Discovery of Jacksons Vanity, Section 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Of the Infinity of divine power.
I Doe not affect to contende with you in point of Rhetoricke, or to call you to an account for stiling Time, a spectator of all thinges. If it be so, it is the more like unto a Philosopher by his account, who comparinge the world unto a market, ranged the people therof into 3. sorts, buyers, sellers, and lookers on, and these were the Philosophers. Only I woulde desier that you woulde give other the like liberty to speake in theyre owne phrase, and not to chalenge them for affecting Poeticall witt more then Metaphysicall truthe; as upon such like termes it was your pleasure to cry downe that common adage Tempus edax rerum. For if you admitt time to be a Spectator, you may by as good Rhetoricke admitt it to be a devourer, according to that of good autoritie Inspexit varias merces oculisque comedit. In like sort studious scholars are accoumpted Helluones librorum, devourers of bookes, though not for the readinge of them only, but for the apprehension of them, and making them theyre owne.
So Cassius Severus had devoured Labienus his workes, his orations. For when an edicte came forth from the Emperor, for the burning of all his writings. (For as he was an admirable Orator, so he was of an high spirite, and as Seneca writes, qui in tantâ pace Pompeianos spiritus nondum deposuerat.) which edicte when it came to Cassius Severus eares; why then saythe he, I muste be burnt alive; for as much as I have learnt them without booke. Yet I coulde be content to allow you any liberty of phrase, so you woulde be pleased to speake to our understanding; wherof you fayle in your very first sentence, when you tell us, that all thinges wantinge place or time or being, present themselfes anewe in theyre proper shape or forme; for how any thinge can present itselfe, wanting both place, and time, and being allso, it is a riddle unto me.
I guesse your meaninge is, that the being of all thinges is produced in place and time, which before the time of theyre production were without both place and time, and beinge; which as it is a truthe, so it is a moste vulgar truthe, yet obscuerly delivered by you, and to no purpose that I can conceave. But be it so, & that every thinge brought forth on this stage, you speake of, acteth one parte or other for the mayntenance of the whole; and therfore is of some power; though in some you thinke it is to be accoumpted strength and power passive rather then active.
And yet you say the very earth, in that it sustaines weights layde upon it, and resisteth contrary impulsions, is perhaps of active force or operation; As for the power of mooving to the centers that you say is no more passive then active but a meane betwixt bothe. I presume you meane by way of participation, and not by abnegation of the extreames. Yet in my judgement to swey or moove to the center is meerely active, to be sweyed or mooved is merely passive. Yet other properties there are of the earth, though you pretermitt them. For it is commonly sayde, that it covers the errors of Physicians.
And I remember what a Sexton was wont to say, of all his sick neighbours; that when Physicians have done all they can, yet at lengthe he muste heale them, meaninge by making theyr graves, and with the earth to cover them. I have heard a Mountebanke report, that when a mans legge is stung with a viper, to put that legge into the colde earth is a presēt remedy.
I have heard allso what use the Irishe sometimes have made of the colde earth, when they have overdrunke themselfes with Vsquobath. Yet me thinks that power of the earth should not be pretermitted which the Holy Ghoste gives unto it, in saying, Let the earth bring forth, &c. But as for the power of assimilating other thinges to themselfes, and of preservinge symbolizinge qualities, that you say is founde in the dullest bodies. The active force and power motive of windes, vapours and exhalations is well knowne, as allso of celestiall bodies especially the Sunne, theyre productive operation cannot be unknowne to any. You conclude that all this power is but finite, and that no created thinge is capable of power infinite, which you affirme only with a perhaps, and such cautions are very frequent with you, which in this place I take to be moste needelesse.
Now as time and place were as you sayde shadowes of Gods eternitie and immensitie, So, the power of the creature is a shadowe of Gods infinite power. Yet shadowes we all knowe have proportiōs to the substances shadowed by them, but betweene finite and infinite we commonly say there is no proportion.
2. God, you say, is more infinite in every kinde, then all the united powers of severall natures, though they were for number infinite and each infinitly operative in its owne kinde. But let us not lye for God, as man doth for man to gratify him. True and naturall beauty needeth no painting: And Gods perfection needeth no Mountebanke like amplifications to sett him forth. The powers of the creatures are not formally in God, but eminently, that is, they are sayd to be in God in as much as he can produce them, and theyre effects allso. As for example, though he be not hott, yet can he produce heate in greater measure then fier dothe.
