is the New Testament but the opening of the Old one Now Abraham is sayd to laugh but this was the extreamity of his ioy not any signe of his deriding this promise vpon distrust and his thoughts beeing these Shall he that is an hundred yeares old c. Are not doubts of the euents but admirations caused by so strange an euent Now if some stop at that where God saith he will giue him all the Land of Canaan for an eternall possession how this may be fulfilled seeing that no mans progeny can inherite the earth euerlastingly he must know that eternall is here taken as the Greekes take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is deriued of c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is seculum an age but the latine translation durst not say seculare here least it should haue beene taken in an other sence for seculare and transitorium are both alike vsed for things that last but for a little space but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is that which is either endlesse at all or endeth not vntill the worlds end and in this later sence is eternall vsed here L. VIVES I Wil be a his God Or to be his GOD. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a grecisme hardly expressed in your latine b The very The gentiles had also their eight day wherevpon the distinguished the childs name from the fathers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is Seculum aetas annâ—…m eternitas in latine Tully and other great authors translate it all those waies from the greeke Of the man-child that if it were not circumcised the eight day iâ—… perished for breaking of Gods couenant CHAP. 27. SOme also may sticke vpon the vnderstanding of these words The man child in whose flesh the fore-skinne is not circumcised that person shal be cut off from his people because he had broaken my couenant Here is no fault of the childes who is hereexposed to destruction he brake no couenant of Gods but his parents that looked not to his circumcision vnlesse you say that the yongest child hath broken Gods command and couenant as well as the rest in the first man in whom all man-kinde sinned For there are a many Testaments or Couenants of God besides the old and new those two so great ones that euery one may read and know The first couenant was this vnto Adam Whensoeuer thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death wherevpon it is written in Ecclesiasticus All flesh waxeth 〈◊〉 as a garment and it is a couenant from the beginning that all sinners shall die the death for whereas the law was afterwards giuen and that brought the more light to mans iudgement in sinne as the Apostle saith Where no law is there is no transgression how is that true that the Psalmist said I accounted all the sinners of the earth transgressors b but that euery man is guilty in his owne conscience of some-what that hee hath done against some law and therefore seeing that little children as the true faith teacheth be guilty of originall sinne though not of actuall wherevpon wee confesse that they must necessarily haue the grace of the remission of their sinnes then verily in this they are breakers of Gods coueâ—… made with Adam in paradise so that both the Psalmists saying and the Apostles is true and consequently seeing that circumcision was a type of regeneration iustly shall the childs originall sinne breaking the first couenant that 〈◊〉 was made betweene God and man cut him off from his people vnlesse that regeneration engraffe him into the body of the true religion This then we must conceiue that GOD spake Hee that is not regenerate shall perish from â—…gst his people because he hath broke my couenant in offending me in Adam For if he had sayd he hath broke this my couenant it could haue beene meant of nothing but the circumcision onely but seeing hee saith not what couenant the child breaketh we must needes vnderstand him to meane of a couenant liable vnto the transgression of the child But if any one will tie it vnto circumcision and say that that is the couenant which the vncircumcised child hath broken let him beware of absurdity in saying that hee breaketh their couenant which is not broken by him but in him onely But howsoeuer we shall finde the childs condemnation to come onely from his originall sinne and not from any negligence of his owne iucurring this breach of the couenant L. VIVES THere a are many Hierome hath noted that wheresoeuer the Greekes read testament 〈◊〉 Hebrewes read couenant Berith is the Hebrew word b But that There is no man so barbarous but nature hath giuen him some formes of goodnesse in his heart whereby to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 honest life if he follow them and if he refuse them to turne wicked Of the changing of Abram and Sara's names who being the one too barren and both to old to haue children yet by Gods bounty were both made fruitfull CHAP. 28. THus this great and euident promise beeing made vnto Abraham in these words A father of many nations haue I made thee and I will make thee exceeding fruitfull and nations yea euen Kings shall proceed of thee which promise wee see most euidently fulfilled in Christ from that time the man and wife are called no more Abram and Sarai but as wee called them before and all the world calleth them Abraham and Sarah But why was Abrahams name changed the reason followeth immediately vpon the change for a father of many nations haue I made thee This is signified by Abraham now Abram his former a name is interpreted an high father But b for the change of Sara's name there is no reason giuen but as they say that haue interpreted those Hebrew names Sarai is my Princesse and Sarah strength wherevpon it is written in the Epistle to the Hebrewes By faith Sarah receiued strength to conceiue seed c. Now they were both old as the scripture saith but c shee was barren also and past the age d wherein the menstruall bloud floweth in women which wanting she could neuer haue conceiued although she had not beene barren And if a woman be well in years and yet haue that menstruall humour remayning she may conceiue with a yongman but neuer by an old as the old man may beget children but it must bee vpon a young woman as Abraham after Sarahs death did vpon Keturah because shee was of a youthfull age as yet This therefore is that which the Apostle so highly admireth and herevpon he saith that Abrahams body was dead because hee was not able to beget a child vpon any woman that was not wholy past her age of child-bearing but onely of those that were in the prime and flowre thereof For his bodie was not simply dead but respectiuely otherwise it should haue beene a carcasse fit for a graue not an ancient father vpon earth Besides the guift of begetting children that GOD gaue him lasted after Sarahs death and he
eight times thirtie for there are eight generations from Adam to Lameches children inclusiuely is two hundred and forty did they beget no children then all the residue of the time before the deluge what â—…as the cause then that this author reciteth not the rest for our bookes account from Adam to the deluge b two thousand two hundred sixty two yeares and the Hebrewes one thousaÌ„d six hundred fifty six To allow the lesser nuÌ„ber for the truer take two hundred and forty from one thousand six hundred fifty six and there remaines one thousaÌ„d foure hundreth and sixteen years Is it likely that Caines progeny had no children al this time But let him whom this troubleth obserue what I sayd before when the question was put how it were credible that the first men could for beare generation so long It was answered two waies either because of their late maturity proportioned to their length of life or because that they which were reckned in the descents were not necessarily the first borne but such onely as conueied the generation of Seth through themselues downe vnto Noah And therefore in Caines posterity if such an one wants as should bee the scope wherevnto the generation omitting the first borne and including onely such as were needefull might descend wee must impute it to the latelinesse of maturity whereby they were not enabled to geneâ—…ation vntill they were aboue one â—…ndred yeares olde that so the generation might still passe through the first borne and so descending through these multitudes of yeares meete with the â—…oud I cannot tell there may bee