people nor with the gratulacions of the Senate but alwayes confessing his crime and declaring howe his mothers Ghoast appeared vnto hym vnished his speedie destruction And moreouer offering his heathenishe sacrifice by the hanâ—â—s of his Southsayers he wylled them to call vp his mothers soule and to make attonement betweene hir and hym that he might liue in â—eace rest Richarde the thirde king of Englande of that name who with great tyranny came to the kingdome murdering not onely his enimyes but suche as had beene hys faythfull assistants neyther sparing his Nephews king Edwarde sonnes nor his owne wife but imbruing himselfe in bloud on euery side that hee mighte sette hym selfe sure in hys Throne When he came to a vilage cales Bosworth not far from Leycester where he ment to encounter his enemies The same wente that the mghte before the fielde was sought he had a dreadfull terrible dreme For it séemed to him being a sléepe that 〈◊〉 saw diuers Images like terrible deuilles which pulled and haled him not sufferinge him to take any quiet or rest The whithe straunge vision not so stroke his harte wish a suddayne feare as it stuffed his head and troubled his minde with many busie infaginations For incontinent after his harte being almost damped he pregnosticated before the doubtfull chaunce of the battalle to come not vsing such chearefulnesse and â—orage of mind and countenaunce as he was accustomed to doe before he came towarde the battayle Wherevnto Polidore addeth thys fitte and excellent Sentence I verily thinke this was no dreme but a punction and sting of of his sinfull Conscience which being so much more wounded as the offence is more heynous in degree which surely if at any other time yet principally at the hower of death it calleth freshly to our rememberaunce mischiefes conâ—icted and paynted forth before our eyes punishementes imminent so that in the momente of death we are pricked in spirite for oure euell life and euen then we depart this world with intollerable vexation and griefe Moyses veraly doth most liuely expresse the misery of a guity Conscience after this maner And thy life shall hang before thee and thou shalt feare both night and day and shalt haue no asurance of thy life In the morning thou shalt say would God it were euening and at the Eueuing thou shalt say would Got it were morninge for the feare of thine harte which thou shalte feare Deut. 28. Howe breefely and playnely doeth Moyses paynte oute the dayly and continuall straites and agonies of a troubled Conscience Semblably speaketh Salust of Cateline For that impure minde of his detested of God and man could not be quieted night nor day Therefore his couloure was pale and wanne his eyes were foule and his pace sometime swift sometime slow in his face and countenaunce there appeared Tiranny To this ende serueth y out of the booke of the Origin of y world where Moyses wryteth that our first parentes after their transgression did hide them selues and shonne the sighte of God theire fearefull conscience without all doubte condeinning them therevnto accordeth that in the same booke of Iosephes bretheren fearing leste now theire Father being deade he would remember 〈◊〉 â—ruell dealing with him and reuehge the â—â—ct â—â—id euen so was it with the traytor Iudas who weary of his life by meanes of a wounded Conscience strangled himselfe But I cease from gathering any moe examples for it is moste euidente that as the sincere Conscience amonge the greatest sorrowes and miseries of this world ministreth an incredible plesure and as it were taste of the heauenly blisse so the impure and corrupte Conscience recordeth his guiltes and transgressions tormenteth man in this worlde and in some maner representeth vnto him the furies sorrowes and cruell tormentes of Hell. And as we see it come to passe in those that haue bene incombred with a long consumption albeit they dye at their appointed tyme yet lyuing they séeme to dye leysurely rather then to lyue so it fareth with the gaulled minde and scared conscience albeit they shall perishe euerlastingly vnlesse they repent yet they cannot vpon this earth go skotfree but receiue a taste of their appointed fayre in the worlde to come Nowe if a merie and contented minde according to the wise mans saying procureth a florishing age and if a sorrowfull spirite dryeth the bones it cannot otherwise be but the inward agony of the mind breaketh out into the body as well impayring the health as the strength thereof The Philosophers and Phisitions holde this opinion that through auxitie griefe of minde man pyneth awaye waxeth olde quickly and is taken away with vntimely death And therfore they prescribe in their dyets and ordery vsuals that all men desirous of manye yeares and long lyfe ought to auoyde great pensiuenesse and gréeuous cares as cause thereof Whereby it maye easely appeare howe pestelent and consuming a plague it