what eche tribe should attaine after his death by drawinge of lottes Againe the same Moyses forsawe and fortolde in publique hearing of all the people how in tymes to come longe after his death the Iewes should forsake God and for their synnes be cast into manie banishementes and finallie be forsaken and the Gentiles receaued in their roome as in deed it came to passe And whence trow you could he learne this but from God alone In the booke of Iosue there is a curse layed vpō the place where Iericho stoode and vpon what soeuer person should goe about to rebuild the same to wit that in his eldest sonne he should lay the foundations and in his yongest sonne should he builde the gates therof which is to saye that before the foundations were layed and gates builded he should be punished with the death of all his children Which thing was fulfilled almost fiue hundred yeares after in one Hiel who presumed vnder wicked kinge Achab to rebuild Iericho againe and was terrified from the same by the suddaine death of Abiram and Segub his children as the booke of kinges reportech according to the vvorde of our Lord vvhich he had spoken in the hande of Iosue the fonne of Nun And since that tyme to this no man ether Iewe or Gētile hath taken vpon hym to raise againe the said Citie albeit the situation be most pleasant as by relation of Stories and Geographers appeareth In the third booke of kinges it is recorded that when Ieroboam had withdrawen ten tribes from th' obedience of Roboam kinge of Iuda to th' ende they might neuer haue occasion to revnite thē selues againe to Iuda by their goinge to sacrifice in Ierusalem as by the law they were appointed he builded for them a goodlie gorgeous highe Aulter in Bethel and there cōmanded them to doe their deuotions And when he was one day thero present hymself and offering his incense vpon the said Aulter and all the people lookinge on there came a man of God sayeth the scripture and stoode before the Aulter and cried out aloude and spake thes wordes O Aulter Aulter this sayeth our Lorde behold a childe shal be borne of the hovvse of Dauid vvhose name shal be Iosias and he shal sacrifice vpon thee thes idolatrous priestes that novv burne francomsense vpon the and he shal burne the bones of men vpon thee Thus spake that man of God in the presence and hearinge of all the people more then three hundred yeares before Iosias was borne and it was registred prosentelie according to the manner of that tyme which I haue noted before and with the same were registred also the miracles which happened about that fact as that the Aulter clefte in two vpō the mans wordes and Ieroboam extendinge owt his hande to apprehend hym lost presentelie the vse and feeling therof vntill it was restored againe by the said holie mans prayers who notwithstanding for that he disobeyed Gods commandement in his returne and dyd eate with a prophet of Samar a which was forbidden hym he was slaine in his way homeward by a Lion and his bodie was brought backe againe buried in Bethel nigh the said Aulter amongest the sepulchers of those idolatrous preestes of that place but yet with a superscription vpon his tombe conteining his name and what had happened There passed three hundred yeares and Iosias was borne and came to reigne in Iuda And one daye cōming to Bethel to ouerthrow the Aulter and to destroye the sepulchers of those idolitrous priestes that had bene buried i that place whē he began to breake their tombes he fownde by chance the sepulcher of the said man of God with the superscription vpon it By which superscription and by relation of the citizēs of Bethel when he perceaued that it was the sepalcher of hym that had fortolde his byrth his name and his doinges so manie hundred years before he was borne he lett the same stande vntouched as the fowerth booke of kinges doth declare Now consider whether among anie people in the world but onlie amonge the Iewes ther were euer anie such prophetie so certaine so particuler so longe fortolde before the tyme and so exactelie fulfilled But yet the holie scriptures are full of the lyke and tyme permitteth me onlie to touch some few of the principal Esay the prophet is wonderful in fortelling the mysteries and actes of the Messias his natiuitie his life and all the particulers that happened in his passiō In so much that S. Ierome sayeth he may seeme rather to write a storie of deedes past then a prophetie of euentes to come But yet among other thinges it is to be noted that he liuing in a peaceable and prosperous tyme in Iuda when the Iewes were in amitie and greate securitie with the Babyloniās he forsawe and fortolde the destruction of Ierusalem by the said Babylonians and the greeuous captiuitie of Iewes vnder them as also the destruction of Babylon againe by Cyrus kinge of Persia whose expresse name and greatnes he published in writing almost two hundred yeares before he was borne saying in the person of God First to Ezechias king of Iuda that reioysed in the frindshippe he had with Babylon behold the dayes shall come vvhen all that thou and thye fathers haue layed up shall be caried avvay to Babylon and thy children shal be eunuches in the king of Babylons Palace And next to Babylō he said the destruction of Babylon vvhich Esay the sonne of Amos savve c. houle crie for that the day of our Lorde is at hande c. And thirdlie to Cyrus not yet borne who was preordained to destroye the same and to restore the people from banishemēt to rebuild the temple in Ierusalē he sayeth thus I say to Cyrus thou art my shepheard and thou shalt fulfill all my vvill I say to Ierusalem thou shalt be builded againe I say to the temple thou shalt be founded again This sayeth our Lord to my amointed Cyrus I vvill goe before thee vvill humble the glorious people of the earthe in thy presence I vvill breake their brasen gates crushe in peeces their yron barres for my seruant Iacobs sake haue I called thee by thie Name and haue armed the vvher as thou knovvest not me Can anie thing be more clearlie or miraculouslie spoken in the world then to name a heathé not yet borne that should conquerre so stronge a Monarchie as Babylon was at this tyme should builde againe the temple of Ierusalem which others of his owne religiō had destroyed before hym what cause what reason what lykeliehode could be of this yet Esay speaketh it so confidentelie as he sayeth that he savve it and he nameth two witnesses therof that is Vrias and Zacharias that were not borne in manie yeares after saying and I tooke vnto me tvvo faithful vvitnesses Vrias the prieste and Zacharias
for God called not him self a iust iudge for nothing If the matter had bene so secure as many men by flatterie doe persuade themselues it is S. Peter would neuer haue said vnto Christians now baptized VValke you in scare during the time of this your earthely babitation Nor S. Paul to the same men VVorke your ovvne saluation in feare trembling But here perhappes some men wil aske me how then docth the same Apostle in an other place say That God hath not geuen vs the spirit of feare but of vertue loue and sobrietie to which I answere that our spirite is not a spirit of seruile feare that is to liue in feare onely for dreade of punishment without loue but it is a spirit of loue ioined with the feare of childrē wherby they feare to offend their father not onely in respect of his punishment but principally for his goodnes towardes them and benefites bestowed vpon them This S. Paul declareth plainly to the Romanes putting the differēce betwene seruile feare and the feare of children you haue not receiued againe the spirit of seruitude saith he in feare but the spirit of adoption of children vvherby vve crie to God Abba father He saith here to the Romanes you haue not receiued againe the spirit of seruitude in feare because their former spirite being gentiles was onely in seruile feare for that they honoured and adored their Idoles not for any loue they bore vnto them being so infinit as they were and such not able leudnes reported of them I meane of Iupiter Mars Venus and the like but onely for feare of hurt from them if they did not serue adore and honour them S. Peter also in one sentence expoandeth al this matter For hauing said timorem corum ne timueritis feare not their feare meaning of the seruile feare of wicked men he addeth presentlie Dominum autem Christum sanctificate in cordibus vestris c. cum modestia timore conscientiam habentes bona That is doe you sanctifie our Lord IESVS Christ in your hartes hauing a good conscience with modestie and feare So that the spirit of seruile feare which is grounded onely vpon respect of punishment is forbidden vs but the louing feare of children is commaunded And yet also about this are there two things to be noted The first that albeit the spirite of seruile feare be forbiden vs especiallie whē we are now entered into the seruice of God yet is it most profitable for sinners and for such as yet doe but beginne to serue God for that it moueth them to repētance to looke about them for which cause it is called by the wiseman the beginning of vvisdome And therfore both Ionas to the Niniuites and S. Iohn Baptist to the Iewes and al the prophets to sinners haue vsed to stirre vp this feare by threatning the daungers and punishmentes which were imminent to them if they repented not But yet afterward when men are cōuerted to God and doe goe forward in his seruice they change euery day this seruile feare into loue vntil they arriue at last vnto that state wher of S. Iohn saith that perfecti loue or charitie expelleth feare Wherupon S. Austen saieth that feare is the seruant sent before to prepare place in our hartes for his mistres which is charitie Who being once entered in and perfectly placed feare goeth out againe geueth place vnto the same But where this feare neuer entereth at al there is it impossible for charitie euer to come and dwel saieth this holy father The second thing to be noted is that albeit this feare of punishment be not in verie perfect men or at leastwise is lesse in them then in others as S. Iohn in the place before alleaged teacheth yet being ioined with loue reuerence as it ought to be it is most profitable and necessary for al common Christians whose life is not so perfect nor charitie so great as that they haue that perfection wherof S. Iohn speaketh This appeareth by that that our Sauiour Christ persuaded also this feare euen vnto his Apostles saying Feare you him vvhich after he hath slaine the bodie hath povver also to send both bodie and soule vnto hel fire this I saye vnto you feare him The same doth S. Paul to the Corinthians whoe were good Christians laying downe first the iustice of God therupō persuading thē tò feare Al vve saith he must be presēted before the tribunal seat of Christ to receiue ech man his proper desertes according as he hath done good or euil in this life And for that vve knovve this vve doe persuade he feare of our Lord vnto men Nay that which is more S. Paul testifieth that notwithstanding al his fauours receiued frō God he retained yet him self this feare of Gods iustice as appeareth by those wordes of his I doe chastise my bodie and doe bring it into seruitude least perchance vvhen I haue preached to others I become a reprobate myself Now then my frend if S. Paul stoode in awe of the iustice of God notwithstāding his Apostleshipp and that he was guiltie to him self of no one sinne or offence as he protesteth what oughtest thou to be whose conscience remaineth guiltie of so many misdeedes and wickednes This knovv you saieth S. Paul that no fornicatour vncleane person couetous man or the like can haue inheritāce in the kingdome of Christ. And immediatly after as though this had not bene sufficient he addeth for preuenting the folie of-sinners which flatter thē selues Let no man deceiue you vvith vaine vvordes for the vvrath of God commeth for thes thinges vpon the children of vnbeleef Be not you therfore partakers of them As if he should say They that flatter you say Tush God is merciful and wil pardon easily al thes and like sinnes thes mē deceiue you saith S. Paul for that the wrath and vengeance of God lighteth vpon the children of vnbeleef for thes matters that is it lighteth vpon thos which wil not beleeue Gods iustice nor his threates against sinne but presuming of his mercie doe perseuere in the same vntil vpon the sodaine Gods wrath doe rush vpon them and then is it to late to amende Wherfore saieth he if you be wise be not partakers of their folie but amend your liues presently while you haue time And this admonition of S. Paul shal be sufficient to ende this chapter against al thos that refuse or deferre their resolution of amendement vpon vaine hope of Gods pardon or tolleration THE SIXT THING THAT VSETH TO STAY AND HINDER MEN FROM MAture resolution VVhich is the deceitful hope and persuation to doe it better or vvith more ease aftervvard CHAPT VII THE reasons and authorities which hitherto haue bene alleaged might seme I doubt not sufficient in the iudgement and censure of any reasonable man to proue the necessitie of the resolution wherof we
lyke or at least wise delyuer them selues from the plagues of Egipt whie did they crie oute the fingar of God is here where did you euer heare such workes donne by magicke as Moyses did when he deuided the redde sea when he called into his cāpe so many Quayles vpon the suddayne as sufficed to feede six hundred thousand men besides women and children When he made a rocke to yeld foorth a fountaine whē he caused a dewe to fall frō heauē that nourrished his whole campe for fortie yeares together when he caused the grounde to open and swalloe downe alyue three of the richest noble men of all his armie together with their tabernacles and all other bagges and baggage When he caused a siar to come from heauen and cōsume siftie gentlemen of the former Rebelles adherētes without hurting any one that stoode about them Thes thinges did Moyses and manie other in the sight of all his armie that is in the sight of so manie hundred thousand people amōg which there were diuers his emulators and sworne enimies as by the storie icripture it self appeareth Core Dathan and Abiron with their faction soughte in all thinges to disgrace hym to deminishe his credite and therfore if any one pointe of thes miracles had bene reprouable Moyses would neuer haue durst to putt the same in writinge nor would the people haue stode with hym much lesse haue receaued his writinges for diuine and for gods owne wordes beinge sollicited agaynst hym by so potent meanes had not they knowen all thinges to be most true therin conteined and had seene his straunge miracles and familiaritie with God But he dealt plainelie and simplie in this behalfe he wrote the thinges of his owne doinges which euerie man present did know to be true and of Gods speeches and communicatiōs to hym self he wrote so much as he was commaunded wherof both God and his consciēce did beare hym witnesse He caused the whole to be reade vnto the people and layed vp in their Sacred Arcke and Tabernacle as gods owne writing and couenaunt with that nation He caused all the whole armie to sweare and vowe th' obseruāce therof And thē drawing towards his death he made a most excellēt exhortation vnto them persuading them sincerlie to the seruice of their God and cōfessing his owne infirmities and how for his oftences he was to die before their enterance to the lande of promisse He cōcealed notth ' offēces of his brother Aarō of his Grand-father Leui of his sister Marie and other of his kinred as worldlie princes for their honours are wonte to doe nether did he goe aboute to bring in gouernment after his disceasse any one of his owne sonnes which is greatelie to be obserued notwithstandinge he lefte behynde hym goodlie gentlemen fitt for that roome hym self of power to place them if he had endeuored But he lefte the gouernment to a straūger named Iosue as God had commaunded hym All which thinges sayeth the Iewe doe proue suffiçientelie that Moises was no man of ambition or of worldlie spirit but a true Scruaunt of God and consequētlie that he wrought not by magicke or falshod but by the onlie power of his Lorde and Master and that his writinges are true and of the same authoritie that in his lyfe and death he affirmed them to be that is th' vndoubted worde of almightie God THIS HE confirmeth yet further by a fowerth reason which is the consent and approbatiō of all