An Apology for Laymens Writing in Divinity, Meditations
MEDITATIONS VPONUPON THE Fall of LVCIFER
THE Fall of Babel was a great Fall: for when they had reared the Walls above the Clouds; and raysed them up to the confines of Heaven; even then confusion tooke it, and layd it flat with the ground; and hath left it an example of desolation to this day. But the Fall of man, was a greater Fall; for he being seated in Paradise; a seate levell with the Angells; and nothing but God above him; was brought down into this vale of misery: where he hath no better a place to dwell in, then the beasts of the field. But the Fall of Lucifer, as it was before, so it was beyond both these and exceeded them as much in greatnesse as in time. For where the Fall of Babell, was but a Fall from a higher to a lower: and the Fall of man, but from a better to a worse; the Fall of Lucifer was a fall, from the highest to the lowest: from the best to the worst; or rather to a lower then the lowest… to a worse then the worst; seeing they fell into Hell, which had beene no Hell, if; they had not fallen into it for though God made the place, yet their fall made the misery of the place: which had beene none without it. The fall of Babel was but of a pyle of stones, reared up by the hand of man, as it were against their will; and their Fall was but a returning to the place from whence they came; and the Fall of man, was but of an earthly creature; and but from one part of the earth to another; a remoove rather then a fall; to a courser part indeed, but yet to a larger and of more elbow room, then where he was before; and but the same out of which, he was taken; and therfore naturall to him: but the fall of Lucifer, was a fall, though not of Heaven it selfe, yet of a prime Creature of Heaven: and of a great part of the Host of Heaven; and thatto a place, no lesse made by his fall, then for it: and which is now the center, or rather the sinke of all falls, and of all that fall: a finall, yet endlesse fall: though fallen, yet still falling, because into a bottomlesse pit.
But how could Lucifer fall; that had such stayes to hold him up; the props of such Heavenly guifts, as never duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page Creature, that was but only a Creature, everhad, before or since? Guifts of knowledge and understanding; Guifts of strength and power: Guifts of brightnesse and splendour; and were not all these Guifts, of force sufficient to keepe him from falling? could not understanding make him know the danger; could not strength make him shun the danger; could not brightnesse make him see the danger: but that he must fall headlong into it: as one that had neyther sight nor strength, nor understanding? O my soule, These guifts are all excellent; but their excellency is nothing, where grace is wanting; and though Lucifer had grace too in excellency, yet he had not, It seemes, the excellency of grace; his grace was inferiour to his guifts: and therefore as inferiour, was overthrown by his gifts: his understanding made him Altum sapere; his strength made him Altum petere; his brightnesse, made him Altum spirare; so that, all these guifts, though in themselves excellent; yet having not equall grace to wield them: were but as so many instruments to procure his Fall.
But yet how could Lucifer fall, that was an Angell? seeing Angells are spirits; and spirits are aery and light: and have no weight to presse them down as bodies have: but are borne up with their own lightnesse as with wings: though there be nothing under them to beare them up. Indeed Angels being spirits, are not properly In loco, in a place, in the manner as bodies are: and therefore are not properly subject to locall falling, as bodies be: which is indeed a translation rather then a falling; as Henoch was translated when he was taken up to Heaven: there never properly was a falling, but this of Lucifer and his Angells; For this had in it, all the parts and circumstances, of a true fall: It was a fall in place: for they fell from Heaven into Hell: a fall in estate; for they fell from being Angells to be Devils: a fall in condition; for they fel from happinesse duplicate page duplicate page into misery: a fall in glory, for they fell from light into darkenesse: and that which is most of all, and the cause of all, a fall from Gods favour to his anger; and therefore finally, a finall fall; and which can never be but a fall: for it is not Origen can perswade us, that a time will come; when all the apostate Angels, shall be restored againe, to the same estate in Heaven they were in, at first. Indeed man, who fell not of himselfe, but was thrust down by another: hath had the favour to be raysed up by another: but Lucifer who was not thrust downe by any other; but fell of himselfe; hath justly beene left to rise of himselfe; and seeing it is impossible, that he should rise being fallen, who could not stand being up; therfore Sedet aeternumque sedebit, Infoelix Lucifer: his fall is irreparable; and no hope left of any possibility, ever to rise againe: and least having the liberty of their pryson, should give them any hope to be in time delivered; they are reserved in everlasting chaines under darkenesse, unto the judgement of the great day: the day of which they sayd to Christ; Art thou come to torment us before our time? Not that they were without torment then; but that they had it not, in the full measure.
