HENRICUS Dom CARY; Baro de Leppington; Come de MONMOUTH effigy Prae nob Ord Baln EQVES. W. Martial fecit. Man become Guilty, OR THE CORRUPTION OF NATURE BY SIN, According to St. AUGUSTINE'S sense. Written originally in French, By john-francis Senault. And put into ENGLISH By the Right Honble HENRY Earl of Monmouth. LONDON, Printed for William Leake, and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Crown in Fleetstreet, betwixt the two Temple Gates, 1650. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE, FRANCES, Countess of Rutland, wife to JOHN Earl of RUTLAND. Madam, GIve me leave, I beseech you, to present you with this Copy of a Masterpiece, drawn in its Original by as rare a hand as I have met withal; the which I am the rather encouraged to do, for that I have experienced your Goodness to be such, as may make me presume upon your Pardoning such Faults as your judicious eye shall observe therein, especially since they are committed by so Professed and so Obliged a Servant of your Ladyships: and further, for that All that have the Honour to know you, know you to have Piety enough to practise what is therein prescribed as allowed of, and to shun the Contrary (both which you will find Rarely drawn to the life by the Author, though perhaps but Slubbered over by the Copyer, in almost every Chapter of this book) Loyalty enough not to transgress the boundaries therein prescribed to due Allegiance, and to detest the several Revolts you shall find mentioned therein; judgement enough to discern, and I hope to approve of the Eloquence, Philosophy, History, and Divinity, which you shall see therein Handsomely and Methodically interwoven: to which if you will add Charity enough (a virtue so Eminent in your Ladyship, as it is not to be Doubted of) to pardon the faults escaped in the Press, I shall thread it to the rest of my Obligations; since though they cannot in a Direct line be imputed to Me, yet by Reflection (as not having had a sufficient Care to peruse the Proofs) they may seem to have an Influence upon Me; to which I must plead, my not being in Town whilst the Press went, and that I have made an Amends by printing an Errata, which I shall desire whosoever buys this book, to see bound up with it for his better satisfaction. Madam, When to this Goodness, Piety, Loyalty, judgement and Charity, the Honour shall be added which you derive from that Noble Stock whence you are Immediately descended, and that which you achieve from that Ancient Stock of Honour into which you are so happily Engrafted, I hope that my Choice of Dedication will by all men be approved of: and I shall think my Labour very well Bestowed and Highly Recompensed, if your Ladyship shall please to peruse this Roughhewn Copy at such Leasure-houres as I penned it; and if you shall find anything therein which may make you think your Time that mean while not Misspent; or which may sometimes bring the Humblest of your Servants into your Thoughts, He shall have obtained the Height of his Ambition, who is, Madam Whatsoever your Ladyship shall please to Create him, MONMOUTH. THE AUTHORS PREFACE. PRide hath made so powerful an impression in the soul of man, as that all the pains he suffers are not able to efface it. He is proud amidst his Misfortunes; and though he have lost all those Advantages which caused Vainglory in him, yet ceaseth he not to be vainglorious amidst his Miseries. He is still flattered in his Exile with those promises which the Devil made him in Paradise: though he be slave to as many Masters as he hath Passions, yet he aspires to the World's Sovereignty; though his Doubts do sufficiently prove his Ignorance, yet doth he pretend Vult homo imitari Deum sed perversè, non esse sub illius potestate, sed habere contra illum potestatem. Aug. in Psal. 60. to the Knowledge of Good and Evil; and though all the Sicknesses which assail him, teach him that he is Mortal, yet doth he promise to himself Immortality. But, that which is more insupportable, and which renders his fault more insolent, is; that he hopes to arrive at all this happiness by his Own Strength: he thinks nothing impossible to a creaure that is Free and Rational, that his Good depends upon his Will; and that without any other help then what he draws from Nature, he may acquit himself of his Losses, and Recover his Innocence. This Error being the Outmost of all our evils, Religion labours only how to dis-abuse us therein, and all her Commandments and Advices tend only to make us Sensible of our misfortune. The Sacrifices teach us that we have deserved Death; the Law teacheth us that we are Blind, and the Difficulty we find in Keeping it doth prove our Want of Power. Grace doth yet more strongly insinuate this truth unto us; sh: undertakes not to cure us, till she hath persuaded us that we are Sick; and the First thing which she makes us acknowledge, is our Ignorance and Weakness. Nature, as proud as she is, agrees in this point with Grace: her Disorders are so many Instructions, which will not suffer us to doubt of our Miseries; the Neque enim sub Deo justo ●iser esse 〈◊〉 potest, 〈◊〉 mer●tur. ●g. L. oper. 〈◊〉. unfaithfulness of our Senses, our Passions revolt, and the Fight of those Elements which environ us, and whereof we are Composed, are Proofs which will convince the most Opinionated. It must also be confessed, that the Wisest Philosophers have acknowledged that there was a Hidden Cause of all these Disorders; and being pressed by their Consciences, they have confessed, that since Nature deals more hardly with Us than with her Other Children, some secret fault must of necessity have been, which hath incensed her against us. The Platonists imagined, that our souls were infused Poenam i●am esse quis dubitet? omnis autem poena si justa est peccati poena est, & supplicium nominatur. D Aug. lib. 3. de Arbitr. cap. 18. in o our Bodies, only to Expiate those sins on Earth, which they had committed in Heaven; the Academics did not differ much from their opinion, and though in their complaints they did sometime lose that Respect which they ought to God yet did they confess, that our Faults did precede our Miseries, and that the Heavens were too Just to pun●h the Innocent. Only the Stoics, whose whole Philosophy is enlivened with Vainglory, did believe that if man were irregular, 'twas only because he Would be so; and that as his Liberty had been the sole Cause of his Mischief, it m●ght also be the sole Remedy thereof: they imagined, that if he would take Nature and Reason for his Bonum hominis, animus & ratio in animo perfecta: quid autem ab illo exigis? rem facillimum, secundùm Naturam vivere. Senec. Epist. 41. guides, he might get again into the path of Virtue, from whence he had Strayed, and that in so good a School, he might easily reform his Disorders and recover his Innocence. Peligianisme may be said to have had its Original ris● with this proud Sect, and that divers ages before Pelagius his birth, Zeno and seneca had ta'en upon them the Defence of Corrupted Nature; for they allotted all her disorders to man's Constitution and Education; no● knowing any other sins save such as be merely Voluntary, they were ignorant of that sin which we inhere from our Ancestors, and which preceding our Birth, makes us Criminal ere we be Rational: they taught precepts to shun Sin, h●y framed a method to acquire Virtue, and proposing no other helps to their Disciples then Reason and Liberty, they upheld them in their Vain glory, and did not assist them in their Weakness. These two Idols seemed powerful enough to overcome all their Enemies, and not knowing that Reason was Blind, and Liberty a Captive, they impudently affirmed that there were no Inclinations so Bad, nor Habits so Obstinate, as might not be overcome by this weak assistance; they boasted that their felicity depended upon their Own proper Power, that they might be happy in Despite of Heaven, and that though their happiness were not of so long Durance, yet was it of the same Tranquillity as that of God. Est aliqu id quo sapiens antecedat Deum: ecce res magna habere imbecillitatem hominis securitatem Dei. Senec. Epist. 44. Amongst so many Impieties and Blasphemies which Pride extorted from out their mouths, they 〈◊〉 not sometime to betray their own cause, and publquely to acknowledge their own Misery: For Nature, which cannot lie long, made them find her disorders, and forced them to confess, that Faults were learned without Teachers, that we are Borne out of Order, and that we have much Stronger inclinations to Vice then to Virtue. Their Sect was borne down when the Pelagians raised up their Oblivione● & 〈◊〉 non ●bjacere pec●ato quo●am ●on secun●ùm ●oluntatem sed secundum necessitatem eveniunt Dogma suit. Pelagij. heresy upon its ruins, and when undertaking to defend Corrupted Nature they declared war against the Grace of jesus Christ; they made all our Disorders to pass for Natural Effects, they laughed at Original Sin and maintained that Man had no Other offence then what he committed by his Own proper Will: they thought all our Bad inclinations sufficiently recompensed by Liberty, and confiding strangely in their Own Strength, they would not be beholden to Grace, to withstand Vice, nor to defend Virtue. Though Item victoriam nostram non esse ex Dei adjutorio sed ex libero arbitrio. St. Austin by his Learning and Humility hath triumphed over this proud and learned heresy, yet hath it outlived that defeat, and found partakers after his Death: we run into the errors thereof at unawares, we speak the Language of the Pelagians, not having their Belief; and attributing more to Liberty, or freewill, then to Grace, we will be Ourselves, the Authors of our Salvation. To remedy this evil, which appears, much more in our Actions then in our Words, I thought it became me to represent the deplorable Condition whereinto Sin had reduced Nature; and to make it evident in this work, that there is no faculty of our Souls, nor part of our Bodies, which is not out of order. The profit will not be small, if we can tell how to husband it well: for to b●ot that our Misery will cause confusion in us by reason of our Sin, and make us abborre it, 'twill lessen the haughty Confidence which we have in our freewill, and make us acknowledge the Need we have to be assisted by Crace: the being sensible of our Malady, will be a Disposition to our Cure, and the weight of our Irons may serve to heighten our Saviour's Merits. The high opinion we have of our Own strength, is injurious to His Glory, and those Vicinior est ●mmortalitati sanitas d●lentis quam stupor non sentientis A●g. in Psal. 55. good inclinations of Nature, which we call Seeds of Virtue, do not seem to lessen Adam's sin, save so far as to set a greater value upon the Grace of jesus Christ: but the perfect knowledge of our Misery, cannot but produce good effects: and when we shall be fully persuaded that we can do nothing that is pleasing to God; without his Son's help, we will endeavour to obtain that assistance by our Prayers, and to procure it by our Tears. Following this design, I shall then make it appear, that there Lacrymae non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed merentur. Greg. Mag. is an Original sin, which is the fruitful Springhead of all our Misfortunes, and penetrating to within the Soul of Man, I will show that her principal faculties retain no longer their first Purity, nor their ancient Vigour, and that all the Virtues which are the Workmanship thereof, are accompanied with so many Defects, as that they do not deserve the glorious Name which they bear. From thence I shall descend to man's Body, the Constitution and Miseries whereof I will examine. Then, quitting Man, I shall consider all the Objects which do environ him, and which may cause Love or Hatred in him. And concluding finally by the Disorders which are in the World, I will show that the Parts whereof it is Composed, have been out of Order, only since Sin: I'll prove that Deluges and Devastations by Fire, are punishments which Divine justice hath invented to punish Guilty man withal; and will make it clearly appear, as I hope, that there were no Monsters nor Poisons in the State of Innocency. I have in all this my work endeavoured to mingle Eloquence with Doctrine; and knowing that I was to be accountable t● All the World, I have sometimes suffered my thoughts to fly a Lower pitch, that they might be the more intelligible: I have been of Est enim proprium Orato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 q●. 〈◊〉 Lib. 〈◊〉. de Officiis. opinion that Descriptions did not injure Argumentations, and in writing like a Christian Philosopher, I might b● permitt●ed to play the Orator. If any man shall think me too Copious, I am of His opinion; but to boot that this fault wants neither Example nor Excuse; I have striven to use no manner of Enlargement, but what would bring with it some New Light to the Understanding, and which might serve for Ornament to the Truth, if not for her Defence. A Table of the several Treaties and Discourses handled in this Book. The first Treatise. Of Original Sin, and the effects thereof. Discourse. 1 THat Faith acknowledgeth Original sin: That Nature hath a feeling thereof, and that Philosophy suspects it. Page 1 2 What the state of Man was before sin. p 8 3 Of what kind the first sin which Adam committed was. p. 12 4 How Adam sin did communicate itself to those that are descended from him. p. 16 5 Of the nature of Concupiscence. p. 20 6 The pursuit of the same subject, and divers descriptions of Concupiscence. p. 26 7 That Self-love is nothing else but Concupiscence. p. 28 8 That Concupiscence, or Self-love, divides itself into the love of Pleasure, of Honour, and of Knowledge. p. 33 9 Wherefore Concupiscence remains i● Man after Baptism. p. 38 10 That God's justice hath permitted that man should be divided within himself, for the punishment of his sin. p. 42 The second Treatise. Of the corruption of the Soul by Sin. Discourse. 1 OF the Souls Excellenc●, and of the miseries which she hath contracted by sin. p. 47 2 That the sonle is become a slave unto the body by reason of sin. p. 55 3 Of the weakness which humane understanding hath contracted by sin. p. 61 4 That there is no error into which human understanding hath not plunged itself since the state of sin. p. 68 5 That Reason in Man is become blind, and a slave since sin p. 77 6 That Memory hath lost her vigour by the means of sin, and that she agrees not very well with judgement. p. 80 7 That Concupiscence is neither a good judge nor faithful witness since sin. p. 86 8 Of the unruliness of the will and of its inclination to Evil. p. 91 9 That the will, to be able to do good, must be set free from the servitude of sin by the grace of jesus Christ. p. 97 10 That evil habits bereave the will of her liberty, by engaging her in Evil. p. 103 The third Treatise. Of the corruption of the Virtues. Discourse. 1 APaneggrick of Moral Virtue. p. 109 2 That Moral Virtue hath her faults. p. 115 3 That vain glory is the soul of the Virtue of Infidels. p 122 4 That the Virtue of Infidels cannot be true. p 128 5 That Wisdom without Grace, is blind, weak, and malignant. p. 134 6 That there is no true Temperance nor justice amongst the Pagans. p. 140 7 That the Fortitude of the Pagans is but weakness or vanity. p. 149 8 That friendship without grace is always interested. p. 156 9 That the uncertainty and obscurity of Knowledge derives from si●ne. p. ●65 10 That Eloquence is an enemy to Reason, Truth, and Religion. p, ●73 The fourth Treatise. Of the corruption of Man's Body by sin. Discourse. 1 OF the Excellencies of Man's Body. p. 182 2 Of the Miseries of the Body in general. p. 190 3 Of the Infidelity of the Senses p. 195 4 That the Passions are fickle, or wild. p. 201 5 That the health of Man is prejudiced by sickness. p. 207 6 〈◊〉 the Body's beauty is become perishable and criminal. p. 214 7 That the life of man is short and miserable. p. 225 8 That Death is the punishment of sin. p. 231 9 What advantages we may draw from Death by means of Grace. p. 237 10 That Sleep is a punishment of sin, as well as the Image of Death; and that it bereaves us of Reason, as Dreams do of Rest. p. 243 The fifth Treatise. Of the corruption of all exterior Goods, called by the name of FORTUNE Discourse. 1 THat we must fear what we desire, and desire what we fear, p. 249 2 That Honour is no longer the recompense of Virtue. p. 255 3 That Greatness i● attended by Slavery and Vanity. p. 261 4 That the Birth and Cruelty of Wa●re derives from sin. p. 270 5 That Riches render m●n poor and sinful. p. 278 6 That since the loss of Innocency poverty is glorious. p. 284 7 That apparel is a mark of sin. p. 290 8 That the shame which 〈◊〉 Nakedness, is a punishment for our offence. p. 296 9 That Buildings are the work of necessity, pleasure, or vain. glory. 302 10 That the greatest part of our pas●mes are occasions of sin. p. 3● The sixth and last Treatise. Of the Corruption of all Creatures. Discourse. 1 OF the beauty, greatness, and duration of the world. p. 319 2 That all creatures have lost some of their perfections. p. 328 3 That the Sun hath lost much of his light and virtue through sin. p. 335 4 That there is no creature which men have not adored. p. 341 5 That all creatures do either tempt or persecute man. p. 348 6 That it is more secure to sequester a man's self from the creatures, than to make use of them. p. 355 7 That Deluges and Earthquakes are the punishments of the world become corrupted. p. 361 8 That Thunder, Plagues and Tempests, are the effects of sin. p. 368 9 That Monsters and poisons are the workmanship of sin p. 377 10 That God will consume the world corrupted by sin, that he may make a new world. p. Of the Corruption of Nature by SIN: The First Treatise: Of Original Sin, and the Effects thereof. The First Discourse. That Faith acknowledgeth Original Sin: That Nature hath a feeling thereof: and That Philosophy suspects it. THough man's misery witness his sin, and that to believe he is guilty, sufficeth to prove his misery; yet is there no one Truth in Christian Religion, more strongly withstood by prophanePhylosophers then is this; she cannot allow of a chastisement which punisheth the father in his children, neither can she conceive a sin which precedes our reason as well as our birth; She appeals from so rigorous a decree, and thinks to defend God's cause in pleading ours: She attributes all our disorders to our constitution, she imputes our errors to our education, and the greatest part of our irregularities to the bad employing of our time: She a Errasti, si existimas nobiscum vitianasci supervenerunt ingesta sunt. Sen. Epist. 94. opposeth experience by arguing, and what ever misery she makes trial of she will not acknowledge the cause; she thinks a man may herein defend himself by reason, and that there being no sin which is natural, neither is there any which may not be amended by will alone: she makes use of the examples of Socrates, Aristides, and Cato: she opposeth these Sages to our Saints, and pretends that the works of Nature yield not to those of Grace: Briefly, she corrupteth the purity of our belief by the subtlety of her reasoning; and whereas Christians ought to convert all Philosophers, some Christians are perverted by Philosophers. We confess Original sin because we dare not deny it; We avow that it hath bereft us of Grace, but assure ourselves that it hath left us an entire Liberty; We confess it hath robbed us of our innocence, but maintain that we may recover our innocence by the means of reason, and that if we cannot merit heaven, we may at least secure ourselves from hell: We admire the famous Actions of Infidels; our eyes are dazzled with the lustre they receive from the writings of Philosophers; we side, at unawares, with Nature against Grace, and through an inconsiderate zeal: We will have their delusive virtues rewarded with a true happiness. Yet notwithstanding to believe original sin, is one of the prime Articles of our Faith; if Adam were not guilty; Jesus Christ was not necessary; and if Humane nature be yet in her first purity, it's in vain that we seek a Saviour: Hence b In causa duorum hominum quorum per unuro venum detisumus sub peccato, per ●lterum redimimur à peccatis proprie fides Christiana Consistit. Aug. lib de peccato. Origin. cap. 24 it is that the great Apostle of the Gentiles doth so often in his Epistles oppose sin to grace; servitude to freedom; and Adam to Jesus Christ; he is pleased to represent unto us the disorders of Nature, to make us admire the effects of Grace, and he glories in his Infirmities, the more to heighten the advantages of Redemption, He teacheth us that we are conceived in sin, and that at our first entrance into the world we are the objects of God's wrath. He shows us that Adam's sin is shed abroad throughout mankind, That his Malady is become a contagion, and that all the Children that do descend from this unfortunate Father are Criminal, and Miserable. The Prophets agree with the Apostles, and this truth is not much less Evident in the Old Testament then in the New. The most patient & most afflicted of all men complains of the misfortunes of his birth, and makes such just imprecations against the moment wherein he was conceived, as we may easily conceive, he thought it not void of fault. David c Pereat dies in quâ natu● sum, & nox in quâ dictum est conceptus est homo. Job 3. confesseth he was conceived in sin, and that though he were born in lawful Matrimony, his birth ceaseth not to be shamefully sinful. The Church confirms this truth unto us, by as many Paradoxes, as the instructions are, which she giveth us. And knowing that her words serves for laws unto her Children, she is pleased to tell us, that Adam's sin is ours, That the miseries which we undergo, are the punishments of his disobedience, That Divine Justice hath condemned us in Him: That our misfortune and His sin did precede our Birth, And that contrary to all the Laws of Morality, we be guilty before we are reasonable. Faith persuades us to these Truths, and without troubling ourselves to seek Proofs to strengthen them, we in all humility believe what we cannot evidently know; But because Philosophy is a Rebel to Faith, and that she is more swayed by reason, then by the Authority of the Church, I will convince her by reason, and make her confess, that we could not be irregular, if we were not guilty. All Philosophers confess, d Princeps & Domina carnis naturaliter anima est quae domare carnem debet & regere. August. contra Julian, lib. 2. cap. 8. That man is Composed of a body & soul, And that when Divine Providence did first form him, she mingled Beast with Angel, and that she gathered Heaven and Earth together to finish her Noblest piece of workmanship. If Passion have not prevailed over reason in these great men, they must confess that when God did this his Chiefest work, he did so well accord the two Parts which went to the Composition thereof, as that the body obeyed the soul, & the Angel commanded over the Beast. They must acknowledge that God observed the same Order in the Composing of man, as he did in the making of the world, and that as he submitted the Earth to the Influences of the Heavens, he did likewise assubject Passion to reason, and the Appetite to the will. And since they observe this decent order to be no longer kept, they ought necessarily to infer, that sin is the cause thereof, And that man hath lost these advantages only because he hath not preserved his Innocency. For what likelihood is there, that two Parts joined together, should not endure one another, that they should mutually love and hate each other, that the flesh should wage war with the soul, which gives it life, and that the soul should complain of the others insolency, which serves her as an Officer or Abetter, e Etiam sine magistro vi●ia disc●. Seneca lib. 3. quaest. c. 30. whence is it that our inclinations are out of Order, before we have acquired any bad Habits, that our faults precede evil examples, that we know what evil is, not having learned it, and that the soul follows the inclinations of her body, before she hath tasted the delights thereof: whence is it, that sin is natural to us, that in us it precedes the use of reason, that notwithstanding all its deformities, it becomes pleasing, and that virtue with all her comeliness seem austere unto us. Certainly, he who shall conceive aright, the reason thereof, will be obliged either to blame Divine Providence, or else to condemn the sinfulness of the first man, who losing original Justice, deprived all his Children thereof, And who making us inherit his disorders, made us criminal, before rational. The Moral Virtues, which Philosophers boast so much off, do authorise the belief of original sin. For though they persuade themselves, that man by the assistance thereof may overcome sin; and that God did not Compose him of two rebellious Parts, save only to increase his merit, and to leave unto him the glory of finishing it; yet the use of virtue doth sufficiently prove his irregularity, and it is sufficient to acknowledge that he was born guilty, since we know he is obliged to become virtuous. For virtue is not a production of Nature, but an invention of Art, she is not infused, but acquired, and the Pains she causeth, fully equal the Pleasures which she promiseth. She presupposeth that man is out of order, since she hath a design to reform him, and that he is sick since she endeavours to cure him. All her exercises are so many Combats, all her enemies are born in the very Place where she sets upon them, and the industry she is forced to make use off to drive them thence, doth sufficiently witness that they govern there before her; in effect man is weak, before he hath acquired fortitude, he is foolish before wise, and ere temperate, unchaste, his virtues are proofs of his vices, his last victories are signs of his former defeats, and the succour which he is enforced to seek for, from without himself, is a witness of his disorder and weakness. This it was that made f Conit●ntia tam concupiscentiae testis est quam host is. August. St: Augustine say, that continency is as well a witness as an enemy of concupiscence, & that althose glorious habits which fight against our sins do manifest them. If virtue make us suspect our misery, the Creatures revolt makes us know our sinfulness; and he who shall consider that man is in the world, as in an enemy's Country, will have no great difficulty to judge that he is Criminal. Reason unasisted by Faith is sufficient to make us Comprehend that man is the Image of God; 〈◊〉 That he is g Itaque foeliciter homo natus jacet manibus pedibusque devinctis, flens animal caeteris imperaturum & à suppliciis vitam vispicatur unam tantum ob culpam quia natum est. Plin. lib. 6. proem. his Lieutenant upon Earth, That all Creatures owe him homage, and that he ought to Reign in the World: either as a visible Angel, or as a Mortal God. The Place he bears in the Universe challengeth this Advantage; and reason which raiseth him above Beasts, gives him the Sovereignty over them, since all things are made for his use, all must be submitted to his will. And since he must Reign with God in Heaven, he must begin to Reign for him upon the Earth; This notwithstanding all Creatures make war upon him, they deal with him, rather as with a Tyrant, then Lawful Sovereign: They obey him not, but by Force, And it is easy to be seen, That having lost the right that he had over them, he conands them, now, only by violence, if he draw any service from beasts, it's after having been either their Slave, or their Tyrant. If h Omnis creatura pugnabit contra insensatos. the earth be fruitful, it's after having been watered with his sweat, and rend in pieces by the Plough; If the Sea bear his vessels 'tis not without threatening them with shipwreck. If Air contribute to his respiration, it suffers also corruptions, whereby to form contagions, and sicknesses; If the wind fills his sails, it also raiseth Tempests, and drowns his vessels, If fire serve him in all his Arts, it mingles itself with Thunder, and taketh revenge for all the Injuries it hath received from him. This general insurrection is a token and punishment of his offence, had he preserved his integrity he had never lost his Authority, and had he not fall'n from his innocency he had never foregone his Throne. Philosophy as haughty as she is, cannot deny but that man is the prey of wild beasts, and the victim of their fury, that he is exposed to the rigour of the Air, and to the unseasonableness of the weather, she must confess that he hath no subject which is not rebellious, that there is no place within his Territories which is not his enemy, and there is no part of his body which is not either disobedient or unfaithful to him, whence proceeds this disorder, if not from his sin whence proceeds so universal a rebellion, if not from his disobedience, and why should he have lost his authority in the world, if he had not lost his innocency, which was the foundation thereof, I very well know that Philosophers who knew not the state of sin, endeavour to excuse this insurrection, alleging it is natural, but who sees not the excusing of man, is to blame God, and that to leave innocency, to the Creature, is to bereave God of his Providence: The Elements began not to prosecute man, till he became criminal, and God is so good and just as he would not have made him subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poena, 〈◊〉 ●sta est pe● poena est & supplicium nominatur. Porro quia de omnipotentia Dei & justitia dubitare dementis est justa haec poena est, & pro peccato aliqup ponditur. Aug lib 2. de lib. arbit. c. 18. to these sufferings, had he not found him guilty. His Sovereignty never gives against his justice, he makes such moderate use of his power as he never injures his Providence, what ever power he may justly challenge over the Creature, he condemns it not till it hath offended, who will not then term this unruliness of the seasons a punishment, who will not esteem the earth's sterility, the like, who will not believe but that the Pestilences and Earthquakes, Deluges and Punishments by fire, are the just rewards of sin, more ancient than all these disorders; we must also avow that the wisest Philosophers have acknowledged that there was one cause of all these disorders, and though they neither knew the wickedness nor the name thereof, they have known it by its effects. Aristotle k Exhum 〈◊〉 v●tae erroribus & aerumnis fit, ut verum sit illud quod est apud Aristotelem, sic nostros animos cum corporibus copulatos ut vivos cum mortuis esse conjunctos. Cicer. in Hor●s. who may be termed the Genius of Nature, who loved her so passionately, took such pains to study her and so carefully considered her, hath guest at the cause of all the disorders which he observed in her workmanship; He wonders that man cannot tame his passions; that being victorious every where else he is conquered by himself, and that the soul hath not strength nor dexterity to triumph over her body, he cannot comprehend how the noblest workmanship of Nature should be a Monster, that the senses should be unfaithful, and passions disobedient, and that reason, which is her light should be obfuscated with so many darknesses, he cannot conceive that man being free, should be a slave to so many masters that being furnished with knowledge, he should be engaged in errors, and that being assisted by so many virtues, he should be withstood by so many vices, had he durst have condemned the Deity, he would have found fault with the workmanship thereof, wavering between Religion and impiety, he admires what he knows not, he suspects what he cannot discover, he guesses at what he cannot find, and amidst these doubts he confesseth that there is some hidden cause which hath produced these disorders; what could a Philosopher say more, who had only been instructed ●n the School of Nature? what could a man imagine who never having been enlighted by the beams of Faith, was equally ignorant of Adam's innocency and guilt; if he be ignorant of the name of concupiscence? doth not he acknowledge the nature thereof: and if he know not the cause of original sin, hath he not observed the effects thereof? Cicero, l Hominem ●on ut à matre sed ut à noverea natura editum in vitam corpore nudo, fragili infirmo▪ animo antem anxio ad molestiam humili ad timo●es molli ad labores▪ prono ad libidies: Rem vidit Cicero causam nescivit. lib. 4. contra Jul. c. 12 who is no less a Philosopher in his Academic discourses, than Orator in his Orations, complains that Nature is man's Stepdame; that she hath been negligent in the Masterpiece of her workmanship, and that as envying his happiness, she hath given him a body exposed to the injury of the Air, to the malice of Maladies, and to the Insolences of Fortune, that she hath lodged an unhappy soul, overborn with pains, abashed by fear, faint in labour, and unruly in her delights, in so frail a body: which hath made Saint Augustine confess, that this great Philosopher had the Cognizance of sin, though he knew not its name, and that he acknowledged the effects of a Cause which he could not discover. Thus reason without faith seems to have found out original sin; And Philosophy which makes Nature a Deity hath been enforced to accuse the disorderliness thereof, and to impute unto her the faults, whereof the first man was Author. Seneca in whose person was united the pride of a Stoic, and vainglory of a Spaniard, and who confesseth no weakness, save such, as he can neither excuse nor conceal, after having pleaded in the behalf of Nature, is obliged to forsake her, he acknowledgeth in a thousand parts of his Writings, that sin is natural unto us, and that Philosophy is not sufficient to save us from a Monster, which constitutes a part of ourselves. I m Nulli r●s vitio natura conciliat, nos illa integros, ac liberos genuit. Sen. Epist. 94. know that he varies in his opinions, that Pride makes him revoke such Confessions as truth hath extorted from out of his mouth and pen, that he complains that we live not as we were born, that we do not preserve those advantages that Nature hath given us, and that seduced by error, or corrupted by example. n Cito nequitia subrepit: virtus diffis ili● inventus est Lib. 3. quaest. natural. cap. 3. We commmit errors which she detests, but he quickly altars his mind, and being pressed by his own conscience, he avows that virtue is a stranger, vice natural to us: he confesseth that the first men were not more innocent than we, save only in that they were more ignorant; that they had not as yet opened the bowels of the earth, to enrich themselves with her spoils, nor killed beasts to satisfy their appetites, but that they even then had the principles of all these crimes in their souls, and that there is great difference between a man who hath not the knowledge of evil, and him who hath not a desire thereunto. Had o Quid ergo ign●atia re● innocenntes erant. Multum autem interest utrum peccare aliquis nolit an nesciat. S●n. Epist 90. sub finem. this Philosopher read our Histories, and had he learned from Moses what past in the beginning of the World; he had plainly seen that vice comes not by degrees, as doth virtue, and that corrupted Nature is a Mistress good enough to teach us, what is ill in giving us life. Murder was Cain's Aprentisage, and the Impieties which we detest have dishonoured the first ages as well as they do ours, since man was irregular, he became capable of all vice, and since he lost Original Justice, he is fallen into all sort of disorders. We polish sins, we invent them not; we commit them with more pomp, not with more wickedness, we only add ornament thereunto. And in a word, we are not more faulty than our forefathers, but more industrious. In fine, if it be lawful to make use of Fables to strengthen Truth, and to beat down lies by Poets who are the Authors thereof, I see not a better draught of a man born in sin then that which is represented to us by the Tragedian in his Thebais. For p Infanti quoque decreta mors est, fata quis tam tristia sortitus unquam, videram nondum diem & jam tenebar. Mors me antecessit, aliquis intra viscera materna lethum precocis sati ●lit, sed numquid & peccavit? Thebay. Senec. Oedipus recounting the Story of his Misfortunes complains that his death preceded his birth, that his sin preceded his reason, that nature feared him, before she had brought him into the world, that by a strange prodigy he had committed sins before he knew what sin was, that the Heavens whose decrees are so just had declared him criminal, before he was endued with reason, and that his father being a servant to divine justice, had punished him as soon as his mother had brought him into the world. After this crowd of reasons and authorities, I know not what can be said against the belief of original sin, who can deny an evil, of whose effects all men have a fellow-feeling; Since all Philosophers before they knew what name to give it, knew the nature thereof, and all the complaints they have made of our miseries, in their Writings, are so many testimonies born by them to the truth of our Religion. The second Discourse. What the state of man was before Sinne. THough there be nothing more opposite to the state of sin, than the state of innocency, there is not any thing notwithstanding, which better discovers unto us the disorders thereof, and it seems to be a true looking glass, wherein we may see all the other deformities. To know the greatness of man's misery, we must know the height of his happiness; and to know with what weight he fell we must know the height of his dignity. Man was created with original righteousness; his Divine● Quality made a part q Adam sactus est homo, potuit esse aliud quam factus est. ●ctus est enim justus & potuit esse injust us. Aug. in Se●m. contra dictnm Maxim. in append. of his being, and seemed to be the last of his differences. Reason and Grace were not as yet divided, and man finding his perfection in their good Intelligence, was at once both Innocent and rational: Since sin hath bere●t him of this privilege, he seems to be but half himself, though he hath not changed Nature, he hath changed condition, though he be yet free, he hath less power in his own person then in the world; And when he compares himself with himself, hardly can he know himself. In the state of innocency nothing was wanting to his perfection, nor felicity; and whilst he preserved original righteousness, he might boast to have possessed the springhead of all that was good. 'twas this that united him to God; and which submitting him to his Creator submitted all Creatures unto him; 'twas this that accorded the soul with the body, and which pacifying the differences which Nature hath placed between two such contrary parties, made them find their happiness in agreement, this it r Adam Deo suo à quo erat conditus rectus, nullo prorsu● virio depravatus ads●abat, Lib. 1. imperf. contra Jul. num. 46. was in fine which displaying certain beams of light about his Countenance, kept wild beasts in obedience and respect. In this happy condition man was only for God, he found his happiness in his duty, he obeyed with delight, and as Grace made up the perfection of his being, it was not much less natural for him to love God, then to love himself, he did both these Actions by one and the same Principle. The love of himself differed not from the love of God, and the operations of Nature and of Grace, were so happily intermingled, that in satisfying his Necessities, he acquitted himself of his duty, and did as many holy Actions, as natural and rational ones. He s Hac pralia numquam & numquam ess●nt si Natura nostra sicut recta creata est permaneret. Aug. lib. 22. de Civit. cap. 23. sought God and found him in all things; much more happy than we, he was not bound to separate himself from himself, that he might unite himself to his Creator. Godliness was practised without pain, Virtue was exercised without violence: and that which costs us now so much trouble, cost him nothing but desires: there needed no combats to carry away victory, nor was there any need to call in virtue, to keep passions within their limits. Obedience was easy to them, nor is Rebellion so natural unto them now, as was then submission. This Grace t Hae igitur partes ira atque libido in paradiso ante peccatum vitiosae non eran●, non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad 〈◊〉, ●de ne● esse▪ 〈◊〉 ●as ra● t●mquam ●renis re● 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉 quod nun● 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 e●t u●que 〈◊〉 ●x natu● sed 〈◊〉 ●x 〈◊〉. A●g. 〈◊〉. 14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cap. ●9. which bound the soul unto the body with bonds as strong as pleasing, united the senses to the Spirit, and assubjected the passions to reason. Morality was a Natural science; or if it were infused, 'twas togetther with the soul, and every one would have been eased of the Pain of acquiring it, all men were born wise, Nature would have served them for a Mistress, and they would have been so knowing even from their births, as they would not have needed either Counsel or Instruction. Original righteousness governed their understanding, guided their wills, enriched their memories, and after having done such wonders in their souls, it wrought as many u Ille vero pri● Adam nulla ●li 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a●●sus s● s●m tentatus illo be●udmis l●o su● secum ●ace ●uebatur. August. lib. de co● upt. & gratia cap 11. Prodigies in their bodies; for it accorded the elements whereof they were Composed, it hindered the waters from undertaking any thing against the fire: tempered their qualities, appeased their differences, and did so firmly unite them, as nothing could sever them. Man knew only the name of death; and he had this of comfort, that he knew it was the Punishment of a fault, from which if he would, he might defend himself. All nourishments were to pure that there was nothing superfluous in them, Natural heat was so vigorous, as it converted all into the substance of the body, & was in all other respects so temperate as it was not prejudicial to the radical moisture. Man felt nothing incommodious; & Prudence x Sicut in paradiso nullus aestus aut ●rigus, sic in ●jus habitatore nul la ex ●piditate vel ti●e bonae voluntatis of●nsio. Aug. lib. 14▪ de Civit. cap. 16. was so familiar to him, as he prevented hunger and Thirst before they could cause him any trouble; in his person and in his State, he enjoyed a peaceful quiet, and he was upon good Terms with himself, and with his subjects, because he was the like with his Sovereign, he waited for his reward without anxiety, and grounding himself upon the truth of his Creator's promises, he hoped for happiness without disquiet. Death was not the way to life: there needed no descending to the earth, to mount up to the heavens; the soul forwent not the body to enjoy her God, and these two parts never having had any variance, were jointly to taste the same felicity. But when the Devil had cozened the woman, and that the woman had seduced the man he fell from this happy condition, and losing Grace, which caused all his good, he fell into the depth ofall evils. He received a wound which hecould never yet be cured of, he saw himself bereft of his best part, and y De●rat me Adam & in●e 〈◊〉 s●, & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaa ●il pot● sin● 〈◊〉. Aug. 〈◊〉. 11. d● v●ro. 〈◊〉 could not conceive how being no longer righteous, he continued to be rational, and left us in doubt whether he was yet man, being no longer Innocent. His Illuminations forsook him together with Grace, self-love came in the place of Charity, He who before sought nothing but God, began now to seek himself; And he who grounded his happiness upon his obedience, would build his felicity upon Rebellion, as soon as his soul rebelled against God, his body rebelled against his soul; these two parts changed their love to hatred, and those who lived in so tranquil a peace declared open war one against another, the senses which were guided by the understanding favoured the body's revolt, and the passions which were subject to reason, contemned her Empire, to enslave themselves to the Tyranny of Opinion. If man were divided in his person, he was not more fortunate in his condition, wherein he underwent a General Rebellion, the Beasts lost their respects, they all became Savage, and violence, or Art is required to the taming of some of them, the Elements began to mutiny H● autem bellum nomquam ullum esset si Natura humana ●er liberum arbitrium in rectitudine in qua facta est persti●isset. Aug lib. 21. de Civit. cap. 15. & following their own inclinations they broke the peace which they had sworn unto, in behalf of man whilst Innocent, the Seasons grew unseasonable to hasten the death of man grown guilty, the very heavens altered their Influences, and losing their purity suffered some change, thereby to revenge the outrages done to God amidst somany disorders, nothing so much afflicted man as his domestic evils, he defended himself from wild beasts by force▪ he gained the rest by wiles, he saved himself from the Injuries of the Air, by clothes and houses. He by his labour overcame the sterility of the earth, he opposed dikes to the fury of the sea, and if he could not calm the waves thereof, he found means to overcome her storms, and to triumph over her tempests, he invented Arts to allay the miseries of his life, after having fenced himself from necessity, he sought out pleasure; he would occasion his happiness, from his loss as it were thereby to upbraid God's Justice, he changed one part of his pains into pleasures, but he could not reform the disorders, neither of soul, nor body; for all he could do, he could find no salve for the sickness of his soul, and though his haughtiness made him hope for help from Philosophy, he could never reconcile himself, either to God, or himself. After having lost the knowledge of the true God, he framed Idols to himself, weary of having adored the workmanship of his hands, he adored the workmanship of his fancy, after having offered Incense to all Creatures, he became his own Idolater; and forgetting the shame of his birth, the miseries of his life, and the rigour of death, he would have Temples and Altars. When his madness would allow of any intermissions, he acknowledged the the danger of his disease, and forced thereunto by pain and shame, he sought for remedies, but self-love wherewith he was blinded, rendered all his cares useless through a capricheousnesse which cannot be conceived, he cherished the evils which afflicted him, and preserving the desires which he had in his Innocency, he would find the accomplishment thereof, in his guiltiness, he was persuaded that he should find in himself what he had lost in God, and that assisted by a vain Philosophy, he should make himself fortunate in the midst of his misfortunes. Nothing did more cross his Cure, than this insolent belief, and nothing did more offend the Grace of Jesus Christ, than his confiding in his own reason and Liberty. God permitted him to lament a long time, to the end that he might be sensible at leisure of his malady, and Divine goodness deferred his deliverance, only to make him confess his faultiness, he in vain laboured all that he could, before he would be brought to confess his misery, & he sought for help from Nature, before he would implore aid from Grace, he sought out all the means he thought fitting to Cure himself of so vexatious a Malady, and had it not been for despair, he had never found out the way to health, but when he saw that Conquerors for all their power could not deliver him; that Philosophers could not by all their reasons Comfort him, and that Orators could not lessen his evils by their words; he betook himself to God, and the misery he endured made him know that nothing but the hand that had hurt him, could heal him. The third Discourse. Of what kind the first Sin which ADAM committed was. THe two first sins of the World are the most unknown, and Divines which agree in so many differing subjects have not as yet been able to agree in this. They know that the Angels and man, are become Criminal, but they know not what the nature of their fault is. They know that both of them have violated the laws of God, and that overweening their own perfections they have not sufficiently prized the perfections of their Creator they very well know that neither of them have preserved their Innocency; and that weakness (which is inseparable from the Creature) hath been the cause of their Fall, but they know not what name to give to this sin, nor under what degree to rank this crime, which hath caused so much Mischief, Some think that the offence Committed by the Angel was so General, as in the extent thereof it includes all other offences, that he flew from God by all the ways it was possible for him to estrange himself from him, that using the utmost ofhis power he grew guilty ofall the wickedness; which so enlightened a spirit was capable of: whence it is that the holy Scriptures; to teach us the truth thereof, terms his fault sometimes Murder, sometimes Adultery, sometimes Rebellion, though man be not so Active as the Angel, and that his soul confined within his body, be slower in her operations, yet there have been some Divines, who hath given the same Judgement of both their sins, and who have persuaded themselves that Adam by one only offence, became guilty of all sins, that the law which was proposed unto him, containing in it an Abridgement of all Laws, he could not violate it without violating all the rest; that his disobedience, under one only name Comprehended all sins, and that by one only attempt he a Name & superbia illio est quia homini in sua potius esse quam in Dei potestate dil●xit, & sacrilegium qu● Deo non credidit, homicidium quia se praecipitavit in mortem, sornicatio spiritualis quia integritas mentis human● serpentin persuasione corrupt●est surtum quia cibus prohibitus usurpat● est, & avaritia quia plusquam sufficere sibi debuit appetiit. Aug. in Enchirid. c. 45. Committed Adultery by failing in his fidelity to God; Theft by taking a fruit which did not belong unto him: Sacrilege by abusing his will which was consecrated to God: & Parricide, by occasioning death unto his soul, and unto the souls of all his Children. Though this be a strange opinion, yet the worthiness of the Author, makes me put a valuation upon it, for it is S. Augustine; yet in the rigour of reason, it is hard to conceive, that manssoul had so much of sight, as that in one sole action it committed so many sins. These sins which are imputed to man, are rather the effects than parts of his disobedience; and if I may be permitted to speak my sense after the Chief of all Divines, I should conceive that S Augustine's design was, rather to satisfy his eloquence then the truth; and that making use of a figure which is so frequent amongst Orators, he would aggravate Adam's sin to make us detest it. Some others have been of opinion that Pride was the sin of the Angel, and of man that these two Noble Creatures puffed up with their own perfections, aspired after Divinity, and that vain glory, which is always accompanied by blindness, had persuaded them that being already b Ipsi primi homines per serp●tem decepti & dejecti 〈◊〉 fuissent nisi plus quam acceper●t habere, & plusquam facti ●rant esse voluissent: hic qui● promis●rat dicens eritis sicut Dii. Plus au●em volentes habere quam acceperant & quod acc●unt amiserunt. Aug. in Psalm. 118. immortal, they might easily make themselves Gods. But I cannot think that such a thought could fall into the mind either of the Angel, or of man, they were induced with too much knowledge, not to know that the Creature cannot equal the Creator in Majesty, that the degrees of their separation are infinite, and that wishes are never made for things absolutely impossible, how could that desire of making himself God, ever enter into the imagination of an Angel; Since Theologie confesseth that they could never suspect the Mystery of the Incarnation, and that without being enlightened by Glory or by Faith, they never could have thought that God could make himself man, or man become God; other Divines have therefore rather chosen to believe, that the Mystery of the Incarnation, was the occasion of the Angel's sin, and that having learned by Revelation, that God was to ally himself to humane Nature, he could not tolerate that the Angelical Nature should be deprived of this honour; imagining that the Angels did very well deserve whatsoever dignity God would confer upon man. Others have thought that self-love was the sin both of the Angel and of man; that seeing themselves so perfect, they grew in love with themselves; that forgetting the greatness of God, they considered only their own beauty, that they made an Idol of their own understandings; c Prim● hominis perditio a●or sui. Serm. 47. de diversis; c●p 2. that not envying God's perfections, they sought for all their happiness within themselves, and that rather by an Amorous, then Proud blindness, they endeavoured to find out their contentment in the Possession of their own advantages. If it be not rashness to go about to discover what our leaders have been ignorant of, and if a man may divide that which hath neither parts nor moments, I would say that the sin of man, and of the Angel is neither single, nor yet Composed of all sins: as S. Augustine affirmeth, weakness which is so natural to the Creature, was, as it were, the disposition thereunto, negligence the beginning, self-love the ensuing, or progress, and Pride the accomplishment thereof; weakness is so natural to the Creature, as to free it thereof, it must suffer change and be raised above itself; Grace, (whose effects are so many miracles) dares not undertake to free the Creature from it: there is nothing but Glory which can fix the fancy of the Creature, and take from it that Inconstancy which is the cause of all its offences. We acknowledge none but Jesus Christ to be void of sin; The Angel, and man, not being raised to this height of happiness, we must not wonder if they be fallen, and if those which proceeded ex nihilo, did not defend themselves from sin, every perishable Creature may become Criminal, that which may lose its being may lose Grace, and what cannot preserve itself in Nature, will have much a do to preserve itself in innocence. Weakness then prepared that Angel and man to sin, and these two noble Creatures became faulty, only because they were not unchangeable, negligence begun the fault which weakness had prepared, they made not use of all the grace which they had received, they left a vacuum in their being which made place for sin, they did not employ all the advantages which they had received from God, and deserved to lose them, for having neglected them, as this fault was yet but an omission, it might have been expiated by humility, and by abasing themselves before God, it may be they might have obtained pardon, they became Idolaters at unawares, and framed vain Idols to themselves out of the workmanship of God. This fault was already well grown, and the Angel and men were guilty of having turned their eyes from Divine perfections, to settle them upon their own advantages, yet did they only love those beauties which God had placed in them, they might have adored his Image in these Looking-glasses, and have returned to the Springhead by these Rivulets, and by these beams have raised themselves up to the Sun: but Pride finished their fault, they grew proud of God's favours, their vainglory proceeded from his grace; that which should have submitted them to their Creator, was cause of their Rebellion, and the more they were beholding unto him, the less were they acknowledging from the times they thought themselves able to reign without him, they would reign in despite of him, and as soon as they had raised up a Throne unto themselves, they would have Subjects, the Angel got a party in heaven, he debauched some of his companions, he made slaves of his equals, and these excellent Spirits were not ashamed to adore a creature; which though it were more elevated, was not less dependent upon God then were the rest: Rebellion did not, not withstanding, disperse itself throughout all their Orders, the number of the faithful exceeded that of the revolters: Michael courageously opposed himself to Lucifer, and be it that he made good use of his graces, or that he received addition thereunto, he kept the greater part of the Angels in their obedience, and drove the Rebels from the Empyerean Heaven. Man was more absolute in his unjust design, for his sin became the sin of all his offspring, not any one opposed himself to his blind fury, those who lived in him, and descended from him, were guilty of his Rebellion, they lost themselves together with their unfortunate Father; they suffered for a sin which they could not hinder; they found themselves engaged in death, before they knew life, and wondered that not being reasonable, they were already criminal. This sin which shed itself like a contagion became the Springhead of error in the World. The greatest part of Heretics have withstood it, and the pride of Philosophy, wherewith they were puffed up, would not permit them to confess a disorder, which would have forced them to be humble; Catholics believe it, though they conceive it not; Faith teacheth them what reason cannot persuade them unto, and they care not though they be esteemed ignorant, so long as they may be esteemed faithful: They find by experience that man is become guilty, but they know not how he hath contracted this crime, they dispute not the malady, but cannot comprehend by what secret ways the Father hath communicated it to his children, and the children have received it from their father: This is that which we will examine in the pursuit of this Treatise. The fourth Discourse. How ADAM'S sin did communicate itself to those that are descended from him. IT must be acknowledged that there is nothing more hidden, nor any thing more known, then d Quo nihil est ad praedicandum notius, nihil ad intelligendum secretius. Aug. de morib. ●les. cap. 22. Original Sin, unruly nature is an evident proof thereof, men's wicked inclinations do sufficiently witness it, and it's easily to be conjectured, that so unfortunate a creature cannot be innocent. But, certainly, the way how this sin sheds itself through mankind, and passeth from the father into the children, is extremely unknown; all that is said of it doth but weakly prove it, and after having listened to reason we must betake ourselves to the light of Faith: Doubtless, Saint Augustine is he who hath written the worthiest thereupon, his proofs are efficacious, his discourses solid, if he had as well established the belief of Original Sin as that of concupiscence, all men would be convinced; and we might as easily make Philosophers believe Adam's fault, as the irregularity of Nature; for all men see that Fathers communicate their diseases, to such as do descend from them; that the e Quemadmodum Aethiopes quia nigri sunt nigros gignunt, non tam● in filio parentes colorem suum velut ●icam 〈◊〉 anserunt, sed su● co●is qua li●ate corpus quod de illis propagatur of ficiunt. 〈◊〉 ib. 5. contra jul. cap 24. Aethiopians Complexion appears in their children's visages, that there are maladies which are more hereditary in Families than are possessions, and that there are men which suffer for their father's debaucheries; we must not wonder if we partake of their diseases since we are composed of their substance, and since our bodies are a part of theirs; it is easily conceived that their maladies may become ours: but being bound by faith to believe that the soul is the workmanship of God, that she is not drawn from forth the matter of the body, though she be enclosed therein, and that she is a pure spirit, though she doth inanimate her body; It is almost impossible to make us discern how she becomes criminal when she is thereinto infused, she is altogether pure whilst in her Author's hands, and she becomes not guilty till she becomes the body's form. I very well know that she is infused as soon as created, and that the same hand which hath extracted her out of nothing, hath bound and fastened her to the body: but I know not why the father, who contributes nothing to her production, should contribute to her pollution, and wherefore since he gives not life unto her, he should make her inherit his sin. Divines are much perplexed with this difficulty, and touching the resolution thereof, Saint Austin hath ofttimes doubted, whether the soul were not produced by generation, as well as the body, all his reasons seem to be grounded upon this belief, he will have it that the body doth infect the soul, and generation is as it were the channel of sin, which hath corrupted us. He grounds three principles which do produce three several effects in man; God which hath f Qui nascitur & ex Deo quia create, & ex homine quia generat, & ex peccato quiavitiat. August. lib. 2. cont. Jul. cap. 4 created him, his father who hath begot him, and sin which hath sullied him. The soul was from God, the body proceeds from the begetting Father, and the impurity derives from sin: he admirably describes the Nature of concupiscence, and he is never more learned, nor more eloquent, then when he sets forth what havoc she hath made in our souls, he g Est libido ulciscendi quae i●a appelatur, amor habendi ●cuniam quae avaritia, libido quomodo's 〈◊〉 ●ndi qu● pe●cacia, libido gloriandi quae jactar tia. Aug lib. 14. de Civit. cap. 15. teacheth us that every sin is a particular concupiscence, and that instructed by our own Misery, we call Avarice the concupiscence of riches, Pride the concupiscence of glory, and unchastity the concupiscence of voluptuousness, he concludes by convincing reasons, and which receive no reply, that it was necessary that man being guilty should beget sinful Children, and h Hom● vitiatus homines vitiatos genuit, ●ores gigne● quam ipse esset, non ●t ●quitatis. Aug. lib. arbit. ca 20. that it was not just that the Children should be more innocent than their Fathers; he persuades us effectually, that Christians not being regenerate but by the spirit, cannot communicate grace to those that descend from them by the way of generation which rests yet in Impurity: but truly he doth not sufficiently prove that the soul should become guilty for being engaged in the body, nor that to make up one Composition with it, she should contract a sin, whereof she herself is not capable, for though concupiscence reign in the body, (to speak properly it is not a sin till it pass into the soul; Irregularity is the matter thereof, but her aversion from God, is her Form, and it is impossible to Comprehend, that the soul, for being infused into a wretched body, should become Criminal, whence then proceeds this Original sin? by what ways doth it slide into our souls? by what Channels doth it shed itself into the handy work of God? and how comes it that the Chief workmanship of his hands becomes guilty, assoon it is engaged in the body. Theologie hath been forced to Imagine a secret Treaty between God, and Adam, by the which, God having made Adam head of all men, he had given him grace for all his Posterity, and that by the same law that all his Children should share in his sin, that this Treaty (whereby Gods Justice is not injured) discovers unto us the greatness of his Sovereignty, that it is not strange a Prince should put into the hands of his Subjects the fate of all them that should descend from them; that in all the best regulated States, the Children share in their Parents evils, that receiving the glory of all their best Actions, they should likewise partake of the Pain and Infamy of their offences; that so the privation of Grace in men, is the punishment of Adam's fault, that by a necessary consequence the aversion of our will, derives from the loss of Innocency. Some building upon some i Quamois pos● nondum agerent vitas proprias, tamen quicquid erat in sutura propagine vita unius homi●s conti●bat. Aug. lib 6. con● Jul. cap. 12. Passages in S. Paul, would persuade us that all men were included in Adam, that there will was united to his, that his fault was their sin, and that therefore there was no inconvenience that those that lived in him should share in his guilt, some others (differing but a little from the former) have represented us with two universal men, whereof one is the 〈◊〉 of sin, the other of Grace. We are united to the former by Generation, and become k Primus homo Ada●, secun▪ does homo Christus, & ide● manifestum est ad illum perti●re omnem hominem qui ex illa successione propaginis nascitur, sicut ad ist●m pertinet omnis qui in illo gratiae largitate renascitur. Unde fit 〈◊〉 totum genus humanum 〈◊〉 homines duo primus & secundus, Beda in 1 Ep. st. Corinth. cap. 15. sinners like him; by regeneration we are fastened to the other, and become just as he is; Thus sin disperseth itself as well as Grace, unrighteousness is communicated as well as Innocency, and we contract sin without a will thereunto, as we receive grace in Baptism without deserving it. All these opinions, which I embrace and honour, doth sufficiently explain how Adam's sin is ours, but they do not clearly enough declare how we do contract it, they teach us that we are sinners, but do not discover unto us by what means we become so; wherefore, reassuming Saint Augustine's Principles, me thinks, a man may say, that Adam's sin is the sin of all men, that, that which was voluntary l Habent parvuli originale peccatum non per animam, sed per carnem utique contractum animaeque refusu● carninam que ita unitur▪ anima ut cum carne fit un● persona. Aug. lib. 6. cont. Jul. cap. 4. in him is natural in them, that it passeth from the father to those that descend from him, as Maladies do which are hereditary in Families, or as the Ethiopians, which is seen in his children's faces. To Comprehend this truth, it is not necessary to Imagine a Treaty between God, and Adam, whereby the father's fault, and Punishment, becomes the sons; but it sufficeth to know that being fallen from the State of Innocency, and having lost original righteousness, he cannot longer transmit it into his Progeny, that by necessary consequence he makes them share in a Malady which he could not cure himself of, and that he communicates his sin unto them, in communicating his concupiscence. 'tis enough for them to be guilty, that they are descended from him, and without seeking for causes further off, it sufficeth to prove their guilt, that they are a part of him: 'twould be a Prodigy, if a sinful Father should beget Children void of sin, and we were to wonder, if nature not being re-establisht in her former Purity, her productions should not be Corrupt. The difficulty is to know how the soul which issues pure and spotless from out the hands of God, contracts sin when she is infused into the body. To this I answer, that her straight union with the body m Cum rationalis anima sic lit getur corpori u● ex ea & corpor unum animal componatur, merito à materia mox inficitur, adeo ut & passionibus sit obnoxia & motus immoderatos more corporis subeat in exc●sum atque defectum. Marcil▪ Fiscin. in Plau. is one cause of her fin, that she sullyes herself by Informing it, that she receives death by giving it life, & that wanting original righteousness, whereby to preserve herself from the contagion, occasioned by the first man's sin, she is no sooner made companion to the body but she becomes Criminal. Thus is she unpleasing to God, because she is not in Grace with him; she is not in Grace with him, because Adam hath lost God's grace both for himself, and his Children, and she is sinful because the father which unites her to the flesh, as a secondary cause, Communicates unto her his disorder not giving her a remedy, for it powers his poison into her, and doth not present her with an n Ita omnis anima sword▪ in Adam censetur donec in Christ● recenseatur, tamdivimmunda quamdiu re●tur. Peccatrix aut●m quia immunda recipiens ignominiam suam ex carnis societate. Tertul. de anima. Antidote, makes her Inherit Adam's sin, and doth Communicate unto her, the Grace of Jesus Christ. This it is which Saint Augustine insinuates unto us in other Terms, when he says, that the Contagion of the body passeth into the soul, that the close Commerce that is between them, makes their miseries common between them; and that without extraordinary helps, an Innocent soul cannot be lodged in a guilty body, the purest Liquors are tainted in musty vessels; corrupted Air poisons those who breath therein, and infected houses give the Plague to those that live in them, Thus doth concupiscence glide from the body into the soul, and this wicked Host gives death to her that gives him life. If these reasons do not content the reader, let him know that I glory to be ignorant of what Saint Augustine understood not, that I should show myself too rash, if I should think to give an entire light to the obscurest part of Divinity, and that I should be unfaithful, if I should pretend to make a truth evident by reason, which is only known by Faith. The fifth Discourse. Of the Nature of Concupiscence. CHristian Religion may truly boast, that all her Maxims are Paradoxes, which agreeing with truth, give against humane reason▪ for she proposeth nothing which is not as strange as true; and which causeth not as much astonishment as light in the soul, he who would prove this truth must make an Induction of all our Mysteries, and represent all the wonders which she comprehends, but without straying from my subject, it will suffice to say, that Original sin is one of her strangest Paradoxes, and that if much of reason be required to prove it, no less of faith is requisite to believe it: for what more prodigious is there then that the sin of one man should be the sin of all men? that a Father's Rebellion should engage all his Children in disobedience, that his malody should be Contagious? that he should be the murderer of all men before he be o Sicut onmium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & omnium 〈◊〉, & qu● infoelicius 〈◊〉 prius 〈◊〉 quam 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. their Father? and that unfortunately he be the cause of their death, many ages before they be born. Thus is this misfortune more general than the deluge which drowned the world; more universal than the fire which shall consume it, and War and Pestilence which doth so easily enlarge themselves are not so Contagious Evils as is this sin. If it be wonderful by reason of its Effusion, it is no less miraculous through its other qualities; for we are taught by Divinity that it is voluntary in the Father, and natural in the Children; that that which was only a fault in Adam, is both a sin and a punishment in those that descend from him, that we contract by birth what he willingly committed: and that that which was free in its beginning should become necessary in the progress thereof; He might have kept from disobedience: And we can neither shun the punishment nor the fault: we are surprised by this misfortune in our Conception we are slaves before we have the use of Liberty, and we have already offended God before we knew him; we are rather, the objects of his anger, then of his mercy; but that which is more deplorable, we are so corrupted from the moment of our Birth, as that we oppose ourselves to his will. If he favour us in our Baptism, the first use we make of Reason is for the most part engaged in Error: we follow the Inclinations of our first father, and his sin makes such powerful Impressions upon our souls, as we sin in our first thoughts, we for the most part make use of our liberty only to estrange ourselves from God; we have a secret opposition to his ordinance, we are so enclosed within ourselves, as we can love nothing but for our own interests, which is the Rule of our actions, and we neither love nor desire any thing save what is either useful or pleasing to us. Such is the corruption of our nature, as there is almost nothing in it, which is not repugnant to the laws of God. It is so misled by sin as all the Inclinations p Concupiscentia seu libido nihil est aliud quam rei creatae desiderium cujus impetus mortiseros anima antegratiam libens patitur, post gratiam pati etiam invita compellitur. August. thereof are perverted. In this unfortunate Condition, man can neither know nor do good, he is enslaved, not having so much as the desire of Liberty: though he groan under the weight of his Irons, he is afraid of being freed from them: and though his Imprisonment be painful, yet is not he weary thereof; he delights in doing evil, and finds difficulty to do what is good; the great inclination he hath to sin doth not excuse his offence: And he ceaseth not to be guilty though he cannot shun sin, in general to fill up the measure of so many Evils, he is blind and insensible, he sees not the Evils that environ and threaten him, he is full of wounds, and hath no feeling of them; believing himself to be whole, he seeks not for help▪ & through proud blindness, he despiseth the Physician that would restore him to health. Every man that comes q Inest in membris sed reum te non facit▪ liberatus es ab illo, liber pugna sed vide ne vincaris & itorum fias servus, laboras pugnando sed laetaberis triumphando. Beda in Rom. cap. 8. into this world is in this miserable q condition, and we are guilty of all these Crimes. And charged with all these punishments before we be regenerated in Baptism; after this Sacrament, we become Innocent, but cease not to be miserable: sin forsakes us, but punishment waits upon us; and though we be no more guilty, we are notwithstanding out of order, our Father's sin foregoes us, but Concupiscence remains. This monster is not much less savage than is the r Nato quidem & inest & obest, Reaato autem inest quidem, sed obesse non potest. Aug. lib. 2 de gratia & peccato, c. 38. Cause which produced it: It follows the Inclinations thereof, and if it be not altogether so wicked, it is at least full out as irregular, it is much more opinionated then the father that begot it; our life is to short to cut it off: it's an enemy not to be overcome: wounds give it new life, it gathers strength by scars, and it must cost us our life to be the death thereof. Our first Divines (which were the Apostles) have given it the very s Peccatum vocatur quod & peccato facta est, & quod peccatum si vicerit facit, Aug. lib. 1. ad Bonifac. cap. 23. name of sin, and as if 'twere more fatal than its Father, they term it the strength, and law thereof; it is not content to persuade us to the Crime, but endeavours to enforce us thereunto, it mingles force with persuasion, and when it thinks the way by solicitation to be to mild, it hath Recourse to violence and Tyranny; it grows the more furious by opposition, it's stomach is set on edge by Inhibition, & it never becomes more insolent, then when Laws are prescribed unto it. To Express the Nature thereof to the life we must represent a Tyrant, who being born of sin will enlarge his Father's Empire, & make all mankind his slaves; it establisheth its throne in our souls, darkens our understanding, infuseth wickedness into our wills, and fills our memories with the remembrance of all unjust acts: It abuseth all the parts of our bodies; and works with our hands, Looks through our Eyes, Listens by our Ears, and Employs all our senses to Execute its designs; it busieth itself so dexterously in all our desires as thinking to satisfy our Necessities, we obey the Tyranny thereof; and Believing to do a Reasonable Act, we commit a sinful one: if we Eat, it is in too much Excess, or with too much delight; If we sleep, 'tis rather out of too much nicety then of necessity; if we speak, 'tis rather to slander then to edify; and what we think we do for our preservation, we do for the most part for our satisfaction. In fine, 'tis a bad t Cum aliquibus nati sumus, aliquas consuetudines & fecimus. Aug. Ser. 45. de temp. Habit which produceth but bad acts; 'tis both the Daughter and Mother of sin. It giveth life to that from which it received life, all the motions thereof are Irregular; and whosoever operates by its orders is sure enough to sin; 'tis not like other customs which insinuate themselves by degrees, and which preserves themselves with some appearance of Justice: 'tis violent from its very Birth, undertakes all Erterprises as soon as form; submits the understanding to Tyranny, and is never more dangerous, then when becomes Reasonable. Time augments its force, Age increaseth Fury, and whatsoever ruins all other Customs, serves only to maintain this: but that which passeth all belief is that though this Habit be so violent, yet it is natural; the others are easily destroyed because they contest against Nature; though they weaken her, yet they never destroy her; and let them do what they can, 'tis but a little Courage that is required to Conquer them: but this passeth into Nature, precedes our birth, and outlives our death: Grace may well lessen it, but never extinguish it: Saints u Quis me liberavit à corpore mortis hujus. Paul. groan under the rigour of its Law, and Calls for Aid from death against so Puissant an Enemy; and knowing that the soul cannot be set at Liberty, whilst enclosed within her body, they beg the parting thereof from the body as a favour. In Fine; all sins are in the seed of this pernicious Habit, and as the branches, and roots, flowers, and fruit, bark, and pith of a tree, are hid in the kernel thereof, so Murders and Parricides, Slanders, and blasphemies; adulteries and Incest are Circumscribed in Concupiscence. Who ever carries about this monster in his Bosom bears with him all sins; though they be not already disclosed, they are already begun; and though they render us not as yet guilty, they make us always miserable: the Devil may undertake any thing by the Assistance of this his faithful Assistant in all his Impieties; and he very well knows that wheresoever it is, it always holds Intelligence with him. No man is assured of souls health, whilst he gives harbour to this Domestic Enemy, and our hopes ought always to be mingled with Fear, till such time as Grace hath totally Extinguished Concupiscence. The sixth Discourse. The pursuit of the same Subject, and divers descriptions of Concupiscence. MEn esteem those punishments the most severe which are most sensible, they believe not that God punisheth sinners unless the Earth quake under their feet, unless the Thunder roars over their heads, unless the Devil seize on their bodies, and hurries them visibly into Hell. But as Physic thinks hidden Maladies the most dangerous, and that there is no cure for the decays of the lungs or brains: so doth Divinity think secret punishments, the worst, and that such Chastizements as make most noise are least to be dreaded. She fears not so much the destroying of the Plague nor the disorders of war, as she doth apprehend bad habits, or Iregular inclinations; she much more patiently bears with the violence of diseases and the unseasonableness of the seasons, then with the motions of concupiscnce: for it is indeed the cruelest punishments which Divine Justice hath permitted for the Chastisement of man's offence: and it is the ancientest and cruelest of all the evils that do assail us: for 'tis a rebellion against all those things to which we owe obedience and a base submitting of ourselves to whatsoever we ought to have any authority over. The soul ought naturally to submit herself to God, and the x Desert creatore bono vivere secundum creatum bo●um, non est bonum, sive q●sque s●cundum ●nem, sive s●cundum 〈◊〉, sive secundum totum homin● qui constat ex 〈◊〉 & corp●re eligat vivere. Aug. lib. 14 de C●vit. 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉 body to the soul: there is no more natural nor rational obedience: 'tis grounded on our being, and our perfection seems to depend thereon. God gives the law unto our soul, and the soul the like unto her body, these duties are as ancient as we be, and though we fail in the payment thereof, yet weacknowledge the Obligation yet Concupiscence disorders all; this comely regularity, she by an y Qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ritati necesse est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 miquitati. Aug. in Psal. 18. high insolency opposeth the soul to God: and by an extreme piece of injustice raiseth the body against the soul, she sow's division between the two parts whereof we are composed, and we find by an admirable effect of Divine justice that as our fault is disobedience: our punishment is also rebellion; for the soul rejects the laws of God: and the body despiseth the laws of the soul; our punishment is the picture of our sin and the pain which we endure bears the Character of the fault which we have committed, or to express myself better in Saint Augustine words; our very offence is become our punshment z Admodum legitimé sactum est ut homo qui noluit obedire Domino suo non ei serviret caro ejus. Supra 〈◊〉 Dominus tuus, infra te caro tua, servi meliori ut serviat tibi inserior. Contempsisti superiorem torqueris ab inseriore. Beda in Rom. cap. 8. and as we were Rebels to God by our own choice, we become the like now by necessity. The greatest part of our thoughts are so many undertake against his Authority: our actions are attempts against his graciousness: and not withstanding any Inclination that we have to love him 'tis almost impossible for us without his grace, to keep from offending him, the body punisheth the soul for her offence, it revengeth God for the outrages the soul hath done him; and taking example from the souls rebellion dispenseth with its obedience thereunto: nay, it doth ofttimes change its rebellion into tyranny, the Slave becomes his Sovereign's Master, and either by fair means or by foul, forceth him to serve his disorders, then doth the soul descend from her greatness, Labours only for the pleasures of the body, and employs all her anvantages to procure new delight, unto her slave. All these Irregularities derive from Concupiscence, which is nothing else but a general Rebellion of Nature against its Author; the different effects thereof makes it bear differing names, and the evil qualities thereof makes Divines seek out new terms to Express her a Vestigium peccati passim appellatur Concupiscen●a ab Aug. ancient disorders: Saint Augusttine calls her the foot-step of sin, for as the Creature is an Image of God, as it expresseth his divine perfections. And makes them visible to the Eyes of who shall consider them, so is Concupiscence the Image of sin and by the disorders thereof, represents b Hoc peccati nomine appellas unde oriuntur cuncta peccata id est ex carnali concupiscentia. Quicquid enim est peccatorum in dict is in cogitatibus, in factis non exoricur nisi exmal● cupidit●te. Beda in Rom. 8. unto us the bad inclinations of her father, but she hath this advantage, that she is a better finished picture of her father (sin,) then the Creature is of God. For let the Latter be never so excellent, 'tis always but a weak expression of its creat●, 'tis but a shadow of his Light, a mean expression of his truth, and but a false beam of his beauty: To know him perfectly, we must raise ourselves above his workmanship, & to conceive his greatness, we must rather oppose it to the creature, then compare it there with all, but concupiscence is the Lively Image of sin: we see all the Linaments of the father in the Daughter's face, and she doth nothing wherein a man may not discern the motions of the father. I know that all our punishments are the pictures of our sins, and God would have our Chastisement to be the Image of our offences, but to take it aright, every punishment expresseth but one only quality of sin, the Heat which accompanieth fears represents only it's immoderate heat to us, blindness discovers only its Ignorance, The palsy, which takes from us the use of our members, figures only out unto us it's incapabilty of doing good, deafness declares only its obstinacy unto us, and death itself which is sins most rigorous punishment, represents to us only the death of the soul, and the loss of Grace; But Concupiscence is a finished picture which hath all the Colours and Linaments of sin, she hath all its wicked Inclinations, is Capable of all its Impressions, accomplisheth, all its Designs, and this unfortutunate Father can undertake nothing which his daughter is not ready to Execute. But one only name not being sufficient to express all the wickedness thereof, the Fathers have been fain to invent divers names to decipher out unto us the different effects of a Cause, which is as fruitful as fatal. Saint Augustine c Lex peccati dicitur Concupiscentia quiae suadet peccata, atque ut ita di●erim jubet. Aug. l. 1. operis imperf. according to Saint Paul terms her the Law and Counsellor of sin: Reason was man's Counsellor and, in the state of innocency, he undertook nothing but by her advice: when sin had weakened Reason, and that the darkness thereof had Clouded the the lustre of its Eternal light, God gave him the written Law for a Counsellor, and Ingraved those truths in Marble which he had formerly engraven in his heart: Great men form no design before they had Consulted with this visible Law; and David with all his illuminations protests that the law of God was the d Consilium meum justificationes tu●. Psal. 118. best part of his Council; it was the moral Philosophers wherein the learned virtue, it was his Politics, and were he either to Conduct his subjects or to fight his enemies, he learned the knowledge both of peace and war in the mysteries of the Law; but the sinner hath no other law then Concupiscence, he is advised by one that is blind and unfaithful, he executes nothing without her e Prudentia carnis inimica Deo. Rom. 8. orders, & he is brought to this extremity. That his Counsellor is Pensioner to his Enemies. Reason's self is a slave to this perfidious Officer, she sees only through her f Pruentia ista vitium est non natura, vis nossequid est sapere secundum carnem, 〈◊〉 est. Beda in Rom. 3. eyes, and after having well debated a business she forsakes better advice, to follow the pernicious Counsel of one that is blind, who is absolutely the Devils Purchase, and who holds Continual Intelligence with sin. When he is weary of persuading us, he Chides us, when we have received his advice, he signifies his Commands unto us, and having deceived us as a perfidious Counsellor, he torments us as a merciless Tyrant. Counselors never work upon us but by their Reasons, they never make use of violence to oblige us to receive their advice, and they oftentimes forego their own opinions to receive ours, if they think them better; but Concupiscence is a furious Officer who makes use of Force when Persuasion will not prevail. This Tyrant is more insuportable than those who formerly commanded in Greece, whom the Orators of that Country have charged with so many just opprobries. For these Enemies to mankind exercised their cruelty only upon the body, and assubjected to their power only the leastpart of man. Whosoever valued not theirown lives, might make himself Master of theirs, and who feared not death, might deride their violence, but this Tyrant g Video aliam legem in membris meis repugnantem legi mentis meae & captivantem me in lege peccati quae est i● membris meis. Rom. 7. whereof I speak exerciseth his fury upon the spirits, he blots out the remembrance of all virtue from out his memory, he darkens the understandingwith his mists, oppresseth the will by his violence, and leaveth only a languishing liberty in the souls which he possesseth. This Monster which had only the faces of men, were not always in the Company of their subjects, their absence was a truce of servitude, some private Closets were to be found where one might taste the sweet of liberty, A man might meet with a friend before whom he might lay his heart open, and though friendship had been banished from off the heart, Compassion would have made it revive, for his Consolation. 'twas in these private Conferences that the death of Tyrants was Conspired, the party's safety joined to the desire of liberty, caused the Conception of the designs, and the desires of glory put it in execution. But Concupiscence never parts from sinners; this Tyrant keeps his Court in the midst of their wills, he hath raised a throne in their hearts. He finds so much of obedience and weakness in his slaves, as he knows they cannot shake of the yoke of his Tyranny without foreign Aid, these public plagues could not make themselves be beloved in their states; though they left some shadows of Liberty, they could not win their subjects Hearts, there faults were always repaid with public Hatred, and the Necessity they had to make themselves feared was not the least punishment of their Injustice; they grew weary of being the Horror of their people, and if they could have made themselves be beloved, they would have ceased making themselves feared; but their subjects were so Incensed against them, as to keep them in respect, 'twas necessary to keep them in awe, and since they could not purchase their love to resolve to merit their Hatred: but though Concupiscence be the cruelest of all Tyrants, yet hath she found the secret of making she be beloved, all her subjects reserves their Loyalty, even in persecution, they are pleased with the pains h Nun hinc apparet in quod velut pondere suoproclivis & prova sit vitiosa natura. Aug. lib. 22. deCivit. cap. 22. they undergo. Torments are not able to make them wish for liberty, let them be never so ill dealt with all by their unjust Sovereign, they never blame his cruelty. And though they be the most unfortunate slaves of all the world, they cease not to be the faithfullest lovers, In fine, to put an end to this discourse. These Tyrants do not always vex their subjects with angersome Commands, all there decrees are not unjust, their polluted mouths have sometimes pronounced Oracles: and the Grecian Philosophers have registered their words who had bereft them of their liberty, the Dionsii made laws which the Politicians reverenced, their Ordinances were able to instruct legitimate Princes, and they have uttered maxims which may serve us for instructions. But all the commands made by Concupiscence are unjust, all her orders are sin, one cannot obey her without blame, and to speak in Saint Augustine's language, a man cannot follow the motions of Concupiscence without contesting against the motions of grace▪ nor can a man live at full liberty, unless he be freed from the Tyranny thereof. The seventh Discourse. That self-love is nothing else but Concupiscence. Though Divines have given as many names to Concupiscence as she hath committed sins, and that every one paints her out as he finds her in another, or according to his own experience; yet they all agree that her most celebrated name, and that which best expresseth her nature is self-love; For as Charity comprehends all virtues, self-love comprehends all vices, as i Hi duo amores disti●xerunt duas civitates, quorum alter sanct● est, alter immundus, alter socialis alter privatus, alter communi utilitati consulens propter societatem, alter etiam rem communem in potestatem propriam redigens propter arrogantem dominationem. Aug. in lib. de Gen. ad litteram cap. 11. Charity unites us to God and loseth us from ourselves, her Enemy self-love severs us from God, and fasteneth us to ourselves; As Charity hath no greater a passion for any thing then to love God, and make him be beloved by all others: self-love produceth no more violent desire in man; then to love himself, and to oblige all other men to love him; To comprehend these truths you must know; that Charity according to S. Paul's words, and S. Augustine's Comment composeth all virtues to be perfect; It sufficeth to be charitable & one virtue is sufficient in Christ's school to acquire all others; she believeth all things (saith that great k Charitas patiens est, b●nigna est, omnia suffert, omnia credit, omnia sperat, omnia sustinet. 1 Cor. cap. 13. Apostle) and so hath the merit of Faith: she waits for the accomplishment of God's promises, & so possesseth the certainty of hope: she suffers all injuries as well as Patience doth, she withstands sorrow with as much courage as doth fortitude: and this Famous Doctor of the Gentiles who perfectly knew the Inclinations of charity gives her all the Advantage which belongs to all the virtues; so as according to his principles the love of God is only Requisite to become highly virtuous, Saint Augustine who learned nothing but in S. Paul's school mixeth all virtues with Charity, and as if he would reduce all things to an unity, he teacheth us that the only virtue on earth is to love him who is perfectly lovely. For love hath several names according to his several employments, he changeth qualities though not Nature; and continuing still the same presents himself unto us, under divers l Temperantia est amor integrum se praebens ei quod amatur, fortitudo amor facile tolerans omnia propter quod amatur, justitia amor soli amato serviens & propterea rectè dominans, prudentia amor ex quibus adjuvatur ab e● quitus i● podtur sagaciter eligens. Aug. lib. de morib. Eccles. cap. 15. forms and shapes, Temperance is a faithful love, which wholly gives herself over to what she loveth, not permitting Voluptuousness to divide them: Fortitude is a generous love which with delight overcomes all the difficulties which can be met withal, for her well beloved sake; Justice is an uncorrupt love which instructeth how to reign in obedience, & which submitting herself to God, as to her sovereign commands over all creatures as over her slaves: In fine, wisdom is an illuminated love, which happily discerning between the ways which may estrange her from God, and those which may fasten her to him, chooseth the former, and rejects the other, or to express the same truth in other terms; Love is termed wisdom when he keeps himself from straying and hath right to what he loves, he is called fortitude when he fights against such sorrows as would astonish him; Temperance, when he despiseth such pleasures as would corrupt him; & m In hac vita virtus non est nisi diligere quod diligendum est. Id eligere prudentia est, null is inde molestiis averti fortit●do est: nullis illecebris temperantia est: nullâ superbia justitia est. Quid autem●gamus quod prae cipuè diligamus nisi quo nihil melius invenimus. Hoc Deus est cui si diligendo aliquid vel praponimus vel aequamus nos ipsos diligere nescimus. Aug. Epistola 2 ad Maced. Justice, when to consecrate his liberty to God, he disdains to serve the Creature; so may we say that self-love, which is Charity's mortal Enemy comprehends all vices, and that it only changeth countenance, when it appears under the form either of Pride, Colour, or Envy, it is unjust in its Ambition, prepares for Combat when irritated; for vengeance when offended; when unjust it bereaves its Neighbour of his goods, and good name; and when Intemperate it engageth itself in unlawful delights. The great Apostle, when he numbers up all faults puts it in the first n Erunt homines seipsos ainantes cupidi, clati, superbi, parentibus non obedientes, ingrati, proditores, voluptatum amatores magis quam Dei. 2 Tim. cap. 3. rank and teacheth us that there is no sin which is not a sort of self-love disguised. And Saint Augustine who hath drawn all his Doctrine from Saint Paul's words, instructeth the whole Church that the faults which we detest are not so much the effects as the proprieties of self love. In effect, is not Avarice, an unjust love of riches, is not Pride an unjust love of Honours, is not opiniatrecie a furious love to be always victorious, is not colour a detestable love of revenge? And to conclude all in a few words; are not all sins as many different loves which changing rather countenance then humour: agree all in a design of fastening themselves to objects which they like, and of keeping a loof off, from such as they like not. There is also the second opposition of the love of God, and the love of ourselves, for charity hath no nobler employment then to free us from all things to unite us to God, she endeavours to persuade us that to love ourselves well we must hate ourselves; that to have a care of ourselves we must forget ourselves; and if we would find out our happiness we must seek for it from without ourselves, men wonder that the law of God which commands us to love our Neighbour, doth not command us to love ourselves, and that it only mentions the love we owe unto ourselves when it recommends unto us the love which we owe unto, our Neighbours, but to boot that this love was imprinted in the foundation of our wills by the hands of Nature's self, and that it was more than needed to command us a thing to which we had so great an inclination; man loved himself sufficiently in loving o Videtur de homine ipso nibil actum, sed parum dilucidè qui hoc arbitratur intelligit. Non enim fieri potest ut seipsum, qui Deum diligit, non diligat: imo verò solus se novit diligere qui Deum diligit: siquidem ille satis se diligit qui sedulò agit ut summo & vero persruatur bono. Aug. lib. de morib. Eccle. cap. 26. of God, and God had sufficiently provided for man's happiness in ordaining man to love him above all things; The love of God is man's true happiness, we are rich when we possess it; and poor when we lose it; let our designs be waited upon by whatsoever good success let the world promise us what ever good event; what ever favour Fortune affordeth us, all riches which consists not in the possessions of the Summum bonum, is but a mere real poverty, for as Augustine saith; God is so good as all men that leave him are miserable, and man is so noble as whatsoever is not God cannot render him happy, 'tis charity's chiefest design to fasten man to God so straightly. As that nothing may separate him from God, and to in lighten his soul with so much love as that she may extinguish self love, or turn it into a holy hatred of himself. This Divine p Sc●ernant civitates duas amores duo, terrenam scilicet amor sui usque ad contemptum Dei, coelestem vero amor Dei usque ad contemptum sui. Aug. lib. 14. de Civit. cap. 28. virtue can mount no higher, so glorious a Metamorphosis is the utmost of her power, and God can demand nothing more of those that love him, when that they may love him perfectly they arrive at the height of hating themselves. Self love takes a clean opposite way, from that of charity, and by direct contrary traces, endeavours to estrange man from God, and to fasten him to himself, or to the Creature: it effaceth as much as it is able, the inclination which his soul hath for the Summum Bonum: if it cannot stifle it, it diverts it; and seeing that the heart of man cannot be without employment it lays before him the beauty of the Creatures, to divert him from those of the Creator; being accompanied with blindness and pride, it easily abuseth the soul which it possesseth, and figuring out the perfections thereof more glorious than they are; it makes her, her own Idolater; it raiseth her incensibly up to the height of impiety, and by different steps mounts it even to the hatred of God, for as the faithful man is perfect when he loves God, even to the pitch of hating himself, the sinner even hath the measure of his sin filled up when he loves himself, even to the degree of hating God. This passion reigns not much, save in the souls of the damned: one must be wholly possessed by sin to conceive this design, and I know not whether there be any so sinful soul on Earth, as can have so damnable a recentment, Hell is the abode of these wicked ones, and I firmly believe, that as their hatred of God is the sow lest of there sins, so is it the cruelest of their punishments, yet can they not hate this Summum Bonum with there whole heart, the foundation of their being is possessed by the love of God, they love him naturally whom they hate willingly, they are divided between love, and hatred; there will is q Deus noster is est quem id omneamat quod amare potest, Origen. parted by these two contrary motions and for all they can do to stifle this natural Inclination, they cannot hinder their best part from languishing, and sighing, after God: they afflict themselves that nature fights against there will, and that her unalterable laws forceth them to love the author of their everlasting punishment. But to reassume the thread of our discourse; the last opposition of self love and charity is, that the latter hath no more violent desire then to purchase lovers to God almighty to enlarge the bounds of his Empire and to disperse the holy flames of his Divine love into all hearts, for a heart that is inflamed with this sacred fire knowing very well that it cannot love God according to his loveliness, wisheth that all the parts of its body were changed into hearts and tongues to praise and love the only object of its love. But as she sees her wishes are useless, she endeavours to increase the number of Divine lovers, to the end that making amends for her indigency, they may love him with all their might whom she cannot sufficiently love. Self love in opposition to this, which obligeth man to make a god of himself, inspires him with a desire to make himself be beloved of all the world. Instructed by so good a master, he employeth all his cunning to rob himself of his liberties, he discovers all his perfections to purchase lovers, he proposeth himself unto himself as an Idol to be adored, and believeth that the truest, and most legitimate happiness on earth, is to have slaves who are fairly forced to love him. When Kings are arrived at this height of of injustice and Impiety, men think them happy and the Politics, which labours to decipher a good Sovereign, is never better content, then when she hath raised in them this violent desire of enjoining their Subjects good will. 'tis herein that she distinguisheth Kings from Tyrants, and that she opposeth unjust Sovereigns to Legitimate Monarchies; but we are taught by Christian Religion that blame may be incurred as well by making one's self r Dilectionem sui in illam dilectionem Dei resert quae nullum à se rivulum extra se duci patitur cujus derivatione minuatur. Aug. 1 de doct. Chri. cap. 22. be beloved as in making him be feared. For though she honours Kings, and condemns Tyrants, though she approve of Moderate Government, and detests ruling by rigour, yet doth she equally blame those who entrench upon God's rights, and who proposing themselves to their Subjects: as their final end, will possess all their affections, love appertains aswell to God only as glory, of all offerings he is best pleased with that of the heart, and he loves much better to rule over men, by the way of mildness, then of rigour, insomuch as Kings who would make themselves be beloved as Gods, are not much less faulty than those who would make themselves be dreaded as Tyrants, they are both of them guilty of Treason against the Deity, and pretend to honours which are only reserved for God, Lucifer never purposed to establish his greatness by violence, he made more use of his beauty then of his power, to Corrupt the inferior Angels; and if his Empire be terminated in rigour it began in clemency. A legitimate Sovereign, strays as well from his duty in seeking after the love, as after the fear of his Subjects, and though one of these two ways be more innocent than the other in the sight of men, it is not much less faulty in the sight of God, it is not permitted in our Religion for a man to make himself be beloved: 'tis a presumption to endeavour those liberties which pertain only to God, to deboysh his subjects is to divide his Empire, he will have all his slaves to love him, and according to Saint Austin's maxims, we owe all our love to God: the Prince is bound to fasten his subjects to their Creator to make him reign in his kingdom, and to receive no homage from his people save only for that he is the Image of God: 'tis therefore the most dangerous impression that self-love can make in men, when it persuades them that they deserve the love of the whole world, and that they ought to employ all their might to augment the number of their Lovers: yet every one is possessed with this passion, and I see none who do not by several ways aspire to this tyranny. Men discover the perfection of their minds to make themselves admired, women make the most they can of their bodily beauty to make them be adored, but the one and the other of them will have their malady turn contagious, and spread abroad the poison of self-love which hath infected them, into the souls of all those that come near them. The eighth Discourse. That Concupiscence, or Self-love divides itself into the love of Pleasure, of Honour, and of Knowledge. Man's loss doth so suit with his greatness, that to understand the one well, the other must necessarily be comprised, and we must know what advantages he did possess in his Innocency, that we may not be ignorant of such miseries as he undergoes by sin. Original righteousness which united him to God, made him find innocent delights, pure and certain knowledge, and elevated honours, (of which ours are but the shadows) in the Possession of the Summum Bonum when he lost Grace, he therewith all lost all these glorious Privileges, which were the dependences thereof, his Pleasures were turned into Punishments, his light into darkness, and his glory into infamy, the misery into which he saw himself fallen did irritate his desire, and the remembrance of his past felicity made him seek for that in the Creature, which he had lost in his Creator. Self-love, which succeeded the love to God, spread itself abroad into three as impure rivulets, as was the spring head from whence they did derive: the first was called the love of Pleasure, s In omnibus illecebris mundi hujus tria sant aut voluptas aut curiositas aut superbia. Aug. in append. Serm. 1. the second the love of light or novelty, and the third the love of greatness, or of glory, these three general causes of all our disorders, are the fatal effects of Concupiscence, they divide man (now become guilty,) and though they agree in the bereaving him of his liberty, yet they share in the division of his person. Voluptuousness or the love of pleasure, resides in the senses, and reigns in all the parts of the body which are capable of delight, the soul engageth herself in the eyes and ears, to taste the contentments which these two senses can wish for, she renounceth spiritual delights, to seek out such as are sensual, and as if she were now no longer a pure spirit, she longs after nothing but bodily delights. Necessity is no longer the rule of her desires, she betakes herself no more to objects, for that they are necessary, but for that they are pleasing. Temperance useth her utmost endeavour to withstand this irregularity; she endeavours to pass by all voluptuousness, without any stay, and to make use of such remedies as Nature hath ordained for the cure of our maladies, without the engagement of her aff●ctions; but Concupiscence overthrows all her designs, and by the absolute power whereby she governs in the soul, she solicits her to taste all the pleasures of our senses. The soul being fallen from her first greatness, seems then to cease being spiritual, that she may become Corporal; that she partake no longer in the felicity of Angels, and that she no longer pleased with any delights, save such as are sensual, and impure. This is the first contestation which those faithful ones resent, who will overcome t Concupiscentia ad sentiendum nos five consentientes ment sive repagnantes, appetitu carnalis voluptatis impell●t. Aug. lib. 4. cont. Julia. cap. 14. Concupiscence, and 'tis the frequentest piece of Art which the t Concupiscentia ad sentiendum nos five consentientes ment sive repagnantes, appetitu carnalis voluptatis impell●t. Aug. lib. 4. cont. Julia. cap. 14. Devil makes use of to destroy men; the souls alliance with the body favours his design, and makes his on-sets more dangerous; men's weakness facilitates their undoing, and there are very few who are able to overcome an enemy which is pleasing to them. If they were to choose the Combat, they would rather charge grief then pleasure, and by their sighing under the burden of their Irons, one may easily judge, that they are only slaves to pleasures, because they want courage to despise it. This Temptation is so much more dangerous than others as it is more natural. To vanquish it a man must have no more a body, and changing condition with Angels, he must become a pure spirit; but to boot with our loving this part of ourselves, the occasions of Combats are so frequent, as we are oft in one and the same day both conquerors and conquered: the subjects of vain glory are not so common, if we be blinded by our imaginary greatness, we are humbled by our real miseries, and we must have forgotten the shame of our birth if we glory in any thing during our life: Though the desire of knowledge awakens our curiosity, and that the very ignorance whereinto we are plunged, obligeth us to seek out a diversion, in the knowledge of worldly things, yet the difficulties which accompanies. Science, makes us lose our longing after it. We love rather to be kept in ignorance, then to be freed thereof by study, we cannot resolve upon the getting of a fleece, where the Pains exceeds the Glory, and where the Reward equals not the Labour: but Voluptuousness is as easy as delightful, it presents itself unsought for, and is received without difficulty, if we must fight for it, 'tis when Jealousy or Ambition makes themselves of the Party; and that they Corrupt the sweetness of our delights by the vainglory of their designs, and moreover, Nature having mingled delight with all her remedies, we must always stand upon our guard, that we build not our felicity one things which she gives us only for our Consolation. It is hard to discern whether we eat more out of Pleasure, or necessity; a man must be very moderate, to seek for nothing more in sleep, than the refreshing of the body, and the repairing of our forces; we must have already made many a Combat, to effect nothing more in Marriage then the preservation of our Families, thus do great Saints confess 'tis easier to bereave one's self of Pleasures, then to regulate them, and that there goes more of worth to moderate these pleasing Enemies, then to stifle them; 'tis easier to fast, then to feed sparingly of dainty viands, and the good use of riches is more rare than voluntary Poverty. Man's mind is busied with Curiosity, or the love of Novelty, which is so much the more dangerous by how much it appears more lawful: knowledge, which is not the least part of our Advantages, takes the freedom to persuade us that there is nothing more Noble than Cognizance of Nature, she thinks to offer up an acceptable sacrifice to God; when she losing our senses from delight, that she may engage in the search of Truth, so fair a pretext serves for excuse to her Injustice, and because knowledge is the souls Ornament, she will have all things allowed thereunto, no bounds being prescribed to her desires, not laws unto her fury. From the secrets of u Quam late patet curiosit● ipsa in specta●lis in theatr is in sacrament is Diabolicis, i● magic i● artibus, in malefici●ipsa e● curiositas. Aug. ●ct. 2. in Epist. Joannis. Nature she easily passeth to Impiety; for she consults with the Stars that she may know what's to come, and if their Aspects or Conjunctions do not sufficiently instruct her, she raiseth up Spirits, treats with Devils, and of an useless Science frames a dangerous superstition. The Amphitheatres of past ages, the Circi, and the Arenae, are the inventions of this desire of Novelty, Dancing and other Sports, are not so much the occupations of the Idle; as the diversions of the Curious. 'tis the desire of seeing somewhat of new which draws us forth with multitudes into the fields, and all these fashions, which we invent, are rather signs of our Curiosity, then of our vanity. x Alipius conjugium desiderabat, nequaquam victus libidine tall is voluptatis, sed curiositatis. Aug. lib. 6. Confess. cap. 12. This Passion is much more violent, then that of voluptuousness, for the latter is easily contenten, and destroying herself by enjoying, her own delights turns often to be her punishments: but the other is never contented: remedies embitter her violence, and the earth is not able to satisfy her with Novelties, the Passion of the flesh extends itself only to pleasures, as soon as an object ceaseth to be pleasing she scorns to pursue it, and the voluptuous have this advantage, as that they see all their desires confined with the limits of delights: but the Curious mingle Pain with Pleasure, and agree these two contraries together, to entertain their restlessness, they try poisons under pretence of composing Antidotes, they dissect the dead, under colour of curing those that live; they tear up the bowels of the earth to learn secrets thereout, and go down to the depths of the Sea, to know the wonders thereof. There is nothing which may not be come at by the fury of so Irregular a Passion, which hath nothing of equitable in her disorder, save that she is the Eternal Punishment of those that love her. Innocency, and sin may have been the original thereof; Innocency, because whilst in that condition, man knew all that with justice he could wish for; Sin, because he would know more than he ought, and that discovering his heart unto the Devil, he indiscreetly suffered the immoderate desire of knowing all things to enter there. Pride or the Ambition of Command; is the last, and most dangerous effect of Concupisceuce. Flattery, whose chief employment is to praise sin, confounds this Passion with virtue, and makes all glorious faults lawful to Conquerors. She builds the glory of the Alexanders upon the sin of Malign spirits, and she will persuade y Magnum delictum quod ex Ang●lo fecit Diabolum. Aug. in Psal. 18 Princes of the world, that the furious desire which changed Angels into Devils, can turn men into Gods; but our Religion teacheth us that there is no more insolent Passion than this, and that all other sins are the ushers in of Pride. In effect, if other sins do busy the mind, this possesseth it, if others fly from God, to shun his justice, this draws near unto him, to set upon his greatness, if others leave us when we grow old, this accompanieth us even unto death, and if the rest chance sometimes to be the sin of the Elect, this is almost always the Reprobates fault, it will supply God's place; whatsoever name is given to the Impiety thereof, it's design in making itself be either loved or feared, is to govern over men, either by force or fair means, and to commit a rape upon that Glory, which belongs only to him, who is the beginning and end of all things: this Passion dies not with men, they preserve the sense thereof after death; and their care of having their Prayers recorded in History their Statutes erected in public Places, and stately Monuments in Churches, are assured proofs that their Ambition ends not with their lives, this disorder can only proceed from the first man, who not being able to permit that even God should be his Sovereign, unjustly pretended to Independency, and endeavouring Sovereignty by Rebellion, reaped thereby nothing but a shameful servitude; all these irregularities which derive from self-love, as from their springhead; and all our fins which burst out from thence like rivers, the Devil who very well knows, how to tempt man, makes no use of any other means then these to seduce him, he beats us with our own weapons, and he loseth the hope of overcoming man, when man keeps himself from delight, Curiosity, z Tria sunt istae & nihil inveni● unde tentetur cupiditas human●, nisi aut desiderio carnis aut desiderio oculorum aut ambitione saeculi. Per tria ista tentatus est Dominus à diabolo. August. tract. 2. in Epist. Joan. and Ambition, he raised all these batteries against the first man, and judging of their Power by their good success, he made use thereof against Jesus Christ in the Desert, but seeing that his soul was sufficient proof against all his onset, she resolved to set upon him by sorrow and gr● whom he could not seduce by delights The ninth Discourse. Wherefore Concupiscence remains in Man after Baptism. WE are taught by Divinity, that nothing but the Power of God can make all things out of nothing; nothing but his Providence can draw good out of evil, and make a man's fault to amend his life. Natural Philosophy cannot comprehend the former of these wonders, and moral Phylosopy cannot comprehend the second. Nature worketh nothing without materials, her workmanships are rather alterations than productions; she may well change one thing into another, but she cannot make a new thing, and there is so little proportion between nothing and subsistancy, as Aristotle chose rather to believe that the World was eternal, then that God created it of Nothing. This great Genjus found it less inconvenient to acknowledge numberless causes, then to confess one only, the power thereof was unlimited; and moral Philosophy, which is not greatly more enlightened then natural Phylophy, finds such opposition between good and evil, as she would rather think to draw light out of darkness, and beauty out of deformity, than Virtue out of Vice: but Religion which adores in God Almighty a Power which hath no bounds, and an unclouded Providence confesseth also, that the one may have framed the World out of nothing, and that the other may have extracted Grace, out of sin, in effect the work of our Redemption, is the sequel of ou● loss. And if Adam's sin be not the cause, it is at least the occasion of our salvation, the same sin which hath drawn reproaches from forth our mouth, hath returned praises for it, And the Church calleth that sin, fortunate, a O 〈◊〉 cul● quae talem ac tantum meruit habere Redemptorem. which hath merited so excellent a Redeemer, Concupiscence being the daughter of sin, we must not wonder if divine Providence hath made it serviceable to her designs, and if she employ her Enemy to execute her will, for though this guilty habit be past, as it were into nature, and that it makes sin so hard to be overcome, yet did God leave it in the souls of his faithful Ones to exercise their virtue, to allay their Pride, and to make them have their Remembrance of their misfortune always before them. During the happy estate of their Innocence, Virtue was so natural to man as it met with no Resistance. Man took delight in doing what was good, and the greatness of Merit was not measured by the difficulty of the work, his passions were obedient to reason, his senses were faithful to his soul, and his body had no other motions then those of the soul, the practice of Piety was not as yet become a Combat, Continency and Fortitude were not enforced to give battle, to bear away the victory; and these two Noble Habits were given man, rather for his ornament then for his defence, so we must confess that if he had more quiet than we, he had less glory, and that if he tasted more delight, he could not hope for so great reward, for all our life is spent in Exercise and fight, all our virtues are austeer, they are always environed with Enemies, they cannot go out of their ordinary tracks, without falling into a Precipice, and they are Reduced to the b Vita justi in isto corpore adhuc bellum est, nondum triumphans. Ergo hic semper pug●andum est▪ quia ipsa concupiscentia cum qua nati sum● finiri non potest q●mdiu vivim●s. Quotidiè minui potest finiri non potest. Beda in Rom. 8. in August. Necessity of Continual fight unless they will be defeated, but of all the Enemies that sets upon them, they are most vexed with Concupiscence, and yet win most glory thereby, for she is so opinionated as 〈◊〉 cannot be overcome, Grace which triumphs over all our Evil, complains of being resisted by this, although it lose its vigour, it loseth not its courage, and though the Saints do still weaken it yet they cannot stifle it; they must die to defeat it, and it must cost them their life, to get the full victory, yet is this the field wherein they purchase all their Bays, 'tis the matter of their fights and Triumphs: and their virtues would languish in Idleness, did not this domestic Enemy keep them in breath. To say truth, they run much danger but gain much Glory; the same subject which causeth their Pain heighthens their courage and increaseth their merit. If Concupiscence be of use to virtue, she is no less fatal to sin, for though she be her Daughter she is likewise oft her Murderer; and of all the remedies which Grace hath ordained to cure us of Pride, there is none more safe than that of this disorder. We are naturally Proud and Miserable, and it is hard to say whether Pride or misery makes the greater Impression in our souls. Pride is so well engraven therein, as we in our sad Condition continue the coveting after all those greatnesses which we did possess whilst innocent; We persuade ourselves that we are Princes, because our Father was so: We will have Nature to obey us because she bore respect to his will, and we think that all honours are due to us, because he enjoyed them in the Earthly Paradise. Death which is the reward of sin cannot be the cure thereof; the Creatures revolt cannot persuade us, that we have lost the Empire of the world, and the sicknesses, which do alter our Tempers, cannot teach us that the Elements are our enemies, but Concupiscence teacheth us humility, this insolent Mistress teacheth us obedience; c Quae hominis alia est major miseria nisi adversus eum ipsum, inobedientia ejus ipsius. Aug. lib. 14▪ de Civit. cap. 15. and her frequent rebellions makes us know that we are no longer Masters of ourselves, by two contrary Motions, she inspires us with Pride, and teacheth us modesty, she fills us with courage, and makes us know our weakness, she incites us against Heaven, and obligeth us to implore the assistance thereof▪ In fine, she wounds and cures us, at the same time; and like to those prepared poisons, whereof Medicines are made, she is the antidote of all our evils. For who is so proud a Prince as doth not humble himself, when he sees he is less absolute in his person then his state, that his▪ Passions are more rebellious than his subjects, that there goes more to tame them, then to reduce Rebels to obedience, and that though reason super-intend in his soul, she hath irrational subjects who despise her Authority. Saint Augustine confesseth that this Punishment is as shameful as cruel, and of as many Irregularities as sin hath produced in men, he finds none more infamous than Concupiscence. She makes us also see the unfortunate state of our condemna●n, and even in the State of Grace, she presents unto us the Condition▪ of sin; for we are divided between Adam▪ and Jesus Christ, we belong to two Masters, we are the Members of two opposite Commanders, and we the Children of two Fathers, that war one against the other▪ We hol● still with Adam, according to the flesh, we follow his Inclinations, and in Christian Religion, we forbear, not to ob●y his will, his sin hath made such an Impression in our d Neque viv● ut vult homo nisi 〈◊〉 perv●eris ubi mori sal●i 〈◊〉 offendi non possit. August. lib. 14. deCivit. cap. 25. soul, as we continue to bear about with us all the marks of his Rebellion, and unless we contend against our senses, we find by experience; that our desires▪ are the Pictures of his. All our sins are so many undertake against the Authority of God, we will be Independent in our Government, we will taste delights unmingled with bitterness, and have knowledge ●exempt from error, we still seek after the effects of those abusive promises, which the wicked Fiend made unto us, and pretend in the depth of our Miseries, to arrive at the height of greatness, from whence we are fallen, thus doth Adam's sin triumph yet in our souls, and this Father which is dead so many ages ago, lives yet in his Children. 'tis true that according to the spirit we belong to the only Son of God, his Grace is shed abroad throughout our hearts, we work by his Motions, if we be inanimated by his spirit, and we desire to kill Adam, that Jesus Christ may live in his place; but this is but a languishing life, we are but imperfect works, Grace meets always with contradictions in her designs, and the soul being engaged in the body's rebellion, hath very much ado to submit herself to the Spirit of God. We e Vt sim● initium aliquod c●caturae ejus. Jacob ideo Christus vocatur pater futuri saeculi. wait for the day of resurrection, to the end that Jesus Christ may be the Father both of our body, and soul, and that the two parts whereof we are Composed may submit themselves to his will. We wish that death may bereave us of all that Adam gave us, and to the end that Jesus Christ may reign absolutely in our Soul we▪ desire that our soul may be loosened from the sinful body which she inanimates; from thence derive the opposite motions which divide the greatest Saints, from thence arise those contrary desires which divide their wills, from thence finally proceeds those differing inclinations which do so diversely agitate them, and which teach them that though they be Subjects to the Empire of Grace, they are not notwithstanding freed from the Tyranny of sin, 'tis true that they Comfort themselves amidst their misfortune; When they consider that they are not made guilty by the motions of Concupiscence, save when they are voluntary, and that Baptism, which hath left them languishing, hath not left them Criminal, for our revolts are not always sins, if our will approve not of them, they are rather Subjects of Glory than Confusion. The disorders of our Passions become not offences, save when they draw along our consent, as long as the soul opposeth the disorders of the senses, she is innocent, and as long as she surpasseth Sorrow and Anger, f Concupiscenti● host is mea quomodo agit malum & non perficit malum: agit malum quia movet desiderium malum: non p●rficit malum quia nos non trahit ad malum & in isto bello est tota vita sanctorum. Bed. in Rom. 8. if she do not triumph she is at least victorious. He who looks Pale and sigheth, is not always overborne with Fear, or Sorrow, he whose colour riseth when he is offended is not always overcome by choler. These Passions must be voluntary to be Criminal, and to be really termed sins, they must pass from the body to the soul, he who trembleth is not afraid if he will not Commit some base act, he who weeps is not sad, if he will wipe away his tears; he who finds Anger to arise in him is not irritated, if he endeavour to quench his flames, and amidst all these Passions a man may boast that he is void of fear; Grief; and Anger, if his will go not along with their motions, by all this discourse a man may easily gather, that g Agit caro desideria sua age tu tua: non opprimuntar, non extinguntur à te desideriaejus, non extinguat tua, ut in certamine labores & non victus trabetis. Bed. in Rom. 8. Concupiscence may be made good use of by the Faithful, and that if, of her own Inclination, she be the root of all vice, when conducted by Grace she may become the seed of all virtues. The tenth Discourse. That God's justice hath permitted that Man should be divided within himself, for the punishment of his sin. THe Philosopher Seneca being desirous to make it known, that Destiny hath no share in the World's Government, and that whatsoever accidents befall us in the Course of our life, are guided by a Sovereign Providence, vaunted that he had undertaken a work h Rem saciam non difficilem causam Deorum agam. Senec. Provide. which was not difficult, since he therein pleaded God's cause, and that he had the honour to defend it; Me thinks I may begin this Discourse in his words, and boast together with him, that the business I undertake is not very hard, since I plead in the behalf of the Justice of God; and that I go about to free it from the outrages which it receives from so many foul mouths, which accuse God's Justice for leaving so many wicked men unpunished. I very well know that the unfortunate Innocent have complained of these, and that without disregard to the respect which is due to the Justice of God, they have often desired that God would be more speedy in his Punishments. i D●cunt in bonis dies suos & in puncto descendunt in inferos job. David murmured inwardly seeing the prosperity of sinners, job complained, that the good fortune of the wicked was so constant, as it accompanied them even to death, and Saint k August. in Psal. 72. Augustine, who seems to have sought into all the secrets of Divine justice confesseth, that it is no less difficult to accord the Power of Grace, with man's Liberty, then Divine justice with the Prosperity of the wicked. This is the scandal of silly souls, the wicked man's despair, and the rock whereon all those run ship wrack, who are not sound grounded in the Faith of Jesus Christ: yet this great Doctor avoucheth two or three maxims, which may pacify the mind of man, and which prove clearly enough that there is no sinner who is not miserable. To understand his Doctrine we must know that l Omnis animae poenoe & praemium semper aliquid consert justa pulchritudini dispositionique rerum omnium. Aug. lib. de quantit. animae, cap. 56. Punishment and reward go to the making up of one part of the world's beauty; and that as Virtue deserves some Pay, sin likewise deserves some Punishment. It would be unreasonable if the just man should not be recompensed, and Irregular, if the guilty should not be punished. Divine justice is answerable to these two sorts of men, and as the great Tertullian says, she is no less obliged to Erect Heaven for the good, then to make Hell for the wicked; that Divine perfection, which maintains the order of the world never overthrows this: Virtue receiveth always her reward, and vice is never exempt from Punishment; they do not only follow, but accompany one another, and as the Epicurians did not believe that delight could be separated from virtue, Saint Augustine did not believe that Punishment could be parted from sin. This effect is always found with its cause, and man can no sooner Commit an offence but he presently becomes sensible of the Punishment. There is an m Lex aeterna & summa ratio cui semper obtemperandum, illa est per quam mali miseram, boni beatam vitam merentur, nec enim injustum esse potest ut mali miseri, boni beati sint. Aug. lib. 1. de lib. arbit. cap. 6 Eternal law which will have good men happy, and the wicked miserable, it neither defers reward nor Punishment, and without putting off the Punishment to Hell, or the reward to Heaven, it confers them both on earrh,; God hath made some laws which altars with the times; though he be in himself always the same, yet he accommodates himself sometimes to his handiwork, and oft times repeals the Decrees which he hath pronounced, but the law which regards virtue, and vice is immutable, and the ugliness of an offence never goeth without the beauty of Punishment, nor doth sin ever enter into n Nunquam accidit ut sit in anima dedecus peccati sive decore vindicta. August. a soul, but it brings its reward with it, Though this maxim may appear strange yet hath it been approved of by profane Philosophy; and Seneca o In ipso etiam scelere sceleris supplicium est. Seneca. acknowledged that man who had sinned could not keep unpunished; that his Crime was his Torment, and that without having recourse to the revengeful furies he bore about with him, his hangman, and his sin. They therefore deceive themselves who believe that there be any guilty unpunished, because they are honoured; for though men through base flattery confound vice with virtue, though they put a value upon what they ought to disesteem, though they raise Altars to those that merit the Gallows, though the Heavens seem to favour their designs, that Fortune forerunning their desires, mounts them upon Thrones, and put Crowns upon their Heads, yet are they unhappy, if wicked, and amongst this imaginary felicity which provokes our Envy, they suffer Pains, which would move our Compassion, if they were as evident as true: for if they should suffer no other Torment then to be upon ill Terms with God, are they not sufficiently Miserable, and say they should undergo no other loss, then that of his Grace; should they not be rigorously enough punished; banished People will admit of no Consolation, because they are far distant from their Country: though they enjoy their estate, though they live under a Temperate Climate, though they converse with fair conditioned men, they think themselves unhappy, in that they breathe not the Air of their own Country. Favourites will not outlive their Master's favours, the Magnificence of their Palaces, the number of their menial servants, the greatness of their offices, cannot charm their sorrow; they are pleased with nothing because their Prince is offended: all their contentments cannot countervail the loss of his Favour, and his wrath is a Punishment, which all the reasons of Philosophy cannot sweeten: if experience teacheth us that banishment and loss of Favour are Punishments, shall we doubt whether he that is not upon good Terms with God, be upon bad terms with himself or no? and can we think him happy who through his own default hath lost the well spring of true Happiness? the sinner than is miserable; and if men esteem them happy amongst so many sufferings, It is for that they do not know wherein happiness consists. I looked upon the prosperity of the wicked (saith Saint p Vidi malos & displicuit mihi Deus. Hoc enim volebam ut non permitteret Déus malos esse foelices: Intelligat homo: numquam permittit hoc Deus sed ideo malus foelix putatur quia quid sit foelicit●is ignoratur. Aug. tract. 