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Show The Preface. The Preface. hada andexamine the begiming ofthe worke, which bad end: before Mankinde to matter beginning ofbeing. He will difable Godspower to makea worldwithout miake it of Ale will rathergine the mothes ofthe Airefor 4 canexcaft the work on necepsity. or\chance.; beftow the honour thereofon Nature ; make two powers, the _onetobe the Author ofthe Matter, the other of theForme;and laftly,for want x2 efdworke-man, haneit: Eternal : which latter opinion Ariftotle to make bim- Jelfethe Author of a new Dottrine, brought into the World: and his Seétatours have maintained it ; parati ac coniurati, quos fequuntur, Philofophorum animis inuiétis opiniones tueri. For Hermes, who lined at once With, or (oone after Mofes; Zoroafter,Mulzus, Orpheus, Linus, Anaximenes,Anaxago- ras,Empedocles,Melifius,Pherecydes,Thales,Cleanthes,Pythagoras,Pla. to, aamany others (whofe opinions are exquifitely gathered by Steuchius Eugubinus)found in the nece/sity of inuinciblereafon, One eternall and in- finite Being,tobe the Parentof the vniuerfall. Horum omnium fententia guamuis fivincerta,codem ramen {pectat,vt Prouidétiany vnameffe confentiant: fiue enim Natura, fiue Ather,fiue Ratio, fiue mens,fiue fatalis necefsitas;{iue diuina sex. idemefle quod' nobis dicitur Deus: All thefe mens opinions(/aith Laétantius)though vncertain,cometo this;Thatthey agree vpon one Prouidence,whether the {ame be Nature,orlight,or Reafon, or ynderftanding,or deftinie, or diuine ordinance, thatitis the fame which wecall G 0.D.(ertainly,as all the Rinersin the worldthoughthey haue Lathes, diners rifings and dinersrunnings ; though they. fometimes hide themfelues for4 while ynderground ; & feeme tobe loftin Sea-like Lakes, doeat laft finde, &> fall into thegreat Ocean:/o afterall the fearches that. humane capacitie hath af- ver all Philofoplicall contemplation and curiofity in: the necefsity of this infinite power,all the reafon ofmanends and diffoluesitfelfe. As for others.and firfttouching thofe which conceive the matter ofthe World to hane beene eternall and that God didnot create the Worldyex nihilo,but ex maExfb. de prep. teria pracexiltece:the Suppofition isfoweak,as is hardly worththe anfweringFor Enangl.gc8, . Bh . r (faith Enfebius)Mibi videntur quihocdi cunt; forcu nam quoque Deo annectere, They feemevnto me,which affrme this,to giue part ofthe work to' God,& part to Fortune: infamich as ifGod bad not found firft matter by chance Jie had neither beene Author nor Father nor (reator, this nor Lord of the BKnswerfall. For were the Matter or Chaos vrernall : ir thenfollowesThat eis ther thisfuppofed Matter didfi it felfe to God; or. God accommodate him/elfe to the marter.For the firft,it is imposiblethat things withoutfenfe could proportion themfelues tothe Work-mans will. For vfenees jit Werehorrible toconceine of -:aca leliviclen be applied bimje] aserweh diy to the proportion of matBue lerit be Suppo ed, That this matter hath binmade by any mipotent and infinitely wife : Twould gladly learne bowit cametoPower, not Ompaffe phat the fame was proportionableto bis intention tharwa s Omnipot ent ¢o infinitely wife; & no move porno leffe thanferued toreceine the forme ofthe Vnivierfall.Forbad it Wanted any thing of what bas/uffici : afficient.then mu/t it be ? . 3 lin at Goud cre- ated oucof nothing /o much . if granted,Th ofnewmiatter, as: fered to finifh the work of the : World:Or'had therebin more oft hismatter2 than Sufficedthen ‘ep { id diffolue di om God did whiatfocner remained and wasfup amibilase erfluaus. "And this inuft enery re4Jonable - he - fonablefonle confeffe, That it ts the fame worke of God alone, to create anything out ofnothing, And by the fame art and power, and by none other, can thoje things, orany pareofthat erernall matter, be againechangedinto Nothing ; by which thofe things; that once were nothing; obtained'a beginning ofbeing. Againe,tofay that this matter was the caufe of itfelfe ; this, ofalbother, were the wreateft idiotifme. For, if it were the caufe of it felfeat any time then there was alfoa time whenit felfe was not : at whichtime of not being') ir is eafie enough ro conceine, thatit could neitherprocureit felfe, nor any ching elfei For tobe, and not to be, at once, is impofsible. Nihil autemfeipfum pracedit; neq; feipfam componit corpus: ‘[here is nothing that doth precede it felfe, neither doe bodies compound themfelues. Forthe re/t;Thofe thatfaine this matter to be eternall,muft ofwece/Sity confelfe: that Infinite cannot bee feparate from Eternity. And then had infinite mattet left no place for infinite forme, but that the firft matter was finite,the forme whichtt receinedproues it. For conclufionofthis part,whofoeuer will makechoice; rather to beleene in eternall deformity jorin erernall dead matters thanin cternall light and eteynall life: let eternall death be his reward. Forit is'amadnesof that kind,as wanteth tearmesto expreffe it:For what reafon of man(whom the curfeof prefumption bathnot ftupified)hath doubted{Thatinfinitepower(ofwhich we'can comprehend but a kind of [hadow, quia comprehenfioeft intra tertinos, qui infinitorepugnant)hach any thing wanting init [elfeither for matter orform ; yea for asmany worlds(if[uch had beene Gods will) asthe Séahdthfands ® ‘For where the poweris without limitation, the work bath no other limitation than'the workmans will.Yea Reafon it /elf findes it more-eafiefor infinite power,to deliver fromit felfea finite world,without the helpe of matterprepared ; thanforafinite man , afoole and dujt,tochangetheformeofmatter made tobis hands. They are Dionysius his words, Deus in vna exiftentia ombia prehabet: aiidagaine, Effe omnium eft ip{aDidinitas, omne quodvides, & quod nonvides to wit; caufaliter,orin becter rearmes, nontanquamforma, fed tanquamcaufa vniuerfalis. Neither baththe world oniuer{all clofed yp allof GO D: For the ° ap.16.U.2% molt partoof his workes((aith Siracides) are hid) Neither-can the depth of his wifedome bee opened, by the glorious workeofthe world: which never brought.torknowledge all it can , for then were his-infinite power bounded', and madeifinite. And ‘hereofit comes; That wee feldomeé entitle GOD theall-fhewing, orthe all-willing: baethe Almighty, that is, infinitely able. But now for thofe , who from that ground ';* That out of nothing no- thing ismade;inferre the Worldseternity, and yet not fo faluage therin;as thofe are, whichgine an eternall being to dead matter : It ws true,jf the word(nothing) be takenin theaffirmatinecandthe making ,impofed von Natural Avents and finite power; That out of nothing, nothing is made. Butfeeing their great Doctor Ariftocle bim/elfe confeffeth; quod omnes antiqui decteuernut quafi quoddam rerum principium, ipfumg; infinitum, Thatall the Ancient decree wkindof beginningand the fame tobe infinite:and a little after more larg? ly and plainly; Principiam eius eft nullumfed ipfirm omniumcerficur efle,,,,, * 7 e 2 a . hk praciprum,acomniacomplectiacregere: it i/tranze that this I hilofopher,, «9 withhes followers, fhould rather makéchoiceout of falfhood, to conclu de falfly; thanout oftruth,to refoluetruly.For if we compare the worldVniucr/al,& all the vnimed-~ yf 210. |