later writers of the Bible that insued after Moyses For as among prophane writers of worldlie spirite it is a common fashion for hym that followeth to reprehende the former and to hunte after praise by his ancetours disgrace so in thes writers of the Bible it is a most certaine argument that all were guyded by one spirite from God that in continuance of so manie ages thousand yeares no one yet euer impugned th' other but alwayes the later supposing and approuing the former for true doth build therupon as vpon a sure fondatiō So the writinges of Iosue doe confirme and approue the writinges of Moises and the recordes of the Iudges doe reuerence and allowe the booke of Iosue The Storie of kiges chronicles doth referre it self to the storie of iudges One Prophete cōfirmeth other And finallie Christ approueth thē all by the knowē diuisiō of law psalmes ad Prophetes which is a demonstratiō that all their spirites agreed i one And thus hytherto haue bene declared thes fower considerations that are external or without the Bible to witte th' antiquitie and continuāce of the scriptures the maner of their writing and preseruing from corruption The sinceritie vertue and simplicitie of their writers together with their agreement and coherēce in one spirit But now further sayeth the learned Iew if you will but open the booke it self and looke into the texte that which therin is conteined you shall see gods owne hande gods owne characters gods owne signe and seale and subscription to the paper You shall see Gods omnipotencie Gods spirite Gods prouidence no lesse in thes letters of his booke then you beheld the same before in the tables of his creatures Nay much more sayeth he for that thes letters were deuised for declaration of thos tables to th' ende that such as for their blyndnes could not see hym in his creatures might learne at least to reade hym in his scriptures CONSIDER thē first sayeth he the subiecte or argumēt which the scriptures doe handle together with the scope and ende wherto they doe leuell You shall finde that the first is nothing els but th' actes and gestes of one eternal God as before hath bene mentioned and the secōd nothing els but the onlie glorie exaltation of the same great God together with the saluatiō of mankynde vpō earth And shall you finde anie writinges in the world besides that haue so worthie an argument or so highe an Ende Reade all the volumes and Monumentes of the Pagans turne ouer all their authors of what kynde or name or profession soeuer and see what mention they make of thes two thinges I meane of the honour of God of the saluation of man Reade their Philosophers see whether euer they name or pretende thes thinges Reade their Historiographers and marke how manie battails and victories they attribute vnto God They will describe to you oftē the particuler cōmēdatiō of euerie Captaine they will defraude no one souldiar of his praise in the victorie they will attribute much to the wisdome of the general much to his courage much to his watchfulnes much to fortune They will attribute to the place to the wynde to the wether to the shining of the sunne to the raising of the dust in th' enimies eyes to the flying of some litle birde in the ayer and to a thowsand such petie obseruatiōs besides but to God
Knovv thou before hande that thy issue shal be a straunger in a forraine lande and they shal subiect them to seruitude and shall asstict them for fovver hundred yeares but yet I vvill iudge the nation vnto vvhome they haue bene slaues and ester that they shal departe thence vvith greate riches This is the prophetie and how exactelie it was afterwarde fulfilled by the ruine of the Egytians and deliuerance of the Israelites euen at that tyme which is here appointed not onelie the booke of Exodus doth declare wher the whole storie is layed downe at large but also the cōsent of heathen wryters as before hath bene touched And it is speciallie to be noted that this prophetie was so cōmon and well knowen amōg all Iewes from Abrahams tyme downe vnto Moyses and so deliuered by tradition frō fathers to their children as it was the onelie comfort and staye not onlie of all that people in their seruitude of Egypt but also of Moyses and others that gouerned the people afterwardes for fortie yeares together in the deserte was the onelie meane in deede wherby to pacifie them in their distresses and miseries and therfore Moyses in euerie exhortation almost maketh mention of this promisse and prophetie as of a thing well knowen vnto them all and not deuised or inuēted by hym selfe or anie other Longe after this Iacob that was Abrahams nepheue being in Egipt making his testament said of his sowerth sonne Iuda Iuda thie brothers shal praise thee and the childrē of thie father shal bovve vnto the c. the Scepter shal not be taken from Iuda vntil he come that is to be sent and he shal be the expectation of nations Which later parte of the prophetie all Hebrewes doe expounde that it was meant of the comming of Messias which was fulfilled almost two thousand yeares after at the coming of Christ as shal be shewed in an other special chapter For at that tyme kinge Herod 2 straūger putt owt quite the line of Iuda from the gouernment of Iurie But for the first parte touching Iudas scepter it is wonderfull to consider the circumstances of this prophetie For first when it was spokē and vttered by Iacob there was no probabilitie of anie Scepter at all to be amōg the Iewes for that the Israelites or sōnes of Iacob at that daye were poore and few in nūber and neuer like to be a distincte nation of themselues or to depart foorth of Egypt againe And secondlie if anie such thinge should come to passe as they might be a people and haue a scepter or gouernmēt of their owne yet was it not lyklie that Iuda and his posteritie should possesse the same for that he had three elder brothers to witt Ruben Simeō and Leuie who in all likelihode were to goe before hym And thirdlie when Moyses recorded and putt in wryting this prophetie whiche was diuers hundreth yeares after Iacob had spoken it it was muche lesse likelie that euer it should be true for that Moyses then present in gouernmēt was of the tribe of Leuie Iosue designed by Godfor his successour was of the tribe of Ephrai and not of Iuda Which maketh greatelie for the certaintie of this record For that it is most apparent that Moyses would neuer haue putt suche a prophetie in writing to the disgrace of his owne tribe and to the preiudice and offence of Rubē Simeon Ephraim and other tribes nether would they euer haue suffred such a derogation but that it was euident to them by tradition that their Grandsire Iacob had spoken it albeit then presentelie there was no greate likelihode that euer after it should come to be fulfilled And this was for the tyme of Moyses but yet consider further that from Moyses to Samuel that was last of all the Iudges there passed fower hūdreth years more yet was there no apparēce of fulfillinge this prophetie in Israel for that the tribe of Iuda was not established in gouernmēt At lengthe they came to haue kinges to rule then was there chosen one Saul to that place not of the tribe of Iuda but of Beniamin he indued with diuers children to succede hym And who would then haue thought that this prophetie could euer haue bene fulfilled but yet for that it was gods worde it must needes take place and therfore when no man thought therof there was a poore shepheard chosen owt of the tribe of Iuda to be kinge the regiment scepter so established in his posteritie that albeit manie of his descendentes offended God more greeuouslie then euer Saul did who was putt out before and albeit ten tribes at once brake from Iuda and neuer returned to obedience againe but conspired with the Gentiles and other enimies of euerie syde to extinguishe the said kingdome and regiment of Iuda yet for the fulfilling of this prophetie the gouernmēt of Iuda held owt still for more then a thowsand and two hundred yeares together vntill Herodes tyme as I haue said Which is more then anie one familie in the world besides can shew for his nobilitie or continuance in gouernment The same Iacob when he came to blesse his litle nepheues Manasses and Ephraim that were Iosephs children though hym self were now dimme of sight and could not well discerne them yet dyd he putt his right hande vpon the head of the youger and his left hand vpon the elder and that of purpose as it proued afterwarde For when Ioseph their father misliked the placing of their Grād-fathers hādes would haue remoued the right hande fró Ephraim and haue placed it vpon the head of Manasses that was the elder Iacob would not suffer hym but answered I knovv my Jonne I knovv that Manasses is the elder be shall be multiplied into manie people but yet his yonger brother shal be greater then be Which afterward was fulfilled for that Ephraim was alwayes the greater and strōger tribe and in fine became the head of the kyngdome of Israel or of the ten tribes wherof there was no suspition or likelihode when Iacob spake this or when Moyses recorded it And how then came Iacob to forsee this so manie hundred yeares before as also to forsee and fortell the particuler places of his childrens habitations in the lande of promisse as Zabulon at the sea side Aser in the fertile pastures and other the like fower hundred yeares and more Wherhence had he this I say to fortell what lottes so longe after should appointe but onelie from God who gouerned their lottes The like might be asked concerninge Moyses who before his death in the desert deuided out the lande of Canaan to euerie tribe euē as though he had bene in possession therof as afterwarde it fell out by casting of lottes as in the booke of Iosue it doth appeare And could any humane witt or science thinke you forsee
doctrine monumeÌ„tes euen from the beginning albeit the lower they went the more corrupt they were and more obscured in diuine knowledge by their excercise iÌ„ idolat ie So wee know that the Romans had their learning from the Grecians the Graecians froÌ„ th' Egyptians th' Egyptians from the Chaldaeans who were the first people that receyued instruction in diuine matters from Adam Methusalem Noe others of those first and auncient fathers Now then it is to be considered that by consent of writers there were three famous men that liued together in those auncient times to witt Abraham who descending from HEBER was the father and beginner of the Iewes or Hebrues And wth hym Iob and one Zoroastres that were not of that linage of Heber but as we call them for distinctioÌ„s sake either heathens or Gentiles albeit that difference was not then in vre And of Iob we know by the testimonie of his booke that he was a most holie and vertuous maÌ„ Of Zoroastres we know onlie that he was greatelie learned and left monumeÌ„tes therof vnto his posteritie This Zoroastres liuing in Abrahams time might by accompt of scripture see or speake with Noe. For that Abraham was borne aboue three skore yeares before Noe disceassed And Noe was borne aboue fyue hundreth yeares before Methusalem dyed which Methusalem had lyued two hundred and fortie yeares with our first father Adam that had enioyed conuersatioÌ„ both with God Angels And therby no doubt could tell many highe and secrete mysteries especiallie touchinge Christ in whom all his hope for redemption of his posteritie did consist Which mysteries hidden knowledge it is not vnlike but that AbrahaÌ„ Iob Zoroastres and others who lyued at that tyme with them might recevue at the third hand by Noe and his children I meane Sem Cham and Iaphet who had lyued before the Fludde and had seene Methusalem which Methusalem lyued as I sayed so many yeares with Adam Herehence it is that in the writinges of Zoroastres which are yet exstant or recorded by other authours in his name there are founde verie many plaine speches of the sonne of God whom he calleth Secundam mentem the second mynde And muche more is it to be seene in the writinges of Hermes Trismegistus who lyued after in Egypt receyued his learninge from this Zoroastres that thes first heathen philosophers had manifest vnderstanding of this second person in Trinitie whom Hermes calleth the first begotten sonne of God his onlie sonne his deare eternal immutable incorruptible sonne vvho Sacred name is inessable thos are his wordes And after hym againe among the Graecians were Orphens Hesiedus others that vttered the like specches of the sonne of God as also did the Platonistes whose wordes and sentences were to longe to repeate in this place But he that will see them gathered together at large lett hym reade either Origen against Celsus the heathen or els S. Cyril in his first booke against Iulian th Apostata And this shall suffice for this first way wherby the Gentiles had vnderstanding of Christ. For the second thing which I mentioned it is to be vnderstoode that amonge the GeÌ„tiles there were certaine prophetisses or women prophetes called Sibyllae which in the greeke tongue as Lactantius gathereth maye signifie so much as either Councelours to God or Reutilours of Gods Councel And thes women being endued as it seemeth with a certaine spirit of prophetie did vtter from tyme to tyme though in such termes as most GeÌ„tiles vnderstoode them not most wonderful particularities of Christ to come agreiÌ„g as it were wholie with the prophetes of Israel or rather setting downe manie thinges in much more plaine and euident speeche then did th' other th' one of them beginning her greeke meerer in thes verie wordes knovv thie God vvhich is the sonne of God c. An other of theÌ„ maketh a whole discourse of Christ in greeke verses called Accrostichi for that the begiÌ„ning of euerie verse is by some letter appointed in order foorth of some one senteÌ„ce that runneth through the whole As for example the sentence that passed throughe the beginning of those verses whiche now we talke of was this Iesus Christ Sonne of God Saueour Crosse. And there were so manie verses in the whole discourse as there are letters in this senteÌ„ce The total argumeÌ„t beiÌ„g of the incarnatioÌ„ life death glorie and iudgement of the sonne of God And the last two verses of all the meeter are thes He that hath bene here described by our Accrossike verses is an immortale Saueour and a Kynge that must suffer for our sinnes And for that thes propheties of the Sibylls are of marueilous importaÌ„ce to coÌ„firme the veritie of our Christian religioÌ„ and are alleaged ofteÌ„ for that purpose by the most graue learnedst fathers of our primatiue churche as for example by Iustinê° the martyr in his apologie for Christians by Origen against Celsus by Arnobius and his scholler LactaÌ„tius against Gentiles by S. Cyril against Iulian th' apostata by S. Augustine in his Cittie of God by Eusebius and Constantine th' Emperour and others I will say somewhat in this place for th' authoritie and credite of thes verses least anie man perhappes might imagine as some Gentiles in olde tyme would seeme to doe that they were deuised or inuented by Christians And the most of my proofes shall be out of a learned oration writen in latine by the foresaid Emperour to a Councel of Prelates in his dayes wherein he indeuoureth to shew the vndoubted authoritie of thes Sibyll propheties which he esteemed so much after diligent search made for their credite and sinceritie as they seeme to haue bene a great cause of his constant zele and feruour in Christianitie First then he sheweth that thes predictioÌ„s of the Sibylles could not be deuised or seigned by Christians or made after the tyme of Christes natiuicie for that Marcus varro a wost learned RomaÌ„ who liued almost a hundrethe yeares before Christ maketh mention at large of thes Sibylles who in number he saith were ten and of their writinges countries ages as also of the writers or authours that before his tyme had left memorie of them And both he and Fenestella an other heathé doe affirme that the writinges of thes Sibilles were gathered by the Romans from al partes of the world wher they might be heard of and layed vp with diligence and great reuerence in the Capitole vnder the charge and custodie of the highe priestes and other Officers in such sorte as no man might see or reade them but onlie certaine Magistrates called the Fistine and muche lesie might any man come to falsifie or corrupt them Secondlie he sheweth that Sibylla Erythraea who made the former Acrostike verses of Christ restisicth of her self that she liued about 600. years after the fludde of Noe and her
