VVHerefore all things being so, neither of things created, Heavenly things or Earthly, is any thing stable fixed or immoveable, for only God, and worthily he alone is in himself from himself, and on all sides wholly full and perfect, and this is his firme stability which cannot be removed by the enforcement, or occasion of any other seeing in him are all things, and in all things he is only, unlesse any man will dare to say that his motion consisteth in eternity, but much rather his eternity is unmoveable, into which p. 96 the motion of all times returneth, and from which the motion of all times takes it beginning. God hath therefore been alwayes stable, and his eternity alwaies a like stable with him, containing the world not created within himself, which we rightly call sensible. The Image of this God is the world, which is made an imitator or resemblance of eternity: for time hath the force, and nature of stability in the very necessity of return again into it self: wherefore albeit eternity be stable immoveable and fixed, yet because by the mobility of time, motion is alwayes called back into eternity, and that mobility is turned by reason of time, it comes to passe that eternity it self is certainely immoveable, and may seem only by time to be moved in which it p. 97 self is, for in that time is all the motion; so it happens that the stability of eternity is moved, and the stability of time, becomes stable by the rule of motion, and so it is credible that God is moved into himself, by the same immoveablenesse, for there is an in immoveable motion in the greatnesse of his very stability, for the condition of his greatnesse is immoveable. This therefore which is so, and not obvious to our senses, is infinite, incomprehensible and inestimable, which can neither be sustained, reported of, nor found out; whereupon it is uncertain wherein, where, how, and in what fashion it is: for he is reported to be in the greatest stability, and in him is his stability, whether he be God or Eternity, whether the one be in the other, or both p. 98 in either, for which cause eternity is without definition of time: but time which may be defined, returning either by order course or circuit of another is eternal, wherefore both seem to be infinite, both eternall, for stability considering that it is fixed, for that by the Benefit of strength it can sustein all things that are moveable, it worthily obtaineth Dominion: for the beginning of all things which are, is God, and eternity; but the world because it is moveable hath not the principality, for his mobility prevents his stability by the rule of continuall motion, having an immoveable strength. All sense therefore of the divinity being a like and immoveable, moveth it self by his stability, and is incorrupt, and eternal, or whatsoever may more fitly be called; eternity p. 99 consisting in the very truth of the high God, full of all sensible things, and full knowledge abiding as I said with God, but worldly sense is the receptacle of all sensible things, both for Species and disclipine, but humane sense by the strength of memory, for that it remembers all things that it hath done: for divine reason and sense come down continually to man, and God would not that excellent, and divine sense should be confounded with all Creatures, lest it should blush in being mixt with brutes. For the understanding of humane sense, of what sort, and how great it is, is wholly in the memory of things past: for by that strength of memory it is made governour of the earth; but the understanding of Nature, and of the quality and sense of the p. 100 world, may be perceived by all sensible things in the world; eternity, which is the second is known to be a sense and quality given of the sensible world, but the understanding of the quality, and quality of the sense of the high God, is the alone truth, the shaddow of which truth in the world is not certainly known in the last line, for where is any thing known by the dimension of time, where there seem to be leasings generations and errors? You see therefore, O Asclepius, in what things we are agreed upon, which we handle or which we dare to touch: but I give unto thee thankes, O great God, which hast illuminated me with the light of seeing thy divinity: and you O Tatus, Asclepius, And Amnon, conceale secretly within your breasts and keep p. 101 close these divine Mysteries. But in this differeth understanding from sense, for that our understanding commeth by the intention, and diligence of the mind to understand and know the quality of the sense of the world, but the understanding of the world reacheth to eternity, and to know God who is above it self, and so it happens unto us men, that as in a mist we see those things which are in Heaven, as much as it is possible through the condition of humane sense. And this intention or reach in perceiving so great good things is very narrow and weak, but is most large when it shall see it by knowledge, and the testimony of a good conscience.
The Commentary.
The eleventh Chapter discloseth that onely God is immovable and stable, and all other things mutable; God is infinite, incomprehensible, and is unknown what he is: the holy, incorrupt, and eternall sense of God, treateth of the sense of the world, of the sense of man, of the difference of the understanding from the sense.
This is the Sum of the eleventh Part.