much as Idolatrers do wander fro whatsoeuer they do in their rites turneth to their own destruction The other thing is that the manner of the oblations consist of the doctrine of the holy scriptures and come not of our owne inuentions and fayninges Whither the selfe same thing may be both a sacrament and a sacrifice Here ariseth a doubt bicause we haue put a difference betwene a sacrament and a sacrifice and yet if the elders in their oblations and sacrifices had the self same thing that we haue when we celebrate the supper of the Lorde whych no man doubteth but to be a sacrament How shall that be true that we said before that there is a difference betwene a sacrifice and a sacrament seing that of necessity the sacrifices of the Elders must also be Sacraments To this I answer that the reasons of these thinges ar diuers and yet that letteth not but that one thing may be both a Sacrament and a Sacrifice For no man doubteth but that philosophy and strength of the body are diuers thinges which neuertheles may be sene both in one mā So also it happeneth here that one thing may be both a sacrifice a sacrament The supper of the lord is both a sacrament a sacrifice although the reason of a sacrament and a sacrifice be diuers When the supper of the Lorde is celebrated in that the body and bloud of Christ are by faith spirit geuen vnto vs to be receaued and the promise of that coniunction which we haue with Christ is sealed so that we are the members of his bodye in this respect I say it is a sacrament and also so called bicause in that action god geueth hys gyftes vnto vs. But in that by the same action we do celebrate the memory of the death of Christ we render thankes vnto him for the giftes which we haue receaued we consecrate offer our selues vnto god it is The kylling of sacrifices were both sacramēts and also sacrifices may be called a iust sacrifice wherby we geue most acceptable oblations vnto god himself This self same thing may we se in the killing of the sacrifices which wer in the old time done before god for they wer both sacraments wher in Christ was geuen to the men in the old time to be receaued of them by faith by which they cōmunicated before the Lord in eating drinking together Al these things I say pertained to the reasō of a sacramēt And yet the same wer also sacrifices whē as ther thei did both consecrate theirs them selues vnto god But to retourne to the history when as very many kinde of sacrifices were commaunded in the law namely for synnes and for faultes peaceofferings also and burntofferings it is vncertain which of these the Israelites vsed at this present for the history declareth it not But by as much as maye be coniectured by those thinges which are spoken he should not erre in my iudgement whiche should affirme that they sacrificed for synne For to this ende pertaineth both the sermon that was preached and also the weeping of the people namelye to haue forgeuenes of their synnes and to retourne againe into fauour with god But some peraduenture wyl maruayle why they durst sacrifice there where the tabernacle of God was not fixed when as in Deuter. it was most manifestly forbidden by a law that the people should not Sacrifice in anye other place Whether it were lawfull to sacrifice there where the tabernacle of God was not But as touching that law we must vnderstand that it was not of efficacye till such time as the Arke and Tabernacle of the Lord had a fixed and firme place Which came not to passe before Salomon had built the most noble Temple at Ierusalem Wherfore before that time we reade that they sacrificed in wandering and vncertain places namely whersoeuer any occasion of religion was geuen Furthermore they which thinke that this man of God which preached this sermon was Phineas do say that it is not to be maruailed that sacrifices wer offered here at Bochim as the history teacheth For it might easely be that the selfe same man which preached the sermon offered sacrifice in the name of the whole people for synne for that he exercised the office of priesthoode For he succeeded Eleazer his parent according to the promise of God And by these things which haue ben intreated of in this place What thinges ought to be obserued in an holy assembly we may gather what thinges ought chiefly to be obserued in an holy assembly The word of god before al thinges must be preached vnto the people therby to allure the hearers to repentance namely to acknowledge the sinnes which they haue committed and to repent them therof Then must they procede to the administration of the Sacramentes wher the faithful may be made more assured that their sinnes ar by Christ forgeuen them they may also geue thankes vnto God and with many and sundry praises celebrate and cal vpon him 6 And when Iosua had sent the people away the children of Israel went euery man into his inheritance to possesse the lande 7 And the people serued the Lord al the dayes of Iosuah and all the daies of the Elders that outliued Iosua which had sene al the great woorkes of the Lord that he dyd for Israel This narration is therefore put in to declare how long the Israelites kept the sincere and true woorshipping of God And it is sayde that when they were come into the land of Chanaan they did their duty wel as long as Iosua lyued as long as the Elders wer remaining which had sene the wonderful workes of God which he had wrought for the Israelites sake And vndoubtedlye it had bene vnaptly if this history should haue declared the transgression of the Chyldren of Israel and should not haue noted the tyme wherein it happened Aptlye therfore is the death of Iosua and the Elders which lyued in his tyme repeated in this place and afterwarde is mencioned that an other age of men succeeded which knew not God neither had they sene his workes Wherefore the Israelites easely fel from the lawful worshipping of God We gather by this place that the repentaunce of the Hebrues before declared which happened after the death of Iosua The profite of the repentance before mentioned of the people when the publike wealth was gouerned by a Senate and the enemies wer by manye battailes destroyed compelled to paye tribute vnto the Israelites whiche had conquered them brydled and restrained the people a long time from falling into more grieuous synnes They had sinned in dede as we haue now heard in sparing the Chananites and not abolishing their wicked idolatry But afterward when they had desired and obtained pardon of so great a crime they abstained a long time from the woorshipping of Idols and the repentaunce now mencioned brought forth his fruit Some peraduenture will
Iosua the .xiii. chap. those Cities were reckoned which were least vnconquered after Iosuas death these cities Haza Ascalon and Accaron are expressed by name But there is a doubt after what sorte these Cities were sayde to haue pertained to the Philistians in the tyme of Samuel when Saul dyd then raigne Yea and the same is written in the third chap. of this booke There are some whiche affirme that these Cities were not nowe altogether taken but so possessed that the Israelites obtained some part of the lande which belonged vnto them which semeth not very lykely vnto me seing that the historye sayth that not onely euery one of these Cities wer taken but that also the endes and borders of them came into the power of Iudah Wherfore I would rather iudge that their opinion is best which affirme that Iudah dyd now in deede possesse these Cities as it is written but afterwarde when the Israelites synned they wer agayne dryuen out of them by the Philistians who wonne them agayne to their own vse and so did wynne them that they counted them as most principal dominions for they dyd set ouer eche of them certaine noble gouernours Neyther ought that much to moue vs bycause the history doth onelye name Iudah now speaketh nothing of Symeon For that might be bicause the lot of both these tribes was ioyned together and they had made a couenant to fyght together therfore when we heare the name of the one we must therwith also vnder stand the name of the other And the name of Symeon is rather vnspoken of bicause God hymself in his oracle gaue Iudah the principality in this expedition 19 And the Lord was with Iudah he possessed the mountayne for he could not dryue out the inhabitauntes of the valley bycause they had yron Chariotes He possessed the mountayne The figure zeugma It is written in Hebrewe Veioresch Hahar which if it wer properly translated is he draue away the mountain which without doubt is a figuratiue phrase for the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is added by whych figure one and the selfe woord serueth for two members bycause that woorde Ioschebe which is inhabitours ought to be repeated that euen as it is said that Iudah could not dryue out the inhabitours of the valley so also must be vnderstand that the inhabitours of the mountaine were expelled by him so that thys woord Hahar is the genitiue case as is this woord Haamak that is of the valley The conquering of both these was paynfull bycause Cityes founded vpon mountaines are by nature of the place wel fenced and they whych dwelled in the 〈◊〉 valleys wer very experte in a kynde of fence I meane yron chariotes But least peraduenture we should thinke that the inhabitors of the mountains wer driuen out of their place of Iudah by the strength of men ther is set before And the Lord was with Iudah As though it had ben said bicause they fought by the fauour of God therfore the hilly places wer conquered Wherefore if God had ayded them of Iudah with the like fauour in their battayl in the valley they should also haue ouercome those which inhabited the valley There semeth also a cause to be geuen bycause they had yron chariotes He that shal reade the Iliades of Homer shal easely perceaue that the men in the old time vsed chariotes in battails also the same may be gathered both out of the most auncient histories also out of the latter writers Quintus Curtius amongest other Quintus Curtius writing the life of Alexander doth playnlye make mencion of such chariots in the battail fought against Darius But I thinke no writer writeth more plainly of them than doth Liuie Titus Liuius For he in that battail wherin Antiochus was ouercome of the Romanes which is in the .4 decade seuenth boke thus describeth the chariotes whych he calleth hooked He sayth that they were fenced chiefely after thys maner The description of hooked chariotes The poyntes aboute the draught tree standing out from the yoke had as it were hornes wherwith whatsoeuer they met they mighte thruste it throughe and twoo hookes hoong oute at eche ende of the cart the one euen with the carte the other fastened downewarde to the earth the former serued to cut asunder what so euer came on the syde of it the other was made to crushe them which fel downe or went vnder There were also two sundry hookes fastened after the same sorte to the exetrees of both the wheles c. The vse therfore of these chariotes endured til the tyme that Antiochus was ouercome Howbeit wee neuer reade that the Romanes vsed them And that they wer horrible to behold and hard to be conquered may manifestly be gathered by the booke of Iosua For ther in the .vii. chap. when the tribe of Ioseph complained bicause it was so many in number and had obtained so narrow a lot Iosua commaunded them that if they had not roume inoughe they shoulde go and dwel or els conquere the places of their enemies adioyning vnto them They excused them selues that they coulde not doo that bicause their neighbours had yron chariotes But to repeate more auncienter thinges Pharao as it is written in the booke of Exodus when hee persecuted the Israelites which fled is said to haue had chariotes and with the same he tooke vpon hym to enter into the sea But they beyng ouerthrowen by the power of God hee was punished for breaking his fidelity Yron chariotes cānot resist god But this is diligently to be considered of vs whether either yron chariotes or hooked cartes can withstand the power and promise of God which if we shal deny as in very dede we must deny why ar they then put here as the cause that the victory was not obtained Marke the distinction Whereunto I aunswer that in this place is set foorth vnto vs the nighest cause namely that which was sene And certainly it was a cause if we should looke onely vpon mans strength For the Chananites being so armed and appointed could not be ouercome of the Israelites whych wer weaker than they Why god graūted not the hole victorye vnto Iudah and not so wel armed and fenced But if the power and might of God be considered the same could not be letted either by chariots and weapons or els by power of souldiours Why did not God therfore whych had geuen part of the victory graunt the whole also Kimhi aunswereth that God dyd it to proue the Israelites thereby For if they should haue bene constrayned as in deed they were to dwel for a while with these nations then experience should haue tryed how much they woulde set by theyr God namelye whether they woulde perseuer in the lawfull woorshypping of hym or whether they would enclyne to their owne madde customes and woorshipping of Idoles Thys in deede is a true cause and is set foorth also in the thyrd chapter of
