CHAP. 1. Of the foure Elements.

THe Hebrewes gather out of this place the foure Elements, How the Hebrewes ga­ther the foure Elements. three of them set downe here cleerely, the winde, the water, and the earth; and the fourth the fire, be­cause it is not clearely seene by us as the rest of the elements, therefore it is comprehended un­der the word heaven; and by a contraction the Hebrewes contract the foure ele­ments in this word armang. [...] ignis [...] pro [...] aer [...] pro [...] The first letter aleph standeth for esh the fire; the second letter Resh, for Ruah the wind; [Page 2] the third letter men for maijn, aqua [...] pro [...] terra [...] pro [...] the water; the fourth let­ter G [...]aijn for gnapher the dust or earth.

Ames 9.6. It is he that hath founded his troupes [or bundles] in the earth, the Hebrewes meane by these troupes or bundles, the elements, the ayre, the water and the fire which the Lord hath bound together.

Reasons proving that there are foure elements; Reasons proving that there are foure elements. first there is a heaven that moveth and turneth about still, Reason, 1 therefore of a necessitie there must be earth resting in the midst of the Center about the which the heavens are moved; now when we have found out, that of neces­sitie there must be the element of the earth, there must be some element contrarie to it which is the fire, other­wayes there should be agreat defect in the vniverse; and if the earth be cold and dry, then the fire must be hot and drie according to the rule of the philosopher, si con­sequens sequitur antecedens,Regula Philosopherum.consequens cum modo sequitur antecedens cum modo: but the earth is necessarily cold and drie, therefore the fire must be necessarily hot and drie; and there must be two middle elements betwixt these two which are contrary, the ayre and the water, the midst betwixt the two cannot be one: and as there are two extremes, bote in the highest degree and cold in the highest degree, so there must be one midst which is temperately hote, and another midst which is temperat­ly cold.

Whatsoever is found in composed and perfectly mixed bodyes, Reason, 2 the same is found extra mixtum, with­out the thing mixed or composed; example, There are in man a body and a spirit, therefore there are some which are spirits onely as Angels, and some bodyes which are no spirits; The spirits, breath, moysture, and substance of man, resemble the foure elements. in man there are first the spirits, and when hee dyeth they goe away, and they resemble the fire: Secondly, there is the ayre which faileth when the body beginneth to consume, and rot: thirdly, the [Page 3] moysture flyeth out of it which is the water; and last of all it is resolved into [...]ust, natura in [...]initum renuit, & terminum quaerit, and alwayes aymeth at an end, The body resolved into foure elements. and seeketh by the most compendious way to attaine unto the same, and therefore she hath established but foure principall elements in composition of things, and also resolving the body into foure elements. And as there are foure Lations, one simply highest, another respe­ctively highest, a third simply lowest, and a fourth re­spectively lowest, so there are foure places; the earth is simply lowest, and the water is respectively lowest, the fire is simplie highest, and the ayre respectively highest. Foure elements resem­bled by the complection of mans body, and the foure seasons of the yeare. Choler in the body of man resembleth the fire, his blood the ayre, melancholie the earth, and petuite the water: and the foure seasons of the yeare resemble the foure elements, the Winter resembleth the earth, the Autumne the water, the Spring the ayre, and the Sum­mer the fire.

God hath situated and placed these elements that they may have a musicall proportion one to another, The elements keepe a musicall proportion one to another. the earth lowest as the basse, the fire highest as the triple carying a diapason or eight to the earth: he hath set the water next the earth that it might carry a diapente to the fire, and a diatesseron or tenor to the earth; And the ayre next the fire that it may have a diapente or counter tenor to the earth, and a diatesseron to the fire; this perfect harmonie ariseth from the proportionable tem­perature of the foure first qualities in the elements, dry, hot, cold, moyst, The foure qualities of the elements. for the chiefe qualitie of the earth is drinesse, and by participation of cold from the water; the chiefe qualitie of the fire is heat and partaketh of the earths drynesse: the water is exterame cold and par­taketh of the moysture of the ayre; the ayre is ex­treame moyst and partaketh of the heat of the fire, so that there are eight qualities here to make up a diapason, [Page 4] foure extreame and chiefe, and foure remisse and by participation, and their harmonie may be taken up thus:

As natures perfection is to imitate God in his first creation, The perfection of na­ture, is to imitate God, and of Art to i­mitate nature. so the greatest perfection of art is to imitate nature. Phythagoras did find out the concent of musicke by hearing a smith beating upon his Anvell with foure hammers being of unequall weight, How Phythagoras found out the propor­tion in Musicke. and that he might find out the difference of the sound, hee weighed the hammers, and hee found the heaviest to bee twelve pound weight, the lightest six and the third eight and the fourth nine according to arithmeticall proporti­on, the first being twice as heavie as the second, the fourth carrying a triple proportion to the first, and the third a double proportion and a halfe to the first; and according to musicall proportion the fourth to the first was diapason, resembling the water and the fire; the third to the first, and the second to the fourth, are dia­pente; the first to the second, and the third to the fourth are diatassaron, respecting the weight of the hāmers. Py­thagoras that he might make Art to imitate nature stret­ched out foure Lutestrings betweene two roots of trees, and making a bridge betwixt the two just in the midst, [Page 5] strucke upon the fourth string it maketh a diapason, so to the first; then he made a bridge in the second roome, the third string made a diapente to the first: then hee set a bridge betwixt these two bridges, strucke upon the second string, it maketh a diatessaron to the first in re­spect of the stretching out of the strings, as may be seene here.

The contrarietie betwixt the fire and the earth, What elements sym­bolize and what not. the fire is hot and drie, the earth is cold and drie, yet they symbolize in drinesse; the water is cold and moyst, the earth is cold and drie, they symbolize here in cold­nesse: the fire is hot and drie, the water is cold and moyst, therefore they symbolize in nothing.

There were three great miracles which the Lord wrought, Three great miracles in respect of the elements which symbolize not. first when he made the water to come out of the rocke in the wildernesse, Num. 20.8. Secondly, when the Angel touched the rocke, and the fire came out of it to burne the sacrifice, Iudg. 6.24. The third when Elias poured water upon the sacrifice, and then made it burne, 1 King 18.33. this was a greater miracle than any of the other two, for there is no concord be­twixt the water and the fire, as in the other two mira­cles; for the water and the rocke symbolize in coldnesse although not in drinesse, and the fire and the rocke sym­bolize in drynesse, although not in coldnesse.

The Lord hath tempered the body of man, The wonderfull tempe­rature of the bodie of man. of moyst and heate, cold and drie; and that the heate prevaile [Page 6] not and breed fevers, he tempered it with cold to make up the harmonie, and that the cold prevaile not and breed lethargies, hee tempered it with heate; and that the moysture prevaile not and breed hydropsies, The wonderfull tem­perature of the bodie of the world. he tem­pered it with drynesse. So the Lord tempered the great body of the world at the first, and set this contrary to that: when the Lord destroyed the first world with water, this great body dyed of the hydropsie; and when he shall consume it at the latter day with fire, then hee shall burne it as it were with a feaver.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. wee must admire the wise­dome of God who hath made all things in weight, number and measure, God made all things in weight number and measure.Wisd. 11.17. Who hath made all things in weight that the earth and the water should be heaviest, and the ayre and the fire lightest; in number that he hath made two extreame elements and two middle ele­ments; in measure that he hath tempered the hot fire by the ayre and not by the water, for that would have ex­tinguished it, and he hath made the drye earth moyst by the water, and not by the ayre for that would not have moystned it.

CHAP. II. How the earth hangeth upon nothing.

SSalomon saith that dead fles cause the syntment of the apothecarie to send forth a stinking savour, The best wits have their blemishes.Eccles. 10.1. that is, great gifts may be corrupted and stained with [Page 7] some notable blemish, as may be seene in that notable and excellent mathematician Archimedes, cui magnum ingenium, sed non sine mixtura dementia.

The King of Syracuse gave so much gold to make a crowne of it, Vitru [...]tius. the gold-smith made a very curious peece of worke of it, but the king suspected that he had mix­ed some silver with the gold, but was loath to breake the crowne because of the workemanship of it, yet hee was very desirous to know how much silver was in it. The quicke invention of Archimedes in finding out the false mettal in the crowne. Archimedes busied himselfe about it a long while, and one daygoing into a bath even into the middle, he obser­ved how much water his body made to runne over out of the bath, then upon a sudden he leapt out of the bath with joy crying [...] , I have found it, I have found it; What doth he then? he tooke a masse of gold and another of silver of equall weight with the crowne, which he putting into a vessell of water, first hee obser­ved how much water the gold made the vessell to run over, and how much water the silver made it to runne over, and thirdly he marked how much water the crowne made it to runne over: and by the weight of these waters he gathered how much gold was in the crowne, and how much silver was in it; as for example, put the case that the masse of gold caused twentie pintes to runne over, the crowne twentie foure pintes, and the masse of silver thirtie sixe pintes; divide twelve three times, and the quotient shall bee three, so that hee found out three parts of the crowne to bee gold, and one silver, as you may see in this proofe follow­ing.

Was not this an excellent wit in Archimedes, but marke how the dead flees putrified the boxe of oynt­ment. Archimedes his fond opinion. He said, give him a place to stand upon, and he could raise the frame of the whole earth; and if he could raise the earth out of the Center, then hee could hang the earth upon nothing, and if he might hang the earth upon nothing, then he might stand upon nothing.

By this conclusion of Archimedes we may learne how many Epha's the brazen sea would containe which Sa­lomon made, How to know how many Epha's the brasen sea did containe. 1 King. 7.26. first wee must reduce the baths to the brazen sea, it contained two thousand baths 1 King 3.4. but 2 Chro. 4. it contained three thousand baths: and next wee must reduce the dry measure the Epha to the bath. Now that wee may know what every bath conteined, we must consider the forme of the brasen sea, it is said to bee thirtie cubits in compasse, ten in the diameter or breadth, The quadrant of the Epha will be the cir­conference of the bath. and five in the semi­diameter or depth. It was not ovalis out Cy­lindrici figura, but like the halfe of a hemisphere or a ball cut in two equall parts; then take the cubite and make the Epha of a cubicall forme, that is, alike in height, length, and bredth; then the cubit and the Epha will bee alike. Thirdly, take the bath being round, and make him containe alike with the Epha, then the cubit, bath and Epha will be all one. The brazen sea is said to containe two thou­sand baths, 1 King. 3.4. that is, baths made according to the cubicall Epha which is a cubite; and 2 Chro. 4. it is said to containe three thousand baths made [Page 9] according to the cubicall halfe Epha which is [...] , or the great Palme, so that by the bath here wee may know the greatnesse of the brazen sea. So the ten brazen Lavers which Salomon made, every one contai­ned fortie baths, that is, halfe baths, as wee may per­ceive by their measures, because the text saith, What baths the Lavers did containe. they were foure cubites. He hangeth the earth upon nothing, he mea­sureth the waters with the hollow of his hand, and meateth out the heaven with his span,God who made the earth of nothing can hang it upon nothing.and comprehendeth the dust of the earth in a measure, and weigheth the mountaines in scales and the hils in a ballance, Esay. 40.12. He hangeth the earth upon nothing, hee who made the earth of no­thing can hang it upon nothing, Prima principia non possunt demonstrari sed illustrari, we cannot give a reason why the earth hangeth upon nothing, because wee can goe no higher, but rest here: we may illustrate this, We must rest in the first principles, for we cannot give a cause of them. that it hangeth upon nothing; we may define what the earth is, and what the Philosophers call nihil, wee may assigne the cause of a cause untill wee come to the first cause, and there we must rest. Example; These things which were dedicated to the temple of the Lord were hung up upon pinnes fastened in the wall, the wall stood upon the foundation, the foundation stood upon the earth, the earth hangeth upon nothing; here we goe not higher but rest in the power of God that hung it, the Lord sustained it with his three fingers Esay 40.12. [...] Tribus digitis appendit, ut vertit Hieronymus. and as we weigh and try the least things in the ballance, so the Lord weigheth the earth, and if the mathematician say that the earth is but a point in respect of the hea­vens, what must the heaven and earth be in respect of God?

He hangeth the earth upon nothing, Iob. 26.7. gnal belima, which some derive from beli non, & ma quid, because it hangeth upon nothing: [...] non quid. and the Greekes translate it [...] nihil, and others derive it from the [Page 10] Chalde word balam constringere, [...] fibula chaldace. because the earth is bound together as it were with a button, hence cometh belimah a button; he that hangeth the earth upon no­thing, [...] super bases suas. setled it upon the foundations thereof, Psal. 104.5. [gnal mecunnatha] super bases suas, Aquila [...] vertit; and he that setled the earth upon the foundations of it, is able onely to raise it out of the Center; Archimedes was not able to doe this, all the divells in hell cannot destroy the Vniverse, they are but a part of the whole, and a part hath no power over the whole; The devils cannot de­stroy the universe nor invert the order of it. and the Apostle saith, Heb. 1. That he hath not put under the feet of the An­gels the world, neither can they invert the order of the universe, for as the Philosopher saith, bonum universi est ordo, they cannot remove the principall parts of the world, neither can they transferre the elements from one place to another, they cannot stay the course of the Sunne and the Moone, therefore it is but a fable that is written of the witches of Thessalie that they could stay the course of the moone.

When God hangeth the earth upon nothing, The hanging of the earth upon nothing is not a miracle now. it is not a miracle; the Philosopher saith, that elementa non pon­derant in locis suis, but if the earth were heavie in it owne Center, and then should hang upon nothing, that were a miracle, as when Elisha caused the Axe to swim in the water, 2 King. 6.6. because the Axe was heavie of it selfe, therefore this was a miracle in causing it to swim above in the water.

There are two things required in a miracle, Two conditions requi­red in a thing to make it a miracle. first that the cause be an hidden cause altogether, I say, alto­gether; for if it be hid to some & knowne to others, then it is not a miracle: example, when a country man seeth the eclipse of the Sunne, the cause of it is hid to him, yet because it is not hid from a Mathematician, there­fore it is not a miracle. Againe, these things that are miracles were not appointed by God in the creation [Page 11] to receive these effects which he worketh immediate­ly in them: the setling of the earth upon nothing is not a miracle in the second respect, because here he worketh according to nature, placing it in the Center. When Christ restored sight to the blinde, this was a miracle because it was not according to Gods ordinary course in nature; but when they saw once, their sight could not be called a miraculous sight but naturall, for they saw as wee see; so wee may say, the settling of the earth in prima constitutione is miraculous, sed constituta, being once setled according to nature, it is not miracu­lous. God is sayd to set a Law to his creatures and to command them, he doth this by naturall causes: Before the creation God did things by his immediate power, but nature being setled he workes by it. when nature was not in the first creation he did things by his immediate power, but nature being once setled he doth things mediately, neither doth this diminish any thing from the power of God, when he worketh by his hand­maid nature, for if he should binde the sea onely by his power, then we should see nothing but onely, his power to prayse him for it; but when he doth these things by naturall meanes, here we are led both to prayse his wise­dome and his power.

God when he created the earth, Why the Lord made hils and valleyes. hee made in some places hils and in some places emptie parts to containe the water; but to reduce this inequalitie to an equalitie, he weigheth (as the Prophet Esay saith cap. 40.12.) the hils in ballances, and maketh this hill to con­terpoyse that, and from this equall distribution of the parts setling one against another, The Lord weighed the parts of the earth. he setled the earth in the midst that it is not moved, & lest it should fal no way but to the Center, he made it firme in the lowest parts, and lest one part should fall upon another, he provided that the hils should be poised one against ano­ther.

The earth that is the Center is so setled that it cannot [Page 12] be moved; there falleth out some particular earth-quakes here and there, The whole earth is not shaken with earth-quake. but the whole earth is never shaken with an earth-quake: for if the whole were shaken at once, with an earth-quake, then it should follow that the earth were setled contrarie to the nature of it; for the nature of the Center, is to be Immoveable: and if it could be so, then the heavens were turned about that which is moveable. The earthquake which fell out at our Lords passion, if it was universall it was a mira­cle indeed.

God setled the earth upon nothing, Cōpernicus error re­futed. then Copernicus er­ror is disproved, who held that the earth moved about, and that the Sunne stood still; which conceit of his Salo­mon refuteth Eccles. 1. The earth standeth for ever, but the Sunne riseth, and goeth downe, and hasteth to the place whence it arose. And if the Sunne stood still and moved not, what miracle was it then, in Ioshuas dayes to make the Sunne to stand? The Scripture speaker's oftentimes of things as they appeare to our sense. Therefore to say, that the Sunne mooveth because it seemeth to move, that were to deny the very knowledge of sense: as if a man should deny the fire to burne. It is true, the Scrip­ture speaketh sometimes of things as they appeare to our sense, as Marke saith, the Sunne did set, but in the Greeke it is [...] dipping, Mark. 1.32. because it see­meeth to the people to dippe in the sea when it setteth. So it calleth the Sunne and the Moone, great lights, Gen. 1. bearing as it were with the infirmitie of the weake people; but when men see things sensiblie and feele them, then the Scripture speaketh of them according as our senses take them up; and it useth the senses as an argument to prove things by, as 1 Ioh. 1.1. That which we have seene with eyes; that which wee have heard, and that which wee have handled, &c. that we declare unto you; the senses are not alwayes mistaken then.

The conclusion of this is; Conclusion. if the earth that hangeth [Page 13] upon nothing, be so setled that it cannot be moved, In the setling of the earth Gods power is seene, but in the setling of the Church, his power, wisedome and mercie are seene. how much more is the Church setled, which is setled upon the rocke Christ? In the setling of the earth, Gods power and his wisedome are seene; but in setling of his Church, both his power and his mercy appeare.

Secondly, Conclusion, 2 the Lord establisheth the pillars of the earth that it should not bee shaken; David alludeth to this, When hee shall bee established in his kingdome, Allusion. he will establish it and rule it in equitie and appoint good magistrates and rulers, who may be justly called, the pillars of the kingdome: before the earth and all the inhabitants thereof were dissolved, but hee would esta­blish the pillars of it, Psal. 75.3. and settle the governe­ment of it when he came to the kingdome.

CHAP. III. That the earth is the basest of all the Elements.

I It may seeme that the earth is the most excellent of all the Elements. First, because in the creation, Some prove that the earth is the most excel­lent. it is sayd, God created the heaven and the earth, Reason, 1 the earth for the excellencie of it, is put next to the heaven. Reason, 2 Secōd­ly, as there is a Paradise in heaven, so there is a Paradise on the earth; but there was never a Paradise found in the water or in the fire. Thirdly, Reason, 3 the most excellent element is placed in the most excellent place, but the midst is the most excellent place in which the earth is seated: so he placed the tree of life in the midst of the garden, as the most excellent place, and Christ walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlestickes, Revel. 2.1. [Page 14] Fourthly, Reason, 4 the earth is the seate and dwelling place of man the most excellent visible creature, as the heavens are the place for God and his blessed Angels to dwell in. Reason, 5 Fiftly mortall creatures, move that they may rest: rest then is more excellent than motion; the rest of the elements are moved, and onely the earth standeth immoveable, she sitteth like a Queene, whereas all the rest are in motion. Sixtly, the men that dwell upon the earth, shew the excellencie of it, they mannure the earth, they count the earth their inheritance and de­light, they desire to be Lords of the earth, they con­tend to enlarge their bounds there, the gold and the pre­tious stones come out of the earth, and they who pos­sesse most of it are Kings and Princes in it.

But these reasons being well considered will not prove the earth to be the most excellent element; Reasons prooving the earth to be the basest of all elements. for the heaven is the throne of God and the measure of or­der, Reason, 1 and of all simple things most excellent, and the farther that the element is distant from it, the baser it is. But the earth is farthest distant from the heaven; therefore it is the baser element.

Secondly, Reason, 2 onely the earth of all the elements, is most opposite to the heavens; and the shadow of it is the be­ginning of darkenesse, and night.

Thirdly, Reason, 3 if ye will consider heat, of all active qua­lities, it is most active and befriendeth nature most: pur­ging, The answere to the for­mer reasons. attenuating, and elevating: but the earth is oppo­site to it in all these respects.

In the beginning, Object. God created the heaven, and the earth, Gen. 1.1. Here the earth is put next the hea­ven.

This sheweth an imperfection, Answ. rather than a per­fection in the earth, for here Moses maketh mention of the two first things which were made, heaven and earth, the heaven as the most excellent, and the earth as the basest.

There was a paradise upon the earth, Object. but none in the ayre, water or fire. Answ.

The reason of this, Why a Paradise in earth and not in the rest of the elements. was because man had an earth­ly bodie: and could not dwell in any of the rest of the elements: and the Paradise upon the earth, was an excellent and glorious place, but as it was adorned with temperate heate, pleasant ayre, and sweete waters.

The earth is the resting place of man.

Not as it is the earth simplie but as it is the earth a­dorned with the rest of the elements, Object. Answ. and it is the re­sting place of his body because there is most earth in it, and because this earthly bodie is nourished in it: The earth not the re­sting place of the body simplie. but it is not the resting place of the soule; for it seeketh the things above, Colos. 3.2.

The earth resteth, but the rest of the elements moove; Object. therefore it is the most excellent.

We may gather, a contrary argument from this; Answ. for motu rectu, by streight motion, bodies are moved to rest, that they may attaine to their owne rest, which place when they have once attained unto, the more ex­cellent they are, the more they follow the motion of the heavens, which are turned about continually. Object.

The earth is a common mother, and nourisheth all things, therefore most excellent.

It becometh a rich, and fertile mother, Answ. borrowing helpes from the rest of the elements; The earth of it selfe is dry and barren. for the earth of it selfe is both dry and barren: and it is not fertile unlesse it bee tempered with the rest of the elements, and the heate of the fire is to be preferred to the humiditie of the ayre. Object.

The earth is the midst of all the elements. Answ.

The Philosopher saith, that there is a double midst, Medium Perfectionis molis. vnum perfectionis, alterum molis, the heavens are the midst of perfection: from the which as from the heart, the whole is preserved; the earth againe is but [Page 16] medium molis, The earth is not the midst of perfection, but the middle place. it is but like the middle place, it is like the Navell in the body of man: but not like the heart: and if wee shall consider the right order of the elements and the right order, how all the rest hang upon the first; by this consideration the heavens shall bee the highest, and the earth shall bee the lowest and not the midst.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. seeing the earth is the ba­sest of all the elements, we should not seeke our con­tentment in it neither should we say it is good to be here, but we should set our affections on things above, Collos. 3.2.

CHAP. IIII. Of the situation of the Elements.

ALthough the water be said to be under the earth, yet the water as the lightest element is above the earth.

The water is above the earth, therefore Ierusalem is called umbilicus terrae, Ezek. 38.12. The midst of the Land; and Tyrus is sayd to be placed in the heart of the Sea, Ezch. 28.8. The water is sayd to have a heart, and the earth a Navell; as the heart is above the Navell, so the water naturally is above the earth.

When God created the Waters and the earth, at the first they were mixed together as the Wine and the dregs, but the Lord separated them, and hee caused the earth to fall downe like the dregges of the wine, and the water to rise out of the earth to the circumference, [Page 17] then he gathered the waters into one place, Gen. 1. cal­led the deepe; whereby the earth and the water, made but one globe, and the earth, being setled as the Cen­ter, the water goeth round about it, as the circumfe­rence; therefore that position of the Philosophers holds not, that there is ten times more water than earth, for as Bodinus saith in his Theatrum naturale, that the high­est hill being measured perpendicularly to the superfice of the water, is not a mile of height about the water, and the deepest place in the ocean is not a mile of deepth; There is not so much water as earth. therefore there is not so much water as there is earth, and if the earth were made in a plaine circumference it would fill up all the wastnesse of the deepes, and in Noahs deludge it was but fifteene cubites above the highest mountaine, therefore there would not bee so much water as earth.

The earth being the Center and the water the cir­cumference, The earth and the water make but one globe. they make but one Globe which is pro­ved by the eclipse of the Moone, for when she is eclip­sed, there is but one shadow cast up both of the water and the earth upon the body of the Sunne.

