woorke by it selfe and other sometimes eyther by Aungels or by men and that in such maner as wee shall afterwarde declare Augustine Farther I wyll adde that Augustine writeth in the place before alledged against the Epistle of the Maniches the .xxvi. chap. Miracles woulde not mooue except they were wonderfull and they would not be wonderful if they shoulde be accustomed thinges As therefore they say that by admiration sprang Philosophy whych Plato thought to be the Raynebowe and for that cause calleth the daughter of Thaumans so may we beleue that faith Faithe cometh not of miracles but is by them confirmed which cōmeth of the worde of God although it do not vtterly spring of miracles yet by them it may be confirmed And therefore Augustine in his .xii. booke of Confessions the .xxi. chap. saith Ignorance is the mother of wondring at signes this is an entraunce vnto faith to the sonnes of Adam which haue forgotten thee By this sentence he teacheth that men which haue forget God haue by the admiration of miracles an entrance or cōming vnto faith And without doubt it is so The wyll of God is hidden from vs but he as he is good openeth the same to holy Prophets Apostles which that they may profitably declare vnto men he geueth vnto them the gift of his holy woord But bicause he knoweth that mortal men are contrary against his word he hath graūted the power of working of miracles that those thinges might the easilier be beleued which he would haue his messenger profitably to speake That cōfirmation of faith cōmeth by miracles Marke testifieth who toward the end of his Gospel saith And they went forth preaching euerye where the Lord working with them confirming the word with signes which followed And how apt this kinde of confirmation is hereby it is manifest The promises of God do of no other thing depend then of his wyll power And the signes which we now intreate of do testify the power of God forasmuch as they by al meanes ouercome nature and set forth the truth of his wil for by the inuocation of his name by his grace spirit they are wrought Augustine Wherefore Augustine in the place now alledged against the Epistle of Manicheus writeth that miracles do bring authority vnto the woord of God For he when he did these miracles semed to haue geuen an earnest peny of his promises Neither ar these wordes to be passed ouer which the same Augustine hath vpon Iohn in the .24 Miracles consist not in the greatnes of woorkes treatise That miracles consist not in the greatnes of workes for otherwise it is a greater woorke to gouerne this vniuersal composition of the world then vnto a blinde man to restore light which he is destitute of These thynges declared there remayneth that by apt distinctions we destribute miracles into his partes Some of them are to be wondred at An other distinction of myracles by reason of the thing it selfe which is done for that it is so vnaccustomed and great that in the nature of thinges we cannot finde the lyke of it Suche was the staying of the Sunne in the time of Iosua and the turning of that shadowe in the tyme of Ezechias the conception and byrth of the Virgin the foode of Manna in the deserte and suche lyke But there are some which ar miracles not for the nature and greatnes of the thing but bycause of the maner and waye whiche was vsed in bringing them to passe as was the cloude and rayne of Helias the budding of floures and fruites in the rod of Aaron the thunders of Samuel the turnynge of water into wyne and suche lyke For suche thinges are done by nature but they were then myracles bycause of the maner whereby they were wrought that is not by naturall causes but at the commaundement and wyll of Sayntes There is an other deuision of myracles An other deuision of miracles bycause some of them doo onelye mooue admiration as lyghtenynges and thundrynges in mount Sina the turning of the shadowe of the Sunne in the tyme of Ezechias the transfiguration of the Lorde in the Mount There are other which besides the admiration doo bring a present commoditye vnto men as when by the rodde dryncke was geuen out of the Rocke Manna from heauen and when by the Lord and the Apostles sycke folkes were healed And sometimes they bring punishment and hurt vnto the guiltye For by the woordes of Peter perished Ananias and Saphira Elimas the Sorcerer was made blynde by Paule and some were by hym delyuered vnto Sathan to be vexed By this also are miracles deuided An other partitiō of miracles bicause some of them are obtained by praiers For so did Elias and Elizeus namelye by praying restore their deade to lyfe Moses also praying for Pharao draue away Frogs and other plages And other some are wrought by commaundement and authority Iosua commaunded the