Philosophical Historical and Theological Observations of Thunder, To the reader
To the Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
WHoſoever diſ-believeth not the Creed of Nature, that God is, cannot doubt that God was, & was a glorious volumn of all, Pſal. 90.2and more then all imaginable perfections, before there was any thing elſe: The firſt Edition of himſelfe was in his Worke of Creation: Man was (not only himſelf a great part of the work, but withall) the Reader to whom it was directed; Being by the Authors goodneſſe, deſigned the perſon, for whoſe uſe 'twas publiſhed. How much of God he came to the acquaintance of by this Book, and how perfectly duplicate page duplicate page he was able to read it, before he ſinned, I may not take upon me to determine: How little, (generally) wee have profited by it ſince, is of no very difficult demonſtration. That ſome learned Chriſtians have been able to ſqueeze the greateſt myſteries of our Religion, out of the writings of ſome Heathens (who are preſumed to have no book, but that of the creature, to finde them in) ſhall paſſe for me as an Argument of their induſtry. But what ſhall we ſay to a great many more pretending to altogether as familiar an intimacy with the workes of Nature as thoſe could doe? This learned throng have ſtudied (you know) this great ſubject, to ſo little purpoſe, that they have amongst them found out, ſome, almoſt as many Gods, as there be Creatures; and others knew not how to ſee any one at all: And ſuch amongſt them, as have taken upon them to inſtruct the reſt of the world, in the nature of the Gods, had not eyes open enough to ſee the deſtruction of their ſubject in the plurality of it, nor that the making of many was the marring of all: And what notions the preſent Inhabitants of the remoter parts of the world, have of God, (who have no meanes to diſcover him by but this) you have an account ſo full of ſadneſſe, that (I know Reader) your love to man-kinde will not ſuffer you to receive it without pity. Is then the Tranſcript, which God hath given us of himſelfe, in the worke of his Hands, blotted? No; Acts 4.12. Acts 14.17. Rom. 1.20.but our underſtanding is: Thoſe that have no other means to know God by, have meanes enough: not enough, ſo that they may be ſaved; but enough, ſo that they are without excuſe.
And ſetting aſide the helps God hath graciouſly afforded us in a ſecond and third Edition of himſelfe, by the words of his mouth, and the Son of his Love; ſo ſhallow is our acquaintance with the Character this great Volumne is written in, that the chifeſt Secretaries of Nature doe not ſeem to have knowledge enough to ſee their ignorance of it: Of all thoſe things that are extant, concerning the principles, Eſſence, and Natures of the Creature, how many of them are ſuch, Quae docti fingunt magis quam norunt? which you muſt either believe gratis, or may eaſily be forgiven, if you believe not at all? When a confuſed multitude of Contradictions are competitors for your Aſſent, it is meerely at your courteſie, which or whether any of them ſhall have it.
The Schoolmen thinke that ſome Objects are not intelligible by reaſon of their perfection; Such are thoſe Natures that are abſtracted from matter, as Angels and Soules: Others by reaſon of their imperfection; as the firſt matter, privations, and all things elſe, Quae debilem habent entitatem: Idest, we are ignorant of many things, by reaſon of our want of knowledge; There being nothing in the whole Creation, that is not knowable, objective, in it ſelfe; And that there be ſo many thouſand things that are not ſo ſubjective, unto the wiſeſt of us, muſt needs be from ſome defect at home: which I hope may prevaile with us to a penitent conſideration of that which is loſt; and a wiſe and holy improvement of what we have left.
In order whereunto, we ſhall have no great need of any mans Rhetorick to perſwade us, that ſuch a Volumne, as that of the Creature is, was not written to be neglected: A piece made up of innumerable varieties, where there is nothing ſuperfluous, nothing defective, nothing out of order, no Errata's at all, where the Matter, the Method, the Stile, are all unimitable; whence if the Author ſhould ſtrike out but one ſillable, all the Angels in Heaven could not ſupply it again. This Epiſtle was not written to the ſons of men to be laid aſide: No, (Reader) we ſhould ſtudy the works of God; Pſal. 111.2, 3, 4.They are ſuch as ought to command our meditations; Not to pleaſe our phancies, but to further our duty. In every creature we may read God; and we look upon it to little purpoſe, if we doe not in the leaſt Creature, much of God: Deus ita artifex magnus in magnis, ut minor non ſit in parvis: He is ſo great a Work-man in his greateſt works, that he is not a jot leſſe in the ſmalleſt; His omnipotency, wiſdome, and goodneſse in ALL. No power below Almighty, no wiſdome that is not infinite, can make a Sparrow, a Gnat, a Straw: No goodneſſe leſſe then Gods could give the great benefit of Being to ſo many uſefull, neceſſary, pleaſant, excellent Creatures, for the comfort of one.
