deteined in his body by art The least accidents do sever her from it a vapour doth suffocate her she is choaked with a little flegme and blood which is the seat of life is oft-time the cause of death whithersoever so miserable a creature doth convey himself she receives there new proofs of his weaknesse the change of climates troubles his health a new air incommodiates him cold water hurts his stomake the Sun which lights him scorcheth him and whatsoever is cause of good unto him is cause of Evil. In the State of innocencie grace linkt the Soul to the body death unseconded by sin could not break the chains the elements durst not assail him originall righteousnesse made them observe respect they appeased their differences lest they might trouble mans temper fire agreed with water to preserve his health there was as profound a peace in his person as in his state but since he forewent his duty grace abandoned his body to sin the elements had liberty given them to war one upon another man became the scene of their combates and after once he revolted from God he saw all creatures take up arms against him sorrow death set upon him he was sentenced to live in pain die in sorrow For the sweetest life bears it's punishment with it There is no rose which is not grafted upon a thousand thornes and how handsome soever the chains be which link the soule and body together they are both of them equally exposed to suffering The soule is more capable of sadnesse than of joy though she display her selfe to receive in pleasure yet doth she never taste it purely she weeps amidst her contentments she expresseth her joy by sighs and as if she were not accustomed to great happinesses she seems to suffer when she receives them Though she shut the doore upon sorrow yet suffers she her selfe to be easily siezed on by it though she resist it she cannot withstand it and as if nature had made her more sensible of misery than of happinesse a small displeasure is able to make her forget all her former contentments The body is not more fortunate than the soule for it hath not many parts which can tast delight but it hath not any one which is not capable of pain Pleasures do enter-shock and always leave some of our senses in languishment or need pains agree in their assailing us and though they should not come in a crowd one alone is sufficient to make it selfe be felt by all the parts of the body their straight union makes their mischiefes common and if the head suffer the tongue complains the eyes weep and the heart groanes Thus the happiest life is miserable and that moment passeth not wherein we are not inforced to bewail our innocency to condemn our sin Death comes in to the aid of pain and by an ingenious peece of cruelty agrees with life to augment our miserie For though they appear to be enemies they joyn in our punishment and joyn with Gods Justice to revenge God we live and die daily the change which makes us subsist is deaths taster this cruell one siezeth on us by degrees all the time we have lived is already gotten by him and the years which we hope to make use of are so many titles which he produceth against us As soon as we begin to live we begin to die Death shares with us in all the moments of our life it takes unto it selfe what is past because that is certain and leaves to us only what is to come because that is uncertain So as by a strange mis-fortune the increase of our life is the diminution thereof The farther we grow from our birth the nearer we grow to death our purchases are meer losses m and things are so disposed of since sin as we cannot count our years without either flattering our selves or lying T is perhaps for this reason that the Hebrew that holy language which the blessed shall make use of in heaven imployes but one and the same word to expresse both life and death with the difference of one only point to teach us that death and life are divided onely by that moment which unites them In effect life is nothing but a brittle chaine consisting of three links the past the present and the future the past is no more we retain but a weak remembrance of it all the vows we can make will not fetch it backe it is not void of doubt whether Gods absolute power which finds no resistance amongst his creatures can gather together the present with that which is past and unite these differences of times without destroying their essence The future time is not as yet hope which expects it cannot advance it and wisdom which hath an eye unto it cannot dissipate the obscurity thereof it is lesse at our disposall then the time that is past and for all the vain conjectures which we may flatter our selves withall we know not whether it shall come to us or we shall go to it the present time to say truth is in our power we are masters of it and it is the onely thing which we can say we possesse t is the onely part of our life which we are assured of and who promiseth himself more is either ignorant or impious But this present time is but a moment and this difference of time hath no parts time past time to come comprehend whole ages but the present consists but in an instant so as death and life differ only in a point these two which we judge so contrary are intertained by that moment which doth separate them Though I honour this imagination by reason of the gallantry therof and that respect which I bear to the Hebrew Tongue obliege me to reverence it yet me thinks it doth not sufficiently expresse the miseries of life whose alliance with death is neerer then is thereby represented death subsists only by life and life is only preserved by death they commence end together as soon as a man begins to live he begins to die nature which very well knows that two moments never subsist together Commands death to hurry away the one to leave to life the other that ensues As she doth with moments and houres so doth she with those years whereof the degrees of our life are composed She makes our infancie die to give life to our Boyish age she takes away a childe to substitute a man and robs us of our youth to make old age succeede Thus if we advance in life t is by the favour of death and we enjoy our last years by the losse of the former who will not praise death since it makes us live and who will not blame life since it makes us die who will not confesse that sin is very cruell since it accords these two enemies to our undoing and that for our punishment it hath turned a happy and immortall life into an
our senses and to content our minds The curious discover therein every day new beauties to satisfie themselves 't is a book which never wearies those that read it Every creature is a character which represents some one of it's Authors perfections and Infidels instructed in this school have framed unto themselves noble Ideas of the divine Essence In effect the spaciousnesse of the Heavens which serves for bounds to nature and which inclose all the works thereof in their extent do point out unto us Gods immensity who comprehends whatsoever he produceth and incloseth within his essence whatsoever he by his power doth draw from thence The earths solidity which serves for center to all the world and which grounded upon it's own weight cannot be shaken by storms nor winds is an Embleme of Gods stability who causeth all the alterations in the world without any change in himself and who by an unalterable act of his will rules all the adventures of our life The Suns light is a shadow of his and the prodigious activity of this glorious constellation which produceth metals in the bowels of the earth flowers and fruits in the fields clouds and meteors in the air and which by it's influences doth rule over all the productions of nature is the picture of that infinite power which shed abroad in all his creatures doth act with them and accommodate it self to their inclinations The incensed sea big with storms the waves whereof rise up unto the heavens and descend unto the depths her fury which threatens ships with wracking and the neighbouring fields with deluge is a fearfull draught of Gods anger who prepares torments for sinners and makes himself be dreaded by rebels who would not love his goodnesse In fine every creature is a looking-glasse wherein a man see the Lineaments of his Creator and where with but a grain of grace all rationall men may become faithfull So prodigious is the mightinesse of this work as 6000 years have not been sufficient to discover it avarice nor ambition have not been able to finde out the ends thereof there are yet whole Countries whether by reason of the extreamity of cold and the Seas vast extent no man ever yet came There are unknown desarts which mans curiosity hath not been able to penetrate and the Sun enlightens some part of the earth whereon no Conquerour ever yet set his foot Those who have gone round the world have not discovered it's profundity and though they be vainly perswaded that there is nothing so great which their understanding cannot comprehend yet are they bound to confesse that there be havens whereinto they never put and savage people whose language nor manners they understand not There is none but God alone who knows the greatnesse of his work every age discovers unto us our ignorance And though the earth be but a point yet doth it consist of so many parts as we may with reason doubt if what we know not thereof do not exceed for bulk and beauty it 's known parts That new world which our fore-fathers knew not is richer and of larger extent then ours It is so ravishing as it makes whole Nations quit their own Countries to conquer it the wealth thereof gives the law to all Europe the latter Kings of Spain have made more conquests with the gold thereof then all their Predâ—ssours have fought battels with the iron of their Mines Their overcoming of this part of the world hath made them overcome the rest their victories