borne vnder the constellation of our Kings that none but they enioyed the crowne Did not all the world bring forth one man when Clement the eight and Radulphus were borne that none other is a Pope or Emperour And if such Princes before their powers begun could prohibite others to be borne with them yet we see that many thousands daiely die with them whether they will or no as in so many battailes wherin hundreds of thousands of all estates ages and conditions differing from those Nobles haue beene slaine with Kinges And yet by these mens art all those that dyed with Kings should be Kings all of one age nature and condition Thus many thousands to one it is in their proceedings besides all other inuincible reasons that they are deceaued and God hath prouidence not onely of humane actions but all other thinges because no other cause can rule then experience telleth vs these thinges are true and their deuises false And the same experience is a tutor to euery priuate man that at all constellations he is of the same liberty of will to doe or not to doe and howe can the heauens and bodies more spirituall substances are they animated that they haue dominion ouer soules are they omnipotent that they can bring violence to our wils and freedome are they exempted from a chiefe gouernours authority and rule that they can gouerne all are they God and the first agent that they are independing and all depend of them these bee the absurdities of such people Besides which all reason and reasonable creatures Angels gloryfied Saints in heauen and the vnderstandings of all men of equal iudgment confirme it by their sentence all sencible thinges by their indefectiue order approoue it All insencible creatures simple and compounded the heauens elements and all others by their inuariable courses and proceedings euer haue ratified it to be so the meanest creature by the wonderfull composition of parts by which it is composed and certaine direction to come to those ends and perfections which for want of science it cannot knowe giueth euidence in this cause This mooued Galen that prophane and irreligious Phisitian attributing all to nature and nothing to the cause and ordayner of nature at last as himselfe is witnes to acknowledge the prouidence of God ouer these inferiour thinges and to make a Canticle in these wordes following in honour of our Creator Here trulie doe I make a song in praise of our Creaator for that of his owne accorde it hath pleased him to adorne and beawtisie his thinges better then by any art possible it coulde bee imagined Therefore if the prouidence of God is such to his meane basest creatures the common obiects of Phisitians most busied in bodies and more contemptible thinges what would be said if we should goe about to comprehende the least of so many â—housand glâ—â—â—ous creatures in the worlde What â—â—rticuler supernaturall prouidence and protection God hath alwaies vsed to his religious seruants aswell whole kingdomes countries and priuate persons deuoted to him in religious worship will appeare in the thirteenth chapter of this booke to the confusion of all Infidels and misbeleeuers In the meane time which I will omit that place let vs take for our example the cry of Hierusalem so renowmed for religious obseruations vnder the lawe of Moyses and the high Apostolicke See of Rome so famous for true worship since the time of Christ yet both odious amonge misbeleeuing people the first to Pagans the seconde both to them incredulous Iewes and Apostating Heretickes of all ages Concerning the first let vs passe ouer that miraculous prouidence God exercised towardes the Israelites his religious seruants inhabitants thereof from the time of Abraham to whome he made the promise to blesse him and his posterity and take especiall care of that nation whereof Christ was to descend vntil the time of building the Temple by King Salomon which was aboue 900. yeares I will not speake what blessings were bestowed vpon Abraham Isaac Iacob and their discent howe miraculously they were multiplyed in Egipt with what 〈◊〉 is their mighty enemies were confounded their meruailous deliuerye thence the drowning of their enemies their strange preseruation their miraculous life and protection in the desert the more then wonderfull conquests they obtayned ouer so many and potent enemies and other supernaturall fauors not onely recorded in holy Scriptures but remembred by other writers and manifestly knowne to many and great kingdomes But to passe these ouer what coulde be the fame of Hierusalem a city of Canaan a litle countrie when it was deuided into so many prouinces as it was before the Israelytes inhabited it what man maketh mention of anye honour or glorie it had but after religion was setled there how glorious was it to all nations it was the seate of the Kings and it was called the Citie of the King of Heauen the highe Priest with the greatest Maiestie of that lawe were planted there Sacrifices were there offered not onelie Iewes but Proselytes and conuerted Gentyles of all Nations honoured it with theyr accesse and presence Parthians Medes Elamites inhabitants of Mesopotamia Cappadocia Pontus Asia Phrigia Pamphilia Egipt Libya Cyrene Romanes Cretensianes Arabianes and others How sumptuous gloryous was the Temple to all Nations where all thinges were almost made of Golde how pretious and myraculous as manie write were the attyres of the Priestes how honourable was theyr Oracle and Propitiatorie moste straungely gloriefied with the Presence and Answeres of God himselfe with what holie Relickes of the Arke Manna and others was it sanctified to what a mighty nation did that people encrease what Prophets had they howe were their ennemies Antiothus and others punished of God howe gratious were they to the greatest Princes howe miraculouslie were they their holie City and Temple preserued a thousand yeares togither howe were they deliuered from captiuities howe strangely did GOD mooue the heartes of the mightyest rulers of the Gentiles to honour their sacryfices and Temple And when the time was come that their law in the Messias should cease and they most prophanely had denyed and put him to death not onely as their owne Prophets but the Sybils and others among the Gentyles had foretolde and they falne to such notorious impieties as their owne Historian Iosephus is witnesse that neuer any nation had come to that degree of wickednesse yet God ceased not his special prouidence to that people but gaue them many wonderfull signes for their conuersion Besides those which the holy Euangelists report of the miraculous Eclips quaking of the earth rending of the rockes and tearing of the vaile of the Temple arysing of the dead and others Iosephus giueth euidence that in their great festiuity before their desolution in the night there appeared such a light about the Altar and Temple halfe an hower togither that euery man thought it was day And at the same
