althings in number weight measure that if he should say too much of number hee should seeme both to neglect his owne grauity and measure and the wise-mans c Let this The Iewes in the religious keeping of their Sabboth shew that 7. was a number of much mistery Hierome in Esay Gellius lib. 3. and his emulator Macrobius in Somn. Scip. lib. 1. record the power of it in Heauen the Sea and in Men. The Pythagorists as Chalcidius writeth included all perfection nature sufficiency herein And wee Christians hold it sacred in many of our religious misteries d That 3. is An euen number sayth Euclid is that which is diuisible by two the odde is the contrary Three is not diuisible into two nor any for one is no number Foure is diuided into two and by vnites and this foure was the first number that gotte to halfes as Macrobius sayth who therefore commendeth 7. by the same reason that Aug. vseth here e For all Aug. in Epist. ad Galat. f By this number Serm. de verb dom in monte This appellation ariseth from the giftes shewne in Esay Chap. 32. Of their opinion that held Angels to be created before the world CHAP. 32. BVt if some oppose and say that that place Let there be light and there was light was not meant of the Angels creation but of some a other corporall light and teach that the Angels wer made not only before the firmament diuiding the waters and called heauen but euen before these words were spoken In the beginning God made heauen and earth Taking not this place as if nothing had bene made before but because God made all by his Wisedome and Worde whome the Scripture also calleth a a beginning as answered also to the Iewes when they inquired what he was I will not contend because I delight so in the intimation of the Trinity in the first chapter of Genesis For hauing said In the beginning God made heauen and earth that is the Father created it in the Son as the Psalme saith O Lord how manyfold are thy workes In thy wisedome madest thou them all presently after he mentioneth the Holy Spirit For hauing shewed the fashion of earth and what a huge masse of the future creation God called heauen and earth The earth was without forme void and darknesse was vpon the deepe to perfect his mention of the Trinity he added c And the spirit of the Lord moued vpon the waters Let each one take it as he liketh it is so profound that learning may produce diuers opinions herein all faithfull and true ones so that none doubt that the Angels are placed in the high heauens not as coeternals with God but as sure of eternall felicity To whose society Christ did not onely teach that his little ones belonged saying They shall be equal vvith the Angels of God but shewes further the very contemplation of the Angels saying Se that you despise not one of these little ones for I say vnto you that in heauen their Angels alway behold the face of my Father vvhich is in Heauen L. VIVES SOme a other corporeall Adhering to some body b Beginning I reproue not the diuines in calling Christ a beginning For he is the meane of the worlds creation and cheefe of all that the Father begotte But I hold it no fit collection from his answere to the Iewes It were better to say so because it was true then because Iohn wrote so who thought not so The heretikes make vs such arguments to scorne vs with at all occasion offered But what that wisely and freely religious Father Hierome held of the first verse of Genesis I will now relate Many as Iason in Papisc Tertull. contra Praxeam and Hillar in Psalm Hold that the Hebrew text hath In the Sonne God made Heauen and earth which is directly false For the 70. Symachus and Theodotion translate it In the beginning The Hebrew is Beresith which Aquila translates in Capitulo not Ba-ben in the Son So then the sence rather then the translation giueth it vnto Christ who is called the Creator of Heauen and earth as well in the front of Genesis the head of all bookes as in S. Iohns Ghospell So the Psalmist saith in his person In the head of the booke it is written of me viz. of Genesis and of Iohn Al things were made by it without it was made nothing c. But we must know that this book is called Beresith the Hebrewes vsing to put their books names in their beginnings Thus much word for word out of Hierome c And the spirit That which wee translate Ferebatur moued sayth Hierome the Hebrewes read Marahefet forwhich we may fitly interprete incubabat brooded or cherished as the hen doth heregges with heate Therfore was it not the spirit of the world as some thinke but the holy spirite that is called the quickner of all things from the beginning If the Quickner then the maker if the Maker then the God If thou send forth thy word saith he they are created Of the two different societies of Angels not vnfitly tearmed light and darkenesse CHAP. 33. THat some Angels offended and therfore were thrust into prisons in the worlds lowest parts vntill the day of their last iudiciall damnation S. Peter testifieth playnely saying That God spared not the Angels that had sinned but cast them downe into hell and deliuered them into a chaynes of darkenesse to be kept vnto damnation Now whether Gods prescience seperated these from the other who doubteth that he called the other light worthily who denyeth Are not we heare on earth by faith and hope of equality with them already ere wee haue it called light by the Apostle Ye were once darkenesse saith he but are now light in the Lord. And well doe these perceiue the other Apostaticall powers are called darkenesse who consider them rightly or beleeue them to bee worse then the worst vnbeleeuer Wherefore though that light which GOD sayd should bee and it was bee one thing and the darkenesse from which GOD seperated the light bee another yet the obscurity of this opinion of these two societies the one inioying GOD the other swelling in b pride the one to whome it sayd Praise GOD all â—…ee his Angels the other whose Prince said All these will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee the one inflamed with GOD'S loue the other blowne bigge with selfe-loue whereas it is sayd God resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the lowly the one in the highest heauens the other in the obscurest ayre the one piously quiet the other madly turbulent the one punishing or releeuing according to Gods c iustice and mercy the other raging with the ouer vnreasonable desire to hurt and subdue the one allowed GODS Minister to all good the other restrayned by GOD from doing d the desired hurt the one scorning the other for doing good against their wills
effected without being fore-told that intimated not some-thing belonging vnto the Cittie of God and to bee referred vnto the holy pilgrims thereof vpon earth But if this be so we shall tie the Prophets words vnto two meanings onely and exclude the third and not onely 〈◊〉 Prophets but euen all the Old Testament For therein must be nothing peâ—… to the earthly Ierusalem if all that be spoken or fulfilled of that haue a farâ—… reference to the heauenly Ierusalem so that the Prophets must needes 〈◊〉 but in two sorts either in respect of the heauenly Ierusalem or els of both 〈◊〉 I thinke it a great error in some to hold no relation of things done in the â—…res more then meere historicall so doe I hoâ—…d it a c great boldnesse in 〈◊〉 that binde all the relations of Scripture vnto allegoricall reference and therefore I auouch the meanings in the Scriptures to be triple and not two-fold onely This I hold yet blame I not those that can piâ—…ke a good spirituall sense 〈◊〉 of any thing they reade so they doe not contradict the truth of the history But what faithfull man will not say that those are vaine sayings that can belong 〈◊〉 to diuinity nor humanity and who will not avow that these of which 〈◊〉 speake are to haue a spiritual interpretation also or leaue them vnto those 〈◊〉 interprete them in that manner L. VIVES 〈◊〉 Prophet a Nathan After Dauid had sent Vriah to be slaine in the front of the battell 〈◊〉 married his widow Bersabe b In so much Herevpon they say that so much is left out â—…g the acts of the Iewish Kings because they seemed not to concerne the Citty of 〈◊〉 that whatsoeuer the Old Testament conteineth or the New either hath all a sure 〈◊〉 vnto Christ and his Church at which they are both leuelled c Great boldnesse As 〈◊〉 â—…d with great rarity of spirit yet keepeth he the truth of the history vnuiolate for oâ—…â—…l these relations were vanities and each one would sâ—…rue an allegory out of the 〈◊〉 to liue and beleeue as he list and so our faith and discipline should bee vtterly conâ—…â—…herein I wonder at their mad folly that will fetch all our forme of life and religion 〈◊〉 â—…ories entangling them in ceremonious vanity and proclayming all that contraâ—… heretiques 〈◊〉 â—…ange of the Kingdome and priest-hood of Israell Anna Samuels mother a prophetesse and a type of the Church what she prophecied CHAP. 4. 〈◊〉 â—…ogresse therefore of the City of God in the Kings time when Saul was reâ—…ued and Dauid chosen in his place to possesse the Kingdome of Ierusaâ—…â—…im and his posterity successiuely signifieth and prefigureth that which 〈◊〉 not omit namely the future change concerning the two Testaments 〈◊〉 â—…d the New where the Old Kingdome and priest-hood was changed by 〈◊〉 and eternall King and Priest Christ Iesus for Heli being reiected Saâ—… made both the priest and the Iudge of God and Saul being reiected Daâ—… â—…hosen for the King and these two being thus seated signified the change 〈◊〉 of And Samuels mother Anna being first barren and afterwards by 〈◊〉 â—…odnes made fruitfull seemeth to prophecy nothing but this in her song 〈◊〉 â—…ing when hauing brought vp her son she dedicated him vnto God as she 〈◊〉 saying My heart reioyceth in the LORD my horne is exalted in the 〈◊〉 â—…y mouth is enlarged on mine enemies because I reioyced in thy saluation 〈◊〉 holy as the Lord there is no God like our God nor any holie besides thee 〈◊〉 â—…ore presumptiously let no arrogancie come out of your mouth for the Lord is 〈◊〉 â—…f knowledge and by him are enterprises established the bowe of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ee broken and guirded the weake with strength they that were full are hired forth for hunger and the hungry haue passed the land for the barren hath 〈◊〉 seâ—…en and a shee that had many children is enfeobled the Lord killeth and 〈◊〉 bringeth downe to the graue and raiseth vp the Lord impouerisheth and enritchâ—… humbleth and exalteth he raiseth the poore out of the dust and lifteth the begger from the dunghil to set them amongst Princes make them inherite the seat of glory he giueth vowes vnto those that vow vnto him and blesseth the yeares of the iust for in his owne might shall no man bee stronge the Lord the holy Lord shall weaken his aduersaries let not the wise boast of his wisdome nor the ritch in his ritches nor the mighty in his might but let their glory bee to know the Lord and to execute his iudgement and iustice vpon the earth the Lord from heauen hath thundered he shall iudge the ends of the world and shall giue the power vnto our Kings and shall exalt the horne of his annointed Are these the words of a woman giuing thankes for her sonne are mens mindes so benighted that they cannot discerne a greater spirit herein then meerely humane and if any one bee mooued at the euents that now began to fall out in this earthly processe doth he not discerne and acknowledge the very true religion and Citty of God whose King and founder is Iesus Christ in the words of his Anna who is fitly interpreted His grace and that it was the spirit of grace from which the proud decline and fall and therewith the humble adhere and are aduanced as this hymne saith which spake those propheticall words If any one will say that the woman did not prophecy but onely commended and extolled Gods goodnesse for giuing her praiers a sonne why then what is the meaning of this The bow of the mighty hath hee broken and guirded the weake with strength they that were full are hired forth for hunger and the hungry haue passed 〈◊〉 the land for the barren hath borne seauen and shee that had many children is 〈◊〉 Had shee being barren borne seauen she had borne but one when she sayd thus b nor had shee seauen afterward or sixe either for Samuel to make vp seauen but only three sonnes and two daughters Againe there being no King in Israel at that time to what end did she conclude thus Hee shall giue the power vnto our Kings and exalt the horne of his anoynted did shee not prophecy in this Let the church of God therfore that fruitful Mother that gracious City of that great King bee bold to say that which this propheticall mother spoke in her person so long before My heart reioyceth in the Lord c and my horne is exalted in the Lord. True ioy and as true exaltation both beeing in the Lord and not in her selfe my mouth is enlarged ouer mine enemies because Gods word is not pent vppe in straites d nor in preachers that are taught what to speake I haue reioyced saith she in thy saluation That was in Christ Iesus whom old Simeon in the Gospell had in his armes and knew his greatnesse in his infancy saying Lord nâ—…w lâ—…ttest thou thy seruant depart in
ment hereby S. Augustine confesseth that he cannot define Sup. Genes lib. 8. These are secrets all vnneedfull to be knowne and all wee vnworthy to know them Of the new Heauen and the new Earth CHAP. 16. THe iudgement of the wicked being past as he fore-told the iudgement of the goodâ—…ust follow for hee hath already explained what Christ said in briefe They shall go into euerlasting paine now he must expresse the sequell And the righteous into life eternall And I saw saith he a new heauen and a new earth The first heauen and earth were gone and so was thesea for such was the order described before by him when he saw the great white throne one sitting vpon it froÌ„ whose face they fled So then they that were not in the booke of life being iudged and cast into eternall fire what or where it is I hold is vnknowne to a all but those vnto whome it please the spirit to reueale it then shall this world loose the figure by worldly fire as it was erst destroyed by earthly water Then as I said shall all the worlds corruptible qualities be burnt away all those that held correspondence with our corruption shall be agreeable with immortality that the world being so substantially renewed may bee fittly adapted vnto the men whose substances are renewed also But for that which followeth There 〈◊〉 no more sea whether it imply that the sea should bee dried vp by that vniuersall conflagration or bee transformed into a better essence I cannot easily determyne Heauen and Earth were read shal be renewed but as concerning the sea I haue not read any such matter that I can remember vnlesse that other place in this booke of that which hee calleth as it were a sea of glasse like vnto christall import any such alteration But in that place hee speaketh not of the worlds end neither doth hee say directly a sea but as a sea Notwithstanding it is the Prophets guise to speake of truths in misticall manner and to mixe truths and types together and so he might say there was no more sea in the same sence that hee sayd the sea shall giue vp hir dead intending that there should be no more turbulent times in the world which he insinuateth vnder the word Sea L. VIVES VNknowne a to all To all nay Saint Augustine it seemes you were neuer at the schoole-mens lectures There is no freshman there at least no graduate but can tell that it is the elementany fire which is betweene the sphere of the moone and the ayre that shall come downe and purge the earth of drosse together with the ayre and water If you like not this another will tell you that the beames of the Sonne kindle a fire in the midst of the ayre as in a burning glasse and so worke wonders But I doe not blame you fire was not of that vse in your time that it is now of when eâ—…y Philosopher to omit the diuines can carry his mouth his hands and his feete full of fire 〈◊〉 in the midst of Decembers cold and Iulies heate Of Philosophers they become diuines and yet keepe their old fiery formes of doctrine still so that they haue farre better iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hot case then you or your predecessors euer had Of the glorification of the Church after death for euer CHAP. 17. AND I Iohn saith hee sawe that Holie Cittie new Ierusalem come downe from GOD out of Heauen prepared as a bride trimmed for her husband And I heard a great voice out of Heauen saying behold the Tabernacle of GOD is with men and hee will dwell with them and they shal be his people and hee himselfe shal be their GOD with them And GOD shall wipeawaie all teares from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither teares neither crying neither shall there bee any more paine for the first things are passed And hee that sate vpon the Throne sayd behold I make althings new c. This cittie is sayd to come from Heauen because the grace of GOD that founded it is heauenly as GOD saith in Esay I am the LORD that made thee This grace of his came downe from heauen euen from the beginning and since the cittizens of GOD haue had their increase by the same grace giuen 〈◊〉 the spirit from heauen in the fount of regeneration But at the last Iudgement of GOD by his Sonne Christ this onely shall appeare in a state so glorious that all the ancient shape shal be cast aside for the bodies of each member shall cast aside their olde corruption and put on a new forme of immortality For it were too grosse impudence to thinke that this was 〈◊〉 of the thousand yeares afore-sayd wherein the Church is sayd to reigne with Christ because he saith directly GOD shall wipe awaie all teares from their eies and there shal be no more death neither sorrowes neither crying neither shall there bee any more paine Who is so obstinately absurd or so absurdly obstinate as to averre that any one Saint much lesse the whole society of them shall passe this transitory life without teares or sorrowes or euer hath passed it cleare of them seeing that the more holy his desires are and the more zealous his holinesse the more teares shall bedew his Orisons Is it not the Heauenly Ierusalem that sayth My teares haue beene my meate daie and night And againe I cause my bedde euerie night to swimme and water my couch with teares and besides My sorrow is renewed Are not they his Sonnes that bewayle that which they will not forsake But bee cloathed in it that their mortality may bee re-inuested with eternity and hauing the first fruites of the spirit doe sigh in themselues wayting for the adoption that is the redemption of their bodies Was not Saint Paul one of the Heauenlie Cittie nay and that the rather in that hee tooke so great care for the earthly Israelites And when a shall death haue to doe in that Cittie but when they may say Oh death where is thy sting Oh hell where is thy b victorie The sting of death is sinne This could not bee sayd there where death had no sting but as for this world Saint Iohn himselfe saith If wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. And in this his Reuelation there are many things written for the excercising of the readers vnderstanding and there are but few things whose vnderstanding may bee an induction vnto the rest for hee repeteth the same thing so many waies that it seemes wholy pertinent vnto another purpose and indeed it may often bee found as spoken in another kinde But here where hee sayth GOD shall wipe awaie all teares from their eyes c this is directly meant of the world to come and the immortalitie of the Saints for there shal be no sorrow no teares nor cause of sorrowe or teares if any one
which beeing dissanulled the Psalmist sung that gods house was built vp through the earth Hermes presaged it with teares the Prophet with ioy and because that spirit that the Prophet spake by is euer victor Hermes himselfe that bewailed their future ruine and wisht their eternity is by a strange power compelled to confesse their original from error incredulity and contempt of GOD not from prudence faith and deuotion And though he call them gods that in saying yet men did make them and such men as wee should not imitate what doth he despite his heart but teach vs that they are not to be worshiped of such men as are not like theÌ„ that made them namely of those that be wise faithful and religious shewing also that those men that made them bound themselues to adore such gods as were no gods at al. So true is that of the Prophet If a man make gods behold they are no gods Now Hermes in calling those gods that are made by such meanes that is deuills bound in Idols by an arte or rather by their owne elections and affirming them the handy-workes of men giueth them not so much as Apuleius the Platonist doth but wee haue shewne already how grosely and absurdly who maketh them the messengers betweene the gods that God made and the men that hee made also to carry vp praiers and bring downe benefites for it were fondnesse to thinke that a god of mans making could doe more with the gods of Gods making then a man whom he made also could For because a deuill bound in a statue by this damned arte is made a god not to each man but to his binder g such as he is Is not this a sweete god now whome none but an erroneous incredulous irreligious man would goe about to make furthermore if the Temple-deuills beeing bound by arte forsooth in those Idols by them that made them gods at such time as they themselues were wanderers vnbeleeuers and contemners of gods true religion are no messengers betweene the gods and them and if by reason of their damnable conditions those men that do so wander beleeue so little and despise religion so much be neuerthelesse their betters as they must needs bee beeing their godheads makers then remaineth but this that which they doe they doe as deuills onely either doing good for the more mischiefe as most deceitfull or doing open mischiâ—…fe yet neither of these can they doe without the high inscrutable prouidence of God nothing is in their power as they are the gods friends and messenger to and from men for such they are not for the good diuine powers whom wee call the holy angells and the reasonable creature inhabiting heauen whether they be Thrones Dominations Principalities or Powers can hold no frindship at all with these spirits from whom they differ as much in affection as vertue differeth from vice or h malice from goodnesse L. VIVES THE wonder a There also hee calleth man a great miracle a venerable honorable creature b Concerning the Or against the deities c The title The greeke saith A pray â—…g song of Dauid that the house was built after the captiuity Hieromes translation from the Hebrew hath no title and therefore the Greekes call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vntitled d Declare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Annunciate declare tell e From day A Greeke phraise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 f An arte Porphyry saith the gods doe not only afford men their familiar company but shew them what allureth them what bindeth them what they loue which daies to auoide which to obserue and what formes to make them as Hecate shewes in the Oracle saying shee cannot neglect a statue of brasse gold or siluer and shewes further the vse of wormwood a Mouses bloud Mirrh Frankincense and stirax g Such as he An euill man for such an one Hermes describes h Malice Malice is here vsed for all euill as the Greekes vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Tully saith he had rather interprete 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by vice then by malice for malice is a Species of vice opposite to honest simplicity and mother to all fraude and deceite Of such things as may be common to Angells and Men. CHAP. 25. WHerefore the deuills are no means for man to receiue the gods benefits by or rather good Angells but it is our good wills imitating theirs making vs line in one community with them and in honor of that one God that they honor though we see not them with our earthly eyes that is the meanes to their society and whereas our miserable frailty of will and infirmity of spirit doth effect a difference betweene them and vs therein wee are farre short of them in merit of life not in habite of body It is not our earthly bodily habitation but our vncleane carnall affection that causeth separation between them and vs. But when we are purified we become as they drawing neare them neuerthelesse before by our faith if we beleeue that by their good fauours also he that blessed them will make vs also blessed That all Paganisme was fully contained in dead men CHAP. 26. BVt marke what Hermes in his bewayling of the expulsion of those Idols out of Egipt which had such an erroneous incredulity irreligious institutors faith amongst the restâ—… then saith he that holy seate of temples shall become a sepulcher of dead bodies As if men should not die vnlesse these things were demolished or being dead should be buried any where saue in the earth Truly the more time that passeth the more carcasses shal stil be buried more graues made But this it seemes is his griefe that the memories of our Martires should haue place in their Temples that the mis-vnderstanding reader hereof might imagine that the Pagans worshiped gods in the Temples and wee dead men in their tombes For mens blindnesse doth so carry them head-long against a Mountaines letting them not see till they bee struck that they doe not consider that in all paganisme there cannot bee a god found but hath bin a man but on will they and b honor them as eternally pure from all humanity Let Varro passe that said all that died were held gods infernall c proouing it by the sacrifices done at all burialls d there also he reckneth the e funerall plaies as the greatest token of their diuinity plaies beeing neuer presented but to the gods Hermes him-selfe now mentioned in his deploratiue presage saying Then that holy seate of Temples shall become a sepulcher of dead bodies doth plainly auerre that the Egiptian gods were all dead men for hauing said that his fathers in their exceeding errour incredulity and neglect of religion had found a meane to make gods her evnto saith he they added a vertue out of some part of the worlds nature and conioyning these two because they could make no soules they framed certaine Images into which they called
