that they were men and died as other men do To what end is this but that the citties should bee filled with statues of such as are no true gods the true god hauing neither sex age nor body But this Seâ—…uola would not haue the people to know because he did not thinke it was faulse himselfe So that he holds it fit citties should bee deluded in religion which indeed Varro stickes not plainely to affirme De. re vin A godly religion whereto when weake mindes going for refuge and seeking to bee freed by the truth must bee tolde that it is fitte that they bee illuded Nor doth the same booke conceale the cause why Scaeuola reiecteth the Poets gods It is because they doe so deforme them with their stories that they are not fitte to keepe good men company c one being described to steale and another to commit adulterie as also to doe and say so filthily and fondly as that the d three goddesses striuing for eminence of beauty the other two being cast by Venus destroyed Troy That Ioue was turned to e a Bull or a f Swanne to haue the company of some wench or other that g a goddesse married a man and that Saturne eate vp his sonnes No wonder No vice but there you haue it set downe quite against the natures of the deities O Scaeuola abolish those playes if it bee in thy power tell the people what absurd honors they offer the gods gazing on their guilt and remembring their prankes as a licence for their owne practise If they say you Priests brought them vs intreate the gods that commanded them to suffer their abolishment If they bee bad and therefore at no hand credible with reuerence to the Gods Maiesties then the greater is the iniurie that is offered vnto them of whome they are so freely inuented But they are Deuills Scaeuola teaching guiltinesse and ioying in filthinesse they will not heare thee They thinke it no iniurie to haue such blacke crimes imputed vnto them but rather holde them-selues wronged if they bee not imputed and exhibited Now if thou callest on Ioue against them were there no other cause for it but the most frequent presenting of his h enormities though you call him the God and King of the world would hee not thinke himselfe highly wronged by you in ranking him in worship with such filthy companions and making him gouernor of them L. VIVES SCaeuola a their There were many of this name but this man was priest in Marius his ciuill warre and killed by Marius the yonger Tully saith hee went often to heare him dispute after Scaeuola the Augur was dead b The first Dionysius writeth that the Romaines reiected all the factions of the gods fights wranglings adulteries c. which were neither to bee spoken of gods nor good men and that Romulus made his Quirites vse to speake well of the gods Antiqu. Rom. lib. 2. Euseb. de praep Euang. c One Mercurie that stole Tyresias Oxen Mars his sword Uulcans tonges Neptunes Mace Apollos bow and shafts Venus her girdle and Ioues Scepter d Three euery childe knowes this e A Bull for Europa f A Swanne for Laeda of these read Ouid. lib. 6. Metamorph. g A goddesse married Ceres to Iasius Harmonia to Cadmus Callirrhoe to Chrysaoras Aurora to Tython Thetis to Peleus Uenus to Anchises Circe and Callipso to Vlysses Read Hesiods Theognia h Enormities of letchery cruelty and such like Whether the Romaines diligence in this worship of those gods did their Empire any good at all CHAP. 28. BY no meanes then could these gods preserue the Romaine Empire being so criminous in their owne filthy desiring of such honors as these are which rather serue to condemne them then appease them For if they could haue done that the Greekes should haue had their helpes before who afforded them farre better store of such sacrifices as these with farre more stage-playes and showes For they seeing the Poets taxe their gods so freelye neuer thought shame to let them taxe them-selues but allowed them free leaue to traduce whom they pleased and held the Stage-players worthy of the best honors of their state But euen as Rome might haue had golden coynes yet neuer worshipped Aurinus for it so might they haue had siluer and brasse ones without Argentinus or his father Aesculanus and so of all other necessaries But so could they not possesse their kingdome against the will of the true God but in despite of all the other let them doe what they list that one vnkowne God being well and duly worshipped would haue kept their kingdome on earth in better estate then euer and afterward haue bestowed a kingdome on each of them in heauen had they a kingdome before or had they none that should endure for euer Of the falsenesse of that Augury that presaged courage and stabilitie to the state of Rome CHAP. 29. FOr what a goodly presage was that which I spake of but now of the obstinacie of Mars Terminus and Iuuentas that it should signifie that Mars a his nation the Romaines should yeeld the place to no man that no man should remooue the limittes of their Empire because of Terminus and that their youth should yeeld to none because of Iuuentas Now marke but how these gods misused their King daring to giue these Auguries as in his defiance and as glorying in the keeping of their places though if these antiquities were true they neede feare nothing For they confessed not that they must giue place to Christ that would not giue place to Ioue and they might giue Christ place without preiudice to the Empires limits both out of the temples and the hearts that they held But this we write was long before Christ came or that Augurie was recorded notwithstanding after that presage in Tarquins time the Romaines lost many a battel and prooued Iuuentas a lyer in hir Prophesie and Mars his nation was cut in peeces within the very walles by the conquering Galles and the limites of the Empire were brought to a narrow compasse in Hannibals time when most of the citties of Italy fell from Rome to him Thus was this fine Augurie fulfilled and the obstinacie of the presagers remained to prooue them rebellious deuils For it is one thing not to giue place and another to giue place and regaine it afterwards Though afterwards the bounds of the Empire were altered in the East by b Hadrianus meanes who lost Armenia Mesopotamia and Syria vnto the Persians to shew god Terminus that would not giue place to Ioue him-selfe but guarded the Romaine limites against all men to let him see that Hadrian a King of men could doe more then Ioue the King of gods c The sayd Prouinces being recouered afterward now almost in our times god Terminus hath giuen ground againe d Iulian that was giuen so to the Oracles desperately commanding all the ships to bee burned that brought the armie victuals so that the souldiours fainting and hee
Yet in the distributing of these temporall blessings God sheweth his prouident operation For if all sinne were presently punished there should bee nothing to do at the last iudgement and againe if no sinne were here openly punished the diuine prouidence would not bee beleeued And so in prosperity if God should not giue competency of worldly and apparant blessings to some that aske them we would say he hath nothing to do with them and should he giue them to all that aske them we should thinke he were not to bee serued but for them and so his seruice should not make vs godly but rather greedy This being thus what euer affliction good men and badde doe suffer together in this life it doth not proue the persons vndistinct because so they both do ioyntly indure like pains for as in one fire gold shineth and chaffe smoaketh and as vnder one f fâ—…yle the straw is bruised and the eare cleansed nor is the lees and the oyle confused because they are both pressed in one presse so likewise one and the same violence of affliction prooueth purifieth and g melteth the good and condeâ—…eth wasteth and casteth out the badde And thus in one and the same distresse do the wicked offend God by detestation and blasphemy and the good do glorifie him by praise and praier So great is the difference wherein we ponder not what but how a man suffers his affects For one and the same motion maketh the mud smell filthily and the vnguent swell most fragrantly L. VIVES SOme a say because the aforesaid wordes were spoken of the sonnes of Dauid that is the godly How should the mercy of God be extended vnto the wicked b Do lay vp or heap together For Thesaurus is a laying together of euill things as well as good and it is ordinary with the Greekes to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the treasure of Ills and Plautus hath Thesaurus stupri the treasure of whoredome c Willreward * commonly it is read Doth reward Augustin hath it in better formeâ—… for the Apostle speakes of the world to come and the greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reddet will reward d Vse both of that Terence in his Heautontimoreumenos saith such things as are called humane goods namely our parents country linage friendes and wealth all these are but as his mind is that possesseth them to him that can vse them well they are good to him that vseth them otherwise then well they are euil This Terence hath out of Plato in diuers places 〈◊〉 Is called aduerse Nâ—…mely of the vulgar and such as are ignorant of the true natures of things f Flaile Virgill in the first of his Georgikes reckons the Flaile amongst the instruments of husbandry Plinye in his eighteenth booke saith The haruest corne is thrashed forth vpon the floore sometime with flayles sometime with the feete of horses and sometime with staues So that this same Tribulum is an instrument where-with the corne being ripe is thrashed forth on the floore our fittest english is a flaile How this is done Varro teacheth in his first book De re rustica g Melteth the good Maketh them liquid it is a simily taken from gold to exclude further disputation hereof the scripture saith the good are melted with charity My soule melted as my beloued spoke saith the Canticles but if a man will follow this theame he shall neuer finde an end The fittest teacher in this kind is the holy scripture Of the causes of such corrections as fall both vpon the good and bad together CHAP. 8. BVt tell me now in all this desolation what one thing did the Christians endure which due and faithfull consideration might not turne vnto their edificaÌ„tion For first they might with feare obserue to what a masse iniquity was increased at which the iust God being displeased had sent these afflictions vpoÌ„ the world that though they them-selues were far froÌ„ the society of the wicked yet should they not hold them-selues so purely seperate from all faults that they should thinke them-selues too good to suffer a temporall correction for diuers faults that might be found in their conuersations for to omitte this that ther is no man how euer laudable in his conuersation that in some things a yeelds not vnto the concupiscence of the flesh and that though hee decline not vnto the gulfe of reprobate offence and habitation of all brutish filthinesse yet slips now and then into some enormities and those either seldome or so much more ordinary as then they are lesse momentary To omitte all this how hard a thing is it to find one that makes a true vse of their fellowship for whose horrible pride luxury auarice bestiall iniquity and irreligiousnesse the Lord as his b Prophets haue threatned doth lay his heauy hand vppon the whole world How few do wee finde that liue with them as good men ought to liue with them For either we keepe aloofe and forbeare to giue them due instructions admonitions or reprehensions or else wee holde their reformation too great a labour either we are affraid to offend them or else wee eschew their hate for our owne greater temporall preferment and feare their opposition either in those things which our greedinesse longeth to inioy or in those which our weakenesse is affraid to forgoe so that though the liues of the wicked be still disliked of the good and that thereby the one do auoid that damnation which in the world to come is the assured inheritance of the other yet because they winke at their damnable exorbitances by reason they feare by them to loose their owne vaine temporalities iustly do they partake with them in the punishments temporall though they shall not do so in the eternall Iustly do they in these diuine corrections tast the bitternesse of these transitory afflictions with them to whome when they deserued those afflictions they through the loue of this life forbare to shew them-selues better indeed he that forbeares to reprehend ill courses in some that follow them because he will take a more fit time or because he doubts his reprehention may rather tend to their ruine then their reformation or because he thinkes that others that are weake may by this correction be offended in their Godly endeauours or diuerted from the true faith In this case forbearance arises not from occasion of greedinesse but from the counsell of charity c But their's is the fault indeed who liue a life quite contrary wholy abhorring the courses of the wicked yet will ouerpasse to taxe the others sins wherof they ought to be most seuere reprehenders and correctors because they feare to offend them and so be hurt in their possession of those things whose vse is lawfull both vnto good and bad affecting temporalities in this kinde farre more greedily then is fit for such as are but pilgrimes in this world and such as expect d the hope of a celestiall inheritance for it is
owne shame he shamed at the filthinesse that was committed vppon hir though it were l without her consent and m being a Romain and coueteous of glory she feared that n if she liued stil that which shee had indured by violence should be thought to haue been suffered with willingnesse And therfore she thought good to shew this punishment to the eies of men as a testimony of hir mind vnto whome shee could not shew her minde indeed Blushing to be held a partaker in the fact which beeing by another committed so filthyly she had indured so vnwillingly Now this course the Christian women did not take they liue still howsoeuer violated neither for all this reuenge they the ruines of others vppon them-selues least they should make an addition of their owne guilt vnto the others if they should go and murder them-selues barbarously because their enemies had forst them so beastially For howsoeuer they haue the glory of their chastity stil within them o being the restimony of their conscience this they haue before the eies of their God and this is all they care for hauing no more to looke to but to do wel that they decline not from the authority of the law diuine in any finister indeauour to auoid the offence of mortall mans suspition L. VIVES a LVcretia This history of Lucretia is common though Dionisius relate it some-what differing from Liuie they agree in the summe of the matter b Reuenge so sayth Liuie in his person But giue me your right hands and faiths to inflict iust reuenge vppon the adulterer and they all in order gaue her their faiths c One declaming Who this was I haue not yet read One Glosse saith it was Virgil as hee found recorded by a great scholler and one that had read much But Uirgil neuer was declamer nor euer pleaded in cause but one and that but once perhaps that great reader imagined that one to bee this which indeed was neuer extant Which he might the better doe becasue he had read such store of histories and better yet if he were Licentiat or Doctor d He was chased Tarquin the King and all his ofspring were chased out of the Cittie of this in the third book e The offender Cicero saith that touching a Romains life there was a decree that no Iudgement should passe vpon it without the assent of the whole people in the great Comitia or Parliaments called Centuriata The forme and manner of which iudgement he sets down in his oration for his house and so doth Plutarch in the Gracchi f Lucretia her selfe which aggrauats the fact done by Lucretia a noble and worthy matron of the Citty g Placed amongst these Uirgil in the 6. of his Aeneads diuides Hell into nine circles and of the third hee speaketh thus Proxima deinde tenent maesti loca qui sibi lethum Insontes peperere manu lucemque perosi Proiecere animas quam vellent athere in alto Nunc pauperiem durâ—…s perferre labores Fata obstant tristique palus innabilis vnda Alligat nouies Styx interfusa coercet In english thus In the succeeding round of woe they dwell That guiltlesse spoild them-selues through blacke despight And cast their soules away through hate of light O now they wish they might returne t' abide Extremest need and sharpest toile beside But fate and deepes forbid their passage thence And Styx that nine times cuttes those groundlesse fennes h Which none could know For who can tell whether shee gaue consent by the touch of some incited pleasure i Hir learned defenders * It is better to read her learned defenders or her not vnlearned defenders then her vnlearned defenders as some copies haue it k Is there any way It is a Dilemma If shee were an adulteresse why is she