28. in Joan. Augustine) with indignation, I could not tolerate that good luck should accompany them in their ways, I could have wished that Divine Justice would have made an example of them, and that it would have abased their Pride, thereby to appease the murmuring of the Innocent, but I did unjustly accuse Divine Providence, for it never leaves sinners unpunished, and if such as are blind think wicked men happy, 'tis because they know not what happiness is. As man's wickedness draws on God's justice, and as we conclude he is miserable, because sinful, we ought also to argue that he is sinful because miserable, for God is not severe without reason, our faults do always precede his Punishments, and he took not upon him to be a revenger, before we became faulty, It is our offences that provoke his justice, and he had never let his thunder have fallen on our heads if we had not neglected his Commandments. 'tis one of Saint q Video ●ie in poena & apud te non video iniquitatem: si ergo in poenâ sum & apud te iniquitas non est, nun rest at ut pro iniquitate crudias hominem. Aug. in Psal. 38. Augustine's Arguments which convinceth the most opinioned, and obligeth them to confess, that since there is no Injustice in God, man must needs be Criminal, because miserable, for God afflicteh nothing that is Innocent, nor ruins not his workmanship without a cause, he should injure his own goodness, should his justice punish a man that were not guilty. Philosophers agree in this truth, the light of reason hath made us know, that Punishment presupposeth sin; the Ignorance of our Miseries hath persuaded them, that man was punished on earth, for sins that he had committed in heaven, that his body was his souls prison, and that she was detained there to expiate the faults which she only had committed. Though these be not so pure truths but that they have an intermixture of Error, yet they teach us that sin precedes Punishment, and that man's misery doth assuredly witness his offence. For what likelihood is there that Divine Providence would have condemned man to so much misery without a fault, wherefore should the body rebel against the soul, whereunto it is united: Wherefore should man be composed of Parts which cannot agree? and why should the workmanship of God be out of order were it not corrupted by the sin of man. We must have offended this judge, before he have condemned us, his justice r Numquid ille prius ulcorquàm iste peccator? absit neque enim Deus davinat innocentes. Aug. lib. 11. de Gen. cap. 17. never punisheth the Innocent, and his goodness would not permit us to be miserable, if we were not guilty: but we must also confess that his justice would have been remiss, had he not punished sin, Adam's Rebellion deserved that all men should be punished for it, his sufferings were to be hereditary, and there had been some sort of Inconvenience, that a guilty Father should have produced innocent Children, we inherit his punishment and his sin, and receiving our being from him, it was reason we should partake of the Miseries which do accompany it, In Point of high Treason, the Children are punished for the Father's fault, When a Prince's Anger breaks out upon great personages that are guilty, it falls likewise upon their Families, to have any relation to them sufficeth to be guilty. Crime is contracted by Alliance, and though the misfortune may exceed the sin; there is always reason enough for the punishment throughout all the Judaicke Law the Children bear the punishment of their forefather's sins, God s Non sibi tantum de Dei misericordia, blandiantur, ut sibi etiam injustitiam ejus polliceantur. Aug. in Psal. 80. requires it to the fourth Generation s Non sibi tantum de Dei misericordia, blandiantur, ut sibi etiam injustitiam ejus polliceantur. Aug. in Psal. 80. as a Child is a part of his father, we presume he hath drawn along with him Part of his sin, and that he cannot inherit his being without inheriting his offence also, God's greatness merits this rigour, and offences committed against so high a Majesty cannot be sufficiently punished. Our Complaints proceed from our Ignorance we defend our own cause only because we know not his Sanctity whom we have offended, if we had a little light we would prevent God's decrees, and we should find that Hell is to small a punishment for such as rebel against him. In whatsoever sort it be that we have contracted sin, it deserveth Punishment, we cannot be blameless since we proceed from a guilty father, and since the body's maladies are hereditary, we must not wonder if those of the soul be contagious: there is no difference between Adam's sin, and ours, save only that his is voluntary, and ours Natural, that he is more guilty than unfortunate; & we more unfortunate than guilty, that he hath done the mischief and we have received it, that he hath committed a fault, and we bear the Punishmnnt, that his disorder is become our Nature, that his Rebellion engageth us in disobedience, and that as the tree is lost in its root; we are infected in our beginning and corrupted in our father. After all these reasous there is no more reason of complaint; Miserable man instead of accusing God's Justice must implore his mercy, and must find out that innocency in jesus Christ, which he hath lost in Adam, to the end, that as natural generation hath been the cause of his misery, Spiritual generation may be the cause of his happiness, and that he may there partake of grace without any other merits then those of the Son of God; as he hath received condemnation without any other fault then that of Adam. OE THE CORRUPTION OF the Soul by SIN: The Second Treatise: The First Discourse. Of the Souls Excellency, and of the miseries which she hath contracted by Sinne. THe Church hath oft times seen the Truth of her belief gainsaid by contrary Heresies, neither hath she almost at any time explained the mysteries of faith, but that she hath seen new Sects arise, which by different ways have endeavoured to bereave her of her Purity, and to engage her in Error, when she explained herself upon the mystery of the Trinity, and that she had taught her Children to adore the plurality of Persons, in the Unity of the Divine Essence, she was opposed by two contrary Heresies, the one of which confounded the Persons, the other divide the Nature, when to declare unto us the Oeconomy of the Incarnation, she hath taught us that Man-God did unite in the unity of his Person, the Divine Nature; with the humane, there arose a Veritas & virtus medium tenent, ●esis & vitium extrema occupant in qua de viare sine periculo ne●o potest. Heretics, who desirous to destroy one another, quitted the Catholics opinions, and persuaded themselves either that there was but one Nature or two Persons in jesus Christ, when finally, the same Church distinguishing, between the purity and the corruption of nature, taught us that the one was the work of GOD, the other the work of sin, two Heresies sprung up, which withstood this truth with different weapons, for the one confounded the corruption of Nature with her Essence, and Imagined that there was a bad Principium, of which all things visible were the work: the other by a clean contrary tract, would excuse the disorders of sin, by the goodness of Nature, and persuade us that man's Irregularities were nether the effects, nor the punishment of his Rebellion, it approved of Concupiscence, and placed it in the Terrestrial Paradise before the Serpent had seduced the first woman; it made merry with Original righteousness, and bereft her of the Power of composing the differences of the soul and body; it approved of all those revolts which we look upon as the cursed consequences of sin, and employed its reason to persuade Catholics, that they were rather the effects of our Constitution then the Punishments of our disobedience, it maintained together with Philosophy whose arms it borrowed, to fight against Religion, that death was rather a law then a punishment, and that even in the state of Innocency a man could not have fenced himself against death. The Church's belief being equally distant from these two Errors, and since she doth as constantly confess the goodness of nature as her corruption. I have thought good throughout all this work to mingle Invectives with Panygericks, and to observe as well the Advantages which man receives from God, as the miseries which he contracts by sin, I therefore think myself obliged to set forth the beauties of the soul, before I describe her blemishes, and to paint forth on the same Table her perfections, and her defaults. The souls Original contributes to her greatness, and though she be brought Ex Nihilo, 'tis no small miracle that Divine Power hath been able to draw so excellent a thing from so barren a subject. Philosophers b Consiste in medio anim●, seu divina & 〈◊〉 res 〈◊〉 sec●um plures Phylosophos, seu minimè divinae quoniam quidem mortalis ut soli Epicuro placet seu de coelo exciperis seu de terta conciperis, seu numeria seu atomis concinnaris, seu cum corpore incaeperis, seu post corpus induceris, unde & quoquo modo hominem facis animal rationale sensus & scier 〈◊〉 capacissimum. Tertul. de testi. animae. who never knew the truth without the mixture of falsehood, and who have always in Religion mingled Fables with History, Imagined that soul made a part of the Divine substance that she was a slip of his being, & that after having inlivened the body which served her for a sepulchre, or prison, she should be happily reunited to her Principium. Some others more modest believe, that she drew her birth from Heaven, and that preserving the memory of her dear Country, she could ill bear with the length of her exile. Some others less elevated have persuaded themselves that she was formed of earth, and that being more extenuated, & not more noble than the body, she had the same Element for her Original, the Pythagorians composed her of Numbers, and would have harmony to be her Essence, as that which maketh Peace in the world, and acordeth the Elements; some dotards have drawn her from the Atoms of the Sun, and gave her a body composed only of Light and Heat. But Christian Religion teacheth us, that she is a spirit created by God in time, infused into a body to inanimate it, the spring head of Motion and Life, and that in her noblest operations, she stands in need of her salves Organs to operate withal, Light is in some sort natural to her, in her understanding she comprehends the Principles of all Sciences; her will hath in it the seed of all virtue, the senses are so many Messengers which inform her with whatsoever passeth in the world, and by their faithful reports teach her those truths which she was ignorant of, 'tis true, that there are some truths which are rather infused into her then acquired by her, and which Nature hath so powerfully imprinted in her Essence as Errors self cannot deface them, she without an Instructor knows there is but one God, she preserves this belief in the midst of Superstition, in this point she is Christian, even when Infidel whilst she offers b Nam te quoque palam & tota libertate qu● non licet nobis, ita audimus pro nuntiare quod Deus dederit & si Deus voluerit. Ea voce 〈◊〉 significas & omnem illi confiteris potestatem ad cujuc spectas voluntatem simul & c●te os negas esse Deos dum suis vocabilis nuncupas Saturnun, Jovem, Marten, & Minervam. Tertull. de test. animae. Incense to her Idols, she trusts in him who seeth all things, and after having invoked Saturn and jupiter, she implores aid from him whom her Conscience tells her is the true Creator of Heaven and Earth; she is ignorant of the fall of Devils, and by the hatred which she bears unto them, makes it appear that she is not ignorant of their guile, whilst she is possessed with these Tyrants, she ceaseth not to think upon her lawful Sovereign; and sin which hath not been able to destroy her Nature ᶜ d Sentis igitur tuum perditorem & licet soli illum noverint christiani tu tamen eum nosti dum odisti. Tertul. de test. animae. could not deface her knowledge, nor her love; she loves God though she offends him, all the ties she hath to these perishable things, are the remainders of that Natural Inclination, and because every Creature is an Image of its Creator, she cannot see them without being in some sort transported, the shadow of God awakens her flame, but having neither light nor heat enough to raise herself up to him, she remains engaged on the earth and by a strange blindness she forgets the Summum Bonum to fasten herself to his Picture, she presageth her misfortune d Sentis animam quae ut sentias efficit: recogita in praesagiis varem, in omnibus augurem, in eventibus prospicem. Tertul. de test. animae. before she hath any knowledge thereof, she prophesieth it before she disputes, and when she first enters into the world, she witnesseth by her tears, that she hath some sense of her miseries, as soon as she hath by her cries saluted the Sun, she teacheth those that understand her, that she very well knows the earth is the seat of misery and that one cannot live long there without suffering much sorrow. When age endues her with the use of Reason, she doth not lose the use of Prophecy, her dreams serves for presages. The Heavens whilst she is at rest, advertise her, of her disasters, and the Angels treating with her in a condition wherein she cannot treat with men, acquaints her with the good and bad successes of her erterprises, she makes e Non mirum si 〈◊〉 Deo data ●nima 〈◊〉 divinare. ●ertul. de test. animae. out salleys which cause men to believe that though she be fastened to the body, yet she is not a Prisoner, for when she pleaseth she abandons the senses, and collects herself, that she may be the less interrupted in her Meditations: she seeks for knowledge, in the Centre of her essence, and as if she did complain of the sights Infidelity, or the ears sloth, she endeavours to learn at home within herself what she cannot find out in the world, in effect she would be very ignorant if she knew nothing, but what she learns from her Officers: for as they are but the Organs of the body, they can only observe the qualities of the objects, and can only inform their Sovereign of the lustre of Colours, the diversity of sounds, and of the varities of smells, but when she withdraws within herself she knows subsistances, she treats with spirits, and raising her self-above all things, created, she forms unto herself certain Ideas of a Divinity. Nay, she is an Image thereof, and it seems God took pleasure, to draw his own Picture in the soul of man, and to make us admire in this chief work of his power, the unity of his Nature, and the Plurality of his Persons; for though this spirit be engaged In Materia, and that it works differently according to the several Organs of the body, that it digests meat by natural heat, converts it into blood by means of the Liver, distributes it into all parts▪ by the veins, and by a miraculons Metamorphosis gives a hundred several shapes to the same food, yet is it not divided, and representing the unconceivable unity of God, it is Tota in Toto & Tota inqualibet parte. Thus the soul contains that which seems to enclose her, she lends her host house room, she upholds her house, she inanimates▪ her Sepulchre, and this Created Divinity is so great, as she Circumscribes the Temple wherein she makes her residence. This admirable unity agrees with a Trinity of powers, which makes the soul an excellent Image of God; for she hath an active understanding, which conceives all things, a happy memory which records them, and an absolute will, which disposeth of them; she knew the highest of our miseries by reflecting on herself, before Faith had revealed unto her the procession of the Divine persons, Nature had given her some glimmering thereof, by studying what she found to be in herself; she learned what was in God, and seeing that she conceived a word in her understanding, and a love in her will, she had no trouble to comprehend that the father begot a Son, and that the Son together with the Father produced a Holy Ghost. Plato who had read no other book then that of his own soul, guest at these Truths. Trismegistus f Monas genuit Monadem & in se suum reflexit ardorem. Trismegist. who had only learned these lights out of the bosom of Nature, had some weak knowledge of the mysteries, and we are bound to confess, that neither the one nor the other would ever have known the Divine Original had they not seriously considered the copy. As the soul is the shadow of the divine Essence, it shares in part of his highest perfections; her light is not obscured by her Prison: the body which is form but of earth doth not derogate from her Nobility, nor Power, and death which threatens the House wherein she lives, injures not her Immortality, she is knowing in the midst of obscurity, Absolute, amidst the revolt of her Subjects, Immortal in the bosom of death itself; the senses which endeavour to seduce her by their unfaithful reports, cannot abuse her, and let them use what foul play they please, she hath always light enough to discover their Imposture, she corrects their errors; and when she will make use of her own rights, she finds Counsellors in the Bas● of her being, who convince these faithless Officers of falsehood: she finds oft times less resistance in her body then in herself, one only Act g Anima autem movet corpus, ab illa enim impingi, & pedes in incessum, & manus incontactum & oculos in aspectum & linguam in essatum velut sigillario motu superficiem int● agitante. Ter. tul. de anima. of her will, makes the eyes open, the arms be lifted up, and the legs go, these parts are so obedient to her commands, as they never resist when in health, their Rebellion ariseth rather from Infirmity, then malice, & if her subjects forget their duty, they are never the first Authors of disorder, the tongues diligence in expressing her thoughts exceedeth belief, the eyes makes prodigious haste to bring her news, and the ears as lazy as they are; are wonderfully faithful, in informing her of what they understand: the hands invent a thousand means to content her, the five branches whereof they are Composed are the mothers of all Arts, and they are so affectionate to their Sovereign, as she hath no sooner designed any thing but these industrious officers do forthwith faithfully execute it. Nature would be jealous of their labours, did she not know that their Power is bounded, and that for all they can do to imitate her, they can neither give life, nor motion to their workmanship, in fine, the soul which governs them so dexterously, and which seems to forego all the other parts of the body to inanimate them, loseth half her Power when she hath no hands, and this high and mighty Sovereign seems to execute her greatest designs by the means of these faithful confederates. As she is absolute in her servitude, she is immortal in her grave, and all the atteints which sickness gives her, cannot trouble her rest, if she apprehend Pain, 'tis because the body that she inanimates resents it, if she fear death, 'tis because it destroys her Mansion, and if she seem h Porrò & animam compati corpori! cui loeso ictibus, vulneribus, ulceribus condolescit, & corpus animae cui afflictae curae angore amore cobereseit. Tertul. de animae. to be moved or afraid 'tis because she loves the slave that would forego her: the knowledge she hath of her own Immortality, makes her rest quiet, she takes delight in entertaining herself with thought of the life which must succeed this life, she sees far into ages that are to come, she ordains things which must not be accomplished till after her departure, she is very jealous of her honour, and knowing very well, that death which will destroy her body, shall not ruin her, she endeavours to do Actions, for which she shall suffer no reproach in the other world; her cares which extend themselves beyond the precincts of time, are proofs of her i Nam omnibus ferè ingenita est famae post mortem cupido, longumque est eos retexere quorum innumera elogia sunt contemptae mortis propter posthu● sa●am. Terrul. de ani. Immortality, and the Paision she hath for Glory, witnesseth that she is not ignorant of the happiness which is prepared for her in Heaven, when the moment wherein she is to make her entrance thereinto approacheth, and that she is ready to be divorced from her body she operates with a new strength; she sees things with more light, all her words are k Hinc denique evenit saepe anima● in ips● divortio potius agitari, d● ex major● suggestu jam in liber● constituta enunciat quae videt, quae andit, quae incipit nosse. Tert. de animae Oracles, it seems that freeing herself from Materia, she becomes a pure spirit, and that having no further Commerce with men, she treats invisibly with Angels, her last endeavours are usually the greatest, she gathers strength out of her body's weakness, and death destroys her Prison, only to set her at liberty, she beginsto taste the sweet of Heaven, and she looks upon parting from the earth, as upon the end of her servitude. I should be too tedious if I would perticularize in all the souls advantages, the rest of this discourse must be employed in showing what out rages she receiveth from sin; for as soon as she took up her lodging, she became slave to the body; she lost her Power when she lost her Innocence, when she ceased to obey, she ceased to command, and as if obedience had been the foundation of all her greatness, rebellion was the cause of her miseries, of all the cognisances whichwere together with Grace infused into her, none remained in her but doubts and jealousies, which makes her as oft embrace falsehood as truth; though she know God: she adores the workmanship of his hands, her enlightenings detain her not from engaging herself in error, and the great Inclination which she hath for the Summum Bonum doth not estrange her from the love of perishable things, she is the Image of God; and ceaseth to resemble him, she expresseth his greatness, and doth no longer imitate his virtues, she conserveses the Trinity of her power in the unity of her essence, yet cannot conceive one God in three Persons, she makes and Idol unto herself of every Creature, all that pleaseth her seem Gods unto her, her Interest is the soul of her Religion, her love ariseth from fear, she adores whatsoever she fears, and unless the God which she serveth had thunders wherewithal to punish her she would have no victimes to load his Altars withal. Her Punishment is the Picture of her offence, she meets with rebellion in her slave; the conspiracy of all the parts of her body is general; her senses do seduce her, Her Passions do torment her, her Imagination troubles her, and her subjects do despise her, she sees herself obliged to encourage their disorders to give life to Rebels, which justle her Authority, to nourish up monsters which rend her in pieces, and to arm soldiers which plunder her estate, but nothing adds more unto her Pain; then the love which she bears her enemy, for though he prosecute her, she cannot resolve to hate him & dares not make War against him without assistance from heaven: this Traitor is so full of cunning as he makes himself be beloved by her whom he abuseth, she is sensible of all the evils that he endures, and as if her pain arose from her love; she never ceased to suffer since she began to love him, she apprehends her slaves miseries more than her own; she fears death more than sin, she is more afraid of ruin then of falsehood, and as if this inclination had changed her Nature, she desires no other good, nor dreads no other evil, than what is sensible: Music charms her discontents, Pictures serve her for a diversion, she is pleased with smells, and the greatest part of her delights consists in what contents her senses, by a sequel as shameful as necessary, she is burnt by Fevers, pained by the Gout, weakened by sickness, and whatsoever hurteth her body, abaseth her courage. After the Injuries which she hath received from this domestic enemy, l Name etsicaro peccairix secun, dum quam vivere prohibemur, cujus opera damnatur cancupisceeatia adversus spiritum, ob quam carnales notantur iusamiâ, non tamen suo nomine caro infamis. Neque enim de proprio sapit quid, aut sentit ad suadendam vel imperandam peccat●lam: quid, ni? quae in ministerium est. Tert. de anima. It is hard to judge which of the two hath juster cause of complaint, for each of them seem to be equally guilty; and that the one and the other of them are the mutual cause of their displeafures. In Adam, sin arose from the soul, but in his Children it draws its birth from the flesh, and in the most part of their errors, 'tis the senses which seduce them, Pleasures which corrupt them, sorrows which keep them, love, and passions which tyrannize over them. Thus our misfortunes drive equally from these two, and if the soul made our first father guilty, It is the body which makes his Children unfortunate; yet must we avow that the soul is the greater Delinquent in us as well as in him, for if she have no freedom to defend herself against Original sin, and if necessity may excuse a misfortune which is not voluntary, she is more guilty than the body, because she commits so many faults with delight, stays not for being solicitated by the senses, and that by a blind Impetuosity, she willingly embraceth whatsoever is pleasing unto her, she adds voluntary sins, to sins of Nature, and will have that of her faults, some be the effects of her misfortune; and others, of her lewdness. In fine, it seems that those that follow her motions endeavour to exceed the sin of their birth by the sins of their life, and as if they thought it an offence to be more innocent than their Father, they strive to be more faulty than he who committed all the sins in the world; when he made all that descended from him Criminal. The second Discourse. That the soul is become slave unto the body by reason of sin. THough the soul be the noblest part of man, yet is she not void of fault, and for any excessive praise that Profane Philosophy may give her, she hath natural weaknesses which do accompany her, even in Innocency, Adam's soul was engaged in his body, and in her Noblest operations, she needed the Organs thereof to express her thoughts, or execute her designs; though she were pleased with this dependency, she ceased not to be servile: and whosoever should reduce an Angel to this condition, should take from him his glory and his liberty: she could not quit her body to go to Heaven, whethersoever her love did carry her, she must carry her host with her, and rather than to forego this pleasing Prison, she did prorogue the accomplishment of her desire. Ignorance was in some sort natural unto her, m Quod enim à Deo est ●on tam extinguitur quam obumbratur: potest autem obumbrari quia non est Deus, extingui non potest quia à Deo est, Tertul. de anima. and though knowledge was infused into the soul of Adam together with Grace, we are not sure that he could have transmitted it unto his offspring, had not the way of learning it been painful, it would have at least been tedious, and if labour had not been requisite, time would at least have been required to the acquiring thereof, though the Organs of the body had been well disposed, there would have been a difference in their temper, and all souls would not have had the same advantages, of Grace, which was their last perfection, would never have raised them into the rank of Angels, and whatsoever communication men might have had with those happy spirits, they could never have arrived at their Hierarchy. Though we are hereby, taught that the soul had her weaknesses in the state of Innocency, yet being Natural they were not painful, and though they were faults, yet were they not punishments: for in this condition man knew nothing which pained him, he was satisfied with his Advantages, and was not less happy though no Angel, his nature being the mere work of God had no defaults, that which seemed humble ceased not to be glorious; and the tye which the soul had to the body, was not a servitude though a necessity, she was well pleased with her abode, and though she were of a more elevated Condition, than was her body, n Certamen corporis & animae non fuisset in illo beatae pacis loco, id est in paradiso deliciarum, si nemo peccasset. Aug. lib. 1 oper. imperf. the service she had from thence made her love her Quarter; the Chains wherewith they were united were so strong, as nothing but sin, could break them, their Inclinations in the difference of their Nature, were so conformable, as whatsoever pleased the one, did not dislike the other: the body by an admirable prodigy heighthned its self into the souls Employments without violence, and the soul deigned to submit herself to the necessities of the body, without injury to herself, she found no difficulty in all she did, and if the body were not serviceable to her in her more noble works; yet did it not resist her therein, their contentments were Common, and as the soul was not subject to sorrow; neither did the body feel any pain. This happy Condition lasted no longer than the time of Innocency; when man once lost his righteousness, he lost his happiness: and when he became Criminal, he became miserable, the soul went less in her greatnesses, and this living Image of the Divine Essence, saw herself brought to such misery, as may better be expressed by tears then words; nothing remained entire in man, and the outrages of sin dispersed themselves into all the parts of the body, the understanding was darkened, the memory weakened, and the will depraved. In all the faculties of the soul; the soul received some prejudice in her very Essence, and evil found her out in such a condition, wherein as being Forma corporis, she was engaged in the Materia thereof, for since her offence, she herself as it were obliged to love a cruel Tyrant, to bear with an irreconcilable Enemy, to serve a rebellious slave, and to make up all her misfortunes, reduced to that necessity, as she is not able without sorrow, to forego the Cause of all her disasters. To conceive her corruption, we must of necessity comprehend her purity, and observe the Effects which Original righteousness wrought in the soul: the first was, that notwithstanding her being engaged in a body, she ceased not to be spiritual, her Functions made her not Animale, and though united to the body by Grace; yet was she not thereby a Prisoner, she communicated her perfections to it, and shared not in its defects, she was free though bound; her body o Tunc corpus non erat carcer animae ut somniavit Pl●, sed erat Templum Tertul. was her Temple, not her Prison, and the love she bore unto it did not injure her liberty, but as soon as sin had insinuated itself into the ground work of her Essence, she changed condition, the chain of love which tied her to her body, was turned to a servile ord, which bound her to her slave; her charity was turned into self-love; she forgot her greatness; and that she might interest herself in all the desires of her body, she lost all the qualities of her spirit, sensible things became her diversions, she delighted in nothing but the voluptuousness of the senses, if she had changed nature by changing condition, she ccased to love the Summum Bonum, and began to idolise her body, she forwent her noble desires, for such as were infamous, and confining all her wishes, either to the affairs or pleasures p Per amorem corporis ' animal aliquomodo corpora scit, & definite esse spiritus August. of her body, she loved nothing but what was earthly and sensible. They say that in the state of glory, the bodies of the blessed will become spiritual, and that losing all the feelings of their Materia, they shall only have the inclinations of the spirit, that they shall follow their soul without trouble, and by an unconceivable agility they shall fly faster than the winds, or lightning, that they shall pierce the most solid things, and that being more subtle than flames of fire,; they shall penetrate even the substance, of the Heavens, they shall shine with glory, and being more radiant than the Sun, they shall fill all parts with light. but in the state of sin, the soul assumed the qualities of the body, her love engaged her further in the Materia, then Nature had done; she made her Prison more straight and more obscure, she lost the lights she was infused withal, that she might see no longer but through the senses, and her Compliance with her slave did so alter her Inclinations, as reflecting upon herself; she had much ado to believe that she was yet spiritual. This violent, though irregular love was occasionally the cause of good, and served the soul to free her from the body, for Divine Justice (which oft times makes us find our Punishment in our faults) condemned q Sinon peccosset Adam, non erat expoliandus corpore, sed supervestiendus immortalitate. August lib. 6. de Genes. ad litter. cap. 22. the soul to forego the body, as soon as she began to love it in excess, the same sin which did unite them did by death divide them; their Chains grew weaker, as their affection strengthened, and when the soul had most passions to retain her body, she was forced to forsake it: for when Original righteousness was retreated the Elements began to mutiny, Natural heat usurped upon the radical moisture, and all these contraries which lived in Peace, declared open War. Nature was enforced to call in industry to her succour, and took advice with Physic to appease all her domestic divisions; but she knew by experience, that losing grace, she had lost all remedies, and that death was an incurable evil. Thus did man's life become a long sickness, in the which he was for some years preserved by food, which could not notwithstanding keep him from dying, his soul was fain to employ her care to defend herself from death, and she who by an irregular love was become Corporal, by a just punishment became mortal, for though the soul be immortal in her substance, and that she continues this advantage even in her very sin, yet is she punished in her body's death, she is so well pleased with her Prison, as she loves the lothsomness thereof, and she is so accustomed to serve; as she abhors the very name of Liberty: she trembles when one speaks to her of death, she makes her fear appear upon the body, which she inanimates, she weeps through the eyes thereof, looks pale in its visage, sighs by its mouth: and in this mutual suspiration, a man cannot tell whether it be the sou● that is afflicted; or the body that complaineth. The evil hath its beginning in the body, but passeth into the r Igitur anima corpus est, ex corporalium passionum communione. Tert. de anima. soul; it is the body that perisheth, but 'tis the soul that suffereth, the body which is corrupt, but the soul which despairs: in fine it is upon the body that death exerciseth his cruelty, but it is the soul that is pierced through with sorrow. This is the body's death, the souls punishment, and two guilty parties are punished with one and the same scourge. But this bodily death is the effect of a spiritual death, which is peculiar to the soul; and which though it be invisible ceaseth not to be veritable, this death is nothing else, but the privation of Original righteousness, which commits more outrages upon the soul, then natural death doth upon the body: for man by losing grace lost all the advantages whereof Grace was the cause, he ceased to be upon good Terms with God, s Non in cupiditatibus fraenandis continen tia laboraret, si nibil nos contra quod contenderet detineret; si nihil bonae voluntati ex mala concupiscentia repugnaret. August. lib. de Con●. cap. 3. and began to be upon bad with himself: all his Inclinations were changed, all his enlightenings darkened, and all his faculties out of order; he could not conceive how being still himself in appearance, he was no longer effectually so, and that the fault which had drawn down Gods just anger upon his head, had bereft him of all those glorious Qualities which he possessed with Innocency, he sought himself out, and could not find himself, he was ashamed of his body's nakedness, and afraid of his souls misery, he could not endure himself, when he yet loved himself better, by a strange miracle, self▪ caused hatred, and the same sin which made him proud, loaded him with confusion. He was sensible of all evils at once, and passed in a moment, from supreme happiness to extreme misery: we are not sensible of sin, because it is born with us, we are not touched with the disorders thereof, because it foreruns our reasons, Nature and sin are mutually confused in us, and nothing doth so much comfort us in our misfortunes, as that we have been always unfortunate, If we have recourse to Grace in Baptism, 'tis of so nice a Nature, as it is undiscernible, and as we continue to find illusions in our senses, and revolts in our Passions, we have much ado to believe that Grace should reign there where sin doth yet live: when by a voluntary offence we lose it, we were hardly sorry for the loss of a thing, the Possession whereof we are hardly sensible of, we must become convinced by reasons before we▪ t Hanc pugnam non experiuntur in semetipsis nisi bellatores virtutum debellatoresque vitiorum. Non expugnat concupiscentiae malum nisi continentiae bonum. Sunt autem qui legem Dei omnino nescientes malas concupiscentia● nec inhostibus deputant inque miserabili coecitate servientes, in super etiam se beat●s putant satiendo ea● potius quam domando. August. lib. de Continent. cap. 3. be persuaded to believe that we are unfortunate preserving in our offence whatsoever we value most in our Innocence, we cannot believe that we are faulty; for a Philosopher becomes not ignorant, though he lose Grace, a Prince though faculty descends not from his Throne, the avaricious rich man, augments his Revenue by continuing his usury; a proud man loseth not his greatness, though he lose humility, nor doth a fair woman lose her beauty, though she slain her honour. Our sins bereave us not of our advantages; and finding no change neither in fortune, nor body, we cannot believe that any such hath befallen us in our soul, if the same, sin whereby we lost Grace, had taken from us our health, we should strive more to preserve our Innocence, and did Crimes cause the same disorder in our conditions, as it doth in our souls, we should oft times set Philosophers ignorant, Kings without subjects, rich men ruined, proud men abased, and fair women become ill-favoured; but all the loss being spiritual, it is insensible and because it leaves us whatever is most precious to us, we doubt whether it be true or no. The Pledges of Heaven which Grace giveth unto us, the quality of the Children of● God which she obteins for us, the dignity of u Omnis pulchritudo ●ilie regis ab into. Psal. 44. the Temples of the Holy Ghost which she procures us, and the honours of being the Members of Jesus Christ, which she acquires in our behalf, are the advantages which we possess without being sensible thereof, and which we lose without sorrowing. Faith is requisite to the knowledge of our souls health, and of our loss, and unless we carefully inquire into our conscience, hardly can we know whether we be guilty or innocent, but Adam had all miseries, poured down at once, upon him, his loss was not by degrees, as ours is, it was great at the first, and if any advantages remained to him after his loss of favour, he needed new Grace to make good use thereof, he was sadly sensible of the privation, because it was general; he was so much the more unfortunate, for that his misery succeeded a height of happiness, and he had so much the less reason of Comfort, for that the fault which bereft him of righteousness took therewithal from him, all that he was thereby endowed withal, his soul found no longer any submission in her body, no more faithfulness in her senses, nor obedience in her Passions, she was forced to encourage all their disorders, and to give life to Rebels, or such as were guilty, she felt herself distracted by her own Inclinations, and not comprehend how being but one in her Essence, she was divided in her will: But nothing did so much astonish her, as to see that Rebellion was spread abroad throughout her whole Empire, and that all her subjects were become Rebels, for her Passions which formerly followed her orders, now did nothing but by their own motions, they waited no longer for Commands from reason, and consulting with nothing but their own Interests, began to rise as oft as they were solicited either by Pleasure or Profit so to do: if her senses were not disobedient, they were unfaithful, and being corrupted by objects, made her no x Ignorantia peccati poena, peccatum est, & peccatorum plurium origo inde ait Psalm. delicta juventutis, & ignorantias meas ne memineris. Et si enim damnabiliora peccata sunt qua à scientibus commi●untur, tamen si ignorantiae peccata nulla essent hoc non legeremus quod commemoravi. Aug. lib. de Gratia & arbit. cap. 3. more true reports. Falshood entered into her by the eyes or by the ears, under the likeness of Truth, vice did insinuate itself, into them with more delight than virtue; and these wicked Spies holding Intelligence with the enemy, took Pleasure when once they had suffered themselves to be corrupted, to abuse their Sovereign. In fine, the revolt was so general as it passed even into all the parts of the body, the operations whereof being necessary, it seemed they could not be irregular. Natural Heat did no longer perform all its Functions, and were it either that it had lost its strength, or that it found any resistance in Food it could not perfectly digest nourishment: and crudities were occasioned thereby, which furnished matter for sicknesses. Old age, which was a consequence of this disorder, took from her the use of her Members, and the soul was never more troubled then when she found, that an humour falling upon the Nerves, hindered their motion, and caused Pain in them, Man abhorred himself, he saw wrinkles in his face; and he thought his death was not far off, when he saw his hair grow grey, that his eyes lost their lustre; that his ears distinguished no more of sounds, and that his legs, grown weak, could no longer sustain him. To all these evils that the soul of our first Father suffered after having sinned, our disorders have added some more direful; for the soul seems only to be fastened to her body, that she may undergo a thousand Punishments. Death presents himself before her, in a thousand dreadful shapes, every sickness is a Torment, every part of the body is a place where Pain may assail her, the remedies which she seeks for to cure her, are new pains, and the very virtues which she calls in to her aid, are so austeer, as they oft times send her back to despair; sometimes she changeth her disease into a remedy, & by an extravagancy which Nature teacheth her, she makes use of the rigour of death against the miseries of life. Though this blind Fury y Contra inju● rias vitae beneficium mortis habeo. Seneca. be always unjust, and that it be not lawful for any how unhappy soever, to hasten the hour of his death, yet it is a good proof of the misery of sinful man, and an excellent argument, to prove that the soul is very unhappy, since she finds no more wretched Place of abode, than her body: and that she resolveth to lose life that she may recover her liberty. The third Discourse. Of the weaknesses which humane understanding hath contracted by Sin. IF the understanding be not the Noblest of all the faculties of the soul, it is at least the most illustrious, it is the Sun of our soul which conveys light into the will, which guides this blind Queen, which dictates her decrees unto her, which pronounceth them for her, and which serves her for an Interpreter when she will express her intentions. 'tis this which seeketh out truth and finds it, which vaunts itself to be to be the Father of Sciences, and which solicited by admiration discovers the causes, the effects whereof she hath observed, It is this which conceiveth the perfections of each Creature; and which without losing itself from the soul, hath the virtue of attracting objects, and of transforming them into its self; that it may know them, it makes the Sun descend from the Sky without Magic z Carmima vel c●lo possunt deducere lunam. Virgil. it makes mettle rise from the bottom of Abisses, without violence; and dissects whole Nature without the effusion of blood. It is this Noble faculty likewise which appears first in man, which entertains Company, and takes the heart, and which makes itself be admired even by those that do condemn it: but though it retain so many advantages as makes it be generally esteemed of, yet hath it its defects, and a man may easily judge by the weakness thereof: that as it had a great share in the sin of man, it had the like in his punishment, for to convince man's understanding, and oblige him to condemn himself, making him his own Judge, you need but set Nature and Religion before him, and let him see the shameful spots he hath contracted by sin, in these two faithful looking-glasses. Since its Rebellion, it is become slave unto the senses, and cannot discover truth, but by their a Nihil est in intellectu quodprius non suerit in sensu. Arist. Inter medium, it is inwardly possessed with ignorance; it's cruelest enemy is its first hostess, it carries its butcher in its bosom, and though nothing be contrary unto it then error: yet nothing is more natural, it hath much ado to rid its hand thereof, and knowledge which promiseth to free it of Error is not got without much labour, its roses are mingled with thorns. Curiosity is a Punishment, and it is disputable, whether sciences be not more troublesome than the evils whereof they cure us. Colleges are shameful Prisons, the Masters thereof are unsufferable Tyrants, and the Scholars unfortunates innocents' to learn Sciences, we lose content, and liberty, and our understanding is so out of the way as it must be made to endure a great deal of evil, before any good be done unto it, whatsoever cunning is used to make arts b Nelentibus subintravil ignorantia rerum ●ndarum & ●upiscentia noxia●um quibus comites sub infer●ntur error & dolour. Aug. 〈◊〉 ●hirid. c. 24. pleasing unto us, they always cost us tears, and that we may see ignorance is natural unto us since we are become guilty, 'tis hardly driven away, but returns with ease. But the rigour of our Punishment is the more augmented in that the understanding is enjoined to employ unfaithful Officers to be instructed by ignorant Masters and to be led by blind guides. In the state of Innocence, truth was written by the hand of Nature in the bottom of our soul, knowledge was thereinto infused, and was not seduced by the senses, the soul learned nothing of them, which she knew not before of herself, she was wise without trouble or error, and if she made trial of her eyes or ears, 'twas rather for recreation, than necessity: but now Ignorance reigns in our understanding, and to overcome this Monster, we must make use of our senses which hold intelligence with it. What Victory can a Prince hope for, who employs Rebels to defend his State, or to fight against his enemies, and what good success can man's understanding hope for, which is necessitated to be instructed by Masters which are as ignorant as its self, the senses perceive but the appearances of things, their substances are unknown unto them, their operations are uncertain, and they stand in need of Air or Light to be informed of the Truth. 'tis true that the understanding examines their reports, but what judgement can one expect from one that is ignorant; what decree can a blind Judge pronounce, who is instructed: only by corrupted witnesses? who sees not that this manner of proceeding is too severe not to be a punishment, and who will not confess that man is faulty, since he is so unhappy. Those who undertake to defend him, say that the Understanding knows the Truth, by instinct, that it is knowing without Art, and that as little Birds know their Dams by the voice, the understanding discerns Truth from Falsehood, and by a natural judgement, embraceth the one; and rejectes the other: but to boot that it is a kind of c Naturalium scientia ne in bestiis quidem deficit. Tertulde anima. Infamy to treat man as you would do beasts, and to give him an instinct who ought to have reason, do we not every day see that he is deceived in his discoveries, that the chiefest of Philosophers hath been forced to confess, that there were more glorious falsehoods than truths, and more dark and obscure truths than falsehoods. Hath not error more that side with her, than her Enemy? Doth not the number of those that are deceived exceed the number of the wise? and was it not requisite that God should endue us with the light of Faith, to free us from Imposturisme and Superstition. I could excuse the Ignorance of Humane understanding, were it not accompanied with disquiet, but it can never be at rest; all objects which present themselves, awaken it, and by a presumptuous vanity, it will make its weakness pass for a mark of its greatness, it boasts that the noblest parts of the world are always in motion, that if the earth be fixed, 'tis because it is heavy, that the heavens move over the heads only because they are light: but its restlessness is a proof of its inconstancy: were it more firm, it would be more stayed, and had it not lost the highest Truth, it would not go inquest after the shadow thereof, its disquiet is both the token and punishment of its sin, it can find no rest, because it seeks not for in d Irrequ●tum ●rit cor nostrum done● 〈◊〉 in t● Deus. Aug. in Con●ss. God: it is sentenced to eternal error, because it strayed from its principal object, and its perpetual motion is not so much a witness of its vivacity, as misery; it altars only because 'tis poor, its indigence is the cause of its agitation, and seduced by vain hope, it still seeks after the the knowledge of good and evil, which its enemy did promise it in Paradise: being more inconstant than Protheus in the Fable, it disguizeth itself in a thousand shapes, by a dexterity which is injurious to it, it adapts itself to all things that it would know, and receiveth the Impression of all the objects which it considereth, when it cannot arrive at their greatness, it abaseth them, when it cannot descend to their lowliness, it raiseth them up, and thus abusing itself, it never arrives at the exact knowledge of Truth, it values things that are common, because it ennobleth them, it inspireth high affairs, because it undervalueth them, not considering that there is injustice in this way of proceeding, it obligeth the will to follow its opinions, and enforceth this blind Queen, to love what it puts an esteem upon, and to hate what it despiseth. All this while it so badly judgeth the things which present themselves before its eyes, as it always prefers Novelty before Greatness, and Rarity before Excellence: the e Non mag●a sed nova miramur. Seneca Quaest Natur. Sun seems not to be so pleasing unto it in his Lustre, as in his obscurity he appears not so beautiful unto it, in his rising, as in his f Magna miracula assiduitat● viguerunt. Aug. Eclipse, and by an inexcusable piece of Capriciousness, it doth not so much admire his beauty, as his blemishes. Though he rise in Glory, though he equally dispense his heat and light, though he go round the seasons, ripen the fruits of the earth, and enrich Nature by his labours, our understanding values him not, but if he g Sol spectato●m non habet 〈◊〉 cum de●cit. Lunam 〈◊〉 psectamu● ni● labor●ntem. Senquaest Natural. grow dim at noonday, if he step in the midst of his career, if the Moon hide him from the earth, and if he who gives life to all things, begin himself to faint, the understanding wonders thereat, and prefers an irregularity, before Common Miracles: it is not more equitable in its other judgements, it's undervaluation, is not better grounded then its esteem, and it is easy to observe that so capricious a Judge is corrupted. But is it not a convincing proof of this, that it can do nothing of Great without being agitated, that it draws its Force from its vexation, and that it dares under take nothing of difficulty till it be out of its ordinary seat, Poets droop, when not enraged, wisdom is an enemy to their work, they must h Nam sive Gr● Poëtae credimus, aliquando & insanire jucundum est sive Platoni frustr● Poeticas fores compos sui pepulit: sive Aristoteli, nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementia fuit. Non potest grande aliquid & supra caeteros loqui, ni● mota men●. cum vulgaria & solita contempsit in● inctuque sacro surrexit excelsi●r, tunc demum aliquid cecinit grandius ore mortali. Senecde tranquil. animae. lose their wits to get heat, and to learn the language of the Gods, they must forget to speak like men. The greatest men have vegaries which deserve the name of Folly, the Gallantest actions of antiquity, are out of the common road, and conquerors are only famous because they were irrational, had Alexander measured his forces with his designs, he had never conquered Asia, and had Caesar well considered the difficult of h●s enterprise, he had never assailed the Roman Republic: the understandings Noblest salleys are extravagant, its Boutadoes are better than its argumentations: and man is become so unfortunate since his fall, that if he will undertake any thing memorable he must forsake reason. In fine, Folly is so natural unto him, as the greatest understandings are the most irregular, there is not any in the world without some mixture of Folly, wise men, and fools are made of the same Temper, and that melancholy which effects the rarest things, is the same with that which doth the greatest extravagancies; who sees not that man's understanding is corrupted, since his perfection consists in his disorder, and who will ●ot judge so miserable a Creature to be faulty, since his noblest faculties cannot act unless they be Irregular. But religion will furnish us with better reasons of his weakness▪ then Nature can. And we shall find as many reasons of Humiliation in grace, as in sin. All our remedies reproach 〈◊〉 maladies, all the favours which we receive from heaven witness our misery, and one need but consider the manner of Gods treating with men, to know that man is Criminal. Faith doth not so much raise his i Captiv●ntes intellectum in obsequium fidei Apos●olus. understanding as she doth abase it: she obligeth it to believe what it cannot comprehend, she mingles obscurity with all her lights, she separates certainly from what is apparent, she commands man to lose his life, in maintenance of his belief, and seems to have a design to make him irrational, that he may become believing▪ He is not more advantaged by revelations, or ecstasies, then by Faith, all of them discover unto him his weakness, and teach him that to understand the things which are of God, he must raise himself above himself. Prophecy is a kind of madness, and ecstasy k 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sob●ii 〈◊〉 comp●s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Tunc 〈◊〉 ape●issime & optimè prae●icunt futura, cum toti à Deo cor ipiuntur. Ja●b. in myster. is an alienation of the understanding: the Prophet who foresee things to come; forsakes the laws of wisdom; He is transported when he pronounceth Oracles, and he ceaseth to speak like a man, when he serves God for an Interpreter, Revelation enlightens the understanding, but in discovering the truth unto it, it upbraids it with Ignorance, it is more passive than active, and the heavens which will humble it in the raising of it up, have oft times chosen the time of sleep to acquaint it with their will; for whilst the senses are lulled a sleep, that the imagination is drowsy or irregular, that the understanding is at rest, God is pleased to discover unto it his mysteries, to the end, that it may know that this enlightening is extraordinary, and that it wax not proud of an advantage which it only receives, than when it cannot beg it. Repentance and Sacrifice which are the two chief means whereby to obtain pardon for our offences, are strong proofs of our misery; for they are both of them injurious to us, the one upbraideth us with our Crime, the other with our Inconstancy, the one teacheth us that we are faulty, the other assures us that we are fickle; the victim suffers l Sacrificium ita est institutum ad do●ntum pecc●tum ut ipsum appell●tur in scaped 〈◊〉 peccatu●. August. the death which we deserve, and with its blood washeth the earth which our sins have sullied: we learn by its dying voice, that having not sufficient merit to satisfy God's justice, we are bound to offer up unto him borrowed sacrifices, and to seek for that from without us which we cannot find in ourselves. Repentance is our shame as well as our remedy, for in this sort of sacrifice, m Maxima est enim sact● injuri● poe●afecisse: nec qu●quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q●m quid ad suppliciu● poe●n t●ae du●ur. S●n c. li. d● liâ c. c6. our souls health is only grounded upon our inconstancy; unless we can change, we cannot repent, if we had the constancy of Angels, we should have the opiniatrecy of Devils, and were we more stable in what is good, we should be more obstinate in what is evil. Divine mercy husb●ndeth our defaults to convert us, but at the same time, tha● it doth us a favour, it reproacheth us, and teacheth us that the wo●k of our Salvation is an effect of our weakness: and its goodness, let no ma● then hereafter boast himself of his advantages, after so public a proof of his misery; let him acknowledge that he is totally corrupted by sin, that God hath found nothing in him whereby fitter to save him, than his Inconstancy, and that he was pleased the virtue which should expiate his sins, should be grounded upon his levity. Though all these reasons do sufficiently manifest the corruption of humane understanding, the greatest of our mysteries is notwithstanding the strongest prooofe thereof, n Ideò De● factus est bomo, ut ab ●omine p●sset intelligi. and the Incarnation of our Saviour CHRIST doth most evidently testify it, for that proud understanding which pretended to be as knowing as God, hath not been able since his fall to form a true Idea thereof, it hath made Gods of all Creatures, it hath offered Incense to the workmanship of its own hands, and built Temples to its Ancestors, or to its Kings, after having taken them from their Graves; It hath suffered itself to be so guided by sense, as it hath been able to conceive nothing but sensible Gods, and whatsoever had not a bodily shape seemed to it, unworthy of adoration. This belief was so universal as the Jews could not fence themselves from it: all the miracles of Egypt, and of the Desert could not free them from superstition, and after having seen, as many prodigies as they had received favours they became Idolaters. God lived with the Jews as a Sovereign doth with his subjects, and gave oft times sensible proofs of his presence. He divided the sea to set them at liberty, he clove rocks to quench their thirst, made Manna fall in the deserts to appease their hunger, uttered his oracles by the Mouth of his Prophets to instruct them, made the Elements fight to defend them, ordered their Troops and gave the word to their Commanders to encourage them to combat, yet did this people despise his greatness; so many Miracles could not turn them from Idolatry: After having obtained so many victories, and triumphs from heaven, they sought for Gods on earth, and believing more in their senses then in their judgements, they adored men whom they saw die, unless the Devil which tempted man in Paradise had corrupted his understanding, so monstrous a error could not have had so many partakers, and had not blindness been the punishment of our sin, so fearful a disorder, could not have so long reigned in the world: but if the Malady was strange, was not the remedy very extraordinary; for to disabuse humane understanding, o Deus non p●tuit ●umanes congressus inire, nisi humanos & sensus, & affectus susce●t pe● quos v● majestatis sue intolerabilem utiquae hum●nae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 te●peraret si●i quidem indigna, ●omini aute● n●cessaria & ita jam Deo digna quia nihil tam Deo dig●um quam salas ●ominis. Te●tul. lib. 2. in Martion. cap 20. the Son of God must accommodate himselfto the weakness thereof, to restore unto him the knowledge of God, which he had lost, Christ must take upon him a body, and suffer his bright Sunshine to be shadowed, that he may become visible: God became man, to win men; he abased his greatness to m●ke it be known, he darkened his own light to lighten us, and unrobed himself of his power, to purchase love. In fine, by an excess of mercy, he changed man's fault into Piety, turned superstition into Religion, and clothing himself with Mortal Nature, he suffered him to adore a man, and to perform his most just duty, by satisfying his most unjust desire. It was by this means that God did draw us out of error, he hath freed us, by fitting himself to our Ignorance, he hath made us spiritual by making himself sensible, and to say all in a word, by making himself man he hath made us Gods; but if this mystery declare unto us the goodness of God, doth it not discover unto us the misery of man? and if it make us admire the Inventions of his Providence; doth it not make us blame the blindness of our understanding, which never knew God so well as when he became Mortal? and which never conceived the true Religion so well, as when Religion put on the appearance of superstition? The fourth Discourse. That there is no Error into which humane understanding hath not plunged itself, since the State of sin. Philosophers have made an Idol of humane understanding, they have given it praises in their Writings which appertain only to God not considering that it is a slave to the body, and that it cannot work but by the Organs thereof; they have endeavoured to make it have no dependency upon fortune, & to raise it above Nature: they fancied to themselves, that humane p V●luit Deus seminare omni ●nimae initiae i●tellectus initiae sapientiae quâ legitimum aliquid facit & sapit. August Scrm. 28. de verbis Domini cap. 8. understanding, had an infused knowledge; and that it did so readily conceive all things, as it might easily be discerned it did not learn them, but recall them into memory. They feigned that it had the seeds of all virtues, and that by being careful in the improoving of them, 'twas easy to make it perfectly virtuous, they persuaded themselves that it had light enough to distinguish between Truth and Falsehood, that it was naturally pious, and that Religion was engraven in the groundwork of its essence: but certainly we must have lost the remainder of our understanding, if we observe not the fallacy of their maxims, Ignorance q Na● 〈◊〉 op● 〈◊〉 ●omine ●d 〈◊〉 ruit, & si 〈◊〉 ●em 〈◊〉 quae om● virtutem 〈◊〉 accip● 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉 si ne do●t. in●●titias p● is rerum m●ximarum. s●d virtute● s● inchoavit & vihil amplius. Cicer. lib. 5. d● finibus. is natural to the understanding, the wisest Philosophers have complained that science was long, life short, and that we were surprised by death, before we could be learned. Aristotle compared the understanding to a Painter's cloth, which may indeed receive all manner of colours from the Painter's hand, but which not having any one ofit self, cannot become a Picture, without the Painter's help. Humane understanding may acquire knowledge, but possesseth none; and the difficulty that goes to the learning of it, is a sufficient proof that there goes somewhat more to it, then bare remembrance. Man's sin deserved punishment, and for his desire of too much knowledge he was adjudged to remain ignorant; for as a disorderly desire of greatness threw him headlong into misery, and as his immoderate desire of living always made him die, his unjust thirst after knowledge, made him fall into blindness and ignorance: We are born with this punishment, Error is an hereditary evil as well as sin, and as all the sons of Adam are guilty, they are all ignorant. If we want Masters to teach us, this evil grows with us, and thinking to get more light, we engage ourselves in new darknesses. 'tis the first piece of Art the Devil useth to undo us: he blinds our understanding, to corrupt our Will; and throws us into error that we may fall into sin, we have two Enemies which set r Dominus illuminatio mea & sal● mea. Sic. Dominum i● ocat ut illminatio detra●t ign●rantiam & s●lu. infirmi●atem. August. in Enchirid. cap. 81. upon us at unawars, the ignorance of things which we ought to do, and the desire of what we ought to shun: these two evils draw on two others; for ignorance produceth error: and desire sorrow. We spend our whole life in this Combat, and very well knowing that we cannot utterly defeat these two powerful Enemies, we think ourselves happy enough if we can but weaken them. We expect the victory and Triumph in Heaven, and knowing that we cannot be conquerors on earth, we are there content with Combat. s Sicut de calce quod ●ervet in aqua in o●eo s●igida est: de magnete ●apide quod stipul●m non moveat, & serrum rapiat, dep●lea sic s●gente ut fluescere nivem non sinat sic cale●te ut ●maturescere po●a compellat. Aug. lib. 21. de Civit. cap. 7. Thus do the greatest Saints beg of God, that he will be their strength, and light, that as light he may dissipate their darkness and as strength sustain their weakness, a man must be as blind, as proud to dispute these Truths, and unless we will side with that proud Sect, which would not acknowledge any fault in man, that they might not be bound to correct it, we must confess that Ignorance and weakness, are equally natural to us: the first is seen in all actions, Nature, Morality, and Religion furnish us with as many proofs thereof as they give us Instructions. For though Nature be not jealous of her works, though she freely expose all her beauties to our eyes, and that she discover unto us her rarest products, who is he that knoweth all her secrets? though the heavens be extended over our heads, who knows whereof they be Composed? though the Sun rise, and set every day, who knows his Influences, and Motions? though the earth bring forth her flowers under our feet, and ripens her fruit before our eyes, who knows what art it useth to give them their several colours? who knows by what secret virtue Nature changeth earth into gold, and taking from its impurity, gives it that glittering Lustre, which makes the final ornament of all our workmanship? Who can comprehend how the dew congeals into pearl, how the water thickens into Crystal, and how becoming solid, it continues still transparent? who can give a reason for these natural Miracles, which we neglect only because they are too common? who knows why straw being so Cold as that it preserves Ice in the midst of Summer, is yet so hot as that it ripens fruit even in the midst of winter? Doth not Amber and the Loadstone make all Philosophers wild? and these Miracles which come so near our senses, do they not confound our understanding? we see all things, that know nothing; we have the use of the Elements, but not the knowledge of them; Whatsoever entertains our vanity, accuseth us of blindness, and whatsoever serves for diversion to our eyes or ears upbraids our understanding with Ignorance. Morality confirms this truth as well as Nature doth: for though she undertake to enlighten man's understanding, and to rule his will, though she boast to make man an Angel, and to take from him all the feelings of the flesh and blood, doth she not lay open unto him his ignorance, when she instructeth him and doth she not show that he is blind, in offering herself to be his Guide and Mistress? 'tis true that he may glory, that he himself hath form her who teacheth him, and to be his Mistress' Master, since she hath no Maxims, which are not the inventions of the understanding. But this his vain glory is very is very ill grounded; and Morality is a bad proof of his sufficiency, t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 & no● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tieu, in 〈◊〉 a●is, i● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, jam lo is 〈◊〉 ac 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sua qua● opinions 〈◊〉, ubi & si 〈◊〉 vera 〈◊〉, ead●m licentia di●bantur & 〈◊〉, p●orsus 〈◊〉 ●rustra talis civitas mysticum vocabulum Bab●nis acceperit. Aug. l●b. 8 de Civit. c 4●. since she herself is so full of errors, and doubts▪ For what is that Truth which Philosophers dispute not about? into how many Sects have they divided themselves? on what principles do they agree to establish their Maxims? and what propositions have they put forth, which they themselves have not crossed or gainsaid? hath not every one of them made unto themselves a differing Idea of Happiness? And this point; which is the ground work of Moral Philosophy, hath it not been the rise of all their disputes? Aristotle made it to consist in the knowledge of the Summum Bonum, Seneca in the possession of Virtue, and Epicurus in the enjoying of Delight. But do not all sinners make a party in Morality, and do not their Inclinations formas many several Sects? do not the Ambitious place their felicity in Glory, the Curious in Novelty, the Avaricious in riches, and the unchaste in love? If men cannot agree in their choice in the Summum Bonum, how will they agree in the definition of Virtue? this indeed is the rock of all Philosophers, and it seems that following their Inclinations, rather than their judgements: they would make virtues of all vices, which they delighted in, sins against Nature have not only been excused, but even highly commended in their schools. Socrates the Stoics God, and the only just man who all Philosophers oppose to our greatest Saints, did not he love Alcibiades? the Praises which he gives him in Plato, do they not taste of wantonness, doth he not seem as if he made love to a Mystery? and the Panygericks which he makes of his good behaviour, and beauty, do they not afford us reason of suspicion; whether it were his body his mind that he was most in love withal. Is not Pride and madness the soul of all the Stoics virtue? do not they compare their wise men with their jupiter? do they not make a God of their Zeno? and as oft as they put their Gods & Masters together in balance, do not they prefer those who first form their proud Philosophy? would not Epicurius make virtue a slave to voluptuousness, and according to Seneca's one opinion, is he not guilty of having endeavoured to set the servant, and the Sovereign upon the same Throne? Is not Plato a pleasant Dreamer, who tastes more of the Poet, then of the Philosopher? we reverence his Disciples, only because they endeavour to heighten themselves by straying out of the way, if we put a valuation upon them, 'tis because they have taken a more obstruce path, than others, and that quitting reason and judgement: (which are men's guides) they would raise themselves up even unto the height of Celestial intelligences, but into what errors have they headlong fallen? what Fables u Dolcobona fide Platon● omnium h●reticorum co●dimentarium sactum. Tertul de anima. have they mingled with their superstititions? what reasons have they invented to excuse unchaste l●ve? what cunning have they made use of to establish its Empire? and with what impiety have they gone about to persuade us that God lay hidden in his Creatures? and that whosoever loved beauty in women, or goodness in men, loved the Images and shadows of the Deity. The Academics appeared to be a little more rational, the best Ancient wits have sided with them, or been their Disciples; Cicero and Virgil, (the rarest Ornaments of the Roman Republic) followed their Maxims they were not so proud as the Stoics, nor so poorly minded as the Epicurians, yet they held Paradoxes which justled Truth as well as reason, they allowed of sin under x Ante omnia caveai● Natura, ne quis vos 〈◊〉 invitos, patet exitus: si pu●re non vult● l●cet sugge, ni●il seci 〈◊〉 quam 〈◊〉. Atten●te m●do & videbil is quam brevis ad libertate● & quam expedita, ducet via. Senec. de Provide. cap. ulti●o. the name of virtue, and when they wanted Patience or strength to keep back grief or sorrow, they betook themselves to despair: In fine, all these Philosophers partook of of the sins of the people; they were not less Idolaters, though they had greater Lights, and making policy of Religion, they worshipped the Gods of their Wives and Children: they in their writings made Panygericks to the Divine Essence, and in their Towns they erected Temples to evil spirits, they were Christians in their speeches, but Infidels in their Actions: they had good conceptions, but committed bad deeds, they knew God because they could not be ignorant of him, and they offended him, because they had not the courage to serve him. My last proof wherewithal to confound the pride of humane understanding, and to make it confess that it is guilty, since ignorant, I will borrow from Religion the, Scripture, and Divinity teacheth us, that man bears the Character of God, being form after his Image, he cannot see himself without discerning his Author, this first glimpse of light cannot be defaced, all the darkness of error cannot obscure it, and when man consults with his conscience or reason, he is by them instructed that there can be but one y Etiam anima circum venta ab adversario me● sui auto●s. Si mirum si à Deo data ●alem canit quae Deus suis dedit nosse, Te●tul. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. animae. God. Without the help of Philosophers, or Instructers, he knows this Truth; and when he suffers Nature to speak through his mouth upon this subject, she pronounceth Oracles, and utters no falsehoods: thus when the Pagans were surprised with any danger, and that instinct did in them prevene reasoning, they implored the succour of the true God, they spoke the language of z O 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud 〈◊〉 ●nia 〈◊〉 ●ficit 〈◊〉 Christianorum. Tertul. de testim animae. Christians, not thinking of it, and condemned the worshipping of Images of which the soul of their Religion was Composed. The first Fathers of the Church opposed them with this reason. Tertullian delights to let them see that they were only Idolaters then, when they use violence to Nature, and that they stifled her resentments, to follow those of superstition: but when they suffered themselves to be led on by opinion, or example, there was no Error which they did not embrace nor no so infamous creature to which they did not with their mouths make vows, and offer Incense with their hands. The a Foeli●es populi quibus 〈◊〉 nascuntur in hortis. Numina. Egyptians who vaunted themselves to be the Fathers of all Sciences, worshipped Onions, good store of Gods grew in gardens; Labourers might boast that in manuring of the Earth, they gave their Prince's Gods, and that their Canonising did not so much depend upon the People's consent, as upon husbandry and Labour. The b Cum felicitate colebantur & Pavor & Palor, & Febris & cetera non numina colend● rum sed crimina colentium. August. lib. 4. de Civit. c. 23. Romans whom time ought to have polished, and Philosophy civilised; made Gods of all things, War, and Peace, had Temples in their Republic: all the passions were there adored, the most infamous ones were there sacrificed unto, and these People owed all their glory to their valour, forbore not to offer sacrifices to Fear and shame, the ignorance of Physicians, and the weakness of those that were sick, procured the like honour to Agues, the fits whereof, redoubled fits, and intermissions, were the mysteries which made it be adored. In fine, their Canonising, became so common, as the wiser sort did despise it, and seeing that Insecta had their Altars, they thought it to be more honourable to be man then God. These reasons may suffice to beat down the Pride of humane understanding, and to make it confess that Error is very natural unto it: since that not being able to comprehend the unity of God, it could not know the most glorious Truth of all others. The fifth Discourse. That reason in Man, is become blind, and a slave, since sin. Philosophy being the Daughter of reason, we must not wonder, if she defend her mother's interest, and if she employ all her cunning in excusing her faults who gave her life: for presently after our loss, reason invented Philosophy, and built this stately Edifice upon the ruins of innocency, she drew her chief advantages from the light which God had infused into the soul of Adam, she did embellish it with the most precious remainders of original righteousness, and taught her all those gallant Maxims, which she had learned from Angels in the earthly Paradise; In fine Reason did deck c Utinam quem admodum universi mu●di ●acies in conspectum venit ita Phylosophi●●ota posset nobis occ●rere pro ●erto: omnes mortales in sui admirationem rapere●. Sen●c. Epist. 89. Philosophy in so becoming an array, as she became In-am●r'd of her beauty, she made thereof a false Deity, and whilst the blind people offered Incense to the workmanship of their own hands, the haughty Philosophers adored the workmanship of their own heads, and raised Philosophy above Religion. This daughter was not ungrateful, and to acknowledge the favours which she had received from her Mother, she gave her all the praises which her vanity could not aspire unto: she made her to be man's Summum Bonum, the guide of his life, the Mistr●s of all the virtues, and Queen of passions, she entrenched upon the rights of Grace and Faith, to make her more Illustrious, and endeavoured to persuade her Disciples, d Lauda in ho mine quod nec ●ripi potest 〈◊〉 dari quod pro pri● est hominis. Queris 〈◊〉 sit? animus & ratio in animo 〈◊〉. Senec. Epist. 41 that to be rational, was sufficient to be happy: All Philosophers have used this Language, their writings are Panygericks of reason, and to he●r them speak, you would think this Idol were the only Deity that is to be adored. Sen●ca is never less rational than when he defends reason's side, the justice of his cause makes him insolent, e Omnes mortales multo anteced●s non multo te 〈◊〉 a●te edens. Quid int●r ●e, & i●os sit inter fu●urum qu●? 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S●. 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. to preserve his parties advantages he assails Religion, and to heighten man's dignity, he abuset● God's Majesty: he will have his wise man to be as content as his jupiter, that their happiness is equal, though their condition be different, and that nothing in the world can add●●nto their facility. 'tis true that these Blasphemies are intermingled with some rational Praises: for he is not deceived when he says that reason is man's proper good, that all these are strangers to him, and that nought ought to be esteemed in man, save what one cannot give him: the riches which he possesseth, are not his; the beauty of his Palaces, great revenues, number of his slaves, or vassals, and the glory of his Apparel, are advantages which he may lose when fortune shall cease to favour him. To know his happiness he must know his desert and to know if he be fortunate, he must inquire whether he be rational or no, reason is the most ancient and most illustrious of all his Qualities, he cannot lose it without changing Nature, and if he do not preserve this privilege, there is no creature in the world which is not richer than he, for if he think to ground his happiness f In homin● optimum quid est ratio, ●aec antecedit animalia, deos sequitur. Ratio ergo perfecta, pr●fectaprop, ium hominis ●num est: cae●era cum animalibus illi communia. Valet? & leones, formosus est & pavones, velox est? & ●qui. Corpus habet & arbores, habet vocem sed quan to clariorem canes, acutiorem aquila, gravior● tauri dulcio rem mo●ilioremque l●inae. S●n. Ep●st. 76. either one strength, or courage; there is neither Tiger, nor Lion, which will not dispute the business with him, if he will boast of his height. Trees are higher and much more straight, and if he glory in his beauty, I know not whether Peacocks in the glory of their Plumes will give way to him or no; if he take Pride in his voice, he will be enforced to confess that Dogs have it more shrill than he, Bulls more strong, Nightingales more sweet and pleasing. If he boast of his Activity, Horses, and Hearts will shame him, and unless he place his greatness in his reason, he must confess that Nature hath not dealt so favourably with him as with beasts. Indeed, it is Man's Glory, and chiefest difference, 'tis that which gives him the Command over all Creatures, and which makes him be the Image of God, and if a body would know his greatness, we must not ask whether he be Lord of large Territories, whether he command over many People, whether he distributes justice in a Throne of Gold, whether he lie in a bed of Ivory, or whether or no he drink in a glass of Crystal; but whether his reason be not a slave to his Passions; g Cums●aratio 〈◊〉 homin●●tio perfect▪ beatum facit. Sen●. Epist. 76. and whether or no his noblest part, hath preserved its authority: this weak reasoning hath prevailed so far with men, as that there are many in Christendom, which love much better to be reasonable, then faithful, and who take more care to inform their judgements then their belief: they content themselves with the name of Philosophers, not pretending to the quality of Christians, and so long as they as-subject the body to the soul, they do not greatly care whether they submit their soul to God or no. Notwwithstanding all this, reason wants not her weaknesses being blind she needs a guide, and to the end that she wander not out of the way, she must be led by Faith: sin put out her eyes, when she i M●to 〈◊〉 non ●ris rational●s sed 〈◊〉. Aug. became slave thereunto; if she stumble upon the Truths 'tis by haphazard: and she ought rather to praise her Fortune for it, than her foresight. This Enemy took from her both her Light and Strength together; she gives way to the weakest on-sets, the least resistance astonisheth her and as soon as the Passions or senses give against her designs, she changeth them as much out of weakness as Complacency: servitude ensues her defeat; for when she hath once given way to the violence of Passions, these Rebels grow upon her and take her weaknesses for a sign of their Power. Factious People being for the most part insolent, these force their Sovereign to defend their side, they make use of their Credit to authorise their revolt, and abuse even the name of reason thereby to destroy her Empire. This is a prevailing Mischief in most men, who in their greatest undertake consult only with their one inclinations. They act either through ambition or love, their motive is ei●her Pleasure or Glory, and the Passion which possesseth them is always the Primum Mobile which hurries about all the faculties of their soul. Reason hath no other employment then to seek out pretences to excuse their designs, and this Sovereign is reduced to the necessity of favouring the disorders of these her rebellious slaves: if she sometimes defend herself, against ambition or love, 'tis that she may be overcome by Grief, by an erroneous piece of Prudence, k Multa bona nostra nobis nocent, timoris enim tormentum memoria red●cit, provi●entia anticipat. Nemo t●ntum praesentibus miser est. Sen. Epist. 5. she foresees her mischief before it happen, and by an angersome remembrance, she afflicts herself when it is gone, One and the same evil make; her three times miserable, and she employs all the differences of times to increase her dislikes, she dreads them before their birth, rescents them during their life, and remembers them when they are dead: for experience teacheth us, that reason which ought to appease our evils, doth irritate them, and that after having well discussed the matter, we are forced to have recourse to ignorant men's remedy, and to cure that with time, which we could not cure by Philosophy. She is not much more lucky, in the guidance of our actions, then in the curing of our Maladies; for though she boast herself to be the soul of Policy, and to furnish Morality with all those brave Maxims which makes Families fortunate, she is so little equal, as what she approves of in one country, she condemns in another, Laws, which l Si lex ratio●e co●stat lex ●rit omne j●m quod ratione 〈◊〉 à qu●cumque productum. Tertul. de 〈◊〉 Mil●. are the mere work of reason, differ more than Climates. What is permitted in Africa, is forbidden in Europe, what is accounted a virtue in France, is a vice in Germany. Every Nation hath its several Customs, and oft times in the same State and under the same King, every Province hath its peculiar Fashions. Reason puts herself into a hundred several shapes to defend them, and when she confers them together, she doth like those wicked Judges who make both Parties hope for Profit in the cause that they may prolong their process: she is ingenuous enough to make doubts, but not wise enough to resolve and after having examined all opinions, she is obliged to forsake the Philosophers Part, and to embrace the opinion of the Pyrrhonians. What esteem can one put upon so fickle a Mistress? what belief can one have of so unconstant a Sovereign? which fits herself to the honour of her subjects, which changeth with the Climates, which sides with the Heavens that cover her; and with the earth which bears her? what likelihood is there of being guided by her advice, since she hath none that is settled and since that she is so inconstant in her resolutions, as the last do always like her best. To boot that this good is so frail, and that sin hath brought it into such a condition as we seem to enjoy but the appearance thereof rather than the thing itself, there are moreover a thousand other accidents which may bereave us of it: for of as many things as we have in our disposal, there is not any one that we oftener lose than reason. Our Infancy inhibits us the use thereof m Infans dum nascitur ●acet n●ens ubi sit, quid sit, à quo creatus, ●am reusde●cti non d● capax p●aecepti. Aug. de paen. merit. c. 36 during our first years, We are Masters of this Treasure, but cannot make use of it, this Sun is so weak at its first rising as it cannot disperse abroad its beams: this fountain is so small in its spring head, as it cannot frame rivulets; We are poor amidst our treasure, and unless we trim and prune our understanding it either continues barren; or brings nothing forth but thorns: the senses, which seem to be ordained by Nature, for the service of reason, keep her in ignorance, or throw her headlong into error. The passions which are born to obey her, rise so tumultuously against her, as she is forced to follow their Motions, and to side with Rebels. To enjoy peace she is content to be engaged in a fault, she believes that to serve willingly, is to reign, that to follow her passions is to command them, and to approve of their Revolts, is to preserve her authority. Yet is she so little at liberty in this n Non libera voluntas dicenda est▪ quamdiu est vincentibus & vincientibus cupiditatibus subdita. Aug. Epist. 44. condition, as that one must excuse her sin by her servitude, she is only thought innocent, because she is a slave, her faults are forgiven unto her only because she cannot, and she preserves her reputation, only through the loss of her Liberty. When the first Motions of her Passions are a little alaid, and that she may avenge herself of the affronts done unto her by her insolent subjects, 'tis observed that by siding with them she is infected with their Inclinations, that by suffering their disorders she corrupts her own purity; and that by going about to excuse their revolt, she herself becomes guilty. Thus man is almost never rational, because he is always passionate, and he d●th but seldom make use of his reason, because he oft times followeth his passion. To so many Enemies which bereave man of the most glorious of all his Qualities, sickness is added; which making war upon our bodies, declares it openly also against our souls: for these two parts are so straight bound together, as their good and bad are Common between, though the soul be the more Noble, yet stands she in need of the body in her chiefest operations, she must follow after that which she would avoid, borrow forces from her Enemy to fight him, and make use of the senses to reduce him to his duty. If this slaves Temper be altered by any disorder, the soul rescents it, if the blood spring in the veins, if the vapours which arise from thence trouble the Imagination, or if a burning Favour seize upon the brain, the soul can reason no longer, This Noble part of man falls into extravagancies, the confusion of species puts it in disorder, and all the wisdom thereof is turned to folly. Sleep is not so violent, yet is it little less shameful than sickness, for it benumbs the senses, lulls the faculties of the soul asleep, blots out the remembrance of Glory from out the minds of Conquerors, stops the designs of Monarches, interrupteth the wakning of Philosophers, Levels the conditions of the living to that of the dead, and to preserve our life takes from us the use of reason. For my part, I cannot think that sleep did us thus much injury before the State of sin, I am of opinion, that the power thereof extended only to the senses, that it undertook nothing upon man's most Noble Part, that it le●t him the liberty of reasoning, and that like to Jesus Christ, his soul o Ego dormi● & co●meum vigila●. was awake, though his body slept. For what likelihood of belief is there that man should be every day reduced to a Condition wherein his highest operations should be interrupted, wherein his will can command nothing, his understanding conceive nothing, nor his memory represent nothing unto him; Who can suppose that in so happy a condition, man should pass half his life away in sleep, that his soul should be able to do no other functions, than what the souls of beasts do, and that all her employment lay in the digesting of meat, dissolving of vapours, and moving of Arteries. When I consider what disorder sin hath caused in man, I am forced to say that he hath very much altered his Condition, p Homo animal rat●onale mortale. August. 9 Apul. and that Philosophers had reason to believe, that death was as much of his Essence, as reason was, for from the time he began to live, he began to die, he lost his life as soon as he received it, and this decree pronounced against him, is executed the very first moment of his Birth, that which we call life is but a prorogued q Agunt opus su●m sata: nobis sensum nostrae necis auferunt quoque faci●ius obrepat mors sub ipso nomine vitae lat●t. Sen. ad Martiam. cap. 20. Death, and Divine Justice seems to take pleasure in prolonging it, that we may be sensible thereof▪ Life would be undeservable did it last but a Moment, and our Punishment would not be very great, if it ended at the same instant that it began. We die in life, and live in death, death is engaged in life, and life subsists only by death, but reason is as it were a stranger to man; When he began to be Criminal, he began to be i●ationall, he lost his principal advantage, in losing his Innocency, and he left us in doubt whether he was any longer man, being become a sinner, for reason which is his principal difference, is an accident which foregoes him upon a thousand occasions. Nature admits him to life; before she admits him to reason, When age grants him this benefit, Passion forbids him the use thereof, when passion doth not molest his judgement she dozeth it, and of all things that man is Master of, he loseth none more often than his reason. Yet this loss is indifferent to him, he complains of all the rest, and laughs at this: he esteems himself unhappy if he have lost his wealth, he gives himself over unto sorrow when he falls from his greatness, and languisheth in Pain when he hath lost his health. But when passion bereaveth him of the use of reason, when sleep reduceth him to the condition of beasts, or when sin blots out the Image of God from out his soul, he doth but jest at his disaster, and takes pleasure in hazarding that thing which of all the world he ought to esteem most precious. This is also that dread full punishment wherewith divine justice chastizeth the greatest sins. God never gave a more fearful example, of his rigour then when he bereft Nebuccadnezar of his reason, when r Dan. 4. 53. he turned a Sovereign Prince into a wild beast, and that together with the shape of man, he took from him his understanding and judgement. There is no monarchy which hath not seen some of her Princes stripped thereof, Providence takes Pleasure in beating down Thrones, in 〈◊〉 of Sceptres and in taking away of Crowns, she sets upon Sovereigns in their Palaces, and after having raised them up to the highest pitch of greatness, she throws them into a precipice of miseries her most ordinary revenge is chang●: no age passeth over wherein she witnesseth not her power by these sorts of Punishments,: but when Innormities of the fault deserves a greater punishment, she together with their Sceptre takes away their reason from such Monarches as she will Chastise: she troubles both their State, & their judgement; and brings them to a Condition wherein they are both the scorn and the hatred of their subjects. By all this discourse 'tis easy to conclude, that reason without grace is no great advantage; that to restore unto her her former Lustre, a man must have recourse to Faith, that to be solidly rational, a man must be truly Pious, and that humane understanding which so much Glory in, is so weakened since the Corruption of our Nature, as that the Wise man had reason to say the Number of Fools is infinite. The sixth Discourse. That Memory, hath lost her vigour by the means of sin, and that she agrees not very well with judgement. IF it be lawful to judge of the excellency of things by their usefulness, we must confess that memory is very excellent, since she is of such use; for humane understanding would soon be weary of taking Pains, did not memory take care to preserve its productions; and if this faith full Officer did not s Memoriam Plato se●um & intellectuum 〈◊〉, & Ci● thesaurum omnium studiorum praedicavit. T●ll. lib. de ani●. assist it, in its affairs; for though it be fertile, and that like him whose Image it beareth, it be never drawn dry, yet would it be very unhappy, if the thoughts thereof were lost as soon as produced, and that as oft as it would discourse it were bound to form new Conceptions: but this Favourite which knows all its secrets, easeth it of that Pain; for she keeps in store all its inventions, and by a dexterity which cannot be sufficiently admired she presents them to it, as oft as is desired. She hath nothing else to do, but to receive the species which it commits to her trust, she disposeth of them passing cunningly, the number of them causeth no confusion, and though we have but weak conjectures to guess at the order she observes therein, yet is it probable that she lodgeth those which are alike, in one and the same place: it is true that their being, being spiritual, they take up no place; without justling, or confounding one another, they reside in one and the same place, and though they love motion they never make any commotion, unless commanded by the understanding, with what terms it useth to make itself be understood, we know not, but hardly hath it expressed its will, t Ibi quand● sum 〈◊〉 ut pro seratur quod volo, & qu●dam statim prodeunt, qu●dam requiruntur diu●us, & tanquam de abstrusioribus quibasquam r● ceptaculis cru● tur, quaedam catervatim se proruunt, & dum aliud petitur & quaeritur proficiunt in medium quasi dicentiame sort nos sum●s. August. lib. 10. Confess. cap. 8. when presently it is obeyed, of as many confused species as are enclosed in the bosom of memory, none but that which the understanding calls for, appears; all the rest keep quiet and silent, and if sometimes any confusion prove to fall out among them, 'tis occasioned by their extreme desires to follow its orders, if that which it seeketh for be somewhat slow or idle, her Neighbours endeavour to quicken her, they present themselves before their Master in a Crowd, to give him satisfaction, and oft times in looking on them, he finds out that which he sought for. All Sciences are the products of memory; in vain should the understanding conceive Truths, if she did not retain them, 'tis a living book wherein we write our thoughts in invisible Characters, This secret is much more ancient, & much more certain than that of Printing, he who is only wise by the means of books, is ignorant, and who cannot frame a Library in his understanding is not learned: Our knowledge is subject to the Empire of Fortune, as well as our riches; when it is engraven upon bark or writ in paper, worms may eat it, and fire which makes us Poor may make us ignorant, if our Treasury be locked up in books, our knowledge must make up a part of ourselves, and must be so imprinted in our souls, that even u Haec omnia recipit recolenda cum opus est, & retractanda grandis memoriae retractanda grandis memori●●ecessus. Idem ibid. death may not bereave us of it. This is likewise the Philosophers and x Consilium fut riex pr●terito ve●it. Senec. Fpist. 83. Politicians riches, 'tis from this bottom, which cannot be drawn dry, that they draw their Maxims, that they frame Monarchies, and m●ke men happy, for though wisdom be employed more in considering what is to come, than what is past, and that the makes it her chief work to foresee future things, yet doth she instruct her seif by History, she informs herself of what is past, to foresee what is to come, she grounds her conjectures upon what hath already happened, she steers her course by the life of her Ancestors, and hath all their instructions from memory, if those great men who sit at the Helm in Flies did not call to mind what hath been done in former ages, they woul● commit gross faults in government, and did not their memory assist their wisdom, they would not so often light so right upon the t●ick of y Ibi & ipse 〈◊〉 i 〈◊〉 meq▪ rec● quid, quan●o vel ubi ege●m, quo●ue 〈◊〉 c●agerem aff●ctas su●im. 〈◊〉 sunt o●nia quae s●e exper●a à me sive cre●ita me m●ni. Au●. 10. Cenfess. cap. 8. State, they must find expedients out of her Treasury, they must unravel their intricacies by her Counsel, and this mother of inventions must furnish them with means to allay that Tempest which thre●ens a Monarchy. In fine 'tis this admirable Faculty of the so●l, which Composeth Annals, which m●kes the dead live, which draw● Heroes from their Sepulchers, which in-●nimates the living by their example, and which by her labour triumpheth over forgetfulness. She ventures upon the laws of time, and as if she were an Image of Eternity, she accords what is to come with what z Quisnam est quid●cat mihi non esse t●ia tempora, si ut p●eri didi●imus pue●osque do cuimus praeteritum present & futurum, sed tantum prae sen●, q●iam illa duo non s●? a & i●sa s●nt, sed ex al●quopro cedit at u●to, cum ex future fit praesens & in aliq●od recedit occultum cum ex p●aesenti si● praeteritum. Aug. 11. Confess. cap. 17. is past, and obligeth the present time together with her to bear with them: those three parts of time whereof our lives are composed hold so bad correspondency, as that they are not to be united, the time past dreads the present, cannot abide its approach, but vanisheth away as soon as its Enemy appears, the present times makes not long use of this advantage,, for it retires as soon as it discovers the time to come, it yields the victory unto it without fight, in its defeat it hath this of satisfaction, th●t the Conqueror foregoes his own name to ass●e that of the Conquered, and ceasing to be future becomes present. These three times do only live by death, they subsist only by division within themselves, and if they did cease Combating their Triumphs would cease: all things are preserved by their defeat, and all Creatures are so well accustomed to this change, as it cannot be stayed without offering violence to all Creatures. Nothing but eternity can appease their Quarrels, * Pr●s autem si s●er esset praesens▪ nec i● praeteritum transi●et ●am n●n esset tempus sed aet●s. Aug. lib. 11. Con●. cap. 13. which in its undividable unity, d●th miraculously enclose the differences of the time to come, and of the time past, and makes them subsist together under the name of the time present. Memory as a true Copy of this excellent Original, agrees all these enemies, and not having respect to their interests, makes use of them in all her designs; sometime she calls back the timepast, to bereave it of whatsoever, it keeps locked up within its Treasury, sometime she discards the present time, to entertain herself with the future; sometimes she prevents futurity, and looking far into the obscurity thereof, she discovereth what it keeps concealed, and doth distinctly observe what is not yet happened: whatsoever command she hath over all the differences of time, she busieth herself a Praesentia bena nond●m tota in solido sunt, potest illa casus aliquis incider, future pend●nt & incerta sunt: quoth praeteri is inter tuta se positum est. Sen. lib. 3. de Benef. cap. 4. most about what is past, which is her chiefest employment, and her most pleasing diversion, she loves it better than the rest, because it is the most to be trusted, and least Subject to the change of Fortune, it reports things without dissimulation, it discards all passions which impede the knowledge of Truth, represents the lives of great ones without falsehood, and as it doth not excuse their vices neither doth it flatter their virtues; it is a much better judge of their actions then the present time, it is not abused by fear nor hope, it freely instructeth us, and as long as it can, fence itself against forgetfulness we may build upon its fidelity. Though these great advantages of memory, deserve rather Panygericks then reproach, yet hath she faults enough, and a man need be no great Divine to observe what ill offices original sin hath done her; for to boot that she is extreme weak, that age doth diminish her, that the best things escape her, that she is dazzled with those that glitter most, she is oft times of so little efficacy, as the more she labours, the less progress she maketh. She is imbroiled when pressed with too much haste, she must be allowed time & respite to find what she looks for, the desire she hath to give us satisfaction, troubles her, and she falls into a confusion, of which nothing but rest can acquit her, Time which doth instruct her, makes her ignorant, that which heapeth up all Treasures dissipates them, and raiseth up an enemy against her, against whom she hath much ado to defend herself. For forgetfulness reigns in its Empire, it effaceth those species which do enrich her, puts her whole State in disorder, and as an insolent Conqueror slights all the Towns that she hath taken, and leaves no mark thereof to her Posterity; this victorious enemy, overthrows all the works of the understanding, and leaves no footsteps thereof in memory, we are left nothing but sorrow for not having retained what we had gotten, and the being fallen into a misery which is so much more grievous, for that it succeedeth so happy a fortune, yet nothing is more natural to memory b Tanta est in ●riae ub i●o, qu●nta est gloria ●jus cujus est inju●a, memo ria sci●icet. Tertul. ●b. de anima. then forgetfulness, she learneth sciences with difficulty, preserves them with care, and easily forgets them, she grows rusty when un-exercised, and weary if two much exercised; Labour, and Idleness do corrupt her, and one knows not what art to make use of, to entertain any thing of so nice a Nature. Ignorance and sin were born at the same time, as soon as the one made himself Master of the will, the other seized one the understanding, and if man's first sin, were disobedience, Ignorance was his first Punishment, this Malady was not without remedy and knowledge would have made us amends for all our damages, had not forgetfulness assisted Ignorance. But to what purpose do we spend whole nights at our studies, to what end do we gather up the opinions of Philosophers, and observe all the delightful varieties of History, since this monster renders our labours useless, since it dissipates the Treasures which we had gathered, reduceth old men to the condition of Children, and adds the shame of ignorance to the other miseries of their age: they dare not offer at any thing for fear of being mistaken, they forget the names of their Domestics, this faithless Companion puts a thousand affronts upon them, if they engage themselves in a long discourse, they lose themselves. If they will relate their Travels they cannot call to mind the names of Town, or Rivers, & when they have most to discourse of they are enforced to be silent, the Stepmother Nature, takes delight in lessening their memory, when she perfecteth their judgement, and takes from them the remembrance of what is past, when she gives them a foresight into things to come. Man seems to be become a Monster, since he became Criminal, the parts whereof he is Composed c Nobis pudendum est quod imperio nostro caro non s●rvit. quia b●c fit per infirmitat●m quam peccand● meruimus. ●g. lib. 2. de peccat. merit. cap. 22. cannot accord together, and the advantages which ought to make him perfect, destroy each other, the body and the soul suffer a division, which last as long as doth their life; the understanding and the senses have always some difference to determine; Reason and the Passions do never hold so good Intelligence, but that one may perceive in their profoundest Peace, some Face of War. I confess the Domestic dissensions are angersome, and that man is a miserable Creature since he cannot live in Peace: he nevertheless, takes it patiently when he considers that these parties are of a different Nature, and he wonders not that they be not upon good terms, since the one are common to us with beasts, the other common to us with Angels, but he hath reason to complain when he considers this rent passeth even into his soul, that her her faculties are at variance, and that the solidity of judgement cannot agree with the fidelity of memory; these two advantages are incompatible, and nature must do a miracle to join them perfectly well together in one and the same person: she inricheth memory at the cost of judgement, she restores to judgement what she takes from memory, and leaves man the displeasure of knowing that there are perfections of the mind which he cannot equally enjoy. Who would believe that God would have left that blemish in his workmanship, had he not been thereunto obliged by our offences, who can persuade himself that he would have envied us these Qualities, if our fault had not deserved such a punishment, and who will not confess that in the state of innocency, Memory and judgement were at peace together, thereby to make man perfect. To so many reasons which necessarily conclude our soulss corruption must be added, that Memory is never more faithful to will, then when she puts it in mind d In ruissimus omnium qui oblitus: nusqu ●m enim gratus ficri potest, cui totum beneficium elapsum est. Sen. de Benefic. lib 3 cap 1. of injuries, she easily forgets all the favours which she hath received, she is ashamed to remember them, & banisheth the thought thereof as a reproach of indigency; but she engraves injuries in indelable characters, she renews them every day lest they be forgotten, and she is never more happy than when she is offended, there hath been means found out to strengthen the weaknesse of memory, there is an Art taught, how to keep her from going astray, or being mistaken; Invention supplies the Temper, and we obtain that by labour, or industry, which Nature hath refused us, but there is no secret yet found to make us forget e Altius injuriae quam merita 〈◊〉. injuries; the remembrance thereof is everlasting; and though our Religion promise Heaven to those that do forgive, so high a reward cannot efface out of their minds the resentment of an affront. In fine, memory is so corrupted by sin as it is only useful as far as it may be hurtful to us. She is busied about present things, and cannot think upon futurity, she represents unto us all earthly vanities under such pleasing forms as do seduce us; and paint out unto us the joys of Heaven, so wretchedly as it is easily seen she hath no design to make us wish for them, she is never more languishing then when she labours in the behalf of f Etiamsi ●dtum super ●t aeiat●, p●ce jam dispensandum erat ut suffi●ret necessary: nun● quae dementia est s●pervacua discere●n tanta temporis ●ge, 〈◊〉 S●n. Ep. 48. virtue; nor more vigorous than when employed about vice. If she strive to outdo herself tis in things of no use, her chiefest works serves but to amuse us, and as Tumblers delight people by their tricks of activity, and win Credit by their dangerous leaps, memory amuseth herself in retaining things which have no connexion, and to repeat things in order, which have no order in themselves, and astonisheth simple people by these vanities, which they term her Masterpieces. When all this is done that ancient Writer had reason to say that memory was only useful to three sorts of people; to those who did negotiate, who to the end they may not be surprised, are obliged to have always all their affairs present, to those who speak much, for it is memory that furnisheth them with acceptable things, which serve for recreation to the Company, and to those that use to lie, for that to shan the shame which accompanieth that sin, they must remember their falsehoods, on the contrary the default of memory may be of use to us; and as we profit by our losses we may draw from thence three advantages; The first is not to lie, lest we be surprised in that sin. The second, not to speak much, but to keep silence, out of a happy necessity. The third, to love our enemies, and to practise the excellentest virtue of Christianity, by a noble forgetfulness of injuries. The seventh Discourse. That Conscience is neither a good judge nor faithful witness since sin. THose who pretend that nature is not corrupted by sin, and that she remains still in her prrimitive purity, have no better proof thereof than what conscience doth furnish them withal; for conscience takes always God's part, and never absolveth the guilty: 〈◊〉 she is so just as that she condemns herself in her own g P●ima haec est 〈◊〉 quod se 〈◊〉 cenemo nocens absolv●ar. Juven. Sa●y. 3 cause: no reasons can justify us before her Tribunal, and let us use what art we please, it is impossible to make her approve of our Misdemeanours. Philosophers have also acknowledged, that she was both our witness, Judge, and executioner, and that such secret sins as are left unpunished by man's justice, receive their whole payment from conscience, she herself is worth a thousand witnesses. Nothing can be hid from her eyes, which are never shut, she is an everwaking Dragon, and hath such qualities as will not suffer her either to be abased or surprised. Witnesses, that they may not be accepted against aught to have three conditions; The first to be well informed, therefore those who have seen are to be preferred before those that have heard, for the eye is more certain than the ear. The second that they speak truth, and h Multa sacta quae nomi●●us impro●anda viderentur, testimony tuo approbata sunt: & multa 〈◊〉 data 〈◊〉 bus, 〈◊〉 damna●, cum se al●ter babet species facti & animus facientis. Aug. lib. 5. Confess. cap. 9 that they say nothing which they do not think. The third, that they be rational, and do so calm their passions, that neither hatred, nor love, nor hope, nor fear, may ever make them disguise the truth. Conscience hath all these three qualities, for she is well instructed of the fact, and nothing passeth in our hearts which she hath not perfect knowledge of, she knoweth our most secret thoughts, she see●h the end of our intentions, and not stopping at our words, knoweth the secret motions of our souls. It is easy to cozen men who ground their judgements only upon the change of our countenances; they are abused by dissimulation, and he that can but counterfeit, may easily cozen them, but Conscience is our best Counsel, nothing is done whereof she is not aware, she assists in all our Resolutions, and this Sun which never sets, doth by her light dissipate all the darkness of our hearts. Hence it is that she is true in all her depositions, for she speaks things as she sees them, she cannot be deceived, nor can h Si honesta sunt quae facis, omnes sciant: si turpia, quid refert nemin●m scire ●um tu scias? 〈◊〉 te miserum! si hunc contemnas testem. Sen. Ep●st 43. she lie, disguises are so contrary to her Nature, as she ceaseth to be herself when she begins to feign. Her Essence consists of Truth, and though she may fall into error, the cannot fall into a lie. In fine she is so rational, as she is not to be troubled or seduced by passion, she is a derivative of that primitive reason which we adore in God, a copy of that Divine Original, a beam of that Sun, which is never Eclipsed, and they are so straight joined together as i Quid prodest hominem fallere & Deum testem in cord habere. August. Saint Augustine doth mix their lights, and makes but one Deposition of the Testimony of God; and of conscience. How miserable are they who set at naught so faithful a witness? for what satisfaction can those men have, who want the Peace of Conscience? to what purpose doth Public applause serve, when secret approach gives it the k Male de nobis actum erat, quoad multa scelera legem & judicem essugivat, nisi in Incum judicis timor cederet. Sen. Epist 97. lie? what advantage can they pretend too, from the people's approbation, if they condemn themselves? And what Happiness can they enjoy, if whilst others praise their false Virtues, they be enforced to blame their real sins. This Faithful witness is a severe Judge, which can neither be bribed by presents, nor frighted by threats; and who being always Innocent never spare the guilty. All his decrees are just, and though the guilty be his Allies, he forbears not to condemn them. Whatsoever favour they may obtain from other Judges, they can never be absolved by this. and whilst their Mouth pleads for them, their consciences condemns them. And truly we ought to thank Divine Providence, for having given us this uncorruptible Judge to keep sinners within the bounds of duty: for there are faults which escape the rigour of the Law, and which being unknown are unpunished, i Frenum ante p●ccatum & fla●●llum post p●ccatum. there are sins, which being glorious ones, are rewarded, there be some, who being Authorized despise correction, so as our condition had been very deplorable, if Conscience had not ta'en the place of Laws, and if she had not condemned that which men dare not blame, nor cannot Punish. In fine, this Judge becomes an executioner, and after having denounced judgement, he himself doth execute it, he believes that if it be glorious to condemn sin, it's no dishonour to punish it, whatsoever tends to the defence of virtue, and pulling down of vice, seems glorious unto him, and the names of Judge and Executioner are equally honourable to him; True it is that he useth not this rigour, till he employed his harmless cunning to frighten the faulty. k Mala etiam co●sc●entia in solitudine anxia est atque solicita. Senec. Epist. 43. For Conscience is a bridle which holds men within their duty before sin, but when once they began to despise her Counsel, she became their Punishment, and being no longer able to keep back sin, she endeavours to punishit. l Nec ullum scelus licet illud fortunae exornet muneribus, licet tueatur ac vindic et impun●um est, quoniam sceleris in scelere supplicium est. Senec. Epist. 97. 'tis a revengeful fury which never suffers the wicked to rest in quiet, she assails them in towns and in deserts, she declares war unto them in the midst of their palaces, where danger can get no entrance, thither she sends fear, & into whatsoever Sanctuary sinners retire themselves, she makes them feel the smart of their offences: when they see any punishments, they apprehend what they themselves have deserved, as oft as they feel the earthquake under their feet, or the thunder roar above their heads, they imagine justice is armed to punish them. In fine, all their sweets are mingled with some sours, they can take delight in nothing; remorse of conscience troubles their contentments, they tremble amidst their Armies, they are afflicted in public rejoicings, they languish in their best health, are poor amidst their riches, infamous amidst their honours whatsoever praises men give to their misdemeanours they taste not the sweets thereof, and this domestic executioner turns all their pleasures into punishments. In fine, it seems he hath a design to oppose the injustice of Fortune, and to rob the wicked of that glory, which Fortune endeavours to procure them: for Fortune honours crimes, recompenseth Murders, Crowns Parricides, and that she may weaken virtue's Party, prosecutes her followers, but Conscience which hath no other interest then that of justice, punisheth sin in the Throne, m Deum mala conscientia pungit amara sunt omnia. August. and teacheth the guilty, that greatness is but a weak defence, against her just endeavours. Thus faults never fail of punishment; and though they be defended by violence disguised by cunning, excused by reason, or raised by falsehood, they always find their Punishments in the depth of their conscience. As she punisheth the wicked: she rewardeth the good, for if the cry of the public do not praise them according to their desert, they find satisfaction in having done their duty; and the approbation of this just Judge makes them more glorious, than all the Panegyric on earth, in this it is, that the happiness of the Innocent consists; 'tis this that comforts them in their afflictions, that encourageth them in their combats, and which crowns them in their victories. Their soul is a living Throne, where n Interiora pulchritudinis conscientiae amat Christus. ibi videt, ibi amat, ibi lequitur, ibi coronat. Aug. in Psalm. 44. Jesus Christ keeps his residence; they famaliarly with him, and receive on earth the assurance of that Happiness which is promised them in heaven. Though these reasons prove sufficiently that Conscience is the punishment of the wicked; and the good man's recompense yet is it not hard to prove; that she is misled by sin, that this Counsellor is unfaithful, that this Witness is corrupted; that this Judge is interessed; and that this Executioner is backward, and fearful. For what advice can Conscience give us, since she is blind; and that the same darkness which overshading the light of the understanding, clouds hers? how can she divert us from sin, since sin oft mixenth his uncomeliness with the beauties of virtue; and since there be whole entire Nations which approve of Incest, and excuse Parricide? How can she accuse us since she undertakes to defend us, and that being ●educed by the senses, she strives to make whatsoever is pleasing unto them lawful? we form Consciences to ourselves, which destroy those that Nature hath given us; We think that a crime is lawful? When it is either profitable, o Prosper● ac ●lix ●us vi●tus vocatur. Sen●. or Honourable. We think the laws unjust when they thwart our desires, suits at Law hurt not charity because they have some colour of justice; Duels are authorized because they preserve Honour, drunkenness is permitted because it is ordinary: and Pollution shall be no more blamed because 'tis glorious. Thus the Conscience which did accuse us, doth excuse us, and this witness being bribed by sin, speaks only in its behalf. If he be unfaithful in his depositions, he is as unjust in his decrees; for being ill informed he cannot pronounce judgement aright, and his instructions being false, his decrees cannot be equitable; he no longer condemns secret faults, and because they are not scandalous, he will have them pass for innocent, if he cannot authorise them, he excuseth them, and if he cannot absolve the guilty, he signs their pardon, if sometimes the heinousness of their offence oblige him to condemn them; he is slack in punishing them, and his connivance adds to their licentiousness. For though great crimes be accompanied with horror and disquiet, that those that are highly guilty are not endured, and that being subservient to Divine Justice they be the Authors of their own punishment: though the nero's waken in a fright, and that their Mother's Ghost assail them in the midst of their guards, though the Domitian's carry their executioners in their heart, though the Heavens prolong, their lives only to prolong their torments, and that their cruel death be the least part of their punishment, yet there be sinners, who have not this remorse, there are some that enjoy quiet after Parricide, who peaceably usurped Kingdoms and who neither find revolts in their States, nor trouble in their persons. 'tis true p Hor●or cruciatusque ●ormidantis conscientiae ultimus ad re●piscendum stimulus, quid si etiam tollitur de salute d●speratum est. Aug. S. Austin was of opinion that this calm was more dangerous, than a storm, and that the reproach of Conscience was not so severe a punishment as her silence: for when she galls us, 'tis that she may heal us; when she awakens us, 'tis to give us advertisement of the dangers which threaten us, her hurts are favours and her stings are the last that languishing nature can do, but when she hath lost her feeling, our hope of health is lost, her q Stupor non dolet, a●it sensu● doloris, ta●o insensibilio● quanto ●ejor. August. in Psal. 55. stupidity presageth our misfortune, and as the sick man, who is become unsensible of his pains, is abandoned by his Physician, the sinner who hath no longer sense of his sins, is forsaken by Jesus Christ. Yet most men live in this deplorable condition; their Consciences confederate with their Enemies, holds Intelligence with the Devil to deceive them, is silent, that she may surprise them, and refuseth to advise them, only that she may continue them in their sins. Nay oft times, through a high piece of Insolence, she furnisheth them with reasons to defend themselves; for though it be easier to commit a fault, then to excuse it, she undertakes to make their Apology, and if the Crime bear with it any Glorious appearance, she endeavours to make its Panegyric. Thus she who ought to convert them, adds pride to their other wickedness, and after having made them infamous sinners, she endeavoureth to turn them into proud Devils; They then begin to glory in their sins, the higher their offences are, the prouder are they; their success in their first crimes, engageth them in greater, and as the Pleasure which accompanieth virtue, doth encourage gallant men to glorious erterprises: the satisfaction which these men find in sin, encourageth them to Sacrileges, and Parricides. The eighth Discourse. Of the unruliness of the Will, and of its inclinations to evil. WHatsoever advantages Humane understanding may pretend to have over the Faculties of the soul, it must give place to the will, and confess that if he be the Counsellor she is his Mistress, for though his advices bear great credit with his Sovereign, yet is she so free, as nothing can constrein her, the reasons which convince the understanding do r Permissum ●it vile nefass: Quod licet, i●gratum est; quod non licet, acrius crit. not force the will, and after her officer is won, she can defend herself, there is no insinuating into her favour but by sweetness, her consent is only won by submission. Constraint confirms her in her designs, fear rather altereth her actions then her desires, and violence which oft times makes the understanding say what it thinks not, never makes the will pleased with what it is displeased, she is free amidst Irons, and whilst the other Faculties of the soul crouch under Force or sorrow, she is still obstinate in her resolutions, and is never more free than when she seems most constrained. Her Empire is as large as her liberty, all the parts of man do naturally owe her obedience, and even those which act out of necessity cease not to reverence her power. She effaceth out of the memory those species which she hath been trusted with, if you will except such Injuries, and displeasures, as are never to be forgotten, the will to forget a thing is sufficient to think no more thereon. She stops the understanding in all its operations; after 'tis convinced by the Truth, she suspends his judgement, and by an absolute Authority keeps this Judge from pronouncing Judgement. Though the imagination be not so indifferent, and that her fickle humour, makes her oft times start aside from her duty, yet doth she allay her storms when her Sovereign speaks, and if she have made any party in her heart, she is the first that doth dis●e them, when the will commands. The passions which are as rebellious as wild, respect her authority, and if their first motions be not submitted to her power, 'tis because they are not capable of reason, when their fury is over, they return unto duty, and won by love, (which is their Sovereigns only son) they rank themselves under his Laws. Though s Imperat anim● corpo●e, & par●tur statim. Imperat animu● ut moveatur manus & tanta e●t facilitas ut vix à servitio discernatur imperium. Aug. lib. 8. Confess. cap. 9 the sense, do necessarily act, and that they dispose of their objects in their operations, yet cease they not to pursue her order, and to suspend their motions when that Queen commands, the eyes close themselves to please her, the ●ares become deaf to obey her, nay those parts of the body which pretend to hold of her authority, and to be led only by Nature, do notwithstanding experience the greatness of her Power. For though she cannot hinder natural heat from digesting meat, nor the Liver from sending blood into veins, yet she trouble's all their workings, and if Nature hold not Intelligence with her, all her operations do but languish. In fine, the will is so considerable, as man draws from thence his chief advantages: a good wit may make his Company well liked of, Imagination may make him a good Poet, his hand may make him an industrious Artificer, but 'tis only will that can make an honest man: 'tis she that wins him the Title of virtues, t Interest qualis sit voluntas 〈◊〉 ●is, quia si perversa est per vers●s habe●is ●os mot●s; si autem recta est, non solum inculpabiles veru● etiam▪ laud's 〈◊〉. August. 