mens names as foretelling their fortunes and whether should preuaile either against other and the like the meanes in these cases whereby the doubt or controuersie is determined being not meerely casuall and the decision of the doubt thereby therefore vnproperly so termed § 5. Where let me adde yet one thing further that it is not only necessary in the matter of Lotery that the thing be casuall that is applied to the deciding of a doubt but that it be thereto applied so far forth as it is casuall I speake in regard of the creature both vsing and vsed not as it hath either in it owne nature or in the conceit or counsell of those that make such vse of it any speciall relation otherwise to the businesse thereby to be decided An instance or two will helpe to cleare my meaning herein For a man therefore requested to ride abroad on a rainy day with his frend to say I will ride if it hold vp by noone if it doe not I will not stirre abroad or for a man being crossed casually by an Hare on his way to conjecture thereby of the euent of his iourney and to determine thereupon of proceeding or stay or of this or that successe in the same there is in either of these cases a doubt decided by a casualtie but that not considered as a casualtie but as hauing otherwise a peculiar relation to the businesse intended and the conueniency or inconueniency of it effected by it in the one and presaged by it in the other and therefore making no Lotery In which point also some of the former Authors seeme to faile when they bring in diuination by the flight of Fowles and by their eating or refusing their food vnder this head But for a man pressed in that manner to accompanie his frend to say we will draw cuts whether we shall stay or go or whether I shall goe with you or you stay with me and put off your iourney to some other time or being vpon the way togither and disagreeing in opinion concerning the shaping of their course to referre the question and controuersie betweene them to be decided by the flight of the next Fowle or the footing of some Beast that hath gone before them on the way here is matter of casualty regarded as it is meerely casuall and in that respect applied to decide the present doubt which no man therefore I suppose will deny to be Lotery indeed And thus we see what both a Lot and Lotery is in generall to wit A Lot some casualty or euent meerely casuall purposely applied to the deciding of some doubt and Lotery the deciding or determining of some question or controuersie by such casuall euents considered as they are such CHAP. II. Of Chance or Casualtie and of casuall Euents § 1. NOw because Chance or Casualty beareth much sway in Lotery Casuall Euents being the subiect matter of Lots the due consideration thereof will help not a litle to the clearing of the nature of Lots and Lotery and those Questions that are moued concerning the same Concerning Chance therefore or Casualtie we will consider foure things 1. The name of it 2. The nature of the thing so named 3. Two distinct Acts concurring in it 4. And lastly certaine conclusions or aphorisms concerning it First for the name or terme of Chance or Casualtie albeit it be by some vtterly condemned and held foolish and heathenish yet is it a terme according to the iust analogie proportion of Tongues and Languages vsed by the Holy Ghost himselfe in Gods booke both in the Old and New Testament In the Old Testament by the pen of Salomon the wisest of a meere man that euer was since Adam where he saith that Time and Chance befalleth all men or all things as also oft els-where in that booke In the New Testament by the mouth of one infinitely greater and wiser than Salomon the very power and wisdome of God our Sauiour Christ himselfe in the parable of the Iew that journeying to Iericho fell among theeues who as he lay wounded halfe aliue and halfe dead a Priest is said to haue come by Chance that way where the Euangelist Luke to expresse in Greeke what our Sauiour spake in Syriack vseth a word precisely answering an other vsed by Salomon and springing as may be probably surmised from the same roote I might adde diuers other places where this terme is elsewhere vsed in holy writ but these two shall suffice Augustine therefore though he repent himselfe in his Retractations that he named Chance or Fortune rather so oft in his writings and it liked him not so well in regard of the abuse of that name among the Heathen who held Fortune for a blinde Goddesse and ascribed vnto her what they should haue giuen vnto God yet withall he explaineth himselfe that he ment nothing thereby but the casuall euent of things in which sense he acknowledgeth that it may be well vsed and granteth that Religion condemneth not nor inhibiteth such kinde of speeches as to say Peraduenture such a thing shall be or Perchance it may be or Such a thing came to passe by chance or casualtie § 2. Secondly