countriman Apollidorus Erythraeus and Varro doe reporte that she liued before the warre of Troie pro phetied to the Graecians that went to that warre that Troie should be taken Which was more then a thousand years before Christ was borne Cicero also that was slaine more then fortye yeares before Christs natiuitie translated into Latine the former Acrostike verses as Constantine sayeth which translation was to be seene in his workes when Constantine wrote this oration so that by no meanes they could be deuised or brought in by Christians Thirdlie he sheweth that the same Cicero in diuers places of his workes besids the mention of these Acrostike verses insinuateth also an other prophetie of Sibylla touching a king that should rise ouer all the world wherwith hym self and the Romans were greatlie troubled and therfore in one place after a longe inuectiue against his enimie Antonie that would seeme to gyue credit to that prophetie or rather as Cicero doth vrge against hym would haue had the same fulfilled in Iulius Caesar he concludeth thus lett vs deale vvith the prelates of our religion to alleage onle one thing rather out of the bookes of Sibylla then a KINGE vvhom nether the Gods nor yet men came suffer hereafter to be in Rome The like prophetie of Sibylla touching a king is insinuated by the same Cicero in his first booke of Epistles to Lentulus to witt that when the Romans should restore a king in Egypt by force theÌ„ should insue the vniuersal king that should be Lord ouer Romans and all other Which prophetie being much vrged by Cato the Tribune against the restoring of Ptolomaeus Auletes late king of Egypt that for his euil gouernment was expulsed by his subiects the matter was to be of such weight by all the Roman Senat I meane the sequel of this prophetie that whereas otherwise for manie respectes they were greatelie inclined to haue restored the said Ptolomie yet in regarde of this religion as they called it they changed their mindes But what could they alter by this the determination of God No truly for sone after king Polomie perceyuing the Senatours mindes to be altered fled secretely from Rome to one Gabinius that was Gouernour of Siria and for fiue Millions of gold that he promissed hym he was by the forces of Gabiniê° restored and so not longe after was Christ borne according to the meaning of the Sibyl prophetie Fowerthlie the say de Emperour Constantine proueth th' authoritie of thes Sibylles verses for that Augustus Caesar before Christ was borne had such regarde of them that he layed them vp in more straite order then before according as Suetonius a heathen in his life reporteth vnder the Alter of Apollo in the hill Palatine wher no man might haue the sight of them but by special licence which licence Constantine proueth that Virgil the Poet had for that he was in highe fauour with Augustus And therfore in a certaine Ecloge or composition of verses that he made in praise of a yong chylde named Saloninus newlie borne to Asinius Pollio Augustus great friende or as other take it of Marcellus a litle boye that was nephue to Augustus by his Sister Octauia or rather of them both for adulation of Augustus he applieth I say to one or both of thes yonge infantes the whole prophetie which he had reade in the verses of Sibilla touching the birthe of Christ of the peace grace golden world that should come with hym Vpon which subiect he beginneth thus Vltima Cumaei venit iam temporis aetas Magnus ab integro saeculorum nascitur ordo Iam redit virgo rediunt Saturnia regna That is now is come the last age prophetied by Sibylla called Cumaea now coÌ„meth to be fulfilled the great ordinaunce and prouidence of God appointed from the beginning of the world thes were Sibylles wordes now coÌ„meth the virgine and the first golden dayes of Saturnus shall returne againe Thus much translated Virgile out of Sibylla touching th' eternal determinatioÌ„ of God for Christs comming into this world as also of his mother the virgine and of the infinit blessings that should appeare with hym Now ensueth in the same Poet what Sibylla had said for Christs actual natiuitie Iam noua progeniescaelo dimittitur alto Chara Deum soboles c. Now a new progenie or ofspring is sent downe from heauen the dearlie beloued issue or childe of the Gods And note here that Sibilla said plainlie chara Dei soboles the dearlie beloued sonne of God and not of Gods but that Virgile would follow the style of his time And thirdlie he setteth downe out of Sibylla th' effect and cause of this sonne of Gods natiuitie in thes wordes Te duce si qua manent sceleris vestigia nostri Irrita perpetua soluent formidine terras That is thou beinge our leader or Captaine the remnant of our sinnes shal be made voide or taken awaye and shall deliuer the world for euer froÌ„ feare for the same Thes are virgils wordes translated as I said out of Sibilla And now consider you in reason whether thes propheties might be applied as Virgile applied them to those poore children in Rome or no who died soone after this flatterie of Virgile without doing good either to them selues or to others Albeit perhappes in this pointe the Poet bee to be excused in that he being not able to imagine what the Sibyl should meane made his aduantage therof in applying the same to the best pleasing of Augustus Thes then are the proofes which Censtantine vseth for the credit and authoritie of the Sibyl verses And of Sibilla Erithraea in particuler that made the Acrostik verses before mentioned of Christes death and passion he concludeth in thes wordes Thes are the thinges vvhich sell from heauen into the mynde of this Virgin to surtell For vvhich cause I am induced to accompt her for blessed vvhom our Saucour did voutel safe to chuse for a prophet to denounce vnto the vvorld his holie prouidence tovvardes vs. And we may consider in this whole discourse of Constantine for authoritie of thes verses First that he vseth onlie the testimonie of such writers as liued before Christ was borne or Christians thought vpon Secondlie that he vseth thes prooses to no meaner audience the to a Councel and congregation of learned men Thirdlie that he was an Emperour which vseth them that is one that had meanes to sce and examine the original Copies in the Romane treasarie Fowerthelie that he had greate learned men aboute hym who were skilful and would be diligent in the searche of suche an antiquitie of importance especiallie Lactantius that was Master to his sonne Crispus who most of anie other authour reciteth and confirmeth the said Sibyls verses Eusebius Caesariensis that wrote th' ecclesiastical historie recordeth this oration of Constantine therin And
finallie we may consider that Constantine was the first publique Christian Emperour and liued within 300. years after Christ whē the recordes of the Romās were yet whole to be seene He was a religious wise and graue Emperour and therfore would neuer haue bestowed so muche labour to confirme suche a thing at such a tyme to such an audiēce had not the matter bene of singuler importance And thus much of the second pointe touchinge prophetes among Gentiles There remaineth onlie a worde or two to be spokē of the thirde which is of the confession of deuils and Oracles concerning Christs comminge especiallie whē the tyme of his appearance drew neare and that they begā to forefeele his power and vertue Wherin as I might alleage diuers examples recorded by the Gentiles them selues so for that I haue bene somewhat longe in the former pointes and shall haue occasion to saye more of this matter in an other place hereafter I will touche onlie here two oracles of Apollo concerninge this matter Th' one wherof was to a priest of his owne that demaunded hym of true religion and of God to whom he answered thus in greeke ô thou unhappie priest vvhy doest thou aske me of God that is the father of all thinges and of this most renoumed kynges deare and onlie sonne and of the spirit that conteineth all c. Alas that spirit vvill inforce me shortelie to leaue this habitation and place of oracles Th' other oracle was to Augustus Gaesar euen about the verie tyme that Christ was redy to appeare in flesh For where as the said Emperour now drawinge into age would needes goe to Delphos and there learne of Apollo who should reigne after hym what should become of thinges whē he was dead Apollo would not answere for a greate space notwithstanding Augustus had bene verie liberal in making the greate sacrifice called Hecatombe But in th' ende when th' Emperour began to iterate his sacrifice againe and to be instant for an answer Apollo as it were inforced vttered thes straunge wordes vnto hym An Hebrue childe that ruleth ouer the blessed Gods commaundeth me to leaue this habitation and oute of hand to gett me to hel But yet doe you'departe in silence from our Aulters Thus much was Apollo inforced to vtter of his owne miserie and of the cōming of th' Ebrue boye that should putt hym to banishment But yet the deceptful spirit to holde still his credire would not haue the matter reueiled to many Wherupon Augustus falling into a greate musinge with hym self what this answer might importe returned to Rome and builded there an Aulter in the Capitole with this latine inscription as Nicephorus affirmeth Ara primogeniti Dei Th' Aulter of Godes first begotten sonne Thus then haue I declared how that the cōming of Gods sōne into the world was for tolde both to Iewe and Gentile by all meanes that possiblie in reason might be deuised that is by propheties signes figures ceremonies tradition and by the confession of deuils them selues Nor onlie that his comming was fortold but also why and for what cause he was to come that is to be a Saueour of the world to die for sinne to ordeine a new law and more perfect common wealth How also he was to come to witt in mans fleshe in likenes of sinne in pouertie humilitie The tyme likewise of his appearance was foresignified together with the maner of his birth life actions death resurrection and ascensiō And finallie nothing can be more desired for the fore knowledge of anie one thing to come then was deliuered vttered cōcernīg the Messias before Christ or Christians were talked of in the world Now thē remaineth it to consider examine whether thes particularities fortolde so lōg agoe of the Messias to come doe agree in Iesus whom we acknowledge for the true Messias And this shall be the subiect argument of all the rest of our speeche in this chapter Hovv the former predictions vvere fulfilled in Iesus at his being vpon earth Sect. 2. ALbeit in the pointes before recited which are to be fulfilled in the Messias at his comming we haue some controuersie and disagreemēt with the Iewe as hath bene shewed yet our principal contention in them all is with the Gentile and heathen that beleeueth no scriptures For that in diuers of the fornamed articles the Iewe standeth with vs and for vs offereth his life in defence therof as farre foorth as if he were a Christiā In so much that the Gētile oftē times is inforced to maruaile when he seeth a people so extremelie bent against an other as the Iewes are against Christiās and yet to stand so peremptorilie in defence of thos verie principles which are the proper causes of their disagreement But hereunto the Iew maketh answer that his disagreement from vs is in th' application of thos principles For that in no wise he will allowe that they were or may bee verified in Iesus And herein he standeth against vs much more obstinatelie then doth the Gentile For that the Gentile as soone as he commeth once to vnderstande and beleeue the propheties of scripture he maketh no doubt or difficultie in th' application thereof for that he seeth the same most euidentelie fulfilled in our Saueour Which is the cause that fewe or no Gentiles since Christs appearance haue come to be Iewes but that presentelie also they passed ouer to be Christians But the Iewe by no meanes wil be moued to yeeld albeit he haue neither scripture nor reason nor probabilitie for his defence Which among other thinges is a verie great argument to proue that Iesus was the true Messias in deed seing that among the markes of the true Messias set downe by Gods Prophetes this was one that he should be refused by the Iuishe Nation Herehence are those wordes of the Holie Ghost so longe before vttered The stone vvhich the builders refused is made the head stone of the corner this is donne by God and is maruailous in our eyes Hence is that great complainte of Esay touching th' incredulitie obstinacie of this people against their Messias at his comming which Moyses also longe before Esay expressed most effectuallie It maketh then not a litle for our cause gentle reader that the Iuishe Nation is so wilfullie bent against vs and that they refused Christ so peremptorilie at his being among them For whom so euer that Nation should receyue and acknowledge it were a great argument by scripture that he were not in deede the true Messias But yet to demonstrate 〈◊〉 worlde how litle shew of reason they haue in standing thus against their owne saluation and in refusing Iesus as they doe I will in as great breuitie as I may runne ouer the chief pointes that passed at his being vpon earth and therby examine by the testimonies of his greatest enimies whether the forsaid propheties and all other
and two thousand after that vnder the Messias Which last two thousand yeares by all computation could not beginne much from the birth of Iesus And the Rabbines a great while gone complained in their Talmud that ther seemed to them in thos dayes seuen hundred fourtiene yeares past since Christ by the scriptures should haue appeared and therefore they doe maruaile whie God so longe deferreth the same Another obseruation they haue vpon the wordes of Esay paruulus natus est nobis a lytle childe is borne vnto vs. In which wordes for that they finde th' Ebrue letter MEM to be shutt in the middest of a worde which is strange in that tongue for that MEM is wont to be open in the middest of wordes and shutt onlie in the ende they gather manie secretes And amonge other that seinge MEM signifieth six hundred years so longe it should be after Esay vntill the tyme of Christe Which accompt of theirs falleth out so iust that if you recone the yeares from Achaz kinge of Iuda in whose tyme Esay spake thes wordes vntil the tyme of king Herode vnder whome Christ was borne you shall perceyue the number to faile in litle or nothing A muche like obseruation hath Rabbi Moses the sonne of Maimon whom the Iewes doe holde in extreme greate reuerence calling hym the doctor of iustice in his epistle to his countrimen of Africa concerning the tyme of Christs appearance Which he thinketh to be past accordinge to the scriptures aboue a thousand yeares in his dayes he lyued about the yeare of Christ. 