thys booke and toward the end lykewyse of the second There is also an other cause added namely to teach them the arte and faculty of fyghting for they whych lyued before their tyme had no skyll of these thynges And it is written in Exodus that it was done that wylde beastes shoulde not to muche abounde whych must needes haue followed if the land shoulde haue bene brought into a wyldernes before the Hebrues could haue fylled it all And of these causes I haue made mention before But the Paraphrastes Chaldaicus bringeth an other cause besydes these and sayth that the chyldren of Israell had synned Wherefore he thincketh it was done that God iustlye and woorthylye withdrewe hys ayde and gaue not vnto them when they fought the whole and full victorye And that though the scripture doo not now expresse it may euidently be gathered by other places For we are very often taught by the holy scriptures that idolatry and synnes were iust causes why the Israelites sometymes went without the victorye promysed vnto them And though there had bene no other synne we myght alledge thys that their faith and prayers were sometymes somewhat more slacke than they ought to haue bene When faith praiers waxe fainte then the victory is takē away Whych manyfestly appeareth in that warre which the Hebrues made in the wyldernesse againste Amelecke for the enemye ouercame when Moyses beganne to be faynte in prayer And agayne the victorye was restored vnto the people of God when the fayth and prayer of Moyses was more earnest and vehement Sinne therfore is not onely the cause of death but it bringeth also al infirmities weakenesse and miseries Contrarily faith is the cause of all strength myghte and victories Wherefore it is very well written in the xi Chapter to the Hebrues that the Sainctes through fayth haue wonne kingdomes Which may and oughte to be referred to the spirituall victorye Wherfore Iohn doth faythfully admonyshe vs when he sayth This is the victorye which ouercommeth the world euen our fayth By these may be gathered that God leaueth those destitute of hys ayde God forsaketh thē that forsake hym which do forsake hym And that may easely be declared by oure fyrste Father Adam Who as he was created of God before synne he had that power of strength and will that he myght if he had would haue resisted synne Adam was not altogether forsaken of God after hys synne But when he filthely fell from God God also forsooke hym but not vtterly howbeit he forsooke hym so that he lost many of hys giftes and much fauour For God would not haue taken so many good thynges awaye from hym but that he fyrste had alienated hymselfe from God through synne After the same sorte happeneth it to those whiche are nowe borne a new who although they haue not yet recouered a perfecte free will neuerthelesse for so muche as they are somewhat restored and may nowe woorke together with God if they shall despyse the gifts whiche they haue in them and will not vse them as it is meete they shoulde God will iustely forsake them seing they shrynke fyrste awaye from hym As we maye see in the parable of the Lorde wherein it is written That the maister going into a farre countrey distributed money vnto hys seruauntes to be encreased by theyr industrye and laboure whiche thyng as many of the seruauntes as dyd they were both commended of theyr maister when he retourned and also nobelly rewarded But he whiche despysed the commaundement of hys Lorde was greuously reproued and greuously punished for the money committed vnto him But if we shall speake of the fyrst generation Concernyng eternall reprobation the reprobate are forsakē of God before they forsake him whereby we are borne the children of wrath and we all are of that masse which lieth vnder the curse from which God by his election deliuereth whom he will and whom he will not he forsaketh according to hys own will and purpose which is alwayes iust though it be hidden from vs. Seing that that is not brought to passe by works foresene neither that we haue done any good or euill before we were borne it is manyfest that certayne I meane reprobates are forsaken of God as touchyng hys election before that they forsake hym by theyr propre will for so much as they had not it from the beginning But we at thys present speake not of thys matter neyther will descend into thys question But that which we haue now affirmed Augustine hath set forth in the .14 chap. of his Soliloquii animae ad deum Augustine Thou Lord saith he doest not forsake me vnles I firste forsake thee And in his booke de natura et gratia against the Pelagians in the .27 and .28 chap. he elegantlye expoundeth after what sorte God is forsaken of men before hee forsaketh them By pride god is forsaken before he forsaketh Among other vyces sayth he pryde whych is borne in vs is the head of al euils Which pryde vseth then to shewe foorth it selfe when wee are doing well and when we are in the chiefe course of the victory There the vayne hart of man is puffed vp so that euerye man thinketh hym selfe not to bee as other men are Thys is for the most parte the fyrst departure from God whereby hee agayne wythdraweth hym selfe from vs. And euen as wee doo not departe from hym by steppes but in hart and affection so is he seperated from vs not concerning place for for as muche as he is infinite he occupieth all thynges but he wythdraweth from vs hys fauour gyftes grace and helpe God vseth also to punyshe the electe to theyr saluation And when he is so departed they whych are forsaken vndoubtedly fal come to great misery which falles yet miseries as he is good he vseth as remedies toward his elect that they may learne that in the same mysery whych before they had forgotten namely that their strengthe was supported by God and that it was his mere gifte in that before they dyd any thing that was good or attayned to any prosperous things that being so admonished they myght retourne into the waye and with moste faythfull prayers to emplore of hym helpe ayde and strength as they whiche had nowe proued by theyr own ill that they had all these thinges of him when they stoode And after thys sorte is that interpreted whiche the Apostle writeth to the Phil. With feare and trembling worke your saluation For it is God whiche worketh in you both to will and also to perfourme accordyng to hys good pleasure Wherefore feare and tremblyng ought alwayes to be driuen into vs least when thinges goe wel land prosperous with vs we waxe proude and whilest we profite in our renouation and instauration Then must we alwaies with feare and trembling marke that it is God which worketh in vs both to will and to performe We must not liue in securitye
and shew vnto them what hath happened vnto the. c. ¶ Of Prodition or treason THis place admonisheth vs somewhat to intreate of Prodition or treason and it is demaunded whether it be at any tyme lawfull or whether it be alwayes forbidden Ierome Ierome de optimo genere interpretādi to Pammachius sayth that princes in dede do admitte treason but they condēne the traytours Antigonus wherunto agreeth the sayeng of Antigonus the kyng whiche is I loue traytors so lōg as they are in betrayeng but whē they haue betrayed I hate thē Plutarch rehearseth the same of Rhimotalcus kyng of the Thracians Plutarche who fell frō Anthony to Augustus and after his victorye boasted of the same among his cuppes Augustus and that so insolently and aboue measure that Augustus turnyng hym to his frend said this sentence of him I allowe the treason but I prayse not the traytor Which sentence thoughe it semeth allowable and iust at the first sight yet ought it not to be counted either true or wise For if wise men will allowe and prayse any action they must also prayse and allowe the author therof Neither doth any man that lawfully vnto others whiche he would not suffer hymselfe And there is no man whiche would be content to be betrayed hymselfe or any of his Lasthenes Furthermore one Lasthenes when he had betrayed his countrey Olinthus to the Macedonians thought that for the same he should haue ben highly honored of them it happened farre otherwise vnto him For he was called of the souldiers a traytor euery where through out the campe Wherfore he grieuously complayned of the same matter to Phillip the king who made him aunswere Philip of Macedonia That his Macedonians were very rude rusticall people which knew not how to cal things by any other name than by their owne propre name They call sayth he a bote a bote This was as if he shuld haue answered Seing thou art such a one thou oughtest not to be called by any other name Asconius Paedianus Asconius Paedianus in secundam verrinam sayth that to betray is worse then to besiege For the enemyes sayth he besiege it ought not to be coūted a vyce in them But they betray whiche would seme friendes and ought to be such in dede towardes vs. And therfore when they departe from their office of friendship Ierome Theodosius the Emperour they synne farre more grieuously than do the other Ierome also in the place before alledged De optimo genere interpretandi ad Pammachiū sheweth how Theodosius the Emperor put to death Hesychius the consull bicause he opened the letters of the patriarche Gamaliel neither was that any meruayle bycause with the Romanes it was death to open the secretes of any man as it is writtē in the digestes De re militari in the law Omne in the third law in the Codice de cōmerciis mercaturis And in the digestes Ad legē Iuliani maiestatis in the law 1. 2. 3. he the geueth ouer munitions committed to his charge falleth into the daunger of treason The example also of Camillus is worthy to be noted Camillus who commaūded the scholemaister of the childrē of the Phaliscians to be with stripes brought home of his disciples into his countrey bicause he would haue betrayed them The Phisition of Pirrhus The Phisitiō likewise of Pirrhus which promised vnto the Romanes that for their sakes he would kill his kyng was by them detected vnto the king that he might the diligētlier beware of him Wherby peace followed betwene Pirrhus and the Romanes Esay in the xvi chap doth therfore vehemently rebuke the Moabites bycause they had so cruelly intreated the Israelites when they were oppressed of their enemyes and admonisheth them not to betray the Iewes flyeng vnto thē in their tyme for succor And Paul writeth in the latter Epistle to Tymothe that in the latter tymes there should be men corrupted with most grieuous and mischieuous dedes among whiche he reckeneth traytors also Bisides this the citizens are sworne vnto the Magistrates to defend the citie or publicque wealth whē nede shall require And thoughe they were not sworne The mēbers of al liuing thīgs do endāger thē selues for the nobler partes yet the natural and common lawe requireth the same of them whiche thing the members of all lyuing thinges do testifie whiche do willingly and most readily endanger them selues for the bodye and for the nobler partes therof I meane the hed or harte Whiche selfe thing the citizens are by the lawes of nature bound to do for their countrey if it be in dāger Wherfore if they should betray it they can not be excused but that they sinne most grieuously But it were good before we go any farther to define what proditiō is What is to betraye To betray semeth in Latine as much as nedeth to this presēt purpose to signifie thre things namely to bewraye to deceaue deliuer vp Prodition therfore is an actiō wherby by guile bewrayeng or deliuering vp our neighbours or their goods are hurt and that especially of those which ought rather to defend the same But there be many kindes of prodition For they do betraye Many kyndes of prodition Augustine which do by subtile guile detecte the faultes of their brethren Augustine confirmeth this kynde of proditiō in his 2. questiō first chap. Si peccauerit where he sayth reprehend thy brother secretly of whose sinne thou hast priuate knowledge for if thou shalt do it before al men thou shalt not then be a corrector of sinne but a betrayer Also he which circumuēteth an other bringeth him into dāger he betrayeth hym Wherfore Ierome as it is written 24. question the 3. chap. Transferunt Ierome sayth that the same belongeth principally vnto false Prophetes euil Pastors which by their euill doctrine and examples destroye the shepe of Christ committed to their charge whome they ought to defend They are numbred amongest them which deliuer castels and munitiōs vnto their enemies Wherof it is written at large 22. question the .5 chap. De forma They are also counted betrayers which do detecte open secretes cōmitted vnto thē especially such as are of great waight bring in danger the life estimation or goods of their brethren And this kind is noted in the title Chrisostome De paenitentia distinct 6. chap. Sacerdotes Finally Chrisostome vpon Matthew the .25 homely as is alledged in the decrees 11. question the third and chap. Nolite timere Not onely they are sayde to betraye the truth whiche in the place of it speake a lye but they also which do not frely professe the same Wherfore there are reckoned many wayes or kyndes of prodition But we will not speake of them all nowe presently but onely will touche those kyndes whiche make for our purpose One man some tymes is both a betrayer and a spye
