LONGITUDINIS Inventae Explicatio NON LONGA, OR, Fixing the VOLATILISED, AND TAKING TIME ON TIPTOE, Briefly Explained; By which Rules are given to find the Longitude at Sea by, as truly and exactly as the Latitude is found by the Star in the Tail of Ursa Minor, called the Polestar. Nauta Sciens, modô sit Vigilans, dominabitur Austris. By S.F. A.M. Rector of Stockton in the County of Wilts. LONDON, Printed for the Author, in the Year, 1699. To the Courteous and Discreet READER, Particular him, who is a Friend to NAVIGATION. Courteous Reader, THere is a trite and common saying which has possessed Men's Minds, and filled them with Prejudice against such Inventions as are discovered by an obvious and easy way, and the saying is, Difficilia quae Pulchra; the more excellent things are, the more hardly to be found: Somewhat agreeable to which is that Proverbial Speech amongst us Englishmen, Far fetched is fit for Ladies, which shows that the Rarity of things puts an Esteem and Value on them. It is this, I conceive, that makes Men choose rather with great Fatigue and Pains to Err Elaborately, than to court and embrace Truth in its own Natural Dress; thinking they have done nothing worthy of Men's Reception (the Leaves of the Tree of Knowledge still hanging on their Fingers) unless what they offer to the World be hammered out in a way remote from Vulgar Capacities; in a way, that shows themselves to be Men of Wonder, as the Scripture calls Men of Excellency, that is to say, more Egregiously Skilled in the Mathematics, or the recondite Learning of such as call themselves Adepts, and Brethren of the Rosy-Cross, than others are. For my part, I cannot think else why it is, that the Learned in our Age, in order to find out the Longitude at Sea, have beaten their Brains so much, for many Months and Years together, on the Hypothesis of the Magnetical Inclinatory Needle, creating to themselves Magn-Aequators, Magni-Poles, etc. as likewise on that other of the Satellitial Planets, the Satrapae of Jupiter (as the Event proves) to little purpose, and unsuccessfully. Wherefore expect I do that the way for unfolding the Mystery that I take, being a Pedissequus of Nature, and following her Guidance, not forcing her to be at my beck, will be looked on as a light Achievement, tho' true, as soon as Men take it, as the New Word goes, cleverly; just as mean Inventions (yea and noble ones too, when once known) are wont to be, only for being with small Pains or Cost effected. But as the Air in which we breathe, and the Light we see by (without either of which we cannot subsist or live) are not a whit the less valuable in themselves, for being Common, and not to be fetched from far, like Gold and Diamonds; so is the Discovery of things profitable to Mankind, not to be the less esteemed neither, for that they are not taken out of the Writings of Ptolemy, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, or Galileo with his Nuntius Sydereus. Accordingly, that with the first finder out of the New World (by Name Columbus) I may set the egg on end, without further delay, (let it be Fausto sydere, or no,) I shall for finding the Longitude give my Directions by way of Question and Answer in the following Dialogue, humbly conceiving, that the Mediums I propose, will, if not full out, in a good measure at least, do the feat; yet withal desiring some expert and skilful Artist (for I have not handled the Globes since An. 54, when left the University, if I prove any where defective) to put to his hand, and amend, or improve what he finds short, in regard Perfection is not but by Trials, Practice, and Use, (by which Habits are gotten) to be attained by any. Whatsoever the success of my Undertaking may be, I am no way concerned, because, if under Mistake, in regard my Aim is good, I am, at least, Pardonable; and if my Hypothesis prove true, it will be a Reward itself; for, That God may have the Glory, and my Country the Benefit of't is, as the chief End, so the hearty Desire of HIS, Tho' unworthy, Servant, and HER Unfeigned Wellwisher, Samuel Fyler. THE DIALOGUE Supposed to have been betwixt an Intelligent Seaman, and the Author thereof. Quest. I Find, Sir, that you pretend, by Fixing the Volatilised, and taking Time on Tiptoe, as you express yourself, to show the Erring Seaman his Longitude, when in amaze, and at a loss at Sea, that vast Eremus, or Wilderness of Water; I desire to know what it is that by these Expressions you mean? Answ. You know, Sir, that Time is not a Nunc Stans, as Eternity is, (Time staying for no Man's