And our Duty will be altogether as legible as our God; that we ought to feare, love, obey, praiſe, admire, adore ſuch a workman; and not to cenſure, deſpiſe, abuſe any part of ſuch a work: If we take this courſe, even in thoſe Operations of that Almighty hand, which have moſt of myſterie wrapping them about; though we may miſſe of finding out the worke of God, we ſhall yet light upon the God of the worke,; and though we may not ſatisfie our Curioſity, (which would be but the payment of contribution to a vanity) we ſhall diſcharge our duty; and if not in knowledge, yet (which is a more deſirable proficiency) we ſhall grow in grace: It will never, Reader, I aſſure you, repent either you or me upon our death-bed, that the creature, which hath retarded the motion of ſo many towards heaven, hath facilitated ours; or that we could never looke upon Heaven, Earth, Sea, Beaſt, Fiſh, Fowle, Plant, Worme, but wee ſaw our God.
For our help in this, my much Honoured Friend and Neighbour, the Reverend, and Induſtrious Author hath taken a great deale of learned pains, in reference eſpecially to thoſe works of God, which lie much out of ſight: If you will, Reader, ſearch the worke of this good man, that is before you, 'twill the better enable you to profit by the unſearchable works of that great God, which are beyond you; and this he hath done in the former part of this Treatiſe.
And for your better direction in the view of ſuch a proſpect, as the works of God will afford you; And to teach you how to uſe your naturall eye-ſight to a ſpiritual advantage you have already from the ſame hand DIVINE OPTICKS; Divine Opticks by R.D. 1655.and a Taſt of God, beſides what it gathered from his works, in his DIVINE RELISHES; Divine Reliſhes by R. D. 1648.that firſt and laſt he might furniſh you a Table, wanting nothing of what ſhall feaſt you to all Eternity; the cheere being now and hereafter the ſame; Only we ſhall then be called nearer, and have better Stomachs. Whilſt you are in the way thitherward, you are in Gods; The Angel Guardian by R. D. 1654.and the Author will aſſure you of a Particular Angell to be your Guardian: And how high a favour from God is ſuch an Attendant for ſuch Creatures? For you and I, Reader, are inconſiderable pieces of Duſt and Aſhes.
The latter part of Thunder was occaſioned by hoſe claps, that ſounded ſo often in our eares the laſt Winter: I hope the Proverb is croſs'd, Winters Thunder never did Engliſh man good: If this do not, having brought forth theſe leaves, laden with ſo much rich fruit, 'twill be Engliſh mens fault.
Men are naturally apt to entertain low thoughts of God; Pſal. 42.3. Iob 21.15. Exod. 5.2. Iob 22.13. Pſal. 73.9. Deut. 32.15.and out of the abundāce of their hearts have wicked mouths accordingly ſpoken, where is your God? what is the Almighty? I know not the Lord: Can he judge through the dark clouds? Thus, They ſet their mouth againſt Heaven, and lightly eſteem the rock of their ſalvation. I have read of a King, (that reigned in no very remote part of the world,) who having received a blow from the hand of God, tooke a ſolemn Oath to be revenged on him; and ordained that for ten yeares ſpace, no man ſhould pray to him, or ſpeake of him; Nor ſo ſo long as he was in Authority, believe in him: And of a Pope that would have his Pork (forbidden him by the Phyſitian) Al deſpetto de Dio, Pope Julius the third.in deſpight of God.
To root theſe undervaluations out, and in their ſtead to fill our hearts with holy, awfull, reverentiall apprehenſions of the infinite power, greatneſſe, glory and majeſty of the Almighty God (beſide what we have in his holy Word) we have ſuch a full demonſtration of him in his Works, that wee muſt either deny them to be his, or confeſſe him to be a God, greatly to be feared: Pſal 89.7. Deut. 7.21. Pal. 33.8. humanas motura tonitrua mentes.A mighty God and a terrible, whom all the earth ſhould ſtand in awe of.