but may be chaunged for edification sake as time shall serue And Augustine to Ianuarius and to Cassulanus was also of this opinion Caution 3 The thirde condition or caution that is to be added is that Princes take heede that those infidels whom they suffer in their dominions be continuallye with diligence instructed And not as the maner commonlye is neglect them in those thinges which pertaine vnto godlines otherwise the glory of God cannot be looked for by their suffering if without teaching they may be suffered continually Caution 4 to abide in their vngodly opinion For in processe of time they becom nothing the better but farre worse then they were before Moreouer they must beware that by that mutual conuersation they infect not the people committed to Caution 5 their charge with the scab of infidelity and errours They must be cōpelled at the last to the soūde and pure outward worshippinges of God And finallye when they are wel instructed and taught they must compel them to sound and pure woorshyppings which are prescribed by the holy scriptures For the Magistrate maye not suffer his Citizens to liue without exercises of godlines For the ende of ciuyll rule is that the Citizens should lyue both vertuously happely And who seeth not but that godlines the worshipping of God is the chiefe of all vertues Whether a prince ought at the length to compell his subiectes to the right vse of the sacramentes But peraduenture some wyll say If a Prince shoulde compell those vnto the right vse of the sacramentes which are not yet persuaded of the truth he should driue them hedlong into synne so farre is it of from setting forwarde their saluation For there they should do against their conscience and what so euer they so do euen as the Apostle witnesseth is synne Wherefore I thyncke it good to make a distinction betwene that whiche is of or by it selfe and that which is at aduenture and by hap or as they are wont to speake in Schooles that whiche commeth per accidens that is by chaunce The Magistrate in this thing which we haue now in hande setteth foorth to his subiectes that thing which is of it selfe right good and iust but in that synne therby commeth that happeneth nothing at al by his default but rather by those mens incredulitye or misbeliefe whereof he is not to be accused when as he hath diligentlye laboured to haue his Citizens wel instructed Neither the Papistes which at this daye are suffered of Christian Magistrates are ignoraunt that wee oughte to haue in vse the Sacramentes instituted by the Lord. Wherfore they cannot iustlye complaine of their Magistrates if they wil haue them vprightlye and in due order ministred vnto them Moreouer they which obiect these thinges vnto vs must diligently marke this that by the same waye wee maye cauill againste God For hee hath sette foorth vnto menne his lawe whiche is most perfecte to bee kept of them Shall we say vnto him we are weake and of a corrupt and vitious nature neither can we perfourme thy commaundementes as thou commaundest wherefore whether we do against that which thou hast commaunded or whether we endeuour our selues to perfourme that which thou hast bydden wee shall euer synne bycause we shall fainte neither can we obey as we should doo Wherefore what soeuer we do we shall not auoide synne If anye manne brawlinglye shoulde speake these thinges againste God myghte not hee by good ryghte aunswere They bee iust and ryght which I haue sette foorth vnto you to bee obserued But in that ye are feable and weake it oughte not to bee counted a fault in mee For I haue excellentlye holpen your weakenes whyche for your sakes haue geuen my Sonne vnto the death If ye shall beleue onelye in hym what so euer ye shall not accomplish in perfourming my preceptes it shal not be imputed to you to euerlasting death So also may a good Prince aunswer I require of you those thinges whych are written in the woord of God and which are decent and do edefye Wherefore if your opinion or conscience bee againste it that is not to bee ascribed vnto me which haue diligently laboured that ye might not be ignorant of the truth and miserably perish For I haue diligently sene vnto that ye should be taught and instructed in the truth so wyll I styl go forward in exhorting admonishing and commaunding you but reade ye the holy Scriptures heare your Teachers and pray vnto God to open the eyes of your mynde These thinges if the Prince shall say vnto those men which doo so cauil against him I do not see by what right or by what meanes he can be reprehended And I thynke thys is not to be omitted that Augustine sayde Augustine chāged his sētence for compellinge of heretikes that hee was once of that opinion that nothing should be done by violence against heretiks but onely they should be instructed by admonitions and doctrine But hee confesseth that hee was admonished by certayne Byshoppes of more experience whych shewed hym of certayne Cities whyche before were in a manner vtterlye destroyed by the errour of the Donatistes and were by violence and lawes of the Emperours compelled to come vnto the Catholyque Churche whyche Cities beyng thus at the length syncerely couerted vnto the truthe rendered thankes vnto GOD neyther woulde they if by anye meanes they mought haue retourned agayne to so pernicious opinions Wherefore a godly Prince shall nothyng hurt suche men yea he shall proffyt them muche if after he haue instructed them he compell them to receaue the Sacramentes duelye as they be delyuered by the woorde of God But this is to bee vnderstande as touching his owne Citizens hys natiue countrey men and Denizens whiche enioye the ryght of the Citye or prouince Otherwyse I do not thinke that he ought to vse any violence towarde straungers that passe to and fro and whiche doo occupye the trade of Marchaundize either inwarde or outwarde Althoughe also as touching those men I thynke that he must diligently beware that they infect not the people with wycked doctrine An example of the Israelites which is to be obserued Wherefore I suppose that the steppes of the Israelites are to be followed who made none a Iewe or a Proselite neyther endewed any with the right of their people except first he circumcised hymselfe receaued the lawe of Moyses and communicated with their sacrifices And seing that that was so diligently obserued of them there is no cause why our Princes ought not to doo the lyke namely to suffer none to be of their City or as one of them or a straūger to be made free but first they shoulde constrayne hym to seruices and ceremonies agreing with the woord of God What is to be sayd of magistrates which are subiect to a superior power A distinction But now let vs go on and speake of those Magistrates or Lordts whyche are subiect to
euery man shal be geuen a mayde or two that is the praye of the rascall souldiours shal be bondmen or bonde women be geuen But to our Sisera shal be geuen the most worthiest thinges garmentes I say of diuers colours and nedle worke Plini in his 8. booke the .48 chap writeth that the men in the old time vsed to dye their wolle and garmentes with such sundry and pleasaunt colours Plinius bicause they would imitate the most beautifull coloures of floures and herbes And the same writer attributeth vnto the Babilonians the inuention of diuers coloures in garmentes and euen as garmentes of siluer which were found out in Asia vnder Attalus the king were called Attalical so those garmentes whiche were by the Phrigians wroughte with the nedle beinge set out with golde and sundry coloures and pictures wer called Phrigionical And for that these workmanshippes wer in the old time had in estimation god would haue the holy tabernacle and the high priestes garmentes wrought with nedle worke And this is not to be passed ouer that by the ciuile lawes it was not lawefull for euerye man to weare such precious garmentes Wherfore it is sayd now in this song that garmentes of sundry coloures and such as were wrought with the nedle ar attributed only to the prince In the Code de vestibus oloberis lege Auratas It is prohibited vpon great punishmente that any other men shoulde were precious garmēts Lawes for apparell And it is no doubt but that in the old time there wer lawes for apparel which at this day lye vtterly voide These womē spake as they knew the maner then vsed for they were not ignorant of the custome in war wherby princely garmentes wer not distributed to priuate men but vnto captaynes and emperors Discipline of warre amonge the elders Farthermore we muste consider that the elders vsed greater discipline in their camps than at this day our men do For when a town or city was sacked euery man had not that which he by violence tooke al thinges wer brought vnto the king or Emperour and not vndoubtedly that he only should haue them but that he should part them according to the labor dignity and quality of the souldiors which manifestlye appeareth in the decrees 23. question the .5 chapter Dixerit aliquis They are the woordes of Ambrose in his booke of Abraham the Patriarche And the same thing is most playnly taught Dist the .1 chap. Ius militare This hebrew word Tsoari signifieth properly a necke or neckes in the plurall number but in this place by translation it signifieth a captayne or prince 31 So let al thine enemies perish O Lord But they that loue thee let them be as the Sunne when he riseth in his strength And the land had rest .40 yeares The thinges which are now mencioned the holy Ghost doth therfore speake them by Deborah to expresse with a great emphasis and signification that those thinges do happen vnto the vngodly which they be afeard of the things which they hope happen cleane contrarye Therefore the songe is nowe concluded with an elegant exclamacion and consisteth of thinges contrary So let all thine enemies perish O Lord as Sisera hath fallen This her Apostrophe or turning to God stirreth vs vp that we shuld with a singular affectiō embrace God the author of so great notable acts Deborah also in this speaking declareth that she setteth not forth her own cause for she sayth not let my enemyes perish but thine But they that loue thee let them continually encrease in al kind of good things as the sunne increaseth from his rising vntil it be none wherin he is most strong ether from the spring time to the highest of sommer She addeth not Let them that loue him be saued as the Antithesis or cōtrary position required For these two are contraries namely to be saued and to perish But let them be encreased saith she strengthened as the sunne increaseth from his rising vnto his strength By thys conclusion the vse of example is taught vnder the forme of a prayer Sisera is ouerthrowne but the people of Israel is encreased with a notable victory so therfore shall it come to passe and happē vnto vs. We shal be deliuered if we be godly