By the Eclipse wee learne foure great secrets in na­ture, first the distance of the earth from the Sunne; Foure great secrets to be learned from the eclipse. se­condly the distance of the earth from the Moone; thirdly, the distance of the Sunne from the Moone; and fourthly, that the water and the earth make but one Globe.

First, the discance of the earth from the Sunne, for the Sunne is farther removed from us than the Moone, as we may perceive by the Eclipse; when the shadow is cast upward from the Sunne, it reacheth to the body of the Moone, and by measuring the shadow, we know the bignesse of the Sunne, the circumference of the earth, and the bignesse of the Moone, and that the Sunne is bigger than the earth, and the earth bigger than the Moone.

That the Sun is bigger than the earth, The Sunne is bigger than the earth. the forme of the shadow sheweth this, for it casteth up the shadow to the Moone Pyramidaliter instar coni, and if the Sunne were not bigger than the earth, then the shadow would rise up like a pillar in infinitum, and then all the planets should be Eclipsed as well as the Moone.

Secondly, How to know the di­stance of the Moone from the earth. by the shadow in the Eclipse wee gather the distance of the Moone from the earth, for the earth Eclipseth no other planet than the Moone, and measure the length of the shadow, and then it will shew what di­stance the Moone is from us.

Thirdly, How to know the di­stance of the Moone from the Sunne. by the Eclipse of the Sunne wee may know the distance of the Sunne from the Moone, for the Sunne can never be totally eclipsed, because it is both higher and bigger than the Moone; and knowing the bignesse of the bodie of the Moone; wee may un­derstand what distance there is betwixt the Sunne and the Moone by the parts of the earth that are obscured in the Eclipse, for the eclipse of the Sunne is never uni­versall as that of the Moone, for there may bee an Ec­lipse in Persia or Iudea which is not here, & here when it is not there. So measuring the parts of the earth eclipsed, and the bignesse of the shadow of it, wee may gather the height of the Sunne above the Moone.

The fourth thing is, The water and the earth make but one globe that the water and the earth make but one Globe, because the shadow is but one shadow, as the shadow of the Moone cast downe in the Eclipse of the Sunne is but one shadow; but if the water and the earth were two distinct Globes, then they would cast two shadowes.

By measuring the length of these two sha­dowes, we may know the bignesse of the Sun, 1 This shadow shadow­eth the distance of the Sunne from the Moone. the Moone and the Earth.

Although the water bee higher than the earth, The water although higher than the earth, is not miraculously kept in. yet it is not miraculously kept within the bounds, but onely by the Law of nature it runneth to the Cen­ter.

There is another cause why the earth is drie and the water overfloweth it not, Why the water over­floweth not the earth. which is the Sunne, who by his light and motion doth heat the moyst parts of the earth and engendereth vapors, which lift up the hils and make many hollow places in the earth; and then the water finding passages, runneth into the deepes of the earth. Simile. When wee knead dough, the heat worketh upon the mixed body the meale, it elevateth and lifteth up some parts of it, and maketh sundrie pores and pas­sages in the leaven fermenting it; so when the Sunne maketh the vapors, they elevate some parts of the earth; and this wayes there is a passage made for the water to runne into the hollow places of the earth, and so to drie the earth.

Secondly, Another cause of the drynesse of the earth. the distance of the heaven from the earth is the cause of the drynesse of the earth, for the ele­ments of themselves being without forme, and recei­ving their formes from the heavens because the earth is farthest from the heavens, it most imperfectly taketh the round forme, because it is verie drie, and is hardly drawne to the round forme, and the inequalitie of the parts of the earth, maketh that the water overfloweth not the whole earth.

Whether is the drynesse of the earth, Quest. naturall to it, or against the nature of it? Answ.

It is according to the nature of the universe, because it serveth for a good end, Whether the drynesse of the earth be natural to it or not. the preservation of many living creatures: for although it seeme that it is naturall for the lighter element to be above, yet in respect of the universe it is naturall for the earth in many parts to be above the water, it is naturall for the water to runne [Page 21] downe, yet lest vacuum bee granted it runneth up, and this course is naturall to it in respect of the Vniverse; and if the drinesse of the Vniverse were altogether vio­lent and not naturall, then it could not continue long, for no violent thing can continue: and moreover if wee shall respect the particular parts of the earth, it is na­turall, for the parts of the earth that are high to bee drie, and these which are lowest and nearest the Cen­ter, to be covered with water.

He made the water as the lighter element to goe above; and the earth as the heavier element to bee low­est. The opinion of some who held that the earth did swim in the water. Arist. lib. 3. de calo cap. 13. Augustine de ciVit. dei. lib. 16. cap. 19. Lactanti­us lib; 3. instit. cap. 24. It was an old opinion of some that the earth did swim in the water, as a ship doth in the Sea, which opi­nion Thales Milesius held, as Aristot. sheweth: hence they gathered that there were no antipodes, and that men lived not in another hemisphere, and when one held that there were Antipodes, Bonifacius who was the Popes Legat in Germanie, Object. would have him excommuni­cated for that. Iohannes Aventinus, lib. 3.

Psal. 136.6. Who stretched out the earth above the waters.

But Iob saith, cap. 26.7. Answ. He hangeth the earth upon no­thing, and David Psal 104.5. Who hath founded the earth upon her pillars, Symmachus, [...] super sedes suas. The earth is said to be founded in the water, not that the water is under the earth, but in respect of some parts of it, hee hath founded it upon the waters, gnal is put pro [...] here, as Mat. 27.19. [...] in tri­bunali, gnal pro in; so Esay 38.20. [gnal beth Iehova,] in domo domini: so gnal pro [...] juxta, as Pharao stood [gnal bajeor] juxta flumen. So Psal. 1. as a tree planted [gnal] juxta rivos: thirdly gnal notat supereminentiam, [...] pro [...] [...]superjuxtacum. and so the earth is higher than the water for the commoditie of man, and beast, but naturally the water should bee a­bove the earth. Lastly gnal is put for cum as both the men and the women came, gnal, Exod, 35.22. so 2 Pet. 3.5. [Page 22] the earth is sayd to be of the water, How the earth is said to be of the water.and by the water, but Peter meaneth not that the earth is sustained by the water: so Noah is sayd to bee saved [...] , not by the water, but in the water.

But David seemeth to make the sea lower than the earth, Object. Psal. 107. They that goe downe into the Sea.

If we will compare the coasts and the neerest sea, Answ. How the sea is said to be lower than the earth. then the Land is higher than the sea; but if we will compare the Land and the maine sea, then the sea is higher than the Land, and therefore the sea is called altum.

The Lord hath set bounds to the sea, and with a com­passe hath drawne a line how farre the sea should come. Circinavit. God hath set bounds to the sea.Iob. 38.11. Ier. 5.22. Will ye not tremble at my presence, who hath placed the sand for the bounds of the sea? Wee are to feare him as well in his worke of nature here [for wee see both his power and his wisedome] as we are to feare him when hee repres­seth it onely by miracles.

Xerxes was most impudent who tooke upon him to make a bridge over Hellespont, The foolishnesse of some who have thought to command the sea. and charged the sea un­der paine of disobedience not to cast it downe; and threatned that he would scourge and whippe the sea if it did so. These princes who assayed only to cut the pas­sages of Peloponesus where Corinth stood, as Claudius, Casar, Demetrius and Nero, could never effectuate this bu­sinesse. So Sesostratus and Darius went to cut the Land betwixt the Mediterran sea, and the red Sea, but they were glad to leave off this worke, lest the Sea should have overflowed the Land; so Trajan thought to have cut a passage betwixt Nilus and the red Sea, but could never effectuate it: all which teach us, that it is the Lord onely who setteth bounds to the sea, and it is hee that stoppeth it by his mightie power. The example of Canu­tus King of England is memorable for this purpose, for [Page 23] when his flatterers flattered him too much (as Polydore Virgil testifieth] he caused to bring his chaire of estate to the Sea shore; when it was ebbing, and he sitting in it caused his heraulds to proclaime and to charge the Sea under paine of disobedience that it should not approach to his chaire of estate, but the Sea keeping it ordinarie course, made the King and all his Courtiers to remove; then the King tooke occasion to speake unto these flat­terers, after this manner, Ye see that I am but a mortall man, whom neither sea nor winde will obey, therefore learne to feare him who hath power to set bounds to the sea, and to whom both the winde and the sea doth obey, Mark. 4.39.

The Conclusion of this is, Conclusion. although the water bee a­bove the earth, and should overflow it naturally, yet the Lord saith, this farre thou shalt come and no farther, Iob. 38.11. so the Lord hath set bounds to the pride of the enemies of the Church. David when he speaketh of the waters, Psal. 124. hee called them aqua superbiae, [...] superbire.[maijm hazedonim] and this word Ieremie useth to ex­presse the proud heart of man, Iere. 49.6. and the Law useth it when it speaketh of a man, who killeth one in the pride of his heart: the Lord can represse this proud sea, Mark. 4.39. The wind ceased, [...] frae­num vel capistrum.and there was a great calme, in the Greeke it is more emphaticall [...] , hee put a bridle in the mouth of the sea, that it could rage no more: as the Lord can put a bridle in the mouth of the sea, so hee hath a hooke in the nose of the tyrants on the earth, and as he limitateth the waters, so he limi­tateth the pride of tyrants. God that bridled the sea, can asswage the fu­rie of the enemies of his Church. In the winter when there are greatest stormes the Lord maketh some Halcyon or calme dayes, that this bird may hatch her young ones: so the Lord in the greatest rage and furie of his ene­mies can calme the storme; that the Church of God may bring forth children to him, and reserveth some dry place for them.

CHAP. V. That the waters come from the sea, and returne to the sea againe.

THe sea is like the Liver in the body, which by the veines sendeth blood to the whole paits of the body, so doth the sea to all the parts of the earth.

That the waters come from the sea, Reasons shewing that the waters come from the sea. first it is cleare, for although much water commeth into the Sea, yet it increaseth nothing, and the reason of this is, because as much goeth from the Sea as commeth to it; and that of Ecclesiastes may be applyed here, As riches increase so doe they that eate them; if the Sea receive much, it gi­veth out as much againe.

Secondly, Gods testimonie is the greatest proofe to proove that they come from the sea, [...] fletus maris. Iob. 38.16. An venisti usque ad fletus maris [nibhki jam] which may bee translated the teares of the sea: why are they called the teares of the sea? because the fountaines come from the depth of the sea, Gods owne testimonie sheweth that the waters come from the sea. through the earth as teares trickle from the eyes. Psal. 104.13. He watereth the hils from his chambers, that is, from the cloudes above, and vers. 10. He sendeht the springs into the vallies which run among the hils, not onely the waters which fall from the hils, but also these which he sendeth from the veines of the earth. And here most plainely it appeareth, Edcles. 1.7. That all the waters come from the sea, and he who know­eth [Page 25] full well the secrets of the heart, and the many tur­nings and windings which are in it, knoweth full well the many wayes how these waters turne and winde from the Sea; and he that knoweth the way of a serpent upon a stone, and the wayes of a man with a maid, and the way of an Eagle in the ayre, and the way of a ship in the Sea, Prov. 30.19. Knoweth full well these turnings of the waters from the Sea, The waters come and [...]oe to the sea by secret passages. and how the waters come through the secret passages of the earth, to the Caspian sea, al­though there be no passages seene betwixt them; and as Iordan when it runneth into the dead sea runneth by secret passages under the earth to the sea, so doth the waters come by secret passages from the Mediterran sea to the Caspian sea, and backe againe.

In the deepth of the earth there are hollow places which breed winds, these winds carry up the waters, How the waters are carried to the foun­taines. the waters againe presse downe the winds, and the winds being borne downe by the waters seeke a pas­sage through the earth, and make a way for the sea to run through the veines of the earth, and seeke to high­est places, and of these came the fountaines; and be­cause of the continuall strife betwixt the sea and the winds, the water never faileth in the fountaines; and comming once to the fountaines, then they run backe againe to the sea. The waters of the floodes come also from the Sea, Iere. 10.13. When he uttereth his voyce there is a noyse of waters in the heavens, The waters of the floods come from the sea.and hee causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth, that is, out of the sea, and these waters returne againe to the sea. These then who hold that the waters are bred of congealed ayre in the cavernes of the earth, are de­ceived.

If all thewaters come from the sea, Quest. how commeth it that the waters are sweet in the rivers, and salt in the sea?

Salt water by Art may be made sweete, Answ. much more may nature make it; Why the waters lose the saltnesse. by running through the veines of the earth it loseth the saltnesse of it. And as children when they are carried to a strange country forget their mother tongue, Simile. so the rivers, being farre distant from the sea, it is no marvaile that they lose their originall saltnesse, and forget as it were their mo­ther tongue; and this running through the earth ma­keth them also of a different colour and of diverse ef­fects; Why the waters are of different colours and divers effects. Nilus maketh the Land fat, when it overflow­eth, and Euphrates maketh it leane that the cornes should not bee too ranke, but this is onely accidentall by reason of the ground, out of which they spring. For as, All men were created of one blood, Act. 17. but acci­dentally they differ in their colour, for these who dwell nearest the firie zone are blacke, and these who dwell farthest from it, some of them are tawnie, and some of them are of the Olive colour, Simile. their colour varieth in respect of the climate under which they dwell; so these who dwell under the equinoctiall, their shadowes goe round about them, we who dwel on this side of the line, our bodies cast their shadowes to the North, but those who dwell upon the South of the line, their bodies cast their shadowes to the South, according to the diversi­tie of the climats mens shadowes varie. So according to the diverse natures of the earth, the rivers pro­duce diverse effects which are not found in the Sea.

The Sea is salt for many necessary uses, Why these a is salt and not the floods. which are no wayes necessary in the floods, first he hath made the sea salt to keepe it from putrefaction, which is not ne­cessary in the floods because of their swift motion and running still. Secondly, he hath made the sea salt, for the breeding and nourishing of great fishes being both hotter and thicker; which use is not necessary to the ri­vers, [Page 27] because they breed but small fishes.

The sea is salt, the dead sea is called the salt sea, Gen. 14.3. But the whole sea is salt also, as experience teacheth and the Scripture testifieth, Ionas 1.5. [...] the marri­ners feared, in the originall it is [hammelachim] the salt men feared: why are they called the salt men? be­cause they rowed in the salt sea, and the sea wherein they were now, was not the dead sea but the Mediter­ran sea.

There are diverse motions found in the sea which are not found in the rivers, Object. therefore it may seeme that they proceed not from the sea: first, Divers motions of the sea. the sea hath fluxum adaequationis; secondly, it hath motum agitationis; third­ly, it hath motum fluxus & refluxus; Fourthly, it hath motum fluxus onely: the rivers have but onely motum fluxus common with the sea, but none of the other three sorts of motions.

The sea is that element which followeth the motion of the heavens, Answ. and the heavens worke upon it by heate and motion, The sea follovveth the motion of the heavens. and this motion is made by the Sunne and ruled by the Moone, and herein it followeth the Sunne and floweth from the East to the West: the rives Tanais runneth into Meotis, Meotis into Hellespont, Hellespont in­to the Mediterran sea, the Mediterran sea into the Ocean sea, the Ocean sea into the Tartarian sea, and the Tartarian sea into Meotis againe.

The second motion of the sea is motus agitationis, when the waves of the sea swell up and beate one against another; of this motion David speaketh Psal. 107. The waves ascended up unto the heavens.

The third motion of the sea is motus fluxus & refluxus, whereby it sendeth forth waters from the deepes and they returne backe thither againe: The motion of the Riveis. the rivers have none of these three motions, these three are all proper to their mother the sea, but they have motum fluxus com­mon with their mother.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. as all the waters goe from the sea, and returne to the sea againe; so as we receive all graces from God, wee must returne all thankes to him againe, nam si gratiarum recursus cessat, gratiarum de­cursus cessat.

CHAP. VI. Whether the Windes have any weight or not?

GOd by his power restraineth the waters that they over flow not the whole earth, therefore Iob saith that he weigheth them by measure, lest they abounding too much should breake up the fountaines of the deepes as they did in Noahs time, therefore he fitteth the water to the Center of the earth; so Iob addeth, who maketh the weight for the winds: The winds are kept downe by a certaine weight. and as hee admired before, why the water overflowed not the whole earth, so he admi­reth now why the winds ascend not up through the whole earth, but are caried about the earth, and are kept downe by a certaine weight.

Weight and levitie are not the first qualities of things, Non prime sed ort [...]e. Weight and levitie are [...] not the first qualities. but they arise from the first qualities: these which are the first qualities are made of no other, and the qualities of all creatures are made of them, and one of them striveth against another & agunt invicem, and two of them are active and two of them passive; active are hot and cold, and passive are humiditie and dry­nesse

Weight and levitie ought not to bee reckoned a­mongst the first qualities, because non agunt invicem, one [Page 29] of them doth not fight against another, Reasons proving that weight and Levitie are not first qualities. as heat and cold doe, they depend upon heat and cold; wee may give a reason why the earth is heavie, because it is cold; but we cannot give a reason why it is cold, but here wee must rest as in the first simple quality.

If levity and weight were qualities in things accor­ding to certaine degrees as things are hot or cold, then one thing should weigh an ounce, and another a pound; but this is not found in heavie things simplie, but in heavie things compared with other things, and then they are sayd to be light or heavie, and they are not a [...] solute qualities but have stil a relation to some o­ther thing. Things become not sweeter or sowrer chan­ging them from one place to another, but weight and levitie doe alter according to the midst, and have still re­lation to some other thing.

That which is heavie or light is considered two man­ner of wayes, first in respect of the place, secondly, in respect of the midst; in respect of the place, that which is most simple goeth neerest the Center, as water if it be mixed with wine it descendeth farthest downe seeking towards the Center. If ye put water first in the glassē, and then powre wine into it, he that drinketh first shall drinke pure wine, and he who drinketh last, shall drinke onely water; but if wine bee powred first in the glasse and water upon it, then it maketh a small mixture, be­cause the water seeketh to the owne place descending downeward, and the wine to the owne place ascending upward; and by this we may try another conclusion, to find out the pure wine from the mixed, if ye pierce an hogs head at the uppermost part, if there be both water and wine in it, ye shall draw out the pure wine; but if ye pierce it below, then the water shall come forth first, and next the wine.

Secondly, weight and levitie are considered in re­spect [Page 30] of the midst, Weight and levitie doe change according to the midst. for they vary much changing the midst; example: take a masse of pure gold, and a masse of that which is mixed gold, and weigh them both first in the ayre with a paire of ballances, and then they are of equall weight, but sinke them both in the ballance halfe a foote deepe in the water, then the mixed gold shall be found much more heavier in the water than it was in the ayre: the reason of this is the porositie, the ballance is onely the judge of the weight of things and reduceth them to one qualitie, but they being suncke in the water, the water judgeth of their qualitie, which is the lighter, and which is the weightier, the water tri­eth that but by accident onely, by the porositie of the mettall, but the ballance trieth it per se, for the water entring into the impure mettall, because of the porositie of it maketh it descend downeward, and the pure met­tall having no pores in it retaineth still the same weight which it had in the ayre; and thus the mixture or mixed mettall varieth according to the midst here, the water. The ayre is seene sometimes going up, and sometimes going downe, and wee know not which is the proper Center of it, untill it enter into the hollow places of the earth, and then it bursteth upward, and then wee know that the Center of it is above here, and the earth is the midst or judge to trie this, as the water was to try the pure mettall from the impure. When the pure mettall and the mixed mettall are in the water, to know how much the one is better than the other, adde to the mixed gold in the water a peece of pure gold, and so make the ballance of equall weight in the water, and that addition put to the mixed gold in the water will shew you the difference betwixt the pure gold and the mixed gold, here we see, mutato medio mutatur pon­dus, the midst being changed, the weight is chan­ged.

If ye weigh 21 pounds of Lead in the ayre, and so much gold of equall weight, and sincke the ballance in the water, the gold shall bee but seventeene pound weight and the lead shall be one and twentie; the reason of this is the porositie of the lead which sinketh in the water: so weigh thirtie one ounces of silver in the ayre, and thirtie one ounces of gold, and put them in the wa­ter, the gold shall be thirtie one still, but the silver will be thirtie six. How the winds are weighed.

The winde is an exhalation which is more grosse than the pure and subtile ayre, but more subtile than the grosse exhalations which come out of the earth; there­fore the winde for the subtilitie of it, ascendeth to the lowest religion of the ayre the clouds, but it is carried downe by the weight of it from the more pure and cleare region of the ayre, yet it cannot descend to the earth, because of the thicke and grosse vapours w^ch arise out of the earth still, for they must bee lowest, and it cannot ascend through the more subtile ayre, for the lightest must alwayes be highest, and having no place to rest in, it is carried about, and carrieth about the clouds with it; therefore the weight which God made to the winde was this, to varie according to the midst, for compare the winde with the grosser exhalations of the earth, then it is light, but compare it againe with the pure and subtile ayre, then it is heavie: so weight and levitie in the winde are onely in comparison. Conclusion.

The conclusion of this is, As things change their weight being compared with this or that, so doe things varie before God, and that which is in high request a­mongst men is abhomination before God. Balthasser for all the honour that he had before men, yet when he was weighed before the Lord hee was found light, Dan. 5.27.

CHAP. VII. Whether the water or the fire be the more excellent Element.

THere was a controversie upon a time, betweene the fire and the water, Reasons proving the water to be the more excellent elements. which of them were the more excellent element, and he who stood for the water al­ledged these reasons.

First, Reas. 1 the water is the most profitable element to man, and he standeth most in need of it, at all times both in Sommer and Winter, by night and by day, & it is pro­fitable both to sicke and whole persons, but the fire is many times hurtfull to man.

Secondly, Reas. 2 that which was found out since the begin­ning, and was not from the beginning, is not so necessa­ry as that which was first from the beginning: Nature furnished that as simplie necessary; Art found out this but for superfluous uses, it can never be shewn that man wanted water, neither is there any amongst the most excellent men, that are sayd to be inventers of the water as Prometheus was of the fire; and the life of man was long without fire, but never without water.

Thirdly, Reas. 3 there are many people, that have not the use of fire, but there is no people in the world, but have the use of water, no man can live without water; but Diogenes never vsed fire, and many other creatures live without fire, and are nourished onely in the water: doe [Page 33] not the fish live in the sea? beasts upon raw flesh and upon rootes? and no creature liveth without wa­ter.

Fourthly, Reason, 4 no creature liveth in the fire (for that of the Salamander is but a fable that it liveth in the fire, it de­liteth to be neere the fire, for the coldnesse of it) but the greatest creatures and a multitude of diverse kinde live in the water.

Fiftly, Reason, 5 that is thought to bee the most excellent ele­ment which standeth in need of the least preparation, but the fire hath need of much wood, and coale to nou­rish it, but the water is such an element as it standeth in neede of nothing to maintaine it, & nihilexira se de­siderat.

Sixtly, That element is judged, Reason, 6 most necessarie and profitable which may bee joyned with another, as the water admitteth the fire, for ye may heate it, but the fire never admitteth the water, ignis nuit quam humidus, aqua sape calida.

Seventhly, there are foure elements, Reason, 7 and the water hath brought forth the sea, which wee may terme the fift element because it is as profitable to us as any of the rest, for what commerce would men have touether without the sea? it breedeth interchange and commerce amongst Nations, and as Heraclitus sayd, if wee wanted the Sunne, we should live in perpetuall darkenesse, so we may say if, we wanted the sea, we should live like barbarous people and wild creatures.

Eightly, Reason, 8 when the heathen sent their embassadors to any nation that they would have subdued to them, The manner how the heathen subdued other Nations. they desired to them terram & aquam, and they in token of subjection sent them water and earth because all com­mandement is either by sea or by land, and all possessi­ons and riches are gotten out either of the sea or land: and in the body of man, the water and the earth are the [Page 34] elements which prevaile most, when Darius sent to the King of Scythia, Herodetus libre Scytha [...] rum. he desired the King to send him water and earth, and when the King of Scythia had sent him a Fowle, a Mouse, and a Frog, and five arrowes; Darius interpreted the matter this wayes, that the Mouse signi­fied the earth, because the Mouse is bred in the earth, and liveth upon the same things which man doth; the frog to be the water, because it liveth in the water, and the fowle to be his horses, because it is likest unto a horse for swiftnesse, and the five arrowes which hee sent to him (for they were excellent archers) lignified that he would yeeid unto him, and deliver all his strength and armour unto him, when they required the earth and water in token of subjection, this sheweth the excel­lencie of the water above the fire.