for the nature of the thing so named albeit some say that it is nothing as the same is said of sin and therefore deserueth no name saue that Nothing it selfe must needs haue some name to expresse not so much what it is as what it is not Yet Chance and Casualty is indeed something may be defined a Contingencie or vncertainty seuered from fore-cast fore-sight Contingencie or vncertainty I terme it to seclude it from necessitie certainty For where necessitie is or certainty there can be no Casualty Casualty Certainty euer expelling either other I adde senered from fore-cast and fore-sight to distinguish casualty from such contingency as is accompanied with either of these twaine either directed by fore-cast or determined by foresight which either of them both ioyntly seuerally exclude casualty Chance or casualty thus conceiued is an affection or adiunct both of efficients and of effects In regard of the former it is by the ancient Philosophers marshalled cōmonly among the causes in the ranke of Efficients though some later ones going more exactly to worke acknowledge it to be rather an Affection of an Efficient or an Adjunct manner of Efficiency than an efficient cause of or in it selfe In regard of the latter Chance or Casualtie is by a Trope ordinarily vsed to signifie the Effect it selfe so affected And so take I it here and consider it in the matter of a Lot as the vse of Authors well warranteth it and as Christian Writers in these Questions most vsually vnderstand it for a Casuall Euent that is an Euent contingent not directed or determined by any fore-cast or fore-sight A Contingent I say that is an vncertaine or variable Euent as all grant
diuers barbarous people in Germanie are recorded some of them by little peices of wood white on the one side blacke on the other and their women by lines drawne at all aduentures in the Ashes as they fel out euen or od and others by little sticks or sprigs marked with seuerall inscriptions first shuffled together and then solemnely drawne the Scythians some of them with bundles of wilow-wands others of them with the rinde or barke of the Teil-tree and the Galls with Lots of Veruen-leaues to haue vsually presaged in their businesses of seuerall natures what successe they were like to haue Among other superstitions practises of this kind to passe by many famous is that example by diuers diuersly reported whereby not Valens the Emperour himselfe as some haue misreported it but some other in his time made inquiriâ— who should succeede him in the Empire which was done say some by an inchanted ring hung by a silken thred in the middest of a basin with an alphabet of letters engrauen round about on the sides of it which letters the ring struck vpon as it was stirred to and fro or as others say by letters drawne in the dust with a corne of some graine wheate or barly laid on each of them and a cocke turned in to them to pick vp of them which he would both herein agree that these foure Greeke letters θ Ε Ο δ were in that order as they here stand either strucke vpon by the ring or picked vpon by the Cocke whereupon they concluded that one Theodorus a noble man of speciall note was the person whom that Oracle of theirs then aimed at which comming by some meanes or other to the Emperours eare was occasion not of the death of that Theodore alone but of many others also whose names began with those letters and yet missed he of Theodosius who afterward did indeed succeed him in the Empire Of speciall note among the Romanes and so famous that Carneades vsed to say of them that he neuer knew Fortune any where so fortunate as there were the Lots at Praeneste whose fabulous originall Tullie reporteth and derideth they were certaine oâ—en pins or the like with seuerall inscriptions which they kept in a box or a cheâ—t wrapped vp seuerally in wooden fillers which Tiâ—erius say some assaying to remoue from thence when the box or chist was brought to Rome the Lote were found wanting and so contâ—nued till the box was brought backe againe to their wonted place of abode These they vsed to draw as at other times so of ordinary course at euery New yeares-tide to fore-tell them what should betide them the yeere following at which time drawne by Domitian the last yeere of his raigâ—e they are said to haue giuen him an heauy and a bloudy Channce that which accordingly fell out afterward whereas they had euer giuen him light some and luckie ones before In steed of these woodden-pins or wands in some other places were dice vsed or buckle-bones of the same vse with dice. For so among others at an Oracle of Hercules his in Achâ—ia they vsed to cast dice with certaine markes vpon them which according as they lighted directed them to a Table wherein they found thereby their Fortunes And so at Padua Tiberius willed by a Lot drawne at an Oracle of Gerâ—ens to cast golden dice into a spring there at hand