Sunne to stay his course The Lord Iesus commaunded the windes and Peter said vnto the lame man In the name of Iesus Christ rise walke Ther ar also other which are done neither by praiers nor by commaundement but of theyr own wyll and accord the saintes them selues doing some other thing Euen as when the shadow of Peter as he walked healed those that were sycke and the napkin of Paul healed also folkes diseased Augustine An other diuision of myracles Lastly Augustine as it is written in his .83 booke of questions question 79. deuideth miracles that some are done by publik iustice that is by the stable and firme will of God which in the world is counted as a publike lawe By it God would that his ministers that is Apostles and Prophetes shoulde in preaching woorke miracles And there are other some which by the signes of this iustice are wrought as when the vngodly in the name of God or of Iesus Christ do work any miracle which is not geuen but by the honour and reuerence which thei vse towardes the name of God not that God or nature or any thinges created desire to gratefy them As when a man stealeth away a publike seale or handwriting he may wrest many thinges either from the men of the countrey or from the Citizens which are not geuen vnto him but vnto the seale which they know doth belong to the Magistrate and Prince So he which followed not Christe did yet in his name cast out deuils Thirdly are those miracles reckoned which by some certaine priuate bargaine are wrought wherby the Sorcerers do binde them selues vnto the Deuyl and the deuil likewise to them But those at done neither by publike iustice nor yet by the signes therof but come onelye of a certayne priuate conuention Howbeit wee must knowe that miracles of the second and third sort are not firme neither do they assuredly happen For asmuch as we reade in the .xix. chap. of the Actes of the Apostles that the sonnes of
of Reuben were greate thoughtes of harte 17 Gilead abode beyond Iordane but why doth Dan remayne in shipes Aser sat on the sea shore and taried in his decayed places Ruben is described both by the arte of a shepheard which he exercised and also by the places of Pastors whiche he inhabited and therwith all it is shewed that they were great men and men of a wise vnderstandyng peraduenture to reprehend their swelling and pride as though they would not obey the commaundementes and conduct of Deborah being a woman This is the nature of hyghe mindes that they thinke that al things that they do are wel done But in that it is added To heare the bleatinges of flockes it may be vnderstande plainely as though the Rubenites had more minde to the bleating of cattell than they had to the regarde of the publicque wealth but some vnderstād Allegorically saying that the Rubenites sat styll among the shepefoldes by the fertile pastors of Iordane althoughe they heard they lamentations and complaintes of the flockes of Israel that is of the people of God with whiche lamentations and complayntes they earnestly implored theyr ayde Gilead abode by the riuer of Iordane or beyond Iordane Some thinke that the Galaadites were reprehended together with the Rubenites bycause they also with their cattell abode by Iordane and neglected this battayle Halfe the tribe of Manasses vnto which the Galaadites pertayned when the land of Chanaan was deuided obtayned the region beyond Iordan together with the Rubenites They which thus expound it are encombred with a certain doubt bycause it is before sayd that Machir came and he was both the sonne of Manasses and also possessed the mount Gilead Therfore if Gilead came as it is before sayd why is he here reproued as thoughe he came not Peraduenture they will aunswere Two sonnes of Manasses that Manasses had two childrē Machir Iair of which childrē wer two families deriued of whiche either possessed parte of Gilead Wherfore it might be that Machir of whom before is mencion had came but Iair is nowe reproued whiche together with the Rubenites neglected this battayle But other with whom I agree do thus thinke that the thinges which are now spoken serue to aggrauate the crime of the Rubenites as though it should haue ben sayd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou Ruben without doubt dwellest by the riuers of Iordane and there dwelleth Gilead also who came for all that to the battayle Therfore all excuse both of dwellyng and place is cut of from the Rubenites And it semeth that this sentence should be spoken by a certaine interrogation Did not Gilead also dwell by the riuers of Iordane Wherfore cease Rubē to excuse that whiche thou hast naughtly cōmitted VVhy doth Dan go to the shippes The situation of the Danites This can not be vnderstand of shyppes lōging