shall rise againe incorruptible it is sowne in reproche but it is raised in glory it is sowâ—…n in weakenesse but raised in powre it is sowne an animated body but shall arise a spirituall body And then to prooue this hee proceedes for if there be a naturall or animated bodie there is also a spirituall body And to shew what a naturall body is hee saith The first man Adam was made a liuing soule Thus then shewed he what a naturall body is though the scripture doe noâ—… say of the first man Adam when God brâ—…athed in his face the breath of life that man became a liuing body but man became a liuing soule The first man was made a liuing soule saith the Apostle meaning a naturall body But how the spirituall body is to be taken hee sheâ—…eth also adding but the last man a quickning spirit meaning Christ assuredly who rose from death to dye no more Then hee proceedeth saying That was not first made which is spirituall but that which is naturall and that which is spirituall after-wards Here hee sheweth most plainly that he did meane by the liuing soule the naturall body and the spirituall by the quickning spirit For the naturall body that Adam had was first though it had not dyed but for that he sinned and such haue wee now one nature drawing corruption and necessity of death from him and from his sinne such also did Christ take vpon him for vs not needfully but in his power but the spirituall body is afterwards and such had Christ our head in his resurrection such also shall wee his members haue in ours Then doth the Apostle describe the difference of these two thus The first man is of the earth earthly the second is of heauen heauenly as the earthly one was so are all the earthly and as the heauenly one is such shall all the heauenly ones bee As wee haue borne the Image of the earthly so shall wee beare the image of the heauenly This the Apostle inferres vpon the sacrament of regeneration as hee saith else-where All yee that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ which shall then be really performed when that which is naturall in our birth shall become spirituall in our resurrection that I may vse his owne wordes for wee are saued by hope Wee put on the image of the earthly man by the propagation of sinne and corruption adherent vnto our first birth but wee put on that of Heauenly man by grace pardon and promise of life eternall which regeneration assureth vs by the mercy onely of the mediator betweene God and man the man Christ Iesus whome the Angell calles the Heauenly man because hee came from Heauen to take vpon him the shape of earthly mortality and to shape it into heauenly immortality Hee calleth the rest heauenly also because they are made members of Christ by grace they and Christ being one as the members and the head is own body This he auerreth plainly in the chapter aforesaid by a man came dâ—…h and by a man came the resurrection from the dead for as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all bee made aliue and that into a quickning spirit that is a spirituall body not that all that die in Adam shall become members of Christ for many more of them shall fall into the eternall second death but it is said all and all because as none dy naturall but in Adam so none shall reuiue spirituall but in Christ wee may not then thinke that our bodies at the rusurrection shall be such as Adams was at the creation nor that this place As the earthly one was so are all the earthly is meant of that which was effected by the transgression for we may not thinke that Adam had a spiritual body ere he fell and in his fall was made a naturall one he that conceiueth it so giues but little regard to that great teacher that saith If ther be a natural body then is there also a spiritual as it is also written the first man Adam was made a liuing soule was this done after sinne being the first estate of man from whence the blessed Apostle tooke this testimony of the 〈◊〉 to shew what a naturall body was L. VIVES A Liuing a Or with a liuing soule but the first is more vsual in holy writ b A quickning â—…ssed and ioyned with God bâ—… which coniunction it imparteth integrity and immorâ—…â—…to the body c Forbidden Out of much diuersity of reading I hold this the best for 〈◊〉 â—…oule that liueth and the quickning spirit that giueth life d When soeuer Symmachus 〈◊〉 Hierome expounds this place better thou shalt be mortall But indâ—…ed we die as soone 〈◊〉 borne as Manilius saith Nascentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet Being borne we die our ends hangs at our birth How Gods breathing life into Adam and Christs breathing vpon his Apostles when be said receiue the holy spirit are to be vnderstood CHAP. 24. Sâ—…e therefore do vnaduisedly thinke that God when he breathed in his face the â—…th of life and man became a liuing soule did a not then giue him a soule but by the holy spirit onely quickned a soule that was in him before They ground 〈◊〉 Christs breathing vpon his Apostles after his resurrection and saying 〈◊〉 the Holy spirit thinking that this â—…was such another breathing so that 〈◊〉 â—…angelist might haue sayd they became liuing soules which if hee had 〈◊〉 it would haue caused vs to imagine all reasonable soules dead that are 〈◊〉 â—…kned by Gods spirit though their bodies seeme to bee a liue But it 〈◊〉 so when man was made as the Scripture sheweth plaine in these words 〈◊〉 â—…d GOD formed man being dust of the Earth which some thinking to 〈◊〉 translate c And GOD framed man of the Lome of the Earth because it was said before amist went vp from the earth and watred all the earth that lome should seeme to be produced by this mixture of earth and water for immediatly followeth And God framed man being dust of the earth as the Greeke translations d whence our latine is do read it but whether the Greeâ—…e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be formed or framed it maketh no matter e framed is the more proper word but they that vsed formed thought they avoyded ambiguity because that fingo in the latine is vsed f commonly for to feygne by lying or illuding This man therefore being framed of dust or lome for lome is moystned dust that this dust of the earth to speake with the scripture more expressly when it receiued a soule was made an animate body the Apostle affirmeth saying the man was made a liuing soule that is this dust being formed was made a liuing soule I say they but hee had a soule now already other-wise hee could not haue beene man being neither soule only nor body only but consisting of both T' is true the soule is not whole man
Paradise Eden from the beginning This out of Hierome b No such No man denieth that Paradise may be spiritually vnderstood excepting Ambrose in his booke De Paradiso But all the Fathers professe that Paradise was a reall pleasant place full of trees as Damascene saith and like to the Poets imaginary Elizium Away with their foolery saith Hierome vpon Daniel that seeke for figures in truthes and would ouerthrow the reall existence of trees and riuers in Paradise by drawing all into an Allegory This did Origen making a spirituall meaning of the whole hiâ—…ory and placing the true Paradice in the third heauen whither the Apostle Paul was rapt c Foure riuers Nile of Egipt Euphrates and Tigris of Syria and Ganges of India There heads are vnknowne and they run vnder the Ocean into our sea and therefore the Egiptian priests called Niâ—… the Ocean Herodot d Read in the. Cant 4 12. My sister my spouse is as a garden inclosed as a spring shut vp and a fountaine sealed vp their plants are as an orchard of pomegranates with sweete fruites c. That the Saints bodies after resurrection shal be spirituall and yet not changed into spirits CHAP. 22. THe bodies of the Saints in the resurrection shall need none of the tree of life to preserue them in life health or strength nor any meate to keepe away hunger and thirst They shall haue such an euery way absolute immortality that they shall neuer need to eare power they shall haue to doe it if they will but no â—…ssity For so the Angels did appearing visibly and sensibly not of necessity 〈◊〉 of power and will to affoord their ministerie vnto man in more congruence 〈◊〉 we may not thinke that when a they lodged in mens houses they did but eare b seemingly though they seemed to eate with the same appetite that the 〈◊〉 did who knew them not to be Angels And therefore the Angell saith in Tobiâ—…n saw mee eate but you saw it but in vision that is you thought I had eaten as 〈◊〉 did to refresh my body But if the other side may bee probably held of the Angels yet verily wee doubt it not to bee true c of Christ that hee in his spirituall flesh after his resurrection yet was it his true flesh eate and dranke with his disciples The neede onely not the power is taken from those glorified bodies which are spirituall not because they cease to bee bodyes but because they subsist by the quickning of the spirit L. VIVES THey a lodged In the houses of Abraham Lot and Tobias b Eate seemingly They did not eate as we doe passing the meate from the mouth to the stomack through the throate 〈◊〉 so decoct it and dispâ—…rse the iuice through the veines for nutâ—…iment nor yet did they deâ—… mens eyes by seeming to mooue that which they had for their chaps and yet moouing 〈◊〉 not or seeming to chaw bread or flesh and yet leauing it whole They did eate really 〈◊〉 â—…ere not nourished by eating c Of Christ Luke the 23. The earth saith Bede vpon 〈◊〉 â—…ce drinketh vp water one way and the sunne another the earth for neede the sunne 〈◊〉 power And so our Sauiour did eate but not as we eate that glorious body of his tooke â—…te but turned it not into nutriment as ours doe Of bodies animate and spirituall these dying in Adam and those beeing quickned in Christ. CHAP. 23. 〈◊〉 â—…s the bodyes that haue a liuing soule though as yet vnquickned by the â—…it are called animate yet are our soules but bodyes so are the other calâ—…tuall yet God forbid we should beleeue them to bee spirit or other then â—…tiall fleshly bodies yet vncorruptible and without weight by the quickâ—… of the spirit For man shall not then be earthly but celestiall not that he shall 〈◊〉 his earthly body but because he shall be so endowed from heauen that he 〈◊〉 â—…habite it with losse of his nature onely by attaining a celestiall quality 〈◊〉 â—…st man was made earth of earth into a a liuing creature but not into b â—…ing spirit as â—…ee should haue beene had hee perseuered in obedience â—…lesse therefore his body needing meate and drinke against hunger and 〈◊〉 and being not kept in youth from death by indissoluble immortality but 〈◊〉 by the Tree of life was not spirituall but onely animaâ—…e yet should it not 〈◊〉 â—…ied but that it incurred Gods heauy sentence by offending And though he 〈◊〉 take of other meates out of Paradice yet had he bin c â—…bidden to touch 〈◊〉 of life he should haue bin liable to time corruption in that life onely 〈◊〉 had he continued in spirituall obedience though it were but meerely aniâ—… might haue beene eternall in Paradise Wherefore though by these words 〈◊〉 d When soeuer you eate thereof you shall dye the death wee vnderstand by 〈◊〉 the seperation of soule and body yet ought it not seeme absurd in that 〈◊〉 dyed not the very day that they tooke this deadly meate for that very 〈◊〉 their nature was depraued and by their iust exclusion from the Tree 〈◊〉 the necessitie of death entred vppon them wherein wee all are brought forth And therefore the Apostle saith not The body shall dye for sinne but The body is dead because of sinne and the spirit is life for iustice sake And then he addeth But if the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dâ—… in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodyes by his spirit dwelling in you Therefore then as the Apostle saith shall be in quickning of the spirit which is now in the life of soule and yet dead because it must necessarily dye But in the first man it was in life of soule and not in quickning of spirit yet could it not be called dead because had not he broken the precept hee had not beene bound to death But whereas God signified the death of the soule in leauing of him saying Adam where art thou and in saying Earth thou art and to earth thou shalt goe signified the death of the body in leauing of the soule therefore wee must thinke he spoake not of the second death reseruing that secret because of his new testament where it is plainly discouered that the first which is common to all might bee shewen to proceed from that sinne which one mans acte made common to all but that the second death is not common to all because of those holy onely whom hee hath fore-knowne and predestinated as the Apostle saith to bee made like the image of his sonne that he might be the first borne of many brethren whom the grace of God by this mediator had saued from the second death Therefore the first mans body was but animate as the Apostle witnesseth who desiring our animate bodies now from those spirituall ones that they shall become in the resurrection It is sowne in corruption saith he but
not onely those of the weaker sort that liue in marriage hauing or seeking to haue children and keeping houses and families whome the Apostle in the Church doth instruct how to liue the wiues with their husbands and the husbands with their wiues children with their parents and the parents with their children the seruants with their maisters and the maisters with their seruants it is not these alone that get together these worldly goods with industry and loose them with sorrow and because of which they dare not offend such men as in their filthy and contaminate liues do extreamely displease them but it is also those of the highter sort such as are no way chayned in mariage such as are content with poore fare and meane attire Many of these through too much loue of their good name and safety through their feare of the deceits and violence of the wicked through frailtie and weaknesse forbeare to reprooue the wicked when they haue offended And although they doe not feare them so farre as to be drawne to actuall imitation of these their vicious demeanours yet this which they will not act with them they will not reprehend in them though herein they might reforme some of them by this reprehension by reason that in case they did not reforme them their owne fame and their safetie might come in danger of destruction Now herein they doe at no hand consider how they are bound to see that their fame and safety bee necessarily employed in the instruction of others but they do nothing but poyse it in their owne infirmitie which loues to be stroaked with a smooth tongue and delighteth in the e day of man fearing the censure of the vulgar and the torture and destruction of body that is they forbeare this dutie not through any effect of charitie but meerely through the power of auarice and greedy affection Wherefore I hold this a great cause why the good liuers do pertake with the bad in their afflictions when it is Gods pleasure to correct the corruption of manners with the punishment of temporall calamities For they both endure one scourge not because they are both guiltie of one disordered life but because they both doe too much affect this transitorie life not in like measure but yet both together which the good man should contemne that the other by them being corrected and amended might attaine the life eternall who if they would not ioyne with them in this endeauour of attaining beatitude they should be f borne with all and loued as our enemies are to be loued in Christianitie we being vncertaine whilest they liue here whether euer their heart shall bee turned vnto better or no which to doe the good men haue not the like but farre greater reason because vnto them g the Prophet saith Hee is taken away for his iniquity but his bloud will I require at the watch-mans hand h for vnto this end were watch-men that is rulers ouer the people placed in the churches that they should i not spare to reprehend enormities Nor yet is any other man altogether free from this guilt whatsoeuer he bee ruler or not ruler who in that dayly commerce and conuersation wherein humane necessity confines him obserueth any thing blame worthy and to reprehend it seeking to auoyde the others displeasure being drawne here-vnto by these vanities which he doth not vse as he should but affecteth much more then hee should Againe there 's another reason why the righteous should endure these temporall inflictions and was cause of holy k Iobs sufferance namely that hereby the soule may bee prooued and fully knowne whether it hath so much godlie vertue as to loue God freely and for himselfe alone These reasons being well considered tell me whether any thing be casuall vnto the good that tendeth not to their good vnlesse we shall hold that the Apostle talked idely when he said l Wee know all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God L. VIVES IN something a yeelds The lust of the flesh is so inwardly inherent in our bodies and that affect is so inborne in vs by nature that great workeman of all thinges liuing who hath so subtilly infused it into our breasts that euen when our minde is quiet vppon another obiect we do propagate our ofspring in the like affection so that we can by no meanes haue a thought of the performing of this desire without beeing stung within with a certaine secret delight which many do make a sinne but too too veniall b by his Prophets and that very often as is plaine in Esay and Ieremy c But this is the fault Cicero in his offices saith There be some that although that which they thinke bee very good yet for feare of enuy dare not speak it d The hope As the guide of their pilgrimage e the day of man 1. Cor. 4. I passe little to bee iudged of you or of the day of man that is the iudgement of man wherein each man is condemned or approued of men whose contrary is the daie of the Lord which searcheth and censureth the secrets of all heartes f borne with and loued The wicked are not onely to bee indured but euen to bee loued also God commaunding vs to loue euen our enemies Mat. 5. g The Prophet Ezechiel Chap. 33. But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet and the people bee not warned and the sword come take away any person from among them he is taken away for his iniquitie but his bloud will I require at the watch-mans hands h For vnto this end were watch-men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greeke is Speculator in latin a watchman a discryer an obseruer and a Gouernor Cicero in his seauenth booke of his Epistles to Atticus saith thus Pompey would haue me to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sentinell of Campania and all the sea-coastes and one to whome the whole summe of the busines should haue speciall relation Andromache in Homer cals Hector Troiae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the watchman or guardian of Troy The Athenians called their Intelligencers and such as they sent out to obserue the practises of their tributary citties Episcopos Ouerseers and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 watchmen the Lacedemonians called them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Moderatores Gouernors Archadius the Lawyer cals them Episcopos that had charge of the prouision for vittailes Some thinke the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee heere a Pleonasme whereof Eustathius one of Homers interpreters is one and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is all one 1. Not spare to reprehend So saith saint Paul vnto Titus And so doe our Bishops euen in these times whome with teares we behold haled vnto martyrdome because they tell the truth in too bitter tearmes and persecute vice through all not respecting a whit their reuenues nor dignities Christ Iesus glorifie them k Iobs The history all men
pouerty could not deserue to bee beleeued of the enemie yet should hee not bee put to this paine without an heauenly reward for his paines L. VIVES INward a man The minde being often so vsed in Pauls Epistles b Coueteousnesse of mony The vulgar translation hath Cupiditas but Augustine hath auaritia a better word for the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loue of money c Many sorrowes Thus farre Paul d Poore without He meaneth the Apostle Paul e Naked The words of Iob comforting himselfe in the losse of his goodes and children f elsewhere namely in the same chapter Verse 17. g Rich in good workes In these thinges they shall bee rich indeed h Kept more safely Laying vp the treasure of eternity for them-selues in heauen in that they haue giuen freely vnto the poore and needie Which is declared by that which followeth in the same chapter of Mathew beeing Christes owne workes i And therefore one Paulinus The Gothes hauing sackt Rome and ouer-running all Latium the 〈◊〉 Campania Calabria Salentinum Apulia or Aprutium spoyling and wasting al as they went like a generall deluge their fury extended as far as Consentia a Citty in Calabria called now Cosenza and forty yeares after that Genserike with the Moores and Vandals brake out again tooke Rome filling all Campania with ruine raized the citty of Nola. Of which Cittie at that time Paulinus was Bishop as Paulus Diaconus writeth a most holy and as Saint Gregory saith an eloquent man exceedingly read in humaine learning and not altogether void of the spirit of prophecie who hauing spent all hee had in redeeming Christian captiues and seeing a widow bewayling her captiue sonne and powring forth her pious lamentations mixt with teares his pietie so vrged him that hee could not rest vntill hee had crossed ouer into Affricke with the widow where her sonne was prisoner And there by exchange of him-selfe for hir sonne redeemed him and gaue him free vnto his mother Now his sanctity growing admirable in the eies of the Barbarians hee had the freedome of all his cittizens giuen him and so was sent backe to his country Thereof read at large in Gregories third booke of Dialogues But I thinke Augustine speakes not of this later invasion for then was Paulinus departed this life but of the first irruption of the Gothes k Whereby them-selues were good Namely their vertue which no man can depriue them off and that onely is the good which makes the possessors good For if riches bee good as Tully saith in his Paradoxes why do they not make them good that inioy them l Mammon Mammon after Hierome is a Syriake word signifying that vnto them that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth vnto the Greekes namely Ritches Augustine elswere saith that Mammon in the Punike language is gaine and that the Affrican and Hebrew tongues do accord in the signification of many wordes Serm. de verb. Dom. quaest Euang. Of the end of this transitory life whether it be long or short CHAP. 10. THe extremity of famine they say destroyed many Christians in these inuasions Well euen of this also the faithfull by induring it patiently haue made good vse For such as the famine made an end off it deliueuered from the euils of this life as well as any other bodily disease could doe such as it ended not it taught them a sparing diet and ablenesse to faste Yea but many Christians were destroyed by the foulest variety that might bee falling by so many sortes of death why this is not to bee disliked off since it is common to all that euer haue beene borne This I know that no man is dead that should not at lengâ—…h haue died For the liues ending makes the long life and the short all one neither is their one better and another worse nor one longer then another shorter which is not in this end made equall And what skils it what kind of death do dispatch our life when he that dieth cannot bee forced to die againe And seeing that euery mortall man in the daily casualties of this life is threatned continually with inumerable sortes of death as long as he is vncertaine which of them he shall taste tell me whether it were better to a suffer but one in dying once for euer or still to liue in continual feare then al those extreames of death I know how vnworthy a choice it were to choose rather to liue vnder the awe of so many deathes then by once dying to bee freed from all their feare for euer But it is one thing when the weake sensitiue flesh doth feare it and another when the purified reason of the soule ouer-comes it A bad death neuer followes a good life for there is nothing that maketh death bad but that estate which followeth death Therfore let not their care that needes must dye bee imployed vppon the manner of their death but vppon the estate that they are eternally to inherit after death Wherefore seeing that all Christians know that the death of the religious b begger amongst the dogs licking his sores was better theÌ„ the death of the wicked rich man in all his c silks and purples what power hath the horrour of any kind of death to affright their soules that haue ledde a vertuous life L. VIVES SVffer but one So said Caesar that hee had rather suffer one death at once then feare it continually b Religious begger the story is at large in Saint Luke the 16. Chapter beginning at the 19. verse of Lazarus and the rich glutton c. c Silks Byssus is a kinde of most delicate line as Plinie saith in his naturall history lib. 19. Of buryall of the dead that it is not preiudiciall to the state of a Christian soule to be forbidden it CHAP 11. OH but in this great slaughter the dead could not bee buryed Tush our holy faith regards not that holding fast the promise It is not so fraile as to think that the rauenous beasts can depriue the body of any part to be wanting in the resurrection where not a hayre of the head shall be missing Nor would the scripture haue said Feare not them that kill the bodie but are not able to kill the soule if that which the foe could doe vnto our dead bodies in this world should any way preiudice our perfection in the world to come Vnlesse any man will be so absurd as to contend that they that can kil the body are not to be feared before death least they should kill it but after death least hauing killed it they should not permit it buriall Is it false then which Christ saith Those that kill the body after they can do no more and that they haue power to do so much hurt vnto the dead carkasse God forbid that should be false which is spoken by the truth it selfe Therefore it is said they do something in killing because then they afflict the bodyly sence for a while but afterwards
CHAP. 15. O But they thinke they giue the Christians a foule blow when they aggrauate the disgrace of their captiuitie by vrging the rapes which were wrought not onely vpon maried and mariageable persons but euen vpon some Votaresses also Here are wee not to speake of faith or godlinesse or of the vertue of chastitie but our discourse must runne a narrow course a betwixt shame and reason b Nor care wee so much to giue an answer vnto strangers in this as to minister comfort vnto our fellow Christians Bee this therefore granted as our first position that that power by which man liueth well resting enthroned and established in the minde commands euery member of the body and the body is sanctified by the sanctification of the will which sactimonie of the will if it remaine firme and inuiolate what way soeuer the body bee disposed of or abused if the partie enduring this abuse cannot auoide it d without an expresse offence this sufferance layeth no crime vpon the soule But because euery body is subiect to suffer the effects both of the furie and the lusts of him that subdueth it that which it suffereth in this latter kinde though it bee not a destroyer of ones chastitie yet is it a procurer of ones shame Because otherwise it might bee thought that that was suffered with the consent of the minde which it may bee could not bee suffered without some delight of the flesh And therefore as for those who to auoide this did voluntarily destroy themselues what humaine heart can choose but pittie them yet as touching such as would not doe so fearing by auoyding others villanie to incurre their owne damnation hee that imputes this as a fault vnto them is not vnguiltie of the faulte of folly L. VIVES BEtweene a shame and reason for shame saith that the very violation of the body is to bee called euill but Reason denyes it b Nor care we This we will speake as a comforting vnto our Christian women that endured these violences c In the minde The Platonists place the soule and hir powers in the head as in a Tower sitting there as the commander of our actions and the ouer-seer of our labours as Claudian saith d Without sinne for if wee can auoyde it without sinne we ought to endeuour this auoydance with all our powers Of such as chose a voluntary death to auoyde the feare of paine and dishonour CHAP. 16. FOR if it bee not lawfull for a priuate man to kill any man how euer guiltie vnlesse the lawe haue granted a speciall allowance for it then surely whosoeuer killes himselfe is guiltie of homicide And so much the more guiltie doth that killing of himselfe make himselfe by how much the more guiltlesse hee was in that cause for which hee killd himselfe For if Iudas a his fact be worthily detested and yet the Truth b saith that by hanging of himselfe hee did rather augment then expiate the guilt of his wicked treacherie because his despaire of Gods mercy in his c damnable repentance left no place in his soule for sauing repentance how much more ought he to forbeare from being cause of his owne death that hath no guilt in him worthy of such a punishment as death for Iudas in hanging himselfe hanged but a wicked man and dyed guiltie not onely of Christs death but of his owne also adding the wickednesse of being his owne death to that other wickednesse of his for which he dyed L. VIVES IUdas a his fact which no man but hath heard out of the Gospell b Truth saith Peter in the first of the Actes affirmes that hee did wickedly and vngodlyly both in betraying of his Lord and in hanging of himselfe c Damnable repentance For he repented indeed but so as hee despaired of being euer able to repent sufficiently for so great a villanie Of the violent lust of the Souldiers executed vpon the bodies of the captiues against their consents CHAP. 17. BVt why should he that hath done no man euill do himselfe euill and by destroying himselfe destroy an innocent man for feare to suffer iniurie by the guilte of another and procure a sinne vnto himselfe by auoiding the sinne of another O but his feare is to be defiled by anothers lust tush anothers lust cannot pollute thee if it doe it is not anothers but thine owne But chastitie being a vertue of the minde and a accompanied with fortitude by which it learnes rather to endure all euills then consent to any and b no man of this fortitude and chastitie being able to dispose of his body as he list but onely of the consent and dissent of his minde what man of witte will thinke hee looseth his chastity though his captiued body be forcedly prostitute vnto anothers beastialitie If chastitie were lost thus easilie it were no vertue of the minde nor one of c those goods whereby a man liues in goodnesse but were to be reckoned amongst the goods of the body with strength beautie health and such like d which if a man do decrease in yet it doth not follow that he decreaseth in his vprightnesse of life but if chastitie be of e another kinde why should we endanger our bodies to no end which feare to loose it for if it be f a good belonging to the mind it is not lost though the body be violated Moreouer it is the vertue of holy continencie that when it withstands the pollution of carnall concupiscence thereby it sanctifies euen the body also and therefore when the intention stands firme and giues no way to vicious affects the chastitie of the body g is not lost because the will remaines still in the holy vse and in the power too as farre as it can For the body is not holy in that it is whole or vntouched in euery member for it may be hurt and wounded by many other casualties And the Physitian oftentimes for the preseruation of the health doth that vnto the body which the eye abhorres to beholde h A Midwife trying a certaine maides integretie of the Virginall part whether for malice or by chance it is vncertaine spoiled it Now I thinke none so foolish as to thinke that this virgin lost any part of her bodily sanctitie though that part endured this breach of integritie And therefore the intent of the minde standing firme which firmnesse it is that sanctifies the body the violence of anothers lust cannot depriue so much as the i body of this sanctity because the perseuerance of the minde in continency euer preserueth it But shall we say that any woman whose corrupt minde hath broken her promise vnto God and yeelded her self willingly to the lust of her deceiuer though but in purpose is as yet holy in her bodie when she hath lost that holinesse of minde which sanctified her body God forbid And heere let vs learne that the sanctity of bodie is no more lost if the sanctity of minde remaine though the bodie bee rauished then it
