Book I.

Cod is Omni - ptent in what he pleafes.
I .
4 JE/H. 4.
The Mind com - par’d with jewels.
A Simile from the force of jewels .
Ilian’s Mind is God's image. ,
In Phadro.
Tufc. i. Hea¬ thens believe Immortality.
tic, dtdivin.
Man is the chief of all the rtjl ,
and makes it better than it was : fo God will in his good time raife to life bodies diffolved into Earth, of the fame form they were, but freed from all fpots and earthly errours : Let us therefore aferibe fo much honour to God, and Omnipotency, that he can do what hepleafe^ and let nomanmeafurc Gods power by his own weaknefle or ignorance, fmee we cannot comprehend the fmalleft things, for they exceed our capacity. And if this worlds wonders , and the order of Nature be not fufficient to elevate mens Minds, and no reafons will ferve to declare unto us the power of God, yet let every man look into himfclf, and confider diligently the excellency of his own Mind, and then of how great power he is that gave fuch gifts unto men. Methinks mans mind is like to jewels, which befides their pleafant afpeft, and that the eyes are delighted with them, have inward venues, and opera¬ tions that are excellent, which lye hid, yet they arc difeovered by rubbing them as Amber, Jet, the Load-ftone, which being rub’d and healed, draw Strawes, Flocks, Chat, Iron, and that with great force, unto them. So the force of the foul rays’d and mo¬ ved puis forth it felf, and as fire under allies raked open, ihines and fparkles. And though Gods power be feen in all things, and all men may be behold it in this great work of Nature, fo that the Soul of man can never be filled and fatisfied therewith, yet Gods great power fhines in nothing more, or is more eminent, than in the Soul and Mind of Man, which was taken forth of the Divine effence. Wherefore let no man dare to think that (hall ever dye that came from Gods effence, and is adorned withfo admirable endowments. Wherefore Plato reafons well ; what con fifts not of , Elements is immortal , and can never dye ; the Soul is not made of the Elements , nor of concrete matter , but came from God ; therefore it can¬ not dye. Nor could there be fo great force in the Souls of men, fuch tharpnefle of wit, fuch excellency of Learning, fuch fubtilty of Invention, fuch knowledge of things, or love or knowledge of God , unleffe the Soul were feparated from earthly droffe, and did partake of Divinity, and were ordain’d for Eternity. Which perfwafionalfo was held by the Antients, who as Tully witnef- leth, did believe that there was a living after death, and that man was not fo eitinguifhed by death, as to be quite loft. Which may be underftood by many things elfe, asalfo by their funeral Cere¬ monies. For they had not taken fo much care of the dead, nor been foextreamly ceremonious in their burials, unleffe they had thought that death did not abolifh all, but that there was a kind of palling and change unto a better life. For no man can be fa- rude, and fo inhumane of conditions, who lifting his eyes to Hea¬ ven, though he be ignorant what God it is that by his providence rules all we behold, yet he will underftand there is a God, by the greatnelfe of the World, the motion, difpofition, order, profit, conftancy thereof, who governs and dire&s all things. Since there¬ fore the great and good God, who doth nothing rafhly or in vain, hath given Man the principality over all the reft, it is abfurd to
• ’ ' / think
Chap. 14.
and certainty of the RefarreRion.
5 1
think thac man fhall be annihilated and come to nothing. Natures Maker hath far better provided for Mankind, than to make that and to provide for it, which after enduring hard labours, fhould dye eternally, but be rather hath fhew’d the Haven, and fafe har¬ bour wherein man may reft, after he hath endured the lore tra¬ vels of this life. Hence Paul would have all our bufinelle and • •
cares to be concerning heavenly matters,- and that we fhould lift 3' up our Minds, and meditate of heavenly things. But it this life be the utmoft bounds of our life, and it lafts no longer 5 there is nothing more miferable and contemptible than Man is, and the condition between the rich &: poor were very unequal. For the rich have abundance of all things to rc Joyce in here, and the poor being full of miferies,fhould have no comlort aft*r this life. Wherefore Paul reafoneth excellently well, // we have hopes in Chnji in this 1 car. 1?. life onely, we were of all men the moft mifer able : and they were in a far better condition, who are ftrangers to Chrift, and jive plea- '^alTimnw- fantly, and take their eafe, than Chnftians, who being deluded uiity. with vain hopes, fuffcrthemfelves to be vexed,and to be the laugh¬ ing ftockand refufeof the whole world. Blit if all that is Man, and all mans hopes end in death, what is the meaning of that Torment of the anxiety and torment of the mind ? what makes Conlcience the tae
revengerof wicked neffe ? what makes fear and trembling when any trouble arifeth ? again,whencc arifeth tranquillity, conftancy, and fecurity of the mind ? Are not the former the efftdfs of thofe Souls that fear puniiliment after this life? and thefe the rewards of thofe that hope to be comlorted after they have endured forrow here, andtobe rewarded for walking after GodsLaw, of which they had a cerrain hope ? Whereupon Paul exhorts timothy his difciple, to fulfill the fumftion of an Apoftolical Employment whereuntohe was to be admitted, pronouncing confidently con¬ cerning himfelf, by an example borrowed from Runners and Fen¬ cers 5 I have fought a good fight , I have finished my courfc , / have kept a Tint- & the faith , henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteoufnefje , which God the jufi Judge fhall give unto me j and not to me onef, but to as many as believe in him, and trufi in his promife. Whm fure no man ought to caft afide this hope, or let his m ind fall off from an _ expectation of fo great felicity. For every man’s mind dnftates to him the truth of this matter, bis underftanding perceives it, his reafon confirms it, Nature it fclf fpeaks it. Add to this, that all men have a racional deiirc of Immortality, and every man defires to preferve the memory of himfelf fo long as he can, and would have it continued to pofteruy, never to be forgotten by Age. Wnich reafon was held moft forcible by lAugufiine and DectpnKwri Cicero , whereby it may be proved, that the Soul is immortal and wt*' fhall never die. For this perfwafiori doth much put a man for¬ ward, and incite a man to vertue, and makes him endeavour to do moft noble aCfions, coifidering the reward. And though chis ‘
point and many more cannot be proved fufficiently by reafon, nor do divine things (as Paul faith ) confift in words of mans w/fdome , yet 1 cor. ]
K 2 their
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