to the sea for as much as the lot of the Danites fell not by the sea side but we must vnderstand it of the shippes of Iordane Not as though Dan did altogether dwell by Iordan but as they say this tribe was so feared with the sight of the hostes that they fled vnto their shippes to passe ouer to the Rubenites And that euen as it was filthy and vncomely so also is it nowe iustly worthily blamed Aser sat on the sea shore and in his decayed places Aser is also blamed who semeth to haue excused his absence first bycause he dwelled far of that is by the sea shore secondly bicause his Cities and Townes were decayed and vnfensed And therfore would he tary at home for feare lest if he had gone his enemyes should easely haue had occasion to inuade his borders For for as much as he possessed places whiche were weake he thought that if he were absent his neighbours would easly beriue him of them I do not doubt but that it was greuous and troublesome to those tribes so to be reprehended which yet the holy ghost would haue done partly that they beyng admonished might repent partly the other and we also beyng by this example stirred vp myght not refuse to obey the worde of God yea thoughe it be with daunger whiche if we shall not performe as these men are now reproued so also shall we in the last day of iudgement not onely be reproued with ignominie and irrecouerable hurte but also we shal be damned for euer 18 But the people of Zebulon haue ieoparde their soules vnto the death and Nepthalim in the high places of the field She praysed the tribe of Zebulon and Nepthalim for theyr desertes bycause they had put forth to reproche their soule that is their life For other men counted thē fooles bycause so few and vnarmed men durst rashly take in hand warre agaynst so many and well appointed souldiers as they thought Or They put their soule to reproche bycause they nothing estemed their life and in a manner counted it as a vile thing putting themselues forth into most certaine daunger of death if they should looke vpon mans iudgemēt Howbeit they are for the same cause very much to be commended bycause they preferred both God and also his worde before their owne life And it is added In high places of the fielde or els in high fieldes bycause those were souldiers led vnto mount Thabor from whiche place they might easely behold the whole host of their aduersaries But although they beholde them yet were they not so feared to leaue of their enterprise 19 The kinges came and fought then fought the kinges of Chanaan in Thaanach and by the waters of Megiddo they receaued no gayne of money Nowe is described the forme of the battayle or victory She sayth in the plurall number that kinges came and fought bycause peraduenture Sisera had very many other rulers ioyned with him who although they were not there in person they had for all that their hostes there Or els by a figuratiue kinde of speach the plural number is put for the singular number as is this sentence of the Poet. But we haue gone a great space of the sea Virgil. Cicero Cicero also sayth we haue deceaued the people we semed to haue bene orators Thaanah and Megiddo semed to haue ben riuers in the tribe of Manasses whiche had by them two Cities of the same names not farre from mount Thabor We must thinke therfore that the hoste of Sisera possessed all the playne grounde whiche laye betwene these two Townes Cicero And those repeticions for one verbe serue to adorne the sentēce or song Nilchamiu Are Nilchamiu that is they fought then they fought as Cicero also sayth No man looketh vpon the matter no man considereth the reason c. so that betwene two wordes repeted he putteth this one worde no man This word also Melachim that in kinges is repeted Cicero For it is sayd that the kynges came and that they fought as Cicero also sayth This O fathers appoynted is found to be your acte
that was in a maner impossible Yea and the Hebrues when the Lord discended to mount Sina to geue the lawe were so striken with feare and dread that they sayd vnto Moses Haue thou we praye thee to doo wyth God least if he go forward so to speake before vs we dye To this serueth that also whych is written in the same booke of Exodus when the couenaunt was then made betwene God and the people and Moses recited the cōdicions and sprinkled the people with the blood of the sacrifices which wer offred he brought forth the Elders vnto the mountain wher they saw God sitting in his throne wyth chiefe glory and maiesty But after the recital of that vision it is sayd Neyther did God extende hys hande vnto them which declareth that it was a newe and vnaccustomed sight that men should se god haue their life stil whole sound Wherfore that altogether is mencioned as