LATO proposeth or setteth foorth nine severall orders of spirits, besides the spirits and soules of men. The first spirit is God that commandeth all the residue; the second are those that are called Ideæ, which give all things to all men; the third are the soules of heavenlie bodies which are mortall; the fourth are angels; the fift archangels; the sixt are divels, who are ministers to infernall powers, as angels are to supernall; the seventh are halfe gods; the eight are principalities; the ninth are princes. From which division Dionysius Dionys. in cælest. hierarch. cap. 9. 10. dooth not much swarve, saving that he dealeth (as he saith) onelie with good spirits, whome he likewise divideth into nine parts or offices. The first he calleth Seraphim, the second Cherubim, the third thrones, the fourth dominations, the fift vertues, the sixt powers, the seventh principalities, the eight archangels, the ninth and inferior sort he calleth angels. Howbeit, some of these (in my thinking) are evill spirits: or else PauleEphes. 6. gave us evill counsell, when he willed us to fight against principalities, and powers, and all spirituall wickednes.
But DionysiusDionys. in cælest. hierarch. in that place goeth further, impropriating to everie countrie, and almost to everie person of anie accompt, a peculiar angell; as to Jewrie, he assigneth Michael; to Adam, Razael; to Abraham, Zakiel; to Isaach, Raphael; to Jacob, Peliel; to Moses, Metraton, &c. But in these discourses he either folowed his owne imaginationsJ. Calv. lib. instit. 1. c. 14. and conceipts, or else the corruptions of that age. Nevertheles, I had rather confute him by M. Calvine, and my kinseman M. Deering, than by my selfe, or/360. mine owne words. For M. Calvine saith, that Dionysius herein speaketh not as by hearesaie, but as though he had slipped downe from heaven, and told of things which he had seene. And yet (saith he)/501. Paule was rapt into the third heaven, and reporteth no such matters. But if you read M. DeeringEdw. Deering, in lect. upon the Hebrues reading. 6. upon the first chapter to the Hebrues, you shall see this matter notablie handled; where he saith, that whensoever archangell is mentioned in the scriptures, it signifieth our saviour Christ, and no creature. And certeine it is that Christ himselfe was called an angell. The names also of angels, as Michael, Gabriel, &c:Mal. 3. 1. are given to them (saith Calvine) according to the capacitie of our weakenesse. But bicause the decision of this question is neither within the compasse of mans capacitie, nor yet of his knowledge, I will proceed no further to discusse the same, but to shew the absurd opinions of papists and witchmongers on the one side, and the most sober and probable collections of the contrarie minded on the other side.
The eight Chapter.
The commensement of divels fondlie gathered out of the 14. of Isaie, of Lucifer and of his fall, the Cabalists the Thalmudists and Schoolemens opinions of the creation of angels.
HE witchmoongers, which are most commonlie bastard divines, doo fondlie gather and falselie conceive the commensement of divels out of the fourteenth of Isaie; where they suppose LuciferIsai. 14. is cited, as the name of an angell; who on a time being desirous to be checkemate with God himselfe, would needs (when God was gone a litle asside) be sitting downe, or rather pirking up in Gods owne principall and cathedrall chaire; and that therfore God cast him and all his confederates out of heaven: so as some fell downe from thence to the bottome of the earth; some having descended but into the midle region, and the taile of them having not yet passed through the higher region, staied even then & there, when God said, Ho. But God knoweth there is no such thing ment nor mentioned in that place. For there is onlie foreshewed the deposing and deprivation of king Nabuchadnez-zar,/502. who exalting himselfe in pride (as it were above the starres) esteemed his glorie to surmount all others, as farre as Lucifer the bright morning starre shineth more gloriouslie than the other common starres, and was punished by exile, untill such time as he had humbled himselfe; and therefore metaphoricallie was called Lucifer.
But forsooth, bicause these great clarkes would be thought methodicall, and to have crept out of wisedomes bosome, who rather cralled out of follies breeches; they take upon them to shew us, first, whereof these angels that fell from heaven were created;The opinion of the Thalmudists. to wit, of the left side of that massie moold, whereof the world was compounded, the which (saie they) was Putredo terræ, that is, the rottennesse of the earth. The Cabalists, with whome Avicen seemeth to agree, saie that one of these begat another:/361. others saie, they were made all at once. The Greekes doo write that angels were created before the world. The Latinists saie they were made the fourth daie, when the starres were made. Laurence AnaniasLaur. Anan. lib. de natur. dæm. 1. saith, they were made the first daie, and could not be made the fourth daie, bicause it is written; Quando facta sunt sidera, laudaverunt me angeli: so as (saith he) they were made under the name of theCrœavit* cælum & terram. [* Creavit]
[* Gen. 1. 1. Vulg.] heavens.
There is also a great question among the schoolemen, whether more angels fell downe with Lucifer, or remained in heaven with Michael. Manie having a bad opinion of the angels honesties, affirme that the greater part fell with Lucifer: but the better opinion is (saith Laurentius Ananias)Lau. Anan. lib. de natur. dæm. 1. that the most part remained. And of them that thinke so, some saie the tenth part were cast downe, some the ninth; and some gather upon S. John, that the third part were onelie damned; bicause it is written, that the dragon with his taile plucked downe with him the third part of the starres./