14. d● C●t. c 6. and Integrity, which is the souls chief ornament, is the pure work of this Noble Faculty. Notwithstanding all this, all Sciences busy themselves in ruling all the other powers of the soul, not troubling themselves with the ruling of this. Logic forms the understanding, and teacheth us how to reason; Rhetoric teacheth us the art of persuasion, and furnisheth us with figures to set forth truth; Astrology contents our curiosity, and raising us above the earth discovers unto us all that passeth in the Heavens; Poetry heats our Imagination, and burning it with a fire which doth not smoke, makes it do things which triumph over death and time: Mechaniek Arts make our hands cunning, and teacheth them to imitate the rarest workmanships of Nature: but the will is only form by morality, yet is she so free, as nothing can enforce her. Virtue hath not charms enough to endue her with love, and all the recompenses which she can promise, are not powerful enough to bereave her of her Liberty. Grace must come into the succour of Virtue; Morality must be assisted by Religion, to gain upon the will, for since she is become criminal nothing can bend her, she is the w●rse through her advantages, her greatness makes her a slave, her Power makes her insolent, and her Liberty renders her a captive; she is brought into a condition wherein whatsoever heightens her merit, contributes to her misery, and she is so ill dealt with by sin, as she cannot recover her former perfect Liberty but by servitude: but to the end you may not think I exaggerate her loss in the describing it, I will show her unto you in her greatest advantages, and will demonstrate that since Adam's sin, all her perfections are prejudicial to her. As u Bona privata quaerunt, sive sensus corporis sive facultates, animae. Sola volentas bonum publicum procurat. will is the Sovereign in man she respects the universal good, and whilst the other faculties are only busied about their own particular Interests, she takes care for the welfare of her whole State. The understanding seeks only after truth, and when he thinks he hath found it out, he leaves further pursut. Memory labours only after the retaining of those species which are committed to her fidelity, and when she hath acquitted herself thereof, she thinks she hath done her duty. The imaginations only care is to entertain commerce between the senses and the understanding; the senses have no employments but to consider objects, and to give there opinion thereof to the imagination, the passions themselves, which are the motions of love, have their exercises limited; desire goes inquest after things which are absent, or a far off, Fear drives away dangers which threaten us, hope flatters us by her promises, Audacity assails Enemies that injure us, and choler furnisheth us with weapons to fight, but the will is like a Queen in the midst of her State, who rules all these disorders, and remedies all that is faulty; she listens to what the senses say, calms the fury of the imagination, appeaseth the passions tumults, gives ear to what the understanding counselleth, and from the Throne where she sits, gives out orders, and pronounceth decrees. When she is peremptory in what she says, she is always obeyed, her power (as in God) is Composed of her will, and so long as she is not divided between her body and her understanding, she seldom undertakes any thing which she brings not to effect. The supreme Authority, is doubtless one of the wills chiefest Advantages, and the general care which she takes of the guidance of all the other Faculties of the soul; is an excellent proof of her worthiness; but who sees not that this eminent greatness, is accompanied with extreme misery, since she that can do all seeth nothing, and that she who is so x Coeca voluntas, coecus ejus amor, coecum ejus regimen, nec mi●um si inter tot tenebras aberret homo. absolute; is blind, for she discerns Truth only through borrowed eyes: she must ask counsel of the understanding upon the advice of this faithless officer, she must examine reports made by the senses, stop the violence of passions and assuage the fury of the imaginations. Objects corrupt the senses, The passions suffer themselves to be guided by the imagination, The understanding is perverted by opinion, & this blind Queen amongst so many mutinous Subjects, and so many interressed advices, knows not what resolution to put on, neither to what object to fasten herself. imagine the miserable condition of a Prince, who being blind should have a great State to govern, Provinces to rule, Enemies to fight with, Subjects to guide, Treaties to conclude, Rebels to punish, and who to effect all this, should have none but interessed Officers, or ignorant Counsellors. This is the deplorable condition of the will; she hath a Dominion which though it be enclosed within man, ceaseth not to be larger than the whole World; she hath passions which are wilder than Tigers, she hath intestine seditions, and wars abroad; she hath rebellious Subjects to suppress, secret Traitors y Amor meus pondus meum, eo feror quocunque ferer. August. Conf. to discover, corrupt Judges to reform, and amongst so many disorders, she hath but a weak instinct, which supplying her ignorance, endues her with aversion to what is evil, and with Inclination, to what is good. But some may say, I make Monsters to destroy them, that I make the evil worse than it is to have the pleasure of curing it: for in the state of Innocency, the will was blind, yet was not unhappy; she was led by nothing but instinct, and went not astray, she took her light from the senses, and her Counsels from the Understanding, and yet did not this necessity make her miserable? 'tis true she is naturally blind, and that it is as much out of her power to know the truth, as for the understanding to love virtue, but she was assured of her officers fidelity, the senses were not unfaithful, nor the Passions wild, the imagination was not troubled, nor the understanding darkened, she lived in a peaceable condition, she neither feared her Enemies, nor disinherited her Subjects, but now she is shy of them all; the senses will deceive her, the Passions revolt, her Imagination is confounded, the understanding goes about to corrupt her, and amidst so many disorders, she hath but a weak inclination to Good, which to say truth, doth never abandon her. We must moreover confess that this inclination is much weakened by sin, and that it is a kind of Miracle if it be not corrupted. The Summum Bonum is so Excellent, as he cannot be known, without being beloved, as soon as he suffers himself to be understood, he makes himself be desired, nor can the will be so depraved, but that she must always reserve some love for so ravishing an object. The Angels find their happiness in possessing him, and the Devils their misfortune in losing him, they cannot choose but wish him, and how maliciously so ever their will be bend, it always languisheth after the Summum Bonum. If they could be without love; they would be without sorrow, nor would they be sensible of their loss, could they suffer it without sorrow. Yet this inclination is rather natural then voluntary, 'tis rather grounded in their being, then in their Liberty, and 'tis rather a mark of the goodness of their Nature, then of their good will, If they naturally love God, they hate him freely, though they desire him they detest him, and though their Inclination be forced, their aversion is voluntary. Thus we see that the wills instinct is not so constantly set upon Good, but that it may be taken off, and experience teacheth us that since the corruption of sin, man is more inclined to vice then virtue. z Gratia oneri est, ultio in quaestu habetur. Quidam quo plus debent, magis oderunt. We are much more prone to revenge an Injury, then to acknowledge a good turn; We remember an affront better than a favour, we write good offices done in sand or water, but engrave ill ones in Brass or Marble; Whole ages are required to efface an offence, but an obligation is forgotten in a moment. The favours which we have received are debts, and the injuries interests, wear ashamed to be indebted, and glory to be ungrateful, we think we lose our liberty when we are obliged, and we think to recover it by being unthankful. Man's nature is so corrupted, as his hatred is purchased by favours, and the love he bears to Liberty makes an obligation odious to him, a good turn is sufficient to lose him, and to be repaid with a bad one. From this disorder another ariseth which is as unjust, a 〈◊〉 se ingra● & macerat: ●dit quae accepit quia red● est, & extenuat; injuri● vero dilata●tque auget. Quid autem eo miserius cui ben●ia excid●, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Senec. Epist. 81. and more detestable, We are much more eager in our hatred, then in our love, we pursue our Enemies, with much more heat, than we do serve our friends, we are slack in friendship, and vigorous in revenge, we attempt impossibilities to rid ourselves of one that hath offended us, the remembrance of the injury augments our strength, and we never want reasons to excite our Anger. In assisting a Friend we are weak, all things seem difficult unto us, what he demands appears unjust, and when once he is become necessitous, we esteem him too importunate. This evil inclination of the will, appears no less reviling, then in hatred, we are flow to praise but ready to deprave, we are naturally eloquent in Invectives, but faint in praises; All Antiquity hath been able to make but two or three Panegyrics, yet all her Satyrs are pleasing. An Historian who praiseth virtue is not so much valued as he who blames vice, and experience teacheth us that Orators cease to be eloquent, when they become Panegyrical; Tacitus owes the most of his Reputation to his reviling, he is muchmore pleasing when he paints forth Tiberius his faults, than when he describes Germanicus his virtues, we adhibit more faith to his criminal then to his Innocent Maxims; he passeth for a Statesman when he condemns the Caesar's intentions or those of their officers, his suspicions are as good as proofs, when he speaks ill of Emperors, and his reasons not so good as conjectures, when he excuseth them. If he praise Agripin●s Chastity, he blames her pride, if he heighten Germanicus his courage, he abaseth his mildness, if he value Augustus for his Government, he blames him for his cruelty, and if he make Tiberius his wisdom appear, he every where discovers his dissimulation, and fear. It is easy to discover by his writings, that the greatest part of the Pagans good works were sinful, since he attributes criminal Intentions to Actions which appear innocent. He is only praised of all men, for that he never praised any man, and I am much deceived, if his Design was not to win reputation, at the cost of as many Princes as ●e writ off. In fine our will is so depraved as we cannot see an other man's harm without some sort of satisfaction, we are afflicted at his good success and rejoice at his b Qui alienis malis sicut suis bonis laetantur, divites sunt alienis jacturis, locupletes calamitatibus, immortales funeribus. Valer. Maximus. misfortune, not being offended with him, we are pleased with his misery, displeased with his happiness: we think his Glory lessens ours, and like Caesar who could not look upon the Image of Alexander without weeping, we cannot look upon our Neighbour's advantages without sighing; It seems as if fortune gave us, what she takes from others, and that she takes from us what she bestows on others, and that she cannot make them happy unless she make us miserable; Injustice is become natural unto us, and unless our inclinations be reform by Grace, they are much more bend to Vice then Virtue. But you will say the will is always Free, that she may do well, even in what she doth amiss, since she may desire it, and that this advantage alone is so great, as that it recompenseth all her faults. The following Discourse shall answer this objection, and will let us see whether man hath sufficient Liberty left him or no in the state of sin, to boast that he is rich in his loss, happy in his misfortune, and in his misery glorious. The ninth Discourse. That the Will to be able to do good must be set free from the servitude of sin, by the Grace of jesus Christ. THe Passion which all men have for the preservation of their Liberty, is no weak proof of the Excellency thereof: there be but few who do not prefer it before life, and do not rather love an honourable death, than a shameful c Servitus obedientia est fracti animi & abjecti, arbitrio carentis suo. servitude, all revolts have had no other pretexts, and Conquerors have only been odious because they have entrenched upon the Public Liberty, we suspect their Virtues because they bear with them some shadow of Tyranny, and men have hardly believed, that they were very just, who would Command over free people; yet man hath no advantage which he oftener loseth then his Liberty: he becomes a slave without a Master, and finds servitude as well in a Republic as in a Monarchy, he hath not the use of this perfection, till a long time after he be be born; he lives when he is not at liberty, and he who ought to command the whole world begins his life in slavery. Nature * Sit datum liberum arbitrium humanae naturae ut eam tamen necesse sit vivere sub potestate melioris. August gives him Kings in his Parents, and if death take them away, the laws appoint him Tutors which supply the place of Masters, in his minority he is a slave, and wanting wisdom to govern himself, he is not suffered to dispose of himself: the better part of his life is spent in servitude, and unless he have permission from the Prince, he must be 25 years old before he can dispose of his goods. When this age puts him in possession of his principal advantage, enemies arise, who clap d Sibi servire gravissima servitus est. Senec. Praefat lib. 3. Quae. Natur. Irons upon him, for the passions are Imperious Mistresses, who entrench upon our Liberty, and which making use either of fair or foul means, makes man do a thousand things unworthy of his condition, he sometimes breaks his Chains, but forgeth new ones himself, and he thinks he is free, because he is the Author of his own servitude: If he calm his passions, and amidst their quiet recover his Liberty, he cannot defend himself from a pleasing Enemy, which deprives him of the use thereof, for sleep which preserves our life bereaves us of our Liberty, his poppies which sweeten our vexations, and inchant our sorrows take from us the disposal of our will: We are not at Liberty when we sleep, and as the good actions which we do in that estate cannot expect recompense; so neither aught our bad ones to fear punishment. Thus Liberty is a Treasure which we are oft robbed of, 'tis a Good which we are not always Masters of: and if rest be reasons Grave, 'tis also Liberties Sepulchre; 'tis true that it restores us what it had taken from us, and the same awaking which delivers us from death, frees us from servitude, but we make trial of a Tyrant, who treateth us much more rigorously than doth sleep, for when sin hath possessed itself of our Liberty, it never makes restitution: Our slavery ends not with our lives, we are born & die slaves thereunto. There is nothing but the Grace of Jesus Christ which can free us from the Tyranny thereof. It enters into our soulby our body, and gives us death when our Parents give us life, and penetrating even into our e Arbitrium voluntatis tunc est vere liberum, cum vitiis peccatisque non servit▪ Tale datum est à Deo, quod amissum proprio vitio, nisi à quo dari potuit reddi non potest. Aug. lib. 14. de C●it. cap. 14. will sets there the Characters of its usurpation, and of our servitude Reason is too weak a succour to defend us against so powerful an Enemy, and Profane Philosophy is not a sufficient remedy to cure us of so dangerousa Malady; We cannot drive away sin but by help from Heaven, nor can we recover perfect Liberty but by the servitude of Jesus Christ: we may well shun one fault by another, but hardly can we do anything which is solidly virtuous, without our Saviour's assistance, we defend ourselves from intemperance only through vain glory, if we be chaste 'tis because we are proud, but in the one and the other of these Actions we are slaves to sin. To understand this truth (which is Saint Augustine's very Doctrine) we must know that in our belief, Piety was never parted from Morality, and that to be virtuous, a man must always have been Faithful. The will was created together with grace, they both contributed unto merit, and when they were once divided, sin seized upon the will, and man operates by this mischievous principle, all his actions began to be criminal, proposing no other end but himself unto himself, he strayed from the latter, (from grace) and looking upon the creature forbore looking upon the f Non est igitur Gratia Dei in Natura liberi arbitrii, quia & liberum arbitrium ad diligen dum 〈◊〉 eum pri●●i peccati graditate perdidimus. August. Epistola 107. Creatout. Let reason infuse what light it pleaseth into his understanding she cannot redress it, for she herself is blind, and as the will cannot love the Summum Bonum, the understanding hath much ado to know supremam veritatem, they each of them have received a mortal wound which cannot be cured unless by a Physician who was never sick, g Peccans ille qui sine peccati necessitate creatus est in eo quod animae sanitatem delinquendo perdidit, etiam illae cogitandi quae ad Deum per●nent, ami●t protinus facilitatem Aug. lib. de Incarnate. & g ●ia, cap. 13. the remedy must derive from Heaven, and the same hand which had united grace and nature together in the first man, must reconcile them in his offspring and restore unto their will the Liberty which she had lost. Till this deliverance come man is still a slave to sin wheresoever he goeth he carrieth his Tyrant a long with him, and let him do what good action he pleaseth, 'tis hard for him not to have therein some bad Intention. To enlighten this imagination a little more, we must remember that God's design was not to make man merely a rational Creature, he would have original righteousness to be his principal advantage: this h Et istam quis fecerat nisi ille qui eos cum bona voluntate, id est cum amore casto quo illi adhaerent, cr●vit, simul in eyes & condens naturae & largiens gratiam. Aug. lib. 12. de Civit. cap 9 id dicit de Angelis, idemque sentit de homine. Divine quality joined the soul to the body by cords as holy as pleasing; she did accord so well with Nature; as if she partook not of her Essence, she partook of her perfection, whatsoever proceeded from this principle was holy, and whatsoever man did by the motion of grace deserved an everlasting recompense. But when sin had banished Original righteousness, and that man became a slave to his concupiscence, he began to work by the motions thereof, he suffered himself to be led away by her blind impetuosity, did cowardly obey her unjust Ordinances, and till he be freed from this tyrant which possesseth him, he undertakes almost nothing but by her Orders. i Liberum voluntatis arbitr●m in 〈◊〉 homi●e 〈◊〉 deco, qu● primus formatus est.Ille ●c factus est, ut nihil o●no volunta●i ●us resister●t, si vellet Dei praece●ta servare. Po●quam autem livera ipse voluntate peccavit nos i● necess●atem praecipitati sumus. August. disput. 2. cont. Fo●t. k Natura ●umana etiamsi in illa integ●tate permaneret in qua est condita, nullo modo seipsam creature suo non adjuvante ●rvaret. Council. Arausic. ca●. 19 Thus the most part of his good works are sins and his actions proceeding from a bad principle must needs be faulty, this misfortune is the spring head of all our mischief, this disorder is the original of all our servitude, as long as we are slaves to sin we cannot recover our entire liberty, and till the son of God doth enfranchize us, our inclinations are strong to evil. But as the Nature of any thing is not better discovered then by the opposing unto it, its contrary, to know the wills servitude, we must compare it with her first liberty, and by the difference of original righteousness, and Christian grace, Judge of the divers conditions of man, in innocence, and in sin. Man whilst innocent had the use of liberty, but because the end that was proposed unto him was supernatural, he stood in need of Grace to elevate his will, and sustain his weakness. He could not unite himself to l Na●urahominis prim●tus inculpata, & si ne ullo vitio creata est. Natura vero i●a ho●inis, qu● unusquisqu● e● Adam nas●tur ●am medico indig●t quia sa●a non ●st. Augu●. lib. de N●ura & Gratia, c. 6. God without her assistance; and whatever of Noble he had received from Nature, Grace was necessary for him, to fix himself to this Summum Bonum: but not being as yet hurt by sin, this aid did sufficiently fortify him, this grace without giving him remedies did only furnish him with strength to love and know Primam veritatem. This grace was assubjected to his liberty; as he might use it, so also might he abuse it, so as his happiness depended on his will; but since sin wounded his soul, since malady is joined to weakness, since irregularity is glided into Nature, and that the will, m Quid enim opus erat Deo si status integer naturae maneret, 〈◊〉 ●em suscipere nostram? Perge adhuc 〈◊〉▪ 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a●trium si. ex A●am susc●ptum, 〈◊〉 med●a Christi non ●digens per se sive 〈◊〉 imple●e quod ve●. Author ●brerum. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. which was only weak, is become sick, a grace was requisite which might rather be a remedy then a help, and which should partake more of Medicine then of nourishment; In innocence 'twas sufficient to raise man, but in sin, he must be cured▪ in innocence there needed no more but to sustain his Liberty, but in sin it must be healed, in innocence 'twas enough to lead man the way, but in sin he must be put again into the right way; In the State of innocence he needed only to be succoured, but in the State of sin, the chains which keeps him from operating must be untied and broken. A man to whom Nature hath given good eyes, cannot see without light, but if the Sun lighten him he discerns objects, and not demanding other help, he sees all the beauties which this constellation can discover unto him, but if a defluxion weaken his eyes, the light of the Sun offends him, if the spot be already form, the ocu●t must use his industry to take it away, and to restore him to his sight, must cure his Malady. n V●t no●, ●abet ambula●di poss●vilitatem, de homine san●s pedibus ●lerabiliter dici poorest, confractis vero si velit non habet, vitiata est natura de qua loquimur. A●g. li. de Natura & Gratia, cap. 49. In the State where into sin hath reduced us, Adam's grace would be of no use to us, all those glorious advantages which our Father possessed in the St●te of innocency could not deliver us; his Grace was succour to a man in health, but ours is Medicine for a sick man: Original righteousness endued him with strength, Christian righteousness gives us life, original righteousness heightened his will, and Christian Grace frees ours. o In ●egno na● sumus ubi pare●e libertasest S●nec. Adam was vigorous, and we languish, he was free, and we are slaves; for the tyrant which doth possess us, keeps us inchained, he hath made chains of our affections, and as to make a Captive walk you must break the Irons wherewith his feet are fettered, so to make a sinner operate, the cords must be broken wherewith his will is enthralled. After having discovered the nature of his sickness, we must find out the cause, and seek by what excess he hath fallen into this Misfortune, Physicians ofttimes judge of the quality of sickness, by its original, and the disorder from whence it arose, makes them find out a cure for it. Man lost his liberty only for loving it too much, he is become a slave only because he would be too free, and he hurled himself into a miserable servitude, only for that he desired to shun a Glorious one. In grace aswell as in policy, servitude is joined to liberty, and to be a true freeman, p Servire Deo, regnare est. a man must be a voluntary slave. In kingdoms we find our liberty in our obedience, and our submission to our Sovereign's will, is the rice of our felicity, those who think to better their condition by revolting, are oft undone by their rebellion, and fall from their legitimate greatnesses p Servire Deo, regnare est. for having sought after unjust ones, so in the kingdom of God, man's glory consists in obedience, his liberty depends on his submission, and that he may command overall Creatures, he must obey his Creator. This glorious servitude was the original of all his greatness, he reigned in the world by serving God; he found perfect Liberty in his faithful submission, and whilst that his will was subject to the will of God, he met with no revolts, neither in his person or in his dominions, but when abused by the Devil, and egged on by a vain desire of reigning by himself, he would shake of his first Sovereigns' yoke, he lost his q Quid illi deerat ut tangeret lignum vetitum, nisi quia sua potestate uti voluit, praeceptum rumpere de●ctavit, ut nullo sibi dominante fie●et ●cut Deus, qu●a D●ullus utiq●e dominatur, A●g. in P●al. 7 liberty by desiring to increase it, thinking to make himself Master, he became a slave, he forged out chains of iron to himself, out of a desire to break silken cords, and lost the command he had in the world by foregoing the respect he owed to his Creator. It was very fitting doubtless that he should be thus treated, the heinousness of his crime did well deserve this severe punishment: for what could a Rebel expect but a shameful servitude, what ought a perfidious man to expect, but sedition in his State, and what could a guilty person look for, but to have his passions revolt, and to lose his Liberty? Unhappy Adam; What didst thou want in that happy condition whereinto thy Sovereign had raised thee? what just wishes could thy soul make which it might not have accomplished in obedience? All Creatures adored thee, the beams of thy countenance infused both fear and love into them, God made himself visible in thy person, Angels treated familiarly with thee, they assumed bodies to satisfy thy senses, these pure spirits became sensible that they might be pleasing to thy eyes, they left Heaven to converse with thee on earth, and they begana commerce here below, which they were to continue in glory; the earth reverenced thy footsteps, the sea bore respect to thy words, all the Elements did adore thy power, and savage Beasts which persecute us, changed their s Imago Deido●abat feram, & Deus non ●omuit imagine● suam. Aug. fury into fear when they came nigh thee: mightest not thou have bounded thy desires in so happy a condition? and without listening to the Devil who envied thy happiness, was it not sufficient for thee to have the beasts for thy slaves, the Elements for thy subjects, Angels for thy companions, and only God for thy Sovereign? Pride was thy fault, misery was thy punishment, Liberty was thy desire, and servitude thy reward. Thou wouldst reign Independent, & thou livest now under tyranny, thy punishment is the Picture of thine offence; thy children's t Conditio servitutis jure intelligitur impositapeccatori. Nomen istud culp a meruit non Natura. August. l. 19 de Civit. cap. 15. misfortune upbraids thee with the quality of thy crime; they are slaves only because thou wert a Rebel, & they grown under their Irons only because thou couldst not live under thy Sovereigns' Laws. 'tis true that their imprudency excuseth thy impiety; for they love thy chains, they glory in their servitude; they follow thy evil examples uncompelled, they delight to est range themselves from God, they commit wickedness, with cherfulnesse, their servitude is voluntary, because they are pleased with it, since they will wear their chains, it shows they are delighted in them, and to the end it may be known they offend Heaven willingly, they add voluntary faults, to that natural sin, which they are guilty of in their birth. The tenth Discourse. That evil Habits bereave the will of her Liberty by engaging her in Evil. THough corrupted Nature may be termed a bad Habit, and and u Lex peccata est violenti● cons●etudinis quae trabitur, & ten●tur etiam invitus animus eo merit●, quo in ●m volens illabitur, August. lib. 8. Conf. c. 6. that all men who descend from Adam, have a natural leaning towards sin, yet are there certain acquired Habits or Customs, which augment this natural disorder, and which add new faults to that which we do inherit from our first Father: for as excesses do complete the irregularity of our will, and makes our conversion the harder; the mischief which we bring with us from our birth, may be cured in the same sort as it was acquired, being got unwittingly, it may be lost when we think not on it, the conception thereof hath made us criminal; and Baptism acquits us of that Crime. Adam's sin is become our Punishment, and the Grace of Jesus Christ is become our remedy: but the malady which we ourselves contract is much harder to be driven away; for as it is our own handiwork, and hath not crept into our soul without our own consent, it cannot be expelled but by an Act of the will, and as Baptism doth cancel Original sin, and leaves Concupiscence, so Contrition or repentance, doth wash away actual sins, and leaves an ill Habit, which we have reason to term an acquired Concupiscence, which is more dangerous than that which is Natural, because 'tis more Malignant, and the cure thereof is more rare, because more hard: we shall see all these truths, in the pursuit of this discourse. 'tis a great misfortune, to be born in sin, and to have received bad Inclinations, before we knew them, 'tis a deplorable condition to be the Object of God's Anger, before we have provoked him, and to be born away to mischief, before we were able to make resistance; but this misfortune is much the greater, when man joys Custom to Nature, when to those bad Inclinations which he inherits from his Parents, he adds many actual sins, which forms an Imperious Habit, which engageth him in evil. For x Duo sunt qu● ad peccandum ●os sollicitant, Natura & habitus; illud ex poena originali, hoc ●x p●a frequentati peccati, cum illo in ●anc vitam nascimur hoc vivendo addimus, qu● duo con●uncta ro●ustissimam faciunt concupiscentiam. August. lib. 83. qq. quaest. 66. as Saint Augustine observes, there are two things which solicit us to sin, Nature and Custom: the first is an effect of Original sin; the second of actual: we contract the one in being born in sin, we acquire the other by living in sin, and these two joined together, strengthen Concupiscence, establish the Tyranny thereof and bereaves us of hope of destroying it. For if the will be not strong enough to oppose the unruliness of Nature, how can she suppress the disorders of a bad habit; and if the assistance of Grace be absolutely necessary for her, to free herself from natural miseries, what kind of assistance stands she in need of to acquit herself of her acquired miseries. 'tis the difficulty which makes sinners despair, 'tis upon this occasion that they find that irregular Inclinations, do never more rebel against their will, then when they have borrowed new force from a bad Custom, and the best advice that can be given them is, by their diligence to prevent so opinionated an Evil, and to set upon their passions in their birth, lest being assisted by Habit, they grow to headstrong, as to be unsuppressible. When love is not as yet perfectly y Qu●ndo nasci● cupidi● antequa● obu●●ctat adv●sum te, mala cons●tudo p●vula est, elide illa● ad petram qui Christus est. Aug. in Psalm. 136. shaped, that he is rather in the eyes than heart, that he deserves rather the name of complacency then of Inclination, that his Flames have more of Lustre, then of Heat; he is easily stifled, and an ordinary virtue is sufficient to rid man of so weak an Adversary, but when with time he is grown greater, when he hath poured his poison into the heart, and hath made himself Master of all the Faculties of the soul, many a battle must be given before so strong an Enemy be overcome, and unless the will call in indignation, anger, and grief, to her aid; 'tis very hard for her to drive out a Tyrant, whose power is strengthened by Custom. In the second Place, corrupt Nature presupposeth but one sin, though z Ex peccato est omnis mal● consue●ndo, & ad peccatum i●linat. Aug. it were a great one, yet was it but one, and though it gave against all the perfections of God, yet was it committed in a moment; Repentance came quickly in the Place thereof, and when once Adam felt the Punishment of his sin, he was sorry for it, his Tears appeased Divine Justice, the sentence of his death was deferred, and he had time granted him to people the world, to instruct his Children, and to bewail his sins: the disorders which we find in our soul and in our body, are only the effects of this fault, and when we are first born we are only capable of of this offence; Incensed Heaven can impute nothing to us but our first Father's disobedience, and whatsoever Punishment it inflicteth upon us, we have always this excuse, that we are more unfortunate than faulty: but an ill Habit is a bastard Daughter which hath divers Fathers, and which owes her birth to the malice of almost an infinite number of sins, vice and virtue are learned successively; a Nemo repent fit malus. Nemo est ●asu bonus, discenda virtus est. S●n. Epist. 123. a man is not wicked all at once, he must make trials before he can become a Master in sin, he cannot arrive at that condition, without having committed many faults, he must be accomplished in wickedness, to get a habit thereof: and let us flatter ourselves with what reasons we please a man must have basely foregone virtues part, if he be totally possessed by sin; which when it commands so absolutely in a soul, as it hath changed its power into Tyranny, is grown stronger by time, hath changed inclination into custom, and that it hath as many protectors as parents; Heaven must do miracles to free us from so dreadful an Enemy. In the third place, nature is somewhat ashamed of sin, this unlucky Guest hath not so throughly corrupted all her inclinations, but that some shamefastness remains which may serve her for a bridle in her licentousnesse, and which obligeth her to seek out solitary places wherein to conceal her debaucheries; if she be wicked enough to scoff at the remorse of conscience, she is not sufficiently affronted to bear with her neighbour's reproaches; if she despise punishment she apprehends confusion, and if she fear not the loss of life, she fears the loss of Honour. b Peccata qua●vis magna & borrenda cum in consuetudinem venerint, aut parv● au● nulla creduntur, usque adeo ut non solum non occultanda, verum etiam praedicanda diffamandaqu● videantu. August. E●chirid. cap. 82. But bad habit is insolent, it bereaves us aswell of shame as of innocence, it glories in its crimes, and by a horrible sort of corruptions, makes the sin the greater by making it glorious, it disarms virtue, and takes from her the only means she had to defeat her Enemy. Hence it is that shameless people glory in their loves, that lost women number up their gallants, & that affronted men, call their debaucheries good fortunes. Glorious names are invented to honour sin, Thrones, and altars are erected to it, and solicited by this evil habit which rules in the soul, such honours are given thereunto as belong only to virtue. c Tanto amplius in concupiscentia superanda voluntas laborat, quan●o ei ma oars vires consu●tudo dedit. Aug. lib. 6. c●nt. Jul. cap. 7 By all this discourse 'tis easy to Judge, that a vicious habit, is a fearful monster, which adds new discorders to the irregularities of Nature, which fortifies bad Inclinations, which presupposes many sins, which presages a greater Number, which renders virtue infamous, and vice glorious, and which to crown all mischief, hurries us into such a fatal necessity of sinning, as can only be overcome by a powerful grace. There be different steps whereby a man may descend into the precipice of sin: Inclination leads us to desire, desire brings us to the act, if the act be multiplied, it throws us into a habit, & if the habit be not the sooner ruined, it engageth us in a necessity which may be termed the bottom of sins Abyss, d Dum servitu libidini facta est consuetudo, & dum consuetudini non resi●titur facta est necessitas. Aug. lib. Cons. for as S. Augustine says, as long as man obeys his evil inclinations, he forms unto himself evil habits, & when he doth not resist evil habits, they throw the soul into a hard necessity, which bereaves it of the power of conversion. Then is a sinner an unfortunate slave, he draws near the condition of the damned, he finds his hell on Earth, he carries a Devil in his bosom which engageth him in sin. This malady is by nature incurable, and if it be sometime cured by grace, 'tis by a kind of miracle. The evil habit which produceth this necessity is somewhat less difficult to cure, but the means that are to be used are extreme difficult. For though the Sacraments be ordained to destroy sin, and that Baptism and repentance do break our Irons and set us at Liberty; yet doth not their power extend to evil habits; they take away the blame and reconcile us to God, but they leave this languishing which weakens Nature, and do not Efface those Malign Impressions which sin hath made in our soul, they leave us our bad e Tenent pravae consuetudines quem semel ●eperant, atque quotidie duriores existunt, & non nisi cum peccatoris vit● fi●iuntur. Gregor. Moral. l. 15 inclinations to exercise us, and it hath pleased Divine Justice, that that bias which we have towards evil should not be redressed but by our painstaking, we must fight to overcome it, and as much time is requisite to the losing of it, as went to the contracting thereof. Years slip away in this Exercise; without much progress, and to weaken so powerful Enemies, many combats must be had. The Sacraments which shed so many Graces into our souls, make us not victorious at the first, that very Sacrament which unites us so straightly to the Son of God, as our souls seem thereby to be mixed together with his, doth not overthrow bad habits: as long as we carry them in our bosoms, we have desires of revenge, and ambitious thoughts, the presence thereof which chaseth away Devils, doth not chase away our irregular inclinations; these Monsters give not place to Divine Power, and our will is divided between the motions of Grace, and those of concupiscence, it is troubled that since it carries about with it its Saviour, it is not yet at liberty; It wonders that whilst it conceives humble thoughts, it hath yet sometouches of pride, that having no more sin, it yet resents the Effects thereof; that being one of Jesus Christ's Subjects, 'tis yet under the slavery of the Devil, and that tasting the pleasures of Paradise, it feels notwithstanding the punishment of Hell: these disorders do subsist with charity, and much time must be had to drive them away, many tears must be shed, many sighs made, and as many good deeds must be done to destroy them, as evil deeds have been done in the forming of them; but to the end that we may the better know the Nature of so dreadful an Enemy, we must consider him in his birth, and see by what cunning means he insinuates himself into the will. Habit and custom are of the same Nature: that which the one doth in estates, the other doth in souls, their wiles are alike, and as they are established by cunning, they are preserved by violence, their f Gravissimum est Imperium consuetudinis Senec. in Proverb. beginnings are undiscernible, and they are so weak in their birth, as they are despisable, they grow without making much noise, and establish their authority without any great pomp. There is nothing more pleasing at first sight; they are so pliant as they suit themselves toal our desires; they are so shamefaced as they play least in sight: they seek pretences to make their designs be approved of, and in all their undertake they lean either upon reason or example: they flatter their enemies that they may undo them, and hiding their malice under an appearing mildness, they are in a posture of defence before any one thinks to set upon them: but when they are once established, g Dismit esse remedio jocus, ubi quae suerant vitia, mores sunt. Senec. Epist. 39 and when abusing man's happiness they have confirmed their tyranny, nothing is so insolent as their Government, they lose both shame and h Recti apud nos locum tenet error, ubi pullicus factus est, Idem. mildness, that they may reign with affrontednes, and violence; they ground their authority upon their usurpation; and placing all their right in their might, they oppose reason, and destroy the Law: then doth the will become a slave, the Counsels of the understanding are no longer listened to, and all good inclinations are so weakened, as they dare not frame a design to obviate their Enemies. But that which is more deplorable in this condition is, that man who is possessed with an ill Habit, is no longer capable of deliberation in his Actions: he follows the Tyrant that enslaves him, he thinks he is bound to defend him, because he hath assisted to set him up; he believes he enjoys Liberty, because he loves servitude; and not considering the evils which threaten him, he with contentment suffers himself to be guided by his Enemy: when he is surprised by any Action, i In repentinis agimus ex babitu. Aristoteles. he hath not leisure to argue the case; his usurper prevenes his reason, and he is as it were compelled to obey him, hence it is that Lascivious men meeting with an unexpected death, think more on their loves than on their souls health, hence it is that Libertines in any eniment danger are apt to swear and curse, than to pray; hence it is that revengeful men, when they fall into any danger, think rather how to revenge themselves, than how to pardon. For the Tyrant which possesseth them is always in action: he is in the will, as in his throne; from thence he gives out his orders to all the faculties of the soul, and parts of the body; the understanding conceiveth only such thoughts as are pleasing to him, the memory is only employed about such species as he forms there, The imagination is full only of such Phantasms, as he doth there imprint, the senses act not but by his guidance, and the whole man is so under his power, as he undertakes nothing but by his motions. This unfortunate condision is more common than men think, for all unbelievers are reduced into it, and wanting true virtues wherewithal to resist the evil inclinations of nature, those inclinations must needs be changed into bad habits; the greatest part of Christians are herein likewise engaged, for not making good use of grace to suppress the disorders of concupiscence: they find themselves as subjected to their wicked customs, and are no longer able to defend themselves against these domestic k Diffi●ile est peccati consuetudinem vincere: pravus usus vix aboletur: affidua consuetudo vitium i● naturam convertit. Antmus sceleribus adstrictus, vix ab tis divelli potest. ●fidor. lib. 1 solil. enemies, because they have suffered them reign too long, the longer they defer the ruin hereof, the more do they establish the Tyranny; the more they suffer their violence, they do the more confirm their power: whilst they are employed about unprofitable things, and that not considering the evil which threatens them, they take vain diversions, these monsters making use of their imprudency become so redoubted as they dare assail them no more: The only way to overcome them, is to stifle them in their birth, and not to fall oft into the same sin, lest an evil habit being form in our soul, we be enforced to live under the Tyranny thereof. OF THE CORRUPTION OF THE VIRTUES: The Third Treatise: The First Discourse. A Panegyric of Moral Virtues. IF a man may use Civility in combating, and if the Fury of War keep not men from treating their enemies with respect, I think I may be permitted to handle the virtue of the Pagans with esteem, and to make the Panegyric thereof, before I make its process, for though I hold with Saint Augustine that their chiefest virtues have their defects, a Omnis infidelium vita peccatum est, & nihil est bonum sine summo bono, ubi, enim d●est agnitio aternae, & incommutabilis aternitatis, falsa virtus est etiam in bonis operibus, Sent. 106. Prosp. I do notwithstanding find beauties in them, which obligeth me to reverence them, and though I am their enemy, I cannot choose but be their admirer. For when I consider that these great men had no other light than that of Nature, and that self-love which tyrannised over their will, was the soul of all their designs, I cannot imagine how so fatal a cause could produce such gallant effects, and I wonder that the desire of Glory hath been powerful enough to make them overcome Pain, and despise pleasure. The Ambition of Command, hath made almost as many Martyrs in the Roman Common Wealth, as Charity hath done in the Christian Church; and all those Glorious Saints whose lives we read with admiration, have suffered no more for the defence of Religion, than those first Romans did for the defence of their Liberty: her Senators and Consuls were a long time Corruption-proof. The Generals of their Armies did subdue their passions as well as their enemies, the greatest danger could never abate their courage, they were most famous when most miserable, and Rome's greatness never shone brighter, than in adverse Fortune. Worth was not confined to the most illustrious Subjects of that Common Wealth: the people were obedient, as long as the Senate was modest; Particular Families preserved their Innocency, whilst Public persons preserved justice; Wives were chaste, whilst their Husbands were valiant; the Vestals kept their Virginity, whilst the Priests kept their Religion; all these actions which have so fair an appearance, had no other Principle than Virtue, and Virtue had no other Force then what she drew from Glory or Eloquence; she was praised by the mouth of Orators; Every Philosopher was her Panegyric, and hardly could you read their works without being passionate for her, who was their only Subject: She is so well set forth in Seneca's writings, as one could not see her there, but they must reverence her; And he being the man that speaks the most worthily of her, I think I am bound to borrow his words to make her Panegyric: Listen then to what he writes of her in divers parts of his book. Virtue hath this of advantage that she is Noble and easy; her Nobleness gives her value amongst men, b Quid enim quiete animi otiosus? quid ira laboriosius? quid clementia remissius? quid crudelitate negotiosius? vacat pudicitia, libido occupatissima est. Omnium denique virtutum tutela facili● est, vitia magno coluntur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 2. de liâ. 〈◊〉 3. and her easiness invites them to seek after her, the desire of her is sufficient to acquire her, and this Famous beauty doth not scorn any that love her; she bestows herself freely on all those that court her; and be she never so chaste, she ceaseth not to be common; you need not cross the seas, nor discover new worlds to find her out. We have her Principles in ourselves; and if we be but a little careful in the husbanding thereof, we may turn every good Inclination into a Virtue; she raiseth us above our Condition; for though we be composed of Clay and dust, by her Inter-position c Inter bones viros ac Deum amititia est conciliante virtute, tunc etiam necessitudo & similitudo. Sen. de Provide. c. 1. we may enter into alliance with God; who loves those that are virtuously given; who in his greatness disdains not any one; and virtue is the only disposition which he requires in those who would approach him; He acknowledgeth them for his Children who vouch her for their Mother; and Heaven is their Inheritance, whom she adopts on earth: This last recompense is that alone which doth in-animate her Lovers; all other rewards are indifferent, to them: d Interrogas quid petam●x virtute? ipsam: nihil enim est melius, ipsa pretium sui est. Senec. de vita beata c. 9 And knowing that happiness and virtue never part asunder, they hold for certain that a virtuous man cannot be miserable; the delight which accompanieth their Mistress, doth not enhance her merit; they are so faithful to her, as when the servant forsakes her, they increase their love, and they are glad to love her in a Condition, wherein she can only promise thorns to those that take her part. Let her put on what disguise she will, she is always pleasing, be it that she withstands vice, that she melt into sweat or tears, that dust and blood ternish her Lustre, that fasting, and sufferance pull her cheeks down, she hath still beauty enough to keep her Lovers, the faithfullest whereof love her as well in open field, as in Towns, and the Lustre which she borroweth from Apparel, or Palaces, doth not heighten her merit. e Non habet unde accipiat injuriam. Ab homine me tantum dicere putas? nec à fortuna quidem, quae quoties cum virtute congressa est, nunquam par recessit. Senec. de con, sapient. cap. 8. Let fortune assail her never so oft, she is still victorious, that hoodwinked Sovereign which bears down the best established Thrones, which reverses the best grounded States, which takes delight to bruise Sceptres in the greatest Monarches hands, comes off with shame when she assails her, though Fortune arm Tyrants against her, and employ all her slaves to undo her, yet she is forced to yield the Field, and to confess that Virtue may lose her repute, but never her courage nor Innocence. Her Enemy's reverence her, and her merit f Maximum hoc habem 〈◊〉 à naturameritum, quod virtus in omnium animos lumen suum praemittit: etiam qui non sequ untur illam, vident. Sen. lib. 4. de Benefic. c. 17 wins so much upon them, after having offended her, they give her Honourable satisfaction, and praise her publicly: if they hear her comeliness spoken of, they declare for her, and foregoing her adversaries party, they rank themselves under her colours. When this Tyrant seeth that he is abandoned he hath no better way to reduce his slave under his Laws, than to take upon him the Semblance of Virtue; and to borrow his Enemy's beauties to cover his own il-favour'dnesse. This disguise is virtue's highest praise, 'tis the greatest advantage she can have, and though she be thereby sometimes prejudiced, yet is it always glorious to her, for she can easily disabuse the unwary, Let her be but a little careful to make her beauty appear, she wins their heart, and causeth so much love in them, as it is easily discerned, if they have not taken her part, 'tis because they knew not her worth, he who could see her stark naked would never be disloyal to her, and would she discover all her perfections, all her enemies would become her friends. 'tis in fine the greatest advantage that man can possess: All of good g Proprium hominis bonum virtus & ratio. Sen●. that Avarice or Ambition do promise him, are but disguised evils. Riches are but a little earth, on which the Sun hath set a price by giving it a colour. Glory which the Ambitious do so much Idolatrize, is but a little smoke, and the pleasure which the Voluptuous seek after, is but the Felicity of Beasts: but virtue is a solid good, who ever possesseth her may vaunt to have in her immortal riches, true Honours, and innocent delights. 'tis the way which Nature teacheth us to mount to Heaven by; the means which she furnisheth us with all, to make ourselves like God, without sin, and of so many things which we seek after, there is none but Virtue which can procure us that happiness. We ought not to hope for riches, since h Pa●m Deo pecunia non faciet: Deus nihil habet, Praetexta non faciet: Deus nudus est. Fama non faciet, nec ostentatio tui: nemo novit Deum, multi de illo malè existimant & impunè. Sen. Ep. 31 God hath nothing but himself, and that he hath not made the world so much for his use as for his Glory: we ought not to wait for reputation, since he is unknown, since the greatest part of praises that are given him, are blasphemies, and that the Libertines do unpunished, condemn his providence. 'tis not in fine in the Number of our Followers that our Felicity consists, since God lived without Subjects before he made the world, and that of as many happy spirits that do wait upon him, there was not any one near him before the Creation of the Universe. His Glory wholly consists in his own greatness, and without heightening himself by the Splendour of his workmanship, or number of his slaves, he finds his happiness in his Essence. Thus Virtue is the proper good of man: he is rich enough if he be virtuous, he despiseth the praises of the world, and finds himself satisfied with the Testimony of his Conscience; he seeks for no other pleasure than what he finds in doing his duty, and as God would not cease to be happy though he should ruin the world, the wise man would not cease to be content, if though he lost his family, he preserved his virtue, he needs not care for his body, though it be the Organ of his soul, and without drawing any advantage either from his strength or comeliness, he only values that Good, which neither fortune nor death can bereave him of. 'tis an i Errare mihi visus est, qui dixit: Gratio● est pul●hro veniens ècorpore virtus: nullo en●m honest●mento eget ipsa, & magnum sui decus est, & corpus suum consecrat. Sen. Epist. 66. error to imagine that the body's beauty contributes to that of the soul, and that Virtue appears the more pleasing for being lodged in a handsome personage: as a great man may come forth of a little village, so a great spirit may proceed from a deformed body, and Nature ofttimes fastens il-favour'dnesse to Virtue, to teach us that we ought to love her only for herself, for he is unjust who considers the ornaments which do embellish her, and who not regarding the excellencies which she keeps enclosed within herself, amuseth himself in considering the Pomp, which doth environ her. This great Princess is so high spirited as she cannot tolerate a rival, she is angry when she is sought after, for the pleasure which doth accompany her, and likes not such lovers, as only serve her that they may by her reap profit or Glory. She will be herself the recompense of their labours, and though she promiseth them innocent contentments, and true riches, she will be the only motive of their search. Her beauty well deserves this respect, and he is yet ignorant of her worth, who loves her only out of Interest: We must never ask what she promiseth us, since she gives us herself. We must not look upon her hands, but upon her countenance, nor must we consider her favours, but her desert, she is lovely enough though she appear without ornaments, glorious enough though without a Train, sufficiently magnificent though without splendour, and liberal enough, though she promise us nothing when she calls us. If there go courage to fight under her Banners, there goes glory to die in her quarrel, and as soldiers love that k Endue magni viri animum: cape quantam debes virtutis pu●cherrimae ac magnificentissimae speciem, quae nobis non sertis, sed sudore, & sanguine colenda est. Senec, Epist. 67. Prince for whom they will pour out their blood and glory in the hurts they receive in his service; Wise men love that Virtue for which they lose their lives, and Glory in the outrages which they receive in her defence, their minds are not altereed by ill success, when their souls issue forth by their wounds, they by their mouth publish her praises, and having been her servants, they rejoice to be her Martyrs. Her beauty doth well deserve this Fidelity, for in whatsoeve condition we shall consider her, she is so full of allurements, as he who hath a heart must love her. How Generous is she when undet the name of Fortitude, l Fortitudo contemptrix timendorum est, terribilia despicit, provocat, ●git. S●nec. Epist. 88 she despiseth whatsoever causeth Fear in man, when without pale looks she assails death, provokes pain, and wins the victory over all those angersome accidents which entrench upon man's Liberty, how sacred is she, when under the name of friendship she in sinuates m Fides sanctissimum 〈◊〉 pectoris bonum est, nulla necessiate ad sallendum cogitur, nullo corrumpitur praemio. Idem ibid. herself into their hearts, and inspires them with such courage as they can neither be astonished with threats, nor corrupted with bribes: burn us (cry they) when inanimated by this virtue invents new Torments, we will never betray our friends, the more Pain shall endeavour to wrest our thoughts from us, the more careful will we be to conceal them, and to deserve the names of Faithful, though it cost us our lives, n Temperantia voluptatibus imperat, nec vuquam ad illas propter illas venit. Idem ibid. How delightful is she, when under the name of Temperance she commands over all sensualities, chaseth away such as are Impudent, moderates those which are irregular, when she fits our desires to our need; and foregoing all superfluous things contents herself with necessaries: How sweet is she when under the name of humanity o Humanitas nullum alienum malum putat, bonum autem suum id maxime quod alicui bono futurum est amat. Idem ibid. she becomes affable to all the world? when she forbids us to raise ourselves above our equals, commands us not to be severe to our Inferiors? when she persuades us that another man's mischief can never redound to our advantage, and that we receive Glory by what is advantageous to our p Clementia alieno sanguini tanquàm suo parcit, & s●it homini non esse homineprodigè utendum Idem ibid. Neighbour? How full of charms is she, when under the name of Clemency, she Pardons the guilty, spares another's Blood, as her own. when she converts the Criminal by her mildness, and by her goodness comforts the miserable? we must also confess she is as well the ornament of our body, as of our soul; and that there are no charms like those which we borrow from Virtue. q An non vides quantum oculis det vigorem fortitudo? quantam intentionem prudentia? quantam modestiam reverentia? quantam serenitatem laetitia? quantum rigorem serenil. Senec. Epist. 106. See you not what life Fortitude puts into our eyes, what Majesty wisdom makes appear in our behaviour? with what sweetness Modesty doth season our words? what a pleasing blush shamefacedness drives into our forehead, and what a Serenity a good conscience causeth in our countenances? Truly if women knew how much virtue doth enhance beauty; they would be virtuous, that they might be baeutifull: and without corrupting Nature by Paint they mould make use of no other red than that of shamefacedness, of no other white than that of Innocency, of no other Majesty than that of Justice, of no other sweetness than that of Clemency, nor of no other pomp than that of modesty, but the mischief is we are more careful in acquiring Glory than virtue, and labour more to make our name famous, than our souls innocent: we despise the testimony of our Conscience, and seek for the people's approbation, and preferring appearances before Truth, r Qui virtutem suam publicari vult, non virtuti laborat. sed gloria. Sen. Epist. 113. we do not greatly care to be virtuous, so as we may have the reputation of being so. One cannot notwithstanding merit this glorious Title, unless he part with pleasure, and Glory for it, for as he knows not the worth of Virtue who seeks her only out of voluptuousness, so neither doth he know her merit who seeks her only for Honour's sake. We must resolve to lose all things to come by her, nor can man hazard his reputation for a more just subject, than in the preservation of Virtue. The second Discourse. That Moral Virtue hath her faults. AS night never looks more ghastly than when it succeeds a fair day; as a Tempest is never more hideous than when it surpriseth the Mariners after a long calm, and as ugliness is never more deformed tahn when it approaches near Beauty: I thought the best way to make the vanity of Moral Virtue appear, was to oppose it to Christian Virtue, and to set forth in the same Picture the ones defects, and the others perfections. This harmless piece of cunning will suffice to disabuse such Christians as will heighten Paganism, to the prejudice of our Religion, and who prefer the Constancy of their Socratesses and Cato's before our Ignatii and Laurentii. That which I think may have deceived them is nothing else but the s Saepe reperitur simplicitas veridica, & falsitas composita quae hominem suis erroribus illicit, per linguae ornamenta laqueos dulces aspergit. Isidor. 3. de summo bono. Lustre, which humane Eloquence hath put upon Pagan Virtue: for we must confess that Plato hath much better illustrated Socrates his Innocence, than Saint Basill, or Saint Gregory of Nazianzen have done that of Abel and of job: Titus-Livius paints out Lucretia's Chastity in better colours, than doth Saint Ambrose the like of the Christian Virgins, and Seneca doth much more handsomely commend Cato's courage, than Saint Augustine doth the courage of the Martyrs. Christian Eloquence is uncompounded; she is modest in her praises, she is ashamed to make use of a falsehood to heighten a Truth, and to honour a Virtue by an Hyperbole; she attributes the Saints constancy, to the grace of Jesus Christ, she lessens our admiration by discovering the causes of their patience, and we wonder not that Saint Agnesse and Saint Cecilie have overcome their torments, when we consider they were assisted by Angels, and that the wild beasts did reverence their Innocency. Christian's having always been more careful of doing well than of saying well, the best of their t Virtutes babenti magna virtus est 〈◊〉 gloriam. Aug. lib 5 de Civit. c. 6. actions have been buried in oblivion; their virtue not having received so much Glory, hath not thrown abroad such a Lustre; and wanting Orators to speak in her praise, or Panegyrics, she hath ofttimes missed Admirors: but the virtue of the Pagans hath had all profane Eloquence exercised in the praises thereof, and all the most famous Orators busied in composing of Panegyrics to her; She hath made the best ancient Poets sweat; Homer and Virgil, are but skilful ingravers, or able Painters, who have endeavoured to represent unto us rather the mind, than the visage of their Heroes. Yet for all the care they have had to disguise Virtue's defects, they may be discovered, if attentively considered: for Philosophers who have defined her, have placed her in a certain u Est virtus habitus animi judicio susceptus, in mediocritate positus, sic que definitus ut prudentia praescripserit. Aristot. lib. 1 Ethic. c. 6. Mediocrity, which takes from her the Liberty of operating, she is environed by two Enemies which will not suffer her to enlarge herself; if she will exalt herself, she falls into a precipice, and if she endeavour to do somewhat towards the acquiring of Glory; Humane weakness which cannot suffer it, doth condemn it as a sin. This languishing virtue is shackled, and dares undertake nothing of generous, least starting from out the Common road, she be accused of straying: she is enforced to follow the ordinary Track, and to submit herself to the rules which are prescribed unto her, if she will preserve her reputation: Liberality can do nothing of profuse wherein she may not be accused of prodigality. x Simplicitas ●c liberalitas nisi adsit modus in exitium ver. tuntur. Ta●t. histor. lib. 3. A Prince dares not be magnificent for fear of being thought too bad a husband. Men withhold their liberal humours through unjust Maxims, and keep him from following Nature in her Profusions, because some Monarches have been known, who after having indiscreetly emptied their Coffers, have unjustly filled them again: to keep him within his duty, men show unto him, that Ambition oft enters into the souls of Kings under the name of Liberality, that there are few who know how to dispense their favours, and many that know how to lose them. Thus Princes cannot make use of Liberality; and though the Heavens have given them so great Territory, they must temper Avarice by Prodigality to acquire the title of Liberal. Valour is under the same constraint, this generous virtue receives daily a hundred advices, which under pretence of her preservation, have a design to put a period to her conquests; if she expose herself to danger, she is esteemed rash; if relying upon her good fortune, she put on such resolutions as fear approves not off, she is accused of imprudency; yet should she believe her advice, she should never do any thing of generous: and had Caesar's and Alexander's valour been limited within the bounds of fear, they had never fought, nor been victorious; upon some occasion's wisdom must give way to fortune, and Conquerors must rather consult with their good fortune than with their duties, The most glorious virtues ought to be free, they are too courageous to live enthralled, they are but the most Common ones that Subject themselves to these Laws, they must dispense with ordinary rules, if they will attempt any thing worthy of memory. Poets knew this very well; for they have been enforced to invent heroic virtues, and to endue their Heroes with a valour, which raised itself above wisdom, and which in the greatest perils advised only with courage, y Sicut heroes natura homines superabant ita virtute, erant enim inter homines & Deos medii, corumque virtutes modum communem excedebant. Arist. weak spirits term it a fortunate rashness, but the wisest Philosophers call it an Heroic valour. Now Christian virtue is happily affranchised from this shameful mediocrity, which weakens moral virtue: for being more Divine than humane, she is not stopped by weak maxims, nothing seems impossible to her, she suffers herself to be led on by the spirit, which inanimates her, and wholly throwing herself upon the Providence which guideth her, she neither considers her strength nor yet her weakness; hence it is that the Saints forgo all their wealth, that without caring for what is to come, they voluntarily become poor, and leave the care of their subsistence to him who governs them. Virgins who by their age and sex ought to be timorous, have sought out Tyrants, and provoked their Executioners: they thought it was a kind of slackness to wait for wild beasts; they irritated their fury, they desired to lose their lives for the glory of Jesus Christ, who inspired them with a sanctified rashness; the love which we are bound to bear unto our Enemies, doth much exceed the rules of discretion, z Amicos diligere omnium est, inimicos autem solor●m Christianorum, ita enim disciplina jubemur diligere inimicos, u● haec sit perfecta & propr●a bonitas, non communis, Tertul. ad Scap. which forbids us to trust in a man who hath deceived us; and all Christian virtues are so Noble, that there is not any one of them whose perfection doth not consist in excess. Though she be gotten to this high pitch, she ceaseth not to be easy, which is the second Advantage which she hath over moral virtue, whose whole worth consists, in the difficulty which accompanieth her; she would not be beautiful were she not difficult, and seeing that humane minds betake themselves only to what is painful, she endeavours to heighten her desert by Labour; she decks herself with thorns in stead of flowers, covers herself with dust, in stead of sweet powders, drops sweat and blood, in stead of perfumes, and promiseth such as court her, nothing but disasters and ill luck; she is lodged upon a hill which is smooth, slippery, and steep on all sides, where a man cannot come at her without danger of falling into a precipice; though she promise honour to such as love her, she suffers them oft times to be confounded, and judgeth only of their love, by misprising glory or pleasure. She invites them by her discourse, but endues them not with strength; she persuades their understandings, but doth not raise up their wills: and like the Law of Moses, she may well have some light, but no heat: a Infidelium virtus idolum est cujus species jucunda quidem sed virtus inanis. This is the cause why her partakers have fallen into despair, and after having a long time served this rigorous Mistress, they have been forced to accuse her of ingratitude, and to blame her cruelty; but what could they hope for from an idol, which being the workmanship of their minds, had no other perfections than what it had borrowed from their praises, which was only vigorous in their writings, only beautiful in their Panegyrics, and which was not generous, save in their actions. Thus had Cato recourse to despair, finding no relief in virtue; and Brutus acknowledged when he died, that she could not assist such as served her, that she dazzled men's eyes by a false light, and that she was but a vain idol, which forsook her followers at a pinch, not being able to warrant them from the outrages of Fortune. We may truly affirm there have been two sorts of idolaters in the world; the one worshipped the workmanship of their own hands, b Sicut Nationes manibus ita Haeretici & Philosophi verbis, idola fabricantur. Tertul. advers. Prax. and by an Immense folly put their hope in images which they themselves were Authors off; though they cannot understand them, they serve them with respect, though they cannot defend them, they fly to them for protection; and dread their anger. The other adore the workmanship of their minds, and form unto themselves Noble Ideas which they fall in love with, the more beautiful the idols were, the greater impression did they make upon their wills, and the more eloquent they were in describing them, the more superstitious were they in honouring of them. This error blinded all Philosopher's virtue, which is but a habit which we acquire that we may do Good, was the only Divinity which these hood winked people worshipped; and not considering that there is nothing in the soul of man, which merits a Supreme Honour, they bore respect to the good inclinations thereof, when they were governed by the rules of morality; this superstition cost the Apostles, much more pain, than the superstition of the people, they had more ado to convert Philosophers, than Tyrants; and experience taught them that reason was more opinionated than force. Two ages were sufficient to overthrow all idols of brass and marble, and though their adorers used cruelty to defend them; martyrs through their patience triumphed over them. But all the Reign of Jesus Christ hath not sufficed to destroy the idols of the mind. The Doctors of the Church have in their writings set upon them, but have not been able to bear them c Idolatria hodie extra templum, & sine idolo agi potest. Tertul. de Idololat. down; and there be yet some libertines, amongst the Children of the Church, that do adore them. They are not so much attracted by the grace of the Son of God, as by the virtue of the Pagans; good Nature appears more considerable to them than godliness, and they more esteem Seneca's or Aristotle's morals, than those of Saint Paul, or of Saint Austin his disciple; yet the Virtue which these Philosophers taught in their Schools had her esteem heightened only by reason of her difficulty, and was admired by her partakers only through a vain beauty which did dazzle them. But Christian virtue is at once both beautiful & easy, you need but love her to acquire her; to possess her cost us nothing but desires; and the Holy Ghost who sheds her in our souls, endues us with strength to overcome the difficulties which accompany her; therefore is it that virtue in Christians did oft times forerun reason; they were wise before the years of wisdom, and the Agnesses who had Jesus Christ only for their Master, were virtuous before rational Grace fupplyed their weakness, torments excited their courage they were constant, not having read the death of Socrates, the life of their spouse made up all their morality, and his maxims confirmed by his examples inspired them with more of Constancy, than was requisite to triumph over the cruelty of Tyrants, and to confound the virtue of Philosophers. But truly I do not wonder that the virtue of Pagans was so weak; since they were divided, and that reason which did guide them could never reconcile them; for though they be said to have one & the same father, and that they are so straitely united together that a man cannot possess one of them, without possessing all the rest, yet experience, teacheth us that they have differences which Philosophy hath not yet been able to terminate. Though they conspire together to make a man happy, they trouble his quiet by their division, and make so cruel war one upon another, as to have peace in his soul, he is obliged to drive out one of the parties from thence, Mercy, and Justice cannot lodge together in one Heart, their Interests are so different as they are not to be accorded. A man must renounce mildness if he will be severe, and severity if he will be merciful. Morality hath not yet found out a secret to reconcile these two virtues, nor to unite them together thereby to make an accomplished Prince. Wisdom and simplicity hold no better intelligence, the one is always diffident that she may be secure, she ofttimes hastens her misfortune, whilst she thinks to avoid it; she had rather do ill, than suffer ill; and her humour is so given to guile, as the best part of her being is made up of dissimulations; simplicity walks in a clean other tract, for she finds her assurance in her goodness: she fears no outrage, because she believes no injustice, she had rather be unfortunate than blameful, and she is of so good an inclination, as she resolves rather to receive an injury than to do one. If wisdom be not upon good terms with simplicity, she is not upon much better terms with valour: Nature must do a miracle to make them both meet in one Subject; they require different tempers, and the aversion is such, as morality cannot accord them: wise and cautious men are always fearful, and valiant men are always rash; wisdom is of a cold constitution, and doth not engage herself in any peril till she see a wicket whereby to get out. Valour is hot and fiery, considers not danger so much as glory; the one of these startles at all things, the other wonders at nothing; the one and the other of them hath their advantage, and their defaults, but there is so great an opposition between them, as one and the same man cannot Possess them both. Thus perfection is an Idea, which a man may easily conceive, but never acquire. Morality is an Art which hath more of light than of force, and which very well knows the desert of virtues, but cannot appease their differences. 'Tis man's advantage that the vices cannot be reconciled, that these monsters, who have the same design, cannot make the same Army, and that Nature to weaken them, hath divided them; to say truth profusion and avarice cannot lodge together in the same breast, and though the one of them proceed from the other, they wage war one upon another which ends only in death. Audacity and Cowardice are incompatible, and though Fortitude be their Common enemy, they cannot join together to charge upon it. Indulgency, and cruelty, are two faults equally pernicious to Monarchies; and 'tis hard to say whether it be the greater misfortune, to live under a Prince who punisheth all; or under f Malum quidem esse, Principem habere sub quo nihil ulli liceat, pe●us vero eum sub quo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. one who punisheth none. Licentiousness countenanceth sin, and when Law, are violated, & no punishment inflicted, no honest man can live securely. Cruelty sets all the world together by the ears, & as her injustice makes no distinction of persons, she doth astonish as well the innocent as the guilty; but Nature doth not suffer these two extremes to lodge together, & this wise Mother not being able to impede their birth, thought to oblige us by hindering their society. I acknowledge we are obliged to her foresight, and that our misfortune had been much greater, if these two enemies of our quiet could have kept good Intelligence; but it must also be confessed that she was wanting either in Power or in will, when she 〈◊〉 permitted that the virtues should war one upon another, and that the good Habits, which she had opposed to bad ones, cannot join their forces in our assistance. This is also an effect of Original sin, and I am confident this division was not amongst them in the State of innocency; that justice was not an enemy to Mercy, that wisdom warred not against simplicity, and that all these Sisters lodged peaceably together in the heart of Man. Christian Grace which repairs the miseries of sin, with use, hath pacified the difference between the virtues; they fight altogether jointly under the banner of charity; this virtue, which they acknowledge for their Sovereign, quieteth all their quarrels; she takes from justice what it hath of rigour to agree it with mercy, she takes from mercy what it hath of remissness to reconcile it with justice. She unites the wisdom of the serpent with the innocence of the Dove: she stifles particular interests, to favour the public good, and binds them so close together, g Charitas vinculum perfectionis ab Apost. appellatur. that they forgo their own inclinations to assume the inclinations of their Sovereign: Hence it is that Christians are wise without malice, and simple without ignorance, that they are generous without boldness, and advised without Cowardliness; that they are just without rigour, and merciful with indulgency; they have the perfections of Philosophers, and want their Errors, they taste their pleasures, not their miseries, and Possessing Charity; they enjoy all the other virtues which hold in Fee of her Crown. The third Discourse. That Vain Glory is the soul of the Virtue of Infidels. 'tIs a strange yet a true thing that the pride of Man was twin in birth to his misery, and that he began to be proud assoon as he was miserable. Amidst his greatness he was humble, whilst he commanded over all Creatures he obeyed God, and his Empire was grounded upon his submission; a Hinc enim delectavit quod dictum est eritis sicut Dii, quod melius esse possent summo veroqut principio cobaerendo per obedientiam, non suum sibi existendo principium per superbiam. Dii enim creati non suae virtute, sed Dei veri parti cipatione sunt Dii. Plus autem appetendo, homo minus est, qui dum sibi sufficere delegit, abillo qui ei vere sufficit defecit, Aug. li. 14. de Civit. cap. 13. but when his disobedience had caused his unhappiness, ambition seized him, and forgetting that he was a slave to the Devil, he pretended to the Sovereignty of the whole world. To effect this his design, he tried many means as unjust, as shameful: for through a high piece of folly he would shake off the yoke of obedience, which he owed to God; live in a sinful Liberty, and follow no Laws, but those of his will. Having laid the first ground work of his Rebellion, he endeavoured to frame it into a Tyranny, and having shaken off his Sovereign he strove to get Subjects. He used Art to make himself be beloved, and violence to cause himself to be feared, he made his equals his slaves, under pretence of preserving or defending them; he oppressed their Liberty, and turned his false protection, into a true Tyranny; hence did proceed the first usurpations, which getting authority in process of time, became at last legitimate: for pride was the original thereof, and the desire of government took away the equality, which nature had placed amongst men. Those who liked not this way took another road, being possessed by vain glory, they endeavoured to practise virtue; that they might win glory, and studied to b Nullam virtus aliam mercedem laborum periculorumque 〈◊〉 si●erat pra●r ban● laudis & gloria: qua quidem detract● quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus. Cicer. pro Archiâ Po●ta. do gallant Actions, only that they might be praised. Their way of Command was not so rigorous, but it was not much less haughty than the other; for they pretended to rise by merit, and mildly to enforce men to submit themselves to their guidance; whatsoever they did by this motive could not be innocent, and whatsoever virtue they exercised by this principle had only a deceitful appearance of virtue. Vain Glory was the soul of all their designs; did they defend their Country, did they conduct their Subjects, did they fight their Enemies? 'twas rather out of the love of Glory, than of Justice. Let them be as careful as they pleased to hide their intentions, they were always clearly discerned by their actions or their words; their thoughts might be discovered without Tortures, and whilst the name of Justice was in their mouths, nothing but vain glory was observed to be in their hearts; they did publicly affirm, that to make a kingdom happy, c Florent civitates si Philosophi imperant aut Imperatores philosophantur. Jul. Capitol. a Philosopher must either be the King, or the King a Philosopher, they boasted that they had withdrawn men from out of Forests, that they had enclosed them within Towns; and by giving them Laws, they had taught them Civility. They governed a while with mildness, but when one went about to blame their government, or to reform it, they had recourse to violence; and the same vain Glory which made them assume the Sceptre to command, obliged them to take up Arms to defend it. Thus did Philosophers become Tyrants, and Pride which had used cunning to establish herself, used Force to perserve herself. This truth appeared in the greatest part of Monarchies, but shone the clearest in the Roman Commonwealth; and we may affirm, the more she affected virtue, the more was she Subject to vain Glory; d Haec sunt duo illa libertas & cupiditas laudis humanae quae ad facta compulere miranda Romanos. Aug. lib. 5. de Civit. c. 12. for those who shall examine her proceedings may observe, that all her most Glorious Actions had no other motive, than a desire of preserving her liberty, of acquiring Glory, or of increasing her authority. When Romulus his valour Numa's Piety, and Tully's wisdom, had Founded the Roman Common wealth, she thought not so much upon extending her limits, as in defending them, she never declared war against her Enemies, but when she saw herself in danger of being oppressed. She fought for her Altars and for her houses, and her first commanders had no other spur to egg them on to virtue, than a desire to live, or die in liberty. When all Italy was under their Laws, when those who would not be their friends, were become their Subjects, they suffered themselves to be tickled with the desire of Glory; and those who had no other thought but to be free, began to covet Fame and Glory. This ambitious Passion being very powerful, made them undertake a thousand gallant Actions; and we must confess the Roman Commonwealth, was never more fruitful in virtue than when most desirous of a glory; her Citizens embraced all occasions which promised them * Primo magis ambitio, quam avari●ia ●nimos homi●um exercebat, quod tainen vitiu● propius virtute erat. Aug. l. 5. de civet. cap. 12. Honour, not being yet so corrupted, they valued their duty., and thought the nearest way to win reputation was to render justice to all men, to keep their words to their enemies, to despise riches and value virtue; with these fair maxims, they blinded all men's eyes; their alliance was sought after, and men thought they must be subject to this Republic, if they would be free. They notwithstanding, who took upon themselves the trouble of examining their virtues▪ found that vain glory was their only motive thereunto, and that if they had withstood vice, 'twas only that they might win e Hoc insitum ●buisse ●nos etiam Deorum apud ill●s aedes i●dicant, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vir●tis & ●noris pr● Di● ha●es qu● da●tur à Deo. U●de intelligi potest quem finem volebant esse vi●tutis. August. lib. 5. de Civit. cap. 12 glory: They confess it themselves by their superstitions, and by building the Temple of Virtue near to that of Glory, they did sufficiently witness that Honour was the end, and recompense of all their Actions. To say truth, there is nothing famous in their history, which relisheth not of vain glory, it appears so evidently therein, as their very Historians cannot disguise it, when they praise their virtue, they discover the motive, and are enforced to impute that to the de●e of glory, which ought to be attributed to the desire of justice. When Virgil makes g Q● no● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●bi pos●et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Avast. l. 5. de C v▪ 〈◊〉▪ cap. 2●. Brutus his Panegyricke, f Vicit a●or patri● laudumque immensa cupido. Vi●l. and when he useth all his eloquence and skill to excuse his Parricide, he gives no other reaso● than the love of his Country, and his desire of praise, he makes us see by this only example; that Murders were permitted, provided they were glorious, and that there was no Father in Rome, that was not ready to sacrifice his own son to augment his reputation. If Camillus deliver his Country from whence he was banished. 'twas h 〈◊〉 A●is 〈◊〉 di●tem. illie 〈◊〉 ●esti civis habere non ●ote rat. Id●m ●d. because he could not live elsewhere more gloriously; If he assist his fellow-Citizens, 'tis because his glory may be enhanced by their ingratitude, and that by restablishing the Republic, he may improve his power. If Reg●s keep his word, which he had passed to the Carthaginians, and if he enter himself prisoner again 'tis only that he may acquire honour by the loss, and to let all the world see, that he who had been slave to Carthage, could no longer be a Citizen of Rome. If Pompey i Cae● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex● bellum que no● exoptavit, 〈◊〉 vi●tus ●re po●et august. ●x Sallust▪ l●b. 5 civi●. cap. 12. cleared the Sea of Pirates, if Eur●pe seemed not to him a Theatre large enough to show his valour in; if after having Conquered Spain, he in●rencheth upon the liberty of Asia, if he carry war into all the parts of the world, 'tis to merit the name great; 'tis to equal the faults of Mari● and Scylla, and to efface the glory which they had got in oppressing the Republic. If Caesar march in Catelines steps, if he happily end what the other had unjustly undertaken, k Postquam lux●●tque 〈◊〉 civitas corrupta est●●rsus, R●spublica s●i magnit●dine, Imperatorum atque Magistratuum vitia sustenta●t. Sallust. in C●tilin. if seeing no more enemies worthy of his anger, he sets upon his Citizens; if being no more able to suffer an equal, he will have all to be his slaves; if by one and the same fault he viol●e both the Laws of Nature and of Nations, if amongst so many vices, he mingle some illustrious virtues, 'tis only that he may win reputation, and that by giving some colour to his Tyranny, he may march in the head of Caesar's, and give a beginning to the most famous Empire of the world. For as manners were corrupted in Rome, and that particular interest prevailed over the public, the Romans, who laboured only after glory, began to labour after government; these who thought only to enlarge the State, b●hought themselves how to usurped it, and being weary of obeying Senators, they would command over slaves. 'Tis true that when their greatness was once confirmed, they changed their love of glory in the like of voluptuousness, they preserved their power, only to satisfy their pleasure, they gave over doing of gallant Actions, because flattery gave the same praises to their crimes, as vain glory gave to the virtues of their Ancestors; and they troubled themselves no more with making new conquests, because the best part of the world obeyed them; thus their virtue ceased to blossom, when vain glory ceased to inanimatein them, when they knew they could win reputation by their l Un●e intelligi p●est quem f●em vo●ant esse virtutis, & quo eam referebant: etiam qui boni erant ad hon●rem scili●et: Nam ●ali 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●am quamvis honorem habere cupere●t, quem ●alis ●tibus co●tur adipic. Aug. lib. 5. de civi●. cap. 12. debaucheries, they neglected the glorious labours, which had made their forefathers famous. This change mak●s it evident that the Romans strove not after virtue for her own sake, and th●t they fell into the same fault as th●y do, who seek her for pleasures sake: for though Honorbe more Noble than pleasure▪ and ambition seem to be more generous than intemperance, yet are they both equally prejudicial to virtue, if wantonness soften the heart and abase it, Ambition puffs it up, and makes it insolent, if voluptuousness be brutish, ambition is cruel, and if pleasure master the senses, ambition Tyrannizeth over the mind, but the greatest disorder which she causeth is, that those who are possessed by her, abandon virtue when she no longer promiseth them either glory or pleasure, for the ambitious contemn obscure virtues which delight in solitariness and silence; the volupruous fear such virtues as are a●re, and which either swim in blood, or bathe themselves in tears; by a consequence as vexatious as necessary, they both of them adore vice when it is mixed with glory or with pleasure, they have not strength enough to defend themselves against a pleasing or glorious sin, they have not light enough to distinguish between good and bad: and they have so great a Passion for honour and Pleasure, as every thing which doth bear the badges thereof seems to them worthy to be sought after, yet this is so great a disorder as Seneca m Non vis 〈◊〉 e●e sine gloria at soap just esse debe●is c● in●amia: ●t ●unc si sap●s mal● opinio bene parta delectat. S●nec. Epist. 113. hath observed that those who do love virtue truly, aught to lose Glory to preserve Innocence, that like Merchants who throw their riches over board to save their lives; they should sacrifice their reputation to their Conscience, and not be troubled to appear Criminal, so as they be in effect virtuous. I must confess that a Virtue so clarified, comes very nigh true n Licet à q●ibusdam tunc ver● & 〈◊〉 putentur esse virtutes cum ad seipsas referuntur nec propt●r all u lexpetu●tur: tunc infl● aut superb● sunt & ide● non virtutes sed vitia judicanda sunt. Aug. l. 21. de civet. cap. 25. virtue, and that a little Grace, would have made these Philosopher's Great Saints, yet the Poison which doth infect them, is so much the more dangerous, by how much it is the more concealed; and the vanity which inanimates their virtue is so much the more difficult to cure, for that it is more subtle and more nice; for though they make no account of Honour, and that they seem to despise Glory; and that satisfied with the merit of Virtue, they seek not after the reputation which doth accompany her, yet are they drunk with the esteem of themselves, and are their own Idolaters. The less praises they receive, the more they think they deserve, and who could read their hearts, would find nothing there but proud & insolent thoughts; o Nec illi ab ista se defenderunt f●ditate quicum ali●na spernant ju●ic 〈◊〉 velut glori● contemptores sibi sapi●s vid●ntur, & sibi placent. Nam corum virtus; si tamen ulla est, ali●●odo quo 〈◊〉 dam human●●ditur l●udi. Neque enim ip se qui sibi placet h●mo non est, Aug. lib. 5. de c●vit. cap. 20. they tie themselves up to reason, and despise Divinity; they think themselves wise, and better than Gods: and not knowing that the Angels were Rebels, they become guilty of their faults, for as Saint Augustine says very well, all men who stop at the Creature, and do not raise themselves up to the Creator, are criminal. He trifles with those things which he ought to make use of, he makes that his only end, which is but only a means to arrive at it, and reversing all the laws of Nature, he will find in himself the happiness which is only to be found in God. Thus are these Philosophers proud even when they contest against vain glory, they trample upon ordinary Pride, by a more subtle Pride; they despise not riches, save only that they adore virtue, they loosen themselves from the world only that they may fasten themselves to their own persons, and they make war against their bodies, only that they may make love unto their minds. They are not Epicureans but Stoics, p Ut non superb●at quid debet facere levet ●culos suos ad illum qui ●abitat in coelo. they neither love Pleasure nor Glory; yet cease not to be slaves, to both of them: self-love is their voluptuousness, and the satisfaction which they receive from their virtue is their vain glory, they behold not one another without admirations and if they appear modest in their writings, their designs are full of Pride Doubtlessly, q Non se atten●t omnis enim superbus se a●tendit, & magnus sibi videtur: qui sibi placet stu●●omini placet quia ipse stultus est qui sibi placet. Sol● securus placet qui Deo placet. August. in Psal. 121. they are proud, since they take Pleasure in themselves, and they are not aware that this Complacency is a proof of their Folly, since (as Saint Augustine saith,) every man is a fool who delighteth in himself, and he alone is wise who pleaseth God. To conclude this discourse by a reason of Saint Paul's, ʸ of which Saint Augustine shall be the Interpreter, the delight which we have in ourselves is aswell a sin as the pleasure we take in others. This great Apostle doth equally condemn these two disorders, he will not have us to delight in our advantages, the satisfaction which we take in ourselves, is a science, or young shoot of self-love, and if we q Etiam aliud est in eodem ge●ere tentationis malum quo inva●escunt, qui sibi placent de se: qu● vis aliis, vel plac●ceant vel displiceant, nec placere affectent c●teris: sed sibi placentes multu● tibi displicent Aug. lib. 10. confess. cap. 39 be forbidden to love ourselves, we are not permitted to esteem ourselves. Saint Peter, all whose words are Oracles, Places complacency amongst the number of sins, and condemning those who raise themselves above their deserts, he condemns those also who take pleasure in their Virtues, and Saint Augustine discovering the intention of these great Apostles, teacheth us that there are two sorts of Temptations; the one exterior, which being easily discovered, are not hard to overcome; the other interior, and which lying in the bosom of our souls, are as hard to cure as to know. Of this sort is their Temptation, who not requiring the praises which they deserve, or who rejecting such praises as are given them, cease not notwithstanding to be displeasing to God, because being filled with a vain glory, so much the more dangerous, as the more subtle, they delight in themselves, and do not raise themselves up to the Summum Bonum; which is the fruitful Fountainhead of all true virtues. This is the fault whereof profane Philosophers were guilty, the vain glory which blinds the Socratesses, & the Cato's, & this is the nice Temptations, which undid all the excellent wits of Rome and Athens. The rest which were so very fine, were contented with the people's applause, and demanded no other recompense for their virtues, than triumphs and victories; r Honoratisunt in omnibu● f●re gentibus ●mperii sui leges imposuerunt 〈◊〉 gentibus: non est quod d● sum & veri Dei justitia conquerantur, receperunt mercedem suam. Aug. l b. 5. de civet. c. 15 and certainly those could not complain of God's Justice, since he hath changed their desires into effects, and proportioning their recompenses to their Actions, hath crowned their fallacious virtues with a vain Honour; since he hath paid their Labours with so many conquests, and hath submitted so many people, to men that are Ambitious of Command and glory. The fourth Discourse. That the virtue of Infidels cannot be True. Virtue is so beautiful as her very shadow is delightful; vices have some sort of comeliness when they borrow her accoutrements, and we cannot forbear praising such errors, as appear in her likelihood, We approve of prodigality in Princes, because it counterfeits liberality; We admire boldness in Soldiers because it hath an air of valour and courage: We adore ambition in conquerors, because it borders upon Generosity. This error would be excusable did it not advance further; but there are some men who preferring appearances before truths; value a glorious vice at a higher rate, than a neglected virtue. Socrates' his conference with his friends seems of a more lofty style to them than doth S. Paul's last words, and this Philosopher's discoveries prevails more with them, than the examples of our Martyrs. Hence it is that Christians admire the virtues of Infidels that not content to make their Apologies, they make Panegyrics in their behalf, and praise men on earth whom God punisheth in hell. Saint Austin not being able to endure this injustice, s S●e cults veri Dei etiam quod videtur virtus esse, pecc●tum est, nec p●ere 〈◊〉 Deo sine Deo p●test: qui vero Deo non pl●cet, ●ui nisi 〈◊〉 & Diabalo placet. Aug. lib. 1. 1. de voca●▪ Gen●. c. 7 which had its birth with the Pelagian Heresy, opposeth it in a thousand parts of his writings, and contradicting the reasons which it proffers in ' its defence; Makes Christians confess, that the greatest part of infidels virtues, are but glorious vices; as I am of his opinion, I will march under his colours, and I will make use of his weapons to preserve the advantages of the Graces of Jesus Christ, and to take away the vanity of corrupted Nature. But to proceed by degrees we must presuppose with S. Austin, that no action can be holy which proceeds not from Faith, according to this holy Father's sense a man must be faithful if he will please God, and the soul which is not enlightened by the Divine light, cannot acquire any Christian virtues; that which hath no regard to the Summum Bonum cannot be good in this sense; and where supreme tatis cognitio is wanting, no Divine virtue can be practised. Either t Sine fide etiam quae videntur bona opera in peccata vertuntur, omne enim quod non est ex fide peccatum est, Aug. li. 3. ad Bonifac. c. 5. Grace or corrupted Nature, are the Originals of our actions; whatsoever proceeds from the former is sacred, whatsoever derives from the second is profane: a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, nor can a bad one bring forth good. Since humane Nature hath lost her Innocence, and her Inclinations are corrupted; unless she be amended by u Quantum libet autem opera infidelium praed●centur ejusdem▪ Apostoli sententiam verm novimus, & invictam: omne quod non est ex fide peccatum est. Aug. lib. de gestic Pelagii cap. 14. Grace, she remains always brassed towards the earth; she must be raised up by faith, if she will look up to heaven; though she see ●er disorder, she cannot amend it, and though she be conscious of her evil, she cannot hate it, she wants both light and strength, her wisdom is full of error; her strength is mingled with weakness, if she have any cognizance of virtue, 'tis in so confused a manner, as she cannot discern it from sin; and if she do any good, 'tis so faintly, as she cannot shun evil: let her turn on what side she please, she is always out of the way; and till she be guided by x Opera quae dicuntur ●ante fidem quamvis videantur ●ominibus laudabilia in●ia sunt. Nemo ergo computet ●ona opera sua ●nte fidem: Ubi fides non poterit, bonum 〈◊〉 non erat. Aug. p●. in Psalm. 31. faith, she hardly steps a step without stumbling. If man in this unhappy condition, expose himself to the fire for Truth's sake: if he fight for his Country, if he suffer ●or Justice, he dies a Martyr to vain glory; as he had no other end than Glory, he can look for no other recompense; and having had no other motive than his own Interests, he cannot shun the punishment which his injustice deserves: when the y In homine ips● nisi praecedat fides vita b●na sequi non poterit. August. l●b. de fide & operib. cap 7. intentions are bad, the actions cannot be good; and when man proposeth an unlawful end unto himself, the means he useth to come thereby may be specious, but can never be innocent. To succour a man's Country, when 'tis in oppression, to assist one's Parents or friends when they are in danger, to hazard life for the defence of Liberty, and to lose liberty to preserve Innocence, are z Bonum op●s intentio facit: intentionem fides dirigit. August. pr●f. in Psal▪ 31. Actions which cannot be blamed at the first looking upon, and which draw praises from all men's mouths, when they only consider them as they appear. But when a man shall penetrate into their intentions, and shall see that self-love is the motive thereof, that Honour is their end, and vain glory their Original, we are bound according to Saint a N●ver is it●que non office i● sed ●nibs à vi●is esse discernendas vi●tutes. Officium est autem quod faciendum est, finis vero propter quod faciendum est. Cum itaque facit ●omo aliquid ubi peccare non videtur, si non propter hoc facit▪ propter quod facere debet, peccare covincitur▪ Aug. lib. 4. cont. Julian. c. 3 Austin's Doctrine to condemn them, and to say that virtue and vice differ not so much in their actions, as in their designs: the Prodigal gives alms as well as he who is liberal, despair throws us into danger as well as valour, Pride defends ●her self better from unchastity, than doth continence herself, and as rare exploits are wrought by vain glory, as by virtue; yet all men will confess that these are bad actions, that their intention tarnisheth their beauty, and that their end makes them criminal. Let Catiline overcome voluptuousness, let him despise riches out of the love of honour, let him assist his friends courageously, let him be as constant as Cato, let him lead on his designs happily, let him order his Troops as wisely as did Scipio, and fight more valiantly than Pompey: All these gallant actions will be sallied▪ by his bad intentions, and you shall have reason enough to condemn him, when you shall know that he plots the loss of his Country, and employs all the advantages which nature hath bestowed upon him, to change the Republic into a Tyranny; by the same reasons, we must conclude, b Quicquid autem boni fit ab homine, & non propter hoc fit propter quod fieri deber● v●ra sapi● pr●cipit, et si offici● vide●●onum, ipso 〈◊〉 recto 〈◊〉 peccatum est. Aug. that whatsoever the Infidels have done, deserves not the name of virtue, since the motive thereof was unjust, and the end unlawful. Let Scipio undertake the defence of his Country, because in duty he is bound to do so; let him being egged on with glory, or touched by compassion, pass into Africa, let him be● Ca● to deliver Italy, and let him defeat H●ll to revenge the loss of Cannae; all these glorious considerations cannot excuse him, if vain glory, the people's applause, or selfe-complacency have been his end therein. Man is guilty as oft as he stops at the Creature, he goes 〈◊〉 when he goes not to God; and he makes an Idol of c 〈◊〉 qui● b● est D●, ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit; & in re● à De● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magnum 〈◊〉 est Natura ration, ut nullum sit bo●um quo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, nisi Deus. Aug. 〈◊〉 n●tura boni, c. 7. goodness, or virtue, when he works only through their motions. Man is so noble, as he can have no final end, but God, into whatsoever condition sin hath reduced him, he is always bound to look upon him, though it be not in his power to unite himself of himself to him, yet is he bound to aspire thereunto. His Impotency doth not dispense with his duty, and though he knows not God, yet he is bound to love him. Thus were the Pagans guilty, when they sought after nothing, but glory and pleasure▪ those amongst them were the more innocent, or the less guilty, upon consulting with reason, desired only virtue; and who despising honour, sought only how to acquit themselves of their duty. This Truth may seem a Paradox, and there is none who will not condemn Saint Austin, of too much rigour, if he do not very well conceive man's greatness in the state of innocency, and the corruption of nature in the state of sin. To understand it well, we must know that our d Nihil est magis naturale quam praeceptum de amando Deo, nihil tamen ad implendum magis est supernatu●e, unde Sco●us dicit Deum esse finem naturalem hominis, licet no● naturaliter adipiscendum, sed supernaturaliter. Scot in prologo. q. 1. num. 12. disobedience hath not altered God's Design. His Commands are of force after our rebellion, and though we have lost grace, we are not freed from our obligations: we ought to love God above all things. Though we have lost original righteousness▪ we ought to shun sin, though we have not the liberty that Adam had, we ought to aspire after Heaven▪ though the Gates be shut upon us▪ and we ought to have no other end upon earth, than what we had in Paradise, though we have lost the means. e Q●amvis homo n●turaliter inclinetur in finem ultimum, non ta●en 〈◊〉 ●turaliter illum consy, sed solum 〈◊〉 Grati●, & 〈◊〉 est propter ●minentiam illius finis. D. Tho. Thus are Infidels bound to despise glory and pleasure, that they may seek out the final end; and they fail of the● duties, as oft as they adore ver●ue, and neglect the Divine Essence. All the Stoics would be great S●ints if a man could lo●e virtue, and not an Idolater▪ Elysea● Fields must be made to receive them after their death, if Integrity could 〈◊〉 make Philosophers innocent; All their Actions would 〈◊〉 recompense, if the Instructions of Morality were infallible, and th● Grace of Jesus Christ would be of no use, if reason could promise any felicity: such as Zen● and S●crates would reign in Paradise set a p●t, where Virtue should be the● Idol▪ where 〈◊〉 should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ 〈◊〉 where without the Grace of believers, or the Glory of the 〈◊〉▪ they should live exempt from pain▪ with a heaped up 〈◊〉 contentment. The Church acknowledgeth b● 〈◊〉 Hell; neithr doth she acknowledge more than one Paradise; and as in the former, none but true faults 〈◊〉 punished, so in the la● none but real virtues are recompensed f Gratis Christ● mort● est, si homines 〈◊〉 fide Christi 〈◊〉 veram▪ ad virtutem veram, ad justitiam ver●m, ad sapientia● veram qu●cumque ration● perveniu●t, si per Naturam volunta●emque justitia, ergo Christus gr●tis 〈◊〉 e●: si per doctri●●rum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, ergo Christus gratis 〈◊〉 est. Aug. lib. 4. contra Jul. cap. 3▪ who hath not had Grate f● his original, shall not have Glory for his dese●▪ and who hath not had God for his end, shall not have him for his happiness. All these Actions which we so unjustly value, had no other rise but self-love: the Stoics and Epic●raans agreed in this point, and though the one considered virtue, the other pleasure, they both loved man, and by several ways endeavoured the same end. For (as g Fuerunt Philosophi s●culi. huj●, 〈◊〉 p●verunt ●on esse beatudinem nisi seesidum c●m vivere. I●i 〈◊〉 dicti sunt. Alii Philosophi s●perbi, quasi à carnese remov●tes; & t●tam sp●m in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posit 〈◊〉 b●num in virtute sud. Tales erant Stoici. Illi secu●dum car● 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ 〈◊〉 isti 〈◊〉 illi s●cundum Deum viv●s August. Ser. 13. de verbi● Apostoli cap. 7. saith S. Austin) the Epicuraans' were engaged in the body, and believing there was no other happiness, than what consisted in the sense, the Pleasures of the soul seemed Illusions to them; they thought all that was not sensible, imaginary, & knowing no other life than the present, they expected no other happiness. The Stoics were more haughty, and estranging themselves from their body, that they might ement themselves the more strongly to their souls, they despised pleasure, that they might value virtue; their chains were not the weaker for being the more finely wrought, their Irons were not the less for being gilded, and their servitude was not the sweeter, for being somewhat the more Glorious. The one lived according to the flesh, the other according to the soul, but neither the one nor the other lived according to Jesus Christ. The Epicuraeans confined themselves within their body, the Stoics within their soul, but neither did the one nor the other of them, forgo themselves to fasten to the Summum Bonum. Then to be virtuous, it is not sufficient to love Moral virtue; she cannot be man's final end sin● is only created for God; nor can she be a means to acquire it, 〈◊〉 h Nonnunquam sane apertissima vitia aliis vitiis vincuntur occultis quae putantur esse virtutes; in quibus regnat superbia, & quaedam sibi placendi altitudo ●uinosa. August. lib. 21. de civet. c 16. 〈◊〉 love is her original. To ●et her forth to the life, we must say, that in this sense she is a disguised sin, which fights against apparent mischiefs by Hidden ones; which hurts us to heal us, and which never closeth up slight wounds, without making deeper and more dangerous ones. This ought not to seem strange, to those who will consider that there be women who are chaste, because they will be unchaste, who grant nothing to their husbands, that they may give all to their Adulterers. Thus did the Infidels in their Combats; they opposed one sin to another, they surpassed Incontinancy by vain glory, and freed themselves from injustice by Ambition▪ Those past for the best whose faults were most useful to the State, men judged of virtues by their effects, as they ofttimes do of counsels by their events; and not considering their original or their motives, they were thought virtuous who were honourable in the Commonwealth. They praised Fabrici● his poverty▪ because it was a means why Luxury did not corrupt the most illustrious Families of Rome, They valued Scipio's continency, because there by the insolency of the Soldiers was suppressed, and they excused Cato's severity, because it preserved the Senate's freedom; but all these false virtues were true faults: the very best of them was worth nothing, the beautifullest of them had their defaults, i Nam licet à quibusdam ●unc vera & honesty putentur esse virtut●cum ad seipsas referuntur, nec propter aliud expetun●r, etiam tunc inf● su●t & superbae, & id● non virtutes sed vi●ia judicanda sunt. Aug. lib. de c. vit. 19 cap 24. and ofttimes those which we praise most, deserve most blame. It is not impossible; but that Camillus his ambition was more violent than that of Catiline; it may be Pompey was not more innocent than Caesar: who can tell but that he might have prevened his Father in Laws fault, had he k Minu● eni● Fabricius quam Catilina p●nietur, non quia iste bonus, sed quia iste magis malus, & min● imp●us q●àm Catilina Fabricius, non veras vi tutes habendo, sed à veris virtutibus non plurimum deviando. August. lib. 4. cont. Julia. c. 3. thought he might have gained as much honour, by the oppression of the Repulique, as by her defence? It may be Scipio was no less vain than was Marius; and if he used it more modestly, 'twas only for that he fashioned to himself a more noble Idea of glory. In fine they were all faulty; And as S. Austin says; Catiline was more wicked than Fabricius, but both of them were to blame; both of them shall be punished in Hell, but Fabricius not so much as Catiline, not for that he was better, but for that he was less ●cked, not for that he was more solidly virtuous, but for that he came somewhat nearer True virtue. From all this discourse we must infer that S. Austin doth not acknowledge any moral virtues, which are not Christian; that wisdom and Fortitude, are but weakness and blindness if they be not founded upon faith; that he who is not upon good terms with himself, cannot be upon good terms with his neighbours; that the wife who is faithless to God, l cum virtus sit p●dicitia 〈◊〉 vitium c●trarium est imp●▪ dicitia ●nesque virtutes etiam quae per corpus oper●tur, in● 〈◊〉 habit●t, quo modo verâ ratione pudic● corpus a●eritur, qua●do à vero Deo ips●●imus 〈◊〉, Aug. 1. de N●pt. &▪ con●pisc. c 4. cannot be faithful to her husband; and that the body cannot be chaste, when the soul is the Devil's strumpet. Let us conclude this discourse with those gallant words of S. Jerome; which will be the less subject to suspicion, for that he seems to reverence the virtues of the Pagans, and that he is pleased to write their Panegyricke, to encourage the Faithful by their example. m Faciamus & nos aliquid simile huic quod dicitur. justus ex fide vivit; & dicamus Castus ex fide vivit fortis ex s●de vivit adversus eos qui in Chri●um non credentes, ●ortes & sapientes, & justos se putant esse, ut sciant nullu● absq● Christo vivere 〈◊〉 quo omnis virtus in vitio est. Hieron. l. 2. in Epist. ad Galat. The just man lives by Faith, saith the holy Scripture, and we say, that the Chaste and courageous man lives by Faith. Let us apply these words to all the virtues, let us make weapons there-out to beat the misbelievers & Heretics withal, to the end that they may learn, that there is no living well out of Jesus Christ, without whom innocency is guilty, and virtue vicious. After this Testimony, we may long dispute the truth of this Doctrine; and what is established by the Authority of two of the wisest Fathers of the Church, may be believed without Error, taught without scandal, and defended without any scruple. The fifth Discourse. That Wisdom without Grace is blind, weak, and Malignant. IF the Pagans did believe that the virtues were Deities we must not wonder if they yielded the same Honour to Wisdom, since according to the judgement of Philosophers she is their Sovereign. n Prudentia vice prin● est, reliquisque omnibus utitur, atque i●sarum ordinam & modum tanquam oculus mentis ●tendit. emblic. 'tis she which doth indeed conduct them in their employments, redress them in their errors; and assists them at their needs: she wakes for the safety of the State, and whereas other virtues have but particular uses, this hath general occupations which concern the Common good. When she goes to the Composition of an upright man, she is called morality, when to the making of a Father to a family, O economy, and when she makes a State Minister, or a Prince; she assumes a more Lofty name, and is called Policy; but she is the soul of all those Sciences, which have no other light than what she affords them, and which differ within themselves only by the diversity of their objects, she is as necessary in war as in Peace; and the Generals of Armies are more to be commended for their wisdom, o Si prudentia una ad ●it, ●am continu● una cum ●a omnes virtutes aderunt. Arist. 1. 6. Ethic. c. 3. than for their valour. In fine, she is the Chain which links all virtues together, which do disband as soon as she gives over guiding them. For Fortitude without wisdom is but mere rashness; Justice which is not accompanied with discretion, doth easily degenerate into severity, even Temperance itself, when it gives over being guided by her, becomes either too remiss, or too rigorous. So as a man must be wise to be virtuous, and the shortest way to come by all virtues is to get wisdom, Amongst many Employments which are given her, the p Prius quam incipias consul●o, & ●bi consuleris mature facto opus est. Sallust. in Catil. chiefest are to consult, and to deliberate, to Judge, and resolve; to conduct and to execute. When she hath done her utmost diligence, she leaves the success to Fortune, and confesseth by this her submission, that she holds of a Sovereign Power which disposeth absolutely of all worldly affairs. Amongst so many advantages which so Eminent a virtue doth enjoy, it is not hard to observe her defaults: and to make Politicians who do adore her, confess, that since Original sin she is become blind, weak and malignant. Light seems to fall to q A providendo prudentia appellata est. Cicer. 1. de legib. wisdom's share, and that leaving Stability to Justice, Rigour to Fortitude, and Mildness to Temperance; she reserves Perspicuity to herself, to dissipate those darknesses which do obscure worldly things: yet is she unfortunate in this very point, and of all Sciences which meddle with prediction, she is the most uncertain in her conjectures. Astrology, which seems to be wholly composed of Doubts and Errors, boasts herself of having constant Principles, and to extract the good fortune, or bad fortune of men from the Conjunction of Planets, and from the Aspect of those Constellations which govern at their birth; Physic, which ought not to be more certain than its objects, hath Prognostics, which do not often deceive it, and the Symptoms which happen to sick folks, do presage their lives, or deaths. Navigation hath infallible rules, and though it depend upon the Element, which is no less inconstant than furious, yet doth it foresee Tempests, knows the ebbing and flowing of the Sea, and dexterously makes use of the winds Impetuosity. r Si prudens fuerit animus tribu● temporib● dispensetur, praeterita cogita, praesentia ordina, futura provide. Senec. But wisdom hath but feeble conjectures, which she draws from what is past, to govern what is present, and to foresee what is to come. She boasts that time makes her know men, but what can she observe in so false a Glass, and what knowledge can she draw from a thing which is so unknown unto her? for though memory be faithful to her, and that she furnish her at her need with all the Miracles of Past Ages; though History enrich her with all her Treasure, and present her with a thousand Examples, which may inform her of the truth; though the senses discover unto her things present, and that these faithful Officers make 〈◊〉 but faithful reports unto her, yet cannot she by all their assistances penetrate into the secrets that are to come. Futurity is a time which suffers not itself to be approached; two of its moments makes us lose our knowledge; and the wisest s Occultat corum faemina Deus, & plerumque bonorum ●sae sub diversd specie ●t. Plin. in P●eg. Politician, unless he be a Prophet, cannot foresee the misfortunes which Futurity threatens him: that which he hath prepared for his defence, serves most commonly for his undoing; and that which he looked upon as the groundwork of his fortune, becomes the cause of his misfortune: ofttimes the fairest appearances produce the worst effects; sometimes he is blest by a misfortune, and the wave which should have swallowed his Vessel up, doth ofttimes happily throw him upon the Shore. Therefore hath the wisest of all Philosophers acknowledged that Counsel t Consil●i divinum est. Arist. whereof, the best part of wisdom is composed, depends more upon fortune than reason, and that it was rather to be ranked amongst divine things, than humane. The body and the soul are as differing in their constitution, as in their conduct: for the body hath eyes in the face to conduct it, it sees whatsoever is before it, and none behind its sight, extends itself to such objects as seek it, and not to such as shun it; but the soul chose, seeth things that are behind her, and seeth not things that are before her, her eyes are on her back, not in her face; she remembers what is past, and knows not what's to come; wisdom endeavours to fortify her sight, but she is not so happy as is Astrology, which hath found out prospective Glasses to consider the Stars: for after having made use of her conjectures, u ●o si●ium futuri ex praete●ito venit. Senec. Epist. 83. she is forced to confess, that she foretells things to come, only by consideration of what is past, and that she is deceived as oft as she undertakes to judge of what's to come. Prophet's are only permitted to consider this part of time: one must be admitted into God's Cabinet to comprehend mysteries before they happen. The Devils themselves for all their subtle understanding cannot divine, their predictions are as doubtful, as obscure; they speak in hidden terms to excuse their ignorance; and the Oracles of these proud spirits are always conceived in confused words, to the end that their Adorers may not discover their falsehood. Man (who is not much less proud than the Devil) persuades himself that assisted by wisdom, he may know secrets to come, and that experience which is the Mother of this virtue, may furnish him with conjectures, the x Seris venit usus ab annis. evidence and certainty whereof, are equally infallible: but who knows not that experience depends on years? that a man must be conversant in affairs to come by it, and that the Proverb of Ars longa vita brevis, ought rather to be affirmed of the Politician, than Physician. If wisdom be void of light, she is not much better provided of power; and if she be-blinde a man without injuring her, may say she is yet more weak; for she ofttimes sees mischiefs which she cannot hinder. It would make for our ease, that she were either less knowing, or more y Multa bona nostra nobis nocent. Timo● is enim tormentum memoria redu●t ●rovidentia anticip●. Sen. ●ist. 5. powerful; her light serves for the most part but to anticipate our miseries, and to make us miserable before our time. Thus is our condition worse than that of Beasts, for they eat an evil when they see it near at hand; and remember it no longer when it is once over; but we afflict ourselves both with what is past, and with what is to come, we seem to be prejudiced by our advantages, and that we are only unhappy in having too good a memory, and in being too wise, the one calls back the evil when it is past, and the other goes to find it out before it approach. What need is there in hastening our dislikes, in advancing those evils which come always too soon, to what end do we lose the present time for fear of the future? what good doth it us to be now miserable because we must be so hereafter? This is notwithstanding the most usual effect of wisdom, for as she hath more light than power she foresees our disasters, and not being able to hinder them, advanceth our punishment. To understand this, we must know that wisdom and power are but one and the same thing in God, that which deliberates, is that with resolves, and that which undertakes, is that which puts in execution. If from Divine perfections we pass to the Divine persons we shall find that the Son, who is the wisdom of his Father, is likewise his power, that he who is his thought, is also his strength; he doth forecast designs, and finisheth them, he forms erterprises, & executes them, he is that Palace proceeding from jupiters' brain, which passed for the Goddess both of sciences and arms, & which was no less recommendable for her valour, then for her wisdom: hence it is that he is called by several names in the holy Scripture, and that he is sometime called the a Verbum Dei & brachium Dei filius passim appellatur in Scriptures. word sometimes the arm of his Father. But in man these qualities are divided, he who is wise is not always strong, and when he hath wisely resolved, he must borrow aid from some other virtue, to execute his resolution with courage. Wisdom is timorous, because cold; valour bold, because hot, and as their qualities require several tempers, they do not oft times meet in one and the same person: but say Nature should work a miracle by agreeing them, and that a man should have as much courage as conduct, his power would never equal his b Prudentia plerumque inf●lix, quia rerum eventus ab illa non p●ndent. T●cid. wisdom, and after having given wise Counsel, he would not be answerable for the event; there is a Sovereign Providence which hath reserved unto itself the disposal of all things, and which takes delight in giving bad success, to the best resolutions, to teach us that our happiness, and unhappiness is in the hands thereof. Politicians are surprised in their cunning: that which happens well unto them in one affair, falls out clean otherwise, when heaven forsakes them. This made the Pagans say that fortune laughs at wisdom, and that to confound our presumption, she had so ordered affairs, as that happiness and wisdom did not always keep Company: she makes fools happy when she cannot make them wise, and not being able to make wise men fools, she makes them unfortunate, c Disputatur an tutius sit foelicem esse quam prudentem. whence it is that Politicians doubt whether good fortune or wisdom be the more requisite ingredient to the composure of a puissant Prince. Wisdom is more honourable, but good fortune is more certain, wisdom furnisheth advice, but good fortune gives the event: Wisdom comes from earth, but good fortune from Heaven: therefore Sylla, who understood this secret very well, chose rather the name of fortunate than of great, or wise, and was of an opinion that an Empire favoured by fortune, was better established, than one governed by wisdom. This confession makes all Politician's despair, after having built Altars to their Idol, d Deorum beneficio omnes res praeclare & bene gestae acceptae referendae sunt. Di●nys. Halicar. they must erect Temples to providence; and acknowledge that it is she, which gives Sceptres to shepherds, which overthrows the Thrones of the wise, which inspires the timorous with courage, and infuseth fear into the heart of the most hardy; which snatcheth Laurel from out the hands of the victorious to crown the conquered therewithal. To attribute good success to humane wisdom is to offend Divine providence, in all our erterprises we must leave much to her guidance, and in executions we must give all to her Glory, she is jealous of this acknowledgement, and who fails to give her this Honour, never fails to be unfortunate. 'Tis said that a certain Grecian named Timothy, recounted to the Athenians, the victories which he had gotten over their enemies, vaunted that his victories were wrought by his wisdom, and not by fortune, that they owed their obligation to his good guidance, and not to his good luck. Though Cum divina Providentia consiliis & rationibus humanis non suffragatur, malo & infoelici exitu terminantur, nam & prudentes consilium & fortes virtus destituit. N●cephor. Gregor. lib. 7. those insolent speeches were only uttered against an idol which could not resent them, Divine providence forbore not to revenge herself upon this general, not suffering him to have any good success, in any thing that he undertook afterwards; to let him know that his former good successes were not so much the effects of wisdom as of Fortune. Though these two qualities which accompany wisdom, are sufficient enough to tarnish her glory, the third is much more injurious to her, for ignorance and weakness bear their excuses with them, and there are glorious virtues which have not much more power, nor much more light, but guile is odious, and virtue turns to sin, when it becomes deceitful; yet this is a quality which seldom forsakes humane wisdom, all her cunning is criminal and being often interessed, she is almost always ᵍ f Totius injustitiae nulla est capitalior, quam corum qui cum maxim fall lunt, id agunt ut boni videantur. Cicer. de Officiis lib. 1. unjust cozenage is so natural to her, as that all her counsels are there withal infected she approves of cheating when we may reap profit thereby; and because by the Laws of War we are permitted to overcome our enemies, either by stratagem, or by force, she thinks she may deal so with all men. She disperseth her guile into all worldly commerce, be it either that particular men end their difference by process at Law, be it that Merchant's traffic with strangers, be it that Princes treat by their Ambassadors, wisdom fenceth herself only by cunning, and in all her employments, he who knows best how to cousin, is the ablest man. Thus is cheating mixed with wisdom; and those who are not guided by charity, cannot be wise unless they be deceivers. Though Pagan virtues be oft disguised vices, which under a counterfeit beauty hide real ugliness, yet there is not any which hath a nearer alliance to vice than wisdom hath. Exempt vain glory from temperance in the unbelievers, and Temperance shall be without blemish; and separate force from ambition, and ambition shall be praise worthy; but wisdom is inter-mingled withal sins; interest is her motive, injustice her original, deceit her interpreter, and dissimulation her Counsellor: she hazards innocency, to envade infamy, she violates Nature to preserve a piece of Earth, and to settle her own State she overturns that of strangers. All her right consists in might, under any colour of pretence, which her cunning may pretend unto, she takes up arms to defend it, and thinks, that all war is just whereby she may be aggrandised, all her Maxims are blasphemies, which give against Religion, or society; she frames Gods, and Laws after her own Mode or fashion: she esteems whatsoever withstands her interest to be weakness of spirit, and is firm of opinion, that the Heavens g Prudentia carnis est inimica Deo, legi enim Dei non est sabjecta, nec enim potest. Rom. 8. must do miracles to make her tractable. In fine, in the State of corrupted Nature, it is hard to be wise, and not a Cheater. h Estate prudentes sicut serpents & simplices sicu● columbae: Quia prudentia absque simplicate malitia est, simplicitas fine prudentia stultitia est. Hieronym. super Oseam. 