In the course of neighbour next us, the world beneath us. our desires, God hath three things, the world one, our neighbour two. Our desire to God, is either from God, with God, or to God, and ordinarily so runs. From God, when it receives from him, whence, and for which it should love him: with God, when it contradicts his will in nothing: to God, when it seeks to him, and rests it self in him. Our Love to our neighbour may proceed from him, and run with him, not to him: From him, as when we rejoice of his good safety, and well doing with him, when we desire to have him a fellow and companion of our journey in the way of the Lord: not in him, because there is no aid, hope, or confidence in man. From the world our love comes, when we begin to admire the Creator in his works and glorify God in his Creatures. With the world it should run, if, according to the mutability of all temporalities, it should be dejected in adversity, or over elevated in prosperity: To the world, if it would settle it self in its vain delights and studies." Many such Partitions of Love I could repeat, and Subdivisions, but least (which Scaliger objects to Cardan, Exercitat. 501.) "I confound filthy burning lust, with pure and divine Love," I will follow that accurate Division of Leon Hebreus dial. 2. betwixt Sophia and Philo, where he speaks of Naturall, Sensible, and Rational Love, and handleth each apart. Naturall love or hatred, is that Sympathy or Antipathy, which is to be seen in animate and inanimate creatures, in the four Elements, Mettals, Stones, gravia tendunt deorsum, as a Stone to his Center, Fire upward, and Rivers to the Sea. The Sun, Moon, and Stars go still round, * Amantes naturæ debita exercere, for love of perfection. This love is manifest, I say, in inanimate creatures. How comes a load-stone to draw iron to it? jet chaff? the ground to covet showers, but for love? No creature, S. Hierom concludes, is to be found, quod non aliquid amat, no stock, no stone, that hath not some feeling of love. 'Tis more eminent in Plants, Hearbs, and is especially observed in vegetals; as be twixt the Vine and Elm a great Sympathy, betwixt the Vine and the Cabbage, betwixt the Vine and Ólive, Virgo fugit Bromium, hetwixt the Vine and Baies, a great antipathy, the Vine loves not the Bay," nor his smell, and will kill him, if he grow near him;" the Bur and the Lintle cannot endure one Ne confundam vesanos et fœdos amores beatis, sceleratum cum puro divino et vero, &c. *Fonseca cap. 1. Amor ex Augustini forsan lib. 11. de Civit. Dei. Amore inconcussus stat mundus, &c. " Alciat. * Porta Vitis laurum non amat, nec ejus odorem; si prope crescat, enecat. Lappus benti adversatur. another, another, the Olive and the Mirtle embrace each other, in roots and branches if they grow neer. Read more of this in Picolomineus grad. 7. cap. 1. Crescentius lib. 5. de agric. Baptista Porta de mag. lib. 1. cap. de plant. odio & Element. sym. Fracastorias de sym, & antip. of the love and hatred of Planets, consult with every Astrologer: Leon Hebreus gives many fabulous reasons, and morallizeth them withall. Sensible love, is that of brute beasts, of which, the same Leon Hebreus dial. 2. assigns these causes. First, for the pleasure they take in the Act of Generation, male and female love one another. Secondly, for the preservation of the species, and desire of yong brood. Thirdly, for the mutuall agreement, as being of the same kinde: Sus sui, Canis Cani, Bos Bovi, & Asinus Asino pulcherrimus videtur, as Epicharmus held, and according to that Adagy of Diogenianus, "Adsidet usq; graculus apud graculum,” they much delight in one another's company, << * Formicæ grata est formica, Cicada Cicada,” and birds of a feather will gather together. Fourthly, for custome, use, and familiarity, as if a dog be trained up with a Lion and a Bear, contrary to their natures, they will love each other. Hawks, dogs, horses, love their masters and keepers : many stories I could relate in this kinde, but see Gillius de hist. anim. lib. 3. cap. 14. those two Epistles of Lipsius, of doggs and horses, Agellius, &c. Fifthly, for bringing