Sarpedon from death the fates constrayning him to die and Neptune greeues that hee coulâ—… not hinder Vlisses his returne home and reuenge the blindnesse of his sonne Ciclops Fate hauing decreede the contrary and Iupiter in Ouid saith Tu sola insuperabile satum Nate mouere putas Daughter'tis onely thou Canst mooue relentlesse fate Saith he And a little after Quae â—…que conâ—…ursum caeli nec fulminiâ—… iram Nec â—…tuunt vllas tuta atque aeterna ruinas Which feare nor thunders gods nor powers infernall But stand vnaw'd vnmooued and eternall There were some that held nothing casuall but all fixed certaine and immutable Democritus Empedocles and Heraclitus were all of this opinion which many others maintained after them as others did the positions of Epicurus Lucane Phars lib. 2. declareth both the opinions in these words Siue parens rerum primùm informia regna Materiamque rudem flammâ cedente recepit Fiâ—…xit in aeternum causas quà cuncta coâ—… cet Se quoque lege tenens secula iussa â—…rentem Fatorum immoto diuisit limite mundum Siue nihil positum est sed sors incerta vagatur Fértque refertque vices habent mortalia casum c. Or natures God when first he bound the fire And wrought this maâ—…e into one forme intire Forged eternall causes all effecting Himâ—…elfe and all the worlds estate subiecting To destenies inchangeable directing Oâ—… bene our states in fortunes gouernance To rise or fall and all by onely chance Fortune is often vsed for destenie and the euents of things which when they fall out as wee desire that we call Felicitie if contrary Infelicitie Thus much here more else-where b The will of God Of this by and by c A power of the starrrs wherein the Stoickes Plato and almost all the other Philosophers do place Fate following the Chaldees and Aegiptians to whom all the Mathematitians also doe giue their voyces d Some do seperate Some say the operation of the starres is a distinct power from the will of God and in attributing this vniuersall power to them exclude Gods prouidence from humaine affaires Besides there are that affirme that although God doe looke to the state of the world yet the starres haue their peculiar dominion in vs neuerthelesse So hold Manilius and Firmicus and the Poets most commonly Others subiect them all vnto the will of GOD omnipotent as Plato and the Stoikes doe affirming all their operations to bee but the praescript lawes of him e But if the starres Origen vpon that place of Genesis Let them be for signes Chapt. 1. vers 14. Saith that the starres doe signifie but effect nothing They are saith he as a booke opened wherein may bee read all things to come which may bee prooued by this that they haue often signified things past But this booke cannot bee read by any witte of man Plotine was of Origens opinion also denying the starres any acte in those things but onely signification Seneca speaking of the Starres saith they either cause or signifie the effects of all things but if they doe cause them what auaileth it vs to know that we cannot alter and if they but signifie them what good doth it thee to fore-see that thou canst not auoide f Mars in such Mars is a starre bloudie fiery and violent Being in the seuenth house saith Firmicus lib. 3. in a partise aspect with the Horoscope that is in the West hee portendeth huge mischieues stayning the natiuities with murthers and many other villanies g To grant them Hee alludeth vnto Tullies Chrysippus de Fato that would teach the Mathematicians how to speake in their art Of the mutuall simpathie and dissimilitude of health of body and many other accidents in twins of one birth CHAP. 2. CIcero a saith that Hippocrates that excellent Phisitian wrote that two children that were brethren falling sicke and the sicknesse waxing and waning in both alike were here-vpon suspected to be twinnes b And Posidonius a Stoike and one much affected to Astrologie laboureth to prooue them to haue bin borne both vnder one constellation and c conceiued both vnder one So that which the Phisitian ascribeth to the similitude of their temperatures of body the Astrologian attributes to the power and position of the starrs in their natiuities But truly in this question the Phisitians coniecture standeth vpon more probabilitie because their parents temperature might bee easily transfused into them both alike at their conception and their first growth might participate equally of their mothers disposition of body then being nourished both in one house with one nourishment in one ayre countrie and other things correspondent this now might haue much power in the proportionating of both their natures alike as Physicke will testifie Besides vse of one exercise equally in both might forme their bodies into a similitude which might very well admit all alterations of health alike and equally in both But to drawe the figure of heauen and the starres vnto this purity of passions it being likely that a great companie of the greatest diuersitie of affects that could bee might haue originall in diuerse parts of the world at one and the same time were a presumption vnpardonable For d we haue knowne two twinnes that haue had both diuerse fortunes and different sicknesses both in time and nature whereof mee thinkes Hipocrates giueth a very good reason from the e diuersitie of nourishment and exercise which might bee cause of different health in them yet that diuersitie was effected by their wills and elections at first and not by their temperature of body But neither Posidonius nor any patron of this fate in the starres can tell what to say in this case and doe not illude the single and ignorant with a discourse of that they know not for that they talke of the space of time between that point which they call the f Horoscope in both the twinnes natiuities it is either not so significant as the diuersitie of will acte manners and fortune of the twinnes borne doth require or else it is more significant then their difference of honors state nobilitie or meannesse will permit both which diuersities they place onely in the figure of the natiuitie But if they should be both borne ere the Horoscope were fully varied then would I require an vnitie in each particular of their fortunes which g cannot be found in any two twinnes that euer yet were borne But if the Horoscope be changed ere both bee borne then for this diuersitie I will require a h difference of parents which twins cannot possibly haue L. VIVES CIcero a saith I cannot remember where I beleeue in his booke De fato which is wonderfully mutilate and defectiue as we haue it now and so shall any one finde that will obserue it b Whom Posidonius A Rhodian and a teacher of Rhodes Hee was also at Rome a follower of Panaetius Cicero c conceiued both for the conception is of as
concurrences and vnions of time conception and constellation the children conceiued are the one a male the other a femalle I knowe two twinnes of diuers sexes both of them aliue and lusty at this day They are as like in fauour one to another as their difference of sexe can permit but in their fashion and order of life so vnlike that besides the actions which must of necessity distinguish betweene men and women hee is continually in warre in the office of a a Count and neuer commeth home shee continually in her country where she was borne and neuer goeth abroad Nay which is more incredible respecting the powres of the stars and not the wills of God and men he is a married man and shee is a holy Virgin hee hath many children she was neuer maried O but their Horoscopes had a great sway in all those things tush I haue showen the powre of that to bee iust nothing already 〈◊〉 but whatsoeuer it doth it is there in the natiuity that it must do it What and not in the conception wherein it is manifest that there was but one generatiue act concurrent for b natures powre is such that a woman hauing once conceiued cannot second any conception vntil she bee deliuered of the first and therefore it is necessary that the twinnes conceptions fall both in one moment were their diuers Horoscopes thinke you the cause that in their birth hee became a man-child and she a woman wherefore since it is no such absurdity to say that there are some planetary influences that haue effect onely vpon diuersity of formes in bodies as we see the alteration of the yeare by the sunnes accesse and departure diuers things to increase and decrease iust as the moone doth crabs for example and all shel-fishes besides the wonderfull c course of the sea but that the minde of man is not subiect vnto any of these powres of the starres those artists now desiring to binde our actes vnto this that wee see them free from doe shew vs plainely that the effectes of the starres haue not powre so much as vpon our bodies d For what is so pertinent vnto the bodie as the sexe thereof and yet wee see that two twinnes of diuers sexes may bee conceiued both vnder one constellation Wherefore what fonder affection can there bee then to say that that figure of Heauen which was one in the conception of them both had not powre to keepe the sister from differing in sexe from her brother with whom she had one constellation and yet that that figure of heauen which ruled at their natiuity had powre to make her differ so far from him in her Virgins sanctimony L. VIVES OFfice of a a Count A Count is a name of dignity vsed but of these moderne times Marcellinus nameth it in his 14. booke calling Nebridius Count of the Orient and Geronâ—…s count of Magnentia and in his sixteeneth booke Ursulus Count of the beneuolences and twenty one Philagrius Count of the Orient I know not whether these counts were those that were called in Greeke Acolithi and were alwaies at the Emperors elbowe b Natures Of all creatures onely the Hare and the Cony do conceiue double vpon the first conception and hauing young in their bellies will conceiue a fresh Arist. Plin. A woman saith Aristotle Hist. animal lib. 7. seldome conceiueth vpon her first young but sometimes she may if there passe but a 〈◊〉 space betweene the conceptions as Hercules and Iphyclus by report were conceiued There was an adulteresse also that bore two children at a birth one like her husband and another like her lemman This out of Aristotle and Plini lib. 7. but they are rare examples And if a man would expose them hee could not bee brought by reason to confesse that those children were conceiued one after another though I know that Erasistratus a worthy Phisitian hòldeth that all twins are conceiued one after another and so do diuers Stoicall Philosophers also hold of many twins but not of all But Hippon and Empedocles held that of one act of generation by reason of the abundance of seed were all twins conceiued Asclepiades ascribeth it to the vertue not the aboundance of seed c Wounderfull course of the sea Worthily wounderfull whereof the true cause is not fully knowne vnto this day neither of the double flowing dayly nor double flowing monethly which the Saylers cal the springâ—…des falling out at the moones full and the change d for what The male and female in all creatures are correspondente in all things but generation but in that he is the male that generateth in another and of himselfe she the female that can generate of an other and in her selfe therfore they talke of many women that haue beene changâ—…d into men Of the election of daies of maryage of planting and of sowing CHAP. 7. BVt a who can indure this foolery of theirs to inuent a new desteny for euery action a man vndertaketh That wise man aforesaid it seemes was not bornâ—… to haue an admirable sonne but rather a contemptible one and therefore elected â—…e his houre wherein to beget a worthy one So thus did he worke himselfe a desteny more then his starres portended and made that a part of his fate which was not signified in his natiuity O â—…ondnesse most fatall A day must now be chosen for marriage because otherwise one might light of an vnlucky day and so make an ill marriage But b where then is the desteny of your natiuity can a man change what his fate hath appointed by choosing this day or that and cannot the the fate of that day which he chooseth be altered by another fate againe if men alone of all the creatures of earth bee vnder this starry power why do they c choose daies to plant and daies to sowe and so forth daies tame cattle daies to put to the males for increase of oxen or horses and such like If the election of those daies bee good because the starres haue dominion in all earthly bodies liuing creatures and plants according as the times do change let them but consider how many creatures haue originall from one and the same instant and yet haue such diuers ends as hee that but noteth will deride those obseruations as childrens toyes for what sotte will say that all herbes trees beasts birds serpents wormes and fishes haue each one a particular moment of time to bee brought forth in yet men do vse for trying of the mathematicians skil to bring them the figures of the births of beasts which they haue for this end deligently obserued at home and him they hold the most â—…kild Mathematician that can say by the figure this protendeth the birth of a beast and not of a man nay they dare goe vnto what beast it is whether fit for bearing woll for carrages for the plough or the custody of the house for the are often asked counsell of the
Creator But the causes voluntary God Angels Men and diuers other creatures haue often in their wil and power i If we may call that power a will by which the brute beastes flye their owne hurt and desire their good by Natures instinct That there is a will in Angels I doe absolutely affirme be they good whom we call Gods Angells or euill whome we call the diuels Angels fiends or diuels them-selues So men good and bad haue all their wills and hereby it is apparant that the efficient causes of all effects are nothing but the decrees of that nature which is The spirit of life Aire or wind is called a Spirit But because it is a body it is not the spirit of life But the spirit of life that quickneth all things is the Creator of all bodies and all created spirits this is God a spirit from eternity vncreated in his wil there is that height of power which assisteth the wills of the good spirits iudgeth the bad disposeth of al giuing power to whom he pleaseth and holding it from whome he list For as he is a Creator of all natures so is hee of all powers but not the giuer of all wills for wicked wills are not of him beeing against that nature which is of him So the bodyes are all subiect vnto diuers wills some to our owne wills that is the wills rather of men then of beasts som to the Angels but all to the will of God vnto whom al wills are subiect because they haue no power but what hee giueth them The cause then that maketh all and is not made it selfe is God The other causes do both effect and are effected such are all created spirits chiefly the reasonable ones The corporal causes which are rather effects then otherwise are not to be counted as efficient causes because they came but to do that which the will of the spirit within them doth inioine thē how then can that set order of causes in Gods foreknowledge depriue our wils of power seeing they bear such a sway amongst the very causes them-selues But k let Cicero rangle his fellowes that say this order is fatall or rather fate it selfe which we abhor because of the word chieflly being vsed in a false beliefe but wheras he denieth that God knoweth assuredly the set order of those causes we detest his assertion worse then the Stoiks do for he either denieth God which he indeuoreth vnder a false person in his bookes De n◅t de Or if he do acknowledge him yet in denying him this fore-knowledge he saith but as the foole said in his heart There is no God for if God want the praescience of all future euents hee is not God And therefore l our wills are of as much power as God would haue them and knew before that they should be and the power that they haue is theirs free to do what they shall do truly and freely because he fore-knew that they should haue this power and do these acts whose fore-knowledge cannot be deceiued wherefore if I list to vse the m word fate in any thing I would rather say that it belonged to the weaker and that will belonged to the higher who hath the other in his power rather then grant that our liberty of will were taken away by that sette order which the Stoikes after a peculiar phraze of their owne call fate L. VIVES EIther a in God De diuinat lib 2. where in a disputation with his brother Quintus he indeauoureth to ouerthrow diuination for which Q. had stood in the booke before For he saith that There is nothing so contrary to reason and constancy as fortune is so that mee thinkes God him-selfe should haue no fore-knowledge of those casuall euents For if he haue it must come so to passe as he knoweth and then it is not casuall but casuall euents there are and therefore there is no fore-knowledge of them This in the said place and much more pertaining to the explaining of this chapter which it sufficeth vs to haue pointed out b A fate to the Stars They all doe so but some giue fate the originall from them excluding God c Lucilius Balbus In the end of the book thus he concludeth This said we departed Velleius holding Cotta's disputation for the truer and I being rather inclined to Balbus suit d Of him-selfe For in his 2. booke hee speaketh him-selfe and confuteth his brothers assertions for diuination e Stoikes Of this in the next chapter f Vnlesse fate Var. de Ling. lat l. 8. The destinies giue a fortune to the childe at the birth and this is called fate of fari to speake Lucan lib. 9. Non vocibus vllis Numen eget dixitquesem◅l nascentibus auctor Quicquid scire licet The Deities neuer need Much language fate but once no more doth read The fortune of each birth It seemes hee borrowed this out of the Psalme heere cited or out of Iob. chap. 33. v. 14. Hee hath spoke once and hath not repeated it againe Both which places demonstrat the constancy of Gods reuealed knowledge by that his once speaking as the common interpretation is the which followeth in the Psalme these two things c. some refer to them which followeth That power belongeth c. Others to the two testaments The Thargum of the Chaldees commeth neere this later opinion saying God hath spoken one law and wee haue heard it twise out of the mouth of Moyses the great scribe vertue is before our God and thou Lord that thou wouldst be bountifull vnto the iust g For Tullies In his booke de fato following Carneades he setteth down three kinds of causes naturall arising from nature as for a stone to fal downward for the fire to burne Voluntary consisting in the free wills of men wherein it is necessary there be no precedent causes but that they be left free and Casuall which are hidden and vnknown in diuers euents Herein he is of the N◅turalists opinion that will haue nothing come to passe without a cause h Naturall Fire hath no other cause of heate a stone of heauynesse a man of reason procreation of like c. then the will of natures Creator who had hee pleased might haue made the fire coole the stone mount vpwards the man a brute beast or dead or vnable to beget his like i If we may cal Arist de anima l. 3. Putteth will only in reasonable creatures and appetite being that instinct wherby they desire or refuse any thing in beastes Will in creatures of reason is led by reason and accompanied by election or rather is election it selfe k But Cicero With the Stoikes l Our wills are God created our wils free and that because it was his will so they may make choyce of contraries yet cannot go against Gods predestination not questionlesse euer would although they could for sure it is that much might bee done which neuer shal so
but not principall and perfect the first of which doe buâ—… assist vs in things beyond our power but the later do effect that with is in our 〈◊〉 Plutarch relating the Stoikes opinion saith that they hold the euents 〈◊〉 thinâ—… to haue a diuerse originall some from that great necessity some from fate some from liberty of will some from fortune and chance particular They follow Plato indeed in all their doctrine of fate Which â—…lutarch both witnesseth and the thing it selfe sheweth But whereas they say yâ— all things comes of fate and that in fate there is a necessity then they speake of the prouidence and wil of God For as we haue shewen they called Ioue fate and that said Pronâ—… that prouidence wherby he ruleth all fate like-wise b We neither subiect The Platonists say the gods must needs be as they are and that not by adding any external necessity but that naturall one because they cannot be otherwise being also voluntary because they would bee no otherwise Wherfore I wonder at Plinius Secundus his cauillation against Gods omnipotency that he cannot do al things because he cannot dye nor giue him-selfe that he can giue a man death It is vnworthy so learned a man Nay he held it a great comfort in the troubles of this life to thinke that the gods somtimes were so afflicted that like men they would wish foâ—… death and could not haue it he was illuded bee-like with the fables that maketh Pluto grieue at his delay of death as Lucian saith Et rector terrae quem longa saecula torquet Mors dilata deum Earths god that greeued sore his welcome Death should be so long delayed c Oâ—… wils arâ—… not A hard question and of diuers diuersly handled Whether Gods fore-knowlede impose a necessity vppon thinges In the last chapter I touched at somthings correspondent Many come out of the new schooles prepared fully to disputation with their fine art of combinations that if you assume they will not want a peece to defend and if you haue this they wil haue that so long till the question be left in greater clouds then it was found in at first as this pâ—… case God knoweth I will run to morrow suppose I will not run put case that suppose the otheâ—… And what vse is there of these goose-traps To speake plainly with Augustine here a man sinneth not because God knoweth that he wil sin for he need not sin vnles he list and if he do not God fore-knoweth that also or as Chrysostome saith vpon the Corinthians Christ indeed saith 〈◊〉 is necessary that scandal should be but herein he neither violateth the will nor inforceth the life 〈◊〉 fore-telleth what mans badnesse would effect which commeth not so to passe because God fore-saw 〈◊〉 but because mans will was so bad for Gods praescience did not cause those effects but the corruptiâ—… of humaine mindes caused his praescience Thus far Chrysostome interpreted by learned Donatâ—… And truly Gods praescience furthereth the euent of any thing no more then a mans looking oâ—… furthereth any act I see you write but you may choose whether to write or no so is it in him furthermore all future things are more present vnto God then those things which we call present are to vs for the more capable the soule is it comprehendeth more time present So Gods essence being infinite so is the time present before him he the only eternity being only infinite The supposition of some future things in respect of Gods knowledge as wel as ours hath made this question more intricate then otherwise it were d Therfore law This was obiected vnto them that held fate to be manager of all euents since that some must needs be good and some bad why should these be punished and those rewarded seeing that their actions being necessities and fates could neyther merit praise nor dispraise Again should any bee animated to good or disswaded from vice when as the fate beeing badde or howsoeuer must needes bee followed This Manilius held also in these wordes Ast hominum mentitanto sit gloria maior Quod câ—…lo gaudente venit rursusque nocentes Odcrimus magis in culâ—…am penasque creatos Nec resert scelâ—…s vnde cadat scelus esse fatendum est Hâ—…c qâ—…que est sic ipsum expendere faâ—…um c. Mans goodnesse shines more bright because glad fate And heauen inspires it So the bad we hate Far worse 'cause â—…ate hath bent their deeds amisse Nor skils it whence guilt comes when guilt it is Fates deed it is to heare it selfe thus scaâ—… c. But wee hold that the good haue their reward and the bad their reproch each one for his free actions which he hath done by Gods permission but not by his direction e Nor doth man His sin ariseth not from Gods fore-knowledge but rather our knowledge â—…iseth from this sin For as our will floweth from Gods will so doth our knowledge from his knowledge Thus much concerning fate out of their opinions to make Augustines the Playner Of Gods vniuersall prouidence ruling all and comprising all CHAP. 11. WHerefore the great and mighty GOD with his Word and his holy Spirit which three are one God only omnipotent maker and Creator of euery soulâ—… 〈◊〉 of euery body in participation of whom all such are happy that follow his 〈◊〉 and reiect vanities he that made man a reasonable creature of soule and body â—…d he that did neither let him passe vnpunished for his sin nor yet excluded him â—…om mercy he that gaue both vnto good and bad essence with the stones power of production with the trees senses with the beasts of the field aâ—…d vnderstanding with the Angels he from whome is all being beauty forme and order number weight and measure he from whom al nature meane excellent al seeds of forme all formes of seed all motion both of formes and seedes deriue and haue being He that gaue flesh the originall beauty strength propagation forme and shape health and symmetry He that gaue the vnreasonable soule sence memory and appetite the reasonable besides these phantasie vnderstanding and will He I say hauing left neither heauen nor earth nor Angel nor man no nor the most base and contemptible creature neither the birds feather nor the hearbes flower nor the trees leafe without the true harmony of their parts and peacefull concord of composition It is no way credible that he would leaue the kingdomes of men and their bondages and freedomes loose and vncomprized in the lawes of his eternall prouidence How the ancient Romaines obtained this increase of their Kingdome at the true Gods hand being that they neuer worshipped him CHAP. 12. NOw let vs look what desert of the Romains moued the true God to augment their dominion he in whose power al the Kingdoms of the earth are For the 〈◊〉 performaÌ„ce of with we wrot our last book before to proue yâ— their gods whom they worshipped in
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
that they would prouide that you should not bee ruled by any more gods but by many more deuills that delighted in such vanities But why hath Salacia that you call the inmost sea being there vnder her husband lost her place for you bring her vp aboue when shee is the ebbing tide Hath shee thrust her husband downe into the bottome for entertaining Venilia to his harlot L. VIVES LUst a flowes Alluding to the sea b Goeth and neuer returneth Spoken of the damned that neither haue ease nor hope at all He alludeth to Iob. 10. vers 21. Before I goe and shall not returne to the land of darkenesse and shadow of death euen the land of misery and darknesse which both the words them-selues shew and the learned comments affirme is meant of hell Of the earth held by Varro to be a goddesse because the worlds soule his god doth penetrate his lowest part and communicateth his essence there-with CHAP. 23. WE see one earth filled with creatures yet being a masse of elemental bodies and the worlds lowest part why call they it a goddesse because it is fruitfull why are not men gods then that make it so with labour not with worship No the part of the worlds soule say they conteined in her maâ—…eth hir diuine good as though that soule were not more apparant in man without all question yet men are no gods and yet which is most lamentable are subiected so that they adore the inferiors as gods such is their miserable error Varro in his booke of the select gods putteth a three degrees of the soule in all nature One liuing in all bodies vnsensitiue onely hauing life this he saith we haue in our bones nailes and haire and so haue trees liuing without sence Secondly the power of sence diffused through our eyes eares nose mouth and touch Thirdly the highest degree of the soule called the minde or intellect confined b onely vnto mans fruition wherein because men are like gods that part in the world he calleth a god and in vse a Genius So diuideth hee the worlds soule into three degrees First stones and wood and this earth insensible which we tread on Secondly the worlds sence the heauens or Aether thirdly her soule set in the starres his beleeued gods and by them descending through the earth goddesie Tellus and when it comes in the sea it is Neptune stay now back a little from this morall theologie whether hee went to refresh him-selfe after his toile in these straites back againe I say to the ciuill let vs plead in this court a little I say not yet that if the earth and stones bee like our nailes and bones they haue no more intellect then sence Or if our bones and nailes be said to haue intellect because wee haue it hee is as very a foole that calleth them gods in the world as hee that should â—…me them men in vs. But this perhaps is for Philosophers let vs to our ciuill theame For it may bee though hee lift vp his head a little to the freedome of 〈◊〉 naturall theologie yet comming to this booke and knowing what he had to â—…oe hee lookes now and then back and saith this least his ancestors and others should be held to haue adored Tellus and Neptune to no end But this I say seeing â—…th onely is that part of the worlds soule that penetrateth earth why is it not 〈◊〉 intirely one goddesse and so called Tellus which done where is Orcus 〈◊〉 and Neptunes brother father Dis and where is Proserpina his wife that some opinions there recorded hold to be the earths depth not her fertility If they say the soule of the world that passeth in the vpper part is Dis and that in the loâ—…er Proserpina what shall then become of Tellus for thus is she intirely diuided into halfes that where she should be third there is no place vnlesse some will say that Orcus and Proserpina together are Tellus and so make not three but one or two of them yet 3. they are held worshiped by 3. seuerall sorts of rites by their altars priests statues and are indeed three deuills that do draw the deceiued soule to damnable whoredome But one other question what part of the worlds soule is Tellumo No saith he the earth hath two powers a masculine to produce and a feminine to receiue this is Tellus and that Tellumo But why then doe the Priests as he sheweth adde other two and make them foure Tellumo Tellus c Altor Rusor for the two first you are answered why Altor of Alo to nourish earth nourisheth all things Why Rusor of Rursus againe all things turne againe to earth L. VIVES PUtteth three a degrees Pythagoras and Plato say the soule is of three kindes vegetable sensitiue reasonable Mans soule say they is two-fold rationall and irrationall the later two-fold affectionate to ire and to desire all these they doe locally seperate Plat. de Rep. l. 4. Aristotle to the first three addeth a fourth locally motiue But he distinguisheth those parts of the reasonable soule in vse onely not in place nor essence calling them but powers referred vnto actions Ethic. Alez Aphrodiseus sheweth how powers are in the soule But this is not a fit theame for this place But this is all it is but one soule that augmenteth the hayre and bones profiteth the sences and replenisheth the heart and braine b Onely vnto This place hath diuersities of reading some leaue out part and some do alter but the sence being vnaltered a note were further friuolous c Altor Father Dis and Proserpina had many names in the ancient ceremonies Hee Dis Tellumo Altor Rusor Cocytus shee Uerra Orca and Nâ—…se Tellus Thus haue the priests bookes them Romulus was also called Altellus of nourishing his subiects so admirably against their enuious borderers Iupiter Plutonius saith Trismegistus rules sea and land and is the nourisher of all fruitfull and mortall foules In Asclepio Of earths surnames and significations which though they arose of diuerse originals yet should they not be accompted diuerse Gods CHAP. 24. THerefore earth for her foure qualities ought to haue foure names yet not to make foure gods One Ioue serues to many surnames and so doth one Iuno in all which the multitude of their powers constitute but one God and one goddesse not producing multitude of gods But as the vilest women are some-times ashamed of the company that their lust calleth them into so the polluted soule prostitute vnto all hell though it loued multitude of false gods yet it som-times lothed them For Varro as shaming at this crew would haue Tellus to be but one goddesse They a call her saith hee the Great mother and her Tymbrell is a signe of the earths roundnesse the turrets on her head of the townes the seates about her of her eternall stability when all things else are mooued her 〈◊〉 Priests signifie that such as want seede must follow the earth
