Magia Adamica and Coelum Terrae, part 1 of 8

Magia Adamica: Or, The Antiquitie of Magic, &c.

Coelum Terrae, &c.

THat I should professe Magic in this Discourse, and Justifie the Professors of it withall, is Impietie with Many, but Religion with Mee. It is a Conscience I have learnt from Authors greater than my Self, and Scriptures greater than Both. Magic is nothing els but the Wisdom of the Creator revealed and planted in the Creature. It is a Name (as Agrippa saith) ipsi Evangelio non ingratum, not Distastefull to the very Gospel it self. Magicians were the first Attendants our Saviour met withall in this world, and the onely Philosophers, who acknowledged Him in the Flesh before that hee himself discovered it. I find God Conversant with Them, as Hee was formerly with the Patriarchs; He directs Them in their Travails with a Star, as hee did the I sraelites with a Pillar of Fire; Hee informes Them of future Dangers in their Dreams, that having first seen his Son, they might in the next place see his Salvation. This makes me believe They were Filii Prophetarum, as well as Filii Artis; Men that were acquainted with the very same Mysteries, by which the Prophets acted before them. To reconcile this Science, and the Masters of it to the world, is an Attempt more plausible, than possible, the prejudice being so great, that neither Reason, nor Authoritie can ballance it. If I were to persuade a Jew to my Principles, I could do it with two words [non-Latin script] the Hachamim, or Wisemen have spoken it. Give him but the Authoritie of his Fathers, and presently hee submits to the Seale. Verily our Primitive Galilaeans (I mean those Christians whose Lamps burnt neer the Crosse, and Funer all) were most Compendious in their Initiations. A Proselyt in those dayes was confirmed with a simple [non-Latin script] Believe, and no more. Nay, the solemnitie of this short Induction was such, that Julian made it the Topic to his Apostasie; [non-Latin script] you have (sayd he) nothing more than your Crede, to establish your Religion. Such was the simplicitie of those first Times, dum calebat cruor Christi, whiles his wounds were as yet in their Eyes, and his bloud warm at their Hearts. But Alas! those holy Drops are frozen, our Salvation is translated from the Crosse to the Rack, and dismembred in the Inquisition-house of Aristotle. Bee not angrie O Peripatetic! for what els shall I call thy Schooles, where by severall Sects and Factions Scripture is so seriously murthered Pro & Con! A spleen first bred, and afterwards promoted by Disputes, whose damnable Divisions and Distinctions have minc'd one Trueth into a Thousand haereticall whimzies. But the Breach is not considered: Divinitie still is but Chaff, if it be not sifted by the Engine, if it acts not by the Demonstrative Hobby-horse. Thus Zeale poysoned with Logic breathes out Contentious Calentures, and Faith quitting her wings and Perspective, leans on the Reed of a Sytlogism. Certainly I cannot yet conceive, how Reason may judge those Principles, Quorum Veritas pendet à solâ Revelant is authoritate, whose Certaintie wholly depends on God, and by Consequence is indemonstrable without the Spirit of God. But if I should grant that, which I will ever deny: Verily, a True Faith consists not in Reason, but in Love; for I receive my Principles, and believe Them being received Solo erga Revelantem amore; onely out of my Affection to Him that reveales them.

