Miscellanea philo-theologica, or, God, & man A treatise compendiously describing the nature of God in his attributes, with a lively pourtraiture of his wisedome in ordering, and disposing of the celestiall, and terrestriall bodies. Containing much variety of matter ... and apt applications singular for brevity, and perspicuity. By Henry Church.

[Sect. 1] First, What Jnvisibility is.

THe word signifies that which cannot be seene: A thing may be invisible two wayes: the one when something is betweene the eye and the object, or the ob∣ject is too neare, or too farre off. The other, because the object is so pure, cleare, and spirituall, that no secon∣dary helpe can make it obvious.

We see not when a Curtaine is drawne, or if a thing be behinde a wall or a mountaine; the object may bee visible in it selfe, but occasionally, by reason of some medium, is hid from us.

Also a thing too neare the eye we discerne not; wee cannot see our eye-lid, because it is too neare.

Againe, we see not that is farre off, and a great way re∣mote from us; as a mountaine, twenty, thirty, or forty miles, because our naturall view, and prospective view hath his bounds which we cannot exceede: all this while the defect is not in the eye, but the object is either hid, or too neeare, or too farre.

In respect of the object there is an invisibility, which being thinne, pure, and spirituall, all advantages cannot make it visible.

That which makes a thing visible is light, for in the darke wee see nothing; also it must be convenient light: for if the eye bee in a perfect Sunne-beam••, it would see nothing, therefore it must bee a convenient well-qua∣lified light: in the Moone-light wee see onely grosse things; in the day light wee see all colours, formes, and shapes; but there is a more exact light that Ingravers and Jewellers use through a glasse of Water from a Candle.

Take the best advantage from Nature and art, take the best sighted man in the best qualified light, naturall, or artificiall, yet he cannot see a Spirit, because of the purenesse and thinnesse of the matter whereof it is made. So much what Invisibility is.