is which weakeneth and in the ende vtterly destroyeth bodye and minde whereof Fabius speaketh excellently if I can Iudge anye thing in this wyse There is nothing so busied and variable noching so rent and torne with dyuers affections as is the euill and vncleane minde For when it attempteth anye thing it is wonderfully distract with hope care and labor and atchiuing his desire it is wrong and racked with carefulnes fearefulnes and an expectation of al mischief The same is confirmed by the holy Father S. Ambrose The corrupte Conscience starteth at euery cracke and the raw woundes cannot be corrected with any playster whatsoeuer it heareth red or spoken it accounteth as spoken againste it selfe If a man eate if he studye if he praye his crime is straighte waye before him the Conscience witnesseth agaynst him pleadeth against him condemneth him Which thing considered by the Prophete caused him to speake in this sort The wicked are lyke the raging of the Sea that cannot rest whose waters cast vp mire and dyrte there is no peace sayth the Lorde to the wicked The heathen wryting of â—he manifolde tormentes of Hell spake of the rauening byrde called a Gryffon which should gnaw vpon mans lyuer by the which they signiâ—â—e nothing else but the gnawing of the conscience mangling as it were manne wyth dreadfull remembrances of euill committed in this lyfe Of a verie lyke opinion are some Deuynes who thinke that men shall abyde the greeuous tormeÌ„ts of Hel in their Conscience which our Sauiour calleth the worme gnawing the conscience of the wicked neuer dying But as that opinion of theirs is not true that the paynes of Hell are tollerated in the conscience onely For out of doubt al parts of man internall and externall shall perticulerly abide vntollerable payne so I will not denie but that to other tormentes thys of the conscience is added as a principall weight or heape whereby with great bytternesse of minde the wicked recognise and set as it were present before their eics
this worck of the lawe is the discelning betweene thinges honest and vnhonest Secondly he sayth the they shew it For in mainteyning of Religion they acknowledge that there is a God to be worshipped and in that they punish crimes and heynous offences they professe themselues defendors of honesty and Iustice Thirdly he maketh metion of the inward testimony of the conscience Fourthly he â—howeth what manner of Testes the Conscience is euen by â—uident Arguments accusing or exeusing out of the which this definitio is deduced The Conscience is a certaine naturall intelligence of the law ingrafted in the minde or power vnderstanding whereby we allow good actions and disalow euill actions Which iudgement planted in the internall man by God breedeth in the execution of vertue a quietnesse and reste of minde and in vice a wonderfull veration of the same punishing and afflicting the man guilty but there are thrée thinges in the minde which are to be obserued for the better vnderstanding of this matter The firste is the vnderstanding whiche they call contemplatyâ—e busied alwayes in the study and searching out of thinges and this is that better part of the minde which alway as the Philosophers saye aspireth to the beste In this they place Synâ—resâ— which is the kéeper and conseruer of notices or vnderstandinges which are bredde with vs by nature examining what is and what is not expedient And therefore it is fayde that she ministreth propositions to reasons and argumentes which are called Sillogismes practical Such propisition are these that follow honest thinges are to bee done vnhonest thinges are not to be done Out of which two groundes or principles infinite singuler propositions are deriued seruing in arguments or as I called them Sillogismes practicall And it is so called for that it examineth and inquireth a reason out of the law of nature of the quality of all humaine accions In the second place of the minde is Intelligence practicall which consisteth in accion And therin is the Conscience properly placed for that of the difference of Accions she putteth down and as it were deliuereth the lesse proposition or assumtion in the Sillogisme or Argument in this wise Sinterisis or Vnderstanding minisereth this proposition in Hector Honest thinges are to be done Then Conscience apprehendeth this assumtion To defend a mans countrie and to die therefore is honest Agayne Sinterisis or Vnderstanding deliuereth this proposition in Oedipus Filâ—hy and detostable deedes are to be eschewed Then the Conscience assumeth But Inceste with my mother and paricide are moste detestable deedes And so vnderstanding and Conscience reasoneth in all other accions Thirdly in the minde there is Iudgement pronouncing of all accions whether they be worthy of prayse or disprayse And as she serued in generality in the Maior or first proposition so as a witty Iudge shee descendeth vnto the special