O Lucifer, why wouldst thou fall, when thou mightst have stood! though I cannot say, thy will was to fall, but to rise: but that will of thine to rise, was a just cause of thy fall; for why shouldst thou desire to rise higher, who wert as high already as the Highest, but onelyonly the Highest! could nothing serve thy turne, but to be equall with God, who should not be God, if hee could have an equall? what was this but extreme pride? and if it be true that pride will have a fall; and a fall proportionable to the pride: there never was such a pride: and therefore never such a fall. The pride extreme: and therefore extreme the fall.
But how could such pride enter into the mind of Lucifer, to have emulation with God? To be proud in emulation with men, may have some colour: because we can see defects in them; and will see none in our selves: but to be proud with God; seemes a thing impossible: because there is nothing to be seen in God, that is not perfecter then perfection it selfe. But the truth is, It is the nature of pride to infatuate: and to make one see lesse in others; more in ones selfe, then there is: and this was Lucifers case. He could not but know, that whatsoever he had: he had it from God; but hee might thinke perhaps, that God had over spent himselfe in giving, before he was a ware, and had given him greater gifts then he left for himselfe: and upon this, might take upon him to be as great as he: when he thought himselfe to be as good as he. But O Lucifer, if this were thy thought, we may justly thinke, thy wit as little as thy grace: For though it be s…yd of the Sonne of God, that Exinanivit seipsum; he emptied himselfe; yet but as sonne, not as God: but that remaines entire still; and can suffer no abatement, notwithstanding any greatnesse of gifts, he imparts to any other. Indeed there is not in the World a more foolish thing then pride; which will alwayes be climing, when nothing is so unsit to climbe as it: …or he that will prosper in climing, duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page must begin at the foote of the Ladder; which is humility; and this, pride thinkes skorne to doe: or rather it thinks skorn, to use any Ladder at all; and indeed there is no Ladder, to reach so high as Lucifer aspired; For the longest Ladder of Creatures reacheth but to Heaven; and he aspired to be as high as God, who is above the Heavens. But as bodies are held up, by something that is under them: so spirits are held up by something that is above them; and that somthing above them, is the hand of God: who if once he give over his hold; (and he gives over his hold, where he sinds there is pride:) how can proud spirits chuse but fall, when they have nothing duplicate page duplicate page either under them, or above them to hold them up? not under them; because they are not bodies; Not above them; because they are not humble.
It may bee thought, that Lucifer was not much discontented with his fall, seeingby his fall, he got to be Prince, the Prince that ruleth in the Ayre. He might have stayed long enough in heaven before he should have gotten such a dign…ty; and if this bee a fall, what is a preferment? For though the Ayre be a meaner Country then Heaven; yet to be a Prince in it, pleaseth him better, then to be a subject in the other. For he is all for soveraignty: of his mind that sayd; Aut Caesar, aut Nihil: if he see but one above him; he takes no joy, how many soever he sees below him: But alas what availes it to have the title of a prince, and not the power? For what power hath Lucifer in the aire, when all his walke, is but to compasse the Earth; and can doe nothing there neither; not so much as enter into Swine, but as hee is faine to aske leave of God. O then the vanity of pride, that pleaseth it selfe with titles, where there is no Power. But Lucifer is of another mind; For if once he get but the title, It shall goe hard, but he will quickly get the power too: and for all his fall, is not out of hope to attaine his end. For though hee cannot rob God of his worship; yet of his worshippers he can and will: that if the matter should come to bee tryed by number; he would not doubt to have more followers to take his part, then God: and then, this is glory enough for him, to be equall with God in number of followers, though he cannot bee in power; and in deed if it be true, that in Heaven hee drew as many after him, as he left behind him; he is like to make it good in Earth with advantage; where for one that adheres to God; I cannot say how many, but many adhere to him, and this was plainly seene at the time of the great deluge; For there entred then into the Arke but eight persons; and all entred that were the servants of God: all the rest of the World: and the World was then as full of people as now; were all, for any thing appeares, the servants of Lucifer. But in what aire is it, that Lucifer is a Prince? Is it any where but in aery and inconstant minds, caried about with every winde, and in whom there is no stability of grace? and to bee a Prince in such ayre what is it but to be an aery Prince? without any solidnesse or substance in him; all in phantasmes and shewes; as he shewed Christ, all the Kingdomes of the World: but it was but a shew; and he shewed Samuel to Saul; but that but a shew too; and his enchanters turned their rods into Serpents: and that but a shew neither; for indeed all the power he hath: and all hee can doe as Prince of the Aire, is but to make a shew; great promises; and great threatings, but all vanish into Aire; and therefore this but a poore amends for the misery of his fall; seeing his Principality…, is but a seeming Dominion: where his Fall is a sensible and reall servitude.
