neuer cease to impeach accuse slaunder and condemne vs in this behalfe yet do we defend nothing heerein but that which their owne best Doctors and printed bookes doe teach vs yea euen such bookes as are dedicate to the Popes holinesse himselfe The conceites which this Bishop alledgeth to make good his intended purpose are childish and too too friuolous For first where hee sayth that the Fathers speake of good workes onely in respect of their naturall valure as hee tearmeth it I aâ—nswere that that glosse and exposition is onely inuented by him and his fellowes to salue their beggerly doctrine if it wold be For besides y t no father saith so they repute al works before grace meere sin as I haue prooued out of Austen And our Bishop vnwittingly confuteth himselfe of such force is the trueth when he graunteth that good works done in grace are vnworthy of heauen if Gods promise be set apart For if they merite ex condigno as he auoucheth then doubtlesse promise couenant and mercie is altogither needlesse Secondly where the bishop fleeth to distributiue iustice so to establishe the merite of workes I answere that both the fathers and his fellowes are against him yea euen Aquinas himselfe For they vnderstand iustice commutatiue and require arithmetical equalitie And if Geometricall proportion were to be admitted yet should greater equalitie be required then can be found between our workes and eternall life The 9 obiection Ye brag that the merite of good workes cannot be found in all the Scripture But therein you belie both vs and the holy scripture For in the booke of Ecclesiasticus I finde these expresse wordes Omnis misericordia faciet locum vnicuique secundum meritum operum suorum All mercie shall make place to euerie one according to the merite of his workes Loe here is made expresse mention of the merite of his good workes The answere I say first that the booke of Ecclesiasticus is not canonicall Scripture as which was not found written in the holy tongue I say secondly that it is not for nothing that your late councel of Trent hath so magnified your Latine vulgata editio For such stuffe as this it doth affoord you in time of neede I say thirdly that in the originall and Greeke text your worde merite may long seeke for lodging before it finde any For these are the expresse wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Make place to all almes for euerie one shall find according to his workes The 10. obiection One Scripture saith that if we giue almes all things are pure vnto vs. Another scripture saith that charitie couereth the multitude of sinnes And it is frequent with the holy fathers that good workes deliuer vs from hell The answere I say first that S. Luke reprooueth y e extortions of the Pharisies exhorteth them to works of charitie As if he had said not vnwashed handes make you eate vncleanly but your wicked extortions Vse therefore charitie and giue almes to the poore and then your soules shalbe cleane though the platter be vnwashed This sense is gathered out of the verses aforegoing I say secondly that almesdeedes and other good works proceeding of faith do neither merite nor iustifie as is prooued but yet they are testimonies before men that wee be iustified by faith through the merites of Christ Iesus For which respect iustification is often ascribed vnto them as to the effects therof I say thirdly that the fathers in many places doe speake of temporal remission which often is graunted for almes deeds and the like The replie If good workes can neither iustifie nor merite then is it but a vaine thing to exercise our selues therein The answere I say first that thus to say and thinke is a probable signe of the reprobate who hath no feeling of Gods holy spirite but is become senselesse in all spirituall contemplation I say secondly that albeit good workes doe neither iustifie nor merite in proper kinde of speech yet be there many good and necessary causes why we should doe good workes First because God is glorified therein Therefore saith Christ let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen Secondly because by good workes we shew our gratitude loue towards God Therfore saith Christ If ye loue me keep my coÌ„mandements Thirdly because it is the end for which we were created Therfore saith the apostle For we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works which God hath ordained that we should walke in them Fourthly because they are necessary effectes of our predestination and consequently yeeld and euident morall certitude both to our selues to our neighbours that we are y e childreÌ„ of God Therfore saith the apostle There is no coÌ„demnation to theÌ„ y t are in Christ Iesus which walk not after y e flesh but after the spirite as if hee had said Who soeuer are the childreÌ„ of God cannot but liue after Gods holy lawes Which is the selfe same doctrine that Christ himselfe taught vs saying If ye shall keepe my commaundementes yee shall abide in my loue as I haue kept my fathers commandement and abide in his loue And S. Iohn confirmeth the same in these wordes In this wee know that we loue the children of God when we loue God and keepe his commandementes For this is the loue of God that we keep his commandementes So then if we keep Gods commandementes it is an euident signe that we loue God and that by faith wee are of his free mercie made his children for the merites and righteousnesse of Christ Iesus See more hereof in the eleuenth preamble in my first booke of Motiues The 8 conclusion Although good workes doe neither merite grace in this life nor glorie in the life to come as which are imperfect polluted with sinne and in rigour of iustice worthy of condemnation as is alreadie prooued yet because God hath decreed in his eternal counsel to bring vs to heauen by them as by ordinary meanes and right fruites of a sound christian faith they may in a godly sense be termed The secundary instrumentall cause of eternall life but in no sense the cause of mans iustification Explico I say of mans iustification because the latter can neuer be the cause of the former and consequently good workes following our iustification as the immediate fruites thereof can by no meanes possible be the cause of the same In regard whereof S. Austen as in many other thinges so in this point saide very learnedly Quòd opera non praecedunt iustificandum sed sequuÌ„tur iustificatum That workes doe not go before iustification but followe him that is iustified I say of eternall life because when there be many gradual effectes of one and the same cause then the former may fitly be termed the materiall cause of the latter that is as the schooles terme it Causa sine qua non