up, as if a Bitch bring up a Kid, a hen ducklings, an hedge-sparrow a Cuckow, &c. The third kind is Amor cognitionis, as Leon calls it, Rationall Love, Intellectivus amor, and is proper to men, on which I must insist. This appears in God, Angels, Men. God is love it self, the fountain of Love, the Disciple of love, as Plato stiles him; the servant of peace, the God of love and peace; have peace with all men and God is with you. 66 a "Quisquis veneratur Olympum, Ipse sibi mundum subjicit atq; Deum:" By this love (saith Gerson) we purchase heaven," and buy the kingdom of God. This Love is either in the Trinity it self, for the Holy Ghost is the Love of the Father and the Son, &c. Joh. 3. 55. and 5. 20. and 14. 31. or towards us his Sympathia olei & myrti ramorum & radicum se complectentium. Mizaldus secret. cent. 1. 47. *Theocritus. cidyll. 9. * Mantuan. • Charitas munifica, qua mercamur de Deo regnum Dei. Polanus partit. Zanchius de, natura Dei, c. 3. copiose de hoc amore Di agit. M3 creatures, creatures, as in making the world. Amor mundum fecit, Love built Cities, mundi anima, invented Arts, Sciences, and all good things, incites us to vertue and humanity, combines and quickens; keepes peace on earth, quietness by sea, mirth in the windes and elements, expells all fear, anger, and rusticity: Circulus à bono in bonum, a round circle still from good to good; for love is the beginner and end of all our actions, the efficient and instrumental cause, as our Poets in their Symbols, Impresses, Emblemes of rings, squares, &c. shadow unto us, "Si rerum quæris fuerit quis finis & ortus, Cease; love's the sole and only cause of it.. с Love, saith Leo, made the world, and afterwards in redeeming of it, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son for it," John 3. 16. "Behold what love the Father hath shewed on us, that we should be called the sons of God." 1 John 3. 1. Or by his sweet providence, in protecting of it; either all in generall, or his Saints elect and Church in particular, whom he keeps as the apple of his eye, whom he loves freely, as Hosea 14. 5. speaks, and dearly respects, Charior est ipsis homo quam sibi. Not that we are fair, nor, for any merit or grace of ours, for we are most vile and base; but out of his incomparable love and goodness, out of his divine Nature. And this is that Homer's golden chain, which reacheth down from Heaven to Earth, by which every creature is annexed, and depends on his Creator. He made all, saith Moses," and it was good;" he loves it as good. The love of Angels and living souls, is mutuall amongst themselves, towards us militant in the Church, and all such as love God; as the Sun beams irradiate the earth from those celestial thrones, they by their well wishes reflect on us, in salute hominum promovenda alacres, & constantes administri, there is joy in heaven for every sinner that repenteth; they pray for us, are solicitous for our good, Casti genii, f "Ubi regnat charitas, suave desiderium, Love proper to mortall men, is the third Member of this subdivision, and the subject of my following discourse. + Camerarius *Nich. Bellus discurs. 28. de amatoribus, virtutem provocat, conservat pacem in terra, tranquillitatem in aëre, ventis lætitiam, &c. Emb. 100. cen. 2. < Dial. 3. * Juven. Theodoret è Plotino. * Gen. 1. Caussinus. MEM MEMB. II. SUBSECT. I. Love of men, which varies as his objects, profitable, pleasant, honest. VALESIUS lib. 3. contr. 13. defines this love which is in men, "to be an affection of both powers, Appetite, and Reason." The rational resides in the Brain, the other in the Liver (as before hath been said out of Plato and others); the heart is diversly affected of both, and carried a thousand waies by consent. The sensitive faculty most part over-rules reason, the soul is carried hood-winkt, and the understanding captive like a beast. The heart is variously inclined, sometimes they are merry, sometimes sad, and from love arise Hope and Fear, Jealousie, Furie, Desperation." Now this love of men is divers, and varies, as the object varies, by which they are enticed, as