time an Oxe ledde to bee sacrificed brought forth a calfe in the middest of the Temple and the East doore of the inner temple made of brasse and so heauie that twenty men could scarcely shut it beeing locked with strong lockes of iron and barred with deepe barres let downe into a thresholde of stone opened of it selfe in the night before the setting of the same fierie Chariots and armed battailes were seene in the aire about the city and the Priests did heare a voice saying Migremus hinc Let vs go from hence And that which is a moste strange testimomy of Gods continued prouidence towardes them on Ihesus son of Anani foure yeares before the warre began when the City was in great prosperity and peace vpon the suddaine in their festiuall day began to cry in these wordes A voice from the East a voice from the West a voice from the foure windes a voice vpon Hierusalem and the Temple a voice vpon newe married husbands newe married wiues a voice ouer all this people And this day and night going about all the streetes of the city cryed and although he was chastised for this cry yet he neither spake any thing for himselfe or against them that punished him but still continued crying the same wordes And beeing led to the ruler of the Romanes to bee punnished and his flesh torne to the bones with blowes he neither entreated fauor or once wept but at euery blowe bending downe pittifully viterred this speech Woe woe to Hierusalem and neuer gaue ouer mourning for the miserable city and still complained in these words Woe woe to Hierusalem And thus he continued seauen yeares and fiue moneths but principally vpon the festiuall dayes vntill at the time of the siedge going about the wall hee cryed out with his lowdest voice Woe woe to the City and Temple and People and at last also hee added Woe also to my selfe and was presently killed with a stone throwne from the ennemies hitherto bee the wordes of Iosephus liuing amonge them at the same time And concerninge Rome where the Pope and high priest of Christians is residēt how vnprobable was it in humane iudgement before S. Peter a poore fisher came thither that the prophesie of Sibilla the Fishers hooke shoulde conquer the Romane Empire shoulde be fullfilled Was not Christ his master put to death by that authority was not he himselfe crucified by the same and all his successors vnto S. Siluester thirtie in number eyther actually put to death or most grieuously persecuted were not Christians at that time without any friend or fauourer were not the Romane Emperours the most potent of the worlde and ruled all places did not the persecuted Popes preach Christ crucified pennance and great austerity to the eares of licentious Gentiles And yet we see that the prophesie of Sibilla was performed and the especiall prouidence which Christ promised to his holye Apostle and his successors that theyr faith should not faile that it should conquer all enemies that the gates of hell should not preuaile against it is miraculouslie effected and still continued to that holy See I haue shewed in my Apologicall Epistle how all the Pagan Princes of the worlde one time or other were opposed againste it but they were confounded How many Infidell and Pagan Emperors persecuted it but they were punished and it preuailed manye hereticall Emperors plagued it but they were confounded diuers wicked Christian Emperours and Kinges both in Englande and other nations afflicted it yet it conquered them howe often it was sacked and spoyled by Gothes Vandals Saracens Immbardes and others yet it flourished still that hath beene infested with many schysmes and assaulted by aboue 400. sects of heretickes before Luther and yet condemned them and yet at this time warreth against almost 300. knowne heresies and yet it is more glorious and renowmed nowe after 1500. yeares then euer it was before and dilated farther by many degrees daylie encreasing then euer any other regiment spiritual or temporall was and not subiecte to the least suspition to be overthowne hereafter And no man can make other reason of these thinges then the extraordinary prouidence of God to that holy place the enemies it hath and euer had bee more and more mighty then euer any city fought against It vseth not temporall armour against them The souldiours and Captaines it vsed were vnarmed with corporall weapons their conquest ouer their enemies was by suffering themselues to be killed That which they taught was vnpleasing to potent Princes against whome they warred and carnall mindes with whome they fought That which they laboured to ouerthrow and did destroy was liberty and things tending to delight and yet that hath vanquished and daylie is more glorious and triumphant the other perish and become more contemptible Who will not say but these thinges proceede from God and his most holy prouidence and protection to that Religious Apostolicke See And thus I might exemplifie in other thinges I will passe so many thousands of miraculous operations whereof the whole worlde can witnesse which coulde not be effected by any limited or created power I haue spoken of them already and must entreate them as well in diuers chapters of this booke as also more largely hereafter against internall enemies and whereof euery Argument I shall alleadge for true Religion to God our chiefe gouernour giueth witnesse therefore it needeth no more euidence in this place Onely I will conclude euery creature in the worlde euery parte member organe quality act or operation it hath is a demonstration in this case God himselfe ordinarily and superordinarily doth witnesse it all reasonable and vnreasonable thinges in their sence affirme it The heauens all simple and compounded thinges giue inuincible proofe it is so This is the sentence of all Nations Countries Schooles Cities Townes and people Catholickes Heretickes Iewes Pagans Brachmans Mahumetanes all Christian Panym Philosophers late auncient of all ages and places agree in this None but beastly men whose opinion is no authority to excuse their filthines deny it and they rather in voluptuous desire wishing then in iudgment affirming it Neither let them alleadge what multitudes of errors about religion in particuler are and haue reigned in the worlde for as these errors are to be imputed to the wickednesse of the authors from whome they proceede so such great contention for that cause is an euident argument of worshippe and the dignity of true Religion otherwise euerie man woulde not contende and make claime vnto it with so great daunger to himselfe and contempt of others And the causes of their complaint that errors and sinnes doe reigne proceede from their owne and such mens impious demerits and are no more to bee imputed to God which neither can nor will deceaue or be cause of sinne then the wilfull ignorance of a peruerse scholer to a learned and painfull master or the disobedience of