pleasure) but that the Eighth Sphere, and the Stars therein, which I have respect to (of the moving of which Time is the measure) are always, I may say, upon the Wing, and in continual Motion, You are not therefore to imagine, that I mean, by what I say, to stop the Course of the Stars, and make them, as Joshua did the Sun, stand still; but only to bring them to such a certain Point, that I may know what Stars will be at that Point, tho' they stay there but a little while, a Minute or two, being enough for the Purpose: Then by taking Time on Tiptoe, I mean a speedy and quick Observation in finding again those Stars, which I have thus fixed to a Point, when there shall be occasion. Quest. By what you have said yet, Sir, I do not well understand what your meaning is; will you be pleased to make your Hypothesis yet more plain? Answ. I presume you would be told how such Feats as these may be effected. Accordingly, to fulfil your desire I shall show you, First, How to Fix the Stars, which, at the Creation, were Volatilised by their Maker, and continue always in Motion; And, Secondly, I shall show you, How you may find them again, when they are for that purpose fixed first. Quest. I desire to be acquainted with both these particulars, instruct me I pray you. How may they be fixed first of all? Answ. You very well know, I suppose, that the First Meridian is so, First that, I mean, as much as to say, decreed by Astrologers to pass by the Continent of Europe and Africa, over the Azores, or Canary Islands. It follows therefore that if you erect a Scheme of the Heavens beforehand for every Fourteenth Midnight in the Year, and depict a Row of Stars in a Map, the most eminent that shall be on such Midnights at the first Meridian, the Row passing along from the Tropic of Cancer to that of Capricorn, as also a Parallel or two without the Tropics, you will have those Stars in a manner fixed too; so far, at least, as to know that they are at the First Meridian on any such Midnight precisely: So I hope you know my meaning fully as to that matter. Quest. I understand you, Sir, in this particular; but granting that such, or such Stars are there, may they, by the Mariner, when lost at Sea, be sure to be found again? Answ. Yes surely, say I in answer to this second particular. For 'tis but finding out what Stars on the night you inquire them for at the first Meridian, are there; which you will surely find, if you observe what Sign of the Zodiac your Map tells you they are in, as also in what part of the Sign; for the depicted Stars for that night, if the Schemes be erected right, will be there certainly. But observe you must, that my Rule serves only for the North-seas: For if you would have a Rule for the other side of the New World, you must first Constitute a New First-Meridian passing from Pole to Pole over Califoria and the Gallipagos, along by Peru, and Chili Southward, because in those Seas the First Meridian adjoining to our Continent cannot be seen. Quest. I understand your meaning now in these particulars, and, I conceive, I see your drift, which is this; that the Seaman knowing certain Stars, which in the North-Seas will be directly Eastward from him, may make use of them to know his Longitude, which is nothing else but his distance from the First Meridian by, as he does his Latitude by the Polestar, is not this it? Answ. Yes, it is; and I doubt not at all, but if he can find (looking Eastward) any of his depicted Stars (having as little Motion, I may say, as the Polestar hath) he may know one as well as the other, the same reason being to be given for both, who does not see so much? Quest. Your reasoning, I confess, is very right; but pray tell me at once, what course I shall take to fix a Row of most Eminent Stars at the First Meridian for every Fourteenth Midnight in the Year. Will you be pleased to do this? Answ. To gratify your desire, I will, and it is thus. You must have good Globes by you, in which, 'tis to be supposed, you are well skilled. Then you must consider yourself as under the First Meridian. Then you must erect Schemes for every Fourteenth Midnight in the Year, taking your rise at the First Point of the sign Aries. Then you are to make good Observations of the most Eminent Stars running along by the First Meridian from Tropic to Tropic, and a parallel or two on each side. Then having a Paper before you, you must depict those Eminent Stars with the sign they are in, orderly, and faithfully; so that a Map may be fitted for the use of Seamen, to be carried along with them to Sea. What think