a thing geuen by a singular prerogatiue Ierome Ierome also testifieth that Esay was vnder this pretence killed of the Iewes bicause he said that he had sene God sitting vpon his throne as it appeareth in the .vi. chap. of his booke They caueled that he lyed forasmuch as God cānot be sene of men which yet remain stil a liue Wherfore they condemned him for a lier as though in prophecieng he had taught the people not the things which the Lord had shewed him but his own inuencions This they fained against the innocent prophet when as bysides it they had no other cause against him And there are the like examples in the new testament when our Lord manifested in mount Thabor to his Apostles a certain shew of his maiesty glory he was altogether changed before them he shined with an incredible brightnes light with whō wer Moses Elias straightway present the voice of the father sounded from heauen These thinges bicause they many waies ouerpassed the faculty of mans sight the eyes of the Apostles were not able to beare them wherfore they fel downe to the earth wer as it wer dead Peter also whē in fishing at the cōmaundement of Christ he caught an incredible number of fishes for before his woord he had long labored in vaine marueiling at the straunge sight and vnderstanding that God was in Christ he was so afeard of himself that he said vnto him Lord I pray thee depart from me bicause I am a sinfull man and cannot without daunger suffer the presence of God Paul also declaring his rauishing vnto the third heauen where he vnderstoode thinges deuine whyche in word he might not expres vnto mē writeth whither it wer in the body or without the body I cannot tel Verely he durst not affirme that those thinges happened vnto him whilest he had the vse of the body senses of this life Wherefore it manifestly appeareth that Gideon was not without a cause astonished But why the beholding of God or of the Angels seemeth to bring present destruction vnto men Platos sect we must now shew the reason Peraduenture that hapneth by reason of the grosnes of the body which as the sect of Platos affirme is to vs as it wer an obscure darke prison Wherfore forasmuch as by it we are letted so that we cānot see things deuine if peraduēture at any time we behold them by by we remember that the ioyning together of the body mind is nowe dissolued that we shal straightway dye that therfore deuine things are set before vs to behold bicause now is at hand the seperation of the soule frō the body For Aristotle in his Metaphisicis testifieth Aristotle that the powers of our vnderstanding are in such sort vnable to vnderstand things deuine which of their own nature ar most euident that iustly they may bee compared vnto the eyes of the Owles or Battes whych cannot looke vpon the brightnes of the Sunne and lyght of the day They which thus thinke doo in deede say somewhat but not so much as is sufficient to expounde the thing manyfestly The bodye remoueth vs not from the beholding of God The body from the first creation was not therfore geuen vnto men that it should be a let vnto them to know God neither that it should restraine our soules as in a certain blinde darke prison for so the goodnes of God which created the bodily nature of man should be accused And that the thing is thus the historye of Genesis proueth which testifieth that God was very familiar with our first Parentes though they had bodies for he led them into Paradise which he had planted he shewed them the trees wherof they might eate and for certaine trees hee gaue them a law that they shoulde not toutche them he set all creatures before Adam to cal them by what name he listed Wherefore the bodye was not a let wherby the first man could not be familiar with God Synne seperateth vs frō god Sinne vndoutedly remoueth vs from the sight of god Therof cōmeth our dimnes darknes blindnes ignorance as touching things deuine For this cause we ar turned into Moles Bats Owles But God of his owne nature may be sene yea he is the lyght it selfe but that the blot of synne is put betwene Peraduenture thou wylt saye that is now sufficiently declared Bycause of sinne men flye from the sight of God that sinne is the originall cause of our blyndnesse but we haue not yet shewed why mē are so afeard at the sight of god Yea by cause of sinne happeneth all this also vnto vs for men besides that by reasō of their darknesse they are oppressed with the diuine light beyng of sinne accused by their conscience do flye from the iudge who is no lesse mighty then iust For they vnderstand that God himselfe is such a one that by reason of his purenesse and iustice he will suffer no vncleane or filthy thing before hym Wherfore to haue God present they thinke nothing els