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Show "Tieff Bodkeoftbefell partCuari.g thie waters in the ayrea avaintt this infancie.' Por the waters aboue the firmament, are boue vs,where the fame is more folid & condenfe, which God feparared fi om he nea: the wi wrds ther waters bya Arraament,thatis,by an extended diftance and waft {pace taken for ftcrently beingindi , Shamaiim ,and Rakiagh iteth Raquia which Montadmwr the héauen-andfor ayrejand more properly forthe ayreand «4:ther , than for the hi aMoat.Nat.dift. fae fal,tj2. uens.as the beft Hebticians vnderftand them,Quefuprema ac tenuia ab infimis cra/sis dt- duéa,interfeltad, aiftarent , for that whereby the fapreme and thin bodies were placed in die lancebeing fenered ana cut offfrom low andgroffe matters: and the waters aboue the fire mament,expreft in the word Maéim, arein that tonguetaken properly forthe waters a- Ge7.49- ag. * Pfal.r04.12. d boue the ayre,or in the vppermoft region of thefame, Andthat the word Heauen is Wed for the Ayre,the Scriptures euery where witnefle, as in the bleffings of 1o/ph,andinthe 104.Pfalme:* Bythe/é Springs [hall thefowle of the Heanen'dwell sand * upon Sodome and Gomorrha it taincd brimflone andfare out of the Hea- new 2andinI/aacs blefling to Iecobs God.gine thee therefore of the dew of Heawen ; andin Deuteronomythe 11. But theland whitheryou goe to pofje/fest,is a land that drinketh wa- ter of the rayne of Heawes ; and in"Iob, who hath ingendredthe frofis of Heaucr , andin Ge7,11,4. S. Matthew,Beboldthe Fowles ofHeauen, for theyfownot. So asin allthe Scriptures ofthe Old Teftament throughout,is the word Heauenverie often vfed for Ayre, andtaken alfo hyperbolically for any great height, as, Let vs build vs a Tower,whofe top may reach to Heauen Gc.And in this veric place Ba/i/auoucheth, that this appellation of Heaucn% for the Firmament,is but by wayoffimilitude: his owne words bethefe ; E+ vecawit Deusfirmamentum celim Hae appelistio alti quidempropric accommodatur, huic autem nunc adfimilitudinem ; And God called the firmament Heauen; This appellation( {faith Bafil ) is properly applyed to another (thatis,to the Starrie Heauen) bat to this (that is, to theFirmament diuiding the waters) é is impofed byfimilitude. Andif there were no other proofe.that by the firmamentwas meantthe Ayre,and not the Heauen , the wordes of Mofes in the eighth verfe,conferred. with the fame word Firmament in thetwentieth erfe,makes it manifeft : for in the eighth verfe it is written, that God called the Firmament,whichdivided waters from waters,Heauen; and inthe twentieth verfe he cal- leththe firmament ofHeauen,Ayre,in thefe words: Aadlet the Fowle flye vpn thes30 earthin the open firmament ofHeauen. And what vfe there fhouldbe ofthis ycie ofcryftalline,or waterie Heauen, I conceiue not, except it beeto moderate and temperthe heate,which the primum mobile would otherwife gathér and increafe : though inverie truth,in ftead ofthis helpe, it would adde an vnmeafurable greatneffe of circle, whereby the fwiftneffe ofthat firft Moueable would exceedalf poffibilitie ofbeleefe. Sed nes ; "7s f Rada 'g in the vppermoft ayte. Gil Xs hy9¢ i : : beaseon; idepeating the fammeofthe workes in the Creation,which are reduced to thre CMconclufion creation ofmatter, The forming ofit,Thefin ifbing J o ofit , O conclude,it may be gathered out ofthefir ft Chapter of Gemefis, that this W4 the orderofthe moft wife God in the begin ning, and whenthere was no othet nature,or being , but Gods incomprehenfi ble eternitie. Firft, hee created the Matter of al] things : and in the firft three dayes h e diftinguifhed and gaue to euery 14° ture his proper forme; the formeof Leuiti eto that which afcended, to that which deicended,theforine ofgrauitie : for fie fep Fromwaters,and gathered the waters vnd arated light from darkeneffe, diuided waters er the firmament into one place. Lo shesJa : chree three daies, God'adorted,beatified) and teplenithed the World : with hee fetimthe FirmaAire Beafts,the filled the Earth merit of HeauenstheSunne, Moonicjand Starres-; with Powle,and theSeawith Bifignuing to-all thathawe'life, a power' generative. vegetative and growing, thereby to continue their Speeies-and kindes‘ito Creatures their feedesin chenifeltics for hetveated al things; that they Wiaht haue their being ra the gentrativns Ofthe world arepreferaen. doitewred) fut uAldd ots Srist 3 chat Natare is #0 Psindipium perles aon forme the viner of being .and of.our senorance, howfecond cafesfoaxid hauean7 proportion with their. effects. NINd forthis. working power, whichwecalh Nature;the beginning ofmotion DP andrefty according to rifferle, thefame issnothing elfey\ butthe frehotk NG Sz acultyywhich