him thether replied saying the GOD that deliuered him from the Diuell hath power to restore him his eye which sayd hee put it into the place as well as hee could and bound it vp with his napkin wishing him not to loose it vntill seauen daies were past which doing hee found it as sound as euer it was At this place were many others helped whome it were to long to rehearse particularly I knew a Virgin in Hippon who was freed from the Diuell onely by anoynting with oyle mixed with the teares of the Priest that prayed for her I know a Bishoppe who by prayer dispossessed the Diuell being in a youth that he neuer saw There was one Florentius here of Hippo a poore and Godly Oldman who getting his liuing by mending of shooes lost his vpper garment and being not able to buy another hee came to the shrine of the twenty Martīres and praied aloud vnto them to helpe him to rayments A sort of scoffing youthes ouer-heard him and at his departure followed him with mockes asking him if hee had begged fifty g halfpence of the martirs to buy him a coate withall But he going quietly on spied a great fish a new cast vp by the sea and yet panting which fish by their permission that were by hee tooke and caried it to one Carchosus a cooke a good Christian and fold it to him for 300. halfe pence intending to bestowe this mony vpon woll for his wife to spinne and make into a garment for him The Cooke cutting vp the fish found a ring of gold in his belly which amazing him his conscience made him send for the poore man and giue him the ring saying to him behold how the twenty Martyrs haue apparelled you When Bishop Proiectus brought Saint Steuens reliques to the Towne called Aquae Tibilitanae there were a many people flocked together to honour them Amongst whome there was a blinde woman who prayed them to lead her to the Bishoppe that bare the holy reliques So the bishoppe gaue her certaine flowers which hee hadde in his hand shee tooke them putte them to her eyes and presently hadde her sight restored in so much that shee passed speedily on before all the rest as now not needing any more to bee guided So Bishoppe Lucillus bearing the reliques of the sayd Martyr inshrined in the castle of b Synice neare to Hippo was thereby absolutely cured of a fistula where-with hee hadde bene long vexed and was come to that passe that he euery day expected when the Chyurgion should lance it but hee was neuer troubled with it after that daie Eucherius a Spanish Priest that dwelt at Calame was cured of the stone by the same reliques which Bishoppe Posidius brought thether and beeing afterwardes layd out for dead of another disease by the helpe of the said Martyr vnto whose shrine they brought him was restored vnto his former life and soundnesse There was one Martialis a great man of good years but a great foe to CHRISTE who dwelt in this place This mans daughter was a Christian and marryed vnto a Christian. The father beeing very sicke was intreated by them both with praiers and teares to become a Christian but hee vtterly and angerly refused So the husband thought it good to go to Saint Steuens shrine and there to pray the LORD to send his father in law into a better minde and to imbrace CHRISTE IESVS without further delay For this hee prayed with great zeale and affect with showers of teares and stormes of religious sighes and then departing hee tooke some of the flowers from off the Altar and in the night laid them at his fathers head who slept well that night and in the morning called in all haste for the Bishoppe who was then at Hippo with me They tolde him therefore so hee forth-with sendes for the Priestes and when they came tolde them presently that hee beleeued and so was immediatly baptized to the amazement of them all This man all the time hee liued after hadde this saying continually in his mouth LORD IESVS receiue my spirite These were his last wordes though hee knew them not to bee Saint Steuens for hee liued not long after At this place also were two healed of the Gowte a cittizen and a stranger The cittizen knewe by example what to doe to bee ridde of his payne but the stranger hadde it reuealed vnto him There is a place called Andurus where S. Steuen hath a part of his body remaining also A child being in the Street certaine Oxen that drew a cart growing vnruly left the way and ouer-run the child with the wheel so that it lay all crushed and past al hope of life The mother snatched it vppe and ran to the shrine with it where laying it downe it recouered both life and full strength againe in an instant beeing absolutely cured of all hurt what-soeuer Neare this place at Caspalia dwelt a Votaresse who beeing sicke and past recouery sent her garment to the shrine but ere it came backe shee was dead yet her parents couered hir with it which done she presently reuiued and was as sound as euer The like happened to one Bassus a Syrian that dwelt at Hippo. Praying for his sicke daughter at Saint Steuens and hauing her garment with him worde