aswell as the other but is not the subiect of my Treatise There are other sortes of men or rather beastes I meane such beasts as S. Paul stroue with at Ephesus in the shape of men farre more abhominable then the other two of which so ofteÌ„ I spake I may iustly say with Eliphas Feare coÌ„meth vpon me dreade which maketh all my bones to tremble and a winde passeth before me which causeth the hayres of my head to stand vp and that I may vse the wordes of the Lord to Samuel such a wickednes as shall not be purged by sacrifice nor offering for euer Such a slaunder to States Kingdomes so offensiue to all chast religious eares that whosoeuer shall heare of it his eares shall tingle These beastes holde there is no God and they are of foure sortes The first saith in broade tearmes without blushing Non est Deus there is no God of that brood were not onely the olde Philosophers Diagoras Lucretius Epicurus and others but also since the Gospell was published to the worlde many of them haue been known of whome Theodoret an ancient Father hath written as also Prateolus and other writers of later times and especially Lilius Grigorius Giraldus Ferrariensis maketh mention of a whole Iland lately inhabited by such as deny God And I wish all Atheists were banished out of Christian States and Kingdomes and sent into that Iland that other places might not be infected by them The second doth scoffe at God and deride him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his name and make open profession of contempt against him and all Religion Such an Atheist was Holophernes which said vnto Achior Because thou hast prophefied amongst vs to day hast saide that the people of Israel is able to sight because their God will defend them and who is God but Nabuchodonozor he will send his power and destroye the face of the earth and their God shall not deliuer them Such an Atheist was Pharao which said Who is the Lord that I should heare his voyce and let the people goe I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel goe And Senacherib who said by the mouth of Rabshakah Let not Ezekias deceiue you for he shall not be able to deliuer you out of my hand neither let Ezechias make you to trust in the Lord saying The Lord will surely deliuer vs this Land shall not be giuen euer into the hand of the King of Ashur Ezechias doth deceiue you saying The Lord will deliuer vs. Who are they among all the Gods of the nations that haue deliuered their Land out of my hand that the Lord should deliuer Ierusalem out of my hand Such Atheists were Lucian which in his writings that he might be thought to confesse no God mocked all Gods Iulian the Apostata which scoffed at religion Olimpius the Arrian which as he was washing himselfe in his Bath spake blasphemy against the Trinitye Doletus which called Moses Helias and Christ the three deceiuers of the worlde And such Atheists are the swaggerers of our age which are not ashamed to call them selues The damned crue Of the saluation of such there is no hope whose God is their bellye whose glory is their shame and whose end is damnation as the Apostle speaketh Their damnation sleepeth not nay they are condemned alreadye because they speake blasphemye against the Holy Ghost Of such as offend God vpon weakenes there may be some hope that they will come to repentance because their sinne is against the Father which is strength Concerning them which offend him vpon ignorance there is also hope of their conuersion because they sinne against God the Sonne which is wisedome But as for these they mocke God in 〈◊〉 of him they sinne vpon malice therefore their blasâ—â—â—â—â—… against the Holy Ghost which is loue and charitye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no hope of their conuersion because our Sauiour hath already pronounced sentence of damnatioÌ„ against them saying Their sinne shall neuer be for giuen neither in this life nor in the life to come The third professe the religion which is professed in the place where they dwell so farre as lawes may not take holde of them but otherwise are of all religions which may bring them profit and are of no religion farther then to serue their turne For example whereof I cannot instance in any man better then in William Rusus King of England which professed him selfe to be a Christian for feare of the Pope the Ecclesiasticall censure because else he could not haue held his Kingdome Of him it is written that the Iewes being many in England one of them was conuerted to be a Christian and the olde Iewe his Father taking the matter greiuously desired the King to interpose his authoritye and to commaund him to renounce his Christian faith againe The King vpon consideration of 80. Markes of siluer before hand payed vnto him vndertooke the conuersion of the young man to the Iewish religion againe Whereupon the partie was conuâ—nted before the King hee gaue him charge to renounce Christ but he answered Sir you professe Christ yourselfe how then can you