some more c secret course why the Earthly Citties generation should bee d reiected vntill Lamech and his sonnes and 〈◊〉 the rest vnto the deluge wholy suppressed by the authorâ—… And to â—…de this late maturity the reason why the pedegree descendeth not by tâ—…e first borne may bee for that Caine might reigne long in his Cittie of Heâ—… and begette many Kings who might each beget a sonne to reigne in 〈◊〉 owne stead Of these Caine I saâ—… might bee the first Henoch his sonne the next for whom the Citty was built that he might reigne there 〈◊〉 the sonne of Henoch the third e Manichel the sonne of Gaidaâ—… the fourth 〈◊〉 Mathusael the sonne of Manichel the fit Lamech the sonne of Mathusael the sixt and this man is the seauenth from Adam by Caine. Now it followeth not that each of these should bee their fathers first begotten their merits vertue policy chance or indeed their fathers loue might easily enthrone them And the deluge might befall in Lamechs reigne and drowne both him and all on earth but for those in the Arke for the diuersity of their ages might make it no â—…der that there should bee but seauen generations from Adam by Caine to the deluge and ten by Seth Lamech as I said beeing the seauenth from Adam and Noah the tenth and therefore Lamech is not said to haue one sonne but many because it is vncertaine who should haue succeeded him had hee died before the deluge But howsoeuer Caines progeny bee recorded by Kings or by eldest sonnes this I may not ' omit that Lamech the seauenth from Adam had as many children as made vppe eleauen the number of preuarication For hee had three sonnes and one daughter His wiues haue a reference to another thing not here to bee stood vpon For heere wee speake of descents but theirs is vnknowne Wherefore seeing that the lawe lieth in the number of ten as the tenne commandements testifie eleauen ouer-going ten in one signifieth the transgression of the law or sinne Hence it is that there were eleauen haire-cloath vailes made for the Tabernacle or mooueable Temple of GOD during the Israelites trauells For g in haire-cloath is the remembrance of sinne included because of the h goates that shal be set on the left hand for in repentance wee prostrate our selues in hayre-cloath saying as it is in the Psalme My sinne is euer in thy sight So then the progeny of Adam by wicked Caine endeth in the eleauenth the number of sinne and the last that consumaâ—…eth the number is a woman in whome that sinne beganne for which wee are all deaths slaues and which was committed that disobedience vnto the spirit and carnall affects might take place in vs. For i Naamah Lamechs daughter is interpreted beautifull pleasure But from Adam to Noah by Seth tenne the number of the lawe is consumate vnto which Noahs three sonnes are added two their father blessed and the third fell off that the reprobate beeing 〈◊〉 and the elect added to the whole k twelue the number of the Patriarches and Apostles might herein bee intimate which is glorious because of the multiplication of the partes of l seauen producing it for foure times three or three times foure is twelue This beeing so it remaineth to discusse how these two progenies distinctly intimating the two two Citties of the reprobate and the regenerate came to be so commixt and confused that all mankinde but for eight persons deserued to perish in the deluge L. VIVES THe a Gymnosophists Strab. lib. 15. b 2262. Eusebius and Bede haue it from the Sâ—…gints but 2242. it may bee Augustine saw the last number LXII in these charaâ—… and they had it thus XLII with the X. before The transcriber might easilie commit 〈◊〉 an error c Secret cause I thinke it was because they onely of Caines generation should bee named that were to bee plagued for his brothers murder for Iosephus writeth hereof 〈◊〉 these words Caine offring vnto God and praying him to bee appeased got his great guâ—… of homicide some-what lightned and remained cursed and his off-spring vnto the sâ—…uenth generation lyable vnto punishment for his desert Besides Caine liued so long himselfe and the author would not continue his generation farther then his death d Recided Not commended as some bookes read e Manichel Some read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath Maâ—…iel the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 f Mathusael Eusebius Mathusalem the seauentie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g In hayre cloth The Prophets wore haire-cloth to â—…re the people to repentance Hier. sâ—…p Zachar. The Penitents also wore it h Goates Christ saith Hee wilâ—… gather the â—…Word that is the iust and simple men together in the worlds end and set them on his right hand and the Goates the luxurious persons and the wicked on his left This hayre-cloth was made of Goates hayre and called Cilicium because as Uarro saith the making of it was first inuented in Cilicia i Naamah It is both pleasure and delicate comlinesse 〈◊〉 k 〈◊〉 Of this read Hierome vpon Ezechiel lib. 10. l Seauen A number full of mysterious religion as I said before Why the generation of Caine is continued downe along from the naming of his sonne Enoch whereas the Scripture hauing named Enos Seths sonne goeth back againe to begin Seths generation at Adam CHAP. 21. BVt first we must see the reason why Cains
should be saued and who should be damned CHAP. 27. BVt now because we must end this booke let this bee our position that in the first man the fore-said two societies or cities had originall yet not euidentlie but vnto Gods prescience for from him were the rest of men to come some to be made fellow cittizens with the Angels in ioy and some with the Deuils in torment by the secret but iust iudgment of God For seeing that it is written All the wayes of the Lord bee mercy and truth his grace can neither bee vniust nor his iustice cruell Finis lib. 12. THE CONTENTS OF THE thirteenth booke of the City of God 1. Of the first Mans fall and the procurement of mortality 2. Of the death that may befall the immortal soule and of the bodies death 3. Whether death propagated vnto all men from the first bee punishment of sinne to the Saints 4. Why the first death is not with-held from the regenerate from sinne by grace 5. As the wicked vse the good law euill so the good vse death which is euill well 6. The generall euill of that death that seuereth soule and body 7. Of the death that such as are not regenerate doe suffer for Christ. 8. That the Saints in suffering the first death for the truth are quit from the second 9. Whether a man at the houre of his death may be said to be among the dead or the dying 10. Whether this mortall life be rather to bee called death then life 11. Whether one may bee liuing and dead both together 12. Of the death that God threatned to punish the first man withall if he transgressed 13. What punishment was first laid on mans preuarication 14. In what state God made Man and into what state he fell by his voluntary choyce 15. That Adam forsooke God ere God forsooke him and that the soules first death was the departure from God 16. Of the Philosophers that held corporall death not to bee penall whereas Plato brings in the Creator promising the lesser Gods that they should neuer leaue their bodies 17. Against the opinion that earthly bodies cannot be corruptible nor eternall 18. Of the terrene bodies which the Philosophers hold cannot bee in heauen but must fall to earth by their naturall weight 19 Against those that hold that Man should not haue beene immortall if hee had not sinned 20. That the bodies of the Saints now resting in hope shall become better then our first fathers was 21. Of the Paradice when our first parents were placed and that it may be taken spiritually also with-out any wrong to the truth of the historie as touching the reall place 22. That the Saints bodies after resurrection shall bee spirituall and yet not changed into spirits 23. Of bodies animate and spirituall these dying in Adam and those beeing quickned in Christ. 