it to bee diffused froÌ„ the midst of earth geometrically called the c center vnto the extreamest parts of heaueÌ„ through al the parts of the world by d misticall numbers making the world a blessed creature whose soule enioyeth ful happines of wisdom yet leaueth not the body wose bodie liueteh eternally by it and as though it consist of so many different 〈◊〉 yet can neither dull it nor hinder it Seeing then that they giue their conâ—…res this scope why will they not beleeue that God hath power to eternize 〈◊〉 bodies wherein the soules without being parted from them by death or 〈◊〉 â—…rdened by them at all in life may liue most in blessed eternity as they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gods doe in firy bodies and their Iupiter in all the foure elements If 〈◊〉 â—…es cannot be blessed without the bodies bee quite forsaken why then let 〈◊〉 â—…ods get them out of the starres let Iupiter pack out of the elements if they 〈◊〉 goe then are they wretched But they will allow neither of these they 〈◊〉 â—…uerre that the Gods may leaue their bodies least they should seeme to â—…ip mortalls neither dare they barre them of blisse least they should conâ—…â—…em wretches Wherefore all bodies are not impediments to beatitude but 〈◊〉 the corruptible transitory and mortall ones not such as God made man 〈◊〉 but such as his sinne procured him afterwards L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a must This is scripture that the body is earth and must become earth Homer 〈◊〉 it the Grecians for he calls Hectors carcasse earth Phocylides an ancient writer 〈◊〉 thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Our body is of earth and dying must Returne to earth for Man is made of dust 〈◊〉 â—…er hath also the like recited by Tully Tusc. qu. 1. wherein the words that Augustine 〈◊〉 â—…xtant Mors est finitas omnibus quae generi humano angorem Nec quicquam afferunt reddenda est terra terra Of all the paines wherein Mans soule soiournes Death is the end all earth to earth returnes 〈◊〉 â—…t the gods Some bookes read terrene gods falsly Augustine hath nothing to doe 〈◊〉 â—…e gods in this place c Center A center is that point in the midst of a sphaericall 〈◊〉 â—…m whence all lines drawne to the circumference are equall It is an indiuisible point 〈◊〉 â—…d parts neither should it bee all in the midst nor the lines drawne from it to the cirâ—… equall as not beeing all drawne from one part Plato placeth the worldes 〈◊〉 the center and so distends it circularly throughout the whole vniuerse and then 〈◊〉 â—…ng his position makes the diuine power aboue diffuse it selfe downe-ward euen 〈◊〉 â—…ter d Musicall numbers Hereof see Macrobius Chalcidins and Marsilius Ficinus 〈◊〉 â—…at of Plato's Timaeus which he either translated or reformed from the hand of anâ—…â—…ese numbers for their obscurity are growne into a prouerbe Of the terrene bodies which the Philosophers hold cannot be in heauen but must fall to earth by their naturall weight CHAP. 18. 〈◊〉 but say they an earthly body is either kept on earth or caried to 〈◊〉 â—…th by the naturall weight and therefore cannot bee in heauen The first 〈◊〉 â—…de were in a wooddie and fruitfull land which was called Paradise But 〈◊〉 we must resolue this doubt seeing that both Christs body is already asâ—…d and that the Saints at the resurrection shall doe so also let vs ponder these earthly weights a little If mans arte of a mettall that being put into the water sinketh can yet frame a vessell that shall swim how much more credible is it for Gods secret power whose omnipotent will as Plato saith can both keepe things produced from perishing and parts combined from dissoluing whereas the combination of corporall and vncorporeall is a stranger and harder operation then that of corporalls with corporalls to take a all weight from earthly things whereby they are carried downe-wards and to qualifie the bodies of the blessed soules so as though they bee terrene yet they may bee incorruptible and apt to ascend descend or vse what motion they will with all celerity Or b if the Angells can transport bodily weights whether they please must we thinke they doe it with toile and feeling of the burden Why then may we not beleeue that the perfect spirits of the blessed can carry their bodies whither they please and place them where they please for whereas in our bodily carriage of earthly things we feele that the c more bigge it is the heauier it is and the heauier the more toile-some to beare it is not so with the soule the soule carrieth the bodily members better when they are big and strong then when they are small and meagre and whereas a big sound man is heauier to others shoulders then a leane sicke man yet will he mooue his healthfull heauinesse with farre more agility then the other can doe his crasie lightnesse or then he can himselfe if famine or sicknesse haue shaken off his flesh This power hath good temperature more then great weight in our mortal earthly corruptible bodies And who can describe the infinite difference betweene our present health and our future immortality Let not the Philosophers therefore oppose vs with any corporall weight or earthly ponderosity I will not aske them why an earthly body may not bee in heauen as well as d the whole earth may hang alone without any supportation for perhaps they will retire their disputation to the center of the world vnto which all heauy things doe tend But this I say that if the lesser Gods whose worke Plato maketh Man all other liuing things with him could take away the quality of burning from the fire and leaue it the light e which the eye transfuseth shall wee then doubt that that GOD vnto whose will hee ascribes their immortality the eternall coherence and indissolubility of those strange and diuers combinations of corporealls and incorporealls can giue man a nature that shall make him liue incorruptible and immortal keeping the forme of him and auoyding the weight But of the faith of the resurrection and the quality of the immortall bodies more exactly God willing in the end of the worke L. VIVES ALL a weight These are Gods admirable workes and it is the merit of our faith that we owe vnto God to beleeue them I wonder the schoolemen will inquire of these things define them by the rules of nature b If the Angells To omit the schooles and naturall reasons herein is the power of an Angell seene that in one night God smote 80000 men of the Assyrians campe by the hand of an Angel 4. Kings 19. Now let Man go brag of his weaknesse c The world big Here is no need of predicamentall distinctions hee vseth big for the maâ—… weight not for the quantity d The whole earth It hangs not in nothing for it hangs in the ayre yet would ayre giue it way but that it hath gotten the