came by a boy that shee was dead But as hee was at prayer his friendes mette the boy before hee hadde beene with him and bad him not to tell him there least hee went mourning through the streetes So hee comming home and finding all in teares hee layd her garment vppon her and shee presently reuiued So like-wise Ireneus his sonne a Collector being dead and readie to go out for buriall one aduised to anoynt him with some of Saint Stephens oyle They did so and hee reuiued Elusinus likewise a Captayne seeing his sonne dead tooke him and laid him vppon the shrine that is in his farme in our Suburbes where after hee had prayed a while hee found him reuiued What shall I doe my promises bindes mee to bee breefe whereas doubtlesse many that shall read these thinges will greeue that I haue omitted so many that are knowne both to them and mee But I intreat their pardon that they would consider how tedious a taske it is so that my promised respect of breuity will not allow it For if I should but beleeue all the miracles done by the memorials of Saint Steuen onely at Cala◅a and Hippo It should bee a worke of many volumes and yet not bee perfect neither I could not relate all but onely such as are recorded for the knowledge of the people for that we desire when wee see our times produce wonders like to those of yore that they should not be vtterly in vaine by being lost in forgetfulnesse and obliuion It is not yet two yeares since the shrine was built at Hippo and although wee our s◅lues doe know many miracles done there since that are recorded yet are there almost seauenty volumes
Citie shew which precept of the gods b Marius or c Cinna or d Carbo violated in their giuing action vnto the ciuill warres which they began e vpon such vniust causes followed with such crueltie and iniuries and ended in more iniurious cruelties or what diuine authorities f Sylla himselfe broke whose life deeds and conditions to heare Salust describe and other true Historians whose haire would not stand vp right What is he now that will not confesse that g then the weale publike fell absolutely What is he now that will dare to produce that sentence of Virgill for this corruption of manners in the defence of their gods h Discéssere omnes adytis arisque relictis Dij quibus imperium hoc steterat Aen 2. The gods by whom this Empire stood left all The temples and the Altars bare But admit that this were true then haue they no reason to raile vpon Christianitie or to say that the gods being offended at that did forsake them because it was their predecessors manners that long agoe chaced all their great multitude of little gods from the cittie altars like so many flyes But where was all this nest of Deities when the i Galles sacked the cittie long before the ancient manners were contaminate were they present and yet fast a sleepe the whole cittie was all subdued at that time onely the Capitoll remained and that had beene surprized too if k the Geese had not shewen themselues better then the gods and waked when they were all a sleepe And here-vpon did Rome fall almost into the l superstition of the Aegiptians that worship birds and beasts for they henceforth kept a holy day which they called the m gooses feast But this is but by the way I come not yet to dispute of those accidental euils which are rather corporall then mentall and inflicted by foes or misfortunes I am now in discourse of the staines of the minde and manners and how they first decayed by degrees and afterward fell head-long into perdition so that thence ensued so great a destruction to the weale-publike though their cittie walles stood still vnbattered that their chiefest authors doubted not to proclaime it lost and gone Good reason was it that the gods should abandon their Temples and Altars and leaue the towne to iust destruction if it had contemned their aduices of reformation But what might one thinke I pray yee of those gods that would abide with the people that worshipped them and yet would they neuer teach them any meanes to leaue their vices and follow what was good L. VIVES THE a Gracchi These were sonnes vnto Titus Gracchus who was twise Consul triumphed twise and held the offices of Censor and Augur and Cornelia yonger daughter to African the elder they were yong men of great and admirable towardnesse both which defending the Agrarian lawe concerning the diuision of lands were murdered by the offended Senate in their Tribuneships Tiberius by Nasica a priuate man Caius by L. Opimius the Consul nine yeares after the first with clubs and stooles feete the latter with swords and this was the first ciuill dissension that euer came to weapons Anno P. R. C. DCXXVII b Marius Arpinas was his place of birth a man ignoble by descent but came to be seauen times Consull Hee first conquered Iugurth then the Cymbrians and Teutishmen and triumphed of all these at last enuying and hating Sylla who was his legate in the warre of Iugurthe he fell to ciuill warres with him wherein Marius was put to