But consider I pray you; Can God produce a greater heate, then that which is infinite? or can he produce a greater number then that which is infinite? It is apparent that he cannot, not by reason of any defecte of power in God, but by reason that a greater then that which is infinite to be produced, is a thing utterly impossible. You are pleased to take notice of a former observation of yours, which was this, That thinges by nature most imperfecte, doe oftentimes best shadowe divine perfection.
You have allready intreated of Gods immensity and eternity; and therein you have tolde us, that no positive entity, no numerable parte of this vinverse, doth so well represent the immensity and eternity of God, as the negation of all thinges, which we describe by the name of Nothinge. I thinke there never dropt a more vile assertion from the penne of any wise man then this; yet you desire here agayne to commende it unto the Reader as some quainte observation. But what doe you meane to repeate it under such forme, as by calling it somethinge though imperfect. Is Nothinge, or the negation of all thinges, to be accoumpted somethinge though imperfect? yet the same observation you will have to have place here allso. As if this which we call nothinge were the most fitt to represent Gods immensity by, yea and his eternity, yea and his infinite power allso.
How neere drawes this to the making of God to consiste of nullities, since you say his naturall properties are best resembled unto nullities? well, we have heard what that is which best representeth his immensity and eternity, now we are to expecte what that is which best represents his infinite power. And this after a long deduction, you expresse to be the center of the earth, which you say is matter of nothing.
And thus you maintaine a just proportion of discourse concerning Gods attributes; for still your witt serveth you to resemble them either to Nothinge, or to that which you call matter of (just) nothinge. But herein you proceede by degrees. And first you seeme to conceave, that this center of the earth, is in the language of the Holy Ghoste, made to be the foundation of the earth, as in that speeche of the Lord to Iob chap. 38. 4. 5 6. Where wast thou, when I layed the foundation of the earth? and whereupon are the foundations therof fastned, who hath layde the corner stone therof? And first you commende the phrase, as surmounting all poeticall decorum, and will have the Majesty therof consiste therin, sufficiently testifying that it was uttered by God himselfe.
Now hertofore, you have made poeticall witt to stande in opposition unto Metaphysicall truth. But of poeticall de corum, especially in this place, like enough you have a better opinion. For my part I am persuaded the Majesty of Gods speeche consists in the power of the Spirite, rather then the Wisdome of the wordes. Paule allso spake by the Spirite of God, and some have observed greate parts in his very language, but see what Castellio a freind to your opinions writes of Bezaas judgement concerning this in the defence of his translations upon the 2. Cor. 11. 6. Paulum (sayth he of Beza) & grandiloquentiâ Platoni, & vehementia Demostheni, & Methodo Aristoteli atque Galeno anteponit: in quo mihi videtur Pictores imitari, qui Christi matrem dum honorare volunt, regio vestitu pingunt, & …idem tamen ita cogente historia praesepe in quo jaceat Christus infans appingunt nobili sane solaecismo. Quid enim mundanis regibus cum praesepibus? Mariae gloria est paupertas, & pictores eam divitiis exornant. Sic Pauli gloria & gloriatio est Sermonis imperitia.
But lett the Majesty of the speech passe as nothing pertinent to our present purpose, where doe you find the center of the earth to be mentioned or pointed unto in all this? doth the corner stone there mentioned, signifie so much? or by the foundation there expressed, muste we necessarily understand the center of the earth? The Holy Ghoste seemes rather in this inquisition, to have reference to something without the earth that should uphold it or fasten it, and withall signifieth, that no such supporter can be found. Then you proceede to admiration at this that the center shoulde beare up the earth and all thinges theron, which center is no body or substance, no not so much as a meere Angle or corner, nay such as forth with you say is a matter of nothing.
And so in the issue it comes to this, that nothing beares it up, which is true, in the forme of a negative; but not as an affirmative as if there were any power in the center to beare it up. And why should we conceave that the center of the earth should beare it up, more then the center of a tennis ball beares it up, which allso might be the center of all if it lay in the middle of the earth? And if any side of the earth were removed from the center to the heavens, it would forthwith appeare that the center of the earth beares not up the rest; for that which before was the center would now be driven ā greate deale higher, and become the outside of the earth. So that the center of the earth will not serve your turne; will you then runne to the center of vacuum or of the space imagined to contayne the earth? Yet you distinguish not of centrum Physicum and centrum Mathematicum. For who doubts, but that one side of the earth may be heavier then an other. Againe it was woont to be a received Maxime that Terra non gravitat in loco suo; and therfore there is no neede of any thing to beare it up. For the middle of the world is the naturall place of the earth, which when it hath gotten, it swayes not, nor propendes not, nor can be swayed to weighe downewards; which indeede were to weighe upwards which way soever.