And what worke of God hath he qualified into more advantages of leaving upon our ſpirits awfull apprehenhenſions of the Author, then this of Thunder? when the Scriptures mention it ſeldome, (if at all) is it, without the addition of ſome Declaration, either of the Majeſty of the Author, or the awe and terrour it doth or ſhould beget in the Auditors. When the Lord Thundreth in the Heavens, Pſal. 18.3. & 29.3. Job 37.4, 5.'tis the HIGHEST that gives his voice. The God of GLORY Thundreth. He thundreth with the voice of his EXCELLENCY. God Thundreth MARVELLOƲSLY with his voice. The clouds poured out water, the Skies ſent out a ſound, thine arrowes alſo went abroad; the voice of thy Thunder was in the heavens, the Lightnings lightned the world. What then? The earth trembled and ſhook, Pſal. 77.17, 18.
Virgil. lib. 1. Georg.Ipſe pater media nimborum in nocte, coruſca
Fulmina molitur dextra: Quo maxima motu
Terra trêmit: fugere ferae, & mortalia corda
Per gentes humilis ſtravit pavor.
Many dreadfull effects of Thunder, you are remembred of in this Treatiſe: If it fill our hearts with high & holy & reverential thoughts of the Thunderer, that you conſtantly feare before him, it is one, I am ſure, that the Almighty Author doth deſigne, and the very beſt that the work can produce.
Bede gives us the Relation of a holy man, who never heard a great gust of winde, but he would preſently call upon God for mercy, & beſeech him to be gracious to the ſons of men: If the winde increaſed, he would lay all other buſineſſe aſide, and attend alone to that one of Prayer. If Thunder and Lightning followed, he would then make haſt to the Church, and ſpend his time in Religious exerciſes till the ſtorm was over; And being asked by his friends why he did ſo? His anſwer was, have you not read; Pſal. 18.13, 14.The Lord thundred in the Heavens, and the Higheſt gave his voice; He ſent out his Arrows & ſcattered them, Lightnings and diſcomfited them. And it is recorded of Aquinas, that when it Thundered, he was wont to fall down, and with much devotion to pray, Lord help and ſuccour thy ſervants, whom thou haſt redeemed with thy precious blood. Job, Iob 38. & 39. & cap. 40. ver. 4. Cap. 41. & 42. verſ. 6.(if we be not miſtaken in thoſe definitions, which we have received of that vertue) had not many equals for Magnanimity and Fortitude; and yet after an account of the greatneſſe of God, diſcovered in his mighty works, how full is his heart of awfulneſſe and feare? And his friend Elihu, being to mention the excellent, marvellous, roaring voice of Thunder (they are his owne expreſſions) knows not how to do it without a preface cloathed in feare and reverence: At this alſo my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place, Job 37.1, &c.
Neither ſhould it be any abatement of our reſpects to the great God, that Thunder is known to have its naturall cauſes; For thoſe cauſes are kno…n to have their cauſe too, and are but the effects of an higher. Nature hath nothing to boaſt of, but what God endoweth her with, who acteth without it, beſide it, above it; Contracteth or enlargeth it, even as he pleaſeth; And when he doth not either of theſe, yet doth he not leave any thing, at any time, meerly to the hand of its Cauſes, but hath himſelfe an Agency in the Production of it, and that an immediate one; Immediatione virtutis & ſuppoſiti ſay ſome; At leaſt virtutis is confeſſed by all. Nature hath nothing that ſhe hath not received, neither is ſhe Independent in any one (in the ſmalleſt) operation; For that would argue an Independency of power, and that of being; which none can challenge but God alone.
Do not ſay; Then, every thing that comes to paſſe in the world, and even the daily imployments of Nature muſt call out our hearts to I know not how many duties; For can you tell why they ſhould not? Is there any poſſibility of ſupererogation? Can you love, fear, praiſe, admire, adore our God too much? But yet (Reader) the greateſt manifeſtation of the power & majeſty of God, ſhould work moſt: Thunder is one of theſe; and a voice of the Almighty, loud enough to awaken our hearts to all theſe ſorts of acknowledgments: The reverend Author hath made it his preſent buſineſſe, in the enſuing Treatiſe to perſwade our attention to it: The diſcourſe is pious, and hath coſt him ſome pains; Your Prayers are deſired that it may be uſeful, and afford the people of God much profit: which I am the more perſwaded to hope of it, when I finde it to be (though in more words) not a jot more then that pathetical exhortation of the Apoſtle, Heb. 12.28, 29. Let us have grace, whereby we may ſerve God acceptably with reverence and godly feare, for our God is a conſuming fire. Which will abundantly praeponderate the prejudice it might otherwiſe receive from its Conduct into the world, by the unable hand of ſo obſcure and inconſiderable a Perſon as,
Reader, Your ſervant in the work of the Goſpel of Chriſt Jeſus, Edw: Buckler.