the reasonable soules which are parts in that order of nature are not to bee held for goddes Nor ought it to be subiect to those things ouer which God hath giuen it superiority Away with those thinges also which Numa buryed beeing pertinent to these religious ordinances and beeing afterwards turned vp by a plough were by the Senate buryed And those also to fauor our suspition of Numa Which Alexander the great wrote b to his Mother that hee hadde learned of Leon an Aegiptian Priest Where not onely Picus Faunus Aeneas Romulus Hercules A◅sculapius Bacchus Castor and Pollux and other mortal men whome they hadde for their goddes but euen the c gods of the greater families whom Tully not naming them though seemes to touch at in his Tusculane Questions Iupiter Iuno Saturne Vulcan Vesta and many other which Varro would make nothing but Elements and parts of the world there are they all shewne to haue beene but men For the Priest fearing the reuealing of these misteries warned Alexander that as soone as his Mother hadde read them hee should burne them So not all this fabulous and ciuill Theology shall giue place to the Platonists who held a true God the author of all thinges the clearer of all doubtes and the giuer of all goodnes but euen the other Phylosophers also whose grosse bodily inuentions held the worlds beginning to be bodily let al these giue place to those good god-conceiuing men let Thales depart with his water Anaximenes with the ayre the Stoikes with their d fire Epicurus with his Atomes his indiuisible and in sensible bodies and all other that now are not for vs to recount who placed natures originall in bodies eyther simple compound quicke or dead for there were e some and the Epicureans were they that held a possibility of producing the quicke out of the dead f others would produce out of the quick some things quick and some dead yet all bodily as of a body produced But the Stoikes held g the fire one of this visible worldes foure elements to bee wise liuing the Creator of the world whole and part yea euen God him-selfe Now these their fellowes followed euen the bare surmises of their owne fleshly opinions in these assertions For h they hadde that in them which they saw not and thought that to bee in them which they saw externally nay which they saw not but imagined onely now this in the sight of such a thought is no body but a bodies likenesse But that where-with our minde seeth seeth this bodyes likenesse is neither body nor likenesse and that which discerneth the other iudging of the deformity or beauty of it is more beautious then that which it iudgeth of This is the nature of mans minde and reasonable soule which is no body nor is the bodies likenesse revolued in the minde a body either So then it is neyther fire ayre water nor earth of which foure bodies which wee call Elements this visible World is composed Now if our soule bee no body how can God that made it bee a body So then let these giue place to the Platonists and i those also that shamed to say God was a body and yet would make him of the same essence that our s◅es ar being not moued by the soules mutability which it were vile to ascribe vnto God I but say they k the body it is that alters the soule of it self it is immutable So might they say that it is a body that woundeth the body for of it selfe it is invulnerable That which is immutable nothing externall can change But that that any body alters is not vnchangeable because it is externally alterable L. VIVES THey a make A difference of reading but not worthy the noting b Wrote this Cyprian affirming al y◠Pagan gods were men saith that this is so Alexander writeth in a famous volume to hi◅ mother that the feare of his power made such secrets of the gods to bee reuealed vnto him by that Pries◅ that they were he saw now nothing else but ancient kinges whose memories vsed to be kept at first and afterwards grew to sacrifices De Idoll Vanitate c Gods of the Tarquinius Pris◅s fist King of Rome added 100. Senators to the ancient Senate and these were called the fathers of the lesser families the former of the greater which phraze Tully vseth metaphorically for the ancient confirmed gods If we should seeke the truth of Greeke authors saith Tully euen these goddes of the greater families would be found to haue gone from vs here ◅n earth vp into heauen Thus farre he Tusc. Quaest. 1. Teaching the soules immortallity which beeing loosed from the body shall be such as they who are adored for gods Such were Romulus Hercules Bacchus c. And thus is heauen filled almost ful with men Tully also elsewhere calleth such gods of the greater families as haue alwaies bene held celestiall In Legib. Those that merit heauen he calleth Gods ascript d Fire Cic. de nat deor The Stoikes hold al actiue power fire following it seemes Heraclitus And Zeno their chiefe defineth the nature that he held for god to be a fire artificiall generatiue and moouing e Some The Epicureans held all men and each thing else to come out of Atomes flying about at randome and knitting together by chance f Others So the old Manuscripts do read it g Held the fire Cic. de ◅t de◅ h They had that They could not conceiue the soule to be incorporeall but corporall onely nor vniuersally that but sensible onely And it is triuiall in the Shooles Nothing is in the ◅derstanding that was not first in the sence That is our minde conceiueth but what is circumscribed with a body sensible or an obiect of our sence So we conceit incorporeall things corporally and corporall things neuer seene by imagination and cogitation of such or such formes as we haue seene As one that neuer saw Rome but thinkes of it he imagineth it hath walls churches buildings or such-like as he hath seene at Paris Louvaine Valencia or elsewhere Further Augustine teacheth that the thoughts are incorporeall and that the mindes internall sences which produce thoughts are both before thoughts and thinges them-selues which sences internal God being the Creator of must needs be no body but a power more excellent then al other bodies or soules i Those also Cic. de nat deor l. 1. for Pythagoras that held God to be a soule continuate diffused through al nature neuer marked the perturbations our soules are subiect to by which were God such he should be distracted and disturbed when the soules were wretched as many are so should god be also which is impossible but Plato deriued our soules frō the substance of the stars if they died yong he affirmed their returne theth◅ again each to the star whence it came and that as the stars were composed of the 4. Ele◅ so we◅e the soules but in a
nor must we at all beleeue what Apuleius would haue vs and others with him that the Daemones are so placed betweene the gods and men that they beare vp mens prayers and bring downe the gods helpes but that they are spirits most thirstie of mischiefe wholy vniust proud enuious treacherous a inhabiting the ayre in deed as thrust out of the glorious heauen for their vnpardonable guilt and condemned eternally to that prison Nor are they aboue man in merite because ayre is aboue earth for men doe easily excell them not in quality of body but in the faith and fauour of the true God Indeed they rule ouer many that are not worthy of the perticipation of gods truth such are their subiects wonne to them by false myracles and by illusions perswading them that they are gods But others that looked more narrowly into them and their qualities would not beleeue this that they were gods onely they gott this place in their opinion to be held the gods messengers and bringers of mens good fortunes Yet those that held them not gods would not giue them the honor of gods because they saw them euill and held all gods to be good yet durst they not denie them all diuine honors for feare of offending the people whose inueterate superstition preserued them in so many temples altars and sacrifices L. VIVES INhabiting a the ayre The olde writers placed all their fable of hell in the ayre and there was 〈◊〉 Proserpina the Manâ—…s and the Furies Capella Chalcâ—… saith the ayre was iustly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 darke Peter also and Iude affirme that the deuills 〈◊〉 bound in darknesse in the ayre some in the lowest parts of the earth Empedocles in Plâ—… 〈◊〉 faith that Heauen reiected them earth expels them the sea cannot abide them thus are they â—…ed by being tossed from place to place Hermes Trismegistus his opinion of Idolatrie and how he might come to know that the Egiptian superstitions were to be abrogated CHAP. 23. FOr Hermes a the Aegiptian called Trismegistus wrote contrary to these Aâ—… indeed holds them no gods but middle agents betweene gods and men that being so necessary he conioynes their adoration with the diuine worship But Trismegistus saith that the high God made some gods and men other some These words as I write them may bee vnderstood of Images because they are the workes of men But he calleth visible and palpable bodies the bodyes of the gods wherein are spirits inuited in thereto that haue power to hurt or pleasure such as giue them diuine honors So then to combine such a spirit inuisible by arts vnto a visible image of some certaine substance which it must vse as the soule doth the body this is to make a god saith hee and this wonderfull power of making gods is in the hands of man His b words are these And whereas 〈◊〉 discourse saith he concernes the affinitie betweene gods and men marke Asclepius this power of man Our God the Lord and Father is the creator of the celestiall gods so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the terrestriall which are in the temples And a little after So doth humanity remember the originall and euer striueth to imitate the deity making gods like the oâ—…ne Image as God the father hath done like his Do you meane statues replied Asclepius statues quoth he doe you not see them animate full of spirits and sence d trust your eyes doing such wonders see you not statues that presage future euents farre perhaps e beyond all propheticall inspiration to fore-tell that cure diseases and câ—…se them giuing men mirth or sadnesse as they deserue Know you not Asclepius thâ—…t Egâ—…pt 〈◊〉 heauens Image or rather the place whereinto all the celestiall graces desâ—…end the very temple of the whole world And since wisdome should fore-know all I 〈◊〉 not haue you ignorant herein The time shall come that all the zeale of Egipt shall be â—…gated and all the religious obseruations held idle and vaine Then goeth hee forward prophecying by all likelyhood of christianity whose true sanctitie is the â—…tter subuersion of all fictions and superstitions that the Sauiours true grace might free vs from those humaine gods those handy-workes of man and place vs to gods seruice mans maker But Hermes presageth these things as the deuills confederate suppressing the euidence of the Christian name and yet fore-telling with a sorrowfull intimation that from it should proceed the wracke of all their Idolatrous superstitions for Hermes was one of those who as the Apostle saith Kâ—…ing GOD glorified him not as GOD nor were thankfull but became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darkenesse when they professed them-selues wise they became fooles For they turned the glory of the incorruptible God into the symilitude of the Image of a corruptible man and byrdes and foore-footed beasts and Serpents f For this Hermes saith much of God according to truth But how blindnesse of heart drawes him to affirme this I know not that these gods should bee alwayes subiect whome man hath made and yet to bewaile their abrogations to come As if man could bee more miserable any way then in liuing slaue to his owne handy-worke g it being easier for him to put off all humanitie in adoring these peeces hee hath made then for them to put on deity by being made by him For it comes ofteneâ—… to passe that a man being set in honor be not vnderstood to bee like to the beasts then that his handy-worke should bee preferred before the worke that God made like his owne Image to wit mans selfe Worthily then doth hee fall from his grace that made him that maketh that his Lord which he hath made himselfe Those vaine deceitfull pernicious sacriledges Hermes foreseeing should perish deploreth but as impudently as hee had knowne it foolishly For the spirit of GOD had not spoken to him as it did to the Prophets that spoke this with gladnesse If a man make gods behold they are no gods and in another place At that day saith the LORD I will take the names of their Idols from the earth and there shal be no remembrance thereof And to the purpose of Egipt heare Isaias The Idols of Egipt shal be mooued at his presence and the heart of Egipt shall melt in the midst of her and so forward Such were they also that reioyced for the fulfilling h of that which they knew should come to passe as Simeon Anna and Elizabeth the first knowing Christ at his birth the second at his conception and i Peter that by Gods inspiration sayd Thou art that Christ the Sonne of the liuing GOD. But Hermes had his knowledge from those deuills that trembling in the flesh sayd to Christ Why art thou come to vndoe vs before the time Either k because that came suddenly vpon them which they expected not vntill afterwards or that they called it their vndoing to bee knowne and so despised and this was
these deuills thus 〈◊〉 Men ioying a in reason perfect in speach mortall in body immortall in 〈◊〉 â—…onate and vnconstant in minde brutish and fraile in body of discrepant conâ—…â—…d conformed errors of impudent boldnesse of bold hope of indurate labour 〈◊〉 â—…taine fortune perticularly mortâ—…ll generally eternall propagating one anoâ—… of life slowe of wisdome sudden of death and discontented in life these dwell 〈◊〉 In these generals common to many he added one that he knew was false 〈◊〉 b slowe of wisdome which had he omitted hee had neglected to perfect â—…ription For in his description of the gods heâ—… saith that that beatitude 〈◊〉 men doe seeke by wisdome excelleth in them so had hee thought of any 〈◊〉 deuills their definition should haue mentioned it either by shewing them â—…ticipate some of the gods beatitude or of mans wisdome But hee hath no â—…ion betweene them and wretches though hee bee fauourable in discoueâ—…â—…eir maleuolent natures not so much for feare of them as their seruants 〈◊〉 â—…ould read his positions To the wise hee leaues his opinion open inough 〈◊〉 â—…hat theirs should bee both in his seperation of the gods from all temâ—… of affect and therein from the spirits in all but eternitie and in his â—…tion that their mindes were like mens not the gods nay and that not 〈◊〉 wisedome which men may pertake with the gods but in being proue to passions which rule both in the wicked and the witlesse but is ouer ruled by the wise man yet so as hee had c rather want it then conquer it for if hee seeke to make the diuells to communicate with the gods in eternity of mind onely not of body then should hee not exclude man whose soule hee held eternall as well as the rest and therefore hee saith that man is a creature mortall in body and immortall in soule L. VIVES IOying a in reason Or contending by reason Cluentes of Cluo to striue b Slow Happy â—…s hee that getts to true knowledge in his age Plato c Rather want A wise man hath rathâ—… haue no passions of mind but seeing that cannot be he taketh the next course to keepe theâ—… vnder and haue them still in his power Whether the ayry spirits can procure a man the gods friendships CHAP. 9. WHerfore if men by reason of their mortal bodies haue not that participation of eternity with the gods that these spirits by reason of their immortall bodiâ—… haâ—…e what mediators can their be between the gods men that in their best part their soule are worse then men and better in the worst part of a creature the body for all creatures consisting of body and soule haue the a soule for the better part bee it neuer so weake and vicious and the body neuer so firme and perfect because it is of a more excelling nature nor can the corruption oâ—… vice deiect it to the basenesse of the body but like base gold that is dearer thâ—… the best siluer so farre doth it exceed the bodies worth Thus then those ioly mediators or posts from heauen to earth haue eternity of body with the gods and corruption of soule with the mortalls as though that religion that must make god and man to meete were rather corporall then spirituall But what guilt or sentence hath hung vp those iugling intercedents by the heeles and the head downeward that their lower partes their bodies participate with the higher powers and their higher their soules with the lower holding correspondence with the Gods in their seruile part and with mortalls in their principall for the body as Salust saith is the soules slaue at least should bee in the true vse and hee proceeds the one wee haue common with beasts the other with gods speaking of man whose body is as mortall as a beasts Now those whome the Philosophers haue put betweene the gods and vs may say thus also Wee hâ—… body and soule in community with gods and men but then as I said they are bound with their heeles vpward hauing their slauish body common with the gods and their predominant soule common with wretched men their worst part aloft and their best vnderfoote wherefore if any one thinke them eternall with the gods because they neuer die the death with creatures let vs not vnderstand their boâ—… to bee the eternall pallace wherein they are blessed but b the eternall priâ—… wherein they are damned and so he thinketh as he should L. VIVES THâ—… 〈◊〉 a fâ—… For things inherent neuer change their essentiall perfection and I do wondâ—… that 〈◊〉 the Peripatetique schoole of Paris would make any specificall difference of souleâ—… b Dâ—… Not in the future tence for they are damned euersince their fall Ploâ—…ines opinion that men are lesse wretched in their mortality then the diâ—…lls are in their eternity CHAP. 10. IT is said that Plâ—… that liued but a lately vnderstood Plato the best of any Hee seaking of mens soules saith thus b The father out of his mercy bound them 〈◊〉 fâ—…r a season So that in that mens bonds their bodies are mortal he impuâ—… it â—…o God the fathers mercy thereby freeing vs from the eternall tediousâ—… of this life Now the deuills wickednesse is held vnworthy of this fauour 〈◊〉 passiue soules haue eternall prisons not temporall as mens are for they 〈◊〉 happier then men had they mortall bodies with vs and blessed soules with the Gods And mens equalls were they if they had but mortall bodies to their â—…hed soules and then could worke them-selues rest after death by faith and 〈◊〉 But as they are they are not only more vnhappy then man in the wretchednesse of soules but far more in eternity of bondage in their bodies c hee would 〈◊〉 haue men to vnderstand that they could euer come to bee gods by any grace or wisdome seeing that he calleth them eternall diuells L. VIVES Bâ—… a Lately In Probus his time not 200. yeares ere Honâ—…rius his raigne In Plotine 〈◊〉 saith him thought Plato's academy reuiued Indeed hee was the plainest and puâ—… â—…ists that euer was Plato and Plotinus Princes of the Philosophers Macrob. Porphiry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wrot his life and prefixed it vnto Plotines workes b The father Plato said this of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gods in Timaeo but Plotine saith it was the mercy of yâ— father to free maÌ„ from this liues 〈◊〉 his words are these Ioue the father pitying our soules laâ—…s prefixed an expiration 〈◊〉 â—…ds wherein wee labour and granted certaine times for vs to remaine without bodies there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worlds soule râ—…leth eternally out of all this trouble De dub animae c For hee Apuleius 〈◊〉 â—…th that which followeth 〈◊〉 the Platonists that held mens soules to become Daemones after death CHAP. 11. 〈◊〉 saith a also that mens soules are Daemones and become b Lares if their 〈◊〉 be good if euill c Lemures goblins if different d Manes But â—…tious this opinion is to all goodnesse who sees not for be men neuer so â—…ous
that both the world and the gods made by that great GOD in the world had a beginning but shall haue no end but by the will of the creator endure for euer But they haue a b meaning for this they say this beginning concerned not time but substitution for c euen as the foote say they if it had stood eternally in the dust the foote-step should haue beene eternall also yet no man but can say some foote made this step nor should the one be before the other though one were made by the other So the world and the God there-in haue beene euer coeternall with the creators eternitie though by him created Well then put case the soule bee and hath beene eternall hath the soules misery beene so also Truly if there be some-thing in the soule that had a temporall beginning why might not the soule it selfe haue a beginning also And then the beatitude being firmer by triall of euill and to endure for euer questionlesse had a beginning though it shall neuer haue end So then the position that nothing can be endlesse that had a temporall beginning is quite ouer-throwne For the blessednesse of the soule hath a beginning but it shall neuer haue end Let our weaknesse therefore yeeld vnto the diuine authoritie and vs trust those holy immortalls in matter of religion who desire no worship to them-selues as knowing all is peculiar to their and our God nor command vs to sacrifice but vnto him to whom as I said often and must so still they and wee both are a sacrifice to be offered by that priest that tooke our manhood and in that this priesthood vpon him and sacrificed himselfe euen to the death for vs. L. VIVES ANd a necessary Plato subiects the soule both in the body and without the body vnto the power of the fates that after the reuolution of life death must come and after the purification of the soule life againe making our time in the body vncertaine but freeing vs from the body a 1000. years This reuolution they held necessary because God creating but a seâ—…nuÌ„ber of soules in the beginning the world should otherwise want men to inhabite it it being so 〈◊〉 and we so mortall This Virgill more expresly calls a wheele which being once turned about restores the life that it abridged and another turning taking it away againe both brâ—… things to one course This from death to death that from life to life but that worketh by death and this by life b A meaning It is well knowne that Plato held that God created the world But the question is whether it began temporally some yeares ago or had no temâ—…ll beginning Plutarch Atticus and Seuerus held that Plato's world had a beginning â—…porall but was neuer to haue end But Crantor Plotine Porphyry Iamblichus Proculus and 〈◊〉 all Platonists thought that it neuer beganne nor neuer should haue end So doth 〈◊〉 adioyning this and Pythagoras his opinion in one for Plato Pythagorized in all naâ—… questions This Cicero Iustine Martir and Boetius doe subscribe vnto also Plato â—…th Apuleius de deo Socrat. held all these gods to bee true incorporeall liuing and eternall 〈◊〉 neither beginning nor end Yet Apuleius in his Dogma Platonis affirmes that Plaâ—… taught vncertainely concerning the worlds beginning saying one while it had an origiâ—… and another while it had none c Euen as Our Philosophers disputing of an 〈◊〉 that is coequall in time and beeing with the cause compare them to the Sunne and the 〈◊〉 light Of the vniuersall way of the soules freedome which Porphyry sought amisse and therefore found not that onely Christ hath declared it CHAP. 32. THis is the religion that containes the vniuersall way of the soules freedome â—…or no where els is it found but herein This is the a Kings high way that leads to the eternall dangerlesse Kingdome to no temporall or transitory one And â—…reas Porphyry saith in the end of his first booke De regressu animae that there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one sect yet either truely Philosophicall b Indian or Chaldaean that teachetâ—… this vniuersall way and that hee hath not had so much as any historicall reaâ—… of it yet hee confesseth that such an one there is but what it is hee knoweth 〈◊〉 So insufficient was all that hee had learnt to direct him to the soules true â—…me and all that himselfe held or others thought him hold for he obserâ—… want of an authority fit for him to follow But whereas hee saith that 〈◊〉 of the true Philosophy euer had notice of the vniuersall way of the soules 〈◊〉 he shewes plaine that either his owne Phylosophy was not true or els 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wanted the knowledge of this way and then still how could it be true for 〈◊〉 vniuersall way of freeing the soules is there but that which freeth all soules 〈◊〉 coÌ„nsequently without which none is freed But whereas he addeth Indian or Chaldaean he giues a cleare testimony that neither of their doctrines contaiâ—… this way of the soules freedome yet could not he coâ—…ceale but is stil a telling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Chaldaeans had hee the diuine oracles What vniuersall way 〈◊〉 doth hee meane that is neither receiued in Philosophy nor into those Paâ—… disciplines that had such a stroke with him in matters of diuinity because 〈◊〉 with them did the curious fond superstition inuocation of all Angells 〈◊〉 which he neuer had so much as read of What is that vniuersall way not peculiar to euery perticuler nation but common to c all the world and giuen to it by the power of God Yet this witty Philosopher knew that some such way thers was For hee beleeues not that Gods prouidence would leaue man-kinde without a meane of the soules freedome He saith not there is no such but that so great and good an helpe is not yet knowne to vs nor vnto him no meruell for Prophyry was yet all d for the world when that vniuersall way of the soules freedome christianity was suffered to be opposed by the deuills and their seruants earthly powers to make vp the holy number of Martires e that is witnesses of the truth who might shew that all corporall tortures were to be endured for aduancement of the truth of piety This Porphyry saw and thinking persecution would soone extinguish this way therefore held not this the vniuersall not conceiuing that that which he stucke at and feared to endure in his choice belonged to his greater commendation and confirmation This therefore is that vniuersal way of the soules freedome that is granted vnto all nations out of Gods mercy the knowledge whereof commeth and is to come vnto all men wee may not nor any hereafter say why f commeth it so soone or why so late for his wisdome that doth send it is vnsearcheable vnto man Which he well perceiued when he sayd it was not yet receiued or knowne vnto him he denied not the truth thereof because he as yet had it