then that their punishement prepared for them and the paynes whiche they haue deserued are at hande For this cause our first parentes when they had sinned straight way hid thēselues and at the voyce of God were so afeard that they determined to hide themselues among the trees of Paradise whiche vndoubtedly came of a troubled conscience for as much as God of his owne nature is both quickning and also the author of all consolatiō Wherfore it is manifest that these terrors and discommodities came not by hys defaulte but thoroughe our owne wickednesse ¶ Of Visions or in what sorte and how muche God may be knowen of men NOw the matter geueth vs occasion somwhat to speake of visions of things deuine and in what sorte and how much God may be sene of men But least our disputacion should want either methode or els an order I will first set forth certaine distinctions whiche I perceaue are nedefull First the knowledge of God
commodiously distributed vnto many So Alexander the Macedonian aunswered vnto Darius that the worlde could not holde two Sunnes as though one shuld hinder the other in gouerning Neither was Cicero ignoraunt of this reason who in his .3 booke de Officiis sayth that Remus slewe Romulus vpon a certayne shewe of vtility as though he saw that the kingdome should better be gouerned by one then by two Whom yet he confesseth to haue offended beyng deceaued with this shewe of vtility and that he put of all humanity and piety The other thing whiche they pretended is that therfore they slewe theyr brethren or kynsfolkes bycause they had conspired agaynst them But when I praye you complayne they of conspiracies euen then when they had slayne those whom they complayned of they could not defend theÌ„selues He slewe 70. brethren excepte one namely Iotham of whome shall mention be made afterwarde The Hystorye writeth that there were 70. slayne either bycause Abimelech so willed and commaunded or elles bicause onely one wanted of that summe The maner of the scripture in reckenyng of numbers whiche thyng we may see oftentymes vsed in the holy Scriptures that some certayne number is mentioned as a full number from whiche yet some may be taken away He slewe them vpon one stone It is thought to haue bene some notable stone which was appoynted for a place of execution Abimelech therfore is by a greate and detestable murther of hys brethren consecrated kynge Kynges were appointed to profit men and to defend them but he begynneth his kyngdome with murther Wherfore he ought rather to be called a Tyranne then a king The place where he was created is setforth wherfore we must vnderstand that this worde Alon signifieth a plant whiche R. Dauid in libro Radicum supposeth to be a pine tree Ionathan maketh it a chestnut tree and Ierome turneth it alwayes an oke Sometimes it signifieth a plaine and the Chaldey paraphrast interpreteth it Mischar that is a playne field thether assembled the Sechemites to create a kyng There was an image or piller set vp as some thinke to a superstitious woorshippyng whiche thyng althoughe it be not agaynst the wicked manners of thys people and impiety of Abimelech yet it is not of necessity that we should so thinke for we rede many tymes in the Scriptures that images were erected not for diuine worshippynges but for other causes In the booke of Genesis the 31. chap. a heape of stones was set vp in mount Gilead as a border and monument vnto the posterity of Iacob and Laban and in the 35. chap. of the same booke a piller was erected by the tombe of Rachel Yea and Absalon adorned his tombe with an image The famely of Millo The famely of the mother of Abimelech was not noble when as she tooke her name of the towne Millo is the name of her house That worde signifieth other wise a gulfe filled whiche Salomon built by the City of Ierusalem The Sechemites created a king the other tribes neither were at it neither wer they called So was there a schisme among the Israelites whiche is wont oftentymes to happen when the worshipping of god is viciated These thynges haue I briefly noted as concernyng the Hystory Now let vs more nighly looke vpon the wicked and flagicious actes by which this man came vnto his tyranny First he was very ambitious he deceatefully and falsely accuseth his brethren vseth the corruption of bribery to worke treason is a robber of the commoÌ„ threasory he wrought by open violence and at the last committed murther of his brethren called Parricidium ¶ Of Ambition What Ambicion is What honor is Excellent men are iustly honored AS touching the first Ambition is to much desire of honor And honor is that reuerence which is geuen vnto any man to beare testimony of his excellency And that testimony is borne vnto hym iustly and of right