depend only upon it And did not the Indians dig up the entrails of Perve the Spaniards would not trouble the Peace of Europe 'T is true that these Provinces are so far distant from the Center of their State and the Sea which brings them the wealth thereof is so treacherous as they run hazard of being undone as oft as the Indian Fleet is in danger of shipwrack And Polititians are of opinion that so great a body the parts whereof are divided by so many seas can be of no long durance it only appertains to God to govern in a State the Provinces whereof though never so far distant are yet always united to their Sovereign and which though scituated in different Climates are still enlightened by the same Sun The beautifulnesse of this Kingdom is answerable to it's greatnesse nothing is therein to be seen which hurts the senses all the pieces whereof it is composed are pleasing their difference makes a part of it's beauty and the wit of man which is naturally criticall can finde nothing in this work to be found fault with Every part is so well placed as they are not to be altered without some disorder The Elements are lodged according to their deserts the earth as the heaviest makes the lowest story the fire as the lightest is nearest heaven the aire and water whose qualities have some resemblance are seated above the earth and beneath the fire The noblest of these Elements is the most barren it is so active as it will not permit any creatures to live in it The Salamander doth for a while resist it's heat and till his moisture which doth preserve him be dried up he delights in the fire but if he tarry long there his pleasure turns to pain and he there findes his death The aire whose purity comes nearest that of the fire is the abode of birds they cut this liquid Element with their wings they make new paths in those spacious Champians they therein breath with freedom and till man found out the art to kill them with his arrows they laughed at his Empire Their wings are oares which guide through this sea their taile is their rudder and when the storm is so great as they fear being born away by the fury thereof they take up stones in their feet and defend themselves against the Tempest Though they live at liberty they acknowledge a King which title the eagle hath won be it whether for that she flies highest or for that he can look fixedly on the Sun or for that he defends his subjects from birds of prey which appear to be the Tyrants of this part of the world The Sea abounds more in fishes then the aire doth in birds Their number is as prodigious as their shapes the species is there by miracle preserved and Naturalists who boast to know all things know not in what part of the fish her fecundity doth lie The Elements which give them their life being almost always in agitation war is there more frequent then peace and the abode of these Monsters is the picture of a State divided by Civill war Right consists there either in force or fraud the greater eat up the lesse and if the weak ones want nimblenesse to defend themselves they become a prey to the more puissant The Whale which doth for greatnesse equall mountains doth not govern in this Empire this great Colossus wants spirit to inanimate his
body Nature which hath made him so vast hath made him so dull that he needs another fish to guide him he would fall foul upon the sands did not his faithfull Officer keep him aloofe from the shore and this inanimated Rock would bruise himself against the earth did not this guide advertise him of his danger to recompence his guide for so good an office he lends him his throat for a place of retreat and this living gulf serves for a Sanctuary to this faithfull guide The Dolphin is the Sovereign of the Sea he carries the Ensignes of his power in the noblest part of his body and Nature which hath given him dexterity to command hath placed a Crown upon his head to put a difference between him and his subjects he naturally loves man and as if he knew that he likewise were a Sovereign he helps him at the sea who commands upon earth he is delighted with musick though he be dumb he is not deafe and the love he bears to musick hath made him oft-times assist Musicians in shipwrack The earth is no lesse peopled then is the sea this fruitfull mother is never weary of bringing forth children nor of nourishing them all the parts thereof are fertill Desarts which produce Monsters produce food likewise to nourish them Forrests serve for retreats to wilde beasts the fields receive such as are necessary for mans entertainment and Towns afford shelter to such as we have reclaimed made tame either for our service or pastime every species is preserved by multiplying it selfe Nature repaires the havock made by death And notwithstanding the cruelty which men use towards those harmlesse beasts their number is not diminished Excesse in feasting cannot drain either the earth or sea these two Elements abound more in fruitfulnesse then we do in gluttonies and notwithstanding any debauches made yet at any time in any Countrey the fields were never depopulated Though man be the Sovereign of all the world he is much more absolute in the earth than either in the water or aire He rules over fishes and birds only by art and since they dwell in Elements which are not conformable to his nature he must use violence upon himself before he can fight against them He gets oâ— shipboard trusts himself to the perfidiousnesse of the sea to surprize fish He cannot come up to birds because of their swiftnesse his minde could never yet raise his earthly body to pursue them in the aire He sends bullets where he himself cannot go and putting division between these innocent creatures either by industry or deceit he makes the Gerfaulcon flie at the Heron. But he can do what he will with beasts he sets upon the fiercest of them in their Forts their dens nor thickets cannot defend them from his violence He reclaimes some to make use of them he strips others to clothe himselfe and cuts the throats of others to feed on This absolute power impedes not the beasts from having Sovereigns amongst themselves The Lion hath won this honour by his strength and courage all other beasts bear him respect at his roaring all his subjects tremble nor are Kings more re-doubted in their Kingdomes then is this noble Animall in Forrests Thus all things in the world are wisely ordered every Element acknowledgeth it's Sovereign every species hath it's laws and had not man disordered this great Republique all the parts thereof would yet enjoy peace and tranquility Yet they agree in what is requisite for the worlds preservation though their inclinations be contrary they keep fair quarter in their quarrels do not forgoe all sense of love when they exercise their hatred Fire agrees with water to compose all bodies and aire mingles it self with earth to give life and breath to all creatures Every Element useth force upon it's inclinations to agree with it's Enemy In birds the earth becomes light in beasts the aire waxeth heavy in fishes fire grows cold and water hardens in rocks if at any time they fall foul 't is always out of some good designe and divine providence by which they are governed gives them not freedom to wage war save for her glory and our advantage The obedience which they owe to God exceeds their own aversions and the Commandements which he gave them when he made them of nothing keeps them yet within their duties they do not make use of their advantages which one of them hath over the other and knowing very well that the worlds welfare depends on their agreements they appease their hatred to cause it 's quiet The fire invirons all the other Elements without consuming them it is content to burn such exhalations as come near it and to set such Comets on fire as do presage alteration in States or the death of Kings The aire doth inclose all sensible creatures the humidity thereof doth temper the fires heat and the earths drinesse Waters make no advantage of the scituation which Nature hath given it though it be liquid and raised above the earth it doth not passe his bounds the word of God gives it it's limits he who raised it up retains it and he teacheth us by this miracle that there needs no more to drown the world then to leave the sea at liberty The earth hath it's foundations laid upon the ayr this Element wherewith it is environed supports it The worlds Basis hath no other stay then the weight thereof that which ought to beat it down susteins it and it keeps equally distant from all the parts of heauen onely because it is the heaviest of all bodies But that which astonisheth all Philosophers and fils the wisest pates in the world with admiration is to see that the world which is but a point should be the center of the Universe and that all Creatures labour onely to adorn or to inrich it The heavens roul incessantly about this hillock of sand to beautifie the fields thereof The Sun inlightens it and cherisheth it with his beams this glorious constellation hath no other care then to make it fertill and if he be in perpetuall motion 't is that he may adorn it with flowers load it with fruits and enrich it with metals the Air forms no clouds nor rain save onely to water it And whole nature is busied in nothing but how she may oblige the least part of the Universe 'T is truth the earth doth thankfully acknowledge all these favours for as she owes all her productions to the Suns favourable aspect she in token of thankfullnesse thrusts all her fruits up towards him opens all her flowers when he riseth shuts them up when he sets and as if she were onely adorned to please him she hides all her beauties when he keeps far from her Though all these considerations make the worlds beauty sufficiently appear that it's creation is the most considerable part of it's excellency And he who knows not what means God used to produce it
