Section I, Book 5, chapter 5: Winds, clouds, fountains, lightning and thunder

CHAP. V. How Aristotle's Doctrine touching the Generation of the Clowds, and production of the Drops of Rain, is found to be altogether contradictory unto the true Wisdome's Institutions.

WE will now come unto our inquiry and examination of Aristotle's skill, in the watry Meteors: and because that the causes of mists, called Nebulae, and thinner clowds termed Nubeculae, are comprehended under the title of Nubes or Clowds, I will onely insist upon the Mystery of the clowdy impression: For I purpose not to make any great Volume of words, to weary your eies with reading them over, but onely to touch with brevity such kinds of principall Meteors, as may in their generality include by their descriptions, every speciality that may be comprehended under them. I will therefore briefly begin with Aristotle's opinion, and then compare it with the Testimony of holy Writ, that thereby the essence of it may be examined with the fire of verity, to see whether it will indure the Test, or withstand the tryalls of Truth's touch-stone or no.

His opinion therefore with that of his Christian followers, is, that, A clowd is produced of a vapour, which is elevated from the earth and water, into the middle region of the aire, by the attractive power of the Sun or Starrs, where it is contracted, and as it were congealed into the consistence of a visible clowd, by vertue of the extreame coldnesse of the place; the which clowd is afterwards partly by the heat of the Sun, and partly by the force of the winds, carried or forced this way and that way, through the middle region of the aire. Lo this is the Substance of the Peripateticall definition of a clowd!

Now that we may the better gather and understand the truth of this business, and find out whether Aristotle be a true or a false Prophet in this his description; Let us here consider, what the Book or Bible of verity shall teach us concerning the Generation of a cloud, and how the members or clauses of this our definition do agree with the intention of it: which that we may more distinctly, and with the exacter method effect, we purpose in this place to compare their minds and senses together, that each person, though but meanly literated, may easily judge and determine of the case, as truly it standeth.

In the precedent Definition, he maketh the efficient and procreating cause, the heat or act of the Sun, saying, that by the attractive vertue thereof, the vapour which is the matter or substance of the clowd, is drawn out of the earth and water, and sublimed into the middle region of the aire; averring also, that partly by the motion of the Sun, and partly by the winds it is moved this way and that way. Again, he surmiseth that the cause of the contraction, or condensation of the vapour into the consistence of a cloud, is the coldness of the middle region of the aire. So that unto the consistence of the clowd, he faineth that two Agents quite contrary in nature and condition unto one another, do concur and meet together, namely the heat of the Sun, and coldness of the middle region of the aire: but he assigneth no internall cause of motion unto the clowd, esteeming it as a thing dead, and without an active spirit.

For this cause therefore, there do offer themselves unto each wise-man's consideration, sundry doubts in this Definition to be throughly resolved and determined of, before he will be able rightly to judge the verity thereof, namely, first whether the heat of the Sun do draw and attract vapours out of the earth and waters, into the middle region of the aire, for the composing and shaping out of a clowdy Meteor. Secondly, whether the coldness of the middle region of the aire, be the occasion of the condensation, or thickning of a thin vaporous substance, into the consistence of a well compacted clowd. Thirdly, whether the clowds be only moved by externall efficient Agents, namely by the winds and Sun, as being destitute of any internall active principle or centrall Agent, or else if it be moved and animated by an internall Spirit. Unto either of these three questions or doubts, I purpose here to answer, in order as they are proposed.

Unto the first Objection therefore I say: That it is a most false and erroneous Tenent of the Peripateticks, that the Sun, Starrs, or fire, do draw unto them any vapours or exhalations: For it is proved by experience, that they rather expell and dissipate from them such things as are rarified by them, than draw and allure them unto them: neither is it true as most men falsly dream and surmise, that the Sun draweth fumes upward, or that the fire sucketh the vaporous substance of the attenuated water unto it; but their office is to rarify and subtiliate the waters and to reduce the moister part of the earth into vapour: And then it is naturally incident unto those light Substances, of their own inclinations, to ascend and mount upwards, without any other externall agent. But all this we have plainly demonstrated by our experimentall Instrument: For if you set your hand upon the bolts head or round glasse, on the top the aire will dilate it self, and presently fly away from the rarifying agent that dilateth it, and therefore much less will that agent suck or draw it unto it self. By which it is evident, that whereas it seemed in the eies of worldly wise-men, that because a vapour or fume ascendeth upwards, therfore that motion from the Earth must needs proceed from the attractive vertue of the Summer heat; now in the conclusion, it is proved to be stark false and erroneous, being that the nature of Heat and Light are clean contrary unto the attraction: forasmuch as they expell by dilatation, and do dissipate, and enlarge, which is contrary unto the condition of attraction, gathering together, and condensation, which are the properties of cold, as is mainfested by our experimentall Machin.