eldest holds them resolued into most pure ayre which S. Thomas dislikes for such bodies could neuer penetrate the fire nor the heauens But he is too Aristotelique thinking to binde incomprehensible effectes to the lawes of nature as if this were a worke of nature strictly taken and not at the liberty of GODS omnipotent power or that they had forced through fire and heauen by their condensed violence Some disliked the placing of an element aboue heauen and therefore held the Christalline heauens composed of waters of the same shew but of a farre other nature then the Elementary Both of them are transparent both cold but that is light and ours heauy Basill sayth those waters doe coole the heate of the heauens Our Astronomicall diuines say that Saturnes frigidity proceedeth from those waters ridiculous as though all the starres of the eighth spere are not cooler then Saturne These waters sayth Rede are lower then the spirituall heauens but higher then all corporeall creatures kept as some say to threaten a second deluge But as others hold better to coole the heate of the starres De nat◅rer But this is a weake coniecture Let vs conclude as Augustine doth vpon Genesis How or what they are we know not there they are we are sure for the scriptures authority weigheth downe mans witte c In stead of Another question tossed like the first How the elements are in our bodies In parcels and Atomes peculiar to each of the foure saith Anaxagoras Democritus Empedocles Plato Cicero and most of the Peripatetiques Arabians Auerroes and Auicen parcels enter not the bodies composition sayth another but natures only This is the schoole opinion with the leaders Scotus and Occam Aristole is doubtfull as hee is generally yet holdes the ingresse of elements into compoundes Of the Atomists some confound all making bodies of coherent remaynders Others destroy all substances Howsoeuer it is wee feele the Elementary powers heate and drought in our gall or choller of the fire heate and moysture ayry in the blood colde and moyst watery in the fleame Colde and dry earthly in the melancholly and in our bones solydity is earth in our brayne and marrow water in our blood ayre in our spirits cheefely of the heart fire And though wee haue lesse of one then another yet haue some of each f But there And thence is all our troublesome fleame deriued Fitly it is seated in the brayne whether all the heate aspyreth For were it belowe whither heate descendeth not so it would quickly growe dull and congeale Whereas now the heate keepes it in continuall acte vigor and vegetation Finis lib. II. THE CONTENTS OF THE twelfth booke of the Citty of God 1. Of the nature of good and euil Angells 2. That no essence is contrary to God though al the worlds frailty seeme to bee opposite vnto this immutable eternity 3. Of gods enemies not by nature but will which hurting them hurteth their good nature because there is no vice but hurteth nature 4. Of vselesse and reason-lesse natures whose order differeth not from the Decorum held in the whole vniuerse 5. That the Creator hath deserued praise in euery forme and kind of Nature 6. The cause of the good Angels blisse and the euills misery 7. That wee ought not to seeke out the cause of the vicious will 8. Of the peruerse loue wherby the soule goeth from the vnchangeable to the changeable good 9. Whether he that made the Angels natures made their wils good also by the infusion of his loue into them through his holy Spirit 10. Of the falsenes of that History that saith the world hath continued many thousand years 11. Of those that hold not the Eternity of the world but either a dissolution and generation of innumerable worlds or of this one at the expiration of certaine yeares 12. Of such as held Mans Creation too lately effected 13. Of the reuolution of Tymes at whose expiration some Phylosophers held that the Vniuerse should returne to the state it was in at first 14. Of Mans temporall estate made by God out of no newnesse or change of will 15. Whether to preserue Gods eternall domination we must suppose that he hath alwaies had creatures to rule ouer and how it may bee held alwaies created which is not coeternall with God 16. How wee must vnderstand that God promised Man life eternall before all eternity 17. The defence of Gods vnchanging will against those that fetch Gods works about frō eternity in circles from state to state 18. Against such as say thinges infinite are aboue Gods knowledge 19. Of the worlds without end or Ages of Ages 20. Of that impious assertion that soules truly blessed shall haue diuer s reuolutions into misery againe 21. Of the state of the first Man and Man-kinde in him 22. That God fore-knew that the first Man should sin and how many people he was to translate out of his kind into the Angels society 23. Of the nature of Mans soule being created according to the Image of God 24. Whether the Angels may bee called Creators of any the least creature 25. That no nature or forme of any thing liuing hath any other Creator but God 26. The Platonists opinion that held the Angels Gods creatures Man the Angels 27. That the fulnesse of Man-kind was created in the first Man in whome God fore-saw both who should bee saued and who should bee damned FINIS THE TVVELFTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of the nature of good and euill Angels CHAP. 1. BEfore I speake of the creation of man wherein in respect of mortall reasonable creatures the two Citties had their originall as we shewed in the last booke of the Angels to shew as well as wee can the congruity and conuenience of the society of Men with Angels and that there are not foure but rather two societies of Men and Angels qualitied alike and combined in eyther the one consisting both of good Angels and Men and the other of euill that the contrariety of desires betweene the Angels good and euill arose from their diuers natures and beginnings wee may at no hand beleeue God hauing beene alike good in both their creations and in all things beside them But this diuersity ariseth from their wils some of them persisting in God their common good and in his truth loue and eternity and other some delighting more in their owne power as though it were from them-selues fell from that common al-blessing good to dote vppon their owne and taking pride for eternity vayne deceit for firme truth and factious enuy for perfect loue became proud deceiptfull and enuious The cause of their beatitude was their adherence with GOD their must their miseries cause bee the direct contrary namely their not adherence with GOD. Wherefore if when wee are asked why they are blessed and wee answere well because they stucke fast vnto GOD and beeing asked why they
are wretched wee answere well because they stucke not vnto GOD Then is there no beatitude for any reasonable or vnderstanding creature to attaine but in God So then though all creatures cannot bee blessed for beastes trees stones c. are incapable hereof yet those that are are not so of them-selues beeing created of nothing but they haue it from the Creator Attayning him they are happy loosing him vnhappy But hee him-selfe is good onely of him-selfe and therefore cannot loose his good because hee cannot loose him-selfe Therefore the one true blessed God wee say is the onely immutable good and those thinges hee made are good also because they are from him but they are â—…able because they were made of nothing Wherefore though they bee not the cheefe goods God beeing aboue them yet are they great in beeing able to adhere vnto the cheefe good and so bee happy without which adherence they cannot but bewrteched Nor are other parcels of the creation better in that they cannot bee wretched For wee cannot say our other members are better theÌ„ our eies in that they cannot be blind but euen as sensitiue nature in the worst plight is better then the insensible stone so is the reasonable albeit miserable aboue the brutish that cannot therefore bee miserable This being so then this nature created in such excellence that though it bee mutable yet by inherence with God that vnchangeable good it may become blessed Nor satisfieth the own neede without blessednesse nor hath any meanes to attayne this blessenesse but God truly committeth a great error and enormity in not adhering vnto him And all sinne is against nature and hurtfull there-vnto Wherefore that nature differeth not in Nature from that which adhereth vnto God but in Vice And yet in that Vice is the Nature it selfe laudable still For the Vice beeing iustly discommended commendeth the Nature The true dispraise of Vice being that it disgraceth an honest nature So therefore euen as when wee call blindnesse a fault of the eyes wee shew that sight belongeth to the eye And in calling the fault of the eares deafenesse that hearing belonges to the eare So likewise when wee say it was the Angels fault not to adhere vnto God we shew that that adherence belonged to their natures And how great a praise it is to continue in this adherence fruition liuing in so great a good without death error or trouble who can sufficiently declare or imagine Wherefore since it was the euill Angells fault not to adhere vnto GOD all vice beeing against nature It is manifest that GOD created their natures good since it is hurt only by their departure from him That no essence is contrary to GOD though all the worlds frailty seeme to be opposite to his immutable eternity CHAP. 2. THis I haue said least some should thinke that the Apostaticall a powers whereof wee speake had a different nature from the rest as hauing another beginning and b not GOD to their author VVhich one shall the sooner auoyd by considering what GOD sayd vnto Moyses by his Angells when hee sent him to the children of Israell I am that I am For God beeing the highest essence that is eternall and vnchangeable gaue essence to his creatures but not such as his owne d to some more and to some lesse ordering natures existence by degrees for as wisedome is deriued from being wise so is essence ab ipso esse of hauing being the word is new not vsed of the old Latinists but taken of late into the tongue to serue for to explayne the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which it expresseth word for word Wherefore vnto that especiall high essence that created all the rest there 's no nature contrary but that which hath no essence f For that which hath beeing is not contrary vnto that which hath also beeing Therefore no essence at all is contrary to GOD the cheefe essence and cause of essence in all L VIVES APostaticall a powers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A forsaker of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The diuels are such that fall from GOD. Theodoret writing of Goddes and Angells sayth the Hebrew word is Satan the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierome interpreteth it an aduersary or transgressor b Not GOD Least some should thinke GOD created not their nature c I am Of this already in the eight booke d To some Arist de mundo The nearest vnto GOD sayth Apuleius doe gayne from his power the most celestiall bodies and euery thing the nearer him the more Diuine and the farther the lesser Thus is GODS goodnesse deriued gradually from Heauen vnto vs. And our beleefe of this extension of GODS power wee must thinke that the nearer or farder off that hee is the more or lesse benefite nature feeleth Which the Phylosopher gaue him to vnderstand when hee sayd That Gods essence is communicated to some more and to some lesse For in his predicaments he directly affirmeth that essence admitteth neither intention nor remission more nor lesse A stone hath essence as well as an Angell This therefore is referred to the excellence and qualityes adherent or infused into the essence which admitte augmentation and diminution e The word is Not so new but that Flauius Sergius vsed it before Quintilian but indeed it was not in generall vse till of late when Philosophy grew into the latine tongue f For that Nothing saith Aristotle is contrary to substance taking contrary for two opposites of one kinde as blacke and white both colours for he reckneth not priuations nor contradictories for contraries as he sheweth in his diuision of opposites into foure species Of Gods enemies not by nature but will which hurting them hurteth their good nature because their is no vice but hurteth nature CHAP. 3. THe scripture calleth them Gods enemies because they oppose his soueraignty not by nature but wil hauing no power to hurt him but them selues Their wil to resist not their power to hurt maketh them his foes for he is vnchangeable and wholly incorruptible wherefore the vice that maketh them oppose God is their owne hurt and no way Gods onely because it corrupteth their good nature Their nature it is not but there vice that contratieth God euill onely being contrary to good And who denies that God is the best good so then vice is contrary vnto God as euill is vnto good The nature also which it corrupteth is Good and therefore opposed by it but it stands against God as euill onely against good but against this nature as euill and hurt also for euill cannot hurt GOD but incoruptible natures onely which are good by the testimony of the hurt that euill doth them for if they were not good vice could not hurt them for what doth it in hurting them but a bolish their integrity lustre vertue safety and what euer vice can diminish or roote out of a good nature which if it bee not therein vice taketh it not
should be saued and who should be damned CHAP. 27. BVt now because we must end this booke let this bee our position that in the first man the fore-said two societies or cities had originall yet not euidentlie but vnto Gods prescience for from him were the rest of men to come some to be made fellow cittizens with the Angels in ioy and some with the Deuils in torment by the secret but iust iudgment of God For seeing that it is written All the wayes of the Lord bee mercy and truth his grace can neither bee vniust nor his iustice cruell Finis lib. 12. THE CONTENTS OF THE thirteenth booke of the City of God 1. Of the first Mans fall and the procurement of mortality 2. Of the death that may befall the immortal soule and of the bodies death 3. Whether death propagated vnto all men from the first bee punishment of sinne to the Saints 4. Why the first death is not with-held from the regenerate from sinne by grace 5. As the wicked vse the good law euill so the good vse death which is euill well 6. The generall euill of that death that seuereth soule and body 7. Of the death that such as are not regenerate doe suffer for Christ. 8. That the Saints in suffering the first death for the truth are quit from the second 9. Whether a man at the houre of his death may be said to be among the dead or the dying 10. Whether this mortall life be rather to bee called death then life 11. Whether one may bee liuing and dead both together 12. Of the death that God threatned to punish the first man withall if he transgressed 13. What punishment was first laid on mans preuarication 14. In what state God made Man and into what state he fell by his voluntary choyce 15. That Adam forsooke God ere God forsooke him and that the soules first death was the departure from God 16. Of the Philosophers that held corporall death not to bee penall whereas Plato brings in the Creator promising the lesser Gods that they should neuer leaue their bodies 17. Against the opinion that earthly bodies cannot be corruptible nor eternall 18. Of the terrene bodies which the Philosophers hold cannot bee in heauen but must fall to earth by their naturall weight 19 Against those that hold that Man should not haue beene immortall if hee had not sinned 20. That the bodies of the Saints now resting in hope shall become better then our first fathers was 21. Of the Paradice when our first parents were placed and that it may be taken spiritually also with-out any wrong to the truth of the historie as touching the reall place 22. That the Saints bodies after resurrection shall bee spirituall and yet not changed into spirits 23. Of bodies animate and spirituall these dying in Adam and those beeing quickned in Christ. 24. How Gods breathing a life into Adam and Christs breathing vpon his Apostles when hee said Receiue the holy spirit are to bee vnderstood FINIS THE THIRTEENTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of the first Mans fall and the procurement of mortalitie CHAP. 1. HAuing gotten through the intricate questions of the worlds originall and man-kindes our methode now calleth vs to discourse of the first mans fall nay the first fall of both in that kind and consequently of the originall and propagation of our mortality for God made not man as he did Angels that though they sinned yet could not dye but so as hauing a performed their course in obedience death could not preuent them from partaking for euer of blessed and Angelicall immortality but hauing left this course death should take them into iust damnation as we said in the last booke L. VIVES HAuing a performed Euery man should haue liued a set time vpon earth and then being confirmed in nature by tasting of the tree of life haue beene immortally translated into heauen Here are many questions made first by Augustine and then by Lombard dist 2. What mans estate should haue beene had he not sinned but these are modest and timerous inquirers professing they cannot finde what they seeke But our later coments vpon Lumbard flie directly to affirmatiue positions vpon very coniectures or grounds of nature I heare them reason but I see them grauelled and in darknesse where yet they will not feele before them ere they goe but rush on despight of all break-neck play What man hath now wee all know to our cost what he should haue had it is a question whether Adam knew and what shall we then seeke why should we vse coniectures in a things so transcendent that it seemes miraculous to the heauens as if this must follow natures lawes which would haue amazed nature had it had existence then What light Augustine giues I will take and as my power and duty is explaine the rest I will not meddle with Of the death that may befall the immortall soule and of the bodyes death CHAP. 2. BVt I see I must open this kinde of death a little plainer For mans soule though it be immortall dyeth a kinde of death a It is called immortall because it can neuer leaue to bee liuing and sensitiue and the body is mortall because it may be destitute of life and left quite dead in it selfe But the death of the soule is when God leaueth it the death of the body is when the soule leaueth it so that the death of both is when the soule being left of God leaueth the body And this death is seconded by that which the Scripture calles the b second death This our Sauiour signified when hee said feare him which is able to destroy both body and soule in hell which comming not to passe before the body is ioyned to the soule neuer to be seperated it is strange that the body can be sayd to die by that death which seuereth not the soule from it but torments them both together For that â—…all paine of which wee will speake here-after is fitly called the soules deaâ—… because it liueth not with God but how is it the bodies which liueth with the soule for otherwise it could not feele the corporall paines that expect it after the resurrection is it because all life how-so-euer is good and all paine euill that the body is said to dye wherein the soule is cause of sorrow rather then life Therefore the soule liueth by God when it liueth well for it cannot liue without God working good in it and the body liueth by the soule when the soule liueth in the body whether it liue by God or no. For the wicked haue liâ—…â—…liâ—…â—…body but none of soule their soules being dead that is forsaken of God lâ—…g power as long as their immortall proper life failes not to afforde them 〈◊〉 but in the last damnation though man bee not insensitiue yet this sence of 〈◊〉 â—…ing neither pleasing nor peacefull but sore and
inflicted as sinnes punishment vpon the 〈◊〉 not the body it selâ—…e is heauy to the soule and if hee had not added it yet 〈◊〉 haue vnderstood it so But Plato affirming plainely that the gods that the â—…or made haue incorruptible bodies bringing in their maker promising 〈◊〉 as a great benefit to remaine therein eternally and neuer to bee seperated 〈◊〉 them why then do those neuer b dissemble their owne knowledge to 〈◊〉 â—…ristianity trouble and contradict themselues in seeking to oppose against â—…to's words c Tully translateth thus bringing in the great GOD speaking 〈◊〉 the gods hee had made d You that are of the gods originall whom I haue â—…d attend e these your bodies by my will are indissoluble although euery 〈◊〉 â—…ay bee dissolued But f it is euill to desire to dissolue a thing g compounded by 〈◊〉 but seeing that you are created you are neither immortall nor indissoluble yet 〈◊〉 neuer be dissolued nor die these shall not preuaile against my will which is a 〈◊〉 assurance of your eternity then all your formes and compositions are Behold 〈◊〉 â—…ith that their gods by their creation and combination of body and soule 〈◊〉 â—…all and yet immortall by the decree and will of him that made them If 〈◊〉 it be paine to the soule to be bound in any body why should God seeme 〈◊〉 â—…way their feare of death by promising them eternall immortality not 〈◊〉 of their nature which is compounded not simple but because of his 〈◊〉 which can eternize creatures and preserue compounds immortally froÌ„â—…on whether Plato hold this true of the stars is another question For h 〈◊〉 not consequently grant him that those globous illuminate bodies 〈◊〉 â—…ht day vpon earth haue each one a peculiar soule whereby it liues 〈◊〉 â—…ed and intellectuall as he affirmeth directly of the world also But this as 〈◊〉 no question for this place This I held fit to recite against those that 〈◊〉 the name of Platonists are proudly ashamed of the name of christians 〈◊〉 â—…e communication of this name with the vulgar should debase the 〈◊〉 because small number of the i Palliate These seeking holes in the coate â—…stianity barke at the eternity of the body as if the desire of the soules 〈◊〉 the continuance of it in the fraile body were contraries whereas their 〈◊〉 Plato holds it as a gift giuen by the great GOD to the lesser that they 〈◊〉 not die that is be seuered from the bodies he gaue them L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a is Philolaus the Pythagorean held that man hauing left his body became an 〈◊〉 God and Plato sayth our body depresseth our thoughts and calls it away from 〈◊〉 â—…emplations that therefore we must leaue it that in this life also as well as we can 〈◊〉 â—…her life where we shal be free we may see the truth loue the good Herevpon 〈◊〉 â—…th a man cannot bee happy without he leaue the body and be ioyned vnto God d 〈◊〉 An imitation of Terence tâ—… si sapis quod scis nescias a Tully translateth Tullies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a peece of Plato's Timaeus the whole worke is very falty in Tully He that will read Plato himselfe the words begin thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Plato had it out of Timaeus of Locris his booke after whom he named his dialogue for thus saith Timaeus God desyring to dâ—…e an excellent worke created or begot this God who shall neuer die vnlesse it please that God that made him to dissolue him But it is euill to desire the dissolution of so rare a worke d You that are of Deorum satu orti e These your Tully hath this sentence a depraued sence by reason of the want of a negatiue f It is euill Or an euill mans part g Compounded Or combined h We may not Augustine durst neuer decide this question Origen it seemes followed Plato and got a many of the learned vnto his side i Palliate The Romanes Toga or gowne was the Greekes Pallium and they that would seeme absolute Grecians went in these Pallia or clokes and such were obserued much for their Graecisme in life and learning For as wee teach all our arts in latine now so did they in greeke then They were but few and therefore more admired Against the opinion that earthly bodies cannot be corruptible nor eternall CHAP 17. THey stand in this also that earthly bodies cannot bee eternall and yet hold the whole earth which they hold but as a part of their great God though not of their highest the world to be eternall Seeng then their greatest GOD made another God greater then all the rest beneath him that is the world and seeing they hold this is a creature hauing an intellectuall soule included in it by which it liues hauing the parts consisting of 4 elements whose connexion that great GOD least this other should euer perish made indissoluble and eternall why should the earth then being but a meane member of a greater creature bee eternall and yet the bodies of earthly creatures God willing the one as well as the other may not bee eternall I but say they earth a must bee returned vnto earth whence the bodies of earthly creatures are shapen therefore say they these must of force be dissolued and die to be restored to the eternall earth from wheÌ„ce they were taken Wel if one should affirme the same of the fire say that al the bodies taken thence should be restored vnto it againe as the heauenly bodies thereof consisting were not that promise of immortality that Plato sayd God made vnto those gods vtterly broken by this position Or can it not be so because it pleaseth not God whose will as Plato sayth is beyond all other assurance why may not God then haue so resolued of the terrene bodies that being brought forth they should perish no more once composed they should bee dissolued no more nor that which is once taken from the elements should euer bee restored and that the soules being once placed the bodies should neuer for sake them but inioy eternall happinesse in this combination why doth not Plato confesse that God can do this why cannot he preserue earthly things from corruption Is his power as the Platonists or rather as the christians auouch A likely matter the Philosophers know Gods counsells but not the Prophers nay rather it was thus their spirit of truth reuealed what God permitted vnto the Prophets but the weakenesse of coniecture in these questions wholy deluded the Philosophers But they should not haue bin so far besotted in obstinate ignorance as to contradict themselues in publike assertions saying first that the soule cannot be blessed without it abaÌ„don al body whatsoeuer by by after b that the gods haue blessed soules yet are continually tied vnto celestiall fiery bodies as for Iupiters the worlds soule that is eternally inhereÌ„t in the 4 elements composing this vniuerse For Plato holds
it to bee diffused froÌ„ the midst of earth geometrically called the c center vnto the extreamest parts of heaueÌ„ through al the parts of the world by d misticall numbers making the world a blessed creature whose soule enioyeth ful happines of wisdom yet leaueth not the body wose bodie liueteh eternally by it and as though it consist of so many different 〈◊〉 yet can neither dull it nor hinder it Seeing then that they giue their conâ—…res this scope why will they not beleeue that God hath power to eternize 〈◊〉 bodies wherein the soules without being parted from them by death or 〈◊〉 â—…rdened by them at all in life may liue most in blessed eternity as they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gods doe in firy bodies and their Iupiter in all the foure elements If 〈◊〉 â—…es cannot be blessed without the bodies bee quite forsaken why then let 〈◊〉 â—…ods get them out of the starres let Iupiter pack out of the elements if they 〈◊〉 goe then are they wretched But they will allow neither of these they 〈◊〉 â—…uerre that the Gods may leaue their bodies least they should seeme to â—…ip mortalls neither dare they barre them of blisse least they should conâ—…â—…em wretches Wherefore all bodies are not impediments to beatitude but 〈◊〉 the corruptible transitory and mortall ones not such as God made man 〈◊〉 but such as his sinne procured him afterwards L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a must This is scripture that the body is earth and must become earth Homer 〈◊〉 it the Grecians for he calls Hectors carcasse earth Phocylides an ancient writer 〈◊〉 thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Our body is of earth and dying must Returne to earth for Man is made of dust 〈◊〉 â—…er hath also the like recited by Tully Tusc. qu. 1. wherein the words that Augustine 〈◊〉 â—…xtant Mors est finitas omnibus quae generi humano angorem Nec quicquam afferunt reddenda est terra terra Of all the paines wherein Mans soule soiournes Death is the end all earth to earth returnes 〈◊〉 â—…t the gods Some bookes read terrene gods falsly Augustine hath nothing to doe 〈◊〉 â—…e gods in this place c Center A center is that point in the midst of a sphaericall 〈◊〉 â—…m whence all lines drawne to the circumference are equall It is an indiuisible point 〈◊〉 â—…d parts neither should it bee all in the midst nor the lines drawne from it to the cirâ—… equall as not beeing all drawne from one part Plato placeth the worldes 〈◊〉 the center and so distends it circularly throughout the whole vniuerse and then 〈◊〉 â—…ng his position makes the diuine power aboue diffuse it selfe downe-ward euen 〈◊〉 â—…ter d Musicall numbers Hereof see Macrobius Chalcidins and Marsilius Ficinus 〈◊〉 â—…at of Plato's Timaeus which he either translated or reformed from the hand of anâ—…â—…ese numbers for their obscurity are growne into a prouerbe Of the terrene bodies which the Philosophers hold cannot be in heauen but must fall to earth by their naturall weight CHAP. 18. 〈◊〉 but say they an earthly body is either kept on earth or caried to 〈◊〉 â—…th by the naturall weight and therefore cannot bee in heauen The first 〈◊〉 â—…de were in a wooddie and fruitfull land which was called Paradise But 〈◊〉 we must resolue this doubt seeing that both Christs body is already asâ—…d and that the Saints at the resurrection shall doe so also let vs ponder these earthly weights a little If mans arte of a mettall that being put into the water sinketh can yet frame a vessell that shall swim how much more credible is it for Gods secret power whose omnipotent will as Plato saith can both keepe things produced from perishing and parts combined from dissoluing whereas the combination of corporall and vncorporeall is a stranger and harder operation then that of corporalls with corporalls to take a all weight from earthly things whereby they are carried downe-wards and to qualifie the bodies of the blessed soules so as though they bee terrene yet they may bee incorruptible and apt to ascend descend or vse what motion they will with all celerity Or b if the Angells can transport bodily weights whether they please must we thinke they doe it with toile and feeling of the burden Why then may we not beleeue that the perfect spirits of the blessed can carry their bodies whither they please and place them where they please for whereas in our bodily carriage of earthly things we feele that the c more bigge it is the heauier it is and the heauier the more toile-some to beare it is not so with the soule the soule carrieth the bodily members better when they are big and strong then when they are small and meagre and whereas a big sound man is heauier to others shoulders then a leane sicke man yet will he mooue his healthfull heauinesse with farre more agility then the other can doe his crasie lightnesse or then he can himselfe if famine or sicknesse haue shaken off his flesh This power hath good temperature more then great weight in our mortal earthly corruptible bodies And who can describe the infinite difference betweene our present health and our future immortality Let not the Philosophers therefore oppose vs with any corporall weight or earthly ponderosity I will not aske them why an earthly body may not bee in heauen as well as d the whole earth may hang alone without any supportation for perhaps they will retire their disputation to the center of the world vnto which all heauy things doe tend But this I say that if the lesser Gods whose worke Plato maketh Man all other liuing things with him could take away the quality of burning from the fire and leaue it the light e which the eye transfuseth shall wee then doubt that that GOD vnto whose will hee ascribes their immortality the eternall coherence and indissolubility of those strange and diuers combinations of corporealls and incorporealls can giue man a nature that shall make him liue incorruptible and immortal keeping the forme of him and auoyding the weight But of the faith of the resurrection and the quality of the immortall bodies more exactly God willing in the end of the worke L. VIVES ALL a weight These are Gods admirable workes and it is the merit of our faith that we owe vnto God to beleeue them I wonder the schoolemen will inquire of these things define them by the rules of nature b If the Angells To omit the schooles and naturall reasons herein is the power of an Angell seene that in one night God smote 80000 men of the Assyrians campe by the hand of an Angel 4. Kings 19. Now let Man go brag of his weaknesse c The world big Here is no need of predicamentall distinctions hee vseth big for the maâ—… weight not for the quantity d The whole earth It hangs not in nothing for it hangs in the ayre yet would ayre giue it way but that it hath gotten the