Againe in an other place Without me can ye doe nothing By which testimonies it is clear y t man before he be regenerate hath not power force efficacy or faculty to do good or once to coÌ„sent to any spiritual act The third conclusion The meritorious cause as wel of saluation as of iustification is Christ Iesus and none els This conclusion wilbe manifest if we seriously reuolue in our minds the wonderful mystery of mans redemption In which kind of holy meditation whosoeuer shal deuoutly exercise himselfe that man doubtlesse wil espie with facilitie these foure most excellent attributes of our most sweete redeemer to wit his iustice his mercie his wisedome his loue For first as the worthines of the person increaseth so doth also the offence against the saide person committed Wherupon it commeth that a reprochful word spoken against a meane priuate person is in respect a small offence when it is spoken against a magistrate it is greatâ—r when against our soueraigne the greatest of all and consequently when we offend God whose person is of infinite worthienes our offence must needes be infinite howsoeuer our late papists flatter themselues in their venials and so man vncapable of euerie infinite action cannot possibly yeeld any condigne compensation and yet god of his iustice cannot pardon sin without condigne compensatioÌ„ for the same Behold here Gods iustice Secondly in rigor of iustice the partie that offendeth is bound to make satisfaction for the fault neither is the partie offended bound to accept the satisfaction of any other and conseqently God was not bound to accept his sonnes satisfaction for our sinnes though it were most sufficient and of infinite dignitie In this Gods mercie shewed it selfe Thirdly on the one side pure God could not satisfie though he were of infinit dignitie because pure God is impassible on the other side pure man was not able because euerie his action was insufficient as of which no one amongst al could be infinite God therefore appointed his onely sonne to be incarnate to ioyne humanitie with diuinity in hypostatical vnion and so to make attonement for our sinnes For as man hee was passible and as God he was able to giue infinite dignitie to his passion Wherein we may beholde Gods diuine wisedome Fourthly God seeing man in the chaines and bondage and thraldome of the deuill through sin and hauing tender compassion of him in such his distresse sent his owne deare sonne to set him at libertie again and this he did of meere loue without all merits and deserts of man For as Christ himselfe saith God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting All saith the apostle haue sinned and are depriued of the glorie of God and are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus Againe in another place As by the offence of one the fault came on al men to condemnation so by the iustifying of one the benefit abounded towarde all men to the iustification of life For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous This is the stone saith Saint Peter which the builders refused which is become the head of the corner neither is there saluation in any other for among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby wee must be saued Wee haue an aduocate with the father saith Saint Iohn euen Iesus Christ the iust and he is the reconciliation for our sinnes Christ redeemed vs saith Saint Paul from the curse of the lawe while hee was made a curse for vs. Againe in another place In whome wee haue redemption through his bloud that is the forgiuenesse of our sinnes Againe Who did by himselfe purge our sinnes and sitteth on the right hand of maiestie on high Againe For he hath made him to be sinne for vs that knew no sinne that we should be made the righteousnes of God in him These saith S. Iohn are they which came from great tribulatioÌ„ washed their stoales and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe Again in another place The bloud of Iesus Christ doth purge vs from all sin I euen I am hee saith God by his Prophet that blotteth out thine infirmities not for thy deserts but for mine owne sake Againe in another place He was wounded for our iniquities hee was torne in peeces for our offences S. Austen shal conclude this point who writeth in this maner Dominus noster Iesus Christus mori venit peccare non venit communicando nobiscum sine culpa poenam culpam soluit poenam Our Lord came to die he came not to sin communicating paine with vs without sinne he loosed both sinne and the paine of sinne The fourth conclusion The mercie of God is the efficient cause of mans iustification and Gods glorie the finall cause of the same Of the former speaketh S. Paul when he saith Not by the works of righteousnesse which we haue done but according to his mercie hath he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the holy ghost Againe in another place the same Apostle saith that al haue sinned are freely iustified by his grace Againe he saith Which beleeue in him that raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead And S. Iohn saith that God of his meere mercy and loue gaue his only son for the redemption of the world Of the latter speaketh the apostle when he saith that God hath made vs accepted in his beloued to the praise of his glory Again in another place whether therfore ye eate or drink or whatsoeuer ye do do all to the glory of God As if he had said ye must referre al your thoughts words and workes to Gods glorie because ye were created to that end The prophet also saith I euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine own sake wil not remember thy sins Againe in an other place Surely I wil not giue my glory to any other But doubtlesse if God shoulde iustifie man for any other end then for his owne glory it would follow thereupon that his glorie were giuen to another Yet as Salomon saith God hath made al things for his own sake yea euen y e wicked for y e day of euil The formall cause of mans iustification is not mans owne inherent iustice but the iustice righteousnes of Christ Iesus This conclusion containeth the maine point of a mighty controuersie betweene the papists vs for which respect I wish the reader to marke attentiuely my discourse The late councel holden at Trent setteth downe the opinion of the papists in these words DemuÌ„ vnica formalis causa est iustitiâ— dei noÌ„ qua ipse iustus est sed qua nos
Dauid according to my righteousnesse and according to the purenesse of mine handes he recompensed me Yea it is a thing so certaine with God to reward y e good deeds of his faithful seruants that the best liuers giue great respect thereunto Moses saith S. Paul esteemed the rebuke of Christ greater riches then y e treasures of Egypt for he had respect to the recompence of the reward Which reward neuerthelesse proceedeth of Gods meere mercie bountifull benignitie without all desertes of man Which the great papist frier Iohn de Combis wel obserued wheÌ„ in his theological SuÌ„me he wrote in this maner Deus nos punit citra condignuÌ„ remunerat vltra condignum God punisheth vs lesse then we be worthy and rewardeth vs farre aboue our deserts The first obiection S. Iohn saith Qui facit iustitiam iustus est He that doth iustice he is iust Therefore a man becommeth iust euen by doing of good workes The answere I say first that the contrary illation is more fitly gathered out of Saint Iohns assertion albeit the papistes thinke this a bulwarke for their iustification by good works For when he saith he that doth iustice is iust it is all one as if he had said when one doth good works it is a signe that he is iust because none can do good works vnlesse hee be iust For as a tree cannot bring forth good fruit vnlesse it first be good euen so cannot any man do good works vnles he first be the child of god The reason is euident bicause the effect must folow not go before the cause For as saint Austen grauely saith Opera sequuntur iustificatum non praecedunt iustificandum Works follow him that is alreadie iustified but they goe not before him that is to be iustified I say secondly that hee that doth