â—…ledge of God which none can attaine but through the mediator betweene God and man the Man Christ Iesus CHAP. 2. IT is a grâ—… and admirable thing for one to transcend all creatures corporal or incorporall fraile and mutable by speculation and to attaine to the Deity it selfe and learne of that that it made all things that are not of the diuine essence For so doth God teach a man speaking not by any corporall creature vnâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…erberating the ayre betweene the eare and the speaker nor by any 〈◊〉 â—…ature or apparition as in dreames or otherwise For so hee doth 〈◊〉 â—…nto bodily eares and as by a body and by breach of ayre and distance 〈◊〉 are very like bodies But he speaketh by the truth if the eares of the 〈◊〉 ready and not the body For hee speaketh vnto the best part of the 〈◊〉 and that wherein God onely doth excell him and vnderstand a man 〈◊〉 fashion you cannot then but say he is made after Gods Image beeing 〈◊〉 God onely by that part wherein hee excelleth his others which hee â—…ed with him by beasts But yet the minde a it selfe wherein reason and 〈◊〉 â—…ding are naturall inherents is weakned and darkened by the mist of inâ—…â—…ror and diss-enabled to inioy by inherence b nay euen to endure that 〈◊〉 light vntill it bee gradually purified cured and made fit for such an 〈◊〉 therefore it must first bee purged and instructed by faith to set it the 〈◊〉 â—…in truth it selfe Gods Sonne and God taking on our man without 〈◊〉 god-head ordained that faith to bee a passe c for man to God by 〈◊〉 â—…at was both God and man d for by his man-hood is he mediator 〈◊〉 is hee our way For if the way lie betweene him that goeth and the 〈◊〉 â—…ch he goeth there is hope to attaine it But if e one haue no way nor 〈◊〉 way to goe what booteth it to know whether to goe And the oneâ—… infallible high way is this mediator God and Man God our iourâ—… Man our way vnto it L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a it selfe We call the minde mans purest and most excellent part by which 〈◊〉 â—…stand argue collect discourseâ—… apprehending things simply or comparing 〈◊〉 â—…g all artes and disciplines managing the whole course of life and inuenting 〈◊〉 the minde b Nay euen to endure So is the best reading c For by his This 〈◊〉 but all added by some other vnto the chapters end Of the authority of the canonicall Scriptures made by the spirit of God CHAP. 3. 〈◊〉 hauing spoken what he held conuenient first by his Prophets then 〈◊〉 â—…fe and afterwards by his Apostle made that scripture also which 〈◊〉 â—…icall of most eminent authority on which wee relie in things that 〈◊〉 â—…nderstanding and yet cannot bee attained by our selues For if things 〈◊〉 either to our exterior or interior sence wee call them things present 〈◊〉 owne in our owne iudgements b wee see them before our eyes and 〈◊〉 as infallible obiects of our sence then truely in things that fall not in 〈◊〉 of sence because our owne iudgements doe faile vs we must seeke out 〈◊〉 â—…rities to whom such things wee thinke haue beene more apparant 〈◊〉 we are to trust Wherefore as in things visible hauing not seene them 〈◊〉 we trust those that haue and so in all other obiects of the sences eâ—…â—…ngs mentall and intelligible which procure a notice or sence in man 〈◊〉 â—…omes the word sentence that is c in things inuisible to our exteriâ—…e must needs trust them d who haue learned then of that incorpoâ—… or e behold them continually before him L. VIVES 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sensible That power in man or other creature whatsoeuer that discerneth any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called sence Fiue exterior sences there are and one within the minde or soule feeliâ—… 〈◊〉 of sorrow or of ought that the exteriors present ioy praise glory vertue vice hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the exteriors as thus wee say what doe you thinke of this wine this musicke this â—…ure of such a mans iudgement or wisdome Philosophy diuinity or policy Thus much because our Philosophers will not endure the minde should bee called sence directly against Augustine But what hath a Philosopher of our time to do with the knowledge of speach 〈◊〉 is as they interpret it with grammar b Wee see them So it must be prae sensibus before oâ—… sences not prâ—…sentibus c In things inuisible Visible commeth of Videre to see that that is common to all the sences Saw you not what a vile speech hee made saw you euer worse wine and so the Greekes vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So doth Augustine vse inuisible here for that which is no obiect to any exterior sence d Who haue learned The Saints of God their Maister e Behold The holy Angells Thâ—… 〈◊〉 state of the world is neither eternall nor ordained by any new thought of gods as if he meant that after which he meant not before CHAP. 4. OF things visible the world is the greatest of inuisible God But the first wee see the second wee but beleeue That God made the world whom shall wee beleeue with more safety them himselfe Where haue we heard him neuer better then in the holy scriptures where the Prophet saith In the beginning God created heauen and earth Was the Prophet there when he made it no. But Gods wisdome whereby hee made it was there and that doth infuse it selfe into holy soules making Prophets and Saints declaring his workes vnto them inwardly without any noise And the holy Angells that eternally behold the face of the Father they come downe when they are appointed and declare his will vnto them of whom he was one that wrote In the beginning God created heauen and earth and who was so fit a witnesse to beleeue God by that by the same spirit that reuealed this vnto him did hee prophecy the comming of our faith But a what made God create heauen and earth then not sooner b they that say this to import an eternity of the world being not by God created are damnably and impiously deceiued and infected For to except all prophecy the very c order disposition beauty and change of the worlde and all therein proclaimeth it selfe to haue beene mâ—…de and not possible to haue beene made but by God that ineffable inuisible great one ineffably inuisible beaâ—…teous But they that say God made the world and yet allow it no temporall but onely a formall originall being made after a manner almost incomprehensible they seeme to say some-what in Gods defence from that chancefull rashnesse to take a thing into his head that was not therein before viz to make the world and to be subiect to change of will he beâ—…g wholy vnchangeable and for euer But I see not how their reason can stand in â—…er respects chiefly d in that of the soule which if they doe coeternize with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can neuer shew how that misery befalleth it
their postâ—…re 〈◊〉 a quadrangle there were on the walls one thousand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…undred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Robooth Hieromes translation hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Râ—…ad onely Hee built Nâ—…iue and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnlesse the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The hebrew hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 f Niâ—… 〈◊〉 following the Phaenician Theology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sonâ—… oâ—… 〈◊〉 and calleth him Iupiter Belus Now there was another 〈◊〉 sonne to Epaphus kinge of Egypt whome Ioue begot vnto this Belus Isis was mother 〈◊〉 Eusebius make him the sonne of Telegonus who maried Isis after Apis was dead 〈◊〉 reigning as then in Athens But Belus that was father to Ninus was a quiet King of 〈◊〉 anâ—… contented with a little Empire yet had hee this warlike sonne whereby he was â—…d as a God and called the Babilonian Iupiter This was their Belus say the Egyptians 〈◊〉 Egiptus whome they call the sonne of Neptune and Lybia and granchild to Epaphus 〈◊〉 â—…her Hee placed colonies in Babilon and seating him-selfe vpon the bankes of Euâ—…â—…stituted his Priests there after the Egyptian order That Belus whom they worshipped â—…outly in Assiria and who had a temple at Babilon in Plinies time was as he saith 〈◊〉 â—…tor of Astronomy and the Assirians dedicated a iewell vnto him and called it Belus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g Unto Sem also The seauenty lay it downe most playnely h Hebrewes Paul 〈◊〉 of Borgos a great Hebraician sayth they were called Hebrewes quasi trauellers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word intends trauellers they were indeed both in Egypt and in the land of Canaan i 〈◊〉 â—…ese were As Ilands are diuided from the continent by the sea so were they amongst â—…es by riuers mountaines woods sands deserts and marishes Of the confusion of tongues and the building of Babilon CHAP. 8. WHereas therefore the Scriptures reckneth those nations each according to his proper tongue yet it returneth backe to the time when they had 〈◊〉 â—…one tongue and then sheweth the cause of the diuersity Then the whole 〈◊〉 â—…th it was of one language and one speach And as they went from the East 〈◊〉 a plaine in the land of Semar and there they aboade and they sayd one to 〈◊〉 â—…me let vs make bricke and burne it in the fire so they had bricke for stone 〈◊〉 â—…ch for lime They sayd also come let vs build vs a citty and b a tower whose 〈◊〉 reach to the heauen that we c may get vs a name least we bee scattred vpon 〈◊〉 earth And the Lord came downe to see the citty and tower which the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men builded And the Lord sayd behold the people is all one and haue all 〈◊〉 â—…ge and this they begun to do neither can they now be stopped from 〈◊〉 â—…er they haue imagined to effect come on let vs downe and confound 〈◊〉 â—…guage there that each one of them vnderstand not his fellowes speach So 〈◊〉 Lord scattered them from thence ouer the whole earth and they d left 〈◊〉 â—…ild the citty and the tower Therefore the name of it was called confuâ—…â—…cause â—…cause there the Lord confounded the language of the whole earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thence did the Lord scatter them vpon all the earth This Citty 〈◊〉 â—…ch was called confusion is that Babilon whose wounderfull building 〈◊〉 â—…d euen in prophane histories for Babilon is interpreted confusion 〈◊〉 we gather that Nembrod the Giant was as we said before the builder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scripture saying the beginning of his kingdome was Babilon that is this 〈◊〉 metropolitane city of the realme the kings chamber and the chiefe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rest though it were neuer brought to that strange perfection that the 〈◊〉 and the proud would haue it to be for it was built to heigh which 〈◊〉 â—…as vp to heauen whether this were the fault of some one Tower which 〈◊〉 â—…ght more vpon then all the rest or of them all vnder one as wee will 〈◊〉 soldiour or enemy when we meane of many thousands and as the 〈◊〉 of Frogges and Locusts that plagued Egypt were called onely in the 〈◊〉 number the Frogge and Locust But what intended mans vaine presumption herein admit they could haue exceeded all the mountaines with their buildings height could they euer haue gotten aboue the element of ayre and what hurt can elleuation either of body or spirit do vnto God Humility is the true tract vnto heauen lifting vppe the spirit vnto GOD but not against GOD as that gyant was said to be an hunter against the Lord which some not vnderstanding were deceiued by the ambiguity of the greeke and translated before the Lord f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beeing both before and against for the Psalme vseth it so and kneele before the Lord our maker And it is also in Iob He hath stretched out his hand against God Thus then g is that hunter against the Lord to bee vnderstood But what is the worde Hunter but an entrapper persecutor and murderer of earthly creatures So rose this hunter and his people and raised this tower against GOD which was a type of the impiety of pride and an euill intent though neuer effected deserueth to bee punished But how was it punished Because that h all soueraignty lieth in commaund and all commaund in the tongue thus pride was plagued that the commaunder of men should not be vnderstood because he would not vnderstand the Lord his commander Thus was this conspiracy dissolued each one departing from him whom hee vnderstood not nor could he adapt himselfe to any but those that hee vnderstood and thus these languages diuided them into Nations and dispersed them ouer the whole earth as God who wrought those strange effects had resolued L. VIVES ANd a pitch Bitumen whereof there was great store in those places b A tower The like to this do the prophane writers talke of the Gyants wars against the Gods laying mountaine vpon mountaine to get foote-hold against heauen the nearer it Ter sunt conati inponere Pelion Ossae Ter pater extructos disiecit fulmine montes Pelion on Ossa three times they had throwne And thrice Ioues thunder struck the bul-warke downe Saith Uirgil The story is common it might be wrested out of this of the confusion as diuers other things are drawne from holy writ into heathenisme c We may get Let this bee a monument of vs all d Left off And the builders of the cittie ceased say the seauenty e Wonderfull In Pliny Solinus Mela Strabo Herodotus all the geographers and many of the Poets of this else-where f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So it is in latin also g Is that hunter Iosephus writeth that Nimrod first taught mankinde to iniure GOD and to grow proud against him for being wondrous valiant he perswaded them that they might thanke themselues and not God for any good that befell them And so ordeined he himselfe a souerainty and to prouide that God should not subuert it
them as deceitfull deuills both in their good words and in their bad But seeing this God this goddesse cannot agree about Christ truly men haue no reason to beleeue or obey them in forbidding christianity Truly either Porphyry or Hecate in these commendations of Christ affirming that he destinied the christians to error yet goeth about to shew the causes of this error which before I relate I will aske him this one question If Christ did predestinate all christians vnto error whether did hee this wittingly or against his will If hee did it wittingly how then can hee bee iust if it were against his will how can hee then bee happy But now to the causes of this errour There are some spirits of the earth saith hee which are vnder the rule of the euill Daemones These the Hebrewes wise men whereof IESVS was one as the diuine Oracle declared before doth testifie forbad the religious persons to meddle with-all aduising them to attend the celestiall powers and especially God the Father with all the reuerence they possibly could And this saith hee the Gods also doe command vs as wee haue already shewen how they admonish vs to reuerence GOD in all places But the ignorant and wicked hauing no diuine guift nor any knowledge of that great and immortall Ioue nor following the precepts of the gods or good men haue cast all the deities at their heeles choosing not onely to respect but euen to reuerence those depraued Daemones And where-as they professe the seruice of GOD they doe nothing belonging to his seruice For GOD is the father of all things and stands not in neede of anything and it is well for vs to exhibite him his worship in chastitie iustice and the other vertues making our whole life a continuall prayer vnto him by our search and imitation of him c For our search of him quoth hee purifieth vs and our imitation of him deifieth the effects in our selues Thus well hath hee taught God the Father vnto vs and vs how to offer our seruice vnto him The Hebrew Prophets are full of such holy precepts concerning both the commendation and reformation of the Saints liues But as concerning Christianity there hee erreth and slandereth as farre as his deuills pleasure is whome hee holdeth deities as though it were so hard a matter out of the obscenities practised and published in their Temples and the true worship and doctrine presented be fore GOD in our Churches to discerne where manners were reformed and where they were ruined Who but the deuill him-selfe could inspire him with so shamelesse a falsification as to say that the Christians doe rather honour then detest the Deuills whose adoration was forbidden by the Hebrewes No that God whome the Hebrewes adored will not allow any sacrifice vnto his holiest Angels whome wee that are pilgrims on earth doe not-with-standing loue and reuerence as most sanctified members of the Citty of heauen but forbiddeth it directly in this thundring threate Hee that sacrificeth vnto Gods shall be rooted 〈◊〉 and least it should be thought hee meant onely of the earthly spirits whome this fellow calles the lesser powers d and whome the scripture also calleth gods not of the Hebrews but the Heathens as is euident in that one place Psal. 96. verse 5. For all the Gods of the Heathen are Diuels least any should imagine that the fore-said prohibition extended no further then these deuills or that it concerned not the offring to the celestiall spirits he addeth but vnto the Lord alone but vnto one God onely Some may take the words nisi domino soli to bee vnto the Lord the sunne and so vnderstand the place to bee meant of Apollo but the oriâ—…â—…nd the e Greeke translations doe subuert all such misprision So then the Hebrew God so highly commended by this Philosopher gaue the Hebrewes a â—…awe in their owne language not obscure or vncertaine but already dispersed through-out all the world wherein this clause was literally conteined Hee that sacrificeth vnto Gods shall bee rooted out but vnto the Lord alone What neede wee make any further search into the law and the Prophets concerning this nay what need wee search at all they are so plaine and so manifold that what neede I stand aggrauating my disputation with any multitudes of those places that exclude all powers of heauen and earth from perticipating of the honors due vnto God alone Behold this one place spoaken in briefe but in powerfull manner by the mouth of that GOD whome the wisest Ethnicks doe so highly extoll let vs marke it feare it and obserue it least our eradication ensue Hee that sacrificeth vnto more gods then that true and onely LORD shall bee rooted out yet God him-selfe is farre from needing any of our seruices but f all that wee doe herein is for the good of our owne soules Here-vpon the Hebrewes say in their holy Psalmes I haue sayd vnto the Lord thou art my GOD my well-dooing â—…th not vnto thee No wee our selues are the best and most excellent sacrifice that hee can haue offered him It is his Citty whose mystery wee celebrate 〈◊〉 â—…ch oblations as the faithfull doe full well vnderstand as I sayd once already For the ceasing of all the typicall offrings that were exhibited by the Iewes aâ—…d the ordeyning of one sacrifice to bee offered through the whole world from East to West as now wee see it is was prophecied long before from GOD by the mouthes of holy Hebrewes whome wee haue cited as much as needed in conuenient places of this our worke Therefore to conclude where there is not this iustice that GOD ruleth all alone ouer the society that obeyeth him by grace and yeeldeth to his proâ—…tion of sacrifice vnto all but him-selfe and where in euery member belongâ—… to this heauenly society the soule is lord ouer the body and all the bad afâ—… thereof in the obedience of GOD and an orderly forme so that all the 〈◊〉 as well as one liue according to faith g which worketh by loue in â—…ch a man loueth GOD as hee should and his neighbour as him-selfe 〈◊〉 this iustice is not is no societie of men combined in one vniformity of 〈◊〉 and profite consequently no true state popular if that definition holde â—…ch and finally no common-wealth for where the people haue no certaine 〈◊〉 the generall hath no exact forme L. VIVES 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is of Oraculous Phisosophy in which worke hee recites Apollos Orracles and others part whereof wee haue cited before b Photinus Hee was condemned by the counsell of Syrmium being confuted by Sabinus Bishoppe of Ancyra Cassiod Hist tripart He followed the positions of Samosatenus so that many accompted of both these heresies all as one c For our search Search is here a mentall inquisition whereby the mind is illustrate and purged from darke ignorance and after it hath found God studieth how to grow purâ—… and diuine like him d And whome the scripture
had the spirit of prophecy She was called in Greeke Thespiodon in Latine Carmente Dionys. Of hir Ouid saith Ipsa Mone quae nomâ—…n habes de carmine dictum Quâ—… simul â—…thereos animo concâ—…perat ignes Ore dabâ—… pleno carmina vera Dei And thou that from the verse deriues thy name And againe And being filled with aethâ—…iall fyre She spake as Phaebus did her breast inspire There was the gate Carmentall in Rome called afterwards Scelerata and neare to it an Altar in the Capitoll where shee was placed There were also the Carmenae which told the destiuies of new borne children whence Nicostrata had hir name Varro They were also called 〈◊〉 and Camaenae without S. and they that honoured them were called Prophets of their prophecies There was also Faunus and Fauna brother and sister he-mens fortune-teller and she-womens q Rumina goddesse of dugs Plin. Fest. There-was the fig-tree Ruminall where the she-wolfe gaue Romulus and Remus sucke They offered milke and sprinckled the sacrifices with milke that were offered to this goddesse r Potina Or Potica Donat. in Terentii Phormio The children were consecrated to Educa Potica and Cuba goddesses of meate drinke and sleep Virg. Nec Deus hunc Mâ—…nsa dea nec dignata cubili est Nor would the god giue meat nor goddesse sleepe s Educa Not Edulica t Venilia Turnus his mother sister to Latinus his wife Amatâ—… Venilia of Ventus winde or of Venio to come Varro u Cumanae Cumanae were the Muses of Cano to sing Seru. or Cumaenae of Casta mens a chast minde saith Festus Their Temple was at Port Capena in the first ward or region of the citty Camaena in Latine is Musa in Greeke They ruled humanity and learning as wel as song Cic. Tus. quaest 1. They were called Muses of inquiring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of Phylosophy x Consus This was Hippoposeidon Liâ—… Dion Plut. The Arcadians built him a Temple before Romulus and Remus calling him yâ— god of Counsels Wherfore his Altar neuer came out of the earth where it lay hidde but only at his feast He directed Romulus in the rape of the Sabines the Greekes say he strucke the earth with his mase and it brought forth the first horse and thence hath he his name True it is that he first tamed horses in those parts add made them fit for mans vse y Sentia Or Senta or Fauna oâ—… Fatua sister and wife to Faunus daughter to Picus So called à Fando because shee helped children to speake Senta because we speake our thoughts But this is but coniecturall we leaue it with the rest z Iuuaentas Of hir hereafter a Degrees from youth The text is Post praetextaâ—… Prâ—…texta was a vesture of dignity and magistracy brought from Hetruria to Rome not woâ—…e by boies vntill Tarquinius Priscus his son had the wearing of that and the golden Bosse for being valorous in the wars from that time all free children wore it mary the Bosse was only theirs whose fathers had bin Head-Officers Curules Macrob. At fourteene yeares they laid it by anâ—… took yâ— mans gowne Toga virilis the Senators sons the Latus clauus which some say Augustus first put on at yâ— age the Latus Clauus was a purple coat but not a gown b Fortuna baâ—…bata The men of old offered yâ— first shauings of their chins vnto Apollo as Theseus did for one going to Delos Plutarch c Mutinus Some ad Tutinus but it hath bin the falt of som copier 〈◊〉 old so he hath passed vn-obserued I do not think it was Augustins for in his 6. book he vsâ—… but Priapus for both these Lactantius readeth it well Mutinus though some of his 〈◊〉 haue Futinus d One soule Plato Cicero and the Stoicks held the world to be but one creature and to liue one life as a man liueth Of their opinion that held God to bee the soule and the world to bee the bodie CHAP. 12. WHat of this Ought not this to moue the sharpest wittes nay all in generall For indeed there is no great sharpnesse of wit required to the laying aside of all wrangling and to attend but whether God be the worlds soule or no and whether the world his body or no both making one creature whether he be natures a store-house containing all things in him-selfe whether that out of his b soule that animateth al this whole masse the liues and beings of all liuing creatures be taken or no each one according to their natures and whether that there bee nothing on earth which is not part of God If this were true marke but the irreligious consequence hereof A man if it were so should not tread but still hee treades part of God vnder his feete and in euery creature that he killed he should kill a part of the Deitie I will not relate what others may thinke vpon I cannot speake it without exceeding shame L. VIVES NAtures Store-house Lucan Placido natura receptat Cuncta finu b Soule A Pythagoricall sentence which Virgill expresseth Principio calum terras composque liquentes Lucenâ—…â—…bum lunae Titaniaque astra Spiritus â—…lit totamque infuâ—…a per artus Mâ—…s agitat â—…olem magno se corpore miscet Heauen Earth and Sea each in his proper bound The moones bright globe and all the spangled round A spirit within doth feed doth moue and passe Through euery parcell of this spacious masse And likewise in his Georgikes lib. 4. His quidam signis atque haec exempla secuâ—…i Esse apibus partem diuinae mentis haâ—…stus Ethereoâ—… dixére Deum namque ire per omnes Terrasque 〈◊〉 maris Caelumque profundum Hinc pecudâ—…s armenta viros genus omne seraruÌ„ Quem que sibi tenuâ—…s nascentem arescere vitas Scilicet huc reddi deinde resoluta referri Omniâ—…â—…orti esse locum sed viâ—…a volare Sider is iâ—… numerum atque alto succedere caelo c. These signes made some affirme that in a Bee Was part of that celestiall Deity For Gods diffused essence doth appeare Regent in earth aire sea and euery sphere To which for life beasts birds and men do runne And when their slender vitall threedâ—…s are spunne To this they all returne death hath no right To ought of this but to the starry height They tâ—…wre and there sit ranckt in heauens high frame c. c According to Some more some lesse and some lesser The nearer him the more the farther the lesse This is the opinion of many and amongst others of Aristotle de mundo Of such as hold that the reasonable creatures onely are parts of the diuine essence CHAP. 13. IF they say indeed that all things in the whole world do not participate essence with God but yet all reasonable creatures doe truly I cannot see how that can stand Then all the world is not God for otherwise how can they keepe brute