forth of GODS mouth 〈◊〉 that which is equall and consubstantiall with him let them read or heare 〈◊〉 owne words Because thou art luke warme and neither colde nor hotte it will 〈◊〉 to passe that I shall spew thee out of my mouth Therefore wee haue to contraâ—… the Apostles plainenesse in distinguishing the naturall body wherein wee now are from the spirituall wherein wee shall bee where he saith It is sowen a naturall body but ariseth a spirituall body as it is also written The first man Adam was made a liuing soule and the last Adam a quickning spirit The first was of earth earthly the second of heauen heauenly as is the earthly such are all the earthly and as the heauenly is such are the heauenly And as wee haue borne the Image of the earthly so shall wee beare the Image of the heauenly Of all which words wee spake before Therefore the naturall body wherein man was first made was not made immortall but yet was made so that it should not haue dyed vnlesse man had offended But the body that shall bee spirituall and immortall shall neuer haue power to dye as the soule is created immortall who though it doe in a manner lose the life by loosing the spirit of God which should aduance it vnto beatitude yet it reserueth the proper life that is it liueth in misery for euer for it cannot dye wholy The Apostaticall Angels after a sort are dead by sinning because they forsooke God the fountaine of life whereat they might haue drunke eternall felicity yet could they not dye so that their proper life and sence should leaue them because they were made immortall and at the last iudgement they shal be thrown headlong into the second death yet so as they shal liue therin for euer in perpetuall sence of torture But the Saints the Angels fellow-cittizens belonging to the grace of God shall be so inuested in spiritual bodies that from thence-forth they shall neither sinne nor die becomming so immortall as the Angels are that sinne can neuer subuert their eternity the nature of flesh shall still be theirs but quite extracted from all corruption vnweeldynesse and ponderosity Now followeth another question which by the true Gods helpe we meane to decide and that is this If the motion of concupiscence arose in the rebelling members of our first parents immediately vppon their transgression where-vppon they saw that is they did more curiously obserâ—…e their owne nakednesse and because the vncleane motion resisted their wils couered their priuie partes how should they haue begotten children had they remayned as they were created without preuarication But this booke being fit for an end and this question not fit for a too succinct discussion it is better to leaue it to the next volume L. VIVES DId not a then This the Manichees held Aug. de Genes ad lit lib. 2. Caâ—… 8. b And GOD formed They doe translate it And God framed man of earth taken from the earth I thinke Augustine wanteth a word taken or taking Laurinus his copy teadeth it as the Septuagints do Yet the Chaldee Thargum or paraphraze reading it as Augustine hath it and so it is in the Bible that Cardinall Ximenes my patron Crâ—… his predecessor published in foure languages beeing assisted by many learned men but for the greeke especially by Iohn Vergara a deepe vprightly iudicious and vnvulgar Scholler Their Pentateuch Lewis Coronelli lent me forbearing al the while that I was in hand with this worke for the common good c And God framed Hieromes translation d Whence 〈◊〉 Shewing that in his time the Church vsed the Latine translation from the seauentie and noâ—… Hiâ—…s I wonder therefore that men should be excluded from sober vsing of diuerse translations e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greeke is we vse it of those that forme any thing out of claye that is â—…gere and great authors vse it concerning men He made them finxit greedie and gluttonous Salust He made thee finxit wise temperate c. by nature Cic. 〈◊〉 Mâ—… speaking of Cato Maiâ—…r To forme I thinke is nothing but to giue forme property f Commonly If a moderne diuine had plaide the Gramarian thus hee should haue heard of it But Augustine may but if he and Paul liued now adayes hee should be held a Pedant 〈◊〉 a petty orator and Paul a madde man or an heretique Not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Chaldees read a speaking spirit Here Augustine shewes plainly how necessarie the true knowledge of the meaâ—…gs of words is in art and discipline h I haue made I say 57. 16. the 70. also read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all breath Many of the Latinists animus and anima for ayre and breath Uirg Semina terrarumque animaeque marisque fuissent They had beene seeds of earth of ayre and sea And Tully in his Academikes vseth it for breath Si vnus simplex vtrum sit ignis an anima 〈◊〉 sâ—…guis If it be simply one whether is it fire breath or bloud Terenc Compressi animam I 〈◊〉 my breath Plaut Faetet anima vxoris tuae Your wiues breath stinkes and Pliny Anima 〈◊〉 virus graue A Lions breath is deadly poison i Soule I like this reading better then Bâ—…es copies it squares better with the following Scriptures k Not as the If we say that Augustine held mans soule created without the body and then infused as Aristotle seemes to â—…rre De generat animal S. Thomas and a many more moderne authors goe downe the winde But if wee say it is not created as the mortall ones are that are produced out of the â—…osition of the substances wherein they are but that it is created from aboue within man â—…out all power of the materiall parts to worke any such effect this were the most common opinion and Aristotle should be thus vnderstood which seemes not to agree with this assertion that it commeth ab externo nor with his opinion that holdeth it immortall and inborne if I vnderstand his minde aright whereof I see his interpretors are very vncertaine l We must hold There were not onely a many Pagans as wee haue shewen but some Chriâ—… also that held the soule to be of Gods substance nor were these heretiques onely as 〈◊〉 â—…risilliannists and some others but euen that good Christian Lactantius not that I or 〈◊〉 wiser then I will approoue him in this but in that hee seemeth to stand zealously â—…d vnto Christ. His words are these Hauing made the body he breathed into it a soule out of 〈◊〉 lâ—…ing fountaine of his owne spirit which is eternall Institut diuin lib. 2. wherein hee seemes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that mans soule was infused into him from the spirit of God Finis lib. 13. THE CONTENTS OF THE foureteenth booke of the City of God 1. That the inobedience of the first man had drawne all mankind into the perpetuity of the second death but that Gods grace hath
feare of the terrible 〈◊〉 following the breatch 〈◊〉 to speake in a word what reward what punishment is layd vpon disoâ—… but disobedience What is mans misery other then his owne disoâ—… to himselfe that seeing e he would not what he might now he cannot 〈◊〉 would for although that in Paradice all was not in his power during 〈◊〉 â—…dience yet then he desired nothing but what was in his power and so did 〈◊〉 would 〈◊〉 â—…w as the Scripture saith and wee see by experience man is like to vanity 〈◊〉 can recount his innumerable desires of impossibilites the flesh and the 〈◊〉 that is himselfe disobeying the will that is himselfe also for his minde 〈◊〉 â—…led his flesh payned age and death approcheth and a thousand other 〈◊〉 seaze on vs against our wills which they could not do if our nature were 〈◊〉 obedient vnto our will And the flesh suffereth g some-thing that hinâ—…â—…e seruice of the soule what skilleth it whence as long as it is Gods alâ—… iustice to whome we would not bee subiect that our flesh should not be 〈◊〉 to the soule but trouble it whereas it was subiect wholy vnto it before 〈◊〉 we in not seruing God do trouble our selues and not him for hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ice as wee neede our bodies and therefore it is our 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 body not any hurt to him in that wee haue made it such a body Be 〈◊〉 those that wee call fleshly paines are the soules paines in and from the flesh for what can the flesh either feele or desire without the soule But when wee say the flesh doth eyther wee meane either the man as I sayd before or some part of the soule that the fleshly passion affecteth either by sharpnesse procuring paine and griefe or by sweetnes producing pleasure But fleshly paine is onely an offence giuen to the soule by the flesh and a h dislike of that passion that the flesh produceth as that which we call sadnesse is a distast of things befalling vs against our wills But feare commonly forerunneth sadnesse that is wholly in the soule and not in the flesh But whereas the paine of the flesh is not fore-run by any fleshly feare felt in the flesh before yâ— paine i pleasure indeed is vsher'd in by certaine appetites felt in the flesh as the desires therof such is hunger thirst and the venereall affect vsually called lust whereas k lust is a general name to all affects that are desirous for l wrath is nothing but a lust of reuenge as yâ— ancient writers defined it although a maÌ„ somtimes without sence of reuenge will be angry at sencelesse things as to gag his pen in anger when it writes badly or so But euen this is a certaine desire of reuenge though it be reasonlesse it is a certaine shadow of returning euill to them that doe euill So then wrath is a lust of reuenge auarice a lust of hauing money obstinacy a lust of getting victory boasting a lust of vaine glory and many such lusts there are some peculiarly named and some namelesse for who can giue a fit name to the lust of soueraignty which notwithstanding the tyrants shew by their intestine warres that they stand well affected vnto L. VIVES 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a seruice For to be Gods seruant is to be free nay to be a King b Becomming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…he best reading c the easinesse my friend Nicholas Valdaura told me that he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…hor I know not whome that the fruit that Adam eate was hurtfull to the body 〈◊〉 was rather an aggrauation of Adams sinne then any likelyhood of truth d Second man Christ called by Paule the second man of heauen heauenly as Adam the first was of earth earthly e He would not Torences saying in Andria since you cannot haue that you desire desire that which you may haue f Mind There is in the soule Mens belonging to the reasonable part and animus belonging to the sensuall wherein all this tempest of affects doth rage g Something Wearinesse and slownesse of motion whereby it cannot go cheerâ—… to worke nor continue long in action h A dislike Or a dislike of the euill procured by the passion i Pleasure Herevpon saith Epiourus Desire censureth pleasure pleasures are best being but seldome vsed saith Iunenall voluptates commendat rarior vsus k Lust 〈◊〉 a generall We shewed this out of Tully it comes of libet that extended it selfe vnto all deâ—… that are not bounded by reason l Wrath is Tusc. quest 4. Wrath is a desire to punish 〈◊〉 by whome one thinketh he is wronged It is a greeuing appetite of seeming reueng 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rhet. lib 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euill of lust how the name is generall to many vices but proper vnto venereall concupiscence CHAP. 16. ALthough 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there be many lusts yet when we read the word 〈◊〉 alone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the obiect we comonly take it for the vncleane 〈◊〉 of the generatiue parts For this doth sway in the whole body mouing 〈◊〉 â—…ole man without and within with such a commixtion of mentall afâ—…â—…d carnall appetite that hence is the highest bodily pleasure of all prodâ—…d So that in the very a moment of the consummation it ouer-whelâ—… almost all the light and power of cogitation And what wise and godly 〈◊〉 there who beeing marryed and knowing as the Apostle sayth how 〈◊〉 his vessell in holynesse and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence as 〈◊〉 â—…es doe which know not God had not rather if hee could begette his dâ—…n without this lust that his members might obey his minde in this acte 〈◊〉 â—…pagation as well as in the lust and be ruled by his will not compelled 〈◊〉 â—…upiscence But the louers of these carnall delightes them-selues canâ—…â—…e this affect at their wills eyther in nuptiall coniunctions or wicâ—…â—…purities The motion wil be sometimes importunate agaynst the will 〈◊〉 â—…e-times immoueable when it is desired And beeing feruent in the 〈◊〉 yet wil be frozen in the bodye Thus wondrously doth this lust sayle 〈◊〉 both in honest desire of generation and in lasciuious concupiscence â—…imes resisting the restraynt of the whole minde and some-time â—…ng it selfe which beeing wholly in the minde and no way in the boâ—…â—…e same time L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a moment Therfore Hippocrates sayd that carnal copulation was a little Epilepsy â—…ng sicknes Architas the Tarentine to shew the plague of pleasure bad one to imaâ—… man in the greatest height of pleasure that might be and auerred that none would 〈◊〉 to bee voyd of all the functions of soule and reason as long as delight lasted Of the nakednesse that our first parents discouered in them-selues after their sinne CHAP. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man ashamed of this lust and iustly are those members which lust 〈◊〉 or suppresses against our wils as it lusteth called shamefull before â—…ed they were not so For it is written they were both naked and were not 〈◊〉 not that they saw
like a parcells of some poâ—…â—…hose â—…hose intent concerneth a theame far different Now to shew this testimoâ—… one in euery Psalme of the booke wee must expound the Psalme 〈◊〉 to do how great a worke it is both others and our volumes wherein wee 〈◊〉 done it do expressly declare let him that can and list read those and there â—…ll see how abundant the prophecies of Dauid concerning Christ and of his Church were namely concerning that celestiall King and the Citty which hee builded L. VIVES LIke e parcells Centones are peeces of cloath of diuerse colours vsed any way on the back or on the bedde Cic. Cato Maior Sisenna C. Caesar. Metaphorically it is a poeme patched out of other poems by ends of verses as Homero-centon and Uirgilio-centon diuerse made by Proba and by Ausonius b Retrograde poeme Sotadicall verses that is verses backward and forwards as Musa mihi causas memora quo numine laesa Laeso numine quo memora causas mihi Musa Sotadicall verses may bee turned backwards into others also as this Iambick Pio precare thure caelestum numina turne it Numina caelestum thure precare piâ—… it is a Pâ—…ntameter They are a kinde of wanton verse as Quintilian saith inuented saith Strabo or rather vsed saith Diomedes by Sotades whome Martiall calleth Gnidus some of Augustines copies read it a great poeme and it is the fitter as if one should pick verses out of some greater workes concerning another purpose and apply them vnto his owne as some Centonists did turning Uirgils and Homers words of the Greekes and Troyan warres vnto Christ and diuine matters And Ausonius turneth them vnto an Epithalamion Of the fortie fiue Psalme the tropes and truths therein concerning Christ and the Church CHAP. 16. FOr although there be some manifest prophecies yet are they mixed with figures putting the learned vnto a great deale of labour in making the ignorant vnderstand them yet some shew Christ and his Church at first sight though we must at leisure expound the difficulties that we finde therein as for example Psal. 45. Mine heart hath giuen out a good word I dedicate my workes to the King My tongue is the pen of a ready writer Thou fairer then the children of men grâ—… is powred in thy lippes for GOD hath blessed thee for euer Girde thy sworde vpon thy â—…high thou most mighty Proceede in thy beauty and glory and reigne prosperouly because of thy truth thy iustice and thy gentlenesse thy right hand shall guide thee wondrously Thine arrowes are sharpe most mighty against the hearts of the Kings enemies the people shall fall vnder thee Thy throne O GOD is euer-lasting and the scepter of thy kingdome a scepter of direction Thou louest iustice and hatest iniquitie therefore GOD euen thy GOD hath annoynted thee with oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes All thy garments smell of Myrrhe Alloes and Cassia from the Iâ—…ry palaces wherein the Kings daughters had made thee glâ—…d in their honour Who is so dull that he discerneth not Christ our God in whome we beleeue by this place hearing him called GOD whose throne is for euer and annoynâ—…d by GOD not with visible but with spirituall Chrisme who is so barbarously ignorant in this immortall and vniuersall religion that hee heareth not that Christs name commeth of Chrisma vnction Heere wee know CHRIST let vs see then vnto the types How is hee father then vnto the sonnes of men in a beauty farre more amiable then that of the body What is his sword his shaftes c. all these are tropicall characters of his power and how they are all so let him that is the subiect to this true iust and gentle King looke to at his leasure And then behold his Church that spirituall spouse of his and that diuine wed-locke of theirs here it is The Queene stood on thy right hand her â—…lothing was of gold embrodered with diuers collours Heaâ—…e Oh daughter and 〈◊〉 attend and forget thy people and thy fathers house For the King taketh pleasure in thy beauty and hee is the Lord thy God The sonnes of Tyre shall adore him 〈◊〉 guifts the ritch men of the people shall â—…ooe him with presents The Kings daughter 〈◊〉 all glorious within her cloathing is of wrought gold The Virgins shal be brought after her vnto the King and her kinsfolkes and companions shal follow her with ioy and gladnesse shal they be brought and shall enter into the Kings chamber Instead of fathers 〈◊〉 shalt haue children to make them Princes through out the earth They shal remember thy name O Lord from a generation to generation therefore shall their people giue â—…ks vnto thee world without end I doe not think any one so besotted as to thinke this to be meant of any personal woman no no she is his spouse to whoÌ„ it is said Thy throne O God is euerlasting and the scepter of thy Kingdome a scepter of direction 〈◊〉 hast loued iustice and hated iniquity therefore the Lord thy God hath annointed 〈◊〉 â—…ith the oyle of gladnesse before thy fellowes Namely Christ before the christiâ—… For they are his fellowes of whose concord out of all nations commeth this Queene as an other psalme saith the Citty of the great King meaning the spirituall Syon Syon is speculation for so it speculateth the future good that it is to receiue and thither directeth it all the intentions This is the spirituall Ierusalem whereof wee haue all this while spoken this is the foe of that deuillish Babilon hight confusion and that the foe of this Yet is this City by regeneration freed from the Babilonian bondage and passeth ouer the worst King for the best that euer was turning from the deuill and comming home to Christ for which it is sayd forget thy people and thy fathers house c. The Israelites were a part of thiâ—… â—…tty in the flesh but not in that faith but became foes both to this great 〈◊〉 Queene Christ was killed by them and came from them to b those 〈◊〉 â—…euer saw in the flesh And therefore our King saith by the mouth of the 〈◊〉 in another place thou hast deliuered me from the contentions of the people 〈◊〉 me the head of the heathen a people whom I haue not knowne hath serued 〈◊〉 assoone as they heard me obeyed me This was the Gentiles who neuer 〈◊〉 â—…rist in the flesh nor hee them yet hearing him preached they beleeued 〈◊〉 â—…astly that he might well say as soone as they heard me they obeyed mee for 〈◊〉 â—…es by hearing This people conioyned with the true Israell both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and spirit is that Citty of God which when it was onely in Israell brought 〈◊〉 â—…hrist in the flesh for thence was the Virgin Mary from whom Christ 〈◊〉 our man-hood vpon him Of this cittie thus saith another psalme c 〈◊〉 â—…ll call it our Mother Sion he became man therein the most high hath founded 〈◊〉 was this most high but
The name of God is principally his of whome by whome and in whome al things haue their existence shewing in part the nature and vertue of that incomprehensible Trine Secondly and as one may say abusiuely the Scripture calleth them gods vnto whome the word is giuen as our Sauiour testifieth in the Gospell and so are the Heauenly powers also called as seemeth by that place of the Psalme God standeth in the assembly of the gods c. Thirdly and not abusiuely but falsely the Deuills are called gods also All the gods of the heathen are Deuills Origen in Cantie This last question Augustine taketh from the seauenty for Hierome translateth it from the Hebrew Idols and not Diuells Psa 96. 5. e The Greeke Where wee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor is this superfluously added of Augustine for many Philosophers and many nations both held and honored the Sunne onely for God and referred the power of all the rest vnto it alone Macrob. f All that we do Our well doing benefiteth not God nor betters him so that there is nothing due vnto vs for being good but wee our selues owe God for all by whose grace it is that wee are good g Which worketh by It is dead and lacketh all the power and vigour when it proceedeth not in the workes of charity A definition of a people by which both the Romaines and other kingdomes may challenge themselues common-weales CHAP. 24. BVt omit the former difinition of a people and take this A people is a multitude of reasonable creatures conioyned in a general communication of those things it respecteth and them to discerne the state of the people you must first consider what those things are But what euer they bee where there is a multitude of men conioyned in a common fruition of what they respect there may fitly bee sayd to bee a people the better that their respects are the better are they them-selues and other-wise the worse By this definition Rome had a people and consequently a common-weale what they embraced at the first and what afterwards what goodnesse they changed into bloudinesse what concord they forsooke for seditions confederacies and ciuill warres History can testifie and wee in part haue already related Yet this doth not barre them the name of a people nor their state of the stile of a common-wealth as long as they beare this our last definition vnin-fringed And what I haue sayd of them I may say of the Athenians the Greekes in generall the Egyptians and the Assirian Babilonians were there dominions great or little and so of all nations in the world For in the Citty of the wicked where GOD doth not gouerne and men obey sacrificing vnto him alone and consequently where the soule doth not rule the body nor reason the passions there generally wanteth the vertue of true iustice That there can be no true vertue where true religion wanteth CHAP. 25. FOr though there be a seeming of these things yet if the soule and the reason serue not God as he hath taught them how to serue him they can neuer haue true dominion ouer the body nor ouer the passions for how can that soule haue any true meane of this decorum that knoweth not God nor serueth his greatnesse but runneth a whoring with the vncleane and filthy deuills No those things which shee seemes to account vertues and thereby to sway her affects if they bee not all referred vnto God are indeed rather vices then vertues For although some hold them to bee reall vertues a when they are affected onely for their owne respect and nothing else yet euen so they incurre vaine-glory and so loose their true goodnesse For as it is not of the flesh but aboue the flesh that animates the body So it is not of man but aboue man which deifies the minde of man yea and of all the powers of the heauens L. VIVES WHen a they The Stoikes held vertue to bee her owne price content with it selfe and to bee affected onely for it selfe This is frequent in Seneca and in Tullies Stoicysmes and Plato seemes to confirme it Tully setts downe two things that are to be affected meerely for them-selues perfection of internall goodnesse and that good which is absolutely externall as parents children friends c. These are truly deare vnto vs in them-selues but nothing so as the others are De finib lib. 5. It is a question in diuinity whether the vertues are to bee desired meerely for them-selues Ambrose affirmeth it In Epist. ad Galat. Augustine denieth it De Trinit lib. 13. Peter Lumbard holdes them both to bee worthy of loue in them-selues and also to haue a necessary reference vnto eternall beatitude But indeed they are so bound vnto Gods precepts that hee that putteth not Gods loue in the first place cannot loue them at all Nor can hee so loue them for them-selues that hee preferre them before God their author and their founder or equall the loue of them with the loue of him their nature is to lift the eyes of him that admireth them vnto GOD so that hee that seeketh for them-selues is by them euen ledde and directed vnto him the consummation vnto which they all doe tend But Saint Augustine in this place speaketh of the Gentiles whose vertues desiring externall rewardes were held base and ignominious but if they kept them-selues content with their owne sole fruition then were they approoued but this was the first steppe to arrogance by reason that heereby they that had them thought none so good as them-selues The peace of Gods enemies vse-full to the piety of his friends as long as their earthly pilgrimage lasteth CHAP. 26. WHerefore as the soule is the fleshes life so is God the beatitude of man as the Hebrewes holy writte affirmeth a Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord wretched then are they that are strangers to that GOD and yet 〈◊〉 those a kinde of allowable peace but that they shall not haue for euer because they vsed it not well when they had it But that they should haue it 〈◊〉 this life is for our good also because that during our commixtion with Babilon wee our selues make vse of her peace and faith doth free the people of God at length out of her yet so as in the meane time wee liue as pilgrims in her And therefore the Apostle admonished the Church to pray for the Kings and Potentates of that earthly Citty adding this reason That wee may lead a quiet life in all godlinesse and b charity And the Prophet Hieremy fore-telling the captiuitie of Gods ancient people commanding them from the Lord to goe peaceably and paciently to Babilon aduised them also to pray saying For in her peace shall be your peace meaning that temporall peace which is common both to good and bad L. VIVES BLessed a is Psal. 144. 15. Where the Prophet hauing reckoned vp all the goods of fortune children wealth peace prosperitie and all in
thinke this place obscure let him looke for no plainenesse in the Scriptures L. VIVES THy a victory Some read contention but the originall is Victory and so doe Hierom and Ambrose reade it often Saint Paul hath the place out of Osee. chap. â—…3 ver 14. and vseth it 1. Cor. 16. ver 55. b When shall death The Cittie of GOD shall see death vntill the words that were sayd of Christ after his resurrection Oh hell where is thy victory may bee said of all our bodies that is at the resurrection when they shal be like his glorified bodie Saint Peters doctrine of the resurrection of the dead CHAP. 18. NOw let vs heare what Saint Peter sayth of this Iudgement There shall come saith hee in the last daies mockers which will walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers died all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation For this they willingly know not that the heauens were of old and the earth that was of the water and by the water by the word of GOD wherefore the world that then was perished ouer-flowed with the water But the heauens and earth that now are are kept by the same word in store and reserued vnto fire against the day of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men Dearcly beloued bee not ignorant of this that one daie with the LORD is as a thousand years and a thousand yeares as one daie The LORD is not flack concerning his promise as some men count slackenesse but is pacient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would haue all men to come to repentance But the daie of the LORD will come as a thiefe in the night in the which the heauens shall passe awaie with a noyse and the elements shall melt with 〈◊〉 and the earth with the workes that are therein shal be burnt vppe Seeing therefore all these must bee dissolued what manner of persons ought you to bee in holy conuersation and Godlinesse longing for and hasting vnto the comming of the daie of GOD by the which the heauens beeing on fire shal be dissolued and the elements shall melt vvith heate But vve-looke for a nevv heauen and a nevv earth according to his promise vvherein dvvelleth righteousnesse Thus sarre Now here is no mention of the resurrection of the dead but enough concerning the destruction of the world where his mention of the worlds destruction already past giueth vs sufficient warning to beleeue the dissolution to come For the world that was then perished saith hee at that time not onely the earth but that part of the ayre also which the watter a possessed or got aboue and so consequently almost all those ayry regions which hee calleth the heauen or rather in the plurall the heauens but not the spheres wherein the Sunne and the Starres haue their places they were not touched the rest was altered by humidity and so the earth perished and lost the first forme by the deluge But the heauens and earth saith hee that now are are kept by the same word in store and reserued vnto fire against the daie of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men Therefore the same heauen and earth that remained after the deluge are they that are reserued vnto the fire afore-said vnto the daie of iudgement and perdition of the wicked For because of this great change hee sticketh not to say there shal be a destruction of men also whereas indeed their essences shall neuer bee anniâ—…e although they liue in torment Yea but may some say if this old heauen and earth shall at the worlds end bee burned before the new ones be made where shal the Saints be in the time of this conflagration since they haue bodies and therefore must be in some bodily place We may answere in the vpper parts whither the fire as then shall no more ascend then the water did in the deluge For at this daie the Saints bodies shal be mooueable whither their wills doe please nor need they feare the fire beeing now both immortall and incorruptible b for the three children though their bodies were corruptible were notwithstanding preserued from loosing an haire by the fire and might not the Saints bodies be preserued by the same power L. VIVES THe a water possessed For the two vpper regions of the ayre doe come iust so low that they are bounded with a circle drawne round about the earthlie highest mountaines tops Now the water in the deluge beeing fifteene cubites higher then the highest mountaine it both drowned that part of the ayre wherein wee liue as also that part of the middle region wherein the birds do vsually flie both which in Holy writ and in Poetry also are called Heauens b The three Sidrach Misach and Abdenago at Babilon who were cast into a â—…nace for scorning of Nabuchadnezzars golden statue Dan. 3. Saint Pauls words to the Thessalonians Of the manifestations of Antichrist whose times shall immediately fore-runne the day of the Lord. CHAP. 19. I See I must ouer-passe many worthy sayings of the Saints concerning this day least my worke should grow to too great a volume but yet Saint Pauls I may by no meanes omit Thus sayth he Now I beseech you bretheren by the comming of our LORD IESVS CHRIST and by our assembling vnto him that you bee not suddenly mooued from your minde nor troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as if it were from vs as though the day of CHRIST were at hand Let no man deceiue you by any meanes for that day shall not come except there come a a fugitiue first and that that man of sinne bee disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersary and exalteth himselfe against all is called god or that is worshipped so that he sitteth as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Remember yee not that when I was yet with you I told you these things And now yee know what withholdeth that he might be reuealed in his due time For the mistery of iniquity doth already worke onely he which now withholdeth shall let till he be taken out of the way and the wicked man shal be reuealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall abolish with the brightnesse of his comming euen him whose comming is by the working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceiuablenesse of vnrighteousnesse amongst them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued And therefore God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes that all they might bee damned which beleeue not in the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse This is doubtlesse meant of Antichrist and the day of iudgement For this day hee saith shall not come vntill that Antichrist be come before it he that is called here a fugitiue
