Jesus Christ the Mystical, Title page – Dedication
JESUS CHRIST THE MYSTICALL OR GOSPELL SUN, Sometimes ſeemingly eclipſed, yet never going down from his PEOPLE: OR ECLIPSES Spiritualized.
Opened in a SERMON at Paul's before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, &c. March 28. 1652. The day before the late SOLAR ECLIPSE.
BY FULK BELLERS, Maſter of Arts, and Preacher of the Goſpel in the City of LONDON.
London, Printed by T. Maxey for John Rothwell, at the Sun and Fountain in Pauls Church-yard. MDCLII.
To the Right Honourable JOHN KENDRICK, LORD MAYOR, and The Right Worſhipfull, the Aldermen and Sheriffs of the Honourable City of LONDON.
Right Honourable, and Right Worſhipfull,
HAd there been any reall danger in firmamentary Eclipſes, our God doubtleſſe would have left it upon record in the Scripture: Since we are ſure, aAmos 3.7. See alſo Jer. 18.7, 8.the Lord God will doe nothing, (viz. in a way of judgment) but he firſt reveals his ſecret (intendment) to his ſervants, the Prophets. Now how ſilent the word is in this, I leave it to the judgment of all, that are any way verſed in the Book of God. That which ſtartleth many at the beholding of them, is that which ſcared divers heretofore, viz. either
1. The Rarity of them: bSolis exortus, curſus, occaſus nemo admiratur, proptereà quòd quotidiè fiunt: at eclipſes Solis mirantur, quia rarò accidunt; & Solis eclipſes magis mirantur, quàm Lunae, quoniam hae crebriores ſunt. Auctor ad Herennium, lib. 3o. mihi, p. 38. G.No man wondreth at the riſing, the quick-moving, the ſetting of the Sun, becauſe theſe things are obſerved daily: But Solar Eclipſes, (becauſe they come ſeldome) are wondred at even far more then Lunar, (which are more frequent) as was well obſerved by that heathen long ago.
2. Men's unacquaintedneſſe with the naturall cauſes of them; As we find in thoſe Indians in Jamaica, who refuſing to furniſh Columbus, that Genoeſe, (the firſt diſcoverer of the new American world) with proviſions, ſeeing the people idolatrouſly devoted unto the Moone, and fore-ſeeing her eclipſe, (by his Ephemerides) cPurchas's pilgrimage 8. book, cap. 2. pag. 731. mihihe told the Iſlanders that if they did not bring him in proviſion, the divine anger would conſume them, a ſigne whereof they ſhould ſee in the darkned face of the Moone within two dayes. The Indians being ignorant of the cauſe, were ſo terrified at the beholding of this eclipſe, that they came to beg pardon of him, and bring him in proviſion in abundance, whereby Columbus (making uſe of their ignorance,) dHenric. Salmuth Comment. in Panciroll. lib. 2. tit. 1. de orbe novo.ſupplied his own neceſsities, and engaged the people much unto him.
3. Thoſe remainders and dregs of ſuperſtition and idolatry, that are to be found in all. This is the cauſe why many heathens of old did look upon the eIn hoc unum omnium propè populorum ſententiae primùm convenerant; ut—ſuperna corpora, Solem, Lunam, reliquaque aſtra, Deos appellaverint, & eſſe crediderint. Natalis Comes, Mytholog. lib. 1. pag. 10.Sun as their God, and the Moon as their Goddeſſe; therefore ſeeing either of them to be robbed, or bereaved of light, they were exceedingly mPutabant ſolem & lunam eclipſin patientia moe…ore affici, tanquam reges irâ commotos, & indignatione; ideoque ab hujuſmodi ſignis metuebant, & reges ſuos placare ſacrificiis ſtudebant, &c. Pet. à Figuerio.amazed. The remainders of this ſuperſtition and idolatry wee may obſerve in thoſe Apoſtates, who fEzek. 8.16.worſhipped the Sun towards the eaſt, and g2 Kin. 23.5.burned incenſe to Baal, to the Sun, and to the Moon, to the Planets, and all the Hoſt of heaven; yea, the very dregs of theſe are to be found in the ſouls of all, becauſe hProv. 27.19.as face in the water, (or in the glaſs) anſwereth unto face, ſo doth the heart of man unto man. Their idolatries and ſuperſtitions acquaint all, what ſeeds are to be found in their ſouls.
4. The want of that principle of grace, & that filial fear of the Lord, that ſhould be in men. Were this fear preſent, it would eat up all carnal fear touching eclipſes, as it did of earthquakes, thundrings, & lightnings, in the primitive Chriſtians. Or as iExod. 7.2.Aaron's rod did ſwallow up the rods of the wiſe men, ſorcerers, magicians, inchanters, in the preſence of Pharaoh; Pondering upon this, that it is as naturall for the Sun, or Moon to be eclipſed in their ſeaſons, as daily to riſe and ſet in the world. But eſpecially conſidering that poſitive injunction, kJer. 10.2. Ita ut ex aſtris coelique fideribus pendeatis, atque ex illis ventura divenetis, ita ut ſigna illa coeleſtia terrori vobis ſint; atque formidini quemadmodum ipſis ſint Gentibus, &c. Toſſarii Peraphr. in loc.Learn ye not the way of the heathen, neither be diſmayed at the ſignes of heaven, and that upon this account, becauſe the heathen are diſmayed at them. A text fully againſt allcarnall fears touching eclipſes; yea, againſt judicial Aſtrologie it ſelf, by the vote of lHic locus inſignis eſt contra Aſtrologos, impoſtores omnium maximos. Oecolampad.Oecolampadius, Bullinger, Paraeus, Vatablus, Pellicanus, Calvin, yea of à Lapide alſo, who do abundantly juſtifie the laſt learned Engliſh Annotations upon that place, which are worthy the peruſall of all.
But however there be little danger in firmamentary, yet there are many diſcomforts in ſpirituall Eclipſes: And this made me, upon a ſudden call to preach before your Honour, (obſerving many to be amuſed with perplexing fears) to compare ſpirituall with firmamentary eclipſes, and to demonſtrate, that there is no cauſe of dreading any of the pretended direful operations of the later, when the cauſes of the former are removed out of the way. How far the enſuing diſcourſe was then looked upon as a word in ſeaſon, I need not now relate. It now comes abroad upon importunity, and all that I ſhall adde, is my earneſt deſire, that the bleſsing of the Lord may go along with it; that all thoſe clouds of ſin between us, and our God, may be diſpell'd, and that Jeſus Chriſt, the true myſticall Sun, may ſtill go on to ſhine into our ſouls. And that his bleſsing may be with you all, in your Perſons, Relations, Families, and in your Government, that this renowned City may flouriſh in Religion, Peace, Plenty, and Proſperity, which ſhal be the daily prayer of
May the 12. 1652. The moſt unworthy Servant of Chriſt in the Miniſtry of his Goſpel, FULK BELLERS.