24. How Gods breathing a life into Adam and Christs breathing vpon his Apostles when hee said Receiue the holy spirit are to bee vnderstood FINIS THE THIRTEENTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of the first Mans fall and the procurement of mortalitie CHAP. 1. HAuing gotten through the intricate questions of the worlds originall and man-kindes our methode now calleth vs to discourse of the first mans fall nay the first fall of both in that kind and consequently of the originall and propagation of our mortality for God made not man as he did Angels that though they sinned yet could not dye but so as hauing a performed their course in obedience death could not preuent them from partaking for euer of blessed and Angelicall immortality but hauing left this course death should take them into iust damnation as we said in the last booke L. VIVES HAuing a performed Euery man should haue liued a set time vpon earth and then being confirmed in nature by tasting of the tree of life haue beene immortally translated into heauen Here are many questions made first by Augustine and then by Lombard dist 2. What mans estate should haue beene had he not sinned but these are modest and timerous inquirers professing they cannot finde what they seeke But our later coments vpon Lumbard flie directly to affirmatiue positions vpon very coniectures or grounds of nature I heare them reason but I see them grauelled and in darknesse where yet they will not feele before them ere they goe but rush on despight of all break-neck play What man hath now wee all know to our cost what he should haue had it is a question whether Adam knew and what shall we then seeke why should we vse coniectures in a things so transcendent that it seemes miraculous to the heauens as if this must follow natures lawes which would haue amazed nature had it had existence then What light Augustine giues I will take and as my power and duty is explaine the rest I will not meddle with Of the death that may befall the immortall soule and of the bodyes death CHAP. 2. BVt I see I must open this kinde of death a little plainer For mans soule though it be immortall dyeth a kinde of death a It is called immortall because it can neuer leaue to bee liuing and sensitiue and the body is mortall because it may be destitute of life and left quite dead in it selfe But the death of the soule is when God leaueth it the death of the body is when the soule leaueth it so that the death of both is when the soule being left of God leaueth the body And this death is seconded by that which the Scripture calles the b second death This our Sauiour signified when hee said feare him which is able to destroy both body and soule in hell which comming not to passe before the body is ioyned to the soule neuer to be seperated it is strange that the body can be sayd to die by that death which seuereth not the soule from it but torments them both together For that â—…all paine of which wee will speake here-after is fitly called the soules deaâ—… because it liueth not with God but how is it the bodies which liueth with the soule for otherwise it could not feele the corporall paines that expect it after the resurrection is it because all life how-so-euer is good and all paine euill that the body is said to dye wherein the soule is cause of sorrow rather then life Therefore the soule liueth by God when it liueth well for it cannot liue without God working good in it and the body liueth by the soule when the soule liueth in the body whether it liue by God or no. For the wicked haue liâ—…â—…body but none of soule their soules being dead that is forsaken of God lâ—…g power as long as their immortall proper life failes not to afforde them 〈◊〉 but in the last damnation though man bee not insensitiue yet this sence of 〈◊〉 â—…ing neither pleasing nor peacefull but sore and
first forsaken of Gods grace and confounded with his ownenakednesse and so with the figge leaues the first perhaps that came to hand they couered their nakednesse aâ—…d shame their members were before as they were then but they were not a shameful before whereas now they felt a new motion of their disobedient flesh as the reciprocal b punishment of their disobedience for the soule being now delighted with peruerse liberty and scorning to serue GOD could not haue the body at the former command hauing willingly forsaken GOD the superior iâ—… could not haue the inferior so seruiceable as it desired nor had the flesh subiect as it might haue had alwaies had it selfe remained Gods subiect For then the flesh beganne to couet and contend against the spirit and c with this contention are wee all borne d drawing death from our originall and bearing natures corruption and contention or victory in our members L. VIVES NOt a shamefull Not filthy nor procuring shame they had not beene offenside had wee 〈◊〉 sinned but had had the same vse that or feete our hands now but hauing offended there was an obscaene pleasure put in them which maketh them to bee ashamed of and couered b Reciprocall Which disobedience reflected vpon them as they obeied not GOD to 〈◊〉 nature subiected them so should they finde a rebell one of the members against the rule of reason d With this Some bookes ads some-thing here but it is needlesse d Drawing 〈◊〉 That is vpon the first sinne arose this contention betweene the minde and their affects which is perpetually in vs wherein the minde is some-times victor and some-times 〈◊〉 some read without victory implying that the affections cannot be so suppressed but then they will still rebell against reason and disturbe it This is the more subtile sence and seemeth best to mee In what state GOD made Man and into what state hee feil by his voluntary choice CHAP. 14. FOr GOD the Creator of nature and not of vice made man vpright who being willingly depraued and iustly condemned be got all his progeny vnder the 〈◊〉 deprauation and condemnation for in him were we all when as he beeing â—…ced by the woman corrupted a vs all by her that before sinne was made of himselfe VVee had not our perticular formes yet but there was he seede of 〈◊〉 naturall propagation which beeing corrupted by sinne must needs produce man of that same nature the slaue to death the obiect of iust condeÌ„nation and therefore this came from the bad vsing of b free will thence aroâ—… all this teame of calamity drawing al men on into misery excepting Gods Saints froÌ„ their corrupted originall euen to the beginning of the second death which hath no end L. VIVES COrrupted a vs all A diuersity of reading Augustines meaning is that we being all potentially in hm and hee beeing corrupted by sinne therefore wee arising all from him as our first fountaine draw the corruption a long with vs also b Free will For our first parents abused the freedome of it hauing power aswell to keepe Gods hests eternally as to breake them That Adam forsooke GOD ere GOD for sooke him and that the soules first death was the departure from GOD. CHAP. 15. VVHerefore in that it was sayd You shall die the death because it was not sayd the deaths if we vnderstand that death wherein the soule leaueth the life that is GOD for it was not forsaken ere it forsooke him but contrary the owne will being their first leader to euill but the Creators will being the first leader to good both in the creation of it before it had being and the restoring of it when it had falne wherefore if we doe vnderstand that God meant but of this death where hee saith whensoeuer thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death as if hee had sayd whensoeuer you forsake mee in disobedience I will forsake you in iustice yet verily doe all the other deaths follow the denunciation of this death For in that the soule felt a disobedient motion of the flesh and therevpon couered the bodies secret partes in this was the first death felt that is the departure of the soule from God Which was signified in that that when the man in mad feare had gone and hid himselfe God said to him Adam where art thou not ignorantly seeking him but watchfully warning him to looke well where hee was seeing God was not with him But when the soule forsaketh the body decaied with age then is the other death felt whereof God said in imposing mans future punishment earth thou wast and to earth thou shalt returne That by these two the first death which is of whole man might be accoÌ„plished which the second should second if Gods grace procure not mans freedome from it for the body which is earth returnes not to earth but by the owne death that is the departure of the soule from it Wherefore all christians b holding the Catholike faith beleeue that the bodily death lieth vpon mankind by no lawe of nature as if GOD had made man for to die