you now? Have I not shown you a way to Fix the Volatilised? Will not here be a Nuncstans, as it were, a Moment or Minute on which you may take Time by the Forelock? Will not the Seaman, wherever he be in the North-Seas, be able to know such Eminent Stars, when he sees them, again? Quest. Confess I do that I cannot withhold my assent from what you lay down, and therefore grant that you have, as you spoke, Fixed the Volatilised: For tho' the Row of Stars you speak of will not stay at the First Meridian, yet at the Midnight Instant, they will be there, and the Map will tell me which of them must be therefore that Midnight on which I have occasion to make use of it; but how shall I know by't my distance from those Stars at the Midnight Instant? Answ. Here is that now which I call taking Time on Tiptoe; and my Answer to this Question is, That you may indeed find them at the First Meridian, yet not at every hour of the Night, but a Critical point of Time; and in this particular you must be careful, because your Stars to be found at the First Meridian (like a Bird on the top-branch of a Tree, just taking Wing) will be gone if you delay, or linger; otherwise you will doubtless see where your First Meridian Stars are. Quest. I grant that, Time being as a Bird taking Wing every Moment, he that will take hold of it, had need be speedy; and will grant likewise, for the present, that the Stars for any of those Fourteenth Midnights in my Map depicted may be found, as I believe they may; but will they serve the turn, and may they be used, with good success, on any other Night in the Year? Answ. Yes, surely may they, supposing that the Sky be not overcast, and that the Stars may be seen shining brightly. Quest. I pray you, show me how this may be performed, in regard the Stars, you say, that I must know the First Meridian by, are depicted only for every Fourteenth Midnight; since it is so, how shall I do it? Answ. When you have seen in your Calendar what day of the Year the day foregoing your Observation is, you may (tho' you see nothing but your Ship, the Waters, and the Firmament) do it thus; by first finding out the nearest depicted Row of Stars that belongs to your own proper Meridian where you are, being at a loss at Sea, and, if they are not Vertical, by allowing for the defect, else by waiting till they are vertical and directly over your Head. For then (since the depicted Rows of Stars are all Equidistant, like so many Circles of Altitude) you will presently know your distance from the Row of Stars which you already know to be vertical to them who live under the First Meridian, be you betwixt the two Continents where you will. But, you are to observe (for the timing of the thing) that you must look out as soon as 'tis Night, and you perceive that the Stars are clear; because it may be when you are but Nine of the Clock (plus-minus) with you, when 'tis Midnight with them who live under the First Meridian. Quest. You have satisfied me, as to this particular, somewhat; and I acknowledge (as well perceiving what you aim at by saying, all the Midnight Rows are Equidistant) that if your Hypothesis hold throughout true, you have taken Time on Tiptoe indeed, and to good purpose, for which all Seamen will be very much obliged t'ye, as long as the Stars shine in the Aplanes or Firmament. For I well know that the distance of a Ship at Sea from the First Meridian is the very Definition of the Longitude; so that if a man know his distance from that, he must needs know this; it is the Longitude found exactly. But I doubt, after all, that your Rule will fail in giving the exact distances; are you confident of the contrary? Answ. I do not love to assert any thing too confidently; but yet that I am confident of this, I shall not shun to say, in regard I can give you a substantial Reason for it. My reason is, because I can tell you a way to know when the depicted Midnight Stars, for that Night when they make it Midnight to them who live under the First Meridian or at the Azores, are there. Quest. That it is, after all, that I would fain have. If that may be known, the business is done undoubtedly, and more cannot be desired: How is it that I may know this? Answ. That you may know what you inquire for, you are to observe which Row of the Stars depicted in your Map is vertical to you where you are, as soon as 'tis Night, and the Stars appear: Then you must look Eastward, and observe what Number of your Rows you can see beyond that which is your Midnight-Row (to be on that Night at the First Meridian) and you will