shoulde be the only perfection and felicity of man which the very heroicall conceit if there were no other argument of euery one not drowned in beastlinesse will affirme For there is not one but in reason would scorne to chuse such thinges for his Summum bonum and felicity And yet that which is true happinesse neither is nor can be contemned of any but greedely sought and deserued of all as a most perfect state where all thinges to be wished are present and all thinges to bee auoyded absent To which not only al powers properties actes and operations of the reasonable soules of men when they were vnited with their bodies but many and great numbers of soules after their seperation haue testified and giuen infallible euidence to thousands of credible present witnesses For if the soule be not separable it coulde not remayne either by it selfe after separation or bee vnited againe to that bodie it had first enformed because in the separation it were to be dissolued and perish neither coulde any newe soule bee produced in those bodies no disposition or potentiality beeing left in them for such production Take this away and not only the nature of euery particuler man is destroied but all Communities Kingdomes Commonwealths Societies Townes Cities Families and ciuill estates which euer practised reuerence and cannot consist without Religion are ouerthrowne All Testimonyes and Reuelations of God in holye Scriptures are to be reiected Those sacred writings approoued by so many miraculous kind other Argumentes as I will alleadge in my next chapter that by no possibillitye they coulde bee vntrue are not to bee regarded Then can anye man become so traiterous and disobedient a Rebell to his Creator so enuyous a persecutor of his owne dignitye and preferment so malitious an enemye and opposer of himselfe to all creatures to giue so great attendance and homage to shorte and brutishe pleasures to liue as thoughe there were no God to whome he ought duty and religion no felicity after death no be atitude for man but as beasts enioy If this opinion be false as infinite testimonies prooue it to bee then hee is sure to be damned for euer if it shoulde bee true as GOD and all creatures and that man himselfe in iudgement denyerh yet he hath gayned no more then other brutish creatures haue done and that which a reasonable man would not accept THE TESTIMONIES OF AL HOly Scriptures for all thinges belonginge to Religion and theyr moste certaine and infallible Authoritie ¶ CHAP. V. WEE will adde to these naturall Testimonyes of all reasonble creatures the Supernaturall Witnes of the Creator himselfe registred in holie Scriptures where not onely the Infinite Omnipotent Maiesty of one Immortall Incomprehensible God his prouidence ouer all creatures extraordinarie protection to his religious seruants the Immortallitie and euerlastinge blessednesse of the soules of men and their duety religion to God in generall are sett downe but the very particuler manner and means of worshippe and things belonginge to adoration are recorded for all peoples instruction And let not any prophane Atheist or Irreligious monster take exceptioÌ„ against them or any one of those moste holy and sacred writings it is not the condemned sentence of anie Idolatrous Gentile beastlie Epicure Diagoras or Atheist or Apostating hereticke which all Iudgements and Generations haue disalowed that can call those vndoubted mouments of the will of God into question Shall the Simonians Basilidians Bogomites or any heretickes that liued thousandes of yeares after they were written make them doubtfull because they bee contrarye to his corrupted desires when they haue so manie generations of the moste renowned countries and peoples against them shall it be lawfull for Diagoras the first Athiest which liued thousandes of yeares after those thinges which be entreated in them were effected onelie reiect them because they witnes a God and worshippe to him which all the worlde and all kingdomes before and after him euer beleeued shall anie Pagan Idolater be receaued to disgrace those Sacred Testimonies when their superstitions are so late in respecte of that worshippe which they handle for as Iosephus doth demonstrate againste Appion the Pagan and Lactantius and other aâ—prooued Authors are euidence moste parte of the things recounted in the olde Testament were done before many of the Panime Gods were borne and the last writers of holy Scriptures Esdras Aggeus Zacharie and Mallachie were before most of the heathen Historians Abraham as the Gentyles themselues acknowledge was long before any of their gods were extant the eldest of theyr poets were not before Salomon which was aboue 900. yeares after Abraham And Moyses himselfe was much more auncient then Ceres Vulcan Mercury Apollo Aesculapius Casior Pollux Hercules and other their feigned Gods and both concerning those thinges hee recorded before from the first creation vnto his time he prooued them with so many miracles that coulde not bee vntrue that he was taken for God and accounted a wonder of the worlde The reason why the Pagans receaued not those holy Scriptures was because they prescribe a more seuere Religion then their licentious mindes allowed and ouerthrowe the corporieties pluralities and such impossible mutations which they allowe in diuinity which all reason knoweth to be ridiculous And yet besides the mighty Persian Emperours Cyrus and Darius King Ptolomy Aram and others that honoured the Israelites their holy lawe and Testament not only the Sybils and other for prophesie most renowned among those Pagans confirme the thinges that bee entreated in them But many others of the greatest account as well among them as in later ages as Melo Eupolemus Trismagistus Leodemus Aristeaeus Artahanus Nunenius Pithagoras Alexander Polyhistor Appion Porphiry Saconeathan Berosus Caldaeus Ierommus Aegiptius Nicholaus Damascenus Abydenus many monuments in the late discouered worlde Mahumet the whole Sinagogue of the later Rabbines all Iewes and Turkes of Christians there is no doubt giue testimony to those thinges that bee recorded in those holy writings Of Iewes and Mahumetanes there is no difficulty allowing the bookes of the old Testament which is enough for my purpose nowe to prooue a God and Religion so religigiouslie commended in that lawe For the Gentile Pagans I haue cited their most auncient and to exemplyfie in one of their first Orpheus had those sacred bookes and the misteries recorded in them in highest esteeme and plainely both affirmed that they were most auncient and deliuered by God himselfe his wordes when he had cited many things from thence are these Priscorum haec nos docuerunt omnia voces Quas binis tabulis Deus olim tradidit illis The voices of ancients haue taught vs these things which GOD deliuered to them in two tables Coulde Moyses if he were aliue againe to whome these tables were deliuered speake more plainely And the testimony of the Sybils were so manifest herein that it was made death by the Pagan lawes