but as a c due punishment for sin because God in scourging this sinne sayd vnto man of whom we all are descended Earth thou wast and 〈◊〉 earth thou shalt returne L. VIVES EArth a thou wast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Septuagints by the later article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implying the element of earth the graue of althings dying b Holding the Augustine often auerreth directly that man had not died had he not sinned nor had had a body subiect to death or disease the tree of life should haue made him immortall And S. Thomas Aquiâ—…as the best schoole diuine holds so also But Scotus either for faction or will denies it al making mâ—… in his first state subiect to diseases yet that he should be taken vp to heauen ere he died but if he were left on earth he should die at length for that the tree of life could not eternize hâ—… but onely prolong his life c A due deserued by his guilt Of the Philosophers that held corporall death not to be penall whereas Plato brings in the Creator promising the lesser gods that they should neuer leaue their bodies CHAP. 16. BVt the Philosophers against whose callumnies we defeÌ„d this City of God 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 church thinke they giue vs a witty scoffe for saying that the soules seperation from the body is to be held as part of the punishment when as they affirme 〈◊〉 â—…n a is the soule perfectly blessed when it leaueth the body and goeth vp pâ—… and naked vnto God If I should finde no battery against this opinion out of their owne bookes I should haue a great adoe to prooue not the body but the corruptibility of the body to be the soules burden wherevpon is that which we 〈◊〉 in our last booke A corruptible body is heauy vnto the soule In adding corâ—…le he sheweth that this being
Paradise Eden from the beginning This out of Hierome b No such No man denieth that Paradise may be spiritually vnderstood excepting Ambrose in his booke De Paradiso But all the Fathers professe that Paradise was a reall pleasant place full of trees as Damascene saith and like to the Poets imaginary Elizium Away with their foolery saith Hierome vpon Daniel that seeke for figures in truthes and would ouerthrow the reall existence of trees and riuers in Paradise by drawing all into an Allegory This did Origen making a spirituall meaning of the whole hiâ—…ory and placing the true Paradice in the third heauen whither the Apostle Paul was rapt c Foure riuers Nile of Egipt Euphrates and Tigris of Syria and Ganges of India There heads are vnknowne and they run vnder the Ocean into our sea and therefore the Egiptian priests called Niâ—… the Ocean Herodot d Read in the. Cant 4 12. My sister my spouse is as a garden inclosed as a spring shut vp and a fountaine sealed vp their plants are as an orchard of pomegranates with sweete fruites c. That the Saints bodies after resurrection shal be spirituall and yet not changed into spirits CHAP. 22. THe bodies of the Saints in the resurrection shall need none of the tree of life to preserue them in life health or strength nor any meate to keepe away hunger and thirst They shall haue such an euery way absolute immortality that they shall neuer need to eare power they shall haue to doe it if they will but no â—…ssity For so the Angels did appearing visibly and sensibly not of necessity 〈◊〉 of power and will to affoord their ministerie vnto man in more congruence 〈◊〉 we may not thinke that when a they lodged in mens houses they did but eare b seemingly though they seemed to eate with the same appetite that the 〈◊〉 did who knew them not to be Angels And therefore the Angell saith in Tobiâ—…n saw mee eate but you saw it but in vision that is you thought I had eaten as 〈◊〉 did to refresh my body But if the other side may bee probably held of the Angels yet verily wee doubt it not to bee true c of Christ that hee in his spirituall flesh after his resurrection yet was it his true flesh eate and dranke with his disciples The neede onely not the power is taken from those glorified bodies which are spirituall not because they cease to bee bodyes but because they subsist by the quickning of the spirit L. VIVES THey a lodged In the houses of Abraham Lot and Tobias b Eate seemingly They did not eate as we doe passing the meate from the mouth to the stomack through the throate 〈◊〉 so decoct it and dispâ—…rse the iuice through the veines for nutâ—…iment nor yet did they deâ—… mens eyes by seeming to mooue that which they had for their chaps and yet moouing 〈◊〉 not or seeming to chaw bread or flesh and yet leauing it whole They did eate really 〈◊〉 â—…ere not nourished by eating c Of Christ Luke the 23. The earth saith Bede vpon 〈◊〉 â—…ce drinketh vp water one way and the sunne another the earth for neede the sunne 〈◊〉 power And so our Sauiour did eate but not as we eate that glorious body of his tooke â—…te but turned it not into nutriment as ours doe Of bodies animate and spirituall these dying in Adam and those beeing quickned in Christ. CHAP. 23. 〈◊〉 â—…s the bodyes that haue a liuing soule though as yet vnquickned by the â—…it are called animate yet are our soules but bodyes so are the other calâ—…tuall yet God forbid we should beleeue them to bee spirit or other then â—…tiall fleshly bodies yet vncorruptible and without weight by the quickâ—… of the spirit For man shall not then be earthly but celestiall not that he shall 〈◊〉 his earthly body but because he shall be so endowed from heauen that he 〈◊〉 â—…habite it with losse of his nature onely by attaining a celestiall quality 〈◊〉 â—…st man was made earth of earth into a a liuing creature but not into b â—…ing spirit as â—…ee should haue beene had hee perseuered in obedience â—…lesse therefore his body needing meate and drinke against hunger and 〈◊〉 and being not kept in youth from death by indissoluble immortality but 〈◊〉 by the Tree of life was not spirituall but onely animaâ—…e yet should it not 〈◊〉 â—…ied but that it incurred Gods heauy sentence by offending And though he 〈◊〉 take of other meates out of Paradice yet had he bin c â—…bidden to touch 〈◊〉 of life he should haue bin liable to time corruption in that life onely 〈◊〉 had he continued in spirituall obedience though it were but meerely aniâ—… might haue beene eternall in Paradise Wherefore though by these words 〈◊〉 d When soeuer you eate thereof you shall dye the death wee vnderstand by 〈◊〉 the seperation of soule and body yet ought it not seeme absurd in that 〈◊〉 dyed not the very day that they tooke this deadly meate for that very 〈◊〉 their nature was depraued and by their iust exclusion from the Tree 〈◊〉 the necessitie of death entred vppon them wherein wee all are brought forth And therefore the Apostle saith not The body shall dye for sinne but The body is dead because of sinne and the spirit is life for iustice sake And then he addeth But if the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dâ—… in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodyes by his spirit dwelling in you Therefore then as the Apostle saith shall be in quickning of the spirit which is now in the life of soule and yet dead because it must necessarily dye But in the first man it was in life of soule and not in quickning of spirit yet could it not be called dead because had not he broken the precept hee had not beene bound to death But whereas God signified the death of the soule in leauing of him saying Adam where art thou and in saying Earth thou art and to earth thou shalt goe signified the death of the body in leauing of the soule therefore wee must thinke he spoake not of the second death reseruing that secret because of his new testament where it is plainly discouered that the first which is common to all might bee shewen to proceed from that sinne which one mans acte made common to all but that the second death is not common to all because of those holy onely whom hee hath fore-knowne and predestinated as the Apostle saith to bee made like the image of his sonne that he might be the first borne of many brethren whom the grace of God by this mediator had saued from the second death Therefore the first mans body was but animate as the Apostle witnesseth who desiring our animate bodies now from those spirituall ones that they shall become in the resurrection It is sowne in corruption saith he but