case in the conclusion and geueth sentence For examples sake Intelligence contemplatâ—ue in Hector deliuereth this proposition Honest deedes are praise worthy TheÌ„ the Conscience subsumeth To defend my countrie and to dye in defence of it is an honest dede lastly iudgment geueth sentence Therfore to defend my country and to die in defence of it is prayse worthy Agayne Intelligence deliuereth this proposition to Oedipus Moste vile and filthy actes deserue moste greucuse punishmentes Conscience addeth Inceste with my Mother and paricide are most vile and filthy actes Finally Iudgement geueth sentence Therefore inceste with my Mother and paricide deserue most greeuous punishmentes The former argument bredde in Hectors brest vnspeakeable courage in so much that he vtterly contemned death For Polidamas did aduise him not to goe out among the Erecians that day because the fliyng of Birdes did portend some heauy euent Hector aunswered stoutely whether the byrdes flye on the right hande towarde the East or on the left hande towarde the Weste I am resolued to obey great Iupiter his counsayle meaning that valyant mocion of his minde to be Iupiters counsayle whereby he was excyted to doe uoble and valyant deedes Neyther coulde supersticious obseruacion of tymes withholde him from doing his duetie especially in the common perill of his naturall countrye Contrariwise the latter Sillogisme kyndled such tormenting burning fyres that through impaciencie inwarde griefe for wickednesse by him committed he rent out his owne eyes Oedipus verily was a Noble fellowe and king of the Thebanes who albeit he contenmed Tiresias the Prophet casting in his teethe incestious mariage yet in the end he was so coÌ„uerted with one testimonie of his owne conscience that he confessed himselfe guyltie and a cast away not worthie to beholde any longer the light of Heauen and euen so Iocasta hys mother with an halter strangled hir selfe There are infinite such examples of Syllogismes or argumentes practicall in holy scripture Ezechias knoweth that there is but one true God whoe onely is to be called vpon and worshipped which thing Synteresis or Intelligence telleth him out of the first coÌ„maundement Then Conscience aduoucheth the same last of all iudgement concludeth in this maner The true lyuing God eueÌ„ the God of Israell is only to be worshiped But Idolatrie maintayneth manye Gods euen in despite of the lyuing God therefore Idolatrie is to be abolished Ezechias armed wyth thys iudgement of Conscience cutteth downe the Groues taketh downe the brasen Serpent ouerthroweth Idols and abolisheth Idolatry and committeth the euent to god And sayth For these are no Gods but woode and stone euen the worke of mens hande And in lyke maner Dauid stayeth his hande from slaying of Saule euen offered vnto hym in the Caue bicause he knoweth that he is Gods annoynted and a magistrate by his ordinance reasoning thus with himselfe No violence is to bee vsed towarde Gods magistrate But Saule is Gods magistrate therfore I must doe him no violence Examples also are worthy consideration as Regulus led eueÌ„ wtth ciuill honesty kéepeth promise made vnto his enimy reasoning thus with himselfe There is nothing more seemely for a noble hart then to consider the end of his accions and his owne honesty But to keepe my oath made vnto my ennemie is the end of my accions and apperteineth to my honestie therefore I will keepe my oth made vnto my ennemie euen in the perrill of my life Such like examples are in deliberations counsayles and examples in all histories of the actes and deedes of mortall men I am not ignoraunt that some handle this matter otherwise deuiding Reason into two partes The Superiour and the inferioure Reason And that would haue that light of mans minde prescribing thinges deuine and eternall to be the higher Reason and that which is busied about temporall and profitable thinges to be the inferiour Moreouer some there be also that affirme that the Conscience putteth downe the Minor proposition and coÌ„clusion And touching the diuision of Reason they vse such examples as follow Imagin
know sayth he that my redeemer liueth and that I shall rise agayne at the last day and shal be compassed agayn wish my skinne and shall see god in my flesh Ioseph that Godly and chaste young man being chayned in she stockes what solace had hee in the déepe dungeon but his sincere mind and vnspotted Conscience And euen so it was with Eliazarus with Paule and with all the Apostles in their distresse for Eliazarus sayth O lord I am piteously tormented in my body but I willingly suffer all these thinges for thy names sake Paule being certified by Agabus of the afflictions which he should suffer at Ierusalem I â—â— he am ready not only to be bound but also to suffer death for the name of the Lord Iesus The Apostles likewise being scorged for preaching the Gospel Went away with Ioy that they