Godhath infufedintaciréry oréature,hauing nootherfelfe (Arabilitychaha.Clocksatter it is woundypby amans handshathis Thefe there fore thatattribute vnto this faculty, anyfirft or fole power, haue therein noah derftanding, than fucha one hath, who looking into the Sterne ofa Ship, and fir it guided by the Helme and Rudder, doth a{cribe fome abfolute vertueto the pee wood, withoutall confideration of the Hand that guidesit, or ofthe ix get aloasecetecH and commandeth that hand ; forgetting in thisandin all elfet ye ofthefirftact, allAgents worke whatfoewer they worke: Pirtete pri gunblecMila ornitia Gait yiidagant foras the mifide of maf féeth 'b y the Organ ‘of the eyes héareth by the'eares; and rakéth choycebythe will 'and'therefore wee attribute fichetorhe tye,and hearing to'thteares, decaneyet it isthe minde dnrely,th abilityJiftjand dabéfon to all' thefc hisinftfiments and‘ Organs ; Angel; by the Suhive) by the Starres, by Nature; ofifftfed propertidssan as byfeuerall Organs, feuerall effects ; all fecond caufes whattoeuer, being ments, conduites, andpipes, whichcarry, and. difperfe what they haue receiued fro the head and fountaine of the Vniuerfall. Foras itis Gods iifinite power, and euerie6 where-prefence ( compaffing, bracing, andpiercing all things ) that giuet Sunne pow W vp vapours, to vapours to be made cloudés, cloudes to contai e, and rainetofall: fo all fecondand inftrumentall caufes;together with Nat {without that operative factlty which ‘God gaue them', would become altogenis, Wil shings by theepring forth'snyout hfallgreene. Venforce not thefé things, ‘there- 77,: es all reafon and vaderflanding. Nowthatthis fuppofed firft Moueable , turneth it felfe fo manie hundred thou{and miles in anin ftant ({eeing the Scriptures teachitnot) let thofe4® cine can beleeue mensimaginations , apprehend it, for I cannot. But of thefe manic ; Fauens,let the Reader that defireth fatisfaction,fearch Orontius , and of this wateric ai Bafilius Magaue,in his Hexam.fol.40.41.d9c. and Matth. Berealdus, his fecond ae iene re a _ es For myfelfe, I 2m perfwaded,that the waters called, The wars abouethe e Heaue auens,are but theE clouds and waters; engenidred ; ‘ - , d l r o W e th f o i r o l F e th of maaan thenfildntvertulefieand dead sof which excellently OR P H EVs 5 Per te vire[eunt omNaturatnim moSenctur aa smpofsibilia but no man ought tobeheld to impofsibilities : and faith it felfe (whichfurmounteth the height ofall humane reafon)hath for a forcible conduéter,the ote of Truth,which alfo may be called /amen omnis rationis ce intell lus ; the light of ar ie oe CWAP1.9.¥0. s° byiteannihilateshofe variable vértues which God hathgitien to his cfeatires, animt e (zt and.inahimate; to heavenly andearthly bodies, &c. for' allthis workes in their vettues pis Piayfe-him >but ofthe manner how God worketh in thei; or they in-or with each'o- pientra,l.3.6. ther} whichthe'Heathen Philoféphers ; and thofe that ‘follow them, haue taken' on other toteachsI fay; there's notdnyone'aiiong then; morany oneamong ys, that could ener yet cor eit, or exprefle it,euer enrich his owne vnderftanding with ‘any certaine truth, or euer edifie others (not foolith byfelfe-Aattery) thertin. For (faith Lattantins, {peaking ofthe wifedome ofthe Philofophers)/s#fecults tnueniendz veritatis buicfludiofubiaceret. aliquaado effet inncntas cums vero tot temporibas, tor ingenijs'ix eins inquifitione contritis;nonfit comprebenfa, apparet nullamtbi cife fapieutiam ; Ifi this siadie faith he) were meanesto fied ont the truth,it had eve this beene found ont : but Jecing it is not yet comprehended, after that fo much time, and fomany wits haue beene worne oyt in sheingquiric of it, it appeareth, that there is no wifedomethere tobehad, Nam [i de uae re cypr-de mente, priecifa [eientia baberetur,omninmrerum[cientia nece/ario haberetur : If the precife kom "3: 50 ledae ofanyone thins were tobe had,itfbould neceffarily follow,that the knowledgeof all things weretobe bad: Andasthe Philofophers'were ‘igtiorant in Nature; and the wayes' of her'working: fo were they more curious; than knowing, in their fit matter and Phyficall-forme,Foriftheirfirtt matter had any beingjit wereiot then'the'firft matter: for, as itis rhe firft matter,it hath only a power of being leaueth, when 5? which it altogether oS itdorlifubfift.--And feeing icis neither afubftance: perfect, nora fubftanceinchoate, er Cio: © 5 ane nce rake C "velrance orin the way of> perfection, howany Lossethy t fabftance fhould thence take oncrefcence, iv hath not beehe taught, neyther are thefe formes (faith a learned Author) any thing, fi txtd exprimutny potentia; que nibilest. Againe, how this firft matter fhould bee fiub. Z ? ss teclum |