iustice is iust by inherent iustice but imperfectly as is alreadie prooued The second obiection Saint Iames saith that a man is iustified by good works and not by faith onely and he proueth it because Abraham was iustified by offering vp his sonne Isaac The answere I say first that Abraham was iustified indeede before he did any good worke and I prooue it by Saint Paul whose words are these For if Abraham were iustified by works he hath wherein to reioyce but not with God for what saith the scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Nowe to him that worketh the wages is not counted by fauour but by debt but to him that worketh not but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnes euen as Dauid declareth the blessednes of the man vnto whome God imputeth righteousnesse without works Out of these words of the apostle I note first that whosoeuer ascribeth his iustification to works can haue no ioy with God I note secondly that righteousnesse was imputed to Abraham by reason of his faith not by reason of his works I note thirdly that if Abrahams works could haue iustified him his iustification shoulde haue beene of duetie and not by fauour or grace I note fourthly that the vngodly is freely iustified by faith in Iesus Christ without works I say secondly that Abraham offered his son Isaac not to worke his iustification by that fact but to giue a testimonie of his faith and that he was already the childe of God For as S. Paule saith that obâ—ation was for the triall of Abrahams faith These are the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By faith Abraham offered vp Isaac when hee was tried or prooued for so the Greek word doth significantly expresse And Moses maketh the matter more plaine in these wordes And after these things God did proue or try Abraham where the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to make triall And y e proofe followeth in these wordes Take nowe thine only sonne Isaac whom thou louest and get thee to the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering vpon one of the mountaines which I will shew thee Out of which words with the circumstances before and after recorded in the scripture I gather that Abraham was perfitly iustified before hee offered his sonne Isaac For first God had promised to blesse all nations in his son Isaac as it is written Sara thy wife shall beare thee a son in deede and thou shalt call his name Isaac and I will establishe my couenaunt with him for an euerlasting couenaunt and with his seede after him Again God appointed that sonne to be slaine in whom the promise was made Thirdly the sacrifice was the only sonne of Abraham euen the sonne which he loued most tenderly Fourthly Abraham himselfe was designed to be the butcher to his owne sweet childe Fiftly it passed mans reason how all nations could be blessed in the child that was presently to be slaine All this notwithstanding Abraham neuer once doubted of Gods promise but promptly prepared himselfe to execute Gods will Whereupon I conclude that Abraham was holy and iust in Gods sight before the oblation of his sonne otherwise he could neuer haue yeelded thereunto in such maner and with such alacritie of minde as he did I say thirdly that S. Iames speaketh of iustification before men which was nothing els but the testification of Abrahams righteousnesse to the world Which exposition came from heauen to Abraham in these wordes Lay not thine hand vpon the childe neither doe any thing vnto him for now I knowe that thou fearest God seeing for my sake thou hast not spared thine onely sonne Out of these wordes I note first that this offering vp of Abrahams sonne was to try Abrahams faith and obedience as I said before which I gather out of these wordes for now I knowe that thou fearest God I note secondly y t it was also to make known vnto the world that great faith feare and loue which Abraham had towardes God As if God had said I knew before thy faith and loue towards me but now I haue made the same knowne vnto the world The third obiection S. Iames saith plainly that a man may keepe the law perfitly and be iustified for so doing These are the words Whosâ— looketh in the perfite law of libertie and continueth therein hee not being a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the work shalbe blessed in his deed The answere I say first that no man can keep the law perfitly in this life as I haue alreadie prooued copiously I say secondly y t though the regenerate doe not fulfil the law exactly yet doe they continue therein so long as they striue against sinne and suffer not sinne to raigne in them For as S. Paule saith When wee doe that which we would not it is no more we that doe it but the sinne that dwelleth in vs. Whereupon S. Austen saith very finely Ecce quemadmodum qui ambulant in vijs domini non operantur peccatum tamen
with all popish recusants neuer to pay their debts to loyall christian subiects This assertion because it is strange to good christian eares cannot but bee obscure and hardly vnderstood for explication sake wee must note two principles of lately coyned romish religion First that our most gratious soueraigne Queene Elizabeth and al her faithfull subiects are flatte heretiques Secondly that all her maiesties dominions with all the landes and goods of her loyall obedient and christian subiects are the Popes due vnto him from the first day of the profession of their loyall obeysance and of the true ancient christian romain catholike and apostolike faith That these be their principles their best writers doe testifie their Iesuite Bellarminus their Canonists Nauarrus and Couarrunias their Diuines Syluester and Medina their religious friers Fumus and Alphonsus with many others Vppon these rotten principles of their newe no religion they grounde their most execrable dispensation to witte that it is lawfull for all popish recusants by reason of such dispensations to withholde what landes and goods soeuer from all such as wil not yeelde themselues captiues to the brutish bondage of poperie Hereof it commeth first that so many this daie make conscience to bee absent from diuine seruice in the church who haue no conscience at all to pay their debts Hereuppon it commeth secondlie that manie repute it deadlie sinne once to heare a godlie sermon who thinke it no sinne at all to owe great summes of money and neuer to pay the same Heereuppon it commeth thirdlie that sundrie recusants haue so intayled their landes and so fraudulently away their goods and that of late yeares as no law enforceth them to pay their debts to their poore creditors Hereupon it commeth fourthly that her maiesty is defrauded her faithfull subiects impouerished the Popes vassals enriched the lawes of the realme contemned and domestical rebellion fostered It therefore behooueth good Magistrates to haue speciall regarde hereof Good lawes are established but slowly in many places executed God of his mercie either conuert dissembling hypocrites soundly or else for the common good of his church confound them euerlastingly for a greater and more pestilent plague cannot come vnto the Church then to haue such magistrates as pretend publiquely to fauour it and yet are secret enemies to the same qui potest capere capiat this kind of popish pardoning my selfe though then a papist could neuer brooke but so soone as I vnderstood it did sharplie impugne