But now to prove that Aristotle's grounds are most extravagant unto the Truth, who affirmeth that the clowds are made of a vapour drawn or elevated up into the middle region of the aire, we must understand, that the Opinion of the holy Scriptures is flatly adverse and contrary unto this clause or member of his definition, or description, being that first it is easily to be gathered by this Text of St. Paul, That we ought to believe by Faith, that things visible were first made of such things which were not seen: and therefore it is neither the visible earth nor water, that can be the Originall of the clowds, but rather the invisible aire. And this is also maintained by divers plain Testimonies of Scriptures: Deus sapienti[…] su[…] aptat pondus aëri, & appendit aquas in mensura: Ligat eas in densis nubibus, facit pluviae statuta, & viam fulgetro tonitruum: God by his Spirit of Wisdome, doth give a weight and proportion unto the aire; and hangeth or ballanceth the waters by measure; tieth them in the thick clowds; giveth laws unto the rain, and assigneth a way unto the Lightning of the Thunder. In which speech the wise and patient Job doth seem to confirm. First, that God is the Father and Head, from whence this work, and all other, doth radically proceed; and the eternall efficient instrument, by which he acteth, is his Spirit of Wisdome: which also accordeth with this of the Apostle: Nobis est unus Deus Pater à quo omnia, & unus Dominus Jesus Christus per quem omnia: To us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things; and one onely Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things. Secondly, That the aire is the main Subject as well of the watery as fiery Meteors, for by thickning or condensing of it, it giveth a consistence unto the clowds, and such-like Meteors, which are easily afterward resolved into water and rain, and then by attenuating it extreamly, it becometh lightning: Not that I say, that the act of Lightning is of the Substance of the aire, but is rather an admirable Light, clothed with the aire as with a vestiment. And in the very same sense the Text saith, Indutus lumine quasi vestimento: He is endued with light as with a vestiment. And again, the wise Philosopher, In lumine numen, in numine lumen. So that the thinner the aire is, the hotter it is, and consequently the richer in coelestiall fire, whose centrall act is divinity. Now that the aire is the substance or materiall subject of the watry Meteors, the precedent Text beareth it in these words, God by his Wisdom assigneth, or setteth by proportion, a weight unto the aire; that is, he thickeneth it into clowds, for the words following importeth so much, which are, Appendit aquas seu nubes in mensura, He hangeth or ballanceth the waters or clowds by measure, or attenuateth it into lightnings, as the words following do witnesse. So that he seemeth to aver, that the invisible aire is altered according to weight and measure, into the bodies or substances of the visible clowds, which afterwards are resolved into rain, and fiery lightnings, which by compression do appear. Again, that it is neither the earth nor waters from which the existence or substance of a clowd is made, but onely the aire, we plainly do gather out of these words in Deuteronomy, Aperiet tibi IEHOVA the saurum suum optimum, […]oelos, dando pluviam terrae tuae suo tempore: IEHOVA will open his best treasury, the heavens, giving rain unto thy earth in due season. Out of which words observe, first, that by the heavens is meant the Aire, for in the aire the clowds are procreated; and again, the aire is called heaven in many places of Scripture, as volatilia coeli, the fouls or birds of heaven. And therefore this is the sacrarium divinum, the divine treasury or treasure-house, out of the which God at his pleasure produceth and fashioneth the clowds. Secondly, that the aire is called his best treasury, and therefore it is out of it, that not onely he doth extract his meteorologicall creatures, but also that wise-men do enquire after their mysticall summum bonum, and Christian Philosophers that are well grounded, the character of the divine wisdom. Again, it is said in another place, Propterea aperti sunt thesauri, & evolarunt nubes & nebulae, sicut aves: Therefore his treasuries are opened, and the clowds did fly out like birds. But this is made yet more evident, by these plain words of Job, Subitò aer condensabitur in nubes, & ventus transiens fugabit eas: The aire will suddenly be condensed or thickned into clowds, and the moving winde will drive them before it. By which words it is apparent, that the aire is the subject out of the which the clowds are compacted and framed, and that the heavens are the onely treasury, out of the which they are collected, and therefore neither the earth nor the water, as Aristotle would have it; which if it were true indeed, mark what an absurd impossibility must follow. For then whereas the Sun doth attenuate the aire in the summer-season, it would contrary unto reason condense it, by the continuall raising of vapours; and then a greater absurdity would follow on the neck of this, to destroy Aristotles tenent, touching the generation of the clowds, for then we should have more clowds and rain in the summer, than winter, being that there are made more vapours at that season, by the Suns heat and emptying of ponds and rivers, then in the winter, which experience proveth false. And lastly, it is neither the heat of the Sun nor Stars, but the eternall Spirit of JEHOVA, whose dominion is over the angelicall winds, by which he moveth and operateth all these alterations in the air, and by the aire, as shall be told you hereafter. And therefore it was said, By his wisdom he giveth weight unto the aire, and hangeth the clowds in measure, and assigneth rules unto the rain, and proportioneth a way or passage unto the lightnings and thunders, &c. But I come unto the second Doubt.