We are baptized by water and not by fire. Reason, 9

In the creation when God created the foure ele­ments, Reasons proving the fire to be the more excellent element. the water and the earth, were but like the matter; the ayre and the fire like the forme, forming and fashi­oning these dead and dull elements, for what were the water and the earth without the fire to cherish them? take heate from the water, it doth puttifie, as wee see in standing waters, which wanting motion (which bree­deth heat) putrifie and corrupt; but the running waters we call them living waters, because the motion keepeth heat in them.

Take away heat from living creatures, Reason, 2 they die pre­sently; there is moysture found in the creatures after they are dead but no heat, therefore water is not so ne­cessarie as the fire, and in effect we may say, that death is nothing but a privation of heat.

These things which have least heate in them, Reason, 3 have least perfect life, as we see in the body of man, the nailes and the hayre being farthest removed from the heart, and consequently from heat, are most imperfect of all the parts of the body.

How necessary hath the use of fire beene for the fin­ding out of all Arts and preserving of them, Reas. 4 and there­fore the heathen made Valcan the chiefe inventer of all arts, but the water hath no use in the invention of Arts, therefore not so excellent as the fire. Reas. 5

The Philosopher sayd that sleepe tooke up the halfe of a mans life which is but a short time, but if a man cannot sleepe in the night, then the fire serveth with the light of it to make as it were a second day to him, and taketh away the difference betwixt the day and the night. Reas. 6

That is the most excellent element which serveth for the temperature of the most excellent sense, and this is seene most in the sense of seeing, which is as it were a firie substance. This sense is most profitable for us, to behold the workes of God. Answers to the objec­tions.

And where it is objected that the water admitteth the fire to be joyned with it, Object. therefore it is most excel­lent.

When the water is hot and cureth us, Answ. this proceedeth more from the heat than from the water, and this argu­eth rather an imperfection in the water than any desert in the fire.

Where it is objected that some men live without fire, Object. and all the beasts live without it.

Although they want the outward element, Answ. yet they have aboundance of heat within them: what maketh the sea more profitable than other waters? is it not the heate of it? And creatures doe not grow by humor onely, but by hot humor, for the colder that the waters are the lesse fruitfull they be.

Nothing liveth in the element of the fire, Object. as it doth in water.

The element of the fire in it selfe is so pure that com­posed bodies cannot live in it; Answ. this argueth no defect in [Page 36] the element, but onely the grosnesse of composed bodies; and nothing liveth without the fire, for every thing that liketh hath the naturall heate to preserve it.

But wee are baptized with water, and not with fire.

This proveth onely the water to be the better ele­ment for this use, but it doth not prove simply that the water is the better element: the earth which is the basest of all the elements, furnisheth bread and wine, for the sacrament, yet this will not prove the earth to bee the best element.

The Aegyptians who held themselves to be the most ancient people of the world and the most noble people, Diorodus Siculus verum antiq. lib. 2. cap. 1. Plutarchus in convivie septem saptentum. contended with three diverse nations; first, they con­tended with the Scythians for their antiquitie: second­ly, with the Ethiopians for their wisedome; thirdly, they contended with the Chaldeans for their God: the Ae­gyptians had the water for their god; and the Chaldaeans had the fire for their god, and the Chaldaeans sayd that their God the fire was the more excellent god because it was a part of the Sunne. Lib. 2. eccles. hist. And Rufinus saith that the Chaldeans went in the dayes of Constantine through many parts of the earth, to prove the excellencie of their god the fire, and their god burnt the rest of the images, but when they came to Aegypt, and there ap­pointed a day of triall for their gods, Vide Suidam in voce Canopus. the Aegyptians brought forth the huge image of Nilus which was hol­low within, and filling it with water hored some holes in it, and closed them with wax artificially, that they could not be discerned. The Chaldeans set their god the fire round about the image, but the fire melting the wax, the water gushed out in aboundance, and so quenched the Chaldeans God the fire: the Egyptians con­cluded, by this that the water their element was a more excellent goddesse than the fire; see how the blind hea­then [Page 37] here had neither grace nor reason; they wanted grace forgetting the Creator to worship the creature; and then they wanted reason, for when the water is cast upon the fire, the fire is not extinguished but ascen­deth up to the owne element of it.

The conclusion of this: Conclusion. although both these elements be necessarie for the use of man, yet simply the fire is the more excellent element.

CHAP. VIII. Of the Meteors, the dew, and the Spirituall appli­cations of it.

AS there are sundry sorts of Meteors engendered in the superiour region of the ayre, Some Meteors bred in the superior and some in the inferior region of the Ayre. so there are Me­teors bred in the inferiour region of the ayre, the dew and the hoare-frost; and the cause of these are the exha­lations drawne up by the Sunne in the day time, the Sunne going away, and the night comming in place of it: these vapors are condensate by the coldnesse of the night, and if the cold be not vehement as it falleth out in the Spring time and the Summer, it breedeth the dew, which is a small sort of raine, refreshing the grasse and the hearbs, [...] vos [...]. and the Hebrewes call it tal and the Greekes [...] : but if the cold be more vehement, then the vapors are more consolidated, and that breedeth the hoarefrost, which falling upon the grasse, and herbs, are like a little snows this dew & hoare frost when they be engendered, are bred in the clouds; but this cloud is so small and thin that it obnubilateth not the ayre: when the South winde bloweth softly, then the dew is bred; [Page 38] and the hoare-frost, when the North winde bloweth, and they are engendered in the morning and evening: In the evening, for then the Sunne beames goe away, and in the morning when the Sunne riseth, the clouds melt and the watrie humors fall downe, Why coldes at the Sun­rising than before. therefore about the Sunne rising we finde the cold to bee vehe­ment.

The Prophet Esay saith, A comparison taken from the falling of the dew. Chap. 45.8. Dreppe downe yee heavens from above, and let the skyes poure downe righteous­nesse: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation. Here the Prophet taketh a comparison from the falling downe of the dew upon the earth, to shew the concepti­on of Christ in the wombe of the Virgin.

And first hee beggeth for that celestiall grace from the heavens, Things proper to the dew applied to Christ. for these things which come from the hea­vens are the most excellent; even in the conceit of the heathes, and that which they made much of, they cal­led it delapsum de calo. Now this is most fitly applied to Christ, Ioh, 3.13. No man ascended up to heaven but he that came downe from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven: so Ioh. 8.23. Ye are from beneath, I am from above. and 1 Cor. 15.47. The first man is of the earth earthly, the second man it the Lord from heaven. And hee desi­reth that lust one to come downe & quench our thirst, for without this dew the fleece will be drie, Iudg. 6.36. and so the ground shall be drie. So without this spiri­tuall dew men shall be barren, like the mountaines of Gilboa, 2 Sam. 1.21.

As the dew falleth upon the ground, without any noyse, and wee feele it not, and as the haile and the raine fall, and wee see it not when it falleth; so when our Lord Iesus Christ, was conceived, in the Wombe of the Virgin, who perceived it, or tooke notice of it, except the Angels, and his Mother Ma­rie?

Secondly when Manna fell, there fel first a dew in the campe; and so before Christ was conceived in the wombe of the Virgin, the dew of the Holy Ghost came and over-shadowed her.

Thirdly, when the dew falleth, it imitigateth the scorching heat; so when the world was scorched with the heat of Gods wrath for burning in sinne, then hee sent the Sunne of righteousnesse to refresh them.

And lastly, the clouds are bidden drop downe righte­ousnesse, the cloudes a signe of aboundance, the clouds, who willingly drop downe and liberallie, the clouds, who dropp not downe partially: So this righteousnesse of Iesus Christ commeth freely from the heavens in great aboundance, and not partially distributed to men. Conclusion.

The Conclusion of this is, as Cannan was a land bles­sed of God, and his eyes were upon it from the beginning of the yeere to the end, it was a Land that drinketh in the wa­ter of the raine of heaven, Deut. 11.12. So the Church is a land blessed for ever, and watered with that celesti­all dew that came from heaven.

CHAP. IX. Of bodies perfectly composed, and first of the met­talls.

THe lewes divide their Physickes into three sorts, first [Domes] silens. Secondly [tzemah] germen; thirdly, [chaja] vivum; they call all the minerals, silens, they call vegetative things, germen, and the living things they call vivum. [...] silence [...] germen [...] vivum

The Lord to shew the nature of the wicked and hy­pocriticall Iewes, borroweth a comparison from the mettals, silver and lead: for as the silver-smith before he melts the silver, Why the Lord borrow­eth this comparison from the silversmith. hee putteth lead to it, to make it melt the better; so the Lord threatned first the noto­rious wicked Iewes, to see if by them hee might draw hypocirtes (who held themselves to be good silver) to repentance and to melt.

The mettals are bred by the heat of the Sunne, and then by cold they grow together, and are consolidated: although they be consolidated by cold, yet they are not bred by cold, How the mettals are bred. but by the heate of the Sunne. If the con­solidating or gathering of them together were the cause of their being, then the melting of them should cause them to perish: the heat of the Sunne, drawing up the vapors and exhalations, is the first cause of engendering the mettalls, and then commeth the cold and consoli­dateth them; for as the Meteors are bred in the ayre, of vapors and exhalations drawne up into the ayre out of the earth, so are mettals bred in the earth of these exha­lations drawne up by the Sunne, but hindered and kept [Page 41] within the earth, that they cannot ascend any higher; then they congeale and consolidate about the stones or some other parts of the earth, therefore they are called metalla, id est, [...] , that is, which is en gendered or bred about or with some other thing, as gold about silver, and silver about brasse, and sometime about yron or brasse. The mettals are of a wat [...]ie substance.

The mettals generally are of a watrie substance, and all of them have lesse or more water in them; all the mettals can melt in the fire, and the fire being removed they consolidate againe, which sheweth us that they are of a watrie substance and participateth both of water and earth. The mettals when they are melted by the fire, they are not like Iee, for when the Ice is frozen it is still but water, and is capable of no other forme; but the mettals besides that they can be melted, they receive o­ther formes, which the Ice cannot receive, being still water and not mettall. Stones may be broken, and bru­sed & sometimes they may be hewed, but they cannot be melted as the mettalls. Yron, brasse, and Lead, have more earth in them, than the gold or silver, as we may perceive by the rust which they contract: gold and sil­ver have more free of earth than other mettals are, and they are more decocted water than the rest. A comparison betwixt gold and silver [...]

Now let us make a comparison betwixt gold and lead, Gold hath lesse earth, and more water in it than lead, yet it is heavier than lead, because it hath no pores in it, to let in the ayre as lead hath; yet it melteth not so soone as the Lead doth, Why the gold melteth not so soone as the Lead doth. because the water is more per­fectly mixed in the gold, than in the Lead, and the gold being more solide keepeth the watrie element better than the lead doth.

Then let us compare lead and silver together, lead hath more earth in it than silver hath, and the water floweth sooner out of it than out of the silver, because [Page 42] it is not so solide; it hath more earth in it then silver hath, and therefore it is hotter when it is melted than silver, and it melteth sooner than silver, because the wa­ter is not so perfectly mixed in it as in silver; Why Lead is put to sil­ver in melting. therefore the silver Smith when he would melt silver putteth lead to it, to cause it to melt the sooner, and this the Latines call replumbare argentum to leaden the silver.

The application of the comparison is this, The applieation of the comparison. that the hypocriticall Iewes are like yron and steele, and not like silver as they would appeare; for they are so farre from separating themselves from the wicked, that they are altogether like Iron and steele that can hardly melt: the bellowes are burnt, that is, the Prophet hath spent his travell in vaine amongst them, and the most notorious wicked men a mongst them are like the lead which is burnt up; yet hypocrites by their example will not melt, but remain indurate and as hard hearted as before, therefore they are but reprobate silver, and the Lord shall reject them.

When the Lord commeth to his Church to separate drosse from the silver, God findeth few that are good silver. he scarcely getteth the third part as good silver. Zach. 13.8.9. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refi­ned: happy are these who are of this little handfull and of this third part, but as for the wicked he will put them away out of the earth like drosse, Conclusion. Psal. 119.119.

The conclusion of this is, when the Lord threatneth his judgements against notorious wicked sinners, then it is time for hypocrites to repent, lest the same judge­ment overtake them.

CHAP. IX. Of the diverse names that gold hath in the Scrip­ture.

FIrst gold is called Zahabb, which is common to all sorts of gold, 2 King. 5.5. [...]

The second name which it hath, it is called, [...] aurum ophir, Iob. 22.24. torrentes ophir: not that ophir signified gold, but the floods out of which the gold was gathered were called ophir, not this ophir from whence Salomon brought his gold afterward, but a river neere the Land of Vz.

The third name, that it hath, [...] mollescere. it is called Aurum Paz from the roote Pazaz which signifieth to make soft, but afterward it was called aurum ophaz and muphaz, Iere. 10. from the places from whence it was taken. Iob speaketh of topheth as an appellative, [...] and yet it was turned after­wards into a proper name of a place of torment; so an­rum paz, at the first might be an appellative, but af­terward became a proper name: so Carmel at the first, was a proper name, but afterwards it was changed into an appellative name, for any fertile place. So Paradise was first a proper name, but afterward be­came appellative, Ecces. 2.5. I made me Paradises: so Tarshish pro oceano: so Ezek. 17.4. He cropt off the top of his young twigges and carried it to Canaan, that is, to Ba­bylon the land of merchandise: see Prov. 31.24. [...]

The fourth epither is [charutz] fossile, which is ra­ther a name of the art, than a name signifying the es­sence of the gold, as obrysum fignifieth rather the Art about the fining of the gold, than the substance of [Page 44] the gold, Iob. 41.22. Psal. 67.14. and Salomon allu­deth to this sort of gold, Allusion. Pron. 8. chuse my doctrine as pure gold, [...] separate from all base and vile things.

The fift epithete is chethem, it is that sort of gold which is engraven curiously, and when it hath Ophir or Ophaz joyned with it, then they signifie the matter, and it signifieth the forme: 1 King. 10.25. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, which were vessels of great price, not onely for the sub­stance, but also for curious workemanship.

The sixt epithete is segor, [...] as ye would say, includens, the gold which is elaboratly wrought and cunningly set within silver, Prou. 15.11. Apples of gold put in silver, cut like networke, and requireth great skill in this art to set it right, [...] the Hebrewes call it [musgor] inclusor, and therefore 2 King. 24.24. The King of Babylon cariea away with him all the tradsemenand Inclusores, noting them as speciall cunning men.

The last epithete is Parva [...], [...] and it is called 2 Chron. 3.7. the gold of Parvana, from the place from whence it was brought.

All these names the Scriptures give to gold, The Scriptures give di­verse names to gold, to note the excellencie of it. to note the excellencie and diversitie of it, but in that vision of Daniel, where he saw an image whose head was of gold, the gold is not set downe there to signifie the most ex­cellent monarchie, but the mettals are set downe there, to fignifie their hardnesse; the gold the softest, the sil­ver harder, In Nabuchad [...]ezzars vision, the mettals are set downe to signifie the hardnesse of the monar­chies, and not their ex­cellencie. the brasse more hard, and the yron hardest of all; we must not then make the comparison, from the glistering of the gold to expresse the florishing e­state of the Babilonian Empire, or that the silver signi­fied the glorious estate of the Medes, but onely the hardnesse of the mettall is marked here, the gold being ductile and plicable, signified that they should not have so hard entertainement under the Babilonians as under the Persians.

Secondly, Why the Babylonian Empire called glod: the head of gold signified the Babylonian Empire, as Daniel expoundeth it to Nebuchadnezzer, Dan 2.38. Thou art this head of gold; Why the Persian Em­pire called silver.the Babylonian Em­pire is called gold, because the Babylonians spoyled all the treasures of the Temple; the Persians are called sil­ver because they spoyled the Babylonians, yet they got not so great a treasure as the Babylonians got: Why the Grecians called brasse. the Greci­ans are called brasse, they spoyled the Persians, yet got not so great a treasure as the Persians got: the Romans are called yron and clay, Why the Romans called Iron. for before they overthrew the Grecians they wore rings of yron upon their singers, and their treasure was but yron: but when the Vandals, Gothes and Hunues spoyled Rome, they got but onely clay.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. although the gold have many excellent epithetes in the Scripture, yet the Pro­phet Habakuk calleth it [gnabhtit] densum lutum, Hab. 2.6. [...] densum lutum. To teach us not to set our affections upon it or de­sire it, for when men have loaded themselves with it, it is but thicke clay.

CHAP. X. The blessing of God, and the influence of the hea­vens, make things fertile below here.

VVE have spoken before of mettals which the Iewes cal [domes] silens, [...] silen [...]. now it resteth to speake of that which they call [Zemeh] germinans, & [chaja] [Page 46] vivum. God who created the trees, fruits and man, hee heareth them, Deus au­dit eminen­ter,cael [...] au­dit metaphe;hom [...]e au­dit proprie. and maketh them to heare one another, God heareth eminenter, he that planted the care shall hee not heare? Psal. 94.9. the heavens and the earth heare metaphorice, How God is sayd to heare the heave [...]s. and man heareth properly.

God heareth the heavens when hee giveth his influ­ence and blessing unto them to make them nourish the things below here.

When God worketh upon the creatures below here, Deus opera­tur ratione. Sappositi [...]rt ut [...]. he worketh either mediatly or immediately; hee wor­keth immediatly vel ratione virtutis vel suppositi; hee worketh immediatly ratione virtutis, because all vertue proceedeth onely from him, as the Sunne worketh im­mediately ratione virtutis because it hath the vertue from it selfe, and not from another: the Moone againe worketh mediate ratione virtutis because shee hath the vertue and heare from the Sunne, and heareth not first, of it selfe: Man liveth not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, Mat. 4.4. The power to nourish and feede cometh immediately from God. Simile. A man is in a consumption, he commeth to advise with a Physitian, the Physitian biddeth him take so much water and heate it, and then to take such herbs and put into it, and make a decoction thereof: the pa­tient taketh water and drinketh it, but hee leaveth out the herbs and dieth of the consumption. The blessing of God in Physicke or in meat is like the hearbs put into the water, and if it be left out, the creatures cannot nou­rish us: this blessing of God in the creatures whith fee­deth us, The blessing of God called the staffe of bread. is called the staffe of bread, Deut. 28. for as the staffe upholdeth the old weake man, so doth the blessing of God uphold and nourish us.

God againe worketh Immediate rations suppositi, for he is indistanter (as the Schoolemen speake) in everie thing.

Yee will say, how doth God worke mediately, Quest. seeing he is immediately in every thing?

If ye will respect the second causes with the effects, Answ. How God is sayd to worke mediatly. then God is said to worke mediatly, but not if ye will respect the media themselves.

When God useth the second causes to produce an ef­fect, How God useth second causes to produce ef­fects. he useth them not as helpes or as co-working cau­ses with himselfe, but to shew his goodnesse and his bountie, that he will communicate with his creatures some part of his power, and for the weaknesse of these whom he helpeth. Curse ye Meros, because be came not out to the helpe of the Lord Iud. 5.23. the Lord needed no helpe of Meros, but when Gods people saw the tribes comming out to helpe, then it helped their infirmitie; but the hand of the Lord is not shortned, 1 Sam. 14.6. who can helpe with few or by many.

The heavens are sayd to heare the earth when they send downe their heat and raine to moysten the earth; When the heavens are sayd to heare the earth. the former raine in the scripture is called [more] plavia and the latter raine [Malcosh] pluvia serotina, [...] jacer [...] [...] which fell out in the moneth Nisan when the Corne began to bee ripe, it was called pluvia maturati [...]nis. And when the heavens are like brasse, then they heare not the earth. Now when the heavens heare the earth, then the hus­band man waiteth for the pretious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it untill he receive the earely and the latter raine: Iam. 5.7. How the earth is sayd to hea [...]e the Corne, and Wine. And the earth shall heare the corne and the wine, the earth heareth the corne and the wine when it is mannured and laboured by the husband man, and when the heavens send downe their influence upon it, when the earth is mannured and dressed, [...] Terratuaeris maritata, Terra moritur comnin colitur & producit fructus. then it is sayd to be married, Esay 62.4. [Veartzecha tibbagnel] and when the ground is not mannured nor sowne, it is sayd to die. Gen. 47.19. Wherefore shall wee die before thine eyes both we and our Hand?

God is the onely cause of fertilitie. God is the onely cause of fertility. Paul may plant, and Apolles may water, but it is God that giveth the encrease, 1 Cor. 3.6. and it is the Lord that crowneth the yeere with goodnesse, Psal. 65.12. The Lord made them to under­stand this, that it was he onely who caused things to grow, therefore they called the great trees which grow without labour arbores Dei, as the cedars and such: and this people found this by experience in the blessing of the seventh yeare, when the increase of one yeare ser­ved for three: and that he might teach them that ferti­sitie onely depended upon his blessing, hee caused the earth to make a great shew of fertilitie which afterwards turned to nothing. Hab. [...]. [...]. [...] est Oliva, the labour of the Olive made a lie, that is, the Olive blossomed ve­rie faire, When the earthis sayd to abhort. but deceived the expectation of the labourer. So 2 King. 19 this country is barren; but in the originall, it is more emphaticall [haaretz meshakkeleth] haec regio facit abortum, for as a woman when she is with child, when she parteth with it, [...] haec regio facit a [...]orlum. she is deceived of her expecta­tion, so the ground about Iericho made a faire shew to the labourers, and deceived them.

I will beare the heavens. Our faith should not looke to the meanes which God useth, but to God himselfe; nei­ther should we depend upon the meanes, when God useth reasonable creatures as his instruments: wee may be thankefull to them, but wee must give the whole praise to God; but we have no obligation; to the un­reasonable creatures as to the heaven and to the earth; this was the ground, We have no obligation to unreasonable crea­tures to thanke them as Gods instruments. amongst the heathen that made them worship the Sunne, the moone, and the starres. Alexander the great was mindfull of his horse that sa­ved him in the battell, that when he died hee builded a Cittie upon him, and called it after his name, Bucephalus: he was not so mindfull to give thankes to God after his deliverie, as he was to his horse.

I will heare the heavens, Men should not rest un­till they come to the first cause. this should teach us never to rest untill we come to the first cause, but men who have their portion in this life, their bellies are fed with his bid treasures, Psal. 17.14. Why are they called his hid treasures? because they know not who is the giver of them, they see the creature but they see not the giver; so when the Lord smiteth them, they see three fingers as it were upon the wall with Balthasar Daniel 5.5. But they see not the hand, nor the arme, nor him that stri­keth; but Iob ascended from the Chaldeans to God him­selfe, and saith, the Lord hath given, and the Lord hath ta­ken, Iob. 1.21. And so did David when Shimei railed a­gainst him 2 Sam. 16.11. When the universall and particular cause concurre together, things take their denominati­on from the particular cause.

I will heare the heavens, when the Vniversall and par­ticular cause concurre together, things take their deno­mination from the particular and not from the univer­sall cause, as sol & homo generant hominem, yet the man is sayd to beget his child, and not the Sunne. So when the cause of causes worketh with subordinate causes, we must not ascribe every particular effect to God, but to the proper cause, as the fire burneth, but not God, and so the bread feedeth us; yet none of these could ef­fectuate any thing without the first cause, therefore we are called the of pring of God Act. 17.29. although our fathers beget us: so Iere. 1.5. Before I formed thee in the bellie. Psal. 22.9. Thou art he that tooke me out of the wombe, and thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mothers breast: our father begetteth us, yet unlesse hee blesse the begetter hee cannot beget; so our mother conceiveth us, yet she shall not beare us except he bring us forth; The creation tooke the denomination from the universall cause. although these take the denomination from the second causes, yet unlesse the Lord blesse them who is the first cause, it is nothing. But in the first creation [Page 50] which was onely by the power of God and no helping cause concurring, then the worke tooke the deno­mination from the universall and first cause.

Whether doth the effect owe more to the universall or particular cause? Quest.

