firme solidity of the firmament, as the word importeth. _Homer_ doth the same in the 3. of his _Odes_, calleth it πολύχαλκος, most brasse, as _Euripedes_ and _Anaxagoras_, make the Sunne a fired iron; for the Greek Poets ordinarily doe put fire and brasse one for another; the same doth _Homer_ in many places, as in the 4. of the _Iliads_, where _Apollo_ to encourage the _Trojans_, remonstrates unto them, that the Greeks have not impenetrable bodies, of stone, or of iron, that they should be able to resist blowes of cutting brasse, without hurting them. These are manners of speech, which are not very strange amongst the Prophets, who have thereby figured out the most part of their solutions, under which some mysteries were shadowed; which if men would take altogether raw according to the letter, without allegorizing thereupon, they would find themselves farre from their reckoning, as the Martyr _Pamphilus_ said well in the defence of _Origen_, speaking of those who to shunne allegories were constrained to stumble at gross impertinencies. They think it of this sort, said he, for that they would not admit of allegories in the holy writ, by reason whereof, as subjecting themselves to the literall sense, they imagine and invent to themselves fine fables, and fictions. And indeed how could a man take according to the letter that of the 33. of _Deut._ speaking of _Aser_? _Thy shoes shall be iron and brasse_, for he would not say that _Aser_ was shod with iron and brasse, but he would understand thereby his force and power, denoted as well by the two metals, as by the shoe; I _will extend my shoe against Idumæa, strangers are my subjects_; These are all allegories and figures, as also in the 60. of _Esay_, _For brass I bring thee gold, and silver in stead of Iron, brasse for wood, and fire for stones_. Marke well how the Prophet observes the relations opposing brasse to gold, and iron to silver; and againe, brasse to wood, and iron to stones; for as gold excelleth silver, and trees stones, it is the same in the metallique order, brasse is more pretious then iron. But all tends to denote that the heavenly mysticall _Jerusalem_, which is the Church triumphant, so much more excellent then the Jewish Synagogue, which was but a figure thereof. And certainely hee that would looke more narrowly thereinto, the Prophets never spake any thing improperly, even to the least trade or mechanick arts; for in their ravishments they saw things in their reall being, within the _Zipheret_ or supercelestiall Sunne, which is a clear shining looking-glasse, a living source of all Idea’s, as Idea’s are of formes. This is furthermore well to be observed, for the regard of metals, which they associate commonly iron and copper for their affinity; will iron make a covenant with iron from the North? and brasse? for iron is easily changed into copper, by means of vitrioll, by putting them bed upon bed in a descensory with a strong fire of