les be laid down, and a well connected Syftem Part a. nade.

ftery in the

I. The firft of our Principles is this, That every. 1.Principle thing is full of mysteries in that great work of the certainly Creation. I fuppofe this principle, because it will fome myDe generally granted by thofe for whofe fake I work of write as for those who will have nothing to be Creation, found here, but the Letter and the Hiftory, they deserve not to be confidered. If their opinion be no Herefy, it comes very near one: 'tis unworthy of a Divine, and I am bold to fay, unworthy of an understanding Chriftian. He mult very little have ftudied the Divine conduct, who doth not takenotice of its depth, and that incomparably more is concealed than difcovered. Methinks the Jewish Cabalifts have a good remark upon it: they fay, God hath made three Worlds for one another: and that he hath put his Signet and his Seal upon the fuperior World, in fuch a manner and with fuch a force,. that its impreffion defcends to every thing, even to the lowest in this inferior World. I leave the proof of it to men of Contemplation, and am not at leafure for the present to make it out, but it seems certain and apparent to me, God himself in his effence is that exemplar and original feal, he hath every where imprinted the feal and image of his effence; in the World of Glory, in that of Grace, and in the lowest also that of Nature: therefore 'tis that the Divine image appears every where, and every where the fame; for 'tis the fame feal hath penetrated all those different things. Deus folet uno figillo varias materias fignare, faid Renchlin. There are three forts of People who read the Scripture. The fimple and ignorant, who are altogether fo; ftudied and deep Divines, who only are truly Divines; and those who are but fuperficial ones. The

PP 3

fir

1

Chap. 20. Part2. first are the Lambs, born to eat the grafs which grows on the furface of these fields: I do not im pute it to them as a fault not to penetrate farther. But I know not how to pardon those pretended Divines, who tear out the very heart of the facred Scriptures, in the Myfteries and Divine depths therein, and leave it nothing but a bare fuper ficies. Let us give but two Examples of this Maxim of the Cabalifts, that God hath imprinted a feal of himself and of his Myfteries, which reacheth to all matters. The first is that of the Trinity of Perfons in a unity of effence, whereof we have a lively image in the World of Spirits, by the effence, intelligence, and will, which is found in every Spirit, whether feparate or united with matter: and another lively image of it in the three dimenGions of matter, longitude, latitude, and profun dity, which are three diftinct dimenfions, and yet make but one only and moft fimple extenfion. The other inftance is in the mystery of the Incarnation, and the perfonal union of the Divine uncreated nature with the humane; a mystery whereof we fee a lively image in the Incarnation of those fouls which God unites with matter. These things deferve very well to be thought of. Befides, that the Holy Ghoft hath fufficiently declared himself concerning thefe Myfteries. He hath fhown us one part, that we may imagine the reft. He faith, that the light of the first day, is the image of that Action, whereby God caufeth the light to fhine in the darknefs of our ignorance. The Scripture calls our Lord the Sun of Righteoufnefs, by allufion to the Sun in the Heavens; a fecond Adam, with reference to the Creation of the first Adam; the marriage of Adam and Eve an image of Chrift and his Church. Heaven is called Paradife, by allufion to the Earthly Paradife.

A

Paradife. In a word, there are an hundred things in Part 2. the work of Creation, whereofno natural reason can be given there must be fome therefore which are mysterious. Why (for inftance) did God create a Chaos, before he put in order the feveral parts of the world? why he rank't them all in fix days time, no more or lefs? why he created not the Sun but on the fourth day? why the Plants were created before the Sun? and why the Fishes and Brids before the Beafts ofthe field?

