of consolation wherfore it is no maruel if he againe desired the remedy which he had had experiēce of Why Gideon required contrary sygnes He requireth contrary signes bicause the first semed not to be so great a wonder that the rest of the earth should be dry the fleese moyst Bicause such is the nature of wool that by a certaine proper power it draweth moystnes vnto it selfe as the Magnete stone draweth yron and Naphtha fire Naphtha a kinde of chalk Wherefore the wool myght easilye drinke in the dewe and that aboūdantly although the earth wer not yet moist But that about the fleese the earth should be moist and the wool dry it was vtterly against nature What is the Allegorye of these sygnes Augustine vpon the .71 Augustine Ambrose The Allegorye of these signes Psalme writeth and also Ambrose in his first booke de spiriru sancto in the Proheme The fleese they vnderstand to be the people of the Hebrues who in the old time wer watred with the woord of God when as the whole earth that is all other nations wanted the preaching of the woord of God Christ also was the minister of the circumcision in the first embassadge he sēt his Apostles onely to the Iewes But afterward the thing was so altered that the whole worlde after the comming of the holy ghost vpon the Apostles was watred wyth the woord of God and the Iewes vtterly wanted it and as barren bowes were cut of from the fertile and fat Olyue tree ¶ Of Miracles IN the ende of the chapter twoo thinges are to be enquired of The first is of miracles the other is how much or in what sort it is lawful to require them The Etymology of the wordes As touching the firste the Hebrue verbe is Pala or Niphla whiche is it was hard or marueilous wherof ar deriued these nownes Niphlaoth or Miphlaoth By which woordes are noted thinges seuered from other for their dignitye or excellency seperated I say and wonderful The Grecians call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of thys verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to maruayle The Latines call them Miracula that is miracles bicause they are woorthy of admiration They cal them also Prodigia monstra and Portanta that is wonders monsters and thinges seldom sene that we should vnderstand that God by these thinges wyl shewe that some certayne thing shal come to passe or be done contrary to the cōmon order of things aboue hope or expectation Miracles very muche renoumed Wherfore seing mircales ar done aboue the natural course of thynges they bring with them admiration And vndoubtedlye there are verye many miracles which by writers are made famous as the temple of Diana in Ephesus the Tombe of Artemisia Queene of Caria the horrible great image of the Sūne at Rhodes the walles of Babilon very many other of the sort Wherfore Augustine against the Epistle of the Maniches the .xvi. Augustine A general description of myracles chap. prudently writeth I call a miracle whatsoeuer appeareth harde or vnaccustomed aboue the hope or faculty of the wonderer By which wordes a certaine large description of miracles may be had Transubstantiation is yll fayned to be a myracle And forasmuch as it said that a miracle appeareth they are worthely reproued which do fayne Transubstantiation and wyll haue it to be a miracle which can neither be confirmed by the holy scriptures and seing that it appeareth not neither can it be sene it cannot be called a myracle After this very common and large description ther is to be added that of miracles certaine are true False miracles and certaine are false For those are called false myracles which either are not that which they seme to be or els if they bee they are not done by anye power which passeth nature but by the powers of nature although it be secrete For Angels either good or bad may do them and that thre maner of wayes For sometime they applye vnto matter the strengthes of nature which they perfectly know of which cōiunction of the matter wyth efficient causes do follow effectes ar in dede in a maner vpon the sodaine at the which the beholders cannot but maruayle The deuils know that of thinges putrified are engendred Frogges woormes or some certaine Serpentes so that heate in certaine degrees be added Wherfore seing to them it is not hard to couple these thinges together they do it somtimes to deceaue men with al. And by this meanes Augustine thinketh as he writeth in his .3 Augustine booke de Trinitate that the sorcerers of Pharao did sometimes the same thinges which Moses dyd Farther the mouings of the spirites of the blood and humours doo verye much trouble the bodies of men whereby figures images and shapes of thinges whyche in them are kept are in the same mocion brought before the phantasy or imagination by that maner and order that the troubler of the spirite knitteth them Wherof do spring sundry and manifold sightes which we see doo sometimes happen in suche as are in phrensy And the thing may come so farre that the formes and images which are inwardly kept may be called backe euen vnto the outwards senses Whereby he which suffreth such thinges weeneth that he verilye seeth and feeleth those thinges whiche are in his imagination or phansye and in hys sense when as in very dede there is no suche thing outwardlye done And thys kinde of miracles ought rather to be referred to illusions then to miracles It also commeth to passe that sometimes these spirites by their own power either of the ayre or els other elements do forme certaine bodies that they appeare vtterly like mens bodies and vnder them they appeare to whō soeuer they lust So came they sometimes to Abraham Lot and other fathers These thinges if we speake properly and simply ar not true miracles but in our reason iudgement ther is nothing letteth but that they may so be called Yea and commonly Iuglers are said to do miracles when as for all that they deceaue by the nymblenes of the handes or by the powers of certaine thinges natural do represent thinges wonderful to the beholders What true miracles are But this is the definition of true miracles A miracle is a woorke hard and vnaccustomed by the power of God which passeth al faculty of nature created to this ende wrought to cause the beholders to wonder and to confirme fayth towardes the woord of God Causes of myracles Wherefore the matter of miracles are woorkes and the forme is that they be hard and vnaccustomed The efficient cause is the power of God which ouercommeth nature created And the end of them is both admiration and also confirmation of faith And that we should not doubt of the efficient cause this I thinke good to be added That that power of God which vtterly is aboue the faculties of nature is to be vnderstande sometimes to
the holy oracles and wordes of god should get their credite by men which are otherwise lyers But these things they faine to the entēt that seyng they are manifestlye founde often tymes to haue decreed and ratified in the Sacraments doctrines farre otherwise than the holy scriptures will beare Whiche thing they would defend that they may do it bycause the Churche whiche doth bring authoritie and credite to the worde of God may alter things in the holy Scriptures as pleased it Wherfore we must resiste them by all meanes possible in this thyng which they take vpon them to do We may not suffre our selues to be brought to thys poynte to thincke that the Scriptures haue had their credite and authority by the Churche And yet do I not write these thynges as thoughe I woulde despise or contemne the dignitie of the Churche vnto the whiche There be three offices of the Churche touching the word of God The Churche as a witnesse kepeth the holy Bookes I do attribute thre offices and them moste excellent as touchyng the worde of GOD. The firste of them is that I do confesse that the Church as a witnesse hath kept the holy bokes But thereby it can not be proued that it is lawful for it to peruert or alter any thing in the holy bookes Experience teacheth vs that publique and priuate wrytinges are committed to scriueners whiche are commonly called notaryes to be layd vp and diligently kept of thē And yet there is none that is in his right wittes which wil say that he may alter any thing in them or wil beleue that their authoritie is of greater force than their willes were whiche desired to haue the same written The worde of God reuealed and written Neither shall it be here vnprofitable to obserue the difference betwene the worde of god as it was reuealed at the beginning to the Prophetes sainctes as it was afterwardes preached or written For we do easely acknowledge betwene these that there is onely difference of tyme and not of the authoritie or efficacie For we confesse that the worde vnwritten was more auncient than that which was afterward appointed to letters and we graunt that either cōferred together was geuen to the Churche but in suche sorte that the Churche as we haue sayd can not by any meanes wrest or chaunge it The office of the Churche is to publishe and preache the worde of God And this vndoubtedly is the second office of the Church to preach publish the wordes committed vnto it by God In which thing it is lyke a common crier who althoughe he do publishe the decrees of princes and magistrates yet he is not aboue the decrees or equal vnto them in authoritie But his whole office is faithfully to pronounce all thynges as he hath receaued them of the princes and magistrates And if he should otherwise do he should be counted altogether for a traytour Wherfore the ministers of the Churche ought to care and study for nothing so much as to be founde faithfull We acknowledge also the last office of the Churche to be The Churche discerneth the holy bokes frō counterfaite such as are Apochriphas that seyng it is endued with the spirite of God it must therfore discerne the sincere vncorrupted bookes of holy Scriptures from the counterfaite and Apocriphas whiche is not yet to be in authoritie aboue the worde as many do foolishely dreame For there are very many which can discerne the true propre writings of Plato and Aristotle from other falsely put to them yet in comparison of iudgement they are neither of greater lernyng nor yet of equall with Plato or Aristotle And euery one of vs cā easely know God from the deuill yet are we not to be coūted equal with God much lesse can we thinck that we do excel him So the Churche ought not bycause of this to preferre faith or authoritie thereof before the Scriptures Augustine But they say Augustine sayeth I would not beleue the Gospell except the authoritie of the Churche did moue me therunto But in that place is read to moue together for in very dede Faith is not poured in by the minister but by God it is the spirite of God which poureth faith into the hearers of his worde And bycause the ministers of the Churche are his instrumentes they are rather to be sayd