BOOK I. the bofom of God himself; whofe Spirit being to execute the fame, ufeth every particular nature, every mere natural agent, only as an inftrument created at the beginning, and ever fince the beginning, used to work his own Will and Pleafure withal.* Nature therefore, is nothing elfe but God's inftrument. In the course whereof, Dionyfius perceiving fome fudden disturbance, is faid to have cried out, Aut Deus naturæ patitur, aut Mundi machina diffolvitur; either God doth fuffer impediment, and is by a greater than himself hindered; or if that be impoffible, then hath he determined to make a prefent diffolution of the World; the execution of that Law beginning now to ftand ftill, without which the World cannot ftand. This Workman, whofe fervitor Nature is, being in truth but only one, the Heathens imagining to be more, gave him in the fky, the name of Jupiter; in the air, the name of Juno; in the water, the name of Neptune; in the earth, the name of Vefta, and sometimes of Ceres; the name of Apollo in the fun; in the moon, the name of Diana; the name of Æolus, and divers other in the winds; and to conclude, even fo many guides of Nature they dreamed of as they faw there were kinds of things natural in the World. These they honoured, as having power to work or ceafe accordingly as Men deferved of them: but unto us, there is one only Guide of all agents natural, and he both the Creator and the Worker of all in all, alone to be bleffed, adored, and honoured by all for ever. That which hitherto hath been spoken, concerneth natural Agents, confidered in themselves: but we must further remember alfo (which thing to touch, in a word, fhall fuffice,) that as in this respect they have their Law, which Law directeth them in the means *Vide Tho. in Compend. Theol. cap. 3. Omne quod movetur ab aliquo, et quafi inftrumentum quoddam primi moventis. Ridiculum eft autem etiam apud indoctos ponere inftrumentum moveri non ab aliquo principali agente. whereby whereby they tend to their own perfection; fo like-BOOK I. wife another Law there is, which toucheth them as they are fociable parts united into one body: a Law which bindeth them each to ferve unto others good, and all to prefer the good of the whole, before whatsoever their own particular, as we plainly fee they do, when things natural in that regard, forget their ordinary natural wont: that which is heavy, mounting fometime upwards of its own accord, and forfaking the center of the earth, which to itself is most natural, even as if it did hear itself commanded to let go the good it privately wifheth, and to relieve the present diftrefs of Nature in common. 4. But now that we may lift up our eyes (as it were) from the Foot-ftool to the Throne of God, and leaving thefe natural, confider a little the state of heavenly and divine Creatures : touching Angels, which are Spirits immaterial and intellectual, the glorious Inhabitants of thofe facred Palaces, where nothing but Light and bleffed Immortality, no fhadow of matter for tears, difcontentments, griefs, and uncomfortable paffions to work upon, but all joy, tranquillity, and peace, even for ever and ever doth dwell. As in number and order they are huge, mighty, and royal Armies, fo likewife in perfection of obedience unto that Law, which the Highest, whom they adore, love and imitate, hath impofed upon them. Such obfervants they are thereof, that our Saviour himself being to fet down the perfect idea of that which we are to pray and wish for on Earth did not teach to pray or wifh for more, than * The Law which Angels do work by. Pfal. civ. 4. Heb. i. 7. Eph. iii. 10. Dan. vii. 10. Matth. xxvi. 53. Heb. xii. 22. Luke ii. 13. Matth. vi. 10. and xviii. 10. Pfal. xci, 11, 12. Luke xv. 7. Heb. i. 14. 23, Dan. iv. 10. Τῷ δὲ θρόνω πυρόεντι A&t. x. 3. Dan. ix. *Αγίελοι, οἶσι μεμηλε ροτοῖς ὡς πάλα τελεῖται. Arift. Metaph. xii. cap. 7. Job xxxviii. 7. VOL. I. Pfal. cxlviii. 2. Heb. i. 6. Ifai. vi. 3. BOOK I only that here it might be with us, as with them it is in Heaven. God which moveth meer natural Agents as an efficient only, doth otherwise move intellectual Creatures, and efpecially his holy Angels: for beholding the face of God, in admiration of fo great excellency, they all adore him; and being rapt with the love of his beauty, they cleave infeparably for ever unto him. Desire to resemble him in goodnefs, maketh them unweariable and even unsatiable in their longing, to do by all means, all manner of good unto all the Creatures of God, but efpecially unto the Children of Men. In the countenance of whose nature looking downward, they behold themfelves beneath themfelves, even as upward in God, beneath whom themselves are, they fee that character which is no where but in themfelves and us, refembled. Thus far even the Painims have approached; thus far they have feen into the doings of the Angels of God; Orpheus confeffing, that the fiery throne of God is attended on by thofe most industrious Angels, careful how all things are performed amongst Men; and the mirror of human Wisdom plainly teaching, that God moveth Angels, even as that thing doth ftir Man's heart, which is thereunto prefented amiable. Angelical actions may therefore be reduced unto these three general kinds.