Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	air_n	element_n	fire_n	13,062	5	7.1789	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62084	The book of nature translated and epitomiz'd. By George Sikes.	Sikes, George.	1667 (1667)	Wing S6322B; ESTC R220778	50,008	113

THE BOOK OF NATURE Translated and Epitomiz'd Psal. 19. 1 6. Rom. 1. 19 20. By GEORGE SIKES Printed in the yeer 1667. CHAP. I. Four degrees of created beings THere are four generall degrees of creatures by which as four distinct rounds in the ladder of created nature man may ascend to the right knowledg of himself and of God There was no other generall and visible book for mankind to read the mind of God in and their duty towards him for the first 2513. yeers of the world Then began the book of the holy Scriptures to be written by Moses which was finished by John about the yeer 4100. The former volume of it was peculiarly committed to the jews To them perteined the giving of the law the service of God and the promises Other nations took little notice of it till the promised Messiah came in the flesh and brake down the middle wall of partition between them and the jews on which the holy Oracles became common to all the world But this book though it do more perfectly excellently and fully declare the mind of God as to the duty and concerns of man then the book of nature yet doth it no wayes rescind obliterate or invalidate it That book is yet in being and doth by the various voices and lines thereof administer the same significant instruction unto man as from the beginning And hereof is he obliged to take notice even by the Scriptures of truth as may appear by the two places thereof quoted in the title-page with others which for brevity I refer to the reader's enquiry 1. The first generall degree or lowest rank of creatures comprehend's all those things that have being only not life sense or understanding 2. The 2 d comprehend's all such things as have being and life only not sense nor understanding 3. The third comprehend's all those creatures that have being life and sense but not reason or understanding 4. The fourth comprehend's only those creatures that have being life sense and understanding with free-will which are rationall and intellectuall powers In the lowest round of this ladder the first degree of created beings we find more various species or kinds as also more individualls then in the second in the second more then in the third in the third more then in the fourth There is but one species or nature at all in the fourth to wit humane and not so many individuals as in any of the former trhee 1. In the first degree we find abundance of distinct species or natures of things one above another in dignity the four elements all inanimate compounds the visible heavens with the furniture thereof Sun Moon and Stars Water excells the earth and is scituated above it Air excells water in dignity and scituation Fire excells air The celestial orbes with their furniture excell them all The glory of the celestial bodies it one the glory of the terrestrial another There is one glory of the Sun another of the Moon another of the Stars And one Star differeth from or excelleth another Star in glory There are also many kinds or species of metalls and mineralls generated under the earth very different in worth and excellency as Gold Silver copper tinn ledd brimstone alume c. There are also divers sorts of precious stones different in worth as Diamonds Rubies Saphirs and the rest amongst which the Diamond has the pre-eminence Many other kinds of things there are in the first degree of different natures from each other together with all sorts of artificiall things which agree in this that they have being only not life sense nor understanding 2. In the second degree are all trees and plants or herbs Of both sorts there are many species distinguish'd from and surmounting one another in their different properties qualities and usefulness They draw nourishment from the earth whereby they do grow bring forth fruit and seed for the use of man as also for the multiplying of themselvs 3. In the third degree are conteined all variety of creatures that have being life and sense but not reason Sense here is comprehensive of whatsoever is found in meer animals birds beasts fishes and creeping things over and beyond what is to be found in any things of the second rank to wit plants and trees 4. In the fourth round of nature's ladder we find but one species or nature only man 's In man is summ'd up and put together whatever is found in the other three degrees to wit being life and sense advanc'd into a union with reason or understanding and free-will This nature is lord of the other three and ought to own no other lord over it but God himself These four degrees of things well considered of which there can be no doubt as being evident unto the common reason and experience of mankind we may by duly comparing and observing of them as to their agreements with or differences from each other gain great instruction as to our duty towards God and advantages therein both temporall and eternall Chap. 2. Section I. The generall agreement that is found in the constitution of man with other creatures THe agreement or similitude man hath with the three inferiour sorts of creatures is twofold general and special So also is his difference from them or excellency above them generall and special His general agrement is this 1. He has being with elements Sun Moon Stars and all inanimate compounds His body is compounded of nourished and mainteined by the elements and products thereof as other things are He dwells and lives in and by them every moment 2. He has life with trees and plants They live are nourish'd grow encrease and multiply by propagation of their like The herb yeeldeth seed and the fruit-tree yeeldeth fruit after his kind whose seed is in itself Gen. 1. 11. 3. In harmony or agrement with things of the third degree birds beasts fishes and every thing that creepeth upon the earth he has outward senses seing hearing c. He has also all the inward senses powers or faculties of animalish life He has the attractive retentive digestive and expulsive powers in order to growth nourishment and generation He sees hear's smell 's tast's sleep's wake 's eates drink 's c. as they do No degree then of created being is wanting in the composition of every individual man He ha's being with all inanimate parts of the creation life with herbs and trees sense with beasts reason with angels He is the only true microcosm or little world in whose nature and constitution is put together al the variety of nature that 's to be found in the whole creation SECT II. The fruit or profit that 's to be reaped from this general agrement of man with all inferiour creatures FRom this general view and comparison of himself with all inferiour creatures may man argue and certainly conclude that there is some invisible lord over him who gave to all inferiour things what they have and