they which do persecute vs for Christs cause shal perish Wherfore it is profitable by exāples to gather out rules of the gouernmēt of God which rules with frute let vs apply vnto our own things This performed Dauid as touching this selfe same historye in his psalme where he sayth do vnto them as vnto Middian as vnto Sisera Iabin at the riuer Kyson Wherfore the some of this hystory is to set before vs the seuerity of god toward his enemies again his clemēcy towards the godly And therfore it behoueth that the seuerity of his iudgements breath in vs a fear and that by fayth we take hold of his goodnes and clemency The syxt Chapter ANd the children of Israell did euill in the syghte of the Lorde and the Lorde deliuered them into the hands of Middian seuen yeres 2 Wherfore the hand of Middian preuailed against Israel frō the face of Middiā the children of Israel made them dennes in the mountaines and caues and stronge holdes 3 For when Israell had sowen Middian came vp and Amaleke and the sonnes of Kedem came vp agaynst them 4 And camped against them and destroyed the fruite of the earth euen till thou come to Haza neyther lefte they anye foode in Israell neither cattell nor oxen nor asses 5 For they went vp and theyr cattell and came with theyr tents as greshoppers in multitude so that they and theyr camels wer without number they came I say into the land to destroy it Deborah and Barac were deade by the authority of whiche princes the people of the Hebrewes were kepte in their dutye and religion But after theyr death they fell agayne vnto sinnes and especially vnto idolatry But yet they are not counted to haue turned so heynously from God as they did before for it is not written And they added to do euil Farther their punishment was not so long for they serued the Madianites onely seuen yeares Moreouer it is not sayde that God sold them as he did before but that he deliuered them I confesse that these coniectures are but small but yet not so small that they shoulde seeme vtterly to be despised Two thinges are principally entreated of in this hystorye The principall pointes of thys history The ordre of thinges to be spoken of the affliction of the Hebrewes and theyr deliuery by Gidion But bicause eche of these partes haue their causes therfore we must also entreate of them For euen as affliction springeth of sinne and deliuery beginneth of repentance so was it mete that first it should be declared that the Israelites had sinned before mention be made that they were deliuered vnto the Madianites and theyr repentaunce must
the enemyes of the olde Testament snatche occasion to speake euill of GOD the creator of the world For they called hym both an euyll GOD and a cruell Suche were the Maniches Valentinians Marcionites and suche lyke pestilences When he delighteth saye they in the bloude of manne howe can he not but bee cruell Augustine aunswereth God reioyseth not in bloud So farre is it of that GOD reioyseth in the bloude of man that he reioyseth not euen in the bloude of beastes onely he suffred for a tyme that sacrifices of beastes shoulde be offred by lytle and lytle to instructe men But what the Sacrifices of the Elders signified whiche serued to theyr erudition in that place What the sacrifices of the Elders signified he declareth not but I will in fewe woordes shewe it First was set foorth in those Sacrifices that the rewarde of sinne is death And that dyd he after a sorte testifie whiche brought the Sacrifice namely that he had deserued to be kylled but by the goodnes of GOD hys death was transferred to the Sacrifice By thys meanes were the Elders instructed that they should eschewe synnes Farther those Sacrifices directed the myndes of menne vnto Christe and they were certayne visible sermons of hym and taught that Christ shoulde bee that Sacrifice whiche shoulde take awaye the sinnes of the worlde and vpon whom our death and damnation should be transferred God mought haue required humane sacrifices Wherefore GOD of hymselfe delyghted not in bloude but by thys schoolyng he instructed his people Yea if he had delyghted in Sacrifices he mought haue required them of the number of menne For what should haue letted hym or what iniury shoulde he haue doone vs if he woulde haue had Sacrifices of menne offred vnto hym For manne must needes sometymes dye Wherefore to preuent the tyme one yeare or two it woulde not haue bene so grieuous neither shoulde he haue doone vs any iniurye chiefly when we shoulde vnderstande that with hym we shoulde lyue for euer Vndoubtedly in thys thyng no manne coulde haue accused GOD as cruell But nowe seyng he hath remoued all those holy seruices he manifestly teacheth that he reioyseth not neither in the bloude of menne God woulde haue the firste borne of menne redemed and not sacrificed nor in the bloude of beastes Yea the firste borne of menne when they were bounde vnto hym he woulde not haue them Sacrificed but redemed with a price whiche he woulde not haue doone if he had taken any pleasure in bloude In Deuteromy the .12 chapter he sayeth The Nation whiche I wyl expell before thee doo Sacrifice theyr sonnes and daughters but see that thou do not so Certayne kyllynges of men are acceptable vnto God But Augustine demaundeth farther whether there be any slaughter of men whiche is acceptable vnto GOD Hee aunswereth that there is But what slaughter When menne sayeth he are kylled for ryghteousnes sake not that the death of Martyrs of it self pleaseth GOD but bicause faith towardes God piety is by that Martyrdomes are lyke sacrifices both declared and also kept And the death of Christ so pleased God that it redemed the whole worlde and the death of Christians whiche they suffer in Christes name may be called after a sorte a Sacrifice Wherefore Paul in the .2 to Timo. the last chapter writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is I sacrifice c. in whiche saying he calleth his death an immolation And to the Phil. the .2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The martirdomes of men make not satisfaction for sins but if I offre in an oblation and seruice of our fayth And yet do not such sacrifices make satisfaction for sinnes for that doth the death of Christe onely But the death of Martirs are acceptable because the cause is thankefull Augustine was baptised of Ambrose and being wōderfully affectioned toward him he followeth his opinion as his Scholemayster asmuch as he may but somwhat more warely He cōpareth Iiphtah with Abraham but he putteth a difference whyche Ambrose noted not Abraham saythe he had the woorde of god to sacrifice his sonne so had not Iiphtah yea rather he had the law against him that he shoulde not sacrifice And in Abraham not the death pleased god but the faith Farther there is great difference for a man to do any thinge of himself and to haue a will to doo those thinges that are commaunded him And Augustine doth subtilly admonish Iiphtah vowed an human◠sacrifice as Augustine thinketh that Iiphtah vowed an humane sacrifice not deceaued but willinglye Whatsoeuer sayth he shall come out of my house I will offer it for a burnte offringe c. Doo we thinke that beastes woulde come forth to meete him returninge home Men vse to go and mete such as haue the victory and to reioyse Wherfore he vowed an humane sacrifice The scripture only maketh mencyon of this acte but praiseth it not as also it is there written that Iudas had to do with his daughter in law but it is not allowed So there can nothing be gathered by these wordes The rashenes of the father is punished in the death of the children why the acte of Iiphtah should be praysed Farther Augustine thinketh with Ierome that god woulde punish the rashenes of the vow in the father by the death of hys daughter But there are two places sayth he why I cannot reprehend Iiphtah Because in the Epistle to the Hebrewes he is numbred among the saints in this place it is written that the spirite of the Lord was vpon him But those holy men which are rekoned vnto the Hebrewes did they neuer sinne Vndoubtedly their sinnes also ar set forth in the holy scriptures Gideon who is in the number a little before his deth made an Ephod which was the destructiō both of himself of his house But as touchinge the other place The sprite of the Lorde came vpon hym But this nothing letteth but that afterward he might fall But Iiphtah thou wilte saye had the victory but Gidion after that acte nothing went well with him Yea rather sayth he Gideon did before after a sort tempt God yet he had the victory So much of Augustine But I would say otherwise For I agree not with Augustine to thinke that Gidion tēpted God Therfore I would aunswere after this maner Dauid cōmitted aduoutry straightway afterward obteined the victory toke the city Rabath-Ammon in whose siege he prepared that Vrias should be slayne Saule persecuted Dauid in the meane time there were brought him messengers from the Philistians He leauing Dauid went to war and obteined the victory Moses sinned at the waters of strife the people also hadde sinned many waies and yet they obteyned the victorye agaynste Sihon and Og moste myghtye Kynges Wherefore wee will graunte that Iiphtah was numbred amonge the Sayntes and yet he mighte sinne and althoughe he synned he obteyned the victorye And we wil graunt that
onely lodged in her house But the Philistines whē they heard of it did secretly enuirō the city in the night season for they would make no noyse for waking of Samson beyng on sleepe for they durst not set vpon hym in the darke for that they knew him to be most strong They taried till it was day neither doubted they that he could escape being so on euery side enclosed and besieged Liranus thinketh Lyrauus that the Philistines drew not Samson out of his lodging bycause peraduēture in that region it was a law that men should be safe in their lodgyngs But I meruayle that Ambrose sayth that the Philistines besieged the house where Samson was Ambrose when as in the Hebrew we manifestly rede that they besieged the City Samson came and tooke the doores caried them away with him So he despised his enemies neither was there any that durst withstand hym Neither yet must we thinke that that was the strength of a man Things are to be iudged by the worde of God and not by the successe but of the spirit of God But we must not therfore affirme that God fauored whooredome bycause in iudging of thinges we must not haue a regard to the successe Dauid also filthily cōmitted aduoutry and at the same tyme wherin he grieuously sinned he conquered Rabbah the City of the Ammonites Salomon had fellowship with idolatrous women and yet all thinges in a maner went with hym as he would desire Wherfore as touchyng actions we must not iudge of them by ententes Wherfore in Ecclesiastes it is rightly sayd that the selfe same thinges happē vnto the euill that do happen vnto the good therfore of thē the loue or hatred of God toward vs is not knowen Neither by the euentes may we iudge who is godly or who is vngodly We must iudge by the worde of God The things that agree with it are good the thinges that disagree are vngodly But in that God doth not strayghtway take vengeance he therefore doth it to call vs backe to repentaunce Wherfore it is our part to see that we heape not vnto our selues anger in the day of anger as Paul sayth vnto the Romaines Samson escaped the daunger caried away the gates of the City vnto a montayne that they might be a wonder and that the Philistines might see how great strength there was in the God of Israel yea that the Iewes also might beholde so notable an acte of God For that montayne was in the middest betwene Gaza Hebron whiche the Hebrues inhabited By that spectacle it came to passe that the courages of the Philistines were daunted but the Hebrues wer boldned We may not as I haue often admonished thinke of Samson as of a priuate man for he was a Magistrate appointed by God and not by men For if he had ben a priuate man his actes could not be allowed for it is wicked to violate the walles gates of Cities Which thing was also prohibited by the Romaine lawes In the digestes de rerum diuisione in the lawe sanctum and in the law sacrum it is had that some thinges are sacred some thinges religious and some thinges holy Thinges sacred as the alters and temples of the gods Religious as the sepulchers of the dead holy as those things which are by lawes defended from the iniuryes of men as gates walles In the same title also it is