the same The mediate externall sabboth is that which God appointeth mediately by his church in the new Testament to wit the sunday which is our christian sabboth And here obserue that when I say by the church I specially vnderstand the supreme gouernour of the Church much lesse doe I exclude the same which obseruation shall be made manifest before the end of my discourse And because no veritie doth clearely appeare vntill the difficulties and doubts be plainely vnfolded I will propound in order the greatest obiections that can be made against the same framing briefe pithie and euident solutions thereunto The first obiection The Sabbatharies contend with tothe and naile that christians are no lesse bound this day to keepe the legall sabboth then were the Israelites in time of Moses law and they proue it because God blessed the seuenth day and sanctified it which sanctification was nothing else but a commaundement to keep it holy as appeareth by the declaration made by Moses Againe bicause this sanctification was forthwith after the creation and therefore as all nations are bound to make a memoriall of the creation as well as the Israelites so must all nations as well as the Israelites keepe holy the seauenth day that is the day of rest after the creation which is our saturday and vpon which day the Iewes still keepe their sabboth The answere I say first that there is no precept in the olde or new Testament by which either the Gentiles then or christians now are bound to keepe the legall sabboth I say secondly that albeit it could be proued that the fathers before the law had kept it yet would it not follow that wee were bound by their ensample this day to keepe the same for otherwise we shoulde be bound to offer vp bloudy sacrifices as they did both before and after the deluge The second obiection God speaking of the sabboth saide it should be a signe betweene him and the children of Israel for euer and hee added for in sixe dayes the Lorde made heauen and earth and in the seauenth day rested therefore all nations are bound to keepe the sabboth of the seauenth day The answere I say first that the word euer is not taken there simpliciter but secundum quid as the schooles tearme it that is not for eternitie or for the duration of this life but for all the time from Moses vnto Christ which was 1495. yeares I say secondly that though the sabboth be not eternall as it is ceremoniall which I shall prooue by and by yet is it eternall in the thing signified that is ceasing from sin and rest in God which shall be accomplished in heauen for euermore The third obiection The decalogue was before Moses and this day is of force for the Gentiles were bound before the promulgation of the law written in the tables of stone and we christians after the translation of the law to abstaine from blasphemie periurie theft murder whoredome couetousnesse fraudulent dealing and the like as were the Iewes in time of the law The answere I answere that whereas the law of Moses was partly iudiciall partly ceremonial and partly morall the morall part being the verie lawe of nature engrauen in mens hearts in the hour of their natiuities as it was before Moses so shall it endure to the worlds end but all ceremonies which were types and figures of the promises made in Christ Iesus were accomplished and abolished in his sacred aduent such was the circumcision giuen to Abraham the sacrifices commanded to our first fathers and the sabboth in respect of the determination vpon the seauenth day for it was not Gods will to continue shadowes after the things indeede were exhibited The fourth obiection A perpetuall cause requireth a perpetuall lawe and consequentlie since the memorie of the creation and meditation of Gods works is a perpetuall cause of the law of the seauenth day it followeth necessarily that the law of the seauenth day must still abide in force The answere I answer that the memorie of the creation is indeed a perpetuall cause of a perpetuall sabboth but not of a perpetual precise and determinate sabboth the reason hereof is euident because the memorie of our creation may be done as conueniently vpon another day as vpon the seauenth day thus my answere is confirmed because the sabboth which wee now keepe is not the seauenth day but the eight for our sunday is the first day of the weeke
subiection But so soone as Philopator was dead his sonne Ptolomeus Epiphanes sent a mightie armie into Syria vnder the conduction of Scopa who recouered certaine Cities in Syria and a good part of Iudea Yet within a short space after Antiochus skirmishing with Scopa neere to Iordan had the vpper hand and tooke the cities againe from Scopa Then the Iewes yeelded them selues to Antiochus receiued his armie voluntarily within the walles and affoorded him large helpe against the garrisons of the said Scopa In respect of which fauour Antiochus dealt very fauourably with them gaue them rich giftes and graunted them libertie to call home againe all the Iewes that were in dispersion The third obseruation Antiochus Epiphanes was hostage at Rome where he learned by the Example of the Romaines flatterie deceite and other bad qualities to accommodate himselfe to the time and maners of men Hee was famous not for his vertues but for his naughtie dealing He was called as some write for his dissolute life not Epiphanes but Epimanes that is not noble but madde He beganne his reigne about 134. yeares after the death of Alexander at which time his brother Seleucus ceased by death to reigne in Syria At the same time Ptolemeus Epiphanes dyed in Egypt leauing behinde him to young sonnes Philometor and Physcon Ptolemeus hadde these sonnes with his wife the queene Cleopatra who was sister to Antiochus Vnder this pretence Antiochus went into Egypt and by faire speeches got the regiment during the nonage of Philometor the yong prince And when hee had contriued all thinges so as he might take the kingdome vpon him at his pleasure hee went to Hierusalem at the intreaty of Iason who sought ambitiouslie to be made the high priest by his procurement euen as popes of late yeares are made at Rome as hereafter shalbe prooued Where as writeth Iosephus so soone as hee came the gates were opened to him by men of his owne faction Which vsurped dominion hee exercised cruellie and sacrilegiously neither sparing the goods nor the liues of those that willingly opened the gates vnto him The fourth obseruation Demetrius Nicanor the twelfth king of Syria was driuen out of his kingdome by his brother Antiochus Sedetes by the aid and meanes of Tryphon Yet afterward hee was restored to his kingdome againe and ruled Syria peaceably vntil Alexander surnamed Sabineus of the house of Seleucus tooke him prisoner at Tyrus where he put him to death CHAP. III. Of the kings of Macedonia and of the diuision of the Empire after the sixt yeare of Alexander THe holy will of the liuing God was that foure mightie kings shoulde succeede Alexander the Great after the sixt yeare of his raigne whereof euerie one should possesse a part and no one be so mightie as himselfe which thing was euidently foretolde by the Prophet Daniel The foure kings that succeeded Alexander to wit Cassander who raigned in Macedonia and Grecia Seleucus who raigned in Syria Ptolomeus who raigned in Egypt and Antigonus who raigned in Asia did all descend of the house Petigree and bloud royall of