to moue with than absolutely to moue The same Augustine writeth in his 28. booke and second chap. against Faustus that the Maniches ought so to beleue that the first chap. of Matthew was writtē by Matthew euen as they did beleue that the Epistle whiche they called Fundamentum was written by Maniche bycause vndoubtedly they were so kept by their elders from hande to hand deliuered vnto them This is it therfore that the Churche moueth withall to beleue the Gospell bycause faithfully it kepeth the holy scriptures preacheth them and discerneth them from straunge Scriptures The same father manifestly witnesseth in his 6. booke of his confessions the 4. and 5. chap. that God him selfe in very dede did geue authoritie to the holy scriptures Tertullianus Irenaeus But Tertullianus and Irenaeus hauing to do against heretikes did therfore send thē to the Apostolicall Churches bycause they did not admitte the whole scriptures Wherfore they would that they should take their iudgemēt of those Churches which were certainly knowen to be Apostolical For it was meete that those Churches should continuallye remayne both witnesses and also keapers of the holy scriptures and yet therfore they did not decree that the authoritie of the Churche should be preferred before the scriptures What is to be thought of a certayn rule of the Logiciens But the aduersaries say that they are led by the sentence whiche is cōmonly vsed among Logiciens Euery thyng is such a thyng by reason of an other VVherfore that other shal more be counted suche Wherfore they reason after this maner If by the Churche the Scripture hath hys authoritie it must nedes be that the Church much more hath that authoritie But they remēber not that this sentence put by the Logiciens taketh place onely in finall causes and is of no strength in efficient causes For althoughe our inferior worlde be made warme by the sunne and the starres yet doth it not thereby followe that they are farre more warmer And agayne when immoderate men by wyne are made droncke we can not therby conclude the wyne to be more dronken than they Yea the Logiciens teache this that this their sentence is then strong and of efficacy in efficient causes when such efficient causes are brought forth whiche are whole and perfect and not whiche are perciall and maymed whiche rule is not obserued of our aduersaries in this argument For the Churche is not the whole and perfect efficient cause of that faith and authoritie whiche the holy Scriptures haue with the faithfull For if it were
Moyses he consented at length to iourney forth with the Israelits But these things could not haue bene so if we should thinke the Hobab had bene Iethro which after he had deuided set his things in order should haue returned againe to Moyses with the minde purpose to haue gone forward with the Israelits For what neded Moyses to haue entreated hym to do that for which cause he came from hys owne house to doe Or why shoulde he haue chaunged hys purpose to retourne into hys owne countreye whiche he had before vtterly forsaken Lastly why shoulde he afterwarde haue denyed to goe which he had before decreed with hymself to do I know in deede there be some but not many which affyrme that Iethro was that Hobab with whom Moyses spake in the booke of Num. which thyng let thē affyrme for me howbeit I thought good to declare what I iudged most likely And that the familye of the Kenites dwelled long among the Amelekites or very nyghe adioynyng vnto them the fyrste booke of Samuel testifyeth where it is written that Saule called forth the Kenites least he should haue destroyed them together with the Amelekites Wherefore it semeth that parte of the Kenites dwelled with the Amelekites part with the Israelits of whiche both of thē were alwaies most frendly to the Hebrues And god declareth that he had excellētly adorned thē in their publique wealth that with three principal giftes For they excelled in the study knowledge of the law Three thinges God seemeth to haue geuen to the Kenites They were also notable in obtaining of a great victorye Lastlye they liued vertuously and godlye And concerning the study of the law wherein they floorished the first booke of Paralipomenon and seconde chapter towarde the ende is a wytnesse vnto them For there is mencion made of them with the family of Iambes that is of Othoniel and they ar said to haue bene Scribes wherby it appeareth that the tradition of the Hebrues is not to bee despised that in the doctrine of the lawe they were the disciples of Othoniel for they ar reckoned in his family And it is a very common thing to count disciples in the place of children Ierome Ierome also in hys questions vpon Paral. alloweth this opinion which as it is said seemeth to agree with the scriptures Neither do I thynke that for anye other cause there is mencion made of them in this place among the actes of Othoniel Why mencion is made here of the Kenites but onelye bycause they lyued together alwaies with his family most louingly They ar also counted with the tribe of Iudah although they were not of the stocke of the Israelites Wherfore they amongst other wer a fygure of the callyng of the Gentiles The other notable ornament of theirs in that publique wealthe was that noble victory which is declared in the .4 chap. of this booke For Iahel the wife of Aber the Kenite slew Sisara the captayne of warre of Iabin king of Chanaan and God would by the hand of a woman of this familye graunt great health to the Israelites Lastly that they wer wel manered and obseruers of their fathers commaundementes the family of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab hath declared They dronke no wyne which at that tyme was the maner of the Nazarites Prayse of the Rechabites and notably despising earthly thinges they dwelled not in houses but lyued in tentes and exercised the arte of a shepherd which is most simple For which thing they are very much commended of Ieremy the Prophet and adourned wyth a most ample promisse aboue the Iewes bycause they had geuen more seruice obedience vnto him namelye Rechab their parent than the Hebrues had done vnto God himselfe which neuertheles dyd continually boast in that father and holy progenitours Wherefore we knowe that to be most true which Paul hath taught to the Romanes that they in dede had Abraham to their father whiche followed the steppes of hys fayth they were not Iewes by nature but by wyl and faith were made Proselites and in godlynes and holynes farre passed very many of those which were by nature Iewes We gather moreouer hereby It is very profitable for men to ioyne them selues to good godly persōs that it muche auayleth vs to ioyne our selues with good men and with the fellowshyp of the godly The Kenites which wer the posterity of Hobab if they would haue rested as the most part of men do in their own countrye and in the place where they were borne they had fallen at length into the ignoraunce of God and of his lawes wherby they should easely haue bene lyke vnto their neighbour Amalek But bycause they despising theyr owne thinges and kyndled with the faith of the promisse of God ioyned themselues vnto the Israelites What are the moste honest causes of peregrination therfore God gaue them suche good successe in theyr thinges We ought to remember with our selues the moste honest cause of the peregrination of these men For al good men trauayle not into straunge countries for one purpose There be very many which do therfore often tymes leaue their countrey bycause they may not worship God there after the sincere lawful maner of worshipping yea they are grieuously troubled there if they endeuour them selues therunto So Abraham was called out of his lande and from hys kynred least he should styl haue gone forwarde with his elders to contaminate him selfe with idolatry So Christ also said if they shal persecute vs in one city let vs flye vnto an other But ther be other which though they be not letted at home from the true godlynes yet for al that they wil go see those places wher they thinke they may yet get more profyt Plato his pergrination is praysed and be more certainlye enstructed in thinges deuine and necessary for saluacion For which cause Plato is commended bycause he came to the Egiptians went to a part of Italy that is great Greace he went also vnto diuers nations as though he should follow wisdome flieng from him So in like wise Saba the quene is commended in the holy scriptures which trauailed from so farre countries to heare Salomon after this maner the Kenites of whom we entreate folowed the people of Israel for although at home they knew worshipped one God whose Priest their father also was yet neuertheles they desired to be styl more instructed and more absolutelye to receaue the lawes institutions and worshipping of God They are also very much worthy of praise which do for this cause only trauaile into other countries to profyt others and to helpe and deliuer them from the miseries wherewyth they be oppressed After which sorte the Poetes haue sayd that Hercules wandred through the world Hercules by his might to destroy wicked and hurtful men which miserably afflicted mankinde Neither did the Apostels trauaile throughout the whole worlde for any other
