To the judicious and discreet reader

To the Judicious and Discreet READER.

MY desire is (Judicious and Learned Reader) that it may not prove offensive unto any, if (in the imitation of my Physicall and Theo-philosophicall Patron St. Luke) I mention and cite the testimony of Holy-Writ, to prove and maintaine the true and essentiall Philosophy, with the virtuous properties of that eternall Wisdom, which is the Foundation and Corner-stone, whereon it is grounded. Was not this the radicall Subject of my foresaid Patron, who was as well a Divine Philosopher, as a Physitian? If the office of of Jacob's Ladder, was for Souls and Angels, to ascend from the Earth unto Heaven, and to descend from Heaven unto Earth, and that by many steps or degrees, corresponding-to both the Elementary and ethereall or Heavenly nature: Or (as the Poet, speaking mystically), If the chain of Nature hath its highest and last linck, fastned unto the foot of Jupiter's chair in Heaven, as the lower is fixed on Earth: how is it possible for us earthly creatures, or rather divine Images, howsed and obscured in clayie tabernacles, to wade, of our selves, through the confused Labyrinth of the creature, unto the bright Essence of the Creator; that is, to search out the mysteries of the true Wisdom in this world, and the creatures thereof; but by penetrating with a mentall speculation and operative perfection into the earthly Circumference or mansion thereof, and so to dive, or attain by little and little unto the heavenly Pallace; I mean, the middle point or Center thereof, where onely her abiding place is to be found, who is the Center of all things; whose Circumference is no where, rationally, to be imagined or thought of? If God therefore in and by his Eternal Word or Divine Wisdom, hath first made the creatures, and sustained the same unto this present; How can a reall Philosopher enucleate the mysteries of the Creator in the creature, or judiciously behold or express the creature in the Creator (for in him are all things); but by such rules or directions as the onely storehouse of Wisdom, namely the holy Scriptures have registred, and the finger of that sacred Spirit indited for our instructions? Shall we with the Agarens, and those which were of Theman, forsake the Fountain of Virtue, to search after true Wisdom, where it is not to be found? And yet nevertheless, lest mine intention should by the misprision of any, be ill interpreted or misunderstood, I think it convenient, to certify you, that my p[…]pose, in the progress of this Sacred or Mosaicall Philosophy, is farre from any presumption, to trench upon, or derogate from the deep and mysticall Laws of Theology in her pure and simple essence, or to oppose the current of her Argument against those usuall Tenents and Authentick rules in Divinity, which have been long since decreed and ordained by the Ancient Fathers of the Church. But as it is certain, that one and the self-same place in Scriptures hath a two-fold meaning, to wit, an internall or spirituall, and an externall or literall; and either of these two senses are true and certain, though they seem to vary or differ by a diverse respect: no otherwise than under the name of one and the same man a double nature, namely a spirituall Soul, and a materiall Body, are really to be understood: So also besides such mysticall interpretations, as the Texts of Scripture do internally contain; it may also express and delineate externally such created realities, as belong unto the true Subject of the most essentiall Philosophy. And again, we ought co consider, that the Subject or method in proceeding or handling of both these progressions, are in some sort different, being that the one (I mean Theology) pointeth directly at the sincere and simple nature, with the virtuous extentions and powerfull operations of the Divine Essence, making her demonstration à Priori, as if for the proof of a Circle's existence, one should begin his inquisition from the formal Center or middlepoint, and so proceed unto the Circumference. The other (to wit, Philosophy) moveth by a clean opposit action or method, from the externall of the creature, or organ, quasi demonstratione à posteriori, to dive and search into its internall Center, that it might there find out, or attain unto the knowledg of the eternall Actor; to wit, of that all-working Wisdome, which doth manifestly act or operate in it; being warranted in this her manner of research by the wise Physiologist Solomon, who teacheth us to search after, and to discover the unknown Work-man, by his known or visible works; that is, to apprehend the Divine or eternall cause, by the created or temporall effect. Or (as the sacred Philosopher St. Paul hath it) to see and consider the visible things of God, that is, his eternal Power and Godhead, by his works; No otherwise than the hidden centrall Monady, or punctuall Unity of a Globe is, after diligent inquiry found out by moveing first from the Circumference by the semidiameters, and then, attaining by degrees unto the middle and secret point, which serveth as a formall prop or essentiall Corner-stone, to sustain the whole Spherical Fabrick. Which being so, and seeing that the holy Bible doth fully handle and set down the Subject of both these Sciences, by the way of the two foresaid Demonstrations, namely as well after a Physicall as Metaphysicall manner: My hope is, that this my Philosophicall Discourse, will not be therefore sinisterly judged of, by the truly wise and unpartiall Reader; because it chiefly relieth on the axioms or testimonies of Scriptures. Now, That the sacred Text doth every where specify the manner of these two proceedings, it is made apparent, in that it doth certify the mysticall acts or operations, as well of the aeviall and temporall, as of the eternall world. But it is clear, that the eternall world, which hath neither beginning nor end, being onely replenished with the glorious Majesty of God, is the main Foundation on which Theology is grounded; as on the other side, the temporall or lowest world, having both beginning and end, and being divided into a visible heaven and earth, with the creatures thereof, is the main plat-form of the true Philosophy. As for the aeviall world, which hath a beginning but no end, and was ordained by God, to be a receptacle for the Angelicall Spirits and blessed Souls, as it hath its position betwixt both the extream worlds, namely that of Eternity, and the other of Temporality; for it hath an immediate relation or commerce with them both: For first, it receiveth its immediate light, life, or formall existence, from Eternity; and then it poureth it out, or communicateth it with the temporall or inferiour mansion, to create and vivify it with the creatures thereof: insomuch, that as the formall act of the temporall world is Angelicall; so the vivifying soul or spirit of the aeviall, is divine or eternall. Wherefore it followeth, that the nature and property of Angells, is neither to be excluded from the Subject of Theology; forasmuch as they participate with the Divine Light or bright presence of Eternity; neither can they be exempted from the body of Philosophy, being that the Angelicall light is the soul and life of the Temporal nature, and consequently the true Philosopher must acknowledg his essentiall science or Philosophicall grounds, to proceed radically from the Eternall God by his aeviall or Angelicall Spirits, into his temporall creatures, I mean the Stars, Winds, Elements, Meteors, and perfect mixed bodies; and therefore in respect that the Philosophicall Subject is animated by Angelicall influences, it must needs pierce with a mentall regard into the eternall Light, which doth centrally vivifie both the aeviall and temporall creatures; beyond the which there is nothing to be found or imagined.