had the Empire foreshewed him by the fall of the dice affording him the highest Chaunce § 10 But none it seemeth was more vsuall both there and else-where then their booke or verse-Loteries when taking a booke of some famous Poet as Homer or Vergill or of some of the supposed Sibils they either writ out diuers verses into seuerall scroles and afterward drew of them or opening the booke sodainely tooke that which they first lighted on for an answere to their present doubt or demand So Adrian is reported by certaine verses of Virgill to haue had his aduancement by Traian to the Empire foretold him so Clodius Albinus his stay of further tumult vpon the death of Pertinax and his victory against the Galls by the like so Alexander Seuerus yet a childe his vniuersall Soueraignety by certaine Greeke verses confirmed after to him vsing the like consultation at the change of his studies by the like verses of Vergil as also by the same againe when by Heliogabalus laid for hee sought againe to the same courses to be informed what should then betide him and so lastly Claudius the latter is said to haue beene informed of the iust length of his owne raigne of the short continuance of his brother Quintillus his authoritie of his Nephewes succeeding him in place of supreame gouernment and of their continuance therein for many descents Now herein was verified what the Psalmist saith of the Iewes that being mingled among the Heathen they learned their superstitions For this superstitious practise vsed first by the Gentiles grew after to too common a custome not among the Iewes and their Rabbines alone but among Christians also and those many of them of no very euill note otherwise For to passe by that popish practise of casting Lots among the Saints for some of them to bee their speciall Patrones and Protectors to depend principally vpon or to commend themselues or their deare friends vnto in some danger distresse or to performe their daily seruice vnto which though differing from that their manner in circumstance yet for superstition is with it the same To passe I say by that that may seeme farther off and to come neerer home in steed of Poets workes vsed or abused rather by Heathen in this kinde Christians haue done the like by the Bible Gods owne booke and the seuerall parts of it the old and the new Testament the Epistles and the Gospels the Psalmes and the Prophets And hence nor from the Apostles vse of Lots sometime in Ecclesiasticall elections as some haue supposed sprung that tearme of the Apostles Lots and of the Lots of the Saints which we finde in so many Canons and Constitutions condemned Thus the Emperour Andronicus the elder being at jarre with his Nephew and in some doubt what to doe in the busines had recourse to his Psalter and by chance lighting on that verse as the Greeke hath it When the God of heauen disâ—ineth Kings they shall be snowed vpon or ouer-whelmed with snow in Salmon he was thereby perswaded to giue way to a reconcilement Thus Heraclius the Emperour in his war against the Persians being at a stand and in doubt of going backe or staying by it after a three daies publike fast betaking him to the Gospells opened vpon a text which as hee tooke it aduised him to winter in Albanie Thus
commonly terme Diuisorie or of Extraordinary such as the Consultorie and Diuinatorie are the Ordinarie may be subdiuided into Serious and Lusorious and these againe distinguished by sundry differences as occasion shall require CHAP. IV. Of Ordinarie Lots serious § 1. TO begin then with the former sort Ordinarie Lots I call those whose full worke may be effected by the ordinary or naturall power of the creature vsing them and vsed in them or wherein no extraordinary power or prouidence is required for the direction of the action to that end wherevnto it is applied Of this kind are all those Lots that are meerely Diuisorie wherein the matter in question and controuersie is euer such as may well be decided by the casuall motion or euent of the creature being committed therevnto by those in whose power it is to dispose of it without any speciall prouidence or extraordinary meanes required for the directing of the action in this or that manner which kind of Lots may be termed also Ciuill or profane Lots taking the word profane as it is opposed to Sacred in the better sense Where commeth to be controlled their definition of a Lot who define a Lot to be a kind of consulting with God of rare vse yet lawfull to be vsed in such accidents where neither reason nor humane aduice can conveniently be had For there is nothing lesse than any consulting with God in such Lots as we now speake of there being no cause nor reason nor ground nor occasion so to do seeing there is neither any question concerning Gods will what he would haue done or not done nor any thing to be done that in regard of the difficultie of doing it requireth any