to reade their bookes And Attilius himselfe Duum vir one of the two principall men to whome their custody was committed only because hee wrote them forth was sewed into a sacke and cast into the Sea If we make comparison betweene the writers of holy Scriptures and Diagoras and such Atheists as woulde deny them or the Panym Philosophers though wee single them forth that were accounted best there is no semblance of proportion The Prophets and writers of holy Scriptures were most holy and a spectacle of sanctity to all generations and many of them dyed for defence of those thinges they committed to writing Many of the Phylosophers were of such filthy liues that their sinnes are not to bee named and their errors intollerable and their chiefest men as themselues acknowledge did not as they did beleeue beleeuing one God with Scriptures and seruing Idols as Plato to Dyonisius giueth plaine witnesse of himselfe If we consider the efficacie of the doctrine of those holy writers although they entreated of harde most difficulte vnpleasing things to sensuall mindes and the Pagan Philosophers of pleasing and delightfull thinges yet the austere doctryne of them hath almoste conuerted the whole worlde to liue as they beleeued and these philosophers could neuer yet allure one Kingedome or Citie euen to thinke only as they taught And yet as I wil proue herafter they haue attempted it by all meanes they coulde If we talke of consent or disagreement in Wrighters vpon which in matters of Authoritie Trueth or Falsehoode may easilie be concluded No man is ignorant that not only all Pagan prophane Historians disagree amonge themselues and all Philosophers of the diuided Sects of Stoicks Peripateticks Accademicks and Epicures but the professors of euerie of these sectes were at warre among themselues and yet they entreated onely of naturall things proportionate to humane capacitie contrariewise not onlie the sacred histories of Scriptures agree but all theyr Writers Prophets Priests Euangelists and Apostles agree in one without any leaste difference or variance in doctrine and yet they all entreate of matters Supernaturall and aboue the reache of mans reason Wherefore I conclude in this Argument when so many holie writers as moyses Dauid Esdras Ieremie Ezechiell Daniâ—ll Zachary Malachie S. Mathew Marke Luke Iohn Peter Paule Iames and others were so diuided in time seperated in place as Egipt Hierusalem Babilon Rome and others where they wrote so distinct in natures and naturall conceits and iudgementes as all men are and yet in so many bookes as the Scriptures conteine and in so manie supernaturall misteries agreed vniformely together without the leaste dissent or contradiction this Direction must needes proceed of God who penetrateth al things and cannot lead into error When I see so miraculous agreement in the 72. that by the appointment of Kinge Ptolomy of Egipt translated the olde testament recorded by enemies and like assistance in later handlers of those sacred workes farther consider how in so many garboiles troubles of Nations many writings of the moste allowed Pagans haue perished yet these haue bin preserued in all the most famous languages of the worlde I cannot bee induced but they be the euidence of God and preserued by him Further when I perceaue the greatest humane Authoritie that can be cited for anie monument vsed for the crediting of these religious testaments as for the bookes of the first testament all Christians Iewes Mahumetans and many Gentiles consenting that they be holie and for euery booke of the new testament besides the authorities of all Schooles Vniuersities and thousands of pâ—ouinciall Sinods the whole Christian worlde in their moste learned Doctors and Fathers assembled twenty times in generall councells and confirminge them all by theyr sentence and neuer so any ten persons together iudiciallie agreeing to approoue any Pagan writer in all things I cannot be of opinion but these books were penned by holie instinct from God Moreouer when the light and law of nature and reason make me secure and all Philosophers Christians Pagans the learned of the whole world euer ageed togither in this giue it for a distinction betweene a limmited and infinite power that future thinges which haue no certaintie in their causes cannot certainelye bee knowne and foretoulde but by an infinite knowledge penetrating thinges more perfectly then they be in their causes and whosoeuer certainlie prophesieth of such things must needes receaue that facultie from God which can bee ignorant of no effect But the whole sacred Scripture is euidence that many things within their causes be moste vncertaine as depending of the freedome of mans will election and others more secret onlie to bee produced at the moste secret will and pleasure and by the Omnipotent power of god himselfe haue bin as certainely plainelie foretolde with their manner and circumstances manie years before they came to passe as if they had bin present witnesses of those things as so manye Predictions of Abraham Iacob Moyses Dauid Daniell Esaie Ieremie Zacharye Christ his Apostles and others and â—oâ—ie Scriptures of the Regiment of Iuda the diuisioÌ„ of the Land of Canaan the perpetuall desolation of Ierico of the birth and acts of Iosias three hundred years before he was borne the destruction of Babilon by kinge Cirus his name foretolde two hundred years before he came And two witnesses named of it Vrias and Zacharias which were not borne manie yeares after this was prophesied The captiuitie of the Israelites in Babilon the time of that continuance and their deliuery againe in the time of Esdras The destruction of Balsasar kinge of Babilon and the verie night of his desolation the time of the coÌ„ming of the Messias his life death resurrection ascention other misteries as they were effected in christ the miracles which happened then the reprobation of the Iewish people conuersioÌ„ of the Gentiles destruction of Ierusalem the pittifull miseries it did endure and the like which were vncertaine thinges and yet were as certainelie fortolde as they were certaine when they were performed therefore seeing these things be so vndoubtedlie come to passe we cannot make question of any other to be effected in his time hereafter the one being as difficult to be foreseene as the other consequently much more all other matters reuealed in those holye writings which be of more easie subiect are vnfalliblie true and so to bee beleeued Lastlie to put all out of doubt that euen from the firste time of committinge those misteries to writinge by the holye penne men of Sacred Scriptures euerie man might be secure they were spoken and reuealed of God which coulde neither be deceaued in himselfe or bringe others into error So manye miraculous workes and operations which none but a diuine power and such as had authoritie from him coulde effect were giuen vnto those chosen Scribes of this holye lawe and wrought by them to confirme the
