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are unstable, always changing. The Church is a Land that hath its roots in the foundation of the world, in God's eternal decrees. 10. The Sea makes a frightfull object, efpecially in a Tempeft; but the Earth prefents our eyes with an agreeable diverfity of Mountains and Hills, of Trees and Flowers, of Fruits and Bloffoms. The world is a deformed fpectacle by reafon of its diforders, and uniformity of its faults. But the Church fhows us an agreeable diverfity of gifts, greater and lefs, of vertues, of good works, of good Fruits; for the Plants and Fruits are to the Earth, that which ver tues and good works are to the Church. The Plants have their roots in the bowels of the Earth, they appear on the outside of it, they serve for ornament and ufe, and need the kind influences of Hea ven to make them grow. All this agrees well to the vertues and good works of the Church. God faid, Let the Earth bring forth Grass, as if the Earth produced Plants by its own vertues: 'tis because he will have us act, as if our vertues proceeded from our felves, as if we were the Authors of 'em, that he might thence take occafion to reward us for'em. But among the Plants of the Earth which are thus good & ufefull,there are fome hurtfull ones, fome poifons among the good Fruits of the Church, there are fome wicked works. 12.Laftly, the nearer any Land is to the Sun, the better its Fruits; the nearer any Church to God, the Sun of Righteoufnefs, the better its works.

Explication of the Myfteries of the four last days of the Creation,

The He fourth day anfwers to the fourth Period of 1. In this fourth day God crea ted the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. "Tis cafyt to take notice therein of Christ the Sun of Righteousness, of the Church who derives all her Light from the Sun, and the of Teachers of the Chriftian Church, which are as the Stars of the Intelligible World. This alone fhould open all mens eyes, and make it evident, that we ought to fearch after? the Church throughout the whole work of Crea-1 tion: for this is the Key of the whole Mysteryst This fourth Period is from Iefus Chrift unto the birth of Antichrift, ie. till the middle of the fifth Century. In this Period we have the Sun of Righ teousness, fo Jefus Chrift is called by the Prophets, and Evangelifts, The Light which intightens every John c.1 man that comes into the world: So by the Apostles, The Father of Lights, in whom is no shadow of change, James 1. ie. a Sun that hath no Tropicks. The Parrallel The Parralbetween Iefus Chrift and the San is too manifeft lel of the and easy to make, to be long infifted on. I will the Church rather fpeak fomewhat of the Moon, which is an admirable Emblem of the Church. The Moon hath all her Light from the Sun, The Church hath all her Beauty, Holiness, Vertue, and Glory from I Chrift. 2. The Moon retains fome spots, and thofe confiderable ones, in her borrowed Lights the Church hath many great and plain defects in her ૦૧ 3

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vertues

Moon with

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Part 2. vertues. 3. The Moon hath no fixed Light, the As often changeth, and is fometimes more and fometimes lefs inlightned. The Church remains not long in one ftate, he is always rifing or falling, the loofeth fome of her Light, and then receiveth more; the defiles herself, and then is cleansed, and hath Periods almost as regular as thofe of the Moon, 4. The Moon, befides her conftant and periodical decrease, fuffers Ecclipfes, and fometimes total ones. The Church, befides her ordinary declenfions, is fometimes fo Ecclipft, as not to appear, which is more or less according to the inundations of Herely, or the corruption of manners. 5. 'Tis not the fault of the Sun, but of the Moon it felf, that thefe Ecclipfes happen, the plungeth herself in the fhadow of the Earth, and fo deprives herself of the Sun The Ecclipfes of the Church by the lofs of Truth or vertue happen in like manner, because the falls into fin and falfhood, which is shadow and darkness, the product of Earth and Hell. Your fins have feparated between God and you. 6. When the Moon is Ecclipft, fhe becomes black, and puts on a frightfull Afpect; when the Church fuffers herfelf to lofe the Light of the Sun, her vilage becomes deformed by her diforders and crimes.

Why doth not the Church appear but in this fourth Period, fince fhe was created from the beginning of the World? fo the Moon which was a figure of the Church, should have been created on the first day. I answer, that the Church mayalfo be found in the three preceding Periods: but in the firft and fecond day, tis a Land covered with waters. The Church is mixt and confounded with the People of the World, and even covered and hidden among 'em. In the third the appears as a dry Land that is vifible, but as yet it is but Earth, producing

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Plants and Fruits. In our fourth Period, fhe isad- Part 2 vanc't from the quality of Earth, to the dignity of the Stars, he becomes a Moon, aluminous body, which may be seen afar off, which spreads its rays throughout all the world.

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fix orders

In the fourth day there were alfo Stars, which Stars of fix magniare of fix different magnitudes, from the first to the tudes imafixth. In our fourth Period we have feveral Tea- ges of the chers, as fhining Stars, but they leffen by degrees. of TeaThe Apostles are the Stars of the first magnitude, chers Apoftolick Perfons were Stars of the fecond magnitude, their Difciples who lived in the fecond Cen tury, were Stars of the third, the Doctors of the Church in the third Century were Stars of the fourth magnitude. Thofe of the fourth Century were of the fifth magnitude. Laftly, in the fifth Century when the good days of the Church ended, there were more Teachers, more Stars in number, but they were but of the fixth magnitude; their Light began to be obfcured by mixing with the darkness of Superftition and Herefy. After them in the following Ages, we feeno Stars but under a Cloud, the witneffes covered with fackcloth Chriftians concealed and hidden among the multitude of those who were funk into error and Idolatry.

In this Period there is alfo another fort of Stars i viz. Confeffors and Martyrs, who fhined as Stars of the first magnitude, and the common fort of the Faithful, who are truly Stars, though but of the fixth magnitude. Lastly, in the fourth Period, we find Planets, wandring Stars, Apoftates, Iudas's, and fuch as Hymenaus and Philetus, who concerning the Faith made shipwrack.

We proceed to the fifth day of the Creation. The Myfteries fifth Period is that from the rife of Antichrift to his

of the 5th day..

Part 2. Completion, from the fifth Century to the eleventh. In the fifth day God faid, Let the waters bring forth Fishes abundantly 5 (or moving Creatures which have life,) and Fowl that may flie above the Earth in the open firmament of Heaven. Behold, two forts of Creatures, Birds and Fishes, and they are to be Emblems of men, who fhould rule in the fifth Period of the Church. It may be the name of Bird may prove a good Omen to fome, one would think we thould find something of good there, because Birds are a kind of Cœleftial Creatures; but we must remember, that in the two following Pe riods, we fhall meet with nothing that is good, because they belong to Antichrift. If there be any thing good in these two Periods, 'tis the remnant of the fourth, for all is evil that belongs to their perticular Character. So that by Birds we understand men of rash and daring spirits, who would pierce beyond the Clouds, attempting to reach unto God himself, and have done violence to his Holy Mysteries by their bold Inquiries. Such was Arrius, who would dive into the mystery of the Eternal generation of the Son, and was there ftumbled: Such was Macedonius, who would fathom the Mysteries of the Proceffion of the Holy Spirit, and not being able to effect it, made him a Creature, as Arius did the Son. Such was Eutyches, who not being able to fathom the Mysteries of the union of the two natures in Chrift, did confound them. Such was Neftorius, who loft himself in fearching into the manner of the Union of the humane Nature with the Divine Perfon, and fo eftablifht two Perfons in Chrift; and I know not how many more fuch Birds there were, men ofbold and daring fpirits, who did great mifchief to the Church, Wenced but confult History to be informed.