speciall aide and assistance or diuine presence or prouidence more than any other ordinarie act and affaire of this life For there is nothing expected or required in these Ordinarie Ciuill Diuisorie Lots but what is in the naturall power of the creature therein vsed the will and consent of the creature making vse of it concurring as easily to effect as for a man that hath his lims to walk or that hath his sight to see that which may euidently appeare vpon a diligent view of the seuerall examples hereafter ensuing § 2. These Ordinarie Lots againe are of two sorts either Serious or Lusorious Serious I call such as are vsed in serious businesse be it great or small weighty or light so as not matter of meere sport or delight alone which is the Lot that some of the former Authors terme the Diuisorie Lot in regard of the frequent vse of it in diuision of lands goods chatels bargaines exercises offices imployments and the like And that of which Salomon speaketh where he saith that The Lot stinteth strifes and maketh partition among the mighty Now of this kind of Lot there is great variety of Examples as well in Holy Writ as in prophane Writers And we may obserue them to haue bene vsed either for distribution of matters of Office and Charge or for diuision of possessions lands of goods and chatels or the like Matters of Office or Seruice and Charge distributed by Lot haue bene either Sacred or Ciuill For the former to passe by that bold fancie of Origen which he gathered from a place of Moses mistranslated by the Septuagints and by himselfe misexpounded that the Angels in heauen haue their charges by Lot assigned them who shall rule this or that Prouince who tend this or that person who gouerne this or that Church writhing and wresting diuers places of Scripture for the proofe of this his friuolous assertion As also to put by that apparent error of Ambrose wherein many yet not of former times only but of later dayes also and those of good note follow him who deceiued by a place of the Gospell by him misvnderstood saith that the High Preist in the Old Testament was elected by Lot whereas it is apparent by euident proofe to the contrary that the high preisthood among the Iewes went legally and vsually by descent though caried sometime indeed corruptly by force fauour or purchase but neuer that we reade of saue once onely a litle before the last vtter ruine of that both Church and State by Lot And lastly not to insist on that groundles conceipt of the counterfait Prochorus whom yet diuers concurre with that the Apostles of Christ parted among themselues by Lot the whole world for to preach and plant the Gospell in and againe the Seuenty two Disciples which of them should accompanie and attend on each Apostle as the Leuites dâ—d on the Preists that Iohns Lot light for Asia and Prochorus his for Iohn To passe I say from these fond figments to the truth of storie Sacred Offices for the readier manner of performance and more orderly execution of them were in the Iewish Church diuided by Lot § 3. The diuisions of Sacred Offices made among them by Lot were either Generall or Speciall In Generall the whole body of the Tribe of Levi was by Lot sorted out into rancks For first the Preists were all diuided into twenty foure companies according to their families which tooke their courses by turnes euery weeke after weeke in order the order of their courses being determined by Lot to take away all murmuring that none might complaine as being lesse regarded and cast behind others And againe the Leuites that were no Preists were likewise diuided into 24 companies appointed to attend the former companies of Preists who which and when was decided likewise by Lot all great and small submitting themselues alike to that sentence that there might be no contention nor emulation amongst them In particular for the Preists that were of each companie and were to serue at the same time there were Lots cast by them likewise for the sharing of Offices among themselues partly to auoid confusion and contention for God is a God of order and peace and partly the better to settle the seruice sithence no man commonly regardeth that that is euery mans charge who should tend the Altar of Incense who the Table of holy bread who the dressing of the Lamps who the Altar of Burnt offrings who should feede the Fire who should carry out the Ashes c. as by the bookes of the Iewish Liturgies is reported plainly to appeare And thus is that place of the Euangelist Luke to be vnderstood where it is said of Zachary that being of the Course of Abia and seruing in his Course he went by Lot in to burne Incense A place for want of this obseruation misvnderstood by many of the Auncients who to let passe here the repetition of Ambroses error which it seemes he drew hence supposing Zacharie to haue bene High Preist which it is apparent he was not for the High Preist was of no