Nabuchodonosor and while the first temple or m Ca 16 20 Sanctuary stood Nay the consultation concerning this warre is reported to be in the n Cap. 2 1â—… eighteenth yeare of Nabuchodonosor we finde in the book of the o 〈◊〉 King 25 〈◊〉 Kings that in the nineteenth yeare of his raigne the same king sent Nabuzaradan his steward to Hierusalem vvho burnt the house of the Lorde the Kinges house and all other of worth in the citty Adde to this that whereas the writers of the bookes of Kings and Chronicles are most exacte in setting downe all great warres and victories of the Iewes from the time of Saul to the ruinating of the first temple there is not one word of any person or circumstance belonging to this warre in them nor in any other vndoubted booke of holy writ Yea Iosephus who was a Iew and with much learning and labour continueth the story of his countreymen from Adam to his own daies hath not the least mention of this Iudith or ought appertaining to her which he being so desirous to coÌ„ceale nothing which might make for the honour of his people would never in such deepe oblivion haue buryed These things may well be questioned 8 The book of Wisdome is by some of the Popish Synagoge not only accounted to be Canonicall Scripture but also reputed to be p Sixt. sent Bibli lib 1. 8 Salomons if not for the compiling yet at least for the matter And the reason therof is yeelded because there is in it a praier in the q Sap. 9. 1. name of Salomon But r Vide Sixt. Senens vbi supra Bellar de verbo Dei li. 1. 13 learned men of our parte rather hold it to be the worke of Philo the Iew which also Bellarmine citeth out of S. Hierome and that not the elder Philo but even the same who with some other of his countrymen was sent in embassage to the s Philo de legat ad caium Emperour Caligula to intreate him that the Iewes might not be forced to accept of and to erect his image or statue at Hierusalem which they held to be contrary to the law of their Moses He therefore compiled that worke insinuating to Kings and great men moderation in their governement terrour of torments after this life and the extreme vanity of Idols matters most fit for their present purpose to Caligula to giue never the lesse credit to all his words he was contented that Salomons name should be vsed in the praier before mentioned because the name of wise king Salomon was famous over al the world And that for this purpose 〈◊〉 the booke of Wisdom was made the whole drift of it may very well purport Now if there were nothing els in this treatise to check it selfe yet that bloudy s Sap 4. 3â—… sentence and censure against all borne in bastardy woulde bewray that it was written with an humane spirite and not by divine authority For although God be pleased sometimes to lay a temporal punishment vpon men so borne as he also doth on other persons yet he who so that we serue him and feare him hath professed of himselfe to be no t Act 10 34 respecter of persons he who blessed Phares being in fornication begotten vpon u Gen 38 18 29. Thâ—…ar so that our Saviour Christs petigree according to the flesh is u Matth. 1 3 derived from him he who forgiveth the parents committing adultery or fornication so that they doe repent which was x 2 Sam 12 13 Davids case adding to his adultery murther also he wil much more pardon the child that is innocent in that behalfe and not accessary to the crime of his nocent parents and will not lay that fearefull iudgement vpon him that neither he nor any who descend froÌ„ him shall long prosper The examples are manifolde how God hath powred various temporall blessings on the issue of such as haue beene borne in fornication as we need look no farther then to William the Conquerour tightly termed y Haillan Histo lib 6 Guillaume le Bastard which notwithstanding ought to incourage none to coÌ„mit that fleshly sinne but rather they are to feare and tremble at it since God may iustly destroy both the bodies and soules of such offen ders But this I haue spoken to shew that the saying of that authour cannot be iustified in Divinity neither may any man goe about to advouch it since albeit all hope well yet few are assured that all things are right in their owne birth Nay Papists theÌ„selues among whom be pretty store of bastards as wel as among other men saw this well enough which caused their z Hugo cardinal Lyra Glo. interl ordinar Dâ—…oni Car thusian Commentatours vpon that place to flie the literall sence and to interpret it of bastards spiritually meant that is heretikes and such like Of the bookes of Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees I haue spoken before and therefore say no more of them but this that S. Austen who thought reasonably well of the bookes of the Machabees yet coulde not tell how to iustifie the a 2. Mach 14. 