the lawe was giuen by the examples of the godly Patriarkes in the boke of Genesis The thirds may be giuen oute of S. Paule who not only woulde haue ministers reléeued themselues but also of sufficient habilitie to relieue others requiring greatly of a bishoppe that is to say of an ouerséer of the congregation as a charge which he necessarily layeth vpon him that he should be in any wise a good house keper There is an other fourthe cause besides namely the agnising of gods soueraigne power and dominion ouer the worlde and that not only we be his subiectes but his tenantes also holding all that we haue of his goodnesse In consideration wherof wheras we owe to his endlesse maiestie not our goods only and oure possessions but that that more is our selues soules and bodies reason it is that in token of oure due subiection and in signe of feaultie and homage which moste iustly he loketh for at our hands we render as it were that tribute to him which he requireth to be receiued in his behalfe by the stewardes of his heauēly and diuine mysteries and by those ministers whome he vseth betwixt him and vs as his highe embassadors these officers of his religion By whom honored he thincketh himselfe honoured by whome despised he reckeneth himselfe disgraced by whom liberally dealt with he taketh himselfe as it were enriched and finally by whome deceiued and depriued of that whereunto they haue iust title he accounteth him selfe as it is in Malachie despoyled and robbed of his owne But nowe what tribute it is that god requireth by me in dede in some parte it is already touched by some other not yet fully defined For that we are taxed by oure soueraigne Emperor there is none nowe that can iustly moue any doubte but whether it be the tenthe part of oure substāce yea or no there in deede yet resteth the question What my iudgement is ye haue heard already Nowe therefore if it be youre pleasure let vs heare at the last the resolution of some learned and pithie schooleman And whome sooner than that great clercke Thomas of Aquine Whome nowe truely I the rather rehearse vnto you bicause as to me it séemeth he reduceth as you might say to a short hādsome abridgement what so euer I haue spoken hitherto concerning so greate a matter in a more ample circumstaunce of woordes For wryting vppon these woordes of oure Sauioure Christe by me alreadye handled more at large These things ought ye to haue done and not to haue lefte the other Methincketh sayeth he oure Lorde maketh a necessitie of paying tithes For in all the nevve Testamente there is not the like expresse mencion made of them as there is here But is this necessitie of paying tenthes retained by vertue of Moses his lavv No For ther be some things conteined in the lavve vvhich be morall some things ceremoniall and some things iudiciall The morall part of the Lavve at all tymes and of all persons muste be needes obserued The ceremonialles vvere to be kepte only of a certaine kinde of menne as the Ievves and at certaine times as namely for example circumcision And these vvere only in a figure Moreouer there vvere some things iudiciall as if anye had stollen a sheepe he vvas iudged by the lavve to pay foure folde Therefore novve the question is of the tenthes vvhether they pertaine to the morall lavve And it seemeth they doe not bicause the morall preceptes be of the lavve of nature And that only is the lavve of nature vviche naturall reason it selfe dothe persuade vs of But vve are nomore persuaded by naturall reason to geue the tenthe than the ninthe parte or the eleuenth or so forth Ergo vve are not bounde to the tenthes by the lavve of nature But on the other side if they shoulde not be payed then shoulde not they doe vvell that paye them Hereunto some haue made ansvver that lyued before vve vvere borne that there be some lavves only morall some onlye ceremoniall some partelye morall and partly ceremoniall This lavve Thou shalt not kill is only morall So likevvise is this Thou shalt vvorship the Lord thy God and so forthe If thou say Vpon such a day thou shalt offer a lambe at the euen tide this only is a lavve ceremoniall But if vve say remember to kepe holy the Saboth day something it hath in it that appertaineth to the lavv morall or naturall and something there is in it that is ceremoniall This poynte is morall vvhereof also natural reason giueth vs secrete vvarning to vvitte that vve should haue some vacant time to serue God But that this chefely should be done vpon