1140 but that God deferreth his manifestation for their sinnes To which purpose also apperteineth the tradition of one Elias as Rabbi Iosue reporteth it iÌ„ the Thalmud that the Messias was to be borne in deede according to the scriptures before the destruction of the second temple for that Esay sayeth of the Synagoge before she vvas vvith child she brought foorth and before the greefe of trauaile came she vvas deliuered of a man child That is saith he before the Synagogue was afflicted and putt to desolation by the Romans she brought forthe the Messias But yet sayeth he this Messias for our sinues doth hyde hym self for a tyme in the sea and other deserte places vntill we be worthie of his comming To the like effect is th' obseruation of the Talmud it self and of diuers Rabbines therin concerning the wicked manners of men that should bee at Christs appearance vpon earth of whom they doe pronounce thes wordes The vvise men in Israel shal be extinguished the learning of our Scribes and Pharisies shal be putrisied the scholles of Diuinitie shal be stevves at that tyme. Which thig Iosephus that liued in the same age with Christ affirmeth to be fulfilled in the time of Herod in so much that if the Romans had not destroyed them without doubt sayeth he either the earth would haue opened and swallowed theÌ„ doune or els fire from heaueÌ„ would haue consumed theÌ„ All then runneth to this ende both by scripture tradition obseruation and instincte of God hym self that about Herodes tyme the true Messias should be borne And hereof came that common and publique fame that is recorded by Tacitus Suetonius and Iosephus which was also writen in open sight vpon the chiefest Tower of the Cittie of IerusaleÌ„ that out of Iurie should rise a general Lord of th' vniuersal vvorld Which prophetie as the Romans either contemned or turned an other waye applying the same afterwarde to Vespasian so the Iewes vnderstood it of their Messias and Herode feared the matter greatelie and for that was so watchefull to exstinguishe the line of Dauide as hath bene shewed Hereof also it did proceede that the Magi or wise men of the Easte attended so diligentelie about that tyme to expect the Starre that Balaam had promissed at the comming of this kinge Herehence also it was that the whole people of Iurie remained so attent at this tyme more then euer before or sence in expecting the Messias Where vpon as soone as euer they heard of Ihon Baptist in the desert they ranne vnto hym askinge if he were Christ As afterward also they flocked to Iesus demauÌ„ding art thou he vvhich is to come or doe vve expect an other Which wordes importe the great expectation wherin that people remained in thos dayes Nether wanted that expectation in the chief gouernours theÌ„ selues as may appeare by that speech of theirs to Iesus hovv loÌ„ge vvilt thovv kill vs with this expectation if thou he Christ tell vs plainlie Of which fame expectation and greedie desire of the people diuers deceyuers 〈◊〉 occasion to call them selues the Messias in those dayes and the people followed them presentelie which thing had not happened in any age before And among other there is named one Iudas Gaulonites or Galilaeus as S. Luke calleth him and an other Iudas the sonne of Ezeehias both of them verie wicked and liceÌ„tious felowes One also called AtoÌ„ges a Shepheard and two other named Theudas and Egyptius most notable deceyuers And aboue all there was one Barcozbam who as the Talmud saith for thirtie years together was receyued for the Messias by the Rabbines them selues vntil at last they slewe hym for that he was not able to deliuer them from the Romans Which facilitie in the people when Herode sawe he caused Nicolaus Damascenê° as I noted before to deuise a petigree for hym from the auncient kinges of Iuda And so he as well as other tooke vpoÌ„ hym to be the Messias whom-diuers carnal Iowes that expected the Messias to be a magnificent king as Herod was would seeme to beleeue diuulgate abrode and therof in the Gospell they are thought to haue bene called Herodiani that is Herodians or followers of Herod who came to tempt Christ with the scribes and pharisees Wherfore to conclude at length this weightie pointe of the tyme of Christs appearing seing that about the birth of Iesus vnder Herodes reigne there coÌ„curred so many signes argumeÌ„tes together as the general peace of the Roman Empire the defection of the line and regimeÌ„t of Iuda the open decaye of the second temple the iust calculation of Daniels hebdomades the attestation of Oracles th' obseruation of Rabbines the publique fame and expectation of all the Iewes together with the palpable experience of more then fiftien hundreth yeares past since Iesus appeared wherin we see the Iuishe people in vaine to expect an other Messias they being dispersed ouer all the world without temple law sacrifice Prophet or promisse for their redemptioÌ„ which neuer happened to them vntill after Iesus death for that in all other their banishementes captiuities and afflictions they had some prophetie consolatioÌ„ or promisse for their deliueric Thes thinges all I say considered and putt together we may moste vndoubtedlie and assuredlie conclu le that Iesus was borne
at the iuste tyme appointed and fortolde by Gods holie spirit and consequentelie that he onlie was the holie true Messias and Saueour of the world which vet shall better appeare by examination of other thinges that are to follow IN THE SECOND consideration there come to be weighed thes pointes follo ving the Line and stocke of Iesus his maner of conception the place of his Birth his Circumcision name his adoration by the Magi his presentation in the temple and his flight to Egypt FOR his Line and stocke there was neuer man denied or doubted but that Iesus was directetie of the tribe of Iuda desceÌ„ded lineallie by his mother of the peculiar ho vse of Dauid according as it was fortolde that the Messias should doe which is proued most clearlie by the two genealogies and petidegrees sett downe by S. Mathew and S. Luke of the blessed virgins whole descent from Dauid to Iosephe that was of the same tribe and kinred with her And it is confirmed by their repairinge to Bethleem when proclamation was made by Cyrenius in Augustus name that euerie person should repaire to the head Cittie of their tribe familie to be cessed for their tribute seing that Bethleem was the proper Cittie onlie of them that were of the house and line of Dauid for that king Dauid was borne therin And finallie it is euident by that the Scribes and Pharasies who obrected matters of much lesse importance against Iesus then this as that he was a Carpenters sonne therby to debase hym for his pouertie yet neuer obiected they against hym that he was not of the house of Dauid Which they would neuer haue omitted if they might haue done it with any colour for that it would haue weyed more against hym then all the rest and would haue in one worde dispatched the whole controuersie Nay I adde further that it remaineth registred in the Iewes Thalmud it self that Jesus of Nazareth Crucified vvas of the blood Royal from Zorobabel of the house of Dauid FOR the maner of his conception and of the message or annunciation made vnto his mother by th' Angel albeit it depende principally vpon the relation and credite of the virgin her self who onlie was priuie there vnto and vpon the testimonie of Iosephe to whom it was reueiled by the same Angel afterwarde yet heÌ„ that shall consider the circumstances of the thing it self as first the simplicitie of both the reporters Then how that it is not likelie that Iosephe being iust as he is described would haue coÌ„cealed a thing so much against hym self and against the lawe if he had not some way bene assured of the ttuth Thirdlie th' innocent age of the blessed virgin who was not past 14. yeares olde at that tyme as S. Augustine and other auncieÌ„t fathers doe proue by manifest argumentes All thes thinges I saye doe make it improbable that she would inuent such a matter of her self And finallie the straunge prophetie whiche she vttered in here Canticle of MAGNIFICAT and which we see now fulfilled albeit at that tyme verie vnliklie to witt that all generations should cal her BLESSED Thes circumstances he that shall consider can not but see that the matter must needes be true AND as for the kinde and maner of his Natiuitie most manifest it is by scripture that the Messias was appointed to be borne of a virgine for so saith Esay plainlie Beholde a virgine shall conceyue and bring foorth a sonne And Esay appointeth this to king Achaz for a wonderful strauÌ„ge signe from God Which he could not haue donne in reason if the Hebrue worde in that place might haue signified a yonge woman onlie as some later Rabines will affirme for that it is no signe nor strange thinge but verie common and ordinarie for yonge women to conceyue and bring foorth childreÌ„ Wherfore the Septuagint doe verie well translate it in greeke by the proper name of Virgine and so also did th' elder Iewes vnderstande it as Rabbi Simeon well noteth And Rabbi Moses hadarsan of singular Credit withe the Iewes vpon the wordes of the Psalme Truth shall budde foorthe of th' earth c. 〈◊〉 thus here Rabbi Ioâ—â—n noteth that it is not saide truth shal be ingendred of th' earth But truth shall budde frorth to signifie therby that the Meisias who is meant by the worde Truth shall no be begotteÌ„ as other men are in carnal population Thus farre Rabbi Moses who in an other place that is vpon the 25. chapter of Genesis alleageth Rabbi Berachias to be of the same opinion and to proue it out of the 109. Psalme vers 4. The same is proued also by the plaine wordes of Ieremie God hath created a nevv thinge vpon earth A vvoman shall inuiro or inclose a man That is she shall inclose hym in her wombe and bring hym fourth after a new and straunge maner without generation of man And finallie Rabbi Hacadosch proueth by Cabala out of many places of scripture not onlie that the mother of Meisias shal be a virgine but also that her name shal be Mary All the ten Sibyls in like maner according as Betuleius setteth oute their propheties doe make special mention of the mother of Messias that she shal be a most pure and holie virgine so that this matter was reueiled verie clearlie both to Iewe and Gentile before it came to passe And Clemens Alexandrinus writeth that Simon Magus to th' end he might not seeme inferiour to Iesus in this pointe feigned that he was also borne of a virgine as Iesus was THAT BethleeÌ„ where Christ was borne was the peculier place preordained by God for the birth of the Messias the prophet Michaeas fort olde plainlie when he vttered diuers ages before Christ was incarnate thes wordes And thou Bethleem Ephrata arte but a litle one in respect of thousandes in Iuda and yet shal there come foorth of thee one that shal be the RVLER of Israel and his comming foorth is from the beginning and FROM THE DAYES OF ETERNITIE By which wordes is plainelie expressed that albeit Bethleem were but a litle poore Towne as in deed it was in comparyson of manie other in Iuda yet therin should be borne temporallie that Gouernour of Israel whose diuine birth was before the worlds foundation and from all eternitie And so doe interpret this place both Ionathan Ben vziel the great Author of the Chaldaie paraphrase who died 28. yeares before Christ was borne and also R. Selomoh and Hacadosch in their comeÌ„taries vpon this place of Michaeas The same thing fortolde Dauid of Ephrata or Bethleem for both names doe signifie one thing as appeareth by the former place of Michaeas and others when talking of the Messias and being desirous to know where he should be borne sayeth I vvill not goe into the tabernacle of my house nor into my bedde nor vvill I gyne
my eyes sleepe or rest to the temples of my head vntill I find out the place that is appointed for my Lord the tabernacle or house for the God of Iacob And then the mysterie being reueiled vnto hym he sayeth presentely Beholde vve haue heard of it novv in Ephrata or Bethleem vve haue founde it out in the fieldes of vvoode And to shew how he reuerenced the place for that cause he addeth immediatelie vve vvill adore in the place vvher his seete haue stoode Wherby he for prophitieth not onlie th' adoration vsed after in that place vnto Iesus by the Magi or three kinges of th' east but also of all other adoratiō vsed in the same place in the memorie of Iesus by other deuout Christians vntill this daye For which respect Origē sayeth that the place of Bethleem was most famous and renoumed in his dayes For th' Angels appearing to the shepheardes in the night of the Natiuitie there can be no more said but the credite honestie and simplicitie of them that reported it and likelie it is they would neuer feigne a thing that might haue bene refuted by testimonie of the sheapheards them selues if it had bene false Of the name of IESVS gyuen to hym in his circumcision it was to be seene sett downe in a booke that how so euer it were not scripture yet was it extant in the worlde before Christ was borne I meane the fowerth booke of Esdras which hath thes wordes in the person of God the father Beholde the tyme shal come vvhen the signes shall appeare that I haue tolde c. And my sonne IESVS shal be reueiled vvith these vvho are vvith hym c. And after those yeares my sonne CHRIST shall dye and th' earth shall render thos that sleepe therin Rabi Hacadosch also proueth by arte Cabalist out of manie places and textes of scripture that the Messias name at his comming shal be IESVS And among other he addeth this reason that as the name of hym who first brought the Iewes out of bondage into the lande of promisse was Iesus or Iosue which is al one so must his name be Iesus that shall the second tyme deliuer thē from the bondage wherin they are and restore them to their olde aunciēt possession of Iurie which is the chiefe benefite they expect by the Messias Finallie it is not probable that the virgine Marie should feigne this name of her self for that among the Iewes there were manie other names of more honour and estimatiō at that tyme as Abraham Isaac Iacob Moyses and Dauid And therfore if she would haue feigned any it is like shee would haue taken one of thē as soone as this which had not bene the name of anie greate Patriarche THERE followeth the comming of the three Magi or wise men from th' easte of whom Cyprians wordes are it is an olde tradition of the churche that the Magi of th' easte vvere kinges or rather litle Lordes of particuler places Which is to be vnderstood such litle kinges as Iosue slew thirtie in one battaile And it is to be noted that S. Mathew maketh mention of the comming of thes kinges to Hierusalem as of a knowen and publique matter wherof all Ierusalem and Iurie was able to beare hym wituesse For he talketh of their open comming to Ierusalem and of their inquirie for the new borne king of their speech and conference had with Herod as also of Herodes consultation with the Scribes and Pharasies about the place of the Messias birth And finallie he sheweth the most pittiful murder that insued of almost infinite infantes in all the circuite of Bethleem for this matter Which could not be a thinge vnknowen to all Iurie much lesse feigned by S. Mathew for that he should haue gyuen his aduersaries the greatest aduātage in the world if hè had begunne his Ghospell with so notorious and opē an vntruth which might haue bene refuted by infinite persons that were yet a liue Epiphanius is of opinion that thes kinges arriued in Hierusalem two yeares after Christs Natiuitie for that Herod slew all infantes of that age But other hold more probablie that the starre appeared vnto them two yeares before Christs Natiuitie so that they came to Bethleē the thirtienth daye after Christs birth according as the Church doth celebrat th' epiphanie S. Basil thinketh that they were learned men and might by their learning and art magike wherin those countrimen at that tyme were verie skilful vnderstand and feele that the power of their heathē Godes was greatlie deminished and broken They might also be stirred vp with that commō brute and general prophetie spred ouer all th' east in those dayes as both Suetonius and Iosephus doe recorde that oute of Iurie should come an vniuersal Kinge ouer all the vvorld By thes meanes I say and by the prophetie of Balaam left a nonge them from Moyses tyme for he was a Gētile wherby was signified that a starre should rise and declare a greate and mightie king in Israel they might be induced at the sight of this Starre to take so longe a iourney as they did towardes Iurie This Starre as I haue said was fortold by Balaam a heathen Prophete aboue 1500. yeares before it appeared And after Balaam againe it was prophetied by Dauid that kinges of Arabia Saba and other Eastren countries should come and adore Christ and offer both gold and other gystes vnto hym The murder also of those infantes of Bethleem was presignified by Icremie in the weeping of Rachel for thee slaughter of her children which Rachell was buried in Bethleem and for that cause thos infantes were called her children albeit she were dead aboue 2000. yeares before they were slaine and aboue 1500. before Ieremie wrote the prophetie Amongest which infantes Herode also for more assurance slewe an infant of his owne For that as Philo noteth he was descended by his mother of the lyne of Iuda Which crueltie comming to Augustus eares he said as Macrobius reporteth that he had rather bee Herods swyne thē his sonne for that he being a Iewe was forbidden by his religion to kill his swine though not ashamed to kill his sonne The same Starre wherof we speake is mentiōned by diuers heathen writers as by Plinie vnder the name of a Comete for so they termed all extraordinarie Starres which appeared in the later ende of Augustus daies and was farre different from al other that euer appeared And therfore contrary to the nature of thos kind of Starres it was adiudged by the whole college of Southsaiers to portend vniuersal good vnto the earth and for that cause had an image of metal erected to it in Rome and as Plinies wordes are Is Cometa vnus toto orbe colitur that only Comete is worshipped throughout the whole world Origine also writeth of one Chaeremon a Stoike that was much moued with