It oweth more to the particular cause than to the universall cause, Answ. Whether things owe more to the universall or particular cause. because it getteth it's kind from it, and is named by it, and is likest to it; but for preservation and continuation of the kind, it is more beholden to the universall cause, as the childe is more beholden to the heavens for his conservation, than to the parents; but if wee looke to the cause of causes God himselfe, creatures are most beholden to him both quoad ad esse & conservari.

And the heavens shall heare the earth when it is manu­red by the husbandman.

Observe how the husbandman is directly subordi­nate to the providence of God, The husbandman is di­rectly subordinate to the providence of God. all honest callings are subordinate to God, but yet the subordination is not so clearely seene, nor the blessing of God appeareth not so well in any other trade as in husbandrie; for after that he hath cast the seed in the ground, he lyeth downe and sleepeth, and night and day it springeth up and he knoweth not how, for the earth bringeth forth of it selfe, first the blade, then the care, then the full corne in the eare, How riches and a pru­dent wife are from the Lord.Marke 4.24. House and riches are the inheritance of the fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord, Prov. 19 14. House and riches are from the Lord as well as the wife, but the directing hand of God and his speciall providence is not so clearely seene in these, as in this.

All the blessing of husbandrie dependeth upon God, The custome of the heathen in their husban­drie. therefore the heathen when they went to plough in the morning they layd on one of their hand upon the stilts of the plough, and they lifted up the other hand [Page 51] to Ceres the Goddesse of corne: but it is a pittie to see the most part of these who mannure the ground as though they were fungi or [...] , sprung out of the ground like toad-stooles, affixi glebae, filij terrae, having their mindes fixed upon the earth, and never to elevate their minds higher to God, than the Oxen which la­bour the ground, but if they had hearts to looke up to God, O beatos agricolas! O how happie were those hus­bandmen!

There are five things which commend husbandrie in the Scriptures; first, the antiquitie of it, Five things which com­mend husbandrie. There was not a man to till the ground, Gen. 2. He is the first man that is missed, it is neither the Lawyer nor the Physitian, nor the Tailor but onely the husbandman.

Secondly, the innocencie of it, it was commanded to Adam in Paradise, and Christ calleth his Father a hus­band man, Ioh. 15.1. I am the true Vine and my Father is the husbandman.

Thirdly for the delight of it, Vzzia the King is called vir agri, because he delighted so much in husbandrie, 2 Chron. 26.10.

Fourthly, for profit, Eccles. 5.9. The profite of the earth is for all, the King himselfe is served by the field.

And lastly, this calling is most clearely seene to bee subordinate to Gods providence, and therefore Esay 28.26. The Lord is called the husbandmans God, who tea­cheth him and instructeth him.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. God by his blessing is both in the causes and the effects immediatly, therefore these are deceived who hold that God fet the heavens on worke, and they give onely their influence to the earth, corne, and wine: Simile. torpedo or the crampfish when it touch­eth the hooke, it transmitteth a benummednesse from the hooke to the line, and from the line to the goad, and from the goade to the fishers arme; here the cramp­fish [Page 52] worketh but mediately, but God worketh imme­diately in all the causes and in all the effects, and there­fore let us crave the blessing of God both to the causes and to the effects.

CHAP. XI. Why the Children are sayd to come out of their fa­thers thigh.

THese who have described the Anatomie of man, Of the generation of man. say that the seed bringers called vasa seminaria, bee two veines and two arteries which come downe to the thigh.

These veines take their beginning from vena cava the Master veine, which hath the originall from the liver, and the arterie hath its beginning from the heart, and so they descend to the parts of generation. [...] virga [...] testiculi, [...] fila testiculorum.

These membraseminis or vasa seminaria the Hebrewes call them first [gid] virga: secondly, [habezim] testicu­li, thirdly, [hashebhelim chute bozim] fila testiculorum.

They came out of Iacobs thigh, for modestie the He­brewes put other parts of the body for the part of ge­neration, as first they call it the feete, Esay. 7.20. I shall shave the haire of the feete, The Hebrewes for mo­destie put other parts of the bodie for the mem­bers of generation. so she shall eate that which commeth out betwixt her feete, so they call it the Na­vell Iob. 40.16. and the thigh Num. 5.2. and the hea­then Poets say that Bacchus was borne of Iupiters thigh.

Secondly, they came out of Iacabs thigh, because pa­ter est principium activum generationis, and not the mo­ther; [Page 53] Why the children are sayd to come out of the fathers thing [...]. & therefore some Divines conceit that if Adam had not sinned, although Eve had sinned, then originall sinne had not beene transmitted to the posteritie; because he was principium generationis, Rom. 5.12. By one man sinne entred into the world.

Thirdly, they came out of Iacobs thigh, these seven­tie soules came out of many bellies, but from one thigh, they came out of the bellies of Lea and Rachel, Zilpah and Billah &c.

Fourthly, Children come out of their fathers thigh, Why the husband is to love his wife better than his children. but the wife was taken out of the husbands side, there­fore the husband should love his wife better than his children.

Fiftly, they came out of Iacobs thigh, Many came out of [...] thigh that was a poore man. that was a sillie poore man, Deut [...] 26.5. And thou shalt speake and say before the Lord thy God: Syrus perditionis erat pater meus, a Syrian readie to perish was my Father, yet he went downe into Egypt and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation great and mightie and populous, who multiplied ex­ceedingly even as the fish of the sea [ijshretzu] Exod. 1.7. [...] multiplicarunt mere piscium. Looke to the number of the fighting men in Iudea in Iehosaphats time, how they encreased that came out of of his thigh, there were eleven hundreth and three-score thousand fighting men, 2 Chronicles 17. What number of women and children were beside? and then if we shall adde all the number that was in Is­rael, Gods promise verified to Abraham. we shall see how Gods promise was verified to Abraham, I will multiplie thy seed as the sands of the Sea. Although the Lord gave him seventie children out of his thigh, yet he touched the hollow of Iacobs thigh, and the paine made him to weepe, Hos. 12.4. and he hal­ted upon it all the dayes of his life. [...] The Hebrewes say that a thing forgetteth, when it leaveth off to doe that which it was wont to doe. This sinew which shrunke in, in his thigh, in the originall it is calld [gid haneshe] nervus oblivionis, the sinnew of oblivion, and it never stirred any more there. So Iob. 28.4. The wa­ters [Page 54] are forgotten of the foote; that is, the foote treadeth no more there. God promiseth no good thing in this life, but with condition of the crosse. What ever the Lord giveth his children in this life, it is alwayes cum exceptione crucis, Mark. 10.30. He shall have an hundreth fold, but it is added, with per­secution. Seventie soules shall come out of Iacobs thigh, but he shall halt upon foureteene all his life time; So Paul was taken up to the third heaven, yet the Lord gave him a pricke in the flesh to humble him, 2 Cor. 12.7. God this wayes tempereth our wine with water, he up­holdeth us with the one hand, and taketh us downe with the other.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. that God out of small be­ginnings can make up a Church to himselfe. Ezek. 47.3. The waters that flowed out of the Sanctuary were but first to the ancles, Simile. then they came to the knees, thirdly they came to the loynes, and lastly they be­came a river that could not bee passed; God of small beginnings can make a Church to himselfe. as the graces of God grow in the Church, so doth the number of the Saints, from hundreths to thousands, and from thou­sands to Millions.

CHAP. XII. That a woman giveth seed in generation as well as the man.

THe divell who envieth the salvation of man kind, The divell set himselfe against the nature and the offices of Christ. hath still set himselfe against Christ our redee­mer.

First hee set himselfe against the divinitie of Christ [Page 55] by his instrument Areius, whodenied the divinitie of Christ, The Arriaus denyed his Godhead. and he poysoned the third part of the waters with his wormewood, Revel. 8.11.

Secondly, hee set himselfe against the person of Christ by Nestorius, who taught that there were two persons in Christ, as there were two natures.

Thirdly, he raised up Eutiches, who confounded the natures, and made but one nature as there is but one person.

Fourthly, hee raised up Martion, The error of the Ana­baptists refuted who de­ny that Christ tooke no flesh of the woman. who denied that Christ was truely a man: and last, he raised up the, Ana­baptists who denie that Iesus Christ tooke flesh of the virgin Mary, but that he passed through her as water doth through a golden pype; and their principall rea­son was this, because women give no feede in genera­tion; but this text sheweth clearely that the women give seede in generation as well as the men: it should not be translated then si Semen conceperit aut susceperit, for that is contrarie to the nature of the active conjuga­tion hiphil, and it should bee translated si seminaverit semen, and so Num. 5.28. seminabit semen, she shall give seede, and not conceive feede, [...] [...] and it is oftentimes spo­ken of trees in the Scripture sementare semen, which cannot be translated, si susceperint semen: so Heb. 11.11. Sara received strength ad jaciendum vel emittendum semen, [...] is not receptio sed jactus seminis, as when the husbandman soweth his seede and casteth it into the ground, Object. the Syriacke paraphrase paraphraseth it not rightly, ut conciperet vel susciperet semen. 2 Cor. 15.47. The first man is of the earth earthly, the second man is the Lord from the heaven, then it may seeme that Iesus Christ tooke not his flesh of the Virgin Marie.

The second Adam is sayd to be the Lord [...] , not that it was in regard of his manhood, Answ. & humaine body made of an hevenly substance, but that it was concei­ved [Page 56] by the heavenly overshadowing of the holy Ghost, and was made partaker of heavenly qualities, as immor tality, glorie and power. And became the instrument of an hevenly conversation upon earth.

The conclusion of this, [...] vindex redemptor propinquus. if Christ had not taken our flesh upon him he had not beene our goel, and so jure propinquitatis he could not have redeemed us: he is cal­led our dud our beloved, Esay. 5.1, Iere. 32. Hananeel because he was in necessitie, his dud became goel for him, Ieremie. and redeemed his land for him. So Iesus Christ being our dud or neere kinsman, becometh goel to us: if he had not taken our nature hee should not have beene vindex sanguinis nostri, neither redeemed heaven when wee lost it, neither redeemed us out of Prison, for all these things did the goel to his kins­man.

CHAP. XIII. How old some of Christs predecessors were when they begot children.

AS the Lord hath measured the Periods of the life of man, how long he shall live, and when hee shall die; so he hath measured the Periods when a man beginneth to beget children, and when hee leaveth off to beget, When [...] begin to be­get ordinarily. and so of the woman.

The Period when a man beginneth to beget, or may beget, is thirteene yeares of age ordinarily, quando exit [Page 57] ab eo concubitus seminis, when the seed of copulation go­eth out from him, Leuit. 15.16. (because then he is able to lye with a woman) and the Iewes call him Parvus so long as non exit ab eo concubitus seminis, and they extend it to the thirteenth yeare and the womans to the eleventh. The Period when he ceaseth to beget diffe­reth now in men, from the time when the Patriarches lived.

The time when the woman leaveth off to conceive ordinarily is fiftie.

And wee may observe in the Scriptures that these Kings of whom Christ came not according to the flesh, some of them begat their children very young, Conferre 2 King 16.2. and 2 King 17.1. with the 2 King. 16.6. and 2 King. 18.1. and ye shall find no interreg­num betwixt Achaz and Ezeki [...]: and conferring the kingdome of Israel and Iudea together, it will appeare how old Achaz was when he be­gat his Sonne. so Salomon begot his Sonne Rehoboam when hee was little more than twelve yeares of age, and Achaz was but eleven yeares when he begat Ezekias. But these againe who were the predecessors of Christ were verie old be­fore they begot their children, to exercise their faith; this wayes Abraham begat not his sonne untill he was an hundreth yeare old, and Boaz begat his sonne when he was sevenscore yeares old. So Sara the great grand­mother of our Lord, Many of Christs pro­decessors were old be­fore they b [...]got children. bare a child when she was nin­tie yeare old. And Rachab another of our Lords pre­decessors bare her sonne, when she was fiftie five yeare old or thereabout.

There was great difficultie both upon Abrahams part and Sarahs part here. Genesis 17.17. Greas difficultie of be­getting children both on Abrahams and Sa­rahs part. Shall a child bee borne to him who is an hundreth yeare old? and so upon Sarahs part, The Lord hath re­strained mee from bearing, Genesis 16.2. Yet the Lord who who hath power over the wombe and grave, made Sara to conceive: the Chaldie Paraphrase of Iern­salem upon Gen. 30.4. setteth downe these foure keyes, God hath reserved foure Itayes to himselfe. the first is facunditatis ad aperiendum, & sterilitatis ad occludendam, the key of fruitfulnes to open the wombe, [Page 58] and the key of barrennesse to shut the wombe, Gen. 30.22. God remembred Rachel and opened her wombe. Se­condly clavis pluviae the key of the raine, Clavis faecunditatisPluviaecabatiouissepulchri. Deut. 28.12. The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasures, the heavens to give raine unto the Land in due season. The third is clavis cibationis the key of feeding every thing, Psal. 145. Thou openest thy hand and fillest with thy blessing eve­rie living thing: the fourth is, clavis sepulchri the key of the grave, Seven mothers barren and yet bare children. Ezek. 37. When I shall open your graves.

There were seven mothers who were barren, and yet the Lord opened their wombe, Sara, Rebecca and Rachel, the mother of Sampson, Anna the mother of Samuel, and Elizabeth the mother of Iohn.

It may be asked whether Abraham thought himselfe absolutely unfit to beget children, Quest. or onely respe­ctivelie thought himselfe to beget upon Sarah. Answ. 1

Some hold that he thought himselfe absolutely unfit to beget children upon any woman, Whether Abraham thought himselfe abso­lutely unable to beget children. because the Apo­stle Rom. 4.19. called his body a dead body, and be­cause the Apostle saith Galat. 4.23. That Iacob who was borne of a free woman was by promise, and Heb. 11.11. By faith Sara conceived, and Esay 51. Looke to therocke whence ye were hewed, Abraham compared to a rocke and Sarah to a pit.Abraham is compared to a rocke here, and Sara to a pit; and as a rocke cannot bring forth children of it selfe, so neither could old Abraham, and it may seeme that there was as great an impossibilitie to Abraham to beget, as it was to Sarah to beare chil­dren; therefore they hold that this was a miracle when this power was given to him to beget children anew againe. Answ. 2

But if we will consider the matter better, wee shall find that Abraham doubted not absolutely of his power to beget children, Abraham doubted one­ly to beget Children up­on Sarah. but onely to beget children upon Sa­ra who was now nintie yeare old, yet hee might beget children upon a younger woman, for after the death [Page 59] of Sara when he was an hundreth thirtie seven yeares, old, he begat sixe children upon Keturah, although hee doubted to beget children upon Sarah. Abraham after he begat Isaac lived seventie and five yeares, therefore his body was not a dead bodie simplie; and hee wanted not power altogether to beget. Abraham might beget when he was an hun­dreth yeare old accor­ding to the course of nature. Againe in these times men lived two hundreth yeares as Terah the father of Abraham lived two hundreth yeares, therefore they were not unfit and impotent for generation when they were an hundreth yeares old, for then they should have beene unfit for generation, the halfe of their life time. Thirdly Iacob who was the great grandchild of Abraham begat Benjamin when he was an hundreth and seven yeare old, therefore Abraham might beget chil­dren by his naturall strength when he was an hundreth yeare old although his strength was not restored to him miraculously.

The Apostle saith that Abrahams bodie was now a dead bodie Rom. 4.19. Object. And almost now an hundreth yeare old. Answ.

This is spoken onely in respect of Abrahams owne opinion who was out of hope to have children there­fore the Apostle saith, Why the body Abra­ham was called a dead bodie. he considered not his owne bo­die, and comparatively his body was much more un­able at that time than it was before, and if in his youn­ger yeares he begat no children upon Sarah much lesse was there hope now in his old dayes. Galat. 4.23. He that was borne of the bondwoman was borne after the flesh, but he that was borne of the free woman, was borne by the promise, hence it may seeme that he begat not his Sonne Isaac by his nturall strength but by faith taking hold up­on the promise. Answ. The strang conception was upon Sarahs par [...] and not upon Abra­hams.

This strange conception was upon Sarahs part and not upon Abrahams part, for when the Lord opened the wombe of Sarah, Abraham begat children by his na­turall strength which he had then.

But it may be sayd that the Lord maketh the diffi­cultie as great upon Abrahams part as upon Sarahs: Object. Esay. 51. Looke to the rocke whence ye were hewed, and to the pit whence ye were digged. Answ.

Abraham was a rocke when hee was considered with Sarah. Secondly when the Prophet calleth him a rocke here from whence the people of God were hewed out, he meaneth especially in this place of their calling out of VZ of Chaldea, Why Abraham was cal­led a rocke. that Abraham was an Idolater when he was called thence.

When the Lord gave Sara strength to conceive, Quest. whe­ther was this a miracle or not, seeing that it ceased to bee with her after the manner of women, Genesis 18.11.

When God who is the author of nature contracteth nature or enlargeth it, Answ. this is not a miracle, although it be a great worke of God. God worketh [...] , but never [...] , he worketh according to nature, besides nature, above nature, but he never worketh against or contrarie to nature, Deus operatur [...] sed non [...] . for the God of nature never worketh against nature: when Peter looked upon Ananias & beheld him, here his sight was [...] , according to nature; when Steven stood before the councell Act. 7. and saw unto the third heaven, this was [...] besides nature, for the Lord extended and enlarged nature, but this was not a miracle; but when Christ restored sight to the blind, and made them to see, this was [...] above nature, and this was a miracle. Example 2. When the hungrie Lyons de­voured the accusers of Daniel, and when the Lyon kil­led the young Prophet, this was according to nature, and when [...]e brake not his bones, this was besides na­ture: but in the lowest degree, (for Lyons use commonly to breake the bones that they may get the marrow,) so when the hungry Lyon spared Da­niel, [Page 61] this was besides nature in a higher degree, but it was not a miracle but onely the restraining of nature; but when the Ravens fed Elias, this was above nature. So in our Lords predecessors some of them conceived and bare their children when they were young, and this was according to nature, When Christs predeces­sors conceived being old it was not a miracle, but the Lord inlarged nature onely. but when Rachab bare a Sonne when she was fiftie yeare old, and Sarah when she was nintie, this was besides nature, but not above nature, God did onely enlarge nature here; but when the Vir­gine Marie conceived and bare Christ, this was above nature and a miracle indeed.

As the Lord made barren Sarah to conceive, so the Lord is able to make his barren Church fruitfull: Creare & formare quid. Esay 43.5. Thus saith the Lord creating Iacob and forming Israel: to create a thing is to create it of nothing, and to forme a thing is to fashion it after it is created, so hee created when he made barren Sara to conceive, when hee mul­tiplied the posteritie of Abraham then he formed them: The posteritie of Abra­ham why called Iacoh and Israel. so he calleth them Iacoh and Israel, poore Iacob when he went over Iordan, with his staffe, but rich Israel when he returned home againe over Iordan: the Church is first dead and created of nothing, and then the Lord ad­deth a new forme to her and multiplieth her. Looke to the rocke whence ye were hewed, and to the pit, whence yee were digged. As a stone cannot beget children, so no more could Abraham beget children upon Sara, but the Lord who is able to raise up children to Abraham out of the stones, so he raised a seed to himselfe; and as that stone which was cut out without the hands of man, became a great mountaine and filled the earth, Dan. 2. so did his Church, &c.

CHAP. XIIII. What time the soule animateth the body and what care the Lord hath of the child after that he is animated.

AS the world in the first Creation was a confused masse, and then by degrees the Lord distinguished the severall dayes workes: so doth he in the little world man: In the first seven dayes it is no other thing but seed; secondly, it is curdled as Iobsaith cap. 10.10. and becommeth flesh, How man is fashioned in his mothers wombe. and it is no more called seed but fatus: thirdly the principall parts of the body are fashio­ned, the Heart, the Braine, and the Liver, and the rest of the members, are hardly discerned; fourthly, when the rest of the members are distinctly fashioned, then it is no more called faetus but infans, then it liveth and stirreth.

It is an errour too commonly holden, that wee first live the life of the plant by the vegetative facultie one­ly, and secondly the sensitive life, and thirdly the rea­sonable; but if it were so, then the child might be justly called a plant, secondly a beast, and lastly a man. Object.

The Philosopher saith that we live first the life of the plant.

This is not so to bee understood as though that im­perfect conception called Embrio liveth first the vegeta­tive life, Answ. The Embrio receiveth the three faculties at once. and then the sensitive, for it receiveth all these three faculties at once, but it exerciseth this vegetative [Page 63] facultie first; for the first fortie dayes, or fortie five dayes, the seed is in the matris, and by that power onely which is in the seed called virtus formatrix, it is peece and peece prepared, and then simul & semel at one and the selfe same time it receiveth all these faculties toge­ther, The featus is sometimes sooner and sometimes longer ere it be per­fected. then it is nourished and groweth til it be quickned by the soule, neither is it a living soule till it be perfectus fatus, and sometimes it is longer ere it bee perfected, and sometimes in shorter time it is perfected. If the fatus be perfected in the thirtie five dayes and the soule animates it, then the child beginneth to stirre the seventieth day, [...] puer. [...] movere. and then he is called nagnar from nagnar movere, because then he beginneth to stirre in his mo­thers wombe, and then the child is septimestris borne in the seventh moneth; We know when the child liveth by doubling the perfection of the faetus. but if the faetus bee perfect in the fortie five day, then the child beginneth to stirre the nin­tieth day, and he is borne in the ninth moneth; so that by doubling the perfection of the Embri [...] when it hath all the parts of it formed, we shall know when the child beginneth to stirre in the mothers bellie, We know when the childis borne by tre­bling the motion of the child. and tripling the motion of the child in the mothers bellie, we shall know the time, when the child is borne.

This place Exod. 21.22. If two strive together and hurt a woman with child; the vulgar translation readeth it badly thus. If the striker strike a woman with child, and she abhort and live, hee shall surely bee punished, How this place is inter­preted by the vulgar translation. their meaning is, that the man shall bee punished by a fine or a mulct for stricking of the woman, but if she live although the child die, yet the stricker shall not die for it; whereas the meaning of the law is, if there fol­low [ashon] damnum any hurt either to the mother, or to the child, then the striker shall die, so that there are two causes set downe here; first, if the striker strike, Two causes in this Iaw. and death follow not, then he shal not die for it, although she abhort, because the child was not [gebher] a living child, [Page 64] but [naphal] fructus abortivus vel deciduus Iob. 3.3. which falleth from the tree before it be ripe, which Sa­lomon Eccles. 6.3. calleth an untimely birth; but if it bee a child which is animated, and the striker strike her, and there follow death either of the mother or of the child, then the man shall die for it: this place then must be understood of a child formed and animated, for if it be onely that which David calleth [golem] massa rudis an unperfect substance, [...] non signatum, and the Rab­bins call it asiman. Psal. 139.16. then if shee ab­hort and bring forth such a birth; he shall not die for it. The Seventie translate it [...] , non signatum, and the Rabbins call it asiman, which words they have borrowed from the greekes, as ye would say, mony not stamped or sealed. So is the Embrio before the soule be created in it, and therefore the striker if he strike the mother, and she abhort and live, so that there follow no danger to her, then he is not to die it, because he hath not killed a living soule, no more than if a man should die for cutting a member from a dead man. Conclusion.

The conclusion of this is, the Lord hath great care of the life of man, God hath great eare of the life of man. even when he is in his mothers belly, if he be once a living child whosoever killeth him shall die for it. When Benah and Rechab killed Ishboseth, David sayd ye are wicked men who have killed a righteous person in his owne house upon his owne bed, shall I not require this at your hands, 2 Sam. 4.11. So the Lord required this at the hands of the murtherer who killed an infant in his first mansion and sleeping in his bed. The Lord for­biddeth in his Law, Exod. 23.19. to kill the kid when it is sucking the dam, hath the Lord regard of kids. 1 Cor. 9.9.? no: his chiefe intention is to have young infants safe in their mothers wombe and when they are sucking.

CHAP. XV. Jn what part of the body the soule lodgeth.