'tis therefore that the Son of God, when he instructeth his Disciples, never adviseth them to be wise as Serpents, without obliging them to be Innocent as Doves; because innocence without wisdom would turn to folly, and wisdom without innocence, convert to guile. Tertullian descanting upon this passage, says, that were it in his choice he would prefer the innocence of the Dove before the wisdom of the Serpent, and that if he could not shun the two evils, which accompany these two virtues, he would rather fall into that of Folly, than that of Guile; Indeed the Scripture gives the preeminency to Innocency, as by this comparison; for the Dove is much more pleasing than is the Serpent, she is the Emblem of Innocency and love, she expresseth herself by sighs, she was chosen by God, in the beginning of the world for the Messenger of Peace, and to advertise man of the Deluges decrease; in the fullness of time, she had the honour to denote Jesus Christ, and to instruct the chiefest of all Prophets; The Holy i Christum columba designare solita est, Serpens vero tentare. Illa à primordio divinae pacis praeco. Ille à primordio divinae imaginis praedo. Ita facilius simplicitas sola Deum, & agnoscere poterit & ostendere, prudentiae sola concutere potius & prodere. Tertul. advers. Valent. Ghost hath made it his mystical Image, and when he would become visible, he took upon him the form of a Dove, but the Serpent creeps upon the earth, hides himself in the grass, wraps himself in his own folds, and never discovers but one part of himself; he served for an Interpreter to the evil spirit, to express himself by, and for an officer to seduce man; this was the first visible shape the Devil put on, and we never see this Animal, but we are touched with some secret horror, which teacheth us that the Devil is odious, and wisdom dangerous. This is also the virtue of self-love, which endeavours to restore man to what he hath lost, which withstands God's purposes, which gives against the laws of his Providence and Justice, and which under a pretence of freeing us from those miseries which afflict us, endeavours to make in each of us a proud Tyrant of a rebellious Slave. The sixth Discourse. That there is no true Temperance, nor justice amongst the Pagans. IT is not without reason, that I join these two virtues in the same discourse, and that I make one only Panegyric for Temperance, and for Justice; for though all the virtues are allied, and that proceeding from the same Father, they resemble one another, yet these two have so great a relation one to another, as they may be termed both by one name; Justice may be termed a Public Temperance, and Temperance a particular Justice; for Temperance doth the same thing in men, which Justice doth in States; and these two virtues have no other care than to entertain Peace in War, and Equality in the difference of Conditions. Justice rules monarchs, stifles Divisions in their births, makes Princes Gracious, and Subjects obedient, she gives unto every one what belongs unto him, she weighs men's reasons, and considers not their qualities, she condemns Kings if they be faulty, absolves Slaves if they be innocent; she is not to be frighted with threats, nor bribed by promises. If she commit any fault, 'tis surprisal, and her intentions are so upright, as if she doth any ill, 'tis under the appearance of God; when she forsakes k Remota itaque justitia quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia, quia & ipsa latrocinia quid sunt nisi parva regna? August. lib 4. de civet. cap. 4. Kingdoms, they turn to Tyrannies, when Tyrants follow her advice, they become lawful Kings, and when she once enters a Kingdom, she always brings plenty and prosperity with her: Politicians do also mingle all virtues with her, and judge that to be perfect, sufficeth to be just. The Roman Commonwealth had not increased, nor preserved herself, had it not been for this virtue, she confesseth she doth not so much owe her conqests to the valour of his soldiers, as to the Justice of her Commanders; and that if she had gained Victories by Combating, they had won Provinces by their Decrees. This is so undoubted a truth, as Cicero in those admirable Composures of his, touching a Commonwealth, acknowledgeth that a l Nihil tam inimitum quam injustitia civitati, nec omnino nisi magna justitia●geri aut stare potest Respubls. Cicer. in Laelio. State cannot subsist without the help of this virtue, that it changeth Name, so soon as it loseth Justice, and that it ceaseth to be profitable to its Subjects, when it ceaseth to be just to its Allies. A Kingdom without Laws is a mere Tyranny; and Aristocracy without Order, is but a Faction of the most eminent men, and Democracy without Policy, is but a confused Popularity, which cannot keep from falling into the hands of a Tyrant. But though the Romans be so passionate for Justice, and that they have been obliged by their self-Interest to reverence her, yet were not they more just than other men, and their Republic hath been more enlarged by their injustice, then by their valour; she was borne with the Sword in her hand, and never forwent this warlike humour, which doth not much agree with the sweetness of Laws, her first attempt was the ravishing of the m Quid enim melius aut justius quam filias alie● fraud spectaculi inductas non à parentibus accipi, sed vinnt quisque poterat auferri. Aug. lib. 2. de civi●. cap. 17. Sabine, and she sufficiently witnessed her Conquests were Tyrannical, since her Marriages were unjust; uder pretence of assisting her Allies, she ofttimes oppressed her Neighbour's; she took Orphan Princes into her protection, to bereave them of their Kingdoms, and being more careful of preserving her reputation than her Conscience; she only sought for pretexts to invade her Enemy's Territories, when she had conquered all Italy, she studied how to conquer the whole World, and that she might at the same time trouble all the parts thereof, she sent Armies into Africa, Europe, and Asia; her Pride was not lessened by her greatness, her increasing served only to augment her ambition: and had she not turned her weapon upon herself, to undo herself, the world would as yet have groaned under her Tyranny. 'Tis true, she did some Actions which won her Credit, she would not vanquish by Poison, when she thought she might do it by the Sword; she advertised Pyrrhus of his Physician's perfidiousness, and rendered to▪ Fallisci that treacherous Pedant which had betrayed his Disciples to her; but in both these exploits, either n Caeteras cupiditates unius glori● ingenti cupiditate presserunt. Aug. lib. 5. de civet. c. 12 Glory or Interest was the rule of her Justice; she Gloried in overcoming an Enemy by Courtesy, whom she could not overcome by Valour; and won the hearts of Parents by sending their Children back unto them. She treated Kings, and the People a like favourably; for she either presupposed some wrong done, that she might have some subject to declare war against them; or she offered them her alliance, to engage them in servitude, or took them from their Allies, that she might weaken them; or raised some revolts in their States, to ruin them. o Alia s●ere quae majores nostr●s magnos secerunt quae nobis nulla sunt, domi industria, foris justum imperium. P●●is nos habemus lux●riam atque av●itiam publi●è egestatem privatim opulentiam, omnia virtutis praemia ambitio possidet. Cato in Sallust. Catilina●iâ. There have been Generous Nations, who have preferred death before her Tyranny, and who have chosen rather to make trial of her cruelty, than of her servitude. Numantium & Carthage could never endure her Insolence: the one burned her houses to preserve her Inhabitants; the other broke her Treaty of Peace to regain her liberty, either by war or death. G●ule had never submitted to her Laws, had she not hoped to revenge herself on the Romans under Caesar's conduct, and Germany had never submitted her neck to the yoke, if Rome had employed nothing but her force & valour against it. In fine, this proud Republic, which hath wearied so many Poets, made so many Historians sweat, and stained the Glory of all those Nations, whose Estates she usurped; won more by Treaties, than by Combats; and hath borne away more Victories by wiles, than by valour. She thought those battles most honourable, which cost least blood; and gave him the greatest Triumphs, who could vanquish without Fight. 'Tis true, her Laws were just, but so ill observed; as new ones must be made to maintain the old ones, till the Number thereof grew so great, as she found by experience, that a State is never sicker than when it needs so many remedies. Wherefore St. Astine considering all the cheats which Rome had o Vera autem justitia non est▪ ni●ia 〈◊〉 Republicâ cujus conditor Rect●rque Christus est. August. lib. 2. de civet. cap. 21 used to raise her Greatness, confesseth o Vera autem justitia non est▪ ni●ia 〈◊〉 Republicâ cujus conditor Rect●rque Christus est. August. lib. 2. de civet. cap. 21 that a Commonwealth cannot be just, unless it be Christian; that her Laws cannot be holy, if Jesus Christ be not the Author of them; and that her people cannot be happy, unless they be enlightened by Faith, and cherished by Charity. The Romans Temperance was no truer than their Justice, and if the State were faulty in her Policy, hi● Subjects were as much to blame in their Guidance. For Temperance formeth men by her mildness, governs such passions as promise us pleasure; withstands delightful Enemies, stops their fury in its birth, disabuseth the understanding which they endeavour to surprise; and as a wise Sovereign makes use either of punishment, or reward to reduce them to their duties; she maintains the Authority of reason by her Counsels, and he who guides himself by her Motions, doth nothing of unworthy. p Ubi studium verecundi● est, cupiditas rationi cedit, ni●ilque utile quod parum ●onestum videri potest, ducitur. Valer. Max. l. 6. cap. 6. She never thinks that profitable, which is not honest, and the Pleasure which delights the senses, never pleaseth if it be unjust. This vertuebreeds peace in our souls, calms the storms of hope and desire; and doth so well govern them, as these Giddyheaded Passions, never take wing, but by her Orders. For the temperate man can q look on beauty, without coveting i●; he possesseth riches, yet loveth them not; he tastes pleasure, not surfeiting thereon; and deals so uprightly with his body, as it is neither his slave, nor yet his Tyrant. This virtue being solovely, steals away the hearts of her Enemies, and makes herself be admired even by those that persecute her: the lascivious praise her, whilst they make war against her, they wish that such women as they have corrupted, were chaste, and that such as commit Adultery with them, would be true unto them. We must not therefore wonder if the Romans were ravished with her beauty, that they have praised her; and that there hath been some Commanders, who amidst the licentiousness of war, have suppressed their Passions, that they might purchase the glorious Title of q Temperantia voluptatum alias odit atque abigit, alias dispensat, & ad sanum modum dirigit: Sci● optimum esse modum cupitorum, non qantum v●is, sed quantum deb●as 〈◊〉. S●c. Epist. Temperate; they thought that to overcome pain, they must overcome pleasure; that before they fight for their Country, they must fight for reason; & that it was not to be hoped for that he who could not resist a woman's beauty, could defend himself against a soldier's valour. They persuaded themselves that temperance was the first step to fortitude, and that one judged of the victory which a Commander might get over his Enemy; by what he had won over his sensuality. Thus great men did study this virtue early; s Deb●llandae sunt in primis voluptates, quae saeva quoque ad se ingenia r●puerunt. Senec. Epist. 51. she was their first Apprentisage, and when the blood which boiles in the veins, kindled in them unclean desires, they quenched the fire thereof by the help of temperance. One of the Scipios won more glory by vanquishing his love than by quelling the pride of Carthage; he purchased more credit in Spain by his Continency, then by his valour: and the quitting of a famous beauty, and free gift of her to her sweetheart got him a whole Province, he won many Battles, by defending himself from a Maid. And his enemies were persuaded that their Soldiers could not overcome him, whom their Yeomen could not corrupt; this combat is heightened above his victories, his valour is never spoken of, without mention made of his t Hac continentiá ac m●nificentia Indibilis ob●gatos Celtiberorum animos Romanis 〈◊〉, meritis ejus debita● gratia● ret●it. Valer. Maxim. l. 4 c. 3 continency, and as oft as men talk of the taking of Carthage, they add thereunto the restitution of this Princess. All the Circumstances of this action are so remarkable, as they are not to be omitted without injury to this gallant man. He commanded a victorious army, to which the laws of war made all things lawful, which were not by them forbidden: he had ta'en a Town by assault, the resistance whereof had stirred up his anger; 'twas thought that to astonish all Spain, he would have made it a cruel example, and that the blood of the inhabitants should have been that wherewith he would have quenched the flames which devoured their houses; that he would have made victim of all the Prisoners, and that if the women's lives were preserved, it should only be to bereave them of their Honours. In this belief they present him with a glorious beauty, whose misfortune it was to be immured within that fatal Town: she was unfortunate enough to move pity, but too fair, not to provoke love. The Soldiers were persuaded that their General would suffer himself to be vanquished in his victory, and that he would become his captives captive; they expected to have seen him once overcome, whom they had always seen victorious. Though they had his continency in great esteem, they did think it was not proof good enough against so exquisite a beauty; and they could not imagine that a man who was yet in the prime of his youth, should have power to withstand the Allurements of so fair a Maid, who had nothing but her tears to defend herself withal. The truth is, his eyes thought to have betrayed his heart, and u Magnam vi● habet ad conciliandum ●spicientium amorem formae venustas, Paul. ●ov. he found how difficult a thing it is to behold a rare beauty, and not love it; his passion would have persuaded him, that without injuring his greatness he might become his captives captive; he had examples enough to excuse his fault, flattery would have authorized it, and if he would have listened to his Domestics, he had near triumphed over his love. Amidst this his trouble, he endeavoured to comfort her who caused his pain, and would give security to her, who entrench upon his liberty. He understood by her, that though her fortune had made her a Prisoner, she was by birth a Princess; that her Parents had promised her to a young Prince, and that her Fate had cast her into the hands of her enemies; the knowledge of these particulars, and that his Prisoner was of so high a rank; was enough to make Scipio resolve to give her her. Liberty: he made her Father and her husband be sought for, who came upon his word into Carthage; every one looked for an event answerable to the passion which gave it life: some think he will demand her in marriage, others, that he will inquire into her birth, and see whether without offending the Glory of the Scipios he may take his prisoner to be his wife, some fear lest he will begin his Marriage by Murder, and secure his suit by his rival's death: few believe that he will betray his love, and by one and the same act of Justice, restore a daughter to her Father, u Eximae form● virgin● 〈◊〉 adultae, & juvenis & caelebs, & victor postquam comp●rit illustri loc● natam & Indibili de● ponsatam, accersitis parentibus & spons● in violatam tradidit. Valer. Maxim. lib. 4. cap. 3. and a Mistress to her servant: this mean while, when he knew: that this Princess was no less Nobly born then beautiful, that her Father was Governor of a Province, and that her servant did Command an Army, he presently delivered her into their hands, and would no longer suffer his eyes to behold a beauty, which might invite him to do an unjust act; and to Crown this Noble Action, x Aurum quoque quod pro red●mptione puellae allatum erat sum●ae dotis adjecit. Idem ibid. he gave her the money which was brought him for her ransom; as part of her portion, to the end that all Spain might know that Scipio knew aswell how to Triumph over Avarice as over Love. I foresee I cannot condemn this Action without under-going the jealousy of such as favour the party of the Infidels, that I shall draw either public envy or public hatred upon me, if I shall question whether so glorious a victory deserve the name of virtue or no, and that men will think my love to Saint Austin hath made me forgo the love of truth; yet according to his principles we must confess, that this virtue is a sin, that not deriving from charity, y Illi Philosophi sae●uli vitium vitio, peccatumque pecca● medicantur. Nos amore virtutum vitia superemus. Hiero. nym. Epist. 4. it proceeded from self love; that Scipio did but ●ence himself from one by an other, and that his keeping himself from Incontinency proceeded from vain glory. Infidels are slaves to the Devil, their will is in his hands, and as long as this cruel Tyrant doth possess them, he permits them not to do any one good Action, out of a good motive, he may suffer them to resist the violence of Love, or the fury of Avarice; but he corrupts their intentions, and never with draws them from one evil, but he engageth them in another, they eat an ill step, to fall into a precipice, and their will is so subject unto his, as after long deliberation, they always put on the worst resolution. This unjust Sovereign fits himself to their inclinations that he may undo them, he adviseth them only to such things as he knows doth please them, and when he gives any counsel, he always considers their honour or desire, he is content that they may practise one virtue, so as they mix a vice with it, he cares not though they overcome love, so as they give way to vain glory, & as learned Tertullian saith, z Nam invenit Diabolus quomodo homines etiam boni sectationibus perderet, & nihil apud cum resert alios luxuriâ alios continentiâ occidere. Ter●ul. lib. 1. ad uxorem. cap. 5. he cares not much whether he damn men by debauchery or by incontinency; Thus I doubt not but that 'twas ambition which kept Scipio chaste, that it was the sweetness of glory which charmed the like of Pleasure, and that in so difficult an Action 'twas reputation which he proposed unto himself for recompense. All Conquerors were of his Humour, they left the Pillage of the enemy to their Soldiers, they parted the Provinces which they won amongst their Domestics, they made their slaves Sovereigns, and of all the advantages which they got by their victories they only reserved glory to themselves. This man feared to lose his reputation by losing his Liberty, he was ashamed to suffer himself to be taken by his Captive, and he would leave no shameful marks of his defeats, where he had left such glorious proofs of his victories. Vain glory was the soul of his virtue, his pride increased whilst his incontinency decreased, and Scipio was a slave to ambition, whilst he commanded over uncleanness. That which hath been said of the continency of this General of an Army; may be affirmed of Lucretia's Chastity with this of difference, that hers, being accompanied with Murder, can admit of no excuse, nor ought in any wise to be praised. For though her death seem to be generous, and that the Romans who look upon her as the beginning of their liberty, would have it to pass for the Noblest sacrifice which was ever offered up to chastity; yet did it deserve punishment in a State well policed. And they might have revenged themselves of living a Dux Roman● Pudicitiae Lucretia ferro se interemit, ●ausamque, t● 〈◊〉 inter●tu, i●prium consulare pro regio permutandi populo Romano praebuit. Valer. Max. lib. 6. cap. 1. Lucretia, upon the body of Lucretia being dead. They would disguise the crime, and make it seem a virtue; not considering the unjustness thereof, they looked only upon the public interest, and since this Murder had driven the Tarquins from Rome, they had ground enough to make thereon a Panegyricke; they therefore place Lucretia in the head, or first file of all Chaste Women, they blame Fortune; for having immured so stout a soul in so weak a body, they excuse the sin by the effects thereof, and cannot blame a murder which was the rise of the Roman Commonwealth. They justify her Chastity by her death, they excuse her death by her Chastity, and maintain that as she preserved her Chastity in a forced Adultery, she did not violate Justice in a voluntary self-murder. But truly I find that Saint Austin hath so justly blamed her as that she is not justly to be defended; and that he hath made a Dilemma, to which the sub●llest Philosophers cannot answer. Whence it is (saith he) b Quid hoc est quod i●●am gravi●s vindicatur, quae adulterium non admisit, i'll 〈◊〉 pulsus est, hac summo 〈◊〉 est supplicia. August. ●e Civit lib. 1. c. 19 that he who hath committed the sin, is not as severely punished, as she that suffered it, or on whom it was committed? the one did lose his Country, the other lost her life. If you exempt her from the unchasteness because she was violated, how will you exempt her from injustice, since she was the death of an Innocent? c Si non est illa impudicitia quâ invita comp●imitur, non est haec justitia qua casta p●itur. Idem ibid. your Roman Laws, Papp●al to you, which will not have the guilty to be condemned unheard, what would you say if the crime were in a mooted case put to you, and what sentence would you give, if it were made evident unto you that she that suffered death was not guilty, but Innocent? would you not severely punish such a piece of injustice? yet this is Lucretia's case; cruel Lucretia, hath killed chaste Lucretia, whom Tarquin had violated but not corrupted. Give judgement according to Evidence; and if you think you cannot punish her because she is dead; praise her not because she was a Murderess. For if to excuse her Murder, you wrong her chastity, and if you think she kill herself to expiate the pleasure she conceived in thàt sin, 'tis not d Cur intersect●icem 〈◊〉 & innocentis tanta praedicatione laudatis. Idem ibid. Tarquin that is only guilty, Lucretia was as faulty as he: take-heed what judgement you give upon this occasion; these faults are so linked together, as they are not to be parted; by taking from the Adultery, you add to the Murder, and by excusing the Murder, you aggravate the Adultery: you can find no outlet from this Labyrinth; and you know not how to answer to this Dilemma which I propose unto you. e Si adultera cur laudata? si pudica cur eccisa. Idem. ibid. If she were unchaste why do you praise her? And if she were chaste, why did she kill herself? If you would rather acquit her of Adultery, than of Murder, confess at least that it was not so much the love of Chastity; as the apprehension of dishonour which made her take up a dagger: This Roman Lady, and consequently haughty, was more careful of preserving her glory, than her Innocence, she feared lest she might be thought guilty of some fault, if she should outlive the outrage that was done her; and thought she might be judged to be confederate with Tarquin, should she not take vengeance on herself: Christian Women, who have had the like misfortune, f Foeminae Christianae non in se vitae sunt crimen alienum ne aliorum sceleribus adderent sua. August. ibid.. have not imitated her despair, they have not punished the faults of others in themselves; nor committed Homicide, to revenge a Rape: The witness of their Conscience, was the glory of their Chastity; and it sufficed them that God who is the searcher of hearts, knew their Intentions; and shutting up all their virtue in their obedience, they went not about to violate God's Laws, to save themselves from the calumny of men. Thus are all the virtues of the Pagans nothing but Pride; their Justice; be it either slack, or severe, is interessed: Their Continency is vain glorious, and their courage, hath in it more of despair then of Fortitude. The seventh Discourse. That the Fortitude of Pagans, is but weakness, or vanity. Though all Virtues be delightful, and that they have sufficient charms to make them appear amiable even to their Enemies, ᵍ Nonnefortitudo optabilis est, atqui pericula conteminit & provocat. Pu●errima par●ejus maximè que mi rabilis illa est, non cedereignibus, obviam i●e vulneribus: interdum tela ne vitare quidem, se● pectore excipere. Senec. Epist. 67. we must confess that Fortitude bears most of lustre with it, and that severity which doth accompany it, doth not detract any thing from its beauty. Justice is reverenced even by her persecutors; Tyrants are afraid of her shadow, and after having bootlesly employed violence for their defence, they have been fain to have recourse to Justice for their preservation: wisdom is adored by all Politicians, a man must have lost his wits not to value her, if she be not esteemed by fools, she is admired by wisemen; all sorts of people confess that she is as necessary for the Government of private Houses, as of States. All parts of Morality take her for their Guide; and without the assistance of this Virtue, they can neither make an honest man, a Statesman, nor a Father of a Family. Temperance is beloved by all men, her Enemies respect her, in those that love her, they confess that pleasures can neither be innocent, nor yet delightful, when she is absent; and that pleasure without temperance is the punishment of the unchaste. But certainly all the Virtues hide their heads, when Fortitude displays its beauties. These Stars are eclipsed, when the other Sun appears; and people cease from looking upon Justice in Princes, prudence in Politicians, and Temperance in Philosophers, when they consider the courage of the unfortunately Innocent. Though this Illustrious Virtue be sincere, and that the pain wherewith she is assailed make her unquiet, yet hath she allurements which win her more admirers than the other have lovers: There are but few that look after her, but all admire her, and that because persecution must precede courage, every one is content to reverence a virtue, which must cost so dear to come by; she innobles such as possess her, she comforts the condition of slaves, heightens the Majesty of Sovereigns, augments the beauty of women, and of all the ornaments which adorn either the mind, or the body, there is none more Majestical than Fortitude; if we will believe Philosophers, there is nothing on earth more worthy of Gods looking on, h Non sunt ista quae possint Deorum in se vultum convertere, sed puerilia & humanae oblecta menta levitatis. ●cce spectaculum dignum ad quod respiciat intentus operi suo Deus. Ecce par De● dignum vir sortis, cum male sort una compositus. Se nec. de Provide. cap. 2. than a man who withstands sorrow and misfortune; he despiseth all that Glory which dazzles us; the pride of our Houses is the mark at which his Thunderbolts are aimed; the Magnificence of our Palaces, are but the Spoils of Quarries, or of Forests; those Pyramids which add to the wonders of the world, are but heaps of stones, torn from out the bowels of the earth; these Armies which make whole Provinces to groan, either by reason of their numbers, or their disorders, these great bodies which pour forth blood from out all their veins to re-fill those rivers, which they have drained, are but swarms of Bees, which decide their differences by fight: and God looks upon the Glory of Kings, as wise men do upon a Stage-Play; but he delights to look upon a noble minded man, who grapples with sorrow, who sees his riches borne away without any agitation of spirit, and who in loss of honour, life, or liberty, preserves his courage. If the earth produce nothing which may make God stay to look upon it, and if generous actions merit not that God should busy himself about them, yet must we confess that they are approved of by all people; and that men do more admire a Philosopher who suffers death patiently, than a Monarch who governs his State with Justice. He through his constancy triumphs over whatsoever the world hath of most furious; since he overcomes pain, he may well vanquish pleasure; since he despiseth death, he may laugh at fortune; and since, he fears not the threats of Kings, he may well enough sense himself against their promises: he tramples under foot all those pleasures which we seek after, and all the pains and sorrows which we apprehend: the greatness of the danger encourageth him to battle, i Avid● est p●culi virtus, & quo ten● non quid passura sit cogitat, quoniam & quod passura est gloriae pars est. Sen●. de Provide. cap. 4. the more difficulty he foresees, the more glory he hopes for; he values not that much, which cost him but little; he tries himself when fortune spares him, and to keep himself in breath, he makes Enemies, when he meeteth with none. Past ages have produced men, who have not changed countenance amidst Tortures; their Executioners could not wrest moans from out their months, nor make them confess so much as by a sigh the pains which they endured; there have been some, who to triumph over Tyrants, have laughed amidst their punishments: such hath been their constancy, as that Joy did not abandon them even in that condition: their courage seemed to make them insensible; and that by being accustomed to torments, they were grown familiar to them. Thus did Scevola defy Tarquin the proud, his whole hand missed him, and his burning hand struck him with astonishment: he escaped the Prince's anger by preventing it, he pierced his heart, whose body he could not hurt; and Tarquin judging of the Fortitude of all Romans, by that of Scevola, he feared to have those men for his Enemies, who feared not the fire. But not to add to this discourse by examples, it may suffice to listen unto the reason of Philosophers, and to acknowledge with them, what advantages Fortitude hath over all other virtues. Man began to be unhappy, when once he became criminal, his subjects became his enemies, the Elements declared war against him, and those elements which went to his composure, divided themselves, that they might alter his temper, and shorten his life: Pain and pleasure agreed together for his undoing, life and death were reconciled to make him suffer. Moral Philosophy, found out virtues to succour him, and every one of these faithful Allies undertook to defeat an Enemy: wisdom undertook to prevent far distant mischiefs, and by her address to avoid them: Justice looks upon her to end all the differences which self-love; and Interest should breed amongst men. Temperance charged herself with ruling voluptuousness, and with hindering such pleasing Enemies from seducing reason: and k Et quod omn●●iment, & quod omnes optan● calcat fortitu● Senec. Epist. 48 Fortitude, as most courageous of all the rest, undertook to fight against pain, and to overcome death. This cruel Enemy to Mankind defying the power thereof, took a hundred shapes upon him, to astonish the others constancy, he called in Tortures, and sickness to his aid, he invented Gallows, and Wheels, he extended Racks, incensed Lions, and Bears, armed the Elements to satisfy his cruelty, and made torments, and punishments, of whatsoever nature had produced for our use. All these virtues were siezed on by astonishment: when they saw so many Monsters conspire man's ruin, wisdom confessed, she wanted address to mollify them: Justice professed, she had not sufficient Authority to suppress them; and Temperance protested; she wanted vigour to restrain them: Only Fortitude promised to withstand them: and though she saw herself, forsaken by her Sisters, she resolved to charge upon them: wisdom offered her her light, l Cum aliquis tormenta soriter patitu omnibus virtutibus utitur, cum una in promptu sit, & maximè appareat sortitudo, cujus perpessio, & tolerantia ra mi sunt. Illic est prudentia sine qua nullum initur consilium, illic est constantia que dejici loco non potest, illic est individuus ille comitatus virtutum. Quid quid boneste sit una virtus facit, sed de consilii sententia. Senec. Epi. 67. Justice her severity, and Temperance her moderation. With these weak Forces she enters the pitched Field; where she had for assistance hope, and boldness. The former inhartned her by her promises, the second promised ●lesse, but performed more; for she discovered unto her the weakness of her Enemies, and taught her on what part she might assail them. Fortitude, thus assisted, engaged herself upon all occasions; she received as many blows as she gave, she mingled her blood with the blood of her enemies; she passed all her life in this exercise, & if she took any ease after a fight, 'twas only to prepare herself against those that were to ensue. By all this discourse, 'tis easily seen, that the designs of Fortitude are much greater than those of all the other virtues, & that it is not without reason that they yield the Honour to her, since they dare not appear upon such occasions of Combats as she doth, and bears away the victory. Though Fortitude be thus beautiful in Idea, yet is she but weak amongst the Pagans, and covers true blemishes under deceitful appearances; for as in them n Sine dono Dei nec virtutes possunt appeti vel haberi, nec earum similitudines quae sunt vitia virtu'es imitantia devitari. August. lib. 3. de vita conte up l. c. 1. she cannot have charity, for her original, she derives ofttimes from self-love, and inherits all her Father's weaknesses; it is her own Glory she must seek, since she is ignorant of God's Glory; it is anger which must give her heat, revenge which must provoke her, and vain glory, which must in-animate her, since 'tis not Faith that doth assist her. All these passions mixed together, make up the greatest part of her greatness; and when one shall examine her intentions, or motives, he shall find that her noblest exploits, are but magnifical sins. All those men who in ancient times have been esteemed courageous, have contemned only pain to purchase o Fortitudinem Gentilium mundana cupiditas, sortitudinem Christianorum Dei Charitas facit Concil. Arausic. can. 17 Glory, they have given their life for a little smoke, and in so unjust a battering have sufficiently shown, that their Fortitude, was not real, since she wanted Justice, and wisdom. In effect, their most glorious Actions have their defaults, their valour is nothing but despair, and all that the Roman Eloquence calls courage, is but Pusillanimity. Certainly Cato was the wise man of Rome, he held there the same Rank which Socrates did amongst the Athenians; his death goes for the chiefest testimony of his courage; and Historians never speak thereof, without highly praising it; he had fruitlessly endeavoured to appease the Civil Wars, he sided, which the Commonwealth, whilst every one took part either with Caesar, or p I am non ag●tur deliberate, olim pessum data est: quaeritur utrum Caesar an Pompeius possideat Rempublicam. Sen. Epist. 14. Pompey; he remained free, whilst every one had chosen a Master, he assisted the dying Commonwealth with his counsel and his weapons; he opposed his courage to Fortune, and if this blind housewife could have seen his merit, she would have been enamoured thereof. After having given all these Testmonies of his affection to his Country, what less could he do, then secure his own Liberty by his death, and dip that Innocent sword in his blood, which the q Cato quae excat habet, una manu latam libertati viam faciet. Ferrum istud etiam civili bello purum & innoxium libertatem quam patriae non potuit, Catoni dabit. Sen. de Provide. c. 2. civil wars could not defile? he therefore considerately prepares himself for this blow, he dissembles his design to cozen his friends, he spent the night either in reading or taking rest, he encourageth himself to die, by the thought of Immortality; when he was well persuaded, he would go see what he had believed, and by a generous blow, free his soul from the prison of her body: his hand did not serve his courage faithfully, his Friends, who came into his succour, bound up his wounds, and endeavoured to alter his design; he seemed to approve of their reasons, so to free himself from their Importunities: but when he was alone, he tore off his apparel, opened his wounds and ended that with his hands, which he had begun with his sword. Fortune would prolong his death to try his constancy, and this Tragedy seemed so pleasing to him, as he endeavoured to spin it out, that he might the longer taste the pleasure thereof. r Liquet mihi cum magno spectasse gaudio deos, cum ille vir acerri● sui vindex gladium sacro pectori infigit, dum viscera spargit, & illam sanctiffimam animam manu educit. Senec. Ibid. Seneca complains, that Eloquence is not happy enough to make Panegyrickes upon this death. He prefers it before all the battles of Conquerors, he calls all the Gods to witness it, he leaves us in doubt, whether Cato be not more Glorious than his jupiter; he is troubled that his age knew him not, Complains that the Common wealth, which should have raised him above Caesar and Pompey, hath placed him beneath Vatimus and Clodius; and to erect a stately Trophye to this vanquisher of fear and Death, he says, that Cato, and Liberty died both on a day, and were buried in one and the same Tomb. Yet a man need not to be much enlightened, to observe the defaults of a so well disguised death; for if Cato be to be praised for having killed himself, all those that did survive him deserve to be blamed. 'Twas weakness in Cicero to have recourse to Caesar's clemency; 'twas either Folly or Fearfulness in him, not to despair of the Republics welfare, and yet to reserve himself to raise her up after her Fall. But not to make use of so weak a reason to condemn him; who sees not that pride had a greater share in this Action than Courage? Who does not think that Cato was prouder than Caesar, and that it was not integrity, but want of Courage which put the Poneyard in his hand? Who knows not that it was rather weakness, than Constancy that made him die? had he had courage enough to have under-gone adversity, he would never have had recourse to despair; he wanted patience in his misfortune, and if he could have endured Caesar's victories, s Non fuit in Catone honestis turpia prae cavens, sed infirmitas adversa non sustinens: Nam si turpe erat sub victoria Caesaris vivere, cur author hujus turpitudinis Pater filio fuit, quem de Caesa ris benignitate omnia sperare proecepit. Aug. lib. 1. de civet. c. 23. he had not Committed self-murder; For if he thought it shame, to beg his life of his enemies, wherefore did he Counsel his Son to do it? If he thought death so glorious, wherefore did he dissuade his friends from it. If he thought the t Quantum filium amavit Cato, tantum gloriae Caesaris invidit, ne sibi parceretur, aut ut aliquid nos mitius dicamus, erubuit. Idem Ibidem. Commonwealth might be restored by their Counsels, wherefore did he deny her his? and if he advised every one to seek for mercy from the Conqueror, wherefore did he by his error prevent it? What ever mischief threatens us, we must never fly to despair, though the decree be pronounced, the Scaffold set up, and that all things assure us we must die, we must not play the Hangman's part, nor hasten our death to free us from misery. This is to make ourselves Ministers of our enemy's cruelty, to excuse their fault by preventing it, and to commit Parricide, to exempt them from man slaughter. Socrates, who was not better instructed than Cato, was more generous, because more Patient; he might have freed himself from Poison by a sword, and by fasting five or six days have acquitted himself from his Enemy's violence: yet he spent a whole Month in Prison, he affordeth death leisure to employ all its horrors to try his constancy, he thought he was to give way to the Laws of his Country, and not to refuse his last instructions to his friends, they entreating for them. If this Pagan Philosopher thought he ought not to attempt any thing against his own life, because he was in the hands of justice, no man can with reason make himself away: for from the first moment of his birth he is subject to the Laws of God, and unless he will do an unjust act, he must wait, till he that put him into the world take him from thence; to hasten our death, is to entrench upon his rights, to kill ourselves, is u Hoc dicimus hoc asserimus, hoc modis omnibus approbamus, neminem spontaneam mortem sibi inferit debere, velut fugiendo molestias temporales, ne incidat in perpetuas. August. lib. 1. de civet. c●p. 26 to overthrow his workmanship; and to bereave him of the least of his Subjects, is to attempt against his Sovereignty. In this case we have less power over ourselves, than over others; for we may kill an enemy in our own defence, but it is not lawful to shun his fury, by preventing it. We must wait till the same Judge, which hath pronounced the decree of our Death, make it be executed; and it belongs to one and the same Power, either to show favour or Justice to the guilty. All those stately words which flatter our vain Glory, and do encourage our despair, do not excuse our fault, when we attempt upon our own lives. Nature teacheth us sufficiently by those tacit instructions which she giveth us, that if it be treachery to abandon a place which a Prince hath committed to our charge, 'tis perfidiousness to forgo the body, which God hath given us the guidance of; and which he hath joined so straightly to our soul, as that it is a part of ourselves. In fine; no reason can justify despair: the number of our enemies, the evils of the present life, the Good of the Future, the cruelty of sicknesses, rigour of servitude, sweetness of liberty, strength of Temptations, nor the very fear of sin, are not considerations sufficient to make us hasten our death; 'tis always poorness of x De Catonis facto quid potisstmum dicam, nisi quod amici ejus etiam docti quidam viri qui hoc fieri prudentius dissuadebant, imbecillior is quam for tioris animi esse censuerunt. Aug. li. 1. de civet. c. 23 spirit, not to be able to suffer the evil which we will shun by Homicide, Pride hath less part in this crime than weakness, and whatsoever praise the desperate man expects for his attempt, wise men will always believe, that if he had courage enough to bear the miseries of life, he would never have had recourse to so cowardly a remedy. All the Fortitude of Philosophers is then but mere cowardice, those wounds which despair & impatience have made them give themselves, deserve more blame than they have received praise; a man cannot approve of their fault without becoming guilty thereof, and when Seneca employs his weak reasons to excuse Cato's murder, he lets us see, that he knew not wherein greatness of courage consisted, since he made it consist in an action, which is more familiar to women, than men; to slaves then to free persons; and to weak than to strong spirits. The vl Discourse. That Friendship without Grace is always interessed. IF the virtue of Pagans have her stains, we must not wonder if their Friendship have her defaults: sin hath corrupted the best things, and her malice hath left almost nothing in man, y Omnibus amicaes est qui sibi, sed solum sibi qui Deo est. which doth not deserve reproach or punishment: since a sinner is upon bad terms with God, he cannot be upon good terms with himself, nor with his Neighbour. If he love himself, 'tis in excess, and if he love another, 'tis for interest; his will being in the power of his enemy, he can hardly make good use of it; whatsoever he does, he is in danger of sinning; his love is not much more Innocent than is his hatred, and be it that he loves his friends, or hates his enemies, 'tis with so little justice, as he stands always in need of pardon, profane Philosophy prefers Friendship before virtue; she gives her such praises, as taste of Flattery; and if we will believe her reasons, she will persuade us, that the joint uniting of Hearts, is the greatest contentment which man can partake of on Earth. 'Tis the knot of Society, without which States cannot be preserved, nor Families maintained. Nature made this project in production of woman, whom she drew from the rib of man, to the end, that the resemblance and equality which she placed between them might oblige them to z Quis est amicior quam frater fratri? aut quem alienum fidum invenies fituis host is fuer is? Sallust. in Juguitha. love one another; she renews this in brothers, who proceed from the same Original, and who are shaped in the same womb, to the end, that all things may invite them to love. Virtue endeavours to make this good more universal, and seeing that nature did not give all men brethren, she would give them Friends; & repair their loss with usury. For though brothers proceed from the same stem, they are not always of the same Humour; they differ often more in their Inclinations, then in their Countenances: but say there were any thing of resemblance in their humours, the dividing of Estates divides hearts; and Interest, (which hath to do every where) doth many times ruin their best intelligence. But a Amicitia pares facit aut invenit. Friendship (more powerful than Nature) makes a pa●ty between those whom she will unite; the unity of hearts, is that which makes all things common, and the words Thine, and Mine, which sets division between Brethren, cannot do the like between Friends. Nature leaves us no choice, in her alliances, we are engaged before we be capable of choice; and she ofttimes makes us love a Monster, because he is our Brother; but friendship gives us a freedom of choice, she permits us to take the best, and we are only to blame our own folly, if in the liberty she leaves us, we make choice of one for a friend, who deserves not our affection. Our Brethren are the workmanship of nature, she did not advise with us, when she gave them life; and not having the care of producing them, we delight not in preserving them. b Amicitia vinculum nullâ ex parte sanguinis viribus inferius. Hoc etiam certius & exploratius, quia illud nascendi sors fortuitum op●, hoc uniuscujusque solido judicio incoacta voluntas coutrabit Valer. Maxim. lib. 4 cap. 7. But our friends are the children of our will; we form them, when we chose them; we think ourselves concernedin their loss, because we have laboured in the acquiring of them. And as Mothers expose themselves for their Children, because they are their workmanship, so men expose themselves for their friends, because they are their Productions. But not to spend more time in observing the advantages which friendship hath over and above nature; we must confess, there is nothing in the world which ought not to give place to friendship: Law, which preserves Estates, which punisheth vice, defends virtue, is not equal to her, neither for antiquity, nor power. Punishments nor rewards were never ordained 'till c Si regnaret inter homines amicitia, lex aut nulla esset, autsuper flua● Plato friendship began to cool; whilst she continued in full vigour, the use of laws was useless, and the Politics do confess, that States are better governed by good Intelligence amongst Subjects, than by Ordinances of Princes: the latter reform only the mouth, or the hand; impede only bad actions, or insolent speeches: but the former reforms the heart, and gliding into the will, guides desires, and regulates thoughts. The Law ends differences, but friendship reconciles enemies; the law inhibits injuries, but friendship adviseth good offices. In fine, the law is requifite to the commencement or initiation of a good man, but friendship is required to his accomplishment; and by her advice renders him perfect. She is also of use to all sorts of Conditions, and that man lives not, that needs not a friend. A friend is needful to old men, to assist them, to young men, to guide them; to the miserable, to comfort them, to the ignorant, to instruct them; and to Kings themselves, to increase their felicity. For though their condition seem to be raised above that of all other men, and that amidst the abundance of riches, and honours, wherewith they are environed, there remains nothing for them to wish for, yet ought they to make friends, and endeavour a delight, which agrees as well with Greatness, as with Innocence. Friendship is the best of all exterior Goods, and 'twere unjust that Kings who possess whatsoever else is of good, should not possess this; Friendship obligeth us rather to give, than to receive; d Etiam beat us devet am am eos habere I, quia bonorum externorum maximum amicitia, deinde ami●i potius dare quam accipere, quod beatudini non repugnat: absurdum, quoque beatum sacere solitarium, homo enim est ciutle animal. Arist. Moral. lib. 9 cap. 9 and Kings are in a condition wherein liberality is their principal virtue. In fine, happy Princes ought not to be solitary, and I know not whether any one of them would accept of their felicity, at the rate of living solitarily: Therefore greatness doth not forbid friendship to Sovereigns, that which seems to keep them aloof off from this virtue, draws them nearer to it; and their power is never more pleasing, than when employed in succouring the miserable, or in making men happy. Neither do we see any Prince who hath not his Favourite. e Sine amic is omnis cogitatio, esset taedium, omnis operatio labour, omnis terra peregrivatio, omnis vita tormentum, fi●e quo●um solatio vivere esset mori. Caffiodor● in Epist. The proudest monarchs of the world, grow weary of commanding, they find more content in a friend, than in a slave; and how brutish soever their nature be, they are well content to have one, to whom they may unbosom themselves. Tiberius' loved Sejanus; and had not this Favourite become his Rival, it may be he never had decreed his death. Nero could not fence himself from friendship; the sweetness of this virtue, vanquished that Monster's cruelty; and whilst he quenched the flames of Rome, by the blood of Christians, he had some Confidents, whom he called friends. This Infidel Prince, whose subjects were all slaves, and in whose Empire the desire of liberty was a fault, wanted not Favourites whom he loved; he plays with those he ought to destroy, he makes those the objects of his love, who ought to be the objects of his fury; a certain Captive, had power over the Tyrant, and under the assurance of friendship gave laws to him, who gave laws to the greatest part of the world. Though these reasons do mightily enhance the merit of Friendship, yet must we conclude in Saint Austin's Principles. That the Friendship of Pagans is defective, and doth not deserve the praises that are given it. For if we take Aristotle for our arbitrator, friendship ought to be established upon self-love, and to love his f Est ille sui amantissimus qui partem id am quae in homine dominari debet amat. Itaque virum bonum sui amantissimum esse oportet. Arist. Moral. lib. 9 cap. 8 Neighbour well, a man must love himself well. He who prefers the pleasures of the body, before those of the mind, who hazards his honour to preserve his riches, and who injures his conscience, to increase his reputation, cannot be a good friend to others, because he is his own Enemy; and who wants virtue, cannot have friendship. Moral Philosophy with all her precepts, cannot reform a disorder, which since the loss of original righteousness, makes up one part of ourselves: the unrighteousness thereof hath passed into our nature, and as we cannot without grace be upon good terms with ourself, neither can we without her be upon good terms with others. We either give them too much, or not enough; we cannot keep that just measure, which makes friendship reasonable, we turn a virtue into a passion; or to speak trulier, we make an innocent action criminal; and the same self-love which puts us on ill terms with ourselves, puts us upon the like with our Neighbours; we love his errors, whilst we think to love his perfections; we excuse his sins, in stead of condemning them, and we ofttimes become guilty of his faults, for having approved them. Blosius confesseth he would have burnt g Blosius nec silentio honesto nec prudenti sermone, salutem suam, ne qua ex parte i●foelicis amicitia memoriam desereret, tueri voluit. Valer. Maxim. l. 4. c. 7 jupiters' Temple, if Gracchus had commanded him so to do; he thought Justice ought to give place to friendship, that his friend should be dearer to him than his God, and that whatsoever he did through affection, could not render him faulty. It may be 'twas for this cause, that Aristotle blaming friendship, whilst he thought to praise her, said, that her perfection consisted in her excess; and that far differing from common virtues, which do consist in mediocrity; she was never more admirable, than when most excessive: That a man might give too much, but not love too much; that one might have too much courage, but not too much love; that a man might be too wise, but not too loving; yet this excess is vicious, and experience teacheth us, that Commonwealths have no more dangerous Enemies, than those who are ready to do or suffer any thing for their friends. Therefore 'tis that the same h Amicus Plato, amicus Socrates, sed megis amica verit●. Aristot. Philosopher prescribing bounds to friendship, did publicly profess, that truth was dearer to him than Plato: & that when he could not accord these two, he forwent his friend to maintain his Mistress. Hence it is, that Politicians calling in Religion to the succour of Morality, have affirmed, that affection ought to give way to Piety, and that she ceased to be just, when she profaned altars. Those i Loquatur ●nc Graeciae, nefondi Thefea Pyrrho in amoribus subscribentem, Di tis se patrisregnis commisisse: Vani est illudre narrare, stult●se credere. Valeria Maxim. lib. 4. cap. 7. notwithstanding that are of this opinion, have not forborn to set a value upon faulty friendship: and Antiquity doth hardly reverence any friends, whose friendships hath not been prejudicial either to the State, or to Religion. Pylades and Orestes were of intelligence only to revenge themselves. Theseus and Pirithoiis kept friendship only to satisfy their unchaste desires: Lentulus and Cethegus were faithful to Catiline, only that they might be perfidious to their Country. But what else could one expect than faults, from those who had no piety? what friendship could one hope from those who wanted the first of virtues? & how could they have been faithful to their friends, since they were unfaithful to their Gods? if they have loved any one even till death, k Non est vera amicitia nisi cum eam tu agglutinas inter inhaerentes tibi, charitate diffusa in caedibus nostris per Spiritum sanctum qui datus est nobis, Aug. lib. 4. Conses. cap. 4. it hath been out of vain glory: and if they loved them whilst they were alive, t' has been for Interest: the sinner for the most part loves none but himself; and though this irregulate love be both his fault, and his punishment, yet he therein finds his delight, and his glory: nothing can divert him from his own Interest, when he thinks to free himself from himself, he fasteneth himself closer to himself; and if he love his friends, 'tis that he may love himself in more places than one, and in more persons; if he part with his heart, 'tis that he may receive it back again with the like of others; his love is but usury, wherein he hazards little to gain much; 'tis an l Sed cum volunt homines per dominationem tenereca quae amant, saefe ab ipsis tenentur, & rerum mortalium servi fiunt, dum imperitè Domini esse decide rant. Aug. lib. de mo●ib. Ecclesia cap. 23. invention of self-love, which seeks to satisfy itself in others; 'tis a trick of humane pride, which makes man abase himself only that he may grow the greater, which adviseth him to engage his liberty, only that he may bereave others of theirs; and which makes him make friends, only that he may have slaves, or such as love him. What glorious name soever one attributes to friendship, she hath no other designs than these, when she is led on by self-love; and whatsoever language the Infidels have held, these have been their only motives, when they have lost either life, or liberty, for their friends; if they were silent amidst tortures, and if the cruelty thereof could not compel them to discover their associates, 'twas either for that they valued friendship more than life, or that they thought treachery worse than death: if they would not outlive their friends, 'twas to free themselves from sorrow and solitariness; and if for their delivery, they exposed themselves to Tyrants, 'twas for that their words bound them to it, and that they thought they should be no losers in an occasion, wherein, though with loss of life, they won honour. m Qui pro amico perit, vitam amico praebet, sibi gloriam parit. Aristoteles. And to say truth, Aristotle hath well observed, that he who dies for his friend loves himself better than his friend; and that in an Action which seems to violate Nature, he doth nothing which self-love may not advise him to, since that by suffering death, he labours after glory, and that by erecting a sacrifice unto his love, he builds a Trophy to his Memory. The example of Damon and Pythias may confirm this Truth; They had been brought up in Pythagoras his school, the conformity of their humours, and opinions had so straightly united their souls, that death itself could not part them. The Tyrant Dionysius, to whom virtue was an Enemy, condems one of these faithful friends to his last sufferings; he finds that his occasions engage him to make a voyage, the Tyrant, who would add mirth to cruelty, permits him so to do; provided he find out Bail who may take his place, and who will be bound to die for him, if he defer his return: Pythias accepts of this Condition, and entering into Prison, wisheth that the day of Execution drew nigh, that he might deliver his friend; the fatal hour being come, and Damon not yet appearing, Pythias is led to punishment, he rejoiceth at his happiness, whilst the people are afflicted at his misfortune: he excites the Hangman to make haste, and fears death less than his friends return; and without excusing his delay, or suspicion of his fidelity, he commends Fortune, which keeps his friend from making good his word: at this very moment Damon arrives quite out of breath, he presseth through the crowd, presents himself before the Tyrant and the Executioner, and calls for his bail in: Pythias pleads the hour is past, that Damon having failed in his assignment is no more liable to death: and that it is he (Pythias) that n Admiratus amborum animum Tyran●us supplicium fidei rem sit, insuperque eos rogavit, ●se in societatem amicitiae reciperent. Valer. Maxim. lib. 4. cap. 7. must end what he had begun. This strife makes the Hangman stay his hand, moveth wonder in the people, and softens the Tyrant, who for their fidelity revokes his Decree, desires to be admitted into their society: & this monster, who had never studied any thing, but to make himself to be feared, ravished to see this Miracle, wisheth to be beloved. It cannot be denied but that this was a rare example, and that in this mutual correspondancy the height of friendship is seen; for it was of power to inspire the contempt of death, o Hae sane vires amicitiae mortis contemptum ingenerare, vitae dulcedinem extinguere, crudelitatem mansue facere, odium in amorem conver tere, poenam beneficio p●sare potuerunt. Idem ibid. to cancel the love of life, to mollify cruelty, to change rage into mildness, and to turn the pain of punishment, to a glorious recompense; but who doth not also see, that this contestation might rather proceed from vain Glory, than love? who thinks not that each of these loved themselves better than their companion? since leaving life to him, he would keep Glory to himself? who will not confess, that in this dispute there was more of Ambition than fidelity? and who will not acknowledge, that so gallant an adventure might have been wished for by men not so well known to one another? and between whom there was not so great a friendship, as between Damon and Pythias? But we must not wonder if friendship be faulty amongst the Pagans, since she is not always innocent amongst Christians, and since interest, which gives against the designs of Charity, keeps her from enlarging herself, and doth unjustly confine herself between two parties; for we suffer ourselves to be persuaded by Philosophy, that common friendship cannot be real, that he who loves many, loves none, and that who doth so readily engage himself, doth disengage himself with as much as Ease. Yet the Son of God binds us to love all Christians as our brothers, he will have his body and blood, to be the bond of all the faithful, and that his chiefest p Vnus est Pater vester vos autem omnes fratres estis. Matth. c. 23. mysteries tend only to the uniting of them together: his pleasure was, that we should all have one and the same Father, to the end, we might have one and the same inheritance; he ordained but one Baptism, to the end, that our birth might be alike; and that the difference of Conditions being banished from out his Church; reciprocal love might not by mistake be diminished; he gave us but one head, to the end, we might be inanimated by the same spirit, and that the conformity of our opinions might be the preservation of our friendship: he hath q Omnes uno pane participamus. Apostolus Paul. left us his body in the Eucharist, to the end we might have one and the same food; and that being converted to himself we should be obliged to love one another, as being his members; he hath caused us to be born in one and the same Church; to the end that we might have but one Mother upon earth, as we have but one Father in Heaven; he hath promised us one and the same Paradise, to the end, we might have one and the same Country; and that being so straightly united in time, we may not be separated in Eternity; yet all these powerful means cannot keep friendship amongst Christians; self love derides them, the division of wealth divides their wills; every one prefers his interest before Charity; the Common people end their differences by suit at Law, Gentlemen by Duels, and Princes by Battles; r Cum sit inter vos zelus & contentio nonne carnales estis, & secundum hominem ambulatis. 1. Corinth. 3. Men defend their right either by cunning, or by force; not considering that Jesus Christ lives in our enemies, we kill them to revenge ourselves, and commit murder, to cancel an injury. But though we should be more charitable, we cannot shun being unfortunate; for sin hath so corrupted our nature, & Divine Justice hath so severely punished sins, as the life of man is rather a succession of miseries, then of years: man cannot live long without much suffering, if his body be in health, his mind is sick, if his wealth be not exposed to injustice, his Innocency is exposed to Calumny: if he fence himself from one misfortune, he is assayed by another: and he learns to his own cost, that long life is but a long punishment. And s Quanto plures amicos & in pluribus locis habemus, tanto longius latiusque metuimus, ne quid tis contingat mali de tantis malorum aggeribus hujus saeculi. August. li. 19 de Civit. cap. 8. then again whosoever engageth himself in friendship, obligeth himself to new displeasures: as he lives in two bodies, he suffers in two places, and adds his friends miseries to his own, if he have many friends, Fortune hath more to lay hold off in him: and as afflictions are more common than blessings, he must resolve to be often miserable. Those deceive themselves who esteem friendship a consolation to the afflicted: to give her her due name, she ought to be termed the torment of the fortunate, t Amici in rebus prosperis cupidè studio seque vocandi, in adversis timidè. Parcissimè enim mala sunt amicis impertienda, ex quo illud, satis est miserum esse me. Aristoteles lib. 9 Moral. c. 11. because she hath made evil Common between those who mutually love, and since she makes a man suffer in his friend's misfortune, though otherwise he himself should be in a happy condition: she augments the number of the miserable, under pretence of diminishing it: she turns a single Malady into a contagion: she enlargeth displeasures under colour of easing them, and by an ingenious Cruelty she finds a means to hurt many, in endeavouring to heal one. Therefore do the unfortunate fear having friends, when they are uninteressed, they love not that their malady should be contagious, it sufficeth them that they are miserable without making others so: they are as covetous of their Pains, as they have been prodigal of their pleasures; they think not themselves freed of their miseries by laying them upon their friends; they eat company for fear of infecting them; knowing that solitariness is the abode of the afflicted, they forsake the world, and hold for certain that an unfortunate man becomes faulty, when he wisheth for Companions in his misery. Be it confessed that friendship is very fantastic, and that she imprintes strange opinions in men; for if they be Just, they u Sive te torqueri lacbrymis num quam desinentibus amicus tuus cupit indignus hoc affectu non est, sive non vu●t, dolorem inutilem dimitte, nec impius amicus sic sublevari debet, nec pius sic velit. Senec. ad Polybium cap. 24. ought not to desire that their friend's contentment should be disquieted by their misfortunes; they are unworthy of their Compassion, if they too eagerly desire it; they deserve not to be bemoaned if they exact tears; they are Tyrants and Hangmen if they will have their friends to be their Martyrs; and that for having partaken in their Prosperity; they should do the like in their Adversity: notwithstanding 'tis true, that Friendship never appears but in Affliction. 'Tis misfortune x In prosperitate incerta est amicitia: nescitur enim utrum persona an soelicitas diligatur. Isidor lib. 3 de sum. bono. that tries Friends, their friendship is approved of when Fortune frowns: we must be Miserable, to know that we are beloved; we cannot get this assurance without the Loss of our Felicity, and as long as Fortune favours us, we dare not build upon our friends Fidelities. Heaven therefore is the true harbour of Friendship: 'tis there that our Love divides itself without fear of Jealousy, and waxeth not weak: 'tis there that we shall have so many Friends as God makes blessed Saintes: 'tis there that without trying them by our Misfortunes, we shall be assured of their good-wills: 'tis there that reading their Hearts, and seeing their Thoughts, we shall no longer run the hazard of being abused by Words: 'tis there that without fear of adding to our misfortunes by the increase of our Friends, we shall enjoy all good, and fear no evil: 'tis there that living for ever together, we shall no longer fear to be separated by Death or absence. Finally 'tis there that being perfectly united to God, we shall see ourselves in his Light, and love ourselves in his Goodness. The ninth Discourse. That the Uncertainty and Obscurity of Knowledge is derived from sin. IT must be confessed that man is very unfortunate in becoming guilty, since his perfections, and his defects are almost equally fatal to him. y Natura bonis suis male utitur, & unde se defendi existimat accusatur. Prosp. contra Collator. ca 22 His virtues are false, and his vices true; his most glorious actions do ofttimes derive from so bad an original, as they are not to be praised without injuring in some sort both grace and reason. His ignorance doth not always excuse his sin, and his knowledge doth not always enhance his virtue. The more he is knowing, the more guilty is he, as Saint Paul saith, He withholds the truth in unrighteousness; and his light is intermixed with so much darkness, that it may lead him out of the way, and cannot conduct him. This is notwithstanding man's most violent passion: desire of knowledge is born with him, and if it makes not his difference, it is one of his chiefest Proprieties. For Beasts are wrought on by ambition, they fight for glory; and as if that were the only reward of their victory, they pardon their enemies, after they have beaten them: they are tormented with love and jealousy; Lions can endure no rivals, and if they want rewards to honour fidelity, they want not chastisements to punish Adultery. Desire of life is not much less violent in beasts, than in men; the same instinct which animates Tigers to seek out prey for their nourishment, makes Stags hide themselves in woods for their preservation. Nature teacheth them remedies for their evils, and this common mother furnisheth them with herbs to cure them: the apprehension of death encourageth the most timorous; when they are bereft of all hope of safety, they turn their fear to fury; and to shun danger, throw themselves headlong into it. But the desire of knowledge is peculiar to man, and there is no cruelty, which he useth not to content his curiosity. He rips open the bowels of the earth, to know the secrets thereof; he melts metals, to discover their essences; he descends to the bottom of the Sea, to learn the wonders thereof; he turns the world upside down, to know it: under pretence of succouring those that live, he dissects those that are dead: z Medicus Herophilus aut lae●ius sexcentoes. execuit, ut naturam scrutaretur, od●it ut nosset. Tertull de anima. and seeks out the causes of their maladies, that he may find out remedies for them. This passion is much augmented by the esteem which it hath won in the world; for nothing is more honoured than knowledge: the Devil gave it credit in the earthly Paradise, & by the praises which he gave it, made our first Parents long after it: their children imitated them in their error, & consecrated their watchings to the achieving of so rich a fleece. Greatest honours have been conferred upon the most knowing men; and if those which have freed their Country from the Insolence of Tyrants, have past for Heroes, those who have found out Arts, & who have defended men either from ignorance, or from necessity, have had Temples and Altars erected to them; in so much as the Devil kept his word, which his gave our first Parents; when a Eritis sicut Dii scientes bonum & malum, Gen. cap. 3. to seduce them, he would persuade them their knowledge would make them Gods: and his promise, though false, hath been in some sort accomplished by people's simplicity, who have adored knowing men. For it must be confessed, that the monuments of our minds are more durable than those of our hands; and that Sciences have much better fenced themselves against the injuries of time, than the stateliest Edifices of Antiquity. Aristotle's Philosophy hath had her admirers in all Ages; this gallant man had more Disciples since his death, than during his life; and there have been greater disputes had to maintain his Doctrine, than the most famous Conqueror hath given Battles to enlarge his Territories. Homer's Verses are still read with respect, men admire his invention, reverence his defects, and labour almost as much to understand his Conceits, as to understand Oracles: some men pass whole nights in perusing his works, who glory to be a dead man's Interpreter, who every themselves at the cost of a poor man, and b Parte tamen meliore mei super alta perennis astra serar nomenque erit indelebile nostrum. Perque omnia saecula famà, si quid habens veri vatum praesagia vivam. Ovid. Metamor. l. 15. boast themselves of enlightening all men's understandings, by explicating the words of a blind man; since his time all Empires have been dissipated: Rome hath seen herself twice or thrice buried under her own ruins; her Republic hath been turned to a Monarchy, and her Monarchy hath divided itself into as many parts, as there are Kingdoms in the world. Men know not where the capital Cities of Media, and Persia, were situated; it is disputed in what parts of the World, Thebes and Memphis were built; their high walls, large circuits, and number of Inhabitants have not been able to preserve the memory thereof: these works of great Kings have not been able to defend themselves against Time, and these miracles of Art have either been ruined by the Sword, or devoured by fire: but Homer's works live yet; Troy was never so beautiful in Asia, as in his Verses; if he could not keep it from being burnt, he hath kept it from being forgotten. The Grecian Achilles, and Hector of Troy, never won so much renown by their valour, as by his praises. This only example makes it evident, that Knowledge hath the upperhand of Courage, and that the labours of the brain are more durable than the Conquests of Kings; yet hath knowledge her defaults, since the state of sin, and there is no knowledge so certain, which admits not of doubts; none so profitable, which is not discommodious, nor none so good, which is not bad. True knowledge ought to have two qualities; Evidence, and Certainty: c Philosophorum alii mibi non profuturum scientiam traedunt, alii spem omnis scientiae eripiunt, alii non praeferunt lumen per quod acies dirigatur ad verum, alii oculos mihi effodinnt. Senec. Epist. 88 the first without the second occasioneth Opinion, the second without the first, produceth Faith. Therefore 'tis that all Sciences boast to possess these two advantages, and employ all their power to persuade us, that they are evident, and assured; but the means they make use of to prove this, contradicts their design, and makes their doubts and obscurities equally appear. For they draw their light either from Time, Authority, or Experience: Time is the father of truth, but is also ofttimes the murderer thereof, according to the Rabbins; 'tis the witness of all things, but it suffers corruption; and the depositions thereof are as obscure, as doubtful: all knowing men complain, that life is short, the way to knowledge long; and that it were requisite to spend whole Ages in the School of Time, to become learned. 'Tis only permitted to Damon's, who are ancient as the world, to profit under a Master, that discovers his secrets only to such, as through their own industry observe them. Authority is grounded upon the worth of those who have gone before us: their antiquity gives them credit, we think them abler than ourselves, only because they are older; and we dare nor oppose their opinions, because they are no longer able to defend them; they only rule, because they live no longer; and if they bear away the victory, 'tis because they are without the danger of the fight. Their Maxims serves us for Oracles, their wills serve us for laws, and they may say, as Kings, This is our Pleasure. Death which destroys the power of Sovereigns, establisheth the Tyranny of Philosophers, and these men who live no longer, have yet credit enough to triumph over our liberty. Yet is their antiquity a proof of their ignorance: since they have seen less than we, they should in reason know less; and since they lived in the first Ages, they could not have made sufficient observations to discern the truth. That which we call the world's Antiquity, d Antiquitas mundi suventus saeculi. Bac. was but its Infancy; men, not being able to advantage themselves by the labour of their Ancestors, did live in profound ignorance, and left the glory of finding out truth, to the care of those that should succeed them. Experience is grounded upon the Senses, and hath all her good from their reports: but all men know these Messengers are unfaithful, that they are corrupted by objects, that the soul which is by them advised, is ofttimes deceived; and that nature hath given her an inward light, to free herself from their Superchery: they mistake themselves daily in their own operations; & if we will believe these blind guides, we shall be always engaged in error. The Sun appears greater at his rising, than at Noonday; the Heavens seem to meet with the earth at the Level of the Horizon; and men think a long walk narrower in the extremities thereof, than in the middle. e Si protagorae credo, nihil in rerum natura est nisi dubium nisi Nausiphani, hoc unum certum est nihil esse co ti, si Parmenidi nihil est prater unum: si Zenoni ne unum quidem. Tota rerum natura umb●a est aut inanis aut fa●ax. Senec. Epist. 88 Wherefore the wisest Philosophers, knowing the vanity of the Senses, have confessed the like of Sciences; and being pressed by Truth itself, have been forced to acknowledge, that that there was nothing certain in them, but their uncertainty; nor any thing evident, but their obscurity. The modestest among them have boasted to know nothing, but that they knew nothing; and to have learned by their study, that man's greatest knowledge was but a Depth of ignorance. The uncertainty thereof is accompanied with uselessness, and let her promise what she pleaseth, she teacheth us things which are rather curious, than profitable. Science is not vain only, because she is proud, but because she is given to lying: for she makes those that court her hope for miracles; and to hear her servants, or her slaves speak, you would think that were a remedy for all evils, and a means to come by all virtues: but if we will examine all the miseries of men, we shall not find any one that may be lessened by knowledge. Sin hath reduced them to a condition wherein both good and bad, are equally dangerous to them: some apprehend death f Vis scire quid Philosophia promittat generi humano? consilium Atium mors vocat, alium paupertas urit, alium divitiae vel alienae vel suae torquent, hunc homines male habent, illum Dii. Quid mihi lusoria proponis? non est ●ocandi locus, ad miseros advocatus es. Senec. Epist. 48. which threatens them, some complain of poverty wherewith they are afflicted, some are slaves to their riches, and wonders that plenty should bereave them of liberty: this man dreads ill fortune, that man is glutted with good: some are persecuted on earth, some punished from heaven. All these stand in need of help in their differing conditions, and are in danger of shipwreck, unless they be assisted by a favourable and gracious hand. Knowledge boasted that she would succour them, and men abused by her promises, sided with her under this confidence; but after they had listened to her instructions, they found she abounded more in light, then in heat, and more in vanity, then in power. To say truth, she busieth herself in enlightening the understanding, not being able to heat the will; and in stead of instructing things useful, she is content to vent curiosities. Not being able to accord the Elements within our bodies, nor yet the passions in our souls, she busieth herself in sorting voices, and in forming an agreeable harmony out of differing Tones; not being able to withstand vices, nor irregular inclinations, she undertakes to fight against wilde-beasts, or enemies; to get the victory where the danger exceeds the honour; and to bear away Triumph, where injustice and fortune have a greater share than courage or wisdom. Doces me quomodo voces confonent, fac potius quomodo animus meus secum consonat. Metiri me docet Geometres lati fundia, potius doceat quomodo metiar quantum homini satis est. Numerare docet me Arithmetica & avaritiae accommodare digitos, potius doceat nihil ad rem pertinere istas computationes. Sen●c. 〈◊〉 Epist. 88 When she saw she could not observe the wonders of nature, she applied herself to consider the Debauchments; and passing by her goodliest operations, either in silence, or oblivion, she entertained men with her disorders only, or with her diversions. For all Sciences which are now in request, and wherein great men do glory, teach nothing but ridiculous things, and fill their disciples minds with naught but smoke, & wind. Were it not better that Astrology should teach us the way to heaven, than uselessly to teach us the Number of the Stars, the Influence of Planets, and Motions of the Spheres? Were it not to be wished, that Arithmetic, which teacheth to calculate immense sums should teach us to bond our own desires, and not to set by riches? were it not to be desired, that the Mathematics, in stead of instructing us how to besiege Towns, and not to defend them, should show us how to preserve our own liberty, and how to keep us from the Tyranny of sin? If in fine, Sciences were rational, would they not rather endeavour to make men Virtuous, than Knowing? and if they were not slaves to Curiosity, would they not labour more to regulate the will, than to satisfy the understanding? and yet the chiefest of Philosophers, after having in all his writings h Scire aut nihil, aut parum confert ad virtutem. Aristot. Doctrinâ quidem politiora, sed non meliora fiunt ingenia. Tertull. made the Panegyric of knowledge, after having offered Incense to this Idol, and after having purchased her as many Adorers, as he had Disciples, confesseth, that she is of no use to virtue; and that though she may make men more Learned, yet she cannot make them Better. In effect the most knowing men have not always been the most virtuous; and those who have Written best, are not those that have lived best. Seneca's life agrees not with his writings; the counsels which he gives to Nero in Tacitus are not like those which he gives him in his books of anger, and clemency; he is much more generous in his epistles to Lucilius, then in his consolation to Polybius: and his natural questions taste much more of Philosophy, than that bloody invective which he wrote after the death of Claudius: these two pieces discover his nature, which in the other he sought to disguise: when he sets forth virtue to the life, and gives her so many charms to make her Lovely, me thinks I seek a Black-more painting a fair Woman, or a corrupt Lawyer pleading an Honest cause. Socrates and Plato, though they were the most learned of their age, were not the most virtuous; their actions require rather Apologies than Panegyrics: if they condemn rather ambition, 'tis to authorise uncleanness; if they contemned the love of Women, 'twas thought 'twas to authorise the like of young men; and that if quenched impure flames, 'twas to kindle Hellish ones. Epicurus and Zeno breathed forth nothing but either Pleasure, or vain glory; if the one wage war with vice, 'tis only to purchase Glory, and if the other suppress his Passions, 'tis only that he may enjoy the more Rest, and that he may adore Pleasure in the temple of virtue. Thus is knowledge unprofitable; and to reap any advantage by her instructions, i Addite scientiae charitatem, & erit utilis scientia. Augu. a man must ask counsel of Charity. For to what end is it that we know what is good, if our bad inclinations keep us from doing it? and what advantage shall we receive from a science, which can neither withstand vice, nor defend virtue? We know, that we ought to be aiding to our Parents k Scis pro patria pugnandum, dissuadebit timor: scis pro amicis desudandum esse, sed deliciae ve●abunt. Nihil ergo proderit dare praecepta, nisi prius amoveris obstantia praceptis. Senec. Epist. 95. in their miseries; but Avarice keeps us from being so: we know, that we ought to fight for our Country; but fear keeps us from doing so; we know, that we ought to incommodiate ourselves, to serve our friends; but pleasures divert us from it: we know, that we should prefer Honour before pleasure, and innocence before both; but ambition and delight will not permit us so to do: so as it is to no purpose to advise us, unless the Obstacles which oppose themselves to that advise be removed, and unless the will be heated at the same time that the understanding is enlightened. But that which is yet more grievous, and which obligeth all men to confess, that Knowledge is corrupted by sin, is, that she is an enemy to virtue, and that under pretence of defending her, she wageth war against her. The Roman Commonwealth did never flourish more than in the l Melius suisset non didicisse scientiam, postquam docti pro dierunt, boni esse desierunt. first Ages, wherein she was content to know, that she was to honour her Gods, guide her People, assist her Allies, and to fight her enemies: she lost her integrity when she would increase her knowledge: Pleasures entered Rome, together with foreign sciences, and from the time that once the Romans began to dispute concerning virtue, they ceased to practise her: the Greeks revenged themselves on them by their Philosophers; not being able to overcome them by Arms, they found a means how to corrupt them by their conferences; and giving them Learning, they bereft them of Justice, whereby they had won so much over all the people of the world. Athens was more learned than Lacedaemon, but Lacedaemon was more virtuous than Athens; Virtue triumphed over Eloquence, and this Town which was wholly composed of Philosophers and Orators, was brought to serve the other which abounded in ignorance. Experience teacheth, that knowledge doth abate courage; that in polishing the understanding, she weakens it; and that in teaching how to speak well, she makes us forget how to do well. The Turks owe their valour totally to their ignorance; and if any Innocence remain amongst the Barbarians, 'tis because they have not yet been acquainted with the mischief of knowledge. Wisdom herself is not reconciled to her: these two Sisters, which Philosophers boast to have united, cannot agree together in any extraordinary degree. It seems impossible for a man to be both Learned and wise; m Multae literae te ad insaniam adduxerunt; loquitur ex sententià communi. Act. Apost. Learning doth puzzle the brain as well as vain glory; as excessive fortunes make us lose our Judgements, much knowledge makes us lose our reason: Study dries the Brain, great contestations of mind alter man's Temper, and it oftentimes falls out, that both the Soul and the Body are weakened through an extreme desire of knowledge. The most dangerous folly is not Stupid; that which is occasioned by Ignorance, is easily remedied; but that which is occasioned through Study, makes both Physician and Patient despair; in fine, knowledge is the learned man's punishment; she is more boundless than ambition, n Qui addit scientiam, addit & laborem. Ecclesiast 1. cap. Dedit hanc pessimam occupationem hominibus. Ecclesiast. 1. cap. all her desires are out of Order, the more she possesseth, the more she wisheth for; the Richer she is, the Poorer she esteems herself; and framing daily new designs, she makes those that love her confess, that she is a vexatious occupation, which God hath given them only for their Chastisement: that he who adds New-lights to what hath formerly been known, adds more Pains to former Troubles; and that who labours after more knowledge, labours to make himself more Miserable. It were to be wished, that as God hath ta'en immortality from us, to shorten our Misery; he had likewise deprived us of profane knowledge, to lessen our sufferings: and then we should have found, that ignorance and death, are rather Favours, than punishments. A man must become ignorant, to become Faithful. Vain Philosophy is an Obstacle to our belief: 'tis easier to convert an Ignorant man than a Philosopher, and humbleness of mind, which serves for the foundation of Christian virtues, hath no more mortal enemy, than the vanity of Philosophy. o Scientia inflat, videte ne quis vos decipiat per Philosophiam & inanem fallaciam. ad Coloss. 2. cap. The great Apostle of the Gentiles declares war against it in his writings, he cannot endure the pride which doth accompany it, he despiseth the false lights, which puzzle the understanding, but do not enlighten it; though he was taught at feet of Gamaliel, he boasts of his ignorance, and he teacheth all the faithful, that he knows nothing but Jesus Christ crucified. It is enough to know, that p Haec tota scientia hominis est scire, quia nihil est per se, & quoniam quidquid est, ex Deo est. & propter Deum est. August. in Psal. 70. man can do nothing of himself; and that as he holds all whatsoever he is, and whatsoever he hath, from the Goodness of God, he is bound to employ it to his Glory. The tenth Discourse. That Eloquence is an Enemy to Reason, Truth and Religion. AS Eloquence is the Mistress of handsome language, as she makes the Panegyrics of Princes, vaunts herself to put a valuation upon virtue, and to reward her for all the glorious troubles she undergoes, so hath she not been wanting in giving unto herself those praises which she thinks are due unto her, and to employ all her cunning in making her worth appear. For if we will believe her, she boasts that no power equals hers, and that without use of fire or sword, she hath the power of persuading the opinioned, of reducing Rebels, and of obliging wicked men to side with virtue. q An ego falso scripsi cedant armatogae, etc. qui togat● armatos, & pace bellum oppressi. Audes eloquentiam ut vitium nihi obiier●? C●c. in Sallust. She thinks her profession no less illustrious than that of Arms, that Demosthenes, and Cicero, may weigh in the scales with Alexander and Caesar, and that if there were one Hercules, who by his valour overcame monsters, there was another who prevailed over men by reason; she imagines she may be serviceable to Religion; that Christ himself in the plainness of his discourse did not neglect adornments, that after having astonished sinners by his Miracles, he convinced them by his words, and that the people, being overcome by the Power of his r Nunquam sic loguutus est homo. Doctrine, confessed, that no man ever spoke like him. In fine; if she express herself by the mouths of her Orators, we are bound to believe, that whatsoever is attributed to Philosophy or to Justice, is only the work of Eloquence. s Eloquentiae multae urbes su●t constitutae, plurima bella exsti●cta fortissimae societutes sanctissimae ami●itiae comparatae. Cicer. lib. 1. de art. Rhetor. For they say, that 'twas she that withdrew men from deserts, who reduced them too within Towns, who prescribed laws unto them, who kept innocence from calumny and oppression, and who changed Tyrannies into lawful Kingly Government. To hear them speak; you would think that virtue were banished from off the earth, had not Eloquence taken her into her protection, and that there should be no longer peace in Kingdoms, did not she by her dexterity appease seditions? But without listening any longer to her unjust praises, I pretend to make her partakers confess, that since she became a slave to sin, she injures by one and the same excess, Truth, Reason, and Religion. 'Tis hard to say, whether Cunning be the father of Eloquence, or Eloquence be the mother of cunning, but 'tis easily to discern, that each of them assist other, in the bearing down of truth. Both of them being ingenious in extremity; they dissemble their meanings, and hide their hatred under the appearance of love: they speak on their enemy's behalf, and the one of them seems to employ his wiles, the other her Figures and Tropes, only to make truth appear the more pleasing: yet under pretence of serving her, they injure her; and under colour of establishing her power, they destroy her Empire. For this virtue, worth adoration, despiseth deckings; she knows her beauty is never more ravishing, t Veritas sermo est simplex. Ammian. Marcel. lib. 14. than when most neglected; she rejects borrowed lustre; and paint being a kin to falsehood, she approves not of the use thereof. She suspects any thing that may deceive, her language is plain, her apparel modest, and were it not for fear of those unchaste ones, who profane even holy things with their looks, she would throw away the veil that covers her, and show herself stark naked to 〈◊〉 her lovers. As all her glory consists in her naked plainness, so doth also her strength; the very sight of her is sufficient to make her be beloved; she very well knows, that they that know her cannot oppose her, nor yet defend themselves from her. u Magna est vis veritatis quae contra omnium ingenia calliditatem, solertiam, contra fictas hominum insidias facile se per seipsam defendit. Sen. Epist. She hath no greater passion than sweetly to insinuate, herself into men's minds, and by her light to dissipate the obscurity of falsehood: she very well knows that men do naturally reverence her, and that unless they be foolish, they be never unfaithful to her. Therefore no humane help is of use to her, and this powerful Princess needs no soldiers to repossess herself of her State, nor to reduce her Rebels to obedience. Her very sight is sufficient to make her be obeyed, her presence stifles rebellion, and as soon as she appears, she awakens respect and love, in her Subjects hearts. But if the malice of the Age were such, as should make her seek for partners to defend her; certainly she would never implore aid from Orators: They are too full of Quirks to please her, and she loves plain dealing too well to approve of their cunning. All the Tropes and Figures, which they make use of in their discourses, x Rhet●ica ●stigii quo● genus, quo d●tur homines, ex parvis magna, & ex mag●is parva facere. Erasm. l. 8. Apoph●. are but so many disguised falsehoods; they cannot speak without lying; and all the inventions which they borrow from Rhetoric, are but undertake against truth. But lest I may be accused of falling into an error, which I find fault with, I will examine the figures, and make such as make use of them, confess, that they are only to be termed pleasing falsehoods. The Metaphora, which is so frequent with them, and wherewithal they heighten their style, to raise up the meanness of their cogitations, is it not an Imposture? and doth not Eloquence abuse her Auditors, when she will persuade them, that the fields are thirsty, that the drops of deware pearls, flowers in meadows are stars, and the murmuring of waters music? if thus much licence be to be allowed, who cannot say, that little birds are Angels of the Forests? that Whales are living rocks, or ships with souls? that the Sea is a moving earth, and fountain water, liquid Crystal? y Non possunt aedificari haec mendacia, sine de●litione v●ritatis. Tertull. lib. 2. in Martion. cap. 1. who can imagine that truth needs such cunning to defend herself, that men are only wrought upon by such raving, and that a man cannot please, unless he be ridiculous? Ironia is no truer, and if it deserve any pardon, 'tis because 'tis less serious; for it disguiseth not its falsehood, but openly protests against being believed; it gives itself the lie by its accent, terms not a man innocent, save only that he may be thought guilty; 'twould think itself too silly, should it call all things by their names, and would not think itself sufficintly bitter, should it not know how to cover a real reproach under a false praise. Are not Allegories impertinent? when to un-weary men's minds, they abuse them, and say one thing when they think another? they will persuade us, that a Ship is a Commonwealth, Tempests, the State-affairs wherewith it is troubled, and Mariners, the lead men that govern it. May not a man with the same affrontednesse affirm, that open Countries are Kingdoms, that the Mountains, are their Kings, little hills their Magistrates, and Valleys their Subjects: must not a man have lost his wits to have made use of these figures, and had not one better hold his peace, than speak a language which the common sort of people understand not, z In hoc omnis Hperbole extenditur, ut ad verum me●da ●io ve●iat, itaque qui dixit, Qui cand●re niv●s anteirent, qui cursibus auras, quod non poterat fieri, dixitut crede●tur quantum plurtmum posset Nunquam tantum sperat Hyperbole qu●tum aud●t, sed incredibilia offirmat, ut ad credibilia perven●at. Senec. de benefic. lib. 7. cap. 23. and which wise men despise; but an Hyperbole is the more unsufferable, for its insolency, and seeming seriousness: Common expressions seem poor to it; it cannot endure any thing that is ordinary, but affects extravagancy to hide its baseness; it heightens nothing with 〈◊〉 exaggeration, tells no truth un-mingled with falsehood, and by adjust punishment, looseth credit, through coveting too much▪ belief. 'Twill make snow black, to make a woman's face seem fair, tarnish the verdue of the rose, to exalt the freshness of her complexition, a Victoriosam lo quacitatem victus cupiditate vendebam diligentibus vanitatem. & quaerentibus mendacium socius eorum Aug. lib. 4. Confess. c. 2. and darken the Sun, to give lustre to her eyes. This figure is not to be excused, but by acknowledging that it is conscious of its own rashness; that it dares more than it hopes for; that it is of the humour of those, who lie often, and who think themselves happy enough, if they can but persuade the Auditors to believe part of what they say. An Antithesis is not so bold as an Hyperbole, though more affected; all it's cunning is but a continual play or Maigame, it opposeth the subjects which it treats of, 〈◊〉 because it knows not how to enlarge them; it hop●s always, because it can neither run nor walk softly; it leans upon all it meets withal, because it cannot sustain itself; and 'tis seldom ingenious, save only for its sterility sake. In fine, that may be said of all figures, which Seneca says of an Hyperbole; they lead us to truth by falsehood; they cousin us to please us, and to instruct us do seduce us. If this cunning be blameless, I know no cozenage, which may not admit of excuse; men will kill men to make them live, will put out their eyes to clear their sight, and will throw them into slavery, to set them at liberty. There have been some who would have had painting inhibited, because it abuseth the senses, and because by the rules of the Optics, it extends open Countries the end whereof we cannot arrive unto, sinks valleys: so as we cannot discover their bottom, and raiseth up Mountains to the height whereof we cannot attain, But eloquence being more deceitful, deserves a greater punishment; and she should as well be forbidden coming within the barand Pulpit, as painting was forbidden the Court of Arropagus, Since she heightens mean things, enlargeth what hath no substance; and to make her power be admired; makes Faustina a Lucretia, Tiberius an Augustus, and Fredigonda a Clotilda. It must then be confessed, that eloquence is the workmanship of sin, b Placuit mi● s●btrare ministerium linguae ●ae nundinis loquacitatis, ne ulterius pueri meditantes non legem tuam non pace● tuam, sed infanias mendaces & bella forensia mercarentur ex ore meo arma furori suo: August. lib. 9 Confess. cap. 2. that men have sought out these figures only to disguise falsehood; and they began not to be eloquent, till they began to be sinful. Innocence would not peradventure have spoken this language; and if we meet with some such like Oratory sometimes in the holy Scripture, I imagine it is, that the Scripture may accommodate itself to our custom, and to imitate the goodness of God; who puts on our passions when he will treat with us. If truth complain of Rhetoric, reason hath as much cause so to do; and who shall consider, what ill offices she hath received from her, will find, that she should never implore her aid: for though this Sovereign be not always at peace, within her Territories, and that her Subjects do sometimes despise her authority, Eloquence is not sincere enough to reinvest her in her power, and it ofttimes falls out, that whilst she thinks to stifle disorder, she augments it. For Reason hath nothing to fear in her Empire, but the error of her understanding, the obstinacy of the will, the revolt of passions, and the unfaithfulness of the senses; let her prevent these disorders, and she may be sure to reign peaceably. For what concerns the understanding, it needs no Rhetoric to persuade it, itcareth not for c Veritas si●e ornamentis ad persuandendum potenti●r. ornaments, truth is as pleasing to it in the mouth of a Philosopher, as of an Orator; the less truth is expatiated, the more force doth the understanding find in her; and the less she hath of Art, the more doth it reverence her power. As for the will, it is so free, as nothing can force it; grace alone hath power to ravish 〈◊〉▪ and only God can sway it without using violence. The passions must be calmed by dexterity; he is a wise Pilot, who can sail long upon their Sea without suffering shipwreck. And as for the senses; they must be won by fair means, and they must be loosened from objects to be submitted to reason. Eloquence boasts, that in this point, she hath great advantage over Philosophers: the Cadence of her periods smooths the senses; she imitates music, and makes use of the voice of Orators, to inchant the ears; d Eloquentia est idoncoru● verborum & sententiarum ad pronuntiati● accomodati●▪ continens vocis vultus, gestus moderationem cum venusta●e. Cicer. in Rheto. the gesture of their bodies, their studied actions, and all those graces which accompany Pronunciation, steal away the heart by the eyes, and work wonders upon the will: Figures raise passions, draw tears, encourageth Auditors to choler, and put weapons into their hands to revenge themselves of their Enemies. But I find that all the means which Eloquence attempts, are extremely dangerous, and that the remedies which she applies, are worse than the malady which she would cure. For thinking to flatter the senses, she engageth them in voluptuousness; whilst she would divert them from, she accustometh them to delight; and though her design be innocent, yet ceaseth it not to produce ill effects. For as oft as a pleasing Orator defends an ill cause, and that he employs all his good parts in favour of injustice; the senses, which seek only after content, suffer themselves to be borne away by his cunning; and making interressed reports to the understanding, they engage it in their revolt. Thus is a pleasing falsehood better entertained than truth; and virtue is less valued than vice, if she appear more austere. Eloquence is not more fortunate in taming passions, then in charming senses: for though she be acquainted with the secret of kindling and allaying choler, of setting love and hatred on fire, of abusing hope, and sweetening despair, yet hath she this of misfortune, that as she lays one passion asleep, she awakens another; and be it for want of dexterity, e Invenit no his malus orator remedia saepe periculis peiara. Senec. Tragic. or for her diffidence of her own strength, she never sets upon vengeance, unless she be assisted by ambition; she meddles not with love, without exciting hatred, and quells not hope, without raising fear. Thus she hurts us, to cure us; and her remedies are worse than our diseases. She imitates those bad Physicians, who debauch the stomach, to refresh the bowels; and who undo one part, to preserve another; for not weighing the danger, she ofttimes awakens cruelty in a Tyrant, to encourage him against an Enemy; she excites ambition in a Conqueror, to incline him to clemency; and hazards a whole Kingdom to save a guilty person. Men blamea Prince, who to revenge himself of his Subjects, puts weapons into the Rebels hands, and and who under colour of stifling a commencing sedition, strengthens a party, which justles out his Authority; yet this is the order observed by Eloquence in her Orations; and expearience teacheth us, that to overcome a passon which opposeth her designs, she will not fear to awaken another which will entrench upon the public Liberty. Cicero flatters Caesar's vain glory, to obtain Marcellus his pardon, he propounds glory to him, to divert him from rigour: yet f Cum aff●ctus repercussit affectum: a●t metus aut cupidit●s aliquid impe●vit non rationis tun● ben●io quicvit, se● affectum infide & malá pace. ●enec. li. 1. de li● cap. 8. sees not that to extinguish the fire of his choler, he kindles the life of his ambition; which was to set his Country on fire. Who will not then confess, that eloquence is an enemy to reason? that she disjoynts an Empire, in stead of settling it? and that she adds to the number of passions, under pretence of apeasing them? Her other designs are not more just, and she deals not more mildly with liberty than with reason; for though she always vaunt to take her side, and to defend her against such enemies as war against her, I find she is the first that chargeth on her, and that there is no difference between an Orator and a Tyrant. They take several ways, but their Armies are alike, g ●yrrani & orator is 〈◊〉 est discrimen, nisi quod ille corporibus, hic animis imperat. and their manner of government is equally violent; Tyrants make use of fire and sword, to astonish their Subjects, and Orators employ anger and revenge, to seduce their Auditors. Tyrant's forge chains to keep them in, that resist them; and Orators frame discourses which violate the will of those that listen to them. Tyrant's make themselves be feared, because they cannot make themselves be beloved; and Orators make themselves be beloved, though they know very well how to make themselves be feared: Tyrants affright us, when they cannot win us by fair means, and Orators deceive us, when their persuasions fall them. In fine, Tyrant's butcher our bodies, and Orators tyrannize over our minds. I think not the Republic of Syracuse, much more unhappy under the Tyranny of Dionysius, then was the Commonwealth of Athens, whilst she languished under the eloquence of Do●sthenes. There are some Philosophers of my opinion, and Cicero himself doth not differ much from it, since he confesseth, that an old man hearing the great Pericles make an Oratition; after that he had formerly heard the Tyrant Pisistrates, cried out aloud, that he had never seen two men more like, and that he did no less dread the one's eloquence, than the others cruelty: in effect, he was not in the wrong; for the event showed, h Quid enim inter Pilistratum & Periclem interfuit, nisi quod ille armatus, hic sine a●mis, tyrannidem gessit. Cicer. 3. de orat. that there was no difference between Pisistrates, and Pericles, save that the one exercised Tyranny with his weapons, and the other with his Rhetoric. Eloquence being so dangerous, and her Empire so violent, we must not wonder, if Jesus Christ, whose design was to win the world by fair means, would not have his Apostles make use thereof; he chose ignorant men to confute Philosophers, and to make his power be admired, his will was, that their simplicity should triumph over rhetoric. They were inspired with the gift of tongues in a moment, and the same spirit which did wonders by their hands, made known his oracles by their mouths: but Heaven which made them so learned, would never make them eloquent; they spoke before the Kings of the earth, without any loftiness of style; they discoursed without adornments before the Judges of Areopagus, they preached without figures before the Senate of i Non con●ertit Deus Piscatorem per oratorem sed oratorem per piscatorem. August. Rome, and yet they submitted the pride of Rome, and the eloquence of Athens to the simplicity of the Gospel. I must spend the rest of this discourse in the recital of this wonder, and to confute Rhetorics vain glory, I must exalt the humility of Religion. Never did any design equal that of Jesus Christ, when he sent his Apostles into the world; he meditated the conquest of the world, the overthrowing of superstition, the ruin of Idols, and the devil's defeat; to effect this enterprise, Philosophers must be convinced Orators persuaded, Monarchies vanquished. To bring this so high a design to an happy end, one would think, that he must raise Aristotle, Demosthenes, and Alexander from their graves; he notwithstanding vouchsafes to look upon a dozen fishermen, and to encourage them to combat, and to overcome so many enemies, he forbids them to bear Arms, to meditate for reasons, or to study speeches: and to the end, that the whole glory of so great a work might be attributed to his power, k Eloquia Apostolorum tanta & tam nova persuadentium quae dicebant mira s●erunt, non ver ba. Aug. lib. de Civit. cap. 5. he will have the humility of his Disciples beat down the pride of Tyrants, he will have their ignorance confound the learning of Philosophers, and their simplicity to triumph over the eloquence of Orators. If their discourse were plain, their writings were not more aptly couched. Hardly did they write correctedly, their most usual Figures are Barbarismes, they neglect ornament, plainness appears in all their Epistles; and we have much ado to believe, that those who spoke such indifferent language, should miraculously have received the gifts of tongues; yet doth the beauty of their doctrine ravish us, we are astonished with the depth of those mysteries, which they explain, and their words bear so great a sense with them, as we are not troubled to forego Aristotle's Politics; to read Saint Paul's Epistles. Since the Apostles are the Masters of the Church, and that their examples are our instructions; I advise Preachers to imitate their plainness, to affect their lowliness, to despise eloquence, and to implore aid from that Spirit which wins hearts without the pomp of words, and ravish the will without the ornament of language. Rhetoric is a profane art, and preaching is a sacred exercise; vanity hath need of cunning to sustain her, but the Gospel is maintained by truth: those who preach it with most setting off, are not those whose preaching works l Nobis curiositate opus non est post Christum, nec inquisitione, adjiciamus, nec Rhetorica, post Evangelium. Tertull. de praescriptionib. cap. 3. most affect, of as many Preanchers as God hath given to his Church, I see but chrysostom whose eloquence he hath blessed, all the rest have drawn their power from the humility of the cross, the meanest of them have been the most beneficial those who have wrought the greatest conversions, have oft times abounded more in Piety then in learning, and more in zeal, than in eloquence. If I give not the same counsel to the faithful, as I do to Preachers; 'tis not that I do not approve of those who would imitate the Apostles simplicity, and that I condemn those who would imitate the Orator's vainglory, but nature being faulty, we must not wonder if her language be corrupted; and since the Son of God tolerates the impurity of our sins, we must not think it strange, if he bear with the vanity of our words, till being gotten into the liberty of his Children, he frees us from the tyranny of sin and from the slavery of eloquence. OF THE CORRUPTION OF MAN'S BODY BY SIN: The Fourth Treatise: The First Discourse. Of the Excellencies of Man's Body. Virtue being surrounded with enemies, & besieged on all sides by vices, she cannot m Est virtus habitus animi judicio susceptus in mediocritate positus. Aristoteles. l. 2. Ethic. cap. 6. stray aside without the hazard of falling into their hands, and of losing all those advantages which render her glorious. If Justice punish a fault rigorously, her zeal passeth for severity; if she countenance evil by suffering it, she is accused of indulgency: if valour throw herself upon a danger, which she cannot shun, men esteem her rash; if she eat occasions, when her duty calls upon her, she is blamed of fearfulness; and by a strange destiny, she that was a professed enemy to fear, grows to love her, and becomes her slave. Truth is not more fortunate than virtue; for she is environed with errors, which surprise her if she go out of the way; and if she listen to them, bereave her of her purity: she is seduced by falsehood, if wisdom and faith assist her not; the desire of combat engageth in danger, and her covering to overcome, makes her ofttimes lose the victory. Fear is often more fatal to her than is her own courage; for whilst she avoides one enemy, she falls upon another; and thinking to shun an ill step or two, she falls into a precipice. This misfortune may be observed upon a thousand occasions, but particularly in what concerns the body of man: for some seeing the unruliness thereof, could not believe that it was the workmanship of God; and falling insensibly into an Error, persuaded themselves, that the Devil was the author thereof: some others, thinking to withstand this heresy, fall into another, and considering, the beauties of the body, thought that it still retained its first purity, that the faults thereof were perfections, and that all the motions thereof might be repressed by freewill, without grace. The Catholic truth walks in the midst between these two errors; condemning the Manichees, she acknowledgeth that man's body is made by God enlivened by his breath, and fastened to the soul by invisible chains, to make one and the same whole: condemning the Pelagians, she confesseth that man's body hath lost its innocence; that sin reigns in the members thereof, that it infecteth the soul which inanimates it, and that the well fare thereof, which begins in Baptism, will not be accomplished till the last general resurrection. Thus God is the Author thereof, and 'tis a mark of ' its n Deus carnis author, Christus carnis Redemptor est. Tertull de resur. c●rn. Goodness; Jesus Christ is the redeemer thereof, and 'tis a mark of its corruption. I therefore am obliged to part this subject into two discourses, the first of which shall contain the body's plea, the other its condemnation. Though the body be the least part of man, and that it be Common to him with beasts, yet hath it advantages which make it sufficiently known, that it is destined to be the organ of an immortal soul. For the members thereof are so artificially form, as we cannot judge whether they be more useful or more pleasing; their number causeth no confusion, their difference augments their beauty, and their proportion gives the last touch to the work which they all together make up. All of them have their particular employments, they mutually assist one another, without entrenching one upon another; they hold such intelligence as their good and bad is common: the tongue serves for interpreter to the whole body, the eyes serve it for a guide, the hands for its servants, the ears for informers, and the legs for supporters. Some of them are in perpetual motion, and never rest, Action is their life, and rest their death: whilst the eyes are lulled asleep, the ears closed up, and whilst the feet and hands lie fallow, the heart is always in action; it seems that nature intended to make it her chief piece of workmanship, and that she employed all her industry to render it admirable. 'Tis the first part of man that lives, and the last that dies; it is so o Cor paruum est & magna cupit: vix ad unius milui refectionem sufficere posset & totus mundus ei non sufficit. Hugo. li. 3. de anin. â. little; as 'twill not suffice to give a Kite a meal; and yet so great, as the whole world cannot satisfy it: nothing but his immensity that made it, can fill the infinite capacity thereof. All passions derive from it, as from their springhead; 'tis this that causeth love and hatred? 'tis this that shuns what it hates for fear, and draws near to what it loves through desire. 'Tis lodged like a King in the midst of its subjects; it gives its orders, without departing from its Throne; its motions are the rules of our health, and assoon as it is assailed, we are sick: it's least hurts are mortal: Nature, which knows the worth and the weakness thereof, hath endued all its subjects with a secret inclination to expose themselves for its defence, the hands put by the blows that are made at it; and knowing that their welfare consists in the preservation thereof, they hazard themselves to save it from danger. To reward this their service, this Sovereign is so vigilant, as he never takes rest; he labours always for the weal-public, and whilst the senses are asleep, he is busied in moving the Arteries, in forming the Spirits, and in distributing them about all the parts of the Body. The Brains finish this work, and giving it its last perfection, dispose it to the noblest operations of the soul. This work ceaseth not, though men sleep; though the Soul take some refreshment, these two parts of the Body are always in action; and when they cease to move, they cease to live. All these live in so full a peace, as the difference of their temper is not able to disturb it: Cold accords there with heat, moistness is there no longer an enemy to dryness; and the elements which cannot tolerate one another in the World, conspire together in man, for his body's preservation. If any disorder happen, it is occasioned by foreign heat, the natural Subjects never trouble the State's tranquillity: they are so straightly joined by their Interests, as nothing can befall the one which the other doth not resent; the pain of one part is the sickness of the whole body: p Sipatiatur oculus omnia dolebunt, omnia ●essabunt. Quid ventrem ocule mordes: quid pedes remora. is: quid manus vincis? quia innexa natura, sunt omnia, modequeineffabili compatiuntur. Chrysost. and if the foot be hurt, the tongue complains, the heart sighs, the eyes weep, the head bows to consider the evil, and the arms extend themselves to apply remedy. If their love be so rare, their obedience is no less remarkable; for they force their own inclinations to observe the orders of the will; and their fidelity is so ready, as the command is no sooner imposed, then obeyed: at their Sovereign's bare motion, the hands strive to be acting, the tongue explains his intentions, the eyes express his thoughts, and the ears execute his designs. The will finds out so much submission in the faculties of the soul, as in the parts of the body; she is ofttimes divided by her desires, and opposed by her own inclinations; sheiss a rebel to herself, & cannot comprehend how one and the same object can cause horror and love in her at the same time: but she never commands her body without being obeyed, and unless passions make a mutiny in it, or that it be disordered by sickness, it fulfils her orders with as much readiness, as faithfulness. She likewise undertakes nothing without the assistance of this faithful companion, q Nunquam anima sine carne est quamdiu in carne est, nibil non cum illa agit sine qua non est. Tertul. de resur. carn.. she stands in need of his aid in her noblest operations; and though she be a mere spirit, she can neither discourse, nor reason, but by the interposition of the body: if she will form thoughts, she must consult with the imagination; and if she will explain them, she is forced to make use either of tongue, or hand: r Volutet aliquid anima vultus operatur indicium: facies intentionum omnium speculum est. Tertul. de resur. carn.. she hath no strong agitations which appear not in the eyes, and when she is disquieted by any violent passion, 'tis soon seen in the face. A man must be very vigilant to hinder the commerce between the body and the soul; the rules of discretion, and all art of policy, which re-commends dissimulation to Sovereigns, cannot keep their countenances from discovering their designs, nor their eyes from betraying their wills: the soul conceals nothing from this her faithful confident; he that could well study the changes which appear in the face, might infallibly know the alterations of the mind; and without needing to wish as that ridiculous Pagan did, one might read in the forehead, the hearts most secret thoughts. If Physiognomy be a Science, she hath no certainty but what she draws from the connexion which nature hath placed between the soul and the body; all her observations are grounded upon the noblest part of the body; if all be true that is said of her, as soon as she sees the face, she knows the humour; and without or Charms or Magic, she knows their intentions, whose Lineaments she observes. Though I dare not acknowledge all this, and that I have much a do to believe that a Physiognomist can discover the designs of a wise Minister of State, by looking him in the face, and that without racking a malefactor, he may read his fault in his eyes; it sufficeth me to know that this Science is grounded upon the commerce between the soul and the body, and that she draws her conjectures from the strait union that is between them. As the Soul doth not form any design, wherein the body is not a complice; so doth she taste no contentment, wherein the body doth not share a part: if s Quem enim natura usum, quem mundi fructum, quem elementorum sa porem non per carnem anima depascitur? per quam omni instrumento sensuum fult● est. Tert. de resur. carn.. she enjoy the beauties of nature, 'tis by the Senses; if she see the Azure of the Sky, the light of the stars; if she discover the extent of Fields, the fertility of valleys; if she hear the fall of Rivers, the music of Birds, if she judge of the Gloss or Sent of Lilies, or Roses; 'tis by the benefit either of the sight, hearing, or smelling. It seems the world was made for the body's diversion, and that all those pleasing parts which go to the composure thereof, have only been made to delight the senses; the Sun is of no use to the glorified Spirits, and all the brightness of that goodly Constellation cannot light the Angels; those noble Intelligences have a spiritual world wherewith they are possessed, and ravished: they find their happiness in God, and all that we wonder at in the world, affords them no delight. Materia is requisite to tasting the pleasures of sensible nature; such contentments presuppose a low condition, and it is common with Beasts to partake of such diversions. 'Tis notwithstanding one of the bodies least advantages, that the world should be made for its use; and that this chief piece of God's workmanship is destined either for its service, or its delight. Jesus Christ followed his Father's steps; and when he came upon earth, he would have the body to be the object of his mercy, and of his power; though he laboured for the conversion of sinners, his greatest miracles were wrought for the healing of the sick; and the body being man's weakest part, he thought he was to treat it with most mildness, and to furnish it with as many remedies, as sin hath procured it maladies. Sometimes he cleansed it of the leprosy, Nativitate reformata regeneratione coe●esti carnem ab omni vexatione restitu●t, leprosam emaculat, coen perlumi●t paralyticam redintegrat, daemoniatam expiate, mortuam expiate, mortuam resuscitat. Tert. de carne Christi cap. 3. and restored to it's former purity; sometimes he freed it from blindness, and restored unto it the noblest of its senses; sometimes cured it of the Palsy, and restored it to the use of its Members: sometimes he withdrew it from the Grave, and reunited it to its soul, contrary to the hope of nature; sometimes he freed it from the Tyranny of Devils, and re-establisht it in its former freedoms. Neither did he neglect it in the institution of the Sacraments; for though they were chiefly ordained for the soul's sanctification, and that these admirable Channels pour grace into the soul, yet are they applied upon the body before they produce their effects in the will; and they respect jointly the two parts which go to man's composure. u Caro abluitur ut anima emacu●etur, caroungitur ut anima consecretur, raro signatur, ut anima muniatur, caro corpore & sanguine Christi vescitur ut anima de Deosaginetur. Tertu. de resur. car. ca 6. The body is washed in water, to the end that the soul may be purified; the body is marked with the Figure of the Cross, to the end that the soul may be fortified; the body receives the unction, to the end that the soul may be consecrated; the body receives the imposition of hands, to the end that the soul may receive Grace; and the body eats the flesh and blood of Christ Jesus, to the end that the soul may be thereby nourished: Thus doth not religion destroy nature, and in her highest mysteries the provides for the soul's safety, by means of the body. x Nulla omuino anima salutem potest adipisci nisidum in carne est adeo caro s●lutis cardo est Tertull. ibid. This maxim is so true, as that all Divinity confesseth, that the soul can no longer merit, when she is once parted from the body; whilst they are together in company, their grace may be augmented; and whatsoever virtues they have acquired, they may yet acquire more, but when once death hath divided them, and that the body losing 't's lustre, is reduced either to ashes, or to worms; the soul can no longer increase her merit, and in that condition she is only capable of punishment, or of reward. Having so many obligations to her body, she cannot forget them, nay even in the state of Glory, where all her designs ought to be satisfied, she wisheth to be reunited to her body, as that wherein her entire felicity consisteth. For though she reign with Angels, that she behold the divine Essence, and that she enjoy a happiness, to which even wishes cannot add, yet hath hath she a passion for her body, and all the good she doth possess cannot take from her the desire, nor memory thereof; though she hath made trial of its revolts; though this friendly enemy hath ofttimes persecuted her, and that she hath desired death to be freed from the Tyranny thereof, yet doth she languish after it, and contrary to their humour who have recovered liberty, yet she longs for that which did engage her in servitude. Though the body be reduced to dust, though it cause pity in its Enemies, and though it cause horror in those to whom it was so lovely, she forbears not to desire it, and to expect the resurrection with Impatience, that her body may partake of the bliss which she enjoys. And 'tis not without much justice that she bears so much love to her body, since she owes the greatest part of her advantages unto it, and that she hath hardly any virtue, or light, which she hath not acquired by the assistance of the senses. The soul is ignorant when first infused into the body; the knowledge which the Platonists attribute unto her, is but a mere capacity of apprehending. If she will be entrusted, she must be advised either by her eyes, or by her ears, she must consult with these Masters, if she will free herself from ignorance. How noble soever she be by birth, y Artes per carnem, studia ingenii per carnem, atque adeo totum vivere animae carnis est, ut non vivere animae nil aliud sit, quam à carne divertere. Tertull. de resurr. carn. cap. 6. she hath but weak conjectures of truth, if these faithful officers should fail her; and should she be engaged in a body which should have no use of senses, she would be plunged in eternal darkness. Sight and hearing are the Organs destined to knowledge, and he who is borne deaf and blind, is destined to live and die ignorant. As the soul receives these advantages by the body, so doth she distribute them by the body's assistance, and doth not express her thoughts but by the mouth of her Interpreter: she gives with the tongue, what she hath received by the ear; and as she is rich only by means of the senses, so is she by them only liberal. She observes the different qualities of objects by the eyes, she judgeth of the diversity of sounds by the ears; she comprehends men's intentions by their discourse, z Sermo de organo carnis est. Tertul. de resur. carnis ibid. she makes hers known by the tongue, and this miraculous part of the body frames words which draw her thoughts unto the life: If those who are absent cannot understand her, she hath recourse to the hand, which draws her dictates upon paper: and which makes that appear to the eyes, which the tongue could not make the ears comprehend. Thus the soul acts only by the body, and all Sciences by which we are either instructed or persuaded, are as well the work of the senses, as of the soul. Virtue itself owes her birth to the meanest part of man, and were he not made of flesh and blood, he could offer no sacrifice to God, neither could he satisfy divine Justice by his repentance. The a Virginitas qu●que & viduitas, & modest● in occulto matrimonii dissimulatio de bonis carnis Deo adolentur. Tertull. de resur. car. ibid. purity which equals him with Angls, is not wholly spiritual; if be borne in heaven, 'tis bred upon earth; and if it begin in the soul, it ends in the body. Fasting and silence keep the flesh under to purify the soul, and if man had not a tongue and mouth, he could neither praise God in silence, nor honour him by self-affliction. Martyrdom, which is the utmost of charity, and the highest degree of perfection, is consummated only in the flesh; mere spirits cannot be a prey to wild beasts, and a soul which hath put off her body cannot overcome Tyrants, nor triumph over Executioners. Mortality is requisite to Martyrdom, and if the Angels be somewhat more than we men, because they cannot die, they are in some sort less, because they cannot suffer: death is the trial of our love, and as oft as we lose our lives in Christ's quarrel, we strike terror into devils, and fill Angels with admiration. In fine, the honour which God receives on earth, proceeds from the body. 'Tis the body which is his Priest and Victim; 'tis the body which bears his imprinted characters in its face; 'tis the body which commands on earth, and which playing the part of God's Lieutenant, finds obedience amongst the Elements, and mildness amongst savage beasts. 'Tis the body which fights for the Glory of the Son of God, and which defends his Interest to the face of Tyrants, and which sings his praises amidst the Flames. 'Tis the body which being made by his hands, and inlivened by his breath, hath the honour to be his workmanship, and his Temple. b Absit ut Deus manuum suarum operam, ingenii sui curam adflatus sui vaginam, molitionis suae reginam, liberalitatis suae haeredem, religionis suae sacerdotem testimonii sui militem, Christi sui sororem in ate●num destinet interitum. Tertul. de resur. car. cap. 7. 'Tis the body which is the object of his love, and of his care; which seeth the Sun surround the world to lighten it, fruits bud to nourish it, flowers spring up to recreate it, and whole nature labours for its pleasure, or service. In fine, 'tis the body which is offered up upon Altars, which fights in persecutions, which praiseth God in prosperity, which blesseth him in afflictions, which honours him in death, which in the Grave expects his promises, which will rise again at the end of the World, and which will reign for ever in Heaven. The second Discourse. Of the miseries of the Body in General. THe evils which we receive from the body are so great, as that all Philosophy is nothing but an invective c Corpus hoc animi pondus, acpoena est p●ae ment illo urgetur, in vincu●s est nisi accessit Philosophia. Senec. Epi. 65. against this enemy of our repose. If we believe the Platonists, 'tis a prison wherein the Soul is enclosed to expiate the sins which she hath committed in Heaven. If we will listen to the Academics, 'tis a grave wherein the Soul is buried, and where being more dead than alive, she cannot make use of all those perfections which she hath received from Nature. d Non aliter aspicio corpus quam ut vinculum aliquod libertati meae circundatum. Idem ibid. If we trust the Stoics, 'tis a disobedient slave, which opposeth itself to all the souls desires, and which being born to obey, hath no so great passion as to command, 'tis a subject which aspires to Tyranny, and which forceth its legitimate sovereign to forgo both honour, and virtue, and to embrace voluptuousness. If we will give ear to the Peripatetics, who come nearest the truth, 'tis the least part of Man, which being given him to serve the soul, crosseth all her designs, and hinders the execution of her noblest enterprises. Hence it is, that all Philosophers do what in them lieth, to have no commerce with the body, and wish for death or old age, to the end that the one may weaken this Domestic enemy, and that the other may free them from it. Christian Religion, which marcheth in the midst of errors with assurance, confesseth, that the body is as well the workmanship of God as the soul is, and though it be not altogether so noble, it ceaseth not to be destined to the same happiness. But as slaves are punished for their masters, and as children sometimes bear the punishment of their father's sins, the body hath been punished for the soul, and from the time it became confederate in her crime, it partook in her punishment. Though the soul be the more guilty, the body is the more unfortunate; and of the two parts which go to the composure of man, the most innocent seems to be the most miserable. For to boot that it is subject to pain by reason of the elements bad intelligence, e Nos gestamus la queum nostrumnobiscum, circumferimus inimic 'em carnem nostram loquor de peccato natam, de peccato nutritam, corrupiam nimis de ipsa origine, sed multo amplius de prava consuetudine vitia●am. Gre. in. Moral. that it undergoes sicknesses whereby the health thereof is prejudiced, that it cannot be cured but by troublesome remedies, that the fear of death be a punishment which lasts as long as its life, it is notwithstanding occasion of the most sins whereof the soul is guilty; and this Sovereign thinketh she should be innocent, if she were not fastened to so guilty a Party. To disentangle all these things, we must know, that when the soul lost her privileges, the body lost likewise its advantages; f Nihil inerat quod carnem anim ù mue hominis foeliciter in paradiso vivent is offenderet. August. 