of Christ for asmuch as they did yeelde benignos influxus et amica lumina as the Astrologers call them the best influences and moste fauourable Aspects vnto the natiuitie of him of whome they receaued their influences their lights their Aspects and all their heauenly vertues The wise men which came from Persia to Bethleem although they could not knowe Christ by the heauens yet the heauens gaue them two manner of wayes to vnderstand that a man shold be borne which in glorie honour vertue and pietie should farre exceede all other men For first the sixt yeare before our Sauiour was borne there was a coniunction of Iupiter and Saturne in Cancer which mooued all the Astrologers then liuing to say that shortly after there should insue a verie great change and alteration of Religion Secondly the constitution of the heauen which was at the time of our Sauiour his birth in the 42. yeare of the Empire of Augustus the 24. of December a little before midnight did testifie the same For in it the Horoscopus was the eight part of Virgo which signifieth change of Religion Saturne was in the highest part of the heauen Sol in the lowest which did shewe that such a Childe was borne which might cause the world to wonder And as Albertus Magnus citeth out of Albumasar the great Astrologer ascendi in prema facie illius signi virgo pulchra et honesta habens in manu sua duas spicas et nutrit puerum et vocat ipsum puerum quaedam gēs Ipsum et ascendit cum eastella virginis Non quod subiaceret stellarum motui qui creauit ipsas stellas sed quia quum extenderet coelum sicvt pellem formans librum vniuersitatis noluit literis eiusdem de esse ex his quae secundum prudentiam suam in libro aeternitatis sunt scriptae etiam elegantissimum illud a natura quod de virgine nasceretur et per hoc innueretur homo carnalis et verus qui non naturaliter nascebatur There arose in the first aspect of the signe Virgo a faire and chaste Virgin hauing two eares of Corne in her hand and a Childe in her armes which Childe some nations doe call Iesus not as if he that made the starres were any way subiect to the motion of the Starres but that hee which stretcheth foorth the heauens as a scrole of Parchment when hee writ the booke of nature might not want witnes out of the booke of nature of that which before was contayned in the book of aeternitie which was his secret decree that a Virgin should bring foorth a Childe and so he should be described to vs to be a natural man although not borne after a naturall manner Thus haue I proued the comming of Christ by manie witnesses of mē of deuils of stars senseles creatures cyted out of prophane stories because the Atheist wil not beleeue the testimony of God Angels in the holy Bible Yet for their better satisfactiō concerning diuers particulars I will alleage them reason so far as faith may bee made manifest by reason that if possibly it may be they may be brought to the acknowledgment of the truth They aske vs what neede there was that the Son of God should take our flesh and whether God was not able to saue vs by other meanes I answer Man offended God therfore it behoued man to make satisfaction but mā alone was not able to satisfye therefore God mā were ioyned together I proue the minor that man alone was not able to satisfie because God would not be satisfyed but by sacrifice no sacrifice vnlesse it were infinite could suffice That an infinite sacrifice was requisit I proue by these reasons An infinite offence cannot be purged but by a sacrifice answerable to the offence but mans offence was infinite in two respects first of the infinite God-head w t was offended secondly of man himself w t was the offender which although he be finite yet voluntate peccandi in infinitum rapitur hee hath an infinite wil desire to cōmit offences And againe as man alone was not sufficiēt so it was not for God alone to worke this worke of our redēption because there was no sacrifice sufficiēt to pacifie God but by death as man without God could not ouer-come death so God without man could not suffer death therefore it was required that the Sauiour of the worlde should be God incarnate and so God and man to make one Christ might be vnited together They aske how it came to passe that man offended For their satisfaction I answere God made two especiall creatures to his owne Image indued with vnderstanding Angels and men hee gaue thē two giftes wherby they might continue their happy estate knowledge to distinguish betweene good and euill freedome of will to choose one leaue the other so that they might choose whether they would fall or stand The Angelles first fell the cause of their fall was