commended if chaste why murdered The old Rethoricians vsed to dissolue this kinde of Argument either by ouerthrowing one of the parts or by retorting it called in greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a conuersion or retortion Examples there are diuers in Cicero de Rethorica Now Augustine saith that this conclusion is inextricable vnavoidable by either way l Without her consent For shee abhorred to consent vnto this act of lust m A Romaine The Romaine Nation were alwaies most greedy of glory of whom it is said Vincet amor patriae laudumque immensa cupido Their countries loue boundles this of glory And Ouid saith of Lucrece in his Fasti Succubuit famae victa puella metu Conquer'd with feare to loose her fame she fell n If she liued after this vncleanesse committed vpon hir o Being the testimony for our glory is this saith Saint Paul 2. Cor. I. 12. the testimony of our consciences And this the Stoikes and all the heathenish wise men haue euer taught That there is no authority which allowes Christians to be their owne deaths in what cause soeuer CHAP. 19. FOr it is not for nothing that wee neuer finde it commended in the holy canonicall Scriptures or but allowed that either for attaining of immortalitie or auoyding of calamitie wee should bee our owne destructions we are forbidden it in the law Thou shalt not kill especially because it addes not Thy neighbour as it doth in the pohibition of false witnesse Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour Yet let no man thinke that he is free of this later crime if he beare false witnesse against him-selfe because hee that loues his neighbour begins his loue from him-selfe Seeing it is written Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Now if hee bee no lesse guiltlesse of false witnesse that testifieth falsely against him-selfe then hee that doth so against his neighbour since that in that commandement wherein false witnesse is forbidden it is forbidden to be practised against ones neighbor whence misvnderstanding conceits may suppose that it is not forbiddeÌ„ to beare false witnesse against ones selfe how much plainer is it to bee vnderstood that a man may not kill him-selfe seeing that vnto the commandement Thou shalt not kil nothing being added excludes al exception both of others of him to whom the command is giuen And therefore some would extend the intent of this precept euen vnto beasts and cattell and would haue it vnlawfull to kill any of them But why not vnto hearbes also and all things that grow and are nourished by the earth for though these kindes cannot bee said to haue a sence or feeling yet they are said to be liuing and therfore they may die and consequently by violent vsage be killed VVherfore the Apostle speaking of these kinde of seedes saith thus Foole that which thou sowest is not quickened except first it die And the Psalmist saith He destrored their vines with baile but what Shall wee therefore thinke it sinne to cutte vp a twigge because the commandement sayes thou shalt not kill and so involue our selues in the foule error of the
Manichees VVherefore setting aside these dotages when we read this precept Thou shalt not kill If wee hold it not to bee meant of fruites or trees because they are not sensitiue nor of vnreasonable creatures either going flying swimming or creeping because they haue no society with vs in reason which God the Creator hath not made common both to them and vs and therefore by his iust ordinance their deaths and liues are both most seruiceable and vse-full vnto vs then it followes necessarily that thou shalt not kil is meant only ofmen Thou shalt not kill namely Neither thy self or another For he that kils him-selfe kils no other but a man L. VIVES TO haue a sence Aristotle saith that plants are animate and liuing creatures but yet not sensitiue But Plato being of Empedocles his opinion holds them both liuing and sensitiue Either may be they may die because they do liue howsoeuer Of some sort of killing men which notwithstanding are no murthers CHAP. 20. Indeed the authority of the law diuine hath sette downe some exceptions wherein it is lawfull to kill a man But excepting those whome God commaundes to bee slayne either by his expresse law or by some particular commaund vnto any person by any temporall occasion and hee committeth not homicide that owes his seruice vnto him that commaundeth him beeing but as the sword is a helpe to him that vseth it And therefore those men do not breake the commandement which forbiddeth killing who doe make warre by the authority of a Gods commaund or beeing in some place of publike magistracie do putte to death malefactors according to their lawes that is according to the rule of iustice and reason Abraham was not onely freed from beeing blamed as a murtherer but he was also commended as a godly man in that hee would haue killed his sonne Isaack not in wickednesse but in obedience And it is a doubtfull question whether it bee to bee held as a command from God that b Iepthe killed his daughter that met him in his returne seeing that he had vowed to sacrifice the first liuing thing that came out of his house to meete him when hee returned conqueror from the warres c Nor could Sampson be excused pulling downe the house vpon him-selfe and his enemies but that the spirit within him which wrought miracles by him did prompt him vnto this act Those therfore beeing excepted which either the iustice of the law or the fountaine of all iustice Gods particular commaund would haue killed he that killeth either himself or any other incurreth the guilt of a homicide L. VIVES AVthority a of Gods command As the Iewes did they waged warres but it was by Gods expresse command But if they were counted godly that to please God though against natural humanitie afflicted his enemies with war and slaughter truly then cannot we butbe held the most vngodly of the world that butcher vp so many thousand Christians against the expresse will of God b Iepthe Iudges the 11. Chapt. Verse 31. Whose fact was like that which the Tragedians write of Agamemnon who sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia vnto Diana at Aulis Many reproue this sacrifice of Iephte for his vowe was to bee interpreted as ment of those things which were accustomed to be offred with Gods good pleasure and so was that of Agamemnons to haue bene construed also c Nor could Sampson Iudges the 16. chapter and the 30. verse That voluntary death can neuer be any signe of magnanimity or greatnes of spirit CHAP 21. WHo soeuer haue committed this homicide vppon them-selues may perhaps bee commended of some for their greatnesse of spirit but neuer for their soundnesse of iudgement But indeed if you looke a little deeper into the matter it cannot bee rightly termed magnanimitie when a man beeing vnable to indure either casuall miseries or others oppressions to auoid them destroyeth him-selfe For that minde discouereth it selfe to bee of the greatest infirmitie that can neither indure hard bondage in his bodie or the fond opinion of the vulgar and worthily is that spirit entitled great that can rather indure calamities then auoyde them And in respect of their owne purity and inlightned conscience can sette at naught the triuiall censures of mortall men a which are most commonly enclowded in a mist of ignorance and errour If wee shall thinke it a part of magnanimity to putte a mans selfe to death then is b Cleombrotus most worthie of this magnanimous title who hauing read Platoes booke of the immortality of the soule cast himself headlong from the toppe of a wall and so leauing this life went vnto another which hee beleeued was better For neither calamity nor guiltinesse either true or false vrged him to avoide it by destroying himselfe but his great spirit alone was sufficient to make him catch at his death and breake all the pleasing fetters of this life Which deed notwithstanding that it was rather great then good Plato himselfe whom he read might haue assured him who be sure would haue done it or taught it himselfe if he had not discerned by the same instinct whereby he discerned the soules eternity that this was at no hand to bee practised but rather vtterly c prohibited L. VIVES VVHich a Are indeed The ancient wise men were euer wont to call the people the great Maister of Error b Cleombrotus This was the Ambraciot who hauing read Plato's dialogue called Phaedo of the immortality of the soule that hee might leaue this life which is but as a death and passe vnto immortality threw himselfe ouer a wall into the sea without any other cause in the world Of him did Callimachus make an epigrame in Greeke and in Latine I haue seene it thus Vita vale muro praeceps delapsus ab alto Dixisti moriens Ambraciota puer Nullum in morte malum credens sed scripta Platonis Non ita erant animo percipienda tuo When Cleombrotus from the turret threw Himselfe to death he cried new life adue Holding death hurtlesse But graue Plato's sense He should haue read with no such reference There was also another Cleombrotus King of Lacedaemon whom Epaminondas the Thebane ouercame c Rather vtterly prohibited For in the beginning of his Phaedo hee saith it is wickednesse for a man to kill himselfe and that God is angred at such a fact like the maister of a family when any of his slaues haue killed themselues and in many other places he saith that without Gods command no man ought to leaue this life For here we are all as in a set front of battell euery one placed as God our Emperor and Generall pleaseth to appoint vs and greater is his punishment that forsaketh his life then his that forsaketh his colours Of Cato who killed himselfe being not able to endure Caesars victory CHAP. 22. BVt many haue killed themselues for feare to fal into the hands of their foes We dispute not here de facto whether
company from mens and his light that made the Sunne Moone from the light of the Sunne and Moone then haue the cittizens of this heauenly region done iust nothing in doing any thing for attaining this celestiall dwelling seeing that the other haue taken such paines in that habitation of earth which they had already attained especially the remission of sinnes calling vs as cittizens to that eternall dwelling and hauing a kinde of resemblance with Romulus his sanctuary by which hee gathered a multitude of people into his cittie through hope of impunity L. VIVES THis had beene a The olde bookes reade Hoc si fieret sine Marte c. if this could haue beene done without Mars making it runne in one sentence vnto the interogation b Euery man The Latines were made free denizens of olde and from them it spred further into Italie ouer Po ouer the Alpes and the sea Claudius Caesar made many Barbarians free of Rome affirming that it was the ruine of Athens and Lacedaemon that they made not such as they conquered free of their Citties Afterwardes vnder Emperours that were Spaniardes Africans and Thracians whole Pâ—…ouinces at first and afterwardes the whole Empire was made free of Rome And whereas before all were called Barbarians but the Greekes now the Romaines beeing Lords exempted themselues and afterward the Latines and all the Italians from that name but after that all the Prouinces beeing made free of the Cittie onely they were called Barbarians which were not vnder the Empire of Rome And thus doth Herodian Spartianus Eutropius and later Historiographers vse it So the riuer Rhine had two bankes the neither of them was Romaine the further Barbarian Claudianus O 〈◊〉 doluit Rhâ—…nus quá Barbarus ibat Quod â—…e non geminis frueretur iudice ripis O how Rhine wept on the Barbarian shore I haâ—… both his bankes were not within thy powre c And are there not Many nations beeing made free of the Citty many of the chiefe men of those nations were made Senators though they neuer saw Rome no more then a many that were Cittizens How farre the Christians should bee from boasting of their deedes for their eternall country the Romaines hauing done so much for their temporall Citty and for humaine glory CHAP. 18. WHy is it then so much to despise all this worlds vanities for eternitie when as Brutus could kill his sonnes beeing not enforced to it for feare his country should loose the bare liberty Truely it is a more difficult matter to kill ones children then to let goe those things which wee doe but gather for our children or to giue them to the poore when faith or righteousnesse bids vs. Earthly ritches can neither blesse vs nor our children with happinesse we must either loose them in this life or leaâ—…e them to be enioyed after our death by one we cannot tell whom perhaps by those wee would not should haue them No it is GOD the mindes true wealth that makes vs happy The Poet reares Brutus a monument of vnhappinesse for killing his sons though otherwise he praise him Natosque pater fera bella mouentes Ad paenam patriá pro libertate vocabit Infaelix vtcumque ferent ea fata minores His sonnes conuict of turbulent transgression He kills to free his country from oppression Haplesse how ere succeeding times shall ringe But in the next verse hee giues him comfort Vicit amor patriae laudumque immensa cupido Conquer'd by 's countries loue and thirst of prey e The two things that set all the Romaines vpon admirable action So then if the Father could kill his owne sonnes for mortall freedome and thirst of praise both transitory affects what a great matter is it if wee doe not kill our sonnes but count the poore of Christ our sonnes and for that eternall liberty which freeth vs from sinne death and hell not for humaine cupidity but for Christian charity to free men not from Tarquin but from the deuills and their King And if Torquatus another Romaine slew his owne sonne not for fighting against his country but for going onely against his command beeing generall he beeing a valorous youth and prouoked by his enemy yea and yet getting the victory because there was more hurt in his contempt of authority then good in his conquest why should they boast who for the lawes of that neuer-ending country doe forsake onely those things which are neuer so deare as children namely earthly goods and possessions If Furius Camillus after his banishment by his â—…ngratefull country which he had saued from beeing oppressed by the valourous Veians yet would daigne to come to free it the second time because hee had no better place to shew his glory in why is hee extolled as hauing done great matters who hauing perhaps suffered some great disgrace and iniury in the church by his carnall enemies hath not departed to the churches enemies the Hereâ—…es or inuented some heresie against it him selfe but rather hath guarded it 〈◊〉 farre as in him lay from all the pernitious inuasions of heresie because their is no a other place to liue in vnto eternall life though there bee others â—…gh to attaine humaine glory in If Scaeuola when he saw he had failed to kiâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sore foe to Rome and killed another for him to make a peace with him â—…t his hand into the fire that burned on the Altar saying that Rome had a multitude such as he that had conspired his destruction and by this speech so terrified him that hee made a present peace with them and got him packing why shall any man talke of his merits in respect of the Kingdome of Heauen if he loose not his hand but his whole body in the fire for it not by his owne choise but by the powre of the persecutor If Curtius to satisfie the Oracle that commanded Rome to cast the best Iewell it had into a great gulfe and the Romaines being resolued that valour and men of armes were their best Iewells tooke his horse and armour and willingly leaped into that gaping gulfe why shall a man say hee hath done much for heauen that shall not cast himselfe to death but endure death at the hands of some enemy of his faith seeing that GOD his Lord and the King of his country hath giuen him this rule as a certaine Oracle Feare not them that kill the bodie but are not able to kill the soule If the two Decii consecrated themselues to their countries good sacrificed their bloud as with praiers vnto the angry gods for the deliuerance of the Romaine armie let not the holy Martires bee proude of doing any thing for the pertaking of their eternall possessions where felicity hath neither errour nor ende if they doe contend in charitable faith and faithfull charity euen vnto the shedding of their bloud both for their brethren for whom and also for their enemies by whome
