Idolatry WhatScandalous Worship Of Images
Answer To The Argument From The Cherubins, And Brazen Serpent Painting Of Fancies No Idolatry: Abusing Them To Religious Worship Is How Idolatry Was Left In The Church
Canonizing Of Saints The Name Of Pontifex Procession Of Images
Wax Candles, And Torches Lighted
CHAPTER XLVI. OF DARKNESSE FROM VAIN PHILOSOPHY, AND FABULOUS TRADITIONS What Philosophy Is
Prudence No Part Of Philosophy
No False Doctrine Is Part Of Philosophy
Nor Learning Taken Upon Credit Of Authors
Of The Beginnings And Progresse Of Philosophy
Of The Schools Of Philosophy Amongst The Athenians
Of The Schools Of The Jews
The Schoole Of Graecians Unprofitable The Schools Of The Jews Unprofitable University What It Is
Errors Brought Into Religion From Aristotles Metaphysiques
Errors Concerning Abstract Essences
Nunc-stans
One Body In Many Places, And Many Bodies In One Place At Once Absurdities In Naturall Philosophy, As Gravity The Cause Of Heavinesse Quantity Put Into Body Already Made
Powring In Of Soules
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Ubiquity Of Apparition Will, The Cause Of Willing Ignorance An Occult Cause
One Makes The Things Incongruent, Another The Incongruity
Private Appetite The Rule Of Publique Good: And That Lawfull Marriage Is Unchastity
And That All Government But Popular, Is Tyranny
That Not Men, But Law Governs Laws Over The Conscience Private Interpretation Of Law Language Of Schoole-Divines Errors From Tradition Suppression Of Reason
CHAPTER XLVII. OF THE BENEFIT THAT PROCEEDETH FROM SUCH DARKNESSE,
He That Receiveth Benefit By A Fact, Is Presumed To Be The Author
That The Church Militant Is The Kingdome Of God, Was First Taught By
And Maintained Also By The Presbytery
Infallibility
Subjection Of Bishops
Exemptions Of The Clergy
The Names Of Sacerdotes, And Sacrifices
The Sacramentation Of Marriage The Single Life Of Priests Auricular Confession
Canonization Of Saints, And Declaring Of Martyrs
Transubstantiation, Penance, Absolution Purgatory, Indulgences, Externall Works Daemonology And Exorcism
School-Divinity
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The Authors Of Spirituall Darknesse, Who They Be
Comparison Of The Papacy With The Kingdome Of Fayries
A REVIEW, AND CONCLUSION
THE INTRODUCTION
Nature (the art whereby God hath made and governes the world) is by the art of man, as in many other things, so in this also imitated, that it can make an Artificial Animal. For seeing life is but a motion of Limbs, the begining whereof is in some principall part within; why may we not say, that all Automata (Engines that move themselves by springs and wheeles as doth a watch) have an artificiall life? For what is the Heart, but a Spring; and the Nerves, but so many Strings; and the Joynts, but so many Wheeles, giving motion to the whole Body, such as was intended by the Artificer? Art goes yet further, imitating that Rationall and most excellent worke of Nature, Man. For by Art is created that great LEVIATHAN called a COMMON-WEALTH, or STATE, (in latine CIVITAS) which is but an Artificiall Man; though of greater stature and strength than the Naturall, for whose protection and defence it was intended; and in which, the Soveraignty is an Artificiall Soul, as giving life and motion to the whole body; The Magistrates, and other Officers of Judicature and Execution, artificiall Joynts; Reward and Punishment (by which fastned to the seat of the Soveraignty, every joynt and member is moved to performe his duty) are the Nerves, that do the same in the Body Naturall; The Wealth and Riches of all the particular members, are the Strength; Salus Populi (the Peoples Safety) its Businesse; Counsellors, by whom
all things needfull for it to know, are suggested unto it, are the Memory; Equity and Lawes, an artificiall Reason and Will; Concord, Health; Sedition, Sicknesse; and Civill War, Death. Lastly, the Pacts and Covenants, by which the parts of this Body Politique were at first made, set together, and united, resemble that Fiat, or the Let Us Make Man, pronounced by God in the Creation.
To describe the Nature of this Artificiall man, I will consider
First the Matter thereof, and the Artificer; both which is Man.
Secondly, How, and by what Covenants it is made; what are the Rights and just Power or Authority of a Soveraigne; and what it is that Preserveth and Dissolveth it.
Thirdly, what is a Christian Common-Wealth. Lastly, what is the Kingdome of Darkness.
Concerning the first, there is a saying much usurped of late, That Wisedome is acquired, not by reading of Books, but of Men. Consequently whereunto, those persons, that for the most part can give no other proof of being wise, take great delight to shew what they think they have read in men, by uncharitable censures of one another behind their backs. But there is another saying not of late understood, by which they might learn truly to read one another, if they would take the pains; and that is, Nosce Teipsum, Read Thy Self: which was not meant, as it is now used, to countenance, either the barbarous state of men in power, towards their inferiors; or to encourage men of low degree, to a sawcie behaviour towards their betters; But to teach us, that for the similitude of the thoughts, and Passions of one man, to the thoughts, and Passions of another, whosoever looketh into himselfe, and considereth what he doth, when he does Think, Opine, Reason, Hope, Feare, &c, and upon what grounds; he shall thereby read and know, what are the thoughts, and Passions of all other men, upon the like occasions. I say the similitude of Passions, which are the same in all men, Desire, Feare, Hope, &c; not the similitude or The Objects of the Passions, which are the things Desired, Feared, Hoped, &c: for these the constitution individuall, and particular education do so vary, and they are so easie to be kept from our knowledge, that the characters of mans heart, blotted and confounded as they are, with dissembling, lying, counterfeiting, and erroneous doctrines, are legible onely to him that searcheth hearts. And though by mens actions wee do discover their designee sometimes; yet to do it without comparing them with our own, and distinguishing all circumstances, by which the case may come to be altered, is to decy-pher without a key, and be for the most part deceived, by too much trust, or by too much diffidence; as he that reads, is himselfe a good or evill man.
But let one man read another by his actions never so perfectly, it serves him onely with his acquaintance, which are but few. He that
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is to govern a whole Nation, must read in himselfe, not this, or that particular man; but Mankind; which