togither held they almost continuall warre with the Veientes Liuius lib. 5. Plutarche in Camillus his life This Camillus being said to haue dealt vniustly in sharing the Veientane spoils amongst the people L. Apuleius cited him to a day of hearing But hee to auoide their enuie though innocent of that he was charged with got him away to liue at Ardea in exile This fell out two years before the Galles tooke Rome i ten thousand Liuy saith he was fined in his absence at 15000. Assis grauis Plutarch at 15000. Assium Aes And Assis graue was al one as my Budeus proues k being soone after The Galles hauing taken Rome Camillus hauing gathered an army together of the remainder of the Allian ouerthrow was released of his exile in a counsell Curiaté made Dictator by them that were besieged in the Capitoll At first hee expelled the Galles out of the Cittie and afterwards in the roade way to Gabii eight miles from the Citty hee gaue them a sore ouer-throw Liu. lib. 5 Thus this worthy man choose rather to remember his countries affliction then his owne priuate wronge beeing therefore stiled another Romulus l the great ones These mischieues were still on foote for very neere fiue hundred yeares after the expelling of their kings the Patritians and the Plebeyans were in continuall seditions and hatreds one against another and both contending for soueraignty which ambition was kindeled in the people by a few turbulent Tribunes and in the nobles by a sort of ambitious Senatours and hereof doth Lucan sing that which followeth Et 〈◊〉 consulibuâ—… turbantes iura Tribuni Tribunes and Consulls troubling right at once What the history of Saluste reports of the Romains conditions both in their times of daunger and those of security CHAP. 18. THerefore I will keepe a meane and stand rather vnto the testimony of Salust himselfe who spoke this in the Romaines Praise whereof we but now discoursed that iustice and honesty preuailed as much with them by nature as by lawe extolling those times wherein the citty after the casting out of her kings grew vp to such a height in so small a space Notwithstanding al this this same author confesseth in a the very beginning of the first booke of his history that when the sway of the state was taken from the Kings and giuen to the Consuls b within a very little while after the citty grew to be greatly troubled with the oppressing power of the great ones and c the deuision of the people from the fathers vpon that cause and diuers other daungerous dissentions for hauing recorded how honestly and in what good concord the Romaines liued together d betwixt the second warre of Africa and the last and hauing showed that it was not the loue of goodnesse but the feare and distrust of the Carthaginians might and perâ—…ideousnesse that was cause of this good order and therfore that vpon this Nasica would haue Carthage stand stil vndemolished as a fit meane to debarre the entrance of iniquity into Rome and to keepe in integrity by feare he addeth presently vpon this these words e But discord auarice ambition and all such mischiefes as prosperity is midwife vnto grew vnto their full light after the destruction of Charthage intimating herein that they were sowne continued amongst the Romains before which he proues in his following reason For as for the violent offensiuenesse of the greater persons saith he and the diuision betwixt the Patricians and the Plebeians thence arising those were mischiefes amongst vs from the beginning nor was there any longer respect of equity or moderation amongst vs then whilest the kings were in expelling and the citty and state quit of Tarquin and the f great war of Hetruria Thus you see how that euen in that little space wherein after the expulsion of their Kings they embraced integrity it was onely feare that forced them to do so because they stood in dread of the warres which Tarquin vpon his expulsion being combined with the Hetrurians waged against them Now obserue what Salust addeth for after that quoth he the Senators bgan to make slaues of the people to iudge of heades g shoulders as bloudily imperiously h as the â—…ings did to chase men from their possessions only they of the whole crue of factions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…rial sway of al With which outrages chiefely with their extreame taxes and â—…tions the people being sore oppressed maintaining both soldiours in continuall armes and paying tribute also besides at length they stept out tooke vp armes and drew to 〈◊〉 head vpon Mount Auentine and Mount Sacer. And then they elected them 〈◊〉 and set downe other lawes but the second warre of Africa gaue end to these 〈◊〉 on both sides Thus you see in how little a while so soone after the expelling of their Kings the Romaines were become such as hee hath described them of whom notwithstanding he had affirmed that Iustice and honestie preuailed as much with them by nature as by lawe Now if those times were found to haue beene so depraued wherein the Romaine estate is reported to haue beene most vncorrupt and absolute what shall wee imagine may then bee spoken or thought of the succeeding ages which by a graduall alteration to vse the authors owne words of an honest and honorable citie became most dishonest and dishonorable namely after the dissolution of Carthage as hee himselfe relateth How he discourseth and describeth these times you may at full behold in his historie and what progresse this corruption of manners made through the midst of the Cities prosperitie euen k vntill the time of the ciuill warres But from that time forward as hee reporteth the manners of the better sort did no more fall to decay by little and little but ranne head-long to ruine like a swift torrent such excesse of luxurie and auarice entring vpon the manners of the youth that it was fitly said of Rome that she brought forth such l as would neither keepe goods them-selues nor suffer others to keepe theirs Then Salust proceeds in a discourse of Sylla's villanies and of other barbarous blemishes in the common-wealth and to his relation in this do all other writers agree in substance though m they bee all farre behinde him in phrase But here you see and so I hope doe all men that whosoeuer will obserue but this shall easilie discouer the large gulfe of damnable viciousnesse into which this Citty was fallen long before the comming of our heauenly King For these things came to passe not onely before that euer Christ our Sauiour taught in the flesh but euen before he was borne of the Virgin or tooke flesh at all Seeing therefore that they dare not impute vnto their owne gods those so many and so great mischiefes eyther the tolerable ones which they suffered before or the fouler ones which they incurred after the destruction of Carthage howsoeuer their gods are the engraffers of such maligne opinions in