it is shedde k If Marcus Puluillus in his dedication of the Temple to Ioue Iuno and Min◅ false newes beeing brought c by those that enuied his honour of his sonnes death that so hee might leaue all the dedication to his fellowe and goe perturbed away did neuerthelesse so contemne the newes that d hee bad them cast him forth vnburned his desire of glory vtterlie conquering his griefe of beeing childlesse why should that man say hee hath done much for the preaching of the gospell which freeth and gathereth Gods citizens out of so many errours to whome beeing carefull of his Fathers funerall the LORD sayd Follow mee and let the dead bury their dead If M. Regulus not to deale falsely with his most cruell enemies returned backe to them from Rome it selfe because as hee answered the Romaines that would haue staid him hee could not liue in the dignitie of an honest cittizen in Rome since hee had beene a slaue in Africke and that the Carthaginians put him to an horrible death for speaking against them in Romes Senate What torments are not bee scorned for the faith of the country vnto whose eternall happinesse faith it selfe conducteth vs Or what reward had GOD for all his benefits if for the faith which euery one owes to him hee should suffer as much torment as Regulus suffered for the faith which he ought to his bloudiest foes Or how dare any Christian boast of voluntary pouerty the f meanes to make his trauell vnto his country where GOD the true riches dwelleth more light and easie when he shall heare or read of g L. Valerius who dying consull was so poore that his buriall was paid for out of the common purse or of Q. h Cincinatus who hauing but 4. acres of land and tilling it himselfe with his owne hands was fetched from the plough to bee Dictator an office i more honorable then the Consulls and hauing k conquered his foes and gotten great honor returned to his old state of pouerty Or why should any man thinke it a great matter not to bee seduced from the fellowship of celestial powers by this worlds vanities when as hee reades how l Fabricius could not bee drawne from the Romaines by all Pyrrhus the King of Epirus his promises though extended euen to the 4. part of his Kingdome but would liue there still in his accustomed pouerty for whereas they had a ritch and powrefull weale-publike and yet were so poore themselues that m one that had been twise Cons◅ was put out of that Senate of n poore men by the Censors decree because hee was found to bee worth ten pound in siluer if those men that inritched the treasury by their triumphs were so poore themselues then much more ought the christians whose ritches are for a better intent all in common as the Apostles acts record to be distributed to euery man according to his neede neither any of them said that any thing he possessed was his owne but all was in common much more I say ought they to know that this is no iust thing to boast vpon seeing that they doe but that for gayning the society of the Angells which the other did or neere did for their preseruing of the glory of the Romaines These now and other such like in their bookes how should they haue beene so knowne and so famous had not Romes Empire had this great and magnificent exaltation and dilatation Wherefore that Empire so spacious and so contin◅ant renowned by the vertues of those illustrious men was giuen both to stand as a rewarde for their merrites and to produce examples for our vses That if wee obserue not the lawes of those vertues for attaining the celestiall Kingdome which they did for preseruing one but terrestriall wee might bee ashamed but if wee doe then that wee bee not exalted for as the Apostle saith The afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory which shal be shewed vnto vs. But their liues seemed worthy of that present temporall glory And therfore the Iewes that executed Christ the New testament reuealing what the old cōceiled that God was not be worshipped for the earthly benefites which he bestowes vpon bad as well as good but for life eternall and the perpetuall blessing of that supernall citty were iustly giuen to be the slaues and instruments of their glory that those that sought earthly glory by any vertue soeuer might ouercome and subdue those that refused and murdered the giuer of true glory and eternall felicity L. VIVES NO other a place Some texts want the second negatiue but erroneously I◅ must bee read as wee haue placed it a M. Puluillus Liu. lib. 2. Ualer lib. 5. Plut. in Poplicol Dionys and others This temple to Ioue Iuno and Minerua Tarquin Priscus vowed Tarquin the proud built and the dedication falling to the Consulls Puluillus had it and was informed as Augustine saith that his sonne c. c by those that by M. Ualerius brother to P. Valerius Consul who greeued that that magnifi◅nt temple should not be dedicated by one of his family and so brought that news of Puluillus his sonnes death that the greefe of his family might make him giue ouer the dedication d Hee bad them cast him Plutarch Liuy sayth hee bad them bury him then e Let the dead Liuing to the world but dead i◅ deed since dead to God let them bury such as they thinke are dead f the meanes In ones life as in ones trauell the lesse Burthen he hath about or vpon him the lighter he goeth on his iourny g L. Ualerius Liu Plutarch and Ualerius write that this Ualerius Poplicola was so poore that they were faine to bury him at the charge of the citty So doth Eutropius and others It is said each one gaue somewhat to his buriall Plut farthings a peece saith Apuleius Apolog. de Magia Augustine doth but touch at the story respecting neither his surname not the yeare of his death for he was called Publius not Lucius and died a yeare after his 4. consulship Uerginius and Cassius being Conss the sixt yeare after the expulsion of the Kings Liu. D◅ h Q. Cincinatus Liu. lib. 3. Ualer lib. 4. i More honorable The dictatorshippe was a regall office from it was no apeale to it were consulls and all obedient it continued by the law but sixe monethes and was in vse onely in dangerous times the election was made alwaies in Italy and in the night Hee was called the maister of the People and had the Maister of the horsemen ioyned with him This office had originall in the CCLII yeare of the Citty after Caesars death by the law of Antony the consul and for enuy of Caesar perpetuall dictatoriship was abolished for euer k conquered The Aequi and triumped ouer thē l Fabritius One not rich but a scorner of ritches Being sent Embassador to Pyrrhus King of Epirus abut the rans◅ming of the prisoners he
needie Such may haue store of money but there in they shall neuer lack store of wante And God we say well is ritch not in money but in omnipotencie So likewise monied men are called ritch but be they greedy they are euer needy and monylesse men are called poore but be they contented they are euer wealthy What stuffe then shall a man haue of that diuinity whose scope and chiefe God c no wise man in the world would make choice of How much likelier were it if their religion in any point concerned eternall life to call their chiefe vniuersall God d Wisdome the loue of which cleanseth one from the staines of auarice that is the loue of money L. VIVES ALL a mortall All mens possessions haue reference to money so that it is said that Peculium gaine commeth of Pecudes sheepe Columell Seru. Festus because these were all the wealth of antiquitie for they were almost all sheepheards and from them this word came first and afterward signified cittie-wealth also Uar de ling. lat lib. 4. b Wise iust a Stoicall Paradoxe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely the wise are ritche Tully prooues it strongly and many Philosophers haue confirmed it all whose mindes were against money c No wise man Auarice saith Salust is the loue of Money which no wise man euer affected it is a poyson that infecteth all the manlinesse of the minde and maketh it effeminate being euer infinite and insatiable neither contented with want meane nor excesse d Wisdome as well call our God That the interpretations of Saturne and Genius prooue them both to bee Iupiter CHAP. 13. BVt what should we do saying more of Iupiter to whom al the other gods haue such relation that the opinion of many gods will by and by prooue a bable and Ioue stand for them all whether they bee taken as his parts and powers or that the soule that they hold is diffused through all the world gotte it selfe so many diuerse names by the manifold operations which it effected in the parts of this huge masse whereof the visible vniuerse hath the fabrike and composition for what is this same Saturne A chiefe God saith he and one that is Lord of all seedes and sowing What but doth not the exposition of Soranus his verses say that Ioue is the world and both creator and conceiuer of all seedes He therefore must needs rule the sowing of them And what is a Genius God of generation saith he Why tell me hath any one that power but the world to whom it was said High Ioue full parent generall of all Besides hee saith in another place that the Genius b is the reasonable soule peculiar in each peculiar man And that the soule of the world is a God of the same nature drawing it to this that that soule is the vniuersall Genius to all those particulars Why then it is the same that they call Ioue c For if each Genius bee a god and each soule reasonable a Genius then is each soule reasonable a god by all consequence which such absurdity vrgeth them to deny it resteth that they make the worlds singular soule their selected Genius and consequently make their Genius directly Ioue L. VIVES WHAT a is Genius The Lord of all generation Fest. Pompey The sonne of the gods and the father of men begetting them and so it is called my genius For it begot me Aufustius The learned haue had much a doe about this Genius and finde it manifoldly vsed Natures Genius is the god that produced her the Heauens haue many Genii read them in Capella his Nuptiae Melicerta is the seas Genius Parthen the foure elements fire ayre water and earth are the genii of all things corporall The Greekes call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 geniall gods Such like hath Macrobius of natures Penates Iupiter and Iuno are the ayre lowest and meane Minerua the highest or the aethereall sky to which three Tarquinius Priscus erected one Temple vnder one roofe Some call the moone and the 12. signes Genii and chiefe Genii too for they wil haue no place without a predominant Genius Euery man also hath his Genius either that guardeth him in his life or that lookes to his generation or that hath originall with him both at one time Censorin Genius and Lar some say are all one C. Flaccus de Indigitaments The Lars saith Ouid were twinnes to Mercury and Nymph Lara or Larunda Wherefore many Philosophers and Euclide for one giues each man two Lars a good and a bad such was that which came to Brutus in the night as he was thinking of his warres hee had in hand Plutarch Flor. Appian b Genius is Of this more at large in the booke following c For if each A true Syllogisme in the first forme of the first moode vsually called Barbara Of the functions of Mars and Mercury CHAP. 14. BVt in all the worlds parts they could finde neuer a corner for Mars and Mercury to practise in the elements and therefore they gaue them power in mens actions this of eloquence the other of warre Now for Mercury a if he haue power of the gods language also then is he their King if Iupiter borrow all his phrase from him but this were absurd But his power stretcheth but vnto mans onely it is vnlikely that Ioue would take such a base charge in hand as suckling of not onely children but cattell also calues or foales as thence he hath his name Romulus and leaue the rule of our speech so glorious a thing and that wherein we excell the beasts vnto the sway of another his inferiour I but how if Mercury be b the speech onely it selfe for so they interprete him and therefore he is called Mercurius c quasi Medius currens the meane currant because to speak is the only currant meane for one man to expresse his minde to another by and his greeke name d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing but interpreter speech or interpretation which is called in greeke also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thence is hee e Lord of merchants because buying and selling is all by wordes and discourses Herevpon they f wing his head and his feete to signifie the swift passage of speech and call him g the messenger because all messages and thoughts whatsoeuer are transported from man to man by the speech Why very well If Mercury then be but the speech I hope hee is no god then by their owne confessions But they make gods of no gods and offring to vncleane spirits in stead of beeing inspired with gods are possessed with deuills And because the world and elements had no roome for Mars to worke in nature they made him god of war which is a worke of man not to be desired after But if Mars be warre as Mercury is speech I would it were as sure that there were no warre to bee falsly called god as it is plaine that Mars is no god L.
Diuinity did not terrifie vs but take hold of our acceptance of this inuitation and so translate vs into ioy perpetuall But hee could neither haue bin inuited nor allured to this but onely by one like our selues nor yet could wee bee made happy but onely by God the fountaine of happynesse So then there is but one way Christs humanity by which all accesse lyeth to his Deity that is life eternall and beatitude Whether it be probable that the Platonists say That the gods auoyding earthly contagion haue no commerce with men but by the meanes of the ayry spirits CHAP. 16. FOr it is false that this Platonist saith Plato said God hath no commerce with man and maketh this absolute seperation the most perfect note of their glory and height So then the Diuels are left to deale and to bee infected by mans conuersation and therefore cannot mundifie those that infect them so that both become vnclean the diuels by conuersing with men and then men by adoration of the diuels Or if the diuels can conuerse with men and not bee infected then are they better then the gods for they cannot auoid this inconuenience for that he makes the gods peculiar to bee farre aboue the reach of mans corruption But a God the Creator whome we call the true God he maketh such an one out of Plato as words cannot describe at any hand nay and that the wisest men in their greatest height of abstractiue speculation can haue but now and then a sodaine and b momentary glimpse of the c vnderstanding of this God Well then if this high God d afford his ineffable presence vnto wise men sometimes in their abstractiâ—…e speculation though after a sodaine fashion and yet is not contaminate thereby why then are the gods placed so farre off sor feare of this contamination As though the sight of those ethaereal bodies that light the earth were not sufficient And if our sight of the starres whome hee maketh visible gods doe not â—…minate them then no more doth it the spirits though seene nearer hand Orâ—… mans speech more infectious then his sight and therefore the goddes to keepe them-selues pure receiue all their requests at the deliuery of the diuells What shall I say of the other senâ—…s Their smelling would not infect them if they were below or when they are below as diuells the smel of a quicke man is not infectâ—…s at all if the steame of so many dead carcasses in sacrifices infect not Their taste is not soÌ„ crauing of them as they should bee driuen to come and aske their meate of men and for their touch it is in their owne choyce For though e handling bee peculiar to that sence indeed yet may they handle their businesse with men to see them and heare them without any necessity of touching for men would dare to desire no further then to see and heare them and if they should what man can touch a God or a Spirit against their wils when we see one cannot touch a sparrow vnlesse he haue first taken her So then in sight hearing speech the goddes might haue corporeal commerce with man Now if the diuels haue thus much without infection and the gods cannot why then the goddes are subiect to contamination and not the diuels But if they bee infected also then what good can they doe a man vnto eternity whome beeing them-selues infected they cannot make cleane nor fit to bee adioyned with the gods between whom and men they are mediators And if they cannot doe this what vse hath man of their mediation Vnlesse that after death they liue both together corrupted and neuer come nearer the goddes nor inioy any beatitude either of them Vnlesse some will make the spirits like to spunges fetching all the filth from others and retayning iâ—… in them-selues which if it bee so the gods conuerse with spirits that are more vncleane then the man whose conuersation they auoyd for vncleanenesse sake Or can the gods mundifie the diuels from their infection vn-infected and cannot do so with men VVho beleeues this that beleeueth not the diuels illusions Againe if the lookes of man infect then those visible gods the f worlds bright eyes and the other stars are lyable to this infection and the diuels that are not seene but when they list in better state then they But if the sight of man not his infect then let them deny that they do see man we seeing their beames stretcht to the very earth Their beames looke vn-infected through all infection and them-selues cannot conuerse purely with men onely though man stand in neuer so much necessity of their helpe wee see the Sunnes and Moones beames to reflect vppon the earth without contamination of the light But I wonder that so many learned men preferring things intelligible euer-more before sensible would mention any corporall matter in the doctrine of beatitude VVhere is that saying of g Plotine Lette vs flie to our bright country there is the father and there is all VVhat flight is that h to become like to GOD. If then the liker a man is to GOD the nearer hee is also why then the more vnlike the farther off And mans soule the more it lookes after thinges mutable and temporall the more vnlike is it to that essence that is immutable and eternall L. VIVES GOD a the Creator Apul. de dâ—…o Sâ—…crat Dog Platon GOD is celestiall ineffable and vn-name-able whose nature is hard to finde ' and harder to declare words The of Plato are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To finde God is hard but to comprehend him impossible Thus farre Apuleius Plato in his Timaeus that to finde out the father of this vniuerse is a hard matter but to expresse his full nature to another vtterly impossible And in his Parmenides disputing of that One Hee saith it can neyther bee named defined 〈◊〉 comprehended seene nor imagined b Momentary Signifieth that the dimme light sodainly with-draweth it selfe leauing a slender species or light impression thereof only in the mindes of such as haue seene it yet such an one as giueth ample testimony of the â—…ensity and lustre thereof c Vnderstanding In the world there are some markes whereby the 〈◊〉 Maker may be knowne but that a farre off as a light in the most thicke and spatious dâ—…ke and not by all but only by the sharpest wits that giue them-selues wholly to speculation thereof d Afford his Nor doth the knowledge of God leaue the wise minde but is euer present when it is purely sought and holyly e Handling Contrectation of Tracto to handle f Worldet bright Apulei de deo Socrat. For as their maiesty required he dedicated heauen to the immortall goddes whome partly wee see and call them celestiall as you the worlds bright eye that guides the times Vos O Clarissima mundi Lumina saith Virgill of the Sunne and Moone Georg. 1. g Plotine Plato saith hee Coleyne copy h To become The