them in Moses who beyng before shepheardes horsekepers when they came to beare rule did by the power of the spirite of GOD worke maruelous thinges and proued noble men For GOD as the scripture now speaketh raysed them vp And not cōtent with this but he fully persuaded them and with inwarde feelyng made them assured that they were now elected by God to deliuer the Israelites and to set them at libertie And without doubt vnlesse they had ben fully persuaded of this it had not ben lawfull for them to haue fought agaynst their Lordes or to rebelle for so much as it is not the office of priuate men to fight with his enemies Wherfore Cato An example of Cato whose ciuile iustice is meruelously commended gaue his sonne charge that when he was dismissed from warre and no more bounde by an othe of warre he should not fight against the enemyes of the publicque wealth Knowyng this right well that it is lawful for no man to drawe weapon against any excepte it be by publicque authoritie I haue now expounded what this meaneth that God raysed vp Iugdes Now let vs see for what cause God did the same Bicause sayeth the historye he repented God is not reconciled vnto vs by the outward workes whiche we do What is the receaued exposition of these kindes of speache we haue before declared But now we must marke what this meaneth whiche followeth At their sorowinges We may not thincke that God was reconciled or made fauorable vnto them by the strength and dignitye of the worke For that do men obteyne onely by fayth in our mediatour Iesus Christ to whiche fayth in these and such lyke kynde of speaches we must continually haue a respect vnto therby to loke vpon the roote from whence the fruites of true repentaunce and also sighinges and teares are deriued Neither do we for all that denye God rewardeth good workes but that good workes springyng from faith are so acceptable vnto GOD that he rewardeth them with excellent giftes as well outward as also spirituall whiche commeth of his goodnesse So sayd Daniel vnto the kyng of Babilon By almes redeme thy sinnes That is dryue awaye the paynes and punishementes wherewith otherwise thou shalt be punished But if thou shalt demaunde what is to be thought Of morall workes done without faith of those ciuill and morall good workes whiche are done without fayth I aunswere that for so much as they procede from a viciate and corrupt nature they are therfore sinnes And for that cause they deserue dampnation and hell fyre Howbeit God to the end that the ordre and iust disposition of thinges in the worlde might be kept and to defend assemblyes of humane kinde fellowshippes and publicque wealthes causeth that such actions haue many rewardes not for the worthynes and dignitie of those actiōs but by reason of a certain connexion wherwith god would these thinges to be knitte together Wherfore it commeth to passe that when as hypocrites do worke outward workes sometymes goodly to the shew therby they obtayne notable prayse And they whiche are rulers as longe as they honestly behaue them selues in doyng iustice either in warlike affaires or elles in honest conuersation as the Romanes in the olde tyme did may obteyne a moste large Empyre For so would god haue discipline kept the world and publicque wealthes preserued God did therfore repēt at the sorrowyngs of the Israelites bycause thorough the faith from whence sorrowinges and groninges proceded he was made mercifull and fauorable vnto them But peraduenture some man will doubte whether god when he repented God doth not so repente that he is chaunged were in any poynt chaunged All the godly confesse in a maner with one mouth that god can by no meanes be chaunged for as much as that is a certaine signe both of imperfection and also of inconstancy But this variety which here happeneth is not to be ascribed vnto god but vnto vs. Of this thing I haue spokē som what before but this semeth to be added at this presente If a man will say that god without controuersy ceassed to fauour the Chananites agaynst the Israelites whom he had before so strengthened that he would haue them to oppresse the Iewes and agayne afterward to helpe the Hebrues whom before he semed that hys will was to haue them oppressed by the Chananites No man can deny but that these thinges haue variety How can we therfore defend the will of god frō chaunging Variety is the effectes not in God I answere that by the 28. chap of Ieremy it manifestly appeareth the there is a diuersitie in the effectes when as for all the god in very dede continually retayneth the selfe same will For it is thus written there in his name When as I shall speake agaynst a kyngdome or nation to destroye roote out and ouer throwe it if they shall repente I will also repente And contrarywise when as I shal speake good of a kingdome or nation to builde and to plant and that nation or kingdome shall do euill in my sight I will then also repente me of the good that I had decreed to bestowe on them These wordes declare that god in these kindes of threatninges and promises is therfore not chaunged bycause he speaketh not absolutely simply but vpon condition But the accomplishing or makyng voyde of the conditions is to be considered toward vs. And therfore the chaunge is not to be attributed vnto him but vnto vs. But if thou shalt aske me whether god doth before know and decree what shall come to passe as touching these conditions I will graunt that he doth For he euen from without begynnyng doth not only know of thyngs that shal come to passe but also hath decreed what shall be But bycause the hid priuitye of his will as touching these thinges is not opened vnto vs in the holy Scriptures therfore ought we to follow that rule whiche as we haue declared is pronounced by Ieremy This rule did the Niniuites and also Ezechias the kyng consider and beholde beyng not yet set forth God when he threateneth things whyche come not passe lyeth not For although destruction was threatned them in the name of god yet for al that by repentaunce and prayers they escaped it Neither is there any cause why we should suspect that god doth lye in any thyng when he so threatneth or promiseth any thinges whiche afterwarde come not to passe For as touching Ezechias he could no way escape death if we should looke vpon the natural causes whiche are commonly called the second causes Wherfore the sentēce beyng pronounced accordyng to those causes he coulde not be accused of a lye And the Niniuites if god had done vnto them as their sinnes deserued they should vtterly haue perished And god commaunded Ionas to preache according to their merites Furthermore a lye can not be so takē in an oration which hath a supposition or
Sceua would haue driuen out Deuils in the name of Iesus whom Paul preached to whom the Deuil said Iesus in deede Paul I know but not you Which when he had spoken Ciprian he inuaded them And the same thing doth the act of Ciprian testify of the third kinde before he was conuerted vnto Christ For by magical artes he assayed to perswade a godly virgin to his filthy pleasure which thing at the last the Deuil confessed that he could not performe vnto him Howbeit we must marke that these miracles which are by a priuate contract done Thei be not miracles in deede which the Deuil woorketh are not in very dede miracles but pertaine onely to those which we made mencion of before the definition for although sometimes they bee that in verye dede which they seme for yet are they not true miracles For who doubteth but that it was true fyre wherwith the Cattel of Iob were burnt and a true blast of winde wherwith his house being throwen downe his children were slayne Yea and Augustine contēdeth that the Serpents which the Sorcerers brought forth were not illusions Augustine but true Serpentes in dede For the history sayth that when they came vnto the third signe the Sorcerers sayde This is the finger of God and they testified that now their cunning failed them that they could no more do those things which Moses by the power of God did And that is a token that they wrought not before by illusions that the Sorcerers euen tyll that time contended with Moses in things in dede not in illusions But some wil say Whiche signes say of Antichrist ar called lyes If the matter be thus that the thinges which are done by the diuell Sorcecers be in very dede that which they seme for why is it vnto the Thessalonians of Antechrist written that by him very many should be deceaued by false signes wonders We must say that the lye ought not to be referred to that which is to bee done but vnto the miracle For although the thinges which are done shal sometimes be the same things in dede which they seme to be yet shal they not be miracles although they seme so But Augustine answereth Signes wonders ar called lies either bicause they appeare are not in dede or els bicause they leade men to lyes For Antechrist by those signes shall seeke nothing els but to deceaue and allure men to beleue false thinges That is no newe or vnaccustomed thing that the cause should by his effect obtain his name or propriety But in that they appeare and are not it may be two maner waies vnderstand either bicause among true thinges some illusions are mingled or els bicause thei are set forth for miracles when as they are no miracles in deede There is an other doubt to be dissolued how that power of God whiche passeth nature vseth either Angels or mē as wel good as euil to worke miracles He vseth them as certaine instrumentes sometimes he doth miracles at their desire prayers and commaundement without any of their outwarde woorke And sometimes he wyl haue them to adde some woorke or maistrye of theirs For Moses smote the sea and the rock with his rod. Christ touched the leprous and anointed the eyes of the blinde But we must vnderstande that there is two kindes of instrumentes Some are so ordained that althoughe they are not the principal causes efficient yet do they very much profite for the bringing foorth of the effect as is pron to cut hard thinges and medicines to heale when as for all that they are instrumentes of the woorkemen What strength instruments of God haue in doing hys miracles But God in woorking miracles vseth an other kinde of instrument namely which of their own nature haue no strength to bring forth the effect For what good could the rod do to open the sea What could the shadow of Peter helpe to heale the sicke Vndoubtedly nothing if thou looke vpon nature it selfe The instrumentes therefore which god vseth in these miracles do of their own nature either nothing helpe vnto them or rather sometimes let them as the beholding of the brasen Serpent the salt of Helizeus the water of Elias which he poured on the burnt offering and the clay which Christ put to the eyes of the blinde Wherfore when miracles are done by instrumentes of this kinde which nothing helpe yea rather do let the might and power of God is much more apparantly illustrated Christ also to teache that natural strength seemeth nothing hereunto at the mariage sayd vnto his mother What haue I to doo with thee O woman Not that he woulde in that thing derogate the authoritye of his mother but that it might manifestly appeare that the nature which hee tooke of her was by hys own power nothing able to woorke miracles Wherefore God vseth both good and euyll aswel mē as angels to woorke miracles forasmuche as God for the working of miracles vseth men and Angels and those as well good as euyl and sometimes those miracles are benefites and sometimes punishments wherewith men are either punished or holpen we must not doubt whether God do sometimes punish by good Angels For it is very manyfest that Sodome was ouerthrowne by Angels the host of Senacherib slayne by an Angell and Dauid saw the Angel which was the minister of the pestilence of the Israelites But Augustine vpon the .78 Whither God doth by angels directlye helpe Psalme doubteth whither God by euyll Aungels hath wrought miracles whereby men wer immediatly endued with some benefite And he faith that he hath not red it in the holy scriptures neither vndoubtedly haue I red it Vnlesse we wyl say that at the length it profited Paule that he was vexed by the angel of Sathan And that for that cause some wer by him deliuered vnto Sathan that their spirite in the day of the Lord might be saued But the question of Augustine tendeth not to this but whither perfect and manifest benefites as restoringes to health prophecies giftes of tonges foode deliuerye and suche like are of God sometimes by the Deuill geuen vnto holye men by some certayne miracle I thinke herein as Augustine thincketh that the same is no where testified in the holy scriptures But that by euyll Angels as wel the godly as the vngodly are tempted punished vexed it is euident But after a diuers sorte Augustine bicause as Augustine in the same place affirmeth there are after a sorte two flockes of men namely one of the wicked and an other of the good The good are the flocke of God euen as the wycked are the flocke of the Deuyll wherefore towardes them he woorketh more frely as toward his own he vexeth mocketh and handleth them yll as by hys owne ryght And yet towardes them can he not do any thing beyonde the measure prescribed of God But against the flocke of God he