terrour of all that are faulty But after having had this service from it he reserves it for the generall ruine of the world and to consume that proud building which was the Palace of sinfull man For when the number of the elect shall be accomplisht when the thrice happy ones who shall fill up the places left void by the Angels rebellion shall have finished their course and their labours and that Christs mysticall body shall have all the number which ought to compose it Divine Justice which cannot be satisfied but by the ruine of whatsoever hath been serviceable to sin wil command the fire to consume the world will drown all his works in a deluge of fire Then this Element mixing it selfe with the clouds wil kindle lightnings in all parts the air being set on fire by so many flames shall burn the whole earth which shall open her entrails to let loose those intestine flames which have devoured it for so many ages from the mixture and confusion of so many fires the generall burning of the world shall arise the mountains shall melt with heat and those great râ—ks where coldnesse seems to make it's residence shall be turned into Vesuviuses and Aetnaes the flames inanimated by Gods anger shall lay all Champians waste walls which resist the Thunder of the Cannon shall not be able to defend their Inhabitants from it's fury all the dead shall be made equall the guilty shall burn in one and the same fire and shall be reduced to the same ashes the Sun shall be darkned with smoak and did not the flames serve for torches the world should burn amidst darknesse all the rivers which bathe the earth shall be dried up in their Spring-heads The fire shall triumph over the waters in their channels and this victorious Element shall make it's Enemy which hath had so many advantages over it feele it's power The Ocean it selfe whose extents are so vaste shall see her waters converted into fire and the Whales burn in the midst of it's abysmes Forrests shall help to consume the little hils which bear them those proud mountains whose tops are always covered with snow to which the Sun in his greatest heats bears a respect shall vomit up flames together with their bowels and all those eminent places which command over the vallies shall see their pride buried in ashes all the guilty shall perish amidst this fire they shall finde hell upon earth and shall wish that the mountains might overwhelm them in their ruins to quench the fire which shall devour them The just shall be astonished to see the fire spare them to see the heavens work the same miracle for them as they did in days of yore for the three unjustly condemned Children and imitating the piety of those Innocents they shall sing Canticles of praises whil'st the wicked shall vomit forth blasphemies How horrible will the spectacle be to see the earth burn the sea consumed and whole Nature buried in a Sepulchre of fire this is the revenge which God will take of sin this is the satisfaction which his Justice will exact for our insolency and this is the last punishment which the creatures shall suffer for having been confederate with man The very Stars shall not be able to escape the rigour thereof that solid matter whereof they are composed shall be dissolved by heat and those beautifull parts of the world having the same destiny as gold and brasse have shall trickle down drop by drop upon the earth their having been serviceable to us in their light sufficeth to make them guilty their having received homage from us and accepted of our sacrifices is sufficient to make them receive this punishment God will not permit that that which hath been corrupted should rest unpunished and his holinesse joyned to his justice cannot tolerate that in Eternity which hath been prophaned in Time Jesus Christ himself was of this opinion he taught that this world did not belong unto him he imprinted in the Souls of his Disciples the horrour and contempt of this present Age and obliged them to wish for the Age to come of which he made himself be called the Father All the perfection of Christianity consists in these two points all vertues are composed of these two points and he is perfect amongst the faithfull who contemning Adams world doth incessantly thirst after Christ Jesus his world Though God be the Authour of them both he detests the former since it was prophaned by sin and since the devill hath submitted it to his Tyranny he hath given over the Sovereignty thereof unto his Enemies he suffers the Turk to possesse the best part thereof he permits his most faithfull servants to be persecuted he will not have us to receive more glory there than he doth and if we will follow his counsels and his instructions we must look upon it as a place of exile or as an Enemies Countrey I very well know he giveth Crowns to Sovereigns Lawrell to the victorious that he makes the Angels fight for Christians and that he arms the Elements for the defence of his Church but in fine his Kingdom is not of this world he will not govern in a world which he will destroy he pretends not to command in a State where his Enemy is worshipped and we must not love a world which he will punish because we have made it sinfull Let us expect that which he will give us let us long after that world which will arise out of the others ashes and let us not fix our fortunes in a Kingdom which shall perish when Jesus Christ shall revenge himselfe upon his Enemies 'T is true that it's ruine will be usefull to it and that it will reap advantage by it's losse for all Gods punishments are favours he puts obligations upon those that he punisheth his goodnesse turns their sufferings into salves and to be strucken by the hand of God brings both honour and advantage with it Death which destroys the body prepares it for the resurrection it changeth it's grave into a cradle and as the corruption of corn is the cause of it's re-assuming life we may say that the putrefaction of the body is in some sort the seed of it's mortality Purgatory which burns the soules of men doth purifie them the flames whereby they suffer prepares them for glory that which we esteem a punishment is a lovely penance and that which seems to retard their contentment serves only to advance their happinesse So shall the fire which shall burn the world contribute to it's perfection it shall perish only to become more perfect it 's beauty shall arise from it's being consumed by fire and this last deluge shall be of more honour and advantage to it then was the former the waters purified the world by drowning it this great havock was Natures baptisme and the same Element which did bereave her of her children did restore unto
his mother had brought him into the world After this crowd of reasons and authorities I know not what can be said against the belief of originall sin who can deny an evill of whose effects all men have a fellow-feeling Since all Phylosophers before they knew what name to give it knew the nature thereof and all the complaints they have made of our miseries in their Writings are so many testimonies born by them to the truth of our Religion The second Discourse What the state of man was before Sinne. THough there be nothing more opposite to the state of sin then the state of innocency there is not any thing notwithstanding which better discovers unto us the disorders thereof and it seems to be a true looking glasse wherein we may see all the other deformities To know the greatnesse of mans miserie wee must know the height of his happinesse and to know with what weight he fel we must know the height of his dignity Man was created with originall righteousnesse his Divineâ— Quality made a part of his being and seemed to be the last of his differences Reason and Grace were not as yet divided and man finding his perfection in their good Intelligence was at once both Innocent and rationall Since sin hath bereâ—t him of this priviledge he seems to be but half himself though he hath not changed Nature he hath changed condition though he be yet free he hath lesse power in his own person then in the world And when he compares himself with himself hardly can he know himself In the state of innocency nothing was wanting to his perfection nor felicity and whilst he preserved originall righteousness he might boast to have possessed the spring-head of all that was good T was this that united him to God and which submitting him to his Creator submitted all Creatures unto him t was this that accorded the soul with the body and which pacifying the differences which Nature hath plac'd between two such contrary parties made them find their happinesse in agrement this it was in fine which displaying certain beams of light about his Countenance kept wild beasts in obedience and respect In this happy condition man was only for God he found his happinesse in his duty he obeyed with delight and as Grace made up the perfection of his being it was not much lesse naturall for him to love God then to love himself he did both these Actions by one and the same Principle The love of himself differed not from the love of God and the operations of Nature and of Grace were so happily intermingled that in satisfying his Necessities he acquitted himself of his duty and did as many holy Actions as naturall and rationall ones He sought God and found him in all things much more happy then wee he was not bound to seperate himself from himself that he might unite himself to his Creator Godlinesse was practised without pain Vertue was exercised without violence and that which costs us now so much trouble cost him nothing but desires there needed no combates to carry away victory nor was there any need to call in vertue to keepe passions within their limits Obedience was easie to them nor is Rebellion so naturall unto them now as was then submission This Grace which bound the soule unto the body with