14. de civi. Dei. c. 10. for the same grace w● made the soul pleasing to God, made the body subject to the soul, & the same innocence which preserved the sovereign from sin, warranted the slave from death: But when once man became guilty, he became unfortunate; and when once he lost original righteousness, he therewith lost all the dependencies thereupon; Error and blindness slid into the understanding, malice glided into the will; and by a consequence, which Divine Justice made necessary, illusion crept into the senses, sickness altered man's temper, pain disquieted his rest, and death sho tened his life. These punishments are so irksome as each of them deserves a discourse; and not to enter upon a subject which I should handle more at large, it shall suffice me for the present to make it manifest, that though the body be the Souls slave, since sin it is become her Tyrant, and that it neither tastes of contentment, nor suffers sorrow wherein it shares not with her. Pain is a sensible evil, and were not the Soul engaged in the body, she without the least commotion would behold the most grievous punishments; but nature having composed man of these two different parts, the body's pain, is the Souls punishment, their good and their bad are common between them, the more noble suffers with the more ignoble, and by a strange misfortune, the soul which needs no nourishment, fears famine; she who is spiritual, fears pain, g Non ●nim cum animus ad corp● declinat, corpus efficitur, sed tamen defective, appetitu quodammodo corpora scit. August. l. secund. cap. 10. and she who is immortal apprehends death; she is afflicted with whatsoever hurts the body, and as if her love had changed her Essence, she seems to be become Corporeal. By a sequel as shameful as necessary, she takes her part of all the bodies pleasures; she shapes desires, unnecessitated, she follows the inclmations of its senses, and foregoing truth and virtue, wherein all her innocent delights ought to consist, she relisheth the flowers with the smelling, she tastes meat with the palate, she hears Music with the ears, and seeth the diversity of colours with the eyes. Being thus become sensual, she is not to be loosened from the body, she forgets her natural advantages, by neglecting them, she foregoes commerce with spirits to treat with beasts; the fear she hath of death, makes her doubt her immortality; the love she hath to pleasure, makes her despise virtue, and to engage herself too far in her slave's interest, she learns new crimes, whereof she was before innocent. For although the soul be not impeaceable, and that her will be not so constant in what is good, but that she may be unfortunately parted from it, yet is she not capable of all sorts of crimes; she may be seduced by falsehood, blown up by vain glory, abased by sadness, and gnawn by envy, but she should be exempt from such sins, as she is persuaded unto by the senses, if she were disengaged from the body. Mere spirits are not scorched with unchaste flames; devils are not unchaste, h Ideo immundi spiritus Daemones appellantur quia se authores vita sceleste immundeque testantur. August. lib. 2. de Civit. cap. 26. save only for that they counsel us to impurity: They are pleased with this vice, only because Jesus Christ is thereby injured, and our souls would find no trouble in being chaste, did they not love unchaste bodies: drunkenness, the vapours whereof cloud reason, is not so much a sin of the soul, as of the body; did not the soul swim in the blood, the body would never be drowned in wine; i Ebrietas subversio sensus, tempestas linguae, procella corporis, naufragium castitatis. August. and the greatest drunkard of the world would forgo his love to this sin, if death had un-robd him of his body; a man must partake much more of a beast, than of an Angel, if he fall into this disorder; and men who make more use of their souls, then of their bodies, are not much subject to this infamous Irregularity. Gluttony (which may be termed the sister or the mother of drunkenness) lodgeth neither in the will, nor in the understanding, it makes its abode in the body; the palate which tastes viands, the stomach which digests them, are it's faithful officers; if it make any use of the understanding, k Cor habet in ventre gulosus, lasciws in libidine, cupidus in lucro. Hieron. in Matth. 'tis for the service of the belly; and if it reason at any time, 'tis but to find out new sauces, which may awaken appetite. Covetousness, though it contest with ambition, and be insatiable, is rather a sin of the senses, than of the soul; for this illustrious Captive, makes not so many wishes for herself, as for the body which she inanimates: Glory and virtue are the only objects of her desires; when she labours to get riches, or to seek out pleasure, she fits herself to the humour of her slave, and acts more through complacency, than inclination, or necessity; 'tis the body which needs the light of the constellations to light it, the fruits of the earth to nourish it, the skins of beasts to clothe it, and all the beauties of nature for its diversion. All Artslabour only for the service thereof; l Omnes istae arts, quibus aut excitatur civitas aut strepit, corporis negotium gerunt: cui omnia olim t●nquam serco praes●abantur, nunc tanquam Domino parantur. Senec. Epist. 90. though they be the work of the understanding, they be the body's servants; and set those aside which have affinity with sciences, all the rest labour only to entertain the senses; some cut out clothes to cover us, others raise houses for us to lodge in; some till the earth to nourish us, others seek for pearl in the bottom of the sea, and diamonds in the bowels of the earth for our adornment; if the soul become ingenious in inventing things which are superfluous, and of no use, she is there unto solicited by reason of the bodies need, and she foregoes all these cares as soon as she is got out of prison. The Rebel Angels never fought to divide the riches of the earth, the division of Provinces, or Kingdoms, did never move ambition in them, the beauty of women never caused in them loose desires, nor did ever any of those sins which arise from flesh & blood, tempt those haughty spirits. The greatest part of our excess derives from the body; if we were parted from it, we should either become innocent; or if in that condition we should have either ambition, or avarice, their motive and object would be altered. The greatest Conquerors have no motions which are not common to them with Lions; Lovers jealousy is not more noble than is that of Bulls; and the husbandry of the Avaricious is not more just than is that of Owls, and Ants: if men be more to blame then beasts, 'tis because their soul complies with their bodies, and that she makes use of her advantages, to supply her slaves necessities. But the mischief takes its original from the body; and as the woman tempted man after she had been seduced by the devil, the flesh tempts the spirit after having been solicited by objects which flatter the senses. I very well know that in the State of Innocency, the soul was first guilty, and that the body being subject to reason could not excite the first seditions; it was obedient to its Sovereign, and as long as the soul was subject to God, the body was subject to the soul; but when once the soul rebelled against her God, her body scorned to be commanded by her. And as man's fault had been a revolt, his punishment was a rebellion also. All our mischief ariseth from the bad intelligence which is held between the two parts, whereof we are composed; he who could appease their differences, might remedy our sins; and if the body did no longer rebel against the soul, we should have reason to hope, that the soul would no longer rebel against God. To understand this truth, m Sub hoc peccali 〈◊〉 deemer gu●tur parvuli, qui sine remedio baptismi moriuntur: habent enim originale peccatum non per animam sed per carnem utique contra ctum, animaeque resusum. Carni namque ita anima unitar, ut cum carne sit una persona. Aug. lib. de spiritu & anima cap. 41. which seems at first to gainsay the rules of humane reasons, you must know, that Generation is the way by which Adam's sin is transmitted into our souls, should not inherit the body's sin, nor misery. From this impure, and fruitful springhead do all our misfortunes derive; the blindness which clouds our understanding, draws its obscurity from the body; falsehood, and vanity enter our souls by the gate of our senses; and if sins end in the will, they begin in the imagination. Love glides into the heart by the eyes; he who could be blind, might easily be chaste; if calumny be form in the heart, it is dealt abroad by the tongue; and what in the thought was but the malady of one particular man, becomes by discourse the contagion of a whole Town. n Desiderii sui veneno mensebria, corpus contumeli is applicat & junctis complexibus ambo in mortiferas suavitatis ●si obdormiunt. Cyprian. in prolo. de ope●i. cardinalib. Christi. Conceptions are spread abroad by words, and faults are multiplied by communication; if those who are dumb, conceive envy, they cannot show it by detraction; and if they express it by signs, 'tis either the hands, or eyes, which makes them guilty: our soul is not infected with falsehood, or heresy, save by our most refined sense; these two poisons are taken in by the care, not by the mouth: And as faith and truth enter the soul by hearing, their mortal enemies make their passage by the same way: a man must stop his ears, and shut his eyes if he will keep his heart pure. It were to be wished, that men were blind, that so they might not see the beauty which enchants them; & that women were deaf, that they might not hear the praises which seduce them. o Caro officina est sp●tus, us, qui in e● & per cam quaecumque affectaver it, perag●t & consummate. Idem ibid. In fine, the world abuseth us only by our senses; it's pernicious Maxims get into our souls by our ears, the vanities thereof corrupt our wills by our eyes; and all those objects, whose different beauties do be witch us, make no impression in our soul, but by our body. We should be invulnerable, were we spiritual; and of a thousand temptations which we have, we should hardly be troubled with one, were we not engaged in Materia. To complete our misfortune, we love our enemy, the bad offices he doth us cannot diminish our love. All the Maxims of Religion cannot persuade us to revenge; and though this motion of the mind be so pleasing to the injured, it seems severe unto us, when we are invited to punish our body. Our passion for this unfaithful one, p Nemo umquam carnem suam odio habuit sed nutrit & sovet eam. Ephes. c. 5. is not extinguished by death. The damned preserves it amidst the flames; though they know their pains shall be increased by the resurrection of their body; they cannot choose but desire it. In hell hope triumphs over fear and pain; and this cruel enemy hath so many charms, as though he be reduced to dust, yet doth he cause love in the soul which did inanimate him. The remembrance of the injuries which the soul hath received from the body, and the fear of pain which she expects from thence, is not able to stifle this desire. She hopes for the day of Judgement, where she must be condemned; though she know her punishment will be increased by her reunion with her body; she cannot but desire it with impatience, and places the delay thereof in the number of her sufferings. So as we are bound to conclude, that if the body be the cause of sin during life, it will be the punishment thereof after death; and that if it hath made the soul guilty upon earth, 'twill make her unhappy in hell. The third Discourse. Of the Infidelity of the Senses. NAture being so intermingled with sin, as that the one is the production of God; the other the work of man; the praises which we give to the former, are always mingled with Invectives made against the latter; and we cannot value the beauty of nature, unless we blame the outrages which q Os homini sublime dedit caelumque tueri jussit, & erectos ad sydera tollere vultus. Ovid. 1. Metamorph. she hath received from sin; the figure of man's body is an evident sign of his Maker's wisdom. The Lineaments of his face binds us to admire the power of the hand which hath form them, and the disposal of the parts thereof, draw no less praises from our mouths, than the like of the universe. But the disorder which we see in man's Temperature, the opposition of those Elements which go to his composure, and that general revolt which hath shed itself throughout all his members, obligeth us to detest sin, which is the cause thereof. We must argue in the same sort concerning our senses, and confess, that as their use deserves estimation, their irregularity deserves blame. They are admirable in their structure, and were they not common to us with beasts, we might be permitted to glory in them. The operation of the noblest of them is so subtle, as that the soul, as divine as she is, can hardly comprehend it; she admireth these Masterpieces of nature, though she have so great a share in their miracles, yet knows she not how they are done; and thinks strange that she should contribute to wonders which she cannot conceive. For the soul inanimates the senses, and this spiritual form, is a created Divinity which sees by the eyes, hears by the ears, and expresseth itself by the mouth. But if the senses have their perfections, they have also their defects; and if the soul receive any service by them, she is by them likewise much injured. They are the gates of falsehood and error, vanity slides into our souls, by their means; they are exposed to illusions; the objects wherewith they are pleased corrupt them; and being once corrupted by delight, they make no true reports unto the soul. Nature hath endowed us with them, that we might know God by things visible, and to raise us up to consider the beauty of the Creator by the like of his works; these deceitful Guides do notwithstanding abuse us, and solicited either by delight, or interest, make Idols unto themselves of all the creatures, and lead us to adore sensible and perishable Gods. r Misi nuntios meos sensus omnes exteriores ut quarerent te, & non inveni, quia matè quaerebam. August. soliloq cap. 31. Saint Augustine confesseth, that he never went astray in his belief, save when he would follow them; and that he never engaged himself in error, save when he gave belief to their advice; he sought out God with his eyes, he would have touched him with his hands, and thought to have found him in the world, whom he carried about with him in his heart. He gave commission to all his senses to find him out, but these ignorant messengers could learn him nothing; and he found not his God, because he knew not how rightly to seek for him. Their ignorance would be excusable, were it not accompanied with injustice; but these evil Counselors grow insolent in chiding us, after they have abused us, and make violence succeed superchery; they tyrannize over our souls, after having seduced them, and make the Sovereign take laws from his slaves. According to the Government of the Universe, Inferior things are always subject to their superior: as the earth is less noble than the Heavens, it is also lower; it receives their influences, thereof with respect, and all the fruit it beareth, raise themselves up towards the stars, to witness that its fruitfulness derives from their Influences. In Civil Government, women are subject unto their husbands, and slaves obey their Masters; in Politic, the people hold of their Sovereign, and the Kings will, is the Subject's laws; but in man this order is reversed by an irregularity, which can be nothing but the punishment of sin: his soul depends upon his body; and in her noblest operations, she is obliged to be advised by the senses. Her condition is so unhappy, as she seems almost enforced to believe the ignorant, to follow the blind, and to obey Rebels. A man would blame a State, where fools should command over wise men, where children should prescribe laws to the Ancient, and where women should have dominion over their husbands; yet corrupted nature is engaged in this disorder; and since our first Father's sin, the senses are the souls Counselors, and this faint-hearted Sovereign, renouncing her lawful authority, receives orders from her slaves. Their tyranny hath occasioned another, more cruel, and more dangerous; for as they are subject to the devil's illusions, they fight under his colours, and become accessary to all his wicked designs: he s Diabolus posuit in comestione gulam, in generatione luxuriam, in conversatione invidiam, in gubernation avaritiam, posuit malus cogitationes in cord, malas loqu●tionesin ore, pravas dispositiones in membris. Aug. in serm. hath wonall our senses over to him since sin; the noblest are most trusty to him, and he hath so corrupted them, as one must either be very wise, or very fortunate to defend himself from them. He hath put slandering in the tongue, uncleanness in the eyes, error in the ears, revenge in the heart, and pride in the head: He hath dispersed disobedience amongst the passions, revolt amongst the members, and infidelity amongst all the senses. If we speak, he solicits us to speak wrongfully; if we hear, he engageth us in error; if we look, he strikes us in love; if we think upon our injuries, he incites us to revenge; and if we consider our advantages, he makes us vain glorious. Thus are our senses the Executours of his fury, the parts of our body are confederate in his faultiness, and the members which nature hath given us to defend ourselves, are the weapons which he makes use of to fight against us. But lest I may be accused of adding to our misfortune to excuse our sin; I will consider the senses in particular, and after having observed their advantages, I will consider their defects. If the eye be not the Noblest, 'tis at lest the most beautiful of all our senses; and if it be not most useful, 'tis at lest the most delightful. Nature employs nine Months in forming it, it is one of the parts of the Body she begins the soon, and ends the last: 'tis a Master piece of workmanship, wherein her power, and t Tenuibus multisque membran●eos Natura comyosu●t callosis contra frigoratunicis quas subinde purificant lach●ymationum falivis. Plin. lib. 11. ca 37. her dexterity are equally to be admired: She mingles conrraries so warily there; as waters are there observed to agree with flames; they are the rises of fire and of tears, which cause deluges, & inflammations: All passions are there seen in their glory; sorrow and joy make it their chiefest Theatre, and when the heart burns with love or with hatred; it darteth out Thunder and lightning by the eyes: their greatness is rather a prodigy than a wonder; for they enclose the u Adeo oculis absoluta vis specult, ut tam parva●lla pupilla totam imaginem reddat hominis. Idem ibid. Heavens with all the stars therein, the sea with all her rocks, and earth with all its mountains, the several species of all these objects lodge there without confusion, and Nature is amazed to see her whole Image, in so small a looking glass. All their parts are of so nice a composition, as they are undiscernible; the nerves which convey the sight are smaller than the hairs of the head, the thin films which covereth them, are more transparent than Crystal, and the waters which are enclosed in their receptacles, are so calm, as no storm can trouble them: Nature, which governs her love according to the merit of her works, hath given them so many guards, as their excellency is easily judged by her care in preserving them. x Omnibus oculis membrana vitri modo tran slacida obtenditur. Palpebras Natura dedit ce● vallum quoddam visus, & prominens munim●ntum contra occursantia animalia aut 〈◊〉 fortune i●cidentia. Idem ibid.. For to boot that the hairs on the eyelids, are as many bristled points which defend them; that the eyebrows, are arches which cover them, that the eyelids, are vails which hide them; the hands are employed to save them, and their Chief exercise, when in the dark, is to guard these sons, which guide us in the day time. They are so sudden in their operation as it holds of the Nature of lightning; they raise themselves up to the heavens, and descend to the depths in a moment, they find out things furthest of without weariness, and by an ordinary miracle they join themselves to them, without disjoining themselves from the body: They serve for an Interpreter to those that cannot speak, they express thoughts which the understanding dares not trust the tongue withal, they are so happy in their expressions as savage men understand them, and they are so powerful in their persuasions, as they ofttimes obtain more by their looks, than the mouth can do by words. But assuredly it must be confessed, that their bad exceeds their good, and their defaults their advantages. For the greatest sins commence by the sight, love hath no force with those that are blind; though he be blindefolded, his looks make his greatest Conquest; and the arrows which he shoots proceed rather from his eyes then from his quiver: y Visus longius prospicit & momento facit quod aures tempore: prius enim coruscatio cernitur quam audiatur. Marsil. Ficin. in convivi. Platon. The subtlety of this sense serves only to make it the more guilty; it commits faults where it is not, and being more subtle than thunder, it scorcheth People without touching them, it meditates adulteries before the heart conceiveth them, and in all unchaste sins, it is always first faulty; most men would be innocent, if they were blind; and without seeking so many remedies against love, want of sight would serve the turn: z Impudicus oculus impudici cordis est nuntius. Hierony. The Soul having a more Noble residence in the eyes, then in the other senses, she shapes no wishes which she expresses not by them; nor conceives she any design, wherein they are not Complices. Every part of the body is capable of some crime, and since our loss of innocency, we have no part in us which is not able to irritate God's justice: But yet we have this of comfort in our misfortune that their mischief is bounded; and that by a fortunate disability, they can commit but one sort of sin. The hand is only guilty of Murders and Theft, the tongue of blasphemy and calumny, the ear of hearing, error, and falsehood, and the mouth of excess in eating and drinking: but the eye is guilty of all crimes, it sees no object wherewith it is not tempted, and all sins which can kill our Souls, can seduce our light; a Odit Dominus oculos sublimes. Proverb. 6. pride seems to have established its Throne there, & lying is not more natural to the tongue, than vainglory to the eyes As they have the art of speaking, they have also the cunning of mis-speaking, their very looks without the help of wor●s sufficiently witness their despisal: Slothfulness reigns there no less than obloquy; though they be so active, they cease not to be slothful, drowsiness assails them to make us sleep, they are sooner shut then the ears, and experience teacheth us, that we hear words when we see no objects: Anger is seen to break forth there in fury, Lightnings and Thunders burst forth from thence as messengers of revenge, and this violent passion makes not much more havoc in the heart, than in the eyes: Like avarice, they are insatiable, that which hath been pleasing to them, causeth their pain, and their punishments arise from whence their desires did first derive. Envy sins more by the eyes than by the hands, though she be made to pass for blind, she looks upon her neighbour's happiness with repining, and should she have lost use of sight, she would have found a remedy for the greatest part of her torments. Uncleanness b Irritamenta sunt vitiorum oculi, deuces scelerum, huic adulterium oculi ministrant, huic domum quam concupiscat. lights her Torches at the eyes to consume the heart; she would be weak, were she not assisted by these faithful officers; she undertakes nothing but by their looks, and before she employs the hand to write, or the mouth to speak, she hath already made use of the eyes to express her designs. In fine, the eye is so guilty, as the wise Man finds nothing more pernicious, c Nequius oculo quid est creatum? Ecclesiast. cap. 31. he wisheth to be blind that he might purchase innocence; and he leaves in dispute, whether Pestilence and War, or the sight, be cause of greater Mischief. As hearing contends with it for worth, so may it do for wickedness; and it must be granted that the good and bad which we receive thereby, are equally considerable; 'tis the sense which is most peculiar to the understanding, and which Nature and Religion seems to have addicted to the knowledge of the Highest Truths: Nature makes d Auditus cui hominum primo negatus est, huic & sermonis usu● ablatus, nec sunt naturaliter surdi ut non iidem sint & muti Plin. lib. 10. cap. 69. use thereof to learn sciences; she knows general things only by the ears; and those who are deaf remain Ignorant much longer than those that are blind. Religion makes use of it to insinuate faith into the soul, of all our senses 'tis the only one which is faithful to her; all the rest withstand faith, and meet with difficulties which offend them: Hearing is more credulous, and more rational, its affinity with the understanding, makes it capable of the wonders of Christianity; and the great Apostle e Fides ex auditu. Rom. 10. confesseth, that Faith enters the Soul by the ears: Passions themselves are obedient to it, and these unruly Subjects which countenance the Empire of reason, obey the Empire of the care, 'tis by it that Commanders encourage their Soldiers to Battle, 'tis by it that Orators oppease incensed people, 'tis by it that Philosophers persuade their Disciples; 'tis by it that Politicians instruct Princes, and make Conquerors undertake gallant actions; eloquence, which works such wonders in the world, owes all her might to hearing; she languisheth upon paper; when by the eyes she glides into the Soul, she looseth half her force, but she bereaves us of our liberty where she insinuates herself by the ears: and a man must be either stupid or opinionated, if he resist reasons which are pleasingly conveyed into the understanding by handsome discourse. f Est in aure imo memorie locus quem tangeares atte jamur. Plin. l. 11. cap. 45. For all the praises are given to a sense so requisite to science and Religion, it ceaseth not to have its faults; and to bear the characters of sin. It is a slave to superstition, and error; it makes heretics, as well as true believers, and 'tis the part by which the Serpent's persuasions entered our first mother's soul. The poison which is poured in by the ear, is much more dangerous than that which is taken in by the mouth; and the soul is more easily corrupted by hearing, than by seeing. All virtues are endangered when set upon in this place, and there is not one of them, which is not extremely threatened, when the vice which is its enemy, will make it come forth by the part by which it entered; 'tis by it, that idle discourse undertakes chastity; 'tis by it, that error triumphs over truth; 'tis by it, that calumny oppresseth innocency; 'tis by it, that blasphemy doth spread abroad its contagion; 'tis in fine, by it, that the devil drives out Jesus Christ, and possesseth himself of the Throne which he had raised up in our hearts. So as 'tis not without good reason, that the g Sepi aures tuas spinis, & linguam nequam noli audire & ori tuo facito ostia, & seras auribus tuis. Eccles. 28. wise man counselleth us to hedge in our ears with thorns, and carefully to lock up a gate, by which falsehood, heresy, and impiety do confusedly get into our souls: And 'tis not without cause that we declare, that if the whole body be infected by sin, the ear is the part most dangerously corrupted. The fourth Discourse. That the Passions are fickle, or wild. IF man were a mere spirit, he should have no passions, nor should his rest be ever troubled by these motions of the sensible soul. Angels h Sanoti Angeli & sive irâ puniunt, & sine miseriae compassione subveniunt, & tamenistarum nomina passionum consuetudine loquu tion's humana etiam in eos usurpantur, propter quandam operum similitudinem non proctor effect onum 〈◊〉 mitatem. Aug. lib 9 de Civit, De● cap. 5. which have no commerce with flesh and blood, have one of these changes; if they desire any thing that is good, they languish not for it; if they punish a fault, they are not transported with choler; and if they assist us in our misery, they are not touched with compassion: whence I conclude, that passions proceed from the soul's marriage with the body; and that it is as natural for a man to hope, and fear, to love and hate, to rejoice, and to be sorry, as to eat and drink, or to wake and sleep. Since nature doth nothing without a reason, man reaps some advantage by his passions, and meets with a thousand occasions, wherein i Amor est delectatio cordis per desiderium currens & requiescens per gaudium. August. lib. de substantia dilectionis. cap. 1. & 2. he may make good use of them. Desire is the soul's course, and she seems to command this nimble heeled passion, to put her in possession of what she loves. Hope comes in to the succour of desire, and promiseth her such good success, as she resolves to make her way through all difficulties, which oppose her designs. If hope meet with more opposition than she imagined, she calls in courage to her aid, which by her valour purchaseth her the enjoyment of what she had long wished for. Such passions as are opposite to these, serves the soul to keep aloof from what she apprehends. Fear is her flight; she doth her utmost to keep her enemy off; though she be timorous, she mingleth herself with hope to effect her designs; and employs boldness to overcome such dangers as threaten her; if her strength be too weak, she falls insensibly into despair; and giving way to grief, doth of necessity become unhappy. Sometimes she assumes courage in her disasters; solicited by hatred, animated by desire, and encouraged by despair, she gets the better of the enemy which possesseth her; and finds by experience, that sometimes to be happy, a man must have been miserable. These passions have so much affinity with virtue, k Irasci peccantiut corrigatur, contristari pro afflicto ut liberetur, timere periclitantine pereat, nescio utrum quisquam sanâ consideratione reprebendat. August. li 9 de Civit. cap. 9 as let but never so little care be taken in husbanding them, they may become virtuous. Fear is serviceable to wisdom; wise men are always timorous; good success always their apprehension, and prosperity which makes others insolent, makes Politicians modest; The Tragedian makes Agamemnon, from the ruin of Troy apprehend the like of Sparta; his victory causeth his diffidency, and the Poet, who will make this Prince a perfect Politician, seems to have grafted his wisdom only upon fear. Audacity is a natural fortitude, a man must be courageous to be valiant; this virtue is no less a work of nature, than of morality; and unless a man's constitution contribute towards his generosity, Philosophy with all her counsel, will hardly make him seek out an honourable death. That which is said of Poets, aught to be affirmed of all virtuous men; as these cannot be famous in their profession, unless they be borne of that heat which is the soul of Poesy, these cannot be valiant, unless they be born with that generous heat, which desplseth dangers, and which boasteth in the loss of life, when glory is won thereby. Anger doth somewhat resemble justice, the one and the other of them will punish faults; and if the former be not better regulated in the revenge which she takes for injuries, 'tis because she is blind, and that self-love whereby she is guided, makes her commit excess. l Contristati est is secundum Deum, quo enim secundum Deum tristitia est poenitentiam ad salutem stabilem operatur. 2. ad Corinth. cap. 7. Vtilis nobis unâ re tantum tristitia judicanda est cum hanc vel poenitentia delictorum, vel desiderio perfection is accenst, vel futurae beatitudinis contemplatione concipimus. Cassiodor. li. 9 c. 20. Sorrow and grief are happy servants to repentance; they mixed their tears together to bewail one and the same sin, and the contrition of a guilty person is the joint work of nature and grace: As to be faithful, a man must be rational, so to be penitent, a man must be afflicted; and God will have passion to conspire with reason in repentance, to the end that the two parts whereof man is composed may satisfy justice. In fine, all the motions of the sensitive soul seem so addicted to good, as some of them cannot forgo its party; pity is always praiseworthy, and the compassion of another's evil, which she imprints in the heart, is so just, that the very Barbarians cannot condemn it; the indignation which we conceive for the misery of the good, and for the prosperity of the wicked, is a natural justice which hath not yet met with a censure rigid enough to blame it. The shame which makes us blush at our advantages, or our defaults, doth look so like modesty, as their Interests are inseparable; she serves for an ornament to virtue, and for an expiation to sin; be it that her Father be infamous, or her mother glorious, the daughter is always equally honourable; and if a man be too blame in having committed sin, he is to be praised in witnessing his shame, for having committed it. But let Philosophers be as careful as she pleaseth in praising of our passions, they have lost their innocency, since nature hath lost her purity. The justest of them are irregular, and those which seem to side with virtue, are slaves to sin; their first motions are out of our power; let us take what care we can to reduce them to their duty; they get on wing without our leave; they are subjects to whom rebellion is natural, m Quemadmodum ratione nul lum animal obtemper at siferum sit. Natura enim eorum est surdasuadenti, i●a non sequuntur affectus, non audiunt quantalicunque sint. Sense. Ep. 86. wild beasts which are never tamed, and faithless soldiers which fight oftener in the behalf of vice, than of virtue. The Saints think themselves happy, when after much ado, they can overcome one of these domestic Enemies; their life is not long enough to assubject them totally; and when they think to have overcome them, they find, that like Anteus in the Fable, they draw strength from their weakness, and courage from their defeats: there is no passion in man which doth not set upon some virtues; ofttimes they conspire together to fight against them. They reconcile their own differences, that they may ruin them; and as the Elements use violence upon their qualities, to preserve nature; these force their inclinations to destroy her. Their peace is more fatal to us than war; & we know not, that whether they be more to be dreaded when they adopt themselves to our humours, or when they oppose our desires. The best of them (the state considered wherein they are put by sin) are almost always irregular, the most innocent of them seem to be somewhat criminal; and those which men mix with the virtues, have always some affinity with vice: the greatest part of their motions are violent, unless they be reform to grace; and whatsoever advantage morality may promise unto herself by them, she finds by her experience, that it is never good sporting with a wild beast, though it appear never so tame. Natural pity is almost always unjust; she considereth the pain, but not the offence; n Misericordia non causam sed fortunam spectat, lacbrymis nocentissimorum movetur quae si liceret carcerem effringeret. Senec. 2. de Clement. cap. 5. she would break open prison, to let murderers lose; and guilty men cease to be odious to her, if once they become miserable. Indignation is not much more just than pity; she complains of the prosperity of the wicked, and of the good man's adversity, only because she knows not that riches and honours are not the true rewards of virtue; and that shame and poverty are not the true punishments of sin. She is only severe because she is blind; she would not condemn the secrets of God's providence, if she were conversant with the laws of justice, and o Plures pudore peccandi quam bona voluntate prohibit is abstinent. Senec. Epist. 83. mercy. Shame is always mixed with sin; if sin be not the cause thereof, it is the occasion: And of as many guilty people as seem shameful, there are but few which do not more fear the dishonour than the offence. It is very hard in the condition whereunto sin hath reduced us, for the passions to be serviceable to us without grace; since nature is become our punishment, they are become our executioners; they serve for Ministers to God's Justice, to revenge his goodness upon our offences; they must be subject to charity, if we will reap any profit by them; and if the greatest part of men's virtues be sins without faith, the greatest part of their passions are disorders without grace; they are not to be safely guided by morality without Religion, their unruliness surpasseth her address; and as there are certain storms which pass the Pilots skill, there are revolts in man which exceed reason. They say that Bees have some shadow of Policy in their Government; they choose a King whose will they reverence, they fight for his Glory, and show as much courage in War, as industry in Peace. They suck the juice of flowers without tarnishing their Colours, they rob Gardens without disaraying them, and with the same sting wherewith they fight against their enemies, they make their hives and gather their honey. p Rege incolumi mens omnibus una, amisso rupere fidem. V●g. Georgic. This handsome order endures no longer then doth their King's life; for as soon as he is dead they give over working, betake themselves to parties, conspire one against another, & having no King to keep them within their bounds, they divide their state. Whilst innocence made reason ruled in Man, the passions were peaceable, all their motions were regular: anger committed no injustice, all its Decrees were equitable, and the measure of the offence was always the rule of punishment; hatred set only upon sin; and love betook himself wholly to virtue; every passion plotted the public good: but since original righteousness hath forsaken Reason, and that man, being but half himself, hath ceased to be the perfect Image of God, his passions have despised his Empire, his Subjects have revolted, and losing the respect which he ought to God, he hath lost the authority which he had in his own person. Profane Philosophy, which saw the effects of a cause, whereof she was ignorant, sought for a remedy, though without success: She laughed at those, who would destroy the passions, as knowing that they were natural to men; she invented some virtues to guide them; & forming unto herself a Continency to moderate pleasures a fortitude to withstand sorrow, a wisdom to regulate accidents, and a Justice to decide the differentes between the Body and the Soul, she thought to have quieted all their disorder, and to have revived innocency in the world; but when she saw how weak these virtues were, despair made her arm mutineers, to suppress one Passion by another, and to oppose hope to fear, choler to remissness, and sorrow to joy. This remedy proved worse than the disease; it increased the number of the Rebels q Affectus tam m● minist●i sa●t quam deuces, quas numquam ●atio come prime repossi●, n● parc● illis si ●e que 〈◊〉, ut ●e metum, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S●uce. 1. de l●â cap. 9 whom it would have lessened; & weakened reasons authority, whichit would have established. All these different means unprofitably employed are sufficient proofs of our passions Malignity; and after all the means used by Philosophy, it must be confessed, that the motions of our Soul are disordered by sin; that to make virtues of them, their nature must be almost totally altered, and that unassisted by Grace they are more dangerous mischiefs than either Pestilence or Famine. One of them is sufficient to destroy a whole Province, a Monarch's anger is the ruin of a State, and that which causeth suits at Law between particular men, kindles War between Princes. Ambition hath changed the face of the world a hundred times, the Deluge hath not made such waste therein, as hath the pride and vain glory of Conquerors; the marks of their i Hoc vero quid aliud quis dixerit quam insaniam, circumferre pericula, & ruere in igno●os, i●atum sine injuria, occurrentia devastantem & ferarum more occidere qu●m non oderis Senec. quaest. natural. lib. 5. cap. 18. greatness are for the most part fatal; they build Towns upon the ruins of such as they have beaten down: their conquests do oft times begin with violence and injustice; virtue hath seldom been the reward of their victory, he who hath been most foolhardy hath ofttimes been most fortunate; the whole world dreaded Alexander's ambition, & one only man, hath or caused fear in all men. The desire of glory made him swim in his Enemy's blood; this passion was augmented by good success, victory engaged him in new Battles; the more fortunate he was, the more was he insolent; had not death stopped the course of his conquests, he would have made all Nature groan: Asia Europe and Africa would have had but one and the same Tyrant; and his Subjects ruin would have been the only proof of his authority. Adam's fault never appeared more than in Alexander; we should not believe that our father aspired to make himself God, if this his Son had not imitated him; and we should hardly believe that man in the state of innocency had any proud desires, had not this Prince had insolent thoughts in the state of sin. The world seemed too little to his ambition, his Vanity thought Usurpation lawful, and he was so blinded with passion as that he thought it no the every to plunder a kingdom, or Murder to Defeat an Army. By all this discourse 'tis easy to infer, that the passions are rebels which are partial in their siding with sin, and which are never so much assubjected to the Soul, but that they are always ready to obviate her Power, and ruin her authority: They are like the Praetorian Soldiers, who made merry with their Prince's heads, who made and unmade their Sovereigns, only in reference to their own interest; who gave the Empire to those, who offered most for it, and who made no election which began not with murder: for these heady giddy Subjects have no other motion than either their own pleasure or profit; they obey not reason, save only when they like her commands, and to reap any profit by them, they must be won either by threats or promises; they help us, only in hurting us; they do rather occasion the exercising our virtue, then assist the practice thereof; and as if they were of the devil's humour, they advance our welfare only, in labouring our loss; their assistance is almost always pernicious; they must be used as the Poets say Aeolus used the winds; threats must be used with the orders which we give them; They are like those horses in the chariot of the sun in Ovid; they must be be roughly dealt withal before they reduced; and their Nature must be changed, ere their violence be overcome. Anger turns to fury when not moderated; desire and hope go astray when not regulated; Audacity grows rash, when not held in; and sorrow turns to despair, when not sweetened; so as all passions instruct us, that Nature is corrupted by sin; and that to assubject them to reason, a Man must guide himself by the motions of Grace. The fifth Discourse. That the health of Man is prejudiced by sickness. AMongst a thousand differences which distinguish Christian Grace from original righteousness, one of the chiefest is, that the former sanctifies the Souls only, and the other did sanctify the whole man, and wrought admirable effects in his body. For in the profession of Christianity, the senses are yet Subject to the Illusions of the Devil, objects do yet move the passions; and reason is oft surprised by their motions. The Sacraments do not warrant us from death, and the remedies which Jesus Christ hath left unto his Church do not cure our sicknesses. But in the state of innocency, original righteousness was a plentiful springhead which dispersed abroad its rivulets into both the parts which go to the composure of man. For it brought fidelity to the senses, obedience to the passions, and peace to the Elements; hence it was, that man preserving his advantages, s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hoc corpore mo●tali incipit ●otare. August. was exempt from sickness and death: The seasons not being yet irregular, nothing could alter his temper, and his humours being uncorrupted, nothing could have prejudiced his health: But with the loss of his innocency, he lost all his privileges and he was no sooner sinful, but he began to be sick. This is so constant a truth, as that man's life is nothing but a long sickness which never ends but in death: he is born in sorrow aswell as in sin; his entrance into the world is no less painful, then shameful; if this monster like the viper, rip up the bowels of his Mother, he himself feels a part of the pain, which he makes her suffer, and he runs as much danger, as she who brings him into the world. Therefore 'tis that Saint Austin says handsomely, that to be born, is to begin to suffer, and that to live in the body is to begin to be sick: The disorder of seasons is sufficient to corrupt the best constitutions, and the Alterations which happen in the world make such impressions in the Body as trouble the temper thereof. Though Nature be a wise Mother, that she prepare us for the Summer's heat by the moderate warmth of the spring, and that she fits us for the winter's cold by the moistness of Autumn, yet is the body of man so weak as notwithstanding all these precautions, she cannot free it from incommodity; Physicians themselves observe, that every season brings with it its malady: and that ruling over such humours as accord with them, they never suffer us to enjoy perfect health. The Elements agree not better than do the seasons, there is always some one of them which predominates to the prejudice of the rest, they commit outrages each upon other; and as blood and choler, discharge themselves when over heated; phlegm and Melancholy do the like when they are corrupted; their good intelligence is fatal to man; this calm threatens him with a terrible storm, and he is never nearer sickness, than when in perfectest health; besides these incommodities which spring from his temper, there are others which proceed from indigency, and which oblige him every day to seek for cure, he is daily tormented with hunger and thirst, t ●ames natu● est ●dam ●rbus, quia Natura sacta est 〈◊〉 ●na. August in 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. ●7. and these are so pressing maladies, as he cannot defer their remedies without hazarding his life. Natural heat commits spoil in the body which ought to be repaired. The fire which inanimates us, consumes us, and if it be not furnished with nourishment to entertain it, it dischargeth its fury upon the radical moisture which preserves us. 'Tis a lamp that goes out when left without oil; and a man is so corrupted since sin, as that which we call life, is but a long death; and that which is termed health, is but a continual sickness. Nature is become our punishment, every part of our body is bound by the Justice of God to punish us; so as not needing executioners for the satisfaction thereof, it finds enough in ourselves to revenge itself of us. The sicknesses wherewith we are afflicted; u Sanitas corporis est corum quibus componitur concordia, & ejus agrotatio, corum discordia, August. arise from the mixture of the Elements; though the seasons were not unseasonable, and though the heavens should have no bad influences, we should not cease to suffer; our bodily temper suffers for the irregularity of our souls; and there are some evils turned into nature; insomuch as we cannot live without them; Thirst is as usual as hunger, this malady, though it be violent, ceaseth not to be natural; those who are never troubled therewithal, pass either for Angels, or for Monsters; History ranks it in the number of Prodigies; and men are more astonished to see a man that did never drink, than to see a man that did never laugh: yet this so common punishment is so cruel, as in five or six days it destroys the strongest men, and makes the most courageous accept of dishonourable conditions. Places which can defend themselves against force, cannot defend themselves against thirst; and the fire which consumes the entrails, is of more efficacy, than that which blows up walls and bulwarks. Watching is not much less unsupportable than thirst. Tyrant's have put malefactors to death by keeping them from sleep. Man must have recourse to sleep to refresh himself, and must seek to preserve his life in the image of death. If he neglect this remedy, he languisheth away, and his very soul which delights in motion, hath need of this rest, to reassume its vigour. But all these evils are but pastimes or sports, in comparison of these which are occasioned by our debaucheries. The stone and gout are punishments which may almost vie with those of the damned, they seize on the most sensible parts of the body; had they not their intermissions they would cast men into despair; and to free themselves from it, the laws of the Ancients ought to be revived; which permitted the miserable to die. All the parts of the body hath maladies which assail them; there is not any one which hath not some peculiar torments. The eye which is one of the least, though not of least importance, is subject to above an hundred several diseases; the nerves which give them motion, and through which they receive light, are as capable of obstruction, as those by which the arms and legs are moved; the smaller they be, the more susceptible they are of pain, and by how much the parts of the body are the most noble; they seem to be the more painful. The least hurt in the heart is mortal; and the throne wherein the soul resides is so frail, as a very vapour is capable to crack it. In fine, the best Physician, who knew not that a man was sinful, wondered he should be so miserable; and considering his miseries, confessed he was wholly a disease. x Totus homo totus morbus est. The soul, which is the body's guest, is also it's executioner; the ones agitations trouble the others humours; great men have little health, the great designs which purchases them so much glory, leaves them but little quiet. Violent agitations alter the constitutions more than the countenance, more men die of anger and grief, than by the hands of the hangman; lovers, and ambitious men are always in a Fever: the fire which inflames them, consumes them; and the Physician who deals with their body cannot cure their sickness, till Philosophy which guides their minds hath allayed their passions. The soul's delights are the bodies punishments, and the same meditation which enlightens the understanding, and heats the will, disorders the temper, and altars the constitution; thus the whole life of man, is nothing but a vexatious sickness, his noblest operations serve him for punishments, and he cannot purchase knowledge but by the loss of his health. If the maladies be vexatious, the remedies are not more pleasing. Physic teacheth, that the remedies which she furnisheth us withal, are but prepared venoms; she cannot drive out sicknesses, but by poisons; and to cure those that are sick, she must seek for Antidotes in the bowels of vipers. She is so unfortunate in her cures, as she cannot assail the disease, without hurting the party diseased; nor can she strengthen the diseased party without augmenting the disease. These two maxims which divide the school of physic, are are equally dangerous: for be it that you will drive away the disease by its contrary, or that you will cure nature by its like, you must either weaken the sick party y Omnis medicina aut Natura amica, aut mali inimica esse debet. Arist. whilst you think to destroy his disease, or else increase the disease, whilst you strengthen the party that is sick: so as the remedies are as dangerous as displeasing; and we hazard our life as oft as we endeavour to recover health. Hence proceeds the aversions which sick people have to physic; hence proceeds the Philosopher's invectives, against the fear of death, and the desire of life; which oblige us to endeavour remedies, which are more cruel than the evils which they promise to cure. For there is the difference between nature and physic; the former remedies are pleasing, the others nauseous. Viands which satisfy our hunger are so conformable to our temperature, as they expel the evil with delight, and repairs the ruin thereof without pain. Wine appeaseth thirst with so much contentment, as that drunkards are delighted in the remedy, and wish to be thirsty, that they may have the contentment of being cured; this sort of drink is so pleasing to them, as not staying till they have need thereof, they seek it out merely for pleasures sake; and violate the laws of nature, which hath made it pleasing only because 'tis necessary. Sleep charms our weariness with so much of content, as though it be the picture of death, no man doth abhor it: the slothful ground their felicity thereon and those who do most desire to live, take delight in dying oft and long. A man must be sick to have an aversion of these remedies, and either our health is interessed, or our taste depraved, when meat displeaseth us: z Remedia null● sunt tam salutaria quam quae faciunt dolorem. but physic is so severe in her operations, as she never undertakes to cure us, without offending some of oursenses; all her remedies are torments; if she restore us to health, we must undergo pain ere we come by it; she hurts us to cure us, nor hath she yet found the receipt how to make her potions pleasing: the sweetest things in her hands, become either dead or bitter, sugar and honey do distaste us, when prepared by her; and she is so unfortunate in all her designs, as she weakens her reme●s when she thinks to make them appear pleasing. Chirurgery, which follows her as her handmaid; out-bids her Mistress for cruelty; Tyrants are not so cruel as, her officers; she hath more instruments to afflict the sick withal, than hangmen have to torment the guilty: a Invenit nobis Deus remedia periculis pejora, Senec. in Mcdeâ. all her cures are effected by fire and iron; she widens wounds to close them, she cuts off some members, to save the rest of the body; she draws the stone out of the bladder, with such torture, as seems to equal that of the damned; and she is either so cruel, or so unfortunate, as she cannot make men whole, without making them Martyrs; a life accompanied with so much pain, cannot be very pleasing; health so dearly bought, cannot be much delightful; and a man must be stupid, if he do not equally apprehend the malady, and the cure. b Abominandum est genus remedii sanitatem debere morbo, Senec▪ l b. 1. de Itâ c. 12. We see nothing in the world which ought not to cause horror in us. The simples in our gardens call to mind our sicknesses, the fairest of our flowers teach us that we either are sick, or may be; those drugs which we fetch from the furthest Indics, are proofs of our infirmities; our Ancestors world will not suffice to cure us, we must seek for a new world to find new remedies in; and if the desire of glory make the ambitious pass over unknown seas; the desires of health make the sick discover foreign Countries. Who will not confess that man is sufficiently sinful, since there is no part of his body which is not threatened with sundry. maladies; and who will not confess that he is very unfortunate, since all his remedies are punishments, and that he cannot buy his health, but by the loss of pleasure. 'Tis true, that if we more value God's glory, than our own interest, we shall find contentment in our pain; for his justice is satisfied by our sickness, his power appears in our infirmities, and his mercies are seen in our recoveries. He invents evils to punish the guilty, c Omne 〈◊〉 genus remedii l●co Deus admo●et, Senec. 1. de itâ▪ cap. 16. he employs our sickness to expiate our sins, he makes as good use of a fever as of death to convert us, & he beats down the pride of Monarches with punishments, which taking their name from their weakness, are called infirmities. His power was admired in Egypt, when he made use of little flies to overcome Pharaohs obstinacy; men were astonished to see these small animals set upon the soldiers of this great Prince, that they wounded them deeply with weak weapons, and that by their little Trunks (more powerful in the hand of God, than those of Elephants) they brought all that Monarch's subjects to despair; they were surprised when grasshoppers made up a body of an Army in his State; when they spread themselves overall his Provinces, when they laid all his grounds waste, eat up the ears of corn, and left a fearful so litarinesse, which threatened the whole Kingdom with an universal Famine. Men wondered when the frogs forsaking their marish grounds, entered Towns, and houses; broke through the Corpse du-Guards, threw themselves into Pharaohs Palace, and passing even to his private Closet, whereunto he had withdrawn himself, did in their croaking voice upbraid unto him his pride and infidelity. But this so mighty miracle comes short of that which Divine Justice shows in the sicknesses of the earthly monarchs, grasshoppers are not so dreadful in his hands, as are fevers and contagious diseases; and if he appeared adorable when he revenged himself upon his enemies by flies and frogs, he is no less the same when he stings the nerves by the Gout; When by a grain of sand he stops the uritaries; or, when by a vapour which assails the brains he puts a period to the designs of the greatest Princes of the world. Grasshoppers are the works of his hands, he employs the beautifullest of all constellations to form them, and he gives them meadows to walk in, and disport themselves, but sicknesses are the daughters of sin, and mothers of death. Being the spring of Rebellion, they ought not render obedience to God; and not being the workmanship of his Power, they ought not to serve his justice; yet he employs them to punish the Rebels of his Kingdom; he useth them as State Policies, and not making use of fire or water, he commands the Fever or the Gout, to set upon Princes in their Palaces, to mow down their Subjects, and to turn the most populous Towns, into dreadful deserts; if these faithful Officers do sometime serve his Justice; they are also sometimes d Quosd● 〈◊〉 D● multa peccare posse 〈◊〉 i●firmitate corporis ne pec●, ut eye utili● sit frangi 〈◊〉 gu●ribus ad salutem, quam re●nere incolumes ad da●ationem, Hugo lib. 1 de anima. serviceable to his mercy; for sicknesses do losen us from the earth, they bereave us of the use of pleasure, and taking from us the power of doing ill, they make us forgo the desire thereof; they change the love we bear unto our body into a holy aversion, they ruin sin whereof they are the effects, and rendering obedience to God's designs, they cure the man, by hurting the Malefactor. The sixth Discourse. That the body's beauty is become perishable and criminal. A Man must be blind if he value not beauty; her advantages are so visible, as she is, sure to have the better if her judges have eyes; Beauty is the first perfection which is seen in any one, and which steals away the heart of the beholders. She doth so powerful forestall the understanding, as we cannot harbour an ill opinion of a handsome personage; and since we are persuaded that the works of Nature are perfect, we are apt to believe, that she hath enclosed a fair Soul in a handsome body. e ●ulgor bonitatis pulcbritudo, Plato in convi. 'tis therefore that the Platonics term beauty the lustre of Goodness, and will have her to be the visible Image of an invisible perfection; she hath such power over humane Judgement, as good fortune cannot be expected where there is no handsomeness. Angels find their contentment in beholding the beauty of God. Devils think themselves only unfortunate for having lost the hope of enjoying it, and though it be the cause of their torments, yet is the object of their desires. This perfection ravisheth the will so readily, as the sight of her is sufficient to make her be beloved, she ofttimes changeth hatred into love, and to make her power appear, she delights to make her Enemies her Lovers. We have heard of a daughter that fell in love with him that murdered her Father: the handsome comportment of this Prince blotted all hatred out of her heart, and the beauty which appeared in his countenance forced her to love him, whom by nature and reason she was bound to hate. f 〈◊〉 eti●m ●rbaricae ●ver stir, & ad ●bilem ●spectum 〈◊〉 oc● m●suescit. P●l Jovius hist. lib. 5. Barbarians bear respect unto her, fair personages pass amongst them as deities, and the lovers of beauty were the first Idolaters. The command which she exerciseth over men is so powerful, and so pleasing, as they are pleased with the loss of their liberty, and contrary to the humour of slaves, they love their Irons, and cherish their prisons: could Kings use this art to make themselves be obeyed, they should never know what revolts were, and all their subjects being their wellwishers, they would be absolute without violence, rich without imposts, and sa●e without Citadels. Thus when the Son of God would reign amongst men, he won their hearts rather by his comeliness then by his power, and he used clemency oftener g Specie tu● & pulthritud● tuâ intend, prosper procede & regna, Psal 44. than justice to reduce his Enemies to their duty, consecrated beauty in his person, when he took our Nature upon him; though he assumed the pain of sin, he would not assume the ugliness thereof, and as there was no ignorance in his soul, so was there no deformity in his body. There was but one Heretic who misinterpreting the words h Passiones quidem humanam Christi caruem, contumeliae in●onestam probavere. Tertul. de carne Christi. of a Prophet imagined that Jesus Christ was deformed, but tradition upheld by reason, teacheth us that he was beautiful without art, that the Holy Ghost who form his body in the Virgin's womb would have it adorned with comeliness, i Speciosus forma prae filiis hominum, Psal. 44. and that nothing might be wanting to his workmanship, he exceeded men in this advantage, as well as in all others. His very Types in the old testament were all comely. Solomon and David, the one of which represented his victories, the other his Triumphs, were both of them famous for their beauty; Nature seemed as if she would picture forth in them the Messias, to satisfy the just desires of those who could not see him. The Angels took upon them his visage when they treated with the Prophets; whilst they spoke in his name they would appear in his form, Abraham saw him in that Glory, wherein he appeared on Mount Tabor, and numbered this vision amongst the chiefest favours he had received from Heaven. jacob had the honour to see him in the person of that Angel which wrestled with him, before the break of day; k David erat rufus & vald● pulcher, 1 Reg. the three Children which were thrown into the fiery furnace, saw him amidst the flames; his presence freed them from fear, they found paradise in the picture of Hell; and that Angel which bore the visage of Jesus Christ, broke their Irons in pieces, preserved their vestures, and punished their Enemies. In fine, Jesus Christ lost not his loveliness till he lost his life, the Luster of his countenance was not effaced, till by buffetting, his face grew not pale, till by stripes, and he lost not that Majesty which infused respect into his Enemies, till the blood which distilled from his wounds had made him an object of compassion and horror. In fine, beauty is so amiable, as her enemy is odious; all the Monsters whereby the world receives dishonour, are composed of ugliness: 'Tis an effect of sin, which corrupts the workmanship of God, had there been no ˡ Quarti species 〈◊〉 similis filio Dei, Daniel. sinner, there had been no deformed Creature. Grace and beauty were inseparable in the estate of original righteousness. Nothing was seen in the Terrestrial paradise which offended the eyes; all things were pleasing there, because all things there were innocent. There was no deformity known in the world till after sin; Il-favourednesse is the daughter and the picture of sin, and 'tis a piece of injustice to hate the copy, and to love the original. Albeit these reasons oblige us to reverence beauty where accompanied with Innocency, yet have we as much and as just cause to fear her, since she is mingled with impurity, For sin hath left nothing in nature uncorrupted; this Monster is pleased in setting upon the most Glorious works of nature, and knowing that their chiefest ornament lay in their beauty, hath picked out her more particularly to discharge its fury upon. There are none of nature works now, which have not some notable defaults. Did not love make men blind he could never make them in love; did he not hide from them their imperfections whom they love, he should not see so many soldiers fight under his colours; and had he not taught women the secret how to embellish themselves, Impurity would have long since been banished from off the earth. The famousest beauties have their blemishes, those who are not blind observe their defects; had Helen of Greece lived in these our days, the Poet who put such an esteem upon her, would be found to be a liar and a blind man, but say that Nature should make a Masterpiece indeed, and that Paridoras' fable, should prove a true story, her beauty would notwithstanding be contemptible, since she could not grow old and keep it, this advantage is so frail, as it cannot long continue, it is so soon gone, as it rather seems a dream then a truth; let women take what care they please to preserve it, it will vanish from of their faces, and when they shall see themselves in a glass, they will have much ado to persuade themselves that ever they were m Te Pulchrum videri non t●a natura, sed oculorum ●ectantium facit i●firmitas. Boet. lib. 3. de consol▪ handsome. All accidents have some power over beauty; Time is as well her murderer, as her producer, it effaceth all her glory, tarnisheth her roses and Lilies, and doth so alter the Godliest workmanship of nature, as it maketh horror and compassion arise in the same hearts, which it had struck with love and envy. n Momento rapitur, null áque non dies formosum corporis spolium abstulit, res est forma fugax, Senec. in Hypolit. 'Tis not death but old age which triumphs over this perfection in women: if they grow old they are sure to grow ugly, n I ni 〈◊〉 manus form● damnosa senectus. Cumque aliquis dicet fuit haec form●sa do●ebis, & speculum mendax esse qu●ere tuum. Ovid. the prolongation of their life diminisheth their beauty, and they cannot live long, but they must see that die which they loved dearer than their lives: In the state of innocency, old age would not have injured beauty, the food which repaired nature, maintained the good liking thereof, men lived long, and grew not old: as death did not put a period to life, neither did oldage weaken it; the body was as strong at a hundred year old, as at forty. Beauty was then somewhat durable, time bore respect to this quality, and divine Justice which found no faults to punish, did not punish women with the fear of old age, or hard-favourednesse; But now this fear is part of their punishment, they are compelled to wish to die young, if they will not die ugly; and thus divided in their apprehensions, they desire to live, yet fear to grow old. o Flet quoque ut in speculo rugas conspexit aniles, Tyndarys & secum cur sit bis rapt● requirit. Ovid. Metam. lib. 15. Time is not beauties only enemy, the injuries which accompany it wage war against her, and all the evils which we suffer through sin, assail this frail perfection. The mil-dew causeth defluxions which are prejudicial to her, the unseasonableness of seasons are averse unto her; cold chills her, and keeping back the blood defaceth the vivacity of her complexion; heat doth sun-burn her, and that constellation which makes lilies white, darkens the countenances of women. Sicknesses do not so soon alter the temper, as they do the tincture; and the outrages which they commit upon the welfare, or good liking of the body, are harder to be repaired, than those which they commit upon the constitution; whole mouths are required to their reparation, after ᵖ q Form● dignitas aut morbo deflorescit, aut vetustate extinguitur. Cic. lib. 4. Rhetor. the fever hath left them; the colour in the cheek is not so soon regained as health. And women as if they did prefer pleasure before profit, are sorry to see themselves sooner well, than fair; nothing can consolate them for the loss of a thing held so precious, but the knowledge that it was nature's pleasure it should not be permanent. For her rarest workmanships are of least durance; there is no beauty constant save that of the stars, and yet they may complain, that the clouds darken them by night, and the sun by day. The rainbow is the most beautiful of all Meteors, it shames the Art of painting, be it either for lustre, or for the mixture of colours; it's figure is so perfect, as the compass cannot imitate it, the greatness thereof is so vast, as it incompasseth half the world; the waters whereof it is composed nourish hope in the husbandman, it causeth fruitfulness in fields, and warns men to shun the storms which it threatens. 'Tis a pledge of the peace which heaven hath made with earth; and though it presage rain to men in general, yet doth it assure the faithful, that the world shall never be drowned again; yet so rare a marvel lasts but a few moments. One and the same hour sees the beginning and the end thereof; & the Sun seems to have made it, only to please itself in the unmaking thereof. q Lang●scunt folio ●lia pallido, & gratae capiti deficiunt rosae, ut ●ulgor teneris qui radiat ●osis. Senec in Hypolit. The rose amongst flowers is like the rainbow amongst Meteors, her vermilion outvies all the beauty of the world. Her odour, naturally as it is, disputes for precedency with the most pleasing perfumes that Art can compose; the placing of her leaves, putteth painters, who would imitate her, to their wits ends; yet too boot that she is environed with prickles, and that she seems to share more in the curse of the earth, than other flowers, her life lasts but for a few days; the Sun which gave her life, gives her death, and that fire which enlivens her purple, is extinguished, as soon as lighted. Neither is the beauty of women of long durance, that lustre which bewitcheth men is lost in a few years, and they are unjust in wishing that men should be constant in their love, since the object which gives it birth is so subject to alteration. But this fault in beauty were excusable, since it cures the malady which it caused, were it not accompanied with another which can admit of no excuse, neither deserves any pardon. r Rara est concordia for●e atque pudicitiae. luvenal. For beauty is become an enemy to chastity; and since the soul and body are at odds, these two qualities have much ado to agree. Fair women are seldom chaste; nature, since corrupted, is turned hypocrite; beauty is no longer a mark of goodness; she foregoes the soul as soon as she appears upon the body; and as if perfection were no longer to be found upon earth; a woman ceaseth ofttimes to be chaste, when she begins to be lovely. s Nam te deco● iste quod optas esse vetat, votoque tuo tuo form● 〈◊〉. Ovid. M tam. lib. 1. That Father in Ovid did witness this very well, who being desired by his daughter, that he would give her leave to consecrate her virginity to Diana, replied, that her beauty gainsaid her design; that she was too fair to be chaste, and that though she should have resolution enough to keep her vow, she had too many lovers to preserve her chastity: 'tis very hard for a woman who delights in causing love in others, not to share therein herself; and that a woman of an excellent beauty should be ice, since she gives fire to so many flames; she cannot resolve to hate all those that love her, she cannot be persuaded, that those who honour her should undo her; what advise soever her director gives her, she cannot believe that those who are her slaves, should be her enemies; nor that those that praise her beauty, would wound her honour. She thinks that beauty of no power, which hath no Martyrs, she believes she cannot judge of her own charms, but by her servants sighs; that she is ignorant of her own conquests, if she learn them not from their mouths; and that there is yet somewhat wanting to her Triumph, if those who have experience of her cruelty, do not implore her mercy: Flattered by these false persuasions, she exposeth herself to danger, and out of hope of obtaining new victories, she engageth herself in fresh combats; if she be not seduced by vanity, she is misled by pity; and believes that those who behave themselves so handsomely in their complaints, suffer real pains; compassion makes her throw open the doors to love, and under pretence of easing another's malady, she forgets her duty, and betrays her honour. If she preserves her chastity amidst so many rocks, which threaten her shipwreck, t Fastus inest pulchris sequiturque superbi● sor●am. Ovid. she runs great hazard of losing her humility; her lovers Panegyrics make her think better of herself, and those praises which men rob God of to give her, persuade her that she is somewhat of divine. Those who cannot corrupt her by their idle discourse, seduce her by their adorations; not being able to make her unchaste, they make her proud; not being able to bereave her of her chastity, they take from her her modesty; and bring her into a sad condition, wherein pride is as it were necessary to her for defence of her honesty. She likes not of common homage, she thinks herself injured if men use not blasphemy to heighten her beauty; and unless upon cold blood men say what enamoured Poets use to do in raptures, she thinks herself slighted; her lovers extravagancies, are her Panegyrics; she thinks not that they love, unless they lose their reason; nor doth she judge their passion to be extreme, unless they commit a thousand follies. She judges of her power by her injustice, if she doth not engage those who serve her in hard and ridiculous enterprises, she doubts of their fidelity; and because love is a kind of madness, she will have all her lovers to be either mad, or out of their wits. 'Tis not enough for a man to lose his liberty in her service u Amor 〈◊〉 rationis oblivio. Hieronym. in Ep●stola. unless he lose his judgement also, more cruel than Tyrants, and more absolute than Kings, she will have her slaves to be her Martyrs, that they kiss their fetters, love their sufferings, and listen with respect to their doom of death. Thus Pride springs from beauty, fair women grow proud, and their insolence grows to that height, as to ravish men from God; to commit that execrable attempt on earth, which Lucifer did in Heaven, and to make all creatures adore them. The first Christian women, who very well knew the misfortune which accompanied this advantage, did gallantly despise it, they were ashamed to be handsome, they neglected what our women so much value, they thought it a fault, to heighten a perfection, which produceth lewd desires; the purest amongst them wished that old age might free them of this domestic enemy, the most zealous did set upon it in the flower of their youth, and revenged themselves upon their own countenances, for the unchaste thoughts which they without design had caused: they never appeared in public unvailed, they x Tam sancti viri est suffundi si virginem viderit, quam sanctae virginis si à viro visa sit. E●usdem est lidibinis velle videri & videre. Tertul. de Virginibus veland. sentenced themselves not to see, that they might not be seen, very well knowing that these two faults proceed from the same principle. They would not cause love for fear of receiving it; they were so scrupnlous, as they thought their chastity blemished by men's eyes; that as fruits lose their verdure if once touched, a woman lost her chastity if once seen; and that since adultery begins by the eyes, sight was as much to be shunned as touching they remembered, that their beauty was cause of scandal in Heaven, and interpreting the Scripture according to the letter, they feared to cause love in men, since they imagined their mothers had done the like in Angels. In y Vestite vos serico probitatis, byssino sanctitatis, purpura pudi●itiae. Taliter pigmentat● Deum habebitis ama●orem. Tertul. de cultu ●oem c●ultimo. fine, these chaste women did sufficiently witness by their negligence, how much they undervalved their beauty, for sackcloth was their habit, ashes the powder with which they perfumed their heads; the white of innocency, and red of shamefacedness, was the paint they used, modesty did give life to all their actions; and thus adorned they had Jesus Christ for their lover. If the example of these famous women cannot reform the disorder of those of our age, yet ought they at least to think, that beauty is no less dangerous to those that possess it, than to those that covet it, that it is exposed to temptations, and environed with scandals, that if it be not the cause of sin, it is the occasion thereof, and that if it do not form bad desires, it is at least unfortunate in causing them. This effect is so ordinary to beauty, as the Fathers of the Church make z Stdium placendi per decorem quem naturaliter 〈◊〉 invitatorem libidinis non ven●t ex integrâ conscientia. Tertul. de cultu ●aem. c. 2. the contrary pass for a miracle, for if the comeliness of the Virgin Mary infused good thoughts, if her countenance inspired chaste desires, and if her eyes the tears whereof did propagate our souls health, did raise men's souls to God; 'twas rather an effect of Grace then of Nature, and as her Innocency was a privilege wherewith the heavens would honour her purity, the sense of piety which she inspired into men's hearts, was a favour wherewith they would advantage her beauty. Other saints did not deserve to obtain so much, though nothing was so precious to them as their chastity, they perceived nevertheless, that their countenances caused sometimes unchaste thoughts, that flames i●hued from their eyes, which against their wills set men's hearts on fire, and that though their bodies were consecrated to Jesus Christ, yet did they not cease to be pleasing in the eyes of his enemies. Therefore did they revenge the faults of others upon themselves, they sentenced their mouth to moans, their eyes to tears, and their heart to sighs; a Pereat corpus quod amari potest oculis quibus nolo, Ambros. they did penance for a sin which they never committed; and to the end that God's justice might be satisfied they punished the innocent for the guilty, some of them were so generous, as they pulled out their own eyes not being able to resolve to keep one part of their body, which without their consent had been cause of unchastity. If the beauty of unpolluted souls be so dangerous, we must not wonder, if the like in lost women be so pernicious, and that the Devil makes use thereof to corrupt the mightiest men. For women is a fatal Instrument in the Devil's hands, he is never more to be feared then when assisted by this fatal second. If he undid Adam by Eves cunning, if he made so many wounds with one blow, and if by one single combat he got so many victories, 'twas because our first mother held Intelligence with him, if he cannot tyre out Iob's b Adhuc tu permanes in simplicitate tuâ, benedic Deo & m●rere. Job cap. 2. patience by the loss of his goods, and his children, he hath recourse to his wife, speaking through her mouth, he endeavours to make him despair, and to persuade him under pretence of compassion, to end his unhappy life by an honourable death, but of all women the handsomest are properest for his designs: and when a singular beauty serves him for Organ, or Interpreter, he is almost sure to overcome those he assails. By Dalila's charms he triumphed over sampson's ᶜ 〈◊〉 Samson validus & fortis leonem suffoca vit, sed a morem ●um s●ocare non pot●t, vincula solvit hostium, sed suarum no● solvit nexu● cupiditatum, m●sses in c●dit alienas sed unius ipse mulieris accensus igniculo m●ssem suoe virtutis amisit. Ambros. lib. 1. de David. strength by the allurements of Bathsheba he engaged David in adultery, and in murder: by the idle discourse of a handsome stranger, he persuaded the wisest of all Kings, to offer up incense to the workmanship of his hands; he robbed him of his wisdom by depriving him of his continency, and to execute so great a design, he only used the countenance of a Pagan Princess. But he never appeared more powerful than when he set upon the whole Army of the Israelites, and when in a moment he made it unchaste, and idolatrous. This wicked spirit, had to no purpose armed the Midianites against the jews; all their endeavours proved vain, though their numbers were greater, and their soldiers better warriors, they were ever either repulsed or beaten; the very names of Israelites wan battles, the glittering of their Arms routed their enemies, and the Elements anticipating the valour of these conquerors, did most commonly begin the battle. So many bad successes made the Devil have recourse to his old tricks. He commanded his partners by the mouth of a faithless Prophet, to set upon those with women, whom he could not overcome by men; and to make use of beauty where strength was bootless. Obeying this his counsel, they placed before their Battalions a troop of loose women, who carrying looking glasses, and Idols in their hands, invited the Israelites at one and the same time, to lose their continence, and to forgo their religion. This wile was of so great power, that the Army in whose favour the heavens had done so many miracles, doth adore these women, and their idols; they forget their duty, to obey their love; and renounce their faith to satisfy their lust. He still useth the same cunning, he corrupts Christians, as he did the Israelites, and the beauty of women is the smallest temptation, wherewith he astonished the courage of men. A handsome woman is the Courts plague; after she hath once resolved to bereave hearts, and to have servants, she purchaseth as many subjects to the devil, as she deprives Christ Jesus off. After once she hath resolved to hazard the reputation of an honest woman, to purchase the name of a stately dame; she turns to be a false Deity to which all unchaste people offer incense, an Idol, which makes more Idolatours, than impiety makes Libertines; a contagion which being taken in by all the senses, sweeps away more men than the plague doth, consuming fire which heats whatsoever it comes nigh, and burns all that it toucheth, a Monster, f Quid est spe●iosa mul●er? Sepulchrum dealbatum: Nisi fuerit casta pudica Pul●ritudo sine his virtutibus est praecipitium patens, venenum inspicienti● compositum. Chry sost. in Psalm. 50. which being the more dangerous by how much the more pleasing, scatters abroad impurity wheresoever it passeth, and which commit murders, and adulteries by all the parts of its body. Her looks undo men, the flames which proceed from her eyes reduce souls to ashes, her words bewitch those that hear them, she inthrals the heart by the ears, and whosoever doth not use Ulysses his harmless cunning endangers the loss of liberty. Her hair is a net wherein Lions and Tigers are taken, her strength like that of Samson, lies in her weakness, she employs only these weak arms to overcome the courageous, and makes use only of these small threads to stop the course of the most unconstant. The lilies when on her face, lose their purity, and the innocent rose becomes guilty upon her cheeks: and as the spider makes her poison of the best things, she composeth the venom wherewith she infects souls, of the fairest flowers. Modesty and Majesty, which else where defend virtue, do corrupt it in the person of a handsome woman; and these two advantages which makes her beauty the more powerful make it also the more dangerous; her very gate is not without affectation and fault, her studied steps have a certain becomingness which is fatal to those that behold them; each pace steals a heart from some of her servants, and doing nothing without design, she either wounds or kills those indiscreet ones which approach her. In fine, beauty is so pernicious, as God himself who extracts Grace from sin, makes use thereof only to punish his Enemies, it is more dreadful in his hands then thunder, and he hath ta'en more vengeance by women's allurements, then by the arms of soldiers. He ruin'd Hamans' fortunes by hester's countenance, the graceful demeanour which he endued her withal, made Ahasuerus condemn his Favourite, and the death of this insolent enemy of the jews is not so much an effect of Mordecais wisdom, as of his Niece's beauty. God chose out a widow to slay Holofernes, he obtained two victories over this Conqueror by the means of one only woman; he took his heart from him by her eyes, and his head by her hands; he made first use of her beauty, then of her courage, and would have the Assyrians defeat to begin by love and end by murder. Thus are handsome women the Ministers of God's fury, he employs hester's and judeths as soldiers to revenge his quarrels, and beauty which causeth impurity doth ofttimes punish it. We see no faults in the creature from whence God draws not some advantage; our weakness is the cause of our penitency, if we cannot alter, we cannot repent; and if we had the constancy of Angels, we might have the opiniatricy of Devils. Our offences serve to humble us, and the proudest spirits cannot think upon their sins without confusion. Concupiscence, which is one of the originals of our disorders is one of the foundations of Grace: Adam's sin fastens us to Jesus Christ, and the miseries which we suffer under, make us have recourse to divine Mercy. e Vela caput & mul●er Si ma●er propter fili●s, si soror propter r●tres, si filia propter pa●res: omnes in te ●tates periclitantur, i●ue armaturam pudoris; murum sexui tuo strue, qui nec tuo● emittat oculos vec admittan lienos. Tertul. de Virginib. veland. cap. 13. But beauty seems only proper to seduce sinners; if she be not serviceable to God's justice, she is serviceable to the Devil's malice; and causeth Murders, when she cannot produce Adulteries. Of all the perfections of man, this is the only one which Jesus Christ would not employ to save souls. He employed the eloquence of Orators to persuade Infidels, he made use of the doctrine of Philosophers to convince the ignorant, he useth the power of Kings to reduce rebels, and he employs the wisdom of Politicians to govern states, but he rejects beauty, and judging her to hold Intelligence with his enemy, he never makes use thereof, but to undo sinners. The beauty of those Virgins which were consecrated to him converted no Infidels, the innocent allurements of the Lucia's and Agneses were of no use to the establishment of our Religion; there modest countenances forbore not to kindle impure flames, and if their executioners were touched to see their constancy, their beauty set Tyrant's hearts on fire. God's beauty is then that which can only securely beloved, 'tis that, that we ought to sigh, all other desires are unjust. Whosoever betakes himself to the beauty of Creatures, revives idolatry, erecting an Altar in his heart, he offers Sacrifice to the chief Deity which he adores, where he himself is both the Priest, and Sacrifice. The beauty of the creature ought not to be looked upon otherwise then as that of a picture which we value, either for the persons sake whom it represents, or for the painter's hand that drew it. He who exceeds these bounds Commits ungodliness, and who doth not elevate his love to the first and chiefest beauty, of which all others are but weak copies, is either ignorant or impious. If the beauty of the first Angel have made Apostates, and if the love which it occasioned in the hearts of those pure spirits, made them idolators what may we expect from a beauty which being engaged in the flesh, and in sin produceth only wicked desires. Those who have fallen f Sero t●amas vi 〈◊〉 tam antiqua & tam nova. Con ●ss. into this disorder must repent themselves with Saint Austin. To repair their outrages done to th' beauty of God, by their infidelity, they must afflict themselves for having so late known him? And to make amends for their loss of time, and loss of love, they must labour to love him with more fervency, and to serve him with more constancy. The seventh Discourse. That the life of man is short and miserable. 'tIs strange, yet true, g Homo qui medius constit●batur inter Deum & creaturas dum Deum cessavit amare, incepit ad creaturas omnes per amorem descendere: quodque in uno Deo inveniebat in creature is quae ●ivit nec invenit. August. that man having changed his condition hath not changed his desires, and that he wisheth the same thing in his state of sin, as he did in his innocency. For that strong passion which he had for glory, is but the remainder of that just desire which he had to command over all creatures; his endeavouring to enlarge the bounds of his Empire tends only to recover what he possessed before his revolt; the pleasure which he seeks after in all his pastimes, is grounded upon the remembrance of his former felicity. Those riches which he accumulates with so much labour, and preserves with so much care, witness his sorrow for being fallen from his abundance, and the extreme desire which he hath to prolong his life, is a testimony that he as yet aspires after immortality. Yet hath not life those Charms which made it so amiable, the longest is but short the sweetest but full of troubles, and the most assured uncertain and doubtful. For since the soul ceased to be upon good terms with God, the body ceased to correspond fairly with the Soul. Though they go to the composure of the same integral, they cannot endure one another, their love is mixed with hatred, and these two lovers have always somewhat of 〈◊〉 which makes them not agree. The cords wherewith they are joined together are so weakened, as the least accident is sufficient to break them; that whereof man is composed may destroy him; the very things without the which he cannot live, make him die, rest and labour are equally prejudicial to him: his temper is altered by watching and by sleep, when either are immoderate, the nourishment which sustains him, suffocates him, and he fears abundance as much as want; his soul seems as if she were borrowed, h Homo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & ma●●rentis, frigoris aesius laboris impatiens, alimenta metu●s sua quorum modo inopia modo copia rumpitur. Odour illi sapor & cibus, & sine quibus vivere non potest, mortisera sunt. Senec. a● Marc. c. 11. and that she is only detained in his body by art: The least accidents do sever her from it; a vapour doth suffocate her; she is choked with a little phlegm, and blood, which is the seat of life, is oft-time the cause of death; whithersoever so miserable a creature doth convey himself, she receives there new proofs of his weakness; the change of climates troubles his health, a new air incommodiates him, cold water hurts his stomach, the Sun which lights him, scorcheth him▪ and whatsoever is cause of good unto him, is cause of Evil. In the State of innocence grace linked the Soul to the body; death unseconded by sin could not break the chains; the elements durst not assail him, original righteousness made them observe respect, they appeased their differences, lest they might trouble man's temper; fire agreed with water to preserve his health, & there was as profound a peace in his person as in his state, but since he forwent his duty, grace abandoned his body to sin, the elements had liberty given them to war one upon another, man became the scene of their combats, and after once he revolted from God, he saw all creatures take up arms against him, i Omnis vi●a 〈◊〉 est, Sense. sorrow & death set upon him, he was sentenced to live in pain, & die in sorrow. For the sweetest life bears its punishment with it. There is no rose which is not grafted upon a thousand thorns, and how handsome soever the chains be which link the soul and body together, they are both of them equally exposed to suffering. The soul is more capable of sadness, than of joy; though she display herself to receive in pleasure, yet doth she never taste it purely; she weeps amidst her contentments, she expresseth her joy by sighs, and as if she were not accustomed to great happinesses, she seems to suffer when she receives them. Though she shut the door upon sorrow, yet suffers she herself to be easily siezed on by it; though she resist it, she cannot withstand it; k Segnius bomines bona 〈◊〉 mala sen●ant. and as if nature had made her more sensible of misery, than of happiness; a small displeasure is able to make her forget all her former contentments. The body is not more fortunate than the soul, for it hath not many parts which can taste delight, but it hath not any one which is not capable of pain. Pleasures do enter-shock, and always leave some of our senses in languishment or need; pains agree in their assailing us, and though they should not come in a crowd, one alone is sufficient to make itself be felt by all the parts of the body; their strait union makes their mischiefs common, and if the head suffer, the tongue complains; the eyes weep, and the heart groans. Thus the happiest life is miserable, and that moment passeth not wherein we are not enforced to bewail our innocency, & to condemn our sin. Death comes in to the aid of pain, and by an ingenious piece of cruelty, agrees with life to augment our misery. For though they appear to be enemies, they join in our punishment, and join with God's Justice to revenge God; l Quotidie morimur, aliqua pars vitae demitur, & tunc quoque cum crescimus vita decrescit. Hunc ipsum quem agi●us diem cum morte divi●mus. Senec. Epist. 24. we live and die daily; the change which makes us subsist, is death's taster; this cruel one siezeth on us by degrees; all the time we have lived is already gotten by him, and the years which we hope to make use of, are so many titles which he produceth against us. As soon as we begin to live, we begin to die. Death shares with us in all the moments of our life, it takes unto itself what is past, because that is certain, and leaves to us only what is to come, because that is uncertain. So as by a strange misfortune, the increase of our life is the diminution thereof. The farther we grow from our birth, the nearer we grow to death: our purchases are mere losses, ᵐ and things are so disposed of since sin, as we cannot count our years without either flattering ourselves, or lying. 'tis perhaps for this reason that the Hebrew, (that holy language which the blessed shall make use of in heaven) employs but one and the same word to express both life and death, with the difference of one only point, to teach us, that death and life, are divided only by that moment which unites them. In effect life is nothing but a brittle chain consisting of three links, the past, the present, and the future; the past, is no more, we retain but a weak remembrance of it; all the vows we can make will not fetch it back; it is not void of doubt, whether Gods absolute power, which finds no resistance amongst his creatures, can gather together the present with that which is past, and unite these differences of times without destroying their essence. The future time is not as yet, hope which expects it cannot advance it, and wisdom which hath an eye unto it, cannot dissipate the obscurity thereof; it is less at our disposal then the time that is past, and for all the vain conjectures which we may flatter ourselves withal, we know not whether it shall come to us, or we shall go to it; the present time, to say truth is in our power, we are masters of it; and it is the only thing which we can say we possess, 'tis the only part of our life which we are assured of, and who promiseth himself more is either ignorant or impious. But this present time is but a moment, and this difference of time hath no parts; time passed, & time to come, comprehend whole ages, but the present consists but in an instant; so as death and life differ only in a point, & these two which we judge so contrary are entertained by that moment, which doth separate them. Though I honour this imagination by reason of the gallantry thereof, and that respect which I bear to the Hebrew Tongue, oblige me to reverence it, yet me thinks it doth not sufficiently express the miseries of life whose alliance with death is nearer than is thereby represented; death subsists only by life, and life is only preserved by death: they commence & end together, as soon as a man begins to live, he begins to die, nature which very well knows that two moments never subsist together, Commands death to hurry away the one to leave to life the other that ensues. As she doth with moments and hours, so doth she with those years whereof the degrees of our life are composed. m Incrementa ipss si bene computes damna sunt. Senec. ad Marc. She makes our infancy die to give life to our Boyish age; she takes away a child to substitute a man, and robs us of our youth, to make old age succeed. Thus if we advance in life 'tis by the favour of death, and we enjoy our last years by the loss of the former: who will not praise death, since it makes us live, and who will not blame life since it makes us die? who will not confess, that sin is very cruel since it accords these two enemies to our undoing? and that for our punishment it hath turned a happy and immortal life, into an unfortunate and perishable one. If this discourse be thought to be too finely spun, yet can it not n Infantiam amisimus, deinde pueritiam▪ deinde adolescentiam: quicquid transiit temporis 〈◊〉 Senec. Epist. 24. be denied, that man's life is shortened since his offence, and if a strong man hath made a shift to tumble in the world a hundred years, he is a wonder to those that see him, History records his name with respect, posterity admires him; and if he pass not for a miracle he doth at least for a prodigy. Hoc quod viv●s proxim●m nihilo est et tamen ob 〈◊〉 nostram 〈◊〉. Senec. Every gift of life is so short, as we may easily judge we have divided it only to deceive ourselves. Our infancy endures but seven years; when our tongue gets its liberty, and our understanding is form, we enter into our Bovish age which is of no longer continuance; it finds its death in our adolescence, and as soon as down appears upon a man's face, he changeth quality. This age which is esteemed the pleasantest of man's life, and which I think the most dangerous, lasts no longer than doth his Boyish-age, it ends when youth begins, which lasts somewhat longer than the other parts of life which did precede it, it begins at Thirty years of age, and ends not till sixty, old age serves it for a Sepulchre, and when the head is covered with snow, 'tis time to prepare for death. For this age is shortest of all the rest, if it have any hope, 'tis ill grounded, and the sicknesses wherewith it is assailed, are so many summons to the grave. If man arrive at that extremity of the age we term decrepit, he languisheth in pain, he calls in death to his aid, and the sorrows he suffers makes him think life tedious. o Punctum est quod vivimus, & adhuc puncto minus, sed hoc minimum specie quadam longioris spatii natura divisit, aliud ex hoc infantiam fecit, aliud adolescentiam, aliud senectutem. In quam angusto quot gradus posuit. Senec. Epist. 49. But for all this the longest life is but composed of moments, which multiplied by days and months produce some years; we divide it to make it seem the longer, and persuade ourselves that by giving it several names we add somewhat to the durance thereof. We imitate the vanity of Princes who divide the earth to aggrandise it; and part it into provinces to satisfy their ambition. Mathematicians teach us, that the earth compared to the heavens is but a point, they ground their operation upon this maxim, and that art which teacheth us to measure hours by the sun-dial, draws her certainty from this truth. Yet Princes divide this point into kingdoms; they think to extend the whole by multiplying the parts thereof, and that they do enlarge the world by dividing it into Provinces, but let their ambition do its utmost, let it make fights by Sea and land, let it cover the one with Houses the other with Ships, they dispute but for a point a p●nctum; and this place which they have chosen for the Theatre of their vain glory, and the Subject of their differences is but an indivisible atom. The bounders which we prescribe to kingdoms, are as well the proofs of our weakness as of our pride. p O quam ridiculi sunt mortalium termini ultra Istrum Dacu● non ex●at, Parthis o●stet Euphrates, Rhenus German●ae modum faciat, Pirenae is, Galleys & Hispanic dividat. Senec. q●st. Natural. lib. 1. praefat. The Alps and Pyrenean mountains which part France from Italy, and Spain, are lines which nature hath drawn upon the earth to divide it, not to aggrandise or enlarge it; the Seas which seem to us vast, and the Rivers which we think so deep are less considerable in the world, than the veins are in the body; and whatsoever it be that feeds the vain glory of conquerors, it is not so great as the least of those Stars which appear to us to be so little. q Si quis ●ormicis de● intellectum hominis nun & ill● un●m a●m in m●ltas Provincias dividend. Idem i●id. If pismires had as much understanding as men, they would give as specious n●mes to their little caverns, since they have a shadow of policy, they would divide their States into provinces; and by an Ambition equal to ours, they would frame a little world, of a foot of earth; what Monarches make of the world, men make the like of life; they distinguish the ages thereof to flatter themselves, they think to keep off death, by extending life, and that they have a great way to go, when they have yet to pass through their adolescence, and their old age. They consider not, that the longest life is equal to the shortest, if it be compared to eternity; and that the condition of children is no better than that of old men, if it be compared with the world's lasting. The time we live is almost nothing, and Nature hath left us but a moment to merit eternity; we can add nothing thereunto by all our cunning, but as if we were more ingenious to work ourselves evil then good, we have a thousand ways to shorten it, and the longest life becomes short through the bad use, we make thereof. We are prodigal of time, and greedy of good: We think we give nothing to our friends when we give them whole days, and we consider not that we advance death by consuming our time. We heap up riches and scatter abroad s Nemo invenitur qui p● uni●m suam dividere v●lit: vitam unusquisque quam multis distribuit. Sense. de brevit. vitae. years, we are straight handed in things, the profession whereof is praise worthy, and prodigal of those whereof the avarice is laudable. The time which we have lived for ourselves makes the least part of our life, and when we shall have atteined to sixty years of age, 'tis found that we have lost more than the half of it. If we will cut off what time we have allowed to company keeping, what we have employed in visits, what consumed in pastimes, and what employed in other men's affairs, we shall find the number of our years to be much fewer than we account them to be. Nature, All whose examples are instructions, teacheth us to husband our time well▪ she is rather prodigal then liberal of her favours; she hath sewed the stars confusedly in the firmament, and though they be the most beautiful parts of the Universe, she would not have them to own their worth for their rarity. Rivers flow profusively, their spring heads are not dried up, and though they water never so much ground they grow not dry. The earth is always fertile, there is no part of it which produceth not somewhat, and if you will except rocks which seems to be the bones of this great body, her muscles and her veins abound in milk which nourisheth her children. But this mother which is so liberal in her productions, is covetous of time; she gives it us by measure to make us value it the more, she spins it out drop by drop; the parts thereof succeed one another, and continue not together, she never gives us one moment but she takes another from us; she takes from us what is passed when she gives what is present; and she threatens to take the present time from us, when she promiseth us the future. Of all the liberalities which she hath used since the beginning of the world she was never profuse of time, and t Simul ad temporis ●acturam ventum est, profusissimi sumus in eo cujus unius honesta avaritia est. Senec. de brevit. vitae c. 3 this her avarice teacheth us that time is the most precious of all her gifts. Let us learn of so wise a Mistress to Husband our years, let us by our wisdom prolong our life, and let us not part with so much time for our sports, and our affairs, but that we reserve the greatest part thereof for our welfare. Thus shall we have no occasion to complain of the shortness of our life, and though it be composed but of moments, we shall find, that if well employed 'twill suffice to purchase eternity. The eighth Discourse. That death is the punishment of sin. OF all the pains which sin hath procured us, death is the most cruel and the most common; all others have their remedies, and self-love teacheth us how to shun them; we by our industry and labour overcome the earth's sterility. We fence ourselves from the shame of our nakedness by the means of our clothes; we save ourselves from the injury of the air, and unseasonableness of weather by the commodiousness of buildings; physic furnisheth us with remedies against sickness, and reformeth our temper by the government which it prescribes us; Arts are invented only to free us from the miseries of life; and the greatest part of Artificers labour only to fence men from the punishment of sin. But death is a punishment as rigorous, as inevitable; humane wit hath not yet been able to free man from it. All her care cannot make a man live a hundred years; our first fathers lived longer, and the heavens which would people the earth by their means, prolonged their life to allow them leisure for it: but they died after some hundred years, and the oldest amongst them could not attain to a thousand years. The rigour of this punishment doth equal its necessity, for death is deaf to pity, tears cannot appease it, and whatsoever causeth either respect or pity in us, cannot stay the fury thereof. It enters Prince's Palaces, t Non mise●etur mors 〈◊〉 non re● eretur divitias, non sapienti● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non aetati denique parcit, nisi quod seni●s est in 〈◊〉, ●uvenibus vero in ins●is. Bern. 〈◊〉 Serm. as well as shepherd's cottages; it knaps in two the Sceptres of Kings with as much insolency as the shepherd's crook; it keeps no other law than what is prescribed unto it by divine Justice; it siezeth on the son before the father, the daughter before the mother; sets upon Infants in the cradle, or Monarches in their Thrones, and on Judges on their Tribunals. There is no sanctuary against its fury, and those who can pardon the condemned cannot obtain the like favour from death. There are many prodigies in the world whereat we wonder, and there is nothing so strange, whereof there hath not been some example which facilitates our belief▪ there be some whole entire Provinces where the Inhabitants li●e so happily, as that they are never troubled with sickness; there are some so auspicious Climates, as that in them the plague doth never mow down men, where the ground is not made sterile through ●amine; and whereas thunder never falls upon the guilty head: France cannot nourish Monsters, nor are her houses at any time shaken with earthquakes. Some men are seen to grow old, yet not grow grey; and women who preserve their comeliness in their age, and lose it not but with loss of life. Italy hath mountains whose entrails are full of fire, and their heads covered with snow, as if nature took delight in according these two contraries; and by ending their differences to make her power appear. But how fantastical soever this mother hath pleased to show herself, what ever diversity she hath put in her workmanships to delight us, and what ever miracles she hath wrought to astonish us, she could never free man from death. The devil who promised us immortality to engage us in disobedience, could not make good his word, u Didicitque Achilles, & D●s ●ates mori S●n. 〈◊〉 ●ade and the law which binds us to die, is too general to admit of any dispensation, or exception. When God himself became man, he became mortal, and taking our nature upon him, he would not exempt himself from death. All Gods friends have born this punishment; the justest have ofttimes lived the shortest life, and death to astonish others hath made examples of them, if some have been rapt up to Paradise, that favour did not bereave death of his rights, for after having lived a long time with Angels, they shall descend on earth again to die there with men. This rigour would be pleasing were it not accompanied with circumstances which make it unsupportable, but death assumes fearful shapes to affrighten us, he is not content to part our souls from our bodies, to break in two the chains which did unite them, and to destroy God's chiefest workmanship, but to satisfy his cruelty, & tyre our patience, he assumes a thousand frightful shapes, x Tres sunt 〈◊〉 mortis, ca●us infirmitas, senectus Casus dubia; infirmitas gravia; senectu● certa denuntiat. Casus nuntiat mo t●m latentem; infirmitas apparentem; senectus praesentem. H● quot mortium form●. Hugo de cl●ustro an●mae, lib 2. and leaves marks of his fury in the persons of the dead which terrify the living. He appears hideous even in the beautifullest visage that ever was; he shrinks up the nerves, hollows the eyes, defaceth the complexion, altars the lineaments, and turns a miraculous beauty into a dreadful Monster. Sometimes he burns the bowels by the scorching heat of a fever, sometimes swells up the body by a long continued dropsy, sometimes he makes an anatomy, or skeleton thereof, by an irksome consumption, sometimes forms strange characters in the lungs or brain, sometimes he covers the face over with an ulcer, and changes the Throne of beauty into the Seat of deformity. Violent deaths are yet more uncoucht than such as are natural; they are not to be beheld without terror, and those who have courage enough to tolerate the gout or stone, have not constancy enough to endure the torture of fire▪ or rack; 'tis therefore that it is said, that our father Adam knew not the heinousness of his sin, till he saw the picture of death in Abel's face; the loss of grace, God's anger, the Angel's indignation, his banishment from Paradise, the creatures revolt, the alteration of seasons, warring of Elements, nor yet the insurrection of the body against the soul, were not sufficient to make known unto him the exorbitancy of his sin, nor the injustice of his disobedience: but when he saw his son want motion, his eyes want light, when he heard no words proceed from his mouth, saw no colour in his face, nor felt no motion of his heart, he thought his sin was very great since it deserved so sore a punishment. To say truth, y Stipendium peccati mors. Primegen●ta peccati. Paul. death is the image of sin, this father makes himself seen in his daughter, his ugliness is seen in his production, and there needs no more to acknowledge the misery of a sinner, than to consider the aspect of a dead man. Those pale lips, those sunk eyes, those hollowed cheeks, and that corruption which always accompanies stench, is the shadow of a soul which mortal sin hath bereft of innocency and grace. All teacheth us that we are criminal, and that the evils which we endure, are as well the portraitures of our punishments, as of our offences. The rebellion which we meet withal in the Elements, and creatures is the punishment of our disobedience; the irregularity of the seasons is a sign of the disorder of our passions; the blinding of our eyes proves the like in our understanding, and the sicknesses which our bodies suffer under, are the effects of our souls infirmity: but of all the punishments wherewith we are afflicted, death is the only true copy of sin, and in this copy it is that we must observe the horror of the original. To discover all his rigours, we must examine the term of our sentence, we must consider what punishments he condemned us unto, and observe with how many evils he threatens us. z In quacunque die comederis ex eo, morte morie●s. Genes. 2. The first is to die the same day that we have sinned, and to bear the punishment as soon as we have committed the offence. Few are aware of this punishment, and though it be severe enough, we suffer it, without being sensible of it, or complaining; we persuade ourselves, that life and death cannot agree in our punishment, and that God himself is not powerful enough to make two so contrary things serve his justice: but notwithstanding 'tis true, that we die as soon as we are born, that death assails us as soon as we are surprised by sin, and that we bear Adam's punishment as soon as we contract his offence. For death holds so good intelligence with life, as these do equally part our years; we perish for our preservation; as soon as we enter into our boy's estate, we forgo infancy, we divide every hour of the day between death and life, a Quare à seen, ubi pueritia, ubi infantia, ubi ann●, ubi menses▪ beu periere. Ad Mart. Sen. and we neither conceive the heinousness of our fault, nor the greatness of our punishment, if we think that that death, which puts an end unto our life, is our only one, because it is our last. We die every moment, we lose the years which we number; and part of our being glides away with them, we are but half ourselves; all of us that is passed is death's purchase; and the youth which hath left us is a loss which we cannot repair. That complexion, the freshness whereof was more lively than that of the rose, that whiteness which shamed the lily, that lustre which sparkled in the eyes, that Majesty which appeared upon the forehead, those pearls which showed themselves within the coral of the lips, and all those ornaments which nature had united in a handsome face to make thereof her chiefest workmanship; do they not serve for a prey to death, and who hath no longer these advantages are they not obliged to confess that they have lost the best part of themselves? the destinies end their work in silence, b Ut facilius obrepat mors sub i● so nomine vitae latet, agunt opus suum fata nobis sensum nostrae necis auferunt. Senec. ad Martiam. death gives blows which hurt not, he mingles himself so pleasingly with life, as that he is received insensibly, and under hope of living, men take a kind of pleasure in dying. The second punishment which our decree bringeth, is that in not expressing what kind of death we shall die, we are obliged to fear all sorts of death. There is nothing more certain than this punishment; neither is there any thing more secret. Every one knows he must die, every day affords us proofs and examples of it; our friends and enemies confirm this truth, no man is so ignorant, or vainglorious as to doubt it; the sepulchers of Kings are faithful witnesses thereof, and those heads for which the lives of a whole Nation are exposed, make us see that death spares no body; but the manner thereof is as unknown, as the hour is uncertain. The stars do not show the particulars thereof, and unless the heavens reveal it, the devil cannot foretell it to those that serve him; our decree pitcheth not upon any one, that we may stand in fear of all; and after the example of Princes which have ended their lives by deaths, from which their qualities ought to have warranted them, we may justly apprehend all. It may be 'twill be natural, it may be violent; it may be 'twill seize on us in war, it may be in peace, it may be 'twill be short and cruel, it may be less cruel, but languishing; the Judge which hath condemned us, hath not been pleased to express himself therein, to the end, that the fear of death might be a severer punishment unto us, than death itself; it may suffice us to know that he is incensed, and that we may justly expect from his just anger whatsoever death our sin deserves. The truth is we can suffer but one; the weakness of our constitution doth not permit both the waters to drown us, the fire to burn us, and the wild beasts to devour us, but the darkness of our decree obligeth us to fear all these punishments, c Erge tu i● tantis erroribu● es ut existimes Deos mortium signi● praemittere, & quidquam in terris ta● magnum esse ut qu● perire mundus sciat. Senec. lib. 1. Quaest Natural. cap. 1. and there is no Monarch whose greatness can exempt him from so just a fear; the plague hath not so spared our most pious Kings, and the valiantest among them, hath been murdered amidst the triumph which he prepared for his dearest wife. A clap of thunder bruiseth the pride of crowned heads; poison is mingled in their drink, and violent death doth but too oft befall Sovereigns. Who ought then to stand in fear, when he shall read a decree which threatens every guilty person with a hundred thousand deaths? and who ought not to dread a Judge, who conceals the condition of our punishment, only to make us reverence his power, and have recourse unto his clemency? The e Omnibus est eadem lethi via: non tamen unus. Est vitae 〈◊〉 exitiique●odus. Cor. Gall. third punishment is not less severe than are the rest; for though we know not what sort of death we shall die, yet we know we shall be reduced to ashes, and that divine Justice following us even into the grave, will war upon us after death; it treateth us like those notorious Malefactors, who find not the end of their punishment in the end of their lives; they are degraded, to make them lose their honour, their children are prosecuted, to make them lose their posterity; their bodies are burned, that their ashes may be scattered in the wind; their houses are beaten down, to ruinate their workmanship; and nothing is left in any part that did belong unto them, but characters of their faults, and of their Prince's anger. Thus doth our supreme Judge deal with guilty man; he drives him out of the terrestrial paradise, and banisheth him into the world; he threatens the place of his exile to be totally consumed with fire, for having received this guilty person; he confiscates all his goods, takes from him all the honourable marks of his greatness, and reduceth him to the condition of beasts, who did pretend to the glory of Angels; he makes all his subjects despise his authority, he makes his slaves either Rebels, or Tyrants, and after so many punishments, he shortens his shameful life, by some tragical end. But all these punishments leaving yet some remainder of the guilty person, they pursue him into his sepulchre; he commands the worms to devour him, and what escapes their fury, he reduceth into dust: you shall see dreadful marks of the execution 〈◊〉 Pulvis es & in pulverem re●rteris. Gen. 2 of this decree in the stateliest monuments of our Kings, descend into the most magnificent Mausoleums, you will find nothing there but ashes: the earth covers the pride of conquerors, and of all these Monarch's greatness, wherewith their subjects in their life were astonished, there remains nothing after death, but a little dust. A man must be a Saint to be exempt from this punishment, God affords not this favour save to those that serve him unworthily; he preserves their bodies in the sepulchre, he guards their precious relics in the bosom of the earth, the waters cannot corrupt them, nor the flames devour them; being innocent, he will not deal with them as guilty, death spares their body after having separated it from their soul, they seem to rest in their graves, to repose themselves after their labour, and to expect with joy that dreadful day which all the guilty do apprehend. Death then is the punishment of our sin, it is the workmanship thereof, we have procured it unto ourselves by our disobedience, God hath ordained it by his justice, and Jesus Christ, who draws good out of our evil, hath made a sacrifice of it for our salvation. The ninth Discourse. What advantages we may draw from death, by the means of Grace. THough death be the first production of sin, and that the malice and deformed loathsomeness of the Father appear in Son's visage, some Philosophers have gone about to make apologies for death, and after having made use of their reason in the defence thereof, they have employed their cunning in praising it. Being ignorant of the g Lex est non poena perire. Senec. first man's fault, they would have death to be a law, and not a punishment; they have excused his rigour by his necessity, and have gone about to persuade us, that he was pleasing, because necessary. All things in nature perish, this mother hath brought forth nothing which she hath not sentenced to die, nothing is immortal, and few things durable: fountains grow dry, and their spring-heads are either lost, orstrayed out of the channel; the mountains give way to the violence of floods, the sea advances and wins upon the earth, whole isles have sunk into the earth, we see lakes now where our Ancestors have seen Towns, and husbandmen plough up fields, where Pilots have steerd their ships; The Change which preserves Nature is a kind of death; nature subsists only by alteration, were it not, h Ita est nihil perpetuum, pauca di●turn▪ sunt, aliud al o modo fragile est: rerum exitus variantur: caeterum quidquid coepit, & 〈◊〉. Senec. ad Polyb. in initio. for change she would utterly perish; kingdoms (which apprehend nothing like vicissitude) cannot shun it; as oft as they lose their Princes, they hazard the loss of their liberty, they grow jealous of all their neighbours, and ambition is so perfidious as their allies may become their enemies; all those great Colossuses which passed for miracles in their age, their subsistence depends now only upon paper; Time hath made them know, that all the workmanship of man is perishable, and that frail hands can build nothing which is eternal. In fine, the world itself is not exempt from death; the deluge wherewith it was drowned, and the fire wherewith it shall be consumed, teach us that it may perish; the Stars which never are at a stay, are threatened one day to lose their influences and their light, the same hand which hath seated them in the firmament, will one day pull them from thence; and though Aristotle imagines the heavens to be incorruptible, Jesus Christ assures us, that they shall perish together with the world. Wherefore then do we complain of death, since he spares not the Stars, and wherefore do we wish, that our houses may never have an end, since the world cannot escape the fall which threatens it. i Tolle istam pompam sub quâ lates & stultos territas: mors est quam nuper seruus meus quam ancilla contempsit. Sen. Epist. 24. Death is not so cruel as men imagine, the fear which we have thereof, is rather an effect of opinion then of Nature; if we were less wise, we should be more courageous; we augment our evil by thinking too oft of it; the weapons wherewith we endeavour to withstand this enemy serve only to make him the more redoubted; a Philosopher apprehends him more than doth an ignorant person; and all the constancy of the stoics cannot equal the stupidity of a country clown. These silly people are easily comforted; they look after no privileges, which their Ancestors have not enjoyed, they prepare for death when they see their friends die; and having no plots which may fasten them to the world, they are not troubled to be interrupted therein by their death. All men seem to conspire to be cause of astonishment to themselves, and that it fares with them, as in the rout of an Army, where those that ran away, cause fear in those that fight. Every particular man frames unto himself an Idea of death, and he who can make it appear the most hideous, passeth for the ablest man. Sciences which ought to encourage us, do intimidate us; and there is not any one who doth not add somewhat to the image of this Monster, to increase his ugliness and our apprehension. Painters represent him as a ghastly skeleton bearing a coffin upon his shoulders, and a scythe in his hands to mow down the whole earth. Poets (whose fictions are more pleasing than those of painters) do give him arrows, each of which being shot doth wound a heart; physicians decipher him as the enemy of nature, and to no end seek for remedies against his wounds. Philosophers who boast k Mors contemni d●bet mag●s quam solet: multa enim de ill● credimus: ●ultorum ingeniis certatum est ad r●gendam ejus infamiam. Sen. Epist. 82. that they know him, that they may withstand him, do astonish their disciples by the number of their reasons, and persuade them that the Monster which they assail is very terrible, since so many preparations are required to overcome him. Yet experience teacheth us that he takes upon himself pleasing forms to reclaim us; that he glides so pleasingly into the heart, as those whom he wounds, feel him not; he set upon Plato sleeping, and it was hard to discern sleep from death in this Philosopher; one of the Crassuses died laughing, and the Romans ceased to fear death, seeing it so amiable upon his face: Chilon was choked with joy; his son's victory was as fatal to him, as to the enemies of the State; and whilst men sought for Laurel to crown the Conqueror; others sought for Capres to put upon his father's head. Clydemus died not less pleasingly, since the praises which Greece gave him, were the cause of his death, and that he lost his life amidst his Triumph. He also since the corruption of our nature makes up a part of ourselves. l Non morieris quia agrotas sed quia vivis. Sen. Epist. 58. He is as well an effect of our temper, as of a fever; and as the agreement of the Elements makes us live, their disagreement makes us die. We carry the principles of death about us, and from once that original righteousness ceased to appease the differences between those parts whereof we are composed we began to die. It is not necessary that the world disorder itself, to bereave us of our lives; though the seasons should not be put out of their pace, we should not cease to perish. And if death be to be feared, we must resolve to fear life. There are some people who apprehend any thing that happens of disorder in the world, and who grow pale as often as they see rivers overflow their banks, as often as they hear thunder, or see earthquakes: They think that every clap of thunder comes in pursuit of them, and that the sea exceeds not her bounds but to drown them on the earth; but the causes of our death are much less violent, and more natural. For the earth should still stand stable under our feet, m O●e de●ntem & oblitum fragilitatis tuae tuae si tunc mortem times cum tonat. Sen. lib. 2. Quaest Natural. cap. ultim●. though the thunder should never roar over our heads, and though the sea should never exceed her bounds, the elements which we bear about us would notwithstanding condemn us to death. Death is so a punishment, as it is also a consequence of our constitution. Whatsoever is composed of contrarieties can not subsist without miracle; and when the contrary parties do no longer agree, their division must be the ruin of what they compose. Man's immortality in the state of innocency, was not an effect of nature; he lost this privilege as soon as he lost his righteousness, and experience taught him, that nature without grace could not keep him from death. n Haec omnia elementa quibus mundus administratur tam causa vivendi sunt quam viae mortis. Senec. Epist. 