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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71096	The verity of Christian faith written by Hierome Savanorola [sic] of Ferrara.; Triumphus crucis Liber 2. English	Savonarola, Girolamo, 1452-1498.	1651 (1651)	Wing S781; ESTC R6206	184,563	686

he was with all men in what glory in what credit grace Who more zealous in religion repaired not to him from the furthest parts of the world What Christian did not almost worship him as a Prophet What Philosopher did not honour him as a master how greatly he was reverenced not only of private men but also of the Empire it self histories doe speak which report that he was sent for of Alexander the Emperours mother to wit for the merit of his heavenly wisdome with the grace and love whereof he was inflamed His epistles also testifie the same thing which with the authoritie of a Christian master he wrote unto Philip the Emperour the first Christian amongst all the Romane Princes And if any man upon our report admiteth not the testimonie of a Christian touching his wonderfull knowledge and learning at least let him receive 〈◊〉 confession of an heathen Philopher For that impious Porphyrie ●h that himself being but yet as were a boy moved with his fame ●vailed unto Alexandria where 〈◊〉 did see him being then old but 〈◊〉 such a one and so learned as he ●t had attained to the perfection 〈◊〉 all knowledge Time would soon●● fail me then I could touch though ●efly those notable gifts which ●●re in that man all which not●●thstanding pertained not onely to 〈◊〉 glory of Religion but also to 〈◊〉 greatnesse of the temptation For ●ho is he that would willingly ●●ve forsaken a man of such wit 〈◊〉 so deep learning of so rare grace ●nd would not sooner have used ●●at saying that he had rather erre ●ith Origen then believe aright ●●th others And what should I ●●y more the matter came to that 〈◊〉 that as the end shewed not an usuall and common but a pass●● dangerous tentation of so worthy man so famous a Doctour so no●ble a Prophet earried very man● from the true and sound faith of th●● Church For this Origen so ra●● and singular a man abusing 〈◊〉 grace of God too insolently flatt●●ing himself too much in his ow● wit believing himself more th● reason would little esteeming 〈◊〉 old simplicity of Christian rel●gion presuming to be wiser then a●other contemning the traditions 〈◊〉 the Church and the old Fathe● documents waded so far in expounding certain chapters of the Scriptu●● after a new fashion that he dese●ed that the Church of God shou●● also say of him If there arise up the middest of thee a Prophet a●● a little after thou shalt not h●● quoth he the words of that Pr●phet and again because quoth h● your Lord God doth tempt you whether you love him or no. And surely it is not only a tentation but also a great tentation when a man seduceth secretly and by little and little the Church depending upon him admiring his wit knowledge eloquence conversation and grace nothing suspecting him nothing fearing him suddenly from the old religion to a prophane and new doctrine But some will say that Origens books be corrupted I will not gaine-say it but rather wish it were so for that hath both been said written by some not only Catholicks but also Hereticks But this is now the point we are to consider that although not he yet the books passing abroad under his name are a great tentation which stuffed with many horrible blasphemies are read and used loved and liked not as the books of others but as his works so that although Origen gave no cause of erroneous doctrine yet his authoritie hath been the occasion why the errour hath been liked and followed The case also of Tertullian is the very same with the former for as Origen is to be thought the best amongst the Greek Doctours so Tertullian without controversie is the chief of all the latin For who was more learned then hee Who in Divinitie or Humanitie more practised for by his great and wonderfull capacitie of wit he attained to and understood all Philosophie all the sects of Philosophers all their authours and patrons all their learning all sorts of histories and studies And for his wit was he not so excellent so grave so sharpe that he almost undertook the overthrow of nothing which either by quicknes of wit or weight of reason he crushed not in peeces Now who is able to set down the commendation and praise which his stile and phrase of speech deserved which was so fraught I know not how with that force of reason that such as could not be perswaded were compelled whose almost so many words were so many sentences so many sences so many victories This is well known to Marcion and Appelles well known to Praxeas and Hermogenes the Jews understand this the Gentiles have tryed it the Gnosticks have proved it and divers others have felt it whose blasphemous opinions he hath overthrown with his many and great volumes as it had been with thunder lightning And yet this man after all this this Tertullian I say not holding the catholick religion that is the universal old faith being far more eloquent then faithful changing afterward his mind did at last that which the blessed Confessour Hilarie in a certaine place writeth of him He discredited quoth he with his later errour his probable writings and therefore he was also a great tentation in the Church But hereof I will say no more onely this I add that by his defending against the precept of Moses for true prophesies the new madnesse of Montanus springing up in the Church and those mad dreams of new doctrine of that frantick woman he deserved that we should also say of him and his writings If a Prophet shall rise up in the midst of thee and straight after thou shalt not heare the words of that Prophet Why so Because quoth he your Lord God doth tempt you whether you love him or no. We ought therefore evidently to note by these so many so great and divers others such weighty examples and by the law of Deuteronomie most clearly to understand that if at any time any ecclesiasticall teacher shayeth from the faith that gods providence doth suffer that for our triall whether we love him or no in our whol heart in our whol soul CHAP. XI WHich being so he is a true and perfect sincere Catholick that loveth Gods truth that loveth his body the Church that preferreth nothing before the religion of God nothing before the Catholick faith not any mans authority not love not will not eloquence not philosophie but contemning all these things setled in faith stable and permanent whatsoever he knoweth the Catholick Church universally in old time to have holden that he purposeth with himself onely to hold and beleeve and therefore whatsoever new doctrine and not before heard of such a one perceives to be brought in of some one man beside or contrary to the old Saints and Doctors let him know that doctrine doth not pertaine to religion but rather to tentation for his proofe and tryall especially being instructed with the saying