Iudgement shal be but the meanes whereby the soules shal be purified 14. The temporall paines of this life afflicting al man-kinde 15. That the scope of Gods redeeming vs is wholy pertinent to the world to come 16. The lawes of Grace that all the â—…regenerate are blessed in 17. Of some christians that held that hells paines should not be eternal 18. Of those that hold that the Intercession of the Saints shal saue all men from damnation 19. Of such as hold that heretiques shal be saued in that they haue pertaken of the body of Christ. 20. Of such as allow this deliuerance onely to wicked and reuolted Catholikes 21. Of such as affirme that al that abide in the Catholike faith shal be saued for that faith 22. Of such as affirme that the sinnes committed amongst the workes of mercy shal not be called into Iudgement 23. Against those that exclude both men deuils from paines eternal 24. Against those that would proue al damnation frustrate by the praiers of the Saints 25. Whether that such as beeing baptized by heretiques become wicked in life or amongst Catholiques and then fal away into heresies schismes or contynuing amongst Catholiques be of vicious conuersation can haue any hope of escaping damnation by the priuiledge of the Sacraments 26. What it is to haue Christ for the foundation where they are that shal be saued as it were by fire 27. Against those that thinke those sinnes shall not be laid to their charge wherewith they mixed some workes of mercy FINIS THE ONE AND TVVENTITH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Why the punishment of the damned is here disputed of before the happinesse of the Saints CHAP. 1. SEEing that by the assistance of Our LORD and SAVIOVR IESVS CHRIST the Iudge of the quick and the dead we haue brought both the Citties the one whereof is GODS and the other the deuills vnto their intended consummation wee are now to proceed by the helpe of GOD in this booke with the declaration of the punishment due vnto the deuill and all his confederacy And this I choose to doe before I handle the glories of the blessed because both these the wicked are to vndergo their sentences in body and soule and it may seeme more incredible for an earthly body to endure vndissolued in eternall paines then without all paine in euerlasting happinesse So that when I haue shewne the possibility of the first it may bee a great motiue vnto the confirmation of the later Nor doth this Methode want a president from the Scriptures themselues which some-times relate the beatitude of the Saints fore-most as here They that haue done good vnto the resurrection of life but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation and some times afterward as here The Sonne of man shall send forth his Angells and they shall gather out of his Kingdome al things that offend and them which doe iniquitie and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shal be wayling and gnashing of teeth Then shall the iust shine like the Sunne in the Kingdome of the Father and againe And these shall goe into euerlasting paine and the righteous into life eternall Besides hee that will looke into the Prophets shall finde this ordeâ—… often obserued it were too much for me to recite all my reason why I obserue it heere I haue set downe already Whether an earthly bodie may possibly be incorruptible by fire CHAP. 2. WHat then shall I say vnto the vn-beleeuers to prooue that a body carnall and liuing may endure vndissolued both against death and the force of eternall fire They will not allowe vs to ascribe this vnto the power of God but vrge vs to prooue it to them by some example If wee shall answere them that there are some creatures that are indeed corruptible because mortall yet doe liue vntouched in the middest of the fire and likewise that there are a kinde a of Wormes that liue without being hurt in the feruent springs of the hot bathes whose heare some-times is such as none can endure and yet those wormes doe so loue 〈◊〉 liue in it that they cannot liue without it this either they will not beleeue vnlesse they see it or if they doe see it or heare it affirmed by sufficient authority then they cauill at it as an insufficient proofe for the proposed question for that these creatures are not eternall howsoeuer and liuing thus in this heate nature hath made it the meane of their growth and nutriment not of their torment As though it were not more incredible that fire should nourish any thing rather then not consume it It is strange for any thing to be tormented by the fire and yet to liue but it is stranger to liue in the fire and not to bee tormented If then this later be credible why is not the first so also L. VIVES A Kinde a of wormes There are some springs that are hot in their eruptions by reason of their passages by vaines of sulphurous matter vnder ground Empedocles holds that the fire which is included in diuers places of the earth giueth them this heate Senec. Quaest. nat lib. 3. Their waters are good for many diseases Many of those naturall bathes there are in Italy and likewise in Germany whereof those of Aquisgrane are the best Of these bathes read Pliny lib. 1. 32. In these waters doe the wormes liue that he speaketh of Whether a fleshly body may possibly endure eternall paine CHAP. 3. YEa but say they a there is no body that can suffer eternally but it must perish aâ—… length How can we tell that Who can tell whether the b deuills doe suffer in their bodies when as the confesse they are extreamely tormented If they answere that there is no earthly soule and visible body or to speake all in one no flesh that can suffer alwaies and neuer die what is this but to ground an assertion vpon meere sence and apparance for these men know no flesh but mortall and what they haue not knowne and seene that they hold impossible And what an argument it this to make paine the proofe of death when it is rather the testimony of life for though our question bee whether any thing liuing may endure eternall paine and yet liue still yet are wee sure it cannot feele any paine at all vnlesse it liue paine beeing inseperably adherent vnto life if it be in any thing at all Needs then must that liue that is pained yet is there no necessity that this or that paine should kill it for all paine doth not kill all the bodies that perish Some paine indeed must by reason that the soule and the body are so conioyned that they cannot part without great torment which the soule giueth place vnto and the mortall frame of man beeing so weake that it cannot withstand this c violence thereupon are they seuered But afterwards
they shall be so reioyned againe that neither time nor torment shall bee able to procure their seperation Wherefore though our flesh as now bee such that it cannot suffer all paine without dying yet then shall it become of another nature as death also then shal be of another nature For the death then shal be eternall and the soule that suffereth it shall neither bee able to liue hauing lost her God and onely life nor yet to avoide torment hauing lost all meanes of death The first death forceth her from the body against her will and the second holds her in the body against her will Yet both are one in this that they enforce the soule to suffer in the body against her will Our opponent will allow this that no flesh as now can suffer the greatest paine and yet not perish but they obserue not that there is a thing aboue the body called a soule that rules and guides it and this may suffer all torment and yet remaine for euer Behold now here is a thing sensible of sorrow and yet eternall this power then that is now in the soules of all shal be as then in the bodies of the damned And if wee weigh it well the paines of the bodie are rather referred to the soule The soule it is and not the body that feeles the hurt inflicted vpon any part of the bodie So that as wee call them liuing and sensitiue bodies though all the life and sense is from the soule so likewise doe wee say they are greeued bodies though the griefe bee onely in the soule So then when the bodie is hurt the soule grieueth with the bodie When the minde is offended by some inward vexation then the soule greeueth alone though it bee in the bodie and further it may greeue when it is without the bodie as the soule of the ritch glutton did in hell when hee sayd I am tormented in this flame But the bodie wanting a soule grieueth not nor hauing a soule doth it grieue without the soule If therefore it were meete to draw an argument of death from the feeling of paine as if wee should say hee may feele paine ergo he may die this should rather inferre that the soule may die because it is that which is the feeler of the paine But seeing that this is absurd false how then can it follow that those bodies which shal be in paine shall therefore bee subiect vnto death Some d Platonists hold that those parts of the soule wherein feare ioye and griefe were resident were mortall and perished wherevpon Virgill sayd Hinc metuunt cupiuntque dolent gaudent hence that is by reason of those mortall parts of the soule did feare hope ioye and griefe possesse them But touching this wee prooued in our foureteenth booke that after that their soules were purged to the vttermost yet remained there a desire in them to returne vnto their bodies and where desire is there griefe may bee For hope beeing frustate and missing the ayme turneth into griefe and anguish Wherefore if the soule which doth principally or onely suffer paine bee notwithstanding e after a sort immortall then doth it not follow that a body should perish because it is in paine Lastly if the bodie may breed the soules greefe and yet cannot kill it this is a plaine consequent that paine doth not necessarily inferre death Why then is it not as credible that the fire should grieue those bodies and yet not kill them as that the body should procure the soules ◅nguish and yet not the death Paine therefore is no sufficient argument to proue that death must needs follow it L. VIVES THere is a no body A common proposition of Aristotle Plato Epicurus Zeno Cicero Seneca all the ancient Philosophers b Whether the deuills The Platonists dispute among thēselues whether the bodies of the Damones haue feeling Some say thus the feeling lieth onely in the Nerues and sinewes The Daemones haue now sinewes ergo Others as the old Atheists say that the feeling is not in the sinewes but in the spirit that engirteth them which if it leaue the sinew it becommeth stupid and dead therefore may the bodies of these Daemones both feele and be felt and consequently bee hurt and cut in peeces by a more solid body and yet notwithstanding they doe presently reioyne and so feele the lesse paine though they feele some the more concrete and condensate that their bodies are the more subiect are they to suffer paine and therefore they doe some of them feare swords and threatnings of casting them downe headlong Mich. Psell. and Marc. Ch◅rrones Hence it is perphaps that Virgil maketh Sibylla bid Aeneas draw his sword when they went downe to hell Aeneid 6. c Uiolence Paine saith Tully Tusc. quaest 2. is a violent motion in the body offending the sences which if it exceede oppresseth the vitalls and bringeth death whether it arise of the super-abundance of some quality of the bodie of heate moysture the spirits the excrements or of the defect of any of them or ab externo which three are generally the causes of paine d Some Platonists Aristotle affirmes as much De anima lib. e After a sort For it was not from before the beginning and yet shal be euerlasting it shall neuer be made nothing though it shall suffer the second death and endure eternally dying Natures testimonies that bodies may remaine vndiminished in the fire CHAP. 4. IF therefore the a Salamander liue in the fire as the most exact naturalists record and if there bee certaine famous hills in b Sicily that haue beene on fire continually from beyond the memory of man and yet remaine whole vnconsumed then are these sufficient proofes to shew that all doth not consume that burneth as the soule prooueth that all that feeleth paine doth not perish Why then should we stand vpon any more examples to prooue the perpetuity of mans soule and body without death or dissolution in euerlasting fire and torment That GOD that endowed nature with so many seuerall and c admirable qualities shall as then giue the flesh a quality whereby it shall endure paine and burning for euer Who was it but hee that hath made the flesh of a d dead Peacock to remaine alwaies sweete and without all putrefaction I thought this vnpossible at first and by chance being at meate in Carthage a boyled Peacock was serued in and I to try the conclusion tooke of some of the Lyre of the breast and caused it to be layd vp After a certaine space sufficient for the putrefaction of any ordinary flesh I called for it and smelling to it found no ill taste in it at all Layd it vp againe and thirty daies after I lookt againe it was the same I left it The like I did an whole yeare after and found no change onely it was somewhat more drie and solide Who gaue such cold vnto the chaffe that it will keepe snow vnmelted in it and withall
ignes Vp to that round ithyes Where the darke ayre doth kisse the spangled skies For in that region 'twixt the Moone and vs The Demi-gods and spirits generous Of those whom vertuous ardor guided well On earth in euer-lasting glory dwell Homer saith that the Elysian fields are in the farthest parts of Spaine whence the Fauonian windes blowe Witnesse Strabo who saith also that the Riuer Limaea now called Liuia was whilom called Lethe So doth Silius and Mela call it when Decimus Brutus lead the Romaine souldiours that way they were afraide to passe it least they should haue forgotten their country wiues friends them-selues and all The translation of Strabo calleth it Essâ—… but it is an errour Silius saith it runnes amongst the Grauii Mela amongst the Celtici Indeede the Insulae fortunata a second Elysium are not farre from this part of Spaine Finis lib. 21. THE CONTENTS OF THE TWO and twentith booke of the City of God 1. Of the estate of Angels and of Men. 2. Of the eternall and vnchangeable will of God 3. The promise of the Saints eternall blisse and the wickeds perpetuall torment 4. Against the wise-men of the world that hold it impossible for mans body to bee transported vp to the dwellings of ioy in heauen 5. Of the resurrection of the body beleeued by the whole world excepting some few 6 That loue made the Romaines deifie their founder Romulus and faith made the Church to loue her Lord and maister Christ Iesus 7. That the beleefe of Christs deity was wrought by Gods power not mans perswasion 8. Of the miracles which haue beene and are as yet wrought to procure and confirme the worlds beleefe in Christ. 9. That all the miracles done by the Martyrs in the name of Christ were onely confirmations of that faith whereby the Mariyrs beleeued in Christ. 10. How much honour the Martyres deserue in obtaining miracles for the worship of the true God in respect of the Deuills whose workes tend all to make men thinke that they are Gods 11. Against the Platonists that oppose the eleuation of the body vp to Heauen by arguments of elementary ponderosity 12. Against the Infidels calumnies cast out in scorne of the Christians beleefe of the resurrection 13. Whether Abortiues belong not to the resurrection if they belong to the dead 14. Whether Infants shall rise againe in the stature that they dyed in 15. Whether all of the resurrection shall bee of the stature of Christ. 16. What is meant by the confirmation of the Saints vnto the Image of the Sonne of God 17. Whether that women shall retaine their proper sexe in the resurrection 18. Of Christ the perfect man and the Church his body and fulnesse 19. That our bodies in the resurrection shall haue no imperfection at all what-so-euer they haue had during this life but shall â—…e perfect both in quantity and quality 20. That euery mans body how euer dispersed heere shall bee restored him perfect at the resurrection 21. What new and spirituall bodies shall bee giuen vnto the Saints 22. Of mans miseries drawne vpon him by his first parents and taken away from him onely by Christs merits and gratious goodnesse 23. Of accidents seuered from the common estate of man and peculiar onely to the iust and righteous 24. Of the goods that God hath bestowed vpon this miserable life of ours 25. Of the obstinacie of some few in denying the resurrection which the whole world beleeueth as it was fore-told 26. That Porphiries opinion that the blessed soules should haue no bodies is confuted by Plato him-selfe who saith that the Creator promised the inferiour Deities that they should neuer loose their bodies 27. Contrarieties betweene Plato and Porphery wherein if either should yeeld vnto other both should finde out the truth 28. What either Plato Labeo or Varro might haue auailed to the true faith of the resurrection if they had had an harmony in their opinions 29. Of the quality of the vision with which the Saints shall see GOD in the world to come 30. Of the eternall felicity of the Citty of GOD and the perpetuall Sabboth FINIS THE TVVO AND TVVENTITH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of the estate of Angels and of men CHAP. 1. THIS present volume being the last of this whole worke shall containe a discourse of the eternall beatitude of the Citty of God Which Cittie is not called eternall as if it should continue for the space of so many or so many thousand ages and then haue an end but as it is written in the Ghospell Of his kingdome there shall bee none end Nor shall this perpetuitie preserue the forme by succession as a Baye tree seemeth to keepe a continuall verdure though one leafe fall of and another spring vp but euery Cittizen therein shall bee immortall and man shall attaine to that which the Angells haue neuer forgone This God the founder of this Citty will effect for so hee hath promised who cannot lye and who to confirme the rest hath effected part of his promises already Hee it is that made the world with all things sensible and intelligible therein whose chiefe worke the spirits were to whome hee gaue an vnderstanding making them capable of his contemplation and combining them in one holy and vnited society which wee call the Citty of God holy and heauenly wherein God is their life their nutriment and their beatitude Hee gaue a free election also vnto those intellectuall natures that if they would for sake him who was their blisse they should presently bee enthralled in misery And fore-knowing that certaine of the Angels proudly presuming that them-selues were sufficient beatitude to them-selues would forsake him and all good with him hee did not abridge them of his power knowing it a more powerfull thing to make good vse of such as were euill then to exclude euill for altogether Nor had there beene any euill at all but that those spirits though good yet mutable which were formed by the omnipotent and vnchangeable Deitie procured such euill vnto them-selues by sinne which very sinne prooued that their natures were good in them-selues For if they had not beene so although inferiour to the maker their apostacie had not fallen so heauie vpon them For as blindnesse beeing a defect prooueth plainely that the eye was made to see the excellencie of the eye beeing heereby made more apparent for other-wise blindnesse were no deffect so those natures enioying GOD prooued them-selues to bee created good in their very fall and that eternall misery that fell vpon them for forsaking GOD who hath giuen assurance of eternall perseuerance vnto those that stood firme in him as a fitte reward for their constancy He also made man vpright of a free election earthly yet worthy of Heauen if he stuck fast to his Creator otherwise to pertake of such misery as sorted with a nature of that kinde and fore-knowing likewise that he
would break the law that he bound him to and forsake his Maker yet did hee not take away his freedome of election fore-seeing the good vse that hee would make of this euill by restoring man to his grace by meanes of a man borne of the condemned seed of man-kinde and by gathering so many vnto this grace as should supply the places of the falne Angels and so preserue and perhaps augment the number of the heauenly Inhabitants For euill men do much against the will of God but yet his wisedome fore-sees that all such actions as seeme to oppose his will do tend to such ends as hee fore-knew to be good and iust And therefore wheras God is said To change his will that is to turne his meeknesse into anger against some persons the change in this câ—…se is in the persons and not in him and they finde him changed in their sufferances as a sore eye findeth the sun sharp and being cured findes it comfortable wheras this change was in the eie and not in the sun which keeps his office as he did at first For Gods operation in the hearts of the obedient is said to be his will where-vppon the Apostle faith It is God that worketh in you both will and deed For euen as that righteousnesse wherein both God him-selfe is righteous and whereby also a man that is iustified of God is such is termed the righteousnes of God So also is that law which hee giueth vnto man called his law whereas it is rather pertinent vnto man then vnto him For those were men vnto whom Christ said It is written also in your law though we read else-where The law of his God is in his heart and according vnto his wil which God worketh in man him-selfe is said to wil it because he worketh it in others who do will it as he is said to know that which hee maketh the ignorant to know For whereas S. Peter saith We now knowing God yea rather being knowne of God we may not hereby gather that God came but as then to the knowledg of those who hee had predestinate before the foundations of the world but God as then is said to know that which he made knowne to others Of this phraze of speach I haue spoken I remember heretofore And according vnto this Will wherby we say that God willeth that which he maketh others to will who know not what is to come hee willeth many things and yet effecteth them not The promise of the Saints eternall blisse and the wickeds perpetuall torment CHAP. 2. FOr the Saints doe will many things that are inspired with his holy will and yet are not done by him as when they pray for any one it is not hee that causeth this their praier though he do produce this will of praier in them by his holy spirit And therfore when the Saints do will and pray according to God wee may well say that God willeth it and yet worketh it not as we say hee willeth that him-self which he maketh others to wil. But according to his eternall wil ioined with his fore-knowledge therby did he create al that he pleased in heauen and in earth and hath wrought al things already as well future as past or present But when as the time of manifestation of any thing which God fore-knoweth to come is not yet come we say It shal be when God wil if both the time be vncertaine and the thing it selfe then we say It shall be if God will not that God shall haue any other will as than then hee had before but because that shall bee then effected which his eternall vnchanging will had from al eternity ordained The promise of the Saints eternall blisse and the wickeds perpetual torment CHAP. 3. VVHerefore to omit many wordes As we see his promise to Abraham In thy seed shall all nations be blessed fulfilled in Christ so shall that be fulfilled hereafter which was promised to the said seed by the Prophet The dead shal liue euen with their bodies shall they rise And whereas he saith I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde But be you glad and reioice in the things I shal create For behold I will create Hierusalem as a reioycing and her people as a ioy c. And by another Prophet At that time shall thy people be deliuered euery one that shall bee found written in the booke of life and many that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euer lasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt And againe they shall take the kingdome of the Saintes of the most High and possesse it for euer euen for euer and euer And by and by after His Kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome c. Together with all such places as I eyther put into the twentith booke or left vntouched All these things shall come to passe and those haue already which the infidels would neuer beleeue For the same GOD promised them both euen hee whome the pagan goddes do tremble before as Porphyry a worthy Phylosopher of theirs confesseth Against the wise men of the world that hold it impossible for mans bodie to be transported vp to the dwellings of ioy iâ—… heauen CHAP. 4. BVt the learned of the world thinke that they oppose this all-conuerting power very strongly as touching the resurrection when they vse that place of Cicero in his third booke de repub Who hauing affirmed that Romulus and Hercules were both deified yet were a not their bodies saith hee translated into heauen for nature will alow an earthly body no place but in the earth This is the wise mans argument which GOD knowes how vaine it is for admit that wee were all meere spirits without bodies dwelling in heauen and beeing ignorant of all earthly creatures and it should be told vs that one day we should be bound in corporal bodies might we not then vse this obiection to more power and refuse to beleeue that nature would euer suffer an â—…ncorporeall substance to bee bound or circumscribed by a corporeall one Yet is the earth full of vegetable soules strangely combined with earthly bodies Why then cannot God that made this creature transport an earthly body into heauen as well as he can bring a soule a purer essence then any celestiall body downe from heauen and inclose it in a forme of earth Can this little peece of earth include so excellent a nature in it and liue by it and cannot heauen entertaine it nor keepe it in it seeing that it liueth by an essence more excellent then heauen it selfe is Indeed this shall not come to passe as yet because it is not his pleasure who made this that we daily see and so respect not in a far more admirable manner then that shall be which those wise men beleeue not for why is it not more strange that a most pure