the worst and forced to flie into Africa c Cinna Marius being ouercome Sylla going to warre vpon Mithridates left C. Cornelius Cynna and Octauius Consuls in the cittie Cynna desirous of innouation seuered himselfe from his fellow and was chased out of the Citty by him and the good faction which iniurie Cynna endeuouring by all meanes possible to reuenge calleth back Marius out of Africa and so made warre vpon his countrie and entring it with mightie powers he butchered vp numbers and made himselfe the second time and Marius the seuenth time Consull without the voyces of the people in which Magistracie Marius dyed after many bloudy massacres and foule actes committed d Carbo There were many of the Carbo's as Tully writes to Papyrius Paetus of the Papyrian family but not of that of the Patriotts This of whom Saint Augustine speaketh was Cneus Papyrius Carbo one of Marius his faction who being ouer-come by Sylla fled into Sicily there at Lylibaeum was slaine by Pompey the great e Uniust cause L. Sylla and Q. Pompeyus being Consuls the Prouince of Asia and the warre of Mitrhidates fell vnto Sylla This Marius stomocked because of his olde grudge at P. Sulpitius Tribune a most seditious and wicked fellow to gette the people to make election of him for the warre against Mithridates The people though in a huge tumult yet tooke notice of what the Tribune propounded and commanded it should be so Sylla not brooking this disgrace demanded helpe of his armie and offered force to Marius his Ambassadors who went to take vp legions at Capua and so brought his angry powers to the Citty with intent to wreake this iniurie by fraude or force Hence arose the seedes of all the ciuill warres for Marius with his faction mette him in the Cittie at Port Esquiline and there fought a deadly sette battaile with him f Sylla This man was a Patriot of the Cornelian familie and hauing done worthy seruice in armes hee was made Consull In which Magistracie hauing conquered Mithridates chased out the ciuill warres ouer-throwne Marius the yonger Carbo Norbanus Sertorius Domitius Scipio and the rest of the Marian faction hee tooke vpon him perpetuall Dictatorship by the lawe Valerian wherein hee proscribed many thousands of the Romaine Citizens with outragious crueltie He was a most bloudy fellow and giuen ouer vnto all kinde of lust and intemperance g Then the weale publike Lucane by the mouth of Cato Olim vera fidei Sylla Marioque receptis Libertatis obijt Whilom when Marius and feirce Sylla stroue True liberty fell dead h Discessere omnes adytis The verse is in the second booke of Uirgils Aeneads which Seruius and Macrobius doe thinke belongeth vnto the calling out of the gods for when as a citty was besieged the enemy had an intent to raze it to the ground least they should seeme to fight against the gods and force them from their habitations against their wils which they held as a wicked deed they vsed to call them out of the besieged citty by the generall that did besiege it that they would please to come and dwell amongst the conquerors So did Camillus at the Veii Scipio at Carthage and Numance Mummius at Corinth i The Galls sacked The Transalpine Galls burst often into Italy in huge multitudes The last of them were the Senones who first sacked Clusium afterwards Rome Anno P. R. C. CCCLX whether
making them as infamous as they knew them dishonest this pacification I say so beastlie and so directlie opposite vnto all truth of Religion and modestie these fabulous inuentions of their gods filthinesse these ignominious facts of the gods themselues either fouly fained or fowlier effected the whole citty learned both by seeing and hearing obseruing plainly that their gods were well pleased with such presentations and therefore they did both exhibite them vnto their Idols and did imitate them themselues But as for that I know not indeed well what honest instruction and good counsell which was taught in such secret and vnto so few that I am sure was not followed if it be true that it were taught belike it was rather feared that too many would know it then suspected that any few would follow it L. VIVES TErtullius a a graue man it should surely be Tullius for this that Saint Augustine quoteth is out of his orations Wherefore it must either be Tullius that graue man and that smatterer in Philosophie Saint Augustine so deriding his speculation that could not free him from such grosse errors or Tullius that graue man and thrise worthy Philosopher to shew that the greatest Princes were infected with this superstition and not the vulgar onely nor the Princes onely but the grauest princes and those that were Philosophers not meane ones but of chiefe note adding this to amplifie the equitie of his Philosophie as Ter maximus the thrise mighty Now saith Tully in verrem Actio 6. that I am made Aedile let mee reckon vp the charge that the citie hath imposed vpon mee I must first present the most sacred Playes and ceremoniall solemnities vnto Ceres Liber and