Alexander that most puissant and valiant Emperour and for that cause surnamed the Great Cassander caused Olympias daughter of Neoptolemus and mother to Alexander a most chast and vertuous Queene to be beheaded cruelly that so hee might raigne more licentiouslie but God the iust iudge who for his wisedome seeth all things and for his iustice sake letteth no sinne passe vnpunished did so in his eternall prouidence dispose of Cassanders issue as it was a worthie spectacle to the world For Antipater and Alexander his sonnes had mutual mortal bloudie warres the one against the other as concerning the kindgome of Macedonia But what was the ende Antipater was slaine by Lysimachus his father in law and Alexander by Demetrius the sonne of Antigonus who both were their owne complices to whom they trusted and sought for helpe at their hands A worthie obseruation King Alexander the great was not onely full of valure and prowesse but throughly garnished with heroicall and morall vertues amongst which this was not the least that so often as he heard the complaint of one against another the accused partie being absent his continuall custome was to open one onely eare to the plaintife and to keepe the other closely shut by which ceremonie he liuely expressed vnto the world the office of euerie good Prince and righteous iudge to wit that they should neuer haue respect of persons as holy Writ beareth witnesse but heare all parties indifferently and iudge euer according to lawe and equitie Which indifferencie king Alexander fitly practised euen with the admiration of his auditory while as hee graunted to the accuser one eare so did hee to the accused reserue the other neuer condemning the one nor iustifying the other before hee vnderstood perfectly the truth of the matter But in our time wee may iustly exclaime with holy Polycarpe O God to what worlds hast thou reserued vs for nowadayes iudges lawyers are so corrupt with bribes that when a poore man crieth he can not be heard with neither eare because both are shut at once on the other side so soon as they grope the rich mans gold they open both the one eare the other there is no stay at al. Of such iudges magistrates and lawyers speaketh wise Salomon when he saith that many reuerence the person of the mightie and euerie one is friend to him that giueth gifts When a rich man commenceth any sute against the poore man euerie iudge euerie lawyer euerie iustice euerie bailife will for money be readie to further his cause for golde and money with a becke they come anone and with a winke they will bee gone though their matter were verie badde in the beginning yet wil it be right good in the ending money worketh so forcibly with them that it may bee saide to alter the case and to change the nature of the thing Gifts saith Saint Ambrose dazle the eyes of iudges and weakeneth the force of their authoritie Contrariewise when the poore man commeth to them either without money or but with a little they are dumbe deafe and sencelesse they can neither heare see nor vnderstand they will vse such dallying such demurring such shiftes and delayes vntill the poore man bee exhaust and spent so as perforce he must let the matter fall and sit downe with the losse For albeit his cause were right good in the beginning yet will it be starke naught in the ending Wherefore Innocentius his wordes are well verified in this kinde of people You respect saith he not the causes but the persons not lawes but bribes not what reason prescribeth but what will affecteth not what the minde thinketh but what it coueteth not what should be done but what yee list to haue done your eie is not single which should make your body bright but euer ye mingle a peece of leauen which corrupteth the whole dowe The
righteous or right His rectitude consisted in this that his reason was subiect to God his inferiour powers to his superiour his body to his soule There was no rebellion to be found in any part of the whole man For otherwise it would follow hereupon y t God were vniust which yet to auouch were y e greatest blasphemie in the world The reason is euident because if it had not been in Adams power to haue auoided al sin God should haue charged him with an impossibilitie and withall haue condemned him for not performing the same But our Lord is a iust iudge as witnesseth his apostle This whole processe S. Austen sheweth both pithily briefly in these right golden wordes Posteaquam praecepti facta est transgressio confestim gratia deserente diuina de corporum suorum nuditate confusi sunt Senserunt enim nouum motâ—m inobedientis carnis suae tanquam reciprocam poenam inobedientiae suae quia superiorem Dominum suo arbitrio deseruerat inferiorem famulum ad suum arbitrium non tenebat non omnino habebat subditam carnem sicut semper habere potuisset si Deo subdita ipsa mansisset After that Gods lawe was transgressed Gods grace did incontinently forsake them and they beholding their owne nakednesse were confounded For they felt a new motion in their disobedient flesh a punishment correspondent to their disobedient heartes And because he voluntarily disobeied his superiour Lord hee coulde not haue his inferiour seruaunt subiect to his word Neither was his flesh in subiection as he might haue had it for euer if it had remained obedient to Gods lawes The condition of mans free will from the creation of the protoplaste Adam vntil our regeneration Christ himselfe seemeth to set down most liuely in that parable which he propounded to the lawyer A certaine man saith Christ went downe from Hierusalem to Iericho and fell among theeues who robbed him of his raiment and wounded him and departed leauing him halfe dead Which is to say allegorically as y e fathers write that mankinde went out from the paradise of peace to the mutabilitie of misery fell among the powers of darknes who robbed him of his supernatural gifts of innocency and immortalitie wounded him in his naturall giftes of will and reason and departed leauing him halfe dead that is dead in respect of Gods fauour though liuing to the eyes of the world Semiuiuus inquit Augustinus habet vitalem motum id est liberum arbitrium vulneratuÌ„ quod ad aeternam quam perdiderat vitam non sufficiebat Et ideo iacebat quia vires ei propriae ad surgendum non sufficiebant vt ad sanandum medicum .i. deum requireret In that he was halfe aliue saith S. Austen he had vitall motion that is free will so wounded as it could not returne to eternall life which it had lost And therefore did he lie because he wanted proper strength to seeke God the phisition that could cure his maladie Ludolphus alluding to mans creation setteth downe this matter verie finely in these wordes Fecerat Deus hominem ad imaginem suam secundum rationem ad similitudinem secundum dilectioneÌ„ vt per vtrumque Deo adhaereret in haerendo beatus esset Sed diabolus humanae beatitudini inuidens contra duo bona praedicta duo homini in originali intulit praecipua mala In eo namque quod factus erat ad imaginem Dei secundum rationem vulnerauit eum per ignorantiam boni in eo verò quod factus est ad similitudinem Dei secundum dilectionem vulnerauit eum per concupiscentiam mali God made man after his own image according to reason after his owne similitude according to loue that by them both hee might adhere to God and by adhering to him attaine eternall beatitude But the deuill enuying mans felicitie bestowed