far different manner then that composition of the bodies k The body Vâ—…gil Georg. 4. Aeneid 6. reciteth Pythagoras his opinion singing of God that is the worlds soule whence each one drawes a life at his originall and returnes it at his death But because it may be doubted how all soules haue one originall sence one vnderstandeth better then another and vseth reason more perfectly this difference he held did proceed from the body and not from the soules For these are his wordes Principâ—… Calum at Terras Camposque liquentes â—…temque Globune terrae Titaniaque astra Spâ—…s intus alit totamque infusa per artus Mens agiâ—…at moleâ—… magno se corpore miscet c. Heauen Earth and Sea each in his proper bound The Moones bright globe and all the spangled round A spirit within doth feed doth mooue and passe Through euery parcell of this spatious masse All â—…hich is explayned at full by Seruius the Gramarian Porphyry confesseth with Pythagoras 〈◊〉 the soule suffereth with the body whose affects good or bad redound in part vnto the 〈◊〉 yet denieth hee that they alter the soules nature De sacrificijs lib. 4. How the platonists conceiued of the naturall part of Phylosophy CHAP. 6. WHerefore ' these Phylosophers whom fame we see hath worthily preferred 〈◊〉 before the rest did wel perceiue that God was a no bodily thing therfore paâ—…â—…rther then al bodies in this inuestigatioÌ„ they saw that no b mutable thing 〈◊〉 and therfore went further then al mutable spirits and soules to seek for 〈◊〉 â—…gain they saw that c al formes of mutable things whereby they are what 〈◊〉 of what nature soeuer they be haue originall from none but him that is 〈◊〉 vnchangeable Consequently neither the body of this vniuerse the fiâ—…â—…alities motions and Elements nor the bodies in them all from heauen to 〈◊〉 â—…her vegetatiue as trees or sensitiue also as beasts or reasonable also as 〈◊〉 those that need no nutriment but subsist by them-selues as the Angels 〈◊〉 being but from him who hath only simple being For in him d to be and 〈◊〉 â—…ffer not as if he might haue being without life neither to liue and to 〈◊〉 â—…d as if he could haue life without intellect nor to vnderstand and to bee 〈◊〉 â—…s if he could haue the one and not the other But his life vnderstanâ—… beatitude are all but his being From this invariable and simple essence 〈◊〉 they gathered him to bee the vncreated Creator of all existence For they 〈◊〉 â—…ed that all thinges are eyther body or life that the e life excelleth the 〈◊〉 â—…hat sensibility is but a species of the body but vnderstanding of the life 〈◊〉 â—…fore they preferred intellect before sence Sensible things are those 〈◊〉 to be seen or touched Intelligible can only be vnderstood by the minde 〈◊〉 is no bodily sweetnesse be it in the body as beauty or in motion as 〈◊〉 â—…ll song but the minde doth iudge therof which it could not doe if this 〈◊〉 â—…ere not in it more excellent then eyther in that quantity of body or 〈◊〉 â—…se of voyces and keeping of tones and times Yet if it were not mutable 〈◊〉 â—…ld not iudge better then another of these sensible species nor one be wittiâ—…â—…inger or more exercised then another but he that began after should 〈◊〉 much as he that learned before and he that profited after should bee vnâ—… from his ignorance before but that which admitteth maiority or minoriâ—… angeable doubtlesse And therfore these learned men did well obserue 〈◊〉 first forme of things could not haue existence in a subiect mutable And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beholding degrees of diuersity in the formes of soules and bodies and 〈◊〉 the seperation of al forme from theÌ„ directly destroied theÌ„ this infered aneâ—…ty of some vnchangeable and consequently an all-excelling forme this they 〈◊〉 the beginning of all thinges vncreated all creating exceeding right This 〈◊〉 they knew of God he did manifest vnto them by teaching them the graduâ—…â—…emplation of his parts invisible by his workes visible as also his eternity â—…inity who created all things both visible and temporary Thus much of 〈◊〉 Physiology or naturall Phylosophy L. VIVES GOD a was no body This Alcinous in Plato's doctrine argueth thus If God were a 〈◊〉 hee should haue substance and forme for so haue all bodies being like the Idea's wherein they haâ—…e a secret resemblance But to say God hath substance and forme is absurd for he should â—…thor be the beginning nor vncompounded Therefore hee hath no body Besides euery body is of some substance What then shall GOD bee of fire or ayre earth or water Nor of these are beginnings but rather haue a later being then the substance whereof they consist â—…ut these are blasphemies the truth is GOD is incorporeall If he were a body hee were generated and therefoâ—…e corruptible But farre are those thinges from GOD. Thus farre Alcinous b No mutable Plato in Timaeus calls God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c one the same and alwaies like him-selfe as Tully translates it Alcinous saith hee must needes bee an intelligible substance Of which kind the soule is better theâ—… what is not the soule but the power that is perpetually actual excelleth that which is potentiall such therefore is God c All formes In Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Tully others interprete it d To bee and to liue Alcinous saith that God is supreme eternall ineffable selfe-perfect needing nothing eternally absolute Deity cause of all bâ—…ing truth harmony good and all these in one and one For I count them not as dis-ioyned but coessentiall And a little â—…ter he saith that God is incomprehensible onely apparant to the thought but conteyned vnder no kinde what-soeuer not definable nor specificall nor subiect to any accident to say hee is euill were wickednesse and to say hee is good is insufficient for then hee should participate of goodnesse but hee hath neyther difference nor accident This opinion did Dionisius the Diuine follow denying wisedome life or vnderstanding to be in god For these are the names of particular perfections which are not in God This seemes to bee grounded on Plato's wordes in Phadon that all good is such by participation of good but there hee excepteth true good that is doubtlesse God the Idea and essence of all beautifull goodnesse e Life excelleth He cals the soule life as Aristotle doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfection or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any thing eternally actuall both may bee said of the soule But Plato speaking of soules meaneth it seemes onely the rationall The excellency of the Platonists aboue the rest in logicke CHAP. 7. NOw as concerning the other part of their a doctrine called logicke farre bee it from vs to ioyne them in comparison with those fellowes that fetched the iudgement of truth from the bodily sences and held all things to bee swayed by their false and
before the other the other spent their wittes in seeking out of the causes of things the meanes of learning and order of life these knowing GOD found thâ—… their was both the cause of the whole creation the light of all true learning and the fount of all felicity So that what Platonists or others soeuer held thâ—…s of GOD they held as we doe But wee choose rather to deale with the a Plâ—…tonists then others because their workes are most famous for both the Greekes whose language is very greatly ' esteemed of the nations doâ—… preserue and extoll them and the Latines mooued by their excelleâ—… and glory learning them more willingly themselues and by recordiâ—… them in their tongues also left them the more illustrious and plaine to vs and to all posterity L. VIVES VVIth the a Platonists From Plato and Aristotles time vnto Aphrodiseus that liued vnder Seuerus and his sonne Aristotle was rather named amongst the learned then either read or vnderstood Aprodiseus first aduentured to explaine him and did set many on to search farther into the author by that light hee gaue yet did Plato keepe aboue him still vntill the erection of publike schooles in France and Italy that is as long as the Greeke and Latine tongues were in account but when learning grew Mercenary and Mimicall all their aime was gaine and contention and verbosity and sond subtility with vile fained wordes of arte and friuolous quillets then was Aristotles logike and physikes held fit for their purpose and many better bookes of his throwne aside But as for Plato because they vnderstood him not nay and Aristotle much lesse yet because hee teacheth no trickes oh neuer name him I speake not this to imply Aristotles learning more insufficient then Plato's but it is a shame that Plato a holy Philosopher should bee thrust by and Aristotles best part also and the rest so read that he must speake their pleasures beeing such fooleries as not Aristotle no not any mad man of his time would haue held or divulged Whence Plato might haue that knowledge that brought him so neare the Christian doctrine CHAP. 11. NOw some of our Christians admire at these assertions of Plato comming soneere to our beleefe of God So that some thinke that at his going to Egipt hâ—…e heard the Prophet a Hieremye or got to read some of the prophets bookes in his trauell these opinions I haue b else-where related But by all true chronicles supputation Plato was borne an 100. yeares after Ieremy prophecied Plato liued 81. yeares and from his death to the time that Ptolomy King of Egipt demanded the Hebrew prophecies and had them translated by the 70. Iewes that vnderstood the greeke also is reckned almost 60. yeares So that Plato in his trauell could neither see Hieremy beeing dead nor read the scriptures beeing not as yet translated into the greeke which he vnderstood c vnlesse as he was of an infatigable studie he had had them read by an interpretor yet so as hee might not translate them or coppy them which Ptolomy as a friend might intreate or as a King command but onely carry away what he could in his memory Some reason there is for this because Genesis beginneth thus In the beginning GOD treated heauen and earth and the earth was without forme and voide and darkenesse â—…as vpon the deepe the Spirit of GOD mooued vpon the wateâ—…s And Plato in his d Tiâ—…s saith that GOD first e ioyned the earth and the fire Now it is certaine that f hee meaneth heauen by fire so that here is a correspondence with the other In the beginning GOD created heauen and earth Againe hee saith that the two g meanes conioyning these extremities are water and ayre this some may thinke he had from the other The spirit of GOD mooued vpon the waters not minding in what sence the scripture vseth the word Spirit and because h ayre is a spirit therefore it may bee hee gathered that hee collected 4. elements from this place And whereas hee saith a Philosopher is a louer of God thâ—…re is nothing better squareth with the holy scriptures but that especially which maketh mee almost confesse that Plato wanted not these bookes that whereas the Angel that brought Gods word to Moyses being asked what his name was that bad him goe free the Israelites out of Egipt answered his name was i I am that I am And thus shalt thou say to the children of Israell I am hath sent me to you as if that in comparison of that which truely is being immutable the things that are immutable are not Plato stuck hard vpon this and commended it highly And I maâ—…e a doubt whether the like be to be found in any one that euer wrote before Plate except in that booke when it was first written so I am that I am and thou shalt tell them that I am sent me to you But wheresoeuer he had it out of others bookes before him or as the Apostle saith Because that which is knowne of God is manifest vnto them for God hath shewed it them For the inuisible things of him that iâ—… his eternall power and god-head are seene by the creation of the world being considered in his workes This maketh mee chose to deale with the Platonists in our intended question of naturall Theology namely whether the seruice of one GOD or many suffice for the felicity of the life to come For as touching the seruice of one or many for the helpes of this temporall life I thinke I haue said already sufficient L. VIVES PRophet a Hieremy Hee went with the two Tribes Beniamin and Iuda into Egipt and was there stoned at Tanis there the inhabitants honour him for the present helpe his tombe giues theÌ„ against the stinging of serpents b Else-where De Doctr. xpian 2. Eusebâ—… saith Hieremy began to prophecy the 36. Olympiade and Plato was borne the 88. of the Septuagines hereafter c Unlesse as he was Iustin Martyr in Paracl ad gent Euseb. de prâ—…p Theodor. de Graec. affect all affiâ—…me that Plato had much doctrine from the Hebrew bookes Herevpon Numenius the Philosopher said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what is Plato but Moyfes made Athenian And Aristobulus the Iewe writting to Philometoâ—… saith as Eusebius citeth it Plato did follow our law in many things for his diuers allegations haue prooued him an obseruer of it in particular things and that in many For the Pentateâ—…ch was translated before Alexanders time yea before the Persian Monarchy whence hee and Pythagoras had both very much d Timaeus So because Timaeus the Locrian is induced as disputing of the worâ—…d hâ—… had Plato heard in Italy and he wrote of the world in the dorike tongue out of which booke Plato hath much of his doctrine e Ioyned the earth The words are traâ—…slated by Tully thus Corporeum aspectabilem itemque tractabilem esse necessarium est nihil porrò igni vacuum
he was properly called Basileus a Tyrian philosopher Aemelius his scholler whom Plotine taught Hee liued in A◅lians time and continued vntill Diocletians Thus farre Suidas Why he was called Basileus he sheweth in his maister Plotines life Amelius quoth he dedicated this booke to me and in the title called me Basileus for that was my name in the language of my country I was called after my father Malcus which translated is king Thus he of himselfe l Plato himselfe In his Timaeus he calles Saturne Ops and Iuno gods and all the rest brethren and kinsfolkes amongst them-selues and else-where hee commands sacrifices vnto their gods Demones Heroes saying it is these to whom the Cities good estate is to be commended De legib de repub in diuerse places Of Plato's affirmation that the gods were all good and louers of vertue CHAP. 13. WHerefore though in other points they and wee doe differ yet to ouer-passe them in this great controuersie now in hand I aske them what gods we must worship the good the bad or both nay herein we must take Plato's a assertion that holds all the good to be good no bad ones of them Why then this worship is the gods ◅or then it is the gods and if they be bad their god-head is gone This being true and what else should we beleeue then downe goeth the b opinion that affirmes a necessity of appeasing the bad gods by sacrifices and inuoking the good For there are no bad gods the good onely if there were must haue the worship without any other pertakers What are they then that loue stage-plaies and to see their owne crimes thrust into their honors and religion their power prooues them some-thing but their affects conuince them wicked Plato's opinion of playes was shewen in his iudgement of the expulsion of Poets as pernicious and balefull to an honest state What gods are they now that oppose Plato in defence of those playes hee cannot endure that the gods should bee slandered they cannot endure vnlesse they be openly defaced Nay they added malicious cruelty to their bestiall desires depriuing T. Latinus of his sonne striking him with a disease mary when they had done as they pleased then they freed him frō his maladie But Plato very wisely for bad all feare of the euill powers confirming himselfe in his opinion feared not to avow the expulsion of al these politique absurdities from a firme state all those filthinesses y◠those gods delighted in And this Plato doth Labeo make a Semy-god euen that c Labeo that holds that sad black and bloudy sacrifices do fit the euill gods mirthfull orgies the good why then dares Plato but a semigod boldly debarre the gods themselues the very good ones from those delights which hee held obscaence and vnlawfull These gods neuerthelesse confute Labeo for they showed them-selues cruell and barbarous against Latinus not mirthfull nor game-some Let the Platonists that hold all the gods to be good and in vertue the fellowes of the wise and affirme it a sacriledge to beleeue other of them let them expound vs this mistery wee will say they marke vs well we do so L. VIVES PLato's a Assertion Deleg 10. he saith the gods are good full of vertue prouidence and iustice but yet that they haue all this from him that hath the true being the Prince of nature as from the fountaine of all goodnesse This argument Socrates in their banquet vseth to proue Loue no god all the gods are good and blessed so is not Loue ergo Porphyry de sacrific 3. GOD is neither hurtfull nor needefull of any thing So held the Stokes as Tully saith Offic. 2 but wee are all for Plato now whereof Agustine speakes if wee should recite all what end should wee make b The opinion Apuleius saith some of the Daemones loue day offerings some the nights some mirthfull rites some sad and melancholy De deo socrat Porpherio vpon Horace his Carmen seculare saith it was a common opinion that some gods were worshipped least they should hurt and others from protection Plutarch saith that kings and princes did offer sacrifices to these great Daemones to auert their wrath which was alwaies most perillous Porphery saith that states neede some-times offer to the diuells to appease them from hurting their corne cattell or horses for sure it is quoth he that if they bee neglected they will become angry and doe men much mischiefe but lawfull worship they haue none and this the diuines not the vulgar onely do hold allowing sacrifices to bee offered them but that they must not bee tasted of De abstinent animat lib. 2. c Labeo Porphery in the said booke allowes no liuing creature but fruites flowers hony and meale to be offered to the gods aboue So vsed the ancients and so should it be saith Theophrastus and Pithagoras would neuer suffer creature to bee killed for sacrifice But blood and slaughter are expiations for the deuills And Porphery elsewhere saith that the lower the gods are the sadder sacrifies they require the earth-gods and hell-gods loue blacke cattell the first vpon alltars the latter in graues and pits Of such as held 3. Kinds of reasonable soules in the gods in airy spirits and in men CHAP. 14. ALL reasonable a creatures say they are threefold gods men deuills the gods the heighest then the diuells lastly men the first hauing place in heauen the second in the ayre the third on the earth each with his change of place hath difference in nature the gods are of more power then the spirits or men and men are vnder the spirits and gods both by place of nature and worth of merit b the spirits in the middest are vnder the gods and so their inferiours a◅oue men in place and therefore in power with the gods they are immortall with men passionate and therefore louers of loose sports and poeticall figments and are subiect to all humaine affects which the gods by no meanes can bee So Plato's prohibition of Poetry did not depriue the gods of their delights but only the ayry spirits Well of this question diuers but Apuleius a Platonist of Madaura chiefly in one whole worke disputeth calling it De deo Socratis of Socrates his god wher he disputeth what kind of god c this power that Socrates had attendant vpon him was It was as his friend forbad him to proceed in any action which it knew would not end prosperously Now there he plainly affirmeth that this was no god but onely an ayry spirit handling Plato's doctrine rarely concerning the height of the gods mans meannesse and the diuells midle interposition But this being thus how durst Plato depriue not the gods for them hee acquitted from all touch of humaine affects but then the ayry spirits of their stage pleasures by expelling of Poets vnlesse by this act hee meant to warne mans soule how euer here encheyned in corruption yet to detest the vnpure
the Marucine fields that remooued quite ouer the high-way and that the whole farmes went out of their places and seated them-selues elsewhere Magick saith Apuleius was forbidden of old by the twelue tables because of the incredible bewitching of the corne d Was not So were many by the Romaine lawes Apollonius Tyaneus by Domitian and Apuleius by Claud. Maximus Praefect of Africa not the C◅stian e Now extant His two Apologies concerning Magicke wherein hee leaueth all his luxurious phrase and his fustian tearmes and goeth to it like a plaine lawyer yet not so well but he flies out here and there and must bee Apuleius still f For all these How could men know saith Eusebius how to call and compell the Deuils but by the deuills owne teaching them This Porphyry confesseth and alledgeth Hecates prescription how shee should bee called out De Orac. Whether it be credible that good Gods had rather conuerse with those spirits then with men CHAP. 20. O But there is a necessitie bindeth these spirits in this place between the gods and men to carry recarry messages answers from the one to the other Well and what necessity why because no god hath commerce immediatly with man Very good Oh a that is a glorious holynesse of GOD surely that conuerseth not with a penitent humble man and yet will conuerse with a proud spirit Hee hath no commerce with a man that flieth from succour to his death but with a spirit that counterfeits his deity hee hath hee medleth not with him that asketh pardō but with the spirit that imagineth mischiefe he doth he dealeth not with a Philosopher y◠expelleth stage-playes out of an honest city he dealeth with a deuill that forceth stage-playes from the priests and Senators as part of the religion of a citty he liketh not the mens company that forbid slanders of the gods but the deuils that delight in them theirs he li◅eth of Hee conuerseth not with the man that executeth iust lawes vpon Magitians but with the deuills that teach Magicke and giue it effect those hee con◅uerseth with nor is ioyned with a man that flieth the example of the deuill yet ioynes with the deuill that hunteth for the wrack of man This is likely sure L. VIVES O a that is a glorious The Bruges copie hath a little alteration transferring penitent into a following sentence but the sence is all one it were curiosity to stand vpon such small trifles Whether the gods vse the Deuills as their Messengers and be willing that they should deceiue them or ignorant that they do it CHAP. 21. BVt there is a great necessity of this so vile an inconuenience because the Aethereall gods but that these spirits being upward other-wise could not know the affaires of earth heauen yee know being farre from earth and ayre adioyning to both O rare wisdome This is their opinion that their good gods haue a care of humane businesses else were they not worth worship and yet the distance of place debarres them from notice how things passe but that the spirits helpe them so there are they necessary and consequently worship-worthy as the meanes that the gods haue to know mens cases and to send them helpe in time If this then be so the deuills contiguous body is better knowne to the gods then a mans good minde O lamentable necessity nay rediculous detestable vanitie to keepe vanity from diuinitie If the gods by their freedom from the bodies obstacles can behold our mindes what need they any spirits helpe And if the gods haue corporall meanes as sight speach motion or so in bodies by which they receiue the spirits messages then may the spirits lye and deceiue them also So that if the deyties be not ignorant of the deuills deceits no more are they bard the knowledge of our actions But I would they would tell mee whether the spirits told the gods that Plato disliked the slanders that the Poets laide vpon them and yet concealed that they did like well of them or concealed all that the gods neuer knew it or reuealed all Plato's religious zeale and their owne vile affection or did they suppresse Plato's opinion that would haue such impious liberty abrogated as by Poetique fables did iniure the gods and yet shamed not to lay open their owne wickednesse in affecting such playes as conteined the gods disgraces Choose of these foure which they will and marke the sequell How vilely they thought of these good gods If they choose the first then it is granted that the gods might not conuerse with good Plato that restrained their shames and yet conuersed with those euill spirits that reioyced at these iniuries of the gods who could not know a good man being a farre but by these deuills because they could not know these deuills that were so neare them If they take the second and say the spirits concealed both that the gods should neither know Plato's religious lawe and the deuills sacriligious practise what vse can the gods haue of these messengers for any knowledge seeing they could not haue knowledge of the good lawes that honest men promulgated in their honor against the lust of those vile spirits If they choose the third and make these spirits both to celebrate Plato's prohibition of the gods iniuries and their owne affectation of their continuance why were not this rather to ouer-crow them then to interprete to them And so should the gods heare and iud◅e of both these relations that they neither should casheere these spirits of their seruice that oppo◅ed Plato his good zeale nor for beare to send Plato rewards by them for his honest intent For so are they placed in the chaine of natures a elements that they m◅y haue the company of those that iniurie them but not of those that defend them both they may know but the states of b ayre and earth they cannot alter nor transmute Now if they choose the fourth it is worse then all For who can endure the deuills should tell the gods how they are abused by players and Poets and of the height of pleasure themselues take in these shewes and yet bee silent of Plato's graue decree that abrogated all such obscenities that so the good gods might haue intelligence of the wickednesse of the worst their owne messengers and yet none of the Philosophers goodnesses that aymed all at their honor whereas the other professed their extreame disgrace L. VIVES THe a chaine of for the elements are cheined together as it were the lower to the higher so coherent that the parts contiguous seeme both of one nature so it is in the sphe◅es that are all contained one within another b Ayre and earth That we can neither ascend not in thought vnto them nor they descend to vs to heare and helpe vs without interpretours The renouncing of the worship of those spirits against Apuleius CHAP. 22. TO auoyde therefore all euill thoughts concerning the gods all the foure are to be auoyded
before the time that is the iudgement wherein they and all men their sectaries are to bee cast into eternall torments as that l truth saith that neither deceiueth nor is deceiued not as hee saith that following the puffes of Philosophy flies here and there mixing truth and falshood greeuing at the ouerthrow of that religion which afterwards hee affirmes is all error L. VIVES HErmes a Of him by and by b His words We haue seene of his bookes greeke and latine This is out of his Asclepius translated by Apuleius c So doth humanity So humanity adapting it selfe to the nature and originall saith Hermes his booke d Trust So hath Hermes it Bruges copy hath Mistrust not your selfe e Beyond Apuleius and the Coleâ—…ne copy haue it both in this maner onely Mirth the Coleynists haue more then he f For Hermes I would haue cited some of his places but his bookes are common and so it is needelesse 〈◊〉 It being easier A diuersity of reading but of no moment nor alteration of sence h Of that which Reioycing that Christ is come whom the law and Prophets had promised So Iohn bad his disciples aske art thou he that should come or shall wee looke for an other i Peter This confession is the Churches corner stone neuer decaying to beleeue and affirme THAT IESVS IS CHRIST THE SONNE OF THE LIVING GOD. This is no Philosophicall reuelation no inuention no quirke no worldly wisdome but reuealed by GOD the father of all to such as hee doth loue and vouchsafe it k Because Hee sheweth why the deuills thought that Christ vndid them before the time l Truth Mat. 25. 41. Depart from meâ—… yee cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuill and his angells How Hermes openly confessed his progenitors error and yet bewayled the destruction of it CHAP. 24. FOr after much discourse hee comes againe to speake of the gods men made but of these sufficient saith hee let vs returne againe to man to reason by which diuine guift man hath the name of reasonable For we haue yet spoken no wonderfull thing of man the a wonder of all wonders is that man could fiâ—…e out the diuine nature and giue it effect Wherefore our fathers erring exceedinly in incredulity b concerning the deities and neuer penetrating into the depth of diuine religioÌ„ they inueÌ„ted an art to make gods whervnto they ioyned a vertue out of some part of the worlds nature like to the other and conioyning these two because they could make no soules they framed certaine Images whereinto they called either Angells or deuills and so by these mysteries gaue these Idols power to hurt or helpe them I know not whether the deuills being admited would say asmuch as this man saith Our fathers exceedingly erring saith he in incredulity concerning the deities not penetrating into the depth of diuine religion inuented an arte to make gods Was hee content to say they but erred in this inuention no he addeth Exceedingly thus this exceeding error and incredulity of those that looked not into matters diuine gaue life to this inuention of making gods And yet though it were so though this was but an inuention of error incredulity and irreligiousnes yet this wise man lamenteth that future times should abolish it Marke now whether Gods power compell him to confesse his progenitors error the diuills to bee made the future wrack of the said error If it were their exceeding error incredulity negligence in matters diuine that giue first life to this god-making inuention what wonder if this arte bee detestable and all that it did against the truth cast out from the truth this truth correcting that errour this faith that incredulity this conuersion that neglect If he conceale the cause and yet confesse that rite to be their inuention we if we haue any wit cannot but gather that had they bin in the right way they would neuer haue fallen to that folly had they either thought worthily or meditated seriously of religion yet should wee a ffirme that their great incredulous contemptuous error in the cause of diuinity was the cause of this inuention wee should neuerthelesse stand in need to prepare our selues to endure the impudence of the truths obstinate opponeÌ„ts But since he that admires yâ— power of this art aboue all other things in man and greeues that the time should come wherein al those illusions should claspe with ruine through the power of legall authority since he confesseth the causes that gaue this art first original namely the exceeding error incredulity negligeÌ„ce of his ancestor in matters diuine what should wee doe but thinke GOD hath ouerthrowne these institutions by their iust contrary causes that which errors multitude ordained hath truths tract abolished faith hath subuerted the worke of incredulity and conuersion vnto Gods truth hath suppressed the effects of true Gods neglect not in Egipt only where onely the diabolicall spirit bewaileth but in all the world which heareth a new song sung vnto the Lord as the holy scripture saith Sing vnto the Lord a new song Sing vnto the Lord all the earth for the c title of this Psalme is when the house was built after the captiuity the City of God the Lords house is built that is the holy Church all the earth ouer after captiuity wherein the deuills held those men slaues who after by their faith in God became principall stones in the building for mans making of these gods did not acquit him from beeing slaue to these works of his but by his willing worship he was drawn into their society a society of suttle diuills not of stupid Idols for what are Idols but as the Scripture saith haue eyes and see not all the other properties that may be said of a dead sencelesse Image how well soeuer carued But the vncleane spirits therein by that truly black art bouÌ„d their soules that adored theÌ„ in their society most horrid captiuity therefore saith the Apostle We know that an Idol is nothing in the world But the Gentiles offer to deuilis not vnto God I wil not haue them to haue society with the deuils So then after this captiuity that bound men slaue to the deuils Gods house began to be built through the earth thence had the Psalme the beginning Sing vnto the Lord a new song sing vnto the Lord all the earth Sing vnto the Lord and praise his name d declare his saluation e from day to day Declare his glorie amongst all nations and his wonders amongst all people For the Lord is great and much to be praised hee is to be feared aboue all gods For all the gods of the people are Idols but the Lord made the heauens Hee then that bewailed the abolishment of these Idols in the time to come and of the slauery wherein the deuills held men captiue did it out of an euill spirits inspiration and from that did desire the continuance of that captiuity