If you aske at what time it was that Lucifer fell; there be some will tell you, before the making of the World: but this could not bee: seeing there was neyther Vnde nor Quo: neyther place from whence nor place, whither he should fall, till God had made the Heaven and the Earth. Others there are will say; VponUpon the first day of the Creation: because then, God made the light: and the Angells are sayd to bee Angells of light: and if made then; they also fell then: for they sinned assoone as they were made: and fell assoone as they sinned. But most likely it is, they fell upon the second day of Creation; which therefore made Moses not to say of the worke of the second day, that God saw, It was good: because in that day God saw something, that was not good; and nothing so likely, as the pride of Lucifer, and his fall. But whensoever it was that he fell; whether sooner or later; It was too soone for us, seeing hee was ready heere on Earth to seduce us; assoone as we were made; as hee had seduced others before in Heaven, assoone as he was made himselfe; to the end belike, that none should be longer innocent, then he himselfe had beene: For Inveritate non stetit: Hee stayed not one jot of time, before he playd his prankes in Heaven. He never stayed for Secundae cogitationes: For if hee had stayed but so long as to bethink himselfe; could hee have beene so blind, not to see his errour, or so improvident, not to prevent his fall? Oh the wonderfull dammage that is incurred by hastinesse and precipitancy. Not Lucifer with all his gi…ts, but hastinesse brought upon him, his miserable fall, and utter ruine.
And as it is uncertaine at what time hee fell; so it is as uncertaine to what place hee fell: though no doubt, into Hell, if there be a Hell; but if there bee none, whither then? and indeed where should any such place be? we are sure, Not in Heaven; For then it should have beene no fall; and besides, Heaven and Hell are not onelyonly asunder, but opposite. And wee may be sure, not in the Sea; For then there could be no Hell fire for water, and besides, Dives would never have made such moane, for a drop of water to coole his tongue. It might bee thought to bee in the Aire; because hee is said to be the Prince that ruleth in the Aire: but that when Corah and Dathan went downe quick into Hell: they were swallowed up of the Earth, and not of the Aire. And yet neither can Hell be in the earth, seeing the Earth is a solid body; and not likely to have any cavity so large to make a Hell; which must bee able to hold all the bodies of the damned, that ever were, or shall bee; and indeed if there were any such place as Hell; would Moses have omitted it in his catalogue of Creation? and seeing he makes no mention of any such place, we may well thinke there is no such place: but that it is only a fi…tion of Poets; of whom it is truly said; Admiranda canunt, sed non credenda Poetae. Thus argue some infidell spirits, that would be glad there were no such place as Hell, and therefore speak as they would have it: but the reasons of their infidelity may be easily confuted. For, why is there no such cavity in the earth to make a Hell; when by evident demonstration it is prooved, that the thicknesse of the Earth is no lesse then seaven thousand miles; and may not so vaste a space afford roome sufficient for a Hell: and for a Hell sufficient to hold all the soules of the damned; that ever were or shall be; when the body of one man was able to hold a legion which is at least six thousand devils; and divells take up as much roome as soules? For as for the bodies of the damned, there needs no roome in… Hell for them; (unlesse now and then perhaps, for two or three such as Korah and Dathan) untill the day of judgement: For bodies come not there till then: and then there wil be a new Heaven, and a new Earth: and no doubt a new Hell too; at least, the old Hell so much enlarged, as to be able to hold as well the bodies of the damned, then, as now the soules; of which enlarging of Hell, the Prophet Fsay sayth thus; Hell hath enlarged her selfe, and h…th opened her mouth exceedingly: as if it were the condition of Hell, to grow alwayes greater with the occasion; and therefore no neede to feare, it will ever be too little. And what though Moses make no mention of any such place as Hell; doth it therefore follow, there is no such place? He makes no mention of Angells neither, shall we therefore thinke, there are no Angells? But as he forbeares to speake of these persons: so he …orbeares to speake of this place: and both perhaps for one reason; because his purpose is to speake only of visible things; of which neither of these is any. But though Moses make no mention of any Hell; yet there are others that doe; and others as worthy to be credited as Moses. And to goe no further then our Creed: doth not an Apostle make it an article: that Christ descended into Hell? but descend into Hell he could not, if there were not