called it AFLIA after th' Emperours name He droue al the progeny and ofspring of the Iewes furth of all thos countries with a perpetual lawe confirmed by the Emperour that they should neuer returne no nor so much as looke backe from any highe or eminent place to that countrie againe And this was done to that Iuishe Natiō by the Roman Emperours for accomplishing that demaund which their prīcipal elders had made not longe before to Pilate the Romau Magistrate concerning Iesus most iniurious death cryinge out with one cōsent and voice to wit Let his blood be vpon vs and vpon our posteritie AND HEERIN ALSO I meane in the most wonderful notorious chastisment or rather reprobation of this Iuishe people which of all the world was Gods peculier before is sett out vnto vs as it were in a glasse the seuenth and last pointe which we mentioned in the beginning of this section to witt the fulfilling of such speeches propheties as Iesus vttered when he was vpon earth as namely at one time after a long and vehement commination made to the Scribes Pharisees and principal men of that Nation in which he repeateth eight seueral times the dreadful threat woe he concludeth finally that al the iust blood iniuriouslie shedde from the first Martyr Abel should be reuenged verie shortelie vpon that generation And in the same place he menaceth the populous Citie of Ierusalē that itshould be made desert And in an other place he assureth thē that one stone should not be left standing therof vpon an other And yet futther he pronounced vpon the same Citie thes words The daies shal come vpon thee and thy enemies shal enuiron thee vvith a vval and shall besiege thee they shall straiten the on euery side and shal beate the to the grounde and thy children in thee And yet more particulerly he foretelleth the verie signes wherby his disciples should perceyue when the time in deed was come vsing this speeche vnto them VVhen you shal see Ierusalem besieged vvith an army then knovve ye that her disolation is at hand for that thes are the daies of reuenge to the ende al may be fulfiled vvhich is vvritten Great distresse shal fal vpon this earth and vengeance vpon this people They shal be slaine by dint of the svvord and shal be led as slaues into al countries And Jerusalem shal be trodden vnder seete by the Gentiles vntil the times of Nations be accomplished This foretold Iesus of the miserie that was to fal vpon Ierusalem and vpon that people by the Romanes and other Gentiles when the Iewes seemed to be in most securitie and greatest amitie with the Romanes as also they were when the same thinges were writē and consequently at that time they might seeme in all humane reason to haue lesse cause thē euer before to misdoubt such calamities And yet how certaine and assured foreknowlege and as it were most sensible forefeeling Iesus had of thes miseries he declared not only by thes expresse words and by their euēt but also by thos pittiful teares he shed vpon sight and consideration of Hierusalem and by the lamentable speeche he vsed to the women of that Citie who wept for him at his Passion persuading them to weepe rather for thē selues and for their children in respect of the miseries to followe then for him Which wordes and predictions of Iesus together with sundrie other his speeches fore shewing so particularlie the imminent calamities of that Nation and that as I haue said at such time when in humane discourse ther could be no probabilitie therof when a certaine heathen Chronicler and Mathematique named Phlegon about an hundreth yeares after Christs departure had diligently considered hauing sene the same also in his dayes most exactelie fulfilled for he was seruant to Adrianus th' Emperour by whos commandement as hath bene said before the final subuersion of the Iuishe nation was brought to passe this Phlegō I say though a Pagan yet vpon consideration of thes euentes and others that he saw as th' extreme persecution of Christians fortold by Christ and the like he pronounced that neuer any man foretold things so certainlie to come or that so preciselie were accomplished as were the predictions and propheties of Iesus And this testimonie of Phlegon was alleaged and vrged for Christians again't one Celsus a heathen Philosopher and Epicure by the famous learned Origen euen the very next age after it was writtē by th' authour so that of the truth of this allegation ther can be no doubt or question at all And now albeit thes predictions and propheties concerning the punishment and reprobation of the Iewes fulfilled so euidently in the sight of al the world might be a sufficient demonstration of Iesus for knowlege in affaires to come yet are ther many other thinges besides foreshewed by him which fel out as exactly as did thes notwithstanding that by no learning mathematical reason or humane cōiecture they were or might be forsene As for example the foretelling of his owne death the maner time and place therof as also the person that should betraie him together with his irrepentantende The flight feare and scandal of his disciples albeit they had promissed protested the contrarie The three seueral denials of Peter The particuler time of his owne resurrection and Ascension The sending of the Holy-Ghost and many other the like predictions propheties promisses which to his Apostles Disciples and folowers that heard them vttered and left them written before they fel out and saw them afterwarde accomplished and who by the falsehood therof should haue receyued greatest dōmage of all other mē if they had not bene true to thes men I saie they were most euident proofes of Iesus diuine prescience in matters that should ensue But yet for that an Infidell with whom onlie I suppose my self to deale in this place may in thes and the like thinges find perhapes some matter of cauillation and saie that thes propheties of Iesus were recorded by our Euangelistes after the particularities therin prophetied were effectuated and not before and consequentlie that they might be forged I wil alleage certaine other euentes both foretolde and registred before they came to passe and diuulged by publique writinges in the face of al the worlde when ther was smal semblance that euer the same should take effect Such were the particuler foretelling of the kinde maner of S. Peters death whiles yet he liued The peculier and differēt maner of S. Iohn th' Euāgelists ending from the rest of the Apostles The prerogatiue giuen to Peter aboue the rest that his Faith and Chaire should neuer faile which we see miraculouslie verefied euen vntil this day the successions of all other Apostles hauing failed and his not The forshewing describinge to his disciples the most extreme and cruel persecutions that should insue vnto Christians for his sake
such contempt and to be troden vnder the feet of thē whom they so much despised in this world The Hebrue word which the scripture vseth for hel is SEOL which signifieth properly a great ditche or dungeon In which sense the same place is also called in the Apocalips lacusirae Dei the lake of Gods wrath And againe Stagnum ardens igne sulphure a poole burning with fire brimstone In greek the scripture vseth three wordes for the same place The first is HADES vsed in the ghospel which as Plutarch noted signifieth a place where no light is The second is ZOPHOS in S. Peter which signifieth darknes it self In which sense it is called also of Iob. terra 〈◊〉 operta mortis caligine a darke land and ouer whelmed with deadlie obscuritie Also in the ghospel revebra exteriores vtter darknesse The third greeks worde is TARTAROS vsed also by S. Peter which worde being deriued of the yerbe tarasso which signifieth to terrifie trouble and vexe importeth an horrible confusion of tormentors in that place euen as Iob sayeth there is no order but euerlasting horrour which the holy Ghost in an other place describeth more at large in thes wordes Ther are spirites created to reuenge and in their furie they haue sortified their tormentes VVhen the final daie shal come they shal povver forth the force and rage of him that created them fire haile famine death teeth of beastes scorpions and serpents The Chaldie worde which is also vsed in Hebrew and translated into greke is GEHENNA First of al vsed by Christ our Saueour for the place of them which are damned as S. Ierom noteth vpon the tenth chapter of S. Mathewes ghospel And this word being compounded of gee and binnom signified a valley nigh to Ierusalem called the valley of hinnom in which the olde Idolatrous Iewes were wont to burne aliue their owne children in the honour of the deuil and to sound with trumpets tvmprils and other loud instruments whiles they were making of this abhominable sacrifice to the ende the pitiful shrikes and cries of their children might not be heard And this place was afterward vsed for the receipt of al filthines dung dead carions and the like And most probable it is that our Sauiour vsed this word GEHENNA aboue al other for hel therby to signifie the miserable burning of soules in that place the pitiful clamours and cries of the tormented the confuse and barbarous noise of the tormentors together with the most lothsom filthinesse of the place which otherwise is described in the scriptures by the names of adders snakes cocatrices scorpions and other venemouse creatures as hath bene and shal be afterwards declared And with this word GEHENNA concurreth also in signification an other vsed by the Prophet Esaie to denote the same place that is to saie TOPHET Which properly signifieth the forsaid valley of the children of Hinnom but is applied expresly to declare and represent the most horrible dungeon of dāned soules Which Esaie talking of God as of a great king describeth in thes wordes From eternitie is TOPHET prepared by this king a profound and spatious roome His food is fire and store of vvood The breath of our lords mouth doth kendle the same like a maine riuer of brimstone AND NOVV HAVING thus declared the names of this place thereby also in some part the nature it remaineth that we examine what maner of paines men suffer in the same For declaration whereof we must consider that as heauē and hel are contrary assigned to contrary persones for contrary causes so haue they in al respectes contrarie properties conditions and effects in such sort as whatsoeuer is spokē of the felicitie of the one may serue to inferre the calamitie of the other As for example when S. Paule sayeth that no eye hath seene nor eare hath beard nor hart conceyued the ioyes that God hath prepared for them that shal be saued we may interre that the pains of the damned must be of like proportion So againe when the scripture saith that the felicitie of thē in heauen is a perfect felicitie containing al goodnesse so that no one kinde of pleasure cā be imagined which they possesse not we must thinke on the contrary part that the miserie of the damned must be also an absolute miserie containing al afflictions that may be without want of any So that as the happines of the good is insiaite and vniuersal so also is the calamitie of the wicked infinite and vniuersal Now in this life al the miseries and paines which fal vpon man are but particular and not vniuersal As for example we see one mā pained in his eyes an other in his teeth an other in his stomak an other in his back which particular pains not witstanding are some times so extreame as life is not able to resist them a man wolde not suffer them long for the gaining of a million of worldes But suppose that some one mā were tormēted in al the parts of his bodie at once as in his head his eyes his tōgue his teeth his stomak in al other ioints mēbers of his bodie besides suppose I say he were most cruellie tormented with extreme paines in al these parts together without ease or intermissiō What thing could be more miserable then this what fight more lamentable what calamitre more vnspeakable If thou shouldest see but a brute beast lye in the strete thus afflicted I know thou couldest not but take compassion of him Wel then consider what difference there is betwene abiding thes paines for a week or for al eternitie in suffering them vpon a sost bedde or vpon a burning gridiron and boiling fornace among a mans friendes comforting him or among the suries of hel whipping and tormenting him Consider this I say gentle reader and if thou wouldest take agreate deale of labour rather then in this life temporallie to abide the one be contēt to sustaine a litle paire rather then to incurre the other in the life to come eternallie But yet to penetrate these things a litle further not onelie al these partes of the body which haue bene instruments to sinne shal be tormented together in this place of punishment but also euerie sense both external and internal for the same cause shal be afflicted with his particular torment contrarie to the object wherein it delited most and toke pleasure in this world As for exāple the lasciuious eyes shal be afflicted with the vglie and feareful sight of deuils the delicate eares with the horrible noise of damned spirits the daintie nostrels with poisoned stench of brimstone and other vnsupportable filth the delicate taste with most rauinous hungar and vnquē chable thirst and al the sensible partes of the bodi with burning fire As also inwardlie th' imagination of the damned shal be tormented with the apprehension of paines both present
they heape riches together but onelie to serue their sensualitie her desirs wherfore do they beate their braines but onelie to satisfie this cruel tyrant and her passions And if you wil see in deed how cruel and pitiful this seruitude is consider only some particular examples of the same Take a man whom she ouerruleth in any passion as for example in the lust of the flesh what paines taketh he for her how doeth he labour how doeth he drudge in this seruitude how potent and strong doeth he feele her tyraÌ„nie Remember the strength of Samson the wisdome of Salomon the sanctitie of Dauid ouerthrowen by this tyrannie Iupiter Mars and Hercules who for their valiaÌ„t actes otherwise were accounted godes of the Panimes were they not ouercome and made slaues by the enchantement of this tyrant And if you wil yet further see of what streÌ„gth she is and how cruellie she executeth the same vpon those that Christ hath not deliuered from her bondage consider for examples sake in this kinde the pitiful case of some disloyal wife who though she know that by committing adulterie she runneth into a thousand dangers and inconueniences as the losse of Gods fauour the hatred of her husband the danger of punishment the offence of her friendes the vtter dishonour of her persone if it be knowen and finallie the ruine and peril of bodie and soule yet to satisfie this tyrant she wil venture to commit the sinne notwithstanding any dangers or perilles whatsoeuer Nether is it onelie in this one point of carnal lust wherin sensuality hath such tiraÌ„nical dominatioÌ„ ouer theÌ„ that enthral théselues vnto her but also in euery other passioÌ„ Looke vpon an ambitious or vain-glorious man see how he serueth this mistresse with what care diligence he attendeth her commaundementes which is no other but to folowe after a litle wynde of mens mouthes to pursue a litle fether flying before him in the ayer You shal see that he omitteth no one thing no one time no one circuÌ„stance for gayning therof He riseth early goeth late to bedd trotteth by daye studieth by night here he flattereth there he dissembleth here he stoupeth there he looketh bigge here he maketh freends there he preuenteth enemies and to this onely end he referreth al his actions and applieth al his other matters al his order of life his coÌ„panie keeping his sutes of apparell his house his table his horses his seruantes his talke his behauiour his iestes his lookes his verie going in the streete In like wise he that serueth this Beldame in the passioÌ„ of couetousnesse what a miserable slauerie doth he abyde his harte being so mured in prison with money as he must onelie thinke thereof talke therof dreame therof and imagin onelie new waies to get the same and nothing else If you should see