' Cent. Ill. Meditations and JTo-wes. 43 A 17 God mull be ma2nified in his very judgements. He !cokes for praife; notonly for heaven but for hdl alf<>"His julliceis himfdf,as wdbs his mercy. As heaven then is for the ~raife ofhis m<rcy;fo hell for the gloryo~his jullice; We mull:.thcrefore be. fo affetled to judgements as the Author ot them 1s, whodellghtelh not mbloud,as 1t makes his creature miferable,but as it makeshis julliceglorious.Evcry true Chrillian then muft learn to fino that compound dirty of the Pfalmitl:o(mercy •ndjudgement. It fi>all not only joy m~ to fee God gracions and bountifull inhis m<rcks,and deliverances ofhjs owne; but alfoto fee him terrible in vengeance to his enemies. It is no crueltyto rejoyce in juftice.The fooli!h mercy of men is crudry to God. 18 B Rarendfe cauf<th wonder,and mere then that, incredulity, in thofe things which in themfelvesarc not more admirable,rhcn theordinaryproccediogs ofNature. If a bhzing !brbe {een in theskie, every man goes forth to gaze, and fpends, everyevening {ometimc in wondering at the beames of it. That any fowle !hould be bred of corr~pted woodr_efolved.intowormes: o~ that the Ch~meleon fl1oulp ever chan~e his colours, and hve by atrt: that the 0(\nch lhould d1geft yron: that the Phcea1x thould bu rne her fdfto a!hes,and from thence breeda fucceffor;we wonder,apd can fcarce credit.Other things more ufuall, no leffe miraculous, we kno11· and neglect. That there !hould be a bird,that knoweth,and noreth the houres of day and nighr, as certain! y as any Atlronomer'by the courfe ofHeaven,ifwe knew not,whowould be· ?eeve( Orthat the load. (lone lhould byhis kcret vertue fo draw yr9n to it ftlfc, il' c that a whole chain ofneedles !hould all hang by infenfible points at each other,only by the inauence that it fends down fromthe firll:, if it were not ordinary,would feem incredible.Wlmwould bt!eeve when he fees a fowl mounted as high as his fightcan defcrie it,that there were anengine to be framed, which could fetch it down into his fill!Yea,roomit infinite examples, that a little defpifed creature !hould weave ners out ofher own entrailes,and in her platforms ofbuilding !hould obferve as juft proportions as the bell: Geometrician,we lhould {ufpect for an unrruth, if we faw it not daily praaifed in our own windows. Ifthe fun lhould arifebut oncctotheearth, I doubt,every man would be a Perfian,and falldowoand wor!hip it: whereas now it rifcth and declineth without any re~ard.Excraordinary events each mancan wonder at.The frequence ofGods bell:workes caufeth neglett: not that they are ever the D worfe for commonneffe1but becaufe we arcfoon cloyed with the fame conceit, and have contempt bred in us through familiarity. I willlearne to note Gods power and wifdomc,and togive him praifeofboth, in his ord1nary works:fo thofe things which arebut trivial! to the mofi ignorant, lhall be \Venders to me ; and that not for nine dayes,but for ever. 19 Thofe that affi:ttto tell novelties and wonders,fall into lllany ahfurdities, both in bufie en9uiry.after matt:rs impertinent,_ ~ndin al!ght credulitie, to what-everrhey hear;& tn fitltons ofthetr own,and addmons ofwcumll:ancesco make their reports the more admired.I have noted thefc men,nor fomuch wondered at for their ftraooe !lo~ies~ while they are telling,~s derided afterwards, when the event bath wrought E the1r d1fproof and !hame. I will deale With rumours as grave men doewitb ftrange fa!hions,take them up when they are grown intocommon ufe before: I may bdecve, but I w1ll not relate them but under the name ofmy author·who !halleither warrant mewith defcnce,ifit be true;or if falfe,bear my flume, ' lO . It was awitty and truefpeech ofthat obfcure Htr•clittld, That all men awaking are m_ one com~on world, ~ut when we lleep, each man goes into a fever;~ll world by h1mfelfe;\~bt~h _though 1t be bur aworld offancies,yet is the true image ofthat little worl~ wh~e_h IS ID evrry mans hearr.Forche Imaginations of our llecp, !hew us what our dtfpo~tton 1s awakmg.And as many in their dreams reveal thofc their fecrctsto others,whtch they would never have done awake:fo all may and do difclol<to themfelves in their llcep thofc fecret inclinations,which after much fearching, they could nor
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