pride the obiect by which they were puffed vp the reflection of themselues vpon their own selues beholding their owne glorie and that excellencie whereunto they were created For they could not be proud without an obiect there could be no other obiect to make thē proud but themselues For God was so farre aboue them in glorie that the sight of him would make them rather to haue a meane conceite of themselues and as for man he was farre beneath them that they took no such delight in looking so stedfastlye vpon him as to compare him with themselues And therfore they beheld themselues in themselues and so being delighted with their owne glory manie of them forgot their owne selues how they were subordinate vnto God and so their seruice duetie towards God was interrupted which did consist in perfect loue sincere adoration and imitation of him And for this cause they were cast downe After their fall they enuied that man should stand and mooued him to disobedience the outward obiect which allured him to disobedience being an Apple they mooued him to take the Apple by false suggestions that so his estate should bee aduanced Now both Angells men had fallen it pleased God to restore man againe but not Angells for these two causes First the Angells being first in the praeuarication seduced man and were the cause of his fall Secondly the Angells being Spirits and not bodies were of greater perfection then man was therefore better able to withstand sinne and all manner of temptations then man was and therefore God was more highly displeased with the sinne of Angells then he was with the sinne of men And therefore hee sent his Sonne for the redemption of Man but not of Angells They aske why the Father tooke not flesh rather then the Sonne why the Sonne being incarnate had his conception of the holy Ghost without begetting how he could be borne of a Virgin and wherefore he was so borne
this long peace which we haue enioyed hath increased our riches riches haue made vs to forget God and so like an vnnaturall daughter peace hath deuoured religion which bred and maintayned peace in the world The Prophecie is verifyed In these last dayes since the mountaine of the house of God hath beene prepared in the top of the mountaines and hath beene exalted aboue the hilles and all nations haue flowed vnto it and many people haue gone said Come let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his wayes and we will walke in his pathes our swordes haue beene broken into mattocks our speares into sythes nation hath not lifted vp a sworde against nation neither haue they learned to fight any more The Lamb dwelling with the Wolfe hath beene in safetie the Kid with the Leopard the Cow feeding with the Beare the Calfe with the Lyon the sucking Childe hath plaied vpon the hole of the Asp the weaned Childe hath put his hand into the hole of the Cockatrice without any hurt and the reason is alleaged by the Prophet Because the earth was full of the knowledge of the Lord euen as the waters that couer the sea This Prophecye you see is fulfilled But these sayings are by them mistaken For Tully doth not argue in this manner that we must holde there is a God and maintaine religion that so ciuill gouernment may be maintayned and men may liue orderly in a common wealth But his meaning is cleane contrary that we must performe all ciuill duties in a common wealth for religion sake and we must be religious for Gods sake because there is a God which hath ingraffed religion in our hearts whereby ciuill states may be the better maintayned and which will punish all such as are not religious that is which haue not a true feeling of religion And it was not the meaning of the Prophet Esay that after the knowledge of true religion had planted peace among vs and peace had brought prosperitie then we should cease to be religious so forget God but rather increase our zeale and hauing receiued such benefits at his hands whome we serue continue faithfull in his seruice A second cause of Atheisme may be the want of due right hearing of the worde preached because faith commeth by hearing and therefore where there is a want of hearing faith fayleth and by a consequent Pagisme and infidelitie increaseth For many of them doe not heare but absent them-selues or if they be present they stand not for figures but for cyphers they doe not by the worde preached as the virgin Mary did by the sayings of our Sauiour Christ which layed thē vp in her heart or as Abraham did by the Angels which receiued them into his house or as the Sunamite woman did by Elizeus or the widowe by Elias which entertayned them with willingnes The worde