seuerall kindes of Daemones CHAP. 11. TRuly Porphyry shewed more witte in his Epistle to a Anebuns of Egipt where betweene learning and instructing hee both opens and subuertes all these sacriledges Therein hee reprooueth all the Daemones that because of their foolishnesse doe draw as hee sayth the b humid vapours vppe vnto them and therefore are not in the skie but in the ayre vnder the Moone and in the Moones bodie Yet dares hee not ascribe all the vanities to all the deuills that stucke in his minde For some of them hee as others doe calls good whereas before hee had called them all fooles And much is his wonder why the gods should loue sacrifices and bee compelled to grant mens sutes And if the gods and Daemones bee distinguished by corporall and vncorporall why should the Sunne Moone and other Starres visible in Heauen whom hee auoutcheth to bee bodies bee called gods and if they bee gods how can some bee good and some euill Or beeing bodies how can they bee ioyned with the gods that haue no bodies Furthermore hee maketh doubts whether the soule of a diuiâ—…r or a worker of strange things or an externall spirit cause the effect But hee coniectureth on the spirites side the rather of the two because that they may bee bound or loosed by c hearbes and stones in this or that strange operation And some therefore hee saith doe d hold a kinde of spirits that properly heare vs of a suttle nature and a changeable forme counterfeyting both gods Daemones and dead soules and those are agents in all good or badde effects But they neuer further man in good action as not knowing them but they doe entangle and hinder the progresse of vertue by all meanes they are rash and proud louers of fumigations taken easily by flattery and so forth of those spirits that come externally into the soule and delude mans sences sleeping and waking yet all this hee doth not affirme but coniectures or doubts or saith that others affirme for it was hard for so great a Philosopher to know all the deuills vilenesse fully and to accuse it freely which knowledge no Christian Idiot euer seeketh but fully detesteth Perhaps hee was afraide to offend Anebuns to whome hee wrote as a greâ—… Priest of such Sacrifices and the other e admirers of those things as appurtenances of the diuine honors Yet maketh hee as it were an inquisitiue proceeding in those things which beeing well pondered will prooue attributes to none but malignant spirits Hee asketh f why the best gods beeing inuoâ—…ed are commanded as the worst to fullfill mens pleasures and why they will not heare ones praiers that is stayned with venery when as they haue such 〈◊〉 contracts amongst themselues as examples to others Why they forbidde their priests the vse of liuing creatures least they should bee polluted by their smells when as they are inuoked and inuited with continuall fuffumigations and smells of sacrifices And the sooth-saver g is forbidden to touch the carcasse when as their religion lies wholy vpon carcasses Why the charmer threatneth not the gods or Daemorâ—…s or dead mens soules but h the Sunne or the Moone or such celestiall bodies fetching the truth out by this so false a terour They will threaten to knocke downe the skie and such impossibilities that the gods beeing like foolish babes afraide of this ridiculous terrour may doe as they are charged Hee sayth farther that one Chaeremon one of the sacred or rather sacrilegious priests hath written that that same Egiptian report of i Isis or her husband Osyris is most powerfull in compelling of the gods to doe mens pleasures when the inuoker threatens to reueale them or to cast abroad the members of Osyris if hee doe not dispatch it quickly That these idle fond threates of man yea vnto the gods and heauenly bodies the Sunne the Moone c. should haue that violent effect to force them to performe what men desire Porphyry doth iustly wonder at nay rather vnder colour of one admiring and inquiring hee sheweth these to bee the actions of those â—…its whome hee described vnder shadowe of relating others opinions to bee such deceitfull counterfeiters of the other gods mary they are deuills themselues without dissembling As for the Herbes Stones Creatures Sounds Wordes Characters and k constellations vsed in drawing the powers of those effects all these hee ascribes to the deuills delight in deluding and abusing the soules that serue and obserue them So that Porphyry either in a true doubt describeth such of those actes as can haue no reference to those powers by which wee must ayme at eternity but conuince them selues the false deuills peculiars or els hee desireth by his humility in inquiring not by his contentious opposing to drawe this Anebuns that was a great Priest in those ceremonies and thought hee knewe much vnto a due speculation of these things and to detect their detestable absurdity vnto him Finally in the end of his Epistle hee desireth to bee informed what doctrine of beatitude the Egiptians held But yet hee affirmes that such as conuerse with the gods and trouble the deity about fetching againe of theeues buying of landes marriages bargaines or such like seeme all in a wrong way to wisdome And the gods they vse herein though they tell them true yet teaching them nothing concerning beatitude are neither gods nor good Daemones but either the false ones or all is but a figment of man But because these artes effect many things beyond all humaine capacity what remaineth but firmely to beleeue and credibly to affirme that such wonders in worde or deedes as haue no reference to the confirmation of their worship of that one God to whom to adhere as the Platonists affirme is the onely beatitude are onely seducements of the deceiptfull fiendes to hinder mans progresse to vertue and soly to bee auoided and discouered by true zeale and piety L. VIVES TO a Anebuns Or Anebon b Humid vapors Hee saith they loue fumes and smells of flesh which fatten their spirituall bodies which liue vpon vapors and fumigations and 〈◊〉 diuersly strengthed by their diueâ—…sity Iamblichus the truer Daemonist seeing him put 〈◊〉 as an expression of the deuills nature denies it all For Porphyry directly affirmed that all such spirits as delighted in slaughtered offrings were euill Daemones and liers and consequently 〈◊〉 were all his gods to whom he diuideth sacrifices in his Responsa mentioned in our Coâ—… vpon the ninth chapter of this booke Thus was he tost betweene truth and inueterate 〈◊〉 daring neiâ—…her affirme them al good nor al euill for feare of his schollers his disciplines authority and the deuill himselfe c Herbes Porphyry maruells that men haue the gods so obsqous as to giue presages in a little meale This admiration and question Iamblichus as hee vseth answers with a goodly front of words which any one may reade but neither the Egiptians nor he himselfe can probably declare what they meane The gods