red Gates walls of cities are by the lawes coūted as holy These thynges are holy which are neither sacred nor prophane but confirmed and defended by lawes that they should not be violated As if a man should do this thing or that thing he should suffer this or that In the same title in the law Si quis the violating of the walles is made death Wherfore Remus was put to death Why Remus was killed of Romulus bycause he went ouer the walles of his brother Which selfe same thing is decreed of prisons as it is written in the title de Effractoribus in the law .1 And in the title de custodia Exhibitione in the lawe in cos Prisons ar not to be violated Howbeit if the doore were but slenderly shut and any manne had fled he was more lightely punished but yet in suche sorte that he shoulde be counted for a condemned person althoughe otherwyse he were innocent Socrates when he was in prison mought haue escaped he would not An example of Socrates least he should seme to haue violated the lawes It was obiected vnto hym Thou art wrongfully held in prison But he aunswered we must not by iniury put away iniury bycause to do iniury is alwayes euill He also tooke an argument of an exāple For wise men ought not to open this window vnto other Which other would easely imitate if they should flye out of prisō Farther if all mā should by thēselues remedy iniuryes breakes prisons what manner of publique wealth would there be at the length Moreouer hereby we should seme to feare death more then is mete But we must not so be afeard of death to violate lawes and rightes Lastly we must not doubt but that good men fall into the handes of tyrannes by the will of God Wherfore they ought not by an vniust way to deliuer themselues thereout Neither ought any man to obiect vnto vs Peter for he fled not but was by an angell brought foorth by the will and commaundement of God Let vs rather see what Paul and Silas did in pryson they would not flye when they might It is not lawfull for bounde seruauntes to flye from their masters It is not lawfull also for bondeseruants to fly from their masters And vndoubtedly Paul sent home agayn Onesimus vnto Philemon What if the bondeseruant feared fornication or murther at his masters hand It was lawfull for him to flye vnto sanctuary or to the image of the prince there was he holpen by the lawes and the vniust Lord was compelled to sell his bondseruāt But a Citizen for as much as he is free Free men may chaunge theyr abydynges for iust causes neither is held in prison bycause by the lawes he may dwell where he will for him it is lawfull to chaunge his abyding go whether he please But that whiche Samson did must not be followed neither drawen into an example For he as we haue often sayde was appoynted a Magistrate by God and was most certayne of his vocation 4 And afterwarde he loued a woman by the brooke Sorek whose name was Delila 5 And the Lordes of the Philistines came vp vnto her and said vnto her Deceaue him and see wherin his great strength lyeth and by what meanes we may preuayle agaynste hym that when we haue bound him we may afflicte him And we will euery one of vs geue thee a thousand one hundreth peces of Siluer 6 And Delila sayd to Samson tell me I praye thee wherein thy greate strength
in the Sacrifices of Idols all thynges were ordayned for ryot and pleasure and they seldome departed from thence wythout fylthy lustes or murther as at thys daye doo the Papistes in consecrations of theyr Churches after Masse they celebrate a feast afterward they fall to dauncyng and wanton leapinges whereby oftentymes they fall together by the eares The Philistines assembled together aboue three thousande men and at the length commaunde that Samson shoulde be brought before them a man myserable bounde and blynde When they had with so many iniuries not sufficientlye fulfylled their hatred they woulde moreouer make hym a mocking stocke These thinges were farre more hytter Iosephus then if they had put him to death For as Iosephus writeth in thys place Death is naturall and maye after a sorte bee suffered but for as muche as to bee made a mocking stocke hath reproche and contumely ioyned with it that seemeth not possible to be borne wythall It is a thing very cruell to adde affliction vnto the afflicted Wherefore althoughe God seemed to haue smytten Samson they oughte to haue bene touched wyth some mercye towardes hym neyther must we be molestious vnto them that are smytten by God as thoughe we woulde imitate God Wherefore Amos the Prophet writeth For three transgressions of Edom for the fourth I wyl not be turned For when the Iewes were dryuen and banished oute of theyr owne countrey and had escaped to their borders they handled them moste cruellye Thys thyng sayth God by the Prophet hee wyll not leaue vnpunished For althoughe the Iewes were for their desertes afflicted of God yet it was not the duty of neighbours to heape more iniuries vpon the afflicted Dauid in hys hundreth and nyne Psalme curseth hym which shoulde persecute him whom the Lord hath stricken Set thou sayth he the synner ouer him and let Sathan stande at hys right hand When hee is iudged let hym go oute condemned and let hys prayers be turned into synne Let hys dayes bee fewe and let an other take hys charge Bycause he remembred not to shewe mercye but persecuted the afflicted and poore man and the sorrowful harted to kill him These thynges we reade A cruel maner towarde those which haue suffred shipwrack and contemne them and it is horryble to see the maner in certayne regions for if any that hath suffered shypwracke escape to the shore theyr goods if peraduenture they bee cast on lande are made forfayte What other thyng is thys then to adde affliction to the afflicted Howe Samson was reconciled vnto God Samson beyng brought before them declareth by the successe howe deare he was to God Not that the sufferaunce of the pryson had purged hys synnes it is Christ onelye whych purgeth synnes Not that by pacience or anye other vertue he had deserued the mercye of God awaye wyth all consideracion of desert But in pryson he acknowledged hys synne hee beleued trulye in Christe and as it becommeth a godlye man hee repented and that so muche the more howe muche greater the calamitye was wherewith he was oppressed Wherefore being endued wyth fayth whereby he tooke holde of the mercye of God by Christ Samson is proued to haue had fayth he was reconsiled vnto God And that he had fayth manifestlye appeareth by that which he prayed How sayth Paul did they cal vpon god in whom they beleued not And in the Epistle to the Hebrues Samson is numbred amōg them which being excellent in fayth wrought wonderful thinges And he sayd vnto the Ladde leade me vnto the pyller As thoughe he had bene wearye hee made as though hee woulde haue leaned to the pyller There were there al the princes of the Philistines They were assembled thether bycause god had appointed to take punishmēt of them al together In what manner Samson prayed And Samson prayed Remember me Lord. These prayers at the fyrste syght seeme not verye godly For he praieth to haue vengeaunce graunted him of his enemies bicause they had put out both his eyes Vndoubtedly if he did it of a stomake or choler we could not iustly defend his prayers For he should haue bene no more allowed of god then if be should expressedly haue sayd I pray thee Lorde prosper eyther my theft Augustine or my aduoutry Augustine sayth that Samson dyd these thinges not of his own wyl but by the impulsion counsell of the holy ghost Farther as I haue often admonished wee muste not thynke of Samson as of a priuate man but as of a Magistrate whom God hym selfe had appoynted And in deede as a priuate man it was not lawful for him to reuenge his owne iniuries but as a Magistrate he both might ought If we haue in hand a priuate cause that saying of Paul ought to be of force Geue place vnto anger To me belongeth vengeaūce I wil render saith the Lord. But in a publike cause the Magistrate ought by the commaundement and authority of God to auenge iniury bicause he is gods vicar in earth and god himselfe although often times he take vengeaunce of synnes by himselfe and as it is sayde withoute meanes yet for the most part he punisheth by Magistrates Wherfore those wordes To me belongeth vengeaunce and I wyl render doo not let the seueritye of Magistrates wherby they punish the guilty For they are the Ministers of God and that which they do God himselfe doth by them By the same maner of speeche it is sayd vnder the person of God God communicateth many of hys properties vnto men Equity is mine iudgement is mine and power is mine all which thinges yet he communicateth wyth men vpon whom hee bestoweth them Wherefore God commaunded Samson to reuenge the iniuries of eyther namely of the name of God and his owne for as muche as the Philistines had put out hys eyes But for what cause What bicause he had committed whooredome No vndoubtedlye For what cause the Philistines afflicted Samson but bicause he was an Israelite a deliuerer and reuenger of the people of God Wherefore Samson auengeth either iniurye both that whiche the Philistines had done vnto hym selfe and that which they had done vnto God When he calleth vpon God he prayeth hym to prosper hys vocation And suche prayers are woont to be of most efficaye For what other thyng dyd the Apostles and other brethren pray for as it is wrytten in the Actes of the Apostles the fourth chapter then that God would prosper their vocation and office Geue vnto thy seruauntes sayde they not to regarde their threatninges graunt them boldlye to speake thy woorde Streche foorth thine hande that they maye woorke sygnes If a man will say the sygnes of the Apostles were profitable and healthful bycause they delyuered and healed the afflicted But contrarilye the signe of Samson tended to the slaughter of his enemies Wherfore there is not in them both one consideration I answer that often times it happeneth so The sygnes of
hurt is to be preferred before the greater bycause it hath the nature and reason of goodnes But in sinne there is no consideration of goodnes And vndoubtedly what soeuer is synne the same muste strayghtwaye be reiected let followe what will But Augustine excuseth after a sorte Lot and thys olde manne bycause they fell with a heauy and troubled mynde It oftentymes happeneth vnto wyse men with a troubled mynde to doo those thynges whiche afterwarde when they come to themselues they allowe not But this excuse doth not vtterly absolue these menne from sinne althoughe it somewhat release them But if a manne will say Paul preferred the lesser sinne before the greater when he sayde he woulde be accursed of Christ for hys brethreÌ„ rather then they should persiste in that blyndnes and stubbernnes wherein they were holden He whiche obiecteth this vnto vs must knowe that he doth not rightly vnderstand that place of Paul For the Apostle desired to redeme the saluation of the Iewes with his daunger not vndoubtedly with sinne but with hys losse or hurte namely to be accursed of Christe not certaynely to be made an Apostata or to cease to beleue in Christ but onely not to haue the fruition of the eternall and blessed lyfe Augustine Augustine also hath many thynges agaynst thys compensation of sinnes And amonge other thinges What sayeth he if a man require either of a mayden fornication or of a maryed woman adultery and threateneth to kill hymselfe vnles he obteyne hys request ought the pure and chaste women to fulfill his desire No vndoubtedly Neither thoughe he afterwarde slay hymselfe shall the chast women be counted guilty of his death They ought in deede to be sory for hym to deplore his acte but not to thinke they haue done euill bycause they graunted hym not vnlawfull thynges The same Augustine vpon the .146 Augustine Psalme writeth If a man deny dewe beneuolence vnto his wife bycause he would lyue chastly and the wyfe in the meane tyme fall into adultery he sinneth neither can his entent be allowed For sinne is not to be admitted in the wyfe for the exercising of continency God sayeth he doth not recompense suche a hurte with suche a gayne Wherfore the sentence of Leo the first Leo in the dist .46 chapter Non suo is to be allowed wherein he sayth that it is vncomely that any should bestow theyr faultes vpon other mens commodities Augustine in hys booke De mendacio to Consentius sayeth For the health of our neyghbours Augustine we must doo whatsoeuer may be doone And if