To the resolution of the second doubt, I say, that there is another manner of reason, for the incrassation and condensation of an invisible vapour, or the aire, into a cloud, than that which Aristotle and his followers have assigned, and set down; for whereas he saith, that this feat is performed, by the contractive cold of the middle region of the aire, it may be wondered at, why this effect is not wrought as well at other times, as when the winds do blow from their certain quarters of the earth; for when the southerly winds have dominion, then do we see clouds to multiply, and the rain to poure down in the greatest abundance. I would fain know of these Peripateticks, why the vapours should be raised so thick, just at that time when the wind bloweth from the south, to make a greater abundance of clowds in the aire, then at another season, namely, when they have no dominion? Or why should the cold of the middle region of the aire, be apter to coagulate or curdle vapours at that time, than at other times, being that the warm clouds, or dense aire, which is driven from the Aequinoctiall, do moderate the middle region's cold, through which they glide by reason of their hot temper? Verily I know, that they are ignorant what to answer touching this point, and therefore I will presse them no further. But I will tell you of an experiment of mine own, whereby I was induced unto the truth, concerning the generation of the mists and clouds: When in my travells I went or journeyed from Venice unto Augusta, or Ausburg, in Germany, as I travelled between the high mountains and rocks of the Alps, upon a certain day when the heavens were passing clear, and without any cloud to be seen in the Horizon, the Sun also (as in these times it must needs) being passing bright; I espied on the top of a steepy mountain, on the which the Sun-beams did strongly beat, a certain fogg or mist by little and little to arise, and ever it thickned more and more, untill it grew from a sleight vapour unto a mist, and from a foggy mist at the last unto a thick cloud, and all this while the aire was every where clear, except only on that side the hill, from the top unto the bottom, which we beheld. It made me a little to marvell, and therefore alighting from our Coach, I took some grasse and flung it into the aire, to try which way the wind did blow, and I found it to be full upon or against that eminent hlll, which was advanced towards the heavens above his fellows. Whereupon I did streight-way gather, that the degrees of progression from a vapour unto a mist, and from a mist unto a fogg, and so forward unto the consistence of a clowd, was by compression of the common aire, which was chased before the winde by little and little, against the lofty rock or mountain, which hindering of it in its passage or flight, was the cause that the consequent-aire was added unto the precedent, and so by adding and compressing of parts of the aire unto other parts, a perfect clowd, onely conformable unto that part of the mountain, was made, which forthwith, when it became ponderous, and apt to endure the reflexion of the Sun, did resolve it self for four miles space on this side the rock into rain, all the rest of the aire remaining still clear, and without any clowd. Whereby I did forthwith conceive, that clowds were not ingendered after the manner described by the Peripateticks, that is, by the vapours rising out of the earth and waters, but by the inspissation or incrassation of the thin and invisible aire, into a thick, dense, and visible clowd, according unto the before-mentioned place of Job, Subitò aer condensabitur in nubes & transiens ventus fugabit eas. But then I was a little troubled, when I remembred, that mountains and high rocks cannot by their resistance, and stopping of the fugitive aire, be alwaies the cause of the clowds; being that we find, that clowds do every where appear, yea, in the plain deserts, and open seas, where no hills are. Whereupon after that I had a little while considered, and well pondered this objection with my self, I did quickly conceive an infallible answer and resolution of this doubt, considering, that there is not a winde that bloweth in the heavens with dominion, but hath some opposite or transversall winde which bloweth with it, though it be not discerned by reason that the mightier winde doth darken or obscure the action of the weaker, even as in the open Sun a candle is scarcely to be discerned. Now that at one and the same time two or more winds do blow, I will prove it by common experience; for being often on the seas, I have observed, that when the predominant winde hath fallen a little in his force by fits, and hath urged the sayl of the Ship but weakly, an opposite winde hath immediately bewrayed it self, and moved the sail the contrary way, untill the other rising again, did replenish and fill up the sail towards our determined mark, which made for our purpose. But we have also Scriptures to testifie, that opposite winds do often blow at one and the same instant, for first, the self same Spirit was evoked from the quarters of the four winds, by Ezekiel and Daniel, Ecce quatuor venti caeli pugnabant in mari magno, Behold, the four winds did fight together in a great sea. And Zacharias, Isti quatuor equi sunt quatuor venti coeli qui egrediuntur & stant coram Dominatore omnis carnis: These four horses are the four winds of the heaven, which goe forth and stand before the Lord of all flesh. Whereby it is evident, that not one or two winds, but many winds may blow in the heavens at once; for by their opposite blasts, clowds, whirl-winds, tempests, lightning, and thunders, are commonly effected. All which the profound Poet Homer seemeth to include in a few Verses, translated thus into Latin:

Tantus coelesti rumor percrebuit Aulà,
Cum saeva alterni ruerent in praelia Divi
Neptunum contra bellabat Phoebus Apollo,
Adversus Martem certabat Pallas Athenae.
Great noise was raised in the Elisian hall,
When gods with gods did enter cruell wars:
Phoebus Apollo there with Neptune jars,
Pallas of Athens foul with Mars doth fall.

Where he understandeth by the gods the opposite angelicall spirits, which issue from the winds, who at their meeting in the open aeriall sea, do fight, and tempestuously strive with one another, according unto the sense of the precedent text of Daniel: For by Neptune he meaneth, the president of the occidentall winds, which are cold, moist, and waterish; and by Phoebus he intendeth the orientall president, whose blasts are hot, dry, and fiery; but by Mars is signified the thunder and lightning. Also Ovid doth most notably expresse the combat which is effected amongst the winds, in these verses, speaking in the person of Boreas, or the north-winde.

Idem ego quum fratres coelo sum nactus aperto
Nam mihi campus is est, tanto molimine luctor
Ut medius nostris concussibus insonet Aether
Exiliantque cavis elisi nubibus ignes.

When as I meet my brethren in the aire,
(Which is my field) I wrestle with such ire,
That middle heavens do Eccho at our fare,
And hollow clowds do vent forth flashing fire.

Where by Fratres, Boreas, or the North-wind, understandeth the Southern blast, and the other cardinall winds, the which when Boreas meeteth in the aire, do produce by their contentious struglings and wrastlings, thunder, whirl-winds, and such like tempestuous storms. And therefore we ought not to make any doubt, but that two or more winds do blow at one and the same time, either oppositely, or transversally in the open aire, whereby the intermediate invisible aire is by compression thickened, or condensed from the existence of a mean aire, into a scarce visible vaporous substance, and so unto a more visible misty corpulency; and lastly, into a most apparent and visible clowd, the which clowd neverthelesse is pushed and driven forward by that wind in the heaven, which hath the greatest dominion and denomination; for his power confirming in every point that which is spoken by Job, and cited before, Subito aer condensabitur in nubes & ventus transiens fugabit eas: The aire will suddenly be thickened into clouds, and the winde which moveth in the aire will drive them before it. So that it is easily to be gathered, that a clowd is framed of the aire after this fashion; The aire filling the whole vaulty heaven, and therefore the sublunary world is violently forced to move before the breath of one winde, and being encountered in its flight by an opposite winde unto the first, though of a weaker force, it resists the chased aire in its motion, and by that resistance, aire being joyned unto aire, doth thicken by degrees, even as I told you the steep mountain or rock denying passage unto the aire, which flyed and eschewed the persecuting winde, was the cause of his condensation.