great guilt shame and sinne both of the priests that present this and the people that behold it But wee may perhaps finde a fitter place for this thaeme e Found the graine of barley And wheate also saith Diodor. lib. 1. and therevpon some Citties present them both in her ceremonies But Osiris her husband first obserued their profit and taught the world it chiefly barley that maketh ale in such countries as want wine and is now vsed in the North parts But they made meate of it in old time Plin. lib. 18. out of an Athenian ceremony that Menander reporteth prouing it of elder inuention then wheate For had they found wheate sooner saith Pliny barly would haue bin out of request for bread as it was presently vpon the finding of wheate thence-forth becomming meate for beasts Finis lib. 8. THE CONTENTS OF THE ninth booke of the City of God 1. The scope of the aforepassed disputation and what is remaining to treate of chapter 1. 2. Whether amongst the spirits of the ayre that are vnder the gods there bee any good ones that can further a man in the attainement of true blessednesse 3. What qualities Apuleius ascribeth vnto the diuells to whom he giueth reason but no vertue 4. The opinions of the Stoikes and Peripatetiques concerning perturbatioÌ„s of the minde 5. That the Christians passions are causes of the practise of vertue not Inducers vnto vice 6. What passion the spirits that Apuleius maketh Mediators betweene the Gods Men are subiect vnto by his owne confession 7. That the Platonists doe but seeke contentions in saying the Poets defame the gods whereas their imputations pertaine to the diuells and not the gods 8. Apuleius his definition of the gods of heauen spirits of ayre and men of earth 9. Whether ayery spirits can procure a man the Gods friendships 10. Plotines opinion that men are lesse wretched in their mortality then the diuills are in their eternity 11. Of the Platonists that held mens soules to become Daemones after death 12. Of the three contraries whereby the Platonists distinguish the diuills natures from the Mens 13. How the diuills if they be neither blessed with the Gods nor wretched with Men may be in the meane betwixt both without participation of either 14. Whether mortall men may attaine true happinesse 15. Of the mediator of God and Man the Man Christ Iesus 16. Whether it bee probable that the Platonists say that the gods auoiding earthly contagion haue no commerce with men but by the meanes of the ayry spirits 17. That vnto that be atitude that consisteth in participation of the chiefest good wee must haue onely such a Mediator as Christ no such as the deuill 18. That the diuills vnder collour of their intercession seeke but to draw vs from God 19. That the word Daemon is not vsed as now of any Idolater in a good sence 20. Of the quality of the diuills knowledge whereof they are so proud 21. In what manner the Lord would make himselfe knowne to the diuills 22. The difference of the holy Angells knowledge and the diuills 23. That the Pagan Idols are falsely called gods yet the scripture allowes it to Saints and Angells FINIS THE NINTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD. Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus The scope of the afore-passed disputation and what is remayning to treat of CHAP. 1. IN these controuersies of the gods some haue held deities of both natures good and euill others of better mindes did the gods that honor to hold theÌ„ all good But those a that held the first held the ayery spirits to be gods also and called them gods as they called the gods spirits but not so ordinarily Indeed they confesse that Ioue the Prince of all the rest was by Homer b called a Daemon But such as affirmed all the gods were good ones and farre better then the best men are iustly mooued by the artes of the ayry spirits to hold firmely that the gods could doe no such matters and therefore of â—…ce â—…re must bee a difference betweene them and these spirits and that what euer â—…asant affect or bad act they see caused wherein these spirits doe shew thâ—… 〈◊〉 power that they hold is the diuills worke and not the gods But yet 〈◊〉 â—…ey place these spirits as mediators betweene their gods and men as if 〈◊〉 â—…an had no other meanes of commerce to carry and recarry praiers 〈◊〉 the one to the other this beeing the opinion of the most excellent â—…ers the Platonists with whom I choose to discusse this question wheâ—…â—…ration of many gods be helpfull to eternall felicity In the last booke 〈◊〉 how the deuils delighting in that which all wise and honest men abâ—… 〈◊〉 in the foule enormous irreligious fictions of the gods crimes not 〈◊〉 in the damnable practise of Magike can be so much nearer to the gods that 〈◊〉 must make them the meanes to attaine their fauors and wee found it â—…terly impossible So now this booke as I promised in the end of the other must 〈◊〉 â—…cerne the difference of the gods betwixt themselues if they make any 〈◊〉 â—…or the difference of the gods and spirits the one beeing farre distant from men as they say and the other in the midst betweene the gods and men but of the difference of these spirits amongst themselues This is the present question L. VIVES THese a that held Plato held all the gods to bee good but the Daemones to bee neither good not euill but neuters But Hermes hath his good angells and his bad And Porphery 〈◊〉 â—…s helpfull Daemones and his hurtfull as some of the Platonists hold also b Homer calâ—… Plâ—…arch de defect Oracul saith that Homer confounded the deities and Demones togeâ—…r â—…ng both names promiscually Hee calls Ioue a Daemon which word as one interpreteth it is sometimes vsed for good and sometimes bad And Iliad 1. hee saith Ioue with the other daeâ—… calling all the gods by that name vpon which place his interpretor saith Hee calleth 〈◊〉 Daemones either for their experience wisdome or gouernment of man So saith Iulius 〈◊〉 Homer called the Gods Daemones and Plato calleth the worlds Architect the great Daemon for Deity Daemon are both taken in one sence This Daemon Plato mentioneth De republ But it is a question whether he meane the Prince of al the world or the deuills Prince for they haue their Hierarchy also Euery spirit saith Proclus De anima et daemone in respect of that which is next vnder it is called a Daemon and so doth Iupiter in Orpheus call his father Saâ—… And Plato himselfe calls those gods that gouerne propagation and protect a man without mediation Daemones To declare saith he in Timaeus the generation and nature of the other Daemones were more then man can comprehend for each power that protecteth a man without anothers mediation is a daemon be it a God or lesse then a God Thus farre
all vice and consequently these passions that befall a wise 〈◊〉 â—…s they doe not offer any preiudice to his reason or vertue are no vices 〈◊〉 Stoikes Platonists and Peripatetiques doe all agree in one But as d Tulâ—…â—…he Grecians of old affect verbosity of contention rather then truth But now it 〈◊〉 question whether it bee coherent vnto the infirmity of this present life 〈◊〉 these affections in all good offices how euer whereas the holy Angells 〈◊〉 they punish such as gods eternall prouidence appointeth with anger 〈◊〉 they helpe those that they loue out of danger without any feare and sucâ—…â—…retched without feeling any compassion are notwithstanding said afâ—…â—…rase of speaking to be pertakers of those passions because of the similiâ—… 〈◊〉 their workes not any way because of their infirmity of affections And so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the scripture is sayd to bee angry yet farre is hee from feeling affect the 〈◊〉 of his reuenge did procure this phrase not the turbulence of his passion L. VIVES STâ—…es a indeed Cic. pro Muren A many come to you in distresse and misery you shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in taking any compassion vpon them This in disgrace of Stoicisme hath Tully b 〈◊〉 Pro Q. Ligario c This now intimating that he had more words then wisdome as 〈◊〉 sayd of Catiline wisdome indeed being peculiar to those that serue the true God the Kâ—…g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ole vniuerse and his wisdome his soâ—…e d Tully saith Crassus his words of the Greekes opâ—…ion of an oratour De oratore lib. 1. What passion the spirits that Apuleius maketh mediators betweene the gods and men are subiect vnto by his owne confession CHAP 6. BVt to deferre the question of the holy Angels awhile let vs see how the Platonists teach of their mediating spirits in this matter of passion If those Daemones ouâ—… ruled all their affects with freedome and reason then would not Apuleius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they are tossed in the same tempestuous cogitations that mens 〈◊〉 â—…eete in So their minde then their reasonable part that if it had any 〈◊〉 â—…ted in it should be the dominator ouer these turbulent affects of the 〈◊〉 parts this very minde floteth say the Platonists in this sea of perturbation Well then the deuills mindes lye open to the passions of lust feare wrath and the rest What part then haue they free wise and vnaffected whereby to please the gods and conuerse with good men when as their whole minde is so â—…ated vnto affects their vices that their whole reason is eternally emploiâ—… 〈◊〉 deceipt illusion as their desire to endamage all creatures is eternall 〈◊〉 thâ—… Platonists doe but seeke contentions in saying the Poets de fame the goâ—…s whereas their imputations pertaine to the deuills and not to the gods CHAP. 7. Iâ—… 〈◊〉 say the Poets tolerable fictions that some gods were louers or haters of 〈◊〉 men were not spoken vniuersally but restrictiuely respecting the euill 〈◊〉 whom Apuleius saith doe flote in a sea of turbulent thoughts how can this 〈◊〉 when in his placing of them in the midst betweene the gods and vs hee saiâ—… 〈◊〉 some for the euill but a all because all haue ayrie bodies for this he saith is a â—…on of the Poets that make gods of those spirits and call them so making â—…m friends to such or such men as their owne loose affects do put in their heads to 〈◊〉 whereas indeed the gods are farre from these in place blessednesse 〈◊〉 qualitie This is the fiction then to call them gods that are not so and to set 〈◊〉 at oddes or at amity with such or such perticular men vnder the titles of 〈◊〉 But this fiction saith he was not much for though the spirits bee calâ—… 〈◊〉 as they are not yet they are described as they are And thence saith he 〈◊〉 â—…ers tale of Minerua that staide Achilles from striking in the middest of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoast That this was Minerua hee holds it false because shee in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c a goddesse highly placed amongst the greatest deities farre from 〈◊〉 with mortalls Now if it were some spirit that fauoured the 〈◊〉 Troy as Troy had diuerse against them one of whom hee calls d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mars who indeed are higher gods then to meddle with such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirits contended each for his owne side then this fiction is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For it was spoken of them whome he himselfe hath testified subiect to 〈◊〉 as mortall men are so that they might vse their loues and hates not according to iustice but euen e as the people doe in huntings and 〈◊〉 each one doe the best for his owne partie for the Philosophers care it 〈◊〉 was this to preuent the imputation of such acts vpon the gods whose 〈◊〉 the Poets vsed and to lay them vpon the spirits to whom of right they 〈◊〉 L. VIVES Bâ—…â—…all all are meane betweene gods and men not in substance but nature and place â—…ers Iliaed 1. She staid Achilles from striking Agamemnon vpon ill words past beâ—…â—…m c A goddesse One of the twelue counsellor-gods that Ennius hath in his diâ—… good powrefull and inuisible d Uenus They thinke saith Plutarch De defect 〈◊〉 â—…one of these calamities which the gods are blamed for were their doings but the 〈◊〉 certaine wicked spirits e As the people In the greater circuite they had horseâ—…â—…tings and the riders were attired either in white blew greene or redde and so 〈◊〉 were there Martiall mentions two of their colours Prasine Uenetian that is 〈◊〉 blew Some hold those foure colours dedicated to the foure seasons of the yeare 〈◊〉 â—…aith Suetonius added two more golden and purple The blew was sacred to the 〈◊〉 greene to the verdant spring white to the Autumne frosts and red to the sumâ—… Pâ—…ie writeth thus hereof I wonder to see so many thousands of people gazing at a sort 〈◊〉 â—…ding about like boyes if they did either respect the horses speed or the horsmans skill it 〈◊〉 but their minde is all vpon the colour and if they change colours in the midst of their 〈◊〉 spectators fauour changeth also and those whome they knew but euen now a farre of and 〈◊〉 vpon their names presently they haue done with they Such fauor such credit followeth 〈◊〉 Not in the vulgars iudgement onely which is not worth a tatter but euen in the 〈◊〉 grauer sort hath this foolery gotten residence Epist. lib. 8. Apuleius his definition of the gods of heauen spirits of ayre and men of earth CHAP. 8. 〈◊〉 of his definition of spirits it is vniuersall and therefore worth inspecâ—… They are saith he creatures passiue reasonable aeriall eternall In all 〈◊〉 there is no coÌ„munity that those spirits haue with goodmen but they 〈◊〉 bad also For making a large description of man in their place being 〈◊〉 the gods are the first to passe from commemoration of both their 〈◊〉 vnto that which was the meane betweene them viz.
saith he exceeding in power and goodnesse and the causes contayning all are wretched if they be drawne down by meale fond were their goodnesse if they had no other meanes to shew it and abiect their nature if it were bound from contemning of meale which if they can doe why come they not into a good minde sooner then into good meale d Doe hold Porphyry saith those euill Demones deceiue both the vulgar and the wise Philosophers and they by their eloquence haue giuen propagation to the error For the deuils are violent false counterfeits dissemblers seek to imbezell gods worship There is no harme but they loue it and put on their shapes of gods to lead vs into deuillish errors Such also are the soules of those that die wicked For their perturbations of Ire concupiscence and mallce leaue them not but are vsed by these soules being now become deuills to the hurt of mankind They change their shapes also now appearing to vs and by and by vanishing thus illuding both our eyes and thoughts and both these sorts possesse the world with couetice ambition pride and lust whence all warres and conflicts arise and which is worst of all they seeke to make the rude vulgar thinke that these things are acceptable to the gods And poesie with the sweetnesse of phrase hath helped them pâ—…tily forwardes Thus farre Porphyry de Abstin anim lib. 2. not in doubtfull or inquiring manner as hee doth in his writing to the priest but positiuely in a worke wherein he sheweth his owne doctrine e admirers The Philosophers whom hee saith erred themselues concerning the gods natures some in fauour of the gods and some in following of the multitude f Why the best Thus hee beginnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Of those that are called gods but are 〈◊〉 wicked Dâ—…mones g The soothsaier Epoptes the proper word for him that lookes on thâ—…r sacrifice h The Sunne So saith Lucan his Thessalian witch that shee can force the gods 〈◊〉 what she list Lucans i Isis or These are the Sunne and Moone Their secret ceremonies being most beastly and obscene the deuills feare to haue them reuealed as Ceres did 〈◊〉 else delude their worshippe by counterfeite feare and so make vse of their fonde errour This of Isis and Osyris belongs to the infernalls also for Porphyry saith the greatest deuill is called Serapis and that is Osyris in Egipt and Pluto in Greece his character is a three headed dog signifying the deuills of the earth ayre and water His Isis is Hecate or Proserpina so it is plaine that this is meant of the secrettes of hell which haue mighty power in magicall practises These doth Erictho in Lucan threaten to the Moone the infernalls and Ceres sacrifices The Poet expresseth it thus Miratur Erichtho Has satis licuisse moras iratà que morti Uerberat immotum viuo serpente cadauer Perque cauas terrae quas egit carmine râ—…mas Manibus illatrat regnique silentia rumpit Tyâ—…iphone vocisque meae secura Megaera Non agitis sâ—…uis Erebi per inane flagellis Infelicen animam I am vos ego nomine verâ—… Eliciam stigiasque canes in luce superna Destituam per busta sequar per funera custos Expellam tumulis abigam vos omnibus vrnis Teque deis ad quos alio procedere vultu Ficta soles Hecate pallenti tabida formae Ostendam faciemque Erebi mutare vetabo Eloquar immenso terrae sub pondere quae te Contineant Ennaea dapes quo foedere moestum Regem noctis ames quae te contagia passam Noluerit reuocare Ceres tibi pessimé mundi Arbiter immittam ruptis I itana cauernis Et subito feriere die Erichtho wonders much At fates deâ—…ay and with a liuing snake She lasht the slaughtred corps making death quake Een-through the rifts of earth rent by her charmes She barkes in hells broad eare these blacke alarmes Stone-deaf Megaera and Tysiphone Why scourge yea not that wretched soule to me From hells huge depths or will you haue me call yee By your true names and leaue yee foule befall yee You stigian dogs I le leaue you in the light And see the graues and you disseuerd quite And Hecate thou that art neuer knowne But in false shapes I le shew thee in thine owne Whole heauen perforce shall see thy putred hew And from earths gutts will I rip forth to vew The feasts and meanes that make thee Pluto's whore And why thy mother fet thee thence no more And thou the worlds worst King al-be thou dead In darkenesse I will breake through all and send Strange light amid thy caues And Porphiry in Respons brings in Hecate compelled to answer the magician 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Why doâ—… thou blind vs so Theodamas what wouldst thou haue vs do Apollo also confesseth that he is compelled to tell truth against his will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. I answer now perfore as bound by Fate Anâ—… by and by calleth to bee loosed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c loose the left ring Porphiry also saide as Iamblicus writeth in Mister that the Priests were wont to vse violent threats against the Goâ—…s as thus if you doe not this or if you doe that I will breake downe Heauen I will reueale Isis her secrets and diuulge the mistery hid in the depth I will stay the Baris a sacred shipin Egipt and cast Osiris members to Typhon Now Iamblichus saith those threates tend not to the gods but there is a kind of spirits in the world confused vndiscreet and inconsiderat that heareth from others but no way of it selfe and can neither discerne truthes nor possibilities from the contraries On these do those threatnings worke and force them to all duties Perhaps this is them that Porphiry giueth a foolish wil vnto Iamblichus proceedeth to the threats read them in him k Constellations Prophiry writeth out of Chaeremon that that astrology is of man incomprehensible but all these constellated workes and prophecies are tought him by the deuills But Iamblichus opposeth him in this and in the whole doctrine of deuills The man is all for this prodigious superstition and laboureth to answere Prophyry for Anebuns Of the miracles that God worketh by his Angels ministery CHAP. 12. BVt all miracles done by angells or what euer diuine power confirming the true adoration of one God vnto vs in whome only we are blessed we beleeue truely are done by Gods power working in them immortalls that loueâ—…s in true piety Heare not those that deny that the inuisible God worketh visible miracles is not the world a miracle Yet visible and of his making Nay all the miâ—…les done in this world are lesse then the world it selfe the heauen and earth and all therein yet God made them all and after a manner that man cannot conceiue nor comprehend For though these visible miracles of nature bee now no more admired yet ponder them wisely and they are more admirable then
more and more perfection by the sucâ—… and continuance of time drawing from temporalities to eternity and â—…ges visible to the intelectuall so that euen then when the promise of â—…wards was giuen the worship of one onely God was taught least manâ—…â—…ld be drawne to any false worship for those temporall respects for he is 〈◊〉 denyeth that all that men or Angels can doe vnto man is in the hand of â—…ghty Plotine the Platonist a disputes of prouidence prouing it to be deâ—…â—…om the high ineffable beautious God b vnto the meanest creature on earth c by the beautie of the flowers and leaues all which so transitory momentary things could not haue their peculiar seuerally-sorted beauties but from that intellectuall and immutable beauty forming them all This our Sauiour shewed saying Learne how the Lillies of the field doe growe they labour not neither 〈◊〉 yet say I vnto you that euen d Salomon in all his glory was not arayde like one of these Wherefore if God so cloathe the grasse of the field which is to day and 〈◊〉 â—…orrow is cast into the Ouen shall not hee doe much more vnto you O you of little faith Wherefore though the minde of man bee weake and clogged with earthlie affects and desires of those things that are so fraile and contemptible in respect of the blessings celestiall though necessaries for this present life yet doth it well to desire them at the hands of one onely GOD and not to depart from his seruice to obteine them else-where when they may soonest attaine his loue by neglect of such trifles and with that loue all necessaries both for this life and the other L. VIVES PLatonist a disputeth In foure bookes shewing that the least part of this inferior world is respected by the Prince of nature and that by the intelligible world which is with God this world of ours was made many that the depression hath altered it that the other simple world produced this multiplyed and dispersed b Vnto the meanest For some held that Gods prouidence descended no lower then heauen This same opinion some say was Aristotles of which else-where Others held that the Gods medled onely with the greatest affaires on earth and as Kings medled not with petty matters where-vpon Lucane maketh Câ—…sar speake thus to his mutinous soldiours Nunquam se cura deorum Sic premit vt vestra vitae vestraeque saluti Fata vacent procerum motus haec cuncta sequuntur Hâ—…i paucis vinit genus c. The gods doe not respect Your good so much as to permit the fates To tend on that they manage greater states Mankinde may liue with small c. c By the beauty Euery flower hath such an apte forme growth bud seede and spring that hee that obserues it must needs say the workman of this is none but God Gods prouidence saith Proclus descends from aboue vnto each parcell of the creation omitting none Bâ—… seeing Plato is for vs what neede wee cite his followers Hee affirmes Gods prouidence to dispose of euery little thing and euery great In Epniom hauing disputed of it De legib lib. 10. The summe whereof is this Seeing there are gods they must not be thought idle therefore they looke to humaine affaires and knowing all they know both little and great being farre from 〈◊〉 and sluggishnesse nor is their power a whit lesse in the least businesses nor doe they thinke it vnâ—…thy their maiesty to respect them for they are degrees to the highest Therefore they regard all things great and small d Salomon What purple silke or dye saith Hierome vpon this place 〈◊〉 â—…le to the flowers what is so white as the Lily what purple exceeds the Uiolet Let 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rather iudges in this then the tongue Thus farre hee And truly Arte can neuer attaine 〈◊〉 perfection imitate how it can though our esteeme preferre it and seeing it gette a 〈◊〉 by â—…lation attribute much more to it Of the holy Angels that minister to Gods prouidence CHAP. 15. IT â—…sed the diuine prouidence therefore so to dispose of the times that as I said and wee read in the actes the lawe should bee giuen a by the Angells mouths concerning the worship of the true God wherein Gods person not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proper substance which corruptible eyes can neuer see but by certaine â—…sitions of a creature for the creator would appeare and speake syllabiâ—… a mans voyce vnto vs euen hee that in his owne nature speaketh not â—…lly but spiritually not sensiblie but intelligibly not temporally but as 〈◊〉 â—…y aeternall neither beginning speach nor ending whome his blessed â—…ortall messengers and ministers heard not with eares but more sincereâ—… intellects and hearing his commands after an ineffable manner they inâ—…â—…nd easily frame to bee deliuered vs in a visible and sensible manner 〈◊〉 was giuen as I say in a diuision of time first hauing all earthly proâ—…â—…hat were types of the goods eternall which many celebrated in visible 〈◊〉 but few vnderstood But there the true religious worship of one 〈◊〉 God is directly and plainely taught and testified not by one of the peoâ—… by him that made heauen and earth and euery soule and spirit that is not 〈◊〉 for hee maketh them that are made and haue neede of his helpe that 〈◊〉 in all their existence L. VIVES 〈◊〉 Angels mouthes Or by their disposing as Gods ministers in those myracles Of â—…-after Whether in this question of beatitude we must trust those Angels that refuse the diuine worship and ascribe it all to one God or those that require it to them-selues CHAP. 16. 〈◊〉 Angells shall wee trust then in this businesse of eternall blisse Those 〈◊〉 require mortall men to offer them sacrifice and honours or those 〈◊〉 it is all due vnto GOD the Creator and will vs most piously to giue 〈◊〉 it all as one in the onely speculation of whome wee may attaine 〈◊〉 â—…inesse For the sight of GOD is a sight of that beauty and worthy 〈◊〉 that Plato a did not doubt to call him that wanted this vnhappy 〈◊〉 â—…euer such store of goods besides Seeing then that some Angels reâ—… this religious worship to him and some would haue it them-selues 〈◊〉 â—…fusing all part of it and the second not daring to forbid him of part 〈◊〉 the Platonists Theurgiques or rather b Periurgikes for so may all 〈◊〉 bee fitlye termed or any other Philosophers answere which wee 〈◊〉 â—…llow Nay let all men answer that haue any vse of naturalll reason â—…her wee shall sacrifice to these Gods or Angels that exact it or to 〈◊〉 to whome they bid vs that forbid it both to them-selues and the 〈◊〉 If neither of them did any miracles but the one side demanded sacriâ—… and the others sayd no GOD must haue all then ought piety to discerne 〈◊〉 the pride of the one and the vertue of the other Nay I will say 〈◊〉 if these that doe claime sacrifice should worke vpon mens