by temptations the other enuying this the recollection of the faithfull pilgrims the obscurity I say of the opinion of these two so contrary societies the one good in nature and wil the other good in nature also but bad by wil since it is not explaned by other places of scripture that this place in Genesiis of the light and darknes may bee applyed as Denominatiue vnto them both though the author hadde no such intent yet hath not beene vnprofitably handled because though wee could not knowe the authors will yet wee kept the rule of faith which many other places make manifest For though Gods corporall workes bee heere recited yet haue some similitude with the spiritual as the Apostle sayth you are all the children of the light and the children of the day wee are no sonnes of the night nor darknes But if this were the authors mind the other disputation hath attained perfection that so wise a man of God nay the spirit in him in reciting the workes of God all perfected in sixe dayes might by no meanes bee held to leaue out the Angels eyther in the beginning that is because hee had made them first or as wee may better vnderstand In the beginning because hee made them in his onely begotten Word in which beginning God made heauen and earth Which two names eyther include all the creation spirituall and temporall which is more credible Or the two great partes onely as continents of the lesser beeing first proposed in whole and then the parts performed orderly according to the mistery of the sixe dayes L. VIVES INto a cheynes This is playne in Saint Peters second Epistle and Saint Iudes also The Angels sayth the later which kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation hath hee reserued in euerlasting cheynes vnder Darkenesse vnto the iudgement of the great day Augustine vseth prisons for places whence they cannot passe as the horses were inclosed and could not passe out of the circuit vntill they had run b Pride Typhus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Pride and the Greeks vse Typhon of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee proud and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to burne for the fiery diuell So sayth Plutarch of Typhon Osyris his brother that he was a diuell that troubled all the world with acts of malice and torment Augustine rather vseth it then the Latine for it is of more force and was of much vse in those dayes Philip the Priest vseth it in his Commentaries vppon Iob. c Iustice For God doth iustly reuenge by his good Ministers He maketh the spirits his messengers flaming fire his Ministers Ps. 103. d The desired There is no power on the earth like the diuels Iob. 40. Which might they practise as they desire they would burne drowne waste poyson torture and vtterly destroy man and beast And though we know not the diuells power directly where it is limited and how farr extended yet are wee sure they can do vs more hurt then we can euer repaire Of the power of Angels read Augustâ—… de Trinit lib. 3. Of the opinion that some held that the Angels weee meant by the seueral waters and of others that held the waters vncreated CHAP. 34. YEt some there a were that thought that the b company of Angels were meant by the waters and that these wordes Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it seperate the waters from the waters meant by the vpperwaters the Angels and by the lower eyther the nations or the diuels But if this bee so there is no mention of the Angels creation but onely of their seperation c Though some most vainely and impiously deny that God made the waters because hee neuer said Let there be waters So they may say of earth for he neuer said Let there be earth I but say they it is written God created both heauen and earth Did he so Then is water included therein also for one name serues both for the Psalm sayth The sea is his and he made it and his hands prepared the dry land but the d elementary weights do moue these men to take the waters aboue for the Angels because so an element cannot remayne aboue the heauens No more would these men if they could make a man after their principles put fleame being e in stead of water in mans body in the head f but there is the seate of fleame most fitly appointed by God but so absurdly in these mens conceits that if wee know not though this booke told vs playne that God had placed this fluid cold and consequently heauy humor in the vppermost part of mans body these world-weighers would neuer beleeue it And if they were subiect to the scriptures authority they would yet haue some meaning to shift by But seeing that the consideration of all thinges that the Booke of God conteineth concerning the creation would draw vs farre from our resolued purpose lette vs now together with the conclusion of this booke giue end to this disputation of the two contrary societyes of Angells wherein are also some groundes of the two societies of mankinde vnto whome we intend now to proceed in a fitting discourse L. VIVES SOme a there were as Origen for one who held that the waters aboue the heauens were no waters but Angelicall powers and the waters vnder the heauens their contraries diuels Epiph. ad Ioan. Hierosol Episc. b Companies Apocal. The peaple are like many waters and here-vpon some thought the Psalme meant saying You waters that bee aboue the heauens praise the name of the Lord for that belongs only to reasonable creatures to do c Though some Augustine reckoneth this for an heresie to hold the waters coeternall with God but names no author I beleeue Hesiods Chaos and Homers all producing waters were his originals d Elementary I see all this growes into question whether there be waters aboue the heauens and whether they be elementary as ours are Of the first there is lesse doubt For if as some hold the firmament be the ayre then the seperation of waters from waters was but the parting of the cloudes from the sea But the holy men that affirme the waters of Genesis to be aboue the starry firmament preuaile I gesse now in this great question that a thicke clowd commixt with ayre was placed betwixt heauen and earth to darken the space betweene heauen and vs And that part of it beeing thickned into that sea we see was drawne by the Creator from the face of the earth to the place where it is that other part was borne vp by an vnknowne power to the vttermost parts of the world And hence it came that the vpper still including the lower heauen the fire fire the ayre ayre the water this water includeth not the earth because the whole element thereof is not vnder the Moone as fire and ayre is Now for the nature of those waters Origen to begin with the