bonds as strong as pleasing united the senses to the Spirit and assubjected the passions to reason Morality was a Naturall science or if it were infused t was togetther with the soul and every one would have been eased of the Pain of acquiring it all men were born wise Nature would have served them for a Mistris and they would have been so knowing even from their births as they would not have needed either Counsell or Instruction Originall righteousnesse govern'd their understanding guided their wills enriched their memories and after having done such wonders in their souls it wrought as many Prodigies in their bodies for it accorded the elements whereof they were Composed it hindred the waters from undertaking any thing against the fire tempered their qualities appeased their differences and did so firmly unite them as nothing could sever them Man knew only the name of death and he had this of comfort that he knew it was the Punishment of a fault from which if he would he might defend himself All nourishments were to pure that there was nothing superfluous in them Naturall heat was so vigorous as it converted all into the substance of the body was in all other respects so temperate as it was not prejudiciall to the radicall moisture Man felt nothing incommodious Prudence was so familiar to him as he prevented hunger and Thirst before they could cause him any trouble in his person and in his State he enjoyed a peacefull quiet and he was upon good Terms with himself and with his subjects because he was the like with his Sovereign he waited for his reward without anxiety and grounding himself upon the truth of his Creators promises he hoped for happinesse without disquiet Death was not the way to life there needed no descending to the earth to mount up to the heavens the soul fore-went not the body to enjoy her God and these two parts never having had any variance were joyntly to tast the same felicity But when the Devill had cozened the woman and that the woman had seduced the man he fell from this happy condition and losing Grace which caused all his good he fell into the depth ofall evills He received a wound which hecould never yet be cured of he saw himself bereft of his best part and could not conceive how being no longer righteous he continued to be rationall and left us in doubt whether he was yet man being no longer Innocent His Illuminations forsooke him together with Grace self-love came in the place of Charity He who before sought nothing but God began now to seek himself And he who grounded his happinesse upon his obedience would build his felicity upon Rebellion as soon as his soul rebell'd against God his body rebell'd against his soul these two parts changed their love to hatred and those who lived in so tranquill a peace declared open war one against another the senses which were guided by the understanding favoured the bodies revolt and the passions which were subject to reason contemned her Empire to inslave themselves to the Tyranny of Opinion If man were divided in his person he was not more fortunate in his condition wherein he underwent a Generall Rebellion the Beasts lost their respects they all became Savage and violence or Art is required to the taming of some of them the Elements began to mutiny following their own inclinations they broke the peace which they had sworn unto in behalf of man whilst Innocent the Seasons grew unseasonable to hasten the death of man grown guilty the very heavens alter'd their Influences and losing their
and where women should have dominion over their husbands yet corrupted nature is engaged in this disorder and since our first Fathers sin the senses are the souls Counsellours and this faint-hearted Sovereign renouncing her lawfull authority receives orders from her slaves Their tyranny hath occasioned another more cruell and more dangerous for as they are subject to the devills illusions they fight under his colours and become accessary to all his wicked designes he hath wonall our senses over to him since sin the noblest are most trusty to him and he hath so corrupted them as one must either be very wise or very fortunate to defend himselfe from them He hath put slandering in the tongue uncleannesse in the eyes errour in the eares revenge in the heart and pride in the head He hath disperst disobedience amongst the passions revolt amongst the members and infidelity amongst all the senses If we speak he sollicits us to speak wrongfully if we hear he engageth us in errour if we look he strikes us in love if we think upon our injuries he incites us to revenge and if we consider our advantages he makes us vain glorious Thus are our senses the Executours of his fury the parts of our body are confederate in his faultinesse and the members which nature hath given us to defend our selves are the weapons which he makes use of to fight against us But lest I may be accused of adding to our mis fortune to excuse our sin I will consider the senses in particular and after having observed their advantages I will consider their defects If the eye be not the Noblest t is at least the most beautifull of all our senses and if it be not most usefull t is at least the most delightfull Nature imployes nine Moneths in forming it it is one of the parts of the Body she begins the soonest and ends the last t is a Master peece of workmanship wherein her power and her dexterity are equally to be admired She mingles conrraries so warily there as waters are there observed to agree with flames they are the rises of fire and of tears which cause deluges inflammations All passions are there seen in their glory sorrow and joy make it their chiefest Theatre and when the heart burns with love or with hatred it darteth out Thunder and lightning by the eyes their greatnesse is rather a prodigie than a wonder for they inclose the Heavens with all the stars therein the sea with all her rocks and earth with all its mountains the severall species of all these objects lodge there without confusion and Nature is amazed to see her whole Image in so small a looking glasse All their parts are of so nice a composition as they are undiscernable the nerves which convey the sight are smaller than the hairs of the head the thin filmes which covereth them are more transparent then Christall and the waters which are inclosed in their receptacles are so calm as no storm can trouble them Nature which governs her love according to the merit of her works hath given them so many guards as their excellencie is easily judged by her care in preserving them For to boote that the hairs on the eye-lids are as many bristled points which defend them that the eye-brows are arches which cover them that the eye-lids are vails which hide them the hands are imployed to save them and their Chief exercise when in the dark is to guard these sons which guide us in the day time They are so sudden in their operation as it holds of the Nature of lightning they raise themselves up to the heavens and descend to the depths in a moment they finde out things furthest of without wearinesse and by an ordinary miracle they joyn themselves to them without disjoyning themselves from the body They serve for an Interpreter to those that cannot speak they expresse thoughts which the understanding dares not trust the tongue withall they are so happy in their expressions as savadge men understand them and they are so powerfull in their perswasions as they oft-times obtain more by their looks then the mouth can do by words But assuredly it must be confest that their bad exceeds their good and their defaults their advantages For the greatest sins commence by the sight love hath no force with those that are blinde though he be blinde-folded his looks make his greatest Conquest and the arrows which he shoots proceed rather from his eyes then from his quiver The subtilty of this sense serves onely to make it the more guilty it commits faults where it is not and being more subtil then thunder it scorcheth People without touching them it meditates adulteries before the heart conceiveth them and in all unchaste sins it is alwaies first faulty most men would be innocent if they were blinde and without seeking so many remedies against love want of sight would serve the turn The Soul having a more Noble residence in the eyes then in the other senses she shapes no wishes which she expresses not by them nor conceives she any designe wherein they are not Complices Every part of the body is capable of some crime and since our losse of innocency we have no part in us which is not able to irritate Gods justice But yet we have this of comfort in our misfortune that their mischiefe is bounded and that by a fortunate disability they can commit but one sort of sin The hand is onely guilty of Murders and Theft the tongue of blasphemy and calumnie the ear of hearing errour and falshood and the mouth of excesse in eating and drinking but the eye is guilty of all crimes it sees no object wherewith it is not tempted and all sins which can kill our Souls can seduce our light pride seems to have establisht its Throne there lying is not more naturall to the tongue then vain-glory to the eyes As they have the art of speaking they have also the cunning of mis-speaking their very looks without the help of worâ—s sufficiently witnesse their despisal Slothfulnesse reignes there no lesse then obloquie though they be so active they cease not to be slothfull drowsinesse assails them to make us sleep they are sooner shut then the ears and experience teacheth us that we hear words when we see no objects Anger is seen to break forth there in fury Lightnings and Thunders burst forth from thence as messengers of revenge and this violent passion makes not much more havock in the heart than in the eyes Like avarice they are insatiable that which hath been pleasing to them causeth their pain and their punishments arise from whence their desires did first derive Envie sins more by the eyes than by the hands though she be made to passe for blinde she looks upon her neighbours happinesse with repining and should she have lost use of sight she would have found a remedy for the greatest part of her
