Of the Resurrection of Naturall things. The raising again of Naturall things.T
he Resurrection, and renewing of Naturall things, is not the least, but a profound, and great secret in the Nature of things, and rather Divine, and Angelicall, then Humane, and Naturall.
I desire to bee here understood with great distinction, and no otherwise then my opinion is, and Nature doth daily, and manifestly shew, and experience make good, lest I should bee exposed to the lies,[Pg 52] and slanders of Mountebankes, my enemies (which doe construe all that I doe in the worst sense) as if I would usurp the Divine power, and attribute this to Nature, which shee was never able to performe: Wherefore wee must cautiously consider that there is a twofold Death, viz. violent, and voluntary. Death is twofold. The one can raise a thing again, the other not. Wherefore, doe not beleeve those Sophisters that say, that a thing that is once dead, or mortified, can never bee raised again, and that make no account of resuscitation, and restauration of things, which error indeed of theirs is not the least. And indeed it is true, that whatsoever dyeth, or perisheth with a naturall death, and what Nature mortifies by reason of her predestination, God alone can raise again, or must of necessity bee done by his command: so whatsoever Nature destroyes, Man cannot restore again. What things may be raised againe.But whatsoever Man destroyes hee can restore again, and being restored spoil again, and Man hath no further power of himselfe, and if hee should attempt to doe any thing more, hee would arrogate the power of God to himselfe, and yet hee would labour in vain, and be confounded, unlesse God did assist him, or hee had so much faith as to remove mountains: Even to such a man, this is possible, and greater things then this. Because the Scripture saith, and Christ himselfe spake it. If thou hast faith as a grain of Mustard-seed, and saist unto this Mountaine, Goe and bee removed thither, and it shall bee removed, and all things bee possible to thee, and nothing impossible.
But to return to our purpose, what difference then there is betwixt dying, and being mortified, and[Pg 53] which of these may be raised again, so these are to bee understood. Whatsoever naturally dies hath its end by predestination, and so the will and ordination of God permits. What things can not be raised againe.Yet it happens that this is also done by divers diseases, and various casualties, and this can never be raised again, neither is there any preservative to bee used against predestination, and the naturall term of life. But that which is mortified, may bee both raised again, and revived, which may bee proved by divers arguments, which wee shall set down in the end of this book.
It is one thing to Dye, and other thing to be Mortified.
Wherefore there is a great difference betwixt dying, and being mortified, neither must they bee taken for one, and the same things, under the same name. For in the very example they are far different. For look upon a man that dies a naturall, and predestinated death, what further good, or profit is there in him? Nothing, hee is only cast into the earth to worms. For hee is a stinking carkasse, and due to the earth.
But the same is not to be understood of a man that is slain with a sword, or dies by some such like violent death. For his whole body is profitable, and good, and may bee prepared into a most pretious Mummie. For although the spirit of life went out of such a body, yet the balsome in which lies the life remains, which indeed doth as balsome preserve other mens bodies.
So you may see in Metalls, when a Metall is about to die, it begins to bee overcome with rust, and as much as is thus overcome, is dead: and when all the Metall is devoured with rust, it is all dead, and such a rust can never bee reduced into true Metall againe,[Pg 54] but it becomes only drosse, and not a Metall. For it is dead, and death is in it, neither hath it any more balsome of life, but is quite destroyed in it selfe.
The difference betwixt the Calx of Metalls, and their ashes.
Now the Calx of Metalls, and their ashes are two things: And there is a great difference betwixt these two, for one may be revived, and brought back again into a Metall, but the other not: the one is volatile, the other fixed, the one died, the other mortified.
What the Ashes of Metalls is.
The Ashes is volatile, and cannot be brought back into a Metall, only into glasse, and drosse: but the Calx of Metals is fixed, and maybe be brought back into its own Metall.
What the Calx of Metalls is.
But to understand the difference, and the cause, know, that in the Ashes there is lesse fatnesse, and more drynesse then in the Calx, which indeed makes it fluxil: but the Calx is fatter, and moister, then the Ashes, and doth still retain its refine, and fluxibleness, and especially the Salt, which naturally is fluxil, and makes Metalls flow, and reduceth them. Hence now it follows, that the Salt must bee extracted out of the Ashes of Metals, that they may not be brought back into a Metal, then they are perfectly volatile; and this difference, and this clause is chiefly to bee taken notice of, for much depends upon it.
The errours of Mountebankes concerning Gold.
For amongst Mountebankes this is no small error, who in stead of Potable Gold, the Quintessence of Gold, Tincture of Gold, &c. have given to men an impure Calx of Gold, not considering the difference, and evill that follows upon it. For there are two remarkable, and necessary things to be taken notice of here, viz.
[Pg 55]
First, that Gold calcined, or powdered, if it be given to Men, is gathered into one heap in the stomach, or goeth forth again with the dung, and so it is taken in vain, without doing any good: or that which is reduced by the great inward heat in mans body, it gilds over, and makes hard in a crust, both the bowells, and stomach, by reason of which the concoction of the stomach is hindred, whence many, and various sicknesses follow, and at length death it selfe.
When Metallike Arcana are to be taken inwardly.
As you have heard of Gold, so also must it bee understood of all the other Metalls, viz. that you take not any Metallick Arcanum, or Medicine into your body, unlesse it bee first made volatile, and it be reduced into no Metall.
How to make Metalls Potable and Irreducible.
Wherefore the first degree, and beginning to prepare Potable Gold is this: so may such a Volatile bee afterwards dissolved in spirit of Wine, that both may ascend together, bee made volatil, inseparable. And as you prepare Gold, so may you also prepare potable ? ♀ ♂ ? ? and ?.
The raising againe of things is proved by the Whelpes of a Lyon.
But to return to our purpose, let us prove by examples, and sufficient reasons, that things mortified are not dead, and forced to abide in death, but may bee reduced, raised again, and revived, and this truly by man, and according to the course of Nature. You see Lions how all of them are brought forth dead, and first of all are made alive by the horrible roaring of their Parents, as one that is asle............