one world in that so infinite a space as to say that but one care of corne growes in a huge field This error Aristotle the Stoâ—…kes beat quite downe putting but that one for the world which Plato and the wisest Philosophers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vniuerse b Casuall Great adoe the Philosophers keepe about natures principles Democritas makes all things of little bodies that flie about in the voide places hauing forme and magnitude yet indiuisible and therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atomes Epicurus gaue them weight also more then Democritus did and made those indiuisible diuersly-formed things to 〈◊〉 about of diuers quantities and weights vp and down casually in the voyd and shuffling together in diuers formes thus produce infinite worlds and thus infinite worlds do arise continue and end without any certaine cause at all and seeking of a place without the world we may not take it as we do our places circumscribing a body but as a certaine continuance before the world was made wherein many things may possibly be produced and liue So though their bee nothing without this world yet the minde conceiueth a space wherein God may boâ—… place this and infinite worlds more c For wee With the Platâ—…nists he means d Out 〈◊〉 The ancients held the Platonists and Stoickes in great respect and reuerence Cicero That the world and time had both one beginning nor was the one before the other CHAP. 6. FOr if eternity and time be wel considered time a neuer to be extant without motion and b eternity to admit no change who would not see that time could not haue being before some mouable thing were created whose motion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alteration necessarily following one part another the time might run 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore that God whose eternity alters not created the world and 〈◊〉 can he bee said to haue created the world in time vnlesse you will say 〈◊〉 some-thing created before the world whose course time did follow 〈◊〉 holy and most true scriptures say that In the beginning God created heaâ—…â—…h to wit that there was nothing before then because this was the Beâ—… which the other should haue beene if ought had beene made before 〈◊〉 the world was made with Time not in Time for that which is made 〈◊〉 â—…s made both before some Time after some Before iâ—… is Time past afâ—…â—…me to come But no Time passed before the world because no creature 〈◊〉 by whose course it might passe But it was made with the Time if moâ—… Times condition as that order of the first sixe or seauen daies went 〈◊〉 were counted morning euening vntill the Lord fulfilled all the worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sixth day and commended the seauenth to vs in the mistery of sanctifiâ—… Of what fashion those daies were it is either exceeding hard or altogeâ—…â—…possible to thinke much more to speake L. VIVES Iâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…euer Aristotle defined time the measure of motion makeing them vtterly inseâ—… Some Philosophers define it motion so doe the Stoikes b Eternity So saith Auâ—…â—…en â—…en Boetius also Nazianzene and others all out of Plato these are his wordes When 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this great mooueable and eternall vniuerse beheld his worke he was very well pleased 〈◊〉 â—…ake it yet a little liker to the Archetype And so euen as this creature is immortall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make the world eternall as neare as the nature thereof would permit but his naâ—…â—…ll and squared not with this made worke But hee conceiued a moueable forme of eâ—… together with ornament of the heauenly structure gaue it this progressiue eternall Iâ—…â—…ity which he named Time diuiding it into daies nights monthes and yeares all which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heauen and none of them were before heauen Thus Plato in his Timaeus Time saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Image of eternity but time mooueth and eternity moueth not being naturally fixed â—…able towards it doth time passe and endeth in the perfection therof and may be dissolued 〈◊〉 â—…orlds creator will In dogm Platon Of the first sixe daies that had morning and euening â—…re the Sunne was made CHAP. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ordinary a daies wee see they haue neither morning nor euening but 〈◊〉 â—…e Sunne rises and sets But the first three daies of all had no Sunne for 〈◊〉 made the fourth day And first God made the light and seuered it from 〈◊〉 â—…nesse calling it day and darkenesse night but what that light was and 〈◊〉 â—…nne a course to make morning and night is out of our sence to iudge 〈◊〉 we vnderstand it which neuerthelesse we must make no question but beâ—… b for the light was either a bodily thing placed in the worlds highest paâ—… farre from our eye or there where the Sunne was afterwards made c or 〈◊〉 the name of light signified that holy citty with the Angells and spirits whereof the Apostle saith Ierusalem which is aboue is our eternall mother in heauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 another place hee saith yee are all the children of light and the sonnes of the 〈◊〉 â—…re not sonnes of night and darkenesse d Yet hath this day the morne and eâ—… because e the knowledge of the creature compared to the Creators is 〈◊〉 â—…ery twilight And day breaketh with man when he draweth neare the loue and praise of the Creator Nor is the creature euer be nighted but when the loue of the Creator forsakes him The scripture orderly reciting those daies neuer mentions the night nor saith night was but the euening and the morning were the first day so of the second and soon For the creatures knowledge of it selfe is as it were farre more discoloured then when it ioynes with the Creators as in the arte that framed it Therefore euen is more congruently spoken then night yet when all is referred to the loue praise of the Creator night becomes morning and when it comes to the knowledge of it selfe it is one full day When it comes to the Firmament that seperateth the waters aboue and below it is the second day When vnto the knowledge of the earth and all things that haue roote thereon it is the third day When vnto the knowledge of the two lights the greater and the lesse the fourth when it knowes all water-creatures foules and fishes it is the fifth and when it knowes all earthly creatures and man himselfe it is the sixth day L. VIVES ORdinary a daies Coleynes coppy reades not this place so well b For the The schoole men Sent. 2. dist 24. dispute much of this But Augustine calleth not the light a body here but saith God made it either some bright body as the Sunne or eâ—…s the contraction of the incorporeall light made night and the extension day as Basil saith moouing like the Sun in the egresse making morning in the regresse euening Hug. de S. Victore de Sacram. lib. 1. c Or els Aug. de genes ad lit lib. 1. d Yet hath A diuers reading both to one purpose e
The knowledge De genes ad lit lib. 4. Where hee calleth it morning when the Angells by contemplating of the creation in themselues where is deepe darkenesse lift vp themselues to the knowledge of God and if that in him they learne all things which is more certaine then all habituall knowledge then is it day It growes towards euening when the Angels turne from God to contemplate of the creatures in themselues but this euening neuer becommeth night for the Angells neuer preferre the worke before the worke man that were most deepe darke night Thus much out of Augustine the first mentioner of mornings euenings knowledges What wee must thinke of Gods resting the seauenth day after his sixe daies worke CHAP. 8. BVt whereas God rested the seauenth day froÌ„ al his workes sanctified it this is not to be childishly vnderstood as if God had taken paines he but spake the word and a by that iâ—…telligible and eternal one not vocall nor temporal were all things created But Gods rest signifieth theirs that rest in God as the gladnesse of the house signifies those yâ— are glad in the house though some-thing else and not the house bee the cause thereof How much more then if the beauty of the house make the inhabitants glad so that wee may not onely call it glad vsing the continent for the contained as the whole Theaâ—…er applauded when it was the men the whole medowes bellowed for the Oxen but also vsing the efficient for the effect as a merry epistle that is making the readers merry Theâ—…fore the scripture affirming that God rested meaneth the rest of all things in God whom he by himself maketh to rest for this the Prophet hath promised to all such as he speaketh vnto and for whom he wrote that after their good workes which God doth in them or by them if they first haue apprehended him in this life by faith they shal in him haue rest eternal This was prefigured in the sanctification of the Saboath by Gods command in the old law whereof more at large in due season L. VIVES BY a that intelligible Basil saith that this word is a moment of the will by which wee conceiue better of things What is to be thought of the qualities of Angels according to scripture CHAP. 9. NOw hauing resolued to relate this holy Cities originall first of the angels who make a great part thereof so much the happier in that they neuer a were pilgrims let vs see what testimonies of holy wriâ—…t concerne this point The scriptures speaking of the worlds creation speake not plainly of the Angels when or in what order they were created but that they were created the word heauen includeth In the beginning God created heauen and earth or rather in the world Light whereof I speake now are there signified that they were omitted I cannot thinke holy writ saying that God rested in the seauenth day from all his workes the same booke beginning with In the beginning God created heauen and earth to shew that nothing was made ere then Beginning therefore with heauen earth and earth the first thing created being as the scripture plainely saith with-out forme and voide light being yet vn made and darknesse being vpon the deepe that is vpon a certaine confusion of earth and waters for where light is not darknesse must needes be then the creation proceeding and all being accomplished in sixe dayes how should the angels bee omitted as though they were none of Gods workes from which hee rested the seuenth day This though it be not omitted yet here is it not plaine but else-where it is most euident The three chilâ—… sung in their himne O all yee workes of the Lord blesse yee the Lord amongst which they recken the angels And the Psalmist saith O praise God in the heauens 〈◊〉 him in the heights praise him all yee his angells praise him all his hoasts praise 〈◊〉 sâ—…e and Moone praise him staâ—…res and light Praise him yee heauens of heauens 〈◊〉 the waters that be aboue the heauens praise the name of the Lord for hee spake the 〈◊〉 and they were made he commanded they were created here diuinity calls the â—…ls Gods creatures most plainly inserting them with the rest saying of all He spâ—…ke the word and they were made who dares thinke that the Angels were made after the sixe daies If any one bee so fond hearken this place of scripture confounds him vtterly e When the starres were made all mine angels praised mee with a loude voice Therefore they were made before the starres and the stars were made the fourth day what they were made the third day may wee say so God forbid That dayes worke is fully knowne the earth was parted from the waters and two â—…nts tooke formes distinct and earth produced all her plants In the second day then neither Then was the firmament made betweene the waters aboue and below and was called Heauen in which firmament the starres were created the fourth day c Wherefore if the angels belong vnto Gods sixe dayes worke they are that light called day to commend whose vnity it was called one day not the first day nor differs the second or third from this all are but this one doubled vâ—…to 6. or 7. sixe of Gods workes the 7. of his rest For when God said Let there be light there was light if we vnderstand the angels creation aright herein they are made partakers of that eternall light the vnchangeable wisdome of God all-creating namely the onely be gotten sonne of God with whose light they in their creation were illuminate and made light called day in the participation of the vnchangeable light day that Word of God by which they all things else were created For the true light that lightneth euery man that coÌ„meth into this world this also lightneth euery pure angell making it light not in it selfe but in God from whom if an Angell fall it becommeth impure as all the vncleane spirits are being no more a light in God but a darknesse in it selfe depriued of all perticipation of the eternall light for Euill hath no nature but the losse of good that is euill L. VIVES NEuer were a pilgrims But alwayes in their country seeing alwayes the face of the father b When the starres Iob. 38 7. So the Septuagints doe translate it as it is in the teâ—…t c Wherefore if The Greeke diuine put the creation of spirituals before that of things corporall making God vse them as ministers in the corporall worke and so held Plato Hierome following Gregorie and his other Greeke Maisters held so also But of the Greekes Basil and Dionysius and almost all the Latines Ambrose Bede Cassiodorus and Augustine in this place holds that God made althings together which agreeth with that place of Ecclesiasticus chap. 18. vers 1. He that liueth for euer made althings together Of the vncompounded vnchangeable Trinity the Father the Sonne
the priuation thereof The office of this sence neither the 〈◊〉 eare the smell the taste nor the touche can performe By this I know 〈◊〉 â—…ng and I know this knowledge and I loue them both and know that I 〈◊〉 both L. VIVES SO a naturally A Stoicall and Academicall disputation handled by Tully Offic. 1. de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stoically and De fin 5. Academically b For their Foolishnesse is the greatest 〈◊〉 â—…nd wisdome the good So held the Stoikes c Deeper A diuerse reading the text 〈◊〉 both d Antisthenes the first Cynickes choise His reason was because to reioyce in â—…d minde was base and cast downe the minde from the true state Socrates in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alcibiades that possessions with-out wisdome are not onely fruitlesse but hurtfull e â—…re It is not then our witte or toyle but GODS bountie that instructs vs in the 〈◊〉 â—…ourse of nature and sharpens the iudgement which bounty the good man attaining 〈◊〉 bad must needs bee wiser though lesse learned or popularly acute Therefore saith 〈◊〉 Into an euill soule wisdome will not come The same that Socrates said Onely good men 〈◊〉 f Iust by By a forme left in my minde by seeing iustice done and the due conâ—…â—…ing thereto which be it absent I conceiue what iniustice is by seeing the faire 〈◊〉 â—…ent harmony subuerted I build not vpon hurts violence iniuries or reproches 〈◊〉 no priuations but may be iustly done vpon due command of the magistrate or with â—…ent but vpon this I see the vertues decorum broken Forme is neither to bee taken â—…pes or abstracts of things reserued in the soule and called motions say some Well 〈◊〉 they either want witte or knowledge And because they cannot make them-selues 〈◊〉 by things really extant they must fetch their audiences eares vp to them by pursuing 〈◊〉 non entia this is our schoole-mens best trade now a dayes â—…ther we draw nearer to the image of the holy trinity in louing of that loue by which we loue to be and to know our being CHAP. 28. 〈◊〉 wee haue spoken as much as needeth here of the essence and knowledge 〈◊〉 much we ought to respect them in our selues and in other creatures vnâ—…â—…ough we finde a different similitude in them But whether the loue that 〈◊〉 â—…e them in be loued that is to declare It is loued wee prooue it because it iâ—…â—…d in all things that are iustly loued For hee is not worthily called a good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowes good but hee that loues it Why then may wee not loue that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selues whereby wee loue that which is to bee loued They may both 〈◊〉 â—…e man and it is good for a man that his goodnesse increasing his â—…d decrease euen to the perfection of his cure and full change into 〈◊〉 for if wee were beasts wee should loue a carnall sensitiue life 〈◊〉 good would suffice our nature b without any further trouble if 〈◊〉 â—…ees wee should not indeede loue any thing by motion of sence yet should we seeme to affect fruitfulnesse and growth if wee were stones water winde fire or so we should want sence and life yet should we haue a naturall appetiâ—…e vnto our due c places for the d motions of weights are like the bodies loues go they vpward or downwards for weight is to the body as loue is to the â—…ule But because we are men made after our creators image whose eternity is true truth eternall charity true and eternall neither confounded nor seuered we runne through all things vnder vs which could not be created formed not ordered without the hand of the most essentiall wise and good God so through all the workes of the creation gathering from this e more playne and from that lesse apparant markes of his essence and beholding his image in our selues f like the prodigall childe wee recall our thoughts home and returne to him from whom we fell There our being shall haue no end our knowledge no error our loue no offence But as now though wee see these three sure trusting not to others but obseruing it our selues with our certaine interior sight yet because of our selues we cannot know how long they shall last when they shall end whither they shall goe doing well or euill therefore here we take other witnesses of the infallibity of whose credit wee will not dispute here but hereafter In this booke of the Citty of God that was neuer pilgrim but alwayes immortall in heauen being compounded of the Angels eternally coherent with God and neuer ceasing this coherence betweene whom and their darknesse namely those that forsooke him a seperation was made as we said at first by God now will wee by his grace proceede in our discourse already begun L. VIVES FOr that a is loue There is a will in vs arising from the corruption of the body which reason ruleth not as it doth the better will but it haleth it and traileth it to good it flyes all good properly and seeketh euills bodily delights and pleasures These two Paul calleth the law of the flesh the law of the spirit some-times flesh and spirit The first brutish foule hated of good men who when they can cannot expell it they compell and force it vnto Gods obedience otherwise it produceth a loue of things vnmeete b Without Either in this life or vnto our bodies c Places Or orders and formes of one nature the preseruation of which each thing desires for it selfe helping it selfe against externall violence if it bee not hindered d 〈◊〉 of this before the Latine word is momenta e More plaine Our reason plâ—…ceth an Image rather then a marke of God in vs. Man hath the sight of heauen and the knowledge of God bestowed vpon him whereas all other creatures are chained to the earth Wherfore the spirit ouer-looking the creation left his image in our erected nature in the rest whome hee did as it were put vnder foote hee left onely his markes Take this now as a figuratiue speech f Prâ—…digall Luc. 15. Of the Angels knowledge of the Trinity in the Deity and consequently of the causes of things in the Archetype ere they come to be effected in workes CHAP. 29. THese holy Angels learne not of God by sounds but by being present wiâ—… thâ—… â—…geable truth his onely begotten word himselfe and his holy spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of substantiall persons yet hold they not three Gods but one 〈◊〉 this thâ—…y a â—…ow plainer then we know our selues b The creatures also 〈◊〉 they know 〈◊〉 in the wisdome of God the worke-mans draught then in the thingâ—… produced and consequently them-selues in that better then in thâ—…-selues though â—…ing their knowledge in both for they were made are not of 〈◊〉 â—…nce that made them Therefore in him their knowledge is day in 〈◊〉 as we sayd twy-light But the knowledges of a thing by the means 〈◊〉 and the thing it selfe made are farre different c The vnderstanding 〈◊〉 a figure doth produce a perfecter
by temptations the other enuying this the recollection of the faithfull pilgrims the obscurity I say of the opinion of these two so contrary societies the one good in nature and wil the other good in nature also but bad by wil since it is not explaned by other places of scripture that this place in Genesiis of the light and darknes may bee applyed as Denominatiue vnto them both though the author hadde no such intent yet hath not beene vnprofitably handled because though wee could not knowe the authors will yet wee kept the rule of faith which many other places make manifest For though Gods corporall workes bee heere recited yet haue some similitude with the spiritual as the Apostle sayth you are all the children of the light and the children of the day wee are no sonnes of the night nor darknes But if this were the authors mind the other disputation hath attained perfection that so wise a man of God nay the spirit in him in reciting the workes of God all perfected in sixe dayes might by no meanes bee held to leaue out the Angels eyther in the beginning that is because hee had made them first or as wee may better vnderstand In the beginning because hee made them in his onely begotten Word in which beginning God made heauen and earth Which two names eyther include all the creation spirituall and temporall which is more credible Or the two great partes onely as continents of the lesser beeing first proposed in whole and then the parts performed orderly according to the mistery of the sixe dayes L. VIVES INto a cheynes This is playne in Saint Peters second Epistle and Saint Iudes also The Angels sayth the later which kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation hath hee reserued in euerlasting cheynes vnder Darkenesse vnto the iudgement of the great day Augustine vseth prisons for places whence they cannot passe as the horses were inclosed and could not passe out of the circuit vntill they had run b Pride Typhus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Pride and the Greeks vse Typhon of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee proud and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to burne for the fiery diuell So sayth Plutarch of Typhon Osyris his brother that he was a diuell that troubled all the world with acts of malice and torment Augustine rather vseth it then the Latine for it is of more force and was of much vse in those dayes Philip the Priest vseth it in his Commentaries vppon Iob. c Iustice For God doth iustly reuenge by his good Ministers He maketh the spirits his messengers flaming fire his Ministers Ps. 103. d The desired There is no power on the earth like the diuels Iob. 40. Which might they practise as they desire they would burne drowne waste poyson torture and vtterly destroy man and beast And though we know not the diuells power directly where it is limited and how farr extended yet are wee sure they can do vs more hurt then we can euer repaire Of the power of Angels read Augustâ—… de Trinit lib. 3. Of the opinion that some held that the Angels weee meant by the seueral waters and of others that held the waters vncreated CHAP. 34. YEt some there a were that thought that the b company of Angels were meant by the waters and that these wordes Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it seperate the waters from the waters meant by the vpperwaters the Angels and by the lower eyther the nations or the diuels But if this bee so there is no mention of the Angels creation but onely of their seperation c Though some most vainely and impiously deny that God made the waters because hee neuer said Let there be waters So they may say of earth for he neuer said Let there be earth I but say they it is written God created both heauen and earth Did he so Then is water included therein also for one name serues both for the Psalm sayth The sea is his and he made it and his hands prepared the dry land but the d elementary weights do moue these men to take the waters aboue for the Angels because so an element cannot remayne aboue the heauens No more would these men if they could make a man after their principles put fleame being e in stead of water in mans body in the head f but there is the seate of fleame most fitly appointed by God but so absurdly in these mens conceits that if wee know not though this booke told vs playne that God had placed this fluid cold and consequently heauy humor in the vppermost part of mans body these world-weighers would neuer beleeue it And if they were subiect to the scriptures authority they would yet haue some meaning to shift by But seeing that the consideration of all thinges that the Booke of God conteineth concerning the creation would draw vs farre from our resolued purpose lette vs now together with the conclusion of this booke giue end to this disputation of the two contrary societyes of Angells wherein are also some groundes of the two societies of mankinde vnto whome we intend now to proceed in a fitting discourse L. VIVES SOme a there were as Origen for one who held that the waters aboue the heauens were no waters but Angelicall powers and the waters vnder the heauens their contraries diuels Epiph. ad Ioan. Hierosol Episc. b Companies Apocal. The peaple are like many waters and here-vpon some thought the Psalme meant saying You waters that bee aboue the heauens praise the name of the Lord for that belongs only to reasonable creatures to do c Though some Augustine reckoneth this for an heresie to hold the waters coeternall with God but names no author I beleeue Hesiods Chaos and Homers all producing waters were his originals d Elementary I see all this growes into question whether there be waters aboue the heauens and whether they be elementary as ours are Of the first there is lesse doubt For if as some hold the firmament be the ayre then the seperation of waters from waters was but the parting of the cloudes from the sea But the holy men that affirme the waters of Genesis to be aboue the starry firmament preuaile I gesse now in this great question that a thicke clowd commixt with ayre was placed betwixt heauen and earth to darken the space betweene heauen and vs And that part of it beeing thickned into that sea we see was drawne by the Creator from the face of the earth to the place where it is that other part was borne vp by an vnknowne power to the vttermost parts of the world And hence it came that the vpper still including the lower heauen the fire fire the ayre ayre the water this water includeth not the earth because the whole element thereof is not vnder the Moone as fire and ayre is Now for the nature of those waters Origen to begin with the