must observe the horrour of the originall To discover all his rigours we must examine the terme of our sentence we must consider what punishments he condemned us unto and observe with how many evills he threatens us The first is to die the same day that we have sinned and to bear the punishment as soon as we have committed the offence Few are aware of this punishment and though it be severe enough we suffer it without being sensible of it or complaining we perswade our selves that life and death cannot agree in our punishment and that God himself is not powerfull enough to make two so contrary things serve his justice but notwithstanding 't is true that we die as soon as we are born that death assailes us as soon as we are surprized by sin and that we bear Adams punishment as soon as we contract his offence For death holds so good intelligence with life as these do equally part our years we perish for our preservation as soon as we enter into our boyes estate we forgoe infancy we divide every houre of the day between death and life and we neither conceive the heinousnesse of our fault nor the greatnesse of our punishment if we think that that death which puts an end unto our life is our onely one because it is our last We die every moment we lose the years which we number and part of our being glides away with them we are but halfe our selves all of us that is past is deaths purchase and the youth which hath left us is a losse which we cannot repaire That complexion the freshnesse whereof was more lively than that of the rose that whitenesse which sham'd the lilly that lustre which sparckled in the eyes that Majesty which appear'd upon the forehead those pearles which shewed themselves within the currall of the lips and all those ornaments which nature had united in a handsome face to make thereof her chiefest workmanship do they not serve for a prey to death and who hath no longer these advantages are they not obliged to confesse that they have lost the best part of themselves the destinies end their work in silence death gives blows which hurt not he mingles himselfe so pleasingly with life as that he is received insensibly and under hope of living men take a kinde of pleasure in dying The second punishment which our decree bringeth is that in not expressing what kind of death we shall die we are obliged to fear all sorts of death There is nothing more certain than this punishment neither is there any thing more secret Every one knows he must die every day affords us proofs and examples of it our friends and enemies confirme this truth no man is so ignorant or vain-glorious as to doubt it the sepulchres of Kings are faithfull witnesses thereof and those heads for which the lives of a whole Nation are exposed make us see that death spares no body but the manner thereof is as unknown as the hour is uncertain The stars do not shew the particulars thereof and unlesse the heavens reveale it the devill cannot foretell it to those that serve him our decree pitcheth not upon any one that we may stand in fear of all and after the example of Princes which have ended their lives by deaths from which their qualities ought to have warranted them we may justly apprehend all It may be 't will be naturall it may be violent it may be 't will sieze on us in war it may be in peace it may be 't will be short and cruell it may be lesse cruell but languishing the Judge which hath condemned us hath not been pleased to expresse himselfe therein to the end that the fear of death might be a severer punishment unto us then death it selfe it may suffice us to know that he is incensed and that we may justly expect from his just anger whatsoever death our sin deserves The truth is we can suffer but one the weaknesse of our constitution doth not permit both the waters to drown us the fire to burn us and the wilde beasts to devoure us but the darknesse of our decree obligeth us to fear all these punishments and there is no Monarch whose greatnesse can exempt him from so just a fear the plague hath not so spared our most pious Kings and the valiantest among them hath been murthered amidst the triumph which he prepared for his dearest wife A clap of thunder bruiseth the pride of crowned heads poison is mingled in their drink and violent death doth but too oft befall Sovereigns Who ought then to stand in fear when he shall read a decree which threatens every guilty person with a hundred thousand deaths and who ought not to dread a Judge who conceals the condition of our punishment only to make us reverence his power and have recourse unto his clemency The third punishment is not lesse severe then are the rest for though we know not what sort of death we shall die yet we know we shall be reduced to ashes and that divine Justice following us even into the grave will war upon us after death it treateth us like those notorious Malefactours who finde not the end of their punishment in the end of their lives they are degraded to make them lose their honour their children are prosecuted to make them lose their posterity their bodies are burned that their ashes may be scattered in the winde their houses are beaten down to ruinate their workmanship and nothing is left in any part that did belong unto them but characters of their faults and of their Princes anger Thus doth our supream Judge deal with guilty man he drives him out of the terrestiall paradise and banisheth him into the world he threatens the place of his exile to be totally consumed with fire for having received this guilty person he confiscates all his goods takes from him all the honourable marks of his greatnesse and reduceth him to the condition of beasts who did pretend to the glory of Angels he makes all his subjects despise his authority he makes his slaves either Rebels or Tyrants and after so many punishments he shortens his shamefull life by some tragicall end But all these punishments leaving yet some remainder of the guilty person they pursue him into his sepulchre he commands the worms to devoure him and what escapes their fury he reduceth into dust you shall see dreadfull marks of the execution of this decree in the stateliest monuments of our Kings descend into the most magnificent Maâ—soleums you will finde nothing there but ashes the earth covers the pride of Conquerours and of all these Monarches greatnesse wherewith their subjects in their life were astonished there remaines nothing after death but a little dust A man must be a Saint to be exempt from this punishment God affords not this favour save to those that serve him unworthily he preserves their bodies in the sepulchre
lesse troubled to see their honour steined then their gown To disabuse these weak women they must be made know that luxury in apparell deserves to be despised by men and to be punished by God Cloaths have two uses which are equally lawfull the first is to cover our nakednesse and to hide our body which began to be shamefull when it ceased to be innocent Adam could not endure himself when he had lost originall righteousnesse and the shame which infused upon his sin made him seek out leaves to hide that from his eyes which did displease his soul he was afraid of himself when he saw his body did no longer obey reason he was afraid to offend nature by his nakednesse not having as yet seen any other monster then himself he withdrew himself into a wood and not being able to shun himself he endevoured to cover himself God himself who was indulgent to him in his sin cut out his first sute and to free him from shame which was not his least severe punishment he clothed him with the skin of beasts The second use of Apparell is to shelter us from the injury of seasons and to free our bodies from the rigour of the Elements for man had no sooner violated Gods Commandements but all the creatures rebelled against him beasts began to grow savage and retired themselves into the woods that they might no longer treat with a rebell those which are now reclaimed owe their mildnesse to our cunning and stay not with us but because we have drawn them from the Forrests if they obey us 't is out of hope of some advantage and our rebellion having freed them from their oath of Allegiance which they had taken in Paradise we must feed them if we will have any service from them Those which do reserve their naturall fiercenesse submit not un-inforced to our will they must be made to suffer before they be tamed and our power being Tyrannicall their obedience is constrained They are slaves which serve but by force and who to free themselves from their servitude attempt somtimes upon our lives At the same time when the beasts fore-went their mildnesse the Elements changed their qualities those four bodies whereof all other bodies are composed declared war one against another to afflict us and breaking the bonds which nature had prescribed them intrencht one upon another to the end their division might be our punishment They did that to punish us which greatest enemies use to revenge themselves they endangered their own losse out of a desire to destroy us The earth which had served us for a nurse became barren to make us perish by famine she grew hard under our feet to weary us forgoing her flowers where with she adorned her selfe to appear more pleasing to us she loaded her selfe with thorns to prick us she opened her bowels to bury us and she who grounded upon her own proper weight was always immoveable quaked under our feet to work our astonishment The Sea which judged aright that our ambition avarice would not be contented with the Empire