ANd because we are now speaking of the similitude, and mutuall fellowship of men and God, acknowledge, O p. 70 Asclepius, the authority and power of man. For as the Lord and Father, or most high God, is the Creatour of the heavenly Gods or Angels; so Man is the creatour of those gods which are set in Temples, contented to be neighbours unto men, and are not onely illuminated, but do also illuminate, doing not only good unto men, but also confirmeth that there is a God. Dost wonder at this, O Asclepius, or dost thou doubt of it, as many do?
Asclep. I am confounded, O Trismegistus: but giving credit to what you say, I judge man to be most happy, who hath attained to so great blessednesse.
Trism. Neither unworthily is he worthy of admiration, who is the greatest amongst the gods. For the Genus of all things is manifest without confusion, being p. 71 propagated of the purest part of Nature, and the similitudes of them to be (as it were) the heads of all; but the Species of the gods, which man represents, is fashioned of two natures; Divine, which is the more excellent and noble part; and Earthly, which is that which is here conversant in earth, and which consists of the whole Fabrick, or severall parts of the outward Man. So Man being mindfull of his Divine Nature and Originall, remains still in the likenesse of God. For as the Father and the Lord hath made eternal Gods, that might be like unto him. So man hath fashioned out unto himself gods; after the similitude of his own countenance.
Asclep. Do you mean images, O Trismegistus?
Trism. Do you not see how p. 72 far you are mistaken? living images, full of sense and spirit, doing such and so great things! Images having fore-knowledge of things to come, and fore-telling by many other things, infirmities, cares, and sorrows, which shall happen deservedly to men. Are you ignorant, O Asclepius, that Aegypt is the image of Heaven, or, which is more true, a translation of descension of all things, which are governed and exercised in Heaven? And if we speak rightly, Our land is the Temple of the whole World, and yet for that it beseemeth wise men to fore-know all things, it behoveth you not to be ignorant, that the time will come when it may appear, that the Aegyptians have by a constant and pious practice in religion served God in vain, and all their holy worship shall become void, and of no effect: For the p. 73 Divinity shall return back from Earth into Heaven, Aegypt shall be forsaken, and the Land which was the seat of the Divinity, shall be destitute of Religion, and deprived of the presence of the Deity. For when strangers shall possesse, and fill up this Land and Kingdom, not onely there shall be a neglect of Religion; but, which is more miserable, there shall be Laws enacted against Religion, Piety, and Divine Worship, with punishment inflicted upon those that seem to favour it: then this holy seat shall be full of Iolatry, Idols Temples, and dead mens Sepulchres. O Aegypt, Aegypt, there shall remain only a fained shew of thy Religion, and which will seem incredible to posterity; and onely letters shall stand ingraven upon thy pillars, which may declare thy pious deeds, p. 74 and in thee shall inhabit the Scythian, Indian, or some other neer barbarous Nation. For the Divinity shall fly to Heaven, the whole Nation forsaken shall die, and so Aegypt shall be forsaken of God and man. I call upon thee, thou most holy River, and presage unto thee things which shall come to passe; thy waters and divine streams shall be filled with blood, which shall overflow thy banks, and make a violent inundation, so that there shall be more dead than living, and he that remains alive, shall onely by his language be known to be an Aegyptian, but by his deeds he shall seem a Barbarian. Why weep you, O Asclepius, Aegypt shall be furnished with far greater, and worse evils than these, she being heretofore a holy and great Favourer of the Deity, and p. 75 Divine Worship and Religion, and that worthily upon earth, separated alone from other Nations, became the Mistresse of Sanctity and Piety, shall be an example of the greatest cruelty, and then with grief of heart, the world shall not seem to be admired and adored. This whole good (than the which there neither is, hath, or shall be any thing that shall appear, of more excellencie) shall be indangered, and seem burdenous to men, and in this respect shall be despised: neither shall the world be esteemed, which is the immutable work of God, a most glorious Fabrick, a work compounded with the different variety of shapes, an instrument of the will of God, who in his work (without envie) bespake all things to become one; which, of the beholders, might be honoured, p. 76 praised, and loved, being an united heap of sundry shapes. For darknesse shall be preferred before light, death shall seem sweeter than life, no man shall look up to Heaven, a religious man shall be accounted a mad man, an irreligious and profane person seem wise, a mad man, valiant; and the worst of all men, good and pious: for the Soul, and all things about it, wherein it is either mortall, or conceiveth that it shall attain to immortality, accordingly as I have declared unto you, shall not onely be esteemed a thing worthy of laughter, but also a meer vanity: For beleeve me, it shall be reckoned a capital offence for him that shall study to be religious, there shall new Statutes and Laws be stablished: nothing which is religious shall be heard worthy of Heaven, p. 77 or heavenly things, or be entertained in the hearts of men: there shall be a separation of God, which is much to be lamented, from the Society of men, onely evil angels shall remain mixed with the humanity, which shall violently move to all manner of audacious mischiefs, stir them up to wars, sedition, robberies, deceit, and unto all things contrary to the disposition of the Soul, then the Earth shall not stand, the Sea shall not be sailed in; and in Heaven, the course of the Stars and Planets shall cease, all divine knowledge shall (of necessity) be buried in silence, the fruits of the earth shall be corrupted, neither shall the earth be fruitfull, and the air it self shall languish with a sorrowfull countenance; these and such like times shall come; irreligion p. 78 and confusion of the world, with a senslesnes & vacancy of al good things. When these things shall happen, O Asclepius, then that Lord and Father God Almighty, Governour onely of the world, looking into the manners, and voluntary deeds of men; after his own will (which is his goodnesse) punishing vices, taking away all errours and corruption, and drowning all manner of wickednesse, either by an inundation of waters, or else consuming them by fire, or else by plague and pestilence, he will end this world, and restore it to its ancient beauty; so that the world it self may seem to be admired and honoured: and God, the Creatour and Restorer of so great a work, shall of all men then being, be magnified with continuall praises and thanksgivings: For this generation of the p. 79 world, and the reformation of all good things, and the most holy and religious restitution of nature it self, in due time both is, and hath been eternall from the beginning, for the will of God wants beginning, which is the same, and continuall in every place.