his eternal generation he was begotten of the father and was true God Saieth that he was giuen to all faithfull people to be worshiped And an other Sibill hath these words Auton son ginosche Theon Theou ijon ionta Know him to be thy God which is the sonne of God The same and like speeches Lactantius citeth out of Trismegistus or Hermes from the Oracles of Apollo Esculapius and others And touching the Passion of Christ Sibilla vttereth these words hee shall fall into the wicked handes of Infidels and they shall giue blowes unto God with incestuous handes and with vncleane Mouth shall spit venemous spittings He shall giue his innocent backe to bee beaten and taking blowes shall holde his peace for his meate they shall giue him gall and vineger for his thirst And rebuking the land of Iurie for such vsage of their Messias vseth these speeches For when thou foolish didst not know thy god dissembled to mortal mindes thou didst crowne him with a crowne of thornes and mingledst horrible gall And concerning the miracles at his Passion saith that the vaile of the Temple shall bee torne and at middaie there shall be a wonderfull nighty darknesse three howres together And yet when these thinges were done for all these Celestiall wonders they woulde not knowe their wicked offence Hee shall ende his death with a sleepe of three dayes and then arising from the dead shall come to light the first that shall shew a beginning of resurrection to such as bee called These bee the verye wordes of the Sibilles and prophets of the Gentiles which prosecute the coming of Christ to iudgement the rewarde for the good punishmeÌ„t for the wicked other Mysteries of Christian Religion as wee beleeue condemning all other worships to bee false and superstitious And least any man shoulde imagine that these so manifest prophesies of Christ shoulde be deuised by any follower of his after his comming it is most manifest in the Pagan Authors themselues Erastothenes Cicero Crisippus Apollodorus Neuius Euripides Heraclites Virgill Varro Suetonius and almost all Historians of the Gentiles before Christ that they were both extant in the worlde and famouslye knowne before and most reuerently regarded and kept in their greatest places euen of the Cesars and Emperours themselues what was the reason that the Pagans did not vnderstande these thinges I haue cited out of their owne wordes And such as those Sybilles were we cannot doubt to haue beene in other times and places amonge the Gentiles to bee witnesses of these things as is manifest in their most certaine and vndoubted prophesies registred in irreprooueable Authors found and promulged in such sort as they cannot bee denyed There vvas founde in the tombe of Plato that greate Phylosopher a plate or golde vpon his breast with these words engraued Credo in Christum nasciturum ex Virgine passurum pro humano genere tertia die resurrecturum I beleeue in Christ which shall be borne of a Virgin shall suffer for mankinde rise againe the third day Yet Plato was dead and buried 370. yeares before the Incarnation of Christ And in his workes were conteyned these euangelicall wordes that followe In the beginning was the worde and the word was with God and God was the worde This was in the beginning with God All things were made by him and without him was made nothing That which was made in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shineth in darkenesse Which word for worde is the beginning of the Gospell by S. Iohn And in the time of Constantine Hyrene there was founde in the city of Constantinople where many Iewes inhabited an ancient tombe and vppon the body of him that was buried therein a plate of golde wherein these words writteÌ„ before the coming of christ were engraued Christus nascetur ex Virgine Maria ego credo in eum O soliterum me videbis sub Constantino Hyrene Christ shall be borne of a Virgine called Mary and I beleeue in him O Sunne thou shalt see me againe vnder Constantine and Hyrene which was aboue 780. yeares after Christ And in the yeare 1230. a naturall borne Iewe and professed enemy of Christian Religion at Toletum diging in the ground found a stone wherein there was a booke for time continuance difficult to be read in which amonge other thinges these wordes were written In tertio mundo filius Deinasceâ—â— ex virgine Maria pro salute hominum pâ—tietur In the thirde age of the worlde the Sonne of God shall bee borne of a Virgine named Mary and shall suffer for the saluation of men And moreouer that the booke shoulde bee founde in that verie time when it was in the daies of Feranda the Virgin of Castyll The times places the finders proposers and all other circumstances of which prophesies were such that no man can deny them to bee the effectes of a true propheticall spirit And so I might recount of others Whereby it is manifest that euen in the greatest swaye of the Pagans Idolatrie there vvanted not true beleeuers in Christ and such as gaue testimony to his comming Concerning Mahumetanes we haue heard before how their prophet and proposer of their lawe Mahumet as they esteeme him in his Alcaron hath auouched the same that Christ was the Messias and Prophet which in the lawe was promised to the worlde borne of the virgine Mary shee still remayning a Virgine that he was the greatest Prophet that euer was or shall bee greater then Mahumet himselfe the worde of GOD Spirit of GOD taught true Religion came to supplie the defectes of the lawe of Moyses and the Gospell was the perfection thereof and perfecte doctrine Christes myracles were true and giuen vnto him for confirming his doctrine and enforce all Iewes vvhich will prosesse the Religion of Mahumet firste to acknowledge and proteste in expresse wordes that Iesus was the Messias of the worlde they affirme he was the worde wisedome Spirit and vnderstanding of God a Prince to the Iewes and head of all men Whosoeuer amonge them blaspheameth eyther Christ or his Mother besides a great forfeiture of mony is beaten with threescore blowes with a clubbe Mahumet further affirmeth that the Religion of Iews and Mahumet shall vtterly perish only the Religion of Christ perseuer to the end The keepers thereof shall be saued Christ is exalted aboue all creatures in heauen and shall come to destroie Antechrist and restore generallie true Religion and in the day of Iudgement be pronouncer of the sentence and doome of God That his Mother was the holiest of all women moste puer that shee was one of the miracles of the worlde saluted and certified of the conception and birth of Christ by the Angell Gabriell that emonge all the children of Adam onelie Christ and She were vndefiled Shee neuer committed anie sinne that Shee was a virgine not onlie