the Saboth day or the Sunday c. it is iudiciall VVherupon they say also that the cōmaundement vvhich concerneth tythes is partly ceremoniall and partly morall For tithes be for the relefe of pore men and such as apply Gods seruice or the office of preaching For he that serueth for a publique minister of Goddes churche it is good reason he should liue of their publique charge vvhere he serueth and this is the lavve of nature But that the tenthe parte shoulde be paide it is ceremoniall But is the paimente of tenthes kept novve I say that the determining of that pertaineth to any prince that hathe authoritie to make a lavve and that the Churche hath that povver and libertie to appoynt either the tenth or ninthe parte or any other suche porcion VVherefore the tenths be still holden not bicause the paiment of them is necessary by the lavv of nature but bicause the Churche hathe so ordained So farre haue I thoughte good to recite vnto you Thomas of Aquine that his decision of this question mighte be the fullier perfitlier conceiued Ye sée then howe he groundeth the paiment of the tenthe parte not of the lawe moral or natural but vpon an order taken by the church Which churche neuerthelesse as he also declareth in his booke called Secunda secunda in defining and rating out an agreable porcion to be paid proceded not without the aduise of Goddes word To the which purpose he bringeth in not only that vow of Iacob promising with direct wordes the tenth of all that God should giue him but also S. Paul himself reasoning as before ye haue heard in this manner If vve haue sovven vnto you spirituall things is it a great thing if we repe your carnal things By occasion wherof the Church sayeth this said Thomas of Aquine determined that tithes should be paide Those constitutions likewise which be called the Apostles and withoute all controuersie be of no small antiquitie in the Church say that although God haue deliuered vs from the expiations asspersions and continuall washings c. vsed in the olde law yet hath he not deliuered vs from the oblations which we owe to the priests And by and by this cōclusion is added I herefore thou shalt doe as the Lord hathe commaunded and thou shalt giue the
standeth still inuincible Cap 1. pag. 268. That Gods Prouidence is neither Destinie nor Predestination and what it is cap. 2. pag. 271. Of this that Gods Prouidence is an order what may be gathered ca. 3 pa. 279. That Gods Prouidence beeing an order thoughte vppon from euerlasting is immutable cap. 4. pag. 281. Gods Prouidence alwayes beeing certayne whether chaunce and fortune may take place cap. 5. pag. 291. An answere to them that deny Gods especiall Prouidence to extende to all his creatures aswel smal as great ca. 6 p. 294. Gods speciall Prouidence is proued to extend to small creatures aswell as great out of the sacred scriptures cap 7. pa. 314. Auncient fathers are alleaged to the same purpose cap. 8. pag. 316. That Gods speciall Prouidence pertayneth also to the meanest creatures he sheweth out of Plotine and Plato hym selfe cap. 9. pag. 324. He answereth an obiectioÌ„ made against him out of S. Paule wherby it would seme that God hath no care of oxen ca. 10. p. 327 He intreateth of prouision to be made for Ministers and namely of tithes declaring how far foorth they depend of Gods worde and what they borrowe of mans lawe cap. 11. pag. 332. He returneth thither from whence he digressed and sheweth that the gouernement of Gods Prouidence is continuall cap. 12. pag. 357. That God gouerneth all things according to the state of their owne nature cap 13. pag. 362. The Chapters of the fourth booke Of the ministerie of Angels in general and of the order and maner of Gods gouernement wherin a sentence of Gregorie and Aristotle is discussed Ca. 1. pa. 379. The preheminence of Angels their authoritie is proued by the circumstance of reason cap. 2. pag. 386. The gouernment of Angels is proued by Scripture cap. 3 pag. 392. The authoritie of Angels is made manifest also by the learned fathers c. 4. p. 393 The fifth chapter conteineth a disputation touching a proper Angell which the consent of antiquitie ascribeth to vs and sheweth that it is a probable doctrine and not directly as some learned thinke repugnant to the authoritie of holy scripture cap. 5. pag. 399. The ayde and furtherance that we haue by the ministerie of Angels is shewed by the exaÌ„ples of the sacred Byble c. 6. p. 405. The furtherance that we haue by Angels is declared