perswade me to be a Iewe If you be a Christian in deed you will not perswade me to renounce Christ but if your selfe professing Christ will commaund me to denye Christ you are not of any religion but an Atheist and if you be so it is fit the Popes holynes should vnderstand so much The King fearing the Popes displeasure dismissed the man but saide in great furye Get thee out of my presence else by S. Lukes face I will scratch out thine eyes The olde Iewe his Father expostulated with the King because the bargaine was not performed and required restitution of his money But the King answered holde ye contented Sir heere is halfe I will haue the other halfe for my endeauour I did the best I could Of such Atheists we haue many The fourth sorte are they which insinuate them-selues into Noble-mens houses and Princes Courts taking vpon them to be the great Polititians of the worlde and account all men fooles besides themselues They also make open profession of religion but for aduantage I meane them which haue turne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Machiauel Their Diuinitie is policye their zeale is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their God is the deuill These English Italiana and 〈◊〉 incarnat doe holde these damnable opinions That there was no creation of the world that there shall be no day of iudgement no resurrection no immortallitye of the soule no hell they dispute against the Bible reckon vp Genealogyes more auncient then Adam alleadge arguments to proue that the story of Noah his Arke and the Deluge were fables Finally they holde that the Scriptures were deuised by men onely for policye sake to maintaine peace in states and Kingdomes to keep subiects in obedience to lawes and loyaltie to Magistrates by thus terrifying them from enormities when their consciences
are possessed with an opinion of hell fire and alluring them to subiection by hope of eternall life that so Princes may enioy outward peace temporall prosperitie Examples of this last sorte we haue Leo the tenth of that name Bishop of Rome who when he had heard Bembus alleadge places out of the Scriptures concerning Christ said vnto him Quid mihi narras illam de Christo fabulam why dost thou tell me that fable of Christ Againe in ostentation of his riches said Vide quantum mihi profuit illa de Christo fabula See what treasure I haue scraped together by publishing to the people that same fable concerning Christ An example also is Machiauel which holdeth these principles grounds of policy Princeps qui sapientia est praeditus debet ea promissa vitare quae suis commodis contraria fore videt I am vero hominibus nunquam defuturae sunt causae quibus in violatam fidem colorem inducant A wise Prince must not regard his promise if he finde it not for his profit neither shall he at any time be destitute of such shiftes and euasions whereby he may iustify and make good the breach and falsifying of his oath Qui sagatior fuerit vt vulpinum ingenium melius exprimeret ei faelicius omnia ceciderant That he must learne to play the Fox which will haue his designes and proiects to take effect He proposeth vnto Princes the example of Pope Alexander the sixt to immitate of whome he saith Is nihil quam mortalium impostorem egit nihil quam ad omnē malitiam fraudem quo hominum genus falleret mentem suam exercuit In asseuerando autem quis magis fuerit efficax aut qui speciotius iurauit iusiurandum vicissimque qui minus praestiterit nemo vnquam fuit Nihilo secius doli nunquam ei non commode ceciderunt That is he plotted nothing more then how he might be the cosoner and deceiuer of men he set his minde vpon nothing but malice and fraude whereby men might be by him supplanted ouertaken no man promised more largely nor swore more deeply then he and no man performed lesse then he and yet not-withstanding his falshood knauery he neuer fayled of his purpose Proinde non est quod Princeps omnes eas superius descriptas virtutes ostentet sunt enim aduersus tales dissimulandae saepe numero callidèque tegendae And yet for al that falshood preuaileth better thē plaine dealing yet a Prince must not make a shewe of a large conscience but he must dissemble carry him selfe cunningly before the eyes of the worlde Quocirca ad omnem fortunae ventorum conuersionem versatile ingenium Princeps habeat necesse est ab eo quod bonum est ne discedat at si necessitas vrgeat edoctus sit et malum auertere Wherefore a Prince must frame him selfe for all times seasons as occasions may serue let him imbrace truth and doe iustice vnlesse he see cause to the contrary but if he doe let him be so wise that he do not disaduantage him selfe Princeps acram curam diligentiam adhibeat vt pietatom fidem integritatem humanitatem religionem sanctè colere videatur atqui nihil magis est quod prae se ferat quam illam virtutem fere enim homines magis specie colore rerum quam rebus ipsis permouentur iudicant Nemo non videt quid prae te feras at paucissimi sunt qui quid sis sensu percipiant