because preuarication is added c the lawe beeing also contemned 〈◊〉 the lust of sinne Why doe wee recite this Because as the lawe is not 〈◊〉 â—…en it exciteth concupiscence in the bad so earth is not good when it inâ—…th the glory of the good neither the law when it is forsaken by sinners and 〈◊〉 them Preuaricators nor death when it is vnder-taken for truth and maâ—… them Martyrs Consequently the law forbidding sinne is good and death 〈◊〉 the reward of sinne euill But as the wicked vse all things good and euill badly so the iust vse all things euil and good well Therefore the wicked vse the 〈◊〉 that is good badly and the vse death that is bad well L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a of It is naturall vnto exorbitant minds the more a thing is forbidden them 〈◊〉 to affect it as women whose mindes are most vnstayed desire that onely that 〈◊〉 â—…hibited So that whereas men knew not what it was to goe to the stewes nor 〈◊〉 vpon it in comes the lawe and saith thou shalt not goe and so taught them all 〈◊〉 to goe setting their depraued natures vpon pursuite of those vnlawfull actes I 〈◊〉 saith Paul what concupiscence was vntill the law told me Thou shalt not couet 〈◊〉 that Solâ—… set downe no lawe against parricide which being vnknowne hee was 〈◊〉 to declare then punish Pro Ros. Amerin b That sinne The old bookes read 〈◊〉 â—…ner Augustine ad Simplic an lib 1. quotes it thus that the sinner might bee out 〈◊〉 a sinner c. but his quotations are both false For thus it should be read indeed 〈◊〉 â—…er might bee out of measure sinfull c. Sinner being referred to sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ith the Greeke vnlesse you will make sinfull a nowne and no participle as Salust â—…tens and Terence Fugitans c The law All the terrors of the law being contemâ—… such as haue turned their custome of sinne into their nature The generall euill of that death that seuereth soule and body CHAP. 6. WHerefore as for the death that diuides soule and body when they suffer it whome we say are a dying it is good vnto none For it hath a sharpe a â—…rall sence by which nature is wrung this way and that in the composition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 liuing creature vntill it bee dead and vntill all the sence be gone wherein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and body was combined Which great trouble one stroake of the boâ—… or one rapture of the soule often-times preuenteth and out runneth sence in â—…tnesse But what-so-euer it is in death that takes away b our sence with so â—…ous a sence being faithfully indured it augmenteth the merite of paciâ—…â—…ut taketh not away the name of paine It is sure the death of the first man â—…pagate though if it be endured for faith and iustice it bee the glory of â—…nerate Thus death being the reward of sinne some-time quitteth sinne 〈◊〉 â—…ll rewarde L. VIVES VNnaturall a sence Sence for passion b Our sence with so grieuous a sence The first actiue the second passiue the great passion taketh away our power of ience Of the death of such as are not regenerate do suffer for Christ. CHAP. 7. FOr whosoeuer hee is that beeing not yet regenerate dyeth for confessing of Christ it freeth him of his sinne as wel as if he had receaued the sacrament of Baptisme For he that said Vnlesse a man bee borne againe of water and of the holy spirit he shall not enter into the kingdome of God excepteth these else-where in as generall a saying whosoeuer confesseth me before men him will I confesse before my father which is in heauen And againe He that looseth his soule for me shall finde it Hereupon it is that Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the Saints For what is more deere then that death wherein all a mans badnes is abolished and his good augmented Those thad die daptized because they could liue no longer are not of that merite that those that die willingly where as they might haue liued longer because these had rather die in confessing of Christ then deny him and so come to baptisme a Which if they had done this sacrament wold haue for giuen it because they denied him for feare of death For in it euen their b villany was forgiuen that murdered Christ. c But how cold they loue Christ so dearely as to contemne life for him but by abounding in the grace of that spirit that inspireth where it pleaseth Pretious therefore is the death of those Saints who tooke such gratious hold of the death of Christ that they stuck not to engage their owne soules in the quest of him and whose death shewed that they made vse of that which before was the punishment of sinne to the producing of a greater haruest of glory But death ought not to seeme good because it is Gods helpe and not the owne power that hath made it of such good vse that beeing once propounded as a penalty laid vpon sinne it is now elected as a deliuerance from sinne and an expiation of sinne to the crowning of iustice with glorious victory L. VIVES WHich a if Intimating that no guilt is so great but Baptisme will purge it b Theâ—… villanie It is like he meanes of some that had holpen to crucifie Christ and were afterwards conuerted c But how It could not bee but out of great aboundance of grace that they should loue Christ as well as those that were baptized already in him That the Saints in suffering the first death for the truth are quit from the second CHAP. 8. FOr if wee marke well in dying well and laudably for the truth is a worse death â—…oyded and therefore wee take part of it least the whole should fall vpon 〈◊〉 and a second that should neuer haue end Wee vndertake the seperation of the body from the soule least wee should come to haue the soule seuered from God and then from the body and so mans first death beeing past the second that endlesse one should fall presently vpon him Wherefore the dâ—…th as I say that wee suffer a when wee die and causeth vs dye is good vnto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it is well tolerated for attaining of good But when men once are in death and called dead then we may say that it is good to the good and bad to the bad For the good soules being seuered from their bodies are in rest the euill in torment vntill the bodies of the first rise to life eternall and the later vnto the eternall or second death L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a when The dead and the dying are said both to be in death death being both in 〈◊〉 departure and after in the first as a passion in the second as a priuation Both are of 〈◊〉 the authors Virg. 〈◊〉 â—…amus quanquam media iam morte tenetur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lies now in midst of death that is a dying and the 〈◊〉 Morte Neoptolemi regnorum reddita
Paradise Eden from the beginning This out of Hierome b No such No man denieth that Paradise may be spiritually vnderstood excepting Ambrose in his booke De Paradiso But all the Fathers professe that Paradise was a reall pleasant place full of trees as Damascene saith and like to the Poets imaginary Elizium Away with their foolery saith Hierome vpon Daniel that seeke for figures in truthes and would ouerthrow the reall existence of trees and riuers in Paradise by drawing all into an Allegory This did Origen making a spirituall meaning of the whole hiâ—…ory and placing the true Paradice in the third heauen whither the Apostle Paul was rapt c Foure riuers Nile of Egipt Euphrates and Tigris of Syria and Ganges of India There heads are vnknowne and they run vnder the Ocean into our sea and therefore the Egiptian priests called Niâ—… the Ocean Herodot d Read in the. Cant 4 12. My sister my spouse is as a garden inclosed as a spring shut vp and a fountaine sealed vp their plants are as an orchard of pomegranates with sweete fruites c. That the Saints bodies after resurrection shal be spirituall and yet not changed into spirits CHAP. 22. THe bodies of the Saints in the resurrection shall need none of the tree of life to preserue them in life health or strength nor any meate to keepe away hunger and thirst They shall haue such an euery way absolute immortality that they shall neuer need to eare power they shall haue to doe it if they will but no â—…ssity For so the Angels did appearing visibly and sensibly not of necessity 〈◊〉 of power and will to affoord their ministerie vnto man in more congruence 〈◊〉 we may not thinke that when a they lodged in mens houses they did but eare b seemingly though they seemed to eate with the same appetite that the 〈◊〉 did who knew them not to be Angels And therefore the Angell saith in Tobiâ—…n saw mee eate but you saw it but in vision that is you thought I had eaten as 〈◊〉 did to refresh my body But if the other side may bee probably held of the Angels yet verily wee doubt it not to bee true c of Christ that hee in his spirituall flesh after his resurrection yet was it his true flesh eate and dranke with his disciples The neede onely not the power is taken from those glorified bodies which are spirituall not because they cease to bee bodyes but because they subsist by the quickning of the spirit L. VIVES THey a lodged In the houses of Abraham Lot and Tobias b Eate seemingly They did not eate as we doe passing the meate from the mouth to the stomack through the throate 〈◊〉 so decoct it and dispâ—…rse the iuice through the veines for nutâ—…iment nor yet did they deâ—… mens eyes by seeming to mooue that which they had for their chaps and yet moouing 〈◊〉 not or seeming to chaw bread or flesh and yet leauing it whole They did eate really 〈◊〉 â—…ere not nourished by eating c Of Christ Luke the 23. The earth saith Bede vpon 〈◊〉 â—…ce drinketh vp water one way and the sunne another the earth for neede the sunne 〈◊〉 power And so our Sauiour did eate but not as we eate that glorious body of his tooke â—…te but turned it not into nutriment as ours doe Of bodies animate and spirituall these dying in Adam and those beeing quickned in Christ. CHAP. 23. 〈◊〉 â—…s the bodyes that haue a liuing soule though as yet vnquickned by the â—…it are called animate yet are our soules but bodyes so are the other calâ—…tuall yet God forbid we should beleeue them to bee spirit or other then â—…tiall fleshly bodies yet vncorruptible and without weight by the quickâ—… of the spirit For man shall not then be earthly but celestiall not that he shall 〈◊〉 his earthly body but because he shall be so endowed from heauen that he 〈◊〉 â—…habite it with losse of his nature onely by attaining a celestiall quality 〈◊〉 â—…st man was made earth of earth into a a liuing creature but not into b â—…ing spirit as â—…ee should haue beene had hee perseuered in obedience â—…lesse therefore his body needing meate and drinke against hunger and 〈◊〉 and being not kept in youth from death by indissoluble immortality but 〈◊〉 by the Tree of life was not spirituall but onely animaâ—…e yet should it not 〈◊〉 â—…ied but that it incurred Gods heauy sentence by offending And though he 〈◊〉 take of other meates out of Paradice yet had he bin c â—…bidden to touch 〈◊〉 of life he should haue bin liable to time corruption in that life onely 〈◊〉 had he continued in spirituall obedience though it were but meerely aniâ—… might haue beene eternall in Paradise Wherefore though by these words 〈◊〉 d When soeuer you eate thereof you shall dye the death wee vnderstand by 〈◊〉 the seperation of soule and body yet ought it not seeme absurd in that 〈◊〉 dyed not the very day that they tooke this deadly meate for that very 〈◊〉 their nature was depraued and by their iust exclusion from the Tree 〈◊〉 the necessitie of death entred vppon them wherein wee all are brought forth And therefore the Apostle saith not The body shall dye for sinne but The body is dead because of sinne and the spirit is life for iustice sake And then he addeth But if the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dâ—… in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodyes by his spirit dwelling in you Therefore then as the Apostle saith shall be in quickning of the spirit which is now in the life of soule and yet dead because it must necessarily dye But in the first man it was in life of soule and not in quickning of spirit yet could it not be called dead because had not he broken the precept hee had not beene bound to death But whereas God signified the death of the soule in leauing of him saying Adam where art thou and in saying Earth thou art and to earth thou shalt goe signified the death of the body in leauing of the soule therefore wee must thinke he spoake not of the second death reseruing that secret because of his new testament where it is plainly discouered that the first which is common to all might bee shewen to proceed from that sinne which one mans acte made common to all but that the second death is not common to all because of those holy onely whom hee hath fore-knowne and predestinated as the Apostle saith to bee made like the image of his sonne that he might be the first borne of many brethren whom the grace of God by this mediator had saued from the second death Therefore the first mans body was but animate as the Apostle witnesseth who desiring our animate bodies now from those spirituall ones that they shall become in the resurrection It is sowne in corruption saith he but
the Apostle calls sinne saying I do not this but the sinne which dwelleth in mee which part the Philosophers call the vicious part of the soule that ought not to rule but to serue the minde and bee thereby curbed from vnreasonable acts when this moueth vs to any mischiefe if wee follow the Apostles counsel saying giue not your members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse vnto sinne then is this part conquered and brought vnder the minde and reason This rule God gaue him that maliced his brother and desired to kill him whome hee ought to follow be quiet quoth he yâ— is keepe thine hands out of mischiefe let not sinne get predominance in thy body to effect what it desireth nor giue thou thy members vp as weapons of vnrighteousnesse there-vnto for vnto thee shall the desires thereof become subiect if thou restraine it by supression and increase it not by giuing it scope And thou shalt rule ouer it Permit it not to performe any externall act and thy goodnesse of will shall exclude it from all internall motion Such a saying there is also of the woman when God had examined and condemned our first parents after their sinne the deuill in the serpent and man and woman in them-selues I will greatly increase thy sorrowes and thy conceptions saith he in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and then he addeth And thy desire shal be subiect to thine husband and hee shall rule ouer thee thus what was to Caine concerning sinne or concupisence the same was said here to the offending woman where wee must learne that the man must gouerne the woman as the soule should gouerne the body Where-vpon the Apostle said hee that loueth his wife loueth himselfe for no man euer hated his owne flesh These wee must cure as our owne not cast away as strangers But Caine conceiued of Gods command like a maleuolent reprobate and yeelding to his height of enuy lay in waite for his brother and slew him This was the founder of the fleshly City How hee further-more was a Type of the Iewes that killed Christ the true shepherd prefigured in the shepherd Abel I spare to relate because it is a propheticall Allegory and I remember that I sayd some-what hereof in my worke against Faustus the Manichee L. VIVES HE a vsed Sup. Gen. ad lit lib. 8. He inquireth how God spake to Adam spiritually or corporally and hee answereth that hee spake to him as he did to Abraham Moyses c. in a corporall shape thus they heard him walking in Paradise in the shade q No doubt How could Caine know sayth Hierome that God accepted his brothers sacrifice and refused his but that it is true that Theodotion doth say the Lord set Abels sacrifice on fire but Caines he did not that â—…ire had wont to come downe from heauen vpon the sacrifice Salomons offring at the 〈◊〉 of the temple and Elias his vpon mount Carmel do testifieâ—… Thus far Hierom. c If thou So do the seauenty read it our common translation is If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted 〈◊〉 if thou do not well sinne lieth at the doore Hierome rehearseth the translation of the seauenty and saith thus the Hebrew and the Septuagintes do differ much in this place But the Hebrew read it as our vulgar translations haue it and the seauenty haue it as Augustine readeth it d Be quiet Runne not headlong on neither be desperate of pardon sinnes originall is adherent vnto all men but it is in mans choice to yeeld to it or no. e Vnto thee shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the seauenty Aquila hath Societas and Syâ—…achus Appetitus or Impetus The â—…g â—…ay be either that sin shal be our fellow or that sinnes violence shal be in our power to 〈◊〉 as the sequel declareth and this later is the likelier to be the true meaning f Giâ—… God God respects not the guift but the giuer and therefore the sacrifices of the wicked 〈◊〉 and neither acceptable to God nor good men as Plato saith g Such I meane For 〈◊〉 some Atheists but such wicked as beleeue a God thinke that they can meane God by 〈◊〉 to returne them the same againe ten-fould be it gold or siluer As Sylla and Crassus ofâ—… Hercules the tenth part of their good that they might be hereby enritched The reason why Caine was the first of mankind that euer built a city CHAP. 8. 〈◊〉 now must I defend the authority of the diuine history that saith that this 〈◊〉 man built a city when there were but three or foure men vpon earth 〈◊〉 had killed his brother there were but Adam the first father Caine himâ—… his sonne Enoch whose name was giuen to the citty But they that sticke 〈◊〉 consider not that the Scriptures a neede not name all the men that were 〈◊〉 earth at that time but onely those that were pertinent to the purpose 〈◊〉 â—…pose of the Holy Ghost in Moyses was to draw a pedigree and genealoâ—… Adam through certaine men vnto Abraham and so by his seed vnto the 〈◊〉 of God which being distinct from all other nations might containe all 〈◊〉 and prefigurations of the eternall City of Heauen and Christ the king and 〈◊〉 all which were spirituall and to come yet so as the men of the Earthly 〈◊〉 â—…ad mention made of them also as farre as was necessary to shew 〈◊〉 â—…saries of the said glorious citty of God Therefore when the Scripâ—…â—…on vp a mans time and conclude hee liued thus long and had sonnes 〈◊〉 â—…ers must we imagine that because hee names not those sons and daughâ—… might bee in so many yeares as one man liued in those times as many 〈◊〉 gotten and borne as would serue to people diuers cities But it 〈◊〉 â—…o God who inspired the spirit by which the scriptures were penned 〈◊〉 â—…guish these two states by seuerall generations as first that the seuerall 〈◊〉 â—…gies of the carnall Cittizens and of the spirituall vnto the deluge might 〈◊〉 â—…cted by them-selues where they are both recited their distinction in 〈◊〉 one is recited downe from the murderer Cayne and the other from 〈◊〉 â—…ous Seth whom Adam had giuen for b him whom Caine had murthered 〈◊〉 coniunction in that all men grew from bad to worse so that they deâ—…â—…o bee all ouer whelmed with the floud excepting one iust man called 〈◊〉 wife his three sonnes and their wiues onely these eight persons did 〈◊〉 â—…chsafe to deliuer in the Arke of all the whole generation of mankind 〈◊〉 therefore it is written And Caine knew his wife which conceiued and bare 〈◊〉 c and hee built a citty and called it by his sonnes name Henoch this proâ—… that hee was his d first sonne for wee may not thinke that because 〈◊〉 here that he knew his wife that he had not knowne her before for this is 〈◊〉 Adam also not onely when Caine was begotten who was his first sonne 〈◊〉 Seth his younger sonne was borne aso Adam knew
an horne thus much Hierome In Spaine this Prouerbe remaineth still but not as Augustine taketh it The Lord wil be altogither seene but in a manner that is his helpe shall bee seene d Obeyed Ob-audisti and so the old writersvsed to say in steed of obedisti Of Rebecca Nachors neece whome Isaac maried CHAP 33. THen Isaac being forty yeares old maried Rebecca neece to his vncle Nachor three yeares after his mothers death his father being a hundred and forty yeares old And when Abraham sent his seruant into Mesopotamia to fetch her and said vnto him Put thine hand vnder my thigh and I will sweare thee by the Lord God of heauen and the Lord of earth that thou shalt not take my sonne Isaac a wife of the daughters of Canaan what is meant by this but the Lord God of Heauen and the Lord of Earth that was to proceed of those loynes are these meane prophesies and presages of that which wee see now fulfilled in Christ. Of Abraham marrying Kethurah after Sarahs death and the meaning therefore CHAP. 34. BVt what is ment by Abrahams marrying Kethurah after Sarahs death God defend vs from suspect of incontinency in him being so old and so holy and faithfull desired he more sonnes God hauing promised to make the seed of Isaac 〈◊〉 the stars of Heauen and the sandes of the Earth But if Agar and Hismaell did signifie the mortalls to the Old-testament as the Apostle teacheth why may not Kethurah and her sonnes signifie the mortalls belonging to the New-testament They both were called Abrahams wiues his concubines But Sarah was neuer called his concubine but his wife only for it is thus written of Sarahs giuing Agar vnto Abrahā Then Sarah Abrahams wife tooke Agar the Egiptian her maid after Abraham had dwelled tenne yeares in the land of Canaan and gaue her to her husband Abraham for his wife And of Kethurah wee read thus of his taking her after Sarahs death Now Abraham had taken him another wife called Kethurah Here now you heare them both called his wiues but the Scripture calleth them both his concubines also saying afterwards Abraham gaeue all his goods vnto Isaac but vnto the sonnes of his concubines he gaue guiftes and sent them away from Isaac his sonne while he yet liued Eastward into the East country Thus the concubines sonnes haue some guifts but none of them attayne the promised kingdome neither the carnall Iewes nor the heretiques for none are heyres but Isaac nor are the sonnes of the flesh the Sonnes of God but those of the promise of whome it is said In Isaac shal be called thy seede for I cannot see how Kethurah whome hee married after Sarahs death should bee called his concubine but in this respect But hee that will not vnderstand these things thus let him not slander Abraham for what if this were appointed by God to shew a those future heretiques that deny second mariage in this great father of so many nations that it is no sinne to many after the first wife be dead now Abraham died being a hundred seauenty fiue yeares old and Isaac whome hee begat when hee was a hundred was seauenty fiue yeares of age at his death L. VIVES THose a future The Cataphrygians that held second mariage to bee fornication Aug ad quod vult Hierome against Iouinian doth not onely abhorre second mariage but euen disliketh of the first for he was a single man and bare marriage no good will The appointment of God concerning the two twins in Rebeccas womb CHAP. 33. NOw let vs see the proceedings of the Citty of God after Abrahams death So then from Isaacs birth to the sixtith yere of his age wherin he had children there is this one thing to be noted that when as he had prayed for her frutefulnes who was barren and that God had heard him and opened her wombe and shee conceiued the two twins a played in her wombe where-with she being trou bled asked the Lords pleasure and was answered thus Two nations are in thy wombe and two manner of people shal be diuided out of thy bowells and the one shall bee mightier then the other and the elder shall serue the younger Wherin Peter the Apostle vnderstandeth the great mistery of grace in that ere they were borne and either done euill or good the one was elected and the other reiected and doubtlesse as concerning originall sin both were alike and guilty and as concerning actuall both a like and cleare But myne intent in this worke curbeth mee from further discourse of this point wee haue handled it in other volumes But that saying The elder shall serue the yonger all men interpret of the Iewes seruing the Christians and though it seeme fulfilled in b Idumaea which came of the elder Esau or Edom for hee had two names because it was afterward subdued by the Israelites that came of the yonger yet not-with-standing that prophecy must needs haue a greater intent then so and what is that but to be fulfilled in the Iewes and the Christians L. VIVES THe two twinnes a played So say the seauentie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or kicked Hierome saith mooued mouebantur Aquila saith were crushed confringebantur And Symmachus compareth their motion to an emptie ship at sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b Idumaea Stephanus deriueth their nation from Idumaas Semiramis her sonne as Iudaea from Iudas another of her sonnes but he is deceiued Of a promise and blessing receiued by Isaac in the manner that Abraham had receiued his CHAP. 36. NOw Isaac receiued such an instruction from God as his father had done diuerse times before It is recorded thus There was a famine in the land besides the first famine that was in Abrahams time and Isaac went to Abymelech king of the Philistines in Gerara And the Lord appeared vnto him and said Goe not downe into Aegypt but abide in the land which I shall shew thee dwell in this land and I will bee with thee and blesse thee for to thee and to thy seed will I giue this land and I will establish mine oath which I sware to Abraham thy father and will multiply thy seede as the starres of heauen and giue all this land vnto thy seede and in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth bee blessed because thy father Abraham obeyed my voyce and kept my ordinances my commandements my statutes and my lawes Now this Patriarch had no wife nor concubine more then his first but rested content with the two sonnes that God sent him at one birth And hee also feared his wiues beautie amongst those strangers and did as his father had done before him with-her calling her sister onely and not wife She was indeed his kinswoman both by father and mother but when the strangers knew that she was his wife they let her quietly alone with him Wee not preferre him before his father tho in that hee had but one