also by the examples of our tyme cap. 7. pag. 409. Angels notwithstanding their gouernment must not be called vpoÌ„ in our praiers more thaÌ„ any other creature c. 8. p. 414 The profit that is to be takeÌ„ by gods ProuideÌ„ce as also by al other things staÌ„deth in the due vse and application ca. 9. pa. 424. The coÌ„fort which we receiue by Gods Prouidence cap. 10. pag. 428. VVhat lessons we may pike out of Gods Prouidence for the mayntenaunce of godly life cap. 11. pag. 448. Gentle reader I pray thée in perusing this discourse obserue diligently these faults escaped in the print hereafter noted if there be any other smal errors I shal desire thée to vse both thy pacience and iudgement and to correct them as thou séest cause In the fifth page of the Epistle Dedicatorie and first line for Rabinio reade Rabirio In the sixth page of the Preface to the reader line 4. for thy reade their In the 13. page of the Preface line 23. for power reade maner Pa. line  Fault  Correction 2 16 for wayes read thus way ibi 21 godly godlily 13 8 Achams dial Achaz his dial For so I haue since found it in printed copies And so neither doth the note in the margente altogyther holde for I find it touched Esai 38. and also 4. Reg. 20. 22 34 which we which if we 38 23 posidonius Possidonius 48 10 trieth trie 49 12 ninth foure ninetie foure 52 2 param paratae 69 2 to worke to worke them 70 8 a thing of a thing 75 5 Chareas Charras 77 20 brayded broyded 86 26 the stayednesse stayednesse 89 1 honoured honoured 93 1 abashed abashed 98 4 auaile auale ibi 15 quodthey making answer quod they making answere 110 20 the salte and the salte 111 21 fantasie phrensie 114 13 to approche approch 115 23 Gods. Gods 138 8 creature creator 146 15 Saying Sauing 168 8 decrée decre 169 18 destinie destinie 180 16 methink this methinketh is 181 21 reason reason 182 1 sense sense 257 14 doluor dolour 280 8 in and 290 2 no not 299 6 alone all one 307 22 séeme sée 310 3 debating debasing 316 24 doutlesse the whole doubtlesse without the regard of euery small seueral part the whole 330 23 liberally litterally 336 12 will fully wilfully 356 25 not all not at all 366 16 it please him it might please him 367 12 shalt not that shall that 371 11 Bertrome Bertrame 424 1 in selfe in him selfe 465 12 you him The first Booke of Gods Prouidence The first Chapter VVherefore the Author vvrote this vvorke EVer since the time that our father Adam offending agaynst the Maiestie of almighty God had wilfully desperatly cast down him self into the gulf and whirlepoole of all mischiefe so importable hath béene the penaunce that mankinde hath suffred that neuer after he hath enioyed any quietnesse or any safetie and assuraunce in this wretched worlde For whither coulde he cast his eyes to sée any matter of comforte The earth he knewe was accursed for hys sake the freshe ayre so comfortable to him before did nowe fayle him when he most néeded the fire and the water was as ready to swallow him deuour him as to minister any thing for his necessarie vse yea the very powers of heauen the sunne the moone and the stars vapouring downe contagious exhalatitions crossing him in all his doings with their crooked and ouerth warte constellations séemed often as the very instruments of Gods wrath moste cruelly to conspire agaynst him By meanes wherof man béeing gréeuously encombred hath bene driuen as it were by force to séeke out some refuge for himselfe And many wayes surely it hath bene attempted of many sundry kindes of men Some one ways some an other according to the measure of their capacities Worldly nâ—m haue alwayes thought of worldly ayâ—es Therfore the stay they sought for coulde not be surer than the world it selfe Such as wer godly affected shot euermore at a further mark not contented with the vanities of thys present life but ernestly aspiring preaâ—ing forwarde to that their peaceable countrey in the world to come Therfore where their tresure was there also they reposed their comforte that is to say with their God. Whom guiding their ships they neuer feared any tempests nor rashly ran to their destruction vppon the rude ragged rockes Therefore nothing more rife in their mouth thaÌ„ the saying of that kingly prophet Although I vvalk in the middest of the shadov of death yet vvil I not be agast bicause thou art vvith me Agreably whervnto Isahac not knowing what sacrifice his father ment yet bicause