a Hell, to descend into? doth not the Prophet Ezekiel say; The mighty s…all speake out of the midst of Hell; but what midst of Hell, if there be no Hell? doth not the Prophet Am…s speake in the person of God; Though they dig into Hell; thence shall my …and take them; and dig into Hel, they could not, if there were not a Hell to dig into; and that, in the Earth too? But if we will neither believe Apostles, nor Prophets: at least we will not refuse to believe Christ: and Christ sayth thus; whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou foole, shall be in danger of Hell sire; but what danger of Hell sire, if there be no Hell? and againe; Feare not them that can kill the body: but cannot kill the soule; but …eare him, that can cast both body, and soule into Hell …ire; but cast them into Hell fire he could not, if there were no Hell …ire, to be cast into And indeed if there were not a Hell; Gods Kingdom would be defective in the coercive part: there would want a fit place for execution of malefactours: and for imprisonment of offendours. In which point, God hath been so provident; that although the Devill sinned from the beginning; yet before that beginning, he had made ready a prison to hold him, if he should offend; and all other that should be his adherents: as appeares by the words of Christ, Goe yee cursed, into everlasting fire; prepared for the Devill and his angells. Wherfore O my soule, be most assured, that there is a Hell sire; the place into which Lucifer and his angells fell; and in which both he and all that be his adherents, which are all impenitent sinners; shall everlastingly be detained and everlastingly be tormented: but where or how it is, who can tell, or how should we know, when it is not revealed?
But in what was it, that Lucifer shewed his pride towards God? was it in contesting with him about his soveraignty? Or was it, in finding fault with his Creation of the World; or with his government in the administration of his Creatures? and then, was it in word, or in deed; or but in thought only? som indeed have thought but only in thought: but this is not likely; for could he, by only thinking, have drawn such multitudes of Angels, as he did, into his faction? some againe have thought, he tooke it in skorn at Gods Hands: that his Son should take upon him the nature of man; and not of Angells; wherein hee thought himselfe disparaged; and thereupon grew murmuring and rebellious against God: but neithe… is this likely: for that secret of Christs incarnation, was not perhaps as yet discovered, when Lucifer offered his affront to God. Whatsoever it was; It was sufficient that God saw in him an insolent and rebellious disposition, with which, by communication he had infected many; and who knowes to what it might have grown, if God had suffered him never so little, to have stayd in Heaven?
But how should Lucifer come to sin, being created in so great Holinesse, as no doubt he was? was it not, that seeing himselfe in state of immortality, he knew he could never perish; and the knowing he could not perish, made him stand upon himselfe; and admiring his own gifts, neglect the giver? For otherwise, it is as impossible to conceave, how he should ever come to cōmit sin, being created in such holinesse; as to conceave how there should be sin, for him to commit, when there was no such thing as sin created. It seems therfore he created it him…fe: which perhaps Christ meant, when he said; Diabolus est mendax & Pater ejus; the Devill is a lier; and the Father & creatour of lies. For he, seeing God to be a creatour: and knowing himselfe made Ad similitudinem Dei; after Gods likenesse: thought perhaps, he might lawfully doe as he saw God doe: and be a creatour as well as he: And why not bee Similis Altissimo: like to the most high; being made, Ad similitudinem Altissimi: after the likenesse of the most High? upon which false ground seeking to bee like God in soveraignty; where he should have sought to be like him in holinesse: he became as it were the creatour of sinne; For alas, what other creature …ould he make, if hee would needs be making creatures, being a Creature himselfe, but onelyonly sinne? that now, as God sayd afterward of Adam as it were in skorn: Man is become like one of us, knowing good and evill: so of Lucifer, he might say in skorn; Lucifer is become like one of us being a soveraigne, and a maker of Creatures. But as sin was at first, as it were the Creature of Lucifer; so Lucifer is now as it were the Creature of sin; for what is there in him, which si… hath not made? all that God made in him being utterly defaced: and this was a greater fall, then that which was locall; for that, though from the highest to the lowest, was yet but a finite …all; where this, from …race to sin; from being a Creature of God, to be a Creature of sin; was a fall as Infinite, as sinne it selfe, which next to the infinitnesse of him that is infinitnesse it selfe, is infinite.