were found worthy to beare infamy for the name of the Lord Iesus The principal cause of these thinges was doubtlesse a good conscience which writeth sorrowe into ioy calamity to felicity and to conclude death into lyfe it selfe OF THE EVELL AND CORrupt Conscience AS THERE IS IN GOD that supreme and nigh maiest is of God a wisedome descerning betwene good euil things and also a will wishing goodnesse with a deuine delectation pleasure contrariwise nylling that which is naught and with great indignation and anger reiecting and punishing the same Euen so hath he created the lyfe of man that there shoulde be certaine lawes as it were notices or admonitions of the mind commaunding thinges honest and forbidding the contrary besides these he hath appointed magistrats that they should defend the good and punishe the euill And to this ende were thinges thus ordered and disposed in the creation that men might learne that there is both a God being a wise and iust Iudge and there withall that manne should knowe and perceyde himselfe to be the ymage of God whome he ought to imitate and followe For God is neyther knowne of heauen nor of earth of plants neyther yet of beastes although they obey him in theire kinde but Aungelles and men onely hath he so created that he might he obeyed knowne worshipped of them and that they being fashioned lyke vnto God might not pyne away and dye wyth impietie and vexation of minde but hauing their hartes agréeable to right reason and iudgement might reioyce in good actions as well before as after the facte But in this corrupt and wounded nature mans hart burneth as it were wyth flames méere contrary to right iudgement and at the first trembleth not to runne into mischiefe Nowe for that it concerneth Gods iustice to punishe and route out obstinate and rebellious natures therefore hath he conioyned the dolor and anguishe of the Conscience following wicked and mischeuous deedes that might as it were an hangman punishe and execute offenders And although this sorrowe he somewhat dull nowe and then in persons yet at the last God doth so kindle it in the wicked that they tremble and quake and are oppressed as it were with the noyse of the thunder as it is sayde in the Psalme In thy anger thou shalt vexe and trouble them Whereof Plato wryteth excellently in this wise When an euill man draweth towarde his ende he is sodainely striken with a foure and care of such thinges as he once thought not of before and those talke of Deuils of Hell and of paynes which the wicked suffer there where of he made a scoffe and stale iest doe then miserablye encoumber his minde wherby he faleth into an examination of his former life And recording his vile and filthy actes hee is quyet neyther waking not sleeping often times he sturteth in his sleepe as it were a fearefull childe out of his dreame and so lyuing awhyle he droupeth away in euill hope Sophocles wryteth that Oedipus beyng olde and blynde was ledde to Athens by his daughter Antigona Who dying there was buried in the Temple of Erinnyus By the which fable he signifieth the vnquiet Conscience at the hower of death of all such as haue ledde an vnhonest lyfe For Erinnyus by interpretatioÌ„ are nothing else then contentious perturbations of the minde by reason of an euill Conscience which alwayes wayte vpon vnhonest actes and déeds And they are sayd to be mindestill for that condigne punishment for sinfull actes are neuer forgotten whiche although they be for a time prolonged yet this is the very property and effect of Eriunius that when mischiefe and payne is least looked for then it falleth moste gréeuously Thus much I thought good to note touching the occasions of doloures and gréefe in the euell conscience now lette vs consider the difinition of the same An euell Conscience is a heauy and vexing motion of the hart conioyned with perfect knowlege of a detestable fact For assuredly furies doe alwayes pursue and chase the wicked not with burning torches and fire brandes as inter Iudes and playes sette out but with horâ—â—res of Conscience and anguish of minde wayting alwayes vpon mischieuous men euen as the shade we foloweth the body not suffering them to beeath and as it were to pause one â—â—â—iuente from trembling and feare And for this cause onely Seneca commendeth that saying of the â—pienre The gilty man may happily hide himselfe sometime but he hath no assured confidence to escape Whiche thinges as they are true so are they confirmed with Histories throughâ—ute all tymes and ages Tacitus reporteth that Tiberius vexâ—d with such tormentâ—a 〈◊〉 vnto the Senatâ— in this wise What should I write vnto you my Lordes or how should I write or rather what shoulde I not wryte I at this instant All the Gods of heauen at ons rather distroy the then to pine awaye dayly thus as I doe Such plagues and tormentes had Tiberiâ—s inwardly by his monstrous â—dings Neyther is that â—odnâ— the