Asclep. For the nature of God is the counsaile of his will, and his excellent goodnesse his counsaile, O Trismegistus.
Trism, O Asclepius, his will proceeds from his counsaile, and his will from his will, neither wills he any thing ambitiously which is full of all things, and those which he wills he hath, but he wills all good things, and hath all he wills. For he thinks and wills all good things; but this is God, and the world is the Image of that Good.
Asclep. Good O Trismegistus.
Trism. Good, as I shall teach thee, O Asclepius, for as God is the dispenser and giver of all good things, to every Genus and Species in the World, that is, both of soul and life, so likewise the world is the distributer and giver of all things, which seem good to mortall creatures, that is, change of parts seasonable fruites, nativity, encrease and maturity, and the like, and by this God sitting above in the highest Heaven, is every where, and beholds all things: for there is above these Lower Heavens, a place without Starrs, far from all earthly things, this place betwixt Heaven and Earth the dispenser of all things inhabiteth, whom we call Iupiter, or god, but on the earth and the Sea, Reigneth p. 81 Iupiter Pluto, and he is the nourisher, and preserver of all Living and fruitfull mortall Creatures, by the power of all these, Fruits, Trees, Plants, and the ground are refreshed, and the power and effects of other Gods are distributed through all things that are. They are distributed that shall bear rule on the Earth, and shall be placed in the very entrance of Egypt, in that City which is built in the West, or where the Sun sets. To which place all mortall Creatures both in Land and Sea shall hasten.
Asclep. But at this time where are they, O Trismegistus.
Trism. They are placed in the great City, in the Libyan Mountain, and thus far this declaration.
The Commentary.
This whole Ninth Chapter is prophane. Which Augustine well reproveth in his Book of the City of God. It maintaines Idolatry, extolling and setting it forth with wonderfull praises; and the decay or fall of it, it much deplores. In the highest Heaven, he setteth a certain God beholding all things; but, in that place betwixt Heaven and Earth, he placeth Jupiter, the disposer, or Steward; and Pluto Jupiter to be the God, and dispenser on Land, and Sea, as though there were one God in Heaven, another in the Aire, and another on the Land, and Sea; all which contein an infinite impiety of errors: for out of divine Writ we are uncorruptly, purely, and holily taught, that the Lord he is p. 83 God in Heaven above, and in Earth below, and that there is no other God: but against Idols and Idolatry the word of God and the holy Prophets do warily admonish us, that we be not defiled, with so great a blot of impiety, nor corrupted with so great an error, for the Idol it self is cursed, and him that made it, and again, the worshipping of cursed Idols is the cause beginning, and end of all mischief. An Idol maker, and this Idol are both an abomination to the Lord, for both that which is made, with him that it shall be consumed with fire, these and many more things of Idolatry out of the Book of wisdome, and in Leviticus God himself out of his own mouth commandeth, I am the Lord your God, you shall not make to your self any Idol, or graven Image, neither shall you erect any monument, or Pillar in your Land to p. 84 worship it. And of the Idols of Aegypt, he advertiseth in Ezekiel, Be not polluted with the Idols of Aegypt, for I am the Lord your God: and of their abolishing he speaketh by the same Prophet, I will destroy their Images and make an end of their Idol Memphis, he shall no more lead them out of the Land of Aegypt. What Mercurius calleth the soul Spirit, and sense of Idols, and Images in that they shall bring diseases, in firmities, and fears upon men, we know without doubt to be evill Spirits, and in assurance to be those of which the Prophet truly affirmeth, that all the Gods of the gentiles, are divils, or evil Spirits. Let this little be sufficient against the impiety of Trismegistus in this ninth part, for we speake to those who are seasoned with the true knowledge of God, which (as the wiseman saith) to know and understand p. 85 is perfect righteousnesse; and to know his righteousnesse and power is the root of immortality, Lazarelus draweth this place to an Analogie, as though the Idols were the Apostles; the Image of man, Christ; the power given from above, the holy Ghost; Aegypt, the darknesse of the gentiles; and the persecution of the Disciples Apostles & Martyrs, the graven pillars declaring their pious works and that the heart of posterity did reteine not their works, but their faith only: these are piously invented, but per adventure far from the Letter, or meaning. I think with Augustine that Hermes overshot himself both in this and the 13. Chapter, for they seem to have the Prophets of the Gentiles, as Balaam and the Sybills, that they may suffer both Light and darknesse the lucid and obscure intermixture of Prophecies sometimes p. 86 pure, and sometimes impure:
This, for the ninth Chapter.