THE FIRST BOOK 41 



referring more properly to power, the other to wisdom ; 

 the one expressed in making the subsistence of the 

 matter, and the other in disposing the beauty of the 

 form. This being supposed, it is to be observed that 

 for anything which appeareth in the history of the 

 creation, the confused mass and matter of heaven and 

 earth was made in a moment ; and the order and dis 

 position of that chaos or mass was the work of six 

 days ; such a note of difference it pleased God to put 

 upon the works of power, and the works of wisdom ; 

 wherewith concurreth, that in the former it is not set 

 down that God said, Let there be heaven and earth, 

 as it is set down of the works following ; bub actually, 

 that God made heaven and earth : the one carrying 

 the style of a manufacture, and the other of a law, 

 decree, or counsel. 



3. To proceed to that which is next in order from 

 God to spirits ; we find, as far as credit is to be given 

 to the celestial hierarchy of that supposed Dionysius 

 the senator of Athens, the first place or degree is given 

 to the angels of love, which are termed seraphim ; the 

 second to the angels of light, which are termed cheru 

 bim ; and the third, and so following places, to thrones, 

 principalities, and the rest, which are all angels of 

 power and ministry ; so as the angels of knowledge 

 and illumination are placed before the angels of office 

 and domination. 



4. To descend from spirits and intellectual forms to 

 sensible and material forms, we read the first form that 

 was created was light, which hath a relation and 

 correspondence in nature and corporal things to know 

 ledge in spirits and incorporal things. 



5. So in the distribution of days we see the day 

 wherein God did rest and contemplate his own works, 

 was blessed above all the days wherein he did effect 

 and accomplish them. 



6. After the creation was finished, it is set down unto 

 us that man was placed in the garden to work therein ; 

 which work, so appointed to him, could be no other 

 than work of contemplation ; that is, when the end of 