42 commendation of Razias killing himselfe and therfore is shrewdly b Aug. epist 61. plunged how to salue all by allowing the book and disallowing the fact Since then the matter of these volumes hath such imperfections in it that it cannot keepe coherence with the vn-questioned Oracles of the sacred Scripture and the Spirit of the Almighty is ever vniforme never dissenting from it selfe if the other books do stand as not a c Mat 5. 18 title of them shall perish vnto the worlds end these then must needs fal from that high credit to which Papists would bring them and we are not to blame when we acknowledge not them for divine who haue no such slampe vpon them 9 Secondly we referre our selues to the iudgment of the lewish Church before Christ vvhose the Scriptures then vvere and to whom were commended the d Rom. 3 2 Oracles of God Among them e Luk 24 27 44 Moses and the Prophets and the Psalmes by a generall name comprised all Scripture but otherwise for order and memorie sake they reduced al their books to the two f Sixt Sen Bibli lib 1 and twenty letters of the Hebrew Alphabet and as in them they comprehended al every particle which they and we do receiue so they shut out also from thence al which they we now do expunge No better witnes of this theÌ„ that learned Iosephus who ex g Contr Apion lib. 1 professo haÌ„dleth this sheweth the dignity prerogatiue of the divine inspired writings aboue all other the credit of whom he holdeth doubtful vnsure Now in the nuÌ„ber of those of sacred authority he hath neither Tobias nor Iudith nor any one of their companions h Spec. Aug S. Austen doth witnes that the Iewes do not accepte
Church theÌ„ should be said to bring out more children theÌ„ formerly shee had done shee must haue gone for a moÌ„ster So it is since the time of Christ. God hath his appointed seasons which himselfe hath fore-told somtimes promising that his spouse should flourish and some other times be obscured So in the daies of Constantine the hew of her not for purity but for extent was more glorious then vnder all the former Emperours Vnder Constantius Iulian her territory was abridged yet vnder the Theodosij and some other blessed Emperours shee grew againe notwithstaÌ„ding was no monster After ward her beauty was dimmed the authority of Antichrist spreading it selfe in the worlde as it was before hand f Apo. 13. 14 prophecied that it should bee But God at last did determine that wheÌ„ other things should be accomplished the g 2. Thes. 2. 8. wicked man should be reveiled as all the worlde may see that in our time he is whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth that is with the preaching of the word vvhich who doth not se to haue diminished the kingdome of the Pope and shall abolish with the brightnes of his comming so that Antichrist albeit much maimed shal be til the last day of iudgment therfore his Ministers must striue to keep his kingdoÌ„e vpright as our Iesuits Seminary Priests do But his Babylon in part by degrees must fall so it is already The Church was ever somwhat but of late shee is more glorious then in some ages before What will you therfore say farther 5. Shee began in the Apostles time to fructifie in all the world That we do not deny but the questioÌ„ is whither the Gospell did spread otherwise then every way towarde all the coasts of the world in such sence as formerly I haue shewed It was towarde the East and West and North and South but not in every particular province vnder heaven The words of h Lib. 1. 3. Ireneus are The Church having gotten this faith although shee be dispersed through the whole world doth diligently keepe it Wherout if you wil gather that in his time the Church was in all the knowne worlde you will make vs of Britaine very ancient partakers of the faith since i Euse. Eccl. Histor. 5. 19 Ireneus was the scholler of Polycarpus whose Maister was Iohn the Evangelist And this excellentlie fitteth your report of king Lucius Pope Eleutherius Tertullian saith thus k Contra Iudaeos c. 4. The kingdome name of Christ is every whither extended is every where beleeved is embraced by all the nations aboue named raigneth every where is every where adored The countries before named are from India to Aethiopiâ—… Germany Britaine Mauritania and some few other Cyprian saith l De simplicit prelato vel de vnirat Eccles. The Church with store of fruitfulnesse doth stretch foorth her bowes into the whole world The speech of Athanasius is m De incar nat verbi As many nations as bee any where abiuring thâ—…r countries rites the wickednesse of their Idols doe now place their hope on Christ and doe give their names vnto him as even by the verie eyes a man may deprehend Chrysostome writeth thus n In Mat 24 That before the overthrovve of the Cittie of Hierusalem the Gospell vvas spreade through the vvorlde