his service rightly performed unto God exceed the service which other creatures perform to him Now the more excellent the service is the greater is the profit thereby redounding unto man He therefore must needs have incomparably more profit from his service of love freely performed unto God then from any service that inferiour creatur's do by a natural necessity and impulse perform unto him And the more perfectly any man serv's God the more profit he receiv's unto himself 'T is the true interest then and highest concern of man to be incessantly performing his service of love to God with all his heart soul mind and strength seing all redounds singly and intirely to his own advantage The service other creatures perform to man is not remunerable or capable of reward because not freely performed but by natural necessity The service perform'd by man to God being free is remunerable Man then receiving all the advantage by both services let us distinctly consider what profit he receiv's by the first and what by the second By the first perform'd by other creatures unto him his being is for a while continued in this mortal state By the second performable by him in Christ unto God is his everlasting wel-being atteinable So much then as the eternal wel-being of man excell's his bare temporal being in a mortal body does the second service exceed the first in dignity and profit A bare being is not profitable unto man unless he may have a wel-being Other creatures then by serving him with all they have unless he serv God with all he has will but aggravate his sin and adde to his misery Being was given unto man in order to his wel-being So is the service of other creatures performed unto man for his temporary being in this world in order to that service he ought to perform unto God with reference to his eternal wel-being in the world to come If the second service be not performed by man to God the first to wit of other creatures unto him is render'd void and to no purpose as much as in man lies Yea it is perverted to the service of the devil in enmity to God All the service perform'd by other creatures to a man that serv's not God is lost or worse The main end and chief design of God in creating the world is frustrated and rendred of no effect by the man that serv's not God We do plainly experience that man can't continue his being in this world unless maintein'd and upheld by other creatur's nor can other creatur's continue or subsist unless upheld by the same hand that made them If they could they would be greater in this point of self-preservation then man Man can't maintein them in being but is maintein'd by them Some other hand then above both mainteins them and him by them But man alone stands indebted unto God as for his own being and theirs so for the continuance of both By the first service perform'd by inferiour creatures unto man they are brought into union with him By the second performed by man unto God he is brought into union with God So in and by man the world comes to be united with God All things that came out of the love of God to man by the love of man to God are brought into union with him that made them He then that does not love and serve the lord does what in him lies towards the disjoyning and seperating of the world from God and the bringing of all things into disorder and confusion Man alone in whose nature and constitution all sorts of created nature life and being are put together is the means in and by whom all inferiour creatures come to be united with God SECTION III. FRom the first obligation on man or debt of love which he owes unto God does naturally arise a second like unto it and that is the love of all creatures as the works of his hands and as bearing any thing of his image or superscription upon them on which account himself pass'd that universal approbation that every thing that he had made was very good Gen. 1. 31. But forasmuch as amongst all things there mention'd men for whom the rest were made do beare the most compleat and lively image of God upō them they are on God's account to be loved by us more then any inferiour creatures All men as of one and the same nature ought to look upon themselvs as one man not many There ought by the very law of nature to be the strictest union the greatest peace and agreement amongst them that 's possible As their love of God in the first place so is the love of one another in the second as bearing his image founded in the law of nature Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart soul strength and mind say's Christ. This is the first and great commandment And the second is like unto it Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself On these two commādments hang all the law and the prophets Mat. 22. 37 40. All men are bound by the law of their own nature to live in perfect union with God and with one another by love The greatest unity amongst men arises from their first being united with God and the firmer their union the greater their strength Self-love divides us from God and consequently from one another So come we to lose that strength which depend's on union and to lie naked and exposed in our own single persons to all the wiles and darts of the devil c. Inferiour creatures are to be loved by mā only on God's account as the works of his hands bearing some characters and shadowy resemblāces of his infinitly persect being and life We are not to look on ourselvs as obliged to them for any benefit use or service we receive from them or have of them but unto God only who causes them to perform such beneficiall service The loving of inferiour creatures as gratifying our sensual desires is so far from being a natural consequent of our loving God that 't is direct enmity to him Such love of this world and the things thereof is enmity to God If any man thus love the world the love of the father is not in him Jam. 4. 4. 1 Jo. 2. 15. To ask of God creature-contentments to consume upon our lusts Jam. 4. 3. is to desire him that he would maintein us in our enmity against himself The multiplicity of heathen Gods and the various idolatries in the world have arisen from man's unlawful prohibited love of inferiour creatures Many heathens concluded that any thing that did them good was a God On this account were they induced to worship the sun moon stars fire air earth water sheep oxen c. Such unlawfull idolatrous love of inferiour creatures has its rise as a natural consequent from self-love When we love our own wills in distinction from and opposition to God's we love the creatures appointed for