nations to the other What greater proofe need wee then this to confirme that the Israelites and all the world besides are contained in Abrahams seed the first in the flesh and the later in the spirit Of Moyses his times Iosuah the Iudges the Kings Saul the first Dauid the chiefe both in merite and in mysticall reference CHAP. 43. IAcob and Ioseph being dead the Israelites in the other hundred fortie foure yeares at the end of which they left Egypt increased wonderfully though the Egyptians oppressed them sore and once killed all their male children for feare of their wonderfull multiplication But Moses was saued from those butchers and brought vp in the court by Pharaohs daughter the a name of the Egiptian Kings God intending great things by him and he grew vp to that worth that he was held fit to lead the nation out of this extreame slauery or rather God did it by him according to his promise to Abraham First hee fled into Madian for killing an Egiptian in defence of an Israelite and afterwards returning full of Gods spirit hee foyled the enchanters h of Pharao in all their opposition and laide the ten sore plagues vpon the Egiptians because they would not let Israel depart namely the changing of the water into bloud Frogges c Lyce d Gnattes morren of Cattell botches and sores Haile Grashoppers darkenesse and death of all the first borne and lastly the Israelites being permitted after all the plagues that Egypt had groned vnder to depart and yet beeing pursued afterwards by them againe passed ouer the redde Sea dry-foote and left all the hoast of Egipt drowned in the middest the sea opened before the Israelites and shut after them returning vpon the pursuers and ouer-whelming them And then forty yeares after was Israell in the deserts with Moyses and there had they the tabernacle of the testimonie where God was serued with sacrifices that were all figures of future euents the law being now giuen with terror vpon mount Syna for the terrible voyces and thunders were full prooses that God was there And this was presently after their departure from Egipt in the wildernesse and there they celebrated their Passe-ouer fiftie dayes after by offring of a Lambe the true type of Christs passing vnto his father by his passion in this world For Pascha in Hebrew is a passing ouer and so the fiftith day after the opening of the new Testament and the offring of Christ our Passeâ—…ouer the holy spirit descended downe from heauen he whom the scriptures call the finger of God to renew the memory of the first miraculous prefiguration in our hearts because the law in the tables is said to be written by the finger of GOD. Moyses being dead Iosuah ruled the people and lead them into the land of promise diuiding it amongst them And by these two glorious captaines were strange battels wonne and they were ended with happy successe God himselfe auouching that the losers sinnes and not the winners merits were causes of those conquests After these two the land of promise was ruled by Iudges that Abrahams seede might see the first promise fulfilled concerning the land of Canaan though not as yet concerning the nations of all the earth for that was to be fulfilled by the comming of Christ in the flesh and the faith of the Gospell not the precepts of the law which was insinuated in this that it was not Moyses that receiued the law but Iosuab h whose name God also changed that lead the people into the promised land But in the Iudges times as the people offended or obeyed God so varied their fortunes in warre On vnto the Kings Saul was the first King of Israel who being a reprobate and dead in the field and all his race reiected from ability of succession Dauid was enthroned i whose sonne our Sauiour is especially called In him is as it were a point from whence the people of God doe flowe whose originall as then being in the youthfull time thereof is drawne from Abraham vnto this Dauid For it is not out of neglect that Mathew the Euangelist reckoneth the descents so that hee putteth foureteene generations betweene Abraham and Dauid For a man may be able to beget in his youth and therefore he begins his genealogies from Abraham who vpon the changing of his name was made the father of many nations So that before him the Church of God was in the infancie as it were from Noah I meane vnto him and therefore the first language the Hebrew as then was inuented for to speake by For from the terme of ones infancie hee begins to speake beeing called an infant k a non sancto of not speaking which age of himselfe euery man forgetteth as fully as the world was destroyed by the deluge For who can remember his infancie Wherefore in this progresse of the Cittie of God as the last booke conteined the first age thereof so let this containe the second and the third when the yoake of the law was laide on their necks the aboundance of sinne appeared and the earthly kingdome had beginning c. intimated by the Heifer the Goate â—…d the Ramme of three yeares old in which there wanted not some faithfull persons as the turtle-doue and the Pidgeon portended L. VIVES THe a name of To anoyde the supposition that Pharao that reigned in Iacob and Iosephs time was all one Pharao with this here named Pharao was a name of kingly dignity in Egipâ—… Hieron in Ezechiel lib. 9. So was Prolomy after Alexander Caesar and Augustus after the two braue Romaines and Abimelech in Palestina Herodotus speaketh of one Pharao that was blinde They were called Pharao of Pharos an I le ouer-against Alexandria called Carpathoâ—… of old Proteus reigned in it The daughter of this Pharao Iosephus calleth Thermuth b Of Pharao Which Pharao this was it is doubtfull Amasis saith Apion Polyhistor as Eusebius citeth him reigned in Egipt when the Iewes went thence But this cannot be for Amasis was long after viz. in Pythagoras his time vnto whom he was commended by Polycrates king of Samos But Iosephus saith out of Manethon that this was Techmosis and yet sheweth him to vary from him-selfe and to put Amenophis in another place also Eusebius saith that it was Pharao Cenchres In Chron. and that the Magicians names were Iannes and Iambres Prep euangel ex Numenio c Lyce So doth Iosephus say if Ruffinus haue well translated him that this third plague was the disease called Phthiriasis or the lousie euill naming no gnattes Peter denatalibus and Albertus Grotus saith that the Cyniphes are a kinde of flye So saith Origen Albertus saith that they had the body of a worme the wings and head of a flye with a sting in their mouth where-with they prick and draw-bloud and are commonly bred in fens and marishes troubling all creatures but man especially Origen calleth them Snipes They do flie faith he but are so
LORD shall weaken his aduersaries and make them be conquered by those whom Hee the most Holy hath made holy also i and therefore let not the wise glory in his wisdome the mighty in his might nor the ritch in his ritches but let their glory be to know God and to execute his iudgements and iustice vpon earth Hee is a good proficient in the knowledge of God that knoweth that God must giue him the meanes to know God For what hast thou saith the Apostle which thou hast not receiued that is what hast thou of thine owne to boast of Now hee that doth right executeth iudgement and iustice and hee that liueth in Gods obedience and the end of the command namely in a pure loue a good conscience and an vnfained faith But this loue as the Apostle Iohn saith is of God Then to do iudgement and iustice is of God but what is on the earth might it not haue beene left out and it haue only bin said to do iudgement and iustice the precept would bee more common both to men of land and sea but least any should thinke that after this life there were a time elsewhere to doe iustice and iudgement in and so to auoide the great iudgement for not doing them in the flesh therefore in the earth is added to confine those acts within this life for each man beareth his earth about with him in this world and when hee dieth bequeaths it to the great earth that must returne him it at the resurrection In this earth therefore in this fleshly body must we doe iustice and iudgement to doe our selues good hereafter by when euery one shall receiue according to his works done in the body good or bad in the body that is in the time that the body liued for if a man blaspheme in heart though he do no â—…urt with any bodily meÌ„ber yet shal not he be vnguilty because though he did it not in his body yet hee did it in the time wherein hee was in the body And so many we vnderstand that of the Psalme The Lord our King hath wrought 〈◊〉 in the midest of the earth before the beginning of the world that is the Lord Iesus our God before the beginning for he made the beginning hath wrought saluation in the midst of the earth namely then when the word became flesh and 〈◊〉 corporally amongst vs. But on Annah hauing shewen how each man ought to glory viz. not in himselfe but in God for the reward that followeth the great iudgement proceedeth thus l The Lord went vp vnto heauen and hath thundred he shall iudge the ends of the worlds and shall giue the power vnto our Kings and exalt the horne of his annoynted This is the plaine faith of a Christian. Hee 〈◊〉 into heauen and thence hee shall come to iudge the quicke and dead for who is â—…ded saith the Apostle but he who first descended into the inferiour parts of the earth Hee thundred in the clouds which hee filled with his holy spirit in his â—…ntion from which clouds he threatned Hierusalem that vngratefull vine to 〈◊〉 no rayne vpon it Now it is said Hee shall iudge the ends of the world that is the ends of men for he shall iudge no reall part of earth but onely all the men thereof nor iudgeth hee them that are changed into good or bad in the meane 〈◊〉 but m as euery man endeth so shall he beiudged wherevpon the scripture 〈◊〉 He that commeth vnto the end shall be safe hee therefore that doth iâ—…ce in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the earth shall not be condemned when the ends of the earth are 〈◊〉 And shall giue power vnto our Kings that is in not condemning them by â—…gement hee giueth them power because they rule ouer the flesh like Kings 〈◊〉 â—…quer the world in him who shed his blood for them And shall exalt the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his anoynted How shall Christ the annoynted exalt the horne of his anâ—… It is of Christ that those sayings The Lord went vp to heauen c. are all 〈◊〉 so is this same last of exalting the horne of his annoynted Christ thereâ—… exalt the horne of his annoynted that is of euery faithfull seruant of his as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first my horne is exalted in the Lord for all that haue receiued the vncâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grace may wel be called his annoynted al which with their head make 〈◊〉 annoynted This Anna prophisied holy Samuels mother in whome the 〈◊〉 of ancient priesthood was prefigured and now fulfilled when as the woâ—… 〈◊〉 many sonnes was enfeebled that the barren which brougt forth seuen 〈◊〉 â—…eceiue the new priesthood in Christ. L. VIVES SHâ—… that a had Multa in filiis b Nor had she The first booke of Samuel agreeth with 〈◊〉 but Iosephus vnlesse the booke be falty saith she had sixe three sons and three 〈◊〉 after Samuel but the Hebrewes recken Samuels two sonnes for Annahs also being 〈◊〉 â—…dchildren and Phamuahs seauen children died seuerally as Annahs and her sonne 〈◊〉 â—…ere borne c And my horne Some read mine heart but falsely the greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preachers there are Or nor in such as are bound by calling to bee his preachers the 〈◊〉 â—…py readeth but in his called prechers e No man knoweth Both in his foreknowledge 〈◊〉 â—…owlege of the secrets of mans heart f Are hired out The seauenty read it are 〈◊〉 g For the begger It seemes to be a word of more indigence then poore the latine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ops or helpelesse hauing no reference in many places to want of mony but of 〈◊〉 Gâ—…rg 1. Terent. Adelpe Act. 2. scena 1. Pauper saith Uarro is quasi paulus lar c. 〈◊〉 â—…gens h The Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is both his and his owne the Greekes do not distinâ—… two as we doe i Let not the. This is not the vulgar translation of the Kings but 〈◊〉 cha 9. the 70. put it in them both but with some alteration It is an vtter subuersion 〈◊〉 God respects not wit power or wealth those are the fuell of mans vaine glory but let 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…th as Paule saith glory in the Lord and by a modest and equall thought of himselfe continually For so shall he neuer be pride-swollen for the knowledge of God that charity seasoneth neuer puffeth vp if we consider his mercies and his iudgements his loue and his wrath togither with his maiesty k And to doe iudgement The seauenty read this one way in the booke of Samuel and another way in Hieremy attributing in the first vnto the man that glorieth and in the later vnto God l The Lord went vp This is not in the vulgar vntill you come vnto this and he shall iudge Augustine followed the LXX and so did all that age almost in all the churches m As euery man As I finde thee so will I iudge thee The Prophets words vnto Heli the priest signifying the taking
it was no sinne either in the King or people of Israel but the Lords wil that was herein fulfilled which beeing knowne both partes tooke vppe themselues and rested for they were onely diuided in rule not in religion How Hieroboam infected his subiects with Idolatry yet did God neuer faile them in Prophets nor in keeping many from that infection CHAP. 22. BVt Hieroboam the King of Israell fell peruersly from God who had truely enthroned him as he had promised and fearing that the huge resort of all Israel to Hierusalem for they came to worship sacrifice in the Temple according to the law might be a mean to with-draw the from him vnto the line of Dauid their old King began to set vp Idols in his own Realme and to seduce Gods people by this damnable and impious suttlety yet God neuer ceased to reproue him for it by his Prophets and the people also that obeied him and his successors in it for that time were the two great men of God Helias and his disciple Heliseus And when Helias said vnto GOD LORD they haue staine thy Prophets and digged downe thine Altars and I onely am left and now they seeke my life hee was answered that God had yet seauen thousand in Israel that had not bowed downe the knee to Bâ—…l The state of Israel and Iudah vnto both their Captiuities which befell at different times diuersly altered Iudah vnited to Israel and lasty both vnto Rome CHAP. 23. NOr wanted there Prophets in Iudah that lay vnder Ierusalem in all these successions Gods pleasure was still to haue them ready to send out either for prediction of euents or reformation of maners For the Kings of Iuda did offend God also though in farre lesse measure then Israel and deserued punishment both they and their people All their good Kings haue their due commendations But Israel had not one good King from thence but all were wicked more or lesse So that both these kingdomes as it pleased God had their reuolutions of fortune now prosperous now aduerse through forraine and ciuill warres as Gods wrath or mercy was mooued vntill at length their sinnes prouoking him he gaue them all into the hands of the Chaldaeans who led most part of them captiues into Assyria first the tenne Tribes of Israel and then Iudah also destroying Ierusalem and that goodly Temple and that bondage lasted 70. years And then being freed they repaired the ruined Temple and then although many of them liued in other nations yet was the land no more diuided but one Prince onely reigned in Ierusalem and thether came all the whole land to offer and to celebrate their feasts at the time appointed But they were not yet secure from all the nations for then a came the Romanes and vnder their subiection must Christ come and finde his Israel L. VIVES THen a came Pompey the great quelled them first and made them tributaries to Rome Cicero and Antony being consulls And from that time they were ruled by the Romane Presidents of Syria and Prouosts of Iudaea That they paied tribute to the Romanes both prophane histories and that question in the Ghospell Is it lawfull to giue tribute vnto Caesar doe witnesse Of the last Prophets of the Iewes about the time that Christ was borne CHAP. 24. AFter their returne from Babilon at which time they had the Prophets Aggee Zacharie and Malachi and Esdras they had no more Prophets vntill our Sauiours birth but one other Zacharie and Elizabeth his wife and hard before his birth old Symeon Anna a widow and Iohn the last of all who was about Christs yeares and did not prophecy his comming but protested his presence a being before vnknowne Therefore saith CHRIST The prophets and the law prophecied vnto Iohn The prophecies of these fiue last wee finde in the Ghospell where the Virgin Our Lords Mother prophecied also before Iohn But these prophecies the wicked Iewes reiect yet an innumerable company of them did beleeue and receiued them For then was Israel truely diuided as was prophecied of old by Samuel vnto Saul and avouched neuer to bee altered But the reprobate Iewes also haue Malachie Aggee Zacharie and Esdras in their Canon and they are the last bookes thereof for their bookes are as the others full of great prophecies otherwise they were but few that wrote worthy of cannonicall authority Of these aforesaid I see I must make some abstracts to insert into this worke as farre as shall concerne Christ and his church But that I may doe better in the next booke L. VIVES BEing a before vnknowne Hee knew hee was come but hee knew not his person yet vntill the Holy Ghost descended like a doue and God the Father spake from heauen then hee â—…w him and professed his knowledge THE CONTENTS OF THE eighteenth booke of the City of God 1. A recapitulation of the 17. bookes past â—…rning the two Citties continuing vnto the time of Christs birth the Sauiour of the â—…ld 2. Of the Kings and times of the Earthly Citty correspondent vnto those of Abraham 3. What Kings reigned in Assiria and Sicyâ—… in the hundreth yeare of Abrahams age 〈◊〉 Isaac was borne according to the promise 〈◊〉 at the birth of Iacob and Esau. 4. Of the times of Iacob and his sonne Ioseph 5. Of Apis the Argiue King called Seraâ—… in Egipt and there adored as a deity 6. The Kings of Argos and Assiria at the 〈◊〉 of Iacobs death 7. In what Kings time Ioseph died in Eâ—… 8. What Kings liued when Moyses was 〈◊〉 and what Gods the Pagans had as then 9. The time when Athens was built and the 〈◊〉 that Varro giueth for the name 10. Varroes relation of the originall of the 〈◊〉 Areopage and of Deucalions deluge 11. About whose times Moyses brought 〈◊〉 out of Egipt of Iosuah in whose timâ—… hee 〈◊〉 12. The false Gods adored by those Greekâ—… Princes which liued betweene Israells freedome and 〈◊〉 death 13. What fictions got footing in the nations when the Iudges began first to rule Israell 14. Of the theologicall poets 15. The ruine of the Argiue Kingdome Picus Saturnes sonne succeeding him in Laurentum 16. How Diomedes was deified after the destruction of Troy and his fellowes said to be turned into birds 17. Of the incredible changes of men that Varro beleeued 18. Of the diuills power in transforming mans shape what a christian may beleeue herein 19. That Aeneas came into Italy when Labdon was Iudge of Israell 20. Of the succession of the Kingdome in Israell after the Iudges 21. Of the Latian Kings Aeneas the first and Auentinus the twelfâ—…h are made Gods 22. Rome founded at the time of the Assirian Monarchies fall Ezechias beeing King of Iudaea 23. Of the euident prophecy of Sybilla Erythraea concerning Christ. 24. The seauen Sages in Romulus his time Israell led into captiuity Romulus dieth and is deified 25. Philosophers liuing in Tarquinius Priscus his time and Zedechias his when Ierusalem was
some that is from the b South signifyeth the heate of charity and the light of truth The thicke darke mountaine may bee taken diuersly but I rather choose to hold it meant of the depth of the holy scriptures prophecying Christ for therein are many depths for the industrious to excercise themselues in and which they finde out when they find him whom they concerne His glory couereth the heauens and the earth is full of his praise that is iust as the psalme saith Exalt thy selfe O GOD aboue the heauens and let thy glorie bee aboue all the earth His brightnesse was as the light His glorie shall enlighten the nations Hee had hornes comming out of his hands that was his extension on the crosse there was the hiding of his power this is plaine Before him went the word and followed him into the field that is hee was prophecied ere hee came and preached after his departure hee stood and the earth mooued hee stood to saue and earth was mooued with beleeuing in him He beheld the nations and they were dissolued that is hee pitied and they repented Hee brake the mountaines with violence that is his miracles amazed the proude the eternall his did bow the people were temporally humbled to bee eternally glorified For my paines I saw his goings in that is I had the reward of eternity for my labours in charity the tents of Ethiope trembled and so did they of Madian that is euen those nations that were neuer vnder Rome by the terror of thy name and power preached shall become subiect to Christ. Was the Lord angry against the riuers or waâ—… thine anger against the sea this implieth that he came not to iudge the world but to saue it thou rodest vpon horses and thy Chariot brought saluatiâ—… The Euangelists are his horses for hee ruleth them and the Gospell his Chariot saluation to all beleeuers thou shalt bend thy bowe aboue scepters thy iudgement shall restraine euen the Kings of the earth thou shalt cleaue the earth with riuers that is thine abundant doctrine shall open the hearts of men to beleeue them vnto such it is sayd Rend your hearts and not your garments The people shall see thee and tremble thou shall spread the â—…aters as thou goest thy preachers shall power out the streames of thy doctrine on all sides The deepe made anoise the depth of mans heart expressed what it saw the hight of his phantasie that is the deepe gaue out the voice expressing as I sayd what it saw This phantasie was a vision which hee conceiled not but proclaimed at full The Sunne was extolled and the Moone kept her place Christ was assumed into heauen and by him is the church ruled thine arrowes flew in the light Thy word was openly taught and by the brightnesse of thy shining armeâ—… thine arrowes flew For Christ himselfe had said What I tell you in darkenesse that speake in the light Thou shalt tread downe the land in anger thou shalt humble high spirits by afflicting them Thou shalt thresh the heathen in displeasure that is thou shalt quell the ambitious by thy iudgements thou wentest forth to saue thy people and thine annointed thou laidest death vpon the heads of the wicked all this is plaine thou hast cut them off with amazement thou hast cut downe bad and set vppe good in wonderfull manner the mighty shall crowne their heads which maruell at this they shall gape after thee as a poore man eating secretly For so diuers great men of the Iewes beeing hungry after the bread of life came to eate secretly fearing the Iewes as the Gospell sheweth thou puâ—…test thine horses into the sea who troubled the waters that is the people for vnlesse all were troubled some should not become fearefull conuertes and others furious persecutors I marked it and my body trembled at the sound of my lippes feare came into my bones and I was altogether troubled in my selfe See the hight of his praier and his prescience of those great euents amazed euen himselfe and hee is troubled with those seas to see the imminent persecutions of the church whereof hee lastly avoucheth himselfe a member saying I will rest in the daâ—…e of trouble as if hee were one of the hopefull sufferers and patient reioycers that I may goe vppe to the people of my pilgrimage leauing his carnall kinred that wander after nothing but worldly matters neuer caring for their supernall countrie â—…or the fig-tree shall not fructifie nor shall fruite bee in the vines the oliue shall faâ—…le and the fields shal be fruitlesse The sheepe haue left their meate and the oxen are not in their stalles Here hee seeth the nation that crucified CHRIST depriued of all spirituall goods prefigured in those corporall fertilities and because the countries ignorance of God had caused these plagues forsaking Gods righteousnesse through their owne pride hee addeth this I will reioyce in the Lord and ioy in God my Sauiour the Lord my God is my strength he will establish my feete hee will set mee vpon high places that I may bee victorious in his song What song euen such as the psalmist speaketh of hee hath set my feete vpon the rocke and ordered my goings and hath put into my mouth a new song of praise vnto GOD. In such a song and not in one of his owne praise doth Ahâ—…cuc conquer glorying in the Lord his God Some bookes read this place better 〈◊〉 I 〈◊〉 ioy in my LORD IESVS But the translators had not the name it selfe in Latine other-wise wee like the word a great deale better L. VIVES FRom a Theman Aquila Symmachus and the fifth edition saith Hierome put the very word so Onely Tâ—…tion expresseth it from the South c. Theman is â—…nder Edoâ—… in the land of Gâ—…bal named so by Theman sonne to Elyphaz the sonne of Esau and it holdeth the name vnto this day lying fiue miles from Petra where the Romaine garrison lyeth and where Eliphaz King of the Thebans was borne One also of the sonnes of Isaacs was called Theman Indeed the Hebrews call euery Southerne Prouince Theman Hieron loc Hebraic b Sâ—…th Such is that place also in the Canticles c The thick darke mountaine Sâ—… say the LXX but the Hebrewes from mount Paran which is a towne on the farre side of Arabia ioyning to the Sarazens The Israelites went by it when they left Sina The LXX rather expressed the adiacents then the place it selfe d Neuer vnder Rome India Persia and the new sound lands e I will ioy So doth the Hebrew read it indeed Iesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Sauiour are all one In Tullyes time they had not the Latine word Saluator Act. 〈◊〉 in Verr. but Lactantius Auâ—… and many good Latinists doe vse it since Read Hierome of this verse if you would know further Prophecies of Hieromie and Zephany concerning the former themes CHAP. 33. HIeremy a is one of the greater Prophets so is Isayâ—… not of
ceasing and destruction ensuing which was performed by the Romanes as I erst related But the house of the New Testament is of another lustre the workemanship being more glorious and the stones being more precious But it was figured in the repaire of the old Temple because the whole New Testament was figured in the old one Gods prophecy therefore that saith In that place will I giue peace is to be meant of the place signified not of the place significant that is as the restoring that house prefigured the church which Christ was to build so GOD said in this place that is in the place that this prefigureth will I giue peace for all things signifying seeme to support the persons of the things signified as Saint Peter said the Rock was Christ for it signifyed Christ. So then farre is the glory of the house of the New Testament aboue the glory of the Old as shall appeare in the finall dedication Then shall the desire of all nations appeare as it is in the hebrew for his first comming was not desired of all the nations for some knew not whom to desire nor in whom to beleeue And then also shall they that are Gods elect out of all nations come as the LXX read it for none shall come truely at that day but the elect of whoÌ„ the Apostle saith As he hath elected vs in him before the beginning of the world for the Architect himself that sayd Many are called but few are chosen he spoke not of those that were called to the feast and then cast out but meant to shew that hee had built an house of his elect which times worst spight could neuer ruine But being altogither in the church as yet to bee hereafter sifited the corne from the chaffe the glory of this house cannot be so great now as it shal be then where man shal be alwaies there where he is once The Churches increase vncertaine because of the commixtion of elect and reprobate in this world CHAP. 49. THerefore in these mischieuous daies wherein the church worketh for his fu ture glory in present humility in feares in sorrowes in labours and in temptations ioying onely in hope when shee ioyeth as she should many rebrobaâ—…e liue amongst the elect both come into the Gospells Net and both swim at randon in the sea of mortality vntill the fishers draw them to shore and then the 〈◊〉 owne from the good in whom as in his Temple God is all in all We acknowledge therefore his words in the psalme I would declare and speake of them 〈◊〉 are more then I am able to expresse to be truly fulfilled This multiplication 〈◊〉 at that instant when first Iohn his Messenger and then himselfe in person 〈◊〉 to say Amend your liues for the Kingdome of God is at hand He chose him disâ—… and named the Apostles poore ignoble vnlearned men that what great 〈◊〉 soeuer was done hee might bee seene to doe it in them He had one who abused his goodnesse yet vsed hee this wicked man to a good end to the fulfilling of his passion and presenting his church an example of patience in tribulation And hauing sowne sufficiently the seed of saluation he suffered was buried and 〈◊〉 againe shewing by his suffering what wee ought to endure for the truth and 〈◊〉 resurrection what we ought for to hope of eternity a besides the ineffaâ—…ament of his bloud shed for the remission of sinnes Hee was forty daies 〈◊〉 with his disciples afterwardes and in their sight ascended to heauen â—…es after sending downe his promised spirit vpon them which in the comming gaue that manifest and necessary signe of the knowledge in languages of 〈◊〉 to signifie that it was but one Catholike church that in all those natiâ—…â—…uld vse all those tongues L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a the ineffable For Christs suffrance and his life hath not onely leaft vs the vertue 〈◊〉 Sacraments but of his example also whereby to direct ourselues in all good courses 〈◊〉 Gospell preached and gloriously confirmed by the bloud of the preachers CHAP. 50. 〈◊〉 then as it is written The law shall goe forth of Zion and the word of 〈◊〉 Lord from Ierusalem and as Christ had fore-told when as his disciplies â—…onished at his resurrection he opened their vnderstandings in the scripâ—… told them that it was written thus It behoued Christ to suffer and to rise 〈◊〉 the third day and that repentance and remission of sinnes should bee preached in 〈◊〉 â—…mongst all nations beginning at Ierusalem and where they asked him of 〈◊〉 comming and he answered It is not for you to know the times and seasons 〈◊〉 father hath put in his owne power but you shall receiue power of the Holie 〈◊〉 hee shall come vpon you and you shal be witnesses of mee in Ierusalem and in 〈◊〉 in Samaria and vnto the vtmost part of the earth First the church spred 〈◊〉 â—…om Ierusalem and then through Iudaea and Samaria and those lights 〈◊〉 world bare the Gospell vnto other nations for Christ had armed them 〈◊〉 Feare not them that kill the body but are not able to kill the soule they had 〈◊〉 of loue that kept out the cold of feare finally by their persons who 〈◊〉 him aliue and dead and aliue againe and by the horrible persecutiâ—… by their successors after their death and by the euer conquered to 〈◊〉 â—…conquerable tortures of the Martires the Gospell was diffused 〈◊〉 all the habitable world GOD going with it in Miracles in vertues and 〈◊〉 of the Holy Ghost in so much that the nations beleeuing in him who 〈◊〉 for their Redemption in christian loue did hold the bloud of those Martires in reuerence which before they had shed in barbarousnesse and the Kings whose edicts afflicted the church came humbly to be warriours vnder that banner which they cruelly before had sought vtterly to abolish beginning now to persecute the false gods for whom before they had persecuted the seruants of 〈◊〉 true GOD. That the Church is confirmed euen by the schismes of Heresies CHAP. 51. NOw the deuill seeing his Temples empty al running vnto this Redeemer set heretiques on foote to subert Christ in a christiaÌ„ vizar as if there were yâ— allowance for them in the heauenly Ierusalem which their was for contrariety of Philosophers in the deuills BabiloÌ„ Such therfore as in the church of God do distast any thing and a being checked aduised to beware do obstinately oppose themselues against good instructions and rather defend their abhominations then discard them those become Heretikes and going forth of Gods House are to be held as our most eager enemies yet they doe the members of the Catholike Church this good that their fall maketh them take better hold vpon God who vseth euill to a good end and worketh all for the good of those that loue him So then the churches enemies whatsoeuer if they haue the power to impose corporall afflictioÌ„ they exercise her patience