purpose which a certayne man vtâ—ered If the wicket of Titaunts minds might be vnlocked â—â—midsi shoÌ„ld 〈◊〉 see their mangled woundâ— for as it fareth with the body by reason of â— stripes and blowes euen so it the minde at â—oil resite and torne with cruelty filthy lust fâ—â—udo malice and such like For 〈◊〉 Tiberius had â—o wante of anyâ— worldly thinges â—â— that might serue to solace and comford 〈◊〉 afflicted mind yet was he hot able by any of meanes to ease or consâ—ate the tormentes â—â— and paynes of his Conscience Suetonitis wryteth of Caligula who seemed neyther to care for God nor man yet at the least roumbling and glauneing of thundering and lightning he would winke and couer hys face when with greater terror heauen and earth seemed both to shake to burne with fâ—â—e he woulde runne into corners and hyde himselfe The same Author also noteth home Nero after he had murdered his naturall mother was so greeuouslye veâ—ed in conscience that he could not be coÌ„forted neyther with ioyfull showâ—es and acclamations of the
their foule facts and detestable deedes done in their lyfe And to shutte vp this matter whereas â—ayth is the vnely Instrument whereby man obteyneth iustification and immortalitie which can not be liuely in anye man hauing a guplly conscience hereby we may cafely gather how detcstable and horrible a mischiefe that is Therefore whosoeuer séeketh saluation by faith it standeth them vpon to brydle their affonions and concopiscences and to commyt nothing against the commaundements of god For he that transgresseth his conscience accusing hym howe can he perswade himselfe that God will be mercyfull vnto him The faythfull in déede nowe and then stumble and stagger it cannot be denied but oute of all doubt a true and lyuely fayth hath no fellowship with the workes of darkenesse Moreouer seing that death in it selfe of all terrible thinges is most terrible it must néedes be much more horrible in those who through the accusation of their owne conscience looke for a spéedie passage into hell tormentes For nathelesse doath it selfe is not so terrible as the â—ugsome opinioÌ„ therof for euen thereafter as the conscience is good or badde so doth shee wyllingly embrace or dreadfully eschewe the same The godly receyue death wyllingly and gladly which they knowe to be sent vnto theÌ„ from God as a delyuerance and passage out of the miseries of this troublesome worlde into the porte of eternall rest but the wicked declyne the same as the perillous rocks and sandes where they must needes make shypwracke of eternall lyfe Therefore it was truely and comfortably uttered by a certaine writte We haue no cause to feare any thing in death if our life haue not committed any thing procuring cause of feare For it is not possible that he should dye impenitently that hath lyued well That a pure Conscience is to be respected in all humane actions wherewith a man may content hymselfe WHERE AS there are manye thinges notably written by Cicero which argue his great wisedome and knowledge yet amongest them all hath he left no saying more excellent and deuine then that in his booke intituled Of olde age to wyt That a conscience of a lyfe well spent and a remembrance of many good deedes is a thing most comfortable Which worthie and memorable sentence is not onely agréeable with the secret iudgement of anye good man but is also consonant to the opinions of auncient Sages and good Deuines who with one mouth doe wich their voyces confirme the same And it is worthy to be obserued that Tully maketh not a common person to vtter that senteÌ„cc but Cato surnamed that Sensor a vcric graue and wise father Whose vprightnesse in cyuill RegimcÌ„t long experience in worldly affayres worthie vertues and singuler wisedome all the Romayne hystories doc at large proposse and expresse Cato without al controucrsie spake so of his owne experience contenting himselfe with that inwarde testimonie when he susteyncd the checkes of his superiors the enuye of hys equalles and the obloque of his inferiors an vnthankfull rewarde for that hys vigelant and fatherly care for the prosperous and happie estate of his Citizens and countrie men And it were to be wished that all men whether they liue priuately or publikely woulde in all their doinges set that paterne before their eyes wherein they beholding themselues daylie as it were in a cléere glasse might euidently sée what â—eutefieth or blemisheth their vocation or condition of lyfe And that these things may be the better considered it shall not be amisse perticulerly to open vnfolde the duetyes of some functions in the common weale whereby men maye passe from the partes to the whole and by a fewe to vnderstande what is conuenient for all Thou art called to be a Iudge or chosen an Arbyter to composse controuersies sée that therein thou doe nothing against law and conscience respecting any person Let neyther threttes