it come to that point that we can not helpe them without sinne there remayneth nothyng els for vs to doo And he addeth that no manne must be brought into heauen by a lye The same Augustine in an other place sayeth If poore menne see a cruell and bitter riche manne and woulde steale any thynge from hym eyther to helpe themselues or other poore menne they doo not diminishe sinne but encrease it Gregory And Gregory Byshoppe of Rome in hys Epistle to Siagrius To committe the lesse sinne to the end to auoyde the greater is to offer Sacrifices vnto GOD of a wicked acte To Chrisostome and Ambrose as it is written in the .21 of the Prouerbes But in that Chrisostome and Ambrose doo for thys cause prayse Lot they are thus to bee vnderstande namely that they allowed hys charity and fayth towardes straungers and had a respecte vnto the horriblenes of the sinne whiche the Citezins were ready to committe not that they allowed their abandonyng of theyr women And thus muche as touchyng thys matter How much the horrible synne of the Sodomites is to be detested Augustine But in that the olde manne calleth it a villany and a detestable thyng whiche they went about to committe he sayeth most truely For seede was geuen vnto manne for procreations sake But these pestiferous menne abuse the gifte geuen them of GOD they resiste hys law and agaynste nature chaunge menne in that after a sorte they turne the male into the female Augustine to Pollentius Adultery sayeth he is more grieuous then whooredome and incest more heynous then adultery but that whiche is done agaynste nature is of all most wicked and detestable And he addeth In thynges whiche GOD hath graunted it is more tollerable immoderatly to transgresse then lyghtly to sinne in those thynges whiche by no meanes are graunted And in hys .3 booke of Confessions he sayeth that the fellowship of humane kynde is violated with GOD bycause nature whiche we haue of GOD is polluted This was the crye of the Sodomites and the Gomorhites which ascended into heaueÌ„ and the grieuousnes of their wickednes is moste manifest by their distruction For they were distroyed with fire and brimestone from heauen punishementes vndoubtedly agreable vnto so greate a heynous crime by the fire was noted their burnyng filthy luste and by brymestone theyr stynkyng and vnpure wicked crime Chrisostome Chrisostome writeth Bycause they followed not fertility but barennes therfore God made that so ill baren and infertyle whiche before was most fertile But he demaundeth Why god doth in theâ—e daâ—es deferre the punishement of Sodomites Why are not they whiche are in the same faulte in these dayes punished also after the same manner He aunswereth whome that punishement moueth not for them abydeth the vnquencheable fyre And they are not so punished in this lyfe bycause suche menne for the moste parte are conuersaunt amonge good menne and GOD promised Abraham that he was ready to forgeue Sodome if there mought haue bene founde there but onely tenne good menne Wherefore for as muche as Cityes at this daye are not altogether so corrupte as Sodome was then therefore GOD dealeth more remissedly with them It also oftentymes happeneth that althoughe these men are moste wicked yet they had good predecessors And GOD as he hath testified tarieth and differreth the punishement vnto the thyrde and fourth generation Farther we muste marke that thys vice wheresoeuer it rangeth it is not alone With it are ioyned cruelty inhumanity pryde robbery and oppressing of the poore And when it shall come to this point that menne cruelly withdrawe their dewtyes from their neyghbours GOD doth then on the other side withdrawe hys helpe and grace Wherefore they beyng left vnto themselues that is vnto their owne corrupte and viciate strengthes doo degenerate into beastes The Sodomitical sinne is to bee punished with death The lawe of GOD in Exodus and Deuteronomy made thys sinne death And Paul to the Romanes sheweth that thys is the punishement of Idolatrers And in an other place he numbreth abusers of nature with them whom he excludeth from the kyngdome of GOD. Amonge the olde Grecians thys wicked crime was punished with death and that by the lawe of Laius Bessarion Tertulian whereof Bessarion maketh mention agaynste Trapezuntius Tertullian de Monogamia writeth that among the Romanes there was
his office For there are in courtes whiche flatter in the eares of princes disprayse prayse whom they lust complayne of the good as euill and commend the euil as good So according as they wil some ar preferred to prouinces and other some ar displaced A sentence of Diocletian Wherfore Diocletian sayde A good wise wary Emperor is oftētymes solde of his subiectes The prince is at home in his palace they that are familiar with him accuse defende before him whom they will Yea and among the Romanes the fathers which were called Conscripti that is appoynted were sometymes called Circumscripti that is deceaued or abused The course of Iustice is by many deceates hindred Neither skilleth it much whether it be done by violēce or by guile bycause both wayes the publique wealth is hurte and the institution of God contemned Neither is this to be passed ouer in this place whiche hath also ben often spoken of that the Magistrate is not to be obeyed if he commaūd any thing against the worde of God For when he so doth he is no Magistrate Bycause as Paul sayth he is the Minister of God to good Wherfore if he commaund thinges contrary vnto the worde of God he is not in that parte his Minister But thou wilt say Sometymes greuous molestous and harde thinges are cōmaunded whiche yet are not agaynst the worde of God What is to be done in those cases We must obey for we are commaunded to obeye our Lordes thoughe they be hard so that they commaunde nothyng agaynst the worde of GOD whiche thing if they do we must aunswere them with this sentence of Peter whiche sayth we must rather obey God then men Nabucad-Nezar would haue had his Image worshipped the faythfull Hebrues aunswered Thy image O kyng we will not worship Antiochus cōmaunded the Hebrew woman to eate swines fleshe but she chused to dye with together her seuē childrē rather then to cōmit any thing agaynst the lawe of God Also the Martin as well in the old tyme as also in our tyme suffred most extreme punishmentes and most cruell deathes for that they would not sinne agaynst the law of God Eusebius An example of Constātius an Emperor Eusebius Casariensis writeth that Constantius the father of Constantine fayned vpon a tyme that he would put out all the Christians whiche would abyde in theyr religion from their honours and offices But they whiche were in very dede godly of theyr own free will gaue ouer their dignity and chused rather to geue place vnto dignityes then to depart frō Christ But this turned to good vnto thē for the Emperour embraced thē and those which had denyed Christ for to keepe their dignityes he vtterly remoued from hymself saying that they also would not be faythful vnto him whiche had broken thier fayth vnto God Constantius afterwarde the sonne of Constantine Constantius the second an Arrian beyng an Arrian went aboute to drawe the faithfull Byshops into hys heresy but they chused rather to be banished Iulianus Apostata then to follow that wicked purpose of the Emperour Afterward Iulianus Apostata opened the temples of Idoles and labored to dryue the Christians to the Ethnike religion worshipping but such as wer in deede godly had greater loue and regarde to Religion of Christ then to their lyfe Achilles Yea and Achilles in Homere sayth I will obey the princes but yet when they commaund things honest and iust And these thynges pertayne not onely to subiectes but also to inferior Magistrates For what Of inferior powers if the superior prince commaunde the inferior Magistrates to receaue the Masse in their Cityes Vndoubtedly they ought not obey If a manne will saye It is the superior power therefore it muste bee obeyed I will aunswere In thynges ciuile and humane let them obeye as muche as they ought but nothyng agaynste GOD. We muste alwayes runne vnto that principle Euery thyng is suche a thyng by reason of an other wherefore that other shall more bee suche Therefore if we obeye the Magistrate for goddes sake muche more is GOD hymselfe to be obeyed Wherefore the inferior Magistrates ought not in suche thynges to haue a regarde what the superior power commaundeth but what God hymselfe hath commaunded But there are some whiche saye Whether the consent of the Churche is to be taryed for in reformyng of religion A Similitude that before we departe from the obedience of the Magistrates as touchyng Religion we must tary for the consent of the Churche They whiche say these thynges must marke that Christ neuer so commaunded Euery manne for hymselfe is wholy bounde vnto the lawe of GOD whether other consent or dissent If the good man of a house haue many seruauntes whome he commaundeth to doo hys woorke in the countrey but some of them when their master is absent wil be idle Paul taryed not for consent ought the rest therfore to be idle bycause some consent not to theyr common busines Did Paul when he was called to preache Christ tary for the consent of his other brethren No vndoubtedly but as he writteth vnto the Galathians when it pleased GOD to reuele vnto me hys sonne that I should preache hym amonge the Gentiles I dyd not strayghtwaye aske counsell of fleshe and bloude neyther went I vnto the Apostles whiche were before me but I went into Arabia Wherefore he taried not for the consent of other but straightwaye obeyed his vocation So also ought we to doo after that GOD hath opened vnto vs his truth Whē we must tary for consēt we muste not tary We muste in deede tary for the consent if the thynge bee doubtfull and darke But our cause is manifest and without all obscurenes whiche if we will omitte tyll consent be had the thyng it selfe is lost An acte of Tiberius and good occasions taken awaye Tiberius woulde haue brought Christe into the number of the goddes but he thought to haue the consent of the Senate but the Senate woulde not and by that meanes it came to passe that whylest the consent was taryed for Christ coulde not bee numbred amonge the goddes wher as Tiberius was able to haue brought it to passe by himself But I pray you let them tel vs For whose cōsent they will tary For the Byshops cōsent But they no doubt wil neuer consent for they are sworne enemyes vnto the truth But let vs returne vnto the inferior Magistrate of whom we spake before We must remember what God hath commaunded chyldren concernyng theyr parentes Honour thy father and thy mother By whiche woordes vndoubtedlye is also commaunded honour and obeysaunce towarde superior powers For they haue the place of parentes towarde the inferior Magistrates But let vs see what Christe hath pronounced as touchyng thys matter He whiche loueth father sayeth he or mother more then me is not woorthy of me The same thyng without doubte muste we thynke of the Magistrate whiche