2.

ple; the

World an

II. Our fecond Principle is this, that the fen- & Prinei fible World is the image of the Intelligible; and this fenfible Intelligible World is not a World of Platonic Idea's image of 'Tis in the Church, where every thing is to be met the intel with by analogy that is found in the fenfible World.ligible. There is an Heaven there is an intelligible Sun, which is God, there are Spirits which are the intelligible Stars, there is an Earth, Plants, Fruits, and alfo wild Beafts, enemies of this World. The Scripture leads us by the hand in thefe paths, by the continual use of figures borrowed from the fenfible World, to fignity thofe parts of the intelligible one. From this principle we may conclude, that the creation of the fenfible World is the image and Type of the Creation of the intelligible World. And confequently that the Creation of the World is the Image of the different degrees, by which God hath made his Church to pass through, to bring it to perfection.

ple; God

times inte feveral pe

III. Our third Principle is this, that in every 3 Princi Syftem compofed of Events, there are feveral Pe- divided the riods to be confidered. This is the Spirit ofthe Prophets; God divided the times into feven Trum- riods. pets, feven Seals, and feven Kiols. Upon this Principle it cannot be doubted, but the seven days of the Creation are as many Periods of this Intelligible

PP 4.

World

Part 2. World, through which they are to pass to arrive a perfection.

4. Principle; the

every

fame my

Aeries.

IV.My fourth Principle is this,that the H.Ghoft iame ima- ought conftantly to fix the fame Mysteries to the ges ought fame Images in all the parts of the Creation. For where to Example, the Waters should every where be the fignify the fame thing, and fignify the fame Mystery; which is a Principle that was not at all heeded by Placeus, In one place he makes the Waters to be Sin; in another to be the Paffions, well ordered and gathered together in Chrift. In a third place,'tis meant of the Heart fanctified and ferving God; 'tisa fault that is most obvious, and which alone is fufficient to prove that he had no System, that they were only loofe thoughts which fhined feparately, but did not mutually illustrate each other.

The fifth

V: I will add a fifth Principle, that in this MyPrinciple; fery we should not, as fome do, deftroy the Hiry mut not tory. There is nothing more dangerous, if a man deftroy the gives himself the liberty to deny matters of fact,

the myste

Letter.

and to turn all into pure allegory, there then remains nothing certain in the Scripture. Libertins may then doubt of the whole, and we fhall no longer be able to diftingnish thofe places, where the relation must be taken according to the Letter from thofe where the Letter fhall be falfe, and where there is nothing but mystery. We must fuppofe the Type to be in the matters of fact, if the Events prove falfe, the Type is null.

Thefe Principles being laid down, I thus form my System. The Creation of the fenfible World, being an Image of the Creation of the intelligible World, we must divide the time, in which God hath formed the Church into feven Periods; but thofe feven Periods are not precisely diftinguifht, each of them to contain a thousand years, as hath

been

been formerly fuppofed, from those words of St. Part 2. Peter, a thousand years with the Lord are as one day. There is fome difficulty in the divifion of those Periods, and after having well condered it, I di vide them thus. 1. The first Period is from Adam to Abraham, which is almoft two thousand years. 2. The fecond is from Abraham to Mofes, which is between four and five hundred years. 3. The third Period is from Mofes to Iefus Chrift, which is between fourteen and fifteen hundred years. 4. The fourth is from Iefus Chrift to the rife of Antichrift, that is between four and five hundred years. 5. The fifth is from the rife of Antichrift to his Completion, that is between five and fix hun dred years. 6. The fixth is from Antichrift compleat to his Deftruction, which is between feven and eight hundred years. 7. The feventh and laft is from the Ruin of Antichrift to the end of the World this will be about a thousand years.

2

The great inequality that there is between thefe, feveral Periods as to their duration, ought not to make any difficulty. We must not reckon things according to the time, but compute the time according to the things. The time wherein nothing is done is reckon'd for nothing. The Periods of the Church must be computed by the great changes which have therein happened. Now 'tis exactly in these fix points, that the Church hath changed its face. From Adam untill Abraham there was no change in the face of the Church; by Abraham it began to affumea new form, fhe had then Sacraments; and the diftinction of People began. By Mofes the Church took another form, quite different from the Preceding. By Chrift the became incomparably more perfect. By the rife and growth

of