on him in steede of these two blessings the double mischiefe of originall sinne For in that man was made after Gods image in reason he wounded him with the ignorance of good and in that he was made after his similitude in loue he wounded him with the concupiscence of euill Al this is liuely comprehended in the essence nature and definition of free will which after Saint Austen is this Liberum arbitrium est facultas rationis voluntatis qua bonum eligitur gratia assistente malum eâ desistente Free will is the facultie of reason and will by which good is chosen when grace is present and euill when grace is wanting For this cause saith the apostle that we are not able to think any good thought of our selues as of our selues neither yet to say that Iesus is the Lord but in the holy ghost For it is God saith he that worketh in vs both to do wel and to wil wel This verity was defined aboue a thousand and one hundred yeers ago by the ancient holy and learned councel of Aransica in these words Haeretico fallitur spiritu non intelligens vocem Dei dicentis in Euangelio Sine me nihil potestis facere whosoeuer saieth the holy synode thinketh he can do any act which pleaseth god or perteineth to eternal life by force of his free will that man is deceiued with an heretical spirit not vnderstanding the voice of god wheÌ„ he saith in his gospel Without me ye can do nothing that is good Out of this discourse two things are cleare euideÌ„t the one that our first parent Adam before his fal might by force of his free-wil holpen with supernaturall grace make free election aswel of good as of euil withal put that his free choise in execution thother that y e posterity of Adam hath free wil to nothing saue to sin only vntill the time of regeneration The first obiection There is no consultation as saith the Philosopher but of things which are in our owne power and yet doth euery one vse consultations in those things which he goeth about Againe there must be some immediate cause of euery act and that can not be God because God is not the cause of any euill Neither can the cause thereof be ascribed either to nature or to destinie or to fortune because humane actions are variable and with the intention of the doer Therefore the best course that can be taken with him that denieth mans freewill after the fall of Adam is this to wit to beate him like a stockfish vntill he confesse those that beate him to haue free will either still to beate him or to cease from beating For if one should deny the fire to be hote the best reason against him were to cast him into an hot ouen or burning furnace Thus reasoneth Veguerius The answere I say first that I willingly graunt both Papists and other reasonable creatures to haue free will in morall or ciuill acts neither do I thinke him vnworthy of strokes that will obstinately deny
reprobate and not of the elect and godly sort but after he had pondered the text deeply he altered his opinion This is confirmed in these words of the selfe same chapter but I see another law in my meÌ„bers rebelling against the law of my mind leading me captiue vnto the law of sin which is in my members By these words of Paul it is euident that albeit he were the childe of God yet could he not merite any thing in Gods sight but rather in rigor of iustice prouoke his heauy displeasure against him For where or what could be his merite who was prisoner to the law of sinne Againe it is confirmed in these words For I doe not the good thing which I would but the euill which I would not that doe I. Thus saiâ—h saint Paul and doubtlesse since hee did the euill which he would not he sinned though he were regenerate and because he sinned he was worthie of condemnation for that death is the stipend of sinne Againe it is confirmed in these words For the law is spirituall but I am carnal sould vnder sinne Thus saith S. Paul of himselfe and yet is it true that one vnder sin can merit nothing saue hel fire and eternal paine Againe it is confirmed in these words Nowe if I do that I would not it is no more I that doe it but the sinne that dwelleth in mee Thus saith Saint Paul of himselfe and yet because sin abode in him and did that that was offensiue in gods sight he could neither merite grace nor eternal life as is already proued Further then this no man liueth without sinne as the papists grant and yet is euerie sinne mortall as I haue prooued elsewhere The first obiection Saint Paul speaketh of originall concupiscence which remaineth euen in the regenerate after baptisme but is no sinne at all For he onely calleth it sinne because it prouoketh a man to sin as a mans writing is called his hand for that it is written with his hand which exposition S. Austen approueth in sundrie places of his works The answere I say first that to say against the flat text of scripture without scripture is no reason at all I say secondly that S. Paul doth not onely call concupiscence sin but he proueth it by many reasons For first it striueth against the law of the minde Againe it leadeth one captiue into the law of sinne thirdly it doth that which is not good but euil I say thirdly that Saint Austen doth vndoubtedly iudge it to be sin neither shal any papist in the world euer be able to proue the contrarie howsoeuer they bare the world in hand I wil onely alleage a few places out of S. Austen make effectuall application of the same to which when anie either Rhemist or Romist shall answere sufficiently I promise to become his bondman The first place of Austen Concupiscentia carnis aduersus quam bonus concupiscit spiritus peccatum est quia inest illi inobedientia contra dominatum mentis poena peccati est quia reddita est meritis inobedientis causa peccata est defectione consentientis vel contagione nascentis The concupiscence of the flesh against which the good spirit striueth is sinne because it is disobedient against the dominion of the mind and it is the punishmeÌ„t of sin bicause it is inflicted for the deserts of disobedient Adam and it is the cause of sinne either by the default of him that consenteth or by the contagion of the child that is borne Thus saith S. Austen In which words he expresseth three things precisely first that concupiscence in the regenerate is the paine or punishment of sinne secondly that it is the cause of sinne thirdly that it is sin it selfe which three he doth not only distinguish but withall hee yeeldeth seueral reasons for the same And therfore most impudent are the papists who auouch with open mouthes that saint Austen onely calleth it sin because it is the cause of sinne The second place of Saint Austen Neque enim nulla est iniquitas cum in vno homine vel superiora inferioribus tur piter seruiunt vel inferiora superioribus contumaciter reluctantur etiamsi vincere non sinantur For it is some iniquitie when in one man either the superiour parts shamefully serue the inferiour or the inferiour parts stubbornly striue against the superiour although they be not suffered to preuaile Thus saith S. Austen whose words are so plaine as the papists can not possibly inuent any euasion at all For hee saith in expresse tearmes that the rebellion which is betweene the flesh and the spirit is sinne euen when it is resisted and cannot preuaile at which time and in which respect the papists wil haue it to be merite and no sinne at all The third place of Saint Austen Virtus est charitas qua id quod