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 אמרו חכמים 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 πίστευσον Believe, and no more. Nay, the solemnitie of this short Induction was such, that Julian made it the Topic to his Apostasie; οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ τὸ πίστευσον 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 Syllogism. 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: Ἐπιδέχεται τὸ ψεῦδος, οἷον δόξα καὶ λογισμός That Reason is subject to Error, as well as Opinion. And Philoponus expounding these words of his, [Marginal note: That is, We say not onely Science, but the Principle also of Science to be something whereby we understand the Termes.] Non solùm scientiam, sed & Principium Scientiae esse aliquod dicimus, Quo Terminos cognoscimus, hath this excellent and Christian observation. Ἀρχὴν μὲν ἐπιστήμης τὸν νοῦν εἰληφὼς, οὐ τὸν ἡμέτερον ἀλλὰ τὸν θεῖον καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς· ὅρους δὲ τὰ νοητὰ καὶ θεῖα εἴδη. Taking indeed (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 Comment) 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 Ὅρους 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 [Marginal note: C. Agrip.] 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 signified 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 fling them at the Mark.