of the earth hid rocks underneath her waves troubled her calmnesse with storms call in winds to her aid to undo us and advancing her waters into the fields came to set upon us amidst our own Territories the aire which seemed not able to hurt us save by denying us respiration corrupted her naturall purenesse to make us sickly lent her bosome to the Tempests became the receptacle of haile and snow and being serviceable to Gods Justice became the Magazine of his Thunder and Lightnings sent Pestilences into the world turned a simple sicknesse into a contagion and carrying corruption through all parts did oft-times change the earth into a fatall sepulcher Fire being the most active of all the Elements did us more harm then all the rest for this body which seems to be but a pure spirit and by which the Angels themselves did not disdain to be called crept into the Thunder and agreeing with it's enemy formed storms wherein the waters mingled with flames of fire seem to conspire mans death and the worlds over-throw contrary to it's nature which seeks out high places it descends and gliding into the entrails of the earth excites earthquakes consumes mountains and devours whole Towns to revenge it it selfe for the wrongs which we make it suffer by making it a slave to all Arts it burns those who come nigh it it consumes what is given it and not interessing it selfe with mens designes it oft-times mars their workmanship But man was not so sensible of all these persecutions as of that of the Sun for this glorious constellation drew up malignant vapours spred abroad mortall influences disordered the course of the seasons parted the Spring from the Autumne which were all one in the state of innocency stript the Trees of their leaves in winter withered the flowers in Summer and bereft the earth of her ornaments and riches Amidst so many disorders man was bound to make him clothes and to rob his subjects that he might defend himselfe against his enemies He hunted wilde beasts clothed himselfe with their skins he who had aspired to make himselfe a God was brought to a condition of decking himsefe with the hides of Animals and learnt to his cost that no apparell is proofe for all seasons but that of Innocency Thus his being necessitated to cloth himselfe is a mark of his offence let him do what he can to turn this punishment into bravery he is bound to confesse that he covers his body only to fence himselfe from pain and shame had he preserved the respect which he ought to God his body would not have rebelled against his soul and had not this particular revolt been followed by a generall rebellion he needed not have been obliged to seek for Arms to defend himselfe against his subjects He sees then his fault in his apparell they are sensible tokens of his disobedience and would he govern himself by reason he should chastize his body as oft as he puts on his cloths and yet we seem to have a design to out-brave divine justice and to laugh at it's decrees to glory in it's punishments and to make that serve for our glory which ought to serve for our confusion for there is hardly any one who doth not some ways advantage himself by his apparell who doth not heighten himself by the Lustre of gold or pearl and who turns not the shamefull marks of his undoing into stately Trophies of his victory Adam was never so ashamed as when he was forced to cloth himself the skins he wore were the apparell of a penitent before that vanity had found out a means to imbellish them they drew tears from his eyes and sighs from his mouth He never clothed himself but he bewailed his innocency and when cold weather made him put on more cloths he considered how the irregulariry of the seasons was the
respect to Gods Justice which did punish them she allai'd the rigour of the Elements and regulated the Seasons disorders Though these first men were lesse guilty than we and that their buildings were the meer workmanships of necessitie yet they did acknowledge Adams rebellion as oft as they withstood themselves into those Sanctuaries of dirt and mire they were bound to believe that during the state of innocency the world was not an Enemies Countrey that the creatures did not make war against them till their Father had rebelled against God When they had lost the remembrance of the earthly Paradise and their sorrow for the losse thereof they endeavoured to content themselves in their exile to please themselves in their structures they inclosed whole Champians within their Parks they changed rivers into Water-works and Forrests which served for coverts to wilde beasts into Groves for the better ornament of their houses that which did suffice to lodge a whole Generation was too little to lodge a single Family one man possessed more land then a Nation and that which formerly made up a little Kingdom was now the Farm for one particular man they made Nature serve their pleasures they corrupted her who gloried to follow Gods orders did fit her inclinations to their designs they saw no rivers on the banks whereof they raised not up houses of delight wheresoever the earth threw out warm water they there made bathes where the Sea advanced it to the Land they there made fish-ponds and prescribing bounds to this Element which receives Laws only from God they forced the fiercenesse thereof to be serviceable to their pastimes they built Citadels on the tops of mountains to discover the subjacent Countreys and changing Champians into large pastures they made their neighbours inheritances serve their delights But mans luxury growing weary of things when they became common and despising what it possesseth after having gotten from nature all that they could hope for they disordered her course to finde contentment in her disorder they turned the course of rivers to inclose their Palaces withall they raised up vallies and levelled mountains that they might exercise their tyranny every where they found the invention of Arches to build in the aire and of Aqueducts to bring water into Towns they planted forrests on the top of their houses and bringing themselves to mans first condition they lodged under trees and woods they built in barren places that they might please themselves in overcoming nature they peopled Desarts to drive Lions thence and to take pleasure in pain which seems to be her Enemy they built houses in the midst of solitary places But certainly they were forced to confesse that they were inconsiderate in building so great Palaces for a man who during his life and after death takes up but seven foot of earth they grew weary of so great buildings they lost themselves in these Labyrinthes and knowing that they could fill but one chamber they acknowledged it was unjustly done to build so prodigious a number of rooms they learn't by experience that what they could not possesse belonged not to them and that to build in so many places was to make lodgings for Owles and to prepare habitations for Horn-Coots Vain glory reaped no advantage by the faults pleasure committed but looking upon the works thereof onely as upon beginnings she undertook whatsoever seemed to be impossible and her raising of Colossuses and Pyramides was onely to purchase fame she thought that of all mans works there was none more withstood the injuries of time then those huge heaps of stone and rocks she esteemed victories odious battles bloudy and thought that Triumphs required Historians and Poets to make them be known she knew that Children were not immortall that kingdomes had their periods as well as families and that the vertues of Princes were aswell buried in oblivion as their vices she was perswaded nothing was of so long continuance as buildings that the vast greatnesse thereof rendered their authors memorable to posterity and that the works of so many hands and so many years could not perish but together with the world Upon this foolish belief Kings caused Colossuses to be built of so prodigious a height that ships passed between their legs with their Masts up and Sails displayed they built Pyramides the foundations whereof descended even unto hell and their tops were lost in the clouds they tired their subjects to content their ambition they threw all the revenues of their kingdomes into the bowels of the earth to purchase reputation they engraved their names in brasse they hung their arms round about the wals of towns and because marble is more solid then paper they thought that that these monuments of vain glory would last longer then the writings of Orators or Philosophers This passion is as ancient as the deluge those that descended from Noah were the first that attempted it they would leave marks of their might to posterity before they would divide themselves to people the world they undertooke a piece of work worthy their vain glory and not knowing the distance between heaven and earth they resolved to erect a tower which should unite them both together they thought certeinly heaven might have been taken by Scalado and that without taking the pains to win it by their vertue they might take it in by storming No lesse then a miracle could disswade them from so rash a design they laid the foundation of this building so deep in the earth as they hoped to reach to heaven after having come so neer hell their work advanced insensibly they had already outgone the highest mountains they saw storms formed under their feet they wondered that drawing neerer to the Sun the cold grew the greater they could not comprehend how getting so far from the earth their approach towards heaven should be so very small they lost the sight of men the greatest trees seemed but as Pismires to them and all objects appearing to them but as Atomes they wonder that the stars seemed no greater The desire of glory made them overcome all difficulties their courage was inflamed by their passion for purchasing esteem and the death of their companions that fell into precipices could not asswage their ambition Heaven did compassionate their pain to stop the course of so unprofitable a labour it put confusion into their mouths and to divide their underwanding divided their language every wondered that he had forgot his native tongue and learnt another in an instant the brother could not believe that his brother could not understand him the father thought it strange that his son could not conceive what he meant and wives were much astonished to see their husbands change their language not having changed their countrey So strange an accident put an end to so great a work and parted those by force who out of vain glory had undertaken it the people that understood one another retired into the
