Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/571

 to all things; in like manner which signifieth through, because through him are all things made, so, which signifieth Immortall; so amongst the Latines he is called Jupiter, as it were an adjuvant father, and such like, and also certain names are devoted to men, as Eutychis, Sophia, Theophilus, that is, prosperous, servant, dear to God. In like manner certain materiall things receive no little sanctity and vertue by consecration, especially if done by a priest, as we see those waxen seals, in which are imprinted the figure of Lambs, to receive vertue by the benediction of the Romane High priest, against lightnings and tempests, that they cannot hurt those who carry them, for a divine vertue is inspired into Images thus consecrated, and is contained in them, as it were in a certain sacred Letter, which hath the Image of God; the like vertue those holy waxed lights receive at Easter, and at the feast of the purification of the virgins; in like manner bells by consecration and benediction receive vertue, that they drive away and restrain lightnings, and tempests, that they hurt not in those places where their sounds are heard; in like manner salt and water, by their benedictions and exorcismes receive power to chase and drive away evil spirits; and thus in things of this kind, there are also sacred times alwaies observed by the nations of every religion with very great reverence, which are either commanded that we should sanctify by the Gods themselves, or are dedicated to them by our fore-fathers and Elders, for the commemoration of some benefit received of the Gods, and for a perpetual Thanksgiving. Thus the Hebrews have received their Sabbaths, and the Heathens their holy daies, and we the solemn dayes of our holy rites, alwaies to be reverenced with the Highest solemnity; there are also times contrary to these, which they call penitential, and we black dayes, because that in those daies the commomwealth hath suffered some notable blow, and calamity, of which sort amongst the Romans was the day before the fourth nones of August, because that on that day they suffered that extraordinary blow at