then be But both we our selues and al ours doinges I say sayinges thoughtes and counsels are due vnto god Wherfore our merites do vtterly perish Moreouer those workes whereby wee should merite ought to be of our selues which cannot be affirmed for as muche as it is god which worketh in vs both to wil to perform that not as we wil but according to his good wil. Augustine Wherfore Augustine was accustomed very wel to say that God which crowneth his giftes in vs. And in his .100 Epistle ad Sixtū Presbiterum Paul saith he when he had sayd The rewarde of synne is death dyd not straightway adde contrarily The rewarde of righteousnes is euerlasting lyfe But Grace sayth he is eternal life for that is not rendred to our merites but is geuen freely He might in deede haue wrytten after the same manner if he woulde For the holye Scripture sometimes so speaketh But for that he was a defender of grace hee woulde not geue occasion vnto his enemyes to impugne it Farther our woorkes how holye so euer they appeare are neuerthelesse vnpure and imperfect Wherefore they are woorthye rather of punishment then that they should deserue any good And wythout doubt they should be punished were not the redempcion and iustification whyche wee haue by Christ our Lorde There ought also to be some anallogy or proporcion betwene merites and rewardes whereof there is none betwene our workes and eternall lyfe For as Paul saith The sufferinges of this time are not woorthy of the glory to come which shal be reuealed in vs. This is to be added that in the holye scriptures is no where found the name of merite Some in deede are wont to bring the .xvi. chap. of Ecclesiasticus and there they say it is written All mercy shal make place vnto euery one according to the merites of his workes But they which obiect this thing let him looke vpon the Greeke text wherin it is thus written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is in latine Deus omni misericordiae faciet locum quisque iuxta opera sua inueniet Which in englyshe signifieth God wil make place vnto al mercy and euery man shall finde according vnto hys woorkes But in these woordes there is no mencion made of merite onely this is wrytten that whose woorkes are good they shall be in good case but yet their woorkes are not sayde to bee merites or causes of rewarde I wyll not speake howe that booke is not in the Canon bycause Paule and the Gospels vse the same forme of speaking But of that whyche is wrytten vnto the Hebrewes by suche Sacrifices God is well pleased I haue before spoken nowe wyth one woorde onely will I briefly touche the thing This woorde of deseruing is not founde in the Greeke In Greeke is read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by whyche woorde is onely signified that the good woorkes of the faythfull are gratefull and acceptable vnto God Of the woorde reward But as touching this woorde rewarde which some bicause they do not well vnderstand it do take for merite we must deuide it two maner of wayes For that is sometymes called a rewarde whiche is geuen freelye but yet is promysed by adding of some worke wherby men should be styrred vp to doo well So eternal life may be called a reward not that we deserue the same by our woorkes but bicause by a certain order appointed of God it followeth our good workes But somtimes a reward is that which is due vnto good dedes Whither eternal lyfe may be called a reward is rendred vnto them of duty After this maner eternal life cannot be called the reward of our workes Wherfore Paul to the Romanes saith Abraham beleued God it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes But vnto him which woorketh reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Wherefore eternal lyfe for as muche as it is not of ryght dewe cannot be a reward if the woorde be taken in that signification But when they thus reason there is a reward geuen ergo there is a merite The argument is not firme A genere ad species bicause in affirming we may not discend from the general woorde to the species Neyther doth he rightly conclude whych sayth It is a liuing creature ergo it is a man This generall word reward hath two species therfore this argument is not firme if we saye It is a reward Ergo it is plaine that it must be geuen of dewty This saying also of Ieremy is to be added Cursed be euery one that putteth his hope in man and calleth flesh his strength But all our thinges whatsoeuer they be are not without flesh Wherfore it is not lawful for vs to put confidence in them Ierome And Ierome writing vpon that place hath very well brought in manye thinges whereby may be vnderstanded that in our workes there is no regard of merite Yea and the Papists also themselues which ar the patrones of merites are sometimes compelled to confesse that our merites are nothing at all For on the 2. Sonday in the Aduēt thus they pray Be pacefied O god with the prayers of our humility and wher helpe of merites do want succor vs with the aydes of of thy mercy The fathers whē in theyr writings they oftentimes inculcate this word of meriting do by it signify nothinge els then to get to obteine and to atteine to And as manye of them as haue written purelye the same haue detested the consideration of merites whereof the papistes so much bost Wherfore the Israelites were not heard thoroughe the merite of their teares or prayers but bycause by fayth in Christ to come they obteyned forgeuenes of sins and so by his merite onely they returned into fauor againe with god They offred sacrifice What profite the sacrifices of the law had Although I haue before largely spoken of the sacrifices in the olde time yet I thinke it good here also briefly to touch what profite was of them in the old law When men are vexed with calamityes they beginne to think vpon theyr sin they loke vpon the law wher whē they behold the wrath of god kindled for sinne they are in hart deiected in which perturbatiō there remaineth no remedy but to get them vnto Christ which is the summe and end of all sacrifices Him did the fathers which wer godly embrase by faith but in the sacrifices as often as the sacrifice was slaine so often the death of Christe was after a sorte set before the eyes of those that stoode by by whose death the synnes of the world should be taken away The sacramēts of the olders ours at al one but differ in outward Simboles signes Wherfore they had after this manner a communion amonge themselues in Christ which by sundry notes and signes dayly signified to the people in the old time wherhēce they by fayth receaued vnto their saluacion both his death and the fruite
iniury done when the mayden is led away from her parents against her wil aginst their wil Consilium An reliauense in the same place he bryngeth the counsel of Orleance in the chap. de raptoribus where also he confesseth that rapte was wont to be punished with death But it is added that if the rapter come vnto the Church the punishment of death is escaped What shal there then be done If the mayden sayth he consented vnto the rapter first she shall be taken from him be restored to her parents but yet being excused that is a caution receaued that she be not slayne or disinherited But if she consented not she is by her selfe sufficientlye purged but the rapter shal be compelled to publike penaunce as it is had in the .36 q. 2. chap. Raptores But what if he wil not do penance He shal be excōmunicated Cōcilium Chal cedonense Cabilonense according to the counsel of Chalcedonia Cabilonum But if he do penance he shall be punished by the pursse And herein they say that they follow the word of God which is written in Deut. 22. chap. If a man defile a mayden he shal geue vnto her parents .50 sycles and shal take her to wife And so he condemneth the rapter to pay a certain sum of mony vnto the parent of the mayden The which sum if he wil not pay or haue not wherwithal to pay he is driuen to serue the father of the maiden for certaine yeres which the Gloser contracteth to fyue vpon this condicion that in the meane time he may redeme himselfe if he wyll It is also added If they consent together the matrimony is firme so that the father agree therunto And that these matrimonies may be firm betwene the rapter her that is rapted it also appereth by the decretals de Raptoribus et incendiariis Conciliū Mel dense in the chap. cum causa in the chap. following Which thing without dout is against the ciuill lawes the Canōs that are of the better sort But the coūsel of Meldenū hath far otherwise decreed For first it hath ordained that the rapter she that is rapted should do publike penāce afterward it permitteth matrimony but yet not betwene themselues but wyth other And it is added that if the husband or wife of either of them die he which hath cōmitted the rapte or consented vnto the Rapter cannot contract new matrimony except the bishop release him Farther it is ordained that by no meanes any such matrimony shuld be firme no though the Parentes consent therunto Yea and the same Gracian confesseth Consilium Aquisgrauense that the same thing was decreed in the Counsel which was had at Aquisgranum Yet afterward both he himselfe otherwise defineth also the decretals of the Popes What then make they of those Counsels They answer that those Counsels ment this that it should not be lawful to contract matrimony in that case vnles open penance be fyrste done and the consent of the Parentes had Ierome And to proue that sentence Gracian in the .36 q. 2. chap. Tria citeth Ierome who semeth to acknowledge three lawful kindes of matrimony One when a mayden is geuen in matrimony to a husband by her Parentes or Tutors An other if a mayden bee oppressed of a man her father afterward consent to geue her him in matrimony The third is if the father cōsent not to such mariages but geue her vnto an other mā These three matrimonies he saith are lawful in the holy scriptures But in the .27 q. 2. chap. Additur is by the testimonye of Ierome an other kynde of lawfull matrimonye added namely when a widow which is not vnder the power of the Parentes marieth in the Lord. Hereby Gracian gathereth that Ierome acknowledgeth matrimonye betwene the Rapter her that is rapted But I perceaue that in the .22 chap. of Exodus is nothing intreated of rapte onelye mencion is made of fornication and not of rapte For it is said If he shal by flatteries allure her to lye with him then hath he libertye geuen him that he may take her to his wife hauing the consent of the Parentes But if a man had rapted a mayden or man chylde then he was iudged by the lawe called Lex Plagii which is written in Deutronomy testifieth that he shoulde be punished with death whosoeuer stealeth a womā or mā in Israel Wherfore ther is nothing writtē in the holy scripture as far as I se as touching the establishing racefieng of such a matrimony But here some man wil obiect that Iacob his sonnes consented that Sechem one of the sonnes of Demor Of the rapte of Dina. should haue in matrimony Dina Iacobs daughter whō Sechem had rapted so that his subiectes would suffer thēselues to be circumcised I graūt this but it was done before the law of Moses was geuen Neither do we rede that the Patriarches had anye woorde of God concerning this thing Neither can it be denyed that before the law was published very many thinges wer cōmitted against it Iacob of whō we now intreate had the same time .2 sisters in matrimony Amrā had to wyse his Aunt of whom he had Moses Aaron Maria which matrimonies after the law was geuen wer not lawful Wherfore the example now brought proueth nothing But if hope of matrimony should be geuen vnto Rapeters there shoulde be opened a wide window for furious yong men to vse raptes For they wyll make no doubt to rapte if they may hope to mary her whom they haue rapted But all occasions of euyll are to be taken out of the publike wealth and the Church Farther forasmuche as Parentes are highly to be honored if matrimonies should against their wils he contracted betwene the Rapter and her that is rapted they should suffer great cōtumely This thing also semeth to be added that Lucius the Pope writeth to the bishop of Burgenū as it is had Extra de Raproribus et Incendiariis in the chap. Cum causa that he decreeth that if a mayden saye that before she was rapted there were woordes passed betwene them of mariage it cānot be called properly rapte What shal then be done May she agaynst her Parents wil mary the Rapter Innocentius the .3 in the chap. following decreeth If a maiden be rapted against her wil and afterward consent to mary the Rapter that mariage is also firme yea although it be agaynst the wil of her Parentes And he addeth that this is done in the honor of matrimony when as in deede it apertlye pertayneth to the reproche therof if a man do more deepely weigh the whole matter In the 27. q. 2. chap. Raptor it is had If a mayden that is rapted bee betrothed vnto an other by the woords of the future tence she must be restored vnto him so that he wil receaueher But if he wil not it is free for the maiden which