to them is not as the raine of heauen falling vpon the earth or the deawe of Hermon vpon mount Sion but as the Childrens bread cast before whelpes or pearls cast before swine seede sowen by the high way side the peace of the Apostles bestowed vpon vnworthye houses and therefore returneth backe againe They stop their cares with the Adder or sleep with Eutichus or make loue as the Egiptians did to Aholah and Aholibah cloathed with blewe silke and diuers suites pleasant young men that they may set Aholah and Aholibah on fire bruise the brestes of their virginitye and powre out their adulterie vpon them as the Prophet speaketh Some heare the Preacher with great attention but as the Pharisies did our Sauiour to intrappe him in his speech to take exception against his wordes as the Athenians did St. Paul to scoffe at his simplicitie they read the Bible but as Porphurye did to finde as they prophanely call them absurdities and contradictions in the worde of God not as the Bee which gathereth honye but as the Spider which sucketh poyson out of wholsome flowers A third cause of Atheisme proceedeth from the long suffring of God which doth not presently punish Atheists For he doth not onely with patience suffer them to blaspheme his holy name but also in his wisdome which no man can sound in his iudgementes whome no man can search blesseth them with worldly blessings as if he did reward their vngodlines It is not my complaint alone but it is the complaint of the Prophet Dauid which cryeth out in this manner Why standest thou so farre off ô Lord and hydest thee in due time euen in affliction the wicked hath made boast of his owne hearts desire and the couetous blesseth himselfe he contemneth the Lord he is so proud that he seeketh not for God he thinketh alwaies there is no God his wayes alwaies prosper he saith in his heart I shall neuer be moued nor be in danger Nay it may very well be said as it was of Iob that the Lord hath made an hedge about him his house and about all that he hath on euery side he hath blessed the worke of his handes and his substance is encreased in the Land The Lord suffred his owne Arke to be taken by the Philistins his enemies and his owne people the Iraēlites which fought his battle to be ouerthrowne in the battell And this cōmendation is giuen of the godly King Iosias that he read the lawe of the Lord before the people he made a couenant with the Lord that the people should walke after the Lord and keep his commandements his testimonies statutes with all their hearts all their soules all the people stood to the couenant he purged the Temple and put downe the Idols he slewe the idolatrous Priests he kept such a passeouer in honour of God as neuer the like was holden from the daies of the Iudges y t iudged Israel nor in al the daies of the Kings of Israel the Kings of Iuda he tooke away thē which had familier spirits and the sooth-sayers and the Images and the Idols and all the abhominations that were espyed in the Land of Iuda and Ierusalem that like vnto him there was no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart all his soule and all his might according to all the lawe of Moses neither after him arose there any like him And yet see how the Lord rewarded him The very next thing which followeth in the same Text is this Pharao slewe him at Megiddo Thus you see how the Lord rewarded faithfull Iosias which serued him trusted in him with death in this worlde and ouerthrowe in sighting of his owne battell and gaue the victory to Pharao an heathen King which put no trust nor considence in him Likewise Nabucodonozor burned Gods house robbed his Temple in contempt of him and his seruice yet God prospered him as if
Saephira with present death for telling a lye to the holy Ghost And because miracles after a short time were to cease our Sauiour Christ left the sworde of excommunication in his Church to be in place of miracles and to continue vnto the end of the worlde And since the Church hath no other sword now but the ceÌ„sure of excoÌ„munication which is so greatly dispised if it would please God to put it the hearts of Princes to strengthen excommunication with their Princely authoritye to adde the sworde of the Kingdome to the keyes of the Church not to suffer any person that is noted of impietye to dwell in the lande none that is tanquam Publicanus Ethnicus as an heathen or infidell to dwell among Christians but to deliuer them ouer to the hang-man whome the Church hath deliuered ouer to Suthan vnles they he heartily openitent and speedily reformed no dout but then God would be better knowne in Iuda and his name in Ierusalem would be