Thus our Saviour would have the Jewes to believe Him first for his own sake, and when that fayled for His Workes sake; But some Divines believe onely for Aristotle's sake, if Logic renders the Tenet probable, then it is Creed, if not 'tis Alcoran. Nevertheless Aristotle himself, who was first Pedlar to this ware, and may for Sophistrie take place of Ignatius in his own Conclave, hath left us this Concession: [non-Latin script] That Reason is subject to Error, as well as Opinion. And Philoponus expounding these words of his, Non solùm scientiam, sed & Principium Scientiae esse aliquod duimus, Quo Terminos cognoscimus, hath this excellent and Christian observation. [non-Latin script] Taking indeca (saith hee) the mind, to bee the Principle, or first Cause of Knowledge, not our own, but that of God, which is above us: but taking the Termes to be Intellectual, and Divine Formes. Thus according to Aristotle (if you trust the Commem) the Divine mind is the first Cause of Knowledge: for if this Mind once unfolds himself, and sheds his light upon us, wee shall apprehend the Intellectuall Formes, or Types of all things that are within him. These Formes hee very properly calls [non-Latin script] because they terminat, or end all Things: For by them the Creature is defined, and hath his Individuation, or to speak with Scotus, his Haecceitie, by which he is This, and not That. This now is the Demonstration we should look after, namely the Expansion, or opening of the Divine Mind, not a Syllogism, that runns perhaps on all Foure. If once wee be admitted to this Communion of Light, wee shall be able with the Apostle to give a Reason for our Faith, but never without it. Now you are to understand that God unfolds not himself, nisi magno Coelo priùs patefacto, unlesse the Heaven of Man bee first unfolded. Amovete ergo velamen Intellectus vestri, Cast of the veile that is before your faces, and you shall bee no more blind. God is not God a far off, but God at hand. Behold (saith he) I stand at the Doore, and knock: Open your selves then, for it is written, If any man opens, I will come in, and Sup with Him. This is the inward Mysticall, not the outward Typicall Supper, and this is the Spirituall Baptism with Fire, not that Elemental one with water. Truely I am much comforted, when I consider two Things; First, that Magic did afford the first Professors of Christianity, whose Knowledge and Devotion brought them from the East to Jerusalem. Secondly, that this Art should suffer as Religion doth, and for the very same Reason. The main Motives, which have occasion'd the present Rents, and Divisions of the Church, are the Ceremonies and Types used in it. For without Controversie the Apostles instituted, and left behind them certaine Elements or Signes, as Water, Oile, Salt and Lights, by which they signisied unto us some great, and reverend Mysteries. But our Reformers mistaking these things for superstitious, turn'd them all out of Doores. But verily it was ill done: for if the shadow of Saint Peter healed, shall not these shadowes of Christ doe much more? The Papist on the contrary knowing not the signification of these Types, did place a certain Inhaerent holiness in them, & so fell into a very dangerous Idolatrie. I omit many Things which he invented of his own, as Images, Holy Lambes, and Reliques, adding these dead Bones to the Primitive, and beauteous Bodie of the Church. Now to draw up the Paralell: The Magicians, they also instituted certain Signes, as the Clavis to their Art, and these were the same with the former, Namely Water, Oile, Salt and Light, by which they tacitly discovered unto us their Three Principles, and the Light of Nature, which fills and actuats all Things. The common Man perusing their Books, but not their Sense, took Candles, Common Water, Oile, and Salt, and began to Consecrat, and exorcise them, to make up his damnable and Devilish Magic. The Magicians had a Maxim amongst themselves, Quod nulla vox operatur in Magiâ, nisi prius Dei voce formetur, That no word is efficacious in Magic, unless it be first animated with the word of God. Hence in their Books there was frequent mention made of Verbum, and Sermo, which the Common Man interpreting to his own Fansie, invented his Charmes, and Vocabula, by which he promised to do wonders. The Magicians in their writings did talk much of Triangles and Circles, by which they intimated unto us their more secret Triplicitie, with the Rotation of Nature from the Beginning of her Week, to her Sabaoth. By this Circle also, or Rotation they affirmed that Spirits might be bound, meaning that the Soul might be united to the Body. Presently upon this the Common Man fansied his Triangles and characters, with many strange Cobwebs or Figures, and a Circle to Conjure in; but knowing not what Spirit that was, which the Magicians did bind, he laboured, and studied to bind the Devill. Now if thou wilt question mee, who these Magicians were? I must tell thee, They were Kings, they were Priests, they were Prophets: Men that were acquainted with the Substantial, Spiritual Mysteries of Religion, and did deal, or dispense the outward Typicall part of it to the People. Here then wee may see how Magic came to be out of Request; For the Lawyers and Common Divines, who knew not these Secrets, perusing the Ceremonial, Superstitious Trash of some Scriblers, who praetended to Magic, praescribed against the Art it self as Impious, and Antichristian, so that it was a Capital sin to professe it, and the Punishment no lesse than Death. In the Interim those few who were Masters of the Science, observing the first Monitories of it, buried all in a deep Silence. But God having suffered his Truth to be obscured for a great time, did at last stirr up som resolute, and active spirits, who putting the Pen to paper, expell'd this Cloud, and in some measure discover'd the Light. The Leaders of this brave Body, were Cornelius Agrippa, Libanius Gallus, the Philosopher, Johannes Tritemius, Georgius Venetus, Johannes Reuclin, called in the Greek Capnion, with severall others in their severall Dayes. And after all These as an Vsher to the Traine, and one borne out of due time, Eugenius Philalethes.

