The secret miracles of nature: in four books. Learnedly and moderately treating of generation, and the parts thereof; the soul, and its immortality; of plants and living creatures; of diseases, their symptoms and cures, and many other rarities not treated of by any author extant ... Whereunto is added one book containing philosophical and prudential rules how man shall become excellent in all conditions, whether high or low, and lead his life with health of body and mind / [Levinus Lemnius].

Levinus Lemnius

Date:: 1658

Credit: The secret miracles of nature: in four books. Learnedly and moderately treating of generation, and the parts thereof; the soul, and its immortality; of plants and living creatures; of diseases, their symptoms and cures, and many other rarities not treated of by any author extant ... Whereunto is added one book containing philosophical and prudential rules how man shall become excellent in all conditions, whether high or low, and lead his life with health of body and mind / [Levinus Lemnius]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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think thac man fhall be annihilated and come to nothing. Natures Maker hath far better provided for Mankind, than to make that and to provide for it, which after enduring hard labours, fhould dye eternally, but be rather hath fhew’d the Haven, and fafe har¬ bour wherein man may reft, after he hath endured the lore tra¬ vels of this life. Hence Paul would have all our bufinelle and • • cares to be concerning heavenly matters,-and that we fhould lift 3' up our Minds, and meditate of heavenly things. But it this life be the utmoft bounds of our life, and it lafts no longer 5 there is nothing more miferable and contemptible than Man is, and the condition between the rich &: poor were very unequal. For the rich have abundance of all things to rcJoyce in here, and the poor being full of miferies,fhould have no comlort aft*r this life. Wherefore Paul reafoneth excellently well, // we have hopes in Chnji in this 1 car. 1?. life onely, we were of all men the moft miferable: and they were in a far better condition, who are ftrangers to Chrift, and jive plea- '^alTimnw- fantly, and take their eafe, than Chnftians, who being deluded uiity. with vain hopes,fuffcrthemfelves to be vexed,and to be the laugh¬ ing ftockand refufeof the whole world. Blit if all that is Man, and all mans hopes end in death, what is the meaning of that Torment of the anxiety and torment of the mind ? what makes Conlcience the tae revengerof wickedneffe ? what makes fear and trembling when any trouble arifeth ? again,whencc arifeth tranquillity,conftancy, and fecurity of the mind ? Are not the former the efftdfs of thofe Souls that fear puniilimentafter this life? and thefe the rewards of thofe that hope to be comlorted after they have endured forrow here, andtobe rewarded for walking after GodsLaw, of which they had a cerrain hope ? Whereupon Paul exhorts timothy his difciple, to fulfill the fumftion of an Apoftolical Employment whereuntohe was to be admitted, pronouncing confidently con¬ cerning himfelf, by an example borrowed from Runners and Fen¬ cers 5 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my courfc, / have kept a Tint- & the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteoufnefje, which God the jufi Judge fhall give unto me j and not to me onef, but to as many as believe in him, and trufi in his promife. Whm fure no man ought to caft afide this hope, or let his m ind fall off from an _ expectation of fo great felicity. For every man’s mind dnftates to him the truth of this matter, bis underftanding perceives it, his reafon confirms it, Nature it fclf fpeaks it. Add to this, that all men have a racional deiirc of Immortality, and every man defires to preferve the memory of himfelf fo long as he can, and would have it continued to pofteruy, never to be forgotten by Age. Wnich reafon was held moft forcible by lAugufiine and DectpnKwri Cicero, whereby it may be proved, that the Soul is immortal and wt*' fhall never die. For this perfwafiori doth much put a man for¬ ward, and incite a man to vertue, and makes him endeavour to do moft noble aCfions, coifidering the reward. And though chis ‘ point and many more cannot be proved fufficiently by reafon, nor do divine things (as Paul faith) confift in words of mans w/fdome, yet 1 cor. ] K 2 their 1 Rnnn

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