This therefore being rightly considered, it is apparent, that the Peripateticall assertion is unjust and erroneous, forasmuch as it averreth, that a vapour raised out out of the earth and water, up to the middle region of the aire, is by the coldnesse of the place metamorphosed or changed into the form and substance of a clowd; the which also (as is already proved) is most improbable, because the southerly winds, which are the chiefest parents of the clowds, and rain in abundance, seeing that they are hot, by reason of the places temper from whence they are sent, would rather qualifie (as is already said) by their warmth, the coldnesse of the region, through which they march or passe, and therefore would either disannull the effect of that property of cold, or else so weaken and dull the power of it, that if it produced any clowds, they would prove more thin and small ones, then any other of the cold winds; as also the winde Eurus would effect the same, by reason of his great heat. And yet we find all this quite contrary by experience, for the southerly winds do incrassate and produce clowds, that are in generall more moist and thick, then any of the other are accustomed to do; yea verily, the south winde doth so condense the aire by his presence, that (as Isidorus doth affirm) it maketh objects appear greater unto the sight then indeed they are. I come now unto the Resolution of the third Doubt.

Touching the third and last doubt, which is, Whether the clouds be onely Superficially moved by externall winds, and the heat of the Sun, as Aristotle's imagination is, and not by any centrall agent, which ruleth it, as it pleaseth, and at whose Command the winds themselves are obedient. Verily I answer, that, contrary unto the intention of the Peripateticks, the clowds have their inward agen[…], the which calleth the winds to effect his will, and push and move forward hi[…] clowdy vehicle or Chariot, when, where, and which way he pleaseth: For as this Agent is catholick, so is he not absent from the Spirit of the winds, though centrally present in the cloud: For he being present with, and in the spirit of, the winds, doth in and by the Angelicall Spirits of the winds, operate centrally in the aire, and by the contracting act in himself, gathering the aire together into a clowd, which he maketh his vehicle or Chariot. Therefore it is said in one place: Nubibus densis obtegit Deus coelos, quae comparent terrae pluviam; qui facit ut proferant montes foenum, & dent jumentis cibum: God filleth the heavens with clowds, that they might bring forth rain unto the earth, that thereby hay or grass may spring forth, for the nourishment of Cattle. Out of which speech we may gather: First, that God by his windy Ministers doth condense and shape out the aire into clowds (For the stormy winds are said to effect the Will and Word of God). Then, that this was no miraculous work, but a common work in nature, being that it is daily effected to produce grass, herbs, and plants, for the sustenance of living creatures. And Job: Densae nubes tugurium ejus: The thick clowds are his dwelling place. And David: Nubem expandit Deus pro tegumento: God spreadeth abroad the clowd for a covering. And Moses: Descendit Dominus in nube, & loquutus est ad eum: The Lord descended in a clowd and spake unto him. But all this which is said touching this point, is notably expressed in these words of Samuel: Inclinavit IEHOVA coelos & descendit, & caligo sub pedibus ejus, & ascendit super Cherubin, & volavit, & lapsus est super pennes venti: Posuit tenebras in circuitu suo la[…]ibulum, cribrans aquas de nubibus coelorum, prae fulgore in conspectu ejus nubes accensae sunt: IEHOVA did bow down or incline the heavens and ascended, and darknesse was under his feet, and he ascended upon a Cherubin, and did fly and glide upon the wings of the wind: He made darknesse his hiding place, sifting out waters from the clowds of heaven, and the clowds are set on fire at the sight of him, &c. In which relation of holy Writ, what I have spoken before is notably set forth. For first it is said, that God ascended or mounted on the Cherubin, which is an airy Angell; then that he did glide upon the wings of the wind: arguing thereby that the aire being animated by the Angelicall Spirit was made a wind, in the which the Word or Spirit of God did move: and then after this, he in and by the wind did shape out his dark Tabernacle: For it is said: He made darkness his hiding place; that is, he made the dark clowds his Chariot: For David hath it thus, Nubes densae vehiculum, seu currus Dei, qui itat super alas venti: The thick clowds are a vehicle or Chariot of God, who rideth or walketh upon the wings of the winds. In another place it is called Mons Dei coagulatus, in quo bene placitum est Deo inhabitare: The condensed, curdled, or coagulated Mountain of God, in which it is pleasing unto him to dwel. So that it is evident, that the Spirit of God moveth the Angelicall Spirit, the Angelicall Spirit exciteth and informeth the aire with a windy nature: Forasmuch as by his moving in it, the aire is made a windy spirit, and therefore the Prophet said, Qui facis Angelos ventos; then, that animated aire by opposit Angelicall Spirits, incited by one and the same Divinity, doth reduce the common aire into clowds, which are the Chariots of him, who essentially doth act and operate all these things, by divers Organs one within another, which vary in dignity from one another: For by how much the more internall a thing is, the more worthy, and noble, or veruous it is esteemed, because they approach nearest unto that essence in Divinity, which acteth and operateth centrally all in all. That God doth move in the Thunders, speaketh out of the whirl-wind and clowds, and is at his pleasure a consuming fire; and that he operateth centrally in the winds, clowds, Snow, and Tempests, and that all these are effected by his Spirit of Wisdome; the Scriptures do here and there in most places express. And therefore it is vainly said that the clowds only move by the Sun-beams, or the externall pushing winds, caused of so vain impossible Principles as Aristotle telleth us, when it is the Tabernacle in which that Eternall Spirit is pleased to abide, or a Chariot in which he is delighted to ride, whose horses (as Zachary saith) are the winds, or rather the Cherubinicall Spirits, which he doth animate. So that the volunty or centrall principle of the motion is in the clowd, but the Angells and winds are the Ministers or organicall Agents, which move according unto the willer, wherefore though we proved before that the aire was thickned into clowds, and that the following wind did drive them before it, yet the willer and commander of this Generation of clowds by the winds, was the onely and essentiall internall principle or centrall mover in the clowds, which by his will made his Ministers to move him, where or to what purpose he pleased. And, therefore Solomon: Sapientia ejus abyssi ruperunt sese, & coeli distillant rorem: By his Wisdome the abysse brake forth, and did rain down the dew. And, Flante Deo concrescit gelu: God blowing, the Ice is gathered together. Again, Sapientia aptat pondus ae[…]i, & appendit aquas in mensura: Wisdome doth proportion the weight of the aire, and hangeth the waters in measure, &c.