Seeing then I have publickly undertaken a Province, which I might have governed privatly with much more Content and Advantage, I think it not enough to have discover'd the Abuses and misfortunes this Science hath suffered, unless I indeavour withall to demonstrate the Antiquitie of it. For certainly it is with Arts, as it is with Men their Age and Continuance are good Arguments of their strength, and Integritie. Most apposit then was that Check of the AEgyptian to Solon: O Solon, Solon! Vos Graeci semper pueriestis, nullam habentes antiquam Opinionem, nullam Disciplinam tempore canam; You Graecians (said hee) are ever childish, having no Ancient opinion, no Discipline of any long standing. But as I confesse my self no Antiquarie, so I wish some Seldon would stand in this Breach, and make it up with those Fragments, which are so neer Dust, that Time may put them in his Glass. I know for my own part, it is an Enterprise I cannot sufficiently performe, but since my hand is already in the Bag, I will draw out those few Pebbles I have, and thus I sting them at the Mark.

This Art, or rather this Mysterie is to bee considered severall wayes, and that because of its severall Subjects. The Primitive, Original Existence of it is in God himself: for it is nothing els but the practice, or operation of the Divine Spirit working in the matter, uniting Principles into Compounds, and resolving those Compounds into their Principles. In this Sense wee seek not the Antiquity of it, for it is AEternal, being a Notion of the Divine Wisdome, and Existent before all Time, or the Creation of it. Secondly, we are to Consider it in a Derivative Sense, as it was imparted, and communicated to Man, and this properly was no Birth, or Beginning, but a Discoverie, or Revelation of the Art. From this Time of its Revelation, wee are to measure the Antiquity of it, where it shall be our Task to demonstrat upon what Motives God did reveale it, as also to whom, and when.

The Eye discovers not beyond that stage, wherein it is Conversant, but the Eare receives the Sound a great way off. To give an experieuc'd Testimonie of Actions more Ancient than our selves, is a thing impossible for us, unlesse wee could look into that Glass, where all Occurrences may bee seen, Past, Present, and to Come. I must therefore build my Discourse on the Traditions of those Men, to whom the Word, both Written and Mysticall was intrusted, and these were the Jewes in Generall, but more particularly their Cabalists. It is not my Intention to rest on these Rabbins as Fundamentals, but I will iustifie their Assertions out of Scripture, and intertain my Reader with Proofes, both Divine and Humane. Finally, I will passe out of Judaea into AEgypt and Graece, where againe I shall meet with these Mysteries, and prove that this Science did stream (as the Chimists say, their Salt-Fountain doth) out of Jurie, and watered the whole Earth.

