Judicious Reader, T
here is abundance of knowledge, yet but little truth known. The generality of our knowledg is but as Castles in the aire, or groundlesse fancies. I know but two ways that are ordained for the getting of wisdome, viz. the book of God, and of Nature; and these also, but as they are read with reason. Many look upon the former as a thing below them, upon the latter as a ground of Atheisme, and therefore neglect both. It is my judgement, that as to search the Scriptures is most necessary, so without reason it is impossible. Faith without reason is but implicite. If I cannot understand by reason how every thing is, yet I wil see some reason that a thing is so, before I beleeve it to be so. I will ground my beleeving of the Scripture upon reason, I will improve my reason by Philosophy. How shall we convince gain-sayers of the truth of the Scriptures, but by principles of Reason? When God made Man after his own image, How was that? But by making him a rational creature? Men therfore that lay aside Reason in the reading of sacred mysteries, do but un-man themselves, and become further involved in a Labyrinth of errors. Hence it is that their Religion is degenerated into irrationall notions. Now to say, that pure Philosophy is true Divinity, will haply bee a paradox, yet if any one should affirm it, he would not be heterodox. When Job had been a long time justifying himselfe against God, which I conceive was by reason of his ignorance of God, and himselfe; God undertakes to convince him of his errour by the principles of Nature, and to bring him to the knowledge of both: as you may see at large, Job 38. Can any deny that Hermes, Plato, Aristotle (though pure Naturalists) were not most deep Divines? Doe not all grant that the two first cha. of Gen. are true Divinity? I dare also affirm that they are the most deep and the truest Philosophy. Yea, they are the ground, and sum of all Divinity, and Philosophy: and if rightly understood, will teach thee more knowledge of God, and thy selfe, then all the books in the world besides. Now for the better understanding of them, make use of most profound Sandivogius the author of the first of the ensuing Treatises, as the best Expositor of them: in that treatise of his thou shalt see the mystery of the Deity, & Nature unfolded, even to admiration: as to see what that light, and fire is which is the throne of Gods Majesty. How he is in the heaven most gloriously, & in the creatures providentially. How he is the life of that universall Spirit which is diffused through the whole world. What that Spirit of his is that moved upon the Waters. What those Waters are which are above the Firmament, and which are under the Firmament. What that Sperm and Seed was which God put into all creatures by which they should be multiplyed. The true manner of Mans Creation, and his degenerating into Mortality. The true nature of the Garden of Eden, or Paradise. Also the reason why Gold, which had a Seed put into it, as well as other creatures, whereby it should be multiplyed, doth not multiply. What the obstruction is, and how it may bee removed, that so it may be digested into the highest purity, and become the true Elixir, or Philosophers stone; the possibility whereof is so plainly illustrated in this book of Sandivogius, that let any judicious man read it over without all partiality and prejudice, but three or four times, and he shall nolens volens be convinced of the truth of it, and not only of this, but of many other mysteries as incredible as this. So that if any one should ask me, What one book did most conduce to the knowledge of God and the Creature, and the mysteries thereof; I should speake contrary to my judgment, if I should not, next to the sacred Writ, say Sandivogius. All this I speak for thy encouragement, that thou shouldst lay aside other frivolous bookes, and buy this, and read it over, & thou wilt (I question not) thank mee for my advice.
And as this booke doth in generall, so the second of these Treatises doth in particular illustrate the possibility of Nature, and the mysteries thereof, as also the nature and manner of the Generation, Growth, Conservation, Life, Death, Renewing, Transmutations, Separations, and Signatures of all naturall things, in the explication of which many rare experiments and excellent mysteries are discovered and found out.
To these is added a Chymical Dictionary, explaining hard places, and words met withall in obscure Authors. But this, and the other I speak more sparingly in the commendations of, because if read they will speak more for them selves then I can speak for them: only I was willing for the English nations sake, whose spirits are much drawn forth after knowledge, to translate them into the English tongue. I did not doe it to multiply books, (for there are too many books already; and the multitude of them is the greatest cause of our ignorance, and in them is a great vanity) but to let thee see the light of Nature, by which thou maist judg of truths, and the better conceive of the God of Nature, of whom all naturall things are full, and whose goings forth in the way of Nature are most wonderfull, even to the conviction of the greatest Atheists.
Courteous Reader, thou must excuse me for not affecting elegancies in these Translations, for if I were skilled in them, yet the matter of the books would not bear them. If I have sometimes used uncouth words, it was because the sense, to which I kept me close, would not properly bear any other, or at least better came not at the present into my mind. If any Errata’s have passed through the slips of my pen, or the Printers mistake, be thou candid, and mend them. If thou shalt not approve of what I have done, convince mee of my errour by doing better; for thereby thou shalt oblige the lovers of truth, and amongst the rest, thy friend
J. F.