cause than to deliuer men out of the mouth of the deuyl and by the preaching of the Gospel to loose them from their chaines of errours Christ also for this selfe same cause would trauail and iourney among men that by his doctrine and death he might delyuer mankind frō eternal destruction Wherfore the Kenites may be numbred with these for they also adioyned them selues companions with the Israelites to helpe thē through the deserte For as it is said they hauing good knowledge of those places might stand the Iewes in great steede These counsels are plainlye iudged good and honest for whose causes peregrinations which are taken wythout cōpulsion are honest and prayse worthy There maye be other reasons also of peregrination which as they be not alwaies to be refused yet are they nothing to be compared wyth these eyther in praise or els in worthynes Wherfore let godly men take hede when they iourney into farre coūtries that they apply them selues as much as is possible vnto these causes reasons now mētioned And as God hath not defrauded these Kenites of the fruit which they looked for but made them partakers and that plentifully of those good thinges which he had prepared for his people so seyng also he is now the same God which he was then we must beleue that he wil not suffer him selfe to depart from his accustomed maner and perpetuall goodnes so that we obserue the good and iust causes and reasons of peregrination Seneca What is chiefly to bee obserued in peregrination But in that thing we haue nede of great warenesse and diligēce namely that chiefly as Seneca hath wel admonished in his .105 epistle to Lucillas we depart from our selues that is that we laye awaye our wicked affections bycause the chaunging of places do lytle profit if we cary about together with vs the same affectiōs which we had before Yea and the chiefly helpeth to the renuing of godlynes that we bee made other from our selues For what had the good lawes honest maners and chaste religion which the Iewes professed profited the Kenites if they would haue brought their own thinges with them and continued in the same wherin they wer conuersaunt before Wherfore they which do trauaile into other countries for studye and godlynes sake ought not to haue thys purpose before them to behold the Cities buildinges riuers fieldes vineyards woods playes and qualities of men For all these thynges although they somewhat delite the beholders as chyldren which with pleasure do maruayl at euery new and straunge thing yet they do nothing or very lytle helpe The chiefe cause ought to be that they onely study aboue al other thinges to be made better as touching godlines doctrine For if they shal despise this they shal be sayd to wander rather thā iustly to iourney Let them not therfore retaine with them any longer those euyls which are to be auoided yet let them aboue all thinges iourney from the ignoraunce of God from the vnskilfulnes of the holye Scriptures from corrupt affectiōs and from wicked and pernitious examples This is the iust cause of peregrinatiō which the Kenites by their dede do declare vnto vs. If the Lacedemonians had had a regard to thys they would not by theyr lawes haue prohibited peregrinations But I suppose that they regarded thys The Lacedemonians prohibeted peregrinations which they marked so to come to passe for the most part that the citizens in trauailing into straunge countries learned of the straungers whom they went to see not their vertues and wisdom but rather their vices and errours and afterward being infected with many euyls they returned into their country where they destroied their Citizens by a certayne pestiferous contagiousnes Whych thing surely no man doubteth but that it is a grieuous euyll and discommodity to a publique wealth Why peregrinations do profyt And yet we may not therfore decree that al peregrinatiōs are hurtful For there can be found no City no people nor no publique wealth in the world which hath not many things vnperfect in maners lawes which may be amended and corrected by the sight and knowledge of others Licurgu◠Lycurgus certainly which made that law profited much in trauailing into straunge coūtries Yea and the Decemuiri of the Romanes went them selues into Graecia Decemuiri of the Romanes to the end they would know the lawes of that people and by that meanes they wonderfully prouided for their publique wealth And thus muche for peregrination And now let vs finish this history iudging that the children of Kenite were of that stocke which wer begotten of Hobab in the wildernes among the chyldren of Israel And that Hobab was the sonne of Moyses father in lawe hys wiues brother germaine Neither ought this to moue vs bycause it is saide in the .x. Aben-Esra of Num. Chothen bycause as Aben-Esra there testifieth that woorde signifieth not onely a father in law but also the brother of the wife and some haue translated the same woorde there not for a father in lawe but a kynsman But these Kenites departed out of the fielde of Iericho that they might obtayne possession with the tribe of Iudah And therfore they ar sayd to haue dwelled with the people For first they followed them in iourneyeng with them nowe by the same right they are sayd to haue dwelled with them And they ascended The situation Iericho bycause Iericho was situate in a valley and betwene it an Ierusalem was a deserte longing to Iudah which as it is very lykely had in it wooddy places and mete for pasture And that it was so it is easelye gathered out of the Gospell of Luke where Christ put foorth a parable namely that a man descended from Ierusalem to Iericho and fel into the handes of theeues And certainly if he descended it is manifest that these ascended when they followed the tribe of Iudah going toward Ierusalem And bycause the place was ful of wooddes it was an easy matter especially in the time of Christ when the common wealth of the Hebrues was very much out of frame for it to be ful of theeues There certainly as farre as can be perceaued the Kenites receaued their lot And I think I haue spoken inough as touching this hystory 17. And Iudah went wyth Symeon his brother and smote the Chananites dwelling in Zephat and vtterly destroyed it and called the name of the City Horma 18. And Iudah tooke Hazza and the borders therof and Ascalon with the borders therof and Aekron with the borders thereof Now we are come to that place where the long parenthesis which I before admonished you of endeth And whatsoeuer followeth after these woordes The children of Iudah fighting against Ierusalem tooke it Here the aforesaid parenthesis endeth c. to thys place are declared by a parenthesis For al those thinges happened not after the death of Iosua but when he was yet lyuing And now the
history retourneth to that setting forward to battaile which they of Iudah and the Symeonites tooke in hand styrred vp by the oracle of God And therfore it is written And Iudah went wyth Symeon hys brother and smore the Chananites dwellyng in Zephat and vtterly destroyed it and called the name of the Citye Horma The vowe of Cherem that is of the curse The Hebrues did not vtterly throw downe nor destroy certain cities which they possessed but dwelled in them Howbeit som they cursed and cleane defaced And their vowe was called in Hebrew Cherem of the thing that was promised deriued from this woord Charam which is to waste to destroy to kil to deface to geue vnder curse The Grecians called that woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as thinges consecrated and put apart And it may be that so they called them bycause they were hanged vp in temples and were seperated from the vse of men neither was it lawfull to remoue them out of that place Yea and men somtymes wer called by that name Paule also vsed that woord many tymes for he saith to the Galathians Let hym be accursed whosoeuer shal preache any other Gospel And to the Romanes he wished him selfe to be made a curse for the brethren And to the first of the Corinthians he saith he the loueth not the lord Iesus let him be accursed Maranatha wher he taketh this woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for this woord Cherem that is a thing seperated and seioyned vtterly from mans occupying or vse so that it was wycked either to touch it or to put it to any vse Wherfore we haue a testimonye in the booke of Iosua Why the cytye of Iericho was made a curse the .6 chap. of the city â—â—â—â—cho And it semed to haue bene so accursed bycause it was after a sorte th◠〈◊〉 fruites of the Cities that were taken For after they were passed ouer Iordane it was the first of al the cities that was conquered and that by no mans helpe for that the walles therof fel downe of their owne accorde and through the woorking of God And therefore it was mete that the spoyles therof should altogether bee consecrated vnto God Whether the destruction of cities pertayne to the worshipping of God But that semeth to be vtterly farre from the worshipping of God to destroy both cities and men and these seme to haue a shew of cruelty rather than of religion To that I answer that the destruction of townes in dede of their own nature belong neither to religion nor yet to godlynes but so farre forth as they ar referred to the glory of God And that may happen two maner of wayes As wheÌ„ that destruction is counted as a certayn monument of the seuerity and iustice of God against those nations which he for their wickednes would haue destroyed or as a certain testimony of Gods goodnes and mercy towards the Israelites whom in that expedition he mercyfully helped Therefore the ouerthrowing of the city houses men and beastes did shew the iustice and seueritie of God And the consecration declared the goodnes helpe and mercy shewed to that people Moreouer God would by that meanes proue the obedience of his people in abstaining from the spoiles which wer consecrated vnto God God by these curses proued hys people For we know that souldiours when they haue gotten the victory are hardlye restrained from the pray But they which obeied not the curse published wer most grieuously punished which the holy history of Iosua declareth to haue happened vnto Acham bicause he vsurped vnto him selfe some of the spoiles of Iericho We know also that Saul for this cause was depriued of his kyngdome bicause he had reserued Agag the king and certain oxen and fat cattel of the pray which wer bound before to the vow of the curse The forme of the curse Of the forme and end of the curse we haue spoken enough For the forme is the destruction of cities men and beastes and the consecration of gold siluer yron brasse precious stones and costly things which wer appointed onely to the vse of the tabernacle But the end was that they might be monuments of Gods goodnes and iustice The end of the same and also an exercise and trial of the Israelites Now resteth somewhat to speake of the matter and efficient cause therof The matter was what soeuer was found on lyue in those cities for al that ought to be killed The matter of the same and the buildinges and other garnishinges of the city ought to be cleane destroyed but as for the ornamentes and riches they were as it is sayd consecrated vnto the worshipping of God But ther is to be marked that none wer vowed vnto so horrible a destruction but such as were already declared and knowen to be enemies of God for it is not lawfull to kyll Innocentes Wherfore they sinned most grieuouslye which so vowed Paules death that they would neither eate nor drinke tyl they had killed him And at this daye they behaue them selues more than wickedly Iephre which saye that they haue vowed them selues most cruelly to kil al the Professours of the gospel Yea and Iephte without doubt was deceaued Agamemnon which bicause of hys kynde of vowyng thought that his daughter should either be slaine or els compelled to perpetual virginity Agamemnon also is to be condemned which as Cicero declareth in his booke of offices vowed vnto Diana the fairest woman that should be borne in his kyngdome And to performe this foolish vowe he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia The efficient cause of a curse But the efficient cause of the vow Cherem somtimes is God as it is written in the .vii. and .x. chap. of Deut. For ther it is commaunded that places dedicated to Idoles aulters ymages groues monumentes should be vtterly destroied and that was a perpetual curse in the land of Chanaan and to be alwaies obserued Somtimes the Prince made such a vow as we reade of Iosua and somtimes the people as we find in the .21 chap. of Num. The prophets also somtimes did this so Samuel coÌ„mauÌ„ded Saul cleane to destroi al things beloÌ„ging to the Amelekites The name of this city wherof we now entreate was afterwarde called Horma for it was not so called before and it was so called of the woorde Cherem For such a name were they wont to geue vnto such places as were wasted and destroyed by a curse In the booke of Num. 21. chapter a certaine portion of the Chananites which the Israelites possessed by violence was by reason of suche a vowe called Horma But some peraduenture wil aske These destructions of Cities are not agaynst charity Augustine whether these destructions of townes wer against charity To whom I answer no. Bicause such enemies were chosen to be vtterly destroyed of the Iewes by