It is the constant Opinion of the Hebrewes, That before the Fall of Adam there was a more plentifull and large Communion between Heaven and Earth, God and the Elements, than there is now in our Days. But upon the Transgression of the first Man. Malcuth (say the Cabalists) was cut off from the Ilan, so that a Breach was made between both Worlds, and their Chanel of Influences discontinued. Now Malcuth is the Invisible Archetypall Moone, by which our visible Caelestiall Moone is governed, and impraegnated: And truly it may be that upon this Retreate of the Divine Light from Infe riors, those Spots and Darknes, which we now see, succeeded in the Body of this Planet, and not in her alone, but about the Sun also, as it hath been discovered by the Telescope. Thus (say They) God to punish the Sin of Adam withdrew himself from the Creatures, so that they were not feasted with the same measure of Influences as formerly. For the Archetypall Moone which is placed in the [non-Latin script] Haschamaim, to receive, and convey downe the Influx of the six superior Invisible Planets, was (as the Jewes affirme) either separated from the Ilan, or her Broasts were so sealed up that she could not dispense her Milk to Inferiors in that happy and Primitive Abundance. But because I would not dwell long on this point, let us heare the Cabalist himself state it in a clear, and apposit phrase. Initio Creationis Mundi Divina Cohabitatio erat descendens in Inferiora, & cum esset Divina Cohabitatio inferiùs, reperti sunt Coeli & Terra uniti, & erant Fontes, & Canales activi in perfectione, & trahebantur à Superiore ad Inferius, & inveniebatur Deus complens supernè & Infernè. Venit Adam primus, & peccavit, & diruti sunt Descensus, & confracti sunt Canales, & desiit Aquae-ductus, & cessavit Divina Cohabitatio, & divisa est Societas.

That is: In the Beginning of the Creation of the world God did descend, and cohabitat with Things here below, and when the Divine Habitation was here below, the Heavens and the Earth were found to be united, and the Vital Springs and Chanels were in their perfection, and did flow from the Superior to the Inferior World, and God was found to fill all Things both Above, and Beneath. Adam the first Man came, and sinned, whereupon the Descents from above were restrained, and their Chanels were broken, and the Water-Course was no more, and the Divine Cohabitation ceased, and the Societie was divided. Thus far my Rabbi; Now because I have promised Scripture to my Cabalism, I will submit the Tradition. to Moses, and truly that Rabbi also is of my side, for thus I read in Genesis. And to Adam he said, Because thou hast eaten of the Tree, whereof I commanded I hee saying, Thou shalt not eate of it: Cursed is the Ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eate of it all the Dayes of thy Life, Thornes and Thistles shall it bring forth unto Thee, and Thou shalt eate the Herb of the Field. In the sweat of thy face shalt Thou eate Bread, untill thou returne unto the Ground, for out of it wast thou taken, for Dust Thou art, and to Dust shalt thou returne. This is the Curse, and Adam was so sensible of it, that he acquainted his posterity with it. For Lamech prophesying of his Son Noah, hath these words. This same shall comfort us, concerning our work, and Toyle of our Hands, because of the Ground, which the Lord hath cursed. And this indeed was accomplished in some sense after the Floud, as the same Scripture tells us. And the Lord said in his Heart, I will not Againe curse the Ground any more for Mans sake. Here now we are to consider two Things: First, The Curse it self, and next the Latitude of it. To manifest the Nature of the Curse, and what it was, you must know, that Good essentially is Light, and Evill is Darknes. The Evill properly is a Corruption that immediatly takes place upon the Removall of that which is Good. Thus God having removed his Candlestick and Light from the Elements, presently the Darknes and Cold of the Matter praevailed, so that the Earth was neerer her first Deformitie, and by Consequence lesse fruitfull and Vitall. Heaven and Hell, that is Light and Darknes, are the two Extremes which Consummat Good and Evill. But there are some mean Blessings which are but, in ordine, or disposing to Heaven, which is their last perfection, and such were these Blessings, which God recalled upon the Transgression of the first Man. Againe there are some Evills, which are but 'Degrees conducing to their last Extremitie, or Hell, and such was this Curse or Evill, which succeeded the Transgression. Thus our Saviour under these Notions of Blessed and Cursed comprehends the Inhabitants of Light and Darknes: Come you Blessed, and Goe you Cursed. In a word then, The Curse was Nothing else but an Act