first forsaken of Gods grace and confounded with his ownenakednesse and so with the figge leaues the first perhaps that came to hand they couered their nakednesse aâ—…d shame their members were before as they were then but they were not a shameful before whereas now they felt a new motion of their disobedient flesh as the reciprocal b punishment of their disobedience for the soule being now delighted with peruerse liberty and scorning to serue GOD could not haue the body at the former command hauing willingly forsaken GOD the superior iâ—… could not haue the inferior so seruiceable as it desired nor had the flesh subiect as it might haue had alwaies had it selfe remained Gods subiect For then the flesh beganne to couet and contend against the spirit and c with this contention are wee all borne d drawing death from our originall and bearing natures corruption and contention or victory in our members L. VIVES NOt a shamefull Not filthy nor procuring shame they had not beene offenside had wee 〈◊〉 sinned but had had the same vse that or feete our hands now but hauing offended there was an obscaene pleasure put in them which maketh them to bee ashamed of and couered b Reciprocall Which disobedience reflected vpon them as they obeied not GOD to 〈◊〉 nature subiected them so should they finde a rebell one of the members against the rule of reason d With this Some bookes ads some-thing here but it is needlesse d Drawing 〈◊〉 That is vpon the first sinne arose this contention betweene the minde and their affects which is perpetually in vs wherein the minde is some-times victor and some-times 〈◊〉 some read without victory implying that the affections cannot be so suppressed but then they will still rebell against reason and disturbe it This is the more subtile sence and seemeth best to mee In what state GOD made Man and into what state hee feil by his voluntary choice CHAP. 14. FOr GOD the Creator of nature and not of vice made man vpright who being willingly depraued and iustly condemned be got all his progeny vnder the 〈◊〉 deprauation and condemnation for in him were we all when as he beeing â—…ced by the woman corrupted a vs all by her that before sinne was made of himselfe VVee had not our perticular formes yet but there was he seede of 〈◊〉 naturall propagation which beeing corrupted by sinne must needs produce man of that same nature the slaue to death the obiect of iust condeÌ„nation and therefore this came from the bad vsing of b free will thence aroâ—… all this teame of calamity drawing al men on into misery excepting Gods Saints froÌ„ their corrupted originall euen to the beginning of the second death which hath no end L. VIVES COrrupted a vs all A diuersity of reading Augustines meaning is that we being all potentially in hm and hee beeing corrupted by sinne therefore wee arising all from him as our first fountaine draw the corruption a long with vs also b Free will For our first parents abused the freedome of it hauing power aswell to keepe Gods hests eternally as to breake them That Adam forsooke GOD ere GOD for sooke him and that the soules first death was the departure from GOD. CHAP. 15. VVHerefore in that it was sayd You shall die the death because it was not sayd the deaths if we vnderstand that death wherein the soule leaueth the life that is GOD for it was not forsaken ere it forsooke him but contrary the owne will being their first leader to euill but the Creators will being the first leader to good both in the creation of it before it had being and the restoring of it when it had falne wherefore if we doe vnderstand that God meant but of this death where hee saith whensoeuer thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death as if hee had sayd whensoeuer you forsake mee in disobedience I will forsake you in iustice yet verily doe all the other deaths follow the denunciation of this death For in that the soule felt a disobedient motion of the flesh and therevpon couered the bodies secret partes in this was the first death felt that is the departure of the soule from God Which was signified in that that when the man in mad feare had gone and hid himselfe God said to him Adam where art thou not ignorantly seeking him but watchfully warning him to looke well where hee was seeing God was not with him But when the soule forsaketh the body decaied with age then is the other death felt whereof God said in imposing mans future punishment earth thou wast and to earth thou shalt returne That by these two the first death which is of whole man might be accoÌ„plished which the second should second if Gods grace procure not mans freedome from it for the body which is earth returnes not to earth but by the owne death that is the departure of the soule from it Wherefore all christians b holding the Catholike faith beleeue that the bodily death lieth vpon mankind by no lawe of nature as if GOD had made man for to die but as a c due punishment for sin because God in scourging this sinne sayd vnto man of whom we all are descended Earth thou wast and 〈◊〉 earth thou shalt returne L. VIVES EArth a thou wast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Septuagints by the later article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implying the element of earth the graue of althings dying b Holding the Augustine often auerreth directly that man had not died had he not sinned nor had had a body subiect to death or disease the tree of life should haue made him immortall And S. Thomas Aquiâ—…as the best schoole diuine holds so also But Scotus either for faction or will denies it al making mâ—… in his first state subiect to diseases yet that he should be taken vp to heauen ere he died but if he were left on earth he should die at length for that the tree of life could not eternize hâ—… but onely prolong his life c A due deserued by his guilt Of the Philosophers that held corporall death not to be penall whereas Plato brings in the Creator promising the lesser gods that they should neuer leaue their bodies CHAP. 16. BVt the Philosophers against whose callumnies we defeÌ„d this City of God 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 church thinke they giue vs a witty scoffe for saying that the soules seperation from the body is to be held as part of the punishment when as they affirme 〈◊〉 â—…n a is the soule perfectly blessed when it leaueth the body and goeth vp pâ—… and naked vnto God If I should finde no battery against this opinion out of their owne bookes I should haue a great adoe to prooue not the body but the corruptibility of the body to be the soules burden wherevpon is that which we 〈◊〉 in our last booke A corruptible body is heauy vnto the soule In adding corâ—…le he sheweth that this being