a Christian man in slauerie vnder the great Turke tyed in a galley by the legg with chaines there to serue by rowing for euer you could not but take compassion of his case And what then shal we doe of the miserie of this man whoe standeth in captiuitie to a more base creature than is a Turke or anie other reasonable creature that is to a peece of metal in whose prison he lieth bound not onelie by the feete in suche sort as he may not goe anie where against the commoditie and commaundement of the same but also by the handes by the mouthe by the eyes by the eares and by the harte so as he may nether doe speake see heare or thinke any thing but in seruice of the same Was there euer seruitude so greate as this doeth not Christ saye truely now qui facit peecatuÌ„ seruus est peccati He that committeth sinne is a slaue vnto sinne doeth not S. Peter say wel A quo quis superatus est huius seruus est A man is a flaue to that wherby he is conquered From this slauerie then are the vertuous deliuered by the power of Christ and by his assistance in so muche as they rule ouer their passions and sensualite and are not ruled thereby This God promised by the prophet Ezechiel saing And they sbal knovv that I am their Lord vvhen I shal breake the chaines of their yoke and shal deliuer them from the povver of those that ouerruled them before And this benefit holie Dauid ackowleged in himself when he vsed these moste affectuous wordes to almightie God O Lorde I am thy seruant I am thy seruant the childe of thy hand-mayde thou hast broken my bandes and I vvil sacrifice to the a sacrifice of praise This benefit also acknowledged S. Paul when he sayed that our olde man was crucified to the end the bodie of sinne might be destroyed we be no more in seruitude to sinne vnderstanding by the olde man and the bodie of sinne our concupiscence mortified by the grace of Christ in the vertuous AFTER THIS priuilege of freedome foloweth an other of no lesse importance then this and that is a certaine heauenlie peace serenitie and tranquilitie of minde according to the saying of the prophet Factus est in pace locus eius his place is made in peace And in an other place Pax multa diligentibus legem tuam there is great peace to them that loue thy law And on the coÌ„trary side the prophet Esay repeateth this senteÌ„ce oftètimes from the mouth of almightie God him self Non est pax impijs dicit dominê° Our Lord God auoucheth that there is no peace vnto the wicked And an other prophet saieth of the same men Contrition and infelicitie is in their vvaies and they haue not knovven the vvay of peace The reason of this difference hath bene declared heretofore wheras I set downe the diuersitie of good and euil men touching their passions For the vertuous hauing now by the aide of Christs holy grace subdued their said passions doe passe on their life most sweetly and calmely vnder the guide of reason without any perturbatiòs that indanger them in the greatest occurrents of this miserable life But the wicked not hauing mortified any part of the said passions are tossed and tombled with the same as with vehement and contrary windes And therfore their state is compared by Esay to a tempestuous sea that neuer is quiet and by S. Iames to a citie or countrie where the inhabitantes are at warre and sedition among them selues And the causes here of are two first for that thes passions of coÌ„cupiscence being many and almost infinit in number doe lust after infinit thinges and are neuer satisfied but are like thos bloodsuckers which the wise man speaketh of that crie alwaies Geeue Geeue and neuer say Hoe As for example tel me when is the ambitious man satisfied with honour or the incontinent man with carnalitie or the couetous man with money neuer truelie and therfore as that mother can not but be greatlie afflicted
here though in deede it be such matter as no mā could euer be wearie to heare it There he sheweth how he was tossed and tombled in this conflict betwene the fleshe the spirite betwne God drawing on one side and the world the flesh and the deuil holding backe on the other parte He went to Simplicianus a learned old man a deuout Christian he went to S. Ambrose bishop of Milan and after his cōference with thē he was more troubled than before He consulted with his companions Nebridius and Alipius but al wold not ease him One daye after dinner there came into his house 2 Christian courtier and capitaine named Potinian and finding by chance S. Paules epistles vpon the borde where Augustine and his felowes were at playe by occasiō therof fel into talke of spiritual matters and among other thinges to recite vnto them the life of Saint Anthonie the monke of Egypt and the infinite vertues and miracles of the same which he had sound in a booke among Christians a litle before therby was him self conuerted to Christianitie Which storie after Augustin had heard as also that there was a monasterie of those monkes without the walles of Millā in which Citie this happened that they were nourished by S. Ambrose the bishope wherof Augustine before this knew nothing he was much more afflicted then before and after Potinian was departed withdrawing him self a side had a most terrible combate with him self wherof he writeth thus What did I not say against my self in this conflict how did I beate and whyppe my owne soule to make her folow thee ô lord But she held backe she refused excused her self and when al her argumentes were conuicted she remained in horrour and feare as of death to be restrained from her loose custome of sinne wherby she had now consumed her self euen vnto death After this he went into a garden with Alipius his companiō and there cried out vnto him Quid hoc est quid patimur surgunt indocti caelum rapiunt nos cum doctrinis nostris sine corde ecce vbi volutamur in carne saaguine What is this Alipius what suffer we vnder the tyrānie of sinne vnlearned men suche as Anthonie and others doe take heauē by violence and we with al our learning without hartes behold how we lie groueling in flesh and blood And he goeth forward in that place shewing the wonderful and almost incredible tribulations that he had in this fight that daie After this he went further into an orcharde and there he had yet a greater cōflict For there al his pleasures past represented thē selues together before his eyes saying vnto him Demittes ne nos a momēto isto nonerimus tecum vltra in 〈◊〉 c. What wilt thou abandone vs shal not we be with thee any more for euer after this momēt shal it not be lawful for the to doe this that any more hereafter And then saieth S. Augustin O Lord turne from the mind of thy seruant to think of that filth which they obiected to my soule What filth what shameful pleasures did they lay before mine eyes At length he saieth that after long and tedious combats a maruailous tempest of weeping came vpon him being not able to resist any longer he ranne away from Alipius and cast hym self vpon the ground vnder a figge tree and gaue ful scope vnto his eies which brought forth presentlie whole fluddes of teares Which after they were a litle past ouer he began to speake to God in this sort Et tu domine vsquequo quam diu quam diu cras cras quare non modo quare non hac hora finis est turpitudinis meae O Lord how long wilt thou suffer me thus how long how long shal I saye to morow to morow why should I not doe it now whie should there not be an end of my filthie life euen at this instant And after this foloweth his final miraculous conuersion together with the conuersion of Alipius his companion which because it is set downe breeflie by him self I wil recite his owne wordes which are as foloweth immediatlie vpon those that went before I did talke saith he in this sorte to almightie God and did weepe most bitterlie with a deepe contrition of my hart and behold I heard a voyce as if it had bene of some child singing from some house nere vnto me and oftentimes it repeated thes wordes take vp and read take vp and read And streight waies I chāging my countenance began to think most earnestly with my self whether children were wont to sing any such thing in any kind of game that they vsed but I could neuer remēber that I had heard any such thing before Wherfore repressing the force of my teares I rose vp interpreting no other thing but that this voice came from heauen to bidde me open the booke that I had with me which was S. Paules epistles and to read the first chapter that I should finde For I had heard before of S. Anthonie how he was admonished to his conuersion by hearing a sentence of the Gospel which was read when he by chance came into the Church the sentence was Goe and sel al thou hast and geue to the poore and thou shalt haue a treasure in heauen and come and folovv me Which saying S. Anthonie taking as spoken to him in particular was presentlie conuerted to thee ô Lord. Wherfore I went in hast to the place where Alipius sate for that I lad left my booke there whē I departed I snatched it vp and opened it and read in silence the first chapiter that offered it self vnto mine eyes and therein were these wordes Not in banquettinges or in dronkennes not in vvantonnes and chamber vvorkes not in contention and emulation but doe you put on our Lord Iesus Christ and doe you not performe the prouidence of flesh in concupiscences Further then this sentence I would not reade nether was it needful For presentlie with the end of this sentence as if the light of securitie had bene poured into my hart al the darknes of my doutfulnes fled away Wherepon putting in my finger or some other signe which now I remember not vpon the place I closed the booke and with a quiet countenance opened the whole matter to Alipius And he by this meanes vttered also that vocatiō which now wroght in him which I before knew not He desired that he might see what I had reade and I shewed the place vnto him He considered the whole and went further also then I had reade For it folowed in Saint Paul which I knew not take vnto you him that is yet vveake in faith Which saying Alipius applied vnto him self and opened his whole state of doutfulnes vnto me But by this admonition of S. Paul he was established and was ioyned to me in my good
This was a feigned labour in a commandement For Isaac being offered he was not killed but sanctified therby Thou therfore if thou heare the voice of God within thy hart willing thee to offer vp Isaac which signifieth ioy or laughter feare not to obey it faith fuilie and constantlie What soeuer thy corrupt affection iudgeth of the matter be thousecure Not Isaac but the Ramme shal die for it thy ioy shal not perish but thy stubburnes onelie whose hornes are entangled with thornes and can not be in thee without the prickinges of anxietie Thy Lord doth but tempt the as he did Abraham to see what thou wilt doe Isaac that is thy ioy in this life shal not die as thou imaginest but shal liue onelie he must be lifted vp vpon the wood to the end thy ioy may be on high and that thou maiest glorie not in thine owne flesh but onelie in the crosse of thy Lord by whom thy self also art crucified crucified I say but crucified to the world for vnto God thou liuest stil and that much more then thou diddest before THE THIRD IMPEDIMENT THAT STAYETH DIVERS MEN FROM REsolution in Gods seruice VVhich is the feare they conceaue of persecutution affliction losse danger or tribulation CHAPT III. THER want not many persons in the world who either moued by the reasons and considerations before recited or conuicted by their owne experience for that they behold daily no smal numbers of godly persons to liue as contentedly as them selues doe yeld thus much vnto vertuous life that in very deed they esteeme the same to be easie and pleasant inough to such as are once entered in therunto And that in good sooth for their owne partes they could be content to embrace and folow the same if they might doe it with quiet and peace of al handes But yet to request them vnto it in such time or place or with such order and circumstances as tribulation affliction or persecution may fal vpon them for the same they think it a matter vnreasonable to be demaunded and them selues verie excusable both before God and man for refusing it But this excuse deare brother is no better then the other going before of the pretēded difficultie for that it standeth vpon a false ground as also vpō an vniust illation or consequent inforced vpō that ground The ground is this that a man may liue vertuouslie and serue God truelie with al worldlie ease without any affliction tribulation or persecution which is false For that albeit external contradictions and persecutions be more in one time then in an other more in this place then in that yet can there not be any time or place without some both external and internal Which although as I haue shewed before in respect of the manifold helpes and consolations sent from God in cōterpoise of the same they seeme not heauie nor vnpleasant vnto the godlie yet are they in them selues both great and weightie as would appeare if they fel vpon the wicked and impatient Secondlie the illation and consequēce made vpon this ground is vniust for that it alleageth tribulation as a sufficient reason to abandone Gods seruice which God him self hath ordained for a meane to the contrary effect that is to draw men therby vnto his seruice and from the seruice of the world For better declaratiō wherof the matter being of verie great importance I wil handle in this chapter thes fower pointes insuing First whether it be ordinarie for al that must be saued to suffer some kinde of persecution tribulation or affliction that is whether this be appointed an ordinary or vsual meane of mans saluation in this life Secōdlie what are the causes whie God louing vs as he doth wold chuse appoint thes sharpe meanes of our saluation Thirdlie what principal reasons of cōfort a man may haue in his tribulations and afflictions Fourthlie what is required at his hādes in hat state which fower pointes being declared I doubt not but great light shal appeare in this whole matter which seemeth to flesh and blood to be so ful of darknes and improbabilities The first part AND TOVCHING the first there needeth litle proofe for that Christ him self hath affirmed to his Disciples by them to al other his seruantes In mundo pressuram sustinebitis In the world you shal sustaine affliction And in an other place In your patience shal you possesse your soules that is to say by suffering patientlie the aduersities that shal be layd vpon you which S. Paul yet vttereth more plainlie when he sayeth Al they that vvil liue godlie in Iesus Christ shal suffer persecution Yf al then none can be excepted And to signifie yet further the necessitie of this matter bothe S. Paul and Barnabas also did teach as S. Luke reporteth that vve of necessitie must enter into the kingdome of God by many tribulations vsing the worde oportet which signifieth a certaine necessitie And Christ him self yet more plainly reuealeth this secret whē he sayeth to S. Iohn th' Euangelist that he chastiseth al those vvhō he loueth Which wordes S. Paul as it were expounding to the hebrewes sayeth flagellat omnem filium quē recipit he whippeth euery child whom he receaueth And S. Paul vrgeth this matter so farre in that place as he affirmeth plainlie al those to be bastardes and no children of God who are not afflicted by him in this life The same position he holdeth to Timothie Si sustinemus conregnabimus if we suffer with Christ we shal raigne with Christ not otherwise Wherin also cōcurreth holie Dauid when he sayeth Multe tribulationes iustorum The iust are appointed to many tribulations The same might be proued by many other meanes as by that our Sauiour sayeth He came not to bring peace but the svvord into the vvorld Also by that S. Paul sayeth That no man can be crovvned except he fight laufullie But how can we fight if we haue no enemie to oppugne vs The same signifieth Christ in the Apocalips when he repeateth so often that heauē is onelie for him that conquereth The verie same is signified by the shippe wherinto Christ entered with his disciples which was tossed and tumbled as if it wold haue bene drouned this I saie by al the auncient Fathers exposition was a figure of the troubles and afflictions that al they should suffer which doe saile in the same shippe with Christ our sauiour The same also is proued in that the life of man is called a warfare vpon earthe and by that he is appointed to labour and trauaile while he is here also in that his life is replenished with many miseries euen by the appointement of almightie God after mans fal The same also is shewed in that that God hath appointed euery man to passe through the paines of death before he come to ioye In like maner by the infinite