the beleefe that CHRIST is GOD made his Citty to loue him So that euen as Rome hadde an obiect for hir loue which shee was ready to honour with a false beleefe So the Citie of GOD hath an obiect for her sayth which shee is euer ready to honour with a true and rightly grounded loue For as touching Christ besides those many miracles the holy Prophets also did teach him to be God long before his comming which as the fathers beleeued should come to passe so that we do now see that they are come to passe But as touching Romulus wee read that hee built Rome and raigned in it not that this was prophecyed before but as for his deifying their bookes affirme that it was beleeued but they shew not how it was effected for there were no miracles to proue it The shee Wolfe that fedde the two brethren with her milke which is held so miraculous what doth this prooue as concerning his deity If this shee Wolfe were not a strumpet but a brute beast yet the accident concerning both the bretheren alike why was not d Remus deified for company And who is there that if hee bee forbidden vppon paine of death to say that Hercules Romulus or such are deities had rather loofe his life then leaue to affirme it What nation would worship Romulus as a God if it were not for feare of Rome But on the other side who is hee that can number those that haue suffered death willingly in what forme of cruelty soeuer rather then deny the deity of Christ A light and little feare of the Romaine power compelled diuers inferior citties to honour Romulus as a god but neither feare of power torment nor death could hinder an infinite multitude of Martyrs all the world through both to beleeue and professe that Christ was God Nor did his Citty though shee were as then a pilgrime vppon earth and had huge multitudes within her euer go about to e defend her temporall estate against her persecutors by force but neglected that to gaine her place in eternity Her people were bound imprisoned beaten rackt burnt torne butchered and yet multiplyed Their fight for life was the contempt of life for their Sauiour Tully in his 3 De rep Or I am deceiued argueth that a iust Citty neuer should take armes but either for her safety or faith What he meanes by safety be sheweth else-where From those paines saith hee which the fondest may feele as pouerty banishment stripes imprisonment or so do priuate men escape by the ready dispatch of death But this death which seemeth to free priuate men from paines is paine it selfe vnto a citty For the aime of a citties continuance should bee eternity Death therfore is not so naturall to a common wealth as to a priuate man hee may often times bee driuen to wish for it but when a citty is destroyed the whole world seemes in a manner to perish with it Thus saith Tully holding the worlds eternity with the Platonists So then hee would haue a citty to take armes for her safety that is for her continuance for euer here vppon earth although her members perish and renew successiuely as the leaues of the Oliue and lawrell trees and such like as they are for death saith hee may free priuate men from misery but it is misery it selfe vnto a common-wealth And therefore it is a questioÌ„ whether the Saguntines did well in choosing the destruction of their citty before the breach of faith with the common-wealth of Rome an act which all the world commendeth But I cannot see how they could possibly keepe this rule that a Citty should not take armes but eyther for her faith or safety For when these two are ioyntly endangered that one cannot bee saued without the others losse one cannot determine which should bee chosen If the Saguntines had chosen to preserue their safety they had broken their faith If their faith then should they lose their safety as indeed they did But the safety of the Cittie of GOD is such that it is preserued or rather purchased by faith and fayth beeing once lost the safetie cannot possibly but perish also This cogitation with a firme and patient resolution crowned so many Martyrs for Christ when as Romulus neuer had so much as one man that would die in defence of his deity L VIVES VVIthin this a 600. yeares Tully speaketh not this of his owne times but in the person of Scipio Africanus the yonger and Laelius which Scipio liued about 602. yeares after the building of Rome which was not 600. yeares after the death of Romulus b More common For in those times liued Orpheus Musaeus Linus Philamnon Thamyris Orius 〈◊〉 Aristheas Proconnesius Pronetidas of Athens Euculus of Cyprus Phenius of Ithaca Hoâ—…r c. c Otherwise That is in saying he was but a man wheras the Romanes held him for a God Iames Passauant playeth the foole rarely in this place but it is not worth relating d Why was 〈◊〉 Remus Hee had a little Temple vppon Auentiâ—…e but it was an obscure one and rather like an Heroes temple then a gods e To defend She might haue repulsed iniuries by force and awed her aduersaries by power but shee deemed it fitter for such as professed the Ghospell of Christ to suffer then to offer to die then to kill to loose their body rather then the soule That the beleefe of Christes Deity was wrought by Gods power not mans perswasion CHAP. 7. BVt it is absurd to make any mention of the false Deity of Romulus when wee speake of Christ. But if the age of Romulus almost 600. yeares before Scipio were so stored with men of vnderstanding that no impossibility could enter their beleefe how much more wise were they 600. yeares after in Tulliestime in Tiberius his and in the daies of CHRISTS comming So that his resurrection and ascension would haue beene reiected as fictions and impossibilities if either the power of God or the multitude of miracles had not perswaded the contrary teaching that it was now shewne in Christ and hereafter to be shewne in all men besides and auerring it strongly against all horrid persecutions throughout the whole world through which the blood of the Martyrs made it spread and flourish They read the Prophets obserued a concordance and a concurrence of all those miracles the truth confirmed the noueltie beeing not contrary to reason so that at the last the World imbraced and professed that which before it had hated and persecuted Of the miracles which hath beene and are as yet wrought to procure and confirme the worlds beleefe in Christ-CHAP 8. BVt how commeth it say they that you haue no such miracles now adaies as you say were done of yore I might answer that they were necessary before the world beleeued to induce it to beleeue and he that seeketh to bee confirmed by wonders now is to bee wondred at most of al him-selfe in refusing to beleeâ—… what al the
miracles that the Pagans ascribe vnto their Idolds are no way comparable to the wonders wrought by our Martyrs But as Moyses ouer-threw the enchanters of Pharao so do our martyrs ouer-throw their deuills who wrought those wonders out of their owne pride onely to gaine the reputation of Gods But our Martyrs or rather GOD him-selfe through their prayers wrought vnto another end onely to confirme that faith which excludeth multitude of Gods and beleeueth but in one The Pagans built Temples to those Deuills ordeining Priests and sacrifices for them as for Gods But we build our martyrs no temples but onely erect them monuments as in memory of men departed whose spirits are at rest in God Wee erect no altars to sacrifice to them we offer onely to him who is both their God and ours at which offring those conquerors of the world as men of God haue each one his peculiar commemoration but no inuocation at all For the sacrifice is offred vnto Cod though it be in memory of them and he that offreth it is a Priest of the Lord and not of theirs and the offring is the body of the Lord which is not offred vnto them because they are that body them-selues Whose miracles shall wee then beleeue Theirs that would be accompted for Gods by those to whom they shew them or theirs which tend all to confirme our beleefe in one GOD which is CHRIST Those that would haue their filthiest acts held sacred or those that will not haue their very vertues held sacred in respect of their owne glories but referred vnto his glory who hath imparted such goodnesse vnto them Let vs beleeue them that doe both worke miracles and teach the truth for this latter gaue them power to performe the former A chiefe point of which truth is this CHRIST rose againe in the flesh and shewed the immortality of the resurrection in his owne body which hee promised vnto vs in the end of this world or in the beginning of the next Against the Platonists that oppose the eleuation of the body vp to heauen by arguments of elementary ponderosity CHAP. 11. AGainst this promise do many whose thoughts God knoweth to be vaine make oppositiō out of the nature of elements Plato their Mr. teaching them that the two most contrary bodies of the world are combined by other two meanes that is by ayre and water Therefore say they earth being lowest water next then ayre and then the heauen earth cannot possibly bee contained in heauen euery element hauing his peculiar poise and tending naturally to his proper place See with what vaine weake and weightlesse arguments mans infirmity opposeth Gods omnipotency Why then are there so many earthly bodies in the ayre ayre being the third element from earth Cannot he that gaue birds that are earthly bodyes fethers of power to sustaine them in the ayre giue the like power to glorified and immortall bodies to possesse the heauen Againe if this reason of theirs were true all that cannot flie should liue vnder the earth as fishes doe in the water Why then doe not the earthly creatures liue in the water which is the next element vnto earth but in the ayre which is the third And seeing they belong to the earth why doth the next element aboue the earth presently choake them and drowne them and the third feed and nourish them Are the elements out of order here now or are their arguments out of reason I will not stand heere to make a rehearsall of what I spake in the thirteene booke of many terrene substances of great weight as Lead Iron c. which not-with-standing may haue such a forme giuen it that it will swimme and support it selfe vpon the water And cannot God almighty giue the body of man such a forme like-wise that it may ascend and support it selfe in heauen Let them stick to their method of elements which is all their trust yet can they not tell what to say to my former assertion For earth is the lowest element and then water and ayre successiuely and heauen the fourth and highest but the soule is a fifth essence aboue them all Aristotle calleth it a fifth a body and Plato saith it is vtterly incorporeall If it were the fift in order then were it aboue the rest but being incorporeall it is much more aboue all substances corporeall What doth it then in a lumpe of earth it being the most subtile and this the most grosse essence It being the most actiue and this the most vnweeldy Cannot the excellencie of it haue power to lift vp this Hath the nature of the body power to draw downe a soule from heauen and shall not the soule haue power to carry the body thether whence it came it selfe And now if we should examine the miracles which they parallell with those of our martyrs wee should finde proofes against themselues out of their owne relations One of their greatest ones is that which Varro reports of a vestall votaresse who being suspected of whoredome filled a Siue with the water of Tiber and carried it vnto her Iudges with-out spilling a drop Who was it that kept the water in the siue so that not one droppe passed through those thousand holes Some God or some Diuell they must needs say Well if hee were a God is hee greater then hee that made the world if then an inferiour God Angell or Deuill had this power to dispose thus of an heauie element that the very nature of it seemed altered cannot then the Almighty maker of the whole world take away the ponderosity of earth and giue the quickned body an hability to dwell in the same place that the quickning spirit shall elect And where-as they place the ayre betweene the fire aboue and the water beneath how commeth it that wee often-times finde it betweene water and water or betweene water and earth for what will they make of those watry clowds betweene which and the sea the ayre hath an ordinary passage What order of the elements doth appoint that those flouds of raine that fall vpon the earth below the ayre should first hang in the clowds aboue the ayre And why is ayre in the midst betweene the heauen and the earth if it were as they say to haue the place betweene the heauens and the waters as water is betweene it and the earth And lastly if the elements bee so disposed as that the two meanes ayre and water doe combine the two extreames fire and earth heauen being in the highest place and earth in the lowest as the worlds foundation and therefore say they impossible to bee in heauen what doe wee then with fire here vpon earth for if this order of theirs bee kept inuiolate then as earth cannot haue any place in fire no more should fire haue any in earth as that which is lowest cannot haue residence aloft no more should that which is aloft haue residence below But we see this order renuersed We haue fire
both on the earth and in the earth the mountaine tops giue it vp in aboundance nay more wee see that fire is produced out of earthâ—… namely of wood and stones and what are these but earthly bodyes yea but the elementary fire say they is pure hurtlesse quiet and eternall and this of ours turbulent smoakie corrupting and corruptible Yet doth it not corrupt nor hurt the hills where-in it burneth perpetually nor the hollowes within ground where it worketh most powerfully It is not like the other indeed but adapted vnto the conuenient vse of man But why then may we not beleeue that the nature of a corruptible body may bee made incorruptible and fitte for heauen as well as we see the elementary fire made corruptible and fitte for vs So that these arguments drawne from the sight and qualities of the elements can no way diminish the power that Almighty God hath to make mans body of a quality fitte and able to inhabite the heauens L. VIVES A Fifth a body But Aristotle frees the soule from all corporeall beeing as you may read De anima lib. 1. disputing against Democritus Empedocles Alcmâ—…on Plato and Xenocrates But indeed Plato teaching that the soule was composed of celestiall fire taken from the starres and with-all that the starres were composed of the elementary bodies made Aristotle thinke else-where that it was of an elementary nature as well as the starres whence it was taken But in this hee mistooke him-selfe and miss-vnderstood his maister But indeed Saint Augustine in this place taketh the opinion of Aristotle from Tully for Aristotles bookes were rare and vntranslated as then who saith that hee held their soule to bee quintam naturam which Saint Augustine calleth quintum corpus a fifth body seuerall from the elementary compounds But indeede it is a question whether Aristotle hold the soule to bee corporeall or no hee is obscure on both sides though his followers â—…old that it is absolutely incorporeall as wee hold generally at this day And Tullyes words were cause both of Saint Augustines miss-prision and like-wise set almost all the Grecians both of this age and the last against him-selfe for calling the soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas they say Aristotle calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is habitio perfecta and not motio pereâ—…nis as Tullyes word implieth But alas why should Tully be so baited for so small an error O let vs bee ashamed to vpbraide the father of Latine eloquence with any misprision for his errors are generally more learned then our labours Against the Infidels calumnies cast out in scorne of the Christians beleefe of the resurrection CHAP. 12. BVt in their scrupulous inquiries touching this point they come against vs with such scoffes as these Whether shall the Ab-ortiue births haue any part in the resurrection And seeing the LORD saith there shall noâ—… one haire of your headperish whether shall all men bee of one stature and bignesse or no If they bee how shall the Ab-ortiues if they rise againe haue that at the resurrection which they wanted at the first Or if they doe not rise againe because they were neuer borne but cast out wee may make the same doubt of infants where shall they haue that bignesse of body which they wanted when they died for they you know are capable of regeneration and therefore must haue their part in the resurrection And then these Pagans aske vs of what height and quantity shall mens bodies be then If they bee as tall as euer was any man then both little and many great ones shall want that which they wanted here on earth and whence shall they haue it But if it bee true that Saint Paul saith thâ—…t wee shall meete vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of CHRIST and againe if that place Hee predestinated them to bee made like to the Image of his Sonne imply that all the members of Christs Kingdome shal be like him in shape and stature then must many men say they forgoe part of the stature which they had vpon earth And then where is that great protection of euery haire if there bee such a diminution made of the stature and body Besides wee make a question say they whether man shall arise withall the haire that euer the Barber cut from his head If hee doe who will not loath such an ougly sight for so likewise must it follow that hee haue on all the parings of his nayles And where is then that comelinesse which ought in that immortality to bee so farre exceeding that of this world while man is in corruption But if hee doe not rise with all his haire then it is lost and where is your scriptures then Thus they proceed vnto fatnesse and leannesse If all bee a like say they then one shall bee fatte and another leane So that some must loose flesh and some must gaine some must haue what they wanted and some must leaue what they had Besides as touching the putrefaction and dissolution of mens bodies part going into dust part into ayre part into fire part into the guttes of beasts and birds part are drowned and dissolued into water these accidents trouble them much and make them thinke that such bodies can neuer gather to flesh againe Then passe they to deformities as monstrous births misse-shapen members scarres and such like inquiring with scoffes what formes these shall haue in the resurrection For if wee say they shall bee all taken away then they come vpon vs with our doctrine that CHRIST arose with his woundes vpon him still But their most difficult question of all is whose flesh shall that mans bee in the resurrection which is eaten by another man through compulsion of hunger for it is turned into his flesh that eateth it and filleth the parts that famine had made hollow and leane Whether therefore shall hee haue it againe that ought it at first or hee that eate it and so ought it afterwards These doubts are put vnto our resolutions by the scorners of our faith in the resurrection and they themselues doe either estate mens soules for euer in a state neuer certaine but now wretched and now blessed as Plato doth or else with Porphyry they affirme that these reuolutions doe tosse the soule along time but notwithstanding haue a finall end at last leauing the spirit at rest but beeing vtterly separated from the body for euer Whether Ab-ortiues belong not to the resurrection if they belong to the dead CHAP. 13. TO all which obiections of theirs I meane by GODS helpe to answere and first as touching Ab-ortiues which die after they are quick in the mothers wombe that such shall rise againe I dare neither affirme nor deny Yet if they bee reckned amongst the dead I see no reason to exclude them from the resurrection For either all the dead shall not rise againe and the soules that had no bodies sauing in the mothers wombe shall continue
bodilesse for euer or else all soules shall haue their bodies againe and consequently they whose bodies perished before the time of perfection Which soeuer of these two be receiued for truth that which we will now by and by affirme concerning Infants is to be vnderstood of Ab-ortiues also if they haue any part in the resurrection Whether Infants shall rise againe in the stature that they died in CHAP. 14. NOw as touching infants I say they shall not rise againe with that littlenesse of bodie in which they died the sudden and strange power of GOD shall giue them a stature of full growth For Our Sauiours words There shall not one heire of our heads perish doe onely promise them all that they had before not excluding an addition of what they had not before The infant wanted the perfection of his bodies quantity as euery a perfect infant wanteth that is it was not come to the full height and bignesse which all are borne to haue and haue at their birth potentially not actually as all the members of man are potentially in the generatiue sperme though the child may want some of them as namely the teeth when it is borne In which hability of substance that which is not apparant vntill afterwards lieth as one would say wound vppe before from the first originall of the sayd substance And in this hability or possibility the infant may bee sayd to bee tall or low already because hee shall prooue such hereafter Which may secure vs from all losse of body or part of body in the resurrection for if wee should be made all a like neuer so tall or giantlike yet such as were reduced from a taller stature vnto that should loose no part of their bodie for Christ hath sayd they should not loose an haire And as for the meanes of addition how can that wondrous worke-man of the world want fit substance to ad where he thinketh good L. VIVES EUery a perfect infant Euery thing hath a set quantity which it cannot exceed and hath a power to attaine to it from the generatiue causes whereof the thing it selfe is produced by which power if it be not hindered it dilateth it selfe gradually in time till it come to the fulnesse where it either resteth or declineth againe as it grew vppe This manner of augmentation proceedeth from the qualities that nature hath infused into euery thing and neither from matter nor forme Whether all of the resurrection shal be of the stature of Christ. CHAP. 15. BVt Christ himselfe arose in the same stature wherein hee died nor may wee say that at the resurrection hee shall put on any other height or quantity then that wherein he appeared vnto his disciples after hee was risen againe or become as tall as any man euer was Now if wee say that all shall bee made equall vnto his stature then must many that were taller loose part of their bodies against the expresse wordes of CHRIST Euery one therefore shall arise in that stature which hee either had at his full mans state or should haue had if hee had not died before As for Saint Pauls words of the measure of the fulnesse of CHRIST they either imply that all his members as then beeing ioyned with him their head should make vp the times consummation or if they tend to the resurrection the meaning is that all should arise neither younger nor elder but iust of that age whereat CHRIST himself suffered and rose againe For the learned authors of this world say that about thirty yeares man is in his full state and from that time hee declineth to an age of more grauity and decay wherefore the Apostle saith not vnto the measure of the body nor vnto the measure of the stature but vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of CHRIST What is meant by the conformation of the Saints vnto the Image of the Sonne of GOD. CHAP. 16. ANd whereas he saith that the predestinate shal be made like to the Image of the Sonne of GOD this may be vnderstood of the inward man for he saith else-where fashion not your selues like vnto this world but bee yee changed by the renewing of your minde So then when wee are changed from being like the world wee are made like vnto the Image of the Sonne of God Besides wee may take it thus that as hee was made like vs in mortality so wee should bee made like him in immortality and thus it is pertinent to the resurrection But if that it concerne the forme of our rysing againe then it speaketh as the other place doth onely of the age of our bodies not of their quantities Wherefore all men shall arise in the stature that they either were of or should haue beene of in their fulnesse of mans state although indeed it is no matter what bodies they haue of old men or of infants the soule and bodie beeing both absolute and without all infirmity So that if any one say that euery man shall rise againe in the same stature wherein hee died it is not an opinion that requireth much opposition Whether that women shall retaine their proper sexe in the resurrection CHAP. 17. THere are some who out of these words of Saint Paul Till wee all meete together in the vnity of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of GOD vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of IESVS CHRIST would proue that no woman shall retaine her sexe in the resurrection but all shall become men for GOD say they made man onely of earth and woman of man But I am rather of their minde that hold a resurrection in both sexes For there shall be none of that lust which caused mans confusion For our first parents before their fall were both naked and were not ashamed So at the later day the sinne shal be taken away and yet nature still preserued The sexe in woman is no corruption it is naturall and as then shal be free both from child-birth nor shall the female parts be any more powerfull to stirre vp the lusts of the beholders for all lust shall then be extinguished but praise and glory shal be bee giuen to GOD for creating what was not and for freeing that from corruption which hee had created For In the beginning when a rib was taken from Adam being a sleepe to make Eâ—…e this was a plaine prophecy a of Christ and the Church Adams sleepe was CHRISTS death from whose side beeing opened with a speare as hee hung vpon the crosse came bloud and water the two Sacraments whereby the church is built vp For the word of the text is not formauit nor finxit but Aedificâ—…it eam in mulierem hee built her vppe into a woman So the Apostle calleth the church the aedification of the body of CHRIST The â—…man therefore was GODS creature as well as man but made of man b for vnity sake And in the manner thereof
was a plaine figure of Christ and his Church Hee therefore that made both sexes will raise them both to life And IESVS himselfe beeing questioned by the Sadduces that deny the resurrection which of the seauen bretheren should haue her to wife at the resurrection whom they had all had before answered them saying Yee are deceiued not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of GOD. And whereas he might haue sayd if it had beene so shee whom you inquire of shal be a man at that day and not a woman he sayd no such matter but onely this In the resurrection they neither marry wiues nor wiues are bestowed in marriage but are as the Angells of GOD in Heauen That is they are like them in felicity not in flesh nor in their resurrection which the Angells need not because they cannot die So that CHRIST doth not deny that there shal be women at the resurrection but onely mariage whereas if there should haue beene none of the female sexe hee might haue answered the Sadduces more easily by sauing so but hee affirmed that there should bee both sexes in these wordes They neither marry wiues that is men doe not nor wiues are bestowed in marriage that is women are not So that there shal be there both such as vse to marry and such as vse to be married here in this world L. VIVES PRophecy a of Christ Ephes. 5. b For vnity sake That their concord might bee the more the one knowing that hee brought forth the other and the other that she came of him So should man and wife thinke themselues but one thing nothing should diuide them and this is the preseruation of peace in their family Of CHRIST the perfect man and the Church his body and fulnesse CHAP. 18. NOw touching Saint Pauls words Till wee all meete together c. vnto a perfect man were to obserue the circumstances of the whole speech which is this Hee that descended is euen the same that ascended farre aboue all heauens that hee might fill all things Hee therefore gaue some to bee Apostles and some Prophets and some Euangelists and some Pastors and teachers for the gathering together of the Saints and for the worke of their ministery and for the edification of the body of CHRIST till we all meete together in the vnity of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of GOD vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of CHRIST that we may hence-forth bee no more childeren wauering and caried about with euery winde of doctrine by the deceipt of men and with craftinesse whereby they lie in waite to deceiue But let vs follow the truth in loue and in althings growe vppe into him which is the head that is CHRIST by whome all the bodie beeing coupled and knit together by euery ioynt for the furniture thereof according to the effectuall power which is in the measure of euery part receiueth increase of the body vnto the edifying of it selfe in loue Behold heere the perfect man head and bodie consisting of all members which shal be complete in due time But as yet the bodie increaseth daily in members as the church enlargeth to which it is sayd yee are the bodie of CHRIST and members for your part and againe for his bodies sake which is the Church and in another place For wee beeing many are one bread and one body Of the edification whereof you heare what Saint Paul saith heere for the gathering together of the Saints and for the worke of the ministery and for the edification of the bodie of CHRIST And then hee addeth that which all this concerneth Till wee all meete together c. vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ. Which measure vnto what bodie it pertaineth hee sheweth saying Let vs in all things growe vppe into him which is the head that is CHRIST by whome all the bodie c. So that both the measure of the whole bodie and of each part therein is this measure of fulnesse whereof the Apostle speaketh here and also else-where saying of Christ Hee hath giuen him to bee the head ouer all the Church which is his bodie his fulnesse who filleth all in all But if this belong to the forme of the resurrection why may wee not imagine woman to be included by man as in that place Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD giueh the same blessing also to such women as feare him That our bodies in the resurrection shall haue no imperfection at all whatsoeuer they haue had during this life but shall be perfect both in quantity and quality CHAP. 19. NOw what shall I say concerning mans haire and nayles vnderstand but that then no part of body shall perish yet so as no deformity shall abide and it includeth that such parts as doe procure those deformities shal be resident only in the whole lumpe not vpon any part where they may offend the eye As for example make a pot of clay marre it and make it againe it is not necessary that the clay which was in the handle before should bee in the handle now againe and so of the bottome and the parts sufficeth that it is the same clay it was before Wherefore the cut haire and nayles shall not returne to deforme their places yet shall they not perrish if they returne but haue their congruent places in the same flesh from whence they had their beeing Although that our Sauiours words may rather bee vnderstood of the number of our haires then the length wherevpon hee saith else-where All the haires of your head are numbered I say not this to imply that any essentiall part of the body shall perish but that which ariseth out of deformity and sheweth the wretched estate of mortality shall so returne that the substance shall bee there and the deformity gone For if a statuary hauing for some purpose made a deformed statue can mold or cast it new and comely with the same substance of matter and yet without all the former miss-shapednesse neither cutting away any of the exorbitant parts that deformed the whole noâ—… vsing any other meanes but onely the new casting of his mettall or molding of his matter what shall wee thinke of the Almighty Molder of the whole world Cannot hee then take away mens deformities of body common or extraordinary beeing onely notes of our present misery and farre excluded from our future blisse as well as a common statuary can reforme a mis-shapen statue of stone wood clay or mettall Wherefore the fatte or the leane neede neuer feare to bee such hereafter as if they could choose they would not be now For all bodily beauty a is a good congruence in the members ioyned with a pleasing collour And where that is not there is euer-more dislike either by reason of superfluity or defect Wherefore there shal be no cause of dislike through incongruence of parts where the deformed ones are