THis question hath much troubled the greatest Phi­losophers, the Peripatetickes the Platenickes and the Physitians, and the Iewes differed from them all. How the puripatetickes divided the faculties of the soule. How the Iewes place the faculties of the soule. The Peripatetickes divided the faculties of the soule into the vegetative, sensitive, and reasonable, and they place them all in the heart. The Platonicks divided the facul­ties of the soule into the jrascible, [...] cerebrum concupiscible and reasonable facultie, which they placed in the braine: [...] spiritat [...] anima and the Physitians differed from both, for they say principium motus est hepar, dignitatis cerebrum, [...] jecur& neces­sitatis est cor: and the Iewes differing from all, say, that rationale habet sedem in Cerebro, Reasons to prove that the soule lodgeth in the braine. which they call Moahh from [moahh] medulla. Secondly spiritus hath the seat in the heart, which is the beginning of life. And [ne­phes] anima seu concupiscible they placed it in the Liver called cabhod.

It may seeme that it hath the chiefe residence in the braine, and dwelleth there: Reason, 1 hath it not all the officers of estate about it in the head? here it hath the senses as the informers, and the Phantasie, the common sense, and memorie as the Recorder, in the hinder part of the head.

Againe that seemeth to be the seat of the soule which is the originall of sense and motion; Reason, 2 but the instruments of sense and motion are the nerves proceeding from the braine, which nerves direct the externall senses, [Page 66] and consequently reason it selfe which is informed by them. Reason, 3

Thirdly, the braine is arbor inversa, and as the life of the tree proceedeth from the root of it, so doth the life of man proceed from the braine.

Fourthly, Reason, 4 the passages from the braine to the heart are the conducts of life; stoppe these passages from the braine to the heart, and immediately a man dyeth, as wee see in apoplexies, which is a disease of the braine properly, and not of the heart.

Fiftly, Reason, 5 because the head is the most excellent part where the soule lodgeth, it is put for the whole body. Achis sayd to David, 1 Sam. 27. Thou shalt be keeper of mine head, that is, of me: so 2 King. 2.3. Thy master shall be taken from thine head this day, that is, from thee. Reason, 6

Lastly, because the soule lodgeth in the head, we un­cover the head first as the most excellent part, we bow the head when wee applaud to any thing; and because the soule lodgeth in the head, therefore when a man sinneth, the head is especially punished.

It is alleadged that the heart was created before the head. Object.

Quod est primum naturâ est ultimum dignitate; Answ. that which was first in nature, is last in dignitie: the heart was created onely to serve the head, and not the head to serve the heart: the heart is membrum organicum as the rest of the members of the body, but that it is erga­num animae, Reasons proving that the soule lodgeth in the heart. that is still denyed.

It may be sayd for the heart that the soule lodgeth in it, Reason, 1 it is primum [...] , it is the mem­ber of the bodie that liveth first and dyeth last, it is not like the eye which seeth last, and faileth first.

The instruments of life the spirits proceed from the heart; Reason, 2 the child when he is in his mothers bellie then [Page 67] spirat, when he is borne then respirat; thirdly, inspirat, he draweth in the breath againe: and last expirat, hee letteth out the breath againe, therefore the pulse is fra­med before either the sinewes or Arteries bee fra­med.

Life and heat proceed from the heart, Reason, 3 therefore in any danger or feare, the blood runneth backe from all the parts of the body to comfort and succour the heart.

Fourthly, the heart is a part voide of all excrements, Reason, 4 and nothing but the purest spirits are in it; the braine againe is a place full of cold humors, and therefore the heart is more fit to bee a lodging place for the soule.

Fiftly, Reason, 5 the heart is the midst and therefore the most excellent place of the body, it is not an arithmeticall midst, for it enclineth more to the left side nor to the right to helpe the coldnesse of it; it is not medium mag­nitudinis vel molis, as the navell is just in the midst of the body: Medi­u [...] arithmetieum,moles,perfectionis. it is medium perfectionis as the Sunne is which is the most excellent sort of midst; so all motion, heat and life of the body proceedeth from the heart.

Sixtly, Reas. 6 a monster that is borne with two heads yet it hath but one heart, if it have two hearts then of neces­sitie it must have two heads, two hearts cannot bee in one body.

Seventhly, Reason, 7 when a man speaketh truth with protesta­tion, he layeth his hand towards his heart, and when we would expresse our love to our neighbour, wee say we love him with our heart. Esay. 1.5. The whole head is sicke and the whole heart is faint, and from the sole of the foote to the head there is no soundnesse: the head is the Prince, the foote arē the common people, and the heart the Priests; and as the naturall life proceedeth from the heart, so doth the spirituall life from the Church-men, [Page 68] who are the instruments to beget the spirituall life.

God him selfe careth for no part of the body when he wanteth the heart: This people draw neere to mee with their lips, but their heart is farre from me. The understan­ding is called the heart, The Lord gave Salomon a wise heart, 1 King. 3.12. The memory is called the heart, Write my Lawes in thine heart, The heart put for the understand, the memo­rie, the affections, and for the conscience.Prov. 3.3. The affecti­ons are called the heart, 2 Cor. 6.8. Our heart is enlar­ged toward you: the conscience is called the heart, 2 Sam. 24.10. Davids heart smote him; so the will is called the heart, 1 King. 3.

The soule is not in one part of the body more than in another, The soule is not onely in one part of the body. and we must hold that opinion, est in toto cor­pore, it is in all the body and in every part of the body, which must be understood negative but not positive, that is, it is not in this or that part of the body, more than in another, but it is in the whole body repletive; and the diverse faculties of the soule which follow the tempe­rature of the body, cannot be placed in one part, but it exerciseth the functions of it in one place more than in another, The soule exerciseth the faculties more in one part than in another. as it understandeth most in the head, and loveth most in the heart and the reines.

The conclusion of this is, the soule is in everie part of the body to animate it for naturall uses, Conclusion. so it should be in every part of the body to make our members the weapons of righteousnesse and holinesse, Rom. 6.19. To make Davids foote dance before the Lord 2 Sam 6.14. to make the knees bow before the Lord, Rom. 14.11. and to make the tongue to prayse the Lord.

CHAP. XVI. What things the Midwife doth to the child when it is new borne.

THe holy Ghost to expresse the miserable estate of the Church of the Iewes when he called her, The holy Ghost to ex­presse the calling of his Church, borroweth a comparison from a mid­wife. bor­roweth a comparison from an infant new borne, whose navell the midwife first cutteth, then she washeth the in­fant and cleanseth him from the blood, then salteth him and lastly swadleth him.

When the infant is new borne, the midwife is readie to meete the child that he fall not to the ground, To prevent with the knee, what. and to receive him upon her knees, Iob. 3.12. Why did the knees prevent me, meaning the midwifes knees. And the hea­then framed a goddesse which they called Levana, who prevented the child before it fell to the ground, but Augustine referreth it omni nutrici gratiae dei, which hee maketh but the midwife and nurse to the Church: and as the Lord did draw David wonderfully out of his mothers wombe, Psalme 22.9. so hee did draw the Church out of, Aegypt that bloodie wombe, God drevv the Church out of Egypt, a blodie vvombe. who were all to be killed by the midwives as soone as they were borne. Exo. 2. when no eye pittied them, when they were cast out into the open field to the loathing of their person, in the day that they were borne, when they were wallowing in their blood, he tooke a care of them and adopted them, he sayd Thou shalt live, Ezek. 16.4.5.

The second thing, What meant by cutting of the navell. which the midwife did to the child new borne, she cutteth the navell of the infant; the navell of the infant is in place of a mouth to it when it is in the mothers belly: when the child is borne the midwife cutteth the navell, and openeth the mouth of the infant, that it may receive nourishment by the mouth, Plut archus de [...] proli [...]. the navell serving him no more for that use. And Plutarch marketh that the navell is first bred in the mothers belly, as the anchor which stayeth the infant in the mothers wombe, and upholdeth him in his first mansion; and the cutting of the navell is as it were the cutting of the cable at wo or pulling up of the an­chor, to let the poore infant goe from this haven, his mothers wombe, to the stormes and dangers of this world, The navell is as it were a cable or rope to keepe the infant in the haven the mothers bellie. in which he is tossed too and fro untill hee re­turne unto his death, which is his haven, and the grave which is his shore, as Abrahams bosome was a haven to Lazarus, Luc. 16.

The third thing that the midwife doth to the child, she washeth him, therefore the Prophet saith, Thou was not washed in water to sowple thee: but the word [lashang] should be rather translated in salutem, [...] for thy safety; for the Physitians hold that it is most profitable for the child to be washed when he is new borne, Why are chidren wa­shed when they are borne. and it should not be translated, to sowple thee, for the flesh of the new borne child is both soft and tender, and sowple alrea­dy: a child new borne, and wallowing in his blood, is rather like one killed than new borne; & to take him up & kisse him, & hug him in their armes, if nature had not placed in the mothers some naturall love, they would never doe it. Skilfull Physitians have afterwards com­manded that the child-should rather be washed in wine than water, because it maketh the body of the infant more firme. Allusion. And marke how Christ, Ioh. 3. alludeth to this, when hee saith, unlesse a man be borne of water and [Page 71] the spirit: he washed not his Church with wine, Christ washed his Church with his owne blood. but with his owne blood. And as they washed the infants when they were new borne, so they used to wash the bodies when they were dead, Act. 9.37. and they washed the body of Dorcas, and laid it in an upper chamber.

The fourth thing which the midwife doth to the child, Why they salted chil­dren new borne. she salted him that his flesh might be more solide and more able to withstand the cold: but in this effemi­nate and daitie age, they use not to doe this to their children. So the Lord when he called his Church, he seasoned her with the salt of grace.

The fift thing which the midwife doth to the child, [...] infantes palma­rum. she setteth the bones of the child aright and swadleth him, that he be not vacius: they are called [gnolele tip­puchim] infantes palmarum; Lament. 2.20. not because they are but a span in length, but because the midwife when they are new borne, setled their bones and joynts with her hand, Infantes palmarum quid apud Hebraeos. that they may be the more streight af­terward: she swadleth them to strengthen their weake members, therefore it is observed that the bodies of the Barbarians were much more streight then the bo­dies of the Romanes, because they were swadled still un­till they were two or three yeares old. Why the Lord is sayd to swaddle the sea. God himselfe taketh a comparison from this, Iob. 38.9. He swadleth the sea, as easily as the midwife doth the young infant.

There is a great resemblance betwixt our birth and our death, A great resemblance be­twixt our birth and our death. as we came forth naked out of our mothers wombe, so shall we returne naked thither againe, Eccles. 5.15. And as the infant is bound and swadled when he is borne, so is the dead body bound hand and foote, as we see Lazarus Ioh. 11. And the infant is salted when he is borne, to teach us that wee shall quickly corrupt, and goe to corruption againe.

The conclusion of this is, Conelusion. that we should lament our naturall corruption, who are by nature the children of [Page 72] wrath, and be thankefull to God who hath taken us out of the state of corruption, washed us, and made us heires of grace and salvation.

CHAP. XVII. That the mother should nourish her owne chil­dren.

GOd and his handmaid nature, God and nature maketh nothing in vaine. doe nothing in vaine. Why hath God put wine in the grape but that men should drinke it? and why doth he put milke in the mo­thers breasts? but onely that the children should sucke it; Two reasons why God placed the dugges of a woman in her breast. God hath placed the dugges of a woman in her brest, and the pappes of a beast in her belly, and they give a double reason of this, first a physicall reason and then a morall reason; the physicall reason is this, hee hath placed the dugges of a woman so neere the heart and Liver, that the milke might be the better concocted for the nourishing of the child: mulieri superius adpect us nascuntur ubera ut in promptu fit osculari, amplecti, & fove­re infantem, that is, The dugges of a woman are placed in her brest, A forcible argument to move children to obey their mothers when they have given them sucke. that she may more readily kisse, embrace and cherish her infant. In old times it was holden to be one of the most forcible obligations to bind the child [Page 73] to obey the mother, because she had given him sucke, and therefore the mothers would attest their children this wayes, By these dugges which thou hast suckt doe this.

The milke of the mother is the fittest mike to nou­rish the child, for as contraria contrarijs curantur, The mothers milke is the fittest milke for the childs complexion. so simi­lia similibus aluntur, the blood which was first the Fa­baicator should now be the Altor when it is turned into mike, this milke must be fitter for the Childes com­plexion than any other milke. The milke a forcible meanes to make the child resemble the mo­ther.

The milke is a forcible meane to make the child re­semble her whom he sucketh: Gellius giveth this ex­ample, take a kid & let it sucke an ewe; the haire of it will become like unto wooll: take a lambe againe, and let it sucke a goate, the wooll of it will become like the goates haire: so let a whelpe sucke a cat, and he will kill Rats and mice as a cat; ye see then what force is in the milke. The historie giveth this reason why Tiberius Cae­sar was such a drunkard, because he suck't a drunken nurse; Caligula sucked a cruell nurse who rubb'd her dugges with blood every day, and therefore he became a cruell and bloody monster. It is true that good edu­cation and instruction, but above all, grace can over­rule these inclinations. Cyrus before God changed his name, was called Spacon, as ye would say, a dog, Many have beene eroull by reason of the milke they have sucked. be­cause hee suck't a bitch when he was a child; but the Lord gave him excellent and heroicall vertues, and made him the deliverer of his people: these vertues over­ruled his naturall inclinations which would have beene both wilde and currish, if these vertues had not restrai­ned him. Menahem, Act. 13.1. [...] was a Prophet and a teacher, yet he was Herods foster brother and sucked the same milke with Herod: here grace over-ruled his natu­rall inclination, for by nature hee would have beene as bad as Herod.

As the nourishing of the child is a great cause why the child resembleth the mother, so it is a great obliga­tion to move the mother to love the child the better: therefore the Church ravished with the love of Christ saith, O that thou were as my brother that sucked the brest of my mother! Cant. 8.1. and the Iewes hold, that this was one of the reasons why Bathshebe called Salomon her only Sonne, Prov. 4. because he was nourished by her, she loved him better than the rest of her sonnes, as he was the sonne of her wombe, and the sonne of her vow. Prov. 31. so he was the sonne of her breasts.

The Hebrewes observe that the nurse in their lan­guage is called Omen comming from the roote Aman, [...] untrix ab [...] fidelem esse, which signifieth to bee faithfull: the naturall mother when she nourished her child, will have a greater care of her child, and be more faithfull in bringing it up than the hired nurse will bee: Mepiboseths nurse let him fall that he became lame, The examples of holy women will teach mo­thers to nourish their owne children. all the dayes of his life, 2 Sam. 4.4.

The examples of holy women in the Scriptures and else where, will teach mothers this dutie, Sara nourished Isaac, Rebecca Iacob, Anna Samuel, Bathsebe Salomon, and the virgin Marie Christ himselfe, and Moses was brought by Gods speciall providence to bee nourished by his owne mother, and the mother of the seven sonnes in the Macchabees, 2 Macch. 7. nourished her owne sonnes, and Augustine saith in his book of confessi­ons that with his mothers milke he drank in to learne to honour and worship God.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. that these who disdaine to give sucke to their children, let them remember that curse pronounced by Hosea c. 9.14. What wilt thou give them? a miscarying wombe and drie breasts: there is none of them, but would thinke it a punishment to have a barren wombe, why then should they not thinke it a judgement to have drie breasts when their children [Page 75] sucke them? but yet withall on the other hand, it being not a disdaine and contempt, but a bare neglect of this duty in diverse mothers, it is but an omission, and so may be wthout sinne, if it be propter majus bonum. The Schoole wel observes though no sinne may be commit­ted for any goods sake, yet a lesser good may be omit­ted for the attaining of a greater good: as in the case in hand, for the establishing of a Kings throne by a spee­die increase of his royall issue in the case of Queenes: for the preserving of the mothers life in case of weake mothers, or for the preserving of the childes health in the case of diseased mothers; these are greater goods, than the mothers giving sucke to her owne child, and therefore in these cases it may bee omitted without sinne by the mothers.

CHAP. XVIII. Of the weaning of Children.

THe next duety of a woman after that she hath nur­sed her child is to weane it, as Anna did Samuel. [...] [...] ­lactatio. The time when the Iewish women weaned their chil­dren was when they were three yeares old; 2 Macch. 7.27. The mother sayd to her sonne, have pittie upon me who carried thee nine moneths in my bellie, and gave thee sucke for three yeares.

Some Physitians hold that to suffer a child to sucke three yeares maketh him dull and unfit for learning, Ʋalefius cap. 28. and therefore it is fit that hee bee weaned sooner; and Valesius holdeth that the three yeares spoke of in 2 Mac. 27. are meant onely of two compleate yeares, and [Page 76] that in the beginning of the third yeare she weaned her child, and that it was annus currens & non completus: but this seemeth to be a strained sense, for as nine moneths are taken for full 9 moneths, not for the eight compleat and the ninth begun, so yeares here are taken for three compleat yeares, & not for two compleat yeares, & the third begun. The Lawyers take Biduum sometimes for a compleate day and the next begun, and the Civilians use this reckning somtimes; but the Physitians in recko­ning of natural daies, they reckon to the ful & compleat time, and it is more probable that in the first ages they were longer before they weaned their childrē than now.

Petrus Comestor observeth upon 1 Sam. 1.3. that they had a threefold weaning of their children in old times, The Iewes had a three­feld weaning their chil­dren. first when they weaned them from their mothers milke, when they were three yeares old: the second weaning he maketh to be, when the child was weaned from his tender age, and the eare of his dry nurse; and this was when he was seven yeares old. The third sort of wea­ning he maketh to be this, when he is weaned from his childish manners, and his Pedagogie, and this is done when he is twelve yeares of age; and hee addeth fur­ther that there is a proper weaning and a metaphoricall weaning, ablactatio propriametaphorica the proper weaning was when the child was three yeares old, and the metaphoricall when hee was twelve; and Comestor saith, when it is sayd of Anna that she weaned her son Samuel, it is to be un­derstood of this metaphoricall weaning when hee was twelve yeare old, and fit to serve in the Temple; when he needed no more the eare of his mother after that she had offered him to the Lord.

But the text maketh this cleare, that this weaning of Samuel is not taken metaphorically here but in the pro­per sense, 1 Sam. 1.23. she brought him into the house of the Lord after she weaned him, she had need [Page 77] to carrie him, because he was not as yet able to goe of himselfe; and the text saith, 1 Sam. 1.24. puer erat puer, [...] the repetition of the word sheweth that he was a verie little child: & 1 Sam. 2. verse 19. his mother made him a lit­tle coat, and brought it to him from yeare to yeare. And to this sort of weaning David alludeth Psal. 131.2. Surely I have behaved and quieted my selfe as a child that is wea­ned of his mother. 1 Sam. 1.28. [...] tum pluralis numeri, ut hic, vel singularis nu­meri cum affixe, Gen. 47.31. Vaijshtachu should bee translated incurvarunt se, to wit Elkana and Anna, and not incurvavii se, to wit Samuel being as yet but a little child.

The heathen kept a feast, when they were borne, Pharao kept a feast on his birth day Gen. 40.20. Mark. 6.21. and He­rod made a supper to his Lords one his birth day.

The Iewes made a feast when they weaned their children and not one their birth day, Eccles. 7.1. The Iewes made a fest at the day of their death and not at their birth. Better is the day of death than the day of ones birth, & cap. 4.3. There­for I praise the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive: Yea better is he than both they, which hath not yet beene, who hath not seene the evill which is done under the sunne. The councell of Toled observed that Christ wept not at Lazarus death but at his rising againe: and Christ saith, Ioh. 14.28. If ye loved me ye would rejoyce because I sayd I goe to my Father. The fathers called the day of the martyres death [...] because then they got to the land of the living, Origen. lib. 3. in Iob. there was no cause then why to keepe a feast on their birth day. They keeped the feast when they weaned their chil­dren Gen. 21.8. because their children then were past the greatest danger: the greekes called this [...] , and the feast they called the teeth feast, Macrobius lib. 1. [...] productio dentium ab [...] & [...] . de somuo Scipionis, and they were glad that the children had no need of milke but of strong meate then, as the Apostle speaketh in another sense, Heb. 5.12. Conclusion.

The conclusion of this is, some unnaturall mothers [Page 78] will not take paines to nurish their children, and they faile in the one extremitie. So there are some sottish mothers who suffer their children to sucke too long, and they fall in the other extremitie. For although in the first ages when they lived so long, they suffered them to sucke for three yeares, yet our dayes being short­ned, they should not take up so much of their childrens age in giving them sucke.

CHAP. XIX. Whether the Sight or the Hearing be the better sense.

THe eyes resemble the heavens most, and as the Philosopher proveth by that Maxime, Perfectissi­mo corpori perfectissima debetur figura, the most perfect forme is due to the most perfect bodie: Reason, 1 the heavens are the most perfect body, therefore the round forme which is the most perfect forme is fitted for them, so the eye is a most perfect bodie and of a round forme.

The eye most resemble the heavens having the tuni­cles as the spheares, Reason, 2 & motion within it selfe as the hea­vens, The eyes resemble the heavens. and cleare like the crystall heaven, and it most re­sembleth the sunne: Iob. 3.9. neither let it see the eye lids of the morning, where the holy Ghost compareth the eye lids to the clouds and the sunne to the eye, there­fore it was called oculus mundi, the eye of the world.

The eye most resembleth the mind, The eyes resembleth the mind most. therefore in the scriptures it is called the eye of the mind; Eph. 1.18. and there is such intelligence betwixt the eye and the [Page 79] mind, that the eye taketh the denomination from the mind; if it be an unchast mind, then it is called oculus a­dulter an adulterous eye, if it be a corrupt mind then it is oculus nequam an evill eye; if it be a simple mind, then it is called oculus simplex; if the mind be liberall, then it is called oculus bonus a good eye.

The eye discerneth and taketh up things farther than any other sense doth, Reas. 4 The eyes taketh up the object better than any other sense albeit far distant. although the objects be farre di­stant from it, as the mind doth, and then it hath a surer knowledge of things than the care hath; it beleeveth onely that which it seeth, the eare beleeveth the report of others, therefore we say plus valet unus oculatus testis quàm auriti decem, better is one eye witnes than ten eare witnesses. The Queen of Sheba admired the glory of Salo­mon more when she saw it than when she heard of it. 1 King 10.7.

The eye moveth the beholder most, 2 Sam. 16. Reas. 5 per­chance the Lord will looke [begnoni] upon my affliction, but the Masoreth read it [begneni] in oculum meum, that is, [...] in afflictionem meam. [...] in oculum meum to the teares of mine eye, because teares moove much; & when men would expresse any thing that is deare unto them they say, ye would have pulled out your eyes for mee, Gal. 4.15.

The Hebrewes put the sense of seeing for all the sen­ses, Ioh. 20.29. because thou sawest thou beleeved, that is, Reason, 6 because thou touched: so Alexander the coppersmith hath caused me to trye much evill that is, to feele much evill, 2 Tim. 4.14. so, Psal. 16. he saw no corruption, that is, he felt no corruption. So for smelling, The sense of seeing put for all the senses by the Hebrewes. Thou caused our Savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharao, that is, in the nostrils of Pharaoh; thirdly it is put for the tast, Psal. 33.9. Tast how sweet the Lord is, that is, see; fourth­ly for hearing, Exod. 20.8. and the people saw the voyces, that is, heard the voyces.

It is thought that this sense is not a fit sense for scien­ces and learning, but they are deceived who thinke so, [Page 80] for the senses are profitable for sciences two manner of wayes, The sense of sight both profitable for finding out sciences and for the learning of sciences be­ing found out. either for finding out some principles of the sciences, or for the learning of them which are already found out; the sight helpeth us most to find out scien­ces, but the eare helpeth us most to learne them when they are found out.

It is objected against this sense, that it is often decei­ceived, Object. taking up a false species from the object, as in the water a staffe seemeth broken to us when it is whole: so when a man looketh through a paire of spectacles which are full of corners, his hand cannot touch these things, which he looketh upon with his eyes.

The defect here is not in the eye, Answ. but in the medium; for the eye may be deceived by the medium two manner of wayes, either by the refraction of the perpendicular beame that proceedeth from the eye, or by reflection; by refraction, The eye sometimes deceived by the medium two wayes. as the staffe in the water seemeth to bee broken, because the beame of the eye is hindred by the medium the water: so by reflection when the eye is hin­dered that it cannot see the object through the specta­cles because of the many superficies and diverse corners of them, the beame is reflexed backe againe so that it can never fix it selfe upon the right object: but if the organ bee sound and the medium bee fit for the organ, and a proportionable object for them both, neither too bright nor too obscure, then the eye can never bee deceived.