neyther flatterie draw thée one heare breadth from vprightnesse RemeÌ„ber in that matter thou ought neyther to haue friend nor enimie Coosen nor straunger For all these thinges ought to be set a side in iudgement Yeelde nothing to fauour nor consanguinitie nothing to hatred or displeasure nothing to hope or feare which things commonly stricke men starke blinde in iudgement to be short suffer not anye affection to be of thy counsayle but consider the lawe and moderate the same if it be extréeme with a good conscience So did good Aristides who appointed a daies man betwéene two men wherof the one to the ende he might drawe him into displeasure with his aduersarie produced many impertinent thinges as that his aduersarie had also much accused Aristides Well sayth the Arbiter omyt at thys tyme these matters and alleage onely those thinges wherein he hath abused thee Cato also as Valerius reporteth sitting in iudgement vpon a wicked and infamous Senator receyuing Pompeius Magnus his letters commendatorie in the behalfe of the malefactor would not suffer theÌ„ to be opened The good Iusticer would rather folow his owne internal iudgement then obteyn thankes of that mightie man teaching by his example that a Iudge ought not by any request rewarde or fauour to be led from the true execution of Iustice Those that are called in anye state to be of the priuie counsayle ought to direct all their consultations to the helth and wealth of their countriemen And albeit he sée before his eyes present daunger with floudes of enuy and malyce together with false rumoures vniust suspitions of his doinges yet let him not follow vayne fame which neyther profiteth the euill neyther hurteth the good but the iudgemente of his conscience as it were a guide and Lodesman in all his actioÌ„s Neyther would I haue any man to mistake me as though I ment that we should altogether neglect what the worlde thinketh and speaketh of vs which minde ought to be farre from a christian for we ought not onely to avoyde euell but to be far from all suspicions of euell but I saye principally and chiefly our Conscience is to be respectted Yet we sée the contrary in these dayes to vsuall that saying euery where verified Multi famam pauci conscientiaÌ„ verent verentur Many teÌ„der their owne fame and credite but very few theire Conscience So Callicratides a Captayne of the Lacedemonians hauing greater respect of his priuate glory then of hys Conscience in preseruing of his Nauy receiued a great ouerthrowe of the enemy Cleombrotus also fearing enuy onely encountered rashly with Epaminondas and became almoste an vtter ruine to the Laredemonians Richard plantaginate duke of yorck because he would not séeme to be inclosed and kept in his Castle of Sandale by a woman and resting only vpon his credite and fame hee hauing not aboue fiue thousand men rashly ioyned battayle with the Quéene hauing xviij M. good souldyers contrary to counsayle wisedome and al pollicy and so rashly ronne into his destruction Q. Fabius Maximus after warde of his dooinges
in the night time hée spoyled the fieldes and when the league was aleaged he aunswered that he had not broken the same which extended only to the day and not to the night The like we may reade in Plutarch of Cleomenes in Strabo of y Such practises are red euen of Popish Prelates who with fraudulent interpretations of their othes haue sucked the bloud of those that reposed all fayth in their promises and coÌ„mitted their liues vnto their protection At what time Lewis king of Fraunce beséegeÌ„d Adelbartus an Exle in the Castle of Bamberge which by meanes of the commodius cituacion and good furniture of Artillery could by no meanes be gotten whâ— he saw the lions skinne would not auayle he put vppon a Woulues skinne leauing manhoode practising subtilty The king then sent a Bishop vnto the Earle to moue him to come to some Parle with the King giuing him his faith that he would reduce him safe and sound into his Castle againe The Earle was soone perswaded and aduentured to goe with the bishop And wheÌ„ they had not passed many paces out of the Castle gate Were it not good said the Prelate for vs to eate a morsel of meate before we go vnto the king with a good will quod the Earle and so retourned vnto the Castle to duiner agayn After meate they arose and came to the King who immediately caused the Earle to be appreheÌ„ded and executed Now when the Earle saw he must néedes dye he complayned of breach of fayth and trothe vnto whom the Bishop made this aunswere That he performed his promise in that hée brought him safe and sound into his Casile to eate meat and for that hee renewed not his promise afterward he could not hée charged with violating of his oth The recorder of this matter putteth down his own iudgement of the deede in this wise Let other men iudge of this Prelate what they list as though it were done for the peace and quietnesse