vertue, wisdome, eloquence, profit, wealth, money, fame, honour, or comeliness of person, &c. Leon Hebreus, in his first Dialogue, reduceth them all to these three, Utile, Jucundum, Honestum, Profitable, Pleasant, Honest; (out of Aristotle belike 8. moral.) of which he discourseth at large, and whatsoever is beautifull and fair, is referred to them, or any way to be desired. "To profitable is ascribed health, wealth, honour, &c. which is rather Ambition, Desire, Covetousness, then Love:" Friends, Children, love of women, all delightfull and pleasant objects, are referred to the second. The love of honest things, consists in vertue and wisdome, and is preferred before that which is profitable and pleasant: Intellectuall, about that which is honest. 'St. Austin calls "profitable, worldly; pleasant, carnal; honest, spirituall. "Of and from all three, result Charity, Friendship, and true love, which respects God and our neighbour." Of each of these I will briefly dilate, and shew in what sort they cause melancholy. k Amongst all these fair enticing objects, which procure Love, and bewitch the soul of man, there is none so moving, so forcible as profit; and that which carrieth with it a shew of commodity. Health indeed is a pretious thing, to recover and preserve which, we will undergo any misery, drink bitter po Affectus nunc appetitive potentiæ, nunc rationalis, alter cerebro residet, alter hepate, corde, &c. Cor varie inclinatur, nunc gaudens, nunc marens; station ex timore nascitur Zelotypia, furor, spes, desperatio. i Ad utile sanitas refertur; utilium est ambitio, cupido desiderium potius quam amor excessus avaritia. Picolom. grad. 7. cap. 1. Lib. de amicit. utile mundanum, Ex singulis tribus fit charitas et carnale jucundum, spirituale honestum. amicitia, quæ respicit deum et proximum, M 4 tions, tions, freely give our goods: restore a man to his health, his purse lies open to thee, bountifull he is, thankfull and beholding to thee; but give him wealth and honour, give him gold, or what shall be for his advantage and preferment, and thou shalt command his affections, oblige him eternally to thee, heart, hand, life, and all is at thy service, thou art his dear and loving friend, good and gracious Lord and Master, his Mecanas; he is thy slave, thy vassall, most devote, affectioned, and bound in all duty: tell him good tydings in this kinde, there spoke an Angel, a blessed hour that brings in gain, he is thy creature, and thou his creator, he hugges and admires thee; he is thinc for ever. No Loadstone so attractive as that of profit, none so fair an object as this of gold; " nothing wins a man sooner then a good turn, bounty and liberality command body and soul: "Munera (crede mihi) placant hominesq; deosque; Good turns doth pacifie both God and men, And Jupiter himself is won by them. Gold of all other is a most delitious object; a sweet light, a goodly lustre it hath; gratiùs aurum quàm solem intuemur, saith Austin, and we had rather see it then the Sun. Sweet and pleasant in getting, in keeping; it seasons all our labours, intolerable pains we take for it, base imployments, endure bitter flouts and taunts, long journeys, heavy burdens, all are made light and easie by this hope of gain; At mihi plaudo ipse domi, simul ac nummos contemplor in arca. The sight of gold refresheth our spirits, and ravisheth our hearts, as that Babylonian garment and golden wedge did Achan in the camp, the very sight and hearing, sets on fire his soul with desire of it. It will make a man run to the Antipodes, or tarry at home and turn parasite, lye, flatter, prostitute himself, swear and bear false witness; he will venture his body, kill a King, murther his father, and damn his soul to come at it. Formosior auri massa, as- he well observed, the mass of gold is fairer then all your Græcian pictures, that Apelles, Phydias, or any doting painter could ever make: we are enamoured with it, "Prima ferè vota, & cunctis notissima templis, All our labours, studies, endeavours, vows, prayers and wishes, are to get, how to compass it. Benefactores præcipue amamus. Vives 3. de anima. tronius Arbiter. 4 Juvenalis. |