It is objected against this sense, Object. that it can hurt by looking upon another, as an envious eye looking upon a child may hurt the child, and make him die; and the Apostle alludeth to this, Gal. 3.1. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?

The heathen that had conceit that the witches could hurt with their eyes, Answ. The superstitious con­ceit of the heathen con­cerning bevvithing vvith the eye. and therefore they did hang fascininam vel turpiculas about the childrens neckes to [Page 81] be [...] against their bewitching with the eye. When one saw Esope in his masters house (who was a very deformed creature) he sayd that his master had bought him ut esset fascinum domus, but they were much mistaken in this, for it is not the eye that hurteth, more than the words of the enchanter; for when the enchan­ter useth his charme or spell, the words hurt not, but it is the Divell that doth the hurt: The evill eye doth not hurt, but it is the Divell that concurreth with it. So when an envious eye and bewitching eye is thought to hurt, it is the Di­vell that concurreth with the evill eye, and it is hee that harmeth; the heart of an envious man may hurt him­selfe, and the strong imagination may bring death to a mans selfe, and a sore eye may affect the eye of another who looketh upon it, with the humor comming from it, but it can neither infect the ayre nor bring death to any man.

It is commonly objected against this sense, Object. that it is the fittest sense to let in sinne to the soule, Many things objected against the eye. as Eve loo­king upon the forbidden fruit, longed after it; David looking upon Bathshebe committed adulterie with her; and the sonnes of God, saw the daughters of men to be faire, which brought on the first great judgement upon the world: therefore the Lord Num. 15.39. saith, Seeke not after your owne heart, and your owne eyes, after which ye use to goe a whering; and the Hebrewes say that oculus est proxineta peccati, Many have pulled out their eyes because of the evils that come by the eye. it is the broker which goeth betwixt the object and the heart, to make up the sinfull bar­gaine. Democritus knowing well what evill came by the eye, pulled out his eyes; and Oediput because his adulterous eyes drew him to incest to lye with his mo­ther, therefore he pulled out his eyes. And for this cause the eyes were called subsessores which lye in the high way to wait for men, and to kill them at unawares; Petrus Abbas Claravallensis, when he had lost one of his eyes by sicknesse sayd, I have lost one of mine eyes, [Page 82] and now I am more affraid of that which is left than I am sorie for that which is lost, therefore when wee would diligently meditate upon any thing, wee shutte our eyes.

But we must know that the most excellent things being abused become worse, Answ. as the sweetest wine be­commeth the sowrest vineger: The most excellent things being abused become worst. this argueth onely that if the eye be abused, then it becommeth the worse sense, but being rightly used, it is the most excellent sense, for it beholdeth the world which the Philosopher calleth Altar of God, in which we may see his power and his wisedome to prayse him and magnifie him for it. Then the blind man concluded how pittifull his cause was, who wanted this noble sense and lived like a priso­ner continually in darknesse.

I perceive this day that to be true, The speech of the dease. that everie man judgeth other mens greefes lesser than his owne; but if my greefes were weighed in a ballance with this mans, they would soone weigh them downe.

I want the daughters of musicke, Eccles. 12. I am no more delighted with musicke nor old Barzillai was, Reasons for the prehe­minence of the hearing. 2 Sam. Reason, 1 19.35. That could not heare the voyce of singing men, and singing women; and let one sing as sweetly unto mee as the sweeter singer of Israel could doe, yet I am like the deafe adder that is nothing moved with it.

The care is janua disciplina the gate of knowledge: Reason, 2 it is true, Greater knowledge by hearing than seeing. a man may see the principles of knowledge with his eye, but when a science is found out, how can hee learne it? it is onely this sense of hearing which beget­teth understanding. A man may be blind and yet have great knowledge, but if hee want his hearing, what knowledge can he have? Rabbi Ioseph Coecus was blind; yet he paraphrased the third part of the Bible in the Chaldie tongue, [...] and for this the Hebrewes call him [Saggi maor] abundans lumine: Dydimus was blind se­ventie [Page 83] yeares, yet he was must skilfull in the Scriptures, therefore Ierome calleth him videntem suum Di­dymum, his seeing Didymus: it is this sense which bree­deth understanding more then the eye, therefore So­crates sayd to a young man who was beautifull, loquere ut te videam, speake that I may see thee; a man wanting this sense of hearing, can have little knowledge of any thing. Reason, 3

That we have knowledge by hearing rather than by seeing or any other sense, we may prove it by the exam­ple of old Isaac, Oculi caligant, palatum seducitur, fallitur manus, sed non fallitur auris: and Bernard speaking to this purpose sayd, Non est in gustu veritas, etsi suavitas, non in oculo sed in aure.

Faith commeth by hearing, Rom. 10. Reas. 4 A man wanting the sense of hearing wanteth faith; this sense is the sense of obedience, speake Lord for thy Servant hea­reth, 1 Sam. 3.10. and the Hebrewes put audire for in­telligere, they put hearing for understanding.

The eare is the most excellent sense, Reas. 5 the Apostle saith corpus aptasti mihi, but David saith aures perforasti mihi Psal. 40. because the body is most fitted to obedi­ence by the care.

The Lord taketh greater paines about the eare then about any other sense, Reason, 6 first he uncovereth the eare and taketh a vaile off it, 1 Sam. 20.12. that is called reve­lare aurem to uncover the eare; secondly, perforat aurem hee boreth the eare, Psal. 40. as the servants eare was bored of old that they might dwell with their ma­sters for ever, Exod. 22. God taketh great paines about the eare. the first was ad intelligentiam for understanding, the second was ad obedientiam, for obedience, thirdly he circumeided the eare, which in­cludeth both the other two.

Sathan envieth most the eare, Reason, 7 Sathan envieth the eare most. therefore in the Go­speil it is sayd, that hee possessed a man with a deafe [Page 84] Divell, but hee never studied to make a man blind.

Leaving these theologicall and morall reasons, Reason, 8 we may perceive what benefit wee have by our hearing, how it is the mother of our speech; Why one that is borne deafe is also dambe. for a man that is borne deafe, hee can never speake. Then the deafe man concluded that his case was a thousand times worse than the blind mans, and that hee ought to bee thankefull to God who enjoyed the sense of hearing, al­though he was defective of the sense of seeing.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. the sight is the most excel­lent sense for naturall things in this life, and the hearing for spirituall things; therefore these two senses have beene fitly compared to Martha and Marie, Martha was troubled about many things, The fight and hearing like Martha and Mary. but Marie sate at his feet and heard him diligently, therefore she made choyse of the better part, Luk. 10.41.42. But in the life to come the sight shall bee no more busied about earthly things, but shall sit downe at the feete of Christ and chuse the better part with Mary, and onely then it shall contemplate heavenly things, for then wee shall walke by fight and not by faith.

CHAP. XX. Whether the phantasie bringeth forth reall effects or not.

THe phantasie is an imagination and an impression made in the soule of such formes and shapes as are let in by the senses, The Phastasie what. or by such as are imagined without any sight. How Imaginations are wrought in the Phan­tasie.

The way how these imaginations are wrought in the braine is this: The naturall spirits which are in the [Page 49] heart are sent up by the arteries to the braine, and there they waken these phantasies which are sleeping as it were in the braine, and then they begin to compose devide or abstract.

The resemblance of these imaginations wakened by the spirits, How the resemblance of the imaginations are carried from the braine to the seede. are speedily carried from the braine to the heart, and from the heart to the liver, from the liver to the blood, and from the blood to the seed. And as the influences of the heavens when they meet with a fit object, make diverse impressions in the earth, so doe the spirits in the seed; Simile. and as the painter useth to adde, divide and compose, so doe the imaginations as it were set a copie to the spirits, sometimes by encrease as when we imagine that wee see a Gyant; sometimes by diminution as when we imagine that we see a pigmei or a dwarse, and sometimes by translation, as when wee imagine the eye to be in the breast; and as the painter by art borroweth the nose from one, the lip from an­other, and the eye from the third, so doth the phanta­sie, and as nature composeth sometimes, as struthie­camelus, pardo-camelus, so doth the phantasie compose things, and make up diverse formes.

The spirits when they ascend unto the braine, The spirits being free from exhalations, doe compose and divide in the braine. and are cleare without fogge or mist of grosse exhalations, then they compose and divide, and play the part as it were of a Poet or painter in the braine; and this we see by experience, for when a man lieth downe first, and the grosse exhalations arise out of his stomacke, then he cannot dreame, or if he dreame, Why dreames in the forcpart of the night are not so distinct as in the latter part of the night. his dreames are won­derfully confused & undistinct: but when the humors are setled, and the spirits begin to be more cleare, then they compose or divide more distinctly; Simile. as a man seeth not his face so clearely in the water when it is troubled as when it is settled: so the spirits when they are trou­bled with these fogges of mist and grosse exhalations [Page 50] arising out of the stomacke, then they worke not so clearely and distinctly as they doe when the humors are setled.

That the phantasie of it selfe worketh no alteration within a man, Reasons proying that the phantasie worketh no alteration of it selfe in man. it is proved thus.

First, nihil agit extra genus suum, as thornes bring not forth figges, Reason, 1 nor thistles grapes, Mat. 7.16. The imagi­nation conceiveth not the things themselves but the images of things, for as we are not fed by the nature of bread apprehended in the phantasie, but by the bread it selfe: So neither can the notions of things appre­hended in the phantasie affect or change the body; Simile. and as the sense is to the thing taken by the sense, so is the imagination to the thing imagined, but the sense and the thing taken up by the sense are idem numero one and the selfe same thing, Sensus & sensile idem numere. as the eche and the sound are one. So the fight, and the thing taken up by the sight are one, even so the thing imagined, and the imagination are one; and there is no other act without the imagi­nation, it is not actio transiens here sed immanens, it is not a transient action, but permanent, and therefore worketh nothing upon the bodie.

The imagination cannot worke upon the bodie. Reason, 2 First, it worketh not formally, for that which worketh formally, The imagination nei­ther worketh formallie nor vietually upon the bodie. produceth an effect like the thing it selfe, as the fire produceth heate. Secondly, it worketh not virtually, for one body virtually onely affecteth ano­ther, as Physicke worketh upon our bodies. Thirdly, it worketh not eminenter by way of excellencie upon the bodies, for then it should produce such an effect which should be more excellent than the cause.

The spirits then ascending from the heart, How the spirits waken the phantafies and carry them to the seed. wakeneth these phantasies in the braine, and carrieth these idea's or shapes downe againe by the Nerves, to the heart, and to the Liver, and then to the blood, and last [...]o the [Page 51] seede where they take their impressions, and there is a great correspondencie betwixt the two begettings, the imaginarie begetting and the bodily begetting, and the one taketh the examplary from the other; and although these imaginations be not actually seene in the seede, The imaginations are not actuallie but virtually in the seed. yet they are virtually in it, as the rest of the members are comprehended in it before they bee fashioned; so are the colours, markes and shapes.

The spirits draw out these shapes and colours, taking the parterne of them from the phantasie, and they im­print them in the seede; The spirits imprint the shapes and colours in the seed. neither must this seeme strange unto us, for if the divell can mixe himselfe with the humors of the bodie, and out of these humours, frame diverse shapes and colours, much more may the natu­rall spirits doe this in the humors. Augustirus de civitate dei lib. 8. cap. 8. Augustine sheweth this, how the Divell did delude the Aegyptians and con­tinued Idolatrie amongst them, presenting to the Cow when she was engendring, an Oxe marked with the same markes wherewith the oxe was marked which they worshipped in Aegypt, so that when he dyed they had still an Oxe marked after the same manner.

Whether was this a miracle or not, Quest. when Iacobs ewes brought forth speckled lambs? Answ.

It was mirum but it was not miraculum. God in wor­king a miracle sometimes he useth an ordinarie meanes, as when he cured Ezekias sore, he bade lay figges to it, figges naturally mature and ripen the sore, Iacobs Ewes bringing forth speekled Lambs whether a miracle or not. but because hee healed Ezekias in an instant the naturall cause wrought no more here than Pauls girdle, when he hea­led the sicke by it: but when Iacobs ewes conceived speckled lambes, this cannot bee called a miracle, for they conceived by naturall meanes here, and they brought not forth their lambs upon an instant, but kept their course as other ewes did. Quest.

What is the reason that other men who have try­ed, [Page 52] this conclusion could never doe the like?

God who is the God of nature, Answ. and worketh by his handmayd nature (who is natura naturans, whereas she is but natura naturata) can doe many things by her, Natura naturansnaturata. which neither the Divell nor men can doe, who are but natures instruments; the Nazarets by the law might drinke no wine, yet their cheekes were most comely and ruddie, Lament. 4.7. But ordinarily drinking of wa­ter maketh the face more pale: ye see here how the God of nature did worke beside the ordinary course of na­ture; Sathan can dive farre in nature. but Sathan albeit hee be not the God of nature, yet hee could dive farre and invegle himselfe into the phantasie of the Cow, when she was in gendering, and so made the braine of the Cow more pregnant, and the spirits made the colours more vively in the feede, and brought forth such a calfe marked with such spottes: but God being the God of nature, gave such a blessing to the ewes that they brought forth all their young ones speckled. Man can onely present to a Cow when shee is gendering an oxe or a bull marked with such markes, but he cannot give that blessing which the Lord gave to the ewes, neither can hee invegle himselfe in the phantasie of the Cow, as the Divell did who is a spirit; and therefore a Cow bringeth not forth a calfe so vively marked, when a man, the instrument of na­ture hath a hand in the worke, as when the Devell hath an hand in it.

Man is an instrument of nature two manner of wayes, either he is propinquum instrumentū naturae, or remetum instrumentum naturae; Instru­mentum propinquumremotum. he is propinquum instrumentum naturae the neere instrument of nature quando sol & homo generant hominem, and here he worketh more forciblie in nature; than Sathan can doe. Againe he is the remote instrument of nature: example; when a Physitian com­poseth his drugges of so many hearbs and simples, here [Page 53] he cannot worke so effectually as Sathan can doe, be­cause he is but remotum instrumentum naturae: so if a man should have presented a marked oxe bfore the Cow, she would not have brought forth a calfe marked after that manner, because hee was but instrumentum remo­tum naturae here, and could not worke so as the divell could doe.

Last observe, The parents give mat­ter and forme to the birth. that the parents give matter and forme to the birth, and if there be not a like efficacie in them both, then the imagination appeareth not so vively in the birth; now the Lord by his directing hand matched the like with the like, the strong imagination with the stronger, and the weake with the weaker, and so, they brought forth lambs some with broader spots, and some with lesser.

The phantasie then by it selfe worketh not this alte­ration, The phantasie doth not alter the bodie, but mo­veth the spirits and they alter the bodie. but yet the phantasie when it apprehendeth the object either as profitable or hurtfull, then it moveth the spirits, and the spirits altereth the body. Conclusion. 1

The conclusion of this is, as in naturall things, the I­mages breed Imaginations in the phantasie; when they behold monstrous objects the birth is oftentimes mar­ked with the like. The Concubine of Pope Nicolas brought forth a child marked like a Beare, because in her conception she beheld the armes of the Vrsins, and therefore his successor Pope Martine caused the armes of the Vrsins to be rased out. So wee must beware of obsceene spectacles and filthy objects, for they breed monstrous sinnes in the heart.

Secondly, Conclusion. 2 seeing that the phantasie of the mind pro­cured by the object of the fight or some other cogitati­on in the time of conception, is of such force to fashion the birth: It becommeth men and women not to come together with beastly appetites and uncleane imaginations, for by such meanes monsters and misha­pen birthes are often procured.

CHAP. XXI. How the Hebrewes distinguished the ages of man.

THe Hebrewes doe not divide the ages of man as the Greekes doe, The Greeks divide the life of man into seven periods. or as the Latines. The life of man is called by the greekes Hebdomas because it is divided in seven periods; the first is his infancie untill he bee seven yeare old; the second is pueritia childhood un­till he be foureteene yeares old; the third is adolescen­tia, youth-head untill he bee twentie five yeares of age; the fourth is virilis aetas untill he bee fiftie: the fift is aevi maturitas untill he be sixtie; the fixt is senectus un­till he be eightie; the seventh is decrepitasenectus from eightie to the day of his death.

But the Hebrewes distinguish the life of man after this manner; How the Hebrewes dis­tinguish the life of man. first they are [hajonekim lactantes, sucking children untill they bee three yeares old; [...] lactantes. [...] aliquando est no­men aetatis, aliquando non. Secondly, [nagnarim] pueri ratione aetatis untill they bee thir­teene; they say, ratione atatis, for oftentimes nag­nar non est nomen atatis in the Scripture. Ioseph when he is thirtie yeare old is called nagnar, Ioshua when hee is fiftie five yeares old is called nagnar: see Psal. 127.4. and Prov. [...] aliquando no­men proprium, & ali­quando nomen speciei. 5.18. so Ioel 1.8. So Adam is sometimes no­men speciei, and then it comprehendeth infants and men. Infants who know not the right from the left hand, Ionas 4.11. and sometimes it signifieth a man come to age, and then it is opposite to the child. But when Nagnar is a name of age, then it comprehendeth from three yeares [Page 55] old to thirteene, Thirdly, he is ish, when hee hath past thirteene and a day, [...] aliquando late sumitur, aliquando est nomen officij. then hee beginneth to observe the Law and is filius pracepti, and weareth his phylacterie. Sometimes, this word [ish] is taken more largely. 1 Sam. 17.12. venerat in viros, id est, senex erat; and some­times it is nomen officij, the name of a husband, Hos. 2.

Fourthly, they are bechurim from twentie yeare old to sixtie, Exod. 30.41. [...] electi. because then they were chosen for the warres.

Fiftly, senectus, and it was three fold, [...] first zickna when he was sixtie yeares old.

The second is [shebha] canities from seventie to eighty. [...]

The third is, [...] [Iashish] silicernium or decrepita se­nectus, 2 Chro. 36.16. The sword of the Chaldaans spared not the old man nor him that stooped for age. By this wee may see that they translate not these words rightly, they shall die in the flowre of their age, 1 Sam. 2.33. for they dyed long before that time: The meaning then is this, thy sonnes shall not die when they are children, but when they are ishim past thirteene yeares of age, and when they shall have so much understanding to see themselves put from the holy service of the Lord, the Lord shall cut them off before they come to bee men, which the Hebrewes call more excidij, before they come to the flower of their age. Not unlike unto this place, is that phrase Hos. 9.12. orbabo cos ab homine, that is, Orbabo eos ab hemine quid. I will cut them off that they shall not become men, or be­fore they shall become men.

As the age of man is divided, The ages of the Church. so Augustine divideth the age of the Church, first infantia when he called her out of Aegypt; Secondly pueritia when she lived un­der the pedagogue of the Law till Christ came; thirdly in adolescentia under Christ; fourthly, in senectuie, under the Apostles and last decrepita senectus now.

So the Church of the Gentiles was in infantia from Adam to the flood; The ages of the Church of the Gentiles. secondly in adolescentia from the flood to Abraham; thirdly she was in her widdow­head from Abraham to Christ: in this time the Gentiles were rejected, and Abrahams posteritie onely chosen. This time of her rejection is called but momentū vel mo­dicum temporis, Esay. 54. for as the earth although it be twentie thousand miles about in circuit, yet it is but a point in respect of the heavens; so is this time from Abraham to Christ, but a point in respect of eternitie. Christ saith, a little while, & ye shall not see me, and a little while, and ye shall see me, Ioh. 16.16. It was but a little while from Christs ascension to his comming a­gaine in respect of eternitie

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. the Lord when hee made the Almond rod to blossome, Num. 17. hee signified that Aarons children the Priest-hood should florish; therefore the Hebrewes called the Priests sonnes flores sacerdotales: but here when Eli and his sonnes were to be cut off, the rod withered and decayed in him, and the children did beare the iniquitie of their fathers.

CHAP. XXII. Whether death be naturall to a man or not?

IOb. How man was made of the dust, and is resol­ved into dust. 10.9. Remember I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay, and wilt thou bring me to the dust againe? When man was created first, his body was dust; Se­condly slime, that is, dust tempered with water; Third­ly, clay, that is, coagulate slime: and lastly earth, that is, [Page 93] condensate clay; then when man returneth backe a­gaine, first he is earth, then clay, then slime, and lastly dust; therefore God saith, dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt returne, Gen. 3.19.

Whether is this death naturall to a man or against his nature? Quest.

If yee will respect the intention of nature, Answ. death is a­gainst nature; Whether death be na­turall to a man or not. because generation is according to na­ture; therefore Dionysius said well malum carere fine, natu­raet efficiente, cum a nullo optetur & sit recessus ab ente.

Secondly, Death considered two wayes. death may be considered two manner of wayes, either if it be compared with generation, or if yee compare one sort of death with another; if yee compare death with generation, then death is alwayes contrary to nature: but if yee will compare one sort of death with another, How death may be said to be contrary to nature. then one sort of death may be sayd to be naturall, and another sort of death contrary to nature: example; when a man dieth in a consumption, this death is a naturall death, because he hath that within himselfe which maketh him to die: but when a man is killed and dieth a violent death, this death is contrary to nature, for he hath not the immediate and next cause within himselfe.

Againe consider natures first intention, All death is contrary to the first intention of nature. and then the way how nature worketh; in natures first intention all sort of death is contrary to it: but if yee will observe how nature worketh, if shee worke by her owne prin­ciples then this is according to nature; but if death bee violent, this is contrary to nature: consider then the first and principall intention of nature, death is contra­ry to it: but according to the second intention of na­ture it is not contrary to it, Death is not contrary to the second intention of nature. because it is necessary for the introduction of a new forme, that the matter be chan­ged, the matter alwayes craving the forme; and like­wise because this is done by the law of nature which [Page 94] ordained that things which have a beginning must die.

The young Vipers when they come out of their mo­thers belly, One death may be both said to be according to nature and against nature. they gnaw the belly of their mother and so kill their mother; this unnaturall birth is first prater naturam, it is besides nature; for nature teacheth creatures to love those who bred them; Secondly, it is contra naturam against nature, because they come not out the ordinary way as other creatures doe; Thirdly, it is Se­cundum naturam in the second intention of nature, for everie creatures seeketh the life and preservation of it selfe and the continuing of the owne kind of it. Quest.

Whether is it naturall for the soule to bee separate from the bodie or not? Answ.

In the first creation it was naturall for the bodie and soule still to be together and never to be separated, Whether it is naturall for the soule to be sepa­rated from the body. but sinne intervening maketh the soule long oftentimes to be out of the bodie; the soule longeth to be out of the sinfull bodie that it may bee the more able to dis­charge her spirituall duties, which are hindered by the heavy and dull bodie. The water according to the owne proper inclination goeth downeward, Simile. yet lest there be vacuum or an emptinesse in nature it ascendeth up­ward; so the soule first desired to continue in the body that there may be pulchritudo vniversi, and the soule to be freed from sinne it defyreth for a while to be out of the body. So the soule saith to the body, neque possum vivere tecum, neque sine te, I can neither live with thee nor without thee.

Death is a thing violent to man, Object. therefore not natu­rall.

It is not violent to the soule, Answ. for the soule when it is separated from the body, Death although violent to the body, yet not to the soule. it doth not perish, but is more perfected.

A part being taken from the whole, Object. then the separa­tion [Page 95] is violen, and the part imperfect; but the soule is a part of man, and there it is imperfect when it is sepa­rate from the bodie. Answ.

That is to be understood of such parts as receive their perfection from the whole, but the soule rather giveth perfection than receiveth.

When the soule is separate from the bodie it desires to be joyned with it againe. Object.

It desireth to be joyned with the body againe not as it is a naturall body, Answ. Why the soule desireth to be joyned to the body againe. but as it is a pure and glorified body.

Then the resurrection is according to nature, Object. for the soule desireth naturally a glorified body, and it desireth not to be united to a sinfull bodie againe.

It is naturall for the soule to desire a glorified body againe, yet the soule cannot be joyned to God naturally, Answ. but by supernaturall meanes; so the soule naturally de­sireth a glorified body, but it can never be joyned to it but by a supernaturall meane.