power of God whereby the blynde are made to see the dead made a lyue and the poore blessed nothyng dependeth of worldly helpes Concernyng the wordes of the historye two thynges are to be noted The firste is that the fearefull are commaunded to returne vnto Gilead whiche semeth not to be agreable vnto the place where they were For they were not on this syde Iordane where mount Gilead laye in the tribe of Manasses in the famely I saye of Machir but they were come into the lande of Chanaan beyonde Iordane Wherefore we muste saye that either there were two mountes so called or that that whiche is written of mounte Gilead is to be referred vnto the begynnyng of those whiche departed awaye as thoughe it should haue ben sayd that they were sent awaye whiche were borne in mounte Gilead These thinges doo certayne interpretors write whiche whether they be true or false it is not certayne For we are ignoraunt whether Gideon with his host passed ouer Iordane or no. Farther we must note that thys worde Tserath signifieth to purge whereby the Historye sheweth that the hoste shoulde be purged of the Souldiers that were dismissed bycause as I aboue mencioned there were none remoued from that multitude of Souldiers but suche as were vnwoorthy Wherefore they coulde not iustly complayne of the iustice of God Iosephus I very much meruayle of Iosephus whiche affirmeth that God woulde haue none to go forth with Gideon but such as were fearefull that therby the victorye myght be the more noble and referred to be receaued onely of God And he sayth that they which bowed their knees and dranke were valiant men and trusted to much in their owne strength And for that they nothing passed vpon their enemyes they kneled downe without any feare and dranke but they which stoode and reached theyr handes to theyr mouth and lapped water out of them those sayth he were of a cowardishe minde as they whiche for feare of their enemyes durst not frely euen drinke But this fayned thing very much disagreeth with the history bycause God commaunded to be proclaymed by expresse wordes that the fearefull should depart and he would haue hys precept obserued whiche he gaue in Deut. Wherefore it semeth not that he would adioyne timetous folkes vnto Gideon But Iosephus in hys narration omitteth the commaundement that the fearefull should be dismissed either bycause it was out of his memory or els for what other cause I can not tell An Allegory Here myght be annexed diuers Allegoryes concernyng the drinkyng of the waters For by those some vnderstande pleasures and some afflictions And vndoubtedly they are not apte for the kingdome of God whiche study to fill themselues with pleasures and delightes of this worlde Neither are they commended which suffer themselues altogether to be troubled with aduersities For as they are praysed whiche vse this worlde as thoughe they vsed it not so also are they commended whiche in their minde do not so greuously take sorowes and aduersityes as the Ethnikes doo whiche haue no hope and are destitute of a perfect consolation of faith The history mentioneth that the men which Gideon tooke vnto him namely the 300. had trumpettes whiche ought not to be maruelous For the summe of the souldiers at the beginning was 32000. Wherfore there might be among euery thousand souldiers .x. trumpeters And therfore it was easy to fynd .300 trumpettes there Augustine Augustine vpon this place writeth that Abrahā as it is read in the boke of Genesis armed 318. of his bondemen against the three kings which had led Lot awaye prisoner and thereby he gathereth that he had yet more ayde then Gideon Which is so much the truer bycause besides seruauntes and bondmen Abraham had Abner Mambre and Escholl to helpe him 9 And the same night the Lord sayd vnto him Arise get the down into the host for I haue deliuered it into thine hande 10 But if thou feare to go downe then go thou and Purah thy lad downe to the host 11 And thou shalt hearken what they say and afterward shall thine handes be strong and thou shalt go downe to the hoste Then went he downe and Purah his lad vnto the out side of the souldiers that were in the host 12 And Madian Amalek and all the childrē of Kedem lay in the valley like grashoppers in multitude their camels were without nomber as the sande which is by the sea side for multitude 13 Gideon I say came and beholde a man tolde a dreame vnto his neighbour and sayd Behold I dreamed a dreame And lo a cake of barley bread tombled from aboue into the hoste of Madian came euen to a tente and smote it that it fell it ouerturned it I saye and the tente fell downe 14 And his neighbour aunswered and sayde This is nothyng els saue the sword of Gideon the sonne of Ioas a man of Iscaell God hath geuen into his handes Madian and all the host 15 When Gideon heard the dreame tolde and the interpretation of the same he worshipped And he returned vnto the hoste of Israell and sayde Vp for the Lorde hath deliuered into your handes the host of Madian Gideon is also confirmed by the wordes of his aduersaryes he had withdrawē from hym humane aydes and therfore least he should be smitten with feare he prepared a confirmation for him after a certayne wonderfull sorte God whiche made vs knoweth right well the nature of mans fleshe and reason We oftentyme bragge that we put no cōfidence in prosperous things when they are present but when we are destitute of them we wonderfully waxe colde and there we fele how we deceaued our selues and other We deserue assuredly for our incōstancy I wil not say infidelity vtterly to be abiected but the heauenly father as he is good breaketh not a brused rede and quēcheth not smoking flaxe which we now see in Gideon He sendeth him to the host of his enemies to be cōfirmed and he vseth the Madianites the enemies of the Israelites for an oracle And it is not maruelous for if in the old time he vsed wood gold in the tabernacle at the arke I say mercy seate to geue answers what should let but that he may vse men also vnto that office And without doubt the beginning of the victory was The beginning of a victorye is to knowe the feare of the enemyes to manifest vnto Gideon the feare of his enemyes For in warfare nothing more profiteth then to know the feare of the enemyes and to knowe the same at the length for assured very much pertayneth to warlike pollecies And in manifestyng of it God obserueth his olde accustomed manner Longe before that by Rahab of Iericho he shewed vnto Iosuah that the hearts of the enemyes were excedingly smitten with feare now euē by the Madianites thēselues he teacheth Gideon how fearefull they were Neyther among other testimonyes as the Rhetoricians say are there
there is no true God whiche wil be worshipped that way Or els this is the sense of it that the Israelites did wonderfully fal from the true God bycause they did not onely worship Baal but they so worshipped him that they vtterly forgot the god of their fathers and grandfathers altogether abiected the worshipping of hym Which thing they vsed not alwayes to do for many tymes they so allowed outward gods that yet in the meane tyme they retayned some part of the olde worshipping Neither shewed they mercy on the house of Gideon That happened vnto theÌ„ which must nedes come to passe When we departe from the true God the offices of charity are neglected for he whiche is euill agaynst God can not be good to men An example of ConstaÌ„tius the Emperor This vnderstoode the Emperor Constantius the father of Constantine who thought that they would not be faithfull vnto him whiche for to kepe still their dignity departed from the worshipping of Christ Gideon in dede deserued so to be punished but they ought not so to haue dealt against hym especially seing they behaued not themselues so for the reuenging of religion To shewe mercy is a phrase much vsed of the Hebrues and it is read in many places in the holy Scriptures neither signifieth it any thing els then to do good and to be of a gentle louing and ready minde to helpe those whiche haue nede And that whiche is nowe spoken by a certayne anticipation comprehendeth the narration whiche we shall heare in the chap. following of the calamity and destruction of the house of Gideon In the meane tyme let vs consider the nature of the worlde it is wonderfully infected with the vice of ingratitude we see in a maner no notable or excellent gifte bestowed vpon any man whiche by the children of this worlde is not recompensed with great ingratitude We must not besiste froÌ„ wel doyng bycause of ingratitude And yet for this occasion we must not suffer our selues to be withdraweÌ„ from doyng good least when as other are euill we imitate them in departing from our office Let vs go forward to do good vnto our neighbours and brethren who if they be thankful let vs chiefly reioyse for theÌ„ Why God permitteth ingratitude in the worlde and afterward for our selues But if they be otherwise let vs turne our selues vnto God himselfe for whose cause we do rightly decreing with our selues that we must not haue a regard what the sinnes of meÌ„ deserue but what God requireth of vs or what is decent for vs remembryng the God very often permitteth the vice of ingratitude in the worlde wherby our mindes may be the more erected vnto him for whose cause all our thinges are to be instituted and let vs so direct vnto him those things which we do that we require nothing of this world to be reÌ„dred vnto vs as a reward Farther wheÌ„ we see that meÌ„ do for the most part after this maner reward those with great euils whiche haue done them much good we may cal to remeÌ„braunce the life to come where shal be rendred vnto euery man according to his workes Whiche thing if we had not a coÌ„fidence that it shall one day come to passe we should vtterly take away the prouidence of God ¶ The .ix. Chapter 1 THen Abimelech the sonne of Ierubbaal went to Sechem vnto his mothers brethren and spake vnto them and to all the famely of the house of his mothers father saying 2 Say I pray you in the audieÌ„ce of all the