thinke this place obscure let him looke for no plainenesse in the Scriptures L. VIVES THy a victory Some read contention but the originall is Victory and so doe Hierom and Ambrose reade it often Saint Paul hath the place out of Osee. chap. â—…3 ver 14. and vseth it 1. Cor. 16. ver 55. b When shall death The Cittie of GOD shall see death vntill the words that were sayd of Christ after his resurrection Oh hell where is thy victory may bee said of all our bodies that is at the resurrection when they shal be like his glorified bodie Saint Peters doctrine of the resurrection of the dead CHAP. 18. NOw let vs heare what Saint Peter sayth of this Iudgement There shall come saith hee in the last daies mockers which will walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers died all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation For this they willingly know not that the heauens were of old and the earth that was of the water and by the water by the word of GOD wherefore the world that then was perished ouer-flowed with the water But the heauens and earth that now are are kept by the same word in store and reserued vnto fire against the day of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men Dearcly beloued bee not ignorant of this that one daie with the LORD is as a thousand years and a thousand yeares as one daie The LORD is not flack concerning his promise as some men count slackenesse but is pacient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would haue all men to come to repentance But the daie of the LORD will come as a thiefe in the night in the which the heauens shall passe awaie with a noyse and the elements shall melt with 〈◊〉 and the earth with the workes that are therein shal be burnt vppe Seeing therefore all these must bee dissolued what manner of persons ought you to bee in holy conuersation and Godlinesse longing for and hasting vnto the comming of the daie of GOD by the which the heauens beeing on fire shal be dissolued and the elements shall melt vvith heate But vve-looke for a nevv heauen and a nevv earth according to his promise vvherein dvvelleth righteousnesse Thus sarre Now here is no mention of the resurrection of the dead but enough concerning the destruction of the world where his mention of the worlds destruction already past giueth vs sufficient warning to beleeue the dissolution to come For the world that was then perished saith hee at that time not onely the earth but that part of the ayre also which the watter a possessed or got aboue and so consequently almost all those ayry regions which hee calleth the heauen or rather in the plurall the heauens but not the spheres wherein the Sunne and the Starres haue their places they were not touched the rest was altered by humidity and so the earth perished and lost the first forme by the deluge But the heauens and earth saith hee that now are are kept by the same word in store and reserued vnto fire against the daie of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men Therefore the same heauen and earth that remained after the deluge are they that are reserued vnto the fire afore-said vnto the daie of iudgement and perdition of the wicked For because of this great change hee sticketh not to say there shal be a destruction of men also whereas indeed their essences shall neuer bee anniâ—…e although they liue in torment Yea but may some say if this old heauen and earth shall at the worlds end bee burned before the new ones be made where shal the Saints be in the time of this conflagration since they haue bodies and therefore must be in some bodily place We may answere in the vpper parts whither the fire as then shall no more ascend then the water did in the deluge For at this daie the Saints bodies shal be mooueable whither their wills doe please nor need they feare the fire beeing now both immortall and incorruptible b for the three children though their bodies were corruptible were notwithstanding preserued from loosing an haire by the fire and might not the Saints bodies be preserued by the same power L. VIVES THe a water possessed For the two vpper regions of the ayre doe come iust so low that they are bounded with a circle drawne round about the earthlie highest mountaines tops Now the water in the deluge beeing fifteene cubites higher then the highest mountaine it both drowned that part of the ayre wherein wee liue as also that part of the middle region wherein the birds do vsually flie both which in Holy writ and in Poetry also are called Heauens b The three Sidrach Misach and Abdenago at Babilon who were cast into a â—…nace for scorning of Nabuchadnezzars golden statue Dan. 3. Saint Pauls words to the Thessalonians Of the manifestations of Antichrist whose times shall immediately fore-runne the day of the Lord. CHAP. 19. I See I must ouer-passe many worthy sayings of the Saints concerning this day least my worke should grow to too great a volume but yet Saint Pauls I may by no meanes omit Thus sayth he Now I beseech you bretheren by the comming of our LORD IESVS CHRIST and by our assembling vnto him that you bee not suddenly mooued from your minde nor troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as if it were from vs as though the day of CHRIST were at hand Let no man deceiue you by any meanes for that day shall not come except there come a a fugitiue first and that that man of sinne bee disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersary and exalteth himselfe against all is called god or that is worshipped so that he sitteth as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Remember yee not that when I was yet with you I told you these things And now yee know what withholdeth that he might be reuealed in his due time For the mistery of iniquity doth already worke onely he which now withholdeth shall let till he be taken out of the way and the wicked man shal be reuealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall abolish with the brightnesse of his comming euen him whose comming is by the working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceiuablenesse of vnrighteousnesse amongst them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued And therefore God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes that all they might bee damned which beleeue not in the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse This is doubtlesse meant of Antichrist and the day of iudgement For this day hee saith shall not come vntill that Antichrist be come before it he that is called here a fugitiue
not the lesser and lower doe so too If Ioue doe not like this whose oracle as Porphyry saith hath condemned the Christians credulity why doth hee not condemne the Hebrewes also for leauing this doctrine especially recorded in their holyest writings But if this Iewish wisdome which he doth so commend affirme that the heauens shall perish how vaine a thing is it to detest the Christian faith for auouching that the world shall perish which if it perish not then cannot the heauens perish Now our owne scriptures with which the Iewes haue nothing to doe our Ghospels and Apostolike writings do all affirme this The fashion of this world goeth away The world passeth away Heauen and earth shall passe away But I thinke that passeth away doth not imply so much as perisheth But in Saint Peters Epistle where hee saith how the world perished being ouer-flowed with water is plainly set downe both what he meant by the world how farre it perished and what was reserued for fire and the perdition of the wicked And by and by after The day of the Lord will come as a thiefe in the night in the which the Heauens shall passe away with a noyse the elements shall melt vvith heate and the earth vvith the rockes that are therein shall bee burnt vp and so concludeth that seeing all these perish what manner persons ought yee to be Now we may vnderstand that those heauens shall perish which he said were reserued for fire and those elements shall melt which are here below in this mole of discordant natures wherein also he saith those heauens are reserued not meaning the vpper spheres that are the seats of the stars for whereas it is written that the starres shall fall from heauen it is a good proofe that the heauens shall remaine vntouched if these words bee not figuratiue but that the starres shall fall indeed or some such wonderous apparitions fill this lower ayre as Virgil speaketh of Stella a facem ducens multa cum luce cucurrit A tailed Starre flew on with glistring light And so hid it selfe in the woods of Ida. But this place of the Psalme seemes to exempt none of all the heauens from perishing The heauens are the workes of thine hands they shall perish thus as hee made all so all shall bee destroyed The Pagans scorne I am sure to call Saint Peter to defend that Hebrew doctrine which their gods doe so approoue by alledging the figuratiue speaking hereof pars pro toto all shall perrish meaning onely all the lower parts as the Apostle saith there that the world perished in the deluge when it was onely the earth and some part of the ayre This shift they will not make least they should eyther yeeld to Saint Peter or allow this position that the fire at the last iudgement may doe as much as wee say the deluge did before their assertion that all man-kinde can neuer perish will allow them neither of these euasions Then they must needes say that when their gods commended the Hebrews wisdom they had not read this Psalme but there is another Psalme as plaine as this Our God shall come and shall not keepe silence a fire shall deuoure before him and a mightie tempest shall bee mooued round about him Hee shall call the heauen aboue and the earth to iudge his people Gather my Saints together vnto mee those that make a couenant with mee with sacrifice This is spoken of Christ whome wee beleeue shall come from heauen to iudge both the quick and the dead Hee shall come openly to iudge all most iustly who when hee came in secret was iudged himselfe most vniustly Hee shall come and shall not bee silent his voyce now shall confound the iudge before whome hee was silent when hee was lead like a sheepe to the slaughter and as a lambe before the shearer is dumbe as the Prophet saith of him and as it was fulfilled in the Ghospell Of this fire and tempest wee spake before in our discourse of Isaias prophecie touching this point But his calling the heauens aboue that is the Saints this is that which Saint Paul saith Then shall wee bee caught vp also in the clouds to meete the Lord in the â—…yre For if it meant not this how could the Heauens bee called aboue as though they could bee any where but aboue The words following And the earth if you adde not Aboue heere also may bee taken for those that are to bee iudged and the heauens for those that shall iudge with Christ. And then the calling of the heauens aboue implyeth the placing of the Saints in seates of iudgments not their raptures into the ayre Wee may further vnderstand it to bee his calling of the Angels from their high places to discend with him to iudgement and by the earth those that are to bee iudged But if wee doe vnderstand Aboue at both clauses it intimateth the Saints raptures directly putting the heauens for their soules and the earth for their bodyes to iudge or discerne his people that is to seperate the sheepe from the goates the good from the bad Then speaketh he to his Angels Gather my Saints together vnto mee this is done by the Angels ministery And whome gather they Those that make a couenant with mee with sacrifice and this is the duty of all iust men to doe For either they must offer their workes of mercy which is aboue sacrifice as the Lord saith I will haue mercy and not sacrifice or else their workes of mercy is the sacrifice it selfe that appeaseth Gods wrath as I prooued in the ninth booke of this present volume In such workes doe the iust make couenants with God in that they performe them for the promises made them in the New Testament So then Christ hauing gotten his righteous on his right hand will giue them this well-come Come yee blessed of my Father inherite yee the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world for I was an hungred and you gaue me to eate and so forth of the good workes and their eternall rewards which shall be returned for them in the last iudgment L. VIVES SStella a facem ducens Virg. Aeneid 2. Anchises beeing vnwilling to leaue Troy and Aeneas being desperate and resoluing to dye Iupiter sent them a token for their flight namely this tailed starre all of which nature saith Aristotle are produced by vapours enflamed in the ayres mid region If their formes be only lineall they call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is lampes or torches Such an one saith Plynie glided amongst the people at noone day when Germanicus Caesar presented his Sword-players prize others of them are called Bolidae and such an one was seene at Mutina The first sort of these flye burning onely at one end the latter burneth all ouer Thus Pliny lib. 2. Malachies Prophecy of the iudgement and of such as are to be purged by fire CHAP. 25. THe Prophet a Malachiel or Malachi
talents and yet made him to lie for it afterwards because he would not forgiue his fellow a debt but of an hundred pence Wherefore in the vessells of mercy and the sonnes of promise the same Apostles words are truely effected mercy reioyceth against or aboue iudgement for those that liued so holily that they receiued others into the euerlasting habitations who had made them their friends with the riches of iniquity they themselues were diliuered by his mercy who iustifieth the sinner by rewarding him according to grace not according to merit He that professed this I was receiued to mercy that I might bee one of the faithfull was one of this iustified number Indeed such as are receiued by this number into the euerlasting habitations are not of that merit that they could bee saued without the intercession of the Church triumphant and therefore in them doth mercy more euidently eleuate it selfe aboue iudgement Yet may wee not thinke that euery wicked man being without reformation can bee admitted thether though hee haue beene beneficiall to the Saints and afforded them helpes from his riches which whether hee had gotten by sinister meanes or otherwise yet are no true riches but only in the thoughts of iniquity vnto him because he knoweth not the true ritches wherewith they abound that helpe such as he is into those eternall mansions Wherefore there must bee a certaine meane in the liues of such mercy that it bee neither so bad that the almes deeds done vnto those who being made friends to the doers may helpe them to Heauen be altogether fruitlesse nor yet so good that their owne sanctity without the mercies and suffrages of those whom they haue made there friends can possesse them of so hie a beatitude Now I haue often wondred that Virgill should haue vp this sentence of Christ Make you friends of the ritches of iniquity that they may receiue you into the euerlasting habitations Where vnto this is much like He that receiueth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall haue a Prophets reward c. for this Poet in describing of the c Elysian fields which they held the blessed soules to inhabite doth not onely place those there whose proper merits haue deserued it but also addeth this Quiâ—… sui memores alios fecêre merendo that is such as respecting their owne future estate deserued to be remembred by those others Iust as if hee had said as euery humble Christian saith commonly in commending him-selfe to some holy man or other Remember me and endeuoureth to procure this remembrance by desert But what the meane is here and what those sinnes are which hinder a man from heauen and yet are remitted by the intercession of his holy friends it is both difficult to finde and dangerous to determine I haue sought thus long my selfe and yet could neuer finde them out Perhaps they are concealed to stirre vs the rather to auoyde all sinne For if we knew for what sinnes we might expect the intercession of Saints our naturall idlenesse would drawe vs on securely in them and make vs relie so wholy vpon the helpe of others that wee should neuer seeke to auoyde them by reforming our selues but trust onely to those our friends whom wee had procured by the vnrighteous Mammon whereas now although our veniall sinne continue with vs and in what measure we know not yet our study to profit by prayer is both more feruent and our desire to win vs friends of the Saints better performed But both these deliueries both by our selues and others tend wholy to keepe vs out of the fire eternall not to free vs after we once bee in it For such as interpret that place of scripture Some fell in good ground and brought forth fruite some thirty-fold some sixty some an hundred by the Saints according to the diuersity of their merite that some should deliuer thirty men some sixty some a hundred neuer-the-lesse doe suppose that this deliuery shall bee at the iudgment and not after it By which opinion one obseruing what occasion diuerse tooke to liue in all loosenesse and exorbitance supposing that by this meanes all men might be saued is said to giue this witty answer Wee ought for this cause rather to liue vprightly to increase the number of the intercessors least otherwise there should be so few that euery one might saue his thirty his sixty or his hundred and yet an infinite company might remaine vnsaued of which why might not he be one that nousled him-selfe in his rash hope of helpe from another And thus much against those who not contemning the authority of our Scriptures doe not-with-standing wrest them to euill meanings following their owne fantasies and not the holy ghosts true intention But since we haue giuen them their answer we must now as we promised giue an end to this present volume L. VIVES HIs a ten pence Behold here Saint Augustine reckneth ten pence a day for a small almes but how many haue we now that giue so much how many potentates see you giue foure pence a day to the poore nay they thinke much with a peny or two pence But after the Dice let Ducates goe by thousands their fooles and iesters shall haue showers of their beneficence powred vpon them 't is a great mans part an embleame of Noblesse but aske them a peny for Christs sake and they are either as mute as stones or grieue at the sight of the guift they part from Respect of vertue now is low laid b They purchase So you shall haue diuerse take vp freely they care not where nor of whom nor in what fashion and then breake turne counterfeite banquerupts and satisfie their creditours with ten at the hundred and thinke they haue made a good hand of it and shall redeeme all with a little almes O fooles that thinke that God is taken with pence no it is the minde that hee respecteth such as is resident onely in honest brests Theeues and villaines haue now and then money good store and disperse it bountifully But let no man trust in his wealth or to purchase heauen with a peece of siluer c The Elysiâ—… fields Seruius deriues the name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a dissolution of the soule from the body Where these fields are it is vncertaine Plato placeth them in the firmament full of all delights that can bee imagined Others place them in the hollow spheare of the Moone Seru. where the ayre is pure and vndisturbed Of this opinion Lucane seemeth to bee Phars 9. Pythagoras also and Plato were of opinion that this part of the ayre was inhabited with Daemones Demi-gods and Heroes Heare what Lucane saith of the spirit of Pompey Sequitur conuexa tonantis Quà niger astriferis connectitur axibus aër Quodque patet terras as inter lunaeque meatus Semidei manes habitant quos ignea virtus Innocuos vita patientes aetheris imi Fecit aternos animam collegit in
would break the law that he bound him to and forsake his Maker yet did hee not take away his freedome of election fore-seeing the good vse that hee would make of this euill by restoring man to his grace by meanes of a man borne of the condemned seed of man-kinde and by gathering so many vnto this grace as should supply the places of the falne Angels and so preserue and perhaps augment the number of the heauenly Inhabitants For euill men do much against the will of God but yet his wisedome fore-sees that all such actions as seeme to oppose his will do tend to such ends as hee fore-knew to be good and iust And therefore wheras God is said To change his will that is to turne his meeknesse into anger against some persons the change in this câ—…se is in the persons and not in him and they finde him changed in their sufferances as a sore eye findeth the sun sharp and being cured findes it comfortable wheras this change was in the eie and not in the sun which keeps his office as he did at first For Gods operation in the hearts of the obedient is said to be his will where-vppon the Apostle faith It is God that worketh in you both will and deed For euen as that righteousnesse wherein both God him-selfe is righteous and whereby also a man that is iustified of God is such is termed the righteousnes of God So also is that law which hee giueth vnto man called his law whereas it is rather pertinent vnto man then vnto him For those were men vnto whom Christ said It is written also in your law though we read else-where The law of his God is in his heart and according vnto his wil which God worketh in man him-selfe is said to wil it because he worketh it in others who do will it as he is said to know that which hee maketh the ignorant to know For whereas S. Peter saith We now knowing God yea rather being knowne of God we may not hereby gather that God came but as then to the knowledg of those who hee had predestinate before the foundations of the world but God as then is said to know that which he made knowne to others Of this phraze of speach I haue spoken I remember heretofore And according vnto this Will wherby we say that God willeth that which he maketh others to will who know not what is to come hee willeth many things and yet effecteth them not The promise of the Saints eternall blisse and the wickeds perpetuall torment CHAP. 2. FOr the Saints doe will many things that are inspired with his holy will and yet are not done by him as when they pray for any one it is not hee that causeth this their praier though he do produce this will of praier in them by his holy spirit And therfore when the Saints do will and pray according to God wee may well say that God willeth it and yet worketh it not as we say hee willeth that him-self which he maketh others to wil. But according to his eternall wil ioined with his fore-knowledge therby did he create al that he pleased in heauen and in earth and hath wrought al things already as well future as past or present But when as the time of manifestation of any thing which God fore-knoweth to come is not yet come we say It shal be when God wil if both the time be vncertaine and the thing it selfe then we say It shall be if God will not that God shall haue any other will as than then hee had before but because that shall bee then effected which his eternall vnchanging will had from al eternity ordained The promise of the Saints eternall blisse and the wickeds perpetual torment CHAP. 3. VVHerefore to omit many wordes As we see his promise to Abraham In thy seed shall all nations be blessed fulfilled in Christ so shall that be fulfilled hereafter which was promised to the said seed by the Prophet The dead shal liue euen with their bodies shall they rise And whereas he saith I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde But be you glad and reioice in the things I shal create For behold I will create Hierusalem as a reioycing and her people as a ioy c. And by another Prophet At that time shall thy people be deliuered euery one that shall bee found written in the booke of life and many that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euer lasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt And againe they shall take the kingdome of the Saintes of the most High and possesse it for euer euen for euer and euer And by and by after His Kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome c. Together with all such places as I eyther put into the twentith booke or left vntouched All these things shall come to passe and those haue already which the infidels would neuer beleeue For the same GOD promised them both euen hee whome the pagan goddes do tremble before as Porphyry a worthy Phylosopher of theirs confesseth Against the wise men of the world that hold it impossible for mans bodie to be transported vp to the dwellings of ioy iâ—… heauen CHAP. 4. BVt the learned of the world thinke that they oppose this all-conuerting power very strongly as touching the resurrection when they vse that place of Cicero in his third booke de repub Who hauing affirmed that Romulus and Hercules were both deified yet were a not their bodies saith hee translated into heauen for nature will alow an earthly body no place but in the earth This is the wise mans argument which GOD knowes how vaine it is for admit that wee were all meere spirits without bodies dwelling in heauen and beeing ignorant of all earthly creatures and it should be told vs that one day we should be bound in corporal bodies might we not then vse this obiection to more power and refuse to beleeue that nature would euer suffer an â—…ncorporeall substance to bee bound or circumscribed by a corporeall one Yet is the earth full of vegetable soules strangely combined with earthly bodies Why then cannot God that made this creature transport an earthly body into heauen as well as he can bring a soule a purer essence then any celestiall body downe from heauen and inclose it in a forme of earth Can this little peece of earth include so excellent a nature in it and liue by it and cannot heauen entertaine it nor keepe it in it seeing that it liueth by an essence more excellent then heauen it selfe is Indeed this shall not come to passe as yet because it is not his pleasure who made this that we daily see and so respect not in a far more admirable manner then that shall be which those wise men beleeue not for why is it not more strange that a most pure