reformed the defects supplied and the excesses fitly proportioned And for collour how glorious will it bee The iust shall shine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of their Father And this lustre was rather hidden from the Apostles eyes at CHRISTS resurrection then wanting in his bodie For mans weake eyes could not haue endured it and CHRIST was rather to make them to know him then to shew them his glory as hee manifested by letting them touch his woundes by eating and drinking with them which hee did not for any neede of meate or sustenance but because hee had power to doe it And when a things is present thus and not seene with other things that are present and seene as this glory was vnseene beeing with his person which was seene this in greeke is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latines translate it in Genesis caecitas blindnesse The Sodomites were smitten with it when they sought Lots dore and could not finde it But if it had beene direct blindnesse they would rather haue sought for guides to lead them home then for this dore which they could not finde L. VIVES BEauty a is So sayth Tully Tuse quest 3. who maketh beauty of two sorts one wherein dignity excelleth another wherein comelinesse Aristotle giueth euery part of mans life a seuerall beauty 〈◊〉 1. That euery mans body how euer dispersed here shall bee restored him perfect at the Resurrection CHAP. 20. OVr loue vnto the Martyrs is of that nature that wee desire to behold the scarres of their wounds borne for the name of Christ euen in their glorification and perhaps so wee shall For they will not deforme but grace them as then and giue out a lustre of their vertue not bodily albeit in the body But if any of them lost any member for his Sauiour surely hee shall not want that in the resurrection for vnto such was it sayd not an haire of your heads shall perish But if CHRISTS pleasure bee to make their scarres apparant in the world to come then shall those members also that were cut off haue visible markes in the place whence they were cut and where they are reioyned for although all their miserable hurts shall not bee their visible yet their shal be some which neuerthelesse shal be no more called hurts but honours And farre bee it from vs to thinke a GODS power insufficient to recollect and vnite euery atome of the bodie were it burnt or torne by beasts or fallen to dust or dissolued into moysture or exhaled into ayre GOD forbid that any corner of nature though it may bee vnknowne to vs should lie hid from the eye and power of the almighty b Tully their great author going about to define GOD as well as hee could affirmed him to bee Mens soluta libera secreta ab omni concretione mortali omnia sentiens mouens ispaque motu predita sempiterno A free and vnbounded intellect separate from all mortall composition moouing and knowing althings and moouing eternally in himselfe This hee found in the great Philosophers Now then to come vp to them what can lie hid from him that knoweth all what can avoide his power that mooueth all And now may wee answere the doubt that seemeth most difficult that is whose flesh shall that mans bee at the resurrection which another man eateth â—…c Ancient stories and late experience haue lamentably enformed vs that this hath often come to passe that one man hath eaten another in which case none will say that all the flesh went quite through the body and none was turned into nutriment the meager places becomming by this onely meate more full and fleshy doe prooue the contarry Now then my premises shall serue to resolue this Ambiguity The flesh of the famished man that hunger consumed is exhaled into ayre and thence as wee sayd before the Creator can fetch it againe This flesh therefore of the man that was eaten shall returne to the first owner of whome the famished man doth but as it were borrow it and so must repay it againe And that of his owne which famine dried vppe into ayre shal be recollected and restored into some conuenient place of his body which were it so consumed that no part thereof remained in nature yet GOD could fetch it againe at an instant and when hee would himselfe But seeing that the verie heires of our head are secured vs it were absurd to imagine that famine shold haue the power to depriue vs of so much of our flesh These things beeing duely considered this is the summe of all that in the Resurrection euery man shall arise with the same bodie that hee had or should haue had in his fullest growth in all comelinesse and without deformity of any the least member To preserue with comelinesse if some what bee taken from any vnshapely part and decently disposed of amongst the rest that it bee not lost and withall that the congruence bee obserued wee may without absurdity beleeue that there may be some addition vnto the stature of the bodie the inconuenience that was visible in one part beeing inuisibly distributed and so annihilated amongst the rest If any one avow precisely that euery man shall arise in the proper stature of his growth which hee had when hee died wee doe not oppose it so that hee grant vnto an vtter abolishing of all deformity dulnesse and corruptibility of the sayd forme and stature as things that beeâ—…it not that Kingdome wherein the sonnes of promise shal be â—…uall to the Angells of GOD if not in their bodies nor ages yet in absolutâ—… perfection and beatitude L. VIVES TO thinke a Gods power The Gouernor of a family if hee bee wise and diligent knowes at an instant where to fetch any thinke in his house be his roomes neuer so large and many and shall we thinke that GOD cannot doe the like in the world vnto whose wisdome it is but a very casket b Tully Tusc. quaest lib. 1. c Ancient stories Many Cities in straite sieges haue beene driuen to this There is also a people called Anthropophagi or Caniballs that liue vpon mans flesh What new and spirituall bodies shal be giuen vnto the Saints CHAP. 21. EVery part therefore of the bodies peryshing either in death or after it in the graue or wheresoeuer shal be restored renewed and of a naturall and corruptible bodie it shall become immortall spirituall and incorruptible Bee it all made into pouder and dust by chance or cruelty or dissolued into ayre or water so that no part remaine vndispersed yet shall it not yet can it not bee kept hidden from the omnipotency of the Creator who will not haue one haire of the head to perish Thus shall the spirituall flesh become subiect to the spirit yet shall it bee flesh still as the carnall spirit before was subiect to the flesh and yet a spirit still A proofe of which wee haue in the deformity of our penall estate For they
Therfore that vision is kept for vs beeing the reward of faith of which also the Apostle Iohn speaking saith When hee shall appeare wee shall bee like vnto him because wee shall see him as hee is But wee must vnderstand by the face of GOD his manifestation and not to bee any such member as wee haue in the body and doe call it by that name Wherefore when it is demanded of vs what the Saints shall doe in that spirituall body I doe not say that I see now but I say that I beleeue according to that which I read in the Psalme I beleeued and therefore I spake I say therefore that they shall see GOD in the body but whether by the same manner as wee now see by the body the Sunne Moone Starres Sea and Earth it is no small question It is a hard thing to say that then the Saints shall haue such bodyes that they cannot shutte and open their eyes when they will But it is more hard to say that who-so-euer shall shutte their eyes there shall not see GOD. For if the Prophet Heliseus absent in body saw his seruant Giezi receiuing the guifts which Naaman gaue vnto him whome the afore-said Prophet had cleansed from the deformitye of his leprosie which the wicked seruant thought hee had done secretly his maister not seeing him how much more shall the Saints in that spirituall body see all things not onely if they shutte their eyes but also from whence they are absent in body For then shall that bee perfect of which the Apostle speaking saith Wee know in part and Prophecie in part but when that shall come which is perfect that which is in part shall bee done away Afterward that hee might declare by some similitude how much this life doth differ from that which shall bee not of all sortes of men but also of them which are endewed heere with an especiall holynesse hee saith When I was a childe I vnderstood as a childe I did speake as a child I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things Wee see now in a Glasse in a darke-speaking but then wee shall see face to see Now I know in part but then shall I knowe euen as I am knowne If therefore in this life where the prophesie of admirable men is to bee compared to that life as children to a young man Not-with-standing Heliseus sawe his seruant receiuing guifts where hee himselfe was not shall therefore the Saints stand in neede of corporall eyes to see those things which are to bee seene which Heliseus beeing absent needed not to see his seruant For when that which is perfect is come neither now the corruptible body shall any more aggrauate the soule and no incorruptible thing shall hinder it For according to the LXX interpreters these are the words of the Prophet to Giezi Did not my heart goe with thee and I knew that the man turned backe from his charriot to meete thee and thou hast receiued money c. But as Hierome hath interpreted it out of the Hebrew Was not my heart saith hee in presence when the man returned from his Charriot to meete thee Therefore the Prophet sayd That hee sawe this thing with his heart wonderfully ayded by the diuine powre as no man doubteth But how much more shall all abound with that guift when GOD shall bee all things in all Neuer-the-lesse those corporall eyes also shall haue their office and shall bee in their place and the spirit shall vse them by the spirituall body For the Prophet did vse them to see things present though hee needed not them to see his absent seruant which present things hee was able to see by the spirit though hee did shut his eyes euen as hee saw things absent where hee was not with them GOD forbid therefore that wee should say that the Saints shall not see GOD in that life their eyes being shut whome they shall all alwayes see by the spirit But whether they shall also see by the eyes of the body when they shall haue them open from hence there ariseth a question For if they shall bee able to doe no more in the spirituall body by that meanes as they are spirituall eyes than those are able which wee haue now with-out all doubt they shall not bee able to see GOD Therefore they shall bee of a farre other power if that incorporate nature shall bee seene by them which is conteined in no place but is whole euery where For wee doe not say because wee say that GOD is both in heauen and also in earth For hee saith by the Prophet I fill heauen and earth that hee hath one part in heauen and another in earth but hee is whole in heauen and whole in earth not at seuerall times but hee is both together which no corporall nature can bee Therefore there shall bee a more excellent and potent force of those eyes not that they may see more sharply then some serpents and Eagles are reported to see for those liuing creatures by their greatest sharpnesse of seeing can see nothing but bodies but that they may also see incorporat things And it may be that great powre of seeing was granted for a time to the eyes of holy Iob yea in that mortall body when hee saith to GOD. By the hearing of the eare I did he are thee before but now my eye doth see thee therefore I despised my selfe consumed and esteemed my selfe to bee earth and ashes Although there is nothing to the contrary but that the eye of the heart may be vnderstood concerning which eyes the Apostle saith To haue the eyes of your heart enlightned But no Christian man doubteth that GOD shal be seene with them when hee shal be seen which faithfully receiueth that which GOD the maister saith Blessed are the pure in heart because they shall see GOD. But it now is in question whether hee may bee seene there also with corporall eyes For that which is written And all flesh shall see the saluation of God without any knotte or scruple of difficulty may so bee vnderstood as if it had beene sayd And euery man shall see the CHRIST of GOD who as hee hath beene seene in bodie shall likewise bee seene in bodie when hee shall iudge the quicke and the dead But that hee is the Saluation of GOD there are also many other testimonies of the Scriptures But the wordes of that worthie and reuerent old man Simeon declare it more euidentlie who after hee had receiued the Infant CHRIST into his hands Now sayth hee lettest thou thy seruant O LORD depart in peace according to thy worde because mine eyes haue seene thy saluation Also that which the aboue recited Iob saith as it is found in many coppies taken from the Hebrew And I shall see GOD in my flesh Verelie hee prophecied the Resurrection of the flesh without all doubt yet hee sayd
not By my flesh For if hee had sayd so GOD CHRIST might haue beene vnderstood who shal be seene in the flesh by the flesh now indeed it may also be taken In my flesh b I shall see GOD as if hee had sayd I shal be in my flesh when I shall see GOD. And that which the Apostle saith Face to face doth not compell vs that wee beleeue that wee shall see GOD by this corporall face where there are corporall eyes whome wee shall see by the spirit without intermission For vnlesse there were a face also of the inwarde man the same Apostle would not say But wee beholding the glorie of the LORD with the face vnuayled are transformed into the same Image from glory into glory as it were to the spirit of the LORD Neither doe wee otherwise vnderstand that which is sung in the Psalme Come vnto him and bee enlightened and your faces shall not bee ashamed For by faith wee come vnto GOD which as it is euident belongeth to the heart and not to the body vniuersally But because wee know not now how neare the spirituall body shall approche for wee speake of a thing of which wee haue no experience where some things are which can-not otherwise bee vnderstood the authority of the diuine Scriptures doth not resist but succour vs It must needs bee that that happen in vs which is read in the booke of Wisdome The thoughts of men are fearefull and our fore-sights are vncertaine For if that manner of arguing of the Philosophers by which they dispute that intelligible things are so to bee seene by the aspect of the vnderstanding and sensible that is to say corporall things so to bee seene by the sence of the body that neither the vnderstanding can bee able to behold intelligible things by the body nor corporall things by them-selues can bee most certaine vnto vs truly it should likewise be certaine that God could not be seene by the eyes of a spirituall body But both true reason and propheticall authority will deride this manner of disputing For who is such an obstinate and opposite enemy to the truth that hee dare say that God knoweth not these corporall things Hath hee therefore a body by the eyes of which he may learne those things Further-more doth not that which wee spake a little before of the Prophet Heliseus declare sufficiently also that corporall things may be seene by the spirit not by the body For when his seruant receiued rewards though it was corporally done yet the Prophet saw it not by the body but by the spirit As therefore it is manifest that bodies are seene by the spirit what if there shall be such a great powre of the spirituall body that the spirit may also be seene by the body For God is a spirit More-ouer euery man knoweth his owne life by which hee liueth now in the body and which doth make these earthly members growe and increase and maketh them liuing by the inward sense and not by the eyes of the body But hee seeth the liues of other men by the body when as they are inuisible For from whence doe wee discerne liuing bodyes from vn-liuing vnlesse wee see the bodyes and liues together But wee doe not see with corporall eyes the liues with-out bodyes Wherefore it may bee and it is very credible that then wee shall so see the worldly bodyes of the new heauen and new earth as wee see GOD present euery where and also gouerning all corporall things by the bodyes wee shall carry and which wee shall see where-so-euer wee shall turne our eyes most euidently all clowds of obscurity beeing remooued not in such sorts as the inuisible things of GOD are seene now beeing vnderstood by those things which are made in a glasse darkly and in part where faith preuaileth more in vs by which wee beleeue than the obiect of things which wee see by corporall eyes But euen as so soone as wee behold men amongst whome wee liue beeing aliue and performing vitall motions wee doe not beleeue that they liue but wee see them to liue when wee cannot see their life with-out bodyes which not-with-standing wee clearely behold by the bodyes all ambiguity beeing remooued so where-so-euer wee shall turne about these spirituall eyes of our bodyes wee shall like-wise see incorporate GOD gouerning all things by our bodyes GOD therefore shall eyther so bee seene by those eyes because they haue some-thing in that excellencie like vnto the vnderstanding whereby the incorporall nature may be seene which is either hard or impossible to declare by any examples or testimonies of diuine Scriptures or that which is more easily to be vnderstood God shall be so knowne conspicuous vnto vs that he may be seene by the spirit of euery one of vs in euery one of vs may be seene of another in another may be seene in him-selfe may be seene in the new heauen and in the new earth and in euery creature which shall be then may be seene also by the bodies in euery body where-so-euer the eyes of the spirituall body shall be directed by the sight comming thether Also our thoughts shall bee open and discouered to one another For then shall that bee fulfilled which the Apostle intimateth when hee said Iudge not any thing before the time vntill the Lord come who willl lighten things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest and then shall euery man haue praise of GOD. L. VIVES OR a rather rest For there shall be a rest from all labours I know not by what meanes the name of rest is more delightfull and sweet than of action therefore Aristotle nominateth that contemplation which he maketh the chiefest beatitude by the name of Rest. Besides the Sabbath is that to wit a ceassing from labour and a sempeternall rest b I shall see God It is read in some ancient copies of Augustine I shall see God my sauiour But we doe neither read it in Hieromes translation neither doth it seeme â—…o be added of Augustine by those words which follow For he speaketh of God with-out the man-hood Further if he had added Sauiour hee should haue seemed to haue spoken of Christ. Of the eternall felicity of the Citty of God and the perpetuall Sabbath CHAP. 30. HOw great a shall that felicity be where there shall be no euill thing where no good thing shall lye hidden there wee shall haue leasure to vtter forth the praises of God which shall bee all things in all For what other thing is done where we shall not rest with any slouthfulnesse nor labour for any want I know not I am admonished also by the holy song where I read or heare Blessed are they oh Lord which dwell in thy house they shall praise thee for euer and euer All the members and bowels of the incorruptible body which we now see distributed to diuerse vses of necessity because then
there shall not bee that necessity but a full sure secure euer-lasting felicity shall be aduanced and go forward in the praises of God For then all the numbers of which I haue already spoken of the corporall Harmony shall not lye hid which now lye hid being disposed inwardly and out-wardly through all the members of the body and with other things which shall be seene there being great and wonderfull shall kindle the reasonable soules with delight of such a reasonable beauty to sound forth the praises of such a great and excellent workman What the motions of those bodies shall be there I dare not rashly define when I am not able to diue into the depth of that mistery Neuertheles both the motion state as the forme of them shal be comly decent whatsoeuer it shall be where there shall bee nothing which shall not bee comly Truly where the spirit wil there forth-with shall the body be neither will the spirit will any thing which may not beseeme the body nor the spirit There shall be true glory where no man shall be praised for error or flattery True honor which shall be denied vnto none which is worthy shall bee giuen vnto none vnworthy But neither shall any vnworthy person couet after it where none is permitted to bee but hee which is worthy There is true peace where no man suffereth any thing which may molest him either of him-selfe or of any other Hee himselfe shall bee the reward of vertue which hath giuen vertue and hath promised himselfe vnto him then whom nothing can be better and greater For what other thing is that which he hath sayd by the Prophet I wil be their GOD and they shal be my people but I wil be whereby they shal be satisfied I wil be what-soeuer is lawfully desired of men life health food abundance glory honor peace and all good things For so also is that rightly vnderstood which the Apostle sayth That GOD may bee all in all He shal bee the end of our desires who shal be seene without end who shal be loued without any saciety and praised without any tediousnesse This function this affection this action verily shal be vnto all as the eternall life shal be common to all But who is sufficient to thinke much more to vtter what degrees there shall also bee of the rewardes for merits of the honors and glories But wee must not doubt but that there shal be degrees And also that Blessed Citty shall see that in it selfe that no inferior shall enuy his superior euen as now the other Angells doe not enuie the Arch-angells as euery one would not be which he hath not receiued although hee be combined with a most peaceable bond of concord to him which hath receiued by which the finger will not bee the eye in the body when as a peaceable coniunction and knitting together of the whole flesh doth containe both members Therefore one shall so haue a gift lesse then another hath that hee also hath this gift that he will haue no more Neither therefore shall they not haue free will because sinnes shall not delight them For it shal be more free beeing freed from the delight of sinning to an vndeclinable and sted-fast delight of not sinning For the first free-will which was giuen to man when hee was created righteous had power not to sinne but it had also powre to sinne but this last free-will shal be more powerfull then that because it shall not be able to sinne But this also by the gift of GOD not by the possibily of his owne nature For it is one thing to be GOD another thing to bee partaker of GOD. GOD cannot sinne by nature but hee which is partaker of GOD receiueth from him that hee cannot sinne But there were degrees to be obserued of the diuine gift that the first free-will might be giuen whereby man might be able not to sinne the last whereby he might not be able to sinne and the first did pertaine to obtaine a merit the later to receiue a reward But because that nature sinned when it might sinne it is freed by a more bountifull grace that it may be brought to that liberty in which it cannot sinne For as the first immortallity which Adam lost by sinning was to bee able not to die For so the will of piety and equity shal be free from beeing lost as the will of felicity is free from being lost For as by sinning wee neither kept piety nor felicity neither truely haue we lost the will of felicity felicity being lost Truely is GOD himselfe therefore to be denied to â—…aue free-will because hee cannot sinne Therefore the free-will of that Citty shall both bee one in all and also inseperable in euery one freed from all euill and filled with all good enioying an euerlasting pleasure of eternall ioyes forgetfull of faults forgetfull of punishments neither therefore so forgetfull of her deliuerance that shee bee vngratefull to her deliuerer For so much as concerneth reasonable knowledge shee is mindefull also of her euills which are past but so much as concerneth the experience of the senses altogether vnmindefull For a most skilfull Phisition also knoweth almost all diseases of the bodie as they are knowne by art but as they are felt in the bodie hee knoweth not many which he hath not suffered As therefore there are two knowledges of euills one by which they are not hidden from the power of the vnderstanding the other by which they are infixed to the senses of him that feeleth them for all vices are otherwise knowne by the doctrine of wisdome and otherwise by the most wicked life of a foolish man so there are two forgetfulnesses of euills For a skilfull and learned man doth forget them one way and hee that hath had experience and suffered them forgetteth them another way The former if he neglect his skill the later if hee want misery According to this forgetfulnesse which I haue set downe in the later place the Saints shall not be mindefull of euils past For they shall want all euils so that they shall be abolished vtterly from their senses Neuerthelesse that powre of knowledge which shal be great in them shall not onely know their owne euils past but also the euerlasting misery of the damned Otherwise if they shall not know that they haue beene miserable how as the psalme sayth Shall they sing the mercies of the LORD for euer Then which song nothing verily shal be more delightfull to that Citty to the glory of the loue of CHRIST by whose bloud we are deliuered There shal be perfected Bee at rest and see because I am GOD. Because there shal be the most great Sabbath hauing no euening Which the LORD commended vnto vs in the first workes of the world where it is read And GOD rested the seauenth day from all his workes he made and sanctified it because in it hee rested from all
1. Cor. 15. 50. Rom. 7. We follow things forbidden Martirdom to the vnbaptized in the steed of baptisme Iohn 3. Math 16. Iohn 12. Psal 116. Death good to the good and bad to the bad Who may be said to bee dysng Death what it is The time of life is a course vnto death Eccl. 11. 28. Psal. 6. 5 The second death Louvaine copie defectiue as I doe thinke it may very lawfully in this Comparison or analogy Genes 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. Genes 2 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had not died Wis 9. 15 Palliâ—…i Coniecture deceiueth the Philosophers Gens 3. The Center In Timaeo 〈◊〉 Cor. 15 How man seeth Virg Aenâ—… ad 6. 1. Cor. 15 What bodies our first parents had Pro. 3. 18. Psal. 42. 6. Psal. 59. 9. Paradise Eden The riuers of Paradise Genes 18. Tob. 12. Luc. 23. Rom. 8. 10 Rom. 8. 29 1. Cor. 15. 42 44 45 Rom. 8. 〈◊〉 Christ the heauenly man 1 Co. 15. 22 Man formed Man how created Isa. 57. 16. I Coâ—… 2. 11 Ecclâ—…3 21. Psa. 148. 8. Iohn 4. 24. Genes 7. 22. Eccl 24. 〈◊〉 The Apostatical Angels The diuel at the iudgment shal be cast into the second death 〈◊〉 Vergâ—…ra 〈◊〉 Coâ—…li The Louaine copy defectiue Lanctantius Death propagate by sinne Grace 1. Cor. 15. 39 Flesh vsed for man Rom 3. 20 Gala. 3. 11 Iohn 1. 13 Ioh. 20. 13 Gal. 5. 19 20 21. The works of the flesh The mentall vices ascribed to the flesh Animosity 1. Cor. 5. 〈◊〉 2 3 4. Wis. 9 15 The deuills haue no flesh yet haue they fleshly workes 10. 5. The mindes foure affects Rom. 3. 7 1. Cor. 3. 〈◊〉 1 Cor 2 11 12 13 14. Rom. 3. 10 Gen. 46 27. 1. Cor 3 4 Soule 〈◊〉 man Lawfull hate Will. Psa. 11 1 Io. 2 2. Tim. 3 2 4. Phil. 1 Psa. 119 20 Wis. 6 20 Psa. 31 Psa. 4 Psal. 16 11 Rom. 11. 20 Amo and Diâ—…o diffâ—… Esay 57. 12 Mat. 7. 12. Luc. 2 14 1 Cor. 13 6 Andr. act 2 Sâ—… 1 Sadnesse according to God 2 Cor. 7 8 9 10 11 Alcibiades his sadnesse Erapathia Philumena The Louaine copies defectiue Alcibiades Rom. 8 23 1. Cor. 15 54 Mat. â—…4 12 Mat. 10 22 1 Io. 1 8 2 Cor. 9 7. Gal 6 1 Psal. 2â—… 2 Philip. 3 14 Rom. 12 15 2 Cor. 11 3 〈◊〉 Cor. 11. 〈◊〉 Mat. 3 Iohn 11 Luk â—…2 Mat 26 Rom. 1 30 Psal. 69 20 1. Ioh. 4 18 Psal 9 9 Psal. 9. 1â—… 〈◊〉 Crime Theut The state of our first parents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 〈◊〉 Exod 32. Kin. 11. 1. Ti. 2. 14. Rom 5. 12. 14. Gen. 3. 12. a Trope Paradise It was not the fruit but disobeâ—… that oâ—…threw Adam Obedience the mother of all 〈◊〉 Pride â—…e 10. â—…ll â—…kes done by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…l persons Humility Psal. 73. Gen. 3. 5. Pro. 16. 18. Ps. 83. 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 accuse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abrahams obedience The punishment of disobedience Psa. 144. 4 Paines of the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a geâ—…ll name 〈◊〉 all viciâ—… effects 1 Thess. 4. 4. 5. Carnal copulation Gen 2. 25. Gen 3. 〈◊〉 Gen 3. 7. What vvas ment by the tree of the knovvledge of good and euill Câ—…pestra The Gymâ—… Tusc. lib 3. The Louanists defectiue here Pâ—… in french is go onfoâ—…d The parts of the soule Dâ—… Naturall shame Cynikes The cloake The donatians and Circumcelliones Genesis 1. Lust gâ—…oing vpon sin Psal. 138 3 The Adamites The distinction oâ—… sexes in the crâ—…tion Mat. 19 4 The soules power ouer the body Rom. 1 26. The geneâ—… field Extraordinâ—…ies powers of motion in some perons Restitus his extasie The lungs Hermotimus of Clazomene The first mans felicitâ—… erâ—… heâ—… sinned The monthly flowers in women Man hath no power of himselfe to avoide sinne Psal. 3. 3 Psal. 18. 1 Augustines Eutopia The tvvo Citties Rom. 9. 2â—… Gal. 4. 21 22. 23. 24 25. Isay 54. 1 The earthly Citty in two formes An allegorie Sina thâ—…moun Wisd. 8. 1. True concord Earthly peace a false good obteined â—…y warre The good contend not one against another An archetype Gal. 6. 2. 1. Th. 5. 14 Gal. 6. 1. Mat. 18. 15. 1. Ti. 5. 20 Mat. 18. 35 How a sacrifice should be offâ—…ed Rom. 6. 13. 〈◊〉 5. What a City is Ionicus The first Citty Henochia Iudea Gen. 49. 9. Hierâ—…e Burgarinâ—… Pliny the secâ—…d A quadraâ—… in number Intercalation of daies Gen. y. 11. Psal 90. 20 The month of the moone Gen. 4. 1 Gen. 5. 8. Maturity Affinity the propagator of charity The latines haue three words for cousin germaines Caine possession Henoc dedication Seth resurrection Enos man Gen. 4 19 20 21 â—…2 Genes 4. 26. Rom. 8. 24 25. Rom. 10. 13. Two Henoches Luc. â—…0 34 Exod 26. 7 Psal. 51. 4 Haire-cloath Naamah Gen 5 12. Psal. 49 11 Psal. 73 20 Psal. 52. 8 Psal. 40 4 Cant. 2. 4 Psal. 103 Marâ—… 1. Maâ—… 3. 1. Gen. 6. The sonnes of Sâ—… called Angeâ—…â—…ically Psal. 82. 6. Baruch 5. Angels vvhat it is â—…bus and Succâ—…us Aquila a 〈◊〉 The Apocrypha The cause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5 6 7 Gods prescience and act a like firme and both vnalterable 〈◊〉 13. â—…3 The Arke a type of the church Mount Olympus Apelles anheretique Mortayses subscudines Stellions Bees Virg. Geor. 4. 〈◊〉 9. â—…5 Gâ—…n 9. 26. Câ—… 1. 2 1. Cor. 11 19 Mat. 7 16 Phil. 1 16 18. Isâ—…i 5 Mat. 20 2â—… Mat. 26 39 2. Cor. 13 1. Cor. 1 25 Pâ—…r vsâ—…d 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 The plaine of 〈◊〉 Niâ—… Belus The Hebrewes Babilons confusion The power of humility Nimrod Gen. 11. God moueth not from place to place 1. Cor. 3 God speaketh three manner of waies Aenid 3. The Pygmees A cubite A foote An hand-bredth A spanne Sciopodes a people Checker-workes Cynocephali a people 〈◊〉 Munkeyes Sphinxes The Antipodes Derep. li. 6. Psa. 14. 3. 4. Psa. 52. 3. 4. The Hebrew tongue Egypt Ham. Aethiopia Assyria Charra Gen. 11. Gen. â—…4 Mesopotamia Gen. 11. 1. Act 7. 2. 3. The Chaldeaeans worshippe the fire Gen. 12. Acts. 7. 2. Galat. 3. 17 Asia Sicyon Pelopomâ—…sus Europe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1â—… 〈◊〉 God vvill not bee tempted Gen. 13. 8 〈◊〉 Gen. 13. Hyperbole a 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 The Loâ—…inists defectiue Psal. 111. Genes 14. This the Louanists haue left out as erronious Genes 15. Starres invisible 〈◊〉 our eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 15 Luc. 1. 34. Mat. 24. 〈◊〉 Gen. 15 Galat. 3. 17 Rhinocorura Gen. 16. 1. Cor. 7. 4. Gen. 16. 6. Gen. 1â—… Circumcision a type oâ—… regeneration Gen. 2 19 Eccl. 14. 17 Rom. 4. 15 Psal. 119. Gen. 17. 6 7. Sarai Sarah Câ—…ses of 〈◊〉 Gen. 19 Heb. 132 Gen. 18. 18. Lots wife Gen. 20 Gen. 21. 6 Rom. 9. Hebr. 11. Rom. 8. God will see in the Mount an Hebrew prouerbe Gen. 25. 〈◊〉 Second mariage The louaine copy defectiue Gen. 25. Idumaea Gen. 26. 1. Abraham and Isaac compared Faithfull vvedlock better then faithlesse singlenesse The blessing of Iâ—…cob Lenticula what it is Io. 1. 51.