most part of his life agreeth vvith that calculatiō And as the Thalmud it self doth witnes it was an ancient traditiō among the Hebrews that the Mesias shold be borne about the fourth thousand yere of the world which concordeth with the same account The Iews that liued in the time of Christ were of the same opinion so enformed both Herod their stranger King Vespatian the Emperor themselues would haue receaued S. Iohn Baptist the precursor of Christ for their Messias had he not refused it And it was so famous among this people that the time of the Messias was come that many false deceauers tooke that title vpō them deceaued many as Iudas Galileus Iudas Ezechias Thendas Atouges and others in so much that as the Thalmud cōfesseth the Rabbines thēselues 30. yeares togither receiued Baronosbā for the Messias so continued vntill they perceiued he coulde not deliuer thē frō the Romans so put him to death whersore Herod intēding to make a claime for himselfe caused his petidegree to be forged frō the ancient Kings of Iuda as Iosephus witnesseth caled hīself the Mesias Whereupon those which flateted him in these follies are called Herodiās in the Euāgelists What the cōsciences of the later present Iews esteme of this mater may be gathered of that I haue spoken of the Thalmundists opiniō herein in that work they furder acknowledge that it seemed to thē in those daies that diuers hundred yeares had passed since by the scriptures the Messias shold apeare And Rabbi Moises son of Maimon whō the Iews hold in exceding great reuerēce caling him the D. of Iustice which liued about the yeare of Christ 1140. supposeth that the Messias shoulde haue beene borne aboue 1000. yeares before that time And Rabbi Iosue affirmeth that the Messias was to bee borne before the destruction of the second Temple So that by all computations of Christians Iewes Pagans and Mahumetanes the time of the comming of the Messias was when Christ Iesus was borne and now beeing past 1600. yeares cannot possibly be verified of any other Therefore he and his Religion are onlie to be receaued Which also the Prophet Daniell had most exactlie by propheticall calculation set down diuers hundreds of yeares before Against whose sentence no tergiuersation of any incredulous person can be made First the signes which the Angell giueth to Daniell are moste famous the edict of the Persian Emperour for the building of Hierusalem and deliuery of the Israelites frō captiuity wherin they had liued 70. yeares the time of building the city and the Iewes returne thither after so many years Therfore the notes are manifest the Persian Emperour then beeing the greatest Monarch of the worlde and the building of that Citie destroyed so notorious the words are as manifest which be these Knowe and marke from the going forth of the worde or edict that Hierusalem shall bee builded againe vnto Christ or Messias the Captaine there shall bee seauen weekes and threescore and two weekes and the streete and walles shall bee builded againe in a litle time And after threescore and two weekes the Messias or Christ shall be slaine and it shall not bee his people that will denie him This prophesie all agree to be a prediction and token of the time of comming of the Messias and the wordes are manifeste Then thus I demonstrate against Iewes and all misbeleeuers that it cannot bee verified of any but Christ Iesus First the holie Scriptures make mention but of two kindes of Hebdomades or weekes First for a weeke of daies or seauen daies as the Greeke worde doeth signifie as in the numbring of weekes from Easter to Pentecost was appointed in the lawe This kinde of weeke cannot possibly bee vnderstoode of the Prophette the whole summe of his Hebdomades or weekes by that reckoning being ended in one yeare half and one weeke of daies in which time no man challenged to bee the Messias and no man Christian Iewe Pagan or Mahumetane receaueth anye for the Messias that came then or diuers hundred yeares after Secondly in holye Scriptures an Hebdomade or weeke is taken for a weeke of yeares or seuen yeares So in Leuiticus the obseruation of the yeare of Iubily is cōmanded set down in these words Thou shalt number seauē Hebdomades or weekes of yeares which make 49. yeares the fifteth yeare imediatly folowing is apointed for the yeare of Iubily Then of necessitye the prophesy must be performed in this meaning which is manifestly true in Iesus Christe For it is euident that Daniel was a captaine in Babilon in the time of Ioakim and that the weekes of Daniell thus expounded doe expire and end in Christ being the number of 483. yeares And Daniell the Prophette himselfe to giue a plaine distinction that there were ment weekes of yeares as I haue expounded it in the next chapter immediatly folowing within two verses of the former prophesy twice togither speaking of weekes in an other sence calleth them weekes of daies Which had beene superfluous twyce to bee added in one place excepte hee would giue vs to vnderstand that in the former hee ment extraordinarye weekes of yeres For otherwise this word weeke without any addition doth vsually signify seauen dayes and no other tyme. And this is the exposition which is giuen in the fourth booke of Esdras where it is said that the Messias shall be reuealed and borne after 400. yeares to which if we adde 33. yeares of the life of Christ and 50. yeares that Esdras was after Daniell they make the same nūber of 483. years which being begun to be numbred from the first edicte of building Hierusalem againe as the circumstances best agree which was in the first yeare of Cirus when as the 1. chap. of Esdras doth witnes he did not only publish an edict in writing but made proclamation through all his kingdoms for building of Ierusalem the tēple therof without any differēce at al they agre both with the birth death of Christ as I haue accoūted And howsoeuer we reckon and begin the accompt from any of the edicts of Cirus or Darius to build Hierusalem either in the first yeare of Cirus when he first determined the Iewes reduction or the seconde yeare of Darius when he cōfirmed the same and put it in execution or from the 20. yeare of Darius when he made a newe edict in fauoure of Nehemias and sent him into Iury al which are manifest in the bookes of Esdras they will ende in the raigne of Herode vnder whome Christ was borne or of Tiberius vnder whom he was put to death And cannot possiblie be expounded of any other person or by any other computation For first if we should imagine any other kind of Hebdomade or weke thē I haue alledged either of weekes monethes or otherwise it both taketh away al certaintie from this