greater I say if any man be an Atheist let him not be honoured among the people but let him haue Micheas his entertainment which was to be fed with the bread of affliction and water of affliction or let him be banished out of the lande not by Ostracisme as Aristâ—des was for his vertues but as Ouid was for his vices and that I may vse the phrase of the holy Ghost let his house be made a Takes As Tully wished that it were written in euery mans forhead what he thought of the common-wealth of Rome that so true-hearted subiectes might be knowne from Traytours so I wish it were written in all mens forheads what they think of God and of Christian religion We can iudge no farther of them then wee heare by their blasphemy and prophane wordes which they vtter see by their loose liues and conuersations But so farre we may iudge as we heare and see and we finde there are so many that we haue good cause to crye out with the Prophet Dauid and to say Help Lord help there is not a godly man left for the faithful are fayled from among the children of men they speak deceitfully euery one with his neighbour flattering with their lippes and speake with a double heart the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud thinges Thus much I am fare there is no policye to religion no wisdome to well doing and most firme is the estate of that man be he high or of lowe degree which procureth God to be his freind Chapter 4. That there is a God THey which call them-selues the damned Crue yet doe think there is no damnation they sweare continually by the name of God and yet they think there is no God See how they are ouertaken vnawares As St. Paul might very well dispute with the Athenians in the defence of that God whome he preached vnto them and say There is a God besides all those Gods which you superstitiouslye doe worship and is yet vnknown vnto you witnes your selues and your owne Altar Doe not think it absurd that I preach vnto you such a God for if there be not why do you then erect an Altar vnto him write this superscriptioÌ„ vpon it IGNOTO DEO TO THE VNKNOWNE GOD. So I dispute against them if they be as they confesse their selues a damned crue how shall they thinke to escape damnation If they swearo by the name of God why doe they deny God for in swearing by him vnawares they doe confesse him They weare by the woundes and bloud of Christ yet deny the merits of the death of Christ The man of God calleth such men fooles and such fooles may be rebuked euen out of their owne Booke intituled THE SHIP OF FOOLES Preb scelus horrendum blasphema tricuspide telo Gent humana petit genitum Patris Altitonautis Atque illi exprobat quod nostros induit artus Languoresque tulit nostros miseratus abalto Casum insaelicen quo primus corruit Adam To them I say no more then out of their owne Booke Desine sacrilegis iterum crucifigere labris Virgineum partum poenamque horresce propinquane They were thought worthy to be put into the Ship of Fooles which are swearers but much more doe they shewe them selues to be fooles which sweare by God and yet say there is no God But I will proue to the damned Atheist by these reasons that there is a God First they read euery day in the booke of nature that there is a God I meane by the booke of nature the great frame of heauen earth For what is this whole visible world but Epistola a Deo scripta ad humanum genus A letter or Epistle written from God vnto mankind For in it we may read of the inuisible God in his workes and his name is engrauen there in hierographicall letters Lactantius proueth it out of Tully an heathen Philosopher by the same argument his wordes are these Nemo est tamrudis tam seris moribus quin oculos suos in coelum tollens tametsi nesciat cuius Dei prouidentia regatur hoc omne quod cernitur aliquam tamen esse intelligat ex ipsa rerum magnitudine moles dispositione constantia vtilitate pulchritudine temperatione nec possefieri quis id quod mirabiliratione constat consilio maiori aliquo sit instructuÌ„ No man is such a rusticke so brutish and voyde of coÌ„mon sence and reason but as often as he looketh vp to heauen if he deny this his owne eyes shall witnes against him for although this be not sufficient to bring him to the perfecte vnderstanding of that God by whose prouidence he seeth the worlde is gouerned yet what his eye hath seene his tongue may tell The very greatnes of the frame of heauen the constant motion of the starres the wonderfull temperature of the elements doth shewe there is a God which guideth these thinges and by a consequent there is a God which made these thinges Mercurius Trismegistus doth proue it Singula haec astra