teacheth vs an other lesson In times paste came prophecies vnto vs sayth he not by the motion of any mans will but the holy men of God spake vnto vs in suche sorte as they were first moued and set on by the holy Ghost It was not they then so muche that spake any thing but rather God that vsed them as his instruments And dyd God warne before what he woulde doo touching the captiuitie and deliueraunce of the Iewes of Iudas his trayterous dealing towards his deare Master of the cruell conspiracie of the Rulers of his people of his Sonnes deathe of Jerusalems destruction c What differeth this I pray you from ordeyning Coulde a manne wyshe a more manyfeste proofe oute of Gods worde The .x. Chapter He reciteth the fathers to the same effecte WHereof although the authoritie be so inuiolable that of it selfe it onely should preuayle as well able to discusse al douts and to open and decide all controuersies concerning the substāce of our fayth yet séeing many menne make exceptions as though nothing but forced gloses wrested and racked textes singular and priuate inuentions were broughte in goe to let vs sée a whyle whether the auncient catholike and learned Fathers did any otherwise determine of so greate a matter And first come foorthe I pray thée godly father Clemens Alexandrinus tell vs thy learned iudgemente VVho so euer thinketh there is no Prouidence saythe he mee thynketh he is vvorthy of punishement and a very vvicked man yea not so vvorthy that we shoulde vouchsafe to dispute vvith him Doo thou also tell vs Byshoppe Gregorie thou worthy father of Nazianzene That there is a God sayth he the cause of al things bothe wrought and preserued both oure eye sighte and the very lawe of nature can teach vs. And thou also of blessed memorie right reuerend father holy Basile say thy minde we beséeche thée in lyke maner There is nothing sayth he which God doth not foresee there is nothing which he doth neglecte The eye which neuer sleepeth veweth and considereth al things with all things it is presente safegarding and preseruing euery thing Very well but let vs heare one more of the Greke Church Me thinketh Chrisostomus offereth him selfe as not vnworthy to haue concluded vpon the case Is there no foundatiō saith he and how standeth the building Is there no keele and howe holdeth the ship togither is there none that made the ship how was it made is there no builder how was the house erected Is there no Mason and who builte vp the Citie In the ende thus he knitteth vp VVhat soeuer thing in the world be done practised and put in vre they haue some body to ouersee them and to worke and shall the world onely be without a gouernour Inough nowe of the Gréeke fathers what of the Latines Certaynly as they had like iudgements so framed they also like arguments VVho would not think sayth Lactantius that this worlde so maruellously wroughte is gouerned by some Prouidence For there is nothing that can hold out without some body to guide it So the house that is forsaken of the inhabitaunt falleth to ruine the ship that is without a gouernoure goeth to wracke and the body that is giuen ouer of the soule commeth to nothing Much lesse let vs thinke that this worlde beeing so mightie and huge of quantitie coulde either be founded without a workeman or bee able to stande so long without a guide Worthily spoken out of doubte very conformable also to that lesson which S. Austine techeth vs in his third booke de trinitate affirming that nothing is done which proceedeth not out of the inward and intelligible court of the soueraigne Emperor according to his vnspekable iustice And Leo archbishop of Rome putteth the matter so farre out of al controuersie that he sticketh not to say these wordes The heartes of the faythfull do not doubt but that Gods Prouidence is alwayes present in al parts of this world and that the successe of oure worldly affayres dependeth not of any power that the Starres haue whiche is none but all thinges be ordered at the moste iuste and mercy full pleasure of oure Soueraigne Lorde The .xj. Chapter He sheweth that the very Ethnikes approued this doctrine of Gods Prouidence BVT what néede wée to speake more of the Fathers Surely it is so far off that any godly man shoulde néede to doubt of this so christianlike and sounde doctrine that the very beste and wisest of the heathen men acknowledged it for a certayne truthe Therefore Hesiodus sayth of God that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is one that hath a great brode eye and a face that can looke into euery corner Sophocles likewise affirmeth that he séeth all things and commaundeth al things to be done So true is that saying of Theophilus in the second booke ad Autolicum the Poetes and Philosophers themselues haue written of Gods iustice of his iudgemēt of eternall condemnation and moreouer of Gods prouidence As for Marcus Cicero he hath so largely intreated of this matter not onely in his seconde thirde booke de natura Deorum in his bookes de diuinatione de fato de Legibus de vniuersitate that onely constancie excepted wée coulde not greatly require any thing at his hands And that graue sentence of Clearchus mentioned by Xenophon lib. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be let passe teaching vs that neither swiftnesse nor darknesse nor strong bulwarke of defence can be any refuge for vs agaynst God bycause sayth he all things be in his hāds the whole world is gouerned by his diuine power Yea a greate many mighte be named besides these before mentioned and rehearsed who béeing onely brought vp in the schole of nature were yet styll of this iudgement that there is a God ruling in the heauens vnto whom it was their duetie to submitte them selues Therefore S. Austine writing contra Faustū Manicheum Touching the Prouidence of God sayth he both the Paganes be of the same mind that we be the Iewes and you and all Heretickes that by any meanes are called Christians And Lactantius yet somwhat more openly in his boke entituled de origine erroris that the world saith he should be made by gods Prouidence to say nothing of Trismegistus who professeth the same of the Sibils verses the report asmuch of the Prophets who w one spirit voyce beare witnesse that the workmanship of the worlde is Gods making euen amongst the Philosophers almost al in maner it is agréed vpō The same also the Pithagoreās the Stoikes the Peripatetickes those whiche were the chiefest Philosophers of euery secte did acknowledge till at the laste many worldes after arose doting Epicure which was so bolde as to denie that that is moste euident And forsoothe for none other cause but for that he was desirous to inuent nouelties that he might make a secte of his owne name And bicause he
force vppon the wordes of the Psalme saying God hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee The worde THEE in that place not signifying any especiall person but generally all faythfull people compacte into one body vnder Chryst their head Ouer whome béeing many that many Angelles should be appoynted it is no maruayle Muche lesse is the especiall care of one Angell ouer one taken away by the generall ioy that they haue all of a conuerted sinner Much lesse doth the defense of many by an especiall priuiledge at a néede preiudice ones ordinarie protection The father no lesse by Gods lawe than by the course of nature hath the chiefe charge of his owne children And yet that saying of Ecclesiasticus is notwithstanding a certayne truthe where it is sayd that euery body hath a charge from God ouer his neighbour whether he be hys chylde yea or no. And may it not so fall out I pray you in this case the one Angel hauing the chiefe custodie of one yet so often as néede requireth the rest are not altogither discharged But I will not too egerly contende for a thing that is not muche materiall I knowe some learned of late dayes dissent and yet dare I not condemne by and by the former ages consent Once this I am well assured of that whether many Angelles or one onely be particularly charged with euery Christian we haue no cause to thinke oure selues not very well prouyded for and regarded The .vj. Chapter The ayde and furtheraunce that we haue by the mynisterie of Angels is shewed by the examples of the sacred Byble FOr if we call to minde the tymes paste whither we consider the hystories of the sacred Byble or descende downe lower to our selues how ready and willing haue they shewed them selues to do good not only hauing a vniuersal care of Gods deare inheritaunce his owne people but imploying also particularly their paynes trauayle and greate studie in preseruing euery godly and faythfull man First for their general ouersight that they pitche their tentes and pauilions round about those people that feare God to speake here by the phrase of holy Scripture let the proud king of the Assyrians be a witnesse Who outragiously vaunting of his great power agaynst the holy hoste of Israell opening with pride intollerable his blasphemous and wicked mouth how was he daunted notwithstanding