the strangest for man is a a greater miracle then all that hee can worke Wherefore God that made heauen and earth both miracles scorneth not as yet to worke miracles in heauen and earth to draw mens soules that yet affect visibilities vnto the worship of his inuisible essence But where and when he will doe this his vnchangeable will onely can declare b at whose disposing all time past hath beene and to come is He mooueth all things in time but time adoreth not him nor mooueth hee future effects otherwise then present Nor heareth our praiers otherwise then he fore-seeth them ere we pray for when his Angells here them he heareth in them as in his true temples not made with hands so doth he hold al things effected temporally in his Saints by his eternall disposition L. VIVES MAn is a a greater The saying is most common in Trismegistus Man is a great miracle b At whose disposing Paul saith all things lie open and bare vnto Gods knowledge for all time is neither past nor to come but present to him So doth hee determine and dispose of all things as present nor doth yesterday or this day passe or come with him as it doth with vs. His power and essence admitreth no such conditions nor restraintes All eternity is present to him much more our little percell of time yet he that made our soules adapted them times fit for their apprehensions and though hee see how wee see and know yet hee neither seeth nor knoweth like vs. Shall wee run on in a Philosophicall discourse hereof wanting rather wordes then matter or is it bettâ—…r to burst out with Paul into admiration and cry out O the altitude of the ritches wisdome and knowledge of God! How the inuisible God hath often made himselfe visible not as he is really but as we could be able to comprehend his sight CHAP. 13. NOr hurteth it his inuisibility to haue appeared a visible oftentimes vnto the fathers For as the impression of a sound of a sentence in the intellect is not the same that the sound was so the shape wherein they conceiued Gods inuisible nature was not the same that he is yet was he seene in that shape as the sentâ—…e was conceiued in that sound for they knew that no bodily forme could b containe God He talked with Moyses yet Moyses intreated him a If I haue found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy fight shew meÌ„e thy face that I may d know thee And seeing it behouâ—… the law of God to bee giuen from the mouthes of Angells with terror not to a 〈◊〉 of the wisest but to a whole nation great things were done in the mount 〈◊〉 â—…he sayd people the lawe beeing giuen by one and all the rest beholding the â—…ble and strange things that were done For the Israelites had not that confidence in Moyses that the Lacedemonians had in d Lycurgus to beleeue that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his lawes from Ioue or Apollo For when that lawe was giuen the people that enioynes the worshippe of one God in the view of the same people were strange prooâ—… shewne as many as Gods prouidence thought fit to proue that that was the Creator whom they his creatures ought to serue in thâ—… 〈◊〉 L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a visible Iohn in his Gospell saith that no man hath euer seene God and Paul conâ—… it yet Iacob saith Hee saw the Lord face to face And Exod. 33. it is said Moyses 〈◊〉 God face to face as one friend with another which many places of Scripture teâ—… 〈◊〉 is so sure that man cannot behold Gods inuisible nature that some haue said that 〈◊〉 Angels nor Archangels doe see him Chrysost. and Gregor The fathers therefore 〈◊〉 such Maiestie of forme as they thought was diuine for that the Angels spoake 〈◊〉 â—…ers and gaue them the lawe Paul affirmeth to the Hebrewes in these words If 〈◊〉 â—…ken by Angels was stedfast c. The same saith Steuen Actes 7. Now this was no 〈◊〉 for none hee hath saith Chrysostome that Christ saith the Iewes neuer sawe 〈◊〉 was that visible shape that the Angels by Gods appointment take vpon them so 〈◊〉 â—…ing ordinary shapes that it seemes diuine and is a degree to the view of the 〈◊〉 saith he Christ saith they had not seene though they thought they had Exo. 19. 〈◊〉 A diuerse reading in the Latine c If I haue It is plaine saith Gregorie that 〈◊〉 life man may see some images of God but neuer him-selfe in his proper nature as 〈◊〉 â—…pired with the spirit seemeth some figures of God but can neuer reach the view of 〈◊〉 Hence it is that Iacob seeing but an Angell thought hee had seene God And 〈◊〉 for all he was said to speake with him face to face yet said Shew mee thy face that I 〈◊〉 whence it is apparant that hee desired to behold that cleare vncircumscribed 〈◊〉 â—…ch he had but yet beheld in shadowes and figures Moralan Iob. lib. 17. But the Anâ—… 〈◊〉 deputy answered Moyses thus Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lâ—…e But a little after Thou shalt see my back parts but my face thou shalt not see 〈◊〉 of the deity left in his creatures we may see and so aspire towards his inuisibility 〈◊〉 knowledge thereof as God giues more grace But his true essence is more amâ—… weake sence and intellect can comprehend or then can be so farre debased But 〈◊〉 â—…th God it is not so nor doe I thinke it impious or absurd to hold that God spake 〈◊〉 â—…he Fathers and after Christ to many of the Saints God euen that God of heaâ—… 〈◊〉 it is not against his Maiestie but congruent to his infinite goodnesse His face 〈◊〉 as Augustine declares d Know thee Or see thee knowingly e Lycurgus 〈◊〉 King of Sparta and Dionassa brother to king Polibites or Plutarch Poliâ—… 〈◊〉 whose death he reigned vntill his brothers wife prooued with child for then hee 〈◊〉 â—…o the childe vnborne if it were a sonne and proouing so hee was protector He gaue 〈◊〉 â—…nians sharpe lawes and therefore feyned to haue them from Apollo of Delphos 〈◊〉 Ioue because hee went into Crete to auoide the maleuolence of some of his 〈◊〉 and there they say learned hee his lawes of Ioue that was borne there Iustine 〈◊〉 in Creete But the Historiographers doe neither agree of his birth lawes nor 〈◊〉 Plutarch nor of his time nor whether there were diuerse so called Timaeus 〈◊〉 and both Lacedemonians but saith that both their deedes were referred to the 〈◊〉 â—…e elder liued in Homers time or not long after Of Lycurgus lawes I omitte to 〈◊〉 seeing they are so rife in Plutarch and Zenophon common authors both 〈◊〉 but one God is to be worshipped for all things temporall and eternall all being in the power of his prouidence CHAP. 14. 〈◊〉 true religion of all mankinde referred to the people of God as well 〈◊〉 hath had increase and receiued
CHAP. 25. By the fayth of this mistery might the ancient Saints of God also bee iustified together with godly life not only before the law was giuen the hebrewes for they wanted not Gods instructions nor the Angels but also in the very 〈◊〉 of the law though they seemed to haue carnall promises in the types of spyrâ—…al thinges it being therefore called the old Testament For there were Propâ—…s then that taught the promise as wel as the Angels and one of them was he â—…se sacred opinion of mans good I related before It is good for me to adhere vnâ—… In which Psalme the two Testaments are distinguished For first hee â—…ng those earthly promises abound so to the vngodly saith his b feete slippâ—… and that he was almost downe as if hee had serued God in vayne seeing that â—…ty that hee hoped of God was bestowed vppon the impious and that hee laboured sore to know the reason of this and was much troubled vntill hee entred into the sanctuary of God and there beheld their endes whome hee in errour thought happy But then c as hee saith hee saw them east downe in their exâ—…on and destroyed for their iniquity and that all their pompe of temporall 〈◊〉 was become as a dreame leauing a man when hee is awake frustrate of â—…ed ioyes hee dreamed off And because they shewed great here vpon 〈◊〉 saith hee In thy Citty thou shalt make their Image bee held as nothing 〈◊〉 good it was for him to seek those temporalties at none but Gods hands â—…weth â—…aying I was as a beast before thee yet was I alwaies with thee as a beast â—…erstanding For I should haue desired such goodes as the wicked could not 〈◊〉 with mee but seeing them abound with goods I thought I had serued thee 〈◊〉 end when as they that hated thee inioyed such felicity Yet was I alwaies with 〈◊〉 fought no other goddes to begge these thinges vppon And then it followâ—… Thou hast holden me by my right hand thou hast guided me by thy will and hast asâ—… into glory As if all that which he saw the wicked inioy were belonging 〈◊〉 left hand though seeing it he had almost falne What haue I in heauen but 〈◊〉 sayth he And would I haue vpon earth but thee Then hee doth checke himâ—… iustly for hauing so great a good in Heauen as afterwards hee vnderstood 〈◊〉 yet begging so transitory frayle and earthen a thing of God here below d 〈◊〉 heart faileth and my flesh but God is the God of mine heart A good fayling to 〈◊〉 the lower and elect the loftyer So that in another Psalme he sayth My soule â—…geth and fainteth for the Courtes of the Lord. And in another My heart fainteth 〈◊〉 thy sauing health But hauing sayd both heart and flesh fainteth hee reioyned not The God of mine heart and flesh but the God of my heart for it is by the heart that 〈◊〉 â—…sh is cleansed as the Lord sayth Cleanse that which is within and then that 〈◊〉 is without shall be cleane Then he calleth God his portion not any thing of 〈◊〉 but him-selfe God is the God of my heart and my portion for euer Because 〈◊〉 mens manifold choyces he chose him only For e behold saith he they 〈◊〉 â—…thdraw them-selues from them shall perish f thou destroyest al them that go 〈◊〉 from thee that is that make them-selues prostitute vnto many gods and then â—…owes that which is the cause I haue spoken al this of the Psalme As for me it is good for mee to adhere vnto GOD not to withdraw my selfe nor to goe a whoring And then is our adherence to God perfect when all is freed that should bee freed But as wee are now the hold is I put my trust in the Lord God for hope that is seene is no hope how can a man hope for that which he seeth savth the Apostle But when we see not our hope then we expect with patience wherein lette vs do that which followeth each one according to his talent becomming an Angell a messenger of God to declare his will and praise his gratious glory That I may declare all thy workes saith hee in the gates of the daughter of Sion This is that gloryous Citty of God knowing and honouring him alone This the Angells declared inuiting vs to inhabite it and become their fellow Cittizens in it They like not that wee should worship them as our elected Gods but with them him that is God to vs both Nor to sacrifice to them but with them be a sacrifice to him Doubtlesse then if malice giue men leaue to see the doubt cleared al the blessed immortalls that enuy vs not and if they did they were not blessed but rather loue vs to haue vs partners in their happinesse are farre more fauourable and beneficiall to vs when wee ioyne with them in sacrificing our selues to the adoration of the Father the Sonne and the holy Spirit L. VIVES WHich a Psal. 73. diuinely soluing of this question of the Phylosophers Why one God ruling all haue the good so often hurt and the bad so much good Or Epicurus his Dilemma If there be a God whence is euill If none whence is good Augustine recites some verses and we wil breefely interpose here and there a word b Feete slipped or moued by the vnworthy euent to take another way it seeming to him to haue done so little good in this c Them All things saith the wise man are secret vntil the end but then the good life helps and the bad hurts the one rewarded and the other plagued for then all appeareth in truth d My heart A sanctified man in all his troubles and faintings of strength and counsell still keepes heart-hold of God making him his portion for euer loose he all thinges God he will neuer loose Augustine me thinks applyeth this to the defect of spirit through the vehement desire of celestiall comfortes For the soule will languish into much loue and lose all the selfe in entyre speculation of that it affecteth Or he may meane that although all bodily meanes of strength or state do faile a good man yet his minde will stil sticke firmely vnto God and entertaine a contempt of all worldly wealth and all guifts of wit or fortune in respect of this God this onely ritches and heritage e Behold Therefore is it good to adhere to him from whom who-soeuer departeth perisheth f Thou destroyest Wee ought to keepe our soule chaste as the spouse of God which if it go a whoring after the desires and lusts of the world neglecting God hee casteth it off as a man doth his dishonest wife and diuorceth it from him And this is the death of the soule to leaue the true life thereof Of Porphyry his wauering betweene confessing of the true God and adoration of the diuels CHAP. 26. Me thinkes Porphrry I know not how is ashamed of his Thevrgicall acquaintance Hee had some knowledge of good