When the soule is out of the body, Quest. whether is it kept violently out of the body or not?

It is not kept violently out of the body, Answ. because that which is detained violently, Whether the soule be kept violently out of the body or not. is not onely detained and kept from the place which it desireth, but it is also de­tained in a place which it desireth not, which is altoge­ther contrary to it; when a man is taken out of his owne house and put in a close prison, hee wanteth not onely his owne house which he longeth to be at, but hee is shut up also in a close prison which he abhorreth to be in, there he is violently detained; Simile. but when a man is removed out of his owne house and put in a farre better house, here he hateth not this better place, neyther can he be sayd to be kept violently in it, although he have a desire to be in his owne house againe.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. nature Gods handmaid in [Page 96] her first intention followeth Gods direction, Nature followeth Gods intention in the disso­lution of man. and as God intended first that man should be immortall, so did nature: but then commeth in Gods second ordi­nance, because man sinned God said, Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne, so nature in her second inten­tion seconded Gods decree, and worketh to the dissolu­tion of man.

CHAP. I. Of two evils, the least is to be chosen.

DAvid made choise here rather to fall into the hands of God then man. Malum Culp [...]pana. In evils of sinne there is no choise to be made, as Lot who chose rather to prostitue his daughters than to hazard his guests, In evils of sinne there is no choise. and so did Pilat. When Dionysius the tyrant presented three whores before Aristippus bidding him make choise of one of them, he said, that Paris had such bad successe for choosing one of that kind that he would never make choise of one of the three.

Revel. 3.15. I would yee were eyther hot or cold, Object. but be­cause yee are lukewarme, therefore I will spue you out of my mouth, here it may seeme that the holy Ghost would have made choise rather that they were cold, than to be lukewarme, which are both sinne.

He willeth them not here to make choise of the les­ser sinne, Answ. What is meant by be­ing lukewarme. but sheweth them onely which is the lesser [Page 98] sinne, and that it is more tolerable to be cold than luke­warme.

But in evils of sinne, Object. it may seeme that one of them may be chosen, for Moses chose rather that the husbands should give their wives a bill of divorce, than that they should kill them.

Moses tolerated this for the hardnesse of their hearts, Answ. but he made no choise of this, Why Moses gave the bill of divorce. but suffered it because he could not helpe it.

An Idolater is charged by the Law to goe to the Church, Object. if he goe to the Church he sinneth against his conscience, if he absent himselfe from the Church then he sinneth against the Law; here it may seeme that he is to make choise of one of the two evils which are sinnes.

He is to make choise of neither of the two, Answ. but to seeke that his conscience may be reformed, and so give obedience to the Law.

Whether did the man of Gibea, Quest. Iud. 19. sinne or not, in offering his daughter and the wife of the Levite to the men of Benjamin to be abused, rather than the Le­vite who was his guest?

Wee must not doe evill that good may come of it, Answ. Rom. 3.8.

But might not this man rather have made choise of death than offered his daughter, Quest. for an honorable death is to be preferred to any sinne?

It is one thing to be a patient, Answ. and another thing to be an agent; if he had made choise of death rather, then he had beene an agent and not a patient: and if he had died in withstanding this villanie, his death had beene honourable; herein hee was to be blamed that hee brought forth his concubine and gave her to them, vers. 25. and hee made choise of one evill to eschew ano­ther.

There is one sort of evill which is evill in it selfe, Malum perseper accidens. and [Page 99] another which is but evill by accident onely: a man may chuse that which is but accidentally evill, but ne­ver that which is evill in it selfe. Example, 1 Cor. 7. it is not good for a man to touch a woman, When a man may chuse that which is acciden­tally evill. and it is not good for a man to commit whoredome; It is not good for a man to touch a woman, that is, to marry her: acci­dentally it was not good at that time for the present trouble that was upon the Church, yet he might chuse this remedie to marry rather than to commit whore­dome, because it was but accidentally evill to marry, evill at all that time when the Church was underperse­cution, but that which is evill in it selfe hee may no wayes chuse.

When two evils are set before the will, a greater evill and a lesser evill, the will cannot but chuse the lesser evill, which is eyther lesser indeed or apparent-lesse, Non habet libertatem qu [...]ad specification [...]m s [...]d qu [...]ad enitium. it is so determinate by the understanding, but yet it hath this freedome to chuse the media for this end. So when two good things are set before it, it cannot but chuse the better good, eyther in appearance or simply best.

The greatest evill of punishment is to be chosen ra­ther than the least evill of sinne: Therefore the mar­tyres would chuse rather to suffer the greatest punish­ment than to commit the sinne.

But here an innocent man is to take heed when these two are put in his choise, The greatest punish­ment rather to be cho­sen then the least sinne whether to sinne or to suffer punishment; hee is not to make choise of the punish­ment, although he refuse to make choise of the sinne, but he is to suffer the punishment inflicted upon him, An in no ceat person it not to make choise of the punishment. but not to make choise of it. Charles the ninth the French King, offered to the Prince of Condie his choise, whether he would goe to the Maffe or chuse perpetuall banishment or imptisonment, what replied he? to goe to the Masse is simplie sinne, therefore I will never chuse that: but to chuse either perpetuall imprisonment [Page 100] or perpetuall banishment, that I cannot doe, for then I should imply a certaine guiltinesse in my selfe; but it is in your power ô King to inflict which you please, and I am ready to suffer. A man is condemned to die, the magistrate putteth it in his choise what sort of death he would die, he may lawfully now chuse the easiest sort of death, he implieth now no guiltinesse upon him­selfe, for the Iudge hath now already found him guiltie.

It may be asked why David made choise rather of the plague than of the sword of famine. Quest. .

The reason was because he would expose himselfe to that danger of the plague as well as the subjects, Answ. be­cause there were fewer meanes for him to escape the plague than the sword or famine. Reasons why David those the plague rather than the svvord or famine.

Another reason why he made choise of the plague ra­ther than of the sword or famine, because these two would have made the Lords people to have beene evill spoken of amongst the heathen; for the enemie would have insulted against God and his people if they should have overcome them: and so would they have done, if they had beene enforced to seeke releife of them in time of famine; but in the plague they had no such oc­casion, and David had rather fall into the hands of God immediatly than into the hands of men.

Warre and famine are from God, Object. therefore he should have fallen into the hands of God, this way also; for his instruments can doe nothing but that which hee willeth.

When they afflict us, Answ. they can doe as much as God willeth them to doe, What the wicked doe in afflicting the children of God. but when they sinne they can doe that likewise which God permitteth them to doe; the wicked when they are Gods scourges they adde their owne malice and mischiefe, Zach. 1.15. I was angry but a little, and they helped forward the afflictions, I minded [Page 101] but to whip my children, but they flayed them, see Esa. 10.7. When God useth the good Angels to punish, they doe nothing but that which the Lord commanded them, but the evill Angels adde their owne malice and wickednesse, the one is Angelus malt, [...] Angelus malt Psal 78.49. est [...] non con [...]enientiae. and the other is Angelus malus; the Lord sent Ashur against his peo­ple to correct them; hee did not onely permit them to goe but commanded them, Iere. 50.21. goe up against the land, doe according to all that I have commanded thee: yet the Lord is angrie with them for going against his peo­ple, why? because their thoughts were not answerable to his thoughts, they had another intention and affecti­on, and they added their owne malice.

David made choise here rather to fall into the hands of God than man. Simile. Moses rod when it was laid upon the ground was a Serpent, but when Moses tooke it in his hand, it became a rod; So these chastisements and pu­nishments which are fatherly corrections to us in the hand of God, in the hand of the wicked they are Ser­pents to sting us. When Elias fled from Iezabel he desi­red that the Lord would take his life, but ô Elia if thou be weary of thy life, goe but backe to Iezabel, and she will quickly dispatch thee: but Elias would none of that, for death out of her hand should have beene stinging Serpent, but out of the hand of God it should have beene a gentle rod. When the Lord reasoned with Io­nas, he saith, if thou who art an angrie and orabbed crea­ture hadst pitty upon the gound, how much more should I have pittie upon Niuive who am a God of mercy? There is more mercy with God than with man, there­fore it is better to fall in his hands then in the hands of man.

It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the li­ving God, Heb. 10. Object.

It is a fearefull thing for contumacious sinners so re­maining, Answ. [Page 102] to fall into his hands, when he is an angrie God; then it is better to be corrected by the rod of men; but for penitent persons that take the ready course to pa­cify his anger for their sinnes, for such it is a hopefull thing and farre better, to fall into Gods hands than into the hands of men.

The conclusion of this is: Conclusion 1 in evils of punishment wee are to chuse the lesse, therefore we must study in our election to know which is the least evill; for if we make a wrong choise we shall fall in the evill of sinne.

It is better to fall into the hands of God than men: Conclusion 2 therefore when God doth visit us with sicknesse, let us take it in good part, because we fall in the hands of a mercifull God.

When God punisheth us by his instruments, Conclusion 3 let us passe by the second causes in whom we shall see much malice and hatred, and lift up our eyes to God himselfe in whom wee shall see much mercy. A man when hee would drinke of the water of the river, Simile. he drinketh not of it nere the sea where it is brackish, but he goeth up to the fountaine where it is sweet; so if wee would finde comfort in our afflictions, we must learne to take them out of Gods owne hand. So Iob looketh not to the Chaldeans who robbed him, but saith, The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken, Iob. 1.21. So when Shimei cursed David, he saith, the Lord hath bidden him, a Sam. 16.11. So Ioseph looked not to the malice of his bre­thren but to the Lord, Gen. 45.8.

CHAP. II. Of friendship.

THere are sundry sorts of love, first, naturall love; Amor naturali [...]sensualitration [...]litspiritualis. secondly, sensuall love; thirdly, rationall love; all these three bindeth one to another, but spirituall love excelleth all these.

Naturall love is that sympathie which God hath pla­ced in things without life, Naturall love what. as in heavie things to de­scend, and light things to ascend: and that sympathie which is betwixt the yron and the loadstone, these things although they have no knowledge in themselves, yet they are directed by the hand of the first mover, as the arrow by the hand of the Archer is directed to the marke.

The second sort of love is that sensual! love, Sensuall love what. directed by appetite which is found amongst beasts, for beasts of the same kind love one another, and these ravenous beasts which live by rapine, yet they love one another: but this sort of love differeth farre from the love of man; the beasts love onely their young ones for a time, Difference betwixt sensuall and rationall love. but afterwards they love all the rest of the same kind alike. Man loveth not his owne children onely, but al­so these who are in affinitie or consanguinitie with him, and these of his acquaintance, and his love is a perma­nent love: it is true through the corruption of the nature of man, there is a greater hatred betwixt man and man than amongst the beasts, but this ariseth of some per­verse affection, but it was not so from the beginning.

This friendship is eyther perfect friendship, Amicitia perfectaimperfecta. or im­perfect friendship.

Perfect friendship is the mutuall love of two, Perfect friendship what. arising of an effectuall good will of the one towards the other, and grounded in morall goodnesse: this kind of friendship is not found but amongst good men, he that loveth a man for pleasure and profit, this is not true friendship. The measure of true friendship.

The measure of this friendship is this, we must love our friend as our selfe, the reason of this is, because ami­cus est alter idem.

How [...] a man love him selfe, Quest. seeing love is alwayes betwixt two?

If yee will consider reason and sense together, Answ. yee shall alwayes finde two things in man, Howa man loveth him­selfe. and if reason give place to sense, then sense is amatum and reason is but amans; and that breedeth selfelove: but if sense give place to reason, then reason is amatum and sense is but amans, and thus we should love our neighbours as our selves: when a man loveth the sensuall part in his neigh­bour rather than the reasonable part, this is not right love.

This friendship resembleth mariage in five things, A comparison betwixt friendship and marri­age. first there must be some equality betwixt these who are to be married, so there must be some equalitie betwixt these who are friends: the love which the Prince carri­eth to his subjects is not properly friendship, but friendship is amongst these who are equals, and yet the Lord submitted himselfe so farre as to call Abraham his friend, Iam. 2.23.

Where there are two equals, Quest. if one of them wish pre­ferment to his friend and to be above him in degree, whether or no doth this breake the bond of friendship, seeing now he wisheth him to be his superior and not his equall?

Friendship is kept two manner of wayes, Answ. either in the same degree of friendship or in a higher or more emin [...] degree; How friendship is kept with those who are in a higher degree. and [...] the inferior facultie is pres [...] ­ved in the superior (as the [...] is pref [...] ­ved in the sensitive) so is friendship kept still but [...] a more eminent manner, and the [...] it is [...]u [...]ed into re­verence and more greater respect.

The second thing wherein friendship [...] mar­riage is in unity; as in marriage two are made one [...], friendship like unto marriage in unitie. so in true friendship they are made one spirit, and amans est alter idem cum [...]mato. The Prince of the Sa [...] ­cens and the Emperor of Cons [...]antinople entering in a league of friendship, [...] to open a veine in each one of their arme [...] that they might make up this friendship the betton, this friendship makes two friends to be one; or to be soure, but never to be two, for he that loveth is loved and he that is loved [...]eth, and true friendship maketh [...] one, it maketh one soule in two [...]dies: and at a ma [...] must not have many wives so he must not have many friends, this i [...] called [...] the love of many friends; Simile. and as these crea­tures who have but one brood love them the better, so he that hath but few friends, his love is the [...] to­wards them.

Object. Good the more it he extended the better it is why then is friendship the better the more it is [...].

Good the more it is extended in the one kind, Answ. the bet­ter it is if it suffer extention, as love it selfe the more it is extended the better it is: therefore whe [...] the [...] saith, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe, Particular friendship the more it is contracted the better it is. the Apo­stle, Rom. 13.9. extendeth it to [...] any man, to teach us that this love must bee extended to all; but particular friendship which suffereth no exten­tion, the more it is contracted the better it is; and in this sense it is said, qui multis cupitesse amicus [...]ini [...]micu [...] [Page 106] est, he that desireth to be a friend to many is a friend to none. If the hand were not parted into fingers, it could not doe things commodiously, as to write or to throw; but yet it gripeth faster when it is folded. Simile. Love is like the hand parted, and friendship is like the hand folded. When a man hath too many friends it breedeth but te­diousnesse to him rather than comfort, and they say we should use our friends as we use sance to meate; this is the property of sauce, if it be sparingly used, it ma­keth the meate to have the better relish, but if it be too much used in the meat, it breedeth loathsomenesse. So &c.

Thirdly, Friendship like unto marriage in com­mnion. friendship is like unto mariage in commu­nion, love seeketh not her owne but delighteth as much in the good of others. Plato willed that in his Com­monwealth meum & tuum should not bee heard, but amongst true friends the right of possession ought to be heard, but not the right of use. Let thy fountaines bee dispersed abroad and rivers of waters in the streete, but let them be onely thine owne, and not strangers with thee, Pro. 5.16.17.

The fourth thing wherein friendship resembleth mar­riage is in the endurance of it, Friendship like unto marriage in the perpe­tuity of it. for as nothing parteth married persons but death, so nothing parteth true friends but death. Artemisia Queene of Caria knowing the death parted husband & wife, shewed a wonderfull act of passion towards her husband Mausolus; for death having taken him away, she not knowing how to pull the thornes of sorrow our of her soule, caused his body to be reduced to ashes and mingled them in her drinke, meaning to make her body a living tombe, wherein the reliques of her husband might rest, from whom shee could not indure to live separated; So friendship which is true friendship can hardly be dissolved, and nothing separateth them but death.

But charity endureth after this life, Object. therefore friend­ship may seeme to indure after death in the life to come.

Charity in generall indureth in the life to come amongst all the Saints of God, Answ. Charity in generall re­maineth i [...]life to come [...] lar friendship. but not this particular love betwixt man and wife, betwixt friend and friend: a friend may be a friend to his friends children and doe good to them after his friend is dead, Ruth. 2.20. Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not lest off his kindnesse to the living and to the dead, that is, to the posterity or the wife of the dead: And it seemeth that David was un­mindfull of this rule of friendship to Ionathans sonne, when he bade devide the land betwixt Shiba and M [...]phi­boseth, 2 Sam. 19.29.

The last thing wherein friendship resembleth marri­age is, Friendship like unto marriage in bearing others infirmities. as the man ought to beare with his wives infir­mities and to cover them, so should a friend cover the infirmities of his neighbour, but not his grosse enormi­ties, for then he hateth him, Levit. 19.17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart but reprove him. This com­fortable kind of friendship is knowne best in adversitie, Friendship best knowne in adversitie. for as a true friend rejoyceth with his friend in prospe­rity, so he lamenteth with him in his adversitie and bea­reth a part of his burden with him. Iobs friends came in adversitie to visit him and they sate seven dayes by him and spake nothing, How a man is to be­have himselfe [...], friend in the time of griese. for in the beginning of griefe it is most fitting for a friend to hold his peace and to expresse his compassion rather by teares than by speech; And it is most probable that the Angell when he came to comfort Christ and to strengthen him, Luk. 22.43. did rather comfort him by gesture than by speech, by standing by and assisting him in a visible shape, How the Angell did comfort Christ in his agony. weigh­ing and considering with himselfe the great griefe and agonie that was in Christs soule. And when Christ fell grovelling upon the ground, it is not unlikely that [...]e [Page 108] in companion fell downe upon the ground also. What is that which he acquired of his Disciples in his ago [...]e? he desireth not words of consolation from them, but onely that they would weigh and consider with them­selves his great agony and griefe, What [...] Christ required of his Di­sciples. and it grieved him that they could not watch with him in his great heavi­nesse, yea [...] comfort unto him when he went a stones cast farther from them, if they would watch & expresse their love to him by shaking off their drow­finesse.

Whether [...] friends more necessary for us in our pro­sperity or in our adversitie. Quest.

Simply they are more necessary for us in our adver­sitie, Answ. At what time friends are [...] necessarie. but for more excellent uses in prosperity: the basest pa [...]s of the body are simply more necessary for our life, than our seeing or our hearing, for a man cannot live without them, but we may live without seeing or hearing, Simile. and yet seeing and hearing serve for more ex­cellent uses: so friends in necessity are more necessary simplie to maintaine our life, but for the comfortable life they are the more excellent object to be [...]ow things upon [...] [...]imes, and a bro­ther [...] for adversity, Pro. 17.17.

Imperfect friendship is that which is eyther groun­ded upon pleasure or profit. Imperfect friendship what: And as these extractions of spiring which are drawn out by the Chymists, are more [...] and [...] the grosser bodies out of which they are extracted; Simile. so the love which ariseth of [...]ertue is more [...] pure than that love which ariseth of pleasure [...] prosin and these sorts of friends are but friends by accident [...] friendship arise onely of pros [...] th [...] it is the most [...] of friendship, [...] we are [...] [...] amitis, for as we love not [...] for our bodies sake to [...] them, so wh [...] we use our friends onely for our profit, [Page 109] we use them but we injoy them not. Paul said, I seeke not yours but you. Pro. 19.6. every man is a friend to him who giveth gifes; but this is no true friendship. Prov. 19.27. All the brethren of the poore do hate him, how much more doth his friends goe farre from him? But if the friendship be grounded upon sinne, this is the worst ground of all: such was the friendship of Simcon and Leve, brethren in evill, and such was the friendship of Herod and Pilat, Though hand joyne in hand yet the wicked shall not escape, Proverb.

This friendship which ariseth of profit it is easily dis­solved, and to helpe this, Friendship grounded on profit is easily dissolved. we are not to receive bene­fits of every man, but we are to consider first for what end the gift is offered to us: for if a man offer a benefit to the intent that he may receive as much or more, then it is not a benefit, but rather a selling; as the Pharises would bid their nighbours to dinner because they knew they would invite them againe.

Againe, In amicitia honesta mensura est dantis pro­positum. the benefitis not to be reckoned by the pro­fit of him who receiveth it, but according to the mind of the giver; as the widdowes mite was more accepted than the large offerings of others. Hiram was to blame in this, when Salomon gave him twenty cities in the land of Galilee, he called them dirtie cities, 1 King. 9.13. hee measured not the gift here according to the mind of the giver.

The gifts which are given by friends are not like things sold and bought, Gifts given by friends not like things bought and sold. for the thing sold dependeth chiefely upon the seller, but here the value and estima­tion dependeth upon the receiver; he should not mea­sure the gift by the profit that may redound to him by it, but by the affection of the giver.

That friendship which is onely grounded upon plea­sure is not well grounded, Friendship grounded on pleasure is not per­manent. for our pleasures for the most part are excessive as the Epicures friendship; Let us [Page 110] eate, let us drinke, for to morrow we shall die, 1 Cor. 15.32. here their friendship and joy continued not, it is but like the trackling of thornes under the pot, Eccles. 7.6. which is soone gone. But true friendship is grounded in the Lord, as Davids companions were these who feared God, Psal. 119.63. such a friend was Hushai to David, 2 Sam. 15.37.

The way to keepe this friendship is, How to keepe true friendship. Pro. 25.16. With­draw thy foot from thy neighbours house, lest he be weary of thee and hate thee: Hast thou found honey? eate so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith and vomit it. Againe, let thy foote be rare in thy neighbours house; in the originall it is, pretious, for these things which are rare we hold them pretious, 1 Sam. 3.1. The Word of the Lord was pretious in those daies, that is, it was rare. So Esa. 13. a man shall be more pretious than gold, that is, more rare. And he useth a comparison here, for as he that eateth sparingly of honey it is comfortable to him and re­fresheth him as it did Ionathan, but if hee eate much of it, Simile. it maketh him to surfet: so if a man come seldome to his friend, hee shall be welcome to him, but if hee come often to him, then hee becommeth weary of him.

CHAP. III. Sinfull love degenerateth into hatred.

THere are two affections which carry great sway in the soule, desire and love: sometimes we both desire [Page 111] and love them; somethings we desire but love them not, till injoyed; and somethings we desire, but love them not when we have gotten them.

These things which wee desire and love are things honest; these things which wee desire and love not, Things honest we both love and desire. are things profitable, we love them not before we injoy them; we may carry some Imaginary love to them be­fore we enjoy them, but this is not true love: for other mens profits so long as they injoy them affect us not, but when wee injoy them indeed then wee begin to love them; but finfull delights we desire them, but being once gotten we loathe them, but things honest we both desire them and love them.

Honest things wee both love them and desire them although we want them, but things profitable before we have them, we desire them but love them not pro­perly: when a man wanteth riches or children he hath a desire to them, but when he hath gotten them then he loveth them. Things pleasant before we have them we both desire them and carrie an imaginarie love to them, but when we have them once, The desire and love of things pleasant once gotten perish together. both the desire and the love perish together, and they leave behind them a certaine loathsomenesse, as hee that cateth too much of the honey combe loatheth it: Prov. 25.15. here the desire and the love goe away together, and the love in sinfull pleasure is turned to hatred. Things profita­ble are profitable to us when we possesse them, and the longer that we possesse them the greater fruit reape we of them. But the delight which wee have in pleasant things is neither an habit nor a perfect possession of them, but a motion which hath alwayes some priva­tion joyned with it, which failing the love faileth like­wise: These pleasant things before we injoy them they have a greater force to stirre up a desire in our phanta­sie when we want them; but when we have profita­ble [Page 112] things they have a greater force to give me content­ment than pleasant things; pleasant things when wee want them they breed an imagination in our appetite, & when we have them they breed pleasure in our sense: but the love and desire of honest things consisting in vertue and wisedome, is preferred both to things plea­sant and profitable; The love and desire of things honest remaines both when we want them and when we enjoy them. for wee love them both when wee have them, and when we want them, and the love of them is the first degree of injoying them, not in our sense and phantasie, but in our understanding.

Health, children, Quest. and glory, whether are they to be referred to things profitable, pleasant, or honest?

Health chiefely is to be referred to profit, Answ. therefore we loathe it not after we have it, Health reserved to pro­fite. as we doe these things which bring onely delight with them; and health when we want it we wish it not onely with our sensitive appe­tite, but with our wil and understanding: Children belong to ho­nesty and pleasure, children againe belong both to honesty and pleasure, for we desire our children to possesse our goods, and we enjoy them; this desire is mixed with delight, and therefore the conver­sing of parents with their children breedeth not satietie or loathsomnesse as sinfull pleasures doe. And they long for children to continue their kind by a certaine immortality, Difference betwixt the love of parents to their Children and the love of beasts to their young ones. and herein man differeth from the beasts who love their young ones onely ut nunc for the time present, but respect not the continuance of their kind in them: and this is the cause why parents are never wea­rie of their children more than they are of their health.