repealed, or a Restraint of those Blessings which God of his meer Goodnes, had formerly communicated to his Creatures: And thus I conceive there is a very faire and full Harmonie between Moses and the Cabalists. But to omit their Depositions, though great and high, we are not to seek in this point for the Testimonie of an Angel. For the Tutor of Esdras, amongst his other Mysterious Instructions, hath also this Doctrine. When Adam transgressed my Statutes, then was that decreed, which now is done. Then were the Entrances of this World made Narrow, full of sorrow, and Travell: They are but few and Evill, full of perils, and very painfull. But the Entrances of the Elder World, were wide and sure, and brought forth Immortal Fruit. Thus much for the Curse it self: Now for the Latitude of it, It is true that it was intended Chiefely for Man, who was the only Cause of it, but Extended to the Elements in Order to him, and for his sake. For if God had excluded him from Eden, and Continued the Earth in her Primitive Glories, he had but turned him out of one Paradise into Another, wherefore he fits the Dungeon to the Slave, and sends a Corruptible Man into a Corruptible World. But in Truth it was not Man, nor the Earth alone that suffered in this Curse, but all other Creatures also; For saith God to the Serpent, Thou art Cursed above all Cattel, and above every Beast of the Field, so that Cattel and Beasts also were cursed in some measure, but this Serpent above Them all. To this also agrees the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans, where he hath these words. For the Creature was made subject to Vanitie, not willingly, but by Reason of him, who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the Creature it self also, shall be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption, into the Glorious Liberty of the Children of God. Here by the Creature he understands not Man, but the inferior species, which he distinguisheth from the Children of God, though he allows them both the same Liberty. But this is more plaine out of the subsequent Texts, where he makes a clear Difference between Man, and the whole Creation. For we know (saith he) that the whole Creation groaneth, and travaileth together in paine untill now. And not only They, but our selves also, which have the first fruits of the spirit, even we our selves groane within our selves, waiting for the Adoption, to wit, the Redemption of our Body. Here we see the first Fruits of the spirit, referred to Man, and why not some second subordinat fruits of it to the Creatures in General? for as they were cursed in the Fall of Man, for Man's sake, so it seems in his Restitution they shall be also blessed for his sake. But of this enough. Let us now summe up and consider the several inconveniences our first Parent was Subject to, for they will be of some use with us hereafter. First of all, he was ejected from the presence of God, and exposed to the Malice and Tentations of the Devill. He was altered from Good to Bad, from Incorruptible to Corruptible: In the Day (saith the Scripture) Thou eatest thereof, Thou shalt dye the Death. He was excluded from a glorious Paradyse, and confin'd to a base world, whose sickly infected Elements conspiring with his own Nature, did assist and hasten that Death, which already began to reign in his Body. Heaven did mourn over him, The Earth, and all her Generations about him. He look'd upon himself as a Felon, and a Murtherer, being guilty of that Curse and Corruption, which succeeded in the world because of his fall, as we have sufficiently proved out of the Mosaicall and Cabalisticall Traditions. He was Ignorant, and therefore hopeles of Life aeternal, and for this Temporal present Life, he was not acquainted with the Provisions of it. The Elements of Husbandrie were not as yet known, there was neither House nor Plow, nor any of those manuall Arts, which make up a worldly providence. He was exposed to the Violence of Rains and Winds, Frosts and Snows, and in a word deprived of all Comforts Spiritual, and Natural. What should I say more? He was a meer stranger in this World, could not distinguish Medicines from Poysons, neither was he skill'd in the ordinarie praeparations of Meate and Drink. He had no Victuals ready to his hands, but the crude unseasoned Herbage of the Earth, so that he must either starve, or feed as Nebuchadnezar did, with the Beasts of the Field. He heard indeed sometimes of a Tree of Life in Eden, but the Vegetables of this world for ought he knew might be so many Trees of Death. I conclude therefore that he had some Instructor to initiat him in the wayes of Life, and to shew him the intricate and narrow paths of that wilderness. For without question his outward Miseries, and his inward