And have heavy thinges any neede (thinke you) of supportance to keepe them from weighing upwards? Yet we acknowledge, the whole world and every part of it is from the finger of God. For the very course of nature is the worke of God. That fire doth burne, that the Sunne and starres doe inlighten the earth, that heavy thinges moove downewards, and light thinges upwards, all this I say, we acknowledge to be the worke of God.
And we woonder at the power of God in making all this by his word, and supporting all by his word. But being made and as wonderfully preserved by God, we woonder not at this, that heavy thinges moove downewards, & light things upwards; or how it comes to passe, that the earth without a supporter continueth where it is, seing if it did not continue where it is, it should moove upwards towards the Heavens lighter then a feather, which is quite contrary to the nature of the earth. We well woonder at the power of God in this, that as he made it by his worde, so with the turninge of an hande he coulde sett an ende unto it, if it pleased him. And therefore to talke of chamberinge up sustentative force (in the center) multiplied accordinge to the severall portions or divisibilities of magnitude successively immensurable, to speake in proportion to your owne language, is to affect more Rhetoricall witt then Metaphysicall truthe, in plainer termes, is to multiply woords without sense.
So then to amplifie the infinite power of God, by surpassing the imaginary sustentative force of a center, which as your selfe confesse is a matter of nothinge and consequently the sustentative force of it must be a matter of nothing, is a very poore amplification of the power of God. If the center were able to supporte the earth not where now it is, but in the hollowe of the moone, that were somewhat to magnifie the sustentative power therof. Yet I make no doubte, but God coulde doe so by his power. Which case is of farre greater force for the manifesting of his power, then in bearing up the earth where it is, which indeede being created, and preserved in being, hath no neede of supportar…ō in his owne place, where it can moove no lower; and if it moove by directe motion, it muste needes moove higher; which kinde of motion is more proper for a feather thē for the heavy earth, whose wombe is impregnated with stones and mettalls.
And therfore you doe well to take this power of God into consideration as namely of his ability to tosse this universe with greater case, then a Gyant doth a tennis ball (yet I never read or heard before of Gyants playing att tennis ball) through out the boundlesse courtes of immensitie. By the way your overlash, in talking of the Courts of immensitie, wherin this motion should be. For as for the immensitie of God, that is no fitt space to tosse the world in.
And as for the immensitie corporall, that is a thing utterly impossible; the motion you devise must needes be in vacuo or not att all. Now the force of the center is no way fitt wherby to illustrate this power of God. For certainly if the earth were placed in the hollowe of the Moone, it together with his center would tumble downe againe; as little congruous is it; for the illustration of that power of God, wherby he is able to dissolve Rocks of Adamant with the phillep of his finger, sooner thē bubbles of water with the breath of the Canon; In all which you seeme to affect not Metaphysicall truthe only, but Rhetoricall if not Poeticall florishes allso. We beleeve that God, as by his word he made all thinges out of nothing, so by his word he can returne them into nothing; this is plaine English neyther hath his power neede of any Pyrgopolinices bombast eloquence to illustrate the Majesty therof or sett it forth.
3. But from the breath of the Canon you fall congruously upon the consideration of the mother of it, which creature is commonly called gunpowder. And here you tell us first that our admiration of Gods active power may be raysed by calculating the imaginary degrees of active powers increase in creatures; that which followeth divisible as well in quantitie as operation, is of no importance but only to fill up. The Canon sends forthe his bullet with greater violence then the Sacher, like enoughe, and so every Ordinance exceedes other in force of Battery, according to the quantitie of charge, or length of barrell, which I leave to the consideration of the Master of the Ordinance. To this you adde that if the same quantitie of steele or yron, were possible to be as speedily converted into a siery vapor as gunpowder is, the blowe would be 10. times more irresistible then it is. I doe not thinke your meaning is to instruct the would in a new way of making Saltpeter, if it were, Saltpeter men should be your scholars, I would be none of them.
So much Phylosophie I apprehend, that fire is most swifte in mooving upwards, as the Element of earth is most swift in mooving downewards. And like as the contraction of more parts of the earth together makes a bodie the heavier, so likewise the more siery anything is, so much the more swift in motion upwards. But to say that the active force or vigour of motion, allwayes increaseth according to the degrees of celerity which it accumulates, is an idle speech, & as much as to say the more swiftly it mooves, the more vigorously it mooves. It had more shew of congruity to say the more vigorously it is mooved (to witt in respect of the Agents force that mooves it) the more swiftly it mooveth.