the temptations of the world and deuil the resisting wherof is much more difficult in time of peace and wealth then in time of external affliction and persecution for that thes enemies are stronger in flatterie then in force which a godly father expresseth by this parable The sunne and wind saieth he agreed one day to proue their seueral strengthes in taking a cloke from a waiefaring man And in the forenoone the wind vsed al violence that he could to blow of the said clok But the more he blew the more fast held the trauailer his clock and gathered it more closely about him At after noone the sunne sent forth her pleasant beames by litle and litle so entered into this man as he caused him to yeeld to put of not onely his cloke but also his cote Whereby is proued saieth this father that the allurementes of pleasure are more strong and harder to be resisted then the violence of persecution The like is shewed by the example of king Dauid who resisted easily many assaults of aduersitie but yet fel dangerously in time of prosperitie Wherby appeareth that vertuous men haue no lesse warre in time of peace then in time of persecution Nor euer wanteth there occasion of bearing the crosse and suffering affliction to him that wil accept of the same And this may susfice for this first point to proue that euery man must enter into heauen by tribulation as S. Paul saieth The second part TOVCHING THE second why God wold haue this matter so it were sufficiēt to aunswer that it pleased him best so without seeking any further reason of his meaning herein euen as it pleased his diuine Maiestie without al reason in our sight to abase his sonne so much as to send him hither into this world to suffer and die for vs. Or if we wil needes haue a reason hereof this one might be sufficiēt for al that seing we looke for so great a glory as we doe we should labour a litle first for the same and so shew our selues worthie of Gods fauour and exaltation But yet for that it hath pleased his diuine Maiestie not onely to open vnto vs his wil and determination for our suffering in this life but also diuers reasons of his most holy purpose and pleasure therin for our further encouragement and consolation that doe suffer I wil in this place repeate some of the same for declaration of his exceeding great loue and fatherlie care towardes vs. THE FIRST cause then and the most principal is to encrease therby our merit and glorie in the life to come For hauing appointed by his eternal wisdome and iustice that none shal be crouned there but according to the measure of his fight in this world the more and greater cōbates that he geueth together with sufficient grace to ouercome them the greater crowne of glorie prepareth he for vs at our resurrection This cause toucheth S. Paul in the wordes before alleaged of the saintes of the olde testament to wit that they receaued no redemption from their miseries in this world to the end they might find a better resurrection in the world to come This also meant Christ expresselie when he saied Happie are they vvhich suffe persecutiō for theirs is the kingdom of heauen happie are you vvhen men speake euil and persecute you c. reioyse be glad I saye for that your revvard is great in heauē Hereunto also appertaine al those promises of gaining life by leesing life of receauing a hundred for one and the like Herehence do procede al those large promises to virginitie and chastitie and to such as geld them selues for the kingdom of heauen to voluntarie pouertie and to the renouncing of our owne wil by obedience Al which are greate conflictes against the fleshe world and our owne sensualitie and can not be performed but by sufferings and affliction Finally S. Paul declareth this matter fullie when he sayeth that a litle and short tribulation in this life vvorketh a beape of glorie aboue al measure in the hight of heauen THE SECOND cause why God appointed this is to draw vs therby from the loue of the world his professed enemie as in the next chapter shal be shewed at large This cause S. Paul vttereth in these wordes VVe are punished of God in this life to the end vve should not be damned vvith this vvorld In like maner as a Nurse that to weane her child from the loue and liking of her milke dothe anointe her teat with Aloes or some other such bitter thing so our merciful Father that wolde retire vs. from the loue of wordlie delites wherby infinite men doe perish daily vseth to send tribulation which of al other thinges hath most force to woorke that effect as we see in the example of the prodigal sonne who could by no meanes be stayed from his pleasures and retired home to his olde Father but onelie by affliction THIRDLIE God vseth tribulation as a most present and soueraine medicine to heale vs of many diseases otherwise almost incurable As first of a certaine blindenes and careles negligence in our estate contracted by wealth and prosperitie In which sense holy scripture saieth that affliction geueth vnderstanding And the wise man affirmeth that the rodde bringeth vvisdom This was shewed in figure when the sight of Tobie was restored by the bitter gaule of a fish And we haue cleare examples in Nabuchodonasor Saul Antiochus and Manasses al wich came to see their owne faultes by tribulation which they wolde neuer haue done in time of prosperitie The like we read of the brethren of Ioseph who falling into some affliction in Egypt presentlie entred into their owne conscience and sayd VVe suffer those thinges vvorthely for that vve sinned against our brother And as tribulation bringeth this light wherby we see our owne defectes so helpeth it greatlie to remoue and cure the same wherin it may be wel likened vnto the rodde of Moyses For as that rodde striking the hard rockes brought foorth water as the scripture saieth so this rodde of affliction falling vpon stonie harted sinners mollifieth them to contrition and often times bringeth forth the fluddes of teares to repentance In respect wherof holy Tobie saieth to almightie God In time of tribulation thou forgeuest sinnes And for like 〈◊〉 it is compared also to a file of yron which taketh away the rust of the soule In like maner to a purgation that driueth out corrupt humours And finallie to a goldsmithes forge which cōsumeth away the refuse metals and fineth the gold to his perfection I vvil trie thee by fire to the quick saieth God to a sinner by Esay the prophet and I vvil take avvaie al thy tinne and refuse metal And againe by Ieremie I vvil melt them and trye them by fire This he meant of the fire of tribulation whose propertie is according
remembrance Besides this we must consider that the appointing and tempering of this cuppe being now in the handes of Christ our Sauiour by the ful commission graunted him from his Father he hauing learned by his owne sufferinges as S. Paul notifieth what it is to suffer in flesh and blood we may be sure that he wil not laie vpon vs more then we can beare For as if a man had a Father or brother that were a most skilful phisition and should receaue a purgation from them tempered with their owne handes he might be sure it wold neuer hurt him what rōbling soeuer it made in his bellie for the time so and much more may we be assured of this potion of tribulation ministred vnto vs by the hand of Christ howsoeuer as S. Paul saieth it seeme vnto vs vnpleasant in the operation BVT ABOVE al other comfortable cogitations this is the greatest and most ful of consolatiō to consider that he diuideth this cuppe onelie of loue as him self protesteth and as S. Paul proueth that is he geneth out portions of his crosse the richest Iewel that he maketh accōpt of as worldlie princes doe their treasine vnto none but vnto his chosen and picked freendes and among them also not equally to 〈◊〉 but to euerie one a measure according to the measure of good wil and special affection wherwith he loueth them This is euident by the examples before set downe of his dearest frendes most of al afflicted in this life that is to say they receaued greatest portiōs of this treasure for that his good wil was greatest towardes them This also may be seene manisestly in the exaple of S. Paul of whom after that Christ had saied to Ananias vas electionis est mihi he is a chosen vessel vnto me he geueth immediatlie the reason therof For I vvil shevv vnto him vvhat great thinges he must suffer for my name Loe here for that he was a chosen vessel therfore he must suffer great matters for Christ. Doth not the measure of suffering goe then according to the measure of Gods loue vnto vs Surely S. Peter knew wel how the matter went and therfore he writeth thus If you liuing vvel doe suffer vvith patience this is a grace or priuilege before God And againe alitle after Yf you suffer reproche in the name of Christ you are happie for that the honour and glerie and povver of God and of his holy spirit final rest vpon you Can there possibly be any greater rewarde promised to man or anie more excellēt dignitie thē to be made partaker of the honour glorie and power of Iesus Christ Is it maruaile now if Christ saied Happie are you vvhen men reuile and persecute you Is it maruaile though he saied gaudete in illa die exultate reioyse and triumphe ye in that daie Is it maruaile though S. Paul said I take greate pleasure and doe glorie in my infirmities or afflictions in my reproches in my necessities in my persecutions in my distresses for Christ Is it maruaile if S. Peter and S. Iohn being reproched and beaten at the Iudgement seat of the Iewes went away reioysing that they were esteemed worthie to suffer contumelie for the name of IESVS Is it maruaile thogh S. Paul accounted this such a highe priuilege geuen to the Philippiens when he saied It is geuen vnto you not onelie to beleeue in IESVS Christ but also to suffer for him and to haue the same cōbat vvhich you haue seene in me and novv heare of me Al this is no maruaile I save seing that suffering with Christ and bearing the crosse with Christ is as great a prefermēt in the court of heauen as it should be in an earthlie courte for the prince to take of his owne garment to laye it on the backe of one of his seruantes Of this now foloweth an other consequent of singular consolation in time of affliction and that is that tribulation especiallie when grace is also geuen to beare it patientlie is a great coniecture of our predestination to eternal life For so much doe al those argumentes before touched insinuate As also on the cōtrary part to liue in continual prosperitie is a dreadful signe of euerlasting reprobatiō This point is maruailouslie proued by S. Paul vnto the hebrewes and greatlie vrged And Christ geueth a plaine signification in S. Luke when he saieth Happie are you that vveepe novv for you shal laugh And on th' other side VVoe be vnto you that laugh novv for you shal vveepe vvoe be vnto you rich men vvhich haue your consolation here in this life And yet more vehementlie then al this doth the saying of Abraham to the riche man in hel or rather Christs wordes parabolicallie attributed vnto Abraham confirme this matter For he saieth to the riche man complayning of his torment Remēber child that thou receauedst good things in thy life time He doth not say as S. Barnard wel noteth rapuisti thou tokest them by violence but recepisti thou receauedst them And yet this now is obiected against him for a sufficient cause of his damnation as wee see Holy Dauid handleth this matter in diuers places but purposelie in two of his psalmes and that at large And after long search and much admiration his conclusion of wicked mē prospering aboue other in the world is this Veruntamen propter dolos posuisti eis deiecisti eos dum alleuarentur Thou hast geuen them prosperitie ô Lord to deceaue them withal and thou hast indeed throwen them downe by exalting them That is thou hast throwen them downe to the sentence of damnation in thy secret and inscrutable determination Here then the comparison of S. Gregorie taketh place that as the oxen appointed to the slaughter are let runne to feed at their pleasure and the other kept vnder dailie labour of the yoke so fareth it with euil and good men In like maner the tree that beareth no fruite is neuer beaten as we see but onelie the fruitful yet th' other as Christ saieth is reserued for the fire The sick man that is past al hope of life is suffered by the phisition to haue whatsoeuer he lusteth after but he whos health is not dispaired can not haue that libertie graunted To conclude the stones that must serue for the glorious temple of Salomon were hewed beaten and polished without the Church at the quarrie side for that no stroke of hammer might be heard within the temple S. Peter saieth that the vertuous are chosen stones to be placed in the spiritual building of God in heauen where there is no beating no sorow no tribulation Here then in this life must we be polished hewed and made fit for that glorious tēple here I say in the quarrie of this world here must we be fined here must we feele the blowe of the hammer and be most gladde when
his simplicitie was deliuered frō the mouth of lions And so doe you runne ouer by cogitation al generations and you shal see that al those that hope in God shal not be vanquished And doe you not seare the vvordes of a sinful man for his glorie is nothing els but dung and vvormes to daie he is great and exalted and to morovv he shal not be found for he shal returne vnto his earth againe and al his fond cogitations shal perishe Wherfore take courage vnto you my children and plaie the men in the lawe of God For ther in shal be your honour glorie Hitherto are the wordes of scripture which shal suffice for the end of this chapter THE FOVRTH AND GREATEST IMPEDIMENT THAT HINdereth resolution to witte The loue and respect vvhich men beare to the pleasures and vanities of this vvorld CHAPT IIII. AS the former impedimentes which now by Gods grace we haue remoued be in verie deed great staies to many mē from the resolutiō we talke of so this that presently we take in hand is not onely of it self a strong impediment and let but also a general cause as it were a commō ground to al other impedimentes that be or may be For if a man could touch the hidden pulse of al such as refuse or neglect or doe differre to make this resolution he should find the true cause origine therof to be the loue and respect which they beare vnto this world what soeuer other excuses they pretend besides The noble men of Iewrie pretended feare to be the cause why they could not resolue to coniesse Christ openly but S. Iohn that felt their-pulses and knew their disease vttereth the true cause to haue bene for that they loued the glory of men more then the glory of God Demas that for sooke S. Paul in his bandes euen a litle before his death pretended an other cause of his departure to Thellalonica but S. Paul saieth it was quia diligebat hoc seculū for that he loued this world So that this world is a general and vniuersal impediment and more largely dispersed in mens hartes thē outwardly appeareth for that it bringeth forth diuers other excuses therby to couer it self in the people wher it abideth This may be confirmed by that most excellent parable of our Sauiour Christ recorded by three Euangelistes concerning the three sortes of men which are to be damned and the three causes of their damnation wher of the third and last most general including as it were both the two former is the loue of this world For the first sorte of men ther mentioned are compared to a high waie wherin al seed of life that is sowen ether withereth presentlie or els is eaten vp by the birdes of the ayer which is as Christ expoundeth it by the deuils in such careles men as contemne what-soeuer is said vnto thē such are insidels heretikes and other like obstinate and contemptuous people The second sorte of damnable people are compared to rockie groundes in which for lacke of depe roote the seed that falleth continueth not and by this are signified light and vnconstant persons that now choppe in and now runne owt now are seruent and by and by keie-colde againe so in time of tēptation they are gone saith