change of air is a remedy for incurable evils and when Physicians cannot cure a stubborn sicknesse either by diet or letting blood they cure it by waters or by travelling There is no disaster so generall as doth assail the whole world at once Thunder frightens more then it hurts the plague whose mischiefs are so great may well dispeople towns but doth not throw down the houses though tempests do shatter ships yet some do escape their fury but the earth quake doth inclose whatsoever it overthroweth it openeth the earth wide as it swalloweth down whole towns it wageth not war with some few houses onely but with whole provinces it leaveth nothing behind it which can inform posterity of it's outrages more insolent then fire which spares rocks more cruell then the Conquerour who spares wals more greedy then the sea which vomiteth up shipwracks it swalloweth and devoureth whatsoever it overturneth Whatever stedfastnesse the places have wherein we live we cannot say they are exempt from this so dreadfull accident what hath befaln some parts of the earth may befall all the rest those which never were yet agitated are not unmoveable their condition is not better though they have been preserved from this disorder they ought to apprehend it because they have escaped it and those parts which have undergone it ought to fear it the lesse because nature hath consumed the forces thereof in shaking them Self-love doth abuse us if we perswade our selves that there are some parts of the world which are exempt from this mischief they are subject to the same laws nature cannot defend her workmanship against the justice of her Sovereign what happens not at one time may happen at another as in great towns one house fals after another so in the world doth earth-quakes succeed and France will one day suffer what Italie hath suffered the bravest parts of the world have not been able to secure themselves from it those which have been most populous and most abounding in fruit have been most subject thereunto and Asia whose beauty may make Europe jealous hath often been the Theater of famous Earth-quakes she lost twelve towns in one day Achaia and Macedonia have been sensible of this disorder and the most delightfull parts of Italie have seen their wals thrown down and their houses swallowed up amidst their greatest felicity Destiny seems to make the circuit of the world it sets upon those parts which it hath a long time spared and teacheth all sorts of people that no force can resist it's fury The Sea is subject to it's Empire and Marriners confesse that those storms are most dangerous which are occasioned by earth-quakes the Ocean is astonished when the element which serves it for it's basis will forego it it grows incensed and breaks it's bounds when the earth sinks under it's waters and goes to seck out another bed when that which nature hath given it appears willing to be it's Sepulchre In fine this misfortune is common to all kingdomes since man became criminall all parts of the earth are become moveable the parts thereof do dis-unite themselves since the division of the body from the soul and stedfastnesse must no longer be looked for in the world since innocency is banished thence by injustice This disorder is the punishment of our sin and reason together with faith doth sufficiently perswade us that the universe would never have been agitated with these furious accidents during the estate of originall righteousnesse Wherefore should Gods anger have armed the elements against his faithfull subjects wherefore should it have overthrown all his works to destroy innocent men why should it have overwhelm'd the inhabitants of the earth with the ruines thereof if they had not been sinfull why should it have buried those in the bowels of the earth who were not to die Let us then conclude that Earth-quakes are the effects of sinne and let us also make it appear that Deluges are also the just Rewards thereof We are bound by the holy Scripture to believe that that dreadfull disorder was not so much the effect of Nature as of Divine Justice that it was to punish mans insolency that the floâ—ds forsook their channels and that the world would never have been drowned had it not been infected with mans sin Nature could not have furnished waters enough to cover the mountains had not Gods anger imprinted in her a new fertility she could not have wrought so powerfully towards her own ruine unlesse he whose motions make her inclinations encourage her against her self all the Seas put together could not have covered the face of the whole world though their banks should have been broken down and that they should have been set at Liberty by the hand which holds them in they would not have had waves enough to have overflowed all the earth if those rains which made the waters swell came not from out the bosome of the clouds a Sovereign power formed the vapours which did produce them The same Justice which shall burn the world did drown it and let Philosophers say what they list that prodigious accident was not a meer effect of nature Nature is not powerfull enough to destroy what she hath not made that hand onely by which she is guided can disorder her those great disorders which draw along with them her generall ruine could have no other cause but the will of God Philosophy hath not been able to find out a cause for it she speaks of the deluge as of a fable and hath rather chosen to give all antiquity the lye then to betray her own ratiocination To say truth he that knows not sin cannot comprehend this disorder of nature to the belief thereof a presupposition is requisite that man is guilty that God is angry with him and that he will make use of his absolute power to punish him All other reason is too weak to prove so strange an accident though the world subsist by change and that the elements whereof it is composed are onely preserved by their opposing one another yet do not their combats tend to the ruine of nature the peace of the Universe is entertained by their divisions they sacrifice themselves for the publique good and violate their particular inclinations to prevent a generall disorder Fire descends to assist nature when she is set upon water mounts aloft to supply the place of vacuum which is the common enemy to all elements the earth opens her bowels and loosens her self from her foundations to suppresse the disorders which sin hath caused in the world but it is not to be comprehended how all the parts of the world should conspire natures ruine nor by what secret veins the sea could issue forth so much water as could drown her the sea even when incensed useth violence upon her self not to overflow the earth it remembers what order it received from God in the beginning it useth violence upon it self
consume the World corrupted by Sinne that he may make a new World THough Sinne hath wrought such havock in man as it hath brought darknesse into his understanding and malice into his will that it hath effaced out of his soul those inclinations which she had to vertue and that corrupting his nature it seems to have destroyed Gods goodliest workmanship yet do some glimmerings of light remain in the bottome of his soul which sin could never darken Idolatry which hath so long raigned in the world hath not been able to blot out the belief of the unity of God the Pagans have preserved this opinion amidst the worship of their Idols words have escaped from them which have given their actions the lie and when they followed the meer motions of Nature they spake the same language as christians do Though Poets made Hell to passe for a fable and that their pleasing fictions made a prison be despised whence Orpheus had escaped by musick and Pyrithous by force the people ceased not to apprehend eternall pains after death they had already cognizance of Devils under the name of revengfull furies they knew that the fire wherewith the sinfull were burnt could not be quenched that it was preserved without nourishment and as serviceable to the power of God it had operation upon the soul. Though the Devil to introduce licentiousnesse amongst men made them hope for impunity for their faults and that r Minos and Rhadamantus had not credit enough to terrifie Monarchs Nature more powerfull then fiction had imprinted in all men an apprehension of an universall Judgment there was no guilty person who did not fear it nor none miserable who did not hope it every one in the belief of this truth found either punishment for his fault or consolation in his misery when the oppressed innocents could not defend themselves against their Enemies they implored aid from that rigorous Judge which punisheth all sins and rewardeth all vertues In fine though the earths solidity might have made men confident though the water which doth inviron it might have freed them from the fear of a generall consuming by fire though so great a disaster had no certain proofs nor assured predictions yet they believed that the world should be consumed by fire that the seas should not be able to extinguish the flames thereof and that nature which had been