Despaire were Motives whereupon God did reveale a certaine Art unto Him, by which he might relieve his present Necessities, and imbrace a firme Hope of a future and glorious Restitution. For God having ordained a second aeternal Adam, did by some mysterious Experience manifest the possibilitie of his comming to the First, Who being now full of Despaire, and overcharged with the Guilt of his own sin was a very fit Patient for so Divine and mercifull a Physician. But omitting our own Reasons, which we might produce to this purpose, let us repayre to the Cabalists, who indeed are very high in the Point, and thus they deliver themselves. God (say they) having made fast the Doores of his Paradyse, and turn'd out Adam, sometimes the Dearest of his Creatures, did notwithstanding the Present Punishment, retaine his former Affection towards him still. For God is said to love his Creatures not that there is any thing lovely in Them without their Creator, but in that hee desires their perfection: That is to say he would have them Conformable to himself, and fitt to receive his Image or Similitude, which is a spiritual Impress of his Beauty. Now to restore this Similitude in Adam was impossible unlesse God should reassume that to himself which was now fallen from him. So transcendent, and almost incredible a Mercie had God treasur'd up in his secret Will, being resolved to unite the Nature of Man to his Own, and so vindicat him from Death, by taking him into the Deitie, which is the true Fountain and Center of Life. This Will (say the Cabalists) was first revealed to the Angels, and that by God himself in these words; Ecce Adam sicut unus ex Nobis: Behold an Adam like one of us, knowing Good and Euill! This speech they call Orationem occultissimam à Creatore Mundi cum beatis Angelis in suae Divinitatis Penetralibus habitam; A most secret Conference which God had with the blessed Angels in the Inner-Chambers of Heaven. Now that the same Scripture should speak one thing in the Letter, and another in the Mysterie, is not strange to mee, how difficult soever it may seem to another. For verily this Text may not concern the first Adam, who knowing Evill by Committing it, could not be like God in respect of that Knowledge, which made him sinfull, and altogether unlike him. For God (if I may so expresse it) knows the Evill onely speculatively, in asmuch as nothing can escape his Knowledge, and therefore is not guilty of Evill: For as Tritemius hath well observed, Scientia Mali non est Malum, sed usus; The knowledge of Evill is not Evill, but the practice of it. It remains then, that this Speech concern'd the Second Adam, Christ Jesus, who knew the Evill, but did not commit it, and therefore was like one of us, that is like One of the Trinitie, knowing Good and Evill, and yet no way guiltie of the Evill. This primitive and Compendious Gospell was no sooner imparted to the Angels, but they became Ministers of it, the Law (as St. Paul saith) being ordained in their hands, till Christ should take it into his own and their Administration to Man took Beginning with this Oracle. Thus (say the Cabalists) Raziel the Angel was presently dispatch'd to communicat the Intelligence to Adam, and to acquaint him with the Mysteries of both world, AEternall, and Temporall. For as he could not obtain the Blessings of the AEternall World, unless by a true faith hee apprehended the Three AEternall Principles of it, so neither could he fully injoy the benefits of this Temporall World, unless hee truly understood the Three Visible substances whereof it consists. For there are Three above, and Three beneath, Three (as St. John saith) in Heaven, and Three on Earth; The Inferior bear witness of the Superior, and are their only proper Receptacles. They are Signatures and Created Books, where wee may reade the Mysteries of the supernaturall Trinitie. But to proceed in our former Discourse: The Cabalists doe not onely attribute a Guardian to Adam, but to every one of the Patriarchs, allowing Them their Praesidents and Tutors both to assist and instruct Them in their wearisome and worldly Peregrinations. A Doctrine in my Opinion not more Religious than Necessary, how Prodigious soever it may seem to some Phantastic, insiped Theologicians. For Certainly it is impossible for us to find out Mysteries of our selves, wee must either have the Spirit of God, or the Instruction of his Ministers, whereher they bee Men or Angels. And thus wee see out of the Traditions and Doctrine of the Jewes, how their Cabala, and our Magic came first into the world. I shall now examine the Scriptures, and consult with them: where (if I am not much mistaken) I shall find some Consequences, which must needs depend on these Principles, and thus I apply my self to the Task.