117. He should then be unjust if he should complain of a misfortune which is in some sort natural unto him, and he might justly be accused of too much nicety, if he should not patiently endure a punishment, which he could not escape without a kind of Miracle. But I dare add, that death is rather a favour, than a punishment; and that in the estate whereinto sin hath reduced man, it is not so much a mark of justice, as of mercy: the evils which we undergo considered, to live eternally, would be eternal misery; earth would become hell, and the continuance of our torments would make us wish death; which is not dreadful save to those abused souls which think themselves happy. The miserable desire it; and as death to one who lives contentedly is a punishment, so is life to him who lives discontentedly. o Cupidum mortis ut lu●ret delictum vetuit mori, Tertul. Cain desired to die, had not the heavens prolonged his life to punish his parricide; he had prevented Lameches cruelty, and after having been his brother's murderer, he would have been his own hangman. Poets who cloak truths under fables, have not without reason feigned nature to have invented death, to oblige her children; for seeing that their offence had incensed heaven, that their life became a misery, that fortune entrenched upon their goods, calumny upon their innocency, and sickness upon their health; that the fever burned up their entrails by unsupportable heat, that the gout stung their nerves, and that they lived not but in fear and sorrow, she broke the cords wherewith the soul was fastened to the body, and ended their lives to shorten their miseries. To leave fables to Infidels; is it not a constant truth amongst Christians, that life would be an eternal punishment, did not death come in to the succour of old age, p Quid aliud ess●t homini vitiato aeterna vit quam aetern● mise●iae. to deliver us from it? and that we should pray to go out of the world, if we were condemned to live there, after we had lost the use of our members by the palsy, and were grown blind, and deaf. Hell is only more cruel than earth, for that death is banished thence; if the pains of the damned could have an end; they should los● the greatest part of their rigour, and those miserable ones would find some ease in their sufferings, if after many ages they were assured to die: nothing makes them despair, but that eternity of their punishment; and nothing doth so much comfort men as the shortness of their tortures. Tyrants who unjustly endeavour to imitate God in justice, complain that death freed their enemies from their indignation; and that by assisting the miserable, it hindered their designs: for they very well knew, that he knows not how to revenge himself of his enemy, who puts him suddenly to death; and that those who will taste the pleasure of revenge, never condemn a guilty man to die till he be re-possessed of their favour. In fine, there are few who owe not thanks to death. q Perimat tyrann● lenis, in regno meo mors impetratur. Senec. in Thyeste. Those who fear him in prosperity, invoke him in adversity; those who eat him in opulency, seek him out in poverty; and those who list not to know his name in health, call upon him in sickness. He is the only cure of the incurable, the assured succour of the afflicted, the desire and hope of the miserable; and of as many as implore his succour, there are none more obliged unto him, than those whose miseries and desires he preveneth. Though these thoughts may seem uncouth to those who love life, they cease not to be approved of by Christianity; and to pass for truth amongst the faithful. If death be rigorous because he is the punishment of sin, he is pleasing because he is the child of the Cross; he hath changed nature, since he was consecrated in the Person of Jesus Christ; he hath forgone those dreadful names which caused terror, to assume those pleasing one's which bring consolation. He is only asleep which charms our disquiets, a passage which leads us unto life, a happy shipwreck which throws us into the haven, an enemy which takes us out of prison, a Tyrant which breaks our chains, and a son of sin which furnisheth us with weapons wherewithal, to fight with, and to overcome his Father. In the state of innocency death was a punishment, wherewith divine Justice did threaten man; in the state of sin, it was a chastisement, r Mors quae in lege Naturae erat poe●a peccati, sacta est in lege gratiae hostia pro peccato. August. wherewith she did punish the faulty; and in the state of grace, 'tis a sacrifice, which she requires at our hands, and whereby she is appeased. Formerly, to astonish man, he was told, if thou sinnest, thou shalt die; and now to fortify him in persecution, it is said unto him, if thou dost not die, thou shalt sin; death which was a punishment is become a victim, and the sinner's chastisement is become the merit of the just. The Son of God hath thus instructed us by his example, when he would fight with sin, he took up no other arms than death; he thought the victory would be more honourable, wherein he should employ the son against the father, and where he should make use of the effect, to destroy the cause: s De peccato damnavit peccatum. Paul. this is that which the great Apostle teacheth us in these words, where he saith, that the Son of God hath overcome sin, by sin, and that in the punishment of our offence he hath found a remedy to cure us. Fictitious Hercules vaunts himself amongst the Poets, to have overcome t Armat us venit leone, & ●ydrâ, in Hercul. furent. Monsters by other Monsters; to have made himself weapons by their spoils; and to have ended his last labours by the help of what he had purchased in the former. This fable of Hercules is become a truth in Jesus Christ; and the Gospel obligeth us to acknowledge that in the death of God, which falsehood had found out in the life of man. For he by dying hath satisfied his Father, he hath destroyed sin by its Son; he hath saved the sinner by his punishment. Religion binds us to confess that death is the rise of our happiness, that it is the Christians vow; that without being miserable, they rejoice in being mottall; and that they should want somewhat of their glory; if since Jesus Christ did lose his life upon the Cross, they were to ascend to Heaven, without dying they live with pain, they die with pleasure; and to describe a true Christian according to Tertullia's language, we must say, that they are a sort of men who are always ready to die; u Genus hominum morti expeditum. Tert. in Apologet. and who placing their happiness in the resemblance or imitation of Jesus Christ, desire to lose their lives a thousand times amidst tortures, to repair his charity by their love; and to suffer for his glory, what he hath undergone for their salvation. The tenth Discourse. That sleep is a punishment of sin as the image of death, and that it bereaves us of reason as dreams do of rest. THose who think sleep the most harmless part of life will never be persuaded that it hath drawn some evil qualities from Adam's sin, for it seems to reduce men to the conditions of Children, and that bereaving them of the use of reason, it takes from them that unfortunate power which they by their offences abuse. The guiltiest actions become innocent, during sleep, those vapours which do stupefy the senses excuse the sins of those that sleep, and as their x Et bona facta gratuita sunt in somnis, & delicta secura. Tertul. de anima. Virtues are not rewarded, neither are their offences punished. Murders are committed without effusion of blood, revenge is taken upon enemies without injustice, and another man's goods are without violence ta'en away whilst sleep doth lull the senses. The soul is not guilty of the faults which her body commits, and though she gives it life and motion, she hath not liberty enough to give it the guidance thereof. Imagination is the sole faculty which doth in-animate it, and this confused faculty not being guided by reason, commits evil unpunished, and pleads blindness for the excuse of its error. Yet is it certain that in the condition wherein we are, sleep is a punishment of sin, and had man never sinned, he had never proved those disquiets wherewith he is agitated during his rest; Nature would have born a respect to her Sovereign's sleep, the elements which form his body would not have troubled his rest, and vapours would have been so mild, as stupefying all the senses, they would have left the soul at liberty. In this happy condition, man might well have refreshed himself by sleep, y Ego dormio & cor meum vigilat. Adae s●mnus extasis appellatur à Patribus. his eyes would have been closed against the light, and his other senses would have dispensed with their ordinary functions. But the soul would have retired to within herself, and acting according to the manner of Angels, she would have known Truth without the interposition of the Organs, her rest would rather have bn an ecstasy than sleep, and man might have said that his heart waked whilst his body took its resti I have much ado to believe that man was reduced to the condition of beasts, before he had sinned, and that he should have undergone the punishment of an offence, which he had not as yet committed. If there have been some Saints whom sleep did not deprive of the use of reason, and who loved God even whilst they slept, I think it not strange that the heavens should have granted this favour to our first father in his innocency, & that he entertained himself with Angels, whilst he could not entertain himself with men. St. john the z Elizabet, Mariae, Joannes, Domini sensit adventum. Istae grati●m loquuntur illis intus operantur dupliciqus miraculo prophetant Matres spiritu parvulorum. Ambros. in Luc. c. 1 Baptist adored the Son of God in the chaste womb of the Virgin, the obscurity of his Prison, could not hinder the light of heaven; from enlightening his understanding, that stupefaction which continues nine months with other children, hindered not him from instructing Elizabeth by his motions, and from letting her know that the mother which she saw was a Virgin, and that the child which she saw not, was God. The better part of Divines do not question but that the Virgin did enjoy this privilege all her life, and that her soul, whilst her body rested, was wholly busied in considering the wonders of her son, she loved him as well sleeping, as waking; Sleep did not interrupt her love: Sleep which makes us beasts, made her an Angel, and her soul had this advantage in the night season that it did act without any dependency upon her body; rest did not bereave her of half her life, as it doth us, were she asleep, or were she awake, she did equally apply herself to God, her sleep was more operative than all our watchings, when her mouth was shut, a Somnus licentia animae sine more fugitivae. Tertul. her spirit supplied her silence, and she praised God with her heart, not being able to do it with her tongue. b Sanctorum somnus operatorius est. A nbros. Ep●st. Imagine that Adam's sleep did somewhat resemble that of the Virgins, that he ceased not to reason, when he could not speak, that his noblest part slept not, whilst his other did, that his souls eyes were open, when his bodily eyes were shut, and that his soul exercising those species which she by the senses had received, considered the works of God, for why should we believe that Adam should suffer that outrage in the state of innocency, which the Saints had much ado to tolerate in the state of sin? Sleep which is the rest of their body is the punishment of their soul, they are afflicted that their will should be rendered so long useless, they conjure their tutelary ●els to wake whilst they sleep, and to love in their behalf 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goodness, which cannot be loved according to its worth, they look upon their bed, as upon their grave; c Stultum est▪ somno delectatis mortem horrore▪ cum somnus assiduus sit mortis imitatio. Senec. they think to die as oft as they fall a sleep; and they murmur that their soul which is immortal, should be constrained to suffer such a kind of death; I pardon them these their complaints; for 'tis true that sleep is the shame of our nature, and that the qualities wherewithal it is accompanied, teach us that it is become criminal: it reduceth men to the condition of beasts, it takes from them their noblest privileges, and inhibits them the use of all the senses which may be serviceable to the soul. This punishment seems to be more injurious than death, whose image it is: for death loosens the soul from the body, raiseth her to the condition of Angels, and withdraws her from a prison, which though she delighted in, ceased not to be fatal to her: but sleep stupifies the senses, sets upon such parts of the body as the soul makes most claim to; disperseth its vapours into the eyes and ears, and reduceth man into a condition wherein he can neither speak, nor think. The heart during sleep, is in a perpetual motion; natural heat digests meat, the liver converts it into blood, and distributes it abroad amongst the veins; every part turns it into its own substance, and by a continual miracle one and the same nourishment doth extend itself into nerves, thickens into flesh, and hardens into bone. Nature repairs these ruins which watchings had made in the body, she leaves nothing useless in this condition, and her diligence extends even to our hair, which grows whilst we Sleep. But the noblest of our senses are a sleep; our eyes serve no more for guides, nor the ears for intelligencers, the tongue to which motion is so natural, is no more the soul's interpreter; imaginations self doth only furnish her with confused species, d Somnus est ligamentum omnium sensuum Aristot. lib. de somno & Vigil. and the soul in this disorder is enforced to remain idle, and unuseful. Passions be they never so violent are more respectful than is Sleep; their first motions are only dangerous; who can shun being surprised by them, may fence himself against their fury; they are as easily calmed as raised; and knowing that reason is their sovereign, they reserve some respect unto her even in their revolt. But Sleep contemneth her authority, it obligeth this Queen to withdraw herself into the centre of her State; and forceth her to abandon the extremities. It mingles force with sweetness to corrupt men; steals so pleasingly upon a man, as it hath got entrance before one be aware, and reigns so absolutely that unless it withdraw itself it cannot be repulsed, it's violence is pleasing because sweet; it's Tyranny supportable, because necessary; e Lucis requies noctisque comes qui par Regi famul●qus venis, placidus s●ssum lenisque soves, pavidum l●hi genus hu●um co●is ●ngam discere mortem, in Hercul furente. and it's authority is so absolute, as it calms those passions which reason cannot allay: it takes from Conquerors the desire of glory, quencheth the flames of unchaste love, charms the violence of choler, draws displeasure in its vapours, and if it take not from desperate men the design of making themselves away, it doth happily bereave them of the means of doing it. But he sells his good turns at a dear rate; since to cure our passions, he bereaves us of our reason; and puts us in a condition wherein we cannot exercise our virtues; for though he cannot deface the habits thereof, yet he interdicts us the use, and brings us into the condition of wars under age, who being born rich have not the liberty to dispose of their goods; we have reason, yet are not rational; Philosophers have high conceptions, yet cannot discourse; Princes conceive great designs, yet cannot execute them; Saints have good desires, but cannot accomplish them; and the faithful have virtues, and cannot practise them. Dreams, f Somnia somni negotia. Tertul. de animâ. which may be termed the productions of sleep, are not less injurious to man, than is their father; for they appear to men be the extravagancies of a drowsy imagination, and the follies of a wise man; there is no Philosopher which hath not some rave in his sleep, nor so well a governed mind which is not debauched in dreaming: the soul hath liberty only left her to form Chimaeraes; and be it either that the vapours which arise from the bowels trouble her presented forms, be it that the senses being drowsy make but confused reports unto her; or be it lastly that the organs of our bodies being bound up hinder her operations; she acts in such confusion and disorder, g Saepe somnia vana, & frustratoria & turbida, & ludibrios● & immunda à 〈◊〉 incutiuntur. Tertul. de anima. as all her thoughts are but rave; and her discourses but extravagancies: if she light rightly, 'tis by hazard; and if in this bad condition she take a good resolution, she is more obliged to fortune, than to wisdom. A man must either be superstitious, or out of his wits to be guided by dreams; and who takes their rave for revelations, is in great danger running mad, if he be not so already. We do not live in those days, wherein God made his will known by dreams, he treats no more with men a sleep, but doth rather dispense his favours to those who are awake. Since Truths have succeeded figures, God doth not often declare his oracles by dreams; and we learn his designs rather by prayer than by Sleep. It is true that as his mercy makes us reap advantage by our misfortunes, and turns our loss to our souls health, so doth it make use of Sleep and dreams for our good, h Somnus recreator corporum, redintegrator virium, probator valetudinum, op●rum, medicus laborum, cuilegitime fruendo dies cedit, nox legem facit, auferens rerum etiam colorem. Tertul. de anima. the first sweetens our Pains, drowns our displeasures, and levels our conditions; takes the crowns from off the heads of Kings, Laurels from Conquerors and Mitres, from Bishops, breaks the bolts of Slaves, opens the prison doors, and if he do not restore liberty to captives, he at least makes them forget their servitude. The Prince hath no advantage over his subjects, when they are both asleep, though his bed be more stately, his rest is no sweeter, and if any remembrance of his greatness remain in him when asleep, it causeth most commonly but disquiet and suspicion. All men are alike, when asleep, and sleep as well as death levels all conditions: a Philosopher is not more able than an ignorant person, when he sleeps, the poor man is as happy as the rich, when both of them have forgot their condition, and pleasure and pain cause no difference in men when their senses are stupefied with sleep. He who doth so many acts of justice, does some also of mercy, for he prepares us for death, reclaims us thereunto, and being more prevalent than all the discourses of Philosophers, persuades us that a man may die without pain, since he sleeps every day with delight. In effect, sleep is a short death, and death is nothing else but a long sleep, the bed is a grave for one night, and the grave a bed for many ages, we expect to waken from our beds, and we hope to rise again from i Etiam per somnium imaginem mortis, fidem initiaris, spe● medit●ris, discis mori & ●ivere, discus vigilare dum dormis. Tertul. de anima. our sepulchers: thus one and the same thing teacheth us two differing Truths, and sleep which fits us for death, animates us to believe the resurrection, the dreams which he shapes whilst we rest, and those pleasing illusions wherewith he diverts our soul, when the senses refuse to serve her, are either proofs or presumptions of our Immortality, and we easily imagine that our soul may very well escape death, since she is not wholly engaged in sleep which is death's picture. k Stoici Deum volunt inter caetera praesidia divinatricum artium somnia nobis quoque indidisse, peculiar solatium naturalis oraculi. Tertull. de anima. In fine, dreams becomes often oracles, our spirit being losened from the senses, presages either good or bad fortune when it is retired to within itself, it doth act more easily, then when it is dissipated by objects; Great Personages receive advertisement from Heaven, sleeping, and Angels treat with them, whilst they cannot treat with men. God chose the time of sleep to declare his designs unto his servants, and in the old Testament the dreams of Saints were oracles l Siquidem & 〈◊〉 divinitus somniat, & ma● penè vis ho●inum ex visionibus Deum di●unt. Tertul. ibid. and prophecies. joseph won his credit in Egypt by interpreting pharoh's dreams; and superstition, which glories to imitate religion, did always believe that her Gods declared their wills whilst men slept. But this advantage, is as reproach full one to us, and when the heavens deal thus with us, it is doubtlessly to teach us, that if we will be informed what their designs are we must forego our callings, and that to purchase Faith we must renounce reason, so as it is apparent enough, that sleep and dreams upbraid us with our weakness, and are punishments of our sin. OF THE CORRUPTION OF All exterior Goods, called by the name of FORTUNE. The Fifth Treatise: The First Discourse. That we must fear what we desire, and desire what we fear. 'tIs with much reason that original sin is by Saint Austin termed the universal corruption of nature, since there is nothing left in man, uncorrupted; his understanding is so clouded with darkness as he cannot discern truth from falsehood, his memory is so weakened, as it is painful for him to learn, and natural to forget; his will is depraved as it loves nothing but what is pleasing to the senses. His very aids are pernicious, and the succour which nature hath afforded him for his help in his necessity, serves only to make him the more miserable. Being stripped of all the good which he possessed in the State of innocency, it seems he needs desires, and that this passion is requisite to him, to find out helps for his indigency; being condemned to undergo those punishments which his rebellion deserved, fear seems to be necessary to him, and that to shun the evils which threaten him; Divine mercy had aught to have made him fearful; yet this assistance is prejudicial to him, these remedies do augment his evil, and he would be less unhappy, if he could keep himself from wishing for good, or fearing evil. a Non est in carendo difficultas nisi cum fuerit in habendo cupiditas Aug. Confess. For to boot that desire is but a languishing of the soul which is occasioned oftener by her weakness, than by her want; and which reaches rather to things superfluous, than necessary; 'tis very well known, that it harms a man, whilst it would heal him; that it widens his wounds, in stead of closing them; and that it increaseth his necessities, in lieu of comforting them: b Quidquid ill●s co●gerat non finis erit cupiditatis, sed gradus. Senec. one desire causeth another, and man imagining that the greatest good will cost him but wishes; foregoes all other exercise to consume himself in unprofitable desires: he doth not relish the good which he enjoyeth, he despiseth that which he sought after, and as if things were the more precious for being either absent, or lost, he esteems none but what he hath either lost, or hath not yet gotten: all things seem pleasing to him which he hath not, evils do to him change their nature; when they are far off, and be it either that his capacity cannot reach them, or that his desire paints them forth unto him in glorious colours, he ofttimes wisheth his harm; c Attonitus novitate mali, div●sque miserque e●gere aptat opes: & quas modo vove●at odit. Ovid. Metam. lib. 11. and is enforced to accuse Heaven of being rigorous unto him, in having too easily heard him: he expects his having obtained what he desired; & his desire is so bad a Counsellor, as all the advices which it gives him, are either unfaithful, or rash. It's promises are as pernicious as are its advices, for it seldom makes good any thing that it promiseth, it glories in abusing those that believe in it; and hope which serves it for a surety, abuseth our easiness, in engaging us to seek after a good which is difficult, and dangerous: she persuades those who listen unto her, that she is a forerunner of felicity, that a thing desired, is half possessed; and to have an extreme passion for riches or honour, is to quit infamy, and poverty. But it falls out clean contrary, for desire adds to indig●y, it irritates the evil which it would allay, and makes the ambitious, infamous, and avaricious needy. They are sensible of their wants, d Cupiditati nihil satis est, naturae satis est etiam parum. Senec. ad Helviam c. 11. since they desire the remedies; and the passion which presseth them is no less a proof of their pain, than of their necessity. Those who suffer dishonour without desire of glory, are troubled but with one malady; but those who add to the pain of being despised, the passion of glory, endure a double Martyrdom. Thus the desire of good, is the increase of evil, and he who makes many wishes, exposeth himself to most sufferings. Heaven punisheth the guilty, by giving them over to their own desires; this passion is more severe than the rack; and who could handsomely handle it to punish the ambitious or amorous, he might stay all other punishments. Nothing doth so much torment the damned as their desires; if they could live without wishes as well as without hope, their sufferings would be less severe, and hell would have lost her sorest torment. The holy Scripture teacheth us, that God makes use of our desires, as Ministers of his vengeance; and that the loss of our goods and death of friends are but the punishments of our lightest offences. When the City of jerusalem was taken by force in the reign of Antiochus, in so much as the Temple was profaned, the Altars beaten down, that the fire consumed what the sword had spared; that rivers of blood ran in the public places, and that women were robbed of their honour, and their husbands of their liberty; the writer of this story tells us, that so tragical a disaster was but the preamble to God's Justice; e Propter peccata habitantium civitatem modicum Deu●●uerat iratus. 2 Machab. 5. and (if a man may be allowed to say so) but the pastime of his anger: if he had been more incensed, he would have found out severer punishments, but because his indignation was but small, he was satisfied with the ruin of the Temple, and jerusalem's pillage: but when his just fury is at the height, and that the number of our insolent sins doth provoke his choler, he gives us over to our own desires, and command these executioners of his Justice, to make us try all the rigour which love can make the unchaste suffer, or pride the ambitious; he sometimes permits these unjust desires to take effect, he grants what we desire, to make us the more unfortunate, and the more guilty; f Pleraque gaudi● 〈◊〉 Iustiti● euà Deo non su●t gaudia & sepe initiasunt futu●a 〈◊〉. Sen. Epist. 53. the good success of our vows is a mark of his indignation, and the better pleased we be with our punishments, the more fierce and fatal are they. Thus riches undo the avaricious, honours punish the ambitious, and pleasures are the torments of the unchaste. For we are in a condition wherein we ought to suspect all the goods of fortune. Since the loss of innocency, greatness is fatal to man, and he cannot be raised up, without hazard of being undone: he is so prodigiously out of order, as the punishments of his sin are more advantageous to him, than the remainders of original righteousness. And it is easier for him to save himself in want, and infamy, than in glory or abundance. Watsoever is glorious is fatal to him; g Diuturnis honorib● deteriores fiunt homines, & far secundam fortunam non omnes possunt. Aristot. lib. 5. de Republ. cap. 8. dignities increase his haughtiness, and makes him forget his misery; they raise him up only to throw him headlong down; and 'tis a kind of miracle if he continue humble in greatness. Lucifer, who had not our weaknesses, could not resist this dangerous enemy; the place he held amongst the Angels, made him vain glorious, his glory dashed his understanding, and seeing all creatures were submitted unto him, he could not endure to submit himself to his Creator; his crime proceeded from his excellency, he was only proud, because he was raised to too high a degree; and if the pain he suffers could truth from out his mouth, he would confess he is only miserable for having been too happy. Man lost himself by the same disorder; the terrestrial Paradise made him forget that the earth was the place of his birth, and the matter whereof his body was composed; the association of Angels, and obedience of beasts, made him believe he was independent; and held of no body. And seeing whole nature busied either for his pleasure, or for his service, he thought that if he were not a God, he might at least become one. But not to speak more of those past disasters, he is overwhelmed with the weight of greatness; there are but few hands which can bear a Sceptre without vanity, and but few heads which do not bow under the weight of a Crown. 'Tis▪ hard h Plerique eo magis contra Deum super biunt quo ab ejus largitate & contra meritum ditantur & qui provo●ari bonis ad m●iora debuerunt donis pe●ores fiunt. Gregor. in Moral. for a Prince to preserve his modesty amidst his honours, and for him to remember that he is a man, whilst all his Subjects endeavour to persuade him that he is a God. Great humility is requisite to him, to defend himself from such pleasing slatteries, and the inclination which by reason of original sin, he hath to vain glory being considered; he hath much ado to reject such hopes as Adam was abused withal, even in the midst of his innocency. 'tis much more hard to make use of pleasure than to make use of pain, and more Philosophers are found to have been patient in afflictions, then moderate in pleasures, riches cause more disorder than poverty; and were not men overruled by opinion, want would be more sufferable than abundance. Though we be not stoics, and though the fond imaginations of the haughty Philosophers did aswel give against reason as truth, we forbear not to confess with them, that sorrow is to be preferred before joy, and that it is better for a man to suffer pain, then to taste pleasure. i Imitatrix boni voluptas est, malorum mat●r omnium cujus blanditiis ●orrumpuntur quae naturá bona sunt. Cic. de legibus. All his advantages are pernicious to him, the remainders of innocency engage him in sin, and he cannot follow Adam's tract, without falling into his precipice: thus ought he to suspect all his desires, and all his hopes, the good whlch flatters him, deceives him; what pleaseth him, is fatal to him; and to express in a word, the irregularity which sin hath placed in his nature, we must affirm, that he is bound to fear what he hopes, and to hope what he fears. For fear abuseth us aswell as hope, and she is unjust, and unfaithful when she paints forth evil to us like a Monster, it may suffice us to suffer it when it hath happened, without anticipating it by our apprehension. That wisdom which foresees an evil, and cannot divert it, serves but to hasten it; and a man had better be surprised by a disaster, then fear it long: this is not withstanding the usual effect of fear; she foreruns our misfortunes, under pretence of freeing us from them; she indiscreetly engageth us in them; and through a vain desire of making us more happy, she ofttimes makes us more miserable; 'tis thought that she makes up a part of our wisdom, that she foresee not an evil save only to prevent it; that unless it were for fear of poverty, we should not heap up riches, that 'tis fear of war, which makes us raise strong holds, and that if it were not for fear of famine, we should not cultirate the ground. But certainly she is vain in her forelight, k Nos à ventur● torquemur & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bonanostra nobis nocent, timoris tormentum memoria reducit, providentia anticip●. nemo tantum praesentibus miser est. Senec. Epist. 13. and whosoever gives himself over to be guided by sotimerous a passion cannot live happily; we forestall sorrow before its birth, we go to find it out before it seeks us, we are ingenious in multiplying our misfortunes, we fear disasters which will never happen; we become the Ministers of our own punishments, and we invent torments with the cruelty of executioners never dreamed off: we are more befriended by fortune than by wisdom, nay even when she hath vowed our undoing, she deals more gently with us, than fear doth. An evil finds us already sunk, when it sets upon us, our fear takes from it the half of its victory, it wonders that she who fights against it, should fight under its colours, and that whilst she would destroy its power, she establisheth its Empire: for 'tis true, she paints forth evil more terrible than it is: she adds somewhat to its il-favourednesse, she never represents it to the life, she is of the humour of those who give out no news without either disguising or augmenting them: she being by nature l Plus in metu●ds est mali, quam in co ipso quod timetur. Cicer. melancholy, fancies ever dreadful visions to herself, the evil which is nearest seems always most dangerous to her: she attributes much to our body, and not consulting with reason, she apprehends all things that can give against the senses, she is not astonished at that sin which only hurts the soul, but the Punishment thereof which takes down the body doth frighten her. Yet this kind of punishment is useful to Christians. They are sooner saved by sufferings than by pleasures, they must change their feeling as well as their condition, and remembering that they are fallen from the happy state of innocency, they must no longer pretend to their past felicity, neither yet complain of their present misery. Evils are no longer to be complained of, since they are become necessary; though the name of punishment which they bear with them, make them anxious to our senses, yet the name of cure should make them pleasing to the understanding: there is not any one of them whereof a man may not make a glorious virtue: if death do not make all men Martyrs, he may make holy victim of them. 'tis a favour to m O mors usurparis ad laetitiam mater moeroris, usurparis ad gloriam glori● inimica, usurparis ad ottr●um regni porta ●ni. B. in Cant c. Serm. 26. die, since God hath been pleased to become mortal; the punishments of our sins are turned into remedies, that which was infamous to us by Nature, is in Grace honourable; and we would not change condition with Angels, since not being able to die like us, they cannot sacrifice their lives to Jesus Christ; the maladies which prepare us for death, do exercise our patience. The great Apo stle grounded his glory in his weaknesses, and not considering the advantages which he had being Master of the Gentiles, he only valued his infirmities, which made the power of his deliverer appear. Poverty is no mo●e the opprobry of men, but the glory of Christians; the Son of God did consecrate it both in his birth and death; it is turned into an eccellent virtue, since he hath been pleased to practise it, though A●dams poverty proceeded from his guilt, most Christians become poor thereby to become innocent, profiting by their loss, they satisfy their Judge his Justice, and revenge themselves of their Enemy's hatred. m jejunium mors culpae remedium salutis, radix gratiae fundamentum est castitatis. Ambros. de Jejunio. Fasting is a virtue which we have learned at our own cost, the barrenness of the earth hath taught us abstinency, we make a sacrifice of the Monster hunger, and in the punishment of our disobedience, we find a fence for our chastity. As evils are profitable to those that suffer them, 'tis in vain that we fear them; As Goods are fatal to those that possess them, 'tis without reason that we wish for them. The world hath changed its face, since man hath changed his condition; if he will not undo himself, he must fear what he hoped for, and hope for what he feared. He ought to be dismayed at riches, since they may corrupt him; and comforted with poverty, since it may convert him, death ought to be more precious to him than life; since it is a sacrifice; and he is bound to prefer pain before pleasure, since the cross of Jesus Christ was the rise of his salvation. The second Discourse. That Honour is no longer the recompense of Virtue. THose who will praise honour, and persuade us that she, is the reward of virtue, say with Aristotle, that generous minded men prefer her before life, and those that bereave us of her are more injurious to us, and more unjust, than those who bereave us of our riches. Prince's hazard their persons and their Estates, and leaving the spoil of their enemy to their soldiers, they reserve unto themselves only the glory of having overcome. o Gloria propria mortuorum possessio. 'tis the only thing which men carry with them to their graves, 'tis that which makes men live, after death, that which preserves their memory in the world, and which triumphing over years makes their worth be known to all posterity. Virtue would not have charms sufficient to make herself be beloved, were she not accompanied by glory, and this austeer Mistress would have no servants did she not promise them eternal reputation; all the famous actions of antiquity had no other original, and it may be said that as honour was the end of their Labours, so vain glory was the soul of their virtue. Ambition, which since sin is become natural unto men, did undoubtedly persuade him p Nulla voluptas humana videtur ad divinam proprius a●edre quam e● delectatio quae percipitur ex ●oribus. 〈◊〉. that glory was the shadow of Divinity, and that it was she, who altering his condition, would make Temples and Altars be raised unto him after his death; He thought he might by the means of honour, obtain what he could not do by the serpent's counsel, and that this faithful companion of virtue would restore unto him, what his sin hath bereft him off. But this argumentation is as seeble as false, for honour hath lost her purity, since man hath lost his innocency: she is dealt about more unjustly than riches, ti's a good which depends only upon opinion, which is as soon gotten by vice as by virtue; and which subsists more by good fortune, than by justice. We have seen great Princes whose lives have been buried in oblivion, for having been The Aristides and the Photions' who are the famousest ornaments of of Greece could not vanquish oblivion; Socrates owes his reputation only to his disciples eloquence, and had not Plato recorded his last words, we should not know how courageously he died. The q Aliquando eligit fama sed saepius errat. Tacit. in vita Agricol. world values much more glorious actions than virtuous ones; Poets and Historians who are the Trumpets of Monarches, tie themselves more to Combats than to counsels, and do much more exalt the defeat of enemies, than the Government over subjects. Alexander won much more reputation amongst the Grecians then did Pericles: and Caesar is much more honoured amongst the Romans, than Cato. The Luster of great actions dazzles the eyes; those which make the greatest noise, receive the greatest praises; men never consider good advice so much as good success, nor the resolution as the event. The very Theatre whereupon things are acted, serves to put a valuation upon them, that which was done in Rome made a greater noise than what at Lacedaemon; and the world which suffers itself to be surprised by greatness, never values virtue or worth unless it be crowned: private soldiers do more gallant actions than their Captains, but the lowness of their condition stifles them. Italy hath produced slaves more nobly minded than Cato, and they have uttered Maxims which Politicians would have reverenced like Oracles, had they been spoken by a Prince 'Tis thought that one of the Scipio's owes all his advantages over the r Nulli praeclusa virtus est, omnibus patet, omnes admittit, omnes invitat ingenuos ●bertinos, servos Reges & exules: non eligit domum nec censum nudo homine contenta est. Lib. 3. de Benefic. cap. 18 Carthaginians, to the wise advice of Laelius, and the Critics know very well that Cicero studied the purity of language in Terence, and the grace of expressing it upon Roscius his Theatre, but because the one was but a franchised slave, and the other a common Player, he only reaped the glory of their labours. This unjust vanity is crept even into religion: we ofttimes judge of Saints greatness, by the eminency of their births, we read the life of a Prince with more admiration than that of a Peasant, and be it either that virtue be rarer in Courts than in cottages, or that we be rather born away with appearances than truths, a common action in the person of a Prince seems noble to us. All things appear great underneath a Crown: and we are so accustomed to flatter Princes, as they pass for good if they be not bad. Eloquence labours to disguise their faults, she gives honourable names to shameful actions: and she thinks that Traffic is not base there, where she barters smoke and wind for Gold. But that which makes nature's disorder evidently appear, is that fortunate faults pass for rare virtues, and that men appear only to be famous, for that they have indeed been wicked. If Caesar s Prosparum ac foelix scelus virtus vocatur. Senec. be more esteemed than Catiline 'tis because his design had better success, they were both guilty of the same fault; both had vowed the ruin of their Country; the one offered at it, but in vain, the other successfully accomplished it: the less guilty went for a Traitor, and the more faulty for a legitimate King; the ones name is odious in all history, the others honourable, and most Monarches by assuming his name show that they approve of his Tyranny. t Populus stultus honores saepe dat indignis & fama servit ineptus, dum stupet in titul● & in imagini. bus. Horat. He is the first Emperor of Rome, the gloriousest Sceptre of the world was the reward of his treachery, his life serves for example to all Conquerors, and his usurpation for excuse to all their unjust undertake. Yet he is guilty of Catiline's fault, he is not more honoured, save for that he is more unjust or more fortunate; and he is numbered amongst the Emperor's only, because he did execute what the other did project. If Cicero's eloquence could have stayed the progress of his ambition, or had he died before he had made himself Master of Rome, his memory would be more odious than that of Dionysius of Syracuse, and as all Kings would have been styled Pompey's, all Tyrants would have been termed Caesar's: but because his faults was fortunate, he was honoured, and the man of the world that stood most in need of Apologies, may glory in having all history made his Panygericks. 'Tis true that Caesar would have had reason to complain had he been otherwise dealt withal; since all Nations treat their usurpers so, and reserve all their praises for those that rob them of their liberty. Great faults are the noblest virtues; Princes who shed most blood, receive most honour; robbery and murder are the steps whereby Tyrants get into King's Thrones; people put not so great a valuation upon those who have defended them, as on those who have conquered them; and all things in the world are so out of order, as usurpation in monarchs is more glorious than succession. The one is the work of Nature, the other of Fortune; they owe their election to their subjects love, and are bound for their conquests to their soldier's valour. Triumph, which was virtues highest recompense amongst the Romans, was granted only to such as had committed most murders, and sacked most Towns; renown was not to be purchased in that Commonwealth, but by violence and injustice. That which their Historians calls victories, their enemies term butchery; what served for a sport to the Roman Dames, made the widows of Carthage weep; and the same success which made them be reverenced, made them be hated by their enemies. Thus triumph, is only founded upon faults, combats are not made without weapons, nor are victories won without murder. This notwithstanding is the glory of Princes, and the mightiness u Non est quod credas quemquam fieri aliena foelicitate infoelicem. Senec. Epist, 94. of Conquerors; he who hath fought amongst Battles, is most valiant; he who hath plundered most Towns, is most happy; and he who hath ruined most Provinces, is the most August: this madness. hath been common among Christian Princes; the laws forbid murder to particular men, and ambition doth oft without reason permit Sovereigns to wage war; 'tis a piece of injustice, to end a difference by a duel; and 'tis an heroic. action to engage fifty thousand men in a Battle, upon a trivial occasion; faults are secure because they are accompanied with an absolute power; and they are publicly praised because they are out of the reach of ordinary Justice. There remains nothing to add idolatry to cruelty, but to render divine honour to these illustrious guilty ones, and to raise up Altars to those who have ruined Kingdoms. The example of Pagans may well authorise this impiety, for they never granted Apotheosis, or Canonization, but to such as were famous for their faults. The first man whom Italy placed in heaven, did sprinkle the walls of x Receptus in coelum Romulus creditur, n● paricidium sine praemio relinqueretur. August. Rome in its rise with his brother's blood: And the first Prince to whom this Republic, changed into a Kingdom, did erect Altars, had oppressed the liberty thereof: since Augustus his death, Apotheosis or Canonization, was the recompense of mutther and incest, to become God he must cease to be man, and must forego all humane relations, to acquire divine honour: The Consul placed men in heaven, whom they would have driven out of the Senate had they not lived under their Tyranny, they appointed Priests to such as deserved Hangmen, and Rome was so accustomed to flatter, as she numbered those amongst her Gods, which she had numbered amongst her Tyrants. But grant that honour were justly distributed, 'tis notwithstanding so frail a good, as men would never so passionately seek after it, had not sin corrupted his nature, and troubled his judgement. For to boot that it is not within us, y Honour est in corum potius potestate qui colunt quom qui coluntur. Aristot. Ethic. lib. 1. cap. 5. and that it is impossible to be happy in a thing which we possess not, it depends upon the opinion of the vulgar, who meddle as well in weighing the merit of men as the Statesmen do. This bad Judge is guided more by humour then by reason; his Intetest is the rule of his Judgement, and these base persons esteem nothing honourable but what is advantageous to them: they change with every wind, and as their minds are agitated with hatred, love, anger, or pity, they praise and blame the same thing. Thus Conquerors are bound to acknowledge, that their reputation depends more upon fortune, than victory; and that to be glorious it is not sufficient for them to have overcome their enemies, unless by a continuance of good fortune, they win their subjects love. I know z Intervallo opus est, ut quis credatur Deus, semperque h●nc gratiam magnis viris posteri reddunt. Curt. lib. 8. 'tis said that glory is never pure till after death, that Kings must lose their lives to purchase esteem, and that the Palms and Laurels of renowu serve only to crown their sepulchers; but I think there are few Conquerors that would purchase glory at so dear a rate, and who would wish to die, that they might receive a recompense which is not tasted but in life: what are they the better for praises given them in History? what redounds to them from a vain reputation, which cannot get admittance into the other world? and how are they advantaged either in heaven or in Hell by their sepulchers adornments. Nothing is more famous in antiquity than Caesar, he is almost as well known throughout the world as Jesus Christ. All Historians speak of him with Encomiums, all Conquerors endeavour to imitate him; an action is not Glorious save when it doth conform with his: Children are rather instructed in his life, then in those of the Apostles or Martyrs, and they know better what he hath done in Italy, than what the Son of God did in Palestine; his voyages are more admired than Saint Paul's, and his Commentaries are read with more contentment, than the Epistles of the great Apostle: but what advantage reaps he by our praises in hell? does his renown lessen his torments? is he less unfortunate, for being more honoured? or is he less tormented, for being better known? hath he any preferment in hell, where all things are in confusion and disorder: that ambitious humour, which could neither suffer a superior, nor yet an equal, is it satisfied with our Panegyrics? and a soul which suffers so much punishment, can it find any contentment in those praises? aught we not rather to conclude, that his shadow is praised, and his person tormented? that he is sensible of his a Laeudantur ubi non sunt cruciantur ubi sunt. Hieronym pains but not of our praises? and that he is well esteemed on on earth, and tortered in hell? Is not Alexander ill rewarded for all his labours? and this lover of glory, doth not he repent that he so long served this faithless Mistress? he overrun the whole world, he was troubled that his Conquests should find a stop, where the Sun stays his course; he would have gone further than that glorious constellation, and have carried his arms where the Sun did not carry his light: he hath played the part both of a private soldier and of a Commander upon a thousand encounters, and hath hazarded his Estate, his Army, and his Person, a hundred times to win a little reputation; yet what of all this remains to him in the grave? doth his glory allay his sufferings? does the title of great, take from him the name of unhappy? do the Ghosts of his soldiers, or of his enemies tremble at his presence, b Silui● omnis t●ra in conspectu● us. 1 Math. 1. and he who held all the earth in awe, and silence, is he any ways delighted with his reputation, or our astonishment? his pomp was effaced by his death he ceased to be Alexander when he ceased to be man; his body is reduced to dust, his soul burns in hell, and his name which is but a Fantasme receives the vain praises, which are given it. Let us conclude then that a man must be a fool to imagine that honour is the recompense of virtue, and that man never sought after these imaginary contentments, till after he had lost those which were solid and real. Man's honour consists in his duty; of all the testimonies which he receives there are none but those of his conscience, which can satisfy him: knowing that virtue depends upon Grace, he gives the glory to him who hath endued him with the strength, & he confesseth that God c cum Deus conrovat merita nostra, coronat dona sua. Aug. crowns his own gifts, when he crowns our merits. Vainglory was permitted to the Pagans who defied honour, but she is forbidden Christians, who hold ambition a crime: she was permitted unto Pagans, whose immortality consisted in renown, but she is forbidden Christians whose felicity consists in beholding God. In fine, earth is the place of desert, and heaven the abode of recompense. God hath reserved unto himself the care of dispensing glory to those that serve him, 'tis d Tunc erit laus unicuique à Deo. he who will make the Saints Panygericks and who will crown their virtues: let us not entrench upon his rights, let us give all glory to him, since he is the fountain thereof, and let us confess that man would never have been ambitious, if he had always continued innocent. The third Discourse. That greatness is attended by flavery and vanity. THough sin hath corrupted man's nature, though it have bereft him of those glorious advantages which made him walk hand in hand with Angels, and hath reduced him to a condition wherein he is equally grieved with shame, and misery, yet hath it not been able to blot out of his soul the memory of his greatness. For though the world be a place of banishment, though all Creatures war against him, and that the seasons are become irregular only to make him suffer, he notwithstanding seeks for Paradise upon the earth, and amidst all his mischiefs, he continues a desire of happiness. Though ignorance be the punishment of his sin, though his blindness continue all his life time, and that the darkness which clouds his understanding, suffers him not to discern between vice, & virtues; yet he thirsts after truth, he seeks her amidst falsehood, and ofttimes fights to find her out; though since the loss of his innocency he be become slave to his passions, and that to obey such insolent Masters, he be enforced to forego his liberty, he ceaseth not to love command, and to pretend to the Empire of the whole world; he endeavours to recover by injustice, d Quaerit adipisc● umbram veri re●ni cum ab illo deciderit in quo soli Deo inferior omnibus dominabatur. Aug. lib. d: verâ Relig. what he hath lost by Vanity; and not able to come by royalty, he with open face aspires to Tyranny. The Devil who cannot efface his desires which are as the remainder of innocency, is content to corrupt them, and to propose unto him false objects to divert him from true ones. To say truth, man takes no longer pleasure in any thing save in criminal delights, the inclination which he hath for the Summum Bonum, serves only to keep the further from it; and for not taking his aim aright, he strays from his end whilst he thinks to draw near it: the love which he bears to knowledge is but a mere curiosity, he loves truth like a whore, not like a legitimate wife, he seeks her out only to pass away his time, as oft as she blames his disorders, he turns his love into hatred, and becomes her persecutor whose servant he was. His passion for Sovereignty, is not more lawful, though he desire a Good which he hath possessed, 'tis upon such conditions, as make his desire unjust. He wisheth for an independent Crown, which may hold of no body, he will be absolute in his estate, and since he is become the Devil's slave, he will be no longer God's subject: his ambition will not suffer him to acknowledge his legitimate Sovereign, and his baseness forceth him to tolerate a Tyrant; he would think he should injure his liberty, should he assubject it to the will e Quid facies daemones colendo nisi ut offendas illum quo offenso in illorum potestatem daberis? & qui nihil tihi possent facere illo placato, facient quidquid vol●t illo irato. Aug. in Psal. 25. of his Creator, and thinks not that he wrongs his nobility, when he submits himself to an usurper: he feeds himself with vain authority, and false greatness; he thinks himself not forced, because he follows his own inclinations, and because his Master keeps him tied up with Chains of Gold, he cannot think he is a slave. This error slides the easilyer into the souls of Kings, for that seeing so many subjects obey them, they cannot persuade themselves that servitude can meet with so many marks of liberty. These crowned heads can hardly believe that their will, which is the living law of their Empire is made a Captive; that they who are their subjects destiny, should hold of an invisible Tyrant: and that they who pass for the Gods of the world, should be the f Iniquum erat ut Diabolus homini quem coeperat xon dominaretur. Aug. l. 3. de lib arbit. cap. 10. Devils slaves: the submission which they find in their Dominions, makes them believe they are absolute: the blind respect which is rendered to their degree, makes them forget the miseries of their birth: flattery insinuates herself easily into them, unless they be armed with reason, to withstand her, and these pleasing falsehoods banish away truth. In so high a pitch of fortune, where nothing is wanting to complete the felicity of their senses; their soul is weakened, and being charmed by false praises, they believe what they desire. They imagine that death dares not assail a Monarch which the world stands in awe of, and whom fortune reverenceth: They make a Godhead of their greatness; they despise such honours as are not divine; and though sicknesses which advertise them of their weakness, assure them of their deaths; they hope for an un-exampled miracle, and persuade themselves that immortality is a favour wherewith heaven will honour their merit: The guards which watch about their Palaces, might easily cure them of this error; did not flattery which makes them as stupid, as insolent, bereave them both of their judgement, and modesty: the conspiracies which are made against their persons, the parties which are packed in their Territories, the cunning which is used to corrupt their subjects loyalty, are reasons good enough to abate their pride; and to destroy that foolish confidence which feeds their vanity. g Magna fortuna magna servitus. Senec. But without going so far for remedies for their evils, their only greatness is able to cure them; when if they would consider the condition whereinto sin hath reduced Monarches, they would confess that the power which waits upon them is but weak, and dangerous, full of anxiety, and mixed with servitude. Though God will suffer us to share with him in his perfections, though he permit that our virtues be a shadow of his divine attributes, that our condition be such as we may imitate them; and though a man be not rational unless he endeavour to express in his soul an image of divinity, yet amongst that number of perfections which we adore in God, some seem to be advantageous to us, other some prejudicial. It is lawful for all men to aspire to holiness, and let us give what ever reins we please to this passion, it can never be criminal. Every one may safely imitate mercy, when, according to God's example our benefits extend unto the good, and to the evil; to Turks, and Christians; and when without making any distinction of persons, we do equally oblige the innocent, and the faulty; a virtue is not to be blamed which hath God for its example; in the religion which we profess a man cannot have too much charity, h Amor sive divinus, sive humanus ●uxta sententiam Arist●elis est quid ni●io simile. the perfection whereof consists in excess, and he who is most charitable, is undoubtedly the most perfect Christian. But there are some other attributes in God which one nor can, nor aught to imitate, save with an humble reservedness; it is dangerous to wish for knowledge; and as our first father lost himself only out of a desire of being too knowing, the desire thereof is ofttimes sinful, and the seeking after it always dangerous. Beauty is one of the excellentest perfections which religion acknowledgeth in God, 'tis the chief object of our beatitude; and were not God as beautiful as he is good, he would not be the desire, and the happiness of all rational creatures: i Dignitas formae gravior possidentibus, & appetentibus exitiosa, exposita tentationibus, & circumdata scandalis. Tert. yet we cannot seek after the possession of this advantage without danger; in women pride accompanies beauty; chastity and she, are not upon good terms, and 'tis a kind of prodigy, when a woman is as chaste, as fair. Greatness and power are two of God's Attributes, which merit equal honour, each of them inspires fear into the soul of the creature; if they be ravished with his goodness, his Majesty astonisheth them; and if his beauty oblige them to love him, his power enforceth them to reverence him. Thus dividing themselves between respect and love, they love him as their Father, and adore him as their Sovereign: k justitia exhibet Deum Patrem & Dominum: Patrem potestate blanda, Dominum severa, Patrem diligendum piè, Dominum timendum necessario. Tertul. contra Marc. lib. 2. cap. 12. yet this perfection which preserves the honour of God amongst men, cannot without danger be wished for; who prescribes not bounds to the desire thereof falls easily into error; and he who pretends to his greatness who hath no equal, cannot avoid his just anger. Lucifer's undoing was for that he would reign in heaven; if pride was his sin, greatness was the object thereof; and if that glorious Angel be now a devil, 'tis because his ambition made him wish himself a God. The cause of his disaster, is ofttimes the cause of ours, that which drove him from heaven, banished Adam out of Paradise; this children of the unfortunate father, mistaking his fault, bear his punishment; and find by experience, that of all worldly conditions, the most glorious is most dangerous, and the most absolute, is most faulty. It is more safe to obey, than to command; and let Kings be never so godly in their Thrones, they run more hazard in their welfare then their subjects do; the higher they be raised up by greatness, the more are they threatened by vanity; that which draws them nearer God, keeps them the farther from him; and the same Majesty which makes them his images, makes them ofttimes his enemies. This condition placeth Kings upon the brink of a precipice, l Imperium cupientibus, nihil medium inter summa & praecipitia. Tacit. histor. lib. 5 the higher it is, the more dangerous is it, and like the highest mountains is always exposed to storms: so great is the danger which doth accompany it, as it may be doubted, whether a Sceptre be not aswell the punishment of God's justice, as the favour of his mercy. The first King of Israel was a reprobate, his election which was somewhat miraculous freed him not from sin, neither could the prayers of a Prophet appease God's anger: his fault at first was but impatience, and in the progress thereof, but a slight enterprise upon the priestly office. The presence of his enemies whereby he was obliged to fight, might serve him for an excuse, and the laws of war, which will have a man make use of advantages, was a reason of state, which might have sheltered him in the opinion of Politicians. Yet this fault which had so fair an appearance, was punished by the routing of his army, he found death, when he sought for glory; and the same mountain which was the pitched field wherein he set upon his enemies, was the scaffold whereon he was punished by Divine Justice. Poets who never read our scripture, judged aright, that Crowns were not always set upon the most innocent heads, and that kingdoms were oftener the punishment of sin than the reward of virtue. jocasta made use of this reason to divert Polynices from the war which he undertook against Eteocles, she assured him, that without troubling himself with fight, he should be sufficiently revenged of a reigning brother, m Ne metus, poenas & quidem solvet grazes, reguabit. Senec in Thebay. for that a kingdom was a severe punishment, and that of all his ancestors there was not any Sovereign who had not been unfortunate, Though this Maxim be not always true in Christianity, and that there have been Kings, whose Thrones have served them for steps to mount up to heaven by, 'tis always very dangerous to be raised to a condition which permits them to do what they please, and with not bereaving them of their passions unruliness, affords them means of satisfying them: For in this supreme authority, which hath no arbitrator, nor censurer, they can do what they will, their power meets with no resistance, all their councillors are their slaves, and either flatttery or fear makes all men praise their injustice, n Nihilest periculosius homini iniusto quam omnia posse. or bear with their violence: if they be unchaste, 'tis not safe to be chaste in their dominions. All women are not courageous enough to expose their lives to save their honour: those who have worth enough to resist the vain discourses of men, have not strength sufficient to withstand a Prince's promises, and there are but very few who will not hazard their chastity to triumph over the liberty of a Monarch. If they be greedy they will find a thousand pretences to enrich themselves at their subjects costs, and to fill their coffers with the spoils of Orphans and Widows. If they be cruel they will find fitting Ministers for their fury: glorious names are given unto their faults, all their revenges pass for acts of justice; they are termed the Fathers of the people, when they wash their hands in their subjects blood; their anger is animated by servile praise, and their cruelty encouraged by approbation: so as Kings have no greater enemies to their welfare then this uncurbed licentiousness which accompanieth their greatness, and that absolute power which furnisheth them with means to execute all their designs. But say they were less irregular and grant that reason assisted by Grace should keep them from abusing their Sovereign Authority, they would not be exempt from fears, and dangers. o Nihil est quod ab Imperatorbus emendari non queat, nec ullum peccatum est quod vires eorum superet, & quidquid ●mittunt, fa cere videntur. Nicetas. For as they are the heads of their People, they are answerable for their faults, they commit all the evil which they do not hinder, & those public disorders wherewith all the world is scandalised, are the particular sins of Sovereigns. When they examine their conscience, they are bound to renew their state, to consider whether justice be exercised in all their hightribunals, whether the governors of Provinces do not abuse their power, whether the nobility in the Country do not trample upon the poor sort of country people, and whether the Judges suffer themselves not to be terrified by threats, or corrupted by promises; they ought to accuse themselves of all such faults as grow insolent thorough impunity, and make their kingdom's disorders the chief article of their confession. How great is this obligation, how dangerous is this condition, and what hazard is there in making good a dignity, wherein Innocency becomes guilty, where though exempt from sin, one is not exempt from fear, and where to acquit himself of his duty, a man must to the quality of an honest upright man add the quality of a good Sovereign. In the state of innocency, the world had had no kings, or kings would have had no trouble, for passion not having yet rebelled against reason, every one might have governed himself without any danger, and all men might have obeyed without repugnancy: the will of the subject would always have been conformable to that of their King, and Kings would have exacted nothing from their subjects, which should not have been both profitable and pleasing to them: in this happy season crowns would not have been environed with thorns, and the curse thundered out against the earth, would not have fallen upon the heads of Kings, p Ar● artium regereanimos hominum. Greg. there would have been no difficulty in the art of reigning, and the state being an image of man; the one and the other would have found rest in his innocency. But now that men are become unruly, the art of governing them is become equally difficult, and dangerous; the subject's faults becomes the Kings, and the King's fault becomes the subjects punishment: thus the one and the other of them are mutually miserable, and the most powerful is always the most faulty. If royalty meet with danger, labour is inseparable from it, and glory is therein so mingled with pain, as government ceaseth to be glorious, when it is easy. King's command over free men who do not engage themselves in submission, save only that they hope there to find happiness: this is a thing which heightens the greatness of Monarches, but it adds unto their cares, and unless they will lose the title of kings, and purchase the name of Tyrants, they must govern themselves so wisely, as preserving their authority, they do not injure their subjects liberty. q Solus Nerva duas res olim insotiabiles miscuit libertatem, & Imperium. Tacit. This is a temper so hard to be met withal, as most Princes are either too indulgent or too severe, some treat their subjects like savage beasts, and seem rather to govern Lions, than men; others deal with them as with Children, and rather discharge the duty of a Pedagogue then of a king, others treat them like slaves, changing their kingdom into a galley, and foregoing the quality of a king to assume that of a Captain of a Galley. Others treat them like rebels, and confounding Monarchy with Tyranny, have no other law than their will, nor other means to make them be obeyed then torments, and punishments, but Legitimate kings deal with them as with free people, interessing themselves in their Good, and studying to win their hearts without entrenching upon their liberties. This is for certain the most innocent and most honourable way of treating, r Omnium domos illius vigi ●a defendit, omnium vacationem illius occupatio omnium delicias illius industria ex quose regno dedicavit sibi eripuit. Senec. ad Polyb. cap. 26. but it is also the hardest for to arrive at this, Kings must watch whilst we sleep; they must foresee the evils which threaten us, repulse those wherewith we are assailed, and consulting with history, must learn by what is passed how to prevent mischiefs to come; if any thing of disaster befall, their government is blamed; if the success of war be bad, their courage is accused; and as if nature depended on their will, famine and pestilence are imputed to their ill government. The Indians admit of no King, who doth not oblige himself by oath, to overcome all the enemies of the State, to govern all seasons, and to warrant the subject against the injuries of the weather. Though there be as much injustice in exacting this promise, as insolency in making it, yet doth it proceed from a general belief which all men have, that Princes ought to labour for the welfare of the Commonweal, to secure the quiet of their dominions, and to endeavour their subjects happiness; what is there more painful, or more troublesome, then to appease the anger of heaven, to conjure down tempests, to fight, and be victorious, and to order things so right, as that a man do not ruin his subjects, by overcoming his enemies? But I marvel not that greatness be laborious, since 'tis servile; s Non bene imperat nisi qui paruerit imperio. Senec. 2. de Irâ. and that Kings enjoy less liberty than their subjects. For since sin hath enslaved man, there is no free condition to be found on earth; servitude succeeded innocency; and to be sure to command, a man must necessarily obey: great fortunes are famous captivities, though their splendour dazzle us, their miseries are easily observed, and though their chains seem more glorious, as being made of diamonds, yet are they as hard, and as heavy as others. Princes dare not travel, they are confined within their Kingdoms as in a prison, their visits would cause jealousies in their Allies, should they be accompanied with great preparations, and they would injure their own greatness, should they be done without ceremony. They must keep within their own Towns, must not visit their Frontiers, except in Arms; nor see foreign Countries, unless in Maps; t Multa Regi non licent quae humilli●s, & in angusto jacenti● licent, magna servitus est magna for tuna Senec. ad Polyb. and if they go out of their Country, they must be resolved to fight: All their Marches give Alarms to their neighbours, when they think upon a journey, every one prepares for war, and 'tis imagined they would enlarge their prison, when they enter into another's Territories: These famous Captives are so jealous of their Gives, as a man cannot break them without becoming their enemy, and they are so in love with them, as they esteem an endeavouring to set them at liberty, is to entrench upon their power: their greatness, wherein the best part of their servitude consists, obligeth them to have always Guards about their persons; they can do nothing but they must have a thousand witnesses, all their secrets are public, they are besieged in their Closets; crowd, and noise, trouble the content of their solitariness; those who keep off the crowd, press upon them; and those who defend them, do besiege them; Those Sentinels who watch at the avenues to their Palaces, are as well a mark of their captivity, as of their greatness; and he who were not acquainted with the Court, would doubt whether he that is with so much care guarded, were a prisoner, or a King. Amongst so many slaves, they have never a bosom friend: their greatness which cannot suffer an equal, u Neque cum Diis, neque cum Regibus ob eorum excellentiam amicitia contrabi potest. Arist. 1. Polit. cannot admit of a friend: they taste not those honest contentments which accompany friendship; all that come near them are either slaves or flatterers, who tell them nothing but pleasing falsehoods: Truth is banished from out their Palaces; if they raise up any one, they are always jealous of him; they envy their own workmanship, they un-make what they had made, either to witness their power, or to content their jealousies; x Net regna socium ferre nec taedae sciunt. Senec. and knowing that all things are common amongst friends, they will not relish a happiness, which obligeth them to divide their power of State. Marriage which is the straightest tie of all friendship, doth not abate the irksomeness of their solitariness, for they take their wives, but choose them not; they marry for interest, not for inclination; they have least of freedom, wherein they ought to have most, and have more respect to the welfare of their Territories, then to their own contentment; the welfare of their subjects is the end of all their labours, and nature hath hidden real servitude, under an appearing greatness; They command over men, for men's advantage; they are rather Arbitratours, than Sovereign Lords; rather Fathers, than Masters; and rather Tutors, than Sovereigns; they are Pilots which ought to avoid storms, Chieftains which ought to fight, Suns which ought to dissipate darkness, and dispense abroad heat and light: they are Fathers which ought to govern their Kingdoms as their Families, and their subjects as their children: whatsoever exceeds this power, leans towards injustice, and all Princes who mind more their own renown then their people's good, deserve rather y justi reges quibus impera●t serviunt, neque enim dominandi c●piditate imperant sed officio consulend●, nec ●ipandi superbia sed providendi misericordi. i Aug. lib. 19 de civet. c. 14. the name of Conquerors than Sovereigns: good Kings serve those over whom they command, they do not mount their thrones so much to cause fear, as to purchase love; and if they will perform their duties they must not reign over their subjects out of an ambitious desire of commanding over them, but out of a charitable desire of being advantageous to them. If they have any other motive for what they do, they fall into another sort of servitude, and becoming Tyrants to their people, they become slaves to their passions, for as just men are free amidst fetters, wicked men are slaves though on throns, and these who are so famously faulty have as many Masters which command them, as they possess passions. Thus greatness be it lawful, or unlawful, is always waited on by servitude, and the greatest Monarchies of the world cannot shun the loss of their liberty, whether the end of their labours be the good of their Territories, or their own renown. It is true that their conditions are as different, as their designs, for some find their own welfare to consist in that of their subjects, and others find their loss in that of their state, the one acquires honour by despising it, others lose it, by seeking after it, the one establisheth his authority by foregoing it, and the other destroy it whilst they would establish it, but they all learn by experience, that since the sin of Adam there is no liberty without servitude, nor Greatness without dependency. The fourth Discourse. That the birth and cruelty of War derives from sin. WAr is of as long a standing in the world as sin, this daughter was born together with her Father, and contrary to the laws of Nature she punisheth him that begot z Belli prima orizo adeo pecatum est ut nihil al●ud innocent●a nisi pax summa intelligatur. her; for as soon as man was fallen from innocency, and that original righteousness, which composed the differences of the soul and body, had forsaken him; these two parties declare war against one another, the slave rebelled against his Sovereign, and became a rebel himself, to punish his Sovereign's rebellion, he undertook to reduce reason under his laws, and to submit the inclinations of the understanding to the motions of Concupiscence. This intestine war caused foreign discords; when man became once divided in his person, divisions arose in his state, and at the same time that his soul and body gave over their good intelligence, all his a Omnis creatura pugnavit contra insensatos. subjects revolted, every element set upon him to revenge itself, and the conspiracy was so general, as this unfortunate Sovereign saw not any one part of his state wherein he had not enemies to fight withal, and rebels to subdue. Before that Heaven afforded him some means to reduce them to their duties, he suffered unexpressible misery, and to draw an Idea of his disaster, we must set forth a man exposed to the rigour of the air, without clothes; one persecuted by the elements, who had no house, one starved with hunger, who could not cultivate the earth; one fought withal by his passions, who had no virtues to discover them, one composed of disagreeing parts, who had no power to rereconcile them: such a one was Adam, when he was driven out of the earthly Paradise; all his subjects became his enemies, every element to offend him, grew unruly, the seasons mingled themselves disorderly to punish him; and beasts which were not as then wild, changed their Nature to persecute him. This unfortunate Sovereign was fain to arm himself in his own defence; b Antiquum bellum venatio licitum, quia necessarium. necessity taught him to cut out clothes to save himself from the cold, to build Cabins wherein he might keep dry notwithstanding the injuriousness of the weather, to plough the earth, to overcome her sterility, to make arrows, or spread nets to take birds, and tame savage beasts: he taught the horse to manage, and forced the noblest of creatures to endure the bit and spur; he brought oxen under the yoke, forced bulls to change their fury into friendship, and to forego the forest to live in pastures; he wisely mixed art with force, and that he might lessen the number of his enemies, he endeavoured to divide them; he made use of those that he had reclaimed, against those which did resist him; and by an admirable address he chased stags with horses, pursued wolves with dogs, and flew at partridges with Falcons, and Goss haulks. Thus did this Sovereign beat back force by violence, and reduced his subjects to their duty, by the aid of necessity. This war was just, because necessary; self preservation was his excuse, c justum bellum quibus necessarium, pia arma quibus nulla nisi in armis spes relin quitur. Livius. and if the beasts were not too blame in setting upon a man, who had revolted against God, man was not unjust in defending himself against those subjects which would have oppressed him: Nature taught him that he might commit murder, without committing sin: and that in the state of sin he might slay the innocent to feed himself. This permission did notwithstanding inspire cruelty insensibly into him; by kill beasts, he learned to kill men; these his first Trials made him Master of his art, so as passing through all the degrees of injustice, after having committed murder, he committed parricide. For when he saw that the death of one man had drawn upon him the hatred of all those that belonged unto him, he sought for some to side with him, he engaged all his friends in his quarrel: then did men forge weapons to undo themselves; they who had only pursued their subjects, pursued those that were like themselves; And arrows which were only dipped in the blood of beasts, were stained with man's blood; the Chieftains of parties, chose out pitched fields to end their differences, they encouraged their soldiers to the combat, d Tunc solum utile est concurrere ad arma, cum locum apud hostem invenire non potest justitia. Cassiodo●. lib. 3 Epist. 1 they made them hope for the spoil of the enemy, and persuaded them that revenge and murder were glorious actions. This cruel opinion spread itself over the whole world, the trade of war grew honourable, and the name of murderer was changed into that of soldier; ambition increasing with time, every one thought that greatness consisted in injustice, that he who had committed most murders, was most courageous; and that he who had overcome most Nations, plundered most Towns, and overrun most Provinces, was the most famous Conqueror. When once this error grew to be a maxim, e Arma non servant modum nec temperari facile nec reprimi potest stricti ensis ira: bella delectit cruror. in Hercul furent. all disorderly unquiet spirits entrenched upon their neighbours; every Prince would enlarge his bounds; men began to place right in might, to confound usurpation with possession, and to think that every thing belonged to him that could make himself Master thereof. War was made upon foreign Nations; no other pretext but ambition was sought for, and all such as would not be subjects to a Prince, became his enemies. Though we have as many proofs of the corruption of our nature, as we have inclinations in our soul, yet we must confess there is none more strong than that which an extreme desire to wage war, doth furnish us withal: for fury hath persuaded us, that it was the most glorious employment that might be, we hear Conquerors spoken of with respect, we read their fights with admiration, we term their Injustice Heroic actions, Eloquence cannot find out expressions noble enough to honour their Ambition. Historians think themselves happy when they write a Prince his life who hath drowned the fields with humane blood, and who like thunder hath born down what ever withstood his violence. We give the title of grand to those who have unpeopled the world, we propound unto our Kings the example of such who have ruined their subjects to overcome their neighbours; we foment their ambition, by the praise we give usurpers: we insensibly persuade them, that Justice is but the virtue of private men: and that Sovereigns who have no law but their will, aught to seek for no other right, or title than Violence. There is nothing more horrible than war, sin is the cause thereof, and this wicked Father produceth nothing which more resembles him than this Monster. Injustice and ambition are the officers which do guide it, Fury and Cruelty the Sergeants which do accompany it, and its exploits are plunder, murder, violence, and burning; it carries terror and dread into all parts where it comes, changeth fields into deserts, towns into solitary places, and Kingdoms into Tyrannies, it mingles children's tears with their Father's blood, bereaves women of their honour, and their husbands of their Liberties, raiseth its Trophies upon the ruin of Cities, or upon mounteins of dead men, it grounds its Triumphs upon the undoing of kingdoms, and draws its praises from the cries and complaints of Captives. Yet f Gens cum gente colliditur, regnum cum regno, Christianus cum Christiano, & sunt qui applaudant, qui vehant laudibus, qui que principes ultro furentes insiigent. Erasm. sin obligeth us to value it, and though we do experiment the rigour thereof, we cannot choose but approve of its disorders. We number the victories which we have won over our enemies, we look upon the number of the dead, and prisoners with delight, the pillaging of towns and taking of places satisfies our vanity, and as if passion had made us lose all humane resentments, we never think that our victory is our brethren's undoing, that our rejoicing draws tears from the eyes of Orphans and widows, whose Fathers and husbands we have slain: that hell is filled with soldiers, whilst the world is unpeopled of Christians, and that these advantages which make us insolent, cost innocents' their lives, make free men prisoners, and wealthy men miserable. Those who see the disasters caused by war, imagine the cause thereof aught to be very considerable, and that Princes break not with their neighbours or allies uninforced by powerful reasons; yet are the motives thereof, oft times ridiculous; what causeth a suit at law between two private men, begets a quarrel between two Princes, what puts a division between two families, puts a difference between two states, and that which is the undoing of two parties who go to law together, doth ofttimes ruin two Nations, which wage war together, an apple was the chief cause of the burning of Troy; the ravishing of Helen was but the occasion; Poets who hide Truth's underfables, would have the famousest siege in all the world should be undertaken to revenge the Jealousy of two women; and that the greatest Empire of Asia, g Manet alta ment repostum judicium Paridio: spretaeque injuris formae. Virgil. should be ruined to punish a shepherd's judgement. Ambition which delights in greatness, hath no juster nor no more worthy motions; Greece complained no longer of Persia when Alexander set upon her; nothing can make this Conqueror carry fire and and sword into his neighbour's country, save a vain desire to reign; and who should have asked him the motive of so unjust and rash a design, must have found it to have been his vain glory. The Commonwealth of Rome was at the height of her prosperity, when Cas● resolved to change her into a Monarchy, Pompey's greatness served him only for a pretence to execute his enterprise, for though his son in laws exploits had caused no Jealousies in him, and that he had not been encouraged to that design, by the examples of Marius and Scylla, his ambition was of itself sufficient to cause this desire in him: his insolent mind could endure no equals, his citizens if they will be his friends must be his slaves, all whatsoever greatness must bow to him, lest they cause his indignation; and the people must receive a shameful peace, if they will not suffer a direful war. I am further of opinion, h In landibus Caesaris posuit Sallustius quod sibi magnum imperium exercitum, bellum novum exoptabat ubi virtus enitescere potest ut miseras ge●es in bellum excitaret. Aug. lib. de Civit. c. 12. that this Monster nursed up in butchery and blood, would have made enemies, if he had found none; that after having vexed the Romans, he would have persecuted the Parthians, and that passing from one Country to another, he would have dispeopled all Kingdoms, & ruined all Kings. The wars of our Ancestors have had no juster pretences; those which our Histories ring most of, have had but weak motives; the jealousy of two Families have ofttimes endangered the Kingdom; two Favourites have ofttimes used their Master's Militia, to end their own differences; hundred thousand men have interessed themselves in the fight, not knowing the occasion thereof. But certainly it must be confessed if wars have small causes, they produce strange effects; i Summum Bruto 〈◊〉 civilia bella fatemur. Lucan. and that those which we term civil, exceed all others in cruelty: for men make profession to violate all the laws of nature, and as if every soldier were of his General's humour, he believes that his nearest kindred are his greatest enemies; he dips his hands in his own blood to assure his Captain of his fidelity; his ambition makes him lose all sense of humanity; he would think he should betray his duty, if he spared his friends; and esteem himself not worthy the name of a soldier, if he could forget the names of father, and mother. He who sacrificed himself upon his brother's body whom he had heedlessly killed in the heat of the battle, was yet but an Apprentice in war; and more experienced than he, would have presented his brother's head unto the General, to have had some recompense for it. Civil Wars stifle all the relations of nature; those who fight in the same Kingdom under differing Ensigns, have nothing of man but the face; they cease to love or know one another, after once they begin to fall a siding; and when the heart of their Country is the Theatre of their Battles, their cruelty cannot be mitigated by any Alliance. History, or else Fiction, tells us of two brothers whom their mother's tears was never able to reconcile: they fought hand to hand in the head of their Armies, to spare their soldier's blood; they through their own wounds, poured forth their Father's blood: death, which they both received at the same moment, could not appease their quarrel; hatred appeared in their countenances, when it had forsaken their heart; k Non suriis post fata modum, flammasque rebels, seditione rogi. Stat. Thebay. lib. 1. their souls descended into hell, to end their combat there; and fury passing from their bodies to their funeral Pile, divided the flames which consumed them. This fiction of the Poets, is a truth amongst Christians; amongst whom there are brothers found whose hatred is immortal, who preserve their animosity after the loss of their lives; who leave it for an inheritance to their successors; who charge their children to revenge their injuries; and who showing a face of war in time of peace, do meditate murder when they cannot commit it. I wonder not that the same thoughts which did possess them in their life, possess them likewise in their death; and that those who delighted in nothing but blood, did dream on nought but cruelties; since an ill habit is an invisible chain which keeps the will captive, and will not suffer it to abhor a crime, which hath always been pleasing to it. But I cannot well comprehend how sin should so far corrupt man, as to persuade him that murder was honourable, that there was glory in committing it, pleasure in beholding it, and that the cruelest action that may be, could purchase glory, or cause content. All Paganism took pleasure to see the Gladiators fight; the effusion of man's blood was one of their most pleasing spectacles; and l Homo occiditur in hominis voluptatem, & ut quis possit perimere usus est. Quid potest inhumanius dici' disciplina est ut quis perimere possit, & gloria est quod peremit. Cyprian. ad Donat. Rome had much a do to forgo this cruel pastime, after she had embraced the Christian Religion: people ran to public places, to see men fight; they were taught to kill one another handsomely, and with a good grace; public schools were erected to teach this bloody exercise; there were Masters who taught how to observe method in murdering, who led their disciples into their Arenae, or Theaters for fencing; and who trying their dexterity themselves encouraged them to fight by example; he was most praised, who shed most blood, and a man sorely wounded who had killed many men was led about in triumph. Sin must needs reign in their hearts, since it had driven thence all sense of humanity; and that making manslaughter a virtue, it had persuaded them that glory consisted in injustice, and pleasure in cruelty: this madness, grew in time to so great a height, as to make killing more easy, and the sport more pleasing; men were to fight stark naked with offensive weapons, but none defensive. Obscenity was joined to cruelty, to the end that one might content two passions with one and the same spectacle, and that the sight of a dying wretch might make them love his murderer; yet these combats are but the shadows of war; the Gladiators fury is but the soldier's entrance; Companies were filled up which these people nursed up in blood; and when recruits were to be had, those were sought for in the Arenae, who had made themselves famous by the death of their Companions. And certainly duels which serve for pastime to our nobility, are neither more just, nor yet less cruel; so brutish a passion cannot be but in minds where sin doth Tyrannize: a man must renounce both reason and Grace, to obey so blind a fury; and one must cease to be either rational or faithful, if he believe that a Gentleman's Glory consists in Murder; yet this error is become a custom, Gentlemen love rather to lose their heads upon a scaffold, and die by the hands of a hangman, then to be failing in an occasion where they know their conscience is in an ill condition, and that they are in danger of losing both soul and body; fear of shame hath more power over them then fear of Hell; they choose rather to incur God's anger, and their Princes, than the people's reproach, and by a foolish extravagancy, they hazard their soul to preserve their honour. As this blind Passion differs not much from that which animates Conquerors to war, so doth she likewise proceed from the same principle; the one and the other proceed from sin, which having put us at odds with ourselves, puts us likewise at odds with our neighbours; and persuades us that all means are lawful whereby we may acquire honour. Upon this false belief, we engage ourselves in combats, we violate the holy laws of nature, we fly upon our neighbours and allies, and not considering; m Mundus est magna & vere respublica qua Dii atque homines continentur; in qua non ad hunc angulum respicimus aut ad illum, sed terminos civitatis nostrae cum sole metimur. Senec. de otio sapient. that the world is a Commonwealth; that all kingdoms are the provinces, all people the subjects thereof, that charity is the law thereof, the Holy Ghost the heart, and Jesus Christ the head, we use such cruelties one towards another, as do well witness that sin hath corrupted our nature, and that the Devil doth possess our will. He who doth not acknowledge the truth, and doth not confess that this irregularity is the punishment of our sin, is yet more miserable than they who endure it, and complain thereof: for the other grounds his glory upon his injustice only because he hath lost the use of reason, and thinks himself only happy because he is become stupid. War is then one of the most fatal effects of sin, and one of the severest chastizements of divine Justice; it is only excusable n Billum pium quibus necessarium. Tacit. when necessary, and yet it were better sometimes to follow the counsel of the Gospel, and to lose somewhat of that, which by right apperteins unto us, then to defend it by so cruel a way: for if he whose every word is an oracle, recommends peace to us dying, how can we resolve to wage war? if he command us to forget injuries, how can we commit outrages and homicide? Let o Madet orbis mutuo sanguine, & homicidium cum admittunt sing 〈◊〉 crimen est, vir●s vocatur cum ●blice geritur: impunitatem sceleribus acquirit non innocentiae ratio sed saevitiae magnitudo. Cyprian. ad Donat. us then conclude that man is sufficiently sinful, since war is his exercise, since his glory consists in cruelty, since combats are his noblest employments, since he delights in Murder, since he esteems a pitched battle more innocent than a single Duel, only because it is more bloody; since he thinks manslaughter a sin, when it is particular, and a virtue when general; and when by an injustice which cannot be sufficiently blamed, the sinner finds his impunity only in the excess of his sin. The fifth Discourse. That Riches render men poor and sinful. THough it be hard to say, which is the severest punishment man hath suffered since his loss of innocency, and that servitude, and death are pains equally insupportable to those who love their liberty as their life, yet me thinks there is a third more rigorous, which all men do resent, yet not any one complains off. And this is nothing else but the calling to mind the possession of all those good things which we have lost together with our innocency: a desire of them remains in us, which virtues self cannot efface, we sigh when we want them, and we never are so sensible of our misery, as when we are assailed by pain, infamy or poverty. p Multis parasse divitias non finis miseriarum suit sed mutati●. Non hoc miror non est enim in rebus vitium sed in ipso animo. Illud quod paupertatem gravem secerot & divitias graves fecit. Senec. Epist. 17. Yet are their remedies new diseases, and we never do so well know our own weakness, as when we abound in pleasures, honours, and riches. This is so true a Maxim as that all Christian Religion makes profession, of either really foregoing all those advantages which men enjoyed during the state of innocency, or else of desiring to do so. She rejects honour, and seeks out shame, she shuns delight, and nourisheth herself in sorrow, she forsakes riches, and embraceth poverty. Being instructed in the school of Mount Calvary, she turns the punishments of her sin into remedies, she makes virtues of her chastizements and shuns those advantages which man possessed in paradise, least following Adam's example, she might fall upon his disaster. To say truth, all our pleasures are irregular, we cannot labour after honour, without hazarding our humility, and we cannot possess riches without becoming insolent, the malady rests not only in our desires; it is passed into these objects, which give it birth, and there is a certain malignity found in the use of Riches which makes us lose our innocency: q Speciosa supplicia. Cyprian. they are specious torments, and pleasing punishments, which promise us to allay an evil, which they do irritate. Poverty stands in need of something, but avarice, r Desunt inopiae multa, avaritiae omnia. Senec. which is almost inseparable from Riches, needs all things, she wonders that the enemy which she shuns, never fore-goes her, that Poverty should pursue her amidst abundance, and that gold which she adores should fill her coffers, yet not her heart. This metal not being to be divided without diminution, it kindles war amongst men, makes them severally minded, divides their wills, and causeth all those differences which justice endeavours to decide. In the state of innocency, men possessed all things in common, avarice had not as yet found out bounders to sever fields: Kings had not yet drawn lines to divide the sea: as Light is an universal good, so was the earth a common heritage, and this charitable mother was fruitful enough to nourish all her children. The poorest man that was, was a King of the whole world. Ambition had not yet formed states, nor built strong holds upon their Frontiers, all things were possessed in common, without any jealousy; self-love had not as yet persuaded any one, that to be master of a thing, all other men must be deprived of it. There was no such thing known as propriety, every one was content with the riches of nature, and the earth forestall men's desire by her happy facundity, men did with pleasure gather in her fruits without taking pains to husband her, a man would have thought he should have been become poor, if he had heaped up riches; and he who would have thought that by appropriating any grounds ●o himself, he should have renounced the world's Sovereignty: as men do not divide the air, nor the light, so neither did they then divide the sea, nor land; and the seasons not being irregular, the whole world was but a stately palace whereof the heavens were the sieling, and the earth the floor. Meadows served for gardens, rivers for channels, forests were unwalled parks, and the open fields furnished endless walks, large lakes served for fish-pools, and all men's delights were innocent, because purely natural. Art had not as yet corrupted Nature, under colour of imbellishing her, every thing held that place in the world, which it deserved; gold ˢ . 〈◊〉 nocens 〈◊〉 ●erroque●entius au● prodicrat. OVid. Meta. 1. was not yet got out of the bowels of the earth, pearls lay quiet in the depth of the sea, and diamonds in rocks, not causing any confusion in the world: Marble was trampled under foot, vain glory had not yet found any use for it; and in a condition wherein neither heat nor cold did incommodate him, man had not yet thought of building houses, nor making himself apparel. Stuffs were unknown, because useless; colours appeared not in Lustre, save in pinks and roses; and necessity (which is not the mother of invention, but as it is the daughter of sin) had not obliged man to seek for remedies for miseries, which he did not as yet suffer: but as soon as he would be rich, he became poor; as soon as he heaped together imaginary goods, he lost such as were real; and when he tilled the ground to make it more fruitful, the earth punished his avarice by a universal sterility: she who together with fruits, bore flowers, bears now no roses without prickles: the spring which mingled her beauties with Autumn's fertility was divided from thence by summer's scorching heat, and winter's benumbing cold. These two vexatious seasons did disarray the trees, and had not the Angels taught sinful man, how to sow the ground with seed, famine had prevented the deluge. When he saw the world changed into a hideous solitude, he was forced to build houses to fence himself against the fury of the Element; he was on all sides so pressed upon by poverty, as he was necessitated to seek out riches; barrenness which threatened him with famine, made him till the ground; and the fear lest his neighbours might reap the fruit of his labours, constrained him to make enclosures: he invented money to entertain commerce with strangers; and seeking out a metal, the rarity whereof put a valuation upon it; he found out gold, which nature had hid within her bowels; he thought she had lodged it next her heart, witness the love she bore unto it; the pain he had to draw it thence added to his esteem thereof; and being dazzled by its colour, and charmed by the advantage he made thereby, he made thereof his first Idol. The t Aurum sic judaicum populum suo captivavit aspectu ut hoc esse Deum crederent: Aurum cum mores hominum perdit, perdit & naturam. Chrysolog. Serm. 29. Israelites could not defend themselves against this mischievous contagion, their getting out of Egypt, their passing through the red sea, & the raining of Manna in the Desert, were not miracles powerful enough to divert them from so senseless an Idolatry. They persuaded themselves, that gold was the God which had delivered them; they were blinded by its beauty; and though Aaron the High Priest had made it into the shape of a Calf, to make it appear the more ridiculous, it's being made of that mettle, was sufficient to make them worship it. Iron by divine providence had its birth together with gold; for God knowing that murder could not be severed from avarice, he coupled these two metals together, to the end that the one might be the price of our fraud, and the other the instrument of our fury. Adultery followed murder; and chastity which had defended herself against what man could say to undermine her, could not defend herself against riches. Presents prevailed more than humble submissions, and this frail sex, which affords so many advantages against itself, showed itself to be more avaricious, than proud. In fine, Poets were not much out of the way when they feigned that all evils had their birth together with riches, and that man became sinful, as soon as he grew rich; u Vivitur ex rapto non hospes ab hospite tutus: Imminet exitio vir conjugis, illa mariti, filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos, victa jacet pietas. Ovid. Metamorph. 1. children attempted their father's lives, wives poisoned their husbands, brother conspired against brother, and every one made use of iron to come by gold. Justice was busied about nothing else but in composing quarrels occasioned by this mettle, Gallows were erected to punish murderers, and men knew that gold which he had found out to supply his necessities, was the cause of all his disasters. But say that gold should not set men together by the ears, and that peace should not be troubled with the insatiable desire of riches, yet would it be always prejudicial to a sinner, and he must wish to be poor, if he would recover his innocency. For all his desires are out of order, all his wishes unjust, and sin which doth possess him, engageth him continually in pernicious designs, he owes all his innocency to his weakness, and if he do not perpetrate all the evil which he projects 'tis because Nature hath disabled him. But riches deprive him of this advantage by affording him means to do what he desires, and make a guilty man absolute, by bereaving him of the happy disability whereinto poverty had brought him. x Inflant animos divitiae, superbiam pariunt, invidiam contrabunt, & eo usque mentem alienant ut fama pecuniae etiam nocitur● nos delectet. Sen. Epist. 87. For if he be ambitious, he opens the gate which leads to honour with a golden key; if unchaste, he corrupts women's chastity by presents; if angry, he finds enough basely conditioned men, who have courage enough to work his revenge; and if he love good cheer, he ransacks both sea and land to please his palate, and satisfy his belly. Thus is gold the instrument of all evil, it attempts chastity, corrupts justice, sets upon innocency, and oppresseth poverty. When heaven is offended with a sinner, it needs but only make him rich, to undo him; and make him wealthy to make him wretched; 'tis equivalent to putting a good sword into a mad man's hands, to the preserving of poison in a crystal glass to one that is frantic, and to the setting of a blind man upon the top of a precipice tapistred with Jessemine and Lilies. On the contrary, poverty is the sanctuary of innocency, there are fewer faults where less of abundance. Those who live by hunting and by fishing know not how to mingle poison with their drink, if they kill their enemies, 'tis with arrows; and all their combats have less of art, and more of generosity in them, than ours have: luxury governs not amongst men who go naked; those families are not ruined with making stately structures, who can shelter themselves under trees, excess in eating causeth no disasters in those who eat nothing but the fruits of the earth; and the steem of wine bereaves not them of reason, who drink nothing but spring water. These innocent people value y T●eo totius vitae necessitates sorro & aeri innis as, cum & divitia de metull is effodi●ndae sine ●ri operario rigore non possunt. Tertul. de habitu mulieb. iron more than gold, and prising things according to their utility, they prefer what is most commodious, before what is most pleasing, they make use of iron to arrive their arrows with, and to build their cabins; the same metal serves them both for peace and war; that which serves them for defence, serves them for ornament, and they place their riches where they find most commodiousness; they barter gold with us for Iron, they think they gain by an exchange, wherein to obtain what they desire, they hazard not their liberty, nor do forego their countries, they wonder that we cross so many seas, and run so many hazards for a metal which is but earth, before it be refined, z Terra scilicet plane gloriofior nomen terr● in igne reliquit, atque exinde de tormentis in 〈◊〉, de suppliciis in delicias, de ignomini is in honores, metalli refuga mutatur. Tertul. de habitu mul. which loseth his name in the fire, which finds it beauty in its torments, which draws its Lustre from the crusible, and which becomes not gold before it hath wearied the patience of the workmen. Pearls seem not more precious to them; if they fish for them in the sea; 'tis that they may sell them to us; before our avarice had won them credit, children who made them their play-games, gave them to our merchants for cockleshells; they look upon these stones which we esteem precious, as the mere excrements of the fishes that produce them, they blame the esteem we put upon them, and being more rational than we, they conclude, that we do worship the things only by reason of their rarity. Abundance is always accompanied with contempt, if gold were more common, 'twould be despised, that which grows in our climate, must pass into another to purchase reputation; and as there are some fruits which are not good till transplanted, so are there a thousand things in the world, which are not prized till after they have changed their country. a Apud barbaros quosdam quia ver●aculum est aurum & copi●sum, auro vinctos in ergastulis habent, & divit● malos ●trant, tanto locupletiores) quanto nocentiores. Aliquando re ver â inventum est, quomodo aurum non ametur. Tert. de habit. mulie. Barbarians did profane gold before they knew the price thereof; because it was common amongst them, they made use thereof in infamous things: the chains of prisoners were made of this metal, those who were most guilty, were the most richly adorned, that which is here the ornament of Princes, was there the offender's punishment, thus this people had found out a harmless way how to make this metal odious. By all this discourse 'tis easily gathered, that riches are evils which though they be pleasing, cease not to be dangerous, that man is too much out of order to make good use thereof, that they are serviceable but to one virtue, yet of use to all sins. Christians dispose of them by the way of alms, and Philosophers by way of liberality. But in the one and the other of them, avarice doth unjustly accumulate them, prodigality doth profusely dissipate them, pride makes use of them, to heighten herself, vain glory to adorn herself, and choler for revenge, they are only useful when they are given away with delight, and lost without sorrow. b Negotiatio est a liquid amittere, ut majora lucreris. Tertul. ad martyr. Their loss is a kind of traffic, he is wise who can acquit himself of them, and he is happy who can live without them. Jesus Christ despised them in his birth, rejected them whilst he lived, and condemned them in his death; he who will be his Disciple, must follow his example; and who believes that they facilitate our salvation, knows not that our Nature is corrupted by sin. The sixth Discourse. That since the loss of innocency Poverty is glorious. The two loves that establish those two c Duas civitates fecerunt duo amores: Jerusalem facit amor Dei, Babyloniam amor saeculi. Interroget igitur se unusquisque quid amet & inveniet ubi fit civis. Aug. in Psal. 64. cities, the one of which had Jesus Christ for its King, the other, the Devil for its Tyrant, could never be reconciled together, their designs are as opposite, as their inclinations; and though they ofttimes march by the same tract, they always tend to rather contrary, then differing ends. This truth appears by the use which they make of the miseries of corrupted nature, for self-love extracts sins from thence, divine love virtues; the one augments our evils whilst she would diminish them, the other diminisheth them, whilst she would augment them. From the scorn whereinto we are fallen since our rebelllion, self-love hath form a design of raising herself up; and (giving against God's Justice) of finding her greatness in her abasement, Divine love hath extracted humility from thence, and with an innocent piece of cunning, she leads us to glory by contempt. Self-love raiseth despair from death, which is sins chiefest punishment; and divine love raiseth from thence a sacrifice, which expiates our offences, and gives honour to God's justice from the creatures revolt, which doth revenge our outrages done to heaven: self-love argues riot in apparel, magnificence in buildings, and all those other means which we have invented to defend ourselves from the injuries of seasons, and divine love, which always prefers the glory of heaven before her own interest, argues repentance from thence, which teacheth us to undergo this persecution with humility. In fine, from the loss of our welfare self-love hath made avarice arise, which justling Gods designs, undertakes to make man richer in his state of sin, than ever he was in that of innocency, and divine love, which takes pleasure in saving of a sinner by losing him, raiseth poverty from thence, depriving herself even of those things which her judge would not take from his enemies, that she may appease him. For d Paupertatemque serenda effecere levem nec iniqu● ment serendam. Ovid it is true, that this virtue takes its original from our punishment, 'tis a remedy which we have got by our evil; and 'tis a correction which we endure to allay God's anger. Whilst man was innocent, he was rich; the sun by his heat made the earth fruitful, he cherished it, without scorching; and his influences were so well tempered, as trees were always covered with fruit, leaves, and flowers; the fields were fertile without labour, every country bore every thing; and without crossing the seas, that was found in any one part of the world, which all the rest produced. Beasts which afforded nourishment for men yielded milk in abundance, running waters were never dried up; and provision was useless where there was perpetual plenty. Bees wrought without wearing themselves, they made their hives at all times, and the earth being continually covered with flowers, there was no season wherein they did not make honey and wax. Man being clothed with innocency, he stripped not beasts of their skins to cloth himself, the art of spinning was not as then found out, or if it were known to worms: man did not molest their labours; he admired the industry of their workmanship, the magnificency of their Tombs, and leaving them to reassume life where they had left it, he delighted to see them after having been dead arise again. The elements not having as yet vowed his undoing, he was not bound to guard himself from their injuries, the seasons were so regular, as he neither feared heat nor cold; trees were his shelter from them both, and those which afforded him shade in the daytime, served him for covering in the night. If gold were already ripped out of the bowels of the earth, it was ranked amongst such things as are esteemed of more for their beauty, than profit. Man thought himself rich enough without that metal; having all things at his command he needed not to buy them: and art not being as yet come into the succour of Nature, he contented himself with looking upon what he could not make use of. In this happy condition, most desires were e Summa-opes, inopia desidertorum. Senec. Nihil interest an multum babe as an nihil concupiscas. Ident. useless, and all those wishes which are occasioned by indigency not having as yet a mother, could not disquiet man. He was rich for he wanted nothing, Nature supplied all his needs, whilst he slept void of care; the stars which glittered above his head, did by their influences make the earth fruitful, and the Rivers running amidst the fields, did by their waters bring plenty every where. But when man became faulty, he became poor; he lost all his wealth, in losing the Summum Bonum, and that self same moment which robbed him of his innocency, threw him headlong into poverty. The earth grew barren under his feet, her fruitfulness brought forth nothing but thorns; her bowels must be ripped open ere she yielded fruit, and she must be threatened with iron in her bosom to make her nourish us. Trees shook off their leaves, when winter had disrobed them, men thought that nature was drawing toward her end, and that the earth ceasing to be his Palace, grew to be his Sepulchre: shame showing him that he was naked, made him make himself clothes of leaves, and cold which made him sensible of his sinfulness, forced him to apparel himself with skins. From that time forwards, necessity made him ingenious; f Tantam paraturam materiarum primum regendo homini qua necess●as praecessit, dehinc & ornando, qua ambitio successit varias indumentorum formas promulgavere. Tertul. de pallio. he built Cabins to fence himself from the heat; he sowed corn, to avoid famine; finding that the earth was not fruitful save by his labour, he locked up what he had gathered thence, and to shun poverty, fell upon avarice. But he found by experience, that the remedy was worse than the disease, and that if poor men wanted many things, the covetous wanted all things. Grace, which doth not abandon even the sinful, taught him how to use this his punishment, and to turn high poverty into an illustrious virtue. He began to condemn perishable things, and to wish for things eternal; he endeavoured to forgo earth, that he might raise himself up to heaven; he had such happy success in his designs, as he found plenty in poverty; and confessed that that virtue had been more advantageous to him then innocency. To say truth; this pain was glorious when it became voluntary; and from once that man began to suffer indigency with humility, he found that God was his Father, Heaven his inheritance, Jesus Christ his Redeemer, and that the holiest blessings were his recompenses. For g Pater pauperum Deus passim in Scriptures appellatur. God takes the poor into his protection, he who draws his rarest qualities from his noblest works, and who makes himself be called the God of heaven and earth, would be called the Father of the poor; a man cannot set upon them, without hurting him, their interests are joined to his glory, and whosoever makes war upon them, doth infallibly provoke his anger. He hath done a hundred miracles in their behalf; and when Kings would obtain any favour from his goodness, they have assumed the quality of poor men, to render themselves more considerable with him. David forwent the quality of a King, to assume the name of needy, and his poverty is the best reason which he alleges to obtain what he demands of God. The Son of God values not this virtue less than doth his Father; h Nascitur in praesepio, famet in deserto, pauperibus ●r, afinà 〈◊〉 n● in cr● mori●r. Chrysost. 5. he hallowed it in his own person when he would become man; he preferred the condition of the poor before that of the rich; and he who was born in a manger, would live without a house, and die upon the Cross; his disciples were all poor men, and of as many people as he chose to preach his Gospel throughout the world, there was not any one eminent for riches, nor dignity. Shepherds had notice of his birth before Kings, and the instruction of the poor was as well a proof of his mission, as the healing of the sick, or raising of the dead. Though his mystical body be alike composed of rich and poor, though men's qualities are not considered, though his Church be as well open to the Gentiles, as to the jews, and that slaves be admitted into his house, as well as are their Master; yet the poor hold there the first place, and of as many members as go to the composure of that admirable body, they are the most precious. King's are the hands thereof, Prelates the eyes, the people the feet; but the poor are the bowels of it, they are quartered next his heart; i Esurivi & non dedistis mihi manducare; sitivi, & non dedistis mih ibibere. Luc. & when he shall descend from heaven, to revenge injuries done unto himself, and to punish our offences, he will begin with them who shall have neglected him in the poor: the highest favours on earth are reserved for them. Those dispensations which raise men to an absolute power, & which give them authority over the beasts, or Elements, are the reward of voluntary poverty. If the chief of the Apostles did miracles, 'tis because he forwent his goods; if by his words he cured maladies, 'tis because he had forsaken all his riches; if his shadow cure the sick, 'tis because his heart was never wounded with avarice: k P● h●m exp●vit 〈◊〉. Pauperis imperium Natura non pertulit. just namque sequebatur ut signa largiretur qui opes contenps●rat. Aug. de verbis Aposto●i Serm. 26. and if nature bear a respect to his commandments, 'tis because he had vowed poverty. When he healed the legs of the man that was born lame, he began by a confession of his poverty; he thought the first dressing which he was to apply to this evil, was the contempt of riches; Gold nor silver have I none, (saith he to this infir ne man) but that which I have, give I thee, in the Name of jesus Christ, arise, and walk. Weakness bare respect to poverty, nature violated her laws, to obey the words of the poor; and the heavens will was, that he who could give no alms, should do miracles. In fine, Paradise is the poors inheritance, and after having commanded upon earth, they shall reign with Jesus Christ, in glory. That which is promised to other virtues, is performed to poverty; in the acknowledgement of merit, and the distribution of Crowns, the poor are dealt withal as advantageously as are Martyrs; l Quid sibi vult quod ●adem promissio facta est pauperibus & Martyribus nisi quia vere ●artyrii genus est paupertas voluntaria. Bern. Se●m. 1. de omnibus sanctis. and these two conditions are equally rewarded in the Gospel to teach us, that poverty is a kind of Martyrdom. To say truth, if men do miracles, when they overcome pain, when they tyre their Torturers, when they triumph over Tyrants, and vanquish the Elements, and wild beasts, do not they do wonders when they preserve poverty, amidst riches? sobriety amongst Festivals? when they go naked, amidst the pomp of apparel? when they are humble amidst honours? and when they persevere to refuse the Goods which the devil promiseth them, which the world offers them, and which the flesh propounds unto them? aught not they to be crowned, who overcome the world with all its promises, who contemn the devil with all his illusions, and who tame the flesh with the concupiscence thereof? But in the advantages of poverty, we ought to observe the unruliness of our nature, which is reduced into such a condition, as she cannot without danger make use of what she hath of good: she cannot without injustice pretend to her ancient riches, neither can she acquire new wealth without avarice; we must look upon the things of this world without desiring them, we must live upon the earth, as in a place of exile, and to be happy and innocent, m Si vis vacare animo aut pauper fit 〈◊〉, aut pauperi ●lis. Senec. Epist. 17. we must be poor, or imitate those that are so. The possession of riches is always accompanied with somewhat of Agglutination, which is never without impurity; we are slaves unto our wealth, they possess us when we think to possess them; we take pains in heaping them up, are careful in keeping them, and sorrowful in their loss; 'tis as troublesome to keep them, as to lose them, and the pain of purchasing them doth always exceed the pleasure of squandring them away. To free a man's self from these misfortunes, he must grow familiar with poverty, he must sweeten his pain by suffering it patiently, and look upon all the things of the world, as upon goods which we had lost before were born. We are ruined in the person of our first father; our defeat as well as our default preceded our use of reason, and the same fault which took from us our innocency, bereft us of our riches. If we make use of the blessings of the earth, 'tis out of mercy: if the Sun light us, the earth support us, and the fruits thereof do nourish us, 'tis an obligation which we owe unto our God: when once he pronounced the decree of our death, our goods were confiscated to him; the power of making use of them, is a privilege which we hold of his goodness, and he deals with us, as we do with those malefactors which we suffer to live in prison, after their sentence of death is past: if they dispose of their goods, 'tis by their Prince his favour; and if they leave them to their children, 'tis by his permission. Thus we ought to think that nothing belongs to us in this world, that God gives us all which he takes not from us, and that he makes use of his own rights, when he re-demands that which he had but lent us. When Famine doth dispeople the earth, when all our labour cannot overcome her sterility, and when the seed we sow answers not our expectation, we ought to adore God's justice, which having sentenced us to death, hath reserved unto himself the kind of our punishment. n Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit fit nome● Domini benedictum. Job 1. 4. If soldiers plunder our houses, if they do what they please abroad, if they burn what they cannot carry away, and if they in a moment destroy what we have been gathering many years; we must think that poverty is the punishment of our disobedience, that we have no more right to our goods than to our lives, and that he may well ruin us who can when it pleaseth him make us die. If our families be undone by law, if Judges be corrupted by the credit of a powerful man, if those who ought to defend us do oppress us, and if an unjust decree bring us to beggary; let us remember that the decree pronounced against us in Paradise, o Illa est p● peccati justissima, ut unusquisque illud quo bene uti ●oluit, amittat. Aug lib. 3. de lib. arbit. was more rigorous and more just, that succession or industry is no prescription against God's Justice, that how soever our goods be gotten, they are always forfeited to him; and that process at law is as lawful a way to bereave us of them as fire or shipwreck. In fine, whatsoever loss befalls us, let us find our consolation, in our offence; let us make our punishment, our remedy; and whilst we consider that we are guilty let us not complain of being poor. The seventh Discourse. That Apparel is a mark of sin IF whole man be but mere vanity, if Nature be out of order by his disobedience, if his soul, which hath the honour to be the image of God, and which boasts of her innocency, ceaseth not to find death in his sin; if the will which joined with Grace is the beginning of merit, be more inclined to vice then virtue; if his understanding which enlightens all the faculties of the soul, be more capable of error then of truth; if all his knowledge be but mere ignorance; if his most perspicuous virtues want not their faults; and if his body be his souls prison, we must not wonder that the necessity of apparel be a punishment of his fault, as well as riot therein is a mark of his vain glory. But as it often falls out, that we are most taken with things of least consideration, we find by experience, that there are women in the world, who would rather have their souls sullied, than their clothes; p Nullarum foeminarum ferè pretiofior cultus quam quarum pudor vilis est. Cyprian. de habit. virgin. who would rather have the state be out of order, than their head attire; and who would be less troubled to see their honour stained, than their gown. To disabuse these weak women, they must be made know, that luxury in apparel deserves to be despised by men, and to be punished by God. clothes have two uses, which are equally lawful, the first is to cover our nakedness, and to hide our body, which began to be shameful when it ceased to be innocent, Adam could not endure himself when he had lost original righteousness, and the shame which infused upon his sin, made him seek out leaves to hide that from his eyes which did displease his soul, he was afraid of himself, when he saw his body did no longer obey reason: he was afraid to offend nature by his nakedness, not having as yet seen any other monster than himself, he withdrew himself into a wood, and not being able to shun himself, he endeavoured to cover himself. q Fecit quoque Dominus Deus Adae & uxori● ejus tunicas pelliceas, & induit eos. Genes. 