men of Sechem whether is better for you that all the sonnes of Ierubbaal whiche are 70. persons either that one man reigne ouer you Remember that I am your bone and your fleshe 3 Then his mothers brethren spake of him in the audience of al the men of Sechem all these wordes and their hartes were moued to follow Abimelech for sayd they He is our brother 4 And they gaue him .70 peces of siluer out of the house of Baal berith wherewith Abimelech hired vayne and light fellowes whiche followed him 5 And he went vnto his fathers house in Ophra and slew his brethren the sonnes of Ierubbaal seuenty persons vpon one stone Yet Iothan the yongest sonne of Ierubbaal was lefte for he hid himselfe 6 And all the men of Sechem gathered together with al the house of Millowe and came and made Abimelech king by the playne of the image whiche was in Sechem The destruction of the house of Gideon is declared the detestable vsurpation of tyranny Abimelech went as I suppose from his fathers house for he vnderstoode that he could not there easely go about that whiche in his minde he purposed He was minded to bring into Israell the power of a king and being otherwise a priuate man went about to alter the state of the publique wealth Which thing was vtterly vnlawfull For that forme of gouernement whiche the Hebrues then vsed was instituted allowed by God euen as it is written in Exodus and Deuteronomy Wherby is also gathered that if at any time the people would haue a king he ought to be created whom the Lord appointed Farther if they should haue appointed a kyng by humane reason so great a dignity pertayned not vnto him whiche was borne of a concubine It semeth that it should rather haue bene geuen vnto the other sonnes of Gideon and to the first begotten before the rest It is good to marke by what guile he worketh He accuseth his brethren Abimelech accuseth his brethren vniustly as though they affected the kingdome VVhether saith he is it better that I or they reigne As though he would say one of these two thinges must nedes come to passe and except I obteyne the kyngdome they will clayme it vnto themselues which was vtterly false For they weÌ„t about no such matter yea it is rather to be thought but they followed their fathers steppes who when the kingdome was offred him refused it Therfore it is very likely that they as legitimate children would follow the example of their father He goeth to those men chiefly whom he hoped would soone be wonne to come vnto him namely vnto the kinsfolkes of his mothers He vseth glorious reasoÌ„s First he declareth that the rule of one alone is better theÌ„ the dominon of many And that is most easy to persuade humane reason Wherfore Homere sayth It is not good the many raigne let there be one Lord. Homerus Aristotle Whether a kingdome be better then â—ristocratia or no. Which verse Aristotle bringeth in his Metaphisikes Whiche thing in dede might be grauÌ„ted as touching the institution perfection of the nature of man For in a kingdome occasions in deliberatyng are not ouerpassed and corrupted and the execution of things decreed is not delayed and slacked as we see often happeneth where many beare rule But in this corruption of nature it semeth to be otherwise for as much as in it hangeth a daunger
should haue ben receaued into the City and for that cause he fleeth vnto the gate But Zebul thrust hym out of the Citye But thou wilt demaunde by what meanes he coulde be excluded the City whē as the Sechemites had made hym theyr ruler Kimhi answereth first that all the Sechemites stoode not against Abimelech the people also as they were of an inconstant mynde when they sawe Gaal flye turned theyr purpose and fell to Abimelech Hereby we gather howe foolishe it is to trust vnto men Ieremy sayeth very well and wisely Cursed be euery one that putteth hys confidence in man and maketh fleshe hys strength The Sechemites put theyr confidence in Gaal and at that very instant vsed hys ayde Gaal on the other side putteth hys confidence in the Sechemites and was thrust out of the City by them in whom he did put his confidēce This is the nature of the people when fortune a lyttle fauoreth strayght way they forsake them whō before they followed The common people altogether depende vpon chaunce Here may we see also an other foolishenes of the Sechemites who thought that when they had cast out Gaal Abimelech had straightway ben satisfied For they goo forth into the fieldes to excercise theyr rusticall workes to gather in theyr grapes I saye or to tyllage But it happened farre otherwise For Abimelech placed two bandes to lye in wayte and he hymselfe with hys hoste came vnto the Citye that neyther they whiche were in the fieldes coulde get into the City nor they which were in the City coulde come out to helpe theyr men in the fieldes This pollecy of warre vsed Abimelech They thought he had nowe bene pacified but the anger of kynges are not straightwaye asswaged And he sowed salte These moste miserable chaunces happened vnto the people they whiche went forth into the fieldes were killed the Citye it selfe was besieged and conquered the Citizens slayne the Citye defaced and vtterly ouerthrowen But Abimelech stomachyng the matter more then was meete sowed salte in the Citye whiche was a token of a wildernes and deserte What the sowyng of salt signifieth For salte dryeth the grounde and maketh it vnfruitefull In Hebrewe Malach signifieth salte Thereof commeth the verbe Malach whiche is to salte but in the coniugation Niphal Nimlah is a verbe whiche signifyeth to destroye to breake downe and to waste That woorde Ieremy vsed in hys 14. chap. and Dauid in hys 107. Psalme GOD turneth a fruitefull lande into a saltishe grounde that is maketh it waste and deserte In the yeare .1165 Fredrike Oenobarbus the Emperor ouerthrew Millane and sowed salte there For that City tooke parte with Alexander the thyrde being Pope agaynst Cesar whiche thyng Fredrike tooke in very yll part 46 And when all the men of the tower of Sechem hearde it they came to the castle of Thelberith 47 And it was told Abimelech that al the men of the tower of Sechem were gathered together 48 And Abimelech went vp to mount Zalmon he and all the people that were with hym and Abimelech tooke axes and cut downe bowes of trees and tooke them and layd them on his shoulder and said vnto the people that were with him That whiche ye haue sene me do make hast and do as I haue done 49 Wherfore all the people cut downe euery man his bowgh and followed Abimelech and put them to the castle and set the castle on fire with them And al the men of the tower of Sechem dyed about a thousand men and women 50 Then went Abimelech vnto Thebez and layde siege to it and tooke it That tower of Sechem was a bulwarke of the Citye Wherefore when the City was takē the princes distrusting themselues entred into an other inward holde where also was a temple and it was called the house of the couenaunt of God for the Israelites forsaking the couenant of the true God coupled themselues vnto straunge Gods And it was told Abimelech Mount Zalmon was nighe vnto that hold whether Abimelech and his people got them vnto for he had determined to burne that castell and temple whiche was in it Neither ought we to meruaile that the temple was so fensed Temples were wont to be builded in castels when as it was the maner so in the old tyme. For Rome when longe a go it was taken and burnt of the Senones the Capitolium where in was the temple of Iupiter remayned safe Yea and Iosephus sayth that when Ierusalem was besieged of Titus the temple was a strong bulwarke for the City But the cause why the Sechemites got them thether was not onely bycause the place was so well fensed but also bycause they had a supersticious opinion of Baal for they thought that he would be with thē defend his temple So foolish men when they haue in deede no religion in their mynde yet they put their confidence in holynes of places and wōderfully trust in images temples also in reliques of saintes But thereby they are nothing holpen but to their destructiō they are slayne euen in temples as we rede it happened now vnto these men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And by them they set the castle on fire There is in these wordes Alleosis of the gender for the Masculine gender is put for the Feminine for as much as this relatiue Eos that is them is referred to the bowes which in the Hebrew is a word of the Feminine gender Mencion is made of the vtter destruction of the Citye for it was not onely ouerthrowen and strawed with salte but also the princes were slayne with fire and smoke Abimelech in this warlike pollecy shewed not vnto all what he would do he onely biddeth the people to follow hym Gideon also when he tooke the pitcher fire brand and trompet commaunded the other to do the same so Abimelech tooke a bowe on his shoulder and the other did the like He kindleth fire and burneth all them which were in the holde otherwise he could not haue conquered the tower Some thinke that Gaal also perished here that beyng put to flight by Abimelech Why the vngodly obtayne victoryes he got him to this holde After this sorte God tooke vengeance vpon the Sechemites And Abimelech althoughe he were an vngodly and cruell tyranne obteyned the victory so also god gaue Nabucadnesar power to afflicte the Iewes and to leade them captiues to Babilone And likewise vnto Tiglathphalasar to oppresse the ten tribes All these men had the victory and yet was their cause nothyng the better This rule god vseth oftentymes to punishe the euill by euill although he do not straightway punish them all Some he punisheth before and other some afterward and there are some also whose vengeance he reserueth for the world to come Abimelech triumpheth as thoughe he had better cause but yet this hys ioye is of no longe tyme A Similitude for the hande of the Lorde abydeth hym also In Comedyes the strength of the