cleansed by water should be purified by fire but they knew not the cause of this prodigie and the vanity wherewith they were blinded would not permit them to believe that this disorder should be the punishment of their sin yet the holy Scripture gives no other reason for it nor did it threaten us with the worlds ruine till it had acquainted us with the story of our misfortune As Adam had never lost his life had he never lost his innocency the world had never lost its adornment had it not lost it's purity As death is the punishment of sinfull man water and fire are the punishments of the corrupted world for though insensible creatures commit no sins and that guiltinesse presupposeth rationality yet do they contract some impurity by our offences the Sun is sullied by giving light unto the sinfull the light which shines as bright upon a dirty puddle as upon the cleerest river and which is not more undefiled in Chrystall then in mire is endamaged by our sins and ceaseth to be innocent when it gives light unto the guilty the air is infected by our blasphemies the earth cannot be the Theater of our vanity without sharing in our offences whatsoever is serviceable to our misdemeanors is polluted though the creatures are scandalized to see themselves inthral'd to our insolency yet do they incurre heavens displeasure and deserve punishment for having been imployed in our offences hence doth the sterility of the earth proceed hence was occasioned that deluge which did bury it in it's waters and from hence shall arise that universall fire which shall consume it in it's flames For Divine Justice seems to deal with sinners as humane Justice deals with the greatest offenders the latter is not contented to punish the guilty party in his own person but vents it's anger upon his Children and servants it believeth that whatsoever toucheth him is defiled that those who converse with him are either his Copartners or confederates and that to be allied to him is sufficient to share in his sin it mingleth the bloud of the children with that of the father it wraps up the innocent and the guilty in the same punishment and to make the fault appear more odious it punisheth whatsoever doth appertain unto the offender it spareth not even unsensible things it sets upon the dead after having punisht the living for it puls down the houses and demolisheth the castles of the enemy it makes rocks and Marble feel it's anger burns what it cannot throw down and as if the party offending did live in every thing that was his it thinks to kill him as oft as it beats down his buildings or cuts down his forrests it endevours to rob him of his reputation after it hath bereft him of his life and not to leave any token that may renew the memory of his person or of his crime Thus doth Divine Justice deal with sinfull man and Adam must confesse that heaven hath used this rigour in punishing his sin For after having past the sentence of death upon him it will have his grave to serve him for a funerall pile that time consume what the flames could not devour and that nothing remain of that body which was the prime piece of it's workmanship then either worms or dust it condemns all that come of him to the same punishment their whole guilt consists in their birth it is enough to make them guilty that Adam was their father God waits not till they have broken his Commandements to punish them he forestals the use of their reason and makes them miserable before their time to the end that they may be known to be guilty before they be born by an ingenious yet just rigour after having punisht this father in his children he punisheth him in his estate he makes his subjects revolt and because they are somtimes serviceable to him in their rebellion he bereaves them of their excellentest qualities and makes them together with their miserable Sovereign unfortunate he takes from the Sunne part of his light he takes the Government of Nature from the Stars he makes the earth barren and moveable he hides rocks in the sea and troubles the calm thereof by storms he formes maligne rain in the middle region of the air and corrupts the purity thereof to infect the whole earth he makes use of fire in Thunder and ordains it to punish offenders he inforceth this noble Element to descend contrary to it's inclination and fastning it to the matter which serves for nourishment to his anger he makes it the
her her purity but the fire shall alter 〈◊〉 qualities she shall be no longer subject to the Empire of 〈◊〉 Consistency shall succeed the change which hath preserved her she shall no longer groan under the Devils Tyranny nor under the injustice of sinners she shall lose all the qualities which she hath coâ—acted by sin and shall recover all those which for our punishment she had lost not unlike the blessed she shall enjoy the glory which she is capable of every Element shall be purified by flames all parts of the world shall be reformed by the fire which shall consume them the Sun shall suffer no more Eclipses the lustre of his light shall dissipate all the obscurity of darknesse his influences shall exhale no more maligne vapours Heaven shall be no longer an enemy to earth this over-worn mother shall be freed from her care of nourishing man and her substance being purified by fire shall be changed into chrystall or into diamonds all her parts shall be delightfull and those great rocks which do sustain her shall be turned into Columnes of Marble or of Porphiry In fine Nature shall receive her last perfection by fire and the blessed meeting with no rebellions nor weaknesses in their bodies shall find no more irregularity nor disorder in the Universe Jesus Christ shall reign together with his elect in his world the track of sin nor foot-steps of death shall be no more seen there Death shall destroy these two Enemies and their Raign being finished Punishment shall withdraw it self to hell there to afflict the Damned to all Eternity THE END ERRATA Page 18 line 36 for force r source p 19 l 11 〈◊〉 Aethyopians r blackness ibid. l. ult f doth r doth not p 25 l 28 f creature r Creator p 3â— l 22 f afflictions r affections ibid. l 25 f she r she be p 35 l ult f losing r looseneth ibid. after engage r them p 37 l 17 f praiers r praises ibid. f Statutes r Statues p 40 l 28 f we r we are p 45 l 3 f this r his p 48 l 15 f its r it p 51 l 33 f basest r Basis. p 55 l 23 f of grace r Grace p 57 l 2 f Lord r cord ibid. l 6 f of r as if p 59 l 1 f felt r felt-love ibid. l 18 f faculty r faulty p 60 l 15 f and not r and could not p 62 l 24 f contrary r more contrary p 65 l ult f certainly r certainty p 78 l 5 f keepe it r escape them p 80 l 8 f praising r bruising ib. l 11 f chang'd r change ib. 21 f which so r which we so p 89 l 24 f they familiarly r they treat familiarly ib. l 37 f reduced r seduced p 90 l 26 for peaceably usurped r peaceably enjoy usurped p 92 l 16 f the r their p 96 l 15 f reviling r in reviling p 121 l 16 leave out the second was p 124 l 32 f against them r again ib. after losse insert of his life p 125 l 17 for in r into p 126 l 6 dele not p 129 l 17 f his r this p 130 l 22 f steps r stops ib. 32 f upon r who upon p 131 l 13 f not an r not be an ib. l 14 dele not p 132 l 3 f ement r cement ib. l 6 f less r less weighty p 133 l 29 f longer r no longer p 135 l 12 f often r not often ib. l 26 f known r none p 139 l 22 f envade r evade p 141 l 6 f surprisal r by surprisal p 142 l 10 f to Falisci r to the Falisci p 143 l 7 f his r her p 146 l 1 f one r one crime p 151 l 22 f lookes r tooke p 156 l ult f party r parity p 167 l 36 dele not p 170 l 23 dele rather ib. l 26 f if quencht r if they quencht p 174 l 23 dele love p 175 l 33 f lead r leading p 176 l 6 f with one r without ib. l 18 dele an ib. f hopes r hops p 185 l 13 f out r not p 186 l 30 f notwithstanding r not notwithstanding p 187 l 32 f designes r desires p 192 l 7 f impeaceable r impeccable p 200 l 26 f countenance r contemne p 201 l 26 f one r none p 202 l 24 f alwayes r feeds ib. l36 f of r with p 204 l 7 dele that ib. l 〈◊〉 for adopt r adapt ib. l 24 f to r by p 205 l 14 for rul'd r rule p 206 l 18 after hath r or injur'd p 207 l 13 f reduced r be reduced p 213 l 16 f Spring r Off spring p 215 l 5 f consecrated r he consecrated p 222 l 29 f smallest r usuallest p 224 l 27 f securely r be securely ib. l 28 f sigh r sigh for p 225 l 15 f had r hath p 230 l 18 f profession r profusion p 233 l 17 f untoucht r uncouth p 235 l ult f ought r ought not p 236 l 36 f unworthily r worthily p 239 l 15 f Capres r Cypresse ib. l 83 f the r though the p 244 l 28 f imagine r l imagine ib. l 34 f had r have p 246 l 6 f draws r drowns ib. l 14 f wars r wards ib. l 21 f men be r me to be p 248 l 7 f as r a. p 252 l 18 f truth r extort truth p 253 l 31 f fore-light r foresight ib. l 36 f with r which p 256 l 15 f been r been too regular p 258 l 26 f amongst r most p 264 l 33 f This r Thus. p 265 l 36 f with r which p 266 l 26. f renew r review p 275 l 16 f could r could not ib. 119 f and r one p 277 l 25 f the r this p. 279 l 22 dele who p 289 l 1 f were r we were p 290 l 25 f infused r insued p 291 l 7 f call r called p 295 l 15 f linifying r finifying p 301 l 3 f was r was not p 304 l ult f withstood r withdrew p 307 l 22 f every r every one p 310 l 24 f comfort r consort ibid. l 31 f for served r severed p 313 l ult f gain r game p 314 l 14 f break r betake p 317 l 2 f excuse r Defence ibid. l 15 f Privatives r Privacie p 327 l 3 f it r of p 330 l 23 f with r with our p 333 l 24 f earth r World p 336 l 14 f don r begun p 337 l 32 f harden r hardly p 342 l 37 f take r take him p 343 l 10 f with r with them ib. l 20 f defyed r deified p 346 l 14 dele making p 351 l 34 f he r we p 357 l 24 f perfections r imperfections ib. l 25 his r it's p 359 l 34 f kin r knit p 362 l 12 for learning r leaning p 363 l ult for combustible r solid p 366 l 6 leave out if p