shall rise againe incorruptible it is sowne in reproche but it is raised in glory it is sowâ—…n in weakenesse but raised in powre it is sowne an animated body but shall arise a spirituall body And then to prooue this hee proceedes for if there be a naturall or animated bodie there is also a spirituall body And to shew what a naturall body is hee saith The first man Adam was made a liuing soule Thus then shewed he what a naturall body is though the scripture doe noâ—… say of the first man Adam when God brâ—…athed in his face the breath of life that man became a liuing body but man became a liuing soule The first man was made a liuing soule saith the Apostle meaning a naturall body But how the spirituall body is to be taken hee sheâ—…eth also adding but the last man a quickning spirit meaning Christ assuredly who rose from death to dye no more Then hee proceedeth saying That was not first made which is spirituall but that which is naturall and that which is spirituall after-wards Here hee sheweth most plainly that he did meane by the liuing soule the naturall body and the spirituall by the quickning spirit For the naturall body that Adam had was first though it had not dyed but for that he sinned and such haue wee now one nature drawing corruption and necessity of death from him and from his sinne such also did Christ take vpon him for vs not needfully but in his power but the spirituall body is afterwards and such had Christ our head in his resurrection such also shall wee his members haue in ours Then doth the Apostle describe the difference of these two thus The first man is of the earth earthly the second is of heauen heauenly as the earthly one was so are all the earthly and as the heauenly one is such shall all the heauenly ones bee As wee haue borne the Image of the earthly so shall wee beare the image of the heauenly This the Apostle inferres vpon the sacrament of regeneration as hee saith else-where All yee that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ which shall then be really performed when that which is naturall in our birth shall become spirituall in our resurrection that I may vse his owne wordes for wee are saued by hope Wee put on the image of the earthly man by the propagation of sinne and corruption adherent vnto our first birth but wee put on that of Heauenly man by grace pardon and promise of life eternall which regeneration assureth vs by the mercy onely of the mediator betweene God and man the man Christ Iesus whome the Angell calles the Heauenly man because hee came from Heauen to take vpon him the shape of earthly mortality and to shape it into heauenly immortality Hee calleth the rest heauenly also because they are made members of Christ by grace they and Christ being one as the members and the head is own body This he auerreth plainly in the chapter aforesaid by a man came dâ—…h and by a man came the resurrection from the dead for as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all bee made aliue and that into a quickning spirit that is a spirituall body not that all that die in Adam shall become members of Christ for many more of them shall fall into the eternall second death but it is said all and all because as none dy naturall but in Adam so none shall reuiue spirituall but in Christ wee may not then thinke that our bodies at the rusurrection shall be such as Adams was at the creation nor that this place As the earthly one was so are all the earthly is meant of that which was effected by the transgression for we may not thinke that Adam had a spiritual body ere he fell and in his fall was made a naturall one he that conceiueth it so giues but little regard to that great teacher that saith If ther be a natural body then is there also a spiritual as it is also written the first man Adam was made a liuing soule was this done after sinne being the first estate of man from whence the blessed Apostle tooke this testimony of the 〈◊〉 to shew what a naturall body was L. VIVES A Liuing a Or with a liuing soule but the first is more vsual in holy writ b A quickning â—…ssed and ioyned with God bâ—… which coniunction it imparteth integrity and immorâ—…â—…to the body c Forbidden Out of much diuersity of reading I hold this the best for 〈◊〉 â—…oule that liueth and the quickning spirit that giueth life d When soeuer Symmachus 〈◊〉 Hierome expounds this place better thou shalt be mortall But indâ—…ed we die as soone 〈◊〉 borne as Manilius saith Nascentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet Being borne we die our ends hangs at our birth How Gods breathing life into Adam and Christs breathing vpon his Apostles when be said receiue the holy spirit are to be vnderstood CHAP. 24. Sâ—…e therefore do vnaduisedly thinke that God when he breathed in his face the â—…th of life and man became a liuing soule did a not then giue him a soule but by the holy spirit onely quickned a soule that was in him before They ground 〈◊〉 Christs breathing vpon his Apostles after his resurrection and saying 〈◊〉 the Holy spirit thinking that this â—…was such another breathing so that 〈◊〉 â—…angelist might haue sayd they became liuing soules which if hee had 〈◊〉 it would haue caused vs to imagine all reasonable soules dead that are 〈◊〉 â—…kned by Gods spirit though their bodies seeme to bee a liue But it 〈◊〉 so when man was made as the Scripture sheweth plaine in these words 〈◊〉 â—…d GOD formed man being dust of the Earth which some thinking to 〈◊〉 translate c And GOD framed man of the Lome of the Earth because it was said before amist went vp from the earth and watred all the earth that lome should seeme to be produced by this mixture of earth and water for immediatly followeth And God framed man being dust of the earth as the Greeke translations d whence our latine is do read it but whether the Greeâ—…e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be formed or framed it maketh no matter e framed is the more proper word but they that vsed formed thought they avoyded ambiguity because that fingo in the latine is vsed f commonly for to feygne by lying or illuding This man therefore being framed of dust or lome for lome is moystned dust that this dust of the earth to speake with the scripture more expressly when it receiued a soule was made an animate body the Apostle affirmeth saying the man was made a liuing soule that is this dust being formed was made a liuing soule I say they but hee had a soule now already other-wise hee could not haue beene man being neither soule only nor body only but consisting of both T' is true the soule is not whole man
are â—…eed very neare it But the ancient fathers had a religious care to keepe the â—…red with such limmites least it should spread vnto nothing binding of it backe againe into it selfe when it was a little diffused and calling it still to a new combination in it selfe And herevpon when the earth was well replenished with 〈◊〉 they desired no more to marry brother vnto sister yet notwithstanding 〈◊〉 one desired a wife in his owne kindred But without all question the proâ—… of cousin germaines marriages is very honest partly for the afore-said 〈◊〉 because one person therein shall haue two alliances which two ought raâ—… 〈◊〉 haue for the increase of affinity and partly because there is a certaine 〈◊〉 naturall instinct in a mans shamefastnesse to obstâ—…ine from vsing that 〈◊〉 though it tend vnto propagation vpon such as propinquity hath bound 〈◊〉 â—…stly to respect seeing that inculpable wed-locke is ashamed of this very 〈◊〉 In respect of mankinde therefore the coupling of man and wâ—…man is the 〈◊〉 of a citty and the Earthly City needeth only this marry the Heauenly 〈◊〉 needeth a further matter called regeneration to avoide the corruption of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 generation But whether there were any signe or at least any corporall 〈◊〉 signe of regeneration before the deluge or vntill circumcision was â—…ded vnto Abraham the scripture doth not manifest That these first 〈◊〉 â—…ificed vnto GOD holy writ declareth as in the two first brethren and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the deluge when hee came out of the Arke he is said to offer vnto 〈◊〉 But of this wee haue spoaken already to shew that the deuills desire to bee â—…ted Gods and offred vnto onely for this end because they know that true 〈◊〉 is due to none but the true GOD. L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a was That alliance might be augmented by matches abroade and not kept contiâ—… within the walls of one parentage but intermixt with blouds and linages thuâ—… is vnion dilated and loue sowne through mankinde Cic. de finib lib. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of two brethren are called Patrueles of a brother and a sister Amâ—… of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…sobrini generally cousin germaines they are all Marcellus de propriet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their The Gods vsed it Saturne married his sister Ops and Iupiter Iuno The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Athenians allowed it But the Romans neuer d Nor as yet There was a law 〈◊〉 marying of kindred saith Plutarch vntil at length it was permitted that father or 〈◊〉 mary his brothers or sisters daughter which arose herevpon A good poore man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 people loued very well married his brothers daughter and beeing accused and brought before the Iudge he pleaded for himselfe so well that he was absolued and this laâ—…â—…reed by 〈◊〉 vniuersall consent e Are called So Abraham called Sarah And Tully calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his vncles sonne brother De finib lib. 5. Yet Augustine saith not they are brothers c. 〈◊〉 very neare it Of the two heads and Princes of the Two citties borne both of one father CHAP. 17. ADam therefore beeing the Father of both the progenies belonging to the Earthly and Heauenly City and Abell beeing slaine and in his death a wonderfull a mistery commended vnto vs Caine and Seth became the heads of the two parties in whose sonnes such as are named the Two Cities began to shew themselues vpon earth in mankinde for Caine begot Enoch and built an Earthly Cittie after his name no such City as should be a pilgrim in this earthly world but an enioyer of the terrestriall peace Caine is interpreted Possession wherevpon either his father or his mother at his birth said I haue gotten a man by God Henoch is interpreted Dedication for the earthly Citty is dedicated here below where it is built for here is the scope and end that it affects and aymes at Now b Seth is called Resurrection and Enos his son is called Man not as Adam was for Adam is man but in the Hebrew it is common to male and femall for it is written Male and femall made he them and calleth their name Adam so that 〈◊〉 doubtlesse was not so properly called Euah but that Adam was a name indifferent to them both But c Enos is so properly a man that it excludes all womankinde as the Hebrew linguists affirme as importing the sonne of the resurrection where they shall not marry nor take no wife For regeneration 〈◊〉 exclude generation from thence Therefore I hold this no idle nâ—…te that in the whole generation drawne from Seth there is not one woman named as begotten in this generation For thus wee reade it Mathusaell begot Lamech and Lamecâ—… tooke vnto him two wiues Adah and Zillah and Adah bare Iabell the father of such as liued in tents and were keepers of cattell and his brothers name was â—…aball who was the father of Musitians And Zillah also bare d Tobel who wrought in brasse and iron and the sister of Tobel was Naamah Thus far is 〈◊〉 generations recited beeing eight from Adam with Adam seauen to Lamech thaâ—… had these two wiues and the eight in his sonnes whose sisters are also reckned This is an elegant note that the Earthly Citty shall haue carnall generatioâ—…s vntill it ende such I meane as proceede from copulation of male and female And therefore the wiues of him that is the last Father heere are nameâ—… by their proper names and so is none besides them before the deluge bâ—… Euah But euen as Caine is interpreted Possession of the Earthly Citties fouâ—…der and Henoch his son interpreted Dedication who gaue the City his name dâ—… shew that it is to haue both an earthly beginning ending in which there is no hope but of things of this world so likewise Seth is interpreted the Resurrection who being the father of the other generations wee must see what holy writ deliuereth concerning his sonne L. VIVES A Wonderfull a mistery First of the death of Christ and then of the martires whom the worldly brother persecuteth b Seth is Hierome putteth it position Posuit The table at the end of the Bible conteyning the interpretation of the Hebrew names saith that Seth is put or set c Enos As Adam is saith Hierome so is Enos a man d Tobel Augustine followeth the seauenty who read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas the Hebrewes read it Tubalcain who was the sonne of Zillah as Iosephus recordeth also That the signification of Abel Seth and Enos are all pertinent vnto Christ and his body the Church CHAP. 18. ANd Seth saith the scripture had a sonne and he called his name Enos This man hoped to call vpon the name of the Lord for the son of the resurrection liueth in hope saith the truth it is true all the while that hee continueth in his pilgrimage here below together with the Citty of God which ariseth out of the faith of Christs resurrection for by these two men Abel interpreted Sorrow and Seth Resurrection is
the death and rising againe of Christ perfigured of which faith the Citty of God hath originall namely in these men that a hoped to call vpon the Lord God For wee are saued by hope saith the Apostle But hope which is seene is no hope for hopeth he for that he seeth but if we hope for that which we see not then do we with patience abide it who can say that this doth not concerne the depth of this mistery Did not Abel hope to call vpon the name of the Lord God when his sacrifice was so acceptable vnto him And did not Seth so also of whom it is said God hath appointed me another seed for Abell Why then is this peculiarly bound vnto Seths time in which is vnderstood the time of all the Godly but that it behooued that in him who is first recorded to haue beene borne to eleuate his spirit from his father that begot him vnto a better father the King of the celestiall country Man that is that society of man who liue in the hope of blessed eternity not according to man but GOD be prefigured It is not said He hoped in God nor he called vpon God but he hoped to call vpon God Why hoped to call but that it is a prophecy that from him should arise a people who by the election of grace should call vpon the name of the Lord GOD. This is that which the Apostle hath from another prophet sheweth it to pertaine vnto the grace of God saying Whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued This is that which is said He called his name Enos which is man and then is added This 〈◊〉 hoped to call vpon the name of the Lord wherein is plainely shewne that man ought not to put his trust in himselfe For cursed is the man that trusteth in man as wee reade else-where and consequently in himselfe which if hee doe not â—…e may become a cittizen of that Citty which is founded aboue in the eternity of blisse not of that which Caine built and named after his sonne beeing of this â—…orld wauering and transitory L. VIVES THâ—… a hoped Some reade it Then men beganne to call vpon the name of the LORD referring to the time and not to Seths person It is an ordinary phrase in authors The 〈◊〉 approoueth it and so seemes Hierome to do The Hebrewes thinke that then they begâ—… 〈◊〉 set vp Idols in the name of the LORD Hierome But Augustine followeth the seauenty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this man hoped to call vpon c. What the translation of Enoch signified CHAP. 19. FOr Seths progeny hath that name of dedication also for one of the sonnes the seauenth from Adam who was called a Henoch and was the seauenth of that generation but hee was translated or taken vp because hee pleased God and liued in that famous number of the generation wherevpon the Sabboth was sanctified namely the seauenth from Adam and from the first distinctions of the generations in Caine and Seth the sixth in which number man was made and all Gods workes perfited The translation of this Enoch is the prefiguration of our dedication which is already performed in Christ who rose from death to die no more and was assumed also The other dedication of the whole house remaineth yet whereof Christ is the foundation and this is deferred vntill