Chapter XIII, Section 1b

For God, in the first place, is the end and beginning of all Virtues; he gives the seal of the Ideas to his servants, the Intelligences; who, as faithful officers, sign all things intrusted to them with an Ideal Virtue; the Heavens and Stars, as instruments, disposing the matter in the mean while for the receiving of those forms which reside in Divine Majesty (as saith Plato in Timeus) and to be conveyed by Stars; and the Giver of Forms distributes them by the Ministry of his Intelligences, which he hath set as Rulers and Controllers over his Works, to whom such a power is intrusted in things committed to them that so all Virtues of Stones, Herbs, Metals, and all other things may come from the Intelligences, the Governors. The Form, therefore, and Virtue of things comes first from the Ideas , then from the ruling and governing Intelligences, then from the aspects of the Heavens disposing, and lastly from the tempers of the Elements disposed, answering the influences of the Heavens, by which the Elements themselves are ordered, or disposed. These kinds of operations, therefore, are performed in these inferior things by express forms, and in the Heavens by disposing virtues, in Intelligences by mediating rules, in the Original Cause by Ideas and exemplary forms, all of which must of necessity agree in the execution of the effect and virtue of everything. There is, therefore, a wonderful virtue and operation in every Herb and Stone, but greater in a Star, beyond which, even from the governing Intelligences every thing receiveth and obtains many things for itself, especially from the Supreme Cause, with whom all things do mutually and exactly correspond, agreeing in an harmonious consent, as it were in hymns, always praising the highest Maker of all things, as by the three children in the fiery furnace were all things called upon to praise God with singings. Bless ye the Lord all things that grow upon the Earth, and all things which move in the Waters, all fowls of the Heavens, beasts and cattle, together with the sons of men. There is, therefore, no other cause of the necessity of effects than the connection of all things with the First Cause, and their correspondency with those Divine patterns and eternal Ideas whence every thing hath its determinate and particular place in the exemplary world, from whence it lives and receives its original being: And every virtue of herbs, stones, metals, animals, words and speeches and all things that are of God, is placed there. Now the First Cause, which is God, although he doth by Intelligences and the Heavens work upon these inferior things, Both sometimes (these mediums being laid aside, or their officiating being suspended) works those things immediately by himself, which works then are called Miracles. But whereas secondary causes, which Plato and others call handmaids, do by the command and appointment of the First Cause, necessarily act, and are necessitated to produce their effects, if God shall notwithstanding, according to his pleasure, so discharge and suspend them, that they shall wholly desist from the necessity of that command and appointment; then they are called the greatest Miracles of God. So the fire in the Chaldeans’ furnace did not burn the Children. So also the Sun at the command of Joshua went back from its course the space of a whole day; so also at the prayer of Hezekiah it went back ten degrees or hours. So when Christ was crucified the Sun was darkened, though at full Moon. And the reason of these operations can be by no rational discourse, no Magic, or occult or profound Science whatsoever be found out or understood, but are to be learned and inquired into by Divine Oracles only.