presently find what you would have. The reason is, because betwixt the two opposite parts of the Horizontal Circle there are but twelve such Rows in all; so that as many of them as you are distanced from the First Meridian, so many you must lose the sight of, looking Eastward; forasmuch as the Horizon, tho' it cut the Globe of the Earth into two equal parts, yet it altars as you go To or From the First Meridian, according to the number of Leagues you go off from, or towards it. It follows therefore, that since you cannot be six Rows off from the First Meridian, but you must needs be at America itself, 'tis but observing what number of your Rows you have lost the sight of Eastward, and you will know, where the Row, that you expect to be at the First Meridian for the Night you inquire for't, is precisely there. For example, if you are Five Rows off from the First Meridian, you will see, of necessity, but one Row beyond it, which will seem to you to be at, or near to the Eastern Horizon, and consequently the Fifth is the First Meridian Row, which is vertical to them at the Azores: If you are Four Rows off from the First Meridian, and you can see but Two Rows beyond it, the sight of the rest being lost, than the Fourth is their vertical, who live at the Azores; but if you have odds, as a Row and a half, or a Row and a quarter (plus minus) 'tis but allowing for the odds proportionably, and you will have what is desired. It is so plain to me, that you cannot, I think, be mistaken possibly; not much, I'm sure, so as to miss your end; and if you be mistaken a little in not knowing precisely unto a Point, when 'tis just Midnight at the Azores, tho' there be some Minutes lost, yea, half an Hour, it matters not, because you'll infallibly find by't what course to take, that you may arrive at the Haven you are making to; be you coming from America, or going thitherward, which is enough for your purpose; in regard Ten Leagues lost at Sea is not so much as Ten Miles lost to one on the Plains at Land; yea, not half so much, especially if the Man's Horse be tired, so he be calmed; to know what way you are to take is the main thing, and that you will surely be directed to. For, suppose we, that a Ship coming from the Cape of Good Hope be on this side the Aequator, cast off by adverse Winds towards the Coasts of Virginia, or Newfoundland, will not the Pilot quickly perceive the Error he is in? He must needs, and that without fail, and quickly return into his way again. What think you now? may I not cry out, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Archimedes, and say, The Longitude is found! You see, I hope, that I may; for which all Seamen will do well to Sing a Jubilate, or an O be Joyfal, to the Lord. Quest. Your Rules, I confess, in my Judgement, are right; but I shall leave that to the expert Mathematician to judge of; all that I see reason to doubt of is, whether they are Practicable or no; do you believe they are? Answ. Why they should not be practicable, I see not, for why? cannot a good ginger erect Schemes to a Minute, and for every Midnight in the Year, if he please? Do not Mariners know the Signs in the Zodiac? May they not know other Stars as well as the North Stars? Will not a Map last for many Years, especially Stilo Nov●? Doth not the Eighth Sphere move regularly? For my part, I look on the Retrogradation of it to be a Phaenomenon indeed; that is, a mere seem; nor do I regard in this particular those things, called Eccentrics and Epicicles; for my Hypothesis respects the motion of the Eighth Sphere only, beyond which I doubt whether there be such a thing as a Primum movens, or no, it being denied by Copernicus. Quest. Sir, I thank you for your Endeavours to instruct me in this Secret of yours, and I will carefully consider all by myself, and I will ask but one Question more; Do you think (since the Learned have laboured to unfold the Riddle by other means) that there is no better, or easier way than this? Answ. To give you my Opinion in the Case, my Thoughts are, not only that there is no Easier or Better, but that there is no other way at all, but by fixing somewhat first; it being agreeable to Reason, that we should follow the dust of Nature, and not prescribe to her, or force her to obey Rules of our making. For her ways are constant and invariable, from whence Fate took its Denomination; Fate being nothing else but Nature's following the Laws of its Maker, which it never Crosseth, but on a new Jussum or Command of his, Obedientially. It is true, God in his actual Providence can