Christ. The third sorte are compared to a feild wherin the seed of life groweth vp but yet there are so many thornes about the same which one father expoundeth to be the cares troubles miseries and deceinable vanities of this life as the good corne is choked vp and bringeth soorth no fruite By which last wordes lie signifieth that whersoeuer the doctrine of Christ groweth vp yet bringeth not forth due fruite that is to saie whersoeuer his faith is planted receaued and professed as among Christians it is and yet bringeth not forth vertuous life holie conuersation good workes and due seruice of God corespōdent to this seed ther the principal cause is for that it is choked with the loue and care of this present world This is a parable of maruailous greate importance as may appeare both for that Christ after the recital therof cried out with a lowde voice He that hath eares to heare let him heare As also for that he expounded it him self in secrete onelie to his Disciples And principallie for that before the exposition therof he vsed such a solemne preface saying to you it is geuen to knovv the misteries if the kingdome of heauen but to others not for that they seing doe not see and hearing doe not heare nor vnder stand Wherby Christ signifieth that the vnderstanding of this parable among others is of singular importance for conceauing the true misteries of the kingdome of heauen and that many are blinde which seeme to see and many deafe and ignorant that seeme to heare and know for that they vnderstand not wel the misteries of this parable For which cause also his diuine wisdome maketh this conclusion before he beginne to expound the parable Happie are your eies that see and biessed are your eares that heare After which wordes he beginneth his exposition with this admonitiō Vos ergo audite parabolam Doe you therfore heare and vnderstand this parable And for that this parable doth containe and touch so much in deede as may or is needful to be saied for remouing of this greate and dangerous impediment of worldly loue I meane to staie my self onelie vpon the explication the ros in this place and wil declare the force and truth of certaine wordes here vttered by Christ of the world and worldlie pleasures And forsome order and methodes sake I wil drawal to these six pointes folowing First how and in what sense al this whole world and commodities therof are meere vanities in them selues and of no value as Christ here signifieth and consequentlie ought not to be an impedimēt to let vs from so great a matter as the kingdome of heauen and seruing of God is Secondlie how they are not onelie vanities and trifles but also Deceptions as the wordes of Christ are that is to say deceyte and fallaces not performing to vs in deede those litle trifles which they doe promise Thirdlie how they are spinae that is pricking thornes as our Saueour affirmeth albeit they seeme to worldly men to be most sweet and pleasant thinges Fourthlie how they are arumnae that is to saie miseries and afflictions Fiftlie quomodo suffocant how they strangle or choke their possessours according as the sonne of God in this parable auoucheth Sixthlie how we may vse them notwithstanding without these daungers euils and to our great comfort gaine and preferment The first point of the parable AND NOVV for the first albeit I might stande vpon many reasons and demonstrations yet doe I not see how breefly pithelie it may be better declared that al the pleasures and goodlie shewes of this world are mere vanities
the most barraine places therof as they can tel which haue seene their mines What a base matter is this then for a man to tie his loue vnto God commāded in the ólde law that what soeuer did goe with his breast vpon the ground should be vnto vs in abhomination How much more then a reasonable man that hath glewed his hart and soule vnto a peece of earth VVe came naked into this vvorld and naked vvee must goe soorth againe saieth Iob. The mille whele stirreth much about and beateth it self from daie to daie and yet at the yeres end it is in the same place that it was ī the beginning so riche men let them toile labour what they can yet at their death must they be as poore as at the first daie wherin they were borne When the riche man dieth saith Iob he shal take nothing with him but shal close vp his eies and finde nothing Pouertie shal laie handes vpon him and a tempest shal oppresse him in the night a burning winde shal take him awaie and an hurle winde shal rushe vpon him and shal not spare him it shal binde his handes vpon him and shal hisse ouer him for that it seeth his place wether he must goe The prophet Dauid in like wise forewarneth vs of the same in these wordes Be not afraid vvhen then seest a man made riche and the glorie of his house multiplied For vvhen he dieth he shal take nothing vvith him nor shal his glorie desiend to the place vvhether he goeth he shal passe into the progenies of his aunceslours that is he shal goe to the place where they are who haue liued as he hath done vvorld vvithout end he shal see no more light Al this and much more is spoken by the Holie ghost to signifie the dangerous vanitie of worldlie wealth and the folie of those men who labour so much to procure the same with the eternal peril of their soules If so many phisitions as I haue here alleaged scriptures should agree together that such or such meates were poisonned and perillous I thinke fewe men wold geue the aduenture to eate therof though otherwise in taste they appeared sweet and pleasant How thē cometh it to passe that so manie earnest admonitions of God himself can not staie vs from the loue of this dangerous vanitie Nolite cor apponere saith God by the prophet that is set not your hartes vpon the loue of riches Qui diligit aurum non iustificabitur saith the wise man he that loueth gold shal neuer be iustified I am angrie greatlie vpon riche natiōs saith God by Zacharie Christ saith Amen dico vobis quia diues difficilè intrabit in regnum calorū Truelie I saye vnto you that a riche man shal hardlie get into the kingdome of heauen And againe vvoe be to you riche men for that you haue receaued your consolation in this life Finallie S. Paul saith generallie of al and to al They vvhich vvilbe riche doe fal into temptations and into the snares of Satan and into many vnprofitable and hurtful desires vvhich doe drovvne them in euerlasting destruction and perdition Can any thing in the world be spoken more effectualie to dissuade from the loue of riches than this must not here now al couetous men of the world ether denie God or condemne them selues in their own consciences Let them goe now and excuse them selues by the pretēce of wife children kinsfolke as they are wōt saying they meane nothing els but to prouide for their sufficiencie Doth Christ or S. Paul admit this excuse wher Gods seruice and their own saluation commeth in question ought we so much to loue wife or children or other kinred as to endanger our soules for the same Tel me deare Christian brother what comfort may it be to an afflicted father in hel to remember that by his meanes his wife and children doe liue wealthelie in earth that for his eternal woe they inioy some few years pleasurs No no deare brother this is vanitie a mere deceate of our spiritual enemie For within one moment after we are dead we shal care no more for wife children father mother or brother in this matter thē we shal for a mere straunger and one penie geuen in almes while we liued for Gods sake shal comfort vs more at that daie thē thousandes of poundes bestowed vpon our kinred for the natural loue we beare vnto our own flesh blood The which one poīt would Christ al worldly men could consider and then no doute they would neuer take such care for kinred as they doe especially vpon their death beddes whence presentlie they are to depart to that place where flesh and blood holdeth no more priuilege nor riches haue any power to deliuer but onely such as were wel bestowed in the seruice of God or geuen to the poore for his names sake And this shal be sufficient for this point of riches THE THIRD branche of worldlie vanities is called by S. Iohn concupiscence of the flesh which conteineth al pleasures and carnal recreations of this life as are banquetting laughing playing and such other delites wherwith our flesh is much comforted in this world And albeit in this kind there is a certaine measure to be allowed vnto the godly for the conuenient maintenance of their health as also in riches it is not to be reprehēded yet that al thes worldly solaces are not onely vaine but also daungerous in that excesse and abundance as worldly wealthie men seeke and vse them appeareth plainlie by thes wordes of Christ. VVoe be vnto you vvho novv doe laugh for you shal vvepe VVo be vnto you that novv liue in fil satietie for the time shal come vvhen you shal suffer bungar And againe in S. Iohns gospel speaking to his Apostles and by them to al other he saith you shal ' vvepe morne but the vvorld shal reioise making it a signe distinctiue betwene the good and the badde that the one shal mourne in this life and th' other reioise and make them selues merie The very same doth Iob confirme both of the one th' other sort for of worldlinges he saith that they solace them selues with al kind of musicke and doe passe ouer their dayes in pleasure and in a verie moment doe goe doune into hel But of the godly he saith in his owne persone that they sigh before they eate their bread And in an other place that they feare al their workes knowing that God spareth not him which offendeth The reason whereof the wise man yet further expresseth saying That the vvorkes of good men are in the handes of God and no ma knovveth vvhether he be vvorthie of loue or hatred at Gods handes but al is kept vncertaine for the time to come And old Tobias insinuateth yet an other cause when he saith VVhat ioy can
of a Leuit God punished the whole tribe in this order as holy scripture recounteth He caused al the other eleuen tribes to rise against them first to come to the house of God in Silo to aske his aduise and to folow his direction in this warre against their brethren And thence hauing by Godes appointement ioined battaile twise with the tribe of Beniamin the third daie God gaue them so great a victorie as they slew al the liuing creatures within the compasse of that tribe except onelie six hundred men that escaped awaie into the desert the rest were slaine both man woman children and infantes together with al the beastes and cattel al the cities villages and howses burnt with fire And al this for one sinne committed onelie at one time with one woman And who then deare Christian brother wil not confesse with Moyses that God is a iust God a great God and a terrible God Who wil not confesse with S. Paul that it is horrible to fal into the handes of the liuing God Who wil not say with holy Dauid A Iudicijs tuis timui I haue feared at the remembrance of thy iudgementes If God would not spare the destroying of a whole tribe for one sinne onely if he would not perdon Chore Dathan and Abiron for once the sonnes of Aaron for once Ananias Saphira for once if he would not forgiue Esau though he demaunded it with teares as S. Paul saieth if he would not remit the punishment of one fault to Moyses Aaron albeit they asked it with great instance if he would not forgiue one proude cogitation vnto the Angels nor the eating of one apple vnto Adā without infinite punishment nor would passe ouer the cuppe of affliction from his own deare sonne though he required the same thrise vpō his verie knees with the sweate of blood and water in his presence what reason hast thou my brother to thike that he wil let passe so many sinnes of thine vnpunished what cause hast thou to induce thy imagination that he wil deale extraordinarilie with thee breake the course of his iustice for thy sake Art thou better then thos whom I haue named or hast thou any priuilege from his Maiestie aboue them If thou wouldest consider the great and strange effectes of his iustice which we see dailie executed in the world thou shouldest haue litle cause to persuade thy self so fauorablie or rather to flatter thy self so daungerously as thou doest We see that notwithstanding Godes mercie yea after the death and passion of Christ our Sauiour for sauing of the whole world yet so many infinite millions be damned daily by the iustice of almightie God so many insideles heathens Iewes and Turkes that remaine in the darknes of their owne ignorance and among Christīans so many heretiques and misbeleuers and among Catholiques so many euel liuers as Christ truely said that few were they which should be saued albeit his death was paid for al if by their own wickednes they made them selues not vnworthie therof And before the comming of our Sauiour much more we see that al the world went awrie to damnatió for many thousand yeres together excepting a few Iewes which were the people of God And yet among them also the greater part perhappes were not saued as may be cōiectured by the speeches of the prophetes from time to time and specially by the sayings of Christ to the harisees and other rulers therof Now then if God for the satisfying of his justice could let so many millions perish through their own sinnes as he doth also now daily permit without any preiudice or impechement to his infinit mercie why may not he also damne thee forthy sinnes notwithstanding his mercie seing thou doest not onely commit them without feare but also doest confidently persist in the same The 2. part of the chapter BVT HERE now perhappes some man may say if this be so that God is so seuere in punishment of euery sinne and that he damneth so many thousandes for one that he saueth how is it true that the mercies of God are aboue al his other vvorkes as holy scripture affirmeth and that it passeth and exalteth it self aboue his iudgement For if the number of the damned doe exceede so much the number of thos which are saued it seemeth that the worke of iustice doth passe the worke of mercie To which I answere that touching the smal number of them that are saued as also of th' infinit quantitie of such as are damned we may in no wise doute for that besides al other prophetes Christ our Sauiour hath made the matter certaine and out of question We haue to see therfore how notwithstāding al this the mercie of God doth exceede his other workes And first his mercie may be said to exceede for that al our saluation is of his mercie and our damnation from our selues only as from the first and principal causes therof according to the saying of God by the prophet Perditio tua Israel tantummodò in me auxilium tuum Thy perdition is onely from thy self ô Israel and thy assistance to doe good is onely from me So that as we must acknowledge Gods grace and mercie for th' author of euerie good thought and acte that we doe and consequently ascribe al our saluatiō vnto him so none of our euil actes for which we are damned doe proceede from him but onely from our selues and so he is no cause at al of our damnation and in this doth his mercie exceede his iustice Secondlie his mercie doth exceede in that he desireth al men to be saued as S. Paul teacheth and him self protesteth when he saieth I vvil not the death of a sinner but rather that he turne from his vvikednes and liue And againe by the prophet Ieremie he complaineth greeuouslie that men wil not accept of his mercie offered Turne from your vvicked vvaies saith he vvhy vvil ye die a you house of Israel By which appeareth that he offereth his mercie most willinglie and freelie to al but vseth his iustice onelie vpon necessitie as it were cōstrained therunto by our obstinate behauiour This our Sauiour Christ signifieth more plainlie when he saith to Ierusalem O Ierusalem which killest the prophetes and stonest them to death that are sent vnto thee how oftē wold I haue gathered thy children together as the henne clocketh her chickins vnderneth her winges but thou woldest not behold thy house for this cause shal be made desert and left without children Here you see thee mercie of God often offered vnto the Iewes but for that they refused it he was enforced in a certaine maner to pronounce this heauie sentence of destruction and desolatiō vpon them which he fulfilled within fortie or fiftie yeares after by the handes of Titus and Vespasian Emperours of Rome who vtterlie ouerthrewe the citie of Ierusalem and the whole nation