farre beyond our ayme if I should heere stand to referre all the propheâ—… Salomons three true bookes that are in the Hebrew Canon vnto the truth 〈◊〉 Christ and his church Although that that of the Prouerbs in the persons of the wicked Let vs lay waite for the iust without a cause and swallow them vppe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they that goe downe into the pit let vs raze his memory from earth and take 〈◊〉 his ritch possession this may easily and in few wordes bee reduced vnto CHRIST and his church for such a saying haue the wicked husbandmen in his euangelicall Parable This is the heire come let vs kill him and take his â—…tance In the same booke likewise that which wee touched at before â—…g of the barren that brought forth seauen cannot bee meant but of 〈◊〉 church of CHRIST and himselfe as those doe easilie apprehend 〈◊〉 snow CHRIST to bee called the wisdome of his father the wordes are Wisdome hath built her an house and hath hewen out her seauen pillers she hâ—…th killed her victualls drawne her owne wine and prepared her table Shee hath sent forth her maidens to crie from the higths saying He that is simple come hether to me and to the weake witted she saith Come and eate of my bread and drink of the wine that I haue drawne Here wee see that Gods wisdome the coeternall Word built him an house of humanity in a Virgins wombe and vnto this head hath annexed the church as the members hath killed the victuailes that is sacrificed the Mattires and prepared the table with bread and wine there is the sacrifice of Melchisedech hath called the simple and the weake witted for GOD saith the Apostle hath chosen the weakenesse of the world to confound the strength by To whom notwithstanding is said as followeth forsake your foolishnesse that yee may liue and seeke wisdome that yee may haue life The participation of that table is the beginning of life for in Eccelasiastes where hee sayth It is good e for man to eate and drinke we cannot vnderstand it better then of the perticipation of that table which our Melchisedechian Priest instituted for vs the New Testament For that sacrifice succeeded all the Old Testament sacrifices that were but shadowes of the future good as we heare our Sauiour speake prophetically in the fortieth psalme saying Sacrifice and offring thou dist not desire but a body hast thou perfited for me for his body is offered and sacrificed now insteed of all other offrings and sacrifices For Ecclesiastes meaneth not of carnall eating and drinking in those wordes that he repeateth so often as that one place sheweth sufficiently saying It is better to goe into the house of mourning then of feasting and by and by after the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning but the heart of fooles is in the house of feasting But there is one place in this booke of chiefe note concerning the two Citties and their two Kings Christ and the deuill Woe to the land whose King is a child and whose Princes eate in the morning Blessed art thou O land when thy King is the sonne of Nobles and thy Princes eate in due time for strength and not for drunkennesse Here he calleth the deuill a child for his foolishnesse pride rashnesse petulance and other vices incident to the age of boyish youthes But Christ he calleth the sonne of the Nobles to wit of the Patriarches of that holy and free Citty for from them came his humanity The Princes of the former eate in the morning before their houre expecting not the true time of felicity but wil hurry vnto the worlds delights head-long but they of the Citty of Christ expect their future beatitude with pacience This is for strength for their hopes neuer faile them Hope saith Saint Paul shameth no man All that hope in thee saith the psalme shall not be ashamed Now for the Canticles it is a certaine spirituall and holy delight in the mariage of the King and Queene of this citty that is Christ and the church But this is all in mysticall figures to inflame vs the more to search the truth and to delight the more in finding the appearance of that bridegrome to whom it is sayd there truth hath loued thee and of that bride that receiueth this word loue is in thy delights I ommit many things with silence to draw the worke towards an end L. VIVES HE a beganne well Augustine imitateth Salust In Bello Catil b Workes namely Iosephus affirmeth that he wrote many more viz. fiue thousand bookes of songs and harmonies three thousand of Prouerbs and Parables for hee made a parable of euery plant from the Isope to the Cedar and so did he of the beasts birds and fishes he knew the depth of nature and discoursed of it all God taught him bands exterminations and Amulets against the deuill 〈◊〉 the good of man and cures for those that were bewitched Thus saith Iosephus c Wisdome Some say that Philo Iudaeus who liued in the Apostles time made this booke He was the Apostles friend and so eloquent in the Greeke that it was a prouerbe Philo either Platonized 〈◊〉 Plato Philonized d Ecclesiasticus Written by Iesus the sonne of Syrach in the time of 〈◊〉 Euergetes King of Egipt and of Symon the high priest e For man to eate The Seauenty and vulgar differ a little here but it is of no moment Of the Kings of Israel and Iudah after Salomon CHAP. 21. VVE finde few prophecies of any of the Hebrew Kings after Salomon pertinent vnto Christ or the church either of Iudah or Israel For so were the two parts termed into which the kingdome after Salomons death was diuided for his sinnes and in his sonne Roboams time the ten Tribes that Ieroboam Salomons seruant attained beeing vnder Samaria was called properly Israel although the whole nation went vnder that name the two other Iudah and Beniamin which remained vnder Ierusalem least Dauids stocke should haue vtterly failed were called Iudah of which tribe Dauid was But Beniamin stuck vnto it because Saul who was of that tribe had reigned there the next before Dauid these two as I say were called Iudah and so distinguished from Israell vnder which the other ten tribes remained subiect for the tribe of Leui beeing the Seminary of Gods Priests was freed from both and made the thirteenth tribe Iosephs tribe being diuided into Ephraim and Manasses into two tribes whereas all the other tribes make but single ones a peece But yet the tribe of Leui was most properly vnder Ierusalem because of the temple wherein they serued Vpon this diuision Roboan King of Iudah Salomons sonne reigned in Ierusalem and Hieroboam King of Israel whilom seruant to Salomon in Samaria And whereas Roboaâ—… vould haue made warres vpon them for falling from him the Prophet forbad him from the Lord saying That it was the Lords deed So then that
