not Loues effect but th' effect of Feare To which Petronius seemes t'allude when he Obliquely taxing all Idolatry saith That throughout the
fingers shine with gold and gemmes But when thou shalt look vpon any such vaine person hold him not for a Priest but rather a Bride-groome And in a third Epistle to Heliodore he vseth these words They are richer being Monkes than when they were secular men They possesse wealth vnder Christ who was alwayes poore which they enioyed not vnder the Diuell who was euer rich The Church supporteth them in wealth whom the World confined to beggerie Therefore saith Lactantius Firmianus Heauenly Religion consisteth not of earthy or corrupt things but of the vertues of the Minde which are solely aimed at Diuine Contemplations For that onely may be called True Worship when the heart and minde meet together to offer vnto God an immaculate offering for whosoeuer confineth himselfe to be a true Sectarie of the Coelestiall Precept may attaine vnto the name of a true and sincere Worshipper being such an one whose Sacrifices are the humblenesse of minde the innocence of life and the goodnesse of action And that man so often offereth vp vnto God an acceptable Sacrifice as he doth any good and pious worke Diogenes feasting in a Temple when stale and mouldy bread was brought before him he not onely rejected it but in great anger rose from the table and cast it out of doores saying That nothing which was base and for did should bee brought into any place where ought sacred was offered vnto the gods We likewise reade of Alexander the Great when in a solemne Sacrifice to Iupiter he offered Incense with both hands at once he was thus reprehended by Leonides for so doing O King when thou hast conquered and subdued those Countries and Kingdoms whence these sacred Fumes and Odors are brought then it will become thee to vse such prodigalitie and waste but till then it shall not be amisse if thou shewest thy selfe more sparing In processe Alexander being victorious ouer Saba and calling to minde what had before passed betwixt him and Leonides he writ vnto him in these words We haue sent vnto thee Myrrhe and Frankincense in aboundance to the intent ô Leonides that hereafter thou be no more so sparing toward the gods Christians need not be ashamed to make vse of these examples from the Ethnicks And as concerning all such Hipocrites who onely sloathfully and coldly tender their religious seruice you may reade in Anthol sacr Iacob Billij as followeth Munera dant gemini fratres at munus Abelis Excipitur munus spernitur alterius Two gifts are to God offred by two Brothers The one 's accepted and despis'd the others Cain with an euill heart that which was vile Tendred to his Creator and the while Kept to himselfe the best of all his store Him such resemble who giue God no more Than needs they must do by some others motion Worshipping more for fashion than deuotion These men as in their actions you may note Seeme to loue God whilest on the World they dote What the Religion of the Iewes is who hath not read And what that of the Mahometans is who but with great terrour and detestation can almost endure to heare First therefore concerning our Christian Religion I shall quote you some passages and places cited by diuers Ethnyck Authors and those learned and approued After the Birth Life Doctrine and Passion of the Sauiour of the World there were three opinions of him I omit the Euangelists and Apostles whose Scriptures and Miracles are vnquestionable and proceed to others Of the first were those that sincerely and vnfeignedly professed Christ and his Gospell many of which gaue apparant testimonie of the Truth some by their blessed Martyrdome others by their Writings and among these were Dionysius Areopagita Tertullian Lactantius Firmianus Eusebius Paulus Orosius c. Others there were which violently opposed the former of which number were Porphyrius Iulian Apostata Vincentius Celsus Africanus Lucian c. Against whom wrot very learnedly Cyprian Origen Saint Augustine and others The third were such as either for seruile feare or worldly preferment durst not or would not openly professe themselues to be Christians or howsoeuer they were such in their hearts yet to temporise with their Superiors and Gouernors if at any time discourse was had of those whom they called the New Sect they would mangle Christs Miracles cauill at his Doctrine and mis-interpret the Scriptures to their owne fancies Notwithstanding which and that they laboured to abolish and exterminate the Profession yet which way soeuer they aimed their words or their works somthing still might be gathered from them by which their malice was easily discouered and the lustre of the Truth more apparantly discerned Such Power hath the Word of God For example Iosophus Ben Gorion not onely a Iew by Linage but in his Religion vseth these words At the same time saith he liued Iesus a wise man if it be lawfull to terme him a man because indeed he did wonderfull things and was a Master and Doctor vnto all such as made enquirie after the Truth He was followed by great troupes and multitudes both of Iewes and Gentiles and hee was Christ and although he was afterwards accused by the principall men of our Faith and crucified yet he was not abandoned of those who formerly followed him but three dayes after his death he appeared aliue vnto them according as the holy Scriptures had foretold and prophecied concerning him And euen in these our dayes the doctrine of Christ and the name of Christian is dispersed through the World And this was that Iosephus who was present at the destruction of Ierusalem and wrot the whole Historie thereof Pontius Pilat who gaue sentence against the Sauiour of the World reported so largely of his innocuous Life Doctrine and Miracles to the Emperor Tiberius that he consulted with the Senat to know whether they would admit of this Iesus Christ to be their God and though they did not assent vnto the motion yet hee gaue expresse commandement that none of that Profession should suffer persecution or injurie To this let me adde the excellent Epistle of Publius Lentulus the Roman Proconsul in which the person of our Sauior is most accurately described The very words being faithfully interpreted which he sent to the Senat and people of Rome during his abode in Ierusalem according to Eutropius There appeared in these our times and hee is yet to be seene a Man of great vertue by the name of Iesus Christ who is called by the Nations A Prophet of the Truth by his Disciples stiled The Sonne of God who raiseth the Dead and healeth all Infirmities and Diseases A Man of a middle stature vpright and begetting admiration of a venerable aspect whom his beholders may easily both loue and feare his haires of a Chestnut colour full ripe plaine and smooth to his eares and from thence neat somewhat crisped and shining in their flowing from his shoulders diuiding themselues aboue in the middle according