Poete is not perceaued by the Prologe nor by one acte or two but we muste wayte for the ende and the conclusion of the whole fable So if a man wyll geue iudgement of an Image or of any other fayre Picture if he onely marke the Knee or Legge he shall easely be deceaued for he must consider the Armes he Shoulders the Sides and proportion of the whole body After which selfe same maner if we will vnderstand the iustice of God in his workes we muste tary tyll the ende and then shall we see the iudgementes of god full Augustine sayeth ryght well that god Augustine when he punisheth any certayne wicked acte doth signify that he hateth all wicked actes And when he differeth the punishementes of the vngodly he admonisheth vs to thinke vpon an other lyfe Wherfore if Papistes A comforte in the felicity of the vngodly if Turkes if Tyrannes are not punished in this world let vs with a patient minde wayte for the last acte and last iudgement of god for they shall not go vnpunished Dauid sayeth in his 73. Psalme My feete were almost moued and my steppes had welnye slypte bycause I freated at the wicked when I sawe the peace of synners For there are no bandes in theyr death and they are lusty and stronge They ar not in trouble as other mē c. And I sayd doth god know these things and is there knowledge in the most highest For so doth our flesh iudge when it seeth the vngodly liue in prosperity when the matter is so is there sayth he knowledge in the moste highest Wherefore I haue clensed my harte in vayne and in vayne I haue washed my handes in innocency in vayne was I punished all the day and it was paynfull to me to know this For they are moste harde to vnderstand and I began in a manner to dispayre vntill I went into the sanctuarye of God and vnderstood theyr last end For who may not easelye be deceiued in the rich man and Lazarus When as the one in mans sight semed to haue bene most blessed and the other most miserable Therfore sayth he it was paynefull vnto me vntyll I was broughte into the sanctuary of God beheld theyr last iudgement But as touching Abimelech the prophesy ought to be fulfilled whiche Iotham pronounced Let a fire come out of Abimelech and destroy his enemies God suffreth Abimelech to excercise his tiranny three yeares in which space be semed to tary for his repentance But he heaped vp vnto him self angre in the day of anger For if he had ben wise he would easly haue thoght thus with him selfe after the victory The Sechemites sinned thoroughe my perswasion if they ar now so seuerely hādled what shal be be done to me at the lēgth But he being blinded that he could not se these thynges at the last was filthily slayne So the vngodly ar dronken with prosperous fortune and god semeth to fede them vp as sacrifices which are first fed and fatted before they be killed In whiche sense Esay in the .34 chap. writeth The Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozra Wherfore Abimelech by all the things that he saw is made neuer a whit the better yea rather he was made the more insolent and attempteth other thinges more tirannical In the boke of Ecclesiasticus the 8. chap. it is writtē Bicause sentence agaynst the euill is not executed spedely the childrē of men do without any feare perpetrate euil thinges Therfore are men made so hedlong to sinne bicause they abuse the goodnes of god it is so far of that the vngodly when he seeth an other corrected should amend that he alwayes becōmeth worse worse and alwaies endeuoureth to goe on farther in wickednes Whiche thinge I woulde to God we woulde follow in vertues and good deedes Abimelech had ouercome the Sechemites neither was that sufficient for him then tooke he the holde neyther was that ynough for him he conquered the citye of Thebez and yet did not this suffice him He will go on farther yet and is most filthyly slayne As concerning the city of Thebez Kimhi sayth that it also fell from the gouernment of Abimelech Dauid Kunht 51 But there was a strong tower within the citye and thither fled all the men and wemen and all the chief of the city and shutte it to them and went vp to the top of the towre 52 And Abimelech came vnto the towre and fought against it And went hard vnto the doore of the towre to set it on fire 53 Then a woman caste a piece of a milstone vpon Abimeleches heade and brake his skull 54 Who streightwaye called his page that bare his armoure and said vnto him Draw thy sword and slay me lest men peraduenture say of me A woman slew him And his page thrust him thorow and he died 55 And when the men of Israell saw that Abimelech was deade they departed euery man to his owne place 56 Thus God rendred the euill of Abimelech whiche he did vnto his father in slayinge his brethern 57 Also all the wickednes of the men of Sechem did god bring vpon theyr heads and vpon them came the curse of Iotham the sonne of Ierubbaall The menne of Thebez closed and sensed the outwarde partes of the Tower verye well And kepte themselues within hauinge all the gates and entrances shut vp They ascended vpon the toppe This Hebrewe woorde Gag sygnifieth the toppe of the house not sharpe poynted but playne for vpon it they might walke And bycause it was dangerous leaste a manne shoulde fall from the toppe it was commaunded in Deutronomye that a cyrcuite or a stay should be added to the roofe of the houses To burne the gate Bycause he hadde so good successe before to conquere by fyre he thoughte now also to had the like fortune A woman threwe a stone Abimeleche puffed vppe with victories setteth an example before oure eyes that wee shoulde not to muche put confidence in presente felicity By his luckye successe he thoughte his cause was good and that they whome he had destroyed had theyr rewarde for theyr wickednes Such is the iudgemente of menne they thinke that accordinge to the wayghte of the punishments so are the sinnes of the afflicted and theyr euil deserts so that they whych are greuously vexed seeme to haue greiuously sinned And vndoubtedly the booke of Iob is all whole in a manner of that argumente For his friendes did therefore gather that he was an euill man The argumēt of the booke of Iob. bicause he was so grieuouslye afflicted But yet oughte wee not so to thincke For there maye be other causes why GOD wil haue the sayntes oppressed in this world Christ teacheth vs in the 13. chapter of Luke when certayne tolde him that Pilate hadde mingled the bloud of the Galileians with sacrifices they loked that Christ should haue cried out vpon the crueltye of the President howe wee oughte to take profite by the
to their good Moreouer he wyll haue thē to expresse in themselues their first begottē brother Iesus Christ whiche suffred in hymselfe other mens synnes For this also is a certayne portion of the Crosse of Christ althoughe they are not so innocent as Christ was neither serueth their crosse any thing to redeme sinnes Daniel in his captiuity after this manner confessed hys sinnes We haue sinned sayth he and done vniustly c. He sayd not They haue sinned but we And Esaye sayeth All our righteousnes are as a cloth stayned with floures of a woman There is in deede in holy menne a certayne ryghteousnes but not such a righteousnes as they can boast of before the iudgement seate of God Wherfore if they suffer any thing they haue no iust cause to complayne But thou wilt saye Why is it sayd that God in thē punisheth the sinnes of other mē when as they also sinne We should say rather that he punisheth their sinnes and not the synnes of their parentes I answere Bycause when god hath much and longe tyme wayted that their father should repent and it nothing profited and in the meane tyme it is come vnto the third and fourth generation at the length he poureth out his anger vpon the children whiche therefore are sayd to suffer for their fathers bicause vnles the malice of their fathers had gone before their affliction might haue ben deferred till farther time But now bycause they haue fallen into the third and fourth generation the consideration of the iustice of god wil not suffer the punishement to be deferred any longer And althoughe they themselues also haue deserued those euils yet bycause they are so corrected in the third and fourth generation they owe that dewty vnto their parentes And so God feareth the parētes that they should temper themselues from wicked actes and thoughe they will not for gods sake or for their own yet at the least for theyr posterities sake It also maketh the children afrayde to imitate the sinnes of their fathers least the punishmēt due vnto their fathers be required of thē Neither is it vniust that the children suffer somthing for their fathers sake for by their fathers they receaue inheritances and are aboue other honored and exalted For god did not onely make fortunate Dauid but also for his sake fauored his posterity For the kyngdome perseuered in his famely the space of .400 yeares But as touching eternall life As touchyng eternall life the childrē are not punished for the sinnes of the fathers neither shall the father be punished for the sinnes of the children nor the children for the sinnes of the fathers Howbeit children obteine many spirituall giftes by good fathers For Paul in his .1 Epist to the Cor. the .7 chap. sayth Otherwise your children should be vncleane but now they are holy Wherfore the children haue of holy parentes some holynes and some spirituall gift as that place teacheth And on the contrary part Childrē obtein some spirituall giftes for their parentes sake by euil parentes many such good giftes are hindred neither are they heard of God beyng euill and not repentaunt when they desire spirituall giftes for their children Yet by the prouidence of God it oftentymes commeth to passe Euil parentes doo sometymes hinder theyr children of god spiritual gifts that of good parentes are borne noughty children and of euill good as Ezechias a good kyng had to his father Achaza a wicked kyng And contrarywise the same Ezechias beyng a very godly prince begat Manasses a very vngodly and cruell kyng The same also myght I saye of Iosias Thys therefore commeth so to passe least wickednes shoulde increase without measure Why good childrē ar borne of euil parētes euill of good if of euill parentes shoulde continually bee borne euill children God putteth to hys hande and maketh the sonne borne of an euill father a member of Christe And therewith all he sheweth that his goodnes can not be hindered by the parentes thoughe they be neuer so wicked Farthermore euill children are borne of good parentes that grace should be the better knowen And that the goodnes of the childrē should not be attributed vnto nature whiche they haue drawen of their parentes For god will haue it knowen to be his gifte that we are saued This one thyng onely is to bee added vnto the foresayde question It is not lawfull for men to punishe the sinnes of the parentes in the children That it is in dede lawfull for god as it is sayde to punishe in the children the synnes of the fathers but that is vtterly vnlawfull for men to doo For in Deut. the .24 chap. it is commaunded That the fathers should not be punished for the children nor the children for the parentes Whiche is to be vnderstande so that the father consent not vnto the sonne or the sonne vnto the father Wherefore Achan if he had bene called vnto tryall and to the iudgement seate he should be the ordinary lawe haue peryshed alone and not hys chyldren with hym But GOD hath thys hys proper law who would haue it otherwyse done although sometymes he obserueth thys also For in the booke of Numbers the 26. chap. When Core conspired agaynste Moses he was destroyed but hys chyldren were not together with hym extinguished Samuel came of the posterity of Core yea rather they were kepte for the holy ministerye and of their posteritye was Samuel borne Amasias the kynge was praysed who slewe the murtherers whiche killed his father and slewe not their children for he had a regard vnto the law of God The cause of this prohibition Augustine bringeth Augustine God sayth he may punishe the sonne for the father bycause although he afflicte hym in this worlde yet he can saue hym in the worlde to come And this can not man doo Farther god seeth that the children are not innocentes but man seeth not that Although the ciuill lawes are herein a great deale more seuere and do punishe the children for the fathers sake as it is in the digestes In treason the children are punished for the fathers and in the Code ad I. Iuliam maiestatis yet they put not the sonne to death for the father but depriue hym of all hys fathers goods dignityes and honours Howbeit they lefte some parte for the doughters whiche parte was called Falcidia to mary them withall Otherwise the ciuile lawes agree with the lawe of god For in the Code de paenis in the lawe Sancimus it is commaunded that the punishement be not transferred vnto other either to kinsfolkes by affinity or to kinsfolkes by bloud but onely to be layd vpon the author of the crime And yet as wel this law as the other before were ordeyned both of the self same Emperours Archadius and Honorius But the cause why it was so seuerely decreed agaynst treason seemeth to be this to feare men away from this kynde of wicked crime Yet the lawes of god decree