victories For any part of it that warreth against another desires to bee the worlds conqueror whereas indeed it is vices slaue And if it conquer it extolls it selfe and so becomes the owne destruction but if wee consider the condition of worldly affaires and greeue at mans opennesse to aduersity rather then delight in the euents of prosperitie thus is the victory deadly for it cannot keepe a soueraigntie for euer where it got a victory for once Nor can wee call the obiects of this citties desires good it being in the owne humaine nature farre surmounting them It desires an earthly peace for most base respects and seeketh it by warre where if it subdue all resistance it attaineth peace which notwithstanding the aduerse part that fought so vnfortunately for those respects do want This peace they seeke by laborious warre and obteine they thinke by a glorious victory And when they conquer that had the right cause who will not gratulate their victory and be glad of their peace Doubtlesse those are good and Gods good guifts But if the things appertaining to that celestiall and supernall cittie where the victory shall be euerlasting be neglected for those goods and those goods desired as the onely goods or loued as if they were better then the other misery must needs follow and increase that which is inherent before Of that murderer of his brother that was the first founder of the earthly citie whose act the builder of Rome paralleld in murdering his brother also CHAP. 5. THerefore this earthly Citties foundation was laide by a murderer of his owne brother whom he slew through enuie being a pilgrim vpon earth of the heauenly cittie Wherevpon it is no wonder if the founder of that Cittie which was to become the worlds chiefe and the Queene of the nation followed this his first example or a archetype in the same fashion One of their Poets records the fact in these words b Fraterno primi madâ—…erunt sanguine muri The first walles steamed with a brothers bloud Such was Romes foundation and such was Romulus his murder of his brother 〈◊〉 as their histories relate onely this difference there is these bretheren were both cittizens of the earthly cittie and propagators of the glory of Rome for whose institution they contended But they both could not haue that glory that if they had beene but one they might haue had For he that glories in dominion must needs see his glory diminished when hee hath a fellow to share with him Therefore the one to haue all killed his fellow and by villanie grew vnto bad greatnesse whereas innocencie would haue installed him in honest meannesse But those two brethren Caine and Abel stood not both alike affected to earthly matters nor did this procure enuie in them that if they both should reigne hee that could kill the other should arise to a greater pitch of glory for Abel sought no dominion in that citty which his brother built but that diuell enuy did all the â—…chiefe which the bad beare vnto the good onely because they are good for the possession of goodnesse is not lessned by being shared nay it is increased 〈◊〉 it hath many possessing it in one linke and league of charity Nor shall hee 〈◊〉 haue it that will not haue it common and he that loues a fellow in it shall hâ—… it the more aboundant The strife therfore of Romulus Remus sheweth the â—…on of the earthly city in it selfe and that of Caine Abel shew the opposition 〈◊〉 â—…he city of men the city of God The wicked opose the good But the good 〈◊〉 â—…e perfect cannot contend amongst them-selues but whilst they are vnperâ—…â—…ey may contend one against another in that manner that each contends aâ—… him-selfe for in euery man the flesh is against the spirit the spirit against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So then the spirituall desire in one may fight against the carnall in anoâ—… or contrary wise the carnall against the spirituall as the euill do against the gâ—… or the two carnal desires of two good men that are inperfect may contend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bad do against the bad vntil their diseases be cured themselues brought to â—…lasting health of victory L. VIVES Aâ—…type a It is the first pattent or copy of any worke the booke written by the authors â—…e hand is called the Archetype Iuuenall Et iubet archetypos iterum seruare Cleanthas And bids him keepe Cleanthes archetypes b 〈◊〉 Lucan lib. 8. The historie is knowne c His brother built Did Caine build a citty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meanes hee the earthly citty which vice and seperation from God built the latter I 〈◊〉 d The wicked This is that I say vice neither agrees with vertue nor it selfe for amity 〈◊〉 â—…ongst the good the bad can neither bee friends with the good nor with themselues Of the langours of Gods Cittizens endure in earth as the punishments of sinne during their pilgrimage and of the grace of God curing them CHAP. 6. BVt the langour or disobedience spoken of in the last booke is the first puâ—…ment of disobedience and therefore it is no nature but a corruption for 〈◊〉 it is said vnto those earthly prilgrimes and God proficients Beare a yee 〈◊〉 â—…hers burdens and so yee shall fulfill the Law of Christ and againe admonish the 〈◊〉 â—…fort the feble be patient towards all ouer-come euill with goodnesse see that 〈◊〉 hurt for hurt and againe If a man be fallen by occasion into any sinne you that 〈◊〉 â—…all restore such an one with the spirit of meekenesse considering thy selfe least 〈◊〉 be tempted and besides let not the sunne go downe vpon your wrath and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gospell If thy brother trespasse against thee take him and tell him his falt beâ—… 〈◊〉 and him alone 〈◊〉 â—…cerning the scandalous offenders the Apostle saith Them that sin rebuke 〈◊〉 the rest may feare and in this respect many things are taught concerning â—…g And a great charge is laid vpon vs to keep that peace there where that 〈◊〉 of the c seruants being commanded to pay the ten thousand talents hee ought because hee forcibly exacted his fellowes debt of an hundred pence Vnto which simily the Lord Iesus addeth this cloze So shall mine heauenly father doe vnto you except you forgiue each one his brothers trespasses from your hearts Thus are Gods cittizens vpon earth cured of their diseases whilest they are longing for the celestiall habitation But the Holy spirit worketh within to make the salue worke that is outwardly applied otherwise though God should speake to mankinde out of any creature either sensibly or in dreames and not dispose of our hearts with his inward grace the preaching of the truth would not further mans conuersion a whitte But this doth God in his secret and iust prouidence diuiding the vessells of wrath and mercy And it is his admirable and secret worke that sinne e being in vs rather the punishment of sinne as the Apostle
disturbance of the Saints quiet But this is vsefull to the good proficients in the church as the Apostle saith There must bee Heresies amongst you that they which are approoued might bee knowne Wherevpon also it is written The learned sonne wil bee wise and vse the fooles as his minister For there are many things perteyning to the Catholike faith which the Heretiques turbulently tossing and turning cause them that are to defend them against them both to obserue them the more fully vnderstand them the more clearely and avow them the more confidently Thus the enemies question addeth the perfection of vnderstanding Although not onely the professed Infidels but euen the cloaked Heretikes also â—…ke vnder the name of christians and yet liue wickedly may bee iustly comprised in Noahs middle sonne for in worde they declare and in deede they dishonour the passion of CHRIST prefigured in Noahs nakednesse Of these it is saide Yee shall know them by their fruites and therefore was Cham cursed in his sonne as in his fruite that is his worke where-vpon Chanaan is fitly interpreted their motion and what is that â—…ut their worke But Shem and Iaphet prefiguring circumcision and vncercumcision or as the Apostle saith the Iewes and the Greekes those I meane that are called and iustified hearing of their fathers â—…ednesse the Redeemers typicall passion tooke a garment and putting it vpoâ—…â—…heir shoulders went back-ward and so couered their fathers nakednesse 〈◊〉 â—…ing what they couered In like manner wee in Christs Passion doe reueâ—… that which was done for vs yet abhorre wee the Iewes villany herein The â—…nt is the sacrament their backs the remembrance of things past because 〈◊〉 â—…ch now celebrateth the passion of CHRIST Iaphet dwelling in the tents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Cham betweene them both it looketh now no more for a passion to 〈◊〉 but the euill brother is b seruant to his good brethren in his sonne that is his worke because the good can make vse of the euill to their increase of wisdome for there be some saith the Apostle that preach not Christ purely but howsoeuer Christ be preached sincerely or colourably I do ioy and wil ioy therein For he had planted the vin-yard whereof the Prophet saith The vine-yeard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israell c. and he drinketh of the wine thereof whether it be of that cup whereof it is said Are yee able to drinke of the cup that I shal drinke of And O my Father if it bee possible let this cuppe passe from me wherein doubtlesse hee meant his passion Or whether it were signified seeing that wine is the fruite of the viâ—…-yeard that hee tooke our flesh and bloud out of the vine-yard that is tâ—…e house of Israel and was drunke and vncouered that is suffered the paâ—… For there was his nakednesse discouered that is his infirmitie whereof the Apostle saith Hee was crucified concerning his infirmitie whereof also hee saith else-where The weakenesse of GOD is stronger then men â—…d the foolishnesse of GOD is wiser then men But the Scripture hauing sayd Hee was vncouered and adding in the middest of his owne house makes 〈◊〉 an excellent demonstration that hee was to suffer death by the hands of his owne country men fellowes and kinsmen in the flesh This passion of CHRIST the reprobate preach verballie onely for they know not what â—…ey â—…each But the elect lay vppe this great mistery within and there 〈◊〉 â—…our it in their hearts beeing GODS infirmity and foolishnesse but farre stronger and wiser then man in his best strength and wisdome The type of this is Chams going out and telling of his brethren what he had seene of his father and Sems and Iaphets going in that is disposing themselues inwardly for to couer and reuerence that which hee had seene and told them of Thus as wee can wee search the sence of scripture finding it more congruent to some applications then to others yet doubting not but that euery part of it hath a farther meaning then meerely historicall and that to bee referred to none but CHRIST and his church the Citty of GOD which was preached from mans first creation as wee see the euentes doe confirme So then from these two blessed sonnes of Noah and that cursed one betwixt them downe vnto the daies of Abraham is no mention made of any righteous man which time continued more then one thousand yeares I doe not thinke but there were iust men in this time but that it would haue beene too tedious to haue rehearsed them all and rather to haue concerned the diligence of an history then the substance of a prophecy The writer of these diuine bookes or rather the spirit of GOD in him goeth onely about such things as both declare the things past and prefigure the things to come pertinent onely to the Cittie of GOD for what soeuer is heerein spoaken concerning her opposites it is all to make her glorie the more illustrious by entring comparison with their iniquity or to procure her augmentation by teaching her to obserue their ruine and bee warned thereby Nor are all the historicall relations of these bookes mysticall but such as are not are added for the more illustration of such as are It is the plow-share onely that turneth vppe the earth yet may not the plough lacke the c other instruments The strings onely doe cause the sound in harpes and other such instruments yet must that haue pinnes and the other frets to make vppe the musicke and the d organs haue other deuises lincked to the keyes which the organist toucheth not but onely their keyes to make the sound proportionate and harmonious Euen so in those prophetique stories some things are but bare relations yet are they adherent vnto those that are significant and in a manner linked to them L. VIVES TUrne-coats a suttlety Some reade impatience and for wisdome before pacience and for their hearts their first beginning but this is not so proper b Seruant The Latines vse Pâ—…er either for a child or a seruant and so the-Greekes doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Septuagints for example in this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. an houshold seruant shall hee bee to his bretheren Chrisippus is idle in his distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if the first were a seruing man and the later a staâ—…e or bondman Ammonius is of another minde but this is nothing to our purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an ordinary seruant in the house c Other instruments The culter and coulter wedges the teame the handles or hailes the beame the plough-staffe the mole-boord c. d Organs He meaneth of all the gins in instruments it is too tedious to stand teckning of them here Of the generations of the three sonnes of Noah CHAP. 3. NOw must wee see what wee can finde concerning the generations of these sonnes and lay that downe in the
of Iacobs stock how can their sonnes sonnes or their sonnes be accompted amongst the seauentie fiue that went in this company vnto Egipt for there is Machir reckoned Manasses his sonne and Galaad Machirs sonne and there is Vtalaam Ephraims sonne reckoned Bareth Vtalaams sonne Now these could not be there Iacob finding at his comming that Iosephs children the fathers and grand-fathers of those foure last named were but children of nine yeares old at that time But this departure of Iacob thether with seauentie fiue soules conteineth not one day nor a yeare but all the time that Ioseph liued afterwards by whose meanes they were placed there of whome the Scripture saith Ioseph dwelt in Egipt and his brethren with him a hundred yeares and Ioseph saw Ephraims children euen vnto the third generation that was vntill hee was borne who was Ephraims grand-child vnto him was he great grand-father The scripture then proceedeth Machirs sonnes the sonne of Manasses were brought vp on Iosephs knees This was Galaad Manasses his grand-child but the scripture speaketh in the plurall as it doth of Iacobs one daughter calling her daughters as the a Latines vse to call a mans onely child if hee haue no more liberi children Now Iosephs felicitie being so great as to see the fourth from him in discent wee may not imagine that they were all borne when hee was but thirty nine yeares old at which time his father came into Egipt this is that that deceiued the ignorant because it is written These are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egipt with Iacob their father For this is said because the seauentie fiue are reckoned with him not that they all entred Egipt with him But in this transmigration and setling in Egipt is included all the time of Iosephs life who was the meanes of his placing here L. VIVES THe a Latines Sempronius Asellio called Sempronius Gracchus his onely sonne liberi and it was an vsuall phrase of old Gell. Herenn Digest lib. 50. Iacobs blessing vnto his sonne Iudah CHAP. 41. SO then if wee seeke the fleshly descent of Christ from Abraham first for the good of the Citty of God that is still a pilgrim vpon earth Isaac is the next and from Isaac Iacob or Israel Esau or Edom being reiected from Israel Iudah all the rest being debarred for of his tribe came Christ. And therefore Israel at his death blessing his sonnes in Egipt gaue Iudah this propheticall blessing Iudah a thy bretheren shall praise thee thine hand shall bee on the neck of thine enemies thy fathers sonnes shall adore thee As a Lyons whelpe Iudah shalt thou come vp b from the spoile my sonne Hee shall lye downe and sleepe as a Lyon or a Lyons whelpe who shall rouse him The scepter shall not depart from Iudah nor a law-giuer from betweene his feete vntill Shiloe come and the people bee gathered vnto him Hee shall binde his Asse fole vnto the Vine and his Asses colt c with a rope of hayre he shall wash his stole in wine and his garment in the bloud of the grape his eyes shall be redde with wine and his teeth white with milke These I haue explained against Faustus the Manichee as farre I thinke as the Prophecie requireth Where Christs death is presaged in the worde sleepe as not of necessitie but of his power to dye as the Lion had to lye downe and sleepe which power him-selfe auoweth in the Gospell I haue power to lay downe my life and power to take it againe no man taketh it from mee but I lay it downe of my selfe c. So the Lion raged so fulfilled what was spoken for that same Who shall rouse him belongeth to the resurrection for none could raise him againe but he himselfe that said of his body Destroy this temple and in three dayes I will raise it vp againe Now his manner of death vpon the high crosse is intimated in this shalt thou come vp and these words Hee shall lye downe and â—…pe are euen these Hee bowed downe his head and giue vp the ghost Or it may meane the graue wherein hee slept and from whence none could raise him vp as the Prophets and he him-selfe had raised others but him-selfe raised him-selfe as from a sleepe Now his stole which hee washeth in wine that is cleanseth from sinne in his bloud intimating the sacrament of baptisme as that addition And his garment in the bloud of the grape expresseth what is it but the Church and eyes being redde with wine are his spirituall sonnes that are drunke with her cup as the Psalmist saith My cup runneth ouer and his teeth whiter then the milke are his nourishing wordes where-with hee feedeth his little weaklings as with 〈◊〉 This is he in whome the promises to Iudah were laide vp which vntill they 〈◊〉 there neuer wanted kings of Israell of the stock of Iudah And vnto him â—…ll the people bee gathered this is plainer to the sight to conceiue then the â—…gue to vtter L. VIVES IVda a thy brethren Iudah is praise or confession b From the spoile From captiuity saith the Hebrew all this is meant of Christs leading the people captiue his high and sacred ascention and the taking of captiuitie captiue Hierome c With a rope of hayre With a rope onely say some and his asses colte vnto the best vine saith Hierome from the Hebrew And for this Asses colte saith he may be read the Citty of God whereof we now speake the seuentie read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the vine branch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the twist of the Vine as Theophrastus saith and thence haue the two kindes of luy their names Diosor Plin. so might cilicium come into the Latine text that Augustine vsed if the Greeke were translated Helicium otherwise I cannot tell how Of Iacobs changing of his hands from the heads of Iosephs sonnes when he blessed them CHAP. 42. BVt as Esau and Iacob Isaacs two sonnes prefigured the two peoples of Iewes and Christians although that in the flesh the Idumaeans and not the Iewes came of Esau nor the Christians of Iacob but rather the Iewes for thus must the words The elder shall serue the yonger be vnderstood euen so was it in Iosephs two sonnes the elder prefiguring the Iewes and the yonger the Christians Which two Iacob in blessing laide his right hand vpon the yonger who was on his left side and his left vpon the elder who was on his right side This displeased their father who told his father of it to get him to reforme the supposed mistaking and shewed him which was the elder But Iacob would not change his hands but said I know sonne I know very well hee shall bee a great people also but his yonger brother shall be greater then hee and his seede shall fill the nations Here is two promises now a people to the one and a fulnesse of