non similem aqualem cursum faciunt in coelo Quis est qui euique modum magnitudinem cursus terminauit vrsa haec quae circase voluitur vniuersum mundum secum circumferens quis est qui ei fabrifecit instrumentum quis est qui mariterminum imposuit quis est qui terram stabiliuit est enim aliquis ô Tati qui herum omnium factor est Dominus Impossibile enim est vellocum vel numerum vel mensuram terminari absque factore When we see the motion of the planets fixed starres contrary one to an other the celestiall spheres in continuall volubilitye the multiplicitye of their motions their diurnall or daylye course from the East to the West their retrograde and vyolent motion from the West to the East their trepidat motion from the South to the North. When we see the sea farre higher then the
the same And it is not vnworthy of obseruatioÌ„ that not the Maniches not Celsus not Porphuâ—y not Iulian in al their cauels against the story of the Gospel did no way so much as in a word take exceptioÌ„ against this storye of the starâ— might eleuate or extenuate the truth thereof And therfore concerning this I may say with Ignatius Hinc euanuir mundi sapientia praestigiae factae sunt nugae magia risus omnes ritus malitiae aboliti ignorantiae caligo fugata quum Deus homo apparuit homo vt Deus operabatur In this the wisdome of the worlde was preued to be but follye the wise in their wisdomeme it proued but a toy their magicke ridiculous all their superstitious rites were abolished the clowdes of ignorance dispersed when God apeared to the worlde as a man and man as if he were God And secondly what naturall cause can they alleage of that great Eclipse of the Sun which contrarye to nature lasted from the sixt houre to the ninth and darkened the face of the whole earth For first of all the Astrologers knew wel that al eclipses of the Sunne which haue beene from the beginning of the worlde that onely excepted haue beene according to the rules of Arte and the nature of an eclipse which Iohannes de sacrobusto desineth in this manner Est interpositio Lunae inter aspectum nostrum solare corpus An interposition of the Moone betweene the body of the Sunne and our sight which as he saith cannot be but quum Luna fuerit in capite vel cauda Draconis vel prope vel infra metas supradictas in coniunctione cum Sole When the Moone is in the head or tayle of the Dragon or there abouts and in coniunction with the Sunne And forasmuch therefore as the Eclipse of the Sunne which was at the time of the passion of our Sauiour Christ was when it was plenilumium a ful Moone not coniunctio siue nouilunium not a coniunction of the Sunne with the Moone or newe Moone he concludeth that it was no naturall Eclipse but cleane contrary to the rules of Astronomye and the course of nature Againe he sheweth that when the Sunne is Eclipsed all the earth is not darkened but onely one Climat because of the difference of the aspectes in diuers Chmats but this Eclipse darkned the whole earth therefore it was supernaturall and to the astonishment of the world insomuch y t Dionysius the Arcepagiâ—e at the very time of the Eclipse beholding of it cryed out on a suddaine Aut Deus naturae paetitur aut mundi machina dissoluitur Either the God of nature doth this day suffer or the frame of the worlde shall be dissolued Againe darkenes continued for the space of three howers which could not be if it had bene a naturall Eclipse therefore it was supernaturall and of it saith St. Chrisostom Non poterat ferre creatura iniuriam creatoris vnde Sol detraxit radios suos ue videret impiorum facinora The creature could not with pacienceindure the wrong done to the Creator and therefore the Sunne withdrewe his beames because he would not beholde so wicked a fact as that the Lord of glorye should so vngraciouslye be put to death But the Atheists will aske me how I can make proofe by any sauing the Euangelist that there was euer such an Eclipse I answerd forasmuch as at that time when the Eclipse was darkenes was not onely in Iudea but throgh al the whole worlde and therefore at that time not onely Dionysius the Arcopagite but also the inhabitants of the whole earth could witnes as St Origen answered But least they should thinke we are vtterly voyde of the testimoney of heathen writers Origen disputing against Celsus the Epicure an enemye to the Christian faith proueth it vnto him not by the the testimony of the Gospel but of Phlegon a famous Chronicler seruantto Adrian the Emperer as Suidas reciteth Phlegons wordes Phlegon his selfe did giue his owne iudgement of this Eclipse that it was prodigious And Tertullian disputing with the Gentiles proueth