the Greekes going to Troye that they should conquer and that Homer should write lyes But the common opinion is shee liued before the siege of Troy yet Eusebius drawes him to Romulus his time Indeede Strabo maketh more then one Erythream Sibyll saying there was one ancient one and another later called Athenais liuing in Alexanders time Lactantius saith Sibylla Erythraea was borne at Babilon and chose to bee called Erythraea The sixt was a Samian Eratosth saith hee found mention of her in the Samian Annales shee was called Phito the seauenth a Cumane called Amalthea and by other Herophile or Demophile Suidas calleth her Hierophile and saith shee brought nine bookes to King Tarquinius Priscus and asked him three hundred angels for them which hee denying and laughing at her shee burnt three of them before his face and asked him the whole summe for the rest Hee thinking shee was madde or drunke indeed scoffed at her againe shee burned other three and asked still the whole summe for the three remaining then the King was mooued in minde and gaue it her This is recorded by Pliny Dionys. Solin Gellius and Seruius concerning Tarquin the proud not the other Pliny saith shee had but three bookes burning two and sauing the third Suidas saith she had nine bookes of priuate oracles and burnt but two of them her tombe saith Solinus may be seene yet in Sicilia But he calleth her not Eriphile for that hee giues to the Erythraean Sybill who was more ancient then the Cumane Eusebius thinks that Hierophile was neither the Erythrean nor Cumane but the Samian that she liued in Numa's time Lâ—…ocrates being Archon of Athens The wife of Amphiaraus was called Eriphile also The eight was of Hellespont borne at Marmissum neare Troy liuing in the time of Solon and Cyrus Heracl Pontic The ninth was a Phrygian and prophecied at Aucyra The tenth a Tyburtine called Albumea worshipped at Tybur as a goddesse on the banke of the riuer Anienes in whose channell her Image was found with a booke in the hand of it These are Varro's Sybills There are others named also as Lampusia Calchas his daughter of Colophon whose prophecies were whilom extant in verse and Sybilla Elyssas also with them Cassandra also Priams daughter who prophecied her countries ruine was counted for a Sybill there was also Sybill of Epirus and Mantâ—… Tyresias daughter and lastly Carmentis Euanders mother and Fatua Faunus his wife all called Sybills Didiâ—…s Grammaticus is in doubt whether Sapho were a Sybill or no. Sâ—… de stud liberal Yet some in this place read Publica for Sybilla But which Sybill it was that wrote the verses conteyning the Romanes fate Varro him-selfe they sâ—…y could not tell Some sayd it was Sybilla Cumana as Virgill doth calling her Deiphobe daughter to Glaucus who was a Prophet and taught Apollo the art vnlesse you had rather read it 〈◊〉 for she as some say brought the bookes to Tarquin Priscus who hid them in the Capitol She liued in Rome sayth Solinus in the fifteenth Olympiad If that be so it was Tarqum Priscus not the Proud that bought her bookes For Priscus dyed and Seruius Tullus began his raigne the fourth yeare of the fifteenth Olympiade Epitelides of Laâ—…aedemon beeing victor in the Games and Archestratides beeing Archon of Athens That therefore is likelier that Uâ—…rro and Suidas affirme of Priscus then that which others sayd of Superbus if Solinus his Account bee true Her Chappell was to bee seene at Cumae but Varro thinketh it vnlikely that the Sybill that Aeneas talked with should liue vnto the fist King of Romes time and therefore hee thinketh it was Erythraea that sung the Romaines destinies Yet Dionys. sayth it was to her that Aeneas went lib. 4. Varro hath this further ground that when Apolloes Temple at Erythraea was burnt those very verses were found there Euen this is shee whome Uirgill calleth Cumaea for shee prophecyed at Cumae in Italy sayth Capella and so thinke I There is Cumae in Ionia by Erythrea but Aristotle sayth directly there is a Caue in Cumae a Citty of Italy in which Sybilla dwelt Shee whome others called Erythraea the Cumaeans for glory of their country call Cumaea Otherwise they meane some other For it was not Virgils Sybill that Cumane Sybilla that sold Tarquin the bookes Nor sayth Uirgill nor thinke wee that there were no verses in those bookes but of One Sybils This Tacitus sheweth saying of Augustus that whereas there were many fables spred vnder the Sybils names hee sent into Samos Erythrea Ilium Africke and to all the Italian Colonyes to bee at Rome with their verses at a day appoynted where a iudgement was past by the Quindecimuers and a censure vppon all that should haue of these verses in priuate Antiquity hauing decreed against it before And the Capitoll beeing repayred sayth Lactantius out of Varro they came thether from all places and cheefly from Erythraea with Sybills verses This also Feâ—…estella a dilligent Author recordeth and that P. Gabinius M. Octacilius and Luc. Valeriuâ—… went to Erythraea purposely about it and brought about a thousand verses to Rome which priuate men had copyed forth Thus farre Lactantius Stilico Honorius his step-father deâ—…ring to mooue the people against his sonne in law made away all the Sybills bookes Of which fact Claudian writeth thus Nec tantum Geticis grassatus proditor armis Ante Sybillinae fata cremauit opis Nor onely rag'd the Traytor in Gothes armes But burnt the fates of Sybils helpe from harmes And thus much of the Sybills b Sybill of Erythraea Lactantius citeth some of those verses from another Sybill it is no matter indeed which Sybills they are One Sybils they are sure to be and because shee was the most famous to her they assigne them c The first letter That the Sybils put misteries in their verses heads Tully can testifie Their Poems sayth he prooâ—…h them not mad for there is more cunning then turbulency in them beeing all conueyed into Acrosticks as Ennius also had done in some Shewing a minde rather 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 De diuinat lib. 2. Virgill also Aegl 4. Ultima Cumaei venit iam carminis aetas The Sybils prophecies draw to an end Nâ—…ly the time that shee included in her propheticall Acrosticks d Those verses The Greeke verses in Eusebius are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