diligendum est diligitur haec in alijs maior in alijs minor in alijs nulla est plenissima vero quae iam non possit augeri quamdiu hic homo viuit est in nemine quamdiu autem augeri potest profecto illud quod minus est quam debet ex vitio est Ex quo vitio non est iustus in terra qui faciat bonum non peccet Ex quo vitio non iustificabitur in conspectu Dei omnis viuens Propter quod vitium si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus nosmetipsos seducimus veretas in nobis non est Propter quodetiam quantumlibet profecerimus necessarium est nobis dicere dimitte nobis debita nostra cum iam omnia in baptismo dicta facta cogitata dimissa sint Charitie is a vertue with which we loue that that ought to be loued This in some is more in other lesse in others none at all but the perfect charitie which can not bee increased while a man here liueth is found in none so long as it can be increased that doubtlesse which is lesse then it shoulde bee proceedeth of sinne by reason of which sin there is not one iust vpon earth that doth good and sinneth not by reason of which vice none liuing can be iustified in Gods sight by reason of which vice if we say we haue no sin we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs by reason of which sin how much soeuer we profit yet must we say of necessitie Forgiue vs our trespasses euen after that al our thoughts words and works are forgiuen in baptisme Thus saith saint Austen Out of whose most golden words I note sundrie things to the euerlasting confusion of all impenitent papists For first Saint Austen saith that no man can haue charity in that perfite degree which the law requireth Secondly that the want thereof proceedeth of this concupiscence Thirdly that by reason of this concupiscence euerie man is a sinner Fourthly that by reason therof none liuing can be iustified in Gods sight
vnder the obedience of the law bound to frame their liues according to the prescript rule thereof as other scripture maketh mention The replie How can any man frame his life after the prescription of the law if none liuing can keepe the law as you defend The answere I answere that if yee were well studied in your owne doctors and should marke well what they write yee coulde not be ignorant of this point Harken therefore what your owne Bernard saith and after you haue heard him remember well his words and neuer forget his holy instruction Thus writeth he in one place Cupiebat dissolui cum Christo esse sciens quòd peccatum separans inter nos deum penitùs auferri non poterit donec liberemur à corpore Sequitur itaque dico vobis genus illud peccati quod toties conturbat nos concupiscentias loquor desideria mala reprimi quidem debet potest per gratiam dei vt non regnet in nobis nec demus membra nostra arma iniquitatis peccato sic nulla damnatio esthis qui sunt in Christo Iesu sed non eiicitur nisi in morte quando sic discerpimur vt anima sepaietur à corpore The Apostle did couet to be dissolued and to be with Christ knowing that sinne which maketh a diuision betweene God and vs cannot wholy bee taken away while we remaine in this bodie I therefore say vnto you this kind of sin which so often troubleth vs I speake of concupiscence and euill desires ought may be repressed by the grace of God so as it raigne nâ—t in vs nor we giue our members to be weapons of iniquitie vnto sinne and so there is no damnation to those that are in Christ Iesus but it is not cast out saue only in death when wee are so torne that the soule is diuided from the body Thus he saith in another place Sit ergo in corde iustitia iustitia quae ex fide est Haec enim sola habet gloriam apud deum Sit etiam in ore confessio ad salutem securus iam suscipe eum qui in Bethlehem Iudae nascitur Iesum Christum filium Dei Let righteousnes therefore be in thine heart euen that iustice which is of faith for onely that righteousnesse or iustice hath glorie with God howsoeuer righteousnes be esteemed among men Haue also confession in thy mouth vnto saluation and then receiue him with security that is borne in Bethlehem of Iuda Iesus Christ the sonne of God Thus he saith in the third place Omne quod natum est ex Deo non peccat sed hoc dictum est de praedestinatis ad vitam non quòd omnino non peccent sed quòd peccatum ipsis non imputetur All that is borne of god sinneth not but this is spoken of the predestinate to life not because they sin not at al but for that sin is not imputed to them Thus doth he say in the fourth place Vtique quod factum est non potest non fieri ipso tamen non imputante erit quasi non fuerit Quod propheta quoque considerans ait Beatus vir cui non imputabit Dominus peccatum The sinne doubtlesse that is done can not be vndone yet for that God doth not impute sin vnto vs we shal be as if we had not sinned which the prophet considering saith Blessed is the man to whome God shall not impute sinne Out of these foure places conteining most comfortable and christian doctrine I note first that concupiscence remaineth in the regenerate euen vnto death I note secondly that it is properly sinne euen in the regenerate which being vttered by their owne deere Bernard giueth a deadly wound to the papists For he saith that that concupiscence which remaineth to death doth separate vs from God Which effect nothing but that which is properly sinne can possibly worke in man I note thirdly that although this concupiscence can not be taken awaie from the regenerate vntil death yet may it be so repressed by Gods spirite as it shall not raigne in them or haue dominion ouer them I note fourthly that it bringeth not damnation to the regenerate who striue against it and that because God doth not impute it to sinne I note fiftly that the regenerate are saide not to sinne not because they sinne not or haue no sinne indeede but because God of his meere mercie accepting their faith through the merits of Christ Iesus doth not impute sinne vnto them I note sixtly that no iustice but that which is of faith is or can be acceptable in Gods sight Ioyne these sayings of saint Bernard to the testimonie of saint Austen cited in the answer to the first obiection in the seuenth conclusion and that done a mightie article of popish doctrine will be vtterlie ouerthrowne The sixt obiection Wherefore saith S. Peter labour the more that by good works you may make sure your vocation and election Therefore good workes are a meane for vs to attaine to the effect of Gods predestination that is to life euerlasting as whose certainetie if the apostle say truelie is procured by mans freewil and good workes The answer I say first that God did elect and predestinate vs without regard of our works For as the apostle saith he chose vs in Christ before y e foundatioÌ„ of the world not bicause we were holy but that we should be holy I say secoÌ„dly that the words by good works are not in the originall Greek text but only in the popish latin vulgata editio For which like respects your late Tridentine council hath so magnified the same I say thirdly that good works are the proper effects of predestinatioÌ„ electioÌ„ and therfore are a sure testificaton therof in y e sight iudgement of man And if your translation be admitted wherin I wil not contend because y e sense is not much different yet can there no more be inferred vpon y e words vnlesse some wil say that the effect can go before the cause that which foloweth be the cause of that that went before But both their owne doctour Aquinas and their double glossa interlinialis and ordinaria doe giue the same exposition with mee to wit that the apostle willeth vs to make knowne our eleccion by doing of good works as which yeeld to man a morall certitude thereof The seauenth obiection Saint Paul willeth the Philippians to worke their saluation with feare and trembling but doubtlesse he that can worke his saluation may by his works merite heauen The answere I say first with the selfesame apostle in the next verse following that we are so far from meriting heauen by our works that it is God which worketh in vs both the will and the deede euen of his good pleasure Yea as he saith in another place we are saued by grace through faith that neither of our selues nor yet