Vitam princeps tueatur curetque imperium conseruare quibus autem idsiat rationibus ex modo honesti spaciem prae se ferant nunquam non honore dignae laudibusque existimabuntur Let a Prince especially take heed to him selfe that he seeme godly true honest curteous and aboue all religious because men for the most parte are caryed away with the outward shewe of religion and doe iudge all things according to outward appearance Euery man can take notice of that which you seeme to be but fewe men can sound the bottome of your heart and diue into your secret thoughts so farre as to discouer what in deed you are to conceiue what your intent meaning is Let a Prince looke especially to the defence of his owne life and state it maketh no matter by what meanes he doe it be they lawfull or vnlawefull so as they haue an outward shewe and colour of honestye Chapter 2. Of the causes of Atheisme THat I may speak somwhat of the causes of Atheisme They are many Some men are become Atheists by building vpō a false ground by misconstruing and wresting that place of Tully to their owne perdition Sunt qui negant Deos habere procurationem rerum humanarum quorum sententia falsa est quia sic omnis religio inanis esset religione autem sublata tolleretur hominū sides magna sequeretur vitae perturbatio confusio There are saith Tully some men which deny that there is a God which taketh vpon him the care of humane affaires whose opinion is euicted to be false for as much as if it were so all religion were in vayne and were it not for religion there would be no fidelitie or honestie among men nothing but disorder confusion through the whole worlde I cannot deny but religion doth maintaine ciuill gouernment and kingdomes are best gouerned where men haue the greatest feeling of religion because the feare of God hauing taken a deepe roote in mens hearts by the often preaching of the worde doth binde subiects to their Princes farre more fast then humane lawes the feare of the Princes displeasure And I must needs confesse that the King and the whole state of England are to ascribe this long peace which we haue had and yet doe inioy as also this great increase of wealth and loyaltye of the subiectes more to the diligent preaching of the Ministers then to the sincere gouernmēt of the Magistrates to Diuines then to Polititians how little soeuer now Diuines be regarded and how highly soeuer Polititians be esteemed Subiects are now more obedient to Lawes and loyall to Princes then in times past they haue bene because the Gospell is more preached among them then it was in former ages So then it is not for feare but for conscience sake not because they feare him that can kill the bodie but because they feare him that is able to destroy both bodie and soule in hell fire And yet the Prouerb in many hath bene fulfilled Filia deuorauit matrem that the daughter hath deuoured her owne mother For religion is the mother of peace and peace is the daughter of religion because the preaching of Christian religion hath brought peace into the worlde All godly Diuines preach the doctrine of St. Paul Si fieri potest quantum in vobis est cum omnibus pacem habetote if it be possible and as much as lyeth in you haue peace with all men But
especiall thinges which may best serue for this purpose The Scriptures foretolde long before the time that the world should be conuerted to Christian Religion all Nations should beleeue and submit themselues to the obedience of the Faith a thing in mans iudgement not to bee expected For the Prophet saide concerning the Kingdome of Christ I meane his Kingdome of the Gospell or of Grace The Heathens raged the people murmured against the Lord and his Christ but in vaine the Kinges of the earth stood vp banded them selues and the Princes assembled themselues togeather But he that sitteth in heauen shall laugh them to scorne the Lord shall haue them in derision Euen I haue set my King vpon Sion mine holie mountaine I will declare the decree that is the Lorde hath saide to me thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee aske of me and I shall giue thue the Heathen for thine inheritance and the endes of the earth for thy possession There could not be a more vnlikely thing foretolde and yet it was fulfilled long since no Atheist can denie it Tertullian to this purpose saith who was able to gouerne the world but onely Christ of whome it was foretolde that his Kingdome should be extended ouer the whole world The Kingdome of Salomon saith her was confined within the Land of Iudaea from Dan to Beersheba and his territories did reach no farther Darius raigned ouer the Pabylonians and Persians but no farther Pharao ouer the Aegiptians and there his dominion ceased Nabuchodonozer was a great Monarche yet he reigned not ouer the whole worlde but onely from India vnto Aethiopia the like may bee saide of the Greekes the Romās which were called the Lords of the world and yet the whole world was not knowne vnto them much lesse subdued