Empresse of Asia vntill her yong sonne Ninus came at age so shee vndertoke the gouerâ—… and kept it fourty two yeares This now some say but the Athenians and Dion after 〈◊〉 affirme that shee begged the sway of the power imperiall of her husband for fiue daies 〈◊〉 which hee granting she caused him to be killed or as others say to bee perpetually â—…oned l They say he slew She was held wounderous lustfull after men and that she still murâ—… him whome she medled with that shee tempted her sonne who therefore slew her 〈◊〉 for feare to fare as the others had or else in abhomination of so beastly an act The 〈◊〉 say shee died not but went quicke vp to heauen 〈◊〉 â—…lt Babilon Babilon is both a country in Assyria and a Citie therein built by Semiâ—… as Diodorus Strabo Iustine and all the ancient Greekes and Latines held But Ioseâ—… Ensebius Marcellinus and others both Christians and Iewes say that it was built by 〈◊〉 â—…genie of Noah and onely repaired and fortified by Semiramis who walled it about 〈◊〉 such walles as are the worlds wonders This Ouid signifieth saying Coctilibus muris cinxisse Semiramis vrbem Semiramis guirt it with walles of Brick And this verse Hierome citeth to confirme this In Ose. Some hold that Belus her father in law built it Some that hee laide the foundations onely So holdes Diodorus out of the Egiptian monuments Alexander saith that the first Belus whome the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reigned in Babilon and that Belus the second and Chanaan were his two sonnes But hee followeth Eupolemus in allotting the building of Babilon to those that remained after the deluge Eus. de pr. Euang. lib. 8. Chaldaea was all ouer with water saith Abydenus in Eusebium de praep Euang. li. 10. And Belus dreined it drye and built Babilon the walles whereof being ruined by flouds Nabocodronosor repaired and those remained vnto the time of the Macedonian Monarchie and then hee reckoneth the state of this King impertinent vnto this place Augustine maketh Nemrod the builder of Babilon as you read before Heare what Plinie saith lib. 6. Babilon the chiefe Citty of Chaldaea and long famous in the world and a great part of the country of Assyria was called Babilonia after it the walles were two hundred foote high and fifty foote brode euery foote being three fingers larger then ours Euphrates ranne through the midst of it c. There was another Babilon in Egipt built by those whome Sesostris brought from Babilon in Assyria into Egipt to worke vpon those madde workes of his the Piramides n This sonne His mother brought him vp tenderly amongst her Ladyes and so hee liued a quiet Prince and came seldome abroade wherevpon the other Kings his successors got vp an vse to talke with few in person but by an interpretour and to rule all by deputies Diodor. Iustin. o Ninus Some call him Zameis sonne to Ninus as Iosephus and Eusebius and some Ninius p Telexion In the translated Eusebius it is Selchis whome hee saith reigned twenty yeares In some of Augustines olde copies it is Telxion and in some Thalasion but it must be Telexion for so it is in Pausanias What Kings reigned in Assyria and Sicyonia in the hundreth yeare of Abrahams age when Isaac was borne according to the promise or at the birth of Iacob and Esau. CHAP. 3. IN his time also did Sara being old barren and past hope of children bring forth Isaac vnto Abraham according to the promise of God And then reigned a Aralius the fift King of Assyria And Isaac being three score yeares of age had b Esau and Iacob both at one birth of Rebecca Abraham his father being yet liuing and of the age of one hundred and sixtie yeares who liued fifteene yeares longer and then dyed c Xerxes the older called also Balaeus reigning the seauenth King of Assyria d and Thuriachus called by some Thurimachus the seauenth of Sicyon Now the kingdome of the Argiues began with the time of these sonnes of Isaac and Inachus was the first King there But this wee may not forget out of Varro that the Sycionians vsed to offer sacrifices at the tombe of the seauenth King Thurimachus But e Armamitres being the eight King of Assyria and Leucippus of Sycionia and f Inachus the first King of Argos God promised the land of Chanaan vnto Isaac for his seede as hee had done vnto Abraham before and the vniuersall blessing of the nations therein also and this promise was thirdly made vnto Iacob afterwards called Israel Abrahams grand-child in the time of Belocus the ninth Assyrian monarch and Phoroneus Inachus his sonne the second King of the Argiues Leucippus reigning as yet in Sycione In this Phoroneus his time Greece grew famous for diuerse good lawes and ordinances but yet his brother Phegous after his death built a temple ouer his tombe and made him to be worshipped as a God caused oxen to be sacrificed vnto him holding him worthy of this honour I thinke because in that part of the kingdome which he held for their father diuided the whole betweene them hee set vp oratories to worship the gods in and taught the true course and obseruation of moneths and yeares which the rude people admiring in him thought that at his death hee was become a God or else would haue it to bee thought so For so they say f that Io was the daughter of Inachus shee that afterwards was called g Isis and honored for a great goddesse in Egipt though some write that h shee came out of Ethiopia to bee Queene of Egipt and because shee was mighty and gratious in her reigne and taught her subiects many good Artes they gaue her this honour after her death and that with such diligent respect that it was death to say shee had euer beene mortall L. VIVES ARalius a In the old copies Argius in Eusebius Analius sonne to Arrius the last King before him hee reigned fortie yeares The sonne in Assyria euer more succeeded the father Uelleius b Esau and Iacob Of Iacob Theodotus a gentile hath written an elegant poem and of the Hebrew actes And Artapanus and one Philo not the Iew but another Alexander Polyhistor also who followeth the Scriptures all those wrote of Iacob c Xerxes the elder Aralius his sonne hee reigned forty yeares There were two more Xerxes but those were Persian Kings the first Darius Hidaspis his sonne and the second successor to Artaxerxes long-Long-hand reigning but a few moneths The first of those sent the huge armies into Greece Xerxes in the Persian tongue is a warriour and Artaxerxes a great warriour Herodot in Erato The booke that beareth Berosus his name saith that the eight King of Babilon was called Xerxes surnamed Balaus and reigned thirty yeares that they called him Xerxes Victor for that hee wone twise as many nations to his Empire as Aralius ruled for hee was a stoute and fortunate souldiour and enlarged his kingdome
and the elder to the worlds The yonger had twelue sonnes one whereof called Ioseph his brothers solde vnto Marchants going into Egipt in their grand-father Isaacs time Ioseph liued by his humility in great fauour and aduancement with Pharao being now thirty yeares old For he interpreted the Kings dreames fore-telling the seauen plentious yeares and the seauen deare ones which would consume the plenty of the other and for this the King set him at liberty being before imprisoned for his true chastity in not consenting to his lustfull mystresse but fled and left his raiment with her who here-vpon falsly complained to her husband of him and afterwards hee made him Vice-roye of all Egypt And in the second yeare of scarcity Iacob came into Egipt with his sonnes being one hundred and thirty yeares old as he told the King Ioseph being thirty nine when the King aduanced him thus the 7. plentifull yeares and the two deare ones being added to his age L. VIVES MEssappus a Pausanias nameth no such saying Leucyppus had no sonne but Chalcinia one daughter who had Perattus by Neptune whom his grand-father Leucippus brought vp and left inthroned in his kingdome Eusebius saith Mesappus reigned forty seauen yeares If 〈◊〉 were Mesappus then doubtlesse it was Calcinias husband of whom mount Mesappus in Baeotia and Mesapia otherwise called Calabria in Italy had their names Virgil maketh him Neptunes sonne a tamer of horses and invulnerable Aeneid 7. b Cephisus A riuer in Boeotia in whose banke standeth the temple of Themis the Oracle that taught Deucalion and Pyrrha how to restore mankinde It runnes from Pernassus thorow the countries of Boeotia and the Athenian territory And Mesappus either had his names from this riuer and that 〈◊〉 or they had theirs from him or rather most likely the mount had his name and hee had the riuers because it ranne through his natiue soile c Apis Hee is not in Pausanias amongst the Argiue kings but amongst the Sycionians and was there so ritch that all the countrey within Isthmus bare his name before Pelops came But Eusebius out of the most Greekes seateth him in Argos Of Apis the Argiue King called Serapis in Egipt and there adored as a deity CHAP. 5. AT this time did Apis king of Argos saile into Egipt and dying there was called Serapis the greatest God of Egipt The reason of the changing his name saith Varro is this a dead mans coffin which all do now call b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also in Greeke so at first they worshipped at his coffin and tombe ere his temple were built calling him at first Sorosapis or Sorapis and afterwards by change of a letter as is ordinary Serapis And they made a lawe that who-soeuer should say hee had beene a man should dye the death And because that in all the c temples of Isis and Serapis there was an Image with the finger laid vpon the mouth as commanding silence this was saith Varro to shew them that they must not say that those two were euer mortall And d the Oxe which Egypt being wonderously and vainly seduced e nourished in all pleasures and fatnesse vnto the honor of Serapis because they did not worship him in a 〈◊〉 was not called Serapis but Apis which Oxe being dead and they seeking 〈◊〉 and finding another flecked of colour iust as hee was here they thought they had gotten a great God by the foote It was not such an hard matter â—…deed for the deuills to imprinte the imagination of such a shape in any Cowes phantasie at her time of conception to haue a meane to subuert the soules of men and the Cowes imagination would surely model the conception into such a forme as g Iacobs ewes did and his shee goates by seeing the party-colored stickes for that which man can doe with true collours the Diuell can do with apparitions and so very easily frame such shapes L VIVES AT a this time Diodorus lib 1. reciteth many names of Osyris as Dionysius Serapis â—…e Ammon Pan Pluto Tacitus arguing Serapis his original saith that some thought him to be Aesculapius the Phisitian-god and others tooke him for Osyris Egypts ancient est deity lib. 20. Macrobius taketh him for the sunne and Isis for the earth Te Serapim Nilus 〈◊〉 Marlianus to the sunne Memphis veneratur Osyrim Nilus adoreth thee as serapis aâ—… Memphis as Osiris Some held Serapis the genius of Egypt making it fertile and abundant His statues saith Suidas Theophilus Archbishop of Alexandria tooke downe in the time of â—…odosius the great This god some called Ioue some Nilus because of the measure that he had in his hand and the cubite designing the measures of the water and some Ioseph Some â—…y there was one Apis a rich King of Memphis who in a great famine releeued all Alexandria at his proper cost and charges where-vpon they erected a Temple to him when hee was dead and kept an Oxe therein for a type of his husbandry hauing certaine spots on his backe and this Oxe was called by his name Apis. His tombe wherein he was buâ—…ed was remoued to Alexandria and so him-selfe of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Apis was called Sorapis and afterwards â—…pis Alexander built him a goodly temple Thus much out of Suidas and the like is in 〈◊〉 Eccles. Hist. lib. 11. The Argiues King saith Eusebius Prep lib. 10 out of Aristippus his â—…ry of Arcadia lib. 2. called Apis built Memphis in Egypt whome Aristeus the Argiue calleth Sarapis and this man we know is worshipped in Egypt as a god But Nimphodorus Amphipolitanus de legib Asiatic lib. 3. saith that the Oxe called Apis dying was put into a â—…ffin called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke and so called first Sorapis and then Serapis The man Apis â—…s the third King after Inachus Thus farre Eusebius b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is the deuâ—… of flesh Therefore Pausanias Porphyry Suidas and other Greekes call him not Sorapis but Sarapis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a chest an Arke or a coffin c Temples of Isis and Osyris were buried at Nâ—…a as some thinke sayth Diodorus lib. 1 A citty in Arabia where two pillers were erected for monuments one for her and another for him and epitaphs vpon them contayned their acts and inuentions But that which was in the Priests hands might neuer come to light for feare of reuealing the truth and dearely must hee pay for it that published it This God that laid his finger on his lips in signe of silence hight Harpocrates varro de ling lat lib. 3. where he affirmeth that Isis and Serapis were the two great Gods Earth and heauen This Harpocrates Ausonius calleth Sigalion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be silent Pliny and Catullus mencion him often when they note a silent fellow and his name is prouerbiall Plutarch lib. de â—…s Osyr saith hee was their sonne gotten by Osyris vpon