the same Eclipse out of their owne Writers saying Et eum mundi casum relatum in archiuis vestris habetis Ye haue the verye same occurrent registred in your owne recordes A fifte reason to proue there is a God is the varietye of punishments which haue been inflicted vpon the Atheists from time to time which haue denyed God Holophernes which being so great a warriour beheaded in the middle of his owne Campe by a sillye woman Lucian deuoured with dogges Iulian the Apostata strookeÌ„ dead with a darte froÌ„ heauen Arrius who died with his belly breaking his bowelles gushing out as he sate vpoÌ„ the priuye Olympius washing him selfe in a bathe and blaspheming the Trinitye while manye men looked vpon him was consumed suddenly with three fierye dartes the poyntes of all three meeting in one Let the Atheists shewe how these thinges could otherwise be done but by the extraordinary hand of Almighty God or else if they cannot let them confesse the God which did these thinges A sixt reason to proue there is a God is the confession of the deuils them selues For what one deuill confesseth is the confession of them all for regnum diuisum non potest stare the kingdome of Sathan being diuided within it selfe cannot stand Neither will I for confirmation hereof alleage the authority of St Iames which saith They beleeue and tremble of St. Luke which writeth of the deuils confession saying Christ I knowe and Paul I knowe of St. Marke where the deuill saith to our Sauiour I knowe thee that thou art euen that holy one of God neither how Moses his rodde deuoured the serpents which was made by the sorcerers of Aegipt how they could not make lyce because their power was restrayned by an higher power the finger of God how Dagon fell downe before the Arke of God could not stand in the Chappel where it stood because they snall not say I am partiall But what answer can they make to the generall silence of all Oracles that so many Oracles speaking before the time of our Sauiour Christ all were by him put to silence What answer can they make to that famous storye of the Oracle of Apollo at Delphus which when Augustus the Emperor offered sacrifice vnto him to knowe the reason of that vnwonted silence vnheard of in former times gaue this for the last answer as being neuer to speake againe Me puer Hebraeus diuos deus ipse gubernans Cedere sede iubet tristemque redire sub orcum Aris ergo dehinc tacitus abcedito nostris Which answer being giuen Augustus erected an Altar in the Capitoll of Rome with this inscription ingrauen vppon it ARA PRIMOGENITI DEI. The Altar of the first begotten Sonne of God Seeing therefore the deuils haue confessed God the Father and his Sonne Christ such men as will
After reproach by due course did follow glorie after suffering death victorie and triumph ouer death else hee could not haue deliuered vs from death And because vnderstanding creatures are in three places deuils and damned soules in hell men vppon earth Angelles and blessed soules in Heauen due course required that he should descend into hell to triumph among the Deuils damned soules arise from the dead to triumph before men and ascend vp into heauen to Triumph among the Angells blessed soules which are in heauen It was no strange thing for him to descend into hel because that descension was onely in soule therefore an easie passage Of his resurection from the dead we see manie resemblances for out of the ashes of the dead Phoenix doth arise a liue Phoenix of the Corne buried and rotted in the earth foringeth vp Corne againe in greater measure then it was sowed all these thinges being as vnlikely and as impossible as the resurection from the dead In Alcumistrie they see that when golde is brought to powder there is a speedie reduction of that same powder into golde againe so ofal other metalles the heauens yeelde no moysture to the earth but they take it vp againe And as for his ascention vp into heauen it was most naturall vnto him for where should a glorified body be but in a place of glory and where should God be but in heauen which is his throne and dwelling place Chapter 14 The end of the world THe Atheist thinketh the worlde shall haue no ende but hee alleadgeth no reasons to proue his vngodly assertion more then haue bin already answered by St. Peter Our reasons to proue an end and consummation of all things are these 1. What-soeuer had a beginning must also haue an end That the worlde had a beginning I haue alreadie proued in the 8. Chapter and the sequell followeth in natural Philosophie y t it must therefore haue and end because it had a beginning There must bee resolutio in materiam primam a resolution