3. God himself, who was indulgent to him in his sin, cut out his first suit, and to free him from shame, which was not his least severe punishment, he clothed him with the skin of beasts. The second use of Apparel is to shelter us from the injury of seasons, r Tegendo homini necessitas praecessit, dehinc ornando ambitio successit. Tertul. de pallio. cap. 4. and to free our bodies from the rigour of the Elements; for man had no sooner violated Gods Commandments, but all the creatures rebelled against him: beasts began to grow savage, and retired themselves into the woods, that they might no longer treat with a rebel; those which are now reclaimed owe their mildness to our cunning, and stay not with us but because we have drawn them from the Forests; if they obey us, 'tis out of hope of some advantage; and our rebellion having freed them from their oath of Allegiance, which they had taken in Paradise, we must feed them, if we will have any service from them. Those which do reserve their natural fierceness, submit not uninforced to our will, they must be made to suffer before they be tamed, and our power being Tyrannical, their obedience is constrained. They are slaves which serve but by force, and who to free themselves from their servitude attempt sometimes upon our lives. At the same time when the beasts forwent their mildness, the Elements changed their qualities; s Nullum est elementum quod homini aliquod genus mortis non minetur. those four bodies whereof all other bodies are composed, declared war one against another to afflict us, and breaking the bonds which nature had prescribed them, entrenched one upon another, to the end, their division might be our punishment. They did that to punish us, which greatest enemies use to revenge themselves; they endangered their own loss out of a desire to destroy us. The earth which had served us for a nurse, became barren to make us perish by famine; she grew hard under our feet to weary us: foregoing her flowers where with she adorned herself to appear more pleasing to us, she loaded herself with thorns to prick us; she opened her bowels to bury us; and she who grounded upon her own proper weight, was always immovable, quaked under our feet to work our astonishment. The Sea which judged aright, that our ambition & avarice would not be contented with the Empire of the earth, t Nihil tam capax sortuitorum quam mare. Tacit. hid rocks underneath her waves, troubled her calmness with storms, call in winds to her aid to undo us, and advancing her waters into the fields, came to set upon us amidst our own Territories: the air which seemed not able to hurt us, save by denying us respiration, corrupted her natural pureness, to make us sickly, lent her bosom to the Tempests, became the receptacle of hail and snow, and being serviceable to God's Justice, became the Magazine of his Thunder and Lightnings, sent Pestilences into the world, turned a simple sickness into a contagion, and carrying corruption through all parts, did ofttimes change the earth into a fatal sepulchre. u Ignis an homini in hac vita perniciosior an utilior jure dubitari potest. Fire being the most active of all the Elements, did us more harm than all the rest; for this body which seems to be but a pure spirit, and by which the Angels themselves did not disdain to be called, crept into the Thunder, and agreeing with its enemy, form storms wherein the waters mingled with flames of fire seem to conspire man's death, and the world's overthrow; contrary to its nature, which seeks out high places, it descends, and gliding into the entrails of the earth, excites earthquakes, consumes mountains, and devours whole Towns: to revenge it itself for the wrongs which we make it suffer by making it a slave to all Arts, it burns those who come nigh it, it consumes what is given it, and not interessing itself with men's designs, it ofttimes mars their workmanship. But man was not so sensible of all these persecutions, as of that of the Sun; for this glorious constellation drew up malignant vapours, spread abroad mortal influences, disordered the course of the seasons, parted the Spring from the Autumn, which were all one in the state of innocency; stripped the Trees of their leaves in winter, withered the flowers in Summer, and bereft the earth of her ornaments, and riches. Amidst so many disorders, man was bound to make him clothes, and to rob his subjects that he might defend himself against his enemies. He hunted wild beasts, clothed himself with their skins; he who had aspired to make himself a God, was brought to a condition of decking himself with the hides of Animals, and learned to his cost, that no apparel is proof for all seasons, but that of Innocency. Thus his being necessitated to cloth himself is a mark of his offence, let him do what he can to turn this punishment into bravery, x O● ista ornamenta damnati & mortui hominis impedimenta sunt quasi ad pomp●m funeris constituta. Tertul. de habit. mulieb. he is bound to confess, that he covers his body only to fence himself from pain, and shame, had he preserved the respect which he ought to God, his body would not have rebelled against his soul, and had not this particular revolt been followed by a general rebellion, he needed not have been obliged to seek for Arms to defend himself against his subjects. He sees then his fault in his apparel, they are sensible tokens of his disobedience, and would he govern himself by reason, he should chastise his body as oft as he puts on his clothes: and yet we seem to have a design to outbrave divine justice, and to laugh at its decrees; to glory in its punishments and to make that serve for our glory which ought to serve for our confusion; for there is hardly any one who doth not some ways advantage himself by his apparel, who doth not heighten himself by the Lustre of gold or pearl, and who turns not the shameful marks of his undoing into stately Trophies of his victory. Adam was never so ashamed as when he was forced to cloth himself, the skins he wore were the apparel of a penitent; before that vanity had found out a means to embellish them, they drew tears from his eyes, and sighs from his mouth. He never clothed himself but he bewailed his innocency, and when cold weather made him put on more clothes he considered how the irregulariry of the seasons, was the punishment of his sin. y In sordib● agebat Eva, ipsam se circumferens lugentem, & poenitentem, ignominiam primi delicti, & invidiam perditionis humana omni satisfactionis habitu expiabat. Tertul. de habit. mul. His wife knew not as yet the art of trimming herself, all her daughter's eloquence could not persuade her that that which was a punishment of her disobedience should add unto her beauty; and comparing her innocency with all her other ornaments, she could never think to gain by an exchange, where for original righteousness which she lost she got nothing but the slaver of worms, or scum of fishes. Let us use what art we can to lenify our loss or to excuse our vanity, we cannot deny but that our most gaudy apparel are the spoils of beasts; and that we are very miserable since betraying our greatness, we seek for ornaments in the bottom of the sea, or in the bowels of the earth, for what else is wool but sheep fleeces? what is silk whereof so many different silks are made but the drivel of worms, and the sepulchre which those little animals make unto themselves when they die? what is purple which had wont to be the badge of Sovereignty, but the blood of certain fishes? z Sed lapillos qui cum auro superbiam jungunt quid aliud interpreter quam terra minuta●ia: nec tamen aut fundamentis demandandis aut pa●ietibus moliendis aut sastigiis sustinendis necessaria. Tertul. de habit. mulieb. what are Pearls but the warts of certain shellfish, and the thickest part of the foam of the sea, which could not be turned into its substance? what are diamonds and rubies but water congealed within rocks? what is gold which is made use of in so many profane things, which men disguise in so many shapes, which is sought for with so much pain, which is got with so much injustice, and kept with so much care, but the excrement of a barren soil, to which the fire gives Lustre, and our error valuation? what in fine, is the linen cloth with which we are covered all over, and wherein the greatest part of our vanity consists but a kind of herb or grass which we see grow up and die, flourish in the fields, and in a short time weather away? which passeth through women's hands, which is wetted with their spittle, turned with the spindle, stretched upon the loom, wrought with the shuttle, whitened in the dew, and at last cut into bands and handcherchiefs? must not one have lost his judgement to glory in such trifles? and if his ornament deserve any praise, is it not rather due, to those that made them, then to those that wear them? whosoever glories in a suit of apparel intrencheth upon his tailors right, and who values himself the more for the stuff he wears, injures the worms that spun it, or the workmen a In homine la●dandum quod ipsius est vestem formosam habet & domum pu●cbram nihil horum in ip●o est sed circa ipsum lauda in ipso, quod n●c eripi nec dari potest. Sen Epist. 41. that wrought it. Our glory ought to be in ourselves, and we ought never to ground our greatness upon a thing which we forego as oft as we put off our clothes. A man must not adorn himself with that which he borrows from other creatures, and to believe that all the spoils of nature can heighten his descent is to have too ill an opinion of himself. But if the materials whereof our clothes be made be contemptible, the cause why we wear them is criminal; for those who may be said rather to set out, then to cloth themselves, and who join pleasures to necessity, have for the most part but two designs, which are equally unjust. The first is to satisfy themselves, and to entertain their self-love by the care they have of their body; they will make an Idol of a slave, adorn a guilty person who deserves death, bring him with pomp to his punishment, and disguise his misery to flatter his ambition: they are like those captives who think the better of their Irons because they are guilded: yet all their ornaments are but marks of their sin and misfortunes; and as a footman who wears a gaudy livery makes but his misery more visible, those who trim themselves the finest make but their shame more public. The art of trimming or adorning acknowledgeth no author but the Devil. b Daemons instrumentum istud muliebris gloriae contulerunt, laminas lapillorum quibus monilia variantur, & ●rculos ex auro quibus brachia arctantu●, & medicamenta ex fuco quibus lanae co●orantur. Tertul. de ●abit. mulieb. He who taught the curious the virtue of herbs to make their enchantments, and the influences of the stars to order their Horiscopes by; he who taught the avaricious the way to purify the earth, to make thereof the preciousest of metals, he who taught the ambitious the secret of entrenching upon the people's liberty, taught women to mingle colours, to polish diamonds,, to calcive pearls, to compose materials, and to falsify whole nature to enhance their beauty, and to acquire reputation by the loss of their modesty: ought not this master's condition infuse distrust into his disciples? and if women had not as well lost their judgement as their modesty, would they not believe that a sinful Angel would tarnish their innocence, that impure spirits would attempt their chastity, and that rebellious slaves would endeavour to make them lose their humility? The second design of those who delight in sumptuous apparel is to please those that look upon them, to entangle souls in their nets, to purchase lovers, or slaves, to govern by the pomp of their apparel, as Monarches do by the terror of their Arms. This is the more usual, and the more dangerous motive: the more usual, because vain glory seeks out a Theatre, because self-love, as well as ambition, will have spectators. c Quod pro sold inani gloria vestimentum pretiosius quoeritur, res ipsa t statur, quia nemo vult ibi pretiosis vestibus indui, ubi ab aliis non poterit videri. Greg. Mag. in Homil. To say truth, women do not greatly care for dressing themselves when they are alone; solitariness is an enemy to pomp; a body is soon weary of linifying himself when he means not to appear, the pain he finds in doing it makes him lose the pleasure of it; and as Peacocks close up their plumes when no body beholds them, women neglect their dressing when no body admires them. They reserve their pearls and diamonds for great meetings; Courts, and Masks, are the occasions whereupon they heighten their beauty; and when they have neither witnesses to observe them, nor servants to adore them, self love is not of power enough to make them adorn themselves. As this motive is the more usual, so is it the more sinful; for to boot that a woman that will cause love in another, runs danger of being caught therewithal herself; that it is hard to carry fire to ones neighbour, without self-burning; 'tis assuredly to imitate the devil, to serve for instruments to wicked spirits, to lose the souls that Jesus Christ would save, and to present poison, or a poniard, to mad men, who would kill themselves. Let women disguise their designs how artificially they please, let them excuse their intentions by their pretences; the endeavouring to seem pleasing to men, is never blameless, the desire of entangling them is always sinful, and the care they take in attiring themselves, either to captivate them, or to continue them captives, is equally prejudicial to their chastity. Pomp and luxury in apparel savours of prostitution or vain glory, d Vestium cultus aut 〈◊〉 aut prosti●u ionem sapit. Tertul. de habit. mulieb. both these faults are contrary to our religion; The difference of condition is but a piece of cunning which self-love hath found out to authorise our disorders. Our first condition is the condition of sinners; we are sinners, before we be Sovereigns, our souls were sullied with Adam's sin, before our bodies were clad in purple; and all the titles which flattery confers upon us cannot efface that of guilty. It precedeth our birth, accompanieth our life, and doth almost always follow our death, so as from the cradle to the grave, our chiefest ornament aught to be modesty, and our apparel ought to partake more of penitency then of vanity. If we will e Cur non mores meos habitus pronunciat, ne spiritus puriores ab impudentis vulnerentur Tertul. de cultu foemin. not have the Angels to be therewithal scandalised, they must not savour of novelty, they must not be riotous, and nothing must be therein observable which denotes insolency or uncleanness: clothes were invented by shame and pain, whatsoever ambition or self-love hath added thereunto is superfluous, and who governs himself by custom, or excuseth himself by his condition, forgets that he is a Christian, or remembers not that he is a sinner. The eighth Discourse. That the shame which accompanieth Nakedness, is a punishment for our offence. Philosopher's who knew not the secret of original sin, thought nature rather to be the stepdame, than the mother of man, and that she had not given such testimony of her care of his preservation, as of that of other creatures: beasts are born with their weapons and their apparel; they are provided either of hair or wool to fence them from the cold, and armed either with horns, or claws to defend themselves against violence, those of the weaker sort have their wiles to free themselves from their pursuers, and if they want both strength and cunning, nature hath furnished them with agility to shun their enemies who hunt after them; thus we see that Lions are armed with teeth and claws, and that these generous animals confiding in force, never refuse to fight when combat is offered, bulls have their horns, stags their coverts, wild bores their tusks, and all these differing defences, are so well munited, as a man cannot set upon them without danger of being hurt. Hunting is an exercise wherein danger is mixed with delight, if the hunters give blows, they ofttimes receive some, and if dear or wild goats suffer themselves to be tame, 'tis not without revenge. Foxes have so many wiles, as it is experienced as well in hunting as in war; that it is easier to overcome a courageous enemy, than a crafty one. Does, Hindes, and Hares, are so swift of foot, as dogs nor horses cannot overtake them; these timorous beasts find their safety in their feet, and as the Parthians fight retreating, these overcome their enemies by running away. Man on the contrary, who glories himself to be the Lord of the Universe, f Quid est homo▪ imbecillum corpus & fragile, nudum, suapte natura inerme, alienae op is indigens, ad omnem fortunae contumeliam projectum, cujus●ibet ferae pabulum & victima. Senec. ad Marciam c. 11. enters into his dominions without either weapons, or apparel. He finds his subjects revolted, and hath neither strength nor agility to reduce them to their duty, he is sensible of the unseasonableness of seasons, yet cannot fence himself from their irregularities, nor defend himself from their disorders. He makes trial of the rigour of the elements, yet cannot keep himself uninjured by them: he is exposed to the fury of his enemies, and wants weapons to fight them: and nature dealing with him, as with a monster or an illegitimate child; affords him only tears to bewail himself; he must be brought by time to the use of reason, before he can either make himself clothes or weapons, for fourteen years' space he is a prey for wild beasts, and did not necessity make him ingenious, he would be the most miserable of all creatures. g Cortex ambit arborem, pe● tegit volucrem, la●a ovem induit pilus jumenta & fera● vestit: Sol● homo inermis & nudus nascitur. Hugo. The rest are clothed as soon as born; natures self takes care of clothing them, their apparel constitutes a part of their body, and the hair or wool which covers them is the mere work of nature: but man is stark naked, when he parts from his mother's womb, his skin is so tender as the very air offends it, he must be put in prison, to be freed from the fury of his enemies, he is treated like a slave to save his life, and he is not suffered to make use of any of his members, lest he use them to his own prejudice. When he is grown great, he is bound to make war upon nature, to preserve himself; to unrobe beasts to cloth himself, he must use a kind of Tyranny upon creatures, if he will free himself from the fury of the elements, and he hath so little credit in his dominions, that as he must tear up the earth for food, so must he strip beasts to cloth himself. Though these Philosopher's complaints may appear just, yet are they irrational; had they known man's fault they would never have blamed nature? for she was not his stepdame, till he became a sinner; neither was she cruel to him, till he was disobedient to God; during his innocency, she had largely provided for all his affairs; h Homo nudus in Paradis● indumentum gratiae habebat quando membra ejus voluntati non repugnabant. Aug. lib. 14. de Civit. cap. 17. original righteousness served him for clothes, and though this apparel was so very purely fine, yet was it proof against all seasons: as Summer was not excessively hot, so neither was Winter extremely cold; Spring and Autumn were so pleasantly inter-mingled, as man though naked, suffered no incommodity: Trees which lent him their shade to refresh him, did not as yet furnish him with leaves to cover him: the earth brought forth no thorns to offend him, it was so smooth, and so all of a piece, as he might touch it, and not hurt himself, the grass and flowers wherewith it was beautified, served in stead of a pleasing Carpet, which satisfied his eyes, and was easy to his feet: In fine, sin not having as yet wounded his soul, he was not enforced through shame to cover his body; he beheld himself with delight, not with shame; God's workmanship not being yet through disobedience gone astray, he observed nothing therein which was not pleasing to him; and to say all in a word, as he had no faulty parts, so had he no shameful ones; he saw not in his body, the pictures of his soul's rebellion, and whilst the soul obeyed God, all parts of the body obeyed the soul: i Proinde con● in obedientia carnis tanquam quam poena teste inobedientiae sua consuerunt fo● fici. Aug. lib. 14. de Civit. c. 17. but as soon as he grew guilty, he was forced to betake himself to apparel, to free him from pain and shame; for in a moment the seasons grew out of order, the Elements waged war as well in his Dominions as in his body: the earth mingled thorns with roses, the face thereof which formerly was smooth, became furrowed; and stones succeeding in the place of flowers, turned a delightful garden into a horrid desert. Man hearing storms thunder over his head, and feeling thistles spring under his feet, was enforced to cover both head and feet to preserve life. He was no less oppressed with shame then pain, and the amazement he was in, to see the shadow of sin upon his body, made him resolve to cloth himself, as well as did the irregularity of the seasons: the Lord of the whole world who bore the Image of God, imprinted in his face, was a ghast to see himself; he could not endure his nakedness, after once he had lost his innocency; he sought for leaves to hide his rebellion, and not having yet felt any pain for his sin, he was ashamed of his punishment; he observed an impudent novelty, which made him judge his nakedness unseemly; k Extitit in motu corporis quaedam impudens novitas unde esset indecens nuditas, & fecit att●itos reddiditq● confusos. Aug. 14. de Civit. c. 17. he knew by the disorders which he found in himself, that obedience of the soul caused obedience in the body; and that the revolt of the one arose from the like of the other. Since this fatal hour, man had shame mingled with his delights; those which are most requisite are most shameful; those delights, by which the world is preserved, are infamous; those which withstand death, and make amends for the havoc he makes in families, require solitude, and darkness. Man hides himself to re-produce himself; l Hoc re●te factum sic appetit sciri, ut tamen erubescat videri. Aug. 14 de Civit. cap. 18. marriage which is holy in its Institution, and sacred in its type, is shameful in its use; nor hath the necessity which doth authorise it, been able to take away the shame which doth accompany it. Man's death is more honourable than his birth; they glory in murder though it be unjust, and are ashamed of marriage, though it be lawful. Open Champions are the theatres whereon battles are fought; these fatal and bloody actions are done at noon day: they are made famous, and public by the beating of drums, and sound of Trumpets; all men are called in to assist in the routing of an Army; the Conquerors ground their renown upon the number of the enemy that are left dead in the place; and that which is termed a Triumph, is the reward of an hundred thousand murders; but man's birth is shameful, m Sic igitur quod decet ex natura, ut etiam quod pudeat, comitetur ex poena, August. 4. de Civit. c. 18. this guilty party steals into the world. Solitariness and obscurity are destined for his production, and nature, makes him suspect that his conception is criminal, since 'tis infamous. I very well know that a modern Author hath imputed this shame to man's fantasticness, that he hath endeavoured effrontedly to maintain, that that ought not to be esteemed shameful, that was natural; that amongst Philosophers the production of man was esteemed honourable, and that the Art which instructeth how to murder was as infamous, as unjust; but this Author who never had other guide, than nature; no religion, but libertinism; no faith, but experience; nor other felicity, than the delight of the sense; had not fallen into this error, if he would have consulted the holy Scripture: he might there have learned, that shame was born together with sin, that nakedness accompanied innocency, and that man did not abhor himself, till he became sinful. If he commit murder with impunity, if he boast of fight; if he be not pleased in the glory thereof, save when it is bloody; 'tis because sin hath corrupted his reason, and that engaging him in cruelty, it hath made him turn beast. But not to engage myself in seeking out the cause of so strange a disorder, which seem to countenance murder, and to place man's glory in the destruction of his like, 'twill suffice to know that shame is the punishment of n Libido in confusionis causa. Aug. 22. de Civit. cap. 17. sin, and that nakedness o Cognoverunt quia nudi erant nudati scilicet ea gratia, qua fiebat ut nuditas corporis, nulla eos lege peccati menti eorum repugnante confunderet. Aug. 14. de Civit. cap. 17. was banished from off the earth, together with innocence. Man could not consider his bodies revolt without confusion, he was troubled to see that he who was so absolute in the world, was now no longer so in his own person; and that he who commanded over savage beasts, could not command the moiety of himself. 'Tis argued against this truth, that the Barbarians continue their going naked, though they have lost their innocency, that shame hath not been able to make them clothe themselves, and that nature which is equal in all nations, hath not imprinted in them that resentment of shame which makes even the most affronted to cover themselves, and to carry this their argumentation higher, and to give it all the strength they can, they say that these people discovered of late, are not polluted with original sin, since shame which is the punishment thereof, hath not as yet appeared in their faces. They laugh at our apparel, and their climates being much more hot than ours, they are contented with such clothing as nature hath given them; and they leave us in doubt whether shame be a punishment of sin or no, since they being as well faulty as we, they are either less ashamed or more affronted. p Illam perisse ego judico ●ui quidem perit● pudor. Cur●us lib. 6. To answer this objection we must suppose that shame q Proque metu populum sine vi pudor ipse regebat. Ovid 1. Fast. which is a punishment of our sin, is also a remainder of our innocency; that Adam who lost grace, lost not reason; that that light of nature which remained to him, in his obscurity, was sufficient to make him distinguish between good & bad, and to make him abhor that which contradicted seemliness. Though he endeavoured to excuse his fault, he observed the disorder thereof; and though he loved the greatness which he had unjustly endeavoured, he forbore not to blame his rashness. Though this remorse was not sufficient to obtain pardon for hisoffence, 'twas sharp enough to cause shame in him; and that of reason which remained in him, was sufficient to make him blush. His passions revolt caused as much shame as pain in him, and the rebellion of his flesh made him cover himself as well as the rigour of the elements: this punishment was mixed with grace, and God who would not for ever undo him, sent him this shame to reduce him to his duty: 'twas an evidence that though his nature was r Nullum quippe vitium ita contra naturam est, ut naturae deleat etiam extrema vestigia. Aug. 19 de civet. cap. 12. corrupted, yet it was totally destroyed; and that sin which had tyrannised over him; had not been able to efface all the principles which he had received from his Sovereign: but he neglecting the use thereof, and those who came of him not improving this remainder of innocency, it grew weaker with time, and the more faulty they grew, the more shameless they grew. They lost as well the shame of sin as the knowledge of God, they lost the only advantage which remained to them in their misfortune, and nature growing obdurate, they did no longer lament their past happiness, nor were they ashamed for their present misery. This is that which makes the Barbarians not blush at their nakedness, which makes them glory in their shame, which makes them esteem that natural, s Euulgatus pudor non societatem libidinis 〈◊〉 sed incitamentum adfert. Tacit. Annal. which is irregular; and which makes them authorise their disorder by their evil custom. We must not wonder if those who have lost all the sense of humanity, have not preserved the like of shamefacedness; if those who make greatness of courage to consist in revenge makes simplicity to consist in impudence: if those who eat man's flesh, do prostitute it, and if those wild people who know no religion, be likewise ignorant of modesty: but I wonder why Christians take upon them the fashions of Infidels, why shamelessness should pass from America into Europe, why believing women who have no more familiar virtue than shamefacedness, should imitate Barbarians, and that by discovering their bosoms, they should defy modesty. They put on their apparel not to cover themselves, but to make a show; that which served for their shame serves now for their vain glory; apparel which was the mark of their modesty, is now a proof of their impudence; did not the t Periere mores, sus, decus, pietas fides, & qui redire nescit ut periit pudor. Senec. in Agamemnon. weather constrein them to put on clothes, they would go naked; their vanity is such as seeks only occasion to show itself, they cast off their handcherchiefs in great assemblies, 'tis uncivil to be vailed at a mask or a play; and they are ashamed to appear modest, where men use all their art to make them unchaste. Thus great meetings are nothing but public prostitutions, innocency is there destroyed by bringing nakedness in fashion; and men lend weapons to the Devil, to undo the subjects of Jesus Christ. The ninth Discourse. That Buildings are the work of Necessity, Pleasure, or Vainglory. THough we do not know all man's advantages in the state of innocency, and that that happy condition be not much lamented because 'tis not much known; yet we very well know it was exempt from pain as well as from sin; and that man saw nothing neither in his person, nor in his state, which caused either pain or shame in him. The body was subject to the soul, and the senses, which so often break t Nudi erant & non confandebantur non quod eis sua nuditas esset incognita, sed turpis nuditas non erat quia nondum libido membra praeter arbitrium commovebat. Aug. 14. de civet. c. 17. loose that they may fix themselves to objects without reasons permission, did nothing but by her order; and this Sovereign was so absolute, as her subjects had no other inclinations, but what were hers. The world was as much at quiet as man was, and the elements with by their contesting molest him, held so good intelligence as the one never entrenched upon the rights of the other; men neither feared the overflowings of rivers, earthquakes, nor fires; the earth was a temple and a palace, Religion did so well agree with nature, as the same place served man to do his homage to God in, and to disport himself in, he saw his Creator in every Creature, they were images which painted forth unto him the perfection of him that made them, when he beheld them for his pastime, his pleasure was not to be parted from his piety, and contenting his curiosity, he satisfied his duty. u In Paradiso etiamsi non om●a poterat a●e peccatum, quid. quid tamen non poterat non volebat, & ideo poterat omnia quae volebat. August. 14 de 〈◊〉. c. 15. This Temple was also his palace, he could wish for nothing, neither for pastime, nor yet for profit, which was not in this stately habitation. The heavens served him for a canopy, and the irregularity of the seasons had not yet obliged him to deprive himself by buildings, of the sight of the most beautiful part of the world; the Sun was his torch, and when this glorious constellation withdrew himself to give light to the other half of the earth, the stars stepping into his place, afforded light enough, not to leave men in darkness, grass mingled with flowers served him for his bed: Trees lent him their shade, and holes which nature had hollowed in rocks served him for Chambers and Closets. Gates were needless when there was no fear of thiefs, x A●s est ●minibus portus infortunii. Comic. and windows would have been useless when people apprehended neither wind, nor rain. Nature had so well provided for all things as arts were superfluous; and her workmanship was so exact as man's industry could add nothing thereunto; all the fields were gardens; all Forests, Parks; all dens, Palaces; and though the flood hath changed the face of the world, its outrages could not efface the beauty thereof. There be Forests yet thick enough to shelter us, Champions of extent enough to weary our eyes, Valleys delightful enough for diversion to them, and Caverns rich enough to satisfy them: the pillars which sustain these forests, are the models of our Columns, the brooks which water these Champions, have furnished us with the invention of water-pipes; the concavity of Trees hung in the air, hath taught our Architechts to vault buildings; their proportions have caused Symmetry, and the Caverns in mountains, are the original of our houses. 'Tis true that where sin had corrupted man, and disordered nature, we were forced to raise buildings to save ourselves from the injury of weather; and not being secure in a condition where we saw so many subjects revolted, we were necessitated to build Citadels to keep us from being surprised by them. y Necessitas brevibus clauditur terminis, opinio nullis. Marsil. Ficin. But necessiy not being so ingenious as self-love, she was contented with providing remedies for the most pressing evils, and did not seek so much for accommodation, as for preservation. The first houses were but one story high, the earth afforded the materials, and Thatch was the covering; man finding nothing delightful, in so sad an abode wished for an earthly Paradise, and never thought of his former condition, without being sorry for his disobedience, which had banished him from thence: he never betook himself to this prison, but either when the night's obscurity, or the weather, made him seek for Covert; he looked upon it as upon his grave, and living in so unpleasing an abode, he did by degrees prepare himself for death; but when self-love grew weary of suffering the punishment of its sin, and when justling divine Justice it would find out a Paradise in this world; it invented Architecture, and taught man how to change his prison into a Palace: under the conduct of so good a Master he raised stately Palaces, he sought for stone in the bowels of the earth, he polished them with tools, he ranked them with Symmetry, and placing one of them on the top of another, he made his exile glorious, and his prison pleasing. Those who will excuse this disorder, say that 'tis a work worthy the wisdom of man; that he is not forbidden to defend himself from nature's outrages; that it is to imitate God, and that every building is an image of the world, and an Epitome of the Universe; that time is requisite to bring things to perfection, that the first men were not less vain, but less industrious; that if Adam had been a good Architect, he would not have left his children so long in Dens, and Cabins: that houses were the beginning of Towns; that a 〈◊〉 Philosophia dux 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pepe●, 〈◊〉 di● ho●inet in societatem vit● convecasti, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 primo inter se do● deinde 〈◊〉 ●xisti. Cicer. in Tuscul. men were never civilised till they lived within the circuit of walls; and that whilst they lay in Forests, their lives were rather bestial, then rational. But let vanity make what excuses she pleaseth, it is not to be denied but that buildings as well as apparel, do prove our guilt, and that the excess and pomp which are used therein, are marks of our ambition; for houses are built either out of Necessity, Pleasure, or Vainglory; and men seek for nothing therein but the preservation of their life, the satisfaction of their senses, or the honour of their name. Our first fathers built only to shun the persecution of the Elements; they were contented with a house which saved them from storms, and provided that it would afford them shade against the Sun, and covering against the cold, they were well apayed: Architecture was not yet become an art, every man was his own Architect: after having cut out his clothes, he made himself a house; and seeking only how to fence himself against the incommodities of life, he sought for neither delight, nor vainglory in buildings: two Trees joined together did ofttimes make a house, the entrance into a rock would with small cost, lodge a whole family; b Tum primum subtere domos, domus antra fuerunt, & densi frutices & juncta co●tico virga. Ovid. 1. Metamorph. and the thickets which now serve for a retreat for wild beasts served to lodge men in: Nature was indulgent to these innocent malefactors; seeing they bare respect to God's Justice, which did punish them; she allayed the rigour of the Elements, and regulated the Seasons disorders. Though these first men were less guilty than we, and that their buildings were the mere workmanships of necessity, yet they did acknowledge Adam's rebellion: as oft as they withstood themselves into those Sanctuaries of dirt and mire, they were bound to believe that during the state of innocency, the world was not an Enemy's Country, & that the creatures did not make war against them, till their Father had rebelled against God. When they had lost the remembrance of the earthly Paradise, and their sorrow for the loss thereof, they endeavoured to content themselves in their exile, & to please themselves in their structures, they enclosed whole Champions within their Parks, they changed rivers into Water-works; and Forests which served for coverts to wild beasts, into Groves, for the better ornament of their houses: c Ager uni Domino, qui populum coepit, angust● est: & est fundus quod aliquando emporium vocabatur. Sen. Epist. 89. that which did suffice to lodge a whole Generation, was too little to lodge a single Family; one man possessed more land than a Nation; and that which formerly made up a little Kingdom, was now the Farm for one particular man: they made Nature serve their pleasures; they corrupted her who gloried to follow God's orders, did fit her inclinations to their designs; they saw no rivers, on the banks whereof they raised not up houses of delight; wheresoever the earth threw out warm water, they there made baths; where the Sea advanced it to the Land, they there made fishponds, and prescribing bounds to this Element, which receives Laws only from God: they forced the fierceness thereof to be serviceable to their pastimes: they built Citadels on the tops of mountains, to discover the subjacent Countries, and changing Champions into large pastures, they made their neighbour's inheritances serve their delights. But man's luxury growing weary of things when they became common, and despising what it possesseth, after having gotten from nature all that they could hope for, they disordered her course, to find contentment in her disorder: they turned the course of rivers to enclose their Palaces withal, they raised up valleys, and leveled mountains; that they might exercise their tyranny every where, they found the invention of Arches to build in the air, and of Aqueducts to bring water into Towns; they planted forests on the top of their houses, d Non vivunt contra naturam qui pomaria in summis turribus serunt, quorum silva in tect● do●um ac fastigiis ●tant unde ortis radici●, quo improbè cacumina egi●ent. Senec. Epist. 122. and bringing themselves to man's first condition, they lodged under trees and woods; they built in barren places, that they might please themselves in overcoming nature; they peopled Deserts to drive Lions thence; and to take pleasure in pain, which seems to be her Enemy, they built houses in the midst of solitary places. But certainly they were forced to confess that they were inconsiderate in building so great Palaces for a man, who during his life, and after death takes up but seven foot of earth, they grew weary of so great buildings, they lost themselves in these Labyrinths, and knowing that they could fill but one chamber, they acknowledged it was unjustly done to build so prodigious a number of rooms, e Quid prosunt multa cubicula? in uno jacetis non est vestrum ubicumque non estis. Senec. Epist. 89. they learned by experience, that what they could not possess belonged not to them: and that to build in so many places, was to make lodgings for Owls, and to prepare habitations for Horn-Coots. Vain glory reaped no advantage by the faults pleasure committed, but looking upon the works thereof only as upon beginnings, she undertook whatsoever seemed to be impossible, and her raising of Colossuses and Pyramids was only to purchase fame: she thought that of all man's works there was none more withstood the injuries of time, than those huge heaps of stone and rocks; she esteemed victories, odious, battles, bloody; and thought that Triumphs required Historians and Poets, to make them be known: she knew that Children were not immortal, that kingdoms had their periods as well as families; and that the virtues of Princes were aswell buried in oblivion, as their vices: she was persuaded nothing was of so long continuance as buildings, that the vast greatness thereof, rendered their authors memorable to posterity, and that the works of so many hands and so many years, could not perish but together with the world. Upon this foolish belief, Kings caused Colossuses to be built of so prodigious a height, that ships passed between their legs with their Masts up and Sails displayed: they built Pyramids, the foundations whereof descended even unto hell, and their tops were lost in the clouds: they tired their subjects to content their ambition; they threw all the revenues of their kingdoms into the bowels of the earth, to purchase reputation; they engraved their names in brass, they hung their arms round about the walls of towns, and because marble is more solid than paper, they thought that that these monuments of vain glory would last longer than the writings of Orators or Philosophers. This passion is as ancient as the deluge, f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nobis tur ri● cujus caput erit usque ad 〈◊〉 & feci● nobis nomen. Gen. 11. those that descended from Noah were the first that attempted it: they would leave marks of their might to posterity, before they would divide themselves to people the world; they undertook a piece of work worthy their vain glory, and not knowing the distance between heaven and earth, they resolved to erect a tower which should unite them both together: they thought certainly heaven might have been taken by Scalado, and that without taking the pains to win it by their virtue, they might take it in by storming. No less than a miracle could dissuade them from so rash a design, they laid the foundation of this building so deep in the earth, as they hoped to reach to heaven, after having come so near hell: their work advanced insensibly, they had already outgone the highest mountains, they saw storms form under their feet; they wondered that drawing nearer to the Sun, the cold grew the greater, they could not comprehend how getting so far from the earth, their approach towards heaven should be so very small, they lost the sight of men, the greatest trees seemed but as Pismires to them, and all objects appearing to them but as Atoms, they wonder that the stars seemed no greater. The desire of glory made them overcome all difficulties, their courage was inflamed by their passion for purchasing esteem, and the death of their companions that fell into precipices, could not assuage their ambition. Heaven g Descendit Dominus ut videret civita● & turrim quam aedificabant filii Adam & dixit, coeperunt hoc facere nec defistent à cogitationibus suis donec eas opere compleant: descendamus & confundamus linguas eorum. Gen. 11. did compassionate their pain; to stop the course of so unprofitable a labour it put confusion into their mouths; and to divide their underwanding, divided their language, every wondered that he had forgot his native tongue, and learned another in an instant; the brother could not believe that his brother could not understand him, the father thought it strange that his son could not conceive what he meant and wives were much astonished to see their husbands change their language not having changed their country. So strange an accident put an end to so great a work, and parted those by force who out of vain glory had undertaken it, the people that understood one another retired into the same countries; that which had divided them from others, united them together, and they imagined that 'twas the will of heaven, they should live under the same climate, since it had given them the same language. Men were not made the wiser by this memorable example; there were some, who joining industry to vain glory endeavoured to imitate the works of God, and to make in this lower world an Epitome of the Universe. This was a more refined pride, and seemed more praiseworthy than the other since 'twas more ingenious: for Princes who built Tombs or Palaces had no hand in the work more than the bare desire; the Architectours conceived the design, the earth furnished the materials, the people were at the expense, and the handycrafts men contributed their labour: thus was the glory divided, and those bare away the most, who certainly deserved the least. But when industry joined with vain glory, honour was no more divided; he who laid the project employed no other hands, than his own to effect the work. Thus did ingenious Archimedes enclose whole Nature h Aemula Naturae parva reperta manus. in a vessel of Crystal; he observed all the motions of the heavens in a brittle Globe, and if he could not infuse influences into the stars which he there engraved, he gave them at least light and beauty: whosoever was in the midst of this in-animated Sphere saw the Sun arise above his head, and the stars set underneath his feet; this transparent globe did at one and the same time show all the secrets of Nature, and looking upwards or downwards one might there observe all the rarities of both the Hemispheres. A certain Poet, admiring the excellency of this work, i Luditur & fragili noster in orbe labour. thought he could cause Jealousy in his jupiter, and in this belief made it be told him in his language, that the hand of a man had equalled God's hand: and that if it had as much strength as it had compendious address, it might have form a second Uuiverse, But notwithstanding what the Poets say, this Masterpiece of workmanship did not survive its author, the same age saw the beginning and end thereof, the ransacking of a Town put a period to this little world, when Siracusa was taken by the Romans, Archimedes was there slain, and his work destroyed. Those proud Mausolaea which promised immortality to their builders, are reduced to ashes as well as the bodies which they did enclose, we do not know the places where their foundations were laid, and of all the marble and porphyry which went to their composure, nothing but smoke and dust remains, of all the stately buildings which vanity hath produced, none but the Pyramids of Egypt have triumphed over time. Those mighty masses of stone remain yet entire, the theatres, the Amphitheatres of Rome, which were built so many ages after these miracles of Memphis, are now nothing but ruins, regarded for their Antiquity, those proud portals and stately theatres, for which Rome's greatness, after she hath been so oft demolished, is still admitted, are only receptacles for owls, and nests for serpents. And those Temples, wherein heretofore so many Gods were lodged, serve now only to raise Rome's walls. But the Pyramids of Egypt stand yet firm upon their foundations; Thunder bears respect unto them, the injuries of time spares them, and as if Nature knew that they were built by the labour of God's people, that they are the workmanship of their hands, and that the Coement k Tempus edax rerum tuque invidiosa vetustas, Omnia destruitis, vitia-● taque dentibus aevi, Paulatim lentâ consumitis omnia morte. Ovid. 15. Metamorph. which fastens the stones together was steeped in their tears, she preserves this work as a mark of their servitude, and as an eternal monument of their glorious deliverance. None of the other buildings, could defend themselves against the elements; if the sword have-spared them, fire hath consumed them, if water have not overthrown their foundations, it hath undermined their tops; and if rust have not spoilt them, Time which consumes all things hath devoured them. It is not fitting that the workmanship of men should be more lasting than that of God, l Quid enim immortale manus mortales fecerint? septem illa miracula & si quae his multo mirabiliora sequentium annorum extruxit ambitio aliquando solo aequatavisentur. Sen. ad Polyb. since Nature perisheth in any one of her parts, that she preserves not her productions but by their loss, there is no reason why edifices should be eternal, since the world for being infected with sin was drowned by an universal deluge, and shall be consumed by a general fire, 'tis not fit that our Palaces which are but the inventions of pleasure or vanity, should be of a bettercondition, and man must learn by the ruin of his workmanships, that guilty hands can make nothing which deserves not to be destroyed either by sword or fire. The tenth Discourse. That the greatest part of our pestimes are occasions of sin. THough man had remained in the state of innocency, he would have stood in need of some diversion or pastime, his constitution which placeth him beneath that of Angels, requires that his labours should be intermitted by some honest recreation, and his mixture of soul and body doth not permit him to be always busied. Nature, which serves him for a rule endev●s some relaxation in her labours: l the earth rests in the winter season, she sometimes sports herself for recreation, and amongst her serious works doth some ridiculous ones, which are her ●ions or extravagancies. The sea is calm after a storm, the winds w● with she was agitated leave her in quiet, and those spirits which appear enemies to rest, are lulled asleep in the bowels of the earth. Though labour be natural to man it needs relaxation, his spirit is too weak to be always busied; it is not of the nature of rivers, or of the heavens which find their rest in motion, as sleep repairs the body's strength, so doth recreation repair the like of the soul, and change of exercise is to her a kind of recreation. But in the state of innocency, man found his delight in his duty, he unwearied himself in considering Gods wonderful works, and nature's beauties, which had charms enough to recreate him, m Qu● libet 〈◊〉 specu● est in qu● 〈◊〉 nobis Deum 〈◊〉. had not power enough to seduce or corrupt him; whilst he saw the stars he adored him who had given them their light and influences: whilst he beheld the flowers he admired him who had made them so beautiful and delicate, whilst he considered the earth's fertility and the diversity of her productions, he bethought himself how so many miracles cost God only the speaking of a word, and how the nothing out of which they were produced did contribute nothing unto them but a blind obedience. When he heard the comfort of birds or the noise of the waters he roused up his soul to his Creator, and 〈◊〉 he had understood the language of those creatures, he sung his praises who had made them speak. In fine, man was religious in all his recreations, whilst he did divert himself, he did actions of piety; and Nature being mingled with Grace, whilst he did unbend his cogitations he did some homage to his God. But when sin had once corrupted his inclinations, he served his recreation from his duty, and took delight in nothing but offence. All the remedies which we bring to this disorder have not yet been able to reform it: our most harmless recreations may become faulty, and we find by experience that whilst we think to divert our mind we engage it in the creature, n Indulge goul●. 〈◊〉 ●l 〈◊〉, nostrum est quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, & man● & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. which doth estrange it from the Creator. Our disports have no longer either measure or bounds, they are either useless or dangerous, if there be no excess in them, there is vanity; if they do not ravish our hearts, they steal away our time; and if they do not altogether thwart God's will, they hinder us from following it. There are some men whose eyes are only busied in beholding the beauty of Tulips; they make an Art of this pleasure, and a serious occupation of this useless recreation; they traffic in onions, as Merchants do in stuffs: The price of these flowers is enhanced by their fantasticalness; an extravagancy in nature passeth with them for a miracle; they therein admire the mixture of colours, o Adulterium colorum amat. Tertul. they are not therein pleased with purity, and to use Tertullia's words, if they meet with no adultery, or incest there, they are not pleased. their passion hath found out a new language to express the difference of Tulips: 'tis a piece of incongruity to use an ordinary term; a man must speak according to the rules of Art if he will be admitted into their Academy. All the secrets of husbandry are requisite to cultivate these flowers, which do satisfy but one of our senses; they must be taken out of the earth, and put in again in their due seasons; and a man must labour all the whole year to reap some delight in the Spring. The love of painting is yet of less ●e than is that of flowers; for let painters do what they can they cannot equal nature: their pieces will never be so well finished as are her productions, p Pictura mendacium est veritatem imitans Plato. nor can their pencils how excellent Masters soever they be represent the roses and lilies, which grow in the fields; yet we see men of good condition who fill their Closets with pictures, who extract vanity from whence the painters have extracted profit; who spend their lives in observing the Pieces made by Bassa●, or Caravaggio, who study to know a copy from an original, and who spend a good part of their estate in buying of pictures, q Honestius inquis impensas i● corinthia pictasque tabulas quam in vestes pretiosas eff●derim. Vitiesum est ubique quod ●ium est. Se●. de tranquil. 〈◊〉. 9 which do not content their eyes, till they have wounded their imaginations. This exercise is termed an honest recreation; men never blame themselves for having spent all their time, their estal, and their affection in this useless occupation, nor do they think themselves too blame though they make an Idol of the handy work of a Carver, or Painter. Though clocks are useful, and that the hours which they sh●w forth, put us in mind of the shortness of our life, yet cannot I approve of too inordinate affection thereunto. For what likelihood is there that our watches should measure our time, of which we are so prodigal? r Tam difficile inter Philosophos quam inter horologia con●nit. Senec. That we should take so much pain to make them go aright, and that we should not labour to accord our passions? that we should be careful to govern them by the Sun, and should never think of governing ourselves by Jesus Christ? yet this is one of the pastimes of the age; where we may see men who carry the rule of their life in their pockets, who accommodate themselves unto their watches, who think not that they go astray, because they measure their moments, and enjoining themselves to as much pain as did Charles the fifth, think there goes no less art to make many watches go just together, then to make divers people join in the same design. Learned men despise these recreations, and yet take others which bear not more reason with them: the knowledge of Medals which was formerly only an help to History, is now the occupation of Critics. They neglect the lives of Princes, to study their pictures, they ground their science upon the Caprichio of an Ingraver; such moneys as were currant in the reign of the Emperors, are placed in the best parts of their Cabinets. s Vetustas quae prodidit colenda sunt, satisque habent meriti si plurimum habeant temporis. They treasure up brass and latten, out of a foolish curiosity, they change weighty gold for rusty medals, and 〈◊〉 if antiquity set a valuation upon all things, they more esteem the picture of Antonius, or Marcus Aurelius, upon copper, then that of Henry the Great, or Lewis the Just upon gold; they vex themselves about worn out characters, they ask advice of all Authors, to explain these Enigmas, and as if they were ingenious to their prejudice, they seek in sepulchers the cause of their punishments. These Sanctuaries of the dead to which avarice bears respect, have not been able to defend themselves against these men, who do violate religion, to content curiosity. Nature complains of their searches, and all the World wonders that the pictures of the dead which have nothing of pleasing in them can serve for a diversion to the living. But if all these pastimes be the effects of sin, it must be confessed that gaming is one of the most unjust and sinful ones; it is authorized by custom, and because 'tis common, 'tis thought to be harmless; half the world have no other employment but this exercise. t definite esse remedio locus, ubi quae fuerant vitia mores sunt. Senec. Epist. 18. 'Tis is the trade of all such as have no trade, and the occupation of all useless men: 'tis the ruin of the greatest families, and it alone sends more poor to the Hospital, then hunting, love, and war do, joined altogether; yet hath it so powerful Charms as it makes itself be beloved of all those that it disobligeth; its Martyrs are so faithful to it as when they have no more to lose, they notwithstanding languish after it; it's inconstancy makes them love it, they hope that after having dealt ill with them, it will make them amends; and being far from imitating those discreet lovers, who cease to pursue an ungrateful Mistress, who pays their service with disrespect, they endeavour to overcome its inconstancy by their fidelity, when this Tyrant hath made himself master of their affection, 'tis almost impossible to get them out of his clutches; the loss of their estate sets them not at liberty, after having lost wherewithal to play, they continue to love it; and the will growing obdurate against what resists it, they never have so great a passion for this pastime, x Quod non licet acrius urit. as when they are not in a condition of taking it. Though I hope not to cure an evil which all the world holds incurable; I will not forbear to make the nature of it known, to the end those who are not yet infected therewithal, may defend themselves against it, and that growing weary by other men's harms, they may fortunately eschew the danger. It's first disorder y Ibi enim vitiorum omnium sed in primis irae atque avaritiae regnum est. Petrarch. Dialog. is that it awakens all the passions which discompose the heart of man, it excites all those motions which molest his reason, it raiseth those overflowings which moral philosophy endeavours to calm, it irritates such Tempests as the other striveth to allay, & causeth more storms in a moment, than all philosophy can quiet in age. Avarice waits close upon it; & let such handsome gamesters say, what they please, who do but bite upon the bridle, when they lose; and who bear their bad fortune with a good grace, all men play to win. This exercise is a kind of Traffic: 'tis a general usury wherein every one glories; 'tis their clearest incomb, who can join sleight of hand to good fortune, and who can lead fortune as they list. They are less egged on by pleasure, then by profit; and if they will acknowledge their own weakness, they must confess, that those who are most liberal, are avaricious at play. Anger governs there yet more absolutely than doth avarice; a man cannot have ill luck without some commotion, z Si qui ale● ludunt omnes perdunt, nemo unquam luderet. Nunc lucrantur aliqui, sed lucrum illud arrha est damni. Petrarch. Dialog. 27. his pulse beats high, when the dice do not favour him; an unlooked for chance puts him in disorder; if his ill luck prove constant, his fury turns to impiety, and after having imprecated the gain, he vomits forth blasphemies against heaven. Ambition takes her place between avarice and anger; for though play makes all men equal, though the freedom of play forbids ceremony, though it be lawful in play for every man to defend his own liberty, and that therein the servant may argue with his Master, yet vainglory hath a share therein; men think winning an advantage, and that he that wins is either more dexterous, or more fortunate; and as if fortune ought to be more just in play, than in battles, men complain that she favours the weakest, or the worst side. In fine, sorrow succeeds all other passions in this exercise, for if the loss be great, 'tis always accompanied with sorrow. Shame and repentance set on those that loose, a Taxillorum nullus eventus prosper, mali omnes & miseri. Name & qui perdit affligitur, & qui vincit illicitur inque insidias protrabitur. Petrarch. Dialog. 27. the one siezeth on the heart, the other on their countenance; they are displeased with all things: not knowing to whom to break themselves, they betake themselves to every body; and are bound to confess, that contrary to their intention they find pain and repentance, where they sought for pleasure and recreation. The second disorder of play, is, that it alienates men from their duty, and hinders them from doing what they ought, or from attending their affairs. All worldly things are so linked together as an evil seldom comes alone; one misfortune always produceth another, and it is almost impossible, that a malady doth not ofttimes become a contagion. Great winds cause great droughts, and whilst the air is agitated with these exhalations, the earth is no● watered with rain. Droughts cause dearths, and all the husbandman's labour cannot defend us from famine. Dearths cause the plague; for when necessity makes all things food, and that without considering what is good, or what is bad, men fall to whatsoever they meet withal; mens temper must be corrupted, and the body which is nourished with unwholesome food, must needs gather ill humours. Thus in a Kingdom, one disorder is always cause of another. b Pejus vivere sub principe qui omnia scele●a per● quam sub eo qui omnia ulciscitur. Indulgency of Princes leaves faults unpunished, impunity causeth licentiousness; licentiousness ushers in murder, and murder causeth war in the midst of peace. Particular families being little States, and Oeconomy being the picture of policy, one disorder never happens there alone; the Master's fault is always followed by the confusion of all the Domestiques. Excess in gaming is an infallible proof of this truth, for those who passionately love this pastime, give over the thought of business, neglect the government of their house, lose all their relations of Father, Master, or husband, and by one and the same fault, injure their children, wives, and servants. They lose all they have, in a short time, they mortgage their lands, contract debts, and are constrained to keep out of company because they cannot appear abroad in their former gallantry. If the wives will not shut themselves up with their husbands, they must make friends, and must engage their conscience, and betray their honour to continue their ordinary expense and port. But if this misfortune which is but too ordinary, should not happen, Gamesters must confess, that this exercise bereaves them of all their time, which is a disorder no less considerable than all the rest. For Time c Rect● lud● iste latruncu●rum dict● est cum rem omnium pretiosissimam tempus scilicet furetur. Petrarch. is the most precious thing that is, our salvation depends upon the moments thereof; eternity must be his reward or punishment, and we shall be happy or miserable according to the good or bad use we make of time, which is the measure of merit, the rule of good or bad actions, and these days which we are so prodigal of, are the bounds which divine Justice hath prescribed to our labours. When the soul foregoes the body, and passeth from time to eternity, 'tis no more in her power to acquire virtue, or ●hstand vice, she carries nothing into the other world but what she hath gathered here: good desires are of no advantage to her, if they have not been foregone by good effects; nor can all the ages to come profit her, if she have not employed past moments well. Yet d Nil pretio● tempore & nihil bodie eo vilius invenitur: transivit dies salutis & nemo recogitat: Nemo sibi perire di● nunquam redituram causatur, sed sicut capill● de capi● sic nec mom●tum peribit de comport. Bernard. experience teacheth us, that gamesters never count their years; a man must be very eloquent to persuade them that hours are more precious than pistols, and that it is easier to pay their debts then to recover the weeks which they have lost. Time advanceth always and never returns, it is as hard to recall time past as to stop the present. When the Sun (which is the rule of times motions) stood still in the midst of his career, to obey a man's word, the present time ceased not to roll on, though it had lost its guide, when the same constellation returned towards the east. to assure a great Prince that his death was deferred, the time past did not retreat back with it, and divine Providence which changed the course of the Sun, would not alter the nature of time. Yet e Nemo se judicat quidquam debere qui temp● accepit: quùm interim hoc unum est quod ne grat● quidem potest reddere. Senec. Epist. 〈◊〉. all such as play are prodigal thereof, they are shamefully profuse of a thing, the sparing whereof is honourable; they think they give their friends nothing when they bestow but whole days upon them, and because the loss thereof is common they think it not considerable: their life is jesse dear unto them than their pleasure, and they prove that passion blinds them since under pretence of pastime these shorten their life, and hasten their death. But though they be guilty of so many faults, they still allege vain excuses, and use false reason to defend their bad cause, they say that a man cannot be always busied, that the weakness of his spirit and the misery of his condition considered, f Lyram & a●cum remittimus quo melius possint tendi, ita reereandus otio animus ut ad labores reddatur vegetior. Plu. tarc. in Moral. recreation is requisite for him. I confess that this excuse hath some colour of truth, and that men who are most serious need some relaxations in their businesses; but they must not make a trade of their recreation, nor must they contrary to the laws of Nature, employ those hours in pleasure, which are destined for labour: as those men are to be blamed who turn their Physic into food, and who to purge away some ill humours, forego their usual meat, and take nothing but medicines. So are they likewise, who leave serious exercises to use such only as are of no use, and who think they live in a world, only to please themselves, and not to take pains. Some others say, that it is better to play, then to deprave, that less evil is committed in Academies then in company keeping; and that those who are busied about play, trouble themselves not with their neighbour's faults. That in this corrupted age, wherein the severest virtue becomes the subject of Calumny, it were to be wished, that all the world would be silent, that men were dumb, and women deaf, to the end that detraction and idle talk were banished from off the earth. That gaming is fortunate in producingthese two effects, and that it doth so powerfully possess those who practise it, that they have no use of their tongue to talk idly or deprave, nor yet of their ears, to listen to such things. That of two necessary evils a man must shun the most dangerous, and that recreation be it of never so little use, will always be innocent enough, if it can hinder revile and unchastity. g Non ideo vitia in usum recipienda sunt quia aliquando aliquid boni effecerunt. Name & sebres quaedam genera valetudinis levant, nec ideo non ex toto illis caruisse melius est. Abbominand● est genusremedii sanitatem debere morbo. Sense. 1. de l. 〈◊〉. cap. 12. They must be but weak men that are satisfied with this bad excuse. For 'tis not permitted in our religion to cure one evil by another. Moral Philosophy and Physic do differ in their cures, the latter hurts to heal, and employs instruments and fire to dry up an Ulcer, but the other doth not allow that a man commit one fault to forego another, and knowing them all to be averse to virtue, whose party she mainteins, she equally condemns them. Saint Paul never advised us to use play so to keep men from slandering, and this great Apostle who loved chastity so well, never thought that an excess in recreation might serve him for an excuse. Though Idleness do cause love, all exercises do not extinguish it; this passion hath her employments as well as others; after having consumed itself away in sighs, it is well pleased to take some recreation, & of as many pastimes as it chooseth, there are not many wherein it delighteth more than in play, it makes use as of an occasion thereof to see & entertain what it loveth. It useth such freedom as that pastime affordeth it. It teacheth slaves to act two parts at once, and to hazard their money and their liberty upon the same chance or card, that Poet who was so justly banished to Pontus Euximus for h Turpe est nescire puellam ludere, ludendo saepe paratur amor. Ovid. having taught the Roman Ladies how to make love, recommends play unto them, as a pastime which serves to their design: he will have all maidens know how to play, and that by a double traffic, they win their Lovers hearts and money. The Privatives which accompany this pastime, are fitter to kindle flames of love then to extinguish them. This passion is entertained by the presence of such objects as do arise, she expresseth herself by looks and sighs, she furnisheth Lovers with a thousand ways to seduce those who will listen to them, growing learned in so good a school, they quit their losses, and oft-time of servants become Masters. But if all these sufficient reasons cannot disabuse those women who love play, and if they think it be a buckler for their chastity, we will give them leave to play, provided they will give us leave to believe that this exercise is a cure for their incontinency, that the use thereof is permitted them only to free them from love, and that knowing their frailty, they are allowed this pastime to secure their reputation, which would be in hazard of shipwreck, if they should be idle or solitary. Yet if they will listen to our religion, this wise tutouresse will i Hae voluptates haec spectacula Christianorum sancta, perpetua gratuita, cursus saeculi intuere tempora labentia dinumera, ad signum Dei suscitare, ad tubam Angeli erigere, ad Martyrii palma● gloriare. Tertul. de spectaculis. furnish them with better means how to assist chastity, when it is assailed. Her enemy dares not pursue her in prison, those places of dread infuse horror into him, and being guilty, she fears all places where guilty people are punished; she apprehends hospitals, and her delicate disposition cannot endure those houses where the eyes see nothing but objects of pity, where the ears hear nothing but complaints, where the nose smells nothing but evil odours, and where all the senses find nothing but subjects of mortification. Penance is a better cure for love then play, and if women who seek to succour their weakness by this diversion, had kept their bodies under by fasting and penance, they would confess that suffering is a friend to chastity; and that the fire which doth consume them, is the just punishment of their infamous delights. The earth is an abode of penance; we should not seek for pastimes since we were driven out of paradise: guilty men dream of nothing but death after once they are condemned. The sorrow for their fault, and the apprehension of their punishment will k Dehinc cum de originis loco homo exterminatur, quip qui deliquerat, pellitus orbi ut metallo datur. Ter tul. de pallio. cap. 3. not permit them to take any pastime: he would redouble their pain, who should propose pastimes unto them, the most ingenious Tyrants never inhibited complaints to such as were to be punished. Yet it seems the Devil deals so rigorously with us, as he binds us to recreate ourselves after condemnation, and engageth us in debaucheries, to take from us the occasion of bewailing our sins. If we take any recreation, let us not forget our misfortune, let us mingle tears with our delights, let us take our pastimes as sick men take potions, let necessity which ought to be the rule thereof, be our excuse; and let us not allow ourselves longer relaxation, then is necessary to support the miseries of our life. Let us wish for that glorious condition where Saints find their recreation in their duties, where the same object which doth ravish them, doth recreate them, and where by an admirable encounter, all the faculties of the soul are always employed, yet are never weary nor weakened. OF THE CORRUPTION OF ALL CREATURES. The Sixth and last Treatise: The First Discourse. Of the Beauty, Greatness, and Duration of the WORLD: THough the world lost its first purity, when man lost his innocence, there remains yet therein enough of beauty, to oblige such as do consider it to make its Panegyrics; a Visibilium 〈◊〉 xim● est 〈◊〉, invisibilium 〈◊〉 maxi● est Deus sed ●dum esse conspi● Deum esse credit. Aug. de Civit. lib. 11 cap. 4. sin could not so much efface all its perfections, but that those which it yet hath, caused admiration in Philosophers; and force Infidels to adore his hand who made it. It resembles their famous beauties to which age or sickness have yet left features enough to make their beholders judge that 'twas not without reason that they were adored in their youth. Though it be disordered in some of its parts, though the elements whereof it is composed do divide it, though the seasons which maintain the variety thereof cause its confusion, though Monsters which heighten the works thereof dishonour it, and though beasts which have antidotes in them, have also poisons; yet is it easy, to observe the world's advantages amidst its defaults, and to acknowledge that if Divine Justice have put it out of order to punish us, Providence had ordained it for our habitation, and had placed nothing in so vast a palace which was not sufficient to ravish our senses, and to content our minds. The curious discover therein every day new beauties to satisfy themselves; 'tis a book which never wearies those that read it. Every creature b Mundus ipse liber est tot litteris exaratus quot creaturis, in quo possunt omnes legere & intelligere. Chrysost. is a character which represents some one of its Author's perfections, and Infidels instructed in this school have framed unto themselves noble Ideas of the divine Essence. In effect, the spaciousness of the Heavens which serves for bounds to nature, and which enclose all the works thereof in their extent, do point out unto us God's immensity, who comprehends whatsoever he produceth, and encloseth within his essence whatsoever he by his power doth draw from thence. The earth's solidity which serves for centre to all the world, and which grounded upon its own weight cannot c Immotúsque mane●s dat cuncta moveri. Boetius. be shaken by storms nor winds, is an Emblem of God's stability, who causeth all the alterations in the world without any change in himself, and who by an unalterable act of his will, rules all the adventures of our life. The Sun's light is a shadow of his, and the prodigious activity of this glorious constellation which produceth metals in the bowels of the earth, flowers and fruits in the fields, clouds and meteors in the air, and which by its influences doth rule over all the productions of nature, is the picture of that infinite power, which shed abroad in all his creatures doth act with them, and accommodate itself to their inclinations. The incensed sea big with storms, the waves whereof rise up unto the heavens and descend unto the depths, her fury which threatens ships with wracking; and the neighbouring fields with deluge, is a fearful draught of God's anger who prepares torments for sinners, and makes himself be dreaded by rebels who would not love his goodness. In fine, every creature is a lookingglass d Ex perpetuitate creaturarum intelligitur Creator aet●rnus, ex magnitudine omnipotens, ex ordine & dispositione sapiens, ex gubernatione ●onus. August. in Joan. wherein a man see the Lineaments of his Creator, and where, with but a grain of grace all rational men may become faithful. So prodigious is the mightiness of this work, as 6000 years have not been sufficient to discover it; avarice nor ambition have not been able to find out the ends thereof; there are yet whole Countries whether by reason of the extremity of cold; and the Seas vast extent no man ever yet came. There are unknown e Hinc camporumi● infinitum p●tentium fusa planities, varii u●bium situs, & seclusae nationes locorum difficultate, littor● in portum recedentia, sparsae tot per vastum insulae qua intervent● suo maria distinguunt. Senec. ad Marc. c. 18. deserts which man's curiosity hath not been able to penetrate, and the Sun enlightens some part of the earth whereon no Conqueror ever yet set his foot. Those who have gone round the world, have not discovered its profundity, and though they be vainly persuaded that there is nothing so great which their understanding cannot comprehend, yet are they bound to confess, that there be havens whereinto they never put, and savage people, whose language nor manners they understand not. There is none but God alone who knows the greatness of his work; every age discovers unto us our ignorance. And though the earth be but a point, yet doth it consist of so many parts as we may with reason doubt, if what we know not thereof, do not exceed for bulk and beauty, it's known parts. That new world which our forefathers knew not, is richer, and of larger extent than ours. It is so ravishing, as it makes whole Nations quit their own Countries to conquer it; the wealth thereof gives the law to all Europe; the latter Kings of Spain have made more conquests with the gold thereof, than all their Pred●ssours have fought battles with the iron of their Mines. Their overcoming of this part of the world hath made them overcome the rest; their victories depend only upon it. And did not the Indians dig up the entrails of Perve, the Spaniards would not trouble the Peace of Europe. 'Tis true, that these Provinces are so far distant from the Centre of their State, and the Sea which brings them the wealth thereof is so treacherous, as they run hazard of being undone, as oft as the Indian Fleet is in danger of shipwreck. And Politicians are of opinion, that so great a body the parts whereof are divided by so many seas, can be of no long durance: f Deus omnia videt quid totus oculus, omnia potest quia totus manus, omnia replet quia totus p● est. August. it only appertains to God to govern in a State, the Provinces whereof though never so far distant, are yet always united to their Sovereign; and which though situated in different Climates, are still enlightened by the same Sun. The beautifulness of this Kingdom is answerable to its greatness, nothing is therein to be seen which hurts the senses, all the pieces whereof it is composed are pleasing, their difference makes a part of its beauty, and the wit of man which is naturally critical, can find nothing in this work to be found fault with. Every part is so well placed as they are not to be altered without some disorder. g Deus t●tam molem istam cum omni instrumento elementorum corporum spiritaum verbo quo ●us fit, ratione qua disposuit, virtute quà potuit de nihilo expressit in ornamentum majestatis sua. Tert. in Apologetic. The Elements are lodged according to their deserts; the earth as the heaviest makes the lowest story; the fire as the lightest is nearest heaven, the air and water whose qualities have some resemblance, are seated above the earth; and beneath the fire. The noblest of these Elements is the most barren, it is so active as it will not permit any creatures to live in it. The Salamander doth for a while resist its heat, and till his moisture which doth preserve him, be dried up, he delights in the fire; but if he tarry long there, his pleasure turns to pain, and he there finds his death. The air whose purity comes nearest that of the fire, is the abode of birds, they cut this liquid Element with their wings, they make new paths in those spacious Champions, they therein breathe with freedom, and till man found out the art to kill them with his arrows, they laughed at his Empire. Their wings are oars which guide through this sea, their tail is their rudder, and when the storm is so great, as they fear being born away by the fury thereof, they take up stones in their feet, and defend themselves against the Tempest. Though they live at liberty, h Aquilae solem ita sustinent ut natorumsu●rum ge●erositatem de ●illarum aud● judicent alioqui non educabunt ut degenerem quem solis radius averte it. Tert. deanima. they acknowledge a King, which title the eagle hath won, be it whether for that she flies highest, or for that he can look fixedly on the Sun, or for that he defends his subjects from birds of prey, which appear to be the Tyrants of this part of the world. The Sea abounds more in fishes, than the air doth in birds. Their number is as prodigious, as their shapes, the species is there by miracle preserved, and Naturalists who boast to know all things, know not in what part of the fish, her fecundity doth lie. The Elements which give them their life being almost always in agitation, war is there more frequent than peace, and the abode of these Monsters is the picture of a State divided by Civil war. Right consists there either in force, or fraud, the greater eat up the less, and if the weak ones want nimbleness to defend themselves, they become a prey to the more puissant. i A●citiae exempla ba● & musculus quando p●gravi superciliorum pondere obrutis ejus oculis, infestantia magnitudinem vada p●aenatans demonstrat oculorumque vice fungitur. Plin. lib. 9 cap 62. The Whale which doth for greatness equal mountains, doth not govern in this Empire; this great Colossus wants spirit to inanimate his body, Nature which hath made him so vast hath made him so dull, that he needs another fish to guide him, he would fall foul upon the sands, did not his faithful Officer keep him aloof from the shore; and this inanimated Rock would bruise himself against the earth, did not this guide advertise him of his danger; to recompense his guide for so good an office, he lends him his throat for a place of retreat, and this living gulf serves for a Sanctuary to this faithful guide. k Delp●is non homini tantum amicum animal, verum & musicae arti, mulcetur symphoniae cantu. Hominem non expavescitut alienum, obviam navigiis venit, alludit exaltans. Plin. lib. 9 cap. 8. The Dolphin is the Sovereign of the Sea, he carries the Ensigns of his power in the noblest part of his body, and Nature which hath given him dexterity to command, hath placed a Crown upon his head, to put a difference between him and his subjects; he naturally loves man, and as if he knew that he likewise were a Sovereign, he helps him at the sea who commands upon earth; he is delighted with music, though he be dumb, he is not deaf, and the love he bears to music, hath made him ofttimes assist Musicians in shipwreck. The earth is no less peopled than is the sea: this fruitful mother is never weary of bringing forth children, nor of nourishing them; all the parts thereof are fertile: Deserts which produce Monsters, produce food likewise to nourish them; Forests serve for retreats to wild beasts, the fields receive such as are necessary for man's entertainment: and Towns afford shelter to such as we have reclaimed, & made tame either for our service or pastime; every species is preserved by multiplying itself; Nature repairs the havoc made by death. And notwithstanding the cruelty which men use towards those harmless beasts, l Horum insatiabilis gula hinc maria soris tatur hi●c terras, alia ham is, alia laqueis cum magno labore persequitur, nullisque animalibus, nisi ex f●tidio p● est. Sen. Epist. 89. their number is not diminished. Excess in feasting cannot drain either the earth, or sea, these two Elements abound more in fruitfulness, than we do in gluttonies; and notwithstanding any debauches made, yet at any time in any Country; the fields were never depopulated. Though man be the Sovereign of all the world, he is much more absolute in the earth, than either in the water, or air. He rules over fishes, and birds only by art; and since they dwell in Elements which are not conformable to his nature, he must use violence upon himself, before he can fight against them. He gets o● shipboard, & trusts himself to the perfidiousness of the sea to surprise fish. He cannot come up to birds because of their swiftness, his mind could never yet raise his earthly body to pursue them in the air. He sends bullets where he himself cannot go, and putting division between these innocent creatures either by industry or deceit, he makes the Gerfaulcon fly at the Heron. But he can do what he will with beasts, he sets upon the fiercest of them in their Forts; their dens nor thickets cannot defend them from his violence. m Animalium tyrannus homo primus animal occidit Hyperbius Martis filius, Prometheus bovem. Plin. lib. 7. cap. 56. He reclaims some to make use of them, he strips others to cloth himself; and cuts the throats of others to feed on. This absolute power impedes not the beasts from having Sovereigns amongst themselves. The Lion hath won this honour by his strength and courage; all other beasts bear him respect; at his roaring all his subjects tremble; nor are Kings more re-doubted in their Kingdoms, then is this noble Animal in Forests. Thus all things in the world are wisely ordered; every Element acknowledgeth its Sovereign, every species hath its laws, and had not man disordered this great Republic, all the parts thereof would yet enjoy peace and tranquillity. Yet they agree in what is requisite for the world's preservation; n Per propria singula à singulis elementa separantur, per communia singula singulis nectuntur: oportebat enim esse separata, ut singula suam conservarent naturam, oportebat & aliquo nexu copulata esse ut ex his omnium corporum nasceretur compositio. Procopi, Genes. cap. 1. though their inclinations be contrary, they keep fair quarter in their quarrels, & do not forgo all sense of love, when they exercise their hatred. Fire agrees with water to compose all bodies, and air mingles itself with earth to give life and breath to all creatures. Every Element useth force upon its inclinations to agree with its Enemy. In birds the earth becomes light, in beasts the air waxeth heavy, in fishes fire grows cold, and water hardens in rocks: if at any time they fall foul, 'tis always out of some good design; and divine providence by which they are governed gives them not freedom to wage war save for her glory, and our advantage. The obedience which they owe to God, exceeds their own aversions, and the Commandments which he gave them when he made them of nothing, keeps them yet within their duties; they do not make use of their advantages which one of them hath over the other, and knowing very well that the world's welfare depends on their agreements; they appease their hatred to cause it's quiet. The fire environs all the other Elements without consuming them, it is content to burn such exhalations as come near it, and to set such Comets on fire as do presage alteration in States, or the death of Kings. The air doth enclose all sensible creatures, the humidity thereof doth temper the fires heat, and the earth's dryness. Waters make no advantage of the situation which Nature hath given it, though it be liquid, and raised above the earth, it doth not pass his bounds, the word of God gives it its limits, he who raised it up retains it, and he teacheth us by this miracle, that there needs no more to drown the world, then o Hi circumfuso pendebat in aëre tellus ponderibus lib●ata suis, & pressa est gravitate sui. Ovid. 1. Metamorph. to leave the sea at liberty. The earth hath its foundations laid upon the air, this Element wherewith it is environed, supports it. The world's Basis hath no other stay then the weight thereof; that which ought to beat it down, susteins it, and it keeps equally distant from all the parts of heaven, only because it is the heaviest of all bodies. But that which astonisheth all Philosophers, and fills the wisest pates in the world with admiration, is to see that the world which is but a point, should be the centre of the Universe, and that all Creatures labour only to adorn or to enrich it. The heaven's roll incessantly about this hillock of sand to beautify the fields thereof. p Terra omnium media posita est circa quam coelum volvitur, quam astra omnia illuminant, & ipsa quoddam astrum est quia immobilis. Alcinous cap. 15. The Sun enlightens it and cherisheth it with his beams, this glorious constellation hath no other care then to make it fertile, and if he be in perpetual motion, 'tis that he may adorn it with flowers, load it with fruits, and enrich it with metals, the Air forms no clouds nor rain, save only to water it: And whole nature is busied in nothing but how she may oblige the least part of the Universe. 'Tis truth; the earth doth thankfully acknowledge all these favours, for as she owes all her productions to the Sun's favourable aspect, she in token of thankfulness thrusts all her fruits up towards him, opens all her flowers when he riseth, shuts them up when he sets, and as if she were only adorned to please him, she hides all her beauties when he keeps far from her. Though all these considerations make the world's beauty sufficiently appear, that its creation is the most considerable part of its excellency. And he who knows not what means God used to produce it, q Quomodo fecisti coelum & terram non sit ut homo artifex formans corpus de corpore non utique fecisti mundum in mundo quia non erat ubi fieret antiquam fieret ut ess●. August. lib. 11. Confess. cap. 5. Ignores the rarest of all his wonders. This great piece of workmanship had nothing, but nothing for its Materia, all the different parts whereof it is composed had the same original, and this vacuum in-animated by the word of God, brought forth the Heavens with their constellation, the earth with all its fields, and the sea with all her rocks, Nature which is so powerful can do nothing of herself, her works are rather alterations than productions, she turns dew into flowers, and rain into wine, she multiplieth all things without a miracle, a few grains of corn in her hands prove a whole harvest, and a few acorns sown in the earth, do by her care become a Forest, but let her do what she can she cannot make any thing out of nothing, and he who shall bereave her of the elements, takes from her the means of exercising her power. Art which boasts to imitate nature, can produce nothing of gallant, unless it have some subject to work upon, a painter cannot finish a picture without colours, nor can an Ingraver make the visage of an Hero without brass or porphyry. The most skilful Architects fall short, if they be not assisted by Nature, and their stateliest designs would be but useless Chimaeras, did not the Forest furnish them with Timber, and the Quarries with marble, to put them in execution. But God makes all things out of nothing, and when he operates as a Creator, he draws all his works ex nihilo. This is so admirable an effect of his power, as profane Philosophy cannot comprehend it. r Mundum ab aeterno so●niavit Aristoreles, quia ex nihilo fieri potuisse nunquam intelligere potuit. And the learnedest of all her disciples chose rather to believe that the world was eternal, then that it was made of nothing. It is not hard to conceive how flames may arise from water, and by what secret veins rivulets are drawn from out the barren bosoms of rocks; Philosophy hath light enough to comprehend that all is in all things, and that the variety of the parts of the world, hinders not their communication. But she cannot conceive without the help of faith, that the whole world could proceed from nothing, and that this nothing obeying the word of God hath produced flowers, Constellations mountains and rocks. s Qui vivit in aeternum cr●avitomnia simul. Ecclesias. cap. 18. There went but one moment to this great work, and if we will believe the wisest of men, heaven and earth were created in an instant, there went six days to their disposal; and this comely order which we observe in the world was the work of a week, but the matter was form as soon as God had spoken the word, and that which we call the creation of the world, did last no longer than was requisite for the ordering of it. Nature does wonders which do surprise men's understandings, her works deserve to be admired by Philosophers, and she sometimes doth miracles which surpass our belief; but this wise work woman is slow in her productions, she doth nothing without the aid of Time which is her Counsellor and Officer. As she takes time to put on her resolutions, so she never executes them without him, she requires whole years to ripen fruits, and stands in need of all the four seasons to bring them to maturity. She requires a whole age to bring a forest to its perfection, t Nihil difficile est Naturae, utique ubi in finem sui properat: ad originem rerum parce utitur viribus, subito ad ruinam toto impetu venit. Senec. Natural. Quaest l. 3. c. 27 and Philosophers accuse her it being more speedy in her decay than in her increase; she is precipitate when she leans towards her ruin, there needs but a moment to overthrow her goodliest works, but she is slow in forming even most common things; and if she undertake to change mould into metal, and to give it the Lustre of gold, or the hardness of Iron, she doth not finish this useful Metamorphosis under many ages after she hath begun it. But when God works of himself, he doth not assubject himself to the laws of time; the same moment which seeth the beginning of his work, seeth the end thereof. If this way of working were wonderful, it was no less easy, for all this mighty work cost him but a word, he made himself be understood by nihil, and this nihil did obey him. He u Si quaerimus quis fecerit Deus est, siper quod, dixit & facta sunt, si quare fecerit quia banus est: nec enim author est excellentior Deo, nec arse●ficacior Dei Verbo, nec causa melior quam Dei bonitas. Aug. lib. 11. de Civit. c. 21. spoke (saith the Scripture) and the ending his word was the beginning of the world, this Commandment was followed by the effect thereof, and far differing from that of earthly Princes, who leave the execution of their commands to their subjects, he accomplished all he had ordained. We must yet further believe with divinity, that this word was but mental, and that only act of Gods will, without other expression, perfected all the beauty of the Universe, and established the world where nothing was. Contrary to the laws of Nature, which suffers that soon to perish which she is not long in forming, this admirable work endures numberless ages, thousands of years are passed since its creation all kingdoms have changed their countenances, and their governments a hundred times; x Ubi sunt superbae Carthaginis alta moenia? ubi cunctis littoribus terribilis classis? ●bi tot exercitus? omnia ista duobus, Scipionibus fortuna partita est. V●. Maxim. lib. 3. whatsoever of most glorious the hand of man hath erected is buried in ruins; Cities which gave law to so many people are reduced to dust, nothing remains of their greatness but a vain remembrance, and their glory is so totally effaced as men dispute about the place wherein they were built. But the world doth still subsist, and seems not to draw nearer its end for all it's growing further off from its beginning. All its principal parts are yet entire, and though they be preserved by change, yet are they always like themselves. The Sun gives as much heat as at his birth; Those so many Territories which he hath cherished have not diminished his heat, and those who see him rise every day complain not that Time hath weakened his influences, the sea nor earth have lost nothing of their former fruitfulness; and what of Virtue the curse of God did leave in them is not weakened by the succession of so many years▪ 'tis true that if we compare the guilty world, with the world when it was innocent, we shall find a strange difference between them; after having admired God's power, we shall be obliged to adore his Justice; and confess that rebellious man, did not deserve a world which was only made for man when obedient. The second Discourse. That all creatures have lost some of their perfections. THere is not any one who doth not complain of the rigour which the creatures use towards man, every one is sensible thereof, and not any one seeks out the cause; those who argue upon the works of nature, wonder to find therein so much disorder, and knowing that the Government thereof is subordinate to that of Divine Providence, they cannot conceive why she should be so irregular: some imagine that the world being composed of so differing parts, can have no peace which is not interrupted by war: that the quarrelling of the elements is necessary, y Eleme● to●um pugna servat mundi pac●m, sed mundo minatur interitis. & that their qualities cannot be so well tempered but that they must be always in opposition. That the power of God cannot end their differences without destroying their inclinations, and that a body which is composed of fire and water must of necessity be troubled with an intestine war which threatens it with an inevitable corruption, that the seasons cannot be better regulated since the Sun going over our heads in an oblique line, doth according to the Summer or the Winter approach nearer to us, and draw further from us. That beasts according to their natural Temper should either be wild or docile, that those which have most fire in them are the nimblest, and that those which have most earth are the heaviest, and the most stupid; that thus the faults of the creatures do not proceed so much from the workman, as from the matter whereof they are composed. This opinion is too injurious to the power of God to be approved of by Christians; and since it proceeded from Philosopher's schools who did believe, that Materia Prima was eternal, we must not wonder if laying a false ground, they draw from thence bad conclusions; some others who are somewhat more respectful, yet not much more rational, imagine, that God made the world in the same condition that now it is, that he might fit himself according to the condition of man, who was to become sinful; that he had no regard to his innocency, because it was not to last so long, and that he left some disorders in his work, to the end they might serve for punishment to the faulty. These Philosophers seem to me to have lost their reason out of too much foresight; they do not consider that original righteousness ought to have been as exempt from punishment, as from sin: & that man in his innocency had had reason to complain, if having nothing amiss in his person, he should have found disorders in his Estate. God z Deus non ante vitor est quam homo peccator. August. always waits for our offences before he punisheth them; and though his mercies may through his favour forerun our services, his justice doth never through punishments prevene our sins. What likelihood was there to lodge an innocent person in an infected house? to make the seasons irregular which did measure a life not yet troubled by passions, and to give mortal influences to constellations, which were to enlighten immortal man? what reason have we to believe that man not being guilty the creature should rebel against him, and that the Elements should not be at peace in a body which was perfectly assubjected to the soul. I know very well that they reply, that original righteousness, did free man from these disorders, and that serving him in stead of a buckler of defence, his body was thereby miraculously preserved from being burnt in the midst of of Summer, or frozen in the midst of Winter. But say he should have no feeling of these irregularities, he would yet have seen them, and his eyes would have suffered punishment in beholding an unpleasing object. What pleasure could he have taken in seeing a sun, the heat whereof did scorch the grass, and cause the flowers to fade, to which it had given birth. What delight should he have tasted in feeling the earthquake under his feet, or to hear the thunder roar over his head? what contentment would he have found amidst boisterous winds, and storms at sea? should he not have had some reason of complaint, if he should have seen so many punishments prepared for a sin not yet committed. The best Divines do therefore confess, that the face of the world was changed when man altered his condition, a Spinas & tribul●s non germinavi● terra nisi à Deo maledicta. Genes. Rosa● sine spinas nasci ante peccatum credidit. Basil. in hexam that the earth lost his beauty when man lost his innocency, and that thorns were mingled with roses when concupiscence was mingled with nature. From that time forward divine Justice did fit our abode to our desert, and thought it not reasonable that guilty man should be lodged in a Palace prepared for the innocent. She punished man in his state, after having punished him in his person, and altering the inclinations of all creatures, made them the Ministers of her vengeance. The earth lost the fertility which was natural to it; this nurse which by her profusions did prevent our need, brought forth nothing but bulrushes; as soon as she was cursed, she grew avaricious; her bosom must be opened with the plough share, and watered with our sweat and tears, if we will get any thing from thence: this merciful mother became a severe stepdame; she dis-avowed us for her children when once we ceased to be obedient to our Father; and as if her fertility had been affixed to our innocency, when we grew sinful, she grew barren; every part of the world is a proof and punishment of our sin; it's irregularity upbraids us with our disobedience; and to know upon what ill terms we stand with Creator, a man needs only to consider the world's confusion. The Sun which doth precede at our birth, is ofttimes the arbitrator of our death; his heat is as fatal to us as necessary, and the same influences which keep us in health, infuse maladies into us; the same stars which denote our good fortunes, presage our ill adventures; as they have propitious, so have they malignant aspects, and if some constellations do promise good success unto us, others threaten us with bad; Nature is changed into a punishment, whatsoever makes us live, makes us die; and the Elements are as well the causes of our death, as of our life. b Terra venenorum ●erax à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parent. Basil. The earth is not only barren of fruit, but abounds in poisons; by detaining what is useful for us, she brings forth what is pernicious; her sterility, and her fruitfulness are equally prejudicial to us: we ought to suspect whatsoever she brings forth without our labour, and as there is danger in the presents of an Enemy, the free-gifts of this stepdame are fatal: she nourisheth Monsters to devour us; and all her children are our Enemies; our sin hath made them lose the respect which they owed us; when they are oppressed with hunger, they come forth of their dens, overrun our grounds, and make us take up Arms to defend us from these revolted subjects. In fine, the earth hath no one part which doth not threaten us with danger; her entrails vomit out flames of fire to consume us, her depths open underneath our feet to swallow us up; her mountains loosen themselves from their foundations to overwhelm us, and she delights in destroying herself that she may un-do us. The sea is not more respectful than is the earth; this Element obeys us not but against its will; it punisheth our avarice and our ambition by ship wrack; it drowns the vessels which it is forced to bear, it raiseth itself up in mountains, and sinks again into valleys to free itself from our servitude, and troubles it's own tranquillity to revenge itself of our Tyranny. When Divine providence which keeps it within its channel, c Non est satis ●stimare, parens melior sit homini natura an t●istior 〈◊〉. Plin. lib. 7. prooem. gives it its liberty, it overflows the fields, and makes us know by the rage thereof, that it seeks out all occasions to annoy us. The waters thereof would cover the tops of mountains, did not the Heavens stay their impetuosity, and the whole earth would be nothing but a vast sea without either bounds or banks, did not the hand of God prescibe limits to its fury. All the art of man hath not as yet been able to calm the fierceness thereof; the most expert Pilots tremble as oft as it is incensed, and knowing that no force can withstand its rage, they betake themselves to vows to appease it. The air seems to hold intelligence with it; to make war upon d Non vides ut fluctus in li●ora tanquam exitu● incurrat? Non vides ●t ●stuans fines suos trans●at, & in possessionem terrarum mare inducat? Non vides ut illi perpetua cum claustris suis pugna sit. Sen. Natural Quaest lib. 3 cap. 30. us; it gives free scope to the North winds, which march furiously through her Champions, and bring tempests, and shipwrecks with them. After having revenged themselves on men at sea, they set upon them on land, and sowing cotagions in Countries, they change the best peopled Cities into dreadful Deserts; thus the purest of all Elements assumes impurity; men's bodies are infected by the corruption thereof, it poisoneth whatsoever it doth penetrate, and the lungs which draw it in, corrupt the heart, and brain. The fire being much more active than the air, commits more havoc; if its consuming flames be not universal, as are contagions, their fury is more sudden, and the evils caused thereby find less remedy. It mixeth with Thunder to punish us, it descends contrary to its nature, to pursue us, it flashes out in lightning to affrighten us, and changeth itself into a thousand several shapes to undo us. It shuts itself up in the bowels of the earth, that it may break forth with the greater violence; it strives not so much within this prison to recover its liberty, as to punish our offences; it makes its way through the tops of mountains, and showers down Sulphur and Flames upon the plains from off those high places. It seems it knows very e Hoc est testimonium ignis aeterni, hoc exemplum jugis judicii poenam nutrientis. Montes uruntur & durant, quid nocentes & D●i hosts? Tertul. in Apolog. well that divine Justice hath chose it to be the Minister of her vengeance, and that the spoils it commits on earth, serve only to show us what Rigour it will inflict upon the Guilty in Hell. Thus all things are changed in the world, the Elements have neither the same use nor the same inclinations, that which was serviceable to man in innocency, persecutes him being become guilty. Whole Nature is a scaffold where the Creatures act the part of executioners, and revenge themselves on man for the injuries he hath done them. For to boot that they are forced to share in his faults, they know very well that they are fallen from their first nobility, that they have not all those advantages, which they had in the state of innocency, and that they have lost some of their natural qualities. The Sun gives not so much light as he did before the sin of Adam, his influences are neither so pure nor yet so puissant, he who did dispense nothing but heat and light, wonders to see himself send forth sicknesses and death. The Stars have no longer those favourable aspects, which made fruits and flowers to grow in all seasons of the year; their efficacy is weakened, and the vigour which appeared in all their effects, now languisheth. But f Maledicta te●ra in oper● 〈◊〉: in laboribus comede● ex 〈◊〉 cu● 〈◊〉 vitae tuae. 〈◊〉. cap. 3. the earth being a nearer neighbour to man then the Heavens, it is more changed; all the parts thereof are barren, if they be not manured; the curse which it received by reason of our sin, hath made it lose its fruitfulness, it is all bristled with thorns, or covered with Thistles, it refuseth to feed its children, since they are become sinful, and by an innocent parricide, it attempts their lives who have lost original righteousness. The fruits which it bears, proceed rather from our industry, then it's fertility, if it assist us at our need 'tis with an ill will, and it's being bound to serve the sinful is a part of its misery; if this be not true, I know what that great Apostle meant when by an admirable Prosopopeia he makes whole Nature to speak and groan; g Expectatio creaturae revelationem filiorum Dei expectas: vanitati enim creaturae subjecta est non volens: quia & ipsa creatura liberabitur à servitute corruptionis in libertatem gloriae filiorum Dei. Scimus enim quod omnis creatura ingemiscit, & parturi● usque adhuc. Rom. 8. when affording words unto her sorrow, he makes her wish our change and her deliverance; for when he says the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God, doth he not witness that they hope for some advantage by our felicity? and when he says, that the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, doth he not insinuate that they are corrupted by sin? when he adds that the creature itself shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption, doth he not make it evident, that Jesus Christ will satisfy their desires, and that he will restore unto them, what we have unjustly bereft them off? I am not ignorant that some Interpreters not sufficiently weighing the intention nor words of Saint Paul, do wrest this text, and understand it to be meant of man; but the Apostles ensuing discourse makes it appear, that he speaks of all creatures, and that the corruption which they complain of, is not that which they have received from nature, but that which they have attracted from our sin. h Nisi granum 〈◊〉 cadens in terram mortuum fuerit ipsum solum manet. Joan. c. 12. The corn cannot complain of its putrefaction, because it is the cause of its increase, but it hath some reason to complain that its vigour is diminished, and that abusing the Labourers hope, it doth not repay his pains with usury. The earth doth not complain of its being placed in the nethermost story of the earth, & that it serves for basis to all the other elements, but it complains with reason that it hath lost its fertility, and that it is adjudged to bring up thorns in stead of roses. The Air complains not of being subject to these changes, which make up a part of its nature, but it complains, and that justly, that for the punishment of our offence, it hath lost its purity, that it is the seat of storms, the abode of thunder, and that fatal place wherein Famine, and Contagions are form; and to pass from the elements into the heavens. The Sun doth not complain of his being in a perpetual motion, that he carries light to all the parts of the world, and that he doth differently disperse his heat throughout all the climates of the earth; but he hath cause to complain, that he hath lost his former Lustre, that his influences are mortal, that his aspects are malign, and that his presence wherein man's happiness did consist, doth now cause fears and sicknesses in him. To this misfortune from whence the creatures just complaints proceed, we may add the Devil's i Ad ●anc vanita● creatur●arum, hoc quoque 〈◊〉, quoth creature q● in ●sum hominis venit, 〈◊〉 parte p●missa est po●ati 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mundi. 〈◊〉 ●n cap. 1 Rom. Tyranny which doth torment them, for after once this proud Fiend had overcome our first father, he entered upon his rights; he got a power over the elements, and he had permission to make use of them to solicit men to sin: from hence proceeds that Praise worthy custom of the faithful, of blessing the fruits of the earth, to free them from the fury of wicked spirits, and hence doth the use of exorcism proceed, which makes it appear that all creatures are slaves to those who have been our undoing. But it is harder to explain this corruption, then to prove it, and the manner how it is made is as hard to conceive, as anger some to tolerate. Yet me thinks a man may say, that divine Justice hath changed the Elements, as she hath changed man, that she hath disordered the seasons, to punish the disorders of our passions; that she hath permitted the sea to break down her banks to wage war with the sinful, that she sends down Thunder to destroy them, and that she hath pronounced curses against the creatures, whereby their virtues are weakened, their inclinations changed and their Tempers altered. Who k Rupti sunt ●ontes abyssi magnae & cataractae coeli ape●tae sunt, & sacta est pluvia super terram 40 〈◊〉, & 40 noctibus. Gen●s. cap. 7. knows not that 'twas God's curse which made the earth barren; that 'twas the decree which he pronounced against man that made him mortal, and who knows not that it was his anger which drew the rivers out of their channels, which made clouds melt into rain, and dissolved the vapours into waters, when he would drown the world by the deluge? is not he absolute in his state? hath not he as much right to Justice as to mercy? if he could favour man in innocency, by making all creatures subject to him, ought he not to punish sinful man in making them revolt against him? and if he could change his person, ought he not also to change his condition. It is then evident, as it appears to me, that Adam's sin caused the corruption of the Universe, that the world lost its advantages, when man lost his innocency, and that the creatures forbore to obey man, when he began to rebel against God. The third Discourse. That the Sun hath lost much of his Light and and Virtue through sin. GOd is so jealous of his own honour, and so careful of our salvation, as foreseeing that the beauty of the creature might make us Idolaters, he hath left some faults in them, which teach us, that they deserve not to have altars erected to them, and the most illustrious being the most dangerous, since their beauty which makes us admire them, might make us likewise reverence them, he hath been pleased to abase them amidst their greatness, and to reduce them to a condition, wherein their weakness as well as their power doth appear. To say truth, that beautiful constellation, to whose heat Nature owes her fertility, hath defaults which make it appear, that his glory is but borrowed, and that his Lustre which procures him so many Idolaters, is but an obscurity before God. His light which is the greatest part of his beauty, is but a foreign ornament, it was produced two days before he had a being; God who would from the very beginning of this world confound the heresy of this age, l Lumen ant●solem productum est: nam●▪ primà die fact 〈◊〉 est lux quart● vero facta sunt luminaria magna, ut prae essent diei & nocti. Genes. 1. and teach us that accidents might be unloosened from their substance, did permit that the light might subsist without any subject, that it might enlighten nature before it was united to the Sun, and that all men might know, it was given to that glorious constellation, only out of mere liberality: before this favour done him, he was but a part of the heavens, which was not considerable either for his beauty or worth, if he had any motion he had no influence, and this great body was not admired till after it was in-animated by light: all his riches derive from that alms which God gave him; he was not powerful till he was lightsome, and he who had seen him before could not have discerned him from the other Planets. That faithful Historian, who hath so well described the creation of the world, teacheth us that the earth was fruitful before the Sun had any heat, that it was adorned with flowers and loaded with fruit before the Sun had warmed it, and that Nature had all her principal ornaments before the Sun had received light; the third day was destined for the birth of Trees; one word made the earth fruitful; this mother which requires time to bring her works to perfection, did in a moment thrust out Oaks and Fir-trees; m Et ait germ●net terra herbam virentem & factum est ita, & factum est vespere, & mane dies tertius. Genes. 1. and wondered that she had produced so many things before she had conceived them. The fourth day was reserved for the Sun's birth; the Father of Trees, and Flowers, was born after his children; he who doth preserve them, did not produce them, and he who gives them life, did not give them birth; he had the care to bring them up, but not the glory to place them in the world; he had order to end a work, which God himself had begun. But n Dixit Deus fiant luminaria magna, & dividant diem ac noctem, & factum est vespere, & mane dies unus, Genes. 1. nothing moves more wonder in me then to see that day should precede the Sun, that before he had done his Career, light had already divided the Evening and the Morn; that the rising and setting thereof had already made days and nights, and that time, whereof the course of the Sun is now the measure, had already marked forth moments and hours. The world was three days old when this incomparable constellation had his birth; that which holds of his Empire had received its perfection, and this visible God made it appear in his birth, that he did nothing which Nature could not have done without him: as if all these precautions were not sufficient to stifle idolatry, God would have the Sun to draw his Name from servitude, and that that language which doth so abound in mysteries, o Idem vocabulum apud Haebraeos significat servum & solemn. Schemes. should employ one and the same word to signify a slave, and the son. We learned from thence, that though he were the original of light, he was not the Author of Nature: that though he had heat enough to warm her, he had not power enough to preserve her; that though he were the King of Constellations, he was a slave to man; that his perpetual motion was a mark of his servitude, that the difference of seasons was a token of his weakness, and that his Eclipses did prove that he sometimes lost his light. With what astonishment was the world struck, when it saw the Sun grow pale amidst his careers? what did men think when they saw a constellation which was in all things inferior to the Sun, should obfuscate his beauties, should overshadow him, that violating all the laws of Nature, it should put the Sun in shade, and make the night to reign in day time. Yet did not this accident detract from his esteem; he had never more admirers than when he was eclipsed; p Sol spectatorem non ●abet, nisi cum deficit. Nemo observat lunam nisi laborantem. Senec. Quaest Natural b●. cap. 1. those who neglected him in his triumph, looked upon him in his combat; men pray for his victory, and ignorance causing superstition, they imagined that what was but an effect of nature, was the punishment of some enormous sin. Those who feared that the Suns swooning did foretoken the world's end, were concerned in this change, and were as much rejoiced at his recovery of light, as they were afflicted at his loss thereof. Good wits did notwithstanding judge aright, that his eclipse was a proof of his impotency, that he was subject to such laws as a Sovereign Authority should put upon him, that he could not be the God of the world, since he was subject to weaknesses, and that the Tract which he held in the Heavens was but an honourable servitude, since he could not shun the encounter of a Planet, which bereft us of his beauty. Though these defaults be visible enough, yet are they natural to the Sun. The state of innocency, beheld him with all his weakness; and man in the Earthly Paradise judged aright by his perpetual motion, that he was rather a slave to Nature, than her Master. But since man sinned he hath received other blemishes, and hath lost much of his power and beauty. For be it that man being become a sinner, may the easier be brought to idolatry; be it that God would punish him in all his subjects, and lessen his credit, in weakening his condition; be it that to put the seasons out of order, that constellation must be altered which caused all their revolutions; be it that to trouble the order of the Universe, his course was to be troubled, who was its conductor: it is certain, that the Sun was subject to laws which he had not made trial of in the state of innocency; and that he partook of the fatal effects of that general curse which was thundered out against Nature. q Soli detractum est aliquid lumin is sui, quod ei restituendum 〈◊〉 in die resurrection is hominum Basil. in hexam. If we will believe Saint Basil, he lost part of his light when man lost his innocency; he does harden, enlighten the whole world; there are certain places where night is always mingled with day, and where darkness makes a perpetual residence; he doth no longer distribute his heat equally; he is greedy thereof underneath the pol●s, and and prodigal underneath the line. He burns up Africa, and doth not so much as heat one part of Europe. There are Countries where ice is never melted, where the Sea is as solid as the earth, where fountains frozen r Dies nunquam patens sol nunquam libens, unus a●r ●bula, tol● annus ●ibernum, omne quod ●aver it aquilo, liquores ignibus redeunt, amnes glacie negantur, omnia torpent omnia rigent. Tertul. contra Marc. lib. 1. in their head, suspend their running half the year; woeful Countries are discovered where Trees are always void of leaves, where fruit doth never ripen, where no Flowers are seen but in pictures, and where the Sun shows himself only to dissipate darkness. He wonders that his beams cannot melt snow there, he admires to find ice there as firm as crystal, he cannot comprehend how he should give light to people, whom he cannot warm, and that his heat being weaker than his light, he makes days there, and no Summers. People who live under these unfortunate climates, consider cold as their greatest Enemy, they withstand its rigour by their hardness, they seek for that relief from fire which they cannot find in the Sun, and burn their Forests to warm their fields. In fine, to describe this woeful Country in Tertullia's terms, their sky wants pity, the days are never clear, the Sun is there always weak and languishing, winter reigns there all the year long, no winds blow there but the North, rivers held back by cold have not the freedom of running, the mountains are there always covered with snow, Nature is slothful there, and frost which extinguisheth her natural heat makes her eternally barren. If the bad condition of these Nations, be a proof of the Sun's impotency, if the barrenness of their ground, are a mark of his weakness, Africa is no less an argument of his corruption; and who sees those dreadful Deserts which bring forth nothing but sand and Monsters, is bound to confess, that the curse of God reacheth as well to the constellations as to men. For the Sun makes all the Inhabitants there black, and prints that colour upon them, in which we here paint Devils, he there scorcheth all their Trees, and strips them of their leaves before they be loaded with fruit. He there dries up brooks as soon as they are crope out from their Springhead; he leaves them nothing in the fields, which may lessen his heat; Forests give there no shade, nor do the fountains afford refreshment. s Corri●itur 〈◊〉 ut qu● que al●issima tellus, fissaque agit rimas, & s●is art ademptis. P●bula canesc●t cum ●rondibus uritur arbour, 〈◊〉 ●ue suo 〈◊〉 seges arida damno. O●d 2. Metam. Rocks bear nothing but flames in their veins, the earth burns under their feet that walk upon it, her scorching bowels conceive nothing but sulphur and pitch. The Summer hath banished all other seasons out of this Country, and reigns there as a Tyrant even from the beginning of the world, suffers no winds to blow but such as feed his heat, lays waste the fields, and leaving nothing there but marks of his fury, makes it look like the picture of hell. For my part I cannot believe that the Sun h●d so unequally dispensed his heat in the state of innocency; that having one part of the world frozen, he would have consumed the other with heat, nor thot dividing his heat so unequally to so many people, he would have made days and nights six months long. Either those Countries would have had no Inhabitants, or the Sun would have been more favourable to them, or else that Providence by which the world is governed, would have made him take another Tract; or equally dividing his heat and his light, it would have moderated the Summers of Africa, and sweetened the Winters of Swethland. Since 'tis the will of God, t Cujuscumque rei natura Dei voluntas est. August. that makes the nature of all things, since the Elements have no inclinations but what are his, and that both heaven and earth receive law from his word, it is not hard to conceive, that the Sun may more justly distribute his heat, and yet not go out of the Zodiac, and that equally warming all the parts of the earth, he may either leave useless sands in the edge of Ethiopia, nor yet mountains charged with snow in the further-most parts of Swethland. That Sovereign u Omni● s●t Dei facilia potestati, qui mirabili vincente virtute utitur omnibus ●am mirabiliter quam creavit. Aug. lib. 21. de Civit. cap. 6. Providence to which nothing is impossible, might well enough have remedied these inconveniences, which Astrology finds in the equality of seasons. This absolute Mistress of Nature, might well enough have distributed heat and light, without changing the course of the Sun. And she who hath put the world out of order, to punish us for our sins, might also have governed it after another fashion, to favour us in our innocency. But not to engage myself in making Apologies for her who can defend herself against the wicked with thunder: it shall suffice me to make it appear, that that Sun which lights us doth dazzle us; and that he who doth heat us, burns us, and that his beams which gives us life, causeth also our death. Before the sin of Adam he had no virtue, which was fatal to man; all his aspects were benign, Astrology had not as yet found out any malign influences, and whilst this glorious constellation made good his career, he neither burned men, nor dried up Trees; but since we are become sinful, through our Father's pride, the Sun hath changed his qualities, and that Planet whose only care it was to dispense abroad his heat and light, hath received directions to burn those to whom he gives light, and to make all things die, to which he hath given life. x Non ●st qui se ●bscondat à ca●us. P●al. He exhales up the vapours whereof storms are composed, he makes them distil down in rain, glis●en forth in lightning, and break out in Thunder. He hardens hail, to ruin the fields, and reaps the corn with this congealed water, gathers the grapes, and overthrows the hopes of the Labourer. His heat mingled with the vapours of the earth, causeth contagions, his light which hath lost its former purity, disperseth the plague throughout the world. He who gave life, wonders to see he now causeth death, he wonders that his beams should be fatal to those to whom he gives light, he is sorry to undo his own workmanship, to tarnish the rose and lily, to be the parricide of those flowers whose Father he had been. He cannot comprehend how divine Justice should employ his heat to produce contrary effects, nor how after having ripened the corn, fitted things for harvest, and guilded grapes, he should destroy that to which he gave a being, and make a woeful havoc there where the labourer had hoped to make a happy harvest. Such as are become ingenious since made miserable by sin, have observed seasons wherein all the influences of this constellation are mortal, wherein he hurts as many as he toucheth, wherein he infecteth all that he gives light unto, and wherein he commits as many murders as he darts forth beams. y Pestilentiam ita solis calor adducit, ut illa nunquam in ●rigidissimis 〈◊〉 grass●tur. The holy Scripture which is so eloquent, mingleth reproaches with the praisss that it giveth him; and makes invectives against the Sun whilst it composeth his Panegyrics. It blameth and praiseth his light. it admires his efficacy, and complains of his heat, it adores his power, and stands in awe of his justice, who can employ the Sun to give light unto the Saints and to punish Sol in meridiano exurit te●ram & in 〈◊〉 ardours ejus q●s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉▪ 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 m●ntes, ro●os 〈◊〉 exsu●n & re●gens r●diis o●caecat oculos. Eccl 〈◊〉. c. 43 sinners. The Spouse in the Canticles complains, that this fair constellation should have spoiled her complexion, that he should have changed her roses into marigolds, and that effacing her beauty he should have taken from her that Lustre, which is a woman's principal ornament. judith in her history complaineth that the Sun had made her a Widow, and that his extreme heat giving upon the head of her dear husband had caused the catar fall which carried him to his grave. For as he was overlooking his harvest men at full midday, judging their labour by their sheaves, and according to the custom of the time mingling trouble with policy through the pleasing diversions of husbandry, the Sun which spares not Sovereigns more than shepherds, and who knows that all men being faulty, he may of right punish them, let fly a beam upon poor Manasses wherein death was mingled with light, 〈◊〉 and broke the happiest marriage a Mortuus est Manasses in diebus messis hordeaceae: instabat enim super alligantes manipulos in campo, & venit aestus super caput ejus & mortuus est. Judith cap. 8. that was then in Palestine. We are taught by these examples that the Sun hath influences now which he had not before the state of sin, that he serves God's justice to rid himself of men, that he rules over the life of Monarches, and that whilst he ends his course, he measures out the moments and hours of their Empire. If we have any reason to complain of the Sun, he hath a juster cause to wage war upon us, for we force him to give light unto our faults, we make him a slaue to our vanities, and though he be always on his journey, we force him to be a confederate in our offences, but he is not so much afflicted with these injuries as with our homages, he is less troubled at our outrages, then at our adorations, and is more sensible of his being our Idol then of being our slave. This disorder is large enough to furnish matter for a whole discourse, and to serve for a new proof to Christians, that sin hath corrupted all Creatures. The fourth Discourse. That there is no Creature which men have not adored. 'tIs a strange prodigy that there is not a better established belief then that of a God, and yet not any one hath ever been more disputed. It is written in our hearts by the hand of nature, b Innumeros credere Deus od majorem s●cordiam accedit, fragilis & laboriosa mortalitas in parts istae digessit suae infirmitatis memor. Plin. lib. 2. c 7. time hath not been ableto efface it, Ignorance and oblivion which are it's two greatest enemies cannot weaken it, and falsehood itself which reigns so absolutely in the world, hath not had power enough to banish it. Reason doth herein agree with faith: every man upon this occasion is naturally a Christian. Let him but consult with nature, and he cannot be deceived; and even when he offers incense to Idols, and when he builds Temples to the workmanship of his own hands, he may make amends for his fault, if he will but be advised by his conscience. For c Veritas etiam ex i●itis pectoribus 〈◊〉. T●ul. she teacheth him this truth as oft as she speaks with freedom, and with what ever falsehood she be forestalled, she always continues this belief. She apprehends God● Justice in the faults which she committeth, and hopeth in his mercies through the virtues she inures herself unto. When she will affirm a Truth, she takes him for her witness who seeth all things. When she is threatened with any mischief, she invokes him only who is omnipotent; and when she falls into any misfortune, she seeks for deliverance from none else, but from him who glories in assisting the innocent, and miserable. If she at any time speak wickedly, she takes herself up as soon as she is awakened by affliction, she amends her error when she follows her own light, and as oft as she is rational, she is Christian. Yet is there nothing more common in the world than Idolatry. This sin was born in the Terrestrial paradise, and if we will believe Tertullian, the Devil would 〈◊〉 insinuate the belief, of Plurality of d In ipsis denique tempts D●monum Deum judicem imploras, & neminem de praesentibus Di● contestaris, in tuo foro aliunde judicem appella●, in tuis templis ●icuique Deum 〈◊〉. Tert. d● 〈◊〉. 