“Ring out ye crystal spheres!
Once bless our human ears
(If ye have power to touch our senses so)
And let your silver chime
Move in melodious time,
And let the bass of Heav’n’s deep organ blow;
And with your ninefold harmony
Make up full consort to th’angelic symphony.
For if such holy song
Enwrap our fancy long,
Time will run back and fetch the age of gold,
And speckl’d Vanity
Will sicken soon and die,
And leprous Sin will melt from earthly mould;
And Hell itself will pass away,
And leave her dolorous mansions to the peering Day”
-John Milton, On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity (1645)
Since the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, humanity has been quick to discount “superstition” in favor of Reason and the authority of science. Metaphysics are traded for hard facts, observation, and theories; questions like “Why do I exist?” and “What’s the meaning of life?” are exchanged for questions like, “What is useful?” and “What is helpful?” The scientific discoveries of Modernity born out of the Enlightenment certainly have revealed many “secrets” of the natural universe with its exchange of “superstition” for science; however, as with any exchange, something was lost in this trade-off. Prior to Modernity’s conception of an isolated universe, the men and women of the Early Modern period of the 15th-17th centuries understood reality as the reflection of a vast, interconnected cosmos. At the source of this cosmos was Truth- and not just any Truth, but the Truth of an omnipotent, eternal, triune, and sovereign God. In Him, all life came into being and all life is upheld by the Word of His power. Unlike the “randomized” universe of the modern man, the Early Modern worldview’s recognition of God’s sovereignty pervaded every aspect of their conception of reality. And while I am certainly not arguing for a total acceptance of this worldview, it is my contention that an understanding of this complex and comprehensive worldview sheds light on the everpresent sovereignty of God over all things in a way that reflects His majesty and glory.
In contrast to the materialist and utilitarian ends of the secular universe, the Early Modern understanding of the cosmos was filled with purpose. Just as the notes of a song relate to one another and make the music of the whole, each part of reality has its place in the symphony of reality. To the Early Modern man, the self-evident harmony of the cosmos demonstrated the power and life of its Maker. Because God is life, infinitely full of life, and the source of all life, Early Moderns also understood that the created universe must contain more life than we could ever imagine. Thus, the Early Modern worldview made no distinction between a “natural” and a “supernatural” world. Instead, all things had a spiritual “essence.” However, this belief was not a form of Eastern pantheism or the belief that part of God’s Divine Being “resided” within Creation. Instead, it was an affirmation that all reality spoke to the glories of its Creator, so that one could truly say with the Psalmist, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
To organize this vast cosmos, Early Moderns understood all of reality in a vertically organized hierarchy known as the Great Chain of Being. From a piece of dirt to the highest angel, each “link” of the Chain manifested different spiritual and physical attributes corresponding to the attributes of God Himself. It was within the context of these symbolic correspondences that the Early Modern man imagined and encountered the world around him. Crowning the head of this Great Chain is the triune God; following Him are the nine orders of the angels (each corresponding to the nine realms of the cosmos) whose natures correspond to God’s understanding. Next is man, whose being manifests the reason of God. However, because of the Fall, mankind currently lacks the understanding that the angels have of the things of God. Under man fall the animals, whose physical strength reflect the might of the Almighty. Below animals are the plants, who manifest the growth and life that the Lord gives to His creation. At the bottom of the chain rest rocks and minerals, whose essence of solidity reflects the immutability and endurance of God. In the same way, “microcosmic” correspondences and hierarchies within this Great Chain also apply to the social and civil realms. Just as God is King of the Cosmos, the Sun is the King of the solar systems and the Lion is the king of the beasts. Likewise, earthly Kings manifest the character of the Sun, the Lion, and, most importantly, of God because they exercise total dominion over their subjects. Thus, it was through these correspondences that the Early Modern man not only understood the harmony of God’s creation but could also explain the civil, political, and social institutions of the world around him.
It was on this comprehensive hierarchy that the whole cosmos of the Early Modern period operated; to defy its organization and seek to move up the scale was unthinkable—to do so would be cosmic rebellion and the disruption of divine harmony. To a contemporary audience, the Fall was the prime example of such rebellion and its effect. Before the Fall, the Earth participated in what Early Modern writers refer to as the “Cosmic Dance,” a great celebration of all reality, when all nine of the spheres (the planets), would “dance” in unison before the throne of their Maker to a musical theme like no other—the music of the spheres. However, in the Fall, the Earth’s place in the Cosmic Dance was uprooted by Satan, the King of Discord. No longer does our planet dance properly to its proper tune; indeed, man cannot even hear this divine song in his fallen condition. This is why the Medieval and Early Modern thinkers imagined the Earth as the center of the universe: not because we’re so special, but because we have been held down by the forces of evil! Thanks to Adam’s sin and desire to usurp the throne of God, the harmonious theme of the cosmos has been disrupted with Satan (literally) holding down the earth from joining the music of the spheres. We can’t rejoice in the glories of our Maker; we can’t dance before His awesome presence. Man’s desire to “play his own tune” has disgraced the great cosmic hymn, filling its place with the rambunctious noise of fleshly desires and the sinful idolatry of our hearts.
However, there is hope in this bleak cosmos. God, because of the great love with which He loved His people, has sent His son, Christ Jesus, to bear the sins of the guilty; and there is coming a day when He will come again, a time when He will enable us to sing along with “the music of the spheres,” to renew our place within the Great Cosmic Dance. It was this biblical hope in Christ’s return that pre-moderns looked towards. Of course, their worldview had many shortcomings and erroneous conceptions of the universe, reflected in the Early Modern practices of alchemy and astrology. And while their ideas of “correspondences” and a geocentric universe may seem superstitious, and maybe even ridiculous, we cannot miss the major Truths underlying this worldview: that God is making all things new in the light of His glory, that all things, even now, proclaim this truth amid the darkness, and that this fleeting world will pass away before the bountiful glory of its Maker. Likewise, we too share this hope as present-day believers in a Postmodern world. No longer do we live in a world that denies the superstitious but a world that defies Truth itself! Only by reminding ourselves, just as our pre-modern brothers in the faith did, that the Lord Jesus Christ is reigning over all and shall consecrate all things unto Himself can we find peace in this age of uncertainty. The Truth, the Logos, has come; why should we fear? Thus, let us be reminded, lest we neglect this glorious hope, that we too will join in the music of the spheres, the mighty triumph song of the Lamb of God slain for Adam’s fallen race.