Countermand Fate, but no one else can; so that to put Nature aside, or out of its Course, is to do such Miracles as cannot be done, but by the Finger or Power of God alone. To draw to a Conclusion: Followed I have the Guidance of Reason and Nature; and the Rule I have given to find the Longitude at Sea by I conceive to be exactly true, for which I have made bold to Print this Dialogue of mine, yet humbly desire do I some more skilful Artist than I am to Compose such a Map as I have directed to, myself having neither Globes, nor Leisure, nor Health to do it; and withal to Polish what is laid down by me rudely, and to bring it to Compleatness and full Perfection. In a word, it is the Rule only that I offer to the World, and if it be not a right one, I am content to take what follows, the Risum teneatis, the Ridicule of them that find it otherwise. But being throughly persuaded that it fail not in the main, and that it is not only true but practicable too; to the end I may make the Noble Seaman Merry (instead of a lusty Punch-Bowl he delights so much in) I shall (being a Water-drinker, consequently not good Poet) present him with a few mean Rhimes, as I have descanted on the whole. N. S. Known Midnight-Stars at th' First Meriâian well Thee, where thou art, when lost at Sea, they'll tell, My Rules but use right, 'twill be quickly proved, From them when seen how far thou art removed. If on the New World's Shores thou chance to be, Them near th' Horizon in the East thou'lt see; When but half way, them 'bout the middle then 'Twixt First Meridian, and'ts Horizon ken: Proportions ta'en aright, bate but an Ace, Thy Distances thou'lt find, in every place: Thy Latitude as from Arcturus Clear Discern thou dost, and right thy Vessel Steer; So wilt thou too thy Longitude perceive, And learn the sail'd-from Continent to leave. Seaman, go Blow then with thy Keel the Main, Vast as it seems, 'tis but a Sal'sb'ry-Plain, Where, as the Steeple Trav'llers leads in doubt, Known Stars will guide thee in thy Course when out: My Counsel take tho', take't, I say again, (Lonely the way) beware of Highwaymen: More safe from Aberration thou wilt go, Than Skulking Pirates, if thine Art they know; heavens Linkboys else throughout will lead thy Feet, Just as do Flambeaus through a Lon'ons' Street: But if with Clouds and Mists the Stars look dim, God being thy Pilot, put thy Trust in Him; And since, Length, Breadth, Height, Depth, surmounts his Love, Beneath in Fears, thine Anchor cast Above. Now, my dear Countrymen, you that Travel the Seas, since Divinity is my Study, and Profession, you will, I hope, accept of a little Advice from me; being such as is of more Importance than the Knowledge of your Longitude, or Latitude either. And my Advice t'ye, is, First, Having the Infinite Longitude of Eternity in your Thoughts, to steer your Lives according to Religion's Compass, remembering that when you came into the Church, like Noah entering into the Ark, you were Baptised with Water and the Holy Ghost, and began upon the Waters, for the Salvation of your immortal Souls, which are more precious (a thousand times more) that the richest Cargoes you bring from either of the Indi's. You know, that you are acquainted at Sea with nothing but Motion, the Heavens over your Heads are in Motion, the Waters under your Feet are in Motion, and would you, like Noah's Dove, have a bough or sprig for your Souls to fix on in your restless Hovering? There is none (forasmuch as to know God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent is Eternal Life) but what a true Faith, and a good Life willhelp you to; these assuring you of it by a Covenant which is stable and unchangeable, admitting Repentance in the room of that sinless Innocency which you lost in Adam, that being your Duty, tho' you cannot perform it, still. Here is the security of your Souls, which can have rest no way else, and you know who hath said, What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole World, and lose his own Soul? Be not too confident of present Prosperity, on which God, when he pleases, can put an Embargo; Prosperity is a most deceitful thing, witness the Table-mount at the Cape, which, when 'tis spread with Dishes of Cheer, and Sweetmeats, is not of good Hope for all that; for you know what follows, or, if you done't, you may learn from Varenius: Amen, Amen, dico vobis; indeed, indeed, your highest Interest is Religion. And my Advice t'ye, is, 2dly, To carry the Gospel with you to all the Longitudes and Latitudes at Land, wherever your Ships shall