of the whole Lande But for my own part I thus thinck that no Christian ought once to conceaue any suche thought especially in so great a matter of life and death The ende of this Prelate was fearefull straunge afterward when the Elements most terribly seemed with fyre to burne and with noyse to be confounded together the mighty God strack him with his Thunderbolt and so hée miserably dyed who soeuer examineth his own Conscience and secret iudgement shall soone sée that such fleightes procéede of an vnhonest and malicious pollicy méere contrary to nature beeing most shamefull and vile for any liberall man but once to thincke vpon much lesse to put the same in any execution For Nature her selfe desireth thinges that bée right and iust and despiseth the contrary neyther will she hermit commodity without honesty to haue any place with her So Iosua kept the league and truce taken with the Sabonites notwithstanding their fraud and circumuention neither would hée by any meanes breake his fayth and trouth giuen vnto them Albeit there is some diuersity of iudgement among the learned whether Iosua did wel or not in sparing those people both whome God commannded him to destroy and also of whome hée was circumuented and deceiued in making of the league For hée séemed not to hée bounde by anye Religion to kéepe that fayth which he gaue deceyued with their Guile that vnto Gods enemies These things séeme somedeale hard to be discussed First of all Iosua could not be ignoraunt that all those people that dwelled in the Land of Promise ought by Gods commaundement vtterly to be routed out But that the Gabaonites did inhabit any part of that land he wist not Therfore albeit in some respect for ignoraunce Iosua might séeme to pretend excuse for that the Gabaonites comming with their olde shoes and torne Garments abused him feyning them selues to be people that came from far yet he cannot auoyd blame both for his ouermuch security and credulity and also for his negligence in that according to the manner he inquired not at Gods mouth what was conuenieÌ„t for him to doe There be some that goe about to lose this knot after this maner That Iosua did both execute Gods commaundement and also that he well performed his promise For whiles he suffereth them to liue he offereth the better and in that he maketh them seruill men he executeth the first for Vlpian in the Digests compareth perpetuall seruitude with death S. Ambrose sayth Iosua asked not the Lords will by meane of to moch credulty which commonly al playn and good natures haue in them hée addeth this fine and golden sentence So holy and reuerend was fayth in those dayes that collusion and fraude was rarely sounde amongste men This is then the cause why Iosua tooke peace and truce with the Cabaonites Now that he killed them not deprehending their Euile but brought them in seruitude was because he woulde not breake his worde bound with an oth lesse in blaming other mens vnfaythfulnesse hée should séeme to incurre the same fault himselfe Hée saued their liues therefore but â—ee made them slaues his sentence conteyned mercy but she long punishment had in it seuerity and thus far S. Ambrose Others write hereof in this wise Wée gather that god accepted and ratified Iosua his oth giuen to the Gabaonites not in y he liked fraud and Guile but that their study desire and submission pleased him For first God promised Iosua to be with him in reskewing and defending of the Citie Gabaon Secondly when Saule had caused certaine of these Gabaonyttes to be murdered contrarie to this promise of Iosua made vnto their auncestors God was angrle and sent a famine among the Israelites which continued by the space of three yeres neyther coulde his wrath be mitigated vntyll such tyme as seauen of Saules sonnes or neerest kinsmen were hanged It is credible that Gods speciall pleasure was to haue the Gabaonyttes preserued And it is lykely that Iosua being a Prophete vnderstoode so much Mine owne iudgement is this That whereas the chiefe cause whye the Lord God would haue the inhabitants of that country destroyed was leste they might afterward draw the Israelites from the true worshipping of the lyuing God as Moses declareth in Deutero Num. 22. These Gabaonyttes whom the second booke of kings accounteth among the Amdrits were both humble and lowly and also willing to imbrace the Religion of the Hebrewes moued there vnto with the fame of Gods great miracles and wunders which he shewed in defending and preseruing the Israelites in Egipt in the wildernes and about Iordayn for so them selues confessed Iosua therefore spared their liues but tooke from them their liberty whereby he supposed all occasions of auerting the Israelites from the liuing God to be remooued away and so hée imbasing them and weakning them with seruitude kept him selfe pure froÌ„ the spot of infamous periury and wicked Atheisme wherewithall the Godlesse