by them But as for the Kingdome of Christ it hath extended it selfe farre and wide the Gospell hath bin preached in al places and receaued of all Nations of the Parthians Medes Elamites the inhabitantes of Mesopotamia Armenia Phnygia Cappadocia Aegipt Pamphilla Asia Africa and the vttermost Indies Of this assertion there bee so many recordes that it cannot bee denyed As for some few things which are foretolde in the Scriptures not yet fulfilled as namely the conuersion of the Iewes and the destruction of Antichrist the time is not yet come to passe that they should be fulfilled for all thinges must be performed in that due time which God in his secret wisdome hath appointed There are other thinges also foretolde which must goe immediately before the ende of the world which are not yet performed because as you see the ende is not yet But it is a sufficient argument to induce Infidelles to beleeue that all these thinges shall come to passe because they see all other things alreadie performed in their time and order For as hee that sometimes lyeth shall not bee beleeued though hee tell the truth so hee which alwaies hath tolde the truth cannot without impietie bee suspected of fallhood God cannot deceaue or bee deceaued And which is not to bee omitted St. Peter did prophecie that at the latter end there should bee such Atheistes which should denie these thinges and the Prophecie is now verified otherwise this my labour might haue bene spared their impiety maketh it good which the Prophet hath foretolde Againe there is in Daniel an auncient Prophecie concerning the death of our Sauiour Christ euen the verie time and computation of yeares is defined when hee should be put to death Seauenty weekes saith hee are determined vpon thy people and vpon the holy Cittie to finish the wickednesse and seale vp the sinnes and reconcile the iniquitie and bring in euerlasting righteousnesse to annoynt the moste holy From the going foorth of the commaundement to bring againe the people and build Ierusalem to Messias the Prince shall bee 69. weekes and after he shall bee slaine but so that for one weeke hee shall teach but in the middle of the weeke hee shall cause the Sacrifice and oblation to cease But these weekes are annuae hebdomadae euery weeke is seauen yeares and so reckoning weekes consisting of yeares not onely of daies as for euery day in the weeke should be reckoned a yeare 70. of Daniels weekes make 490. yeares But the Temple which was the first and cheifest thing reaedified in Ierusalem began in the second yeare of Cyrus the builders were hindred 42. yeares as it appeareth out of the Gospell and in the 46. yeare it was finished because the laste 4. yeares they had quietnes Longimanus in the second yeare of his raigne giuing foorth a newe edict that they should builde without molestation and no man vnder payne of death should hinder the workemen as in times past they had done From the second year therfore of Longimanus the Emperour to Alexander the great were 145. yeares from Alexander to the natiuitye of our Sauiour 310. from his birth to his baptisme 30. these being put together make yeares 485. so the 69. weekes make 482. yeares but at his baptisme the whole 482. yeares that is 69 were fullye complete and ended In the next weeke or 7. yeares our Sauiour taught the people and in the middle thereof that is in the fourth yeare he was put to death What Iewe or Atheist can except against the truth of this Prophecye A second proofe that the bookes of the Bible are the worde of God is the generall consent and agreement of so many writers which writ at diuers times in diuers places remote one from an other in diuers languages and vpon diuers occasions all writing of one and the selfe-same subiect all agreeing in Doctrine none contradicting other that they might not so fitlie bee termed diuers writers as diuers pennes of the same writer The bookes of Moses were written in the wildernesse of Iosua Iudges and the Kinges in the land of Promise of Daniell in Babylon the workes of St. Paule some at Rome some in other places as Athens Ephesus Laodicea Nicapolis St. Iohns reuelation in Pathmos the Booke of Iob no man knoweth by whome when nor where The Bookes of Moses about 2554. yeares after the creation of the worlde the Psalmes some of them 605. yeares after Moses the bookes of Ezra after the returne from Captiuitie about 605. yeares after Dauid by whome manie of the Psalmes were made Betweene Dauid and the Captiuitie Esay and Osee vnder King Ioathan Achaz and Ezechiaz Ieremie vnder Iosias Ioachim Zedechias Ezechiel Abacuc Daniel in Captiuitie and the whole new Testament long after the olde yet all agree as the diuers thunders which haue one voyce foure Beastes which sing one song Vox tamen vna manet qualem decet esse sororum Damascen compareth them to a Garden bedecked with varyetie of hearbes of excellent vertue which are to be gathered one by one and yet to make one Garland or diuers precious stones in one brest-plate