Gods Angell fighting in their defense and to what end came his furious fierce bragges were not an hundred foure score and fiue thousande the same night that he attempted his cruell purpose striken downe dead in his owne campt And by whom was this terrible execution in the defense of Gods people put in practise was it not the Lords owne Angell that wonderfully wrought it and broughte it to passe Wherevppon as Herodotus maketh mention when he him selfe was soone after slayne in the temple as he was nowe worshipping his false idoll by his owne sonnes after the maner of princely pompe his image was sumptuously erected whervppon were engraued these wordes VVhen thou lookest vppon mee bee godly The Israelites when they marched through the red sea O wonderous and straunge worke of God is it not written that Gods Angell was their guyde Which as then it was done so notably that they mighte sensibly féele it as it were with their handes so may wée righte well hée persuaded that nowe also by their ministerie for our defense no lesse effectually God worketh Whose singular and souereigne ayde howe many wayes it is auaylable to mankinde let vs consider I beséeche you with our selues For woulde a man desire comforte when he is oppressed with heauinesse and distresse Let hym peruse of Genesis the. 21. chapiter of the 3. booke of the kings the 19. of the Actes the 28. of Lukes Gospel the. 22. and there shall he sée Agar the poore fugitiue the séely persecuted Helias the succourlesse and wretched Paule finally Chryst him selfe sweating bloude and water for very anguishe excéedingly comforted by Angels Would a man thinke it a great mattier to be deliuered from a present mischiefe wherwith he is dreadfully beset Let him beholde Ioseph admonished to flie into Egypt the wise men to escape from the hands of Herode Abacuck carryed by an Angell to relieue Daniell in his denne S. Peter loased from hys chaynes and conueyed miraculously out of prison Or woulde he wishe his attemptes to prosper and to haue a good exployte in his affayres Let him looke vpon Abrahams seruaunt before whom God sente his holy Angell euen as Abraham his master had foretolde By whose meanes O Iesu howe happie and blessed was his successe Let hym consider Gods promise which he maketh in Exodus to his people saying to his seruaunt Moses that he would sende before him a certayne Angell and caste out the Cananites the Amorites and the Hittites with other mo of the Gentiles whom he there rehearseth Let him call to remembraunce howe blessedly Iacob was assisted by the same meanes when the Angels mette him on his iourney as he was going towardes his brother Esau And to be shorte let the holy Hystorie of Tobias so maruelously conducted by the Angell Raphael be a manyfest argumente to proue vnto vs what successe God gyueth vs by hys Angels The .vij. Chapiter The furtherance that vve haue by Angelles is declared also by the examples of our time BVt bicause these exāples mighte sauor of toomuche antiquitie especiallye wher nouelties are more desired and perchaunce to some men they might séeme to haue passed many worldes and nowe being waxen as it were stale to haue growen tooto long out of vse that ye may knowe God is still like himselfe and euen now as carefull to preserue vs by the ministerie office of his Angels as euer he was in times past let vs now come downe at the last somwhat lower to sée howe graciously God hathe dealte for vs euen within the compasse of oure owne age One Manlius in a booke of his collections telleth a maruellous historie of a thing that happened in his time whiche he auoucheth in déede by hearesay but yet neuerthelesse vppon a very credible report These be his woords I haue hard of a certaine graue man woorthy of credite of a thing whiche he affirmed for a very certaintie to haue bene done In a certaine village nighe to a towne called Cygnea a certain woman had her sonne fetche home her bullockes and her oxen that were grasing vpon an heathe nighe to a woode Therefore going aboute his mothers businesse whyles he tarryed abrode somewhat toolong there fell a great snowe which couered all the hilles there about being benighted the poore childe knewe not howe to gette forthe The day after the father and mother of this child not careful any more for their beastes but muche fearing leaste their sonne should miscarrie looked very earnestly for his comming home and yet were they not able to venture by reason of the déepenesse of the snowe to