But why would God so severely punish a first offence; and of a first offendour; and of one that knew not what punishment meant; and had never had example, to make him take heed? was it not that this first sinne, should not have beene the last, if the offendour had been suffered to scape unpunished! and therefore was not more a punishment, then a prevention. And could any severity be too great in punishing an offence so insolent; an offendour to impenitent? For doe …e thinke he would not doe it, if it were to doe again? no doubt he would: he could no more leave off his pride; then the Leopard can leave off her spots: the greatnesse of his gifts was all imployed to make great his sin; or rather indeed was great with sin; and hee could no more containe himselfe, from bringing forth sin; then a woman can containe her selfe, from bringing forth the fruite of her body; and a… no woman ever hated her own flesh; so Lucife… could never come to hat… sin, which was his owne issue: and we may know the continuance of hi… ambitious aspiring by this; that notwithstanding his fall; notwithstanding the servitude by his …; notwithstanding the …orments in his servitude; …otwithstanding the bit…rnesse of his torments; …et amidst all these affli…ions, his minde ran still …pon the satisfying of his …mbition; and in so high a …gree, that nothing …ould serve his turn, but … have the Son of God … doe him homage; and … fall down and worship …, therein exercising his ambition no lesse i… Earth, then he had don… before in Heaven.
But why doe we call … the fall of Lucifer; an… not rather the ejectmen… or the banishment; or th… expulsion, or some suc… word, as might expres… some angry act of God, … repressing his insolence and punishing his pride indeed because it is th… fittest word: for if w… …ld call it by any of … other termes, it …ght seeme to intimate, … if it put God, to some …at businesse, to rid his …nds of him; and to re…oove him out of Hea…en; when alas, God …ouchafed him not the …onour; so much as to …ave any hand at all in his fall; but only left him …o himselfe; and there needed no more; for then he presently fell; not se… much by Gods power; a… by his own weaknes; No… by any weight of body… which he had not; but by the weight of sin, which was as plummets of lead, to presse him down. And that we may know, how …ittle God troubled himselfe in the matter; hee hath left it to us, to be Judges in the case; as it is sayd; Know yee not that shall Iudge the Angells? …aning, no doubt, these …postate Angells: yet not perhaps, that we shall sit in judgment, to censure their fault; and to pronounce their doome; but that by the comparison of their gifts with ours; and perhaps of their fin with ours: the greatnesse of their sin, shall the better be made appeare, to their greater condemnation; in a like senfe to that saying of Christ; The Queen of the south shall rise… up in the judgment, against this generation; and condemne it.
It is a great secret revealed to us; that in the deity there are three persons; the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost; and it is another great secret revealed to us; that relation is had to these three …ersons, in the punishmēt of sins; for sins against the father; and sins against the son shall be forgiven: but a sin against the holy Ghost; shall never be forgiven, either in this world, or in the world to come. But how may application be made of this, in this case of Lucifer? May we not say, that in God the Father, is consi…ered power; as we say in our creed: I believe in God the Father Almighty; & to sin against power is a sin of infirmity: and this sin shall be forgiven: In God the Son is considered wisdom; as it is said; In Christ are all the treasures hidden of wisdom and knowledge; and to sin against wisdom, is a sin of ignorance: and this shall be forgiven: but in God the holy Ghost, is considered love; as it is said; The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost: and to sin against love is a sin of malice: and this shall never be forgiven. O wretched Lucifer; we may then conclude, thy sin as being of malice, is absolutely irremissible: and therefore thy fall, as an effect of that sin, is utterly unrecoverable: that it is but labour in vaine, for Origen to plead for thy pardon any longer; For, though there might bee hope of pardon for they sin of pride; as being against the Father, & the Son: yet for thy sin of malice, there can be no hope at all, as being directly against the holy Ghost.
And now my soule, wonder not that Lucifer fell: but wonder rather, that thou fallest not thy selfe: for how much dost thou come short of Lucifers aspiring? he sought to be Gods equall: and thou thinkest much to be his inferiour: For why else dost thou vilify his Lawes; set at nought his Commandements: and makest no more reckoning of his precepts, then if they were the words of an idoll? Is it not as much not to obey God; as not to acknowledge him? is it not as great an indignity, to vilifie his word, as his person? O accursed Lucifer, though we may curse thee for all this evill; yet there is some good for which we may thanke thee, that by this dreadfull example of thy fall, we may learne to humble our selves under the Almighty hand of God; and to serve him with feare; least we take the like fall, as thou hast done: for if God spared not the Angells that were disobedient: why should we thinke he will spare us? only O blessed Saviour, It must be thy worke to stand between us, and thy fathers anger: that he leave us not to our selves: as hee did Lucifer and his angells; For alas then, we shall never be able to escape falling with Lucifer and his Angells.
FINIS.
End of the text · Sir Richard Baker, An Apology for Laymens Writing in Divinity (1641)