arrive, that you may be Co-Apostles, and Co-Evangelists with the Twelve and Seventy Two of Christ's choosing, to carry the Glad-tidings thereof to the World's extremest Creeks and Angles, that so his Name may be known from the River of St. Laurence to the straits of Megellan, by Nadovessians, and Mexicans, them of Peru, and Chili, as also, Eastwardly, by those of Guan, Japan, Cochin-China; and his saving Health to your Heteroscii, Antiscii, and Antipodes, that so Songs of Zion may be heard sung to his Praise in all Places where any of the Sons of Adam live betwixt the Antic and Antarctick-Poles. Next to the saving your own selves, there is nothing you can do better possibly, this being the most acceptable service you, or any Man can perform to the Great lover of Souls, who shed his most Precious Blood on the Cross, not only for You and Me, but for all Men. And my Advice t'ye, is, 3dly, Whereas the Old Proverb, (viz. He that knows not how to Pray, let him go to Sea) is good, that leaving off the desperate Vice of Cursing and Swearing, rife among Seamen at the brink of Death, ye● learn to Pray: and, to the end ye may pray the Prayer of Faith, that ye make use of the Liturgy of the Church of England, which is throughout exactly, and with great advisement Composed by the Reformers and Martyrs thereof, according to the Proportion or Analogy of Faith, its Perfection and Excellency consisting therein. For you cannot Pray in Faith (which is indeed Praying by the Spirit) unless you Believe aright first; Believe, I say, a Trinity of distinct Persons in the Godhead, and the Incarnation of the Second Person, as you are taught in the Creeds of the Catholic Church; so that without such Belief you will in vain expect to be heard, because no Prayer is ever heard by God the Father, but what goes to Heaven in the Name of Him, who is the only Propitiation for Sins, that is, God's only Son, whose Person being Begotten of the Father before all Worlds (so far being in Unity with his Substance, God of God) became Incarnate in time, was truly made Man, and Died on the Cross for the same; whereas (to unriddle one Mystery more, perhaps to some a secret) that the Prayer of Faith should not be heard (no wilful Sin unrepented of putting a Bar in the way, so drowning the Voice of Christ's Blood) is a thing altogether impossible; because God's Veracity (He having made an unchangeable Covenant, and withal stable Promises to hear them that call on him faithfully) is to him an Inviolable Law, and binds even Almightiness itself; withal because out Blessed Saviour by his Intercession (to which his Love binds him also) takes care to mingle such Prayers of Faith with the Odours of his own Merits, and the Incense of the Burning Altar in Heaven above. It was for this that God said once to Moses, standing in the Gap, and interceding for the People who had sinned so greatly, that the provoked God to destroy them, Let me alone, showing thereby, that 'twas the Prayer of Moses that withheld his Hands from striking. You are to observe, by the way, that Praying in Faith is not a Coming to God on Confidence that we are Holier than others, or some of God's Personal Elected Ones, whom he has a particular Lovingkindness for; but on Confidence that he will hear us (tho' Sinners, if repenting of our Sins) for the sake of his Son at his Right Hand, the Voice of whose Blood cannot but be heard, and the Demands of whose Merits will never be denied by God his Father. I have heard some in my time call the Litany Conjuring (because we pray in it particularly to the Son, By his Agony ●nd Bloody Sweat, by his Cross and Passion, &c) This derision-wise and scoffingly; but, when we pray to the Son, we still pray to God; and if we take the Word in a good sense, what if we call it Conjuring? Add but its adjunct Holy, and 'tis not the worse for't, but the better. For, by such Invoking do the Faithful more certainly bring down Mercies to themselves from Heaven, than Negromancers (Apeing such Divine Invoking) call up the Devil by their Enchantments and Charms, forasmuch as the Devil is a Liar from the beginning, but Christ is the God of Truth, who will never falsify his Word. True, God heareth not Sinners, that is to say, Heathenish Idolaters, Publicans, such as sin on resolvedly, who in Scripture stile are called Sinners by way of Emphasis, because they sin without remorse, and, come what will come, are not concerned; but him that renounces his sins hearty, and prays in Faith, Him the God of all Mercies delights to hear; and by this way may a devout Mariner, when