This therefore is the perfect tri-partite measure of that Ladder which Jacob dreamed of, when he laid his head upon the stone, which in its longitude, latitude, and profundity, contained the images or characters of these three worlds; and for that reason it was termed by the Patriarch himself, Domus Dei, The tabernacle of God: Whereupon, as that stone had his externall and internall; so in his divine dream, he observed Angells to ascend by it, namely from earth, which is the Creator's soot-stool, unto the Eternall world, where his Throne is, by the aeviall mansion; and also to descend again, by the same degrees. Thus may the sacred Philosopher, with the Prophet, not onely perceive, by a more externall spirituall vision Rotam in Rota, or the aeviall essence in the temporall beeing; but also by a most internall or mentall aspect, he may contemplate Rotam in medio Rotarum, to wit, a centrall mover and Eternall Spirit in the aeviall, by the which the temporall or corporeall creature, is immediatly vivified and agitated: whereby we may boldly infer, with the Scriptures, that, God is essentially one and all. And therefore I may lawfully conclude, with these axioms of the divine Theo-Philosophists, which appertain as well unto the formal act in the Creature, which is the true life of Philosophy, as the essentiall virtue of Divinity, that, God operateth all in all. He vivifieth all things. He filleth all things. His incorruptible Spirit is in all things. By the Word all things were made. In the Word was life, and that life was the light of men. He giveth life, and inspiration, and all things. In him we live, move, and have our beeing. He is the Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all of us. From him, by him, and in him, are all things. He sent his Spirit and created all things. He giveth breath unto the people, and spirit unto the creatures that tread on the earth. O Lord, how manifold are thy works; in Wisdom thou hast made them all: the earth is full of thy riches, &c. If thou hidest thy face, the creatures are troubled, if thou takest a way their breath they die, if thou sendest forth thy Spirit they are re-created or revived. By him were all things created, which are in heaven, and which are in earth, things visible and invisible; whether they be Thrones, or Dominations, or Principalities, or Powers; all things were created by him, and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. Note here, how the Apostle doth livelily set forth in these words, the foresaid three worlds. Again, Christ is all and in all things. He sustaineth all things by the word of his Virtue. In him, are all the treasures of Wisom hid. God by his Wisdom giveth or proportioneth a weight unto the aire, and hangeth the waters or clouds in measure, and maketh a decree for the rain, and ordereth a way for the lightnings of the Thunders. He speaketh in Thunder, and answereth Job out of a Whirl-wind. He by his Word giveth Snow like wool, and scattereth the hoary Frost like ashes; he casteth forth his Ice like morsels: who can resist against his cold? He sendeth out his Word and melteth them; so soon as he sendeth forth his breath, the waters do flow again. By his breath the Frost is engendered, and the breadth of the waters is made narrow. I could produce an infinity of other places out of Scriptures, to manifest the universall acts and virtuous operations, which are effected in the Elementary creatures, by that most essentiall and eternall Wisdom, which is the main ground and true Corner-stone, whereon the purest Mosaicall Philosophy doth rely; but I esteem it needless, being that they are copiously expressed already by me in this my Philosophicall Discourse, and therefore I imagine, that these which are already produced, will be sufficient to content and satisfy all such as are unpartially judicious; unto whose better wisdom and favourable constructions, I recommend these mine indeavours; and finally, both them and my self, unto God's blessed protection.

Your Friend Robert Fludd.