otherwise e But euer-more holding it selfe in higher respect then any other good what-so-euer mentall or corporall For it knoweth both the vse of it selfe and of all other goods that maketh a man happy But where it wanteth bee there neuer so many goods they are none of his that hath them because hee cannot giue them their true natures by good application of them That man therefore alone is truly blessed that can vse vertue and the other bodyly and mentall goods which vertue cannot be with-out all vnto their true end If hee can make good vse of those things also that vertue may easily want he is the happier in that But if hee can make that vse of all things what-so-euer to turne them either to goods of the body or of the minde then is hee the happiest man on earth for life and vertue are not all one The wise-mans life onely it is that deserues that name for some kinde of life may bee wholy voyde of vertue but no vertue can be with-out life And so likewise of memory reason and other qualities in man all these are before learning it cannot bee with-out them no more then vertue which it doth teach But swiftnesse of foote beauty of face strength of body and such may bee all with-out vertue and all of them are goods of them-selues with-out vertue yet is vertue desired for it selfe neuerthelesse and vseth these goods as befitteth Now f this blessed estate of life they hold to bee sociable also desiring the neighbours good as much as their owne and wishing them in their owne respects as well as it selfe whether it be the wiues and children or fellow cittizen or mortall man what-so-euer nay suppose it extend euen to the Gods whome they hold the friends of wise-men and whome wee call by a more familiar name Angels But of the ends of the good and euill they make no question wherein onely they say they differ from the new Academikes nor care they what habite Cynicall or what-so-euer a man beare so he auerre their ends Now of the three lines contemplatiue actiue and mixt they choose the last Thus saith Varro the old Academikes taught g Antiochus maister to him and Tully beeing author hereof though Tully make him rather a Stoike then an old Academike in most of his positions But what is that to vs wee are rather to looke how to iudge of the matter then how others iudge of the men L. VIVES THe a horsman But eques hath beene of old time vsed for equus Gell. Marcell Macrob. and Seruius all which doe prooue it out of Ennius Annal. lib. 7. and Uirgil Aenead 3. And it was the old custome to say that the horse rode when the man was on his backe as well as the man him-selfe Macrob. Saturnal 6. b Poculum Poculum is also the thing that is in the vessell to bee drunke especially in the Poets Uirg Georg. 1. c Uertue or methode Which ripening out of the seedes infused by nature groweth vp to perfection and then ioynes with the first positiues of nature in the pursuite of true beatitude thus held the Academikes hee that will read more of it let him looke in Aristotles Morality and Tullyes de finib lib. 5. Vnlesse hee will fetch it from Plato the labour is more but the liquor is purer d More or lesse Bodily goods lesse then mentall and of the first health more then strength quicknesse of sence more then swiftnesse of foote e But euer-more Nor is it arrogance in vertue to haue this knowledge of her-selfe and to discerne her onely excellence surmounting all f This blessed The Stoikes placed it in a politique manner of life but their meaning Seneca explaineth De vita beata making two kinâ—… of common wealths the one a large and comely publike one conteining GOD and Man and this is the whole world the other a lesser where-vnto our 〈◊〉 hath bound vs as the Athenian state or the Carthaginians Now some follow the greater common-weale liuing wholy in contemplation and others the lesser attending the state and action of that and some apply them selues to both Besides a wise man often-times abandoneth to gouerne because either the state respecteth him not or the maners thereof are vnreformable The latter made Plato liue in priuate the first Zeno Chrysippus and diuerse other g Antiochus An Ascalonite he taught Uarro Lucullus Tully and many other nobles of Rome all in forme of the ancient Academy together with some inclination to Zeno yet calling the men of his profession rather reformed Academikes then renewed Stoikes and therefore Brutus who was an auditor of his brother Aristius and many other Stoikes did greatly commend his opinion of beatitude Indeed it was very neere Stoicisme as wee sayd else-where and their difference was rather verball then materiall Some few things onely were changed which Antiochus called his reformations of the old discipline The Christians opinion of the chiefest good and euill which the Philosophers held to be within them-selues CHAP. 4. IF you aske vs now what the Citty of God saith first to this position of the perfection of good and euill it will answere you presently eternall life is the perfection of good and eternall death the consummation of euill and that the ayme of all our life must bee to auoyde this and attaine that other Therefore is it written The iust shall liue by faith For wee see not our greatest good and therefore are to beleeue and hope for it nor haue wee power to liue accordingly vnlesse our beleefe and prayer obteyne helpe of him who hath giuen vs that beleefe and hope that hee will helpe vs. But such as found the perfection of felicity vpon this life placing it either in the body or in the minde or in both or to speake more apparantly eyther in pleasure or in vertue or in pleasure and rest together or in vertue or in both or in natures first affects or in vertue or in both fondlye and vainely are these men perswaded to finde true happynesse heere The Prophet scoffes them saying The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men or as Saint Paul hath it of the wise that they are vaine For who can discourse exactly of the miseries of this life Tully a vppon his daughters death did what hee could But what could hee doe in what person can the first affects of nature bee found with-out alteration what hath not sorrow and disquiet full power to disturbe the pleasure and quiet of the wisest So strength beauty health vigour and actiuity are all subuerted by their contraries by losse of limmes deformitie sicknesse faintnesse and vnweeldinesse And what if a member fall into some tumor or other affect what if weakenesse of the back bend a man downe to the ground making him neere to a foure-footed beast is not all the grace of his posture quite gone and then the first guifts of nature whereof sence and reason are the two first because of the apprehension of truth how