〈◊〉. Gods into our first father, when he persuaded him, that he might become one. All men being abused by this foolish promise have engaged themselves in Idolatry, not being able to warrant themselves from death, they have pretended to immortality, not being able to dispose of Sceptres and Crowns, they have endeavoured to dispose of Temples, and Altars. And failing in Credit to make Kings, they have insolently attributed unto themselves, the power of making Gods. But seeing that error hath no boundaries, but doth increase with time, all things have contributed fuel to this error, and every sect of Philosophers have insensibly forged out Idols unto themselves to adore them. Those of them that were the clearest sighted were most faulty, and found the subject of their superstition in God himself. For not being able to comprehend that adorable unity which binds all these persections together, and who doth wonderfully accord his Justice with his mercy, his love with his Majesty, his immensity (which fills all things,) with his holiness (which parts him from them;) his providence, which guides us, with his power, which preserves us, they imagined that every one of his perfections was a different divinity, and dividing the divine essence, they did wickedly take in Parts who doth reunite all things in himself. Seneca found out e Vis Deum vocare 〈◊〉? Non 〈◊〉, ●st 〈◊〉 Causa 〈◊〉. Vis illum providentiam dicere? rectè dices, hic enim mundo providet. Vis illum Naturam vocare? non errabis; est enim ex quo nata sunt omni●. Vis illum vocare mu●dum? non falleris, ipse enim est totum quod vides, totus suis partibus inditus & se sustinens vi sud. Senee. Natural. lib. 2. cap. 45. this injustice, but did not correct it, and being more careful to build up his reputation, then to establish religion, he was contented to let posterity see that he had light enough to discover this Imposturisme. Some others being passionate for the virtues, erected Altars to them; being ravished with their loveliness, they strove to make them be adored; they made thereof spiritual Idols, and false divinities of all the habits which could adorn the mind of man. They erected Altars to mercy, and believed that a virtue which did assist the miserable, aught to be worshipped by all those who could become miserable. They offered incense to clemency, and as if they would side with guilty, they obliged the innocent to reverence her. They immolated victim to wisdom, and to acknowledge the favours which they had received from her guidance, they injured her through their superstition, and adored her under the name of destiny, and image of Fortune. Philosophers excused their Idolatry by these bad reasons, and would persuade Christians, that that religion could not be vicious which did only adore virtue: blindness increasing with deceit, they confounded vices with virtues, f H● virtutes Deos, non veritas, sed v●nitas fecit. Aug. lib. 4▪ de Civit. c. 20. and added to the number of their Gods, to honour their Ancestors debaucheries. They consecrated incontinency, under the name of Venus, they defied drunkenness under the name of Bacchus, they did authorise injustice, and the licentiousness of war under the name of Mars, and not dreaming that Gods could not be one another's enemies, they erected Altars to peace, after having built others to Bellona. when Impudence was arrived at its height, they adored vices without disguising them, g Numina innumerabili● reperimus, pests etiam inter ea descrip●imus 〈◊〉 dum esse placate 〈◊〉 cupimu●. Ideoq▪ etiam public è febris sanum in palatio dicatum est. Plin. lib. 2. cap. 7. and calling them by their proper names, they built Templ●s to fear, to fury, and to envy. The body being scandalised that the passions of the soul should be reverenced; would have its motions and disorders to receive the same honours, Pallor, or Paleness, was deified to give it contentment. Ignorance & admiration made an Idol of the Ague, & till Physicians had learned the course & fits thereof, ignorant and superstitious peopleimagined it deserved an Altar; they adored this Divinity, because they dreaded it. They thought themselves miserable, when they had got it; and contrary to the humour of Adorers, they sought for nothing more than that a God should keep far from them who had won himself credit only by the evils that he did. When impiety had made these trials, she undertook to consecrate men, and to build them Temples, after having ta'en them out of their sepulchers. Death which denounced their weakness, and their sin, could not alter the course of these unjust proceedings, and all the miseries which they had in their life time endured, could not extinguish them. Interest and sorrow were the beginning of this superstition; for subjects to consolate themselves for the loss of a Sovereign, who by his labours had defended them, and who had taught h ●idquid in 〈◊〉 tui mortale●at ignis ●ctus tulit, paterna coelo pars data est. ●ammis tua. Senec. ●n Her●l. O●teo. them the art of building houses, or of husbanding land, would eternize his memory by solemn sacrifices, and lodged the same men in heaven whom they had buried in the earth. They invented Apotheosis to ease their sorrow, they thought that fire which reduced men into ashes, could change them into spirits; that that element which doth purify all things, had the virtue to ennoble Princes, and take from them all the impurity which they had contracted in the world. They thought that Religion knew how to convert men into Gods, that the Senate's decree was as powerful as that of destiny, and that jupiter was bound to confirm in heaven what ever a Pope had concluded on earth. By this means Apotheosis was ofttimes the reward of heinous crimes. Princes who were most faulty were most honoured, men granted that to the power of Successors, which ought to have been refused to the power of their Ancestors; people were constrained to adore Tyrants whom they had detested, to re-commend the welfare of the State to those who had been the undoing of it, and to change their just imprecations into vows as faint as unreasonable. If great men's violence caused impiety in the meaner sort, love engaged Fathers in the Idolatry of their Children. For to i Acerbo enim 〈◊〉 dolens pater cito sibi ra▪ p●i 〈◊〉 fecit imaginem, & illum qui 〈◊〉 quasi homo mortuus ●rat, nu● t●nquam Deum colere spit, & con●ituit interser●s s● s●ra & 〈◊〉 Sapi●. cap. 14. allay their sorrow for their death, they made their pictures be drawn by skilful painters, then adding their power to the workman's cunning, they bound their eyes to behold these images with respect, & to offer up incense to young Princes whom death had swept away in the flower of their Age. Following the example of this unjust sorrow, every Son would make a God of his father. All those who bore any credit with the people, made their Ancestors be adored, and taking advantage of this false piety, they persuaded weak minds, that they were descended from the Race of the Gods. In fine, the natural inclination which men have to Religion caused Idolatry in the world; for not being able to be without Gods, they forged sensible deities unto themselves, and wanting souls sufficiently elevated to conceive a true k Quid magis ●idiculum quam quum homo est op ●ex Dei. Basil. in 3. Eia. Idea of the divine essence, they cut out Idols with their hands: they through a fearful blindness, put their trust in Gods made of clay and wood, and consulted with statutes, which being deaf and dumb, could neither hear nor answer them; ofttimes one and the same tree served to make Gods and ships, both their destinies depended on the artificer, their fortune consisted on his fancy, and his hand destined the one to suffer shipwreck at sea, the other to be worshipped on earth. But that they might avoid the pain of making Gods, they bethought themselves of choosing them; and foregoing the care of forging or moulding them, they reserved a power unto themselves to declare them; they deified whole Nature, of every of its parts they made Gods. Flowers l Floralia instituerunt Romani ex oraculis Sybillae, ut omnia bene de●rescerent. Plin. lib. 18. cap. 29. were placed in the same rank with Stars, these earthy Stars received divine honours, they charmed men and purchased themselves adorers by their odour and beauty; a man might crowd a thousand divinities into one nosegay; they joined Superstition to Vanity, women satisfied their devotions in dressing themselves; the most vain amongst them was the godliest, and those who wore garlands of Lilies and Roses might boast themselves to be in-animated Temples. Fruits m Non cessit floribus Pomo●a, certavit ipsa secum, plusque utilitatis causa genuit etiam qu● voluptatis. Plin. lib. 23. pro●mio. whereof flowers are but ornaments, disputed this honour with them; there were some men who preferring profit before beauty, judged that Pomona did better deserve temples than Flora, and that if every creature was a portion of divinity, trees were more to be considered then plants, since not being less lovely they were more useful. Men being fantastical in their humours, and nothing being so deformed in Nature which meets not with some admirours, Onnions contended with flowers, and whole Nations drew them out of their Gardens to place them upon Altars, the Egyptians instituted ceremonies, and Priests unto them; these wise men who having conferred with the I●s, might have some cognizance of the truth, engaged themselves in this error, and becoming the talk of all people, placed that in heaven which grew on earth, & profaned incense to perfume onnions. n Foelices populi quibus h●c ●ascuntur in hortis Numina. By the same licence they worshipped what they feared. Fear infused piety into these servile souls, they offered sacrifices to Serpents to be delivered from them; and toallay their fury, did immolate victim to them; the Devil delighted to see himself adored in a Monster, which had served him for interpreter in the earthly paradise, he would recompense its fidelity with this honour and repair the loss which it had suffered upon his occasion by divine homage. After this high extravagancy all Idolatry is excusable, and we must not wonder if metals and stars have had their adorers, since Serpents have had Priests and Altars: for if Interest be the Rule of Superstition, there is nothing in Nature more useful for us then the Stars, they are placed in the highest and most beautiful part of the world, they seem to rule over us, and that their favourable or malign influences goes to the making of us fortunate or unfortunate. We o Ex syderum levissimis motibus fortunae populorum dependent & maxima ac minima proinde formantur prout aequum iniquumve sydus incessit. Sen. ad Marc. cap. 18. hardly partake of making any sensible favour but by their interposition; and profane men call them the arbitratours of chance, and the dispensors of good and evil; Though we be free, they pretend to a certain power over our wills by the means of our inclinations; a man must withstand stiffly to resist their impressions, and as most men act more by instinct, then by reason, we must not wonder if forming our temper and our humours, they govern our designs, and guide our motions. Hence it is that all men have reverenced them, that this hath been the commonest Superstition, that the best wits who would not bow to men, have prostrated themselves before the Stars, and that the Sun hath passed amongst very p solemn mundi esse totius animum ac planius mentem, h●nc principale naturae regimen ac numen credere decet, opera e● aestimantes. P● 〈◊〉. 2. c. 6. Philosophers for the visible God of the world. To say truth, we owe all things to his heat and light, his course governs our seasons, his influences distribute forth fruitfulness through all the parts of the Universe; Nature would be barren were it not for his beams; and should this glorious constellation cease looking on her, she would neither conceive nor produce his Eclipses though but of a small durance put her in disorder, and the earth cannot want his heat without witnessing her sorrow by sterility, if he be a long time hidden from us by clouds, the years are unfruitful; and the Labourers pains are useless if he do not favour them by his aspect. It must be granted that he who should consult with nothing but his own sense would acknowledge no other divinity but the Sun, his very beauty parted from his advantage, seems to exact some respect from all men, his worth is not sufficiently known, if he be valued only for his effects. Though he were barren he would not cease to be wonderful; and if the ripening of fruits and government of the seasons q Ut tamen detra●as ista quae Sol producit, nun erat ipse idoneum oculis spectaculum dignusque adorari, si tantum praeteriret. Sen. lib. 4. de Benef. c. 23. did not depend upon his heat and course, his very light would suffice Seneca to adore him, but God being jealous of his glory, and not desirous that the supremest honours should be rendered to his works; he hath revenged himself upon them for our sins, he hath disordered them to punish us, he hath ta'en from them their advantages to disabuse us; and he hath ordered that the noblest creatures should have their blemishes, to the end that their beauty might not make us Idolaters; he took from them a part of their perfections, when sin bereft us of our innocency, and foreseeing that we should through blindness fall into error, he would not that their Lustre should serve us either for occasion or excuse: he mingled death with life in the Sun's beams, he parted his light from his heat, and did not permit them to join always together in acting equally, the lightsomest places are not the hottest, and those Countries wherein the Sun makes the longest days enjoy not the most pleasing Summers. He for our punishment doth corrupt what for our service he had produced, and as his influences do cause our health, so do they our sickness likewise; if he dissolve vapours into rain, he makes them break forth in thunder, if he ripen fruit he dries up flowers, if he form meteors he sets Comets on fire, if he make the dew fall, so doth he also the Sercine or Mildew; and if he deserve praise for the good he bringeth us, he merits also blame for the evil which he sendeth us. The fifth Discourse. That all Creatures do either tempt or persecute us. SInce Tyranny in Princes causeth rebellion in their subjects, we must not wonder if the r Omnis creatura ingemiscit usque adhuc subjecta vanitati non volens. Rom. 8. creatures do disobey man, who treateth them with so much rigour, and violating the laws of Justice, employs them in his offences against their common Sovereign. For there is nothing in the world which hath escaped his fury; the most innocent creatures in his hands are become criminal, he makes them serve his unjust designs, and not considering that he hath received them from God's liberality, he abuseth them contrary to his Glory. Whatsoever presents itself before his eyes, doth either flatter his ambition or his avarice; that which in the state of innocency would have excited devotion in his soul, causeth impiety therein now, he turns all things to his advantage or to his honour, and seeks for nothing in the use of nature, but his pleasure or his profit. He corrupts his Judges with gold, he tames his enemies with the sword, he kindles his concupiscence with wine, and this furious Tyrant abuseth all things to undo himself: his malice reacheth even to the most innocent Creatures, making them confederates in his crime by an ingenious cruelty; for he finds out the means how to make the chastest serve his unchastity, he assubjects the noblest to his Ambition, and employs the holiest in his Impiety. There s Contraria huic causa cristallum facit, gelu 〈◊〉 concreto. Non all cubi 〈◊〉 reperitur● quam ubi maxime ●ibernae nives ri●ent, gla ●que esse certum est. Plin. lib. 37. cap. 2. is nothing that appears to be more cleeer than Crystal, if we will believe Philosophers, 'tis a water congealed by cold, light is so enamoured thereof, as it cannot see it without penetration, their embraces are so chaste as that their purity is not therein concerned, their union is so straight as it is hard to say, whether the Crystal be changed into light, or the light into Crystal. Crystal becomes lightfull without softening its hardness. Light becomes solid without loss of Lustre or brightness, their qualities are confounded, without alteration of their nature; and their marriage is so exact, that they possess in common all the advantages which nature hath given them in particular; yet impurity makes crystal serve its infamous designs in looking glasses: a woman grows in love with herself, by seeing of her face; she turns the fable of Narcissus into a truth; t Se cupit imprudens, & qui probat ipse probatur; dumque petit petitur, pariterque accendit & ardet, Ovid. 3. Meta. she consumes in desires before her Idol, and after being sufficiently in love with herself, she persuades herself she is able to make all men in love with her: upon this assurance she undertakes the conquests of all hearts, she joins art to beauty to purchase herself lovers, and she hazards her honour to increase her Empire. Who would have believed that impurity could have corrupted so pure a thing? that the flames of love should be kindled in ice, & that crystal intermixed with light should carry both smoke and flame into the heart of one and the same woman. Looking Glasses were at first invented to the end that men seeing their defaults, might amend them; many advantages were made of this innocent art; this faithful Counsellor gave good advice, u Invent a sunt specula ut homo ipse se nosoeret. Multa ex hoc consecuta, primò notitia sui, deinde & ad quaedam consilium. Senec. Natur. Quaest lib. 1. cap. 17. his dumb answers were speaking oracles, and whosoever would listen unto them could not choose but put on good resolutions. A handsome woman learned by her looking glass, that she was to shun dishonour; that to become accomplished she was to join virtue to beauty, and not to be an hypocrite, she was to be as good, as fair. She to whom nature had not been so liberal of her favours, learned by this true friend, that she was to amend the faults of her face by the perfections of her soul, and that she ought to strive for the advantages of men, since she wanted those of women. x Discebat in speculo famosus ut vitaret insam●am, deformis ut redimeret virt●ibus quid quid corpori deesset, juvenis ut fortia auderet, senex ut de morte aliquid cogitaret. Senec ibid. A young Prince who observed in this true glass, that he was in the Flower of his age, found himself obliged to undertake such glorious actions as render men famous; an old man who saw his wrinkles and grey hairs in this crystal, resolved to do nothing unworthy of his condition, and seeing by his colour that he had not long to live, prepared to die with courage. Thus was the use of looking glasses a serious study; men learned virtue by beholding themselves, and every one seeing his conscience in his face, put on a generous resolution to acquit himself of his duty; but incontinency hath profaned this innocent art; in this corrupted age if men see their faces in a glass, 'tis that they may endeavour to surprise chastity, and women look therein only to entertain their vanities. Ambition gives not place to impurity, and if the latter be ingenious in corrupting the purest things, the other knows how to assubject the most noble. In effect, she teacheth Lion's obedience, she fastens them to the Chariots of Triumphers, and having tamed men, she tames wild beasts. y Homo Tyrannus est, omnibus creaturis ad libitum pro suâ ambitione abu●ens. Apul. She engages Elephants in a fight, she encourageth these huge Lumps against her Enemies, she loads them with Towers upon their backs, she makes use of their Trunk, and teacheth them to war, that she may win battles at their cost: she makes the ground to groan under the weight of her Engines, the mountains to quake at the noise of her Cannons, she sends death by their bullets into Towns, and imprisoning the noblest of Elements in Mines, she forceth it to blow up bastions to recover its liberty: she tames the Sea's haughtiness, she forceth this Monster to bear her ships, to assist her in her Conquests, to open the way unto her, to lead her into the farthest distant Countries, and to serve her for a Theatre to fight upon, and bear away victory. Thus man instructed by this bad Mistress, assubjects all the Elements to his Tyranny, he forceth the inclinations of the noblest subjects, he makes them guilty of his offences, and strangely abusing his liberty, he makes them mutiny against their Common Sovereign. Taking the same freedom, he profanes sacred things, & makes the world's most holiest parts serve his impiety. z Coelum sedes e●us; in Sole posuit tabernaculum suum. Psalm. 18. For though heaven be the Temple wherein God resides, though the Sun be the Throne wherein he makes himself visible, though the Stars be open eyes through which he observes our faults, yet the Libertine abuses all these excellent creatures in his unjust designs; he disposeth of heaven as of the earth, he promiseth it unto himself after his death, and imagines he ought to reign amongst Angels▪ after having commanded amongst men; he persuades himself that the Sun riseth only to afford him light, a 〈◊〉 tibi etiam imme●ito euntque sidera ●â causâ, etiamsi major illis a●a ac prior. co● est. Sense. lib. 6. de Benet. cap. 22. that the Stars finish their courses only to serve him, that the Planets meet not but to observe his adventures, and to presage his victories; and being strangely hoodwinked▪ he believes that Nature is only busied to find him pastime, or for his honour. He raiseth up devils by the help of Magic, he extends his Empire even unto hell; not knowing that he purchaseth his power by the loss of his liberty; that he becomes their slave, who obey him; and that he procures unto himself as many Tyrants after death, as he employs officers in his life time. The creatures to revenge themselves for so many outrages, conspire his undoing, and declare war against him; he sees no one part in all his Dominions, wherein he finds not either Rebels, or Enemies; whatsoever he undertakes he meets with resistance, and his subjects through despair resolve to free themselves from their unjust Sovereign, though by their own undoing. Of the so many ways which they find to revenge themselves, or punish him; the two most remarkable are violence, or cunning. The first is more sensible, the second more dangerous. b Pugnat cum Deo orbis terrarum contra insensatos; ibunt directè emissiones fulgurum & tanquam à benè curvat● arcu nubi● extermin●buntur. Sap. cap. 5. For no man is so resolute, but that he trembles when he sees all creatures armed against him; and that wheresoever he turns his eye, he either finds factions, or revolts in his state. Every Element threatens him with a thousand torments; he finds no sanctuary amidst so many dangers, and let him be how careful he can to defend himself, he knows he cannot shun a violent death: for to understand it aright, no death is natural, and if we give it sometimes that Title 'tis either to sweeten the rigour thereof, or to confound nature with sin. This war which appears so cruel, is not the most dangerous; for to boot, that we know how to defend ourselves from it, and that self-love hath found out remedies for all our evils, it loosens us from off the earth, it makes us abhor our exile, and love our dear Country; it raiseth us up gently into heaven, and we may say, that if this persecution makes not Martyrs, it doth at least make Penitents. But the other is so much more dangerous, as it is more pleasing; it deceives us so much the more easily, by how much it flatters us more cunningly; for the creatures are in the devil's hands, to seduce us, they are full of snares and nets to surprise us, we can hardly make use of them without hazarding our welfare. c Creaturae Dei in odium factae sunt & in tentationem animabus hominum & in muscipulam pedibus insipientium. Sap. 14. This Tyrant who got the Sovereignty of them, when he lost it in Paradise, makes such cunning use of them, as it is almost impossible to avoid his snares. To preserve our innocence, we ought to interdict ourselves the use of the world; and not to fall under the slavery of devils, it seems we ought to have no commerce with his creature's. They were formerly faithful Guides, which led us to God, and now they draw us far from him: formerly they taught us our mysteries, and to know the beauty of God, a man was only to consider his works; now they engage us in error; the Prince of darkness employs them either to abuse Philosophers, or to deceive the misbelievers: formerly they served us for pastime, wherein pleasure was mingled with innocency; they charmed our eyes without distracting our minds; religion and study were not as yet separated, the one and the other of them had their sweets without bitterness, and made men learned and godly without labour: d I audet te ex c●eaturis anima mea Deus creator omnium, sed non eis infigatur glu●ine amoris 〈◊〉 corporis: conscind●t ●am desideriis pestilentiosis quoniam requiescere amat in ●is quae amat. Aug. lib. 4 Confess. c. 10. but now the creatures serve us for pastime only to undo us; the sports which they furnish us withal, are almost always accompanied with sin; if we exceed necessity, we fall into intemperance, and if we use them profusely, we cannot shun injustice. Every creature bears about its dangers with it, a man must stand upon his guard when he intends to make use of them, and who sails upon this sea, without very much caution, is in danger of shipwreck. We ought most to suspect such things as are most necessary for us; Necessity, which seems to serve for an excuse, serves our Enemy for a means whereby to undo us; he hath spread abroad his nets in all creatures, to surprise us; he covers the hook over with some bait that may allure us, and whilst we think to satisfy our desires, we inconsiderately engage ourselves in his designs. The use of food, without the which we cannot preserve life, is not void of danger: if we will not become guilty, we must use them but as remedies; we are not only forbidden the abuse, but even the love of them: men sin against the Laws of God, as well in taking too much delight in eating, as in eating too much. Sobriety is a acquaint or nice virtue, which is scandalised as well with the quality, as with the quantity of Viands: and if it be true, that our sins bind us to repentance, we ought not only to cut off what is superfluous, but even what we think necessary. Sleep is not so very innocent, but that it is sometimes mingled with sloth; all they who sleep to keep themselves in good plight, and who make their bed a place of pleasure, have found out the secret of making sleep sinful; and of committing offences in a condition wherein the most guilty become innocent, a man must not love reason very much, who can be content to want the use of it so e Hoc me docuisti Demine ut qu●madmodum medicamenta sic a●menta sumpturu● accedam. August. lib. 10. Confess. cap. 31 long; he must hold correspondency with death, who throws himself so oft into his brother's arms, and he must be very careless of his welfare who loseth the remembrance thereof so oft. Apprarell is no less dangerous than sleep, and though divine providence have afforded us the hides and skins of the creature to cover us withal, yet we do we ofttimes thwart the designs thereof, by the waist we make. Apparel f Exterior vestium super flu●tas interioris vanitatis indidicium est. Mollia indumenta animi mollitiem indicant, non tantum curarent corporis cultum nisi neglecta prius fuisset mens inculta virtutibus. Bernard. is now no more the invention of necessity, men clothe themselves no longer now to escape the injuries of the elements, a man must either be unhappy or uncivil, if in his clothings he endeavour only the freeing of himself from incommodity. We draw our glory from our confusion, that which caused our shame, publisheth our vanity, and not finding wherein within ourselves sufficiently to glory, we seek for occasion thereof in the creatures; we deck ourselves with birds feathers, the tops of herons, and peacocks tails serve to adorn our heads, the labour of worms feeds our luxury, we make their graves our apparel, and that which cost those innocent labourers their life, increaseth our vanity; we turn grass into cloth to satisfy our tenderness, we corrupt Nature with art; and by a piece of extreme ingratitude, we accuse her of want either of dexterity or power. Thus we hardly make use of any creature, without offending their Creator, we remedy our needs only by profusions, and we are in danger of committing some fault, as oft as we satisfy any one of our desires. The Creatures seem to hold intelligence with the Devils to undo us; that they submit to our wills, only to seduce us, and that as if they were incensed with anger and hatred against us, they g Nemo securus debet esse in ista vita quae tota tentatio nominatur: Utrum qui fieri potuit e● deteriore melior: non fiat etiam ex mesiore deterior. Una spes, una fiducia, una firma promissio misericordia tua. August. lib. 10. Confess. c. 32. seek out all occasions to ruin us. They are subjects of Temptation to those who make use of them, they are nets whereby the un-advised are caught, and enchanted glasses which deceive those who see themselves in them. But grant they had not all these evil qualities, they would still be fatal to us whilst they continue in the power of our enemy; for he hath power to make use of them to abuse us, and since Adam's revolt, divine Justice hath permitted him to make weapons of them to beat us down withal. In the Terrestrial paradise where he assailed all men in their father, he had but a Serpent to express his mind, but a woman to second his designs, and but an apple to allure us, all other creatures were exempt from his Tyranny: and how great a mind so ere he had to undo us, he durst not employ the beauty of the Stars, nor the Lustre of pearls to corrupt us. Yet an apple satisfied his malice, he made such use of his power, as he bereavest us of our innocence, and drove us out of paradise: we do yet bewail this defeat, we daily feel fatal effects of this misfortune, and as many ages as have been since, have not been able to dry our tears nor lessen our laments. This redoubted enemy upbraids us; that he hath cheated us with an h Adam damnatur in mortem ob unius arbusculae del●bationem & exinde prosiliunt delicta cumpoenis, & per●unt jam omnes qui paradisi nullum cespi●em norunt. Tertul. apple, and that with so weak a weapon, he hath won a victory which hath made him lord of the whole world. 'Twas easy to defend one's selfagainst an enemy whom divine Justice held in chains, who had but one way to beat us, and who having no correspondency in the place which he assailed, could not expect the victory save from his own dexterity and our dulness, but he is now no longer laden with Irons, the victory which he got over Adam gives him someright to all his children, he hath in each of them a part of themselves which favours all his designs, his power is no longer limited, and he hath a large permission to make use of all the Creatures either to seduce or corrupt man. He bears away almost as many victories as he gives battles; being assisted with such forces, he meets with few who resists his Tyranny: we are born and do die his slaves, he makes weapons of whatsoever he meets withal, and fitting himself to our humours i Diabolus quando decipere quemquam tentat, prius naturam unius cujusque intendit, blandis & leni●us moribus s●pe lu●uriam au● va●m gloriam prop prop●t, as●eris vero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉 cum 〈◊〉 ●e. Hugo l●b. 1. and designs, he employs both heaven and earth to tempt us: by those Stars which shine over our heads, he makes us either Idolaters or Magicians; by gold, the richest of all metals, he makes men avaricious; by Iron, he eggs on the ambitious to war, or the furious to revenge; by wine, he robs drunkards of their judgements, and gives them as many Masters, as he excites passions in them; by beauty, which shines forth in women's countenances, he kindles unchaste fires in men's hearts; and by Man's eloquence, he corrupts women's chastity: Pearls and Diamonds serve him for Irons to inchain the one and the other of them, rich stuffs and pleasing colours, are so many charms with which he inchrnts our senses. In fine, we are forced to confess that the creatures are his confederates in his designs, that he is only dreadful by means of their aid, that he wins no victories but by the fights he makes against us with them; and that some men would be stout enough to withstand his on-sets, were he not seconded by these faithful officers. He disposeth so k Illecebras suggerit, i●sidias parat, cogitationes malas immittit, & ut ad deteriorem lapsum provocet lucra proponit, damna minatur. Aug. lib. 14. de Civit. cap. 3. absolutely of them, as after having employed them to seduce us, he makes use of them to afflict us; and not being able to make us sin through their allurements, he endeavours to make us miserable by their persecutions, he hath to do with l Fulminibus miscentur daemons, terrae motus excitant, maria conturbant, & saepe navigia cum hominibus demergunt. Pet. C●init. Thunder; and causeth fear, where he cannot cause sin; he raiseth storms in the sea, and buries both men and ships in the waves, if he cannot kindle war, he excites pestilence and famine, and corrupting the purity of the air, he turns towns to deserts, and makes the fields barren; he shakes the foundations of the earth, he over-whelms men under the ruins of their houses, and immolates victim to his fury, when he cannot win slaves to his ambition, so as be it in prosperity, or in adversity, we are bound to confess that by the good will of God, the elements hold of the Devil, and that the Creatures are corrupted by sin, since they serve as Instruments to our enemy to soothe us into our concupiscence and to abase our courage. The sixth Discourse. That it is more secure to sequester a man's self from the Creatures, then to make use of them. A Man must be ignorant of all the Maxims of christianity if he know not that he is forbidden the love of the creature, and that we cannot love them without betraying our dignities or forgetting our duty: for nothing but God m jubet aeterna lex avertere amorem à tenporalibus, & eum mundatum convertere ad aeterna. August. lib. 1. de lib. a●bit. cap. 15. can lay lawful claim to our affections; he is the centre of all love, he is bereft of that love which is not given him, and he is injured in the chiefest of all his qualities, if one propose any other end unto himself, than God himself; we are born only to serve and love him: no other object is able to satisfy us, and our heart is too great to be filled with a good which is not infinite. We molest the order which God hath established in the world, when by an unjust going less we raise the creatures above ourselves. He who abaseth himself through the meanness of his spirit, is not less guilty than he who through his ambition, raiseth himself up; and he gives against God's Providence as well who obeys those creatures which are inferior to him, as he who would command over those which are his equals, or Superiors. Man hath received an unrepealable law which obligeth him to submit himself to God, because he is his Sovereign, and to raise himself above the other creatures because they are his Servants: he treats upon equal terms with other men because they are his equals; he bears respect unto the Angels without adoring them, because they are his companions, & do in the difference of their natures aspire with man to one and the same end, and seek out the same happiness. Whatsoever is not rational is subject to the Empire of n Lex ●terna non est aliud quam divina ratio, vel voluntas Dei ordinem naturalem conservari jub●ns, perturbari vetans. Aug. lib. 22. contra Faust. cap. 27. man, and he is not vain glorious, when he thinks the earth is fruitful only to afford him nourishment, that the Sun rises only to light him, and that the flowers do display themselves only for his recreation: when he loves them out of an inclination, or out of necessity, he disturbs the order of God, he submits himself to that which is below him, he degenerates from his nobility, and becomes a slave to his subjects, for if he love a creature he must obey it, he cannot give his love to it & preserve his liberty. Love is an imperious o Amor res est imperiosa. Plato. passion, it assubjects all those souls which it possesseth, it makes as many slaves as lovers, and reduceth them to a condition wherein having no longer any will, they are not Masters of their desires, they look pale, when in the presence of those that they adore, they tremble when they come near them, and the Stars have not so much power over their bodies as those whom they love have absolute command over their souls: the object of their love p Talis est quisque qualis est dilectio ejus. A●de diligenter anima mea quid dilig● si terram di●gis terraes: 〈◊〉 ●oelum amas c●lum es. Aug. tracked 2. in Epist 〈◊〉 ●n. is the cause of all their motions, if it be absent, they consume away in desire, and languish in vain hopes, if it be threatened with any danger they quake for fear, if it be set upon they pluck up their courage, if it go far off without hopes of being soon seen again they fall into despair; and if it be lost without hope of recovery, they give themselves over to grief and sorrow. Thus these slaves take upon them their Master's livery, these Chameleons change colour as oft as that which they love changes condition, and betraying their own greatness they assubject themselves to creatures which ought to obey them. I know very well that lover's endeavour to throw of this yoke, that they strive to free themselves from this Tyranny, and that being weary of obeying, they fain would command their turn about, but all they can do is to no purpose, and the unalterable laws of love, force them fairly to submit to those subjects which are Masters of their liberty. The ambitious man would fain be the Sovereign of honour, but let him do what he can, he still remains the slave thereof, and whilst he leads on Troops and commands Armies, he is shamefully enforced to obey ambition which tyrannizeth over him. The Avaricious man would fain be Master of his riches, what ever pleasure he takes in keeping them, he would take more in spending them; but he is as it were bound to adore them and to dedicate all his care and watching to the Devil which doth possess him. The lustful man q Homines rerum mortalium servi fiunt, dum imperite Domini esse desiderant. Aug. lib. de morib. Eccl. cap. 23. wisheth that he were his Mistress' Master, and that he might prescribe laws to that proud beauty which domineers over him; but his excess of passion keeps him a servant still, and the nature of love forceth him with content, to renounce his liberty; his slavery is a just punishment of his ambition, and Heaven permits that he remain a slave to the Creature, because he would have made himself Master thereof by unlawful means. This is the cause why he will not acknowledge any thing to be amiss in what he loves, why he doth admire the perfections thereof, and why he doth mingle his vices and virtues together: for to give right judgement of any thing a superiority is required in the judgement giver. Some advantage must be had over that whose weaknesses would be known, and lovers being slaves to those they love, their blindness lasts as long as doth their slavery; by a no less necessary than unfortunate consequence, they assume the qualities of that object which causeth their love, they transform themselves into what they love, and change nature as well as condition: but that which is most unjust in this change is, that these wretched creatures take unto themselves the worst of the qualities of what they love, and cannot take the best; and having a capability of becoming easily imperfect, they can never become accomplished: a deformed man loseth not his deformity, though he love an exquisite beauty an ignorant body grows not learned, though he love a Philosopher; an ambitious man mounts not the throne, though he love a Sovereign; and covetous men grow not rich though they court wealth, but by a deplorable misfortune, lovers share in the faults of that subject, whence they derive their love: they put on all the evil qualities thereof, and having no design to imitate it, they resemble it in loving it. Ambitious men become as vain as the honour which they idolatrize; greedy men are no less obdurate, then is the metal which they adore, and the lascivious are as base as is the pleasure which they so much cherish. Love r Noli amare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 non vis invenir●tormentum. Aug. S●rm. 105 de diversis. is the mixture of Lovers, he mingleth their wills in joining them together, he confounds their qualities, in uniting their minds; but when he grows irrational, he brings his punishment along with him, and that he may punish those whom he hath engaged in an unlawful affection, he permits them to communicate their defaults, and forbids them to communicate their advantages. Thus man cannot love the creatures unless losing the privileges which nature hath given him, he renounce his Greatness, in loving his Slaves, and as the Scripture says, he become abominable in worshipping of Idols. From this just punishment another doth derive, which is not much less rigorous; for Divine Justice which cannot let a fault pass unpunished, permits that men find their punishment in their love, and that the object which ought to cause their good fortune, cause their torment, for though love boast of allaying pains, and of making the wildest things that are, loving; yet doth he attribute unto himself a power which only belongs to charity, his deeds are not answerable to his words, and when lovers abused by his promises have engaged themselves on his side, they find by experience, that that which ought to cause their happiness, is the original of their punishment. And that they cannot love the creature without becoming miserable. There goes more care s Miser ●ram & m●ser est om●s antimus umctus amore rerum mortalium, & dila●atur cum eas 〈◊〉, & tunc s●t miseriam qua miser est, antequam amittat cas. August 4. Cor fell. cap. 6. 1 Majore torme●o pec●ia possi●etur quam quaeritur. Sen. to the preserving of riches then to the getting of them; 'tis more painful to be rich, then to become rich; and that metal which seems to be the reward of the avaricious man's labour, is only the increase and the redoubling thereof: he hath passed the seas to find them out, he hath dug into the bowels of the earth to seek for them, he hath engaged his freedom to become Master thereof, yet is the keeping of them more vexatious, than the acquiring: he is more troubled in hiding them, then in heaping of them together, and he confesseth that riches threaten more mischief to him then poverty doth, he runs more hazard in his own house then on the sea, he fears Partners more than Pirates, and is not so terrified with Tempests, as with Suits at law. The ambitious man finds his punishment in glory and honour, this vain Idol which occasioned his desires, occasioneth his complaints, he reputes his having courted so ungrateful a Mistress, and knowing that she hath nothing wherewithal to reward those that serve her, but wind and smoke, he never esteems himself more unfortunate than when most honoured. Thus it fares with whatsoever else we love; t Plerumque cum adsunt nobis putamus quod ea non diligamus, sed cum abesse coeperunt invenimus qui simus. Hoc enim siaeamore aderat quod sine dolore discessit. Aug. lib d● vera Relig. cap. 47. Divine Justice doth minglegall with honey in them, to wean us from them, & makes use of our delights, to increase our annoys, the house which we have built for our diversion, will prove our anxiety, yea even, though it suit in all things with our desire, 'twil cease to give content, when it ceaseth to be new, we will wonder that not having changed aspect it shall have lost what was pleasing in it, and that contrary to our expectation, it should become our punishment; when it ought to be our delight. Those pictures which we send for out of the warehouses of Italy, which we have bought at so dear a rate, which we have with such impatiency looked for, and been so well pleased when they came, cease to ravish our senses when they are once seated in the places appropriated for them; they lose their value together with their novelty; it must be the admi ration of those that never saw them that must make us esteem them, and we must look upon them through other men's eyes if we will value them: they serve us only to incense us against a servant who hath not been careful enough of them, or to make us curse time which hath effaced their colours. The pain which all these things cause in us, and the undervaluation we have of them, is not able to make us forbear loving them, we are fastened to them without our knowledge, we love them, whilst we think not on it, and because we forego the further desire of them when we are once possessed thereof, we think we cease to be kin thereunto. An avaricious man who sees his coffers full, who receives his rents duly every quarter, and who never knew what belonged to being bankrupt, or unfortunate, cannot believe that he loveth his riches so excessively; the sorrow he feels by their losses must make him know the contentment he had in their possession, he must judge of his engagement by his grief, love is better known by privation then by enjoyment, and the irregularity of affection is not better discerned, then by the absence of the object which did entertain it. We are not troubled with the ᵘ 〈◊〉 Quantum amando peccaverunt, perdendo sens●runt. Lib. 1. de Cant. c 9 loss of what we were not pleased 〈◊〉 Quantum amando peccaverunt, perdendo sens●runt. Lib. 1. de Cant. c 9 with the possession; we judge of the excess of our love, by the like of our sorrow; and we are never so sensible of the love we bear to perishable things, as by the sorrow we conceive for their loss; we are sensible of our captivity, after being set at liberty; we consider the weight of our Irons, when we are freed from them; and we know we were miserable when we think ourselves to be most happy. To find a remedy for these evils, Saint x Si autem ista d●ligis ut subjecta dilige, ut famulantia dilige, ut arrham sponsi, ut munera amici, ut beneficia Dei. Non ista propter se, sed propter illum, nec ista cum illo, sed ista propter illum, & super ista illum diligas. August. in Meditate. Augustine teacheth us that we must make use of the creatures without loving them, and we must be very careful lest whilst we touch them with our hands, they corrupt our hearts. He will have us to look upon them as slaves which ought to obey us, not command us; he will have us to love them, as they are the pictures of God, and as Lovers love their Mistress' pictures, he will have us to esteem of them, as the favours of our God, and that considering his beauty in his images, and his goodness in what representeth him, we should neither love the one nor the other but merely for his sake. Did I not doubt lest men might think me too severe, I would add that all these precautions were not sufficient; and that the Son of God not content to have taught us that perishable things cannot beloved without danger, he would tell us that they may be despised without vain glory, for although his Commandments do only forbid us any excess in the use thereof, his counsels do permit us to wean ourselves from them; and all christian virtues are so many holy pieces of cunning which teach us how to set by the creatures. Fasting y Abstinentia est quando quis pro ●more Dei & salute propria, non ab illicitis tantum, sed interdum à licitis atque concessis cohi●et. Greg. 5. Moral. in●erdicts us the use of meats, it raiseth man to the condition of Angels, by cutting of such things as are necessary for the preservation of life, it contents itself with bread and water; nay there have been some Penitentiaries and Anchorets, who have passed over whole weeks without eating any thing, lest whilst they would feed their natural heat, they might increase the heat of their concupiscence. Poverty is a general foregoing of all worldly things, those who make greatest profession thereof, live in the world as in a desert; whatsoever self-love judgeth necessary, seems useless or superfluous to them; the arts are not troubled with dressing nor with nourishing them; they find that in deserts, which we want in cities; and the bounds which they have prescribed to their desires renders them content, in the midst of want, the same tree may clothe and feed them, the leaves thereof serve them for cover, and the fruit for nourishment. Fortune z Amate & nolite amare, ad aliquid amate, & ad aliquid amare nolite: est enim quod ad profectum ametur, & est quod adimpedimentum non ametur. Aug. Serm. 105. de diversis. can lay no hold upon their persons, wheresoever they go they carry all they have with them, and Famine which doth depopulate whole towns, cannot make the earth barren enough to infuse fear into them, they are grown acquainted with hunger, and cannot fear an enemy with whom they have so often fought. Penitency hath less need of the creature than poverty hath, she takes some pleasure in contemning them, she rather loves to be persecuted then to be served by them, and knowing that this world is but a banishment, she despiseth whatsoever can retard her return into her dear country; she encourageth penitents to fight against sin, and sorrow, to destroy the Father by his Daughter's means, and to procure Heaven by the loss of Earth. Thus all the virtues teach us that all the creatures are corrupted; that it is better to pass by them, a Non est in carend● difficultas, nisi cum est in amando cupiditas August. lib. 3. de Doct. Christ. cap. 6. then to make use of them, that it is safer to contemn them, then to employ them, and that if Philosophy teach us the use of them, Religion counselleth us their privation. The seventh Discourse. That Deluges and Earthquakes are the punishments of the World become corrupted. WE must not wonder if Philosophers have argued so weakly upon the disorders of nature, their not knowing the the true cause thereof, being by reason of their ignorance of Adam's sin: they were of opinion that the evil was occasioned by the corruption of humours, and raising themselves to no higher a consideration, they took the punishment of our sin for a condition of Nature; they thought that death was rather a law then a punishment; b ●ex est, non paena perire. Senec. and that the two parts whereof man is composed were severed when their chains were worn to pieces through the long use of time, or broken by the violence of sorrow: they thought that the body's rebellion was a necessary consequence of its constitution, and that the slave being of another nature then his Master, it was not to be wondered at if he had other inclinations; they were persuaded that the revolt of wild beasts was a mere effect of their fury, and that man had no reason to complain thereof, since he neither wanted Force to tame them, nor Address to reclaim them. Learning upon the same principle, they thought that Earthquakes and Deluges were only accidents which found their causes in nature, and which were as ordinary to the earth, as heats and colds to those that are sick, c Suas ista causas habent, net ex imperio saeviunt, sed ex quibusdam vitiis, ut corpora nostra turbantar. Senec. Quaest Natural. lib. 6. cap. 3. they thought that the wind or fire enclosed in the bowels of the Mother Earth caused the agitations thereof, and that these two Elements endeavouring their liberty, did their utmost to break prison, that those constellations which rule in chief over waters, made the rivers swell, and drawing the sea out of her bed, covered the earth with her waves. They prepared themselves for these accidents, as for disorders, which were inevitable; and not troubling themselves with appeasing divine Justice, which chastiseth men by these dreadful punishments they remained opinionated in their Errors; Ignorance would not suffer them to profit by these disorders, and not knowing that they were Punishments, they thought that Patience and Fortitude were the only Remedies. The common-people whose opinions were not so corrupted because they were less proud, d Nihil borum sine timore mirantur populi. ●n. lib. 6. Quaest. Natural. lib. 6. cap. 3. reverenced the heaven's anger in her severe punishments, and finding no means how to obviate so strange disasters, they sought for safety in superstition, and endeavoured to appease the evil spirits with sacrifice: but this new sin augmented the rage of heaven, thinking to avoid its Justice they provoked its indignation, and through a blind ignorance they incensed their Sovereign by fawning on their executioners. Christians who are instructed in a better school, confess that these great disorders are the punishments of sin, and that divine Justice made no use of them, till we through our offences had despised his mercy; indeed there was nothing but the hand of God alone, which could overthrow his workmanship, and loosen the earth from its foundations, to affrighten the guilty. Were not the winds in-animated by his Justice, they could not shake the centre of the world, the weight of this great frame would stop their fury, and nature which loves to preserve her parts, would not permit mere exhalations to commit such havoc in her state, she would open new passages to them to allay their violence, and preventing these extraordinary convulsions, she would either rend open her own bowels, or else dissolve those vapours into rivers. f Potes autem à terrá omnem spem atque omne desiderium removere, hoc fac ut securus vivas, eaque vel trement, vel ruente consistas. Stultum est firmam in re tremulá spem habere. Petrarc. Dialog. But God takes delight to agitate the world, that he may intimidate men, and that he may teach them by these Earthquakes, that the earth is not so much their abiding place, as the place of their punishment. Of all the animadversions which his Justice giveth them, there is none more horrid or less evitable than this: for what assurance can we hope for here below, if the earth quake under our feet? where can we think to escape danger, if the most solid thing of all the world do shake? and if that which susteins all things threaten us with sinking under our feet? what Sanctuary shall we find to defend us from an evil which doth encompass us round, and whither can we withdraw if the gulfs which open themselves shut up our passages on all sides? with what horror are men struck when they hear the earth groan, when her trembling succeeds her complaints, when houses are loosened from their foundations, when the roof falls upon their heads, and the pavement sinks under their feet? what hope is there to be had in so general a disorder, and what comfort can be given or received in so universal a disorder, when fear cannot be fenced by flight? g Quid tebi esse non dico auxilii, sed solatii, ubi timor fugam perdidit. Senec. quaest. Natural. lib. 6. cap. 1. Fortune is never so cruel, but that she opens unto us some out let whereby to escape the evils which she sendeth us; an enemy is beaten from the bulwark which he had possessed himself of, earth-works are opposed to the thundering cannon, winds which raise Tempests deliver us from them, and after having a long time tossed us too and fro, they cast us upon the shore, houses serve us for sanctuaries against the injuries of the air, and shepherd's cottages which are only made of leaves and moss save them from storms; Firings which are so hideous, follow not them that fly from them, though fire be never so light it becomes slothful when it betakes itself to a combustible matter, and if man will resign his goods unto it, he may secure his person. h Nullum malum sine effugio est, nunquam fulmina populos percusserunt: pestilens coelum exhausit urbes, 〈◊〉 abstulit. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Thunder hurts not those who hide themselves in caverns, it's boult doth only grate upon the earth but doth not penetrate it, it is stopped with the least resistance, and some trees have the virtue to appease its fury; when the plague infects whole cities, it may be shunned by going into the country, change of air is a remedy for incurable evils, and when Physicians cannot cure a stubborn sickness, either by diet or letting blood, they cure it by waters or by travelling. There is no disaster so general as doth assail the whole world at once, Thunder frightens more than it hurts; the plague, whose mischiefs are so great, may well dispeople towns, but doth not throw down the houses; though tempests do shatter ships, yet some do escape their fury; but the earth quake doth enclose whatsoever it overthroweth, it openeth the earth wide as it swalloweth down whole towns, it wageth not war with some few houses only, but with whole provinces, it leaveth nothing behind it which can inform posterity of its outrages; more insolent than fire which spares rocks, more cruel than the Conqueror who spares walls, i Hoc malum latissime patet; non enim domus solum aut familias aut urbes singulas haurit, sed gentes totas regionesque subvertit. Idem ibid. more greedy than the sea which vomiteth up shipwrecks, it swalloweth and devoureth whatsoever it overturneth. Whatever steadfastness the places have wherein we live, we cannot say they are exempt from this so dreadful accident, what hath befallen some parts of the earth, may befall all the rest, those which never were yet agitated are not unmoveable, their condition is not better though they have been preserved from this disorder; they ought to apprehend it, because they have escaped it, and those parts which have undergone it ought to fear it the less, because nature hath consumed the forces thereof in shaking them. Self-love doth abuse us, if we persuade ourselves that there are some parts of the world which are exempt from this mischief, they are subject to the same laws, nature cannot defend her workmanship against the justice of her Sovereign, k Omnes sub eadem lege jacent. Nihil ita ut immobile esset natura concepit, alia temp●lus aliis cadunt▪ Idem. ●i. what happens not at one time, may happen at another; as in great towns one house falls after another, so in the world doth earthquakes succeed, and France will one day suffer what Italy hath suffered; the bravest parts of the world have not been able to secure themselves from it, those which have been most populous and most abounding in fruit have been most subject thereunto; and Asia whose beauty may make Europe jealous, hath often been the Theatre of famous Earthquakes; she lost twelve towns in one day, Achaia and Macedonia have been sensible of this disorder, and the most delightful parts of Italy have seen their walls thrown down and their houses swallowed up amidst their greatest felicity. l Circui●●atum▪ & si qu● diu praeteriit repetit, quaedam ●rius sol●itat, quaed●m saepius, nihil immune esse & innoxium si●t. Idem ibid. Destiny seems to make the circuit of the world, it sets upon those parts which it hath a long time spared, and teacheth all sorts of people that no force can resist its fury. The Sea is subject to its Empire, and Mariners confess that those storms are most dangerous, which are occasioned by earthquakes; the Ocean is astonished when the element which serves it for its basis will forego it, it grows incensed and breaks its bounds when the earth sinks under its waters; and goes to sack out another bed, when that which nature hath given it appears willing to be its Sepulchre. In fine, this misfortune is common to all kingdoms, m N●o quidquam esse quietis aeternae, quod & p●rire non potest & perdere. Idem ibid. since man became criminal, all parts of the earth are become movable, the parts thereof do dis-unite themselves, since the division of the body from the soul, and steadfastness must no longer be looked for in the world, since innocency is banished thence by injustice. This disorder is the punishment of our sin; and reason together with faith doth sufficiently persuade us that the universe would never have been agitated with these furious accidents during the estate of original righteousness. Wherefore should Gods anger, have armed the elements against his faithful subjects? wherefore should it have overthrown all his works to destroy innocent men, why should it have overwhelmed the inhabitants of the earth with the ruins thereof, if they had not been sinful? why should it have buried those in the bowels of the earth, who were not to die? n Nullo modo peccati ded●us est sine deco●e 〈◊〉. Aug. Let us then conclude that Earthquakes are the effects of sin, and let us also make it appear that Deluges are also the just Rewards thereof. We are bound by the holy Scripture to believe that that dreadful disorder was not so much the effect of Nature as of Divine Justice, that it was to punish man's insolency that the floods forsook their channels, and that the world would never have been drowned had it not been infected with man's sin. o ●inis universa car● ven●t coram me, repleta est t●a iniquitate à facie eorum, & ego disperdam eos cum terra. Genes. cap. 6. Nature could not have furnished waters enough to cover the mountains had not God's anger imprinted in her a new fertility, she could not have wrought so powerfully towards her own ruin, unless he whose motions make her inclinations encourage her against herself; all the Seas put together could not have covered the face of the whole world, though their banks should have been broken down, and that they should have been set at Liberty by the hand which holds them in, they would not have had waves enough to have overflowed all the earth: if those rains which made the waters swell came not from out the bosom of the clouds, a Sovereign power form the vapours which did produce them. The same p Voluntas Dei causa miraculorum omnium, quae vel ob●jus gloriam, vel o● peccatorum ultionem fiunt. Justice which shall burn the world, did drown it, and let Philosophers say what they list, that prodigious accident was not a mere effect of nature. Nature is not powerful enough to destroy what she hath not made; that hand only by which she is guided can disorder her, those great disorders which draw along with them her general ruin could have no other cause but the will of God. Philosophy hath not been able to find out a cause for it, she speaks of the deluge as of a fable, and hath rather chosen to give all antiquity the lie then to betray her own ratiocination. To say truth, he that knows not sin cannot comprehend this disorder of nature, to the belief thereof, a presupposition is requisite that man is guilty, that God is angry with him, and that he will make use of his absolute power to punish him. All other reason is too weak to prove so strange an accident: though the world subsist by change, and that the elements whereof it is composed are only preserved by their opposing one another, yet do not their combats tend to the ruin of nature: the peace of the Universe is entertained by their divisions; they sacrifice themselves for the public good, and violate their particular inclinations to prevent a general disorder. Fire descends to assist nature, when she is set upon; water mounts aloft to supply the place of vacuum which is the common enemy to all elements, the earth opens her bowels and loosens herself from her foundations to suppress the disorders which sin hath caused in the world; but it is not to be comprehended how all the parts of the world should conspire nature's ruin, nor by what secret veins the sea could issue forth so much water as could drown her: the sea even when incensed useth violence upon herself not to overflow the earth; q Usque huc venies & non procedes amplius & ●c c●stringes tume●●uctus tuos. J● 38. it remembers what order it received from God in the beginning, it useth violence upon itself, in its greatest storms, not to outpass its bounds; it takes nothing in one place which it repays not in another, it restores to Swethland, what it hath taken from Holland; and foregoes our coasts when it intrencheth upon our neighbours: if the ebbing & flowing thereof be sometimes irregular, they never move to such a height as to threaten the whole world, its inroads are rather for pastime then mischief, and should it have ta'en that liberty in the state of innocency, man, who very well knew the nature thereof, would neither have been surprised nor astonished thereat. But if it now spread itself over the fields, if it cover the highest steeples with its waves, if it turn populous towns into lakes or ponds, if it bear its Empire beyond its bounds, and if breaking the banks which are made to oppose its fury, it threaten us again with an universal Deluge, it follows rather the motions of Divine Justice then it's own, and this prodigy is rather an effect of God's anger, then of Nature. Thus ought we to argue of that general inundation which destroyed the whole world, two thousand years after it was first made, the cause came from heaven, the decree was pronounced by Gods own mouth, the execution thereof was given to the evil spirits, & the Elements received a new commission to obey their new order. The earth furnished part of the vapours which were r Non est tanto ma●o u● causa, sed omnis rati● consentit, & simul imbres cadunt, ●mina increscunt, maria sedibus suis excit● per●runt, & ●mnia uno agm●ne 〈◊〉 exi●ium hum●i generis incumbunt. Senec. Quaest Natural. cap. 27. to drown her, the vapours distilled down in rain, rivers being swollen with such fall of rain, broke their banks, the sea not able to contain so many floods, forwent its bounds; Towns were changed into ponds, their streets were turned into rivulets, their inhabitants quitted their houses; the walls whereof were undermined by waters; and equally fearing two contrary evils, they know not whether they were to perish by the fall, or by the drowning of their houses; Torrents were seen every where, which charged with booty did at the same time carry down the seiling of palaces, and trees out of gardens; all rivers lost their names and channels, the Rhine was confounded with Rome, Euphrates and Ganges were mingled together, all those great rivers which had won fame by reason of the towns which they watered, found their loss in their greatness, and ruined themselves that they might ruin the whole world; s I am omnia quae prospici possunt aquis obside●tur, omni● tumul● i● profundo late● & immensa ubique ●titudo est: tantum in s●mmis montium jugis vad● sunt. Idem ibid.▪ the tops of mountains made Islands in this waste Ocean, which being by little and little quite effaced, left the world at last drowned in waters: there was then but one only Element seen. Whole Nature became a Sea, in the which the winds guided a vessel which carried in it the world's only hope, and which preserved eight people amidst this deluge which were to repeople the world. It is very likely that so great a spoil was not made without Thunder, and that to make this punishment the more dreadful, the Sun 〈◊〉 ●tissimis 〈◊〉▪ adhaerebant reliquiae ●neris ●umani, q●us in extreme perd●s, hoc ●num sol●tio suit, quod trans●rat in 〈◊〉 metus. Senec. ibid. hid his face, that the day gave place to night, that the world was covered with darkness, and the Lightning was the torches which did attend the funeral pomp, whilst any mountains were yet uncovered with water, the remainders of mankind were fixed there; in this extremity no comfort but astonishment remained, fear was changed into stupidity, and the wonder which they conceived at this so hideous an accident did so possess their spirits, as they saw the sea without fear, had not feeling of the mischief, and perished without complaining. Who will not confess that so strange an accident, could be no natural effect? who will not judge, by the greatness thereof, that it was a miracle of divine Justice? who will not confess that these disorders which tend to the ruin of mankind, are the punishments of sin? and that nature would never have conceived so much indignation, against her own children, had she not believed to revenge their father by their death, and to repair his honour by their punishment. The eighth Discourse. That Thunder, Plagues and Tempest are the effects of Sinne. WHen I consider the world's condition since sin, me thinks I see a combat between self-love and divine Justice, and that these two parties do with equal courage endeavour to win the victory. Divine Justice disorders the seasons to punish sinful man, altereth the nature of the elements, robs the earth of flowers, and covers it over with thorns; makes the winter's longer, and Summers shorter, and mingling the saddest of our seasons with all the other, makes snow be seen in the spring, and thick fogs in Autumn, arms savage beasts with new fury, & draws them out of their forests to set on sinners in towns, destroys her own workmanship, ruins the beauties of the world to take revenge of the Lord thereof, and raiseth up as many enemies against him since his sin, as he had Subjects during his innocency. Self-love a Amor sui deliciarum omnium, & proinde peccatorm author est. employs all its industry to to repair these disorders, and by tricks which seem to augment its sin, withstands all the designs of Divine Justice; it cultivates the earth, and by its labour makes her fruitful, it ingrafts roses upon thorns, and endeavours to make the place of its exile a stately palace, it hath had such good success in its erterprises, as the sinful world comes not far short of the world when innocent, did our first father live again, and partake of our contentments, he would not so much lament the loss of the earthly paradise, but blaming the tears which his banishment drew from him, he would pass his time merrily away with his children, in so pleasing an abode▪ In effect, all things are refined by time, solitary places are inhabited, forests which infused horror into those who saw them, furnish hunter's with pastime, the barren sands are sowed upon, vines are planted upon rocks, Marish grounds are dried, that they may b Sylvas 〈◊〉 domuer●t, fera● peccora fug●verunt, arenae ser●ntur, saxa panguntur, paludes ●liquantur, tant● urbes quantae non cas● quondam. I am ne● i●sulae ●rrent nec scop●li ●orrent. Ubique domus, ubique populus, ubique respublica. Tertul. de ●ma. be ploughed up, and provinces are now fuller of palaces, then formerly they were of cottages; Islands are no longer un-inhabited, and those famous rocks which made the Pilots tremble, now bear high Towers for Landmarks unto them, and Towns to receive them: all the parts of the world are peopled, nor are there any deserts which have not some Inhabitants and houses. But let self-love use all the cunning that it can, there are some mischiefs which we cannot sh●▪ and there are some disorders in the world which will oblige us to confess, that the wisdom of man cannot defend itself against God's anger. Thunder is of this sort, and one must have lost his reason, not to fear a cause which produceth such strange effects. All Poets have armed the hands of God therewithal, and nature which is the Mistress c Sum●am petit arduus arcem, unde movet tonitrum, vibrat●que fulmina jactat. Ovid. Metamor. of Infidels, hath taught them, that he makes use thereof to punish offenders: the lightnings which forerun it, the noise which doth accompany it, and the prodigies which follow after are undeniable proofs of this truth. Let Philosophy defend herself against it by her vain reasons, let her oppose her pride to our fea●, let her destroy religion by her libertinism, she cannot keep reasonable men from redoubting thun-Thunder, and from confessing by the fear which siezeth them, that without the reading of Genesis they know the whole story of our misfortune. To say truth, who would not fear a punishment against which Nature affords no temedy? who will not dread a disaster which sets upon Princes in their Palaces, and upon Conquerors amidst their Armies? the stateliness thereof is able to frighten even Philosophers; d Non maximum ex perculis, sed speciosissimum fulmen est. Sen. lib. 2. quaest. Natural. cap. 59 and though they say this be not the greatest danger, though the most specious, yet they look pale when the Thunder roars over their heads, and that the Echoes which answer to the voice thereof makes the ground quake under their feet. Then their constancy forsakes them, and nature which forceth them to speak truth, makes them make vows, and repent them of their insolence. The haughtiest of all the Stoics hath been enforced to confess, that there was somewhat of divine in Thunder, that it was not the mere workmanship of nature, and that the flames and water whereof it is composed made but the least part of its power. e Caeterum mira fulminis si intueri velis opera sunt, nec quicquam dubii relinquentia quin divina insit illis & subtilis potentia. Senec. quaest. Natural. cap. 31. It is truth, that pride hath made him speak another language, and that after having with reason admired Thunder, he hath the impudence to laugh at it; he believed that since the claps thereof were not certain, they were not darted out from a divine hand, and that since it spared the guilty, and struck the innocent, it was guided by fortune, not by providence: Then destroying religion under a pretence of establishing it, f Utile erat in tantâ aud●cia scelerum aliquid esse adversum quod nemo sibi satis potens videretur. Ad conterendos itaque eos, quibus innocentis nisi metu no● placet, posuere super caput vindicem & quidem armatum. Senec. lib. 2. q. Natural. c. 42. he adds that Politicians had wisely handled this accident, to keep people within their duties, that it was requisite, that where the faulty take so great a freedom, there should be an inevitable punishment, and against which the power of Kings should be of no use; that to intimidate men who could not beperswaded to innocency, but by fear, it behoved to place a revengeful hand over their heads which should always be armed with Thunder. But let this proud Philosopher say what he please, all men will not alter their belief upon so weak reasons. g Non potest in nos tuum errare falmen quis●uis è nobis cadet, nocens pe●bit. In Medea. Thunder cannot be mistaken when it falls upon the ground, it is not necessary that he who darteth it forth should measure his strokes; since whosoever he hits, is sinful. The Decree of our death is pronounced before we are born, it little imports whether the execution thereof be left to thunder or deluge, and whether the sea or the earth serve as a Minister to God's Justice: if he spares sinners in this world, 'tis that he may punish them the more severely in the other world; if he snew favour unto sinners, 'tis either to recompense their good deeds, or the good deeds of their Ancestors; and if he punish the innocent, 'tis either to exercise their patience, or to increase their merit. h Loculis integris ac illesis conflatur arg●ntum, manenta vaginâ gladius liquescit, & inviolato signo circa pila se●rum omne distillat. Statfracto dolio vinum Senec. quaest. Natural. lib. 2. cap. 31. But certainly of all the punishments which he makes use of to make himself be feared, there is none more strange than Thunder; the effects thereof are miraculous, it plays so many several ways, as it is easily seen that he who guides it is Nature's Master; it melts the money of the avaricious without breaking the coffer wherein it is locked; it breaks the sword without hurting the Scabbard wherein it is; it melts the iron ends of Pikes without burning the wood whereinto they are ingraffed; it consumes the Cask without shedding the wine; but what is yet most miraculous, it kills a child in the mother's belly without hurting the mother, and of a living cradle, makes her an animated Sepulchre. Is it not easy to judge by all these effects, that so prodigious a cause would have been useless, in the state of Innocency? for what need was there to govern them by fear, who suffered themselves to be charmed by love? why should the Thunder have roared over the heads of the innocent? wherefore should God have armed himself, not having as yet any enemies? and to what end should he have vented his fury upon the tops of mountains, since if he punish insensible creatures, 'tis to astonish those who are rational? In this sort of punishment there is also observed a certain malignity, i Inest fulmini vis pestifera. Senec. ibid. which witnesseth that it is the work of God; for it corrupts what ever it toucheth, it imprints evil qualities in the body that it burneth, and wine which is the best Antidote, turns to poison, if it be struck with Thunder; it leaves an ill odour, where ere it goes, and it cannot be a mere effect of nature, since it destroys all the works thereof. We are bound to be of the same belief touching the plague, and to confess that this sad sickness which hath so often unpeopled the world, hath no other father then sin. k O●erosi sumus mundo, vix nobis elementd sussiciunt, re vera lues & fames pro remedio deputanda, tanquam consura insol●scentis generis humani. Tertul● deanimâ. Tertullian who isas full of mad wh●sics, as of errors, thought, that the plague was a providence of nature, which to case the earth which was not able to support her children, bereft her of some of them; and that like those Gardiner's who use to prune such Trees as bear more fruit than they can nourish, she lessens the number of men, and reduceth them to a condition of not being burdensome to their common Mother. Though I confess that divine mercy doth ofttimes turn our punishments into favours, and that it may aswell turn the plague to a remedy, as death to a sacrifice, yet I look upon it as one of the strangest Punishments ordained by divine justice to punish men withal. I must in reason confess that it is a general corruption of nature, that it assails all the parts thereof, and that it disperseth venom into all the elements to cause death to the sinful; it infecteth the air which we draw in with our breath, it gets into our bowels with the meat which we eat, it makes the earth barren by its bad influences and passing from men to beasts, commits as much havoc in the fields as in towns: this malady surpasseth the Physician's skill, it laughs at all antidotes, it is not to be shunned but by flight, and it is sometimes so universal as men meet with it in the very places which they have chosen for their Sanctuary. We bear the seed thereof along with us, which it in time hatches forth, and shows itself as fire doth when we think it is extinguished. It is the most perverse and least respectful punishment of all those that befall sinful man, for 'tis a rebel to all remedies, it turns antidotes into venom, and when it doth reign absolutely any where, it is fed with whatsoever is given to allay it, it assails Monarches amidst their armies, the Laurels which fence their heads from Thunder, cannot keep them from the contagion thereof, and that Sanctity which receives respect from other diseases cannot stop its progress. The most August and holiest of all our Kings died of this disease in Africa, his valour and his piety which had freed him out of prison, could not deliver him from his sickness, but after having triumphed over vice and infidelity, a period was put to all his conquests by a contagious death. The holiest of all the Kings of judah, knowing that heaven was offended at him, & that the anger thereof was not to be appeased but by a general satisfaction, chose the plague before either war, or famine, out of a belief that this scourge might aswell light on him as on the meanest of his subjects. In effect, it spares no man, neither youth nor age can allay the rigour, nor stop the progress thereof, it mows down more soldiers than war doth, it cuts off more Commanders than the sword, it boasts of ending the differences between Kings, and of making them make peace by taking from them the means of making war. There have been some so contagious plagues, as have dispeopled the greatest part of the world, the seas did not stop their Conquests, and this vast element which serves for a stop to the ambition of conquerors, could not dissipate the fury thereof; the winds served them for post-horses, and they crossed the seas to carry infection into the utmost parts of the world without either oars or fails: the number of the dead was so great as the l Dcest terra tumulis, jam rogos sylvae negant, non vota, non arsulla cor reptos levant, cadunt medentes. Senec. in Oedip. earth was not able to cover them, nor yet the forests to bury them, Physicians died together with the sick; Children dropped down after their fathers, and lost their lives in doing them their last duties. A man need only to consider the horror of this malady to acknowledge that it is one of the punishments of sin: during the time of innocence, the air was not corrupted, the earth brought forth no fruits which could breed bad humours, death did not reign where there was no guilty persons: Heaven, which breeds contagion by its mortal influences, did not punish those which it had not as yet m Scilicet coeli reus sperare poterat sceleribustantis dari regnum salubre, fecimus coelum nocens Senec. in Oedipose. condemned; our sins must have provoked it to have made it our enemy, we must have lost our innocency to incur the disfavour thereof, and sin must have wounded our soul, before the plague had seized on our bodies. One may say that the same thing which causeth contagion on the land, causeth tempests at sea, that it conspires together with sin to undo man, that it unpeoples the earth to people hell, and that it holds Intelligence with the winds to sink ships. Some Philosophers have been of opinion that the sea did not belong to the Empire of man, that this element was reserved for fishes, as the air for birds, that it was an usurpation to sail thereon, to cut through the waves thereof to discover its champions, and to penetrate the depths thereof, that Nature which punisheth all injustice had raised up storms, and form rocks to revenge his Tyranny; but certainly reason binds us to believe that there was nothing in the world which was not put under ●he power of man, that his authority had no other bounds then those of Nature, and that God who had placed him in the world to admire his works, had left to him aswell the disposal of n Dominamini piscibus ma●is, volatilibus coeli & animantibus terrae. the sea, as of the land: but when through rebellion he became gnilty of high treason, his Empire was divided, his subjects contemned his power, and every part of his estate brought forth Monsters to destroy him. The sea is so fruitful herein as the most of her productions are monstruous, every fish is an enemy to man, they are not to be tamed by art, and violence bereaves them rather of their life then of their fury. It seems that being by divine Justice employed against men in the deluge, they retain yet some remembrance of that first employment, and that they think to revenge God as oft as they punish us: they by their strength overturn great ships, they leap into lesser vessels to assail us, they make storms in the midst of calms, & being living rocks do ofttimes cause the skilfullest Mariners run shipwreck. This great danger is accompanied by the like of Tempests, which seem to enrage the Sea only that she may drown the Land, or bury mankind in her waves. This disorder is good for nothing but to undo us; profane Philosophy finds no other cause for it; the more it considers the strange effects thereof, the more is it obliged to adore God's Justice, and to condemn man's sin. o Hinc procellae & turbines hinc plurima mortalium mala & rerum naturae pugna secum. Plin. lib. 2. c. 38 The wind purifies the air, and disperseth the clouds; the rain waters the earth, and vapours which are the original of Air make the fields fruitful; fire doth not much consume the wealth of nature, it betakes itself to buildings, and punisheth our vanity in destroying our workmanship. The plague itself which violating all the Laws of Nature, sweeps away the Son together with the Father, and buries in the same grave the Physician and the Patient, doth ofttimes by the havoc which it makes, prevent the cruelty of war, and kills men to hinder them from committing parricide; for when it sees the earth groan underneath the burden of her children, that she can no longer nourish those which she hath brought forth, that the scarcity of victuals makes people take up arms, and prepare for war to free themselves from famine; it dispeoples Towns, disburthens the fields, and bereaves men of their lives, only to preserve their innocence; but Tempests are only fit to punish either our avarice, or our ambition; the Seas rage is only useful to make us know our offences, the deeps which open themselves beneath ships, the mountains of water which raise themselves above the Sails, the lightnings which mingle themselves amongst the waves, and threaten us at the same time both which being drowned and burnt, are form by the hand of Nature only to make us die with more of pomp, and more of horror. And certainly it was very just, that the Theatre of our Ambition should be the like of our punishment; p Piratae prinùm coegere mort is periculo, in mortem ruere & hyberna experiri maria; nunc idem avaritia cogit. Plin. lib. 2. cap. 47. that the winds which we make slaves to our avarice, should become the Ministers of God's anger, that those Spirits which put life into our ships, should inanimate storms, and that they which fill our Sails should make our designs give against the rocks; for it must be confessed, we are more insolent in our abusing this Element, than the rest; & that we do more unjustly employ the winds then all other things in the world. Nature hath produced them for our service: they are of use to us even in rebellion whereinto sin hath thrown us, and we cannot sufficiently praise providence which hath drawn them out of her Treasures to fit them to our needs; they purge the air by fanning q Venti utiles●, ut aera non sinerent pigrescere, ut imbres terris subministrarent, iidemque nimios compescerent. Nam modo adducunt nubes, modo diducunt●, ut per totum orbem pluviae dividi possint. Senec. Natural. quaest. lib. 5. cap. 18. i●, and trouble the repose thereof, only to preserve its purity, they gather vapours together and then scatter them abroad, they separate rain by dividing the clouds, and if they hide the heavens from the earth, 'tis to adorn her with flowers, and enrich her with fruit; they entertain commerce amongst nations, they make that common to the whole world, which nature had appropriated to some one province, they help us to go round the world, and husbanded by our dexterity they r Ventus omnibus inter se populis commercium dedit & gentes dissipatas locis miscuit. Ingens naturae beneficium s●illud in injuriam suam non vertat hominum furor. Idem Ibid. discover unto us all the beauties thereof, without their assistance we could not know the customs of Foreigners, we should be ignorant of what is done underneath our feet, and the Antipodes would pass for a fable, had not these faithful guides brought our Pilots thither. This good turn would be rare did not man's fury abuse it; but we make them serve our avarice or our ambition, by their means we seek out new dangers and new enemies, we load our ships with soldiers to pillage strange countries, we commit our life to the infidelity of the sea, and the lightness of the wind, we endeavour to overcome tempests which astonish nature, we run upon death without hope of a grave, and we seek out a doubtful s Non erit tanti si ad pacem per ista veberentur hune autem cum exaserimus tot sc●pulos latentes & insidias vadosi maris, quis nos fessos tot malis partus excipiet. Senec. ibid. war upon such conditions as would seem unjust to those who would undertake an assured victory: what blind madness doth possess us? wherefore do we raise troops to carry them through rocks and tempests? wherefore do we trouble the Seas quiet, for our unjust designs? are there not hazards enough on the earth, but that we must seek for new ones in another Element? whether do we complain of Fortune's favours, or of nature's goodness? is the former too faithful, or the latter too indulgent? are our bodies so strong, or our health so certain, that we must go seek for sicknesses, and dangers amongst the waves? do we desire to assail the destinies in the midst of their Empire? to declare war against them, than where their power doth most evidently appear? is not death terrible enough on Land, but that we must provoke it on the Sea? shall we not find it soon enough in a house, without seeking for it in a ship? t Quid maria inqu●etamus? p●um videlicet ad mortes nost●s terra late patet, nimis dura dedit nobis corp●ra. Itaque camus in pelagus & v●mus in nos 〈◊〉 cessan●ia. Senec. and is not our life short enough but that we must make it yet shorter by the accidents which are subject to those who sail upon the Ocean? must not a man have lost his reason to expose himself voluntarily to dangers unnecessitated? to fight with men without any cause, and conquer Countries without justice? wild beasts war not one upon another until enforced by hunger, or provoked by injuries; and we who take our name from humanity, are profuse in shedding of humane blood; we come aboard frail vessels, we trust our safety to the fury of Tempests, and wish for fair winds to carry us into foreign Countries, where we must either because of death, or die ourselves. We think not any one part of the world a Theatre large enough for our ambition. Every one will have his madness manifest, and that it have as many witnesses as it hath made men miserable. Thus the King of Persia entered Greece which he could not overcome, though he covered it all over with Soldiers. u Quosque nos 〈◊〉 mala n●stra rapuere, parum est intra orbe● suum ●urere. Idem ibid. Thus would Alexander pass over unknown seas, carry his forces to the utmost parts of the earth, and after he had overcome so many Kings, vanquish Nature herself: x Non horrebit Crassus revocantis diras Tribuni non tempestates longissimi maris, non circa Euphratem pr●saga sulmina & De● resistentes. Idemibid. Thus did Crassus strive to enrich himself at the cost of the Parthians, and would enter the large deserts which border upon their State; he despised the Tribunes who opposed his voyage, he laughed at the Tempests which shattered some of his ships: the Thunders which foretell his bad success could not stay him, and not withstanding that both God and man were offended with him, he would go whether his avarice called him, and seek out the death which destiny had prepared for him. Had not Nature been more favourable unto us, if she had caused the winds to cease, and if to hinder the execution of so many unjust designs, she had forced all conquerors to keep peacefully within their own dominions? should not we be much beholden to her, if interdicting us to enter on the sea, we should have nothing but our own misfortunes to fear and undergo? and if the winds made us not dread those unknown waves, which bring war, servitude, and death to the Countries whereon they coast? we are not the more secure for the distance of places, there is no enemy how far off so ever he be, who may not surprise us, as oft as the winds blow we have cause to fear lest they bring either enemies or Tyrants upon us. The Tempests which they raise are the least evil which they threaten us withal; Shipwrecks which fear makes appear so terrible unto us, are but the first trials, they expose us to those dangers when they carry us to war, and the evil which wait for us on the shores whither they 〈◊〉 Cui itaque non vita tormentum est? Nihil invenies tam manifestae utilitatis qu●d non in contrarium transferat culpa. Senec. quae 〈◊〉. Natural lib 5. c. 1● conduct us, are more vexatious than those which assail us at full sea. Thus are all things in the world armed against us. Every Element is become an executioner, since we are become male factours; Nature is plentiful in punishments, and all the pieces whereof she is composed, are so many faithful Ministers, which serve God, in taking revenge upon his rebels. The ninth Discourse. That Monsters and Poisons are the workmanship of Sinne. DIvine Providence knows so well how to husband the defects of creatures, as most men take them for perfections, and we gather such advantage from our misfortunes by its guidance, as we should be unfortunate, if we had not been so. Death, which is sins severest punishment, is so precious in its hands, as it seemeth rather a favour then displeasure, and a reward then a chastisement. Sicknesses are cause of so much good unto us by bereaving us of our health, as it were to be wished that most men should fall sick, and that pain might make them out of love with their bodies, to make them be the like with the earth▪ the injuries of the Elements are of such use to the faithful, as they ought rather to be praised, then complained of by them; when they with patience suffer all the pains which sin hath occasioned, they may make a happy use thereof to destroy a Supplicium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sin, and a sweet smelling Sacrifice to God's Justice. Hence it is that Philosophers who know what advantage we draw from our misfortunes, persuade themselves that Nature is not corrupted, and account her disorders advantages; they term death a law more necessary than rigorous; they call sickness the souls salve, the trial of virtue, and the exercise of patience; they call poverty a disengagement from useless things, a nearer cut to virtue, a help to argue with more freedom, they term the persecution of the Elements an innocent war which causeth the world's peace, a hatred which conduceth to a perfect friendship, or an excellent picture of music, whose harmony is composed of the differences of voices, and contrariety of tones. By the same reason they justify the disorders of nature, and call Monsters irregularities which heighten her other works; they plead in the behalf of poisons, and make them pass for remedies, whose use we are yet ignorant of. In effect, Monsters seem to serve for ornament to the world, b Monstra sunt ornamenta universi. Arles. that they contribute to the beauty thereof, that they constitute that admirable variety wherein consists honest men's most innocent delight, that they are in the world what shadows are in Pictures, and that not to excuse them they are handsome faults, and pleasing debaucheries. This wise Mother hath her serious businesses, and her serious diversions; she sport's herself after having laboured, and to recreate herself after the pains which those wonders have occasioned her which she hath continued since the beginning of the world, she goes astray for sports sake, and for her pastime commits faults, yea her disorders are ofttimes useful to us; she produceth Monsters to fore-shew things to come, and goes out of her ordinary course to advertise us of God's anger. Thus we may observe that in all ages, the birth of Monsters have been followed with some disasters, and the world's irregularity hath c Monstra sunt prodigia divinitus missa, per quae non praesentia modo, sed etiam futura declar●ntur atque praedicuntur. ●amblichus de mysteriis. presaged the like in kingdoms, All the predictions of Pagans were grounded upon these prodigies; they studied the guidance of Empires in that of nature, and judged of the ones disorder by the others debaucheries. When Caesar and Pompey fought in the Pharsalian fields, and that the Roman Common wealth, was upon the point of being changed into a Monarchy, beasts were the interpreters of nature, the Elements violated their qualities, it reigned blood, and a general confusion did foretell the alteration of that state. As famous Princes have had new constellations which have discovered them, Tyrants have had Monsters to proclaim them, and the Births of the one and of the other have had these Fortunate or Unfortunate Predictions. Poisons are not so mischievous but that some good use may be made of them when they are prepared by physic, d Omne medicamentum medium est inter alimentum & vene●um. good medicines are made of them; there are some sicknesses which cannot be cured but by corrected poison: the greatest part of those drugs which we make use of to assist nature when she is weakened by sickness, partake more of poison then of nourishment, and only help the natural heat by provoking it and by contesting with it. If they be contrary to our constitutions, they are good for and do preserve some creatures; and if they be averse to man, they are favourable to the asp and viper: their venom is not to be taken from them without taking away their lives; the Antidotes which preserve us, kill them; and as if they imprinted their qualities in us when they sting us, their stingings are not to be cured but by their poison. Who knows not the virtue of venomous plants, is ignorant of the half of Nature: she subsists by contrariety, and as she endues her works with differing qualities, she must preserve them by contrary remedies; that which is hurtful for some is good for other some, and amongst the infinite number of creatures e Quin & ven● nostri misertam natur●n instituisse cred● potest, ●e in t●dio vitae dirae famis mors le●tâ nos consumeret tabe. Plin. lib. 2. cap. 61. whose Constitutions are so different, there is nothing which is absolutely bad or unuseful, These are the usual reasons which Philosophy makes use of to defend her error in maintaining Nature's part, but being pressed by truth, she must confess that these Monsters are the products of sin, and that the earth never bore them till since it was covered with Thorns, the motions thereof were too regular in the state of innocency, to commit any faults; the heavens were too favourable to it in their aspects, to corrupt its workmanship: this charitable Mother would rather have been barren, then fruitful in Monsters, and all her children were so beautiful, as she was not bound to make any ill-favoured, to set the others off: she hath placed variety enough in her productions, without being forced to transgress, that she might vary them; though she be not always serious, she had never been debauched, and before she was corrupted, she would not have found her diversion in her disorder. Who knows not that Monsters are the errors of Nature? f Monster sunt peccata natuae nec ea ●acere intendit: ideo ej● finis non est monstra procre●re. A●les 2. Physic. that she had no design in making them? that she is sorry she hath produced them, that she treats them as illegitimate children? that she shortens their life to efface her own shame? that repenting her of her fault, she speedily corrects it, and reassumes her ordinary Tract which she went not out of, but only for want of heed, or being surprised. 'Tis chance and sin that produceth Monsters, they are not born but by unlawful coupling, they are always barren, to the end they may have no posterity; their Species is never preserved: g Monstris vit● 〈◊〉 ●vem ded● natura ho●inum a 〈◊〉. Philo●ph. and let men who delight in Nature's debaucheries, use their utmost skill, they could never perpetuate Monsters, nor make them generate. We behold them with horror, the delight which they cause in us, is mingled with aversion; if their novelty do delight us, their strange shape doth displease us, and after having for a while admired them, we are scandalised and nauseated with them. These just resentments are infallible proofs that sin is the father of all Monsters, and that as we detest the father, so do we his children. But that which confirms our belief therein the more is, the rarity of them amongst beasts, and their frequency amongst men; for these innocent creatures being only so far guilty of our sins, as they are subject to our power, they do not stray so often as we in their productions: there is but one part in the world, where they commit these faults; and set aside Africa, where Monsters are common, Europe and Asia do scarce produce two in one age; but men are irregular in all places, h Africa sola 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉, vix in Asia & Europa reperi● Aristotele● & Plin. the greatest part of their productions are monstruous, all their children bear the marks of their debauchery, and the punishment of their sin; we see the mother's wishes stamped on their children's faces, some tokens of their parent's incontinency are seen in the bodies of these Innocents'; and generation is so corrupted amongst men, as they cause either horror, or pity in Nature's self; some of them cannot stand upright by reason of the weakness of their legs, and are enforced to seek for help for their infirmities, unless they will make their house their perpetual prison; some carry mountains on their backs, and makes some that see them doubt; whether not having the shape of men, they be endued with the judgement and reason, or no; some are so deformed in their faces, as one would rather take them for Monkeys, than for the Images of God; others speak with such confusion, and with so much difficulty, as Parrots may teach them our language; some are born blind, and are condemned to darkness all their life time; i M●, ●urdi, 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉, d●versa sunt nonst. or● genera, 〈◊〉 in●er 〈◊〉 q●àm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fire quentia. others cannot explain themselves, and their tongues not being able to speak cannot be the Interpreters of their thoughts; others cannot understand those pleasing discourses which fill the souls of those that listen thereunto, with the light of truth; they rather guess at our intentions, then understand them; to make them capable of them, we must speak unto them with our hands, and make them understand that by the eyes which cannot be infused into them by the ears. In fine, the greatest part of men are Monsters; Nature mistakes herself oftener in them then in beasts, and be it that their intemperance causeth these disorders, be it that these irregularities are produced by the imagination which is more quick in them, be it that their Temper which is more refined, is more easily altered; we see that most children inherit their Parents defects as well as their sins, and that they are not born monstrous, till they be born sinful. If Monsters be the productions of sin, poisons are likewise the workmanship thereof; k Maledictus ●s inter omnia anim●ntia & bestias terrae, super pectus tuum gradieris, & terram comedes cunctus di●bus vitae tuae. Genes. cap. 3. though they seem natural to some creatures, I conceive they did not make any part of their Essence, till after they had served the Devil for an Organ to deceive our first mother; all infects which bear in them any poison, are kinds of Serpents; God curseth them to revenge us, they creep upon their bellies in memory of the fault which our Enemies committed by their interposition, they feed upon the earth for the punishment of a sin, whereof they were but innocent Complices; as their sight causeth horror in us, so doth ours cause fear in them; the heavens have put a secret enmity between them and us; if their venom be fatal to us, our spittle is mortal to them; l Hominis 〈◊〉 ●aliva serpentibus omnibus mortifera. Plin. and if they with their teeth give us incurable wounds, we with our feet give them mortal Catches. The same justice which would condemn them to all these punishments, confined their venom to some parts of their bodies, to make them more odious; she would have their very looks to be contagious, to make us shun them; m Basi●sci quos etiam serpentes ipsi fugiunt, hominem vel si tantum aspiciant, di●untur ●terimere. Plin. lib. 29. c 4 and instructing us by sensible things, she secretly imprinted in our hearts a hatred against the Devil, whose image they are: she teacheth us by this example that we cannot hold innocent commerce with one that is sinful, that that proud fiend which could inspire us with nothing but pride, & that there was more danger in communing with him, than in treating with asps and vipers, And certainly venom must needs be a punishment of sin, since all sorcerers make use thereof in their charms, and in all the mischief that they do employ those poisons which hature hath produced to undo us; these things seem to be abandoned to their fury, that they have some jurisdiction over them, and that they are permitted to assail their Enemies with these weapons. In effect, all the harm they do to men is by this mingling of poisons; the words which they use are of no efficacy, n Addit venenis verba non ●stas minus metuenda. Senec. in M●daea. they cannot hurt us by their curses; 'tis a trick of the Devil, whom his weakness will imitate the power of God, and persuade us that words uttered by those whom he employs, change nature, and work miracles. We are taught by reason, and by faith, that only God can act by speaking, and produce things by his will; The Angels which are the noblest Subjects of his Empire, can alter nothing in the world, but by the mediation of the Elements; they are forced to employ their qualities, to bring to pass their own designs, and to make use of their heat, or of their cold, to hasten Winter or retard Summer; they assume bodies in the clouds to make themselves visible, they speak by the means of the air to make themselves be understood, and make use of vapours to form storms, and Thunder: but the devils, who are rebels to God's Kingdom, having no designs but what are pernicious, they employ venom to execute them, they gather up the foam of Dragons, and Serpents slaver, and compose drinks of all these differing poisons; they mingle a thousand deaths together to revenge themselves of their Enemies; but say they, did not make use of these things to satisfy their fury, is it not sufficient to know that these things are averse unto us, as to judge that they have been altered by divine Justice for our punishment? or does not the knowledge of their being altered by divine Justice for our punishment, suffice to ascertain us of their aversion to us? In God's first design, all o Creaturae omnes cedunt aut utilitati aut delectationi hominum, quae porro utilitas venen●s▪ creatures were tied to serve man, they were to contribute either to his pastime, or to his profit; they had no other end but his pleasure, or his advantage; and had they been able to express their meanings, they would have witnessed that their being in the world was only to follow his inclinations. What place should poisons have held then in this world? how could they have been serviceable to man in the state of innocency? could he have taken any satisfaction in the sight of creatures whose qualities were fatal to him? could he have treated with the Basilisk, whose looks cause death? could he have approached Serpents which poison the air with their breath? could he have communed with him who was the cause of his undoing, had he suspected either his breath or his looks? and aught we to imagine that there was any creatures which could offend man in a time, when not having committed any fault, he was not to fear any punishment? what delight could he have taken in the company of those beasts which are fatal to all other beasts? what sport could he have taken in Monsters which carry death in their eyes or mouth, and from whence a man must fence himself as well as against the plague or war? But it may be objected, Original righteousness served him for a safeguard, he saw the danger with delight, because the sight thereof caused no apprehension in him; he was well pleased to to handle poison; the efficacy whereof was ta'en away by his innocency, and to touch venom which had not power to hurt him. Divine Providence which prescribed bounds to the raging of the sea, gave laws to the p Terra dum parit venena non est noxia, nostris eam criminibus urgemus, culpamque nostram illi imputamus: genuit venena sed quis invenit illa praeter hominem Plin. l●. 18. c. 1. malice of Serpents; and the same power which hindered the Sun from burning men, when he gave them light, would not suffer the Basilisk to poison them by his looks, but who perceives not how weak this answer is, and how it compares Creatures which do no ways resemble one another? the Elements hurt not us but only through their disorders, the seasons annoy us not but by their irregularities. All things in their purity are useful to us, we dread not nature for them, but her corruption, and even in the very state of sin, we make use of them without either fear or danger. Owls only complain of light, Harmony is only hated by Savage beasts, a man must either be sick or mad to detest food which preserves life: but every body apprehends poison, it must be corrected by art before the malignity thereof be ta'en away; to make any use of it, it must be destroyed, & it is so dangerous, as it ofttimes kills those q Etiam venenorum odores pestiferi; tanta est eorum subtilitas ut etiam ferrum penetret. Plin. Physicians who prepare it. The smell of poison is as pernicious, as the substance, it pours forth its malignity throughout all the Senses, penetrates all the pores of the body, and there are some so subtle poisons, as even Iron is not solid enough to fence us from them. Let us then conclude, that the earth bore not those unlucky plants, which seem to conspire man's ruin, till that made barren by God's Curse, it was bound to turn its roses into Thorns, and its fruits into poisons. Sin was the occasion of this disorder, Divine Justice the cause, and the same power which caused the earth to open underneath the feet of Dathan and Abiram, caused wolfesbane and Hemlock to come out of her bowels, to hasten his death who had lost his innocency. The tenth and last Discourse. That God will consume the World corrupted by Sin, that he may make a new World. THough Sin hath wrought such havoc in man as it hath brought darkness into his understanding and malice into his will; that it hath effaced out of his soul those inclinations which she had to virtue, and that corrupting his nature, it seems to have destroyed God's goodliest workmanship, yet do some glimmerings of light remain in the bottom of his soul, which sin could never darken. Idolatry, which hath so long reigned in the world hath not been able to blot r Unitatis Dei cognitio imo & fides omnium hominum pect●ribus à natura ins●rta est. Lactant. out the belief of the unity of God; the Pagans have preserved this opinion amidst the worship of their Idols, words have escaped from them which have given their actions the lie, and when they followed the mere motions of Nature, they spoke the same language as christians do. Though Poets made Hell to pass for a fable; and that their pleasing fictions made a prison be despised, whence Orpheus had escaped by music, and Pirithous by force, the people ceased not to apprehend eternal pains after death: s Deum praedicab●s, 〈◊〉 anima & non requ●ebas, daemo●ia abominal a●s & illa 〈◊〉: judi●iam Dei appellabas nec esse credebas, inferna supplicia p●aesumebas & non praecavebas. Te●. de ●estim an●ae i●ne. they had already cognizance of Devils under the name of revengeful furies; they knew that the fire wherewith the sinful were burnt could not be quenched, that it was preserved without nourishment, and as serviceable to the power of God, it had operation upon the soul. Though the Devil to introduce licentiousness amongst men, made them hope for impunity for their faults, and that ʳ Minos and Rhadamantus had not credit enough to terrify Monarches, Nature more powerful than fiction, had imprinted in all men an apprehension of an universal Judgement; there was no guilty person who did not fear it, nor none miserable who did not hope it; every one in the belief of this truth found either punishment for his fault, or consolation in his misery, when the oppressed innocents' could not defend themselves against their Enemies, they implored aid from that rigorous Judge which punisheth all sins and rewardeth all virtues. In fine, though the earth's solidity might have made men confident, though the water which doth environ it might have freed them from the fear of a general consuming by fire, though so great a disaster had no certain proofs nor assured predictions, yet they believed that the world s Esse quoque in satis rominiscitur affore tempus, quo mare, quo tell us correptaque regia coeli ardeat, 〈◊〉 mundi moles operosa laboret. Ovid. 1. Met. should be consumed by fire, that the seas should not be able to extinguish the flames thereof, and that nature which had been cleansed by water, should be purified by fire; but they knew not the cause of this prodigy, and the vanity wherewith they were blinded, would not permit them to believe that this disorder should be the punishment of their sin: yet the holy Scripture gives no other reason for it, nor did it threaten us with the world's ruin, till it had acquainted us with the story of our misfortune. As Adam had never lost his life had he never lost his innocency, the world had never lost its adornment had it not lost its purity. As death is the punishment of sinful man, water and fire are the punishments of the corrupted world: for though insensible creatures commit no sins, t Diabolus Dei aemulus universam conditionem (creaturam intellige) homini●mancipatam cum ipso homine corrupit. Tertul. de cerona militis. and that guiltiness presupposeth rationality, yet do they contract some impurity by our offences: the Sun is sullied by giving light unto the sinful, the light which shines as bright upon a dirty puddle, as upon the clearest river, and which is not more undefiled in Crystal then in mire, is endamaged by our sins, and ceaseth to be innocent, when it gives light unto the guilty: the air is infected by our blasphemies, the earth cannot be the Theatre of our vanity without sharing in our offences: whatsoever is serviceable to our misdemeanours is polluted; though the creatures are scandalised to see themselves enthralled to our insolency, yet do they incur heavens displeasure, and deserve punishment for having been employed in our offences; hence doth the sterility of the earth proceed, hence was occasioned that deluge which did bury it in its waters; and from hence shall arise that universal fire which shall consume it in its flames. For Divine Justice seems to deal with sinners as humane Justice deals with the greatest offenders: the latter is not contented to punish the guilty party in his own person, but vents its anger upon his Children, and servants, it believeth that whatsoever toucheth him is defiled, that those who converse with him are either his Copartners, or confederates, and that to be allied to him, is sufficient to share in his sin, u Deorum laesae ma●estatis poena usque ad filios & nepotes eorum descendit apud Persa Ca●t. it mingleth the blood of the children with that of the father, it wraps up the innocent and the guilty in the same punishment, and to make the fault appear more odious, it punisheth whatsoever doth appertain unto the offender: it spareth not even unsensible things, it sets upon the dead after having punished the living, for it pulls down the houses, and demolisheth the castles of the enemy; it makes rocks and Marble feel its anger, burns what it cannot throw down, and as if the party offending did live in every thing that was his, it thinks to kill him as oft as it beats down his buildings, or cuts down his forests, it endeavours to rob him of his reputation, after it hath bereft him of his life, and not to leave any token that may renew the memory of his person, or of his crime. Thus doth Divine Justice deal with sinful man, and Adam must confess that heaven hath used this rigour in punishing his sin. For after having past the sentence of death upon him, it will have his grave to serve him for a funeral pile, that time consume what the flames could not devour, and that nothing remain of that body which was the prime piece of its workmanship, than either worms or dust, it condemns all that come of him to the same punishment, their whole guilt consists in their birth, it is enough to make them guilty, that x Omnes nascimur filii irae. Adam was their father, God waits not till they have broken his Commandments to punish them; he forestals the use of their reason, and makes them miserable before their time, to the end that they may be known to be guilty before they be born; by an ingenious yet just rigour, after having punished this father in his children, he punisheth him in his estate, he makes his subjects revolt, and because they are sometimes serviceable to him in their rebellion, he bereaves them of their excellentest qualities, and makes them, together with their miserable Sovereign unfortunate; he takes from the Sun, part of his light; he takes the Government of Nature from the Stars, he makes the earth barren and movable, he hides rocks in the sea, and troubles the calm thereof by storms; he forms malign rain in the middle region of the air, and corrupts the purity thereof to infect the whole earth, he makes use of fire in Thunder, and ordains it to punish offenders; he enforceth this noble Element to descend contrary to its inclination, and fastening it to the matter which serves for nourishment to his anger, he makes it the terror of all that are faulty. But after having had this service from it, y Humour mundi primordi●m & ignis mundi exitus. Senec. Q●aest. Natural. lib. 3. c. 13. he reserves it for the general ruin of the world, and to consume that proud building which was the Palace of sinful man. For when the number of the elect shall be accomplished, when the thrice happy ones who shall fill up the places left void by the Angel's rebellion, shall have finished their course and their labours, and that Christ's mystical body shall have all the number which ought to compose it; Divine Justice, which cannot be satisfied but by the ruin of whatsoever hath been serviceable to sin, will command the fire to consume the world, & will drown all his works in a deluge of fire. Then this Element mixing itself with the clouds, will kindle lightnings in all parts, the air being set on fire by so many flames, shall burn the whole earth, which shall open her entrails, to let lose those intestine flames, which have devoured it for so many ages: from the mixture and confusion of so many fires, the general burning of the world shall arise; the mountains shall melt with heat, and those great ryks where coldness seems to make its residence, shall be turned into Vesuviuses, and Aetna's: the flames inanimated by God's anger, shall lay all Champions waste; z Ignis ante ipsum praecedet & inflammabit in circuitu inimicosej●, Illuxerunt fulgura ejus orbi terra, vidit & commotaest terra, Motes sicut cera fluxerunt à facit Domini. Psal. 96. walls which resist the Thunder of the Cannon shall not be able to defend their Inhabitants from its fury: all the dead shall be made equal, the guilty shall burn in one and the same fire; and shall be reduced to the same ashes: the Sun shall be darkened with smoke, and did not the flames serve for torches, the world should burn amidst darkness; all the rivers which bathe the earth, shall be dried up in their Spring-heads; The fire shall triumph over the waters in their channels, and this victorious Element shall make its Enemy, which hath had so many advantages over it, feel its power. The Ocean itself whose extents are so vast, shall see her waters converted into fire; and the Whales burn in the midst of its abysmes: Forests shall help to consume the little hills, which bear them, those proud mountains whose tops are always covered with snow, to which the Sun in his greatest heats bears a respect, shall vomit up flames together with their bowels, and all those eminent places which command over the valleys, shall see their pride buried in ashes; all the guilty shall perish amidst this fire, they shall find hell upon earth, and shall wish that the mountains a Superest ultimus & perpetuus judiciidies, ille nationibus insperatus ille de risuscum tanta ●aeculi vetustas, & tot ejus nativitates unoigni haurientur. Tertul. de spectaculis in fine. might overwhelm them in their ruins to quench the fire which shall devour them; The just shall be astonished to see the fire spare them, to see the heavens work the same miracle for them, as they did in days of yore for the three unjustly condemned Children, and imitating the piety of those Innocents', they shall sing Canticles of praises, whilst the wicked shall vomit forth blasphemies. b Quod fuit caminus regis tribus pueris, hoc erit arden's mun does justis in Trinitate signatis. August. in Genes. 1. How horrible will the spectacle be to see the earth burn, the sea consumed, and whole Nature buried in a Sepulchre of fire; this is the revenge which God will take of sin, this is the satisfaction which his Justice will exact for our insolency, and this is the last punishment which the creatures shall suffer for having been confederate with man. The very Stars shall not be able to escape the rigour thereof; c Expectantes & properantes in adventum diei Domini, per quem coeli ardentes 〈◊〉 entur, & elementa ignis ardore tabescunt. 2 Petri cap. 3. that solid matter whereof they are composed, shall be dissolved by heat, and those beautiful parts of the world, having the same destiny, as gold, and brass have, shall trickle down drop by drop upon the earth, their having been serviceable to us in their light, sufficeth to make them guilty; their having received homage from us, and accepted of our sacrifices, is sufficient to make them receive this punishment: God will not permit that that which hath been corrupted should rest unpunished, and his holiness joined to his justice, cannot tolerate that in Eternity, which hath been profaned in Time. Jesus Christ himself was of this opinion; he taught that this world did not belong unto him, he imprinted in the Souls of his Disciples the horror and contempt of this present Age, and obliged them to wish for the Age to come, of which he made himself be called the Father. All the perfection of Christianity consists in these two points; d ●ota nostra aspirant in sa-cu●i hujus occa●, i●transitum ●aundi, ad d●em Domini magnum, di● 〈◊〉 & retribution●s. Tertul. de Resurrect. 〈◊〉 cap. 16. all virtues are composed of these two points, and he is perfect amongst the faithful, who contemning Adam's world doth incessantly thirst after Christ Jesus his world. Though God be the Author of them both, he detests the former since it was profaned by sin, and since the devil hath submitted it to his Tyranny: he hath given over the Sovereignty thereof unto his Enemies, he suffers the Turk to possess the best part thereof, he permits his most faithful servants to be persecuted, he will not have us to receive more glory there than he doth, and if we will follow his counsels, and his instructions, e Nihil interest ubi 〈◊〉 seculo, qui ex● 〈◊〉. Tertull. ad 〈◊〉. cap. 2. we must look upon it as a place of exile, or as an Enemy's Country. I very well know he giveth Crowns to Sovereigns, Laurel to the victorious, that he makes the Angels fight for Christians, and that he arms the Elements for the defence of his Church: but in fine, his Kingdom is not of this world, he will not govern in a world which he will destroy, he pretends not to command in a State, where his Enemy is worshipped; and we must not love a world which he will punish, because we have made it sinful. Let us expect that which he will give us, let us long after that world which will arise out of the others ashes; and let us not fix our fortunes in a Kingdom which shall perish, f Haeredes Christianus queret saeculi totius exhaeres, habet fratres, habet Ecclesiam Matrem. Tert. when Jesus Christ shall revenge himself upon his Enemies. 'Tis true, that its ruin will be useful to it, and that it will reap advantage by its loss; for all God's punishments are favours, he puts obligations upon those that he punisheth, his goodness turns their sufferings into salves; and to be strucken by the hand of God, brings both honour and advantage with it. Death, which destroys the body, prepares it for the resurrection; it changeth its grave into a cradle, and as the corruption of corn is the cause of its reassuming life; we may say that the putrefaction of the body is in some sort the seed of its mortality. Purgatory which burns the souls of men, doth purify them; the flames whereby they suffer prepares them for glory; that which we esteem a punishment, is a lovely penance; and that which seems to retard their contentment, serves only to advance their happiness. So shall the g Diluvium & incendium duo Naturae baptismi. Primum secutum est peccatum, secundum vero sequetur. innocentia. fire which shall burn the world contribute to its perfection, it shall perish only to become more perfect, it's beauty shall arise from its being consumed by fire, and this last deluge shall be of more honour and advantage to it, than was the former; the waters purified the world by drowning it, this great havoc was Nature's baptism; and the same Element which did bereave her of her children, did restore unto her her purity; but the fire shall alter 〈◊〉 qualities, she shall be no longer subject to the Empire of 〈◊〉 Consistency shall succeed the change which hath preserved her▪ she shall no longer groan under the Devil's Tyranny, nor under the injustice of sinners; she shall lose all the qualities which she hath coacted by sin, and shall recover all those which for our punishment she had lost: not unlike the blessed, she shall enjoy the glory which she is capable of; every Element shall be purified by flames, all parts of the world shall be reform by the fire which shall consume them; the Sun shall suffer no more Eclipses, the lustre of his light shall dissipate all the obscurity of darkness, his influences shall exhale no more malign vapours, Heaven shall be no longer an enemy to earth, this overworn mother shall be freed from her care of nourishing man, and her substance being purified by fire, shall be changed into crystal, or into diamonds; all her parts shall be delightful, and those great rocks which do sustain her shall be turned into Columns of Marble, or of Porphiry. In fine, Nature shall receive her last perfection by fire, and the blessed, meeting with no rebellions nor weaknesses in their bodies, shall find no more irregularity nor disorder in the Universe. Jesus Christ shall reign together with his elect, h Novissima autem inimica destru●tur mors. Cum autem subjecta fuerint illi omnia, tunc & ipse filius subjectus erit ei qui subjecit sibi omnia, ut sit Deus omnia in omnibus. 1 Corinth. cap. 15. in his world; the tract of sin, nor footsteps of death shall be no more seen there; Death shall destroy these two Enemies, and their Reign being finished, Punishment shall withdraw itself to hell, there to afflict the Damned to all Eternity. THE END. ERRATA. Page 18 line 36 for force r source. p 19 l 11 〈◊〉 Aethyopians r blackness. ibid. l. ult. f doth r doth not. p 25 l 28 f creature r Creator. p 3● l 22 f afflictions r affections. ibid. l 25 f she r she be. p 35 l ult. f losing r looseneth. ibid. after engage r them. p 37 l 17 f prayers r praises. ibid. f Statutes r Statues. p 40 l 28 f we r we are. p 45 l 3 f this r his. p 48 l 15 f its r it. p 51 l 33 f basest r Basis. p 55 l 23 f of grace r Grace. p 57 l 2 f Lord r cord. ibid. l 6 f of r as if. p 59 l 1 f felt r felt-love. ibid. l 18 f faculty r faulty. p 60 l 15 f and not r and could not. p 62 l 24 f contrary r more contrary. p 65 l ult. f certainly r certainty. p 78 l 5 f keep it r escape them p 80 l 8 f praising r bruising. ib. l 11 f changed r change. ib. 21 f which so r which we so. p 89 l 24 f they familiarly r they treat familiarly. ib. l 37 f reduced r seduced. p 90 l 26 for peaceably usurped r peaceably enjoy usurped. p 92 l 16 f the r their. p 96 l 15 f reviling r in reviling. p 121 l 16 leave out the second was. p 124 l 32 f against them r again. ib. after loss, insert of his life. p 125 l 17 for in r into. p 126 l 6 deal not. p 129 l 17 f his r this. p 130 l 22 f steps r stops. ib. 32 f upon r who upon. p 131 l 13 f not an r not be an. ib. l 14 deal not. p 132 l 3 f ement r cement. ib. l 6 f less r less weighty. p 133 l 29 f longer r no longer. p 135 l 12 f often r not often ib. l 26 f known r none. p 139 l 22 f envade r evade. p 141 l 6 f surprisal r by surprisal. p 142 l 10 f to Falisci r to the Falisci. p 143 l 7 f his r her. p 146 l 1 f one r one crime. p 151 l 22 f looks r took. p 156 l ult. f party r parity. p 167 l 36 deal not. p 170 l 23 deal rather. ib. l 26 f if quenched r if they quenched. p 174 l 23 deal love. p 175 l 33 f lead r leading. p 176 l 6 f with one r without ib. l 18 deal an. ib. f hopes r hops. p 185 l 13 f out r not. p 186 l 30 f notwithstanding r not notwithstanding. p 187 l 32 f designs r desires. p 192 l 7 f impeaceable r impeccable. p 200 l 26 f countenance r contemn. p 201 l 26 f one r none. p 202 l 24 f always r feeds ib. l36 f of r with. p 204 l 7 deal that. ib. l 〈◊〉 for adopt r adapt. ib. l 24 f to r by. p 205 l 14 for ruled r rule. p 206 l 18 after hath r or injured. p 207 l 13 f reduced r be reduced. p 213 l 16 f Spring r Offa spring. p 215 l 5 f consecrated r he consecrated. p 222 l 29 f smallest r usuallest. p 224 l 27 f securely r be securely. ib. l 28 f sigh r sigh for. p 225 l 15 f had r hath. p 230 l 18 f profession r profusion. p 233 l 17 f untouched r uncouth. p 235 l ult. f ought r ought not. p 236 l 36 f unworthily r worthily. p 239 l 15 f Capres r Cypress. ib. l 83 f the r though the p 244 l 28 f imagine r l imagine. ib. l 34 f had r have. p 246 l 6 f draws r drowns. ib. l 14 f wars r wards. ib. l 21 f men be r me to be. p 248 l 7 f as r a. p 252 l 18 f truth r extort truth. p 253 l 31 f forelight r foresight. ib. l 36 f with r which. p 256 l 15 f been r been too regular. p 258 l 26 f amongst r most. p 264 l 33 f This r Thus. p 265 l 36 f with r which. p 266 l 26. f renew r review. p 275 l 16 f could r could not. ib. 119 f and r one. p 277 l 25 f the r this. p. 279 l 22 deal who. p 289 l 1 f were r we were. p 290 l 25 f infused r ensued. p 291 l 7 f call r called. p 295 l 15 f linifying r finifying. p 301 l 3 f was r was not. p 304 l ult. f withstood r withdrew. p 307 l 22 f every r every one. p 310 l 24 f comfort r consort. ibid. l 31 f for served r severed. p 313 l ult. f gain r game. p 314 l 14 f break r betake. p 317 l 2 f excuse r Defence, ibid. l 15 f Privatives r Privacy. p 327 l 3 f it r of. p 330 l 23 f with r with our. p 333 l 24 f earth r World. p 336 l 14 f don r begun. p 337 l 32 f harden r hardly. p 342 l 37 f take r take him. p 343 l 10 f with r with them. ib. l 20 f defied r deified. p 346 l 14 deal making. p 351 l 34 f he r we. p 357 l 24 f perfections r imperfections. ib. l 25 his r its. p 359 l 34 f kin r knit. p 362 l 12 for learning r leaning, p 363 l ult. for combustible r solid. p 366 l 6 leave out if. p 372 l 28 for his r. this, 374 l 35 for which r with, p 376 for then r there, p 382 l 7 for whom 〈◊〉. who in. 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Cordelius gramatically translated by John Brinsley. 8ᵒ. The Fort Royal of the Scriptures, or a vade mecum concordance, presenting unto the world a 100 heads of Scripture, most of them common placed for public use. 8ᵒ. by I H. Noscere Ipsum, by St John Davies. 8ᵒ. Animadversions on Lilly. 8ᵒ. Excercitatio Scholastica. 8ᵒ. By Beaumont and Fletcher. Philaster, or love lies a bleeding. Maid's Tragedy. 4ᵒ. King and no King. The strange discovery by Jo. Gough. 4ᵒ. The grateful Servant. 4ᵒ. The Hollander a play. 4ᵒ. Hero and Leander, by Christopher Marlowe and George Chapman. 4ᵒ. Alcillia or Philotas loving folly, 4ᵒ. Epigrams divine and moral by St Tho. Urchard.