into that chaos wherof it was first made according to Aristotle the great Philosopher of the world 2. Man is commonly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little world and for his sake the great worlde was partly made for if hee stretcht foorth his armes at length from the endes of his two middle fingers to his head foote may be drawne a circle his head is as the North pole his feete instead of the South his armes as the expansion of heauen his handes as the East and West his Nauel as the Center In him are colde heate moysture drinesse as the foure Elemēts his heart still mouing representeth heauen which is in continuall motion his soule an immortal Spirit guiding moouing the bodie resembleth God the guider of the worlde But man which is the lesser worlde declineth it followeth therefore as a good consequent that the greater worlde also doth decline and where there is declination there is also corruption and death That man declineth it is manifest for men are of lower stature lesser bones and strength and shorter life then their fore fathers were but whatsoeuer is languishing faynting declining doth growe to an end whence commeth this but from the declining estate of the greater world The earth we see w t is the lower part of it is not so fruitefull as before it was but beginneth to bee baren like the wombe of Sara the fruites which she doth bring foorth yeeld not so much nutriment as before they did And how commeth that to passe but because the heauen also fainteth the Planets wax olde and cannot affoord so great vertue influence to these lower bodies as in times past they did as I'liny and Aulus Gellius testifie But this is a manifest proofe seeing lesse and weaker bodies are conceiued euerye age in the wombe of nature that nature waxeth olde and wearye of conceiuing cuiuscunque est senectus illius est mors whatsoeuer waxeth olde that also dyeth and hath an end 3. If a man do but behold the face of heauen the Moone looketh pale and wan Mars lesse rubicund Sol lesse orient Iupiter not of so amiable and fauourable countenance Venus more hipocriticall all the rest both of the wandring fixed stars more weake suspicious then they did before That mightye Gyant which was wōt to runne his vnwearied race now waxeth weary as if he would stand still in heauen as he did in the dayes of iosue shineth more dimly apeareth more sildome then before what is this but an argument that shortly the high Arch of heauen which is erected ouer our heads will fall dissolue it selfe 4. What do so many irregular threatning Eclipses portend such vn-vsuall aspects of the starres such fearfull Coniunctious of Planets such prodigious apparitions of Comets but that as the Apostle speaketh The feruent desire of the creature wayteth when the sonnes of God shal be reuealed euerie creature groneth with vs and trauaileth in paine together vnto this present that they may bee deliuered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God 5. Empires and kingdomes and all estates haue their fatall periods Daniel his exposition of Nabuchodozer his dreame is now almost fulfilled the head of gold the shoulders of Siluer the belly of brasse are already worne out nothing of that image is now lefte but the very stumps of clay their dates are ended their periods determined long since how is it possible that feete of claye should continue for euer seing golde siluer brasse yron such strong mettals are consumed what now remayneth therefore but the stone cut out of the rocke without hands which bruiseth this image in peices The euerlasting kingdome of Iesus Christ in an other worlde vnto which all the temporal kingdomes in this worlde must giue place that all these being expired Christ in heauenly kingdome may rule for euer what remaineth now but that we looke dayly howerly for this kingdome that now we begin to climbe Jacob his Ladder a peccato ad poenitentiam a poenitentia ad opera ab operibus ad iudicium a iudicio ad miserccordiam a misericordia ad gloriam from sinne to repentance from repentāce to good workes from workes to iudgment from iudgement to mercye from mercy to glorye there is the glory of God standing vpon the top of the Ladder Last of all that the worlde shall haue an end be consumed with fier witnes not onely St. Peter the Apostle but also Ouid the Poet his wordes be these Esse quoque infatis reminiscitur affore tempus Quo mare quo tellus correptaque regia coeli Ardeat mundi moles operosa laboret That the worlde shall haue an end witnes Lucretius his words are these Vna dies dabit exitio multosque per annos Sustentata ruet moles machina mundi Accidet exitium Coeli terraeque