to Iuppiter amonge the Cypryans The Thaures did offer to Diana the straungers that came vnto them So did the Frenchemen to Esus and Theutantes and Italyans to Iuppiter the Romanes and Italyans both men and infantes to Saturne So did the Carthaginians as when they were ouercome of Agathocles Kinge of Sicylie thinking their GOD Saturne to be angrie with them they offered vnto him for a Sacrifyce to appease his anger 200. children of noble men Others cut off their shame and secrets and offered them in Sacryfyce Among the Rhodyans Hercules was honoured with a Sacrifyce of 2. oxen and cursing and bannyng and it was accounted a greate iniquitye for one worde of pietye or modestye to bee spoken And this was in memorye of the cursing and banning that a ploughman of that country vsed against Hercules taking two oxen from him by violence and so of others But to passe ouer those Idolaters and come to the Iewes which before Christ were the chosen people of GOD and had the true Religion their errors contayned in their owne Thalmud and higheste Iudgement they haue shall bringe witnesse against them And to omytte their blasphemous errors against Christ because they professe them selues enemyes to Christians and speake of those whiche thy maintayne against the moste sacred diuyne Maiestye whome they ackowledge for theyr GOD and maker of all thinges that gaue their lawe to Moyses Thus they wright and generally beleeue of him that before he made the worlde leaste hee should fall to Idlenesse he exercised hym selfe in framing diuerse worldes which when hee had made he presently destroyed and renewed them againe vntill at length hee had learned to make this vvorlde which nowe wee haue That he spendeth the firste three howers of the daye in reading the Iewishe Lawe and that Moyses ascendinge to heauen founde him wrighting accents in the holye Scripture That on the firste daye of the newe Moone in the moneth of September he iudgeth the whole worlde and the nexte tenne daies he applyeth himselfe to wright the iust in the booke of life and the wicked in the book of death And many other like errors they holde that God hath a place in heauen seperate from all company in which at certaine times hee bewayleth with manye teares and afflicteth himselfe that hee was angrie with the Iewes ouerthrewe the Temple of Ierusalem and dispersed this people into captiuity And that daily he prayed deuoutly and putteth vppon his heade and armes fillettes or thonges of leather called Thephalin and putteth vppon his bodie a linnen coate named Zezith and so attyred falleth downe vpon his knees and prayeth that so often as hee remembreth the calamities which the Iewes suffer of the Gentiles he weepeth and letteth two teares fall into the Ocean Sea and for verye griefe knocketh his breast with both his hands That for his recreation the three laste howers of the daie hee vsed to plaie with a huge great fish called Leuiathan that the commaundement of the Sacrifice of the newe Moone was giuen to the Iewes to purge the sinne vvhich GOD committed when hee gaue that light vtno the Sunne which he had vniustlie taken from the Moone and that beeing angrie for a cause vnknovvne vvith his play-fellowe Leuiathan he killed him and powdered his fleshe vvith salte to giue to the soules of his Saintes That euery daye hee is angrie and at that time the combes of Cockes waxe pale coloured and they stande vppon one legge and if anye man shall curse an other at that moment hee shall presentlye fall dovvne deade When certaine Rabbines disputed againste Rabbi Eliezar GOD giuing sentence from heauen for Rabbi Eliezar the other Rabbynes beeing offended thereat excommunicated God whereat hee smiling saide my children haue ouercome mee That God disputing with the Rabbynes vppon a certayne kinde of leprosie iudgemente betweene them vvas referred to a very learned Rabbyne And that he hath beene deceaued by some Rabbynes and the like blasphemies That the Angell Gabriell committed a grieuous sinne for which GOD commaunded him to bee scourged vvith a fierie whippe That Dauid did not sinne either in his adulterye vvith Bethsabee or murther of her husbande and vvhosoeuer affirmeth he sinned is an Heriticke That a man may marry his daughter or sister that Rabbine which hateth not his enemies to death and seeketh not reuenge vpon him is not worthy the name of a Rabbine That they which contradict the words of their Scribes are more grieuouslie to be punnished then they which gainesay the law of Moyses and this man may be better absolued but the other must bee put to death If the greater parte shall condemne a man to death he must die but if all condemne him he must be dismissed That soules doe passe from body to bodye as Pythagoras helde onlie with this limitation that if the soule sinneth in the first bodie it goeth into a seconde if it sinneth in that it flitteth into a third body in which if it doth not cease to sin it is throwne into Hell And for example the soule of Abell did goe into Seth and from him to Moyses That in the resurrection the soules of the vnlearned shall not be vnited to their bodies Who soeuer shall eate thrise a day vpon the Sabaoth shal haue euerlasting life If anie man shall passe vnder the bellie of a Camell or betweene two Camelles or beetween two woemen he shal neuer learne anye thing out of the Thalmud wherein there is no ende of such blasphemies foolishe and ridiculous things hee that desireth more may peruse the places cited in the margine so that we may see the iust Iudgement of God executed vppon that people that they which before the comming of Christ were the chosen of God only seruing him in true religion since they reiected refused him are fallen into so many impious errors that except they were recorded by thēselues conteined in the very rule of their religiō their Thalmud no man would beeleue it and that euery man may knowe in what estimation the Thalmud wherin these and other errours are conteyned is with that people their owne wordes placed in the preface of that booke as these If any man shall denye the bookes of Thalmud to be most holye he denyeth God himselfe Lastlye to come to theeuish and laciuious Mahumet and his Mahumitans what other thing then such as I haue recited of the Iewes and Pagans can be expected of them if we eyther consider the occasion of his originall and beginning or the wicked and licentious lyfe eyther of Mahumet the scoller or his tutors and councellors Iohn an Heriticke of Antioch Sergius an Arrian and Apostata Monke and a Iewishe Astronomer or Necromancer Or the time when he came being borne in the yeaere of CHRIST 626 or the place and people where or whence he descended comming of the