Astronomer whence the fable arose of his supporting heauen vpon his shoulders Yet there is an huge mountaine of that name whose height may seeme to an ignorant eye to hold vp the heauens And now began Greece to fill the stories with fables but from the first vnto i Cecrops his time the king of Athens in whose reigne Athens got that name and Moses lead Israel out of Egipt some of the dead Kings were recorded for Gods by the vanity and customary superstition of the Greekes As Melantonice Crias his wife k Phorbas there sonne the sixt king of Argos and the sonne of l Triopas the seauenth King m Iasus and n Sthelenas or Sthelenus or Sthenelus for hee is diuersely written the ninth And o in these times also liued Mercury Altas his grandchild borne of Maia his daughter the story is common Hee was a perfect Artist in many good inuentions and therefore was beleeued at least men desired he should be beleeued to bee a deity p Hercules liued after this yet was he about those times of the Argiues some thinke hee liued before Mercury but I thinke they are deceiued But how-so-euer the grauest histories that haue written of them q auouch them both to be men and r that for the good that they did man-kinde in matter of ciuillity or other necessaries to humane estate were rewarded with those diuine honors s But Minerua was long before this for shee they say appreaed in Ogigius his time t at the lake Triton in a virgins shape wherevpon she was called Trytonia a woman indeed of many good inuentions and the likelyer to be held a goddesse because her originall was vnknowne for u that of Ioues brayne is absolutely poetique and no way depending vpon history There was in deed x a great deluge in Ogigius his time not so great as that wherein all perished saue those in the Arke for that neither Greeke author y nor Latine do mention but greater then that which befell in Ducalions daies But of this Ogigius his time the writers haue no certainty for where Varro beâ—… his booke I shewed before and indeed he fetcheth the Romaines origiâ—…â—…o further then the deluge that befell in Ogigius his time But our z chroâ—… Eusebius first and then Hierome following other more ancient authors herein record Ogigius his Deluge to haue fallen in the time of Phoroneus the seâ—… King of Argos three hundred yeares after the time before said But howsoeuer this is once sure that in a Cecrops his time who was either the builder or â—…er of Athens Minerua was there adored with diuine honors L. VIVES SAphrus a Machanell saith Eusebius reigned iust as long as his father Manitus fourty yeares and Iphereus succeeded him and raigned twenty yeares and in the eighâ—… yeare of his raigne was Moyses borne in Egypt b Orthopolus Orthopolis saith Euâ—… and Pausanias making him the sonne of Plemneus whome Ceres brought vp The 〈◊〉 oâ—… which you had before â—…sus Pyrasus saith Pausanias he rayned fifty foureyeares d Moyses was borne The wriâ—… not about Moyses birth Porphiry saith from Sanchoniata that he liued in Semiramis 〈◊〉 No but in Inachus his time saith Appion out of Ptolomy 〈◊〉 the Priest Amosis 〈◊〉 then King of Egypt Polâ—…mon Hist. Gre. maketh him of latter times Making the peoâ—… led to depart out of Egypt and to settle in Syria in the time of Apis Phoroneus his sonne 〈◊〉 Assirius brings a many seuerall opinions of men concerning this poynt some maâ—… Moyses elder then the Troyan warre and some equall with it But the arguments which 〈◊〉 selfe brings proueth him to haue beene before it His words you may read in Euseb. 〈◊〉 â—…ang lib. 10. Numenius the Philosopher calleth Moses Musaeus and Artapanus saith 〈◊〉 Greekes called him so and that Meris the daughter of 〈◊〉 King of Egypt haâ—… child herselfe adopted him for her son and so he came to great honor in Egipt because 〈◊〉 diuine knowledge inuentions in matter of learning and gâ—…rnment e Prometheus 〈◊〉 Euseb. from others Affricanus I thinke who maketh Prometheus to liue ninety foure yeares after Ogigius Porphiry putteth Atlas and him in Inachus his time But Prometheus was sonne to Iaepellis and Asia Hesiod calls his mother Clymene His falling out with Ioue saith Higin hist. Celest. and many other do touch at this grew vpon this cause being to smal in sacrifices to offer great offrings the poore being not able to offord them Prometheus suttely agreed with Ioue that halfe of their sacrifice onely should bee burnt the rest shold be reserued for the vse of men Ioue consented Then offers Prometheus two Bulls vnto Ioue and putteth all their bones vnder one of the skins and all their flesh vnder the other and then bad Ioue to choose his part Ioue a good plaine dealing God looking for no cousnage tooke that was next to hand light on the bones there at being angry he tooke away the fire froÌ„ mankind that they could sacrifice no more But Prometheus vsing his ordinary trickes stole a cane full of the fire â—…elestiall and gaue it vnto man where-vpon hee was bound to Caucasus and an Eagle set to feed continually vpon his liuer euer growing againe Some say that Prometheus made those creatures who haue fetcht Ioue downe so often women Prometheus his complaint in Lucian is thus answered by Vulcan and Mercury Thou cousonedst Ioue in sharing thou stolest the fire thou madest men and especially women For so it is said that he made men of clay and then put life into them by the fire which hee had stolne from Ioue where-vpon sath Horace commeth man-kinds diseases and feuers Seruius saith that Minerua woundted at this man this worke of Prometheus and promised to perfit it in all it lackt and that Prometheus affirming that hee knew not what was best for it she tooke him vp to heauen and setting him by the sonns Chariot gaue him a cane full of the fire and sent him downe to man with it Hesiod in one place toucheth at that story of Higinus saying that Ioue tooke away the fire from man and Prometheus got it againe to reuenge which iniury Vulcan by Ioues command made Pandora a woman endowed with all heauenly guifts and therefore called Pandora and sent her downe into the earth by Mercury to be giuen as a guift vnto Epimetbeus Prometheus his brother and being receaued into his house she opened a tunne of all the mischiefes that were diffused throughout all mankinde only hope remayning in the bottom and Prometheus as Aeschilus saith was bound vpon Cancasus for thirty thousand yeares neare to the Caspian streights as Lucian saith in his Caucasus Philostratus saith that that mount hath two toppes of a furlong distance one of the other and that the inhabitants say that vnto these were Prometheus his hands bound In vita Apollon So saith Lucian This Eagâ—…e some say was begotten betweene Typhon and Echydna Higin some say betweene
at the consumation of all The Angells and the starres are witnesse of heauens moouing at Christs birth The miracle of a Virgins child-birth mooued the earth the preaching of Christ in the Iles and the continent mooued both sea and drie land The nations we see are mooued to the faith Now the comming of the desire of all nations that we doe expect at this day of iudgement for first hee must be loued of the beleeuers and then be desired of the expecters Now to Zachary Reioyce greatly O daughter of Syon saith hee of Christ and his church shoute for ioy O daughter of Ierusalem behold thy King commeth to thee hee is iust and thy Sauiour poore and riding vpon an asse and vpon d a colt the fole of an asse his dominion is from sea to sea from the riâ—…er to the lands end Of Christs riding in this manner the Gospell speaketh where this prophecy as much as needeth is recited In another place speaking prophetically of the remission of sinnes by Christ he saith thus to him Thou in the bloud of thy testament hast loosed thy prisoners out of the lake wherein is no water This lake may bee diuersly interpreted without iniuring our faith But I thinke hee meaneth that barren bondlesse depth of humaine myseries wherein there is no streame of righteousnesse but all is full of the mudde of iniquitie for of this is that of the psalme meant Hee hath brought mee out of the lake of misery and 〈◊〉 of the myâ—…y clay Now Malachi prophecying of the church which wee see so happily propagate by our Sauiour Christ hath these plaine word to the Iewes in the person of God I haue no pleasure in you neither will I accept an offring at your hand for frâ—… the rising of the Sunne vnto the setting my name is great amongst the Gentiles 〈◊〉 in euery place shal be e incence offered vnto mee and a pure offering vnto my 〈◊〉 for my name is great among the heathen saith the LORD This wee see offered in euery place by Christs priest-hood after the order of Melchisedech but the sacrifice of the Iewes wherein God tooke no pleasure but refused that they cannot deny is ceased Why do they expect an other Christ and yet see that this prophecy is fulfilled already which could not bee but by the true Christ for he 〈◊〉 by by after in the persoÌ„ of God My couenant was with him of life and peace I 〈◊〉 him feare and he feared me and was afraid before my name The law of truth was 〈◊〉 his mouth he walked with me in peace and equity and turned many away from iniâ—… for the priests lips should preserue knowledge and they should seeke the law at his 〈◊〉 for he is the messenger of the Lord of hostes No wonder if Christ be called 〈◊〉 as he is a seruant because of the seruants forme he tooke when he came to men so is hee a messenger because of the glad tydings which hee brought vnto men For Euangelium in greeke is in our tongue glad tydings and he saith againe of him Behold I will send my messenger and hee shall prepare the way before mee the Lord whom you seeke shall come suddenly into his Temple and the messenger of the couenant whom you desire behold he shall come saith the Lord of hostes but who maâ—… abide the daie of his comming who shall endure when he appeareth This place is a direct prophecy of both the commings of Christ of the first He shall come suddenly into his temple his flesh as hee sayd himselfe Destroy this temple and in three daies I will raise it againe Of the second Behold hee shall come saith the LORD of hostes but who may abide the day of his comming c. But those words the Lord whom you seeke and the messenger of the couenant whom you desire imply that the Iewes in that manner that they conceiue the scriptures desire and seeke the comming of CHRIST But many of them acknowledged him not being come for whose comming they so longed their euill desertes hauing blinded their hearts The couenant named both heere and there where hee sayd My couenant was with him is to bee vnderstood of the New Testament whose promises are eternall not of the Old full of temporall promises such as weake men esteeming too highly doe serue GOD wholy for and stumble when they see the sinne-full to enioy them Wherefore the Prophet to put a cleare difference betweene the blisse of the New Testament peculiar to the good and the abundance of the Old Testament shared with the badde also adioyneth this Your words haue beene stout against me saith the Lord and yet you said wherein haue we spoken against thee you haue sayd it is in vaine to serue GOD and what profit haue we in keeping his commandements and in walking humbly before the LORD GOD of hostes and now wee haue blessed others they that worke wickednesse are set vppe and they that oppose God they are deliuered Thus spake they that scared the Lord each to his neighbour the Lord hearkned and heard it and wrote a booke of remembrance in his sight for such as feare the Lord and reuerence his name That booke insinuateth the New Testament Heare the sequele They shal be to mee saith the Lord of hostes in that day wherein I doe this for a slocke and I will spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne that serueth him Then shall you returne and discerne betweene the righteous and the wicked and betweene him that serueth GOD and him that serueth him not For behold the day commeth that shall burne as an oven and all the proud and the wicked shal be as stubble and the day that commeth shall burne them vppe saith the LORD of Hostes and shall leaue them neither roote nor branch But vnto you that feare my name shall the sonne of righteousnesse arise and health shal be vnder his wings and you shall goe forth and growe vppe as fatte Calues You shall tread downe the wicked they shal be as dust vnder the soles of your feete in the day that I shall doe this saith the LORD of Hostes. This is that day that is called the day of iudgement whereof if it please God wee meane to say some-what in place conuenient L. VIVES AGgee a Zachary Esdras nameth them chap. 6. 1. where he calleth Zachary the sonne 〈◊〉 Addo whom Zachary himselfe saith was his grand-father and Barachiah his father Thâ—… saith Hierome was doubtlesse that Addo that was sent to Hieroboam the sonne of Nabaâ—… in whose time the Altar cleft and his hand withered and was restored by this Addes prayers Kings 1. 1â—… Chro. 2. 12. But hee is not called Addo in either of these 〈◊〉 the Kings omit his name the Chronicles call him Semeius But a prophet of that time must bee great great grand-father at least to a sonne of the captiuity This Zachary was not the sonne of 〈◊〉 whome Ioash the King
ceasing and destruction ensuing which was performed by the Romanes as I erst related But the house of the New Testament is of another lustre the workemanship being more glorious and the stones being more precious But it was figured in the repaire of the old Temple because the whole New Testament was figured in the old one Gods prophecy therefore that saith In that place will I giue peace is to be meant of the place signified not of the place significant that is as the restoring that house prefigured the church which Christ was to build so GOD said in this place that is in the place that this prefigureth will I giue peace for all things signifying seeme to support the persons of the things signified as Saint Peter said the Rock was Christ for it signifyed Christ. So then farre is the glory of the house of the New Testament aboue the glory of the Old as shall appeare in the finall dedication Then shall the desire of all nations appeare as it is in the hebrew for his first comming was not desired of all the nations for some knew not whom to desire nor in whom to beleeue And then also shall they that are Gods elect out of all nations come as the LXX read it for none shall come truely at that day but the elect of whoÌ„ the Apostle saith As he hath elected vs in him before the beginning of the world for the Architect himself that sayd Many are called but few are chosen he spoke not of those that were called to the feast and then cast out but meant to shew that hee had built an house of his elect which times worst spight could neuer ruine But being altogither in the church as yet to bee hereafter sifited the corne from the chaffe the glory of this house cannot be so great now as it shal be then where man shal be alwaies there where he is once The Churches increase vncertaine because of the commixtion of elect and reprobate in this world CHAP. 49. THerefore in these mischieuous daies wherein the church worketh for his fu ture glory in present humility in feares in sorrowes in labours and in temptations ioying onely in hope when shee ioyeth as she should many rebrobaâ—…e liue amongst the elect both come into the Gospells Net and both swim at randon in the sea of mortality vntill the fishers draw them to shore and then the 〈◊〉 owne from the good in whom as in his Temple God is all in all We acknowledge therefore his words in the psalme I would declare and speake of them 〈◊〉 are more then I am able to expresse to be truly fulfilled This multiplication 〈◊〉 at that instant when first Iohn his Messenger and then himselfe in person 〈◊〉 to say Amend your liues for the Kingdome of God is at hand He chose him disâ—… and named the Apostles poore ignoble vnlearned men that what great 〈◊〉 soeuer was done hee might bee seene to doe it in them He had one who abused his goodnesse yet vsed hee this wicked man to a good end to the fulfilling of his passion and presenting his church an example of patience in tribulation And hauing sowne sufficiently the seed of saluation he suffered was buried and 〈◊〉 againe shewing by his suffering what wee ought to endure for the truth and 〈◊〉 resurrection what we ought for to hope of eternity a besides the ineffaâ—…ament of his bloud shed for the remission of sinnes Hee was forty daies 〈◊〉 with his disciples afterwardes and in their sight ascended to heauen â—…es after sending downe his promised spirit vpon them which in the comming gaue that manifest and necessary signe of the knowledge in languages of 〈◊〉 to signifie that it was but one Catholike church that in all those natiâ—…â—…uld vse all those tongues L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a the ineffable For Christs suffrance and his life hath not onely leaft vs the vertue 〈◊〉 Sacraments but of his example also whereby to direct ourselues in all good courses 〈◊〉 Gospell preached and gloriously confirmed by the bloud of the preachers CHAP. 50. 〈◊〉 then as it is written The law shall goe forth of Zion and the word of 〈◊〉 Lord from Ierusalem and as Christ had fore-told when as his disciplies â—…onished at his resurrection he opened their vnderstandings in the scripâ—… told them that it was written thus It behoued Christ to suffer and to rise 〈◊〉 the third day and that repentance and remission of sinnes should bee preached in 〈◊〉 â—…mongst all nations beginning at Ierusalem and where they asked him of 〈◊〉 comming and he answered It is not for you to know the times and seasons 〈◊〉 father hath put in his owne power but you shall receiue power of the Holie 〈◊〉 hee shall come vpon you and you shal be witnesses of mee in Ierusalem and in 〈◊〉 in Samaria and vnto the vtmost part of the earth First the church spred 〈◊〉 â—…om Ierusalem and then through Iudaea and Samaria and those lights 〈◊〉 world bare the Gospell vnto other nations for Christ had armed them 〈◊〉 Feare not them that kill the body but are not able to kill the soule they had 〈◊〉 of loue that kept out the cold of feare finally by their persons who 〈◊〉 him aliue and dead and aliue againe and by the horrible persecutiâ—… by their successors after their death and by the euer conquered to 〈◊〉 â—…conquerable tortures of the Martires the Gospell was diffused 〈◊〉 all the habitable world GOD going with it in Miracles in vertues and 〈◊〉 of the Holy Ghost in so much that the nations beleeuing in him who 〈◊〉 for their Redemption in christian loue did hold the bloud of those Martires in reuerence which before they had shed in barbarousnesse and the Kings whose edicts afflicted the church came humbly to be warriours vnder that banner which they cruelly before had sought vtterly to abolish beginning now to persecute the false gods for whom before they had persecuted the seruants of 〈◊〉 true GOD. That the Church is confirmed euen by the schismes of Heresies CHAP. 51. NOw the deuill seeing his Temples empty al running vnto this Redeemer set heretiques on foote to subert Christ in a christiaÌ„ vizar as if there were yâ— allowance for them in the heauenly Ierusalem which their was for contrariety of Philosophers in the deuills BabiloÌ„ Such therfore as in the church of God do distast any thing and a being checked aduised to beware do obstinately oppose themselues against good instructions and rather defend their abhominations then discard them those become Heretikes and going forth of Gods House are to be held as our most eager enemies yet they doe the members of the Catholike Church this good that their fall maketh them take better hold vpon God who vseth euill to a good end and worketh all for the good of those that loue him So then the churches enemies whatsoeuer if they haue the power to impose corporall afflictioÌ„ they exercise her patience