The love of marriage especially consisteth in plea­sure, but hath honesty and profit joyned with it. The love and desire of dominion hath both profit and pleasure joyned with it, but there is a twofold honour, Honor legittimutillegittimus. a bastard honour and a lawfull honour, the bastard ho­nour onely belongeth to pleasure, but the lawfull ho­nour belongeth not onely to pleasure but also to ho­nestie.

These things which we both desire and love, they proceede sometimes ab amore sensibili, and sometimes ab amore rationali, when we desire them first, and next wee love; but when they proceed ab amore rationali then wee first love them, and then desire them. When delights give contentmentment both to sense and reason

The delights which are sensuall when they ascend to reason they give no contentment to it, but when the delights descend from reason to phantasie and sense, they give contentment to both. And as the mist which [Page 114] ariseth out of the vallies and ascendeth to the moun­taines betokeneth raine, Simile. but when the mist falleth from the mountaines to the vallies then it betokeneth faire weather: So when the sensuall delights ascend up to the phantasie and reason, it is a bad token; but when the love of honestie and vertue descends from reason to phantasie and sense, that it is a good token. When the mind illuminateth the will first, then the will beginneth to affect a thing and to seeke after it, then it is called [...] beneplacitum animi the good pleasure of the will being approved by the reasonable facultie in the under­standing, [...] . which doth try things first and setteth the will on worke and the will setteth the rest on worke.

Againe if we shall consider the senses, The baser senses are soonest cloyed with pleasures. if we shall consider the senses, we shall per­ceive that the baser senses, the touch, tast and the smell which serve most for sensuall pleasures, they are soone cloyed, as hee that eateth the honey combe surfetteth quickly, Pro. 25.15. Pro. 7.18. when the whore inviteth the young man she saith, come & let us take our fill of love untill the morning, one might well give them a furfet of this beastly pleasure; but consider againe the more no­ble senses, the sight and hearing, which serve for rea­son, they are never satisfied, The eye (saith Salomon) is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing, Why the eye and eare are not satisfied.Eccles. 1.8. Why are they not satisfied? because they give in­formation to the nobler facultie of the soule the un­derstanding wherein honesty and vertue are seated, and they are never weary to serve her. And if we shall com­pare things honest, profitable & pleasant, we shall finde that things pleasant are farthest out of the square, and consequently must breed the greatest distast to the soule for things honest the more wee desire them the more we are commended for that; but when we desire things profitable, wee must desire them with a greater moderation, because they are more base, and we must [Page 115] reduce them to some mediocritie, but most of all have we need to take heed to our delights of sense as basest of all; therefore Salomon willeth us, Pro. 23.1. We must take heed to our basest senses. when we sit at a governours table to put a knife to our throate, that is, when we sit at a table where there is variety of di­shes and dainties, we must eate sparingly then, as if there were a knife set to our throate to cut it, lest our table be­come our snare, Psal. 69.22.

Some things may breed delight to the phantasie but not to the sense, Things may breed de­light to the phantasie but not to the sense. as when a Poet describeth a gnat or flea, this is delightfull to the phantasie; but if a man should feele the gnat or the flea biting him, it would be most unpleasant to his sense and feeling. Somethings delightfull to the sense but not to the phantasie. Sometimes a thing may be delightfull to the sense, but bringeth lit­tle or no delight to the phantasie, as when a man eateth sweet things. But things which are honest breed de­light both to the understanding, phantasie and sense. The sensuall pleasures are like the booke which Iohn did cate, Reve. 10.9. they are sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly, Simile. the griefe of them is more than ever the pleasure was.

Amnon loved Thamar with an incestuous love, Amnon sinned in hating Thamar. then he falleth into the other extremitie to hate her, but if hee had reduced this to a right mediocritie he should have loved the person but hated the vice. Levit. 19.17. Thou shalt not hate thy neighbour in thine heart, but thou shalt re­buke him.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. let us set our desires on the right objects and moderate our affections, lest they exceed and degenerate into lust. Iames 4.3. Yee aske amisse that yee may consume it upon your lusts.

CHAP. IIII. Whether we may exceede the rule of righteous­nesse in well doing or not?

A Man cannot exceed in justice which is the com­pend of all vertues, and it signifieth to give every one his owne; if we take right for that which is partly right or rectum mathematicum, Vertues in themselves cannot be sayd to be more or lesse. there can bee nothing more right. Vertues in themselves are not more or lesse, but if yee will consider them as they are in this or that subject, and not in their absolute or greatest perfecti­ons, Vertues in this or that subject may besayd to be more or lesse. then they may be sayd to be more or lesse. Exam­ple: if we will respect religion in it selfe, here we cannot be too religious, for religion in it selfe is opposite to all defectes in religion. Hope in respect of the inward forme of it, looketh directly towards God, wee cannot exceede here, although we may come short: but re­specting the matter which is hoped for, and weighing all circumstances, a man may presume or despaire, as he who hopeth, [...] . what he hopeth, and when he hopeth. So in religion, there is [...] , and [...] , atheisme and superstition are both defects in religion, but in the true worship of God we cannot exceede.

So in justice, as it is justice we cannot exceede; but yet when we respect the circumstances, as the persons to whom we doe justice, How a man may exceed injustice. when we doe justice, or where, we may exceed or come short. Prov. 17.17. these two are equally abhominable before the Lord, to let the wicked goe free, and condemne the just; to condemne the just is the excesse, and to spare the wicked is the de­fect [Page 117] in justice. So Levit. 19.15. Yee shall not respect the person of the poore for his poverty, this is the excesse, nor honour the person of the mighty for his riches, this is the defect. 1 King. 20.42. Because thou hast let goe out of thine. hand virum destructionis, that is, a man whom I appain­ted to destruction, or virum retis mei, the man of my net, [...] Destr [...] [...]rete. that is, the may whom I catched in my net and delive­red unto thee that he should not escape; now when Achab let Benhadad goe free, this was a defect in ju­stice.

David had many worthy captaines, Simile. if he had given to the most worthy for his worthinesse 8. and to the mea­nest of his worthies but 4. this had beene equality in distributive justice: but if hee had diven them both 8. here he had failed also in excesse, for he had given the one more than he deserved, and here hee should have beene nimium justus.

But the Lord of the vineyard gave a penny alike to all these who wrought in his vineyard, Object. to these who came at the fixt houre, the ninth houre, and at the ele­venth houre, Matth. 20. this might seeme not to bee equall justice.

This was not distributive justice but commutative, Answ. for he that was the Lord of the vineyard said, Did not I agree with you for a penny? So in commutative justice if a man should not give fifty for that which is worth an hundred pounds, he faileth in the defect, and if hee should have give two hundreth pounds for it, Liberality hath no place in commutative justice. then hee should faile in the excesse, for liberality hath no place in commutative justice in buying and selling, hee who giveth more then the thing is worth to the seller, he is not nimium [...] for he wrongeth the commonwealth and doth hurt to himselfe.

But when he taketh hurt to himselfe he doth no man wrong, quia iniuria non fit velenti. Object.

Yet notwithstanding this is not good commutative justice in respect of liberality this may be a good acti­on, but consider it as it is commutative justice, it is the sinne in excesse; because it keepeth not medium rei.

When the Preacher saith then, What is means by be­ing righteous overmuch. Be not righteous over­much, it is to be understood also in respect of mens con­ceit who thinke themselves too iust; for vers. 20. the Preacher saith, there is none iust in the earth, who doth good and sinneth not.

The way to reduce too much righteousnesse to the medium is to reduce it to the Law of God, which is the onely rule of perfection to all vertues. The philoso­phers hold that the way to reduce extreames is to bring them to the midst, as they make mediceritie the midst to the two extreames, Mediocritas est privatio excessus & defectus. but mediocritie being but a pri­vation it cannot be the rule of any vertue.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. The onely rule and square of justice is the golden rule of the Law, and if we cleave to it, we shall never decline to the right hand nor to the left, Iosh. 1.

CHAP. V. Of Liberalitie.

LIberality is a vertue which maketh a man resemble God himselfe, Liberality maketh [...] a men resemble God. who giveth freely and upbraideth not, Iam. 1.5. We doe not reade in the Gospel that Christ used these words, but by consequent it may be gathe­red out of sundry of Christs speaches, as Luk. 16.9. [Page 119] and out of the parable of the Talents, and by that sen­tence which Christ shall give out at the last day, Reasons proving that is a more blessed thing to give than to take. Comme yee blessed, when I was bungry yee fed me &c Matth. 25.

It is a more blessed thing to give than to receive.

First, Reason, 1 because a man can give nothing unlesse he have it, and to receive implyeth a want, and therefore to give is better than to receive. Reason, 2

There is bonum hope [...]m & [...] vtila, and as farre as honest things are preferred to profitable things, so farre must giving alwayes be preferred to receiving. Reason, 3

Honest things endure longer than profitable things doe, for the memory of receiving perisheth with the gift, but that liberall honesty which consisteth in gi­ving perisheth not with the gift, because it dependeth upon him who giveth it. By accident indeed the me­mory of the gift may be lost through the forgetfulnesse or unthankefulnesse of the receiver, but yet it deserveth still to be had in remembrance, and that which is most durable is alwayes most to be loved. Reason, 4

Dare est docere apud Hebraes, and lakab, accipere, est di­scere. Pro. 2. Donum tribuam vobis, id est, doctrinem, and as farre as the master exceedeth the senellor, so farre doth giving exceed receiving.

The Divines marke, Reason, 5 that the most excellent sort of prayer is thanksgiving, and it is to be preferred to po­tition. Why? because it is better to give than to receive; there are many ready to petition, but few to give thanks, of the ten lepers there came but one againe I to give thanks.

If we shall compare prodigality and avarice together, Reason, 6 The prodigall is not so bad as the avaritious man, wee may understand that to give is better tha [...] to re­ceive, for the prodigall man is not so bad as the avari­tious man, as the Palosopher proveth by many reasons.

First, the prodigall man helpeth many, but the avari­tious man helpeth none.

Secondly, prodigalitie commeth nearer to liberality than avarice, because the prodigall man hath a desire still to doe good to others, as the liberall man doth, and it is a griefe to him to receive as it is to the liberall man.

Thirdly, prodigality cureth it selfe by bestowing, but avarice heaping up riches groweth worse more and more daily.

Fourthly, prodigality is cured by age, but avarice groweth with age, therefore prodigality it a lesser evill then avarice, Three degrees of pro­digalitie. and sheweth us that it is better to give than to receive. Hee is a prodigall man who giveth all to others (although they bee not altogether unworthy) which is necessary for himselfe, but he is worse, who giveth both his owne and other mens goods which hee taketh by robbery to any sort of men, whether good or bad: but he is worst of all who taketh from other men and giveth onely to the bad; so he is a wretch who gi­veth not according to his power, but hee is a greater wretch who keepeth both his owne and other mens, and bestoweth nothing upon the poore or upon any other; but he is worst of all who denyeth himselfe the liberall [...] of the creatures and yet taketh from others by hooke and by crooke. Three degrees of ava­rice. By this wee may consider, that some prodigall men are worse than some wretches, but if we shall make an equall comparison and com­pare the prodigall with the wretch, he shall alwayes be [...].

The Phil [...]pher saith, Reas. 7 these things which are done with great labour and expenses men make more ac­ [...] [...] the [...] and esteemes more highly of them than these things which are more [...]dy done, Arist. lib. 9. Eth [...]. 7. but to give a [...] more and tha [...] to receive, and hee sheweth [...] in borrowing and lending, he who borroweth would wish the lender not to be at all, but the lender wisheth well alwaies to the borrower, therefore it is a [Page 121] more blessed thing to give than to receive; and although he saith that the giver should forget the things which he gave, and the receiver should alwayes remember them, Lib. 7. cap. 7. yet he shewes, that it is much more delightfull to the minde to remember his liberality in giving, than for him who hath received to remember that he hath recei­ved.

But how can it be a more blessed thing to give than to receive, Object. seeing he who giveth depriveth himselfe of that which he giveth, and he that receiveth hath it? the end of receiving is to have, and the end of giving is to want, and seeing all things are measured by their end, it may seeme that receiving is more blessed than giving.

God who is most blessed giveth, and yet loseth no­thing. Againe, when men give, Answ. they should not so give to deprive themselves of all things; neither is every sort of giving better than receiving, for it is a better thing for a man to receive something from his friends to maintaine his family, How a man may re­ceive things lawfully. than for a another prodigall to wast all his owne: but it is meant of this honest libera­lity which is given with discretion, whereof the Apo­stle speaketh, 2 Cor. 8.13.14. I meane not that other man be eased, and yee be burdened. Thirdly, the thing which they give, they lose it not, for their honest liberality is a thing permanent and increaseth their honour and li­berality.

But if it be more blessed to give than to receive, Object. then the rich mans riches make him to bee in a better case than the poore man who had nothing to give. Answ.

The rich mans riches make him not to be in a better case than the poore man, Giving measured ac­cording to the will and intention of the giver. for it is the heart that the Lord looketh upon the giving and not the gift. Christ prefer­red the widdows mite to the great offerings of the Pharises, and a cup of cold water given to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet maketh a blessed giver. Christ at the [Page 122] latter day will say, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdome prepared for you before the foundations of the world, for when I was naked yee cloathed me: this will bee pronounced to moe poore ones than to rich ones, who had never scarce meat and cloath to themselves; the liberality is accepted here according to the will and not according to the deed.

The conclusion of this is, Conclusion. that the avaritious is worse than the prodigall, but the Lord liketh a cherefull giver, the liberall soule shall be made fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himselfe, Prov. 11.25.

CHAP. VI. Of Contentment.

THere is no condition or estate of man that can keepe a mediocritie. A hard thing to keepe a mediocritie. If wee be full then we waxe wanton, and if we be hungry then we grudge; Agur knowing how dangerous both these estates were, pray­eth the Lord to give him neither poverty nor riches, but to feede him with foode convenient, Riches more dangerous than poverty.Pro. 30.8. not to give him poverty, lest he steale and take the name of God in vaine; and not to give him riches, lest he deny him, and say, Who is the Lord.

The Israelites when they wanted flesh they murmu­red, and when they had quailes in aboundance they sur­fetted; but Paul can be content in any of the conditions alike. For a man first to be rich, and then to bee poore, and then to be rich againe, he may the better learne to [Page 123] be content in any of the estates, Iob his contentment in his three est [...]s. as Iob who saw three changes, first he was rich, then he was poore, then hee was rich againe: So if a man hath beene first poore, then rich, then poore againe, he will be more content in any estate. Zeno the Philosopher when hee had left a ship loaded with goods, and nothing being left to him, said, bene sanè agis o fortuna, quod ad pallium illud obsoletum me revocas, & ad stoam me redegisti, that is, that thou hast brought me backe againe to a poore estate, and made me to professe philosophy. But for a man that hath beene onely rich to fall to poverty, is a very hard case for it is to bee deprived of the comfortable meanes whereupon he should live, Riches are a mans civill life. which in the Scriptures are called a mans life: and she spent all her living upon the Physitian, Luk. 8.43. in the Greeke it is, [...] her whole life, because riches are the meanes to entertaine a comfortable life. It is as hard a thing for a poore man to lose his little stocke, as for the rich man to lose his great wealth, & Seneca said, Non minus molest [...]um est celvo quam comatis evellere pilos, et aque pauperi as divi [...] tor­mentum; but it is a harder case when a man becommeth rich that hath beene very poore, how to carry himselfe well.

Abundance bringeth forth more dangerous [...]ruits than want doth, Abundance more dan­gerous than want. for abundance maketh a man to deny God, and povertie but maketh him to steale. Salomon for all his wisedome in his aboundance forgot himselfe. In our naturall estate and complexion of body, Simile. wee see that men die sooner through aboundance of blood than through scarcitie of blood; and experience teach­eth us, that Lunaticks in the want of the moone are sober enough, and are themselves, but when the moone is at the full their braines begin to swell up; so men in povertie are sober, but in abundance doe forget them­selves.

When the Divell tempted our Saviour Christ, The order of the divels tentations. Mat. 4. his first temptation was but the hungry temptation, to turne stones into bread; but his last temptation was the full temptation, he would give him all the world if he would fall downe and worship him. By the order of the Divels temptations we may know which is the greatest temptation, for the Divell keepeth his greatest temp­tations last. It is observed that these who live in the north parts of the world if they goe towards the south under the hot climate, Simile. then their stomacks begin to faile them and they die soone; but these againe who dwell in the south climate, bring them towards the north, and then their stomacks begin to mend; so bring a man from poverty to riches, that is, as it were from the north to the south, then he dieth: but bring him from riches to poverty, from prosperity to adversitie, that is, from the sourth to the north, Paul could be content in any estate. then he may live; but let Paul have abundance or scarcity he can use both: hee saith of himselfe, a Cor. 6.10. as having nothing, and yet possessing all things, that is, he was as well contented in poore estate, as in his great plenty and riches; so if hee had had abundance, he could have used it so moderatly as if he had had nothing.

How could Paul know this, Quest. that he could abound as well as want, seeing he had never proofe of abundance?

There is a threefold knowledge of a thing, Cogni­tio [...] [...] [...] the first [...] experimentall, the second is, [...] gotten by discourse, and the third is [...] gotten by revela­tion. Paul had gotten this not by discourse or by revela­tion, but by experience of poverty and want, for hee learned in his poverty how he should use abundance.

To abound here is not meant of excesse, What is meant by abun­dance here. but hee speaketh here after the manner of the Hebrewes who take to be filled and to be drunke, for that which suffiseth without excesse, So Gen. 43. and Phil. 2.10. and the He­brewes [Page 125] observe that this word [Sacar] is one of these words quae vergunt in extren [...]um, that is, [...] inebriari: non semperin vitio ponitur ut Gen. 9.21. sed interdum declarat liberalem vmi usum qui modum non ex­cedit. this moderate drinking is set downe under the name of drunkennesse, and if men take not heede to themselves in this liberall use of drinking, they may bee soone overtaken and be­come drunke; but Paul by the grace of God would have kept himselfe within the lists if he had beene in this estate to have abundance. To be content in any estate is a lossen hard to be learned.

He saith I have learned, Phil. 4.12. in the Greeke it is [...] sacris initiatus sum, and he that was initiate this wayes to the Lord, was called [...] initiatus. we must be long time trained up and separated to Gods service, if we would learne this lesson, and he was a perfect man that could live patiently, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresse, in stripes, in tumults, in labours, in watchings and fastings, 2 Cor. 6.4. but it was more that he could use abundance well. Benjamin was called ittar jad, because he could use both hands, and they were a notable tribe; but this is a greater skill, to use poverty well at the left hand, and riches at the right hand.

The heathen said, infoelicitatis genus esse, fuisse a liquando falicem & tunc miserum, that it was a kind of unhappines to have beene happy, and then to become miserable: but Iob sayd, the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken, and he sinned not with his mouth, Iob 1 and 2.

Secondly, the heathen sayd, Lati [...]res videbis quos nunquam aspexit fortuna, quam quos deferuit, that is, They looke more cheerefully whom fortune hath never fa­voured, than those whom fortune hath left, but Paul is as glad in his poverty as in abundance.

Salomon saith that the prosperity of fooles shall destroy them, Prov. 1.32. But prosperity would never kill the wise Christian Paul.

CHAP. VII. De connexione virtutum.

VIces are not coupled together, as feare and bold­nesse, prodigality and avarice; this farre vice may be said to be coupled together, How vices may be said to be coupled together. first in the fountaine, for as prudence is the beginning of all vertues, so is im­prudency of all vices; Secondly, every vice departeth from vertue and striveth against it. Every good gift com­meth downe from the Father of lights, Iam. 1.17. So every vertue fighteth against vice. Mortall and theologi­call vertues are not es­sentially coupled toge­ther.

Morall and theologicall vertues are not essentially coupled together, for faith is not of the essence of mo­rall vertues, neither are they defined by it: for morall vertues are habitus electivi consistentes secundum rationem, but faith is not [...]uch, therefore faith and morall vertues are not essentially joyned together. Theologicall vertues are not essentially cou­pled together.

Secondly, theologicall vertues are nor essentially cou­pled together, farre lesse are morall and theologicall vertues; faith shall cease in the life to come, but charity shall be perfited, 1 Cor. 12.13. Faith and workes are not essentially joyned together, for they are in divers cate­gories.

Faith worketh by charity Gal. 5.6. Object.

Faith worketh by charity, Answ. because charity followeth it as the effect: Forma assistentconslitueus. How faith worketh by charity. there is duplex forma asssistens vel consti­tuens; Assistens, as the mariner to the ship vel constituens as the soule to the body, faith is forma assistens bonorum operum, non dans esse absolutum.

Although theologicall vertues be not essentially cou­pled with morall vertues yet they are required for the perfection of a Christian man: Simile. Theologicall and mo­rall vertues are requi­site for the perfection of a Christian. one vertie [...] not from another vertue that it is a vertue, but to [...] up one absolute perfection, it is necessary that they be all joyned and agree in one tertio. Plearing and seeing are not essentially joyned together, yet to make up a per­fect man it is necessary that he both heare and see: So it is requisite that a Christian man have both morall and theologicall vertues; and although these theefogicall vertues immediatly beget not morall vertues, yet they comfort and streng then them, and so doth the morall vertues the theologicall. These who have their passions unsetled, it hindreth them to call upon God, 1 Pet. 3.7. Matth. 7.24. So morall vertues require theologicall vertues to strengthen them, for when a mans tempe­rance faileth his faith correcteth it, for faith purtfieth the heart. Quest.

What are we to judge of the heathens vertues which have no theologicall vertues joyned with them? Answ.

If we consider their workes materially and not con­sider how they did them, The workes of the heathen are good ma­terially. they may bee called good workes and approved by God, and so it is said that Amaziah did that which was good in the eyes of the Lord but not with a perfect heart, 2 Chro. 25.2. Object. the worke may be good in it selfe, Licet subjecto, objecto, & [...] ma­lum. Answ.

But the Fathers called the works of the heathen but false and counterfit vertues: Truth is opposite both to imperfection and falshood.

The Fathers when they speake so are thus to be un­derstood, they are not [...] vertues, that is, they are not perfect vertues, but they are true vertues, that is, they are not false; truth is opposite to imperfecti­on and so likewise to falshood. Example, Arichalcum or Latten is a true mettall and not counterfit, but it is [Page 128] false gold, if yee will respect the perfection of it, for it dis [...]eth much from gold; So the vertues of the heathen are true vertues, and opposite to counterfeite vertues, but they are false, opposite to Christian vertues.

Againe, The manner and end of the he [...]thens workes were not good. if we will respect the manner how they did these things, and the end why they did them, then they were not good. Alexander when he overcame Darius, he sent backe both his wives and his concubines un­touched, this he did not for the feare of God as Ioseph did, but onely to get praise of men. An infidell giveth almes to the poore to helpe the poore; although he doth this for a particular good end to helpe him in his neede, yet he doth it not for the glory of God which should be the supreme and last end.

Whether were all vertues coupled together in Adam before his fall? Quest. Answ.

Thomas saith that vertues were coupled in Adam after a divers manner, Thom. 1.1. quest. 96. for some vertues he had both the ha­bite and the act of them, such as were these which im­ported no imperfection; such as were justice, charity, holinesse; others againe he had actually as they did im­port some imperfection, What vertues were cou­pled together in Adam before his fall. as faith and hope, for he had faith of the things which hee had not yet seene, and hope of these things which he had not as yet obtained; for he was not created in such an estate to see the things which he was to beleeve, neyther to injoy those things which he hoped for. Other vertues againe hee had the habite of them but not the act, such as imported a grea­ter imperfection and repugnant to his first estate; such as were patience, mercy anger, these he had not actually, but he was so created at the first: if injuries had beene offered to him he should have suffered them patiently and to have had pitie on other mens miseries.