he can struggle with Winds and Storms no longer, wrestle with him who appeared to Jacob at Peniel, and hope to gain a Blessing, even in the midst of Winds, Tempests, Thunders, Storms, Tornadoes. This I have insisted the longer on, because the Mariner, being very often in Dangers-mouth, had need learn to Pray, he above all Men. And my Advice t'ye, is, Lastly, To take care, that the first thing you do, when you are come home, or arrived at your desired Haven with Ships of Delight, as Job calls them, you forthwith go from your Laden Ships to the House of the Lord, there to sing a new Song, as Men come from the Dead, to God your Saviour, not forgetting withal to bring a Thank-Offering to his Altar. For, such bringing an Offering of Thanksgiving for Blessings received, is a part of the Religion of Nature; Adam, had he continued in Innocency, must have so done, brought, I mean, the choicest Fruits that his Paradise could afford to the Panaiim, that is to say, the Presence-Place, or the especial Arbour in the midst thereof (God meeting him there at set times, suppose on Sabbath-days) and lifting them up towards Heaven, as a Theruemah, or Heave-Offering, have Praised him with Heart and Voice (which the Psalmist calls an Higgaian) for all the Benefits he enjoyed by the Gift of his Creator only. For sure it is, that our Blessed Saviour hath not taken away the Religion of Nature by coming into the World, but taken away only the Damnatory Power of the Law of Works, instituting Rites, as Prayers and Sacraments (knowing that our Duty to God the Father, that is, Living according to the Religion of Nature, is still in force) for our aid and help, than by the Propitiatory Sacrifice, which is Himself offered up to Death on the Cross for Mankind, taking Care that our Duty, which is too too imperfect (alas) to be pleaded at the Throne of Justice, may pass at the Throne of Mercy, and be accepted for his sake, as if it were Perfect, and such as Adam owed to his Maker before he sinned. It is certain, that a Minchah Parum we are to bring still in Thankfulness for all the Blessings we have; as the Primitive Christians, when they came to the Sacrament in the Apples Days, of which their Love Feasts were made, did; such Minchah or Oblation being called Pure, in Contradistinction to the Bloody Sacrifices in the Type, of which the Death of Christ, which is the only true Propitiation for Sins, is the Fulfilling and the exact Completion; so that we may rest satisfied in this, that such an Offering or Oblation of Thanksgiving is exceedingly acceptable to God the Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, and such as will move God to bless us, and cause us to prosper in all we do, as if he were Atoned and rendered Propitious by them, the defects of the Religion of Nature being taken away by the Worthiness of Christ's Death. Now, no more shall I add, but that my hope is, my Intention and Design being Pious, it will have good success; accordingly I shall give off here, only recommending to you all the words of the Psalmist, in the 107th Psalm, They that go down to the Sea in Ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the Heaven, they go down again to the Depths, their Soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he brinketh them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired Haven. O that men would praise the ●ord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Habes hic, lector amice, ut impleatur pagina, Griphum nauticum, quest postliminio, eo quod Typographus descripsit male, denuo editumlatime, sed & non inconcinn●m, ut profiscine loquar, oeu ineptam Explicationem ejus. TV mihi die verax, & eris mihi magnus Apollo, Cernam▪ quo tractis, stans Fixum Sydus, Olympi, Quantum i●er ut noscam perago vagus Erro per undas, Cum Transversa Navi tranans peto littora Mundi. Hunc, lector, si scire velis, de nocte profundâ Liherat Occiduus, Liniator nomine, Griphum. EXPLICATIO. Nil cùm subdola Acus poterit, Jovis & Satrapa nil, Hic cape, Nauta, Aenigma brevi, nec longius erra. Astra (Globo possint cùm Erecto Schemata nosci, Planis esse etiam fidè depicta Tabellis Totum, quin vicibus, ter Septem & quinque per Annum, Noctibus appingas Mediis, quà Linea conslat Prima inter Plures (Arcton quae tangit, & Austrum) Juxta Aequatoreni, Tropicos interque & habebis Nunc certum, quasi Stans, Fruere, & Citus utere puncto, In quo Stellarum cerni Distantia possit, Sydera quando micant, at primis Noctis in Horis, Nec Cynosura minùs dubiè te diriget usquam; Ne tardes, adhiber Momentum scilicet Alas. FINIS.