Ismaelites and seede of Ismaell accursed in scripture by the mouth of GOD where hee is depryued of all spirituall Inherytance and hathe no such benediction geuen vnto him and from the rude theeuish and barbarous Arabyans whose manners he exercised in all kinde of iniquitie And touching his errours with Sabellius he denieth the Trinitie with Arrius hee affirmeth CHRIST to be a creature With the Maniches that Christ was not Crucified and put to death but an other lyke vnto him thinking that vnworthy so great a prophet With the Anthropomorphites Iewes and Pagans that God hath a bodye with the Elchesyte that religion may be denyed in persecution With the Originists that the deuills shall bee saued that Lucifer and the rest of the Angells were condemned because they would not worship Adam as though dutye were to be done to the inferiour and lesse excellent when excellencie and diginitie is the only cause of adoration and reuerence That men are to bee compelled to his religion by warre and force That God and his Angells pray for Mahumet when GOD supreame Lorde of all can praye to none prayer being a function of an inferyour he neuer distinguished the ciuyll and ecclesiasticall regiment but confounded them together in his temporall successor which his owne followers condemned for absurdety and repealed The original Institution of that deceiuer apointing Alys an ignorant and wicked young fellowe for his successor was not only vnreasonable but frustrat and with out effect for contrary to the ordinance of Mahumet his father in lawe Eubocora deposed Alys within three yeares Ebocora himselfe was poysoned Homer his next Successour was murthered by his seruante Osmenus which nexte succeeded killed himselfe his sonne Mahumetes vvas violentlie put to death by Alys Alys was trayterouslie slaine by Muauias in whose dayes so many errors were growne in that secte that two hundred Camelles vvere loaded vvith bookes which were condemned at Damascus And notwithstanding the capitall lawe against disputing of the Alcoran they euer were and nowe are deuided into manifolde schismes into Melycs Asaphs Alambels Buanists Babilonists Cayrists Caioranists Marochists Mustysts Almahadists and others not to be recounted and in such odious manner that they affirme it more meritorious to kill one of those diuisions then 70. Christians They haue no meanes to compose these controuersies determine questions or to chuse their Calyphes but all doubtes are tried by the sworde and the strongest part of armes is sentenced to holde the truest opinion Neither did Mahumet euer ordayne or that people practise their tryall Howe doth he extoll Christ Iesus to bee the Messias wisedome spirit and worde of God greatest of all Prophets and institutor of the most holy lawe and perfector of the lawe of Moyses which had so long endured and yet most impudently affirme that presently after the first preaching it was corrupted euer by the Apostles to whome it was committed and whose Gospels himselfe alloweth Howe foolish is it for him to deny the death of Christ witnessed by so many thousandes of present witnesses of al sorts Christiās Iewes and Gentiles in so publike place and vniuersal assemblies how could the Iewes raise this slaunder when so manie Christians and Pagans were present is written in all the Euangelists which he approoued for holy writers How could those sacred bookes be vniuersally corrupted of the Iewesh nation when they were neuer wholy in their hands yea seldome any one was in their custody yet these Paradoxes he preposeth to be beleued How is it either probable or possible that Mahumet an Apostata Monke so many hundred yeares after Christ Moyses should better know the integrity of their lawes then the Iewes Christians which were euer in possessiō of those writings how contrary is his lawe of poligamy where a King hath 600. wiues the festiuity of friday for the Sabaoth the circumcising children in the seauenth or eight yeare and not day from their natiuity and other like to the lawe of Moyses howe diferent is his corporiety in God beastly paradise multiplicity of wiues errors about Christes diuinity death passion Sacraments and other principall things to the doctrine of Christ which as hee teacheth was moste pure and shall continue for euer where did euer Christ perswade the people to worship his mother the blessed Virgine for God or prophesie of this great prophet Mahumet as this shamelesse seducer affirmeth or how coulde Christ which he reuerenceth for the greatest Prophet and truest law-maker be Author of such Idolatry And to be briefe as he came in a time of manye Heretickes and deceauers and to enchaunt his Readers with his beastlie delightes composed his Alcaron in rythmes and meeters so to allure company vnto him by expresse decree he approoueth all errours and infidelities so that a plurality of Gods bee not admitted howsoeuer corporeous infirme and corruptible one God is beleeued hee neuer reprehendeth but confirmeth Wherefore to omitte the rest and onely exemplifie in that which moste concerneth man which is his eternall beatytude and happye end which as I proued no Temporall or Corporall thinge can be hee assigneth such a paradise place and state of Blessednesse for a reasonable and immortall soule as is agreeable to the nature appetite of hogs most brutish beasts in so much Auerroes himself sometimes a Mahumetane affirmed that Aristotle had deuised a better happinesse for Man then Mahumet did and Auicenna a fauourer of that Sect greatlie condemned Mahumet in that poynte and yet these two were the wisest that euer were in his daunger to be seduced They enforce the eldest sons of Christians contrary to the lawe of nature to professe Mahumetisme and be Ienesaries to the Turkishe Prince when no man canne bee compelled to supernaturall thinges expept he hath first submitted himselfe he inuadeth and vsurpeth without all title the landes teritories and goodes of others which without manifest iniurye and iniustice cannot be done He neuer pretended for title to religion either supernatural prophesye of thinges to come any one miraculous operation or argument of reason but forbad his followers to professe learning or dispute of his lawe least they should disclose his iniquitie and pretendeth his claime and interest nothing but the sworde and violence by which kinde of disputation and reasoning Iulius Caesar Alexander Augustus and other damned Idolatrous Emperours should haue had a farre greater title to religion then euer Mahumet could pretend being greater conquerours then he or any of his profession And it is not only vnprobable but vnpossible that any accidentarye or temporall thing in the power of nature should be an infallible signe and argument of supernaturall and most certaine misteryes such as true religion must haue So that we see Mahumetisme to be nothing els but a fardell of errours and heresyes iniustice and voluptuousnes bounde and collected together without any grounde or reason so that had he not begun his Regiment in