to do perversly learn to do well Come disprove me if you can or if you cannot Confesse that the things which we preach unto you are True The XV. Conclusion THat Christians in the Contemplation of Christ crucified also do find inestimable delectations We come to the knowledge of Invisible things in this life by the means of things visible because as philosophy teacheth our understanding naturally follows the phantasie that is apprehends nothing but what is prepared as it were and offered to her from thence Now there is no visible object in the world which can more effectually lead us unto the knowledge and contemplation of divine things then the Consideration of Christ crucified proceeding from a lively Faith Because indeed nothing can more effectually declare the goodnesse and inestimable charity of God towards man For seeing that to be loved is a thing of it self very agreeable to nature to be beloved in this manner of God that is unto so high a pitch that he should vouchsafe to be crucified himself for us who can think but that it is a pleasure of all pleasures to conceive Now such a love of God towards us doth the consideration of Christ crucified present unto our minds and therefore of necessity must cause in them ineffable delectations Besides hope of Good is a thing which naturally causeth delight as making in some sort the good we hope for present to us and the greater and more certain the good is which we hope so much the greater and more perfect delight is caused But there can be no greater good imagined then that which Christians hope for by the Passion nor more certain for as much as they are assured thereof by God himself who for that intent namely that he might make it sure to them was Crucified Therefore from such hope so great so sure Christians cannot but receive singular Consolation Thirdly Admiration is naturally accompanied with delight for as much as he which wonders at any thing is commonly possessed also with some great desire and hope to know what the matter is at which he finds himself to wonder Now what more admirable yea astonishing then that God Almighty should be made man and dye upon a Gibbet to save men Seeing therefore that Christians in the Contemplation of Christs Passion do consider this and also conceive most firm hope to attain one day unto an absolute assurance and sight of so rare a mystery how can they be otherwise affected then with excesse of delight Fourthly seeing God Almighty is so infinitely perfect and great it was not possible that by any one creature he could be competently expressed but it seemed necessary to his Divine wisdome to create an Universe of Creatures that is this whole world in the latitude and variety whereof the Spirit of man might have scope enough and find infinite examples wherein to contemplate even unto ravishment the singularities of his perfection And seeing in like manner that the goodnesse of the same God our blessed Saviour doth as infinitely surpasse all humane understanding not one onely or some few but a million a numberlesse multitude of divine gracious and stupendious works were requisite by him also to be done but to expresse it in some part in the meditation of which our souls are fed yea glutted as it were with admiration and content Amongst which none bearing more lively or legible Characters of his Love then that of his Passion it follows that in his Passion and the Contemplation thereof greatest content must be found as experience also proveth in an infinite number of Christians who by their actions have more then sufficiently shewen the sense they have had of the Crosse of our Saviour It were an endlesse labour to go about to expresse them the infinite variety the multitude and excesse of those joyes which the servants of God have tasted from time to time and do daily taste in this kind The lives yea the deaths of those antient Christians do abundantly testifie how great they were who in infinite multitudes of both sexes and of all Conditions men and women for the name and for the love of this crucified Jesus not onely patiently endured all sorts of persecutions and affliction but even exulted and leapt for joy in the midst of their tortures dying rather through the extremity of their delights then pain The number of Monks and other solitary persons is infinite who in all times for the love of Jesus have withdrawn themselves from the world and made choice to live in wildernesses and caves of the earth poor naked destitute of all things save the comforts of divine Love onely to attend unto this Contemplation Lastly the learnedest Doctours and wisest men of the world how often have they abandoned not onely the pleasures and vanities of the world which were scarce worthy of them but even their most pleasing and most commendable Studies yea their own selves also for the love and Contemplation of this Jesus The XVI Conclusion THat the holy Scriptures do exceedingly elevate the mind of good Christians unto these Contemplations First because All Scripture generally doth relate unto Christ crucified according to that of the Apostle The end or scope of the law is Christ And for as much as writing in its own nature is but the sign of words spoken as speech is of conceptions or thoughts because our thoughts do alwayes proceed from some interiour light or Illustration of the mind by how much that light is greater and more excellent so much the greater also and more perfect must the Conceptions be and the speech consequently more powerfull and the writing wherein that speech is represented more admirable and profound Now light supernaturall is alwayes greater and more perfect then naturall And seeing also that there be severall degrees in that light it cannot be doubted but the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists had the greatest measures thereof as being the men whom Almighty God was pleased so singularly to Illuminate as that neither in writing nor preaching they could so mistake as to deliver falsehood for truth Therfore also were their meditations their speech and all expressions of themselves alwayes profound powerfull and serious He therefore that presumeth to understand their writings without supernaturall Illustration is as wise as he that would have a bird to fly without wings of which sort yet there are some in the world viz. certain Philosophers Rhetoricians Grammarians Poets of this age who not knowing or not considering the profundity of sacred Scriptures do venture upon them with the same temerity as they do upon Tully Hortensius or some other of their windy Authours and perhaps not finding in them those flashes of elegance or subtilty to which themselves are accustomed presently they fall to slight and think meanly of them imagining weak men nothing to be so sublime as Plato's Philosophy no eloquence comparable to some piece of Cicero But he which dwelleth in heaven shall one day laugh these