the end and finall resurrection of all flesh to die no more Wee may call it the house of God the Church of God or the Citty of God the phrase wil be borne Virgill calls Rome b Assaracus his house because the Romanes descended from Troy and the Troyans from Assaracus and he calls it Aeneas his house because hee led the Troians in to Italy and they built Rome Thus the Poet immitated the scriptures that calleth the populous nations of the Hebrewes the house of Iacob L. VIVES CAlled a Henoch There were two Henochs Caine begot one Iared another of the stâ—…k of Seth of this he meaneth here b Assaracus Hee was sonne to Capys and father to Anchises from whom Eneas and the Romanes are deriued c Hee led Salust Coâ—…r Caâ—… Concerning Caines succession being but eight from Adam whereas Noah is the tenth CHAP. 20. I But say some if the scripture meant onely to descend downe from Adam to Noah in the deluge and from him to Abraham where Mathew the Euangelist begunne the generation of the King of the Heauenly Citty Christ what meant it to medle with Caines succession I answere it meant to descend downe to the deluge by Caines progeny and then was the Earthly Citty vtterly consumed though it were afterwards repaired by Noahs sonnes For the society of these worldlings shall neuer bee a wanting vntill the worldes end of whom the scripture saith The children of this world marry and are married But it is râ—…eneration that taketh the Citty of GOD from the pilgrimage of this world and plâ—…ceth it in the other where the sons neither may nor are maried Thus then generation is common to both the Citties here on earth though the Cittie of Gâ—… haue many thousands that abstaine from generation the other hath some câ—…zens that do imitate these yet go astray for vnto this City do the authors oâ—… 〈◊〉 heresies belong as liuers according to the world not after Gods prescription The a Gymnosophists of India liuing naked in the deseâ—…ts are of this society also and yet absteine from generation For this abstinence is not good vnlesse it be in the faith of God that great good Yet wee doe not finde any that professed it before the deluge Enoch himselfe the seauenth from Adam whom GOD tooke vp and suffered not to die had sonnes and daughters of whom Mathusalem was the man through whom the generation passed downe-wards But why then are so few of Cains progeny named if they were to bee counted downe to the floud and their lenght of yeares hindered not their maturity which continued a hundered or more yeares without children for if the author intended not to draw downe this progeny vnto one man as hee doth to Noah in Seths and so to proceed why omitted he the first borne to come vnto Lamech in whâ—…e time there coniunction was made in the eight generation from Adam and the seauenth from Caine as if there were some-what more to be added for the descent downe either vnto the Israelites whose terrestriall Citty Ierusalem was a type of the Citty of God or downe vnto Christes birth in the flesh who is that eternall GOD and blessed founder and ruler when as all Caines posterity were abolished Whereby wee may see that the first borne were reckned in this recitall of the progeny why are they so few then So few there could not bee vnlesse the length of there fathers ages staied them from maturity an hundered yeares at the least For to admit that they begunne all alike to beget children at thirty yeares of age
Abraham was borne in a part of Chaldaea which belonged a vnto the Empire of the Assyrians And now had superstition got great head in Chaldaea as it had all ouer else so there was but onely the house of Thara Abrahams father that serued God truly and by all likelyhood kept the Hebrew tongue pure though that as Iosuah telleth the Hebrewes as they were Gods euident people in Egipt so in Mesopotamia they fell to Idolatry all Hebers other sonnes becomming other nations or beeing commixt with others Therefore euen as in the deluge of waters Noahs house remained alone to repaire man-kinde so in this deluge of sinne and superstition Thares house onely remained as the place wherein GODS Cittie was planted and kept And euen as before the deluge the generations of all from Adam the number of yeares and the reason of the deluge being all reckoned vp before God began to speake of building the Arke the Scripture saith of Noah These are the generations of Noah euen so here hauing reckoned all from Sem the sonne of Noah downe vnto Abraham hee putteth this to the conclusion as a point of much moment These are the generations of Thara Thara begot Abraham Nachor and Aram And Aram dyed before b his father Thara in the land wherein hee was borne being a part of Chaldaea And Abraham and Nachor tooke them wiues the name of Abrahams wife was Sarah and the name of Nachors wife was Melca the daughter of Aram who was father both to Melca and Iesea whome some hold also to be Sara Abrams wife L. VIVES WHich a belonged For Mela Pliny Strabo and others place Chaldaea in Assyria And 〈◊〉 onely a part of that Assyria which the ancient writers called by the name of Syâ—… 〈◊〉 countrie but of that Assyria also which Strabo calles the Babilonian Assyria 〈◊〉 maketh a difference betweene Syria and Assyria Cyropaed 1. b Before In his faâ—… 〈◊〉 So all interpretours take it Augustine might perhaps vnderstand it before his 〈◊〉 to Charra which is part of Chaldaea Charrah was a citty in Mesopotamia where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 killed Crassus the Romaine generall â—…hy there is no mention of Nachor Tharas sonne in his departure from Chaldaea to Mesopotamia CHAP. 13. 〈◊〉 the Scripture proceedeth and declareth how Thara and his family left â—…ldaea and came a into Mesopotamia and dwelt in Charra But of his 〈◊〉 â—…chor there is no mention as if he had not gone with him Thus saith the 〈◊〉 Thus Thara tooke Abraham his sonne and Lot his grand-child Abraâ—… 〈◊〉 and Sara his daughter in law his sonne Abrahams wife and hee led them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 countrey of Chaldaea into the land of Canaan and hee came to Charra and 〈◊〉 there Here is no word of Nachor nor his wife Melcha But afterward 〈◊〉 Abraham sent his seruant to seeke a wife for his sonne Isaac wee finde it 〈◊〉 thus So the seruant tooke ten of his maisters Camels and of his Maisters 〈◊〉 â—…th him and departed and went into Mesopotamia into the citty of Nachor â—…ce and others beside doe prooue that Nachor went out of Chaldaea alâ—…â—…led him-selfe in Mesopotamia where Abraham and his father had dwelt 〈◊〉 not the Scriptures then remember him when Thara went thence to 〈◊〉 where when it maketh mention both of Abraham and Lot that was 〈◊〉 â—…and-childe and Sara his daughter in lawe in this transmigration what 〈◊〉 thinke but that hee had forsaken his father and brothers religion and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chaldees superstition and afterward either repenting for his fact 〈◊〉 â—…secuted by the countrie suspecting him to bee hollow-harted deparâ—… him-selfe also for Holophernes Israels enemy in the booke of Iudith 〈◊〉 what nation they were and whether hee ought to fight against them 〈◊〉 answered by Achior captaine of the Ammonites Let my Lord heare the 〈◊〉 mouth of his seruant and I will show thee the truth concerning this people 〈◊〉 these mountaines and there shall no lye come out of thy seruants mouth 〈◊〉 come out of the stock of the Chaldaeans and they dwelt before in 〈◊〉 â—…ia because they would not follow the Gods of their fathers that 〈◊〉 â—…us in the land of Chaldaea but they left the way of their ancestors 〈◊〉 the God of heauen whom they knew so that they cast them out from 〈◊〉 their gods and they fled into Mesopotamia and dwelt there many 〈◊〉 their God commanded them to depart from the place where they 〈◊〉 to goe into the land of Chanaan where they dwelt and so forth as 〈◊〉 Ammonite relateth Hence it is plaine that Thara his family were perâ—… the Chaldaeans for their religion because they worshipped the true 〈◊〉 God L. VIVES Mesopotamia Mesopotamia quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 betweene two seas for it lay all beâ—… 〈◊〉 and Euphrates Of the age of Thara who liued in Charra vntill his dying day CHAP. 14. THara dyed in Mesopotamia where it is said hee liued two hundred and fiue yeares and after his death the promises that God made to Abraham