bycause it is mete that we recompence somewhat vnto them whiche doo helpe and norishe vs and are endewed with giftes of God And we haue nothing more worthy or better then honor Farther that they and their like may go forwarde to excercise them selues longer and more constantly in helping keping of other Moreouer that we adding such reuerence may get vnto them authority whereby they may the more aptly and commodiously execute their office It is lawfull for godly men to receaue the honours offred them Hereby it is manifest that it is lawfull euen for holy men also to embrace the honours whiche are geuen vnto theÌ„ for vertue doctrine and pietyes sake For they both desire and allow things that are iust and do reioyse that men performe that whiche the law of God will haue done And he commauÌ„deth to honor the father the mother the Magistrate and such like Wherfore if men obey his preceptes holy men can not but accept it thankfully Thou mayst adde that if it should not so be their ministery would be contemned whiche is by all meanes to be auoyded What must be taken heede of when honours are admitted But bycause we are prone to pride hautines and arrogancye therfore we must beware and that circumspectly that for the desire of honor we abuse not that whiche after a sorte may be iust Wherfore I thought it good to note those thinges which I iudge are to be taken heede of in this thing First that we rest not in this kinde of good as in the last end Whatsoeuer we do must be directed vnto God and especially that honor whiche is geuen vnto vs when we rightly and orderly execute our dutyes so that thereby both we our selues may know also teach other to glorify God Honor is the reward of vertue not men in good workes For this hath Christ commaunded that we shoulde so directe our wookes whereby they whiche see theÌ„ may glorify God the heauenly father Neither ought this to moue vs which is â—oÌ„monly spoken the honor is the rewarde of vertues For that is not to be vnderstaÌ„d neither as touchyng the vertues theÌ„selues nor yet in respect of the meÌ„ which are adorned with theÌ„ For it shuld be very yll with either of theÌ„ if they had no other ende performed then honor The ende of good men is eternall lyfe and the heauenly kyngdome And the ende of vertues is to prepare and renewe vs to the glory of God But honor is called the rewarde of vertues as touching other whiche doo beholde and wonder at the giftes of God in good and holy men Howe honor is the rewarde of vertue and and when they desire to offer or recompence them somewhat and haue nothing excellenter then honor then doo they geue that Wherefore after this maner is honor counted the rewarde of vertue The other caution is that a man doo not so burne with the desire of honor that he care not howe he come by it whether it be by right or by wrong Salust hath writteÌ„
the Apostles did not alwaies heale Similitudes but yet the signes of the Ayostles also were sometimes hurtful For Paul made Elimas the Cuniurer blynde and sayd Thou Sonne of the Deuyl why peruertest thou the right wayes of the Lord Beholde the hand of the Lord is ouer thee and thou shalt be blynde and shalt not see Peter also wyth hys woorde slewe Ananias and Saphira Yea and Paule delyuered manye vnto Sathan Wherfore Samson prayeth vnto God to make fortunate and to helpe his ministery Neyther can it be properlye sayde that Samson kylled himselfe Samson killed not hymselfe He dyed in deede but he prescribed not vnto hymself this ende namely to dye But sought vengeaunce of hys enemies whych he vnderstoode woulde by this meanes ensue The Apostles also dyd thus make reckonyng wyth themselues Similitudes If as wee haue begonne we teache vnto the people the kingdome of Christ vndoubtedly we shall bee kylled and in that they went on wyth their purpose to teache the Gospell it cannot be iustly sayd that they kylled them selues Paule also when hee shoulde go vnto Ierusalem and Agabus the Prophet tolde hym that the Iewes woulde bynde hym at Ierusalem what dyd hee when hee hearde these thinges Dyd he forsake hys vocation No verely But rather affirmed that hee was ready both to be bounde and to dye for Christ So sayth Samson Let my soule dye wyth the Philistians He dyd not rashely incurre death but followeth hys vocation Souldiours when they go on warrefare if a man peraduenture say vnto them ye shall be slayne wyth gunnes or wyth the swoorde or wyth arrowes They wyll aunswere if they be men of valiaunt courage we seeke not death but victorye or we followe the defence of our owne thynges whereunto we are called But as touching Samson God gouerned him by his spirite Wherefore when he dyed he slewe more of the Philistines then he did before while he liued What fruite