one of Antichrist were as rash an assertion as the other let vs therefore leaue it in the midst neither affirming nor contradicting but onely controwling the rashnesse of both in others L. VIVES THe first a was Of these writeth Euseb. Hist. Eccl. of this first Suetonius and Tacitus make mention Suetonius calling the christians men of new and pernicious superstition in Nerâ—… And Tacitus calleth them Hated for their wickednesse guilty and worthy of vtmost punishment lib. 15. Oh sencelesse men Tacitus and Suetonius Can your bestiall and luxurious Ioue seeme a God vnto you and Christ seeme none call you an vnion in innocency execrable superstition and hold you them worthy of punishment whose chiefe lawes is to doe no man hurt and all men good If you haue not read our lawes why condemne you vs If you haue why reprooue you vs seeing wee embrace those vertues which your best writers so highly admire b The second Nero's three ended vnder Uespasian who suffred the christians to liue in quiet and so did his sonne Titus after him But Domitianus Caluus Nero to proue himselfe right Nero begunne the persecution againe banishing Saint Iohn into Pathmos This and the third of Traian is all one for Domitian begunne it and it lasted vnto Traian successor vnto Nerua who succeeded Domitian and held the Empire little more then a yeare There is an Epistle extant vnto Traian from Pliny the younger Regent of Asia asking how he woul haue him to vse the christians seeing hee saw no hurt in them reckning vp their hurtlesse meetings praiers hymnes communions c. and affirming that the name spred so farre that the altars oâ—… the gods cooled and the priests were almost starued Traian biddeth him not seeke them out but if they bee accused vnto him punish them vnlesse they will recant c. O would wee christians could vse this moderation vnto others In this persecution was Simon Cleâ—… second Bishoppe of Ierusalem martired c The fourth For Adrian was a secret fauourite 〈◊〉 Christ and would haue deified him amongst his other gods but that some told him all the 〈◊〉 would goe downe if Christ once came vp Antoninus Pius also did lighten their affliction by â—…ict But this Antonine that caused the forth persecution was the Philosopher who ruâ—… with Antonius verâ—…s In this persecution were Policarpe and Pionius martyred in Asia 〈◊〉 many in France whose sufferings are left recorded Iustine martir also suffred at this time 〈◊〉 lib. 4. Hist. Eccl. d The fift by Seâ—…eus He had good fortune to become Emperor for hee 〈◊〉 an African a fierce and bloudy fellow He forbad Christianity vpon a deadly penalty Ael 〈◊〉 and plagued the Christians all Egypt ouer chiefely in Thebais Euseb. Eccl. Hist. lib. 〈◊〉 Alexander Bishop of Hieusalem was martyred at this time e The sâ—…t Maximinus was a â—…ian borne his father a Goth his mother a Scythian barbarous in descent body and 〈◊〉 His strength preferd him from a common soldior to a commander And Alexander Mâ—…ea her sonne being killed the soldiours made him Emperor He was most proud and â—…ll He persecuted the priests as the especiall causers of christianity Euse. f By Decius â—…e in Bubalia a part of the lower Pannonia He foyled Philip the Emperor in a ciuill fight and he then succeded in his place hating the Christians so much more because Phillip fauored them and putting them to exquisite torments S. Laurence he broyled Eutrop. Yet ruled he but one yeare what would he haue done had he continued Fabian also the Bishop of Rome was martyred vnder him g By Valerian Who was crowned three yeares after Decius He was most vnfortunate for Sapor King of Persia tooke him in fight and made him his 〈◊〉 to mount his horse by Galien and he were ioynt Emperors vnder whome the Empire 〈◊〉 greatly to decay no maruell being both deiected sluggish lvmpes In this persecution 〈◊〉 S. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage martired h By Aurelian Third Emperor after Galien A Dâ—…e very fortunat in warre but bloudy and Barbarous fit for an Empire and for nothing else hated and so slayne by his owne friends who killed him as he went from Byzance to Herculea i Diocletian Sonne to Salon a dalmatian he aspired to the Empire by the contentions of others and ioyned Maximianus Herculeus with him the better to withstand the â—…ent warre Hee was suttle and cruell and could easily lay his butcheries on anothers 〈◊〉 Maximian was Barbarous and brutish euen in Aspect and serued for Diocletians hangâ—… who grew to such pride that he commanded him-selfe to be adored as a God and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be kissed whereas before they vsed but to kisse their hands he presecuted 〈◊〉 Church and on Easter-weeke the ninteenth yeare of his raigne commanded all the Churches to be pulled downe and the Christians to bee killed Decius his persecution was the greatest but this was the bloudiest k The Plagues of Egipt This is Orosius his opinion lib. 7. l Herod His sonne vnder whome Christ was borne m Iulian. The Apostata first a Christian and after-wards an Atheist He shed no Christian bloud but vsed wounderfull 〈◊〉 to draw men from Christ a bitter kind of persecution taking more hearts from God by that one meanes then all the violence before had done n Forbad to teach the liberall 〈◊〉 His edict was torne in peeces by S. Iohn There was one Prohaeresius a Sophister of Caesarea who comming to Athens was receiued with great applause of the people to whome he made an extemporall oration in a frequent audience Iulian allowed leaue onely vnto him to teach the Christians but the learned man hating that Barbarous edict forsooke the towne 〈◊〉 scholers to the great greefe of the students o Ualentinian An Hungarian captaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…gatyers and saluted Emperor by the soldiours Being a Christian vnder Iulian he was commanded either to sacrifice vnto the Idols or to resigne his place which hee resigned wilâ—… and soone after Iulian being slaine and Iouinian dead he reigned Emperor receiuing 〈◊〉 for his captaine-ship that he had lost for Christs sake Eutrop. His sonne Ualentinian the younger ruled first with Gratian and then with Theodosius the great p At Antioche Iulian 〈◊〉 the Christians remoue the tombe of the martire Babylas to some other place so they went 〈◊〉 it singing the Psalme When Israel went out of c. Which Iulian hearing was vexed 〈◊〉 diuers of them to be put to torments Salustius was he that had the charge who tooke a 〈◊〉 man called Theodorus and put him to most intollerable torments yet he neuer moâ—… 〈◊〉 with a ioyfull countenance continually sung the Psalme that the Church sung the 〈◊〉 which Salust seeing hee returned him to prison and went to Iulian telling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee tortured any more of them it would redownd to their glory and his shame â—…-vpon hee ceased Eusebius saith that him-selfe
Bersabe thâ—… well of the othe or of sarurity Iacob blessed lame Psal. 11. Israel Liberi hoâ—… vsed by the Latines Gen. 49. Ioh. 10. 17. 18. Ioh. 2. 19. Ioh. 19. 30 Iudah Psal. 6. 5. Helix Gen. 25. Exod 2. Exod. 8. 9. 10. 11 Exod. 12. Luc. 11. Exod. 31. Ios. 1. 1. Sam. 10. Math. 1. Mat. 15. Mat. 20. Luc. 18 Pharao Cyniphes Dog-flies Grashoppers Ioâ—…â—…d Iâ—…s Iâ—… The loâ—…ine copy defectiue Hier. 25 Gen. 7. Gen. 20 Dâ—… 4 1 Sam. 10 1 Sam. 16 Gen. 12. 2. Sam. 12 Origen The Louaine edition defectiue in al this 1 Sam. 3. 1. Sam. 2. Hiâ—… 9 Anna. Lâ—… 2. Râ—… 10. 〈◊〉 Prou. 9 1 Colloss 3 1 Philip. 3. 8 1. Tim. 1. 5 Psa 72. 13 Isa 5. Mat. 10. Hie. in Reg. lib 1. The begger or the poore 1 Sam. 2 27 Psal. 17. Isay. 10. Rom. 11. 5 Rom 9. Psal. 12. 6 Psal. 84. 10 1 Pet. 29 1 Cor. 10 17 Rom. 12 1. The Ephod This is too bitter the Louainists like it not but leaue it out Louuaynists vnlesse you had felt your selues toucht with this you would neuer haue razed it out 1. Sam. 22 1. Sam. â—…3 1. Sam. 15. Psa. 110. 2. Gods repentance 〈◊〉 Gal. 4. 1. Cor. 3. 1. Sam 7. Diplois Maspha 2. Sam. 7. 8. 9. 10. c. Salomon Psal. 72. 9 1. Cor. 3. 17. Psalm 89. 2. Sam 7. Psal 105. Psalm 89. The Kings annointing a type of Christ. Psal. 89. Psal. 1â—…4 〈◊〉 Rom. 6. 9. Ioh. 10. Psal. 89 49 50. 51. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 7. 19. Ethan Hierusalem 1. Kin. 13. Iames Perez Rabbi Salomon Centones Sotadicall verses Psalm 45. Psal. 18. 43 44. Psal 87 〈◊〉 Gen. 22 Psal. 22 Psal. 3 Psal. 41 Luc. 23. 21. Math. 25. 35 The Ievves beleeue a Christ to come that shall not die at all Psal. 68. 20 Luc. 1. Math. 27. Psal. 〈◊〉 Psal. 30 Wis. 2. 1â—… Eccle. 36 Pro. 1 Mat. 21. 3â—… Pro. 9 1 2 c. 1. Cor. 1 27 Eccl. 7 Psal. 40 6 Eccl. 7 4 Rom. 5 5 Philo the 〈◊〉 1. Kings 19 Gods prouidence the arbiter of Kingdomes Abraham India Sycioniaus Semriramis Telexion Xerxes Thurimachus Inachus Pelasgus Phoroneus Io. Mesappus Cephisus Apis. Osyris Harpocrates Angerona Apis. Gen. 49. 10. Argus Ogigius Saphrus Orthopolis Moyses Prometheus Pandora Alatâ—… Cecropâ—… Phorbus Triopas Mercury Hercules Minerua Pallas Lake Triton Ogyges Eusebius Attica Athens The Areopage Pagus is a village or streete Cranaus Deucalion Lycorea Parnassus 1 Cor. 10. Marathus Danaue The Lupercalls The holy 〈◊〉 in Rome Dyonisius Liber Apollos plaies Xanthus Europa Rhadamanthus Sarpedon Minos Hercules Antaeus Octa. Busyris Erichthonius Vulcans Temple The Bacchae Triptolemus The Minotaure The Labirinth Ixion The Centaures Cerberus Aconitum Phryxus Helle. Hellespont Gorgons Lib. 6. Medusa Basiliske BellerephoÌ„ Chymaera Pegasus 〈◊〉 Daedalus In Poliâ—… Oedipus A ridle â—…ynx 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perseaus Andromeda Laâ—…rence Valla in an errour Orpheus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Portumnâ—…s Castor and Pollux Tyndaridae Gemini Dioscuri Aeneid 8. Stercus The Argiue Kingdome Mycenae Agamemnon Laurentum Picus Delborah Stercutius Saturnes many Virg. Aâ—…nid li. 7 Faunus Bona Dâ—…a Latinus Latium Diomedes Diomedes fellowes become birds Circe Pentathli Lycaei Praestantius Apuleius Lucian To create what it is Louuaine copie defectiue Iphigenia Calchas Aâ—…ead 8. Aeneas Labdon Hieromino Buffaldo Mezent us Aâ—…as deified Indiges vvhat it is Svvinging games Sangus Codrus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Creâ—… Ascania a City Melanthus Apaturia The Slyuii Alba. The Caesars whence Archons a kinde of Magistrates Dauid Roboam Woluish whores Auentine Rome called BabiloÌ„ Ah say the Louaynists this bites leaue it out and so they doe The Sybils Tarquinius Priscus A quadrate number plaine and solide Lactant. lib. 4 cap. 18. Chap. 19. Samaritanes Esaias Nabâ—…codrosor Hieremy The ' captiâ—…ty of Iuda Thales Wise men sages at first a generall name to Aâ—…st and Poets Pittacus Solon Chilo The Ephori a Magiâ—…acy 〈◊〉 Cleobulus Bias The motts of â—…he seuen Sages Cyrus Computation of years Isâ—… propâ—…ecyed 210 yeares before Cyrus The authority of the booke of Iudith Oâ—… Amos. Michaeas Ionas Ioel Hose 1. 10. Hose 〈◊〉 4. Hose 6. 2. Coloâ—… 3. 1. 〈◊〉 4. 1â—… 〈◊〉 Isay 52 13 14 Is. 53 1 2 c. Isai. 54 1 2 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephrata Bethleem Ionaâ—… Naum 1 Abâ—… 2 Abdi Naum. Abacuc Louaine copie defectiue Idumaea Seir the mountaines of Idumaea Mâ—… 10 27 Theman Saluator Hier 23 〈◊〉 Zeph. 2. Zephany 〈◊〉 Dan. 7 13 Ezech. 34 〈◊〉 37 Daniel Psal. 40. 2. Malachi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 change no names Esdras â—…ter Artaxerxes â—…ong-â—…ong-hand Zorobabel Aristobulus Pythagoras Moyses Philosophy Moyse Pillers erected by the sons of Seth. Scribes Pharases â—…xod â—…0 Anaxagoras Epicuras Ptolomies Alexander the great Philadelphus The septu agiâ—… The Louaine copy faileth here Hierome a Priest Hierome The Louaine copy defectiue Ninâ—…uie a figure of the Church Agge 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Goâ—… 〈◊〉 〈…〉 should Alexandrâ—… Pompey prophaneth tâ—…e temple Cassius spoiles the temple Gen. 49. 10 Alexander Ptolomy Epiphanes Aristobolus 〈◊〉 Hircanus Antipater Pompey The sanctâ—… sanctorum Hircants Herod Psal. 69 22. 23 Psal. 59 〈◊〉 11 The Louaine copy defectiue in all this Iob. A proselyte Ephes 〈◊〉 4 Psal. 40 5 Luk. 24 46 47 Mat. 10 25 Psâ—… 94 19 Rom 12 12 〈◊〉 Tim. 3 The sorrow of the Godly Suetonius and Tacitus against the christians Domitian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S Polâ—…carpe Pionius martires Iuâ—… Seuerus Maximinus Decius S Laurence Fabian B. of Rome Valerian Cyprian Aurelian Diocletian Maximinus Iulian the Apostata Valentinian the elder Psa 114. Valens Gororanes 2. Thess. 2 〈◊〉 A damnable fiction accusing Peter of sorcery Against calculators Killing of children cast in the christians teeth Cataphrygians Act. 17 30 The christians beleeue not in Peter but in CHRIST The time of Christs death Foure things desired by man in nature Vertue Pleasure What man is Wisdom 9. Rom. 8. 25 Iob. 7 1 Mat. 18 Mat. â—…4 Rom. 6. 22 Louuaine copy defectiue 2. Cor. 5. 7 1. Tim. 5. 8 Gen. 1. 26 Io. 8. 34. Ephe. 6 1. Tim. 3. 1. The Louaine copie defectiue thus far Psal. 16. 2. Psa. 144. 15 1. Tim 2. 2 1. Pet. 4. Rom. 9. 14. Rom. 11 33. Psal. 144 4 Eccl. 1. 2 Ecdâ—… 8. 14 〈◊〉 13. 13 Rom. 3 20 21 22 Mat 13 〈◊〉 Mat. 11 22 Ibid 24 Mat. 12 41 42 Mat. 13 37 35 34 40 41 42 43 1 Cor. 6 3 Mat. 25 31 32 33 c. Io. 5 22 23 24 Io. 5. 25 26 1 Cor. 5 14 15 Psal. 101 1 Io. 5 27 Io. 5 28 Apoâ—… 2â—… c. Mark 3 27 Mat. 19 29 2 Cor. 6 10 Ps. 105 8 Ps. â—…23 〈◊〉 Mat 26 29 Reâ—… 20 9 10 Mat 12 29 1. Ioh. 2. 19 Mat. 24. 12 Mat. 24. 34 Mat. 28. 20 Mat. 13. 52 Mat. 13. 39 40 c. Colosâ—… 3 〈◊〉 Mat. 18 18 1. Cor 5 12 Apo. 14. 13 Rom. 14 2. Cor. 6 14. Ioh. 5 25. Rom. 6. 4. Ephes. 5 14 Iosuah 22. Rom. 14. 4 1. Cor. 1â—… â—…2 1. Peâ—… 2 9. Râ—… 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 69. Rom. 20. 11 1. Cor. 7 31. Rom. 8. 12 Mat. 25. No word of this in Louuaine copy Râ—…ue 21. 2 3 c. Esa. 45 Psal. 42 3 〈◊〉 6 6 Rom. 8 23 1 Cor. 15 55 1 Iohn 1 〈◊〉 Pet. 3 4 5 6 c. 2. Thess. 2. 1. c. 1 Ioh. 2 18 19 1 Thess. 4 13 14 c. 1. Cor. 15. 51. Gen. 3. 19 1. Cor. 15. 22. 36. Is. 26. 19 Mat. 5. Phil. 3 Gen. 6 Is. 66 22 23 〈◊〉 Dan. 7. Psal. 101. 25. 26. Aeneid 2. Psal. 101. Osee. 6. Mat. 25. Mal. 3 12. Isa 4. 4. Is 25. 22. Wisd. 1. 9. None of this in the Louaine copy Malachy 3 Malachi Io. 5. 46. Mal. 3. 14. Isa 48. 12. 13. Zach. 2 Mat. 15 Ioh. 7 Psal. 18 Mat. 4 Luc. 5 Zach. 12 Isa. 42. Psal. 4. 1. Bernard Valdaura 1. Cor. 11 No word of this in the Louaine copie Virg. Enid 4. Rom. â—…1 Isa. 66. 24. Mar. 9. 47. 1. Cor. 11. 29. Eccl. 7. Luc. 6. Mat. 11. Psal. 31 19 â—…0 Ro. 11 32 Ioh. 〈◊〉 1 Câ—… 10 17. 〈◊〉 24. 〈◊〉 Câ—… 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 25 Apoâ—… 20 2 Pet. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tim. 2. Math. 12 32 Math. 25 34 41 Psal. 7. 7 Psal. 14 3 4. Math. 5. 45 〈◊〉 25 〈◊〉 20 〈◊〉 66 〈◊〉 3. 〈◊〉 Câ—… 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Câ—… 10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…7 15 Rom. 11. 32 Psalm 30. 〈…〉 〈◊〉 6 〈…〉 Ioh. 6. 〈◊〉 Cor. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 7. â—…2 Cor. 3 〈◊〉 â—…7 1 Cor. 3. 13. Mat. 1â—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 22. Eccl. 30. Eccl. 14 Eccl. 21. Mat. 25. 45 Ioh. 3 Mat. 5. Mat. 6. Luâ—… â—…6 9. Mat. 10. 41. Aeneid 6. Mat. 13. Luc. 1 Phil 2. Io. 8. Psâ—…l 37. Gen 12. Isay 26. Isay 65 Dan. 12. Mat. 27. A blinde man recouers sight Innocentius Iohn 21. A Phisitian sicke of the Goute Baptised Hespeâ—… Geruase Protasius Acts 7. 59. â—…xod 8 Psal 93. Eph. 〈◊〉 Rom. 8 Rom. 8 Rom. 1â—… Eph. 4 â—…ph 4 Mat. 22 Eph. 4 1 Cor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Ephes. 4 Luc. 12 Gen. 19 Luck 21 Cor. 3 Cor. 15 Psal 26 8 1. Cor. 15 Rom. 8. 37 Psalm 49. 1. Cor. 3. Rom. 8. Genethliaci Herus Pamphilius Enarchus Nicandas Phillip 4. 1 Cor 13. Math 22. Math 18. 10. 1. Iohn 3. Psalm 115 4 King 5. 1. Cor. 13. Hier. 25. Iob. 7. Ephes. 1. Math. 5. Luke 3. Luc. 2. Iob. 19. 1. Cor. 13. 2. Cor. 3. Psal. 33. 34 Wisdom 〈◊〉 Kings 4. 5. 1. Cor. 4. Psalm 83. Leuâ—… 26 1. Cor. 15 Degrees of rewards Two knowleges of euills Psal. 88 Psal. 45 Gen. 2 Gene. 3 Deâ—…t 5 Ezech 20 Three ages before the comming of Christ. Act. 1