We may therefore boldy conclude against both Aristotle, and all other doctrine of the Ethnicks, that neither the earth nor the water are the immediate fountains of the clowds, but the heavens or aire which is the Treasure-house of God; neither is it the cold of the middle region of the aire, which condenseth any imaginary surging or ascending vapours arising from beneath; but that centrall animating Spirit born or gliding on the wings of the wind, residing but not inclusively in the cloud, who according unto his pleasure, by the means of his organicall Ministers, the Angelicall winds, fashioneth forth the clouds, to serve as a cover or tabernacle unto it. And therefore the cloud acteth not by the heat of the Sun, but by the Divine Light that is centrally in it, which, as an Emperour, sitteth upon the Cherubins, which are airy and windy Angels, as the Seraphins are fiery Spirits, and so moveth upon the wings of the wind or aire, which his Angelicall Cherubin doth animate. So that in and by the windy Organ, he is said to blow when and where he list. It is (I say) the Eternall Spirit of Wisdome, which is in brightness and vertue more noble then the Sun of Heaven, as Solomon testifieth: For as much as it also giveth life and splendor unto the Sun. And therefore it is said to excell the Sun in brightness, which is the onely efficient cause, or formall and essentiall Agent in this business, and consequently neither the Sun, or any other of the created host of Heaven. It is (I say again) the all-creating Spirit, and not the created, which is the generall act, and onely formall mover in the Meteors, whom his Angelicall Ministers (which do ever stand before this Lord of all the earth, that I may speak with the Prophet Zachary) are ready to assist as Organs or instrumentall causes to execute his will. It is (I say) the essentiall wind or Spirit, which bloweth from the center of the cloud, and moveth or inciteth his spirituall created Organs, according unto his will: For by it his Spirit also moveth in the Angels and winds, causing them to effect his Command; according unto David's assertion: Wherefore we may see by this which is said, how incongruous is this opinion of the Ethnick Peripatetick, unto the Truth, and how far it derogateth from the right of God's Word, and consequently what an errour it is in our Christian Philosophers, to follow and imitate his learning, with such a devotion and fervency, as if they were Theodidacti, taught by God himself: when in verity his doctrine doth rather disswade Christians from the knowledg of him in his works, then instruct them therein, being it perswadeth them, that things are effected both in heaven above, and in the earth, and in the waters beneath, by vain waies and accidentally; that is to say, meerly by naturall causes onely, and so would blemish the honour and reputation of Him, who in verity is all in all, and operateth all in all; and that not by constraint, as the vain Peripatetick imagineth, but according unto his Will, as it is proved before.