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THE SECOND BOOKE 151
from our considerations, reasons, and passions, but
from a divine and supernaturall compulsion, having
but one forme, one countenance, and one grace ; which
is the authoritie and grace of God.
Now our heart being ruled and our soule commanded
by faith, reason willeth that she drawes all our
other parts to the service of her intent, according to
their power and facultie. Nor is it likely but that this
vast worlds-frame must beare the impression of some
markes, therein imprinted by the hand of this great
wondrous architect, and that even in all things therein
created there must be some image, somewhat resembling
and having coherencie with the workeman that wrought
and framed them. He hath left imprinted in these
high and mistenous works the characters of his divinitie:
and onely our imbecilitie is the cause wee can not
discover nor read them. It is that which himselfe
telleth us, that by his visible operations he doth
manifest those that are invisible to us. Sebond hath
much travelled about this worthie studie, and sheweth
us, that there is no parcell of this world that either
belyeth or shameth his Maker. It were a manifest
wronging of God's goodnesse if all this universe did not
consent and sympathise with our beleefe. Heaven,
earth, the elements, our bodies, our soule, yea all
things else, conspire and agree unto it: onely the
meanes how to make use of them must be found out:
They will instruct us sufficiently, be we but capable to
learne and apt to understand. For this world is a
most holy Temple, into which man is brought there
to behold statues and images not wrought by mortall
hand, but such as the secret thought of God hath made
sensible, as the Sunne, the Starres, the Waters and the
Earth, thereby to represent the intelligible unto us.
'The invisible things of God,' saith St. Paul, 'doe
evidently appeare by the creation of the world,
judgeing of his eternall Wisdome and Divinity by his
workes.
Atque adeo faciem coeli non invidet orbi
Ipse Deus, vultusque suos corpusque recludit