Now you come to the accommodation of all this, unto the infinite power of God, in this manner, Though the moste active and powerfull essence cannot be encompossed with walls of brasse, nor chambred up in vaults of steele allbeit much wider then the Heavens, yet doth it every where more strictly girde it selfe with strength then the least or weakest body can be girte. For what bonds can we prescribe so strict so close or firme, as is the bond of indivisible unitie, which can not possibly burst, or admitt eruption, wherin notwithstanding infinite power doth as intirely and totally encampe it selfe as in immensitie. How incomparably then doth his active strength exceede all comparison? What a mad comparison is it in illustrating the infinitie of Gods power to say that God girds himselfe with strength more strictly, then the weakest body can be girt? Doe weake persons girde themselfes with strength; or is Gods girdinge of himselfe with strength, like to our girding of our clothes aboute us? By that which followeth it seemes that you have an allusion to Gods girding of himselfe into a narrowe compasse, like Ladies that affect slender wasts. For to what other purpose doe you tell us that Gods girding is as strict, as is the bond of indivisible unitie.
And before you told us that the greater force ariseth from the contraction of parts. Now hath God any parts to be thus contracted and united, that so his vigour might be greater? what base comparisons are these, to represent the infinite power of God by them? Then you roule in your woonted Rhetorick to amplifie the vehemency of his motive power; in that it cannot be exprest by a motion that should beare levill from the Sunnesetting in the west, to the Moone riseing in the East, which is a very faire marke I confesse; for the case put, is in plenilunio, when the Moone is att full. Then to cast the fixed starres downe to the center, (belike you meane one after another, otherwise there would be no roome for them in the center;) and hoyse the earth up to the Heavens within the twinkling of an eye, or to send both in a moment beyond the extreamities of this visible world, into the wombe of vacuity whence they issued, would not straine his power motive.
Yet all this you confesse to be lesse then to bring nothing unto something, that is, to take not your words but rather your good meaning, to create out of nothing. Wherby nothing doth not become something, but something hath a being, which before it had not. But here you power out many wilde conceits besides this: first as when you say, Essence swallowes up infinite degrees of succession in a fixed instant. I had thought rather this had bene the property of eternity, not of essence. You might as well say essence swallowes up all places into an indivisible unitie or point. Then how may eternitie be sayde to swallow up that which it doth not contayne; neyther formally, (for certeynly there is no formall succession in eternitie) nor eminently. For to conteyne eminently, is to be able to produce succession; but it is not Gods eternitie that denominates him able to produce time, or the existence of thinges in time, but his power. So neyther his essence nor his eternitie, swallowes up motion for the same reason.
But as for the swallowing up of motion into a vigorous rest, to witt by mooving the eighth spheare round in a moment; Of the nakednesse and absurditie, that is shamefull nak…dnesse of such an assertion, we have discoursed enough. Againe, is it not enough for you to maynteyne motion in vacuo; but you must needes affirme that this visible world issued from the vacuum which now we imagine without the extreamities of it? where now the world is, was a vacuum before the world was, but yet the world issued not from it, neyther in the kinde of a materiall cause, nor in the kind of a formall cause, nor in the kind of an efficient cause, much lesse did it issue from that vacuum, which you terme without the extreamites of this world. Then againe I know no measure of perfection derived unto the creature from Gods immensitie, but only from the counsayle of his will, by his immensitie he fills all places but distributes not the measure of perfections therby.
When you call Nothinge the mother of Gods creatures, tell mee I pray, did you affect poeticall witt or Metaphysicall truth? I had thought Nothing had not afforded so much as the matter of any thinge, as the Mother doth the matter (at least) of the childe. It is true; we were not any thing before God made us. And as sure I am that this which we call nothinge, did not contribute any thinge to the creation of men.
The basenes of mans originall is a common place of another nature; Now your text is the Infinity of Gods power, but you may squander from it as you please. Whatsoever implyes not contradiction, the production therof is within the compasse of Gods power, and whatsoever God can do, he can doe with ease; His head aked not in the makeing of the World, neyther doth it ake in providing for, and preserving all things. But to talke of the possibilitie of more worlds hand over head, under colour of gratifying God in the amplification of his power, I leave unto them that are not satisfied with the demonstration of his infinite power in this. Yet as touching Gods omnipotency, for the strengthening of our faith, we are promised somethinge hereafter; as if all hitherto tended to the strengthening of our imagination, by comparing it first to the sustētative force of a center which is a matter of nothing, and then to the force of gunpowder which undoubtedly is a matter of something. Whether we are like to meete with a more wise discourse, concerning Gods infinite Wisedome, if others know, yet I know not.