therefore had the Philistines by their deceite and treason They bought to them selues death and present destruction And euen as to them that loue god al thinges woorke to good so to the aduersaries and enemies of God al things are turned to their destruction The difference betwene the death of the Philistines and of Samson A moste profytable admonicion of Salomon Samson dyeth together with the Philistines but the ende and maner is far diuers For they dye in their wanton behauiour cruelty and idolatrye but thys Samson in fayth and calling vpon the true God But as touching the matter it selfe the residewe were to eyther of them alyke Wherefore Salomon admonisheth vs most wisely that wee muste not measure the godlynes of men by outward thinges bicause they happen alyke both to the godlye and to the vngodly That Samson dyed in the fayth hereby it appeareth bicause euen in the very destruction he called vpon God and was heard and bycause God restored vnto him hys old strength But they which are in the fleshe can not please God neyther can God be rightly called vpon vnlesse fayth shyne before Howe shall they cal vpon hym sayth the Apostle in whom they haue not beleued And bycause he was heard he prayed by the inspiracion of the spirite For wee knowe not what we shoulde praye Therefore the spirite doth with vnspeakeable sighinges pray for vs. Samson had before fallen he turneth vnto god he heareth hym So let vs also when we haue somtimes sinned returne vnto God faithfully cal vpō him we shal be heard For he is the same god that he was then riche vnto al those that cal vpon him Ambrose that which he did vnto him he wil do also vnto vs. Ambrose vpon this place writeth that Samson was so heard of god that hee lost his lyfe triumphantly Samson is a figure of Christ and he did not onely ouercome the Philistines but also hymself for he represented the image of Christ who although while he lyued exceedingly hurted the diuel yet when he dyed he vtterly triumphed ouer hym The Philistines when they ouercame Samson got vnto them selues moste certayne destruction So the Iewes when they crucified Christ threwe them selues into euerlasting condemnaciō And which is to be marueiled at the Philistines with this so great and so sodaine destruction were so amased that they suffered the kinsfolkes of Samson to come and honorably to bury him For when the Princes were perished the courages of the people were daunted neither durst they attempt any thing against the Hebrewes This place seemeth here to requyre a disputacion whither it be lawful for any man for any cause to kyll hymselfe But bicause we shall haue a place more opportune for it at this present I wyll omyt it and wyl in an other place fully write thereof ¶ The .xvii. Chapter 1 THere was a man of mount Ephraim whose name was Michaiehu 2 And he say d vnto hys mother The eleuen hundreth peeces of syluer that were taken frō thee for the which thou cursedst and spakedst it euen in myne hearing behold the syluer is wyth me I tooke it Then his mother sayde blessed be thou my sonne of the Lorde 3 And when hee had restored the eleuen hundreth peeces of syluer to hys mother hys mother sayde I had dedicated the syluer to the Lord of myne owne hand for my sonne to make a grauen and molten image Now therefore I wyl geue it thee againe 4 And when he had restored the mony vnto his mother his mother toke two hundreth peeces of siluer and gaue them to the goldsmith whych made thereof a grauen and molten image and it was in the house of Michaiehu 5 And this man Micha had a house of God he made an Ephode and Theraphim consecrated the hand of one of his sonnes and he was his priest 6 In those dayes there was no kinge in Israell but euery man did that which was good in his owne eies Fyrst I think good to enquire in this history cōcerning the time wherin these thinges happened For al men do not aunswere a like vnto this question When thys history happened The elder Rabbines do thinke that this was done when Iosua was olde and hee not able for age to execute hys offyce neyther was there anye other Magistrate substituted in his place But this is not verye likely bicause wee reade that in all his time the Israelites worshipped God rightly and orderlye It is not to be ascribed vnto the time of Iosua and that he in the latter time of his life renued the couenant of god with the people Other thinke that they were done after Iosuas death when Othoniell gouerned This sentence R. Selomoh defendeth The sonne of Gerson thinketh that this happened vnder Eglon kinge of Moab whome Ehud afterward slewe R. Selomoh Leui ben Gerson But this also can not be proued for in the x. chap. of this boke it is written that the people cried vnto the Lord when they were