sometimes to call vs hys fellowe workers Bonifacius goeth on the lay power ought to be iudged of the Ecclesiasticall but by what kind of iudgement Vndoubtedly by this that in the churche he set forth the anger of God against sinners that they be admonished and corrected by the holy scriptures But the bishops may expel kings and put them out of their kingdome wher is the permitted Frō whence haue they that what writings wil they bring for it The Pope ought to be iudged of the church But that is most intollerable that the Pope sayth that he can be iudged of no man And yet Iohn .23 was in the counsel of Constance put downe and not onely by god but also by men So these men plant and replant Canons and the same they allow and disalow as often as they think good Yea and Emperors haue sometimes thrust out and put down Popes as it is before said Paul to the Gal. sayth If an Aungell from heauen preach any other gospel let him be accursed If the Pope which may come to passe and hath alredy long since come to passe obtrude wicked opinions who shall pronounce him accursed It is the dewty of the magistrate to execut the sentence of the church agaynst the pope Shall he be vtterly iudged of no man The church vndoubtedly shal geue sentence vpon him and the magistrate for that he is the chiefest part of the church shal not onely iudge together with it but also shall execute the sentence Farther it longeth vnto the magistrate to prouide that the riches of the churche be not geuen vnto the enemies of godlines Wherefore if bishoppes become enemies of the churche a faythfull magistrate ought not to suffer the goods of the church to be consumed by them The Canonists haue this oftentimes in theyr mouth That for the office sake is geuen the benefice When therfore they do not their office ought the magistrate to suffer them to enioy their benefices But let vs heare howe Bonifacius proueth that he can be iudged of no man Bycause he that is spiritual sayth he iudgeth all thinges but he himselfe is iudged of no man A godly and wel applied argument I promise you But let vs se what kind of iudgement Paul writeth of in that place He speaketh not vndoubtedly of the common kind of iudgement whereby men are either put to death or put oute of theyr roome He entreateth there onelye of the vnderstandinge of thinges deuine and which auaile vnto saluation These thinges I say properlye belong vnto the iudgement of the spiritual man but concerning common iudgementes and knowledge of ciuill causes Paule neuer thoughte of them in that place Which is easely perceaued by his wordes we haue not receiued saith he the sprite of this world but a sprite which is of God If thou wilt demaund for what vse the sprite is geuen vs He answereth that we should know those things that are geuen vs of God And bycause the sprite of this worlde cannot geue iudgemente of thinges deuine it is added The carnall man vnderstandeth not those things which ar of the sprite of god The spiritual man iudgeth al things What Doth he iudge also ciuill and common causes No vndoubtedlye but he iudgeth those thinges whiche pertayne vnto the saluation of men he himselfe is iudged of no man Without doubt both Peter and Paul were iudged by the ciuil power wherunto Paul appealed to be iudged there and yet were they both spirituall Peter Paule were iudged by the ciuil power But that place is thus to be vnderstanded He that is spirituall in that he is such a one cannot in thinges deuine and such as pertaine vnto saluation bee rightely iudged of any mā which is not endewed with the same sprite that he is The wicked and worldly ones count him oftentimes for a sedicious vnpure infamous fellow but only God and his sprite looketh vpon the hartes Note Lastly Bonifacius concludeth that there is one onely chiefe power which longeth vnto the pope least we should seme with the Maniches to make many beginninges We put this one onely beginninge and not many And he addeth That god in the beginning and not in the beginnings created the world We also abhorre from the Maniches and do put one onely beginning and pronounce one onely fountayne and ofspring of all powers namely god and his word without which can be no power either ciuil or Ecclesiasticall For the foundation of either of them dependeth of the word of god so we make but one beginning not two Farther if Bonifacius wil vrge these words of Genesis In the beginning god created c. there oughte to be in the world but one onely king For when Paul sayde One Lord one faith one baptisme he added not one Pope A Schisme of thre Popes At the length our Thraso commeth so farre that hee excludeth them from the hope of saluation which acknowledge not the Pope for the chief prince head of the church But when ther were two or three Popes al at one time which thing both happened and also endured the space of .60 yeares full it muste needes be that those were at that time Maniches and did put two beginnings which were of Bonifacius opinion Moreouer what thinke they of the Gretians of the Persiās and Christians which dwell in the East part for as much as they acknowledge not the Pope who yet neuerthelesse reade the scriptures beleue in our Lord Iesus Christ and both are also ar called christians Al them Bonifacius excludeth from the hope of saluation This is the ambicion and vnspeakeable tirannye of the Popes When we obiecte vnto the papistes these wordes of Paule let euery soule be subiect vnto the superior powers they aunswere that euery soul ought to be subiect vnto the superior power but yet to theyrs not to other mens power otherwise the frenchmen ought to be subiect vnto the Spaniardes the Spaniardes to the Germaines which thing for that it is absurd it is concluded that euery man ought to obey his own Magistrat But now the clergy acknowledge the bishops for theyr power and ought to be subiect vnto thē and the bishops acknowledge the Archbishoppes and Primates and they lastly acknowledge the Pope After this manner say they we obey the power and satisfye Paule What haue we to do with kings or ciuil magistrats But this is nothing els then most filthily to abuse the wordes of Paule The Papistes do rēt into two partes both the kingdomes and the people Doo they not see that they deuide the publike wealth into two bodies which oughte to be one body onely For when they deuide the kyngdome of the Clergye from the kingedome of the laitye they make in one kyngedome twoo peoples and doo sette ouer eyther people a Magystrate And thereby commeth to passe that the Clergy whiche are Frenchemen seeme not to be Frenchemen and the Germanes seeme not to be
is the father of the countrey We muste obeye hym but yet not aboue the Lord. Yea if he commaunde any thyng agaynst hym he is both to be hated and also to be denyed Neither is it lawfull for any manne to professe hymselfe to be a Christian whiche will not departe from the superior Magistrate in these thynges whiche are agaynste the woorde of GOD. Thys were to haue a wyll to serue two Lordes and to halte in two partes If GOD be God let vs follow hym and that not by halues but wholy But it is to be feared saye they least whylest we are agaynste the superior power we engender daunger to the publique wealth To this will I answere contraryly to that which Demades in the old tyme answered vnto the Athenienses An answere of Demades Cassander the Macedonian whiche succeded Alexander the greate entreated with the Athenienses to woorshippe Alexander for a GOD. They stayed at it but Cassander vnles they woulde consent seemed that he would inuade them with battaile Wherefore Demades spake thus vnto the people That it was to be feared least whilest they retayned heauen they lost not earth So doo I aunswere these menne but chaungyng the woordes That it is to be feared least whilest they to muche regarde and defende an earthely publique wealth they lose heauen For althoughe the superior power doo fume and threaten we must stande valiantly to a good cause For we muste woorshippe GOD holyly and godly thoughe all Magistrates and the whole worlde were agaynste vs. And therefore if that superior power commaunde any thyng agaynst the lawe of God it is not to be obeyed An example of Naboth So dyd Naboth behaue hymself he would not graunt vnto Achab hys vyneyarde whiche was his inheritaunce Neither had he in that thing a respect vnto any thing elles then that the lawe of GOD should remayne vnbroken wherin it was commaunded that the tribes and famelyes of the Israelites as touchyng possessions should remayne distincte and separated Wherefore by it it was not lawfull for Naboth to alienate hys inheritaunce for euer Yet a manne beyng farre endetted mought haue solde his inheritaunce till the yeare of Iubily But after that yeare it returned vnto the olde possessor agayne GOD woulde by thys meanes that the inheritaunces of the Israelites shoulde not be confounded Wherefore Naboth woulde not sell hys auncient inheritaunce that the lawe of GOD shoulde not be broken whome Magistrates also ought to follow and not to geue place in theyr Cityes and dominions vnto moste vnpure Masses and Papisticall Idolatrye The Iewes when they were oppressed vnder the Mocedonians The constancy of the Iewes agaynste the Macedonians Romanes chused to suffer any thynge rather then that the Image of Iupiter Olimpicus shoulde abyde in the Temple of GOD. And when the Romanes bare