* First, most delectable Love arifing from the visible apprehenfion of the Purity, Glory and Beauty of God invifible, faving only unto Spirits that are pure: Secondly, Adoration, grounded upon the evidence of the greatness of God, on whom they see how all things depend: Thirdly, Imitation, bred by the prefence of his exemplary goodnefs, who ceaseth not before them daily to fill Heaven and Earth with the rich treasures of moft free and undeferved grace. Of Angels, we This is intimated wherefoever we find them termed the Sons of God, as Job i. 6. and xxxviii. 7. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude verf. 6. Pfal. cxlviii. 2. Luke ii. 13. Mat. xxvi. 53. Heb. xii. 22. Apoc. xxii. 9. arc are not to confider only what they are and do, in re- BOOK 1. gard of their own being, but that alfo which concerneth them as they are linked into a kind of corporation amongst themselves, and of fociety or fellowship with Men. Confider Angels, each of them feverally in himself, and their Law is that which the Prophet David mentioneth, All ye bis Angels praise him. Confider the Angels of God affociated, and their Law is that which difpofeth them as an Army, one in order and degree above another. Confider finally the Angels, as having with us that communion which the Apoftle to the Hebrews noteth; and in regard whereof, Angels have not difdained to profefs themselves our fellow-fervants. From hence there fpringeth up a third Law, which bindeth them to works of ministerial employment. Every of which their feveral functions, are by them performed with joy. A part of the Angels of God notwithstanding (we know) have fallen, and that their fall hath been through the voluntary breach of that Law, which did require at their hands continuance in the exercise of their high and admirable virtue. Impoffible it was, that ever their will fhould change or incline to remit any part of their duty, without fome object having force to avert their conceit from God, and to draw it another way; and that before they attained that high perfection of blifs, wherein now the Elect Angels are without poffibility of falling. Of any thing more than of God, they could not by any means like, as long as whatsoever they knew befides God, they apprehended it not in itself, without dependency upon God; because fo long, God muft needs feem infinitely better than any thing which they fo could apprehend. Things beneath them, could not in fuch fort be prefented unto their eyes, but that therein they must needs fee always, how thofe things did depend on God. It feemeth therefore, that there. was no other way for Angels to fin, but by reflex of their understanding upon themfelves; when being P 2 held BOOK I. held with admiration of their own fublimity and honour, the memory of their fubordination unto God, and their dependency on him was drowned in this conceit; whereupon their adoration, love and imitaJoh. viii.44. tion of God, could not chufe but be alfo inter1 Pet. v. 8. rupted. The fall of Angels therefore, was Pride; Gen. iii. 15. Since their fall, their practices have been the clean Chr.xxi. 1. contrary unto thofe before mentioned; for being 1.7, & difperfed, fome in the air, fome on the earth, Joh.xiii.27 fome in the water; fome among the minerals, dens Apoc. xx.8. and caves that are under the earth; they have, by Apoc.ix.11. 11. 2. Acts v. 3. all means, laboured to effect an univerfal rebellion against the Laws, and, as far as in them lieth, utter deftruction of the Works of God. These wicked Spirits the Heathens honoured instead of Gods both generally under the name of Dii inferi, Gods infernal; and particularly, fome in Oracles, fome in Idols, fome as houfhold Gods, fome as Nymphs: In a word, no foul and wicked Spirit which was not one way or other honoured of Men as God, till fuch time as Light appeared in the World, and diffolved the works of the Devil. Thus much therefore may fuffice for Angels, the next unto whom in degree are Men. The Law 5. God alone excepted, who actually and everwhereby Man laftingly is, whatsoever he may be, and which cannot his actions hereafter be, that which now he is not; all other directed to things befides, are fomewhat in poffibility, which as tion of God. yet they are not in act. And for this cause there is in all things an appetite or defire, whereby they incline to fomething which they may be; and when they are it, they fhall be perfecter than now they are. All which perfections are contained under the general name of Goodness. And because there is not in the World any thing whereby another may not be made the perfecter, therefore all things that are, are good. Again, fith there can be no goodness defired, * Пána 28 ixtiro öęźyslas. Arift. de An. lib. 1. cap. 4. |