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WAs the son of Apollo and Cyrene, a shepherd, a keeper of Bees, who first found out honey and oyl; hee was in love with Euridice, who being pursued by him, run away, and was kill'd by a serpent; therefore the Nymphs were angry, and destroyed his Bees: Hee obtained of Jupiter and Neptune, that the pestilentiall heat of the D••g-dayes, wherein was great morta∣lity should be mitigated with windes.
1. THe Minister ought to be Aristaeus, that is, the best man of the parish in spirituall gifts, and holy con∣versation, as he is the best in respect of his sacred calling. And hee should pursue Euridice, and be in love with her, that is, with right judgement: but shee is fled from Ari∣staeus, and is stung by the Serpent; right judgement hath forsaken many of our Ministers, in these troublesome times, and shee is oppressed by that old Serpent the divell. 2. By Aristaeus may be meant Wisdome, which is the best thing in man, as the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 op••imus shews, which is begot of Apollo and Cyrene the daughter of the river Peneus, because the moderate heat and proportion of moisture make a good temper, and so the Organs are sitted for the exercise of wisdome; by which honey and oyl, things most pleasant and usefull for the life of man, were invented: by wisdome the heat of the Dog-dayes is tempered, because a wise man knowes how to prevent and avoid the inconvenien∣cies of the heaven, Sapiens dominabi•••• astris: Euridice is a deep or large iudgement, which is nothing else but that act of the intellect in (b) 1.1 determining what is right, what wrong, what to be chosen, what avoided; and so the Will, whose office it is to chuse or refuse, is di••ected and guided by the Judgement. A wise man desires to enjoy a right judgement, and to regulate his actions according∣ly; but this Euridice doth often fail Aristaeus, and is wound∣ed by the serpent of our corrupt nature; so that this failing, Aristaeus loseth his Bees, that is, faileth in his inventions, and wants the sweetnesse and comfort which hee should take in his actions; this made Saint Paul confesse, that he did what he would not do, and what hee would doe, hee did not. 3. Aristaeus is a king, a shepherd, and the best man of
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his Kingdome, by whose invention we have honey and oil, that is, delight and all things necessary by his good government; whose wisdom doth prevent the infectious heat of Dogdayes; that is, of oppression, tumul••s and rebellion; but if at any time Euridice, right judgement, being stung by serpentine flatterers who mis-inform him, be wanting, the Bees perish, and the subjects go to ruine. 4. Aristaeus is the celestiall heat, the effect of the Sun, joyned with moderate moisture, by which, Bees, and Olives, and all things usefull for our life are procreated and cherished; by the secret influence of this heat those Northern windes in Pontus, Egypt, and other places are raised, which after the Summer Solstice blow and last fourty dayes, by which the rage of the Dog-star is miti∣gated: these winds are called Etesii, because every yeere they blow at the same season; In Spain and Asia these E∣tesian windes blow from the East: this heate working upon Jupiter and Neptune, that is, on the air and sea, doth cause and generate these winds: now as this celestiall heat produceth and cherisheth Bees; so Euridice, mans judge∣ment, art and industry must be joyned; otherwaies by the Nymphs, that is, too much rain, or by many other wayes the Bees may fail, and if they fail, the same heat out of putrified matter may make a new generation. 5. Christ is the true Aristaeus, the good shepherd, the best of men, and the Son of God, by whom wee have honey and oyle, comfort and spirituall joy, and all things else, at whose request the heat and Dog-star of Gods anger was appeased; hee is in love with our souls, as Aristaeus with Euridice: but wee run from him, and are stung by the Serpent the Divell; wee died with Euridice; we were destroyed with Aristaeus his Bees, untill hee restored us again to life by the sacrifice of his own body.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 la••us, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 judicium.