rule ouer them howe greate sedition and tumult stirred they vp rather then they would suffer the Siluer Eagle or the Image of Caligula to be set vp in the holy place Yea Valentinian the Emperor beyng an Arrian as both Eusebius writeth and also Ambrose in hys Epistles would haue had the Church of Millan delyuered vnto him there with hys heretikes to haue celebrated prayers and holy seruices Ambrose But Ambrose woulde not geue place but rather abode daye and nyght in the Temple together with the people that the Emperour should not fynd it empty and so possesse it If the Hebrues would not haue the Temple of GOD polluted with Idoles and Ambrose suffred not the Churche to be contaminated by heretikes why doo faythfull Magistrates permitte theyr Temples to Idolatrers and vnpure worshippynges of Papistes They saye that these thynges pertayne not vnto them and that these Temples are not in theyr power What then If murther shoulde be committed in those Temples or any shoulde there conspire agaynste the publique wealth woulde they leaue murtherers and conspirators vnpunished there And would they say that these wycked crimes pertayne nothyng vnto them Would they willingly wittingly suffer these thyngs I thinke not if they were wise if they would keepe and defend the publique wealth If a man should obiect vnto them this Temple is not yours neither maketh it any matter vnto you what is here done yea but they would then aunswere for as muche as it is in our City in that it sufficiently pertayneth vnto vs. But wicked actes farre more grieuous then murthers and conspiracyes are there committed Idolatry I say sacrilege and blasphemye And shall a Magistrate whiche will be called a Christian thynke that these thynges pertayne nothyng vnto hym But say they the superior power hath commaunded these thynges to be done To this I haue already largely aunswered Nowe thys thynge wyll I adde if the same power shoulde go aboute to destroye the Citye or to take awaye or diminishe the priuiledges they woulde neuer suffer that they woulde rather runne to weapons but these thynges whiche are farre more grieuous and cruell are openly and manifestly done and suffred And whiche is muche moste grieuous of all those thynges are there suffred where many yeares the Gospell of Christe hath bene receaued Nowe resteth bycause oftentymes the Magistrate excuseth hymselfe saying the Ecclesiastical causes pertayne not vnto him to declare that to be vntrue Although it be sufficiently declared by those things which I haue already spoken yet for the more easie vnderstandyng I thinke it good to adde those thynges First I say that the Magistrate is the keper of the law of God which conteyneth not onely the latter table but also the first Wherfore the Magistrate is a keper as well of the one as of the other I adde that also whiche Augustine sayth Augustine that not onely priuate men but also kynges ought to serue the Lorde For in the Psalme it is written In gatheryng together peoples into one and kynges to serue the Lorde And in an other place And nowe O kynges vnderstand be wise ye that iudge the earth Serue the Lord in feare c. A priuate man sayth Augustine serueth the Lorde if he confesse hys name and lyue vprightly Howe kynges ought peculiarly to serue the Lorde But this is not sufficient for a kyng and Magistrate For he by his authority and power ought so to serue the Lorde that he must punishe those that are agaynst hym whiche thyng vnles he doo he seemeth to assent vnto blasphemers and heretikes For the king when he seeth these menne and suffreth them is as much in faulte as if he shoulde ioyne hymselfe with them and mainteyne theyr wicked actes Nebuchad-Nezar as soone as euer he knewe GOD made a decree that whosoeuer spake blasphemy agaynst the GOD of Daniel shoulde dye The lyke decree made Darius afterwarde Wherfore our Magistrates also ought vtterly to take awaye all Idolatryes blasphemyes and superstitions assone as euer they find them out The Ethnike princes neuer thought that the care ouer Religion pertayned not vnto their power
wicked man 101 Sisters twoo maye no man mary 223 Society of the wycked is to be fled 251. b Socrates refused to escape oute of prison 227 Socrates condemned for religion 266 Sodomitry punished 4 Sodomitry is a horrible syn 253. b Sodomitry a common infection of papistical prelates 254. b Soden flesh in sacrifices 116. b Sold for nought 70. b solitary lyfe how it maye be allowed 19◠Songes of victory 102. 191. b Sores of the minde what 247. b Sorow is in the sinowes 141. b Sorow is thirsty 100. b Souldiours sleing their enemies in iust warres are not murtherers 165. b Souldiours hyred 187. b souldiours faythful 187 Souldiers not commendable 156. b souldiers vices 187. Speaches may haue twoo faultes in them 87 Spieches differences whence 199 Spies office 35. b Spies should be wyse men 141 Spye and Traytour sometymes al one 37. b Spirit euyll signifieth 168 Spirite of God is three wayes in men 190. b Spiritualty of twoo sortes 257. b Spoyles deuiding 111. b State present of things should not be chaunged 150 Stature of Giauntes 16. b Stealing made lawfull 4. b Stealyng contayneth rapte fyndyng and not restoryng c. 283 Stealyng of maydes 282. b Stipendes are paid both to superiours and to inferiours 261. b Stipends are due to an host 144. b Stoikes opinion of affections 142 Straungers interteyning 251. b Straunge gods can no man worship but he must cast awaye the true god 155. b Strong and weake god vseth alike 92. b Strong men oft ouercommed with women 228. b Subiectes whether they may in any case ryse against their prince 90. b Subiectes some are more priuate some so inferiors that the higher in a manner dependeth of them 90. b Subiection of ii kyndes 258 Subiections some are natural 80 Submissions of the body outward how they pertaine to Idolatrye 68. b Submission to gods wil is true repentaunce 176 Successe is no good tryall of lawfull doinges 227 Succes is no sure ground to iudge of actions by 243 Successe maketh not the cause eyther good or euil 271. b Successe good and euill is to be ascribed vnto god 70. b Succothes situation 144 Succoths and Nabals churlishnes 144. b Sunnes ii the world cannot holde 157 Sunnes Image set vppon Iosuas Sepulchre 66 Sunne whether he shall beare the iniquity of the father 178. b Sunne in law how he should be sought 23 Sundaies exercise 44 Supper of the Lord a sacrifice how 62 Supper of the Lord and the Masse compared 49. b Supper of the Lordes ende 235 Superstition once taken roote are wont to haue more authority thē pure woorshipping of god can euer obtaine 123 Superstition must so be forsaken that we embrase pure religion 123 Supreme head of the vniuersall churche 147 Surnames taken of fathers amōg the Israelites 19 Swearing defined 183. b Swearing vsed of God in threatning 71 Swearing contrary to a mans intent is wicked 39. b Swete bread vsed why 116. b Swordes ii interpreted 260. b Sword is geuen onely to powers 90. b Sword is no instrument whereby the minister worketh but the word of God 258 Sword of the worde the Pope vseth not 260. b Symbole of Athanasius 103. b Synecdoche 111 Synodes ii in a yeare 258. b Syria a dry region 25. b Syria skant of water 106. b Syria hath christiā religion at this day 287. b T TAble first whoso breaketh wil easelye breake the seconde 237. b Table play forbidden 219. b. 220 Talionis lex or lawe of rendryng lyke for lyke 11. b Teares or wepyng 61. b. 62 Teares abused 63 Tearing of garmentes 192 Temperatures diuersity breedeth diuersity in maners 287. b Temples for fortresses 170. b Temptation defyned 33. b Tempting whether it be the actiō of God 79 Temptation why it is prayed against 34 Temptation of triall and deceyte 79 Temptations finall causes 7. b Temptation greuous 115 Tempting of God by desyring miracles 131 Tenthes paying to proue dignitye 261 Tenthes in the old time partained to ceremonies what they signified 261 Tenthes at this day are no more ceremonies but rewardes and stipendes 261 Tenthe souldiour punished for the rest 181 Tertullian excused by Augustine 120 Testament old and new how they differ 73. b Testaments old and new haue all one and same sacramentes 74 Testimonies of most value 58 Testimonies of thenemies of most strength 134 Thabor where Christ was transfigured 96 Thankes geuing for gods benefits is not to be deferred 104 Theft how it differeth from rapt 283 Theft praised 234 Thefte vnlawfull made lawfull 4. b Theodosius fall 145 Theraphines 238. b Theues ought a man to kepe promise withall 86. b Thirst caused oft by wearines and sorrow 100. b Therus vsed in punishmēts 145. b Thracians guile in truce kepyng 86 Threatnings of god depend vppon condicions 175. b Threshing ii wayes 114 Title good what 189 Traditions of papistes haue little credit 279. b Traians godlye sentence 56 Traitors detestable 37 Transubstantiation is no miracle 126. b Transposing of letters familiar in the Hebrew tonge 66. b Transubstantiatiōs subtelty 209. b Traueling in the night is daungerous 250. b Traueling men should no man deceiue 38 Treason debated 36. b Treason lawfull what cautions it requireth 38. b Treasons law to punishe chyldren with the father 182. b Treasure true 283. Tributes defyned 263 Tribute defined 232 Trifles and all things do obey god 222 Tribunes 90. b Tribunes centuriōs and captains why god appointed 115. b Troyes warre 160 Troubles for religion is not long of the godly 124. b Trust in our selues god hateth 270 Truth handled 87 Trybe obscurest 172. b Tribe of Iuda praysed 8 Tribes of Nepthalim and zabulon were of lesse estimation thē other tribes 96 Turkes ought not to haue Synagoges graunted them as Iewes haue 58 Turkish warres why they haue not prospered 70. b Tutor may not mary his pupill 21 Tyrāny is neuer of lōg time 165. b Tyrantes are to be obeied 255. b Tyrantes not to be feared 17. b Tyrantes liue in feare 247. b Tyrantes warned of cruelty 12 Tyrantes oppresse and gouern not 161 Tyrant and a true prince differre 172. b Tyrauntes inuading may bee resisted when they haue obtained the kingdom not 9◠Tyrantes killers are not allowed by the scriptures 91 Tyrantes whether we may curse them or pray against them 31. b V VAlentinian Emperour commended and discommēded 258 Varietye of promise to sin whence it commeth 79. b Venetians stale S. Markes body 246 Vengeance belongeth to the Magistrate 236 Verity of the scriptures 226. b Vertues whetstones 142 Vertues are knitte together that who so hath one hath all and contrary 53 Vices of armies 187 Victory vnperfect of Iudah what caused 33. b Victory is bothe to be prayed for hoped for at gods hands only 270 Victories are geuen at Gods pleasure 78 Victory is gods gift whether it be by many or few 132. b Victory is with spede to be followed 141 Victors songes 102 Vittayles are due to an host 14. 4. b
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