cannot erre neither all generally nor one finally 207 Emperours of Rome 86 Errour may be in the church 206 Errours how they come 342 The Eucharist giuen to infants 186 The Eucharist expounded by Chrysostome 461 The Eucharist is not Christs body 467 The Eucharist vnder one kindâ— 402 The Eucharist broken 484 Eutiches and his heresie 181 F Abrahams Faith did iustifie him 383 Sole Faith iustifieth 370 Faith can not be without good woorkes 399 The first Faith broken how vnderstoode 241 A true Fast 72 Fasting and choice of meates 60 The Fathers doe erre very often 342 Festiuall dayes 116 Fidelitie allegeance condemned by the pope 528 Free-will how it remaineth 358 G Grace that iustifieth is not inherent 370 The Grace of the Manicheâ—s 176 Saint Paul iustified by Grace yet a sinner stil 374 Grace infused may stand with sinne 350 The virgin Mary abounded with Grace yet not freâ— from sinne 28â— The Greekes and their supputation 8â— Gryphus at strife with his vncle 123 The Gouernement of the Iewes 135 H The Heresie of Arrius 178 Of Nestorius 180 Of Macedonius 181 Of Eutiches ibidem Of Mahomet 182 The Historie of Nectarius 509 Of Spiridion 64 Hierusalem besieged 153 Destroyed 25 Holy dayes and Sabbaths 116 I Iesuites are humble 144 Dissemblers 145 Images 139 Indulgences 270 Inuocation of Saints 319 Ioseph and his acts 57 Iosue 58 Of the Israelites but seuentie persons went into Egypt 53 Israelites 400. yeeres in Egypt 54 Iustice inherent 383 Iustice of the regenerate vnperfit 351 Iustification by faith 370 Iustification formall in Christ ibid. Iustification by workes 383 and 384 Iulianus Apostata 175 K Kings of the Assyrians 74 Of Egypt 128 Of the Iewes 135 Of Israel 20 24 Of Iuda 24 Of Macedonia 116 Of the Medes 76 Of the Persians 94 Of the Romanes 83 Of Syria 123 Kings are supreame gouernors in causes ecclesiasticall 34 and 426 Kings that afflicted the Iewes 147 Kissing the altar 483 The pax 482 The patine 483 The Popes feete 487 L The Law impossible after Adam 350 c. The Law fulfilled by faith 370 Euery transgression of the Law a mortal sin 381 What time the Law was giuen 56 The Lie in the midwiues 55 The Librarie of king Ptolomie 132 M Macedonius â—81 The Maniches 176 Marriage of Priests prohibited onely by mans lawe 216 Gratian alloweth priests marriage 231 The Nicene councell alloweth priests marriage 233 The Masse how it is called a sacrifice 428 The canon of the popish Masse 480 Masse in one kinde contrary to Christs institution and antiquitie 402 Popish Masse iniurious to Christs passion 417 Popish Masse is not a propitiatorie sacrifice 432.433 c. Popish Masse a clowted beggars cloake 476 Priuate Masse is diabolical 414 c. Masse ought to be saide in the vulgar tongue 476 Melchisedech what he offered 422 c. No Merit in mans worke 372 c. The Merit which the fathers ascribe to good workes 394 c. The Meritorious cause of iustification 345 The popish Miter 486 A Monarchie contained not all power in it 129 The Monarchie of the Assyrians 74 Of the Greekes 121 Of the Persians 92 Of the Romanes 149 Moses and his actes 55 N The seuerall Names of the ten tribes 43 Nectarius abolished confession 510 Nestorius 180 Nero and his wicked actes 150 Noah his floud 27 Nouatus the cause and beginning of popish confession 512 Nunnes may lawfully marry euen after vowes 235 O Olympias 116 The Olympiads 81 The Originall of confession 509 c. Of kissing the Popes feete 487 Of pardons 270 Of pilgrimage 341 c. Of popish masse 480 Of changing Popes names 486 The Originall of praying for the dead 296 Of praying to Saints 311 Of praying on beades 487 Of popish primacie 187 Of purgatorie 296 Of single life 224 Of transubstantiation 436 P Pardons 270 Pax vsed in poperie 481 Phocas author of primacie 188 Pilgrimage 341 c. Popes and their wicked dealing 529 Of kissing the Popes feete 487 Changing the Popes name 486 Praying to Saints 311 For the dead 296 In the vulgar tongue 476 Vpon beads 487 Primaâ—â—â— 187 Priuate masse 414 Purgatorie 296 Ptolomaeus his librarie 232 R Reliques of Saints not to be adored 349 Remus how slaine 82 The Romish church hath erred 203 c. The church of Rome holdeth many things whereof it can yeelde no reason 186 The church of Rome vseth to wrest the scripture ib. Rome how it had the name 82 Rome when builded ibidem S The alteration of the Sabbath 108 c. The Sacrifice of the masse 428 The Saracens 182 A Scribe what it signifieth 133 The Scripture must try euery trueth 342 The Sects of Romish religion and when they began 530 The Septuagints and their celles 131 Succession of kings See Kings Succession in the Romish church 194 c. Supremacie of the Romish church 187 T The Temple when it was built 2â— Transubstantiation when it began 436 The destruction of Troy 81 All Trueth to be tried by the scripture 342 V No sinne Veniall of it owne nature 381 Vestments and their colour 490 The Virgin Mary a sinner 287 Virgins may marry after their vowes 235 The Visible church clogged with superstitions See Church Vowes cannot dissolue lawful marriage 253 c. Vowes vnlawfull 265 W The Wearing of a Cardinalles hat 488 The seuentie Weekes in Daniel are declared 101 The scripture must Witnes trueth 342 A Woman pope of Rome 191 A Woman clad in mans apparell 74 Good Workes cannot iustifie before God 383 c Good Workes do not merit 392 Widowes damned for breaking their first faith 241 FINIS Among other faults escaped in the Printing these especially are thus to be corrected Pag. 2. for Cabatist reade Cabalist Pag. 13. for 432 443 Pag. 19 for 428 443 Ibidem for 4082 4097 Pag 21. The first two lines as part of the sentence afore-going Pag. 37. for Achab Achaz Ibidem for eight seuenth Pag. 74. for hadle handle Pa. 75. for Tantanes Tautanes Ibid. for Tantens Tantens Pag. 1â—â— deest made with other literall faultes which the ingenious Reader may easily espie and amend Act. 9.1 2. Act 9.4 1 Cor. 15.9 1. Cor. 2.8 1. Tim. 1.13 Gal. â— 10 Genes 2. vers The state of 〈◊〉 in his creation The vertue of the tree of life â—ugust de ciuit 〈◊〉 3 cap. 20. â—enes 2.16 â—enes 3.19 â—enes 1. â—9 â—enes 9.3 Aug. de ciuit libr. 22. cap. 30. The difficultie consisteth not in the ages but in the supputatâ—â—on of the yeareâ— Exceeding greâ—â— varietie of opinâ—â—ons 〈◊〉 first age second age August quaest sup Gen. q. 25. Mal. 1. verse 2 3. â— Par 4. v 1. Actes 7. verse â— The third age â—ee the Fift Sectiâ—n of the eight â—hapter where â—his is handled more at large This point must be well noted See Athanasius in synopsi Anno mundâ— 3088 4. Reg. 25. Ier. 52. Iosephus his â—â—â—putation 〈◊〉 be allowed 〈◊〉 from the 〈◊〉 to the 〈◊〉 be 〈◊〉 443. yeares 〈◊〉