began to be manifested Of Thara it is thus recorded The dayes of Thara were two hundred and fiue yeares and hee dyed in Charra Hee liued not there all this time you must thinke but because he ended his time which amounted vnto two hundred and fiue yeares in that place it is said so Otherwise wee could not tell how many yeares he liued because we haue not the time recorded when he came to Charra and it were fondnesse to imagine that in that Catalogue where all their ages are recorded his onely should bee left out for whereas the Scripture names some and yet names not their yeares it is to bee vnderstood that they belong not to that generation that is so lineally drawne downe from man to man For the stem that is deriued from Adam vnto Noah and from him vnto Abraham names no man without recording the number of his yeares also Of the time vvherein Abraham receiued the promise from God and departed from Charra CHAP. 15. BVt whereas wee read that after Thara's death the Lord said vnto Abraham Gette thee out of thy countrey and from thy kindred and from thy fathers house c. Wee must not thinke that this followed immediately in the times though it follow immediately in the scriptures for so wee shall fall into an b inextricable doubt for after these words vnto Abraham the Scripture followeth thus So Abraham departed as the Lord spake vnto him and Lot vvent vvith him and Abraham vvas seauentie fiue yeares old vvhen hee vvent out of Charra How can this be true now if Abraham went not out of Charra vntill after the death of his father for Thara begot him as wee said before at the seauentith yeare of his age vnto which adde seauentie fiue yeares the age of Abraham at this his departure from Charra and it maketh a hundred forty fiue yeares So old therefore was Thara when Abraham departed from Charra that citty of Mesopotamia for
bodilesse for euer or else all soules shall haue their bodies againe and consequently they whose bodies perished before the time of perfection Which soeuer of these two be receiued for truth that which we will now by and by affirme concerning Infants is to be vnderstood of Ab-ortiues also if they haue any part in the resurrection Whether Infants shall rise againe in the stature that they died in CHAP. 14. NOw as touching infants I say they shall not rise againe with that littlenesse of bodie in which they died the sudden and strange power of GOD shall giue them a stature of full growth For Our Sauiours words There shall not one heire of our heads perish doe onely promise them all that they had before not excluding an addition of what they had not before The infant wanted the perfection of his bodies quantity as euery a perfect infant wanteth that is it was not come to the full height and bignesse which all are borne to haue and haue at their birth potentially not actually as all the members of man are potentially in the generatiue sperme though the child may want some of them as namely the teeth when it is borne In which hability of substance that which is not apparant vntill afterwards lieth as one would say wound vppe before from the first originall of the sayd substance And in this hability or possibility the infant may bee sayd to bee tall or low already because hee shall prooue such hereafter Which may secure vs from all losse of body or part of body in the resurrection for if wee should be made all a like neuer so tall or giantlike yet such as were reduced from a taller stature vnto that should loose no part of their bodie for Christ hath sayd they should not loose an haire And as for the meanes of addition how can that wondrous worke-man of the world want fit substance to ad where he thinketh good L. VIVES EUery a perfect infant Euery thing hath a set quantity which it cannot exceed and hath a power to attaine to it from the generatiue causes whereof the thing it selfe is produced by which power if it be not hindered it dilateth it selfe gradually in time till it come to the fulnesse where it either resteth or declineth againe as it grew vppe This manner of augmentation proceedeth from the qualities that nature hath infused into euery thing and neither from matter nor forme Whether all of the resurrection shal be of the stature of Christ. CHAP. 15. BVt Christ himselfe arose in the same stature wherein hee died nor may wee say that at the resurrection hee shall put on any other height or quantity then that wherein he appeared vnto his disciples after hee was risen againe or become as tall as any man euer was Now if wee say that all shall bee made equall vnto his stature then must many that were taller loose part of their bodies against the expresse wordes of CHRIST Euery one therefore shall arise in that stature which hee either had at his full mans state or should haue had if hee had not died before As for Saint Pauls words of the measure of the fulnesse of CHRIST they either imply that all his members as then beeing ioyned with him their head should make vp the times consummation or if they tend to the resurrection the meaning is that all should arise neither younger nor elder but iust of that age whereat CHRIST himself suffered and rose againe For the learned authors of this world say that about thirty yeares man is in his full state and from that time hee declineth to an age of more grauity and decay wherefore the Apostle saith not vnto the measure of the body nor vnto the measure of the stature but vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of CHRIST What is meant by the conformation of the Saints vnto the Image of the Sonne of GOD. CHAP. 16. ANd whereas he saith that the predestinate shal be made like to the Image of the Sonne of GOD this may be vnderstood of the inward man for he saith else-where fashion not your selues like vnto this world but bee yee changed by the renewing of your minde So then when wee are changed from being like the world wee are made like vnto the Image of the Sonne of God Besides wee may take it thus that as hee was made like vs in mortality so wee should bee made like him in immortality and thus it is pertinent to the resurrection But if that it concerne the forme of our rysing againe then it speaketh as the other place doth onely of the age of our bodies not of their quantities Wherefore all men shall arise in the stature that they either were of or should haue beene of in their fulnesse of mans state although indeed it is no matter what bodies they haue of old men or of infants the soule and bodie beeing both absolute and without all infirmity So that if any one say that euery man shall rise againe in the same stature wherein hee died it is not an opinion that requireth much opposition Whether that women shall retaine their proper sexe in the resurrection CHAP. 17. THere are some who out of these words of Saint Paul Till wee all meete together in the vnity of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of GOD vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of IESVS CHRIST would proue that no woman shall retaine her sexe in the resurrection but all shall become men for GOD say they made man onely of earth and woman of man But I am rather of their minde that hold a resurrection in both sexes For there shall be none of that lust which caused mans confusion For our first parents before their fall were both naked and were not ashamed So at the later day the sinne shal be taken away and yet nature still preserued The sexe in woman is no corruption it is naturall and as then shal be free both from child-birth nor shall the female parts be any more powerfull to stirre vp the lusts of the beholders for all lust shall then be extinguished but praise and glory shal be bee giuen to GOD for creating what was not and for freeing that from corruption which hee had created For In the beginning when a rib was taken from Adam being a sleepe to make Eâ—…e this was a plaine prophecy a of Christ and the Church Adams sleepe was CHRISTS death from whose side beeing opened with a speare as hee hung vpon the crosse came bloud and water the two Sacraments whereby the church is built vp For the word of the text is not formauit nor finxit but Aedificâ—…it eam in mulierem hee built her vppe into a woman So the Apostle calleth the church the aedification of the body of CHRIST The â—…man therefore was GODS creature as well as man but made of man b for vnity sake And in the manner thereof