heare Paule Their sounde is gone out into all landes And Hierome commenting on the same texte o Hier in Matth 24 A signe of the Lordes comming is that the Gospell should bee preached in all the vvorld that no man may bee excusable vvhichwe see already fulfilled or shortlee to bee completed For I do not thinke that there is any nation remaining which is ignorant of the name of Christ. And although it hath not had a Preacher yet by the bordering nations it cannot be ignorant of an opinion of the faith S t Austen being enquired of concerning the end of the world saith that before it come the Gospel must be preached to al nations which in as much as he supposed not to be done in his time he resolveth that the day of iudgment was not presently to follow Heare himselfe p Epist. 78 But if by reason of certaine places vvhich are inaccessible and in hospitall it is not beleeved to be possible that the vvorlde should bee traveiled over by the servaunts of GOD and it shoulde bee faithfullie reported how many and how great nations there bee yet without the Gospell of Christ muchlesse doe I suppose that by the Scriptures it may be comprehended how longe times there shall be vnto the ende in as much as in them we doe reade No man can knowe the times vvhich the Father hath put in his own power In the second Epistle which you cite out of Saint Austen the best words that I can finde for your purpose are these q Epist 80. The Prophet sheweth hâ—…vve there is no parte of the vvorlde lefte vvhere the Church is not since there is 〈◊〉 of the Ilands left but that it doth adore him VVhat more is in this place you shall heare by and by Theodoret hath thus much speaking of Antichrist r In divino decretor Epitome by the prediction of God the Gospell must bee preached amonge all Nations and then hee that is Antichrist must bee so seene The words of Leo are s Leo serm 〈◊〉 in Nat iv Petr. Paul To the ende that the effect of this vnspeakeable grace of CHRISTS taking flesh vpon him might be spreade through all the vvorld the providence of God did prepare the kingdome of the Romanes Prosper writeth howe Pelagius the heretike beeing sprung vp in Britaine was oppugned s Prosper do Ingratis Talia cum demens latè diffunderet error Commentisque rudes traheret let halibus aures Adfuit exhortante Deo provisa per orbem Sanctorum pia cura patrum non dispare â—…otu Conficiens diros taculis coelestibâ—… hostes Hisdem namque simul decretis spiritus vnus Intonuit pestem subeuntem prima recidit Sedes Roma Petri quae Pastorales honoris Facta caput mundo quicquid non possidet armis Relligione tenet non segnior inde Orientis Rectorum cura emicuit 6 These wordes if you wil vrge for the Primacy of Rome they doe in substaunce import no more then that which was decreed in the first Nicene Councell where the Bishop of Rome was termed t Vide Gratian part 1 Distinct 99. 3 Primae sedis Episcopus and the vvordes poetically serte out by caput pastoralis honoris doe signifie no more Therefore you goe to farre vvhen you saye the Bishop of Rome is of Prelates peerelesse Lord which your selfe may see since Prosper in coÌ„futing Pelagius ioyneth many other Bishops as equals in care with the Pope But then he reckoneth him vp first secoÌ„dly the Bishops of the East afterward Hierome And wheras he termeth Rome the seate of
Sozomen that it is beleeved of him that he raised vp a dead man and did show other signes not inferiour to the wonders of the Apostles The tales of t zach Lip pel in vita Nicolas Nicolas are that when he was a sucking childe he knew what it was to fast and therefore on Wednesdaies and Frydaies would not touch the brest till night When he was a man he foresaw a tempest at sea and when it came with his praier he alayed it He appeared in a vision to the Emperour by night and caused him to pardon three innocent men whom he intended to execute Saint Austen u De civit Dei li 22 8 mentioneth that at Milaine neere the bodyes of Protasius and Gervasius a blinde man was restored to his fighte That at Carthage when hee himselfe was in the house Innocentius a chiefe officer of that citty was by prayer miraculously cured of a very fearefull sore Also that Innocentia was healed of a canker in her brest and a Physitian of his gowt by being baptised with divers such other matters For the sixth age that whichis cited out of u Dialog li 3 ca 2 3 Gregory is that when Iohn the Pope had rode on the horse of a Noble-woman the horse would not any more endure a vvoman on his backe no not his olde mistresse that the same Iohn had at Constantinople made a blinde man see and that Agapitus another Pope caused one who was dumbe and lame both to speake and go The wordes of x Li 9. Epi. 58 Gregory about the conversion of Englande are onlye those in generall that God by Augustine the Monke had there shewed great miracles and that hee should not be prowde thereof Bede y Hist lib 1 cap 31 citeth the Epistle of Gregory vnto Augustine and addeth nothing of his owne Of z Lib 4 28 Cuthbert he rehearseth that whereas sprites did haunt a place at his comming thither they gaue over that by prayer he got a well to spring vp in dry grounde that by his meanes barren lande did grow to plentifull fertilitie Of a Li 5 22 3 4 Iohn that he caused a dumbe boy to speak and healed a Nunnes arme that was much indaungered by vnseasonable letting of blovd and such like b Lippeloo in vitis SaÌ„ctor feb 25 Thatasius Archbishop of Constantinople vnder Constantine and â—…ene vvas a great defendour of the erecting and vvorshipping of Images in Churches The miracles related of him out of Ignatius the monke are that after his death at his tumbe vvas cured a woman vvhich vvas troubled vvith an issue of bloude a man that had a sore eie an innumerable multitude of such as were infested vvith fovvle spirites and oflame men and of blinde folkes 4 The c Nova legend Ang. in vita Ruwoldi legende hath of S. Romuald that as soone as he vvas borne hee did speake Divinity and forthwith being baptized did preach high pointes of doctrine lived in all but three daies at his tombe in Buckingham many lame blind were restored Of d Lippeloo Septem 28 è Surio WeÌ„ceslaus it is said that being but a very weak maÌ„ and entring combat with Radâ—…s a most valiant Generall by signing himselfe with the signe of the crosse and by the helpe of Angels attending him hee caused his enemy to fall prostrate downe vnto him Also that the Emperour saw Wenceslaus garded with a couple of Angels King e Idem in â—…anuar 5. Edward who marrying the Earle Godwines daughter did togither with her by consent of them both keep perpetual virginity is recounted to haue cured a lame Irish man by carying him on his back to the Church Also to haue healed the very sore throate of a woman to haue giveÌ„ sight to divers blinde men and to haue helped at his tombe many very ill affected The tales of f Nova legend Angl 〈◊〉 Anselm Anselme be that when once he laked meate for his company he did bid one cast a net into the next river and he caught a great troute that being with a noble man and neither of them seeing what was done or comming he told him that one was bringing a sturgeon vnto him Another noble man being leprous was clensed by drinking the water wherwith he had washed his hands at the Masse At Winchester the towne being on fire he made a crosse with his haÌ„d immediatly the flame ceased He caused a well to spring vp suddainly on the top of a rock At LyoÌ„s divers eating of the remainder of his meat were healed of sundry diseases With his blessing he freed a womaÌ„ possessed of the Devil A souldiour that had the dropsie by putting on the girdle of Anselm was recovered g Bernard vita 5. Mal. Malachy was by birth an Irish man with the annointing of holy oile he healed a boy that was lunatike He so restored hearing to a deafe maÌ„ that when he put his fingers into his eares there seemed to come out of either of theÌ„ a pretty pig He cured one Michael of a bloudy flixe by sending him meat froÌ„ his table Some who came to seeke his life were destroyed by lightning One who spoke ill of him had his tongue eaten vppe with vvormes Hee vtterlye expelled a Devill vvhich remooved out of one vvoman into another and many other such matters hee did Saint h In vita Bernard l 1 10 Bernarde as it is reported of him laide his hande on his vnckle Galdricke beeing sicke and bad his fever departe and it did so He freed of his trouble a man much molested with the Devill by laying him neere the aultar and putting the Eucharist vnder his head At Milaine i Lib 2 4 he droue a Divell out of a woman A boy k Lib. 4 5 also that was a foole and lame deafe and dumbe was made perfectly whole by him and divers other matters of like nature Saint Frauncis when his preaching was despised by the l Mat. Paris in Hen. 3. Romanes went into the fields there charged the crowes and kites and pies to listen to his doctrine which they did for halfe a day without any noise or chattering And thus he did for three dâ—…ies togither Fifteene daies before he dyed there appeared in his hands and feete wounds dropping with bloud as it was with our Saviour Christ hanging vpon the crosse And he had such a hole in his right side that a man might see the in most secrets of his hart But when he was dead none of the wounds appeared vpon him Of S. Dominicke m Ibidem Matthew Paris n In Greg 9. Platina and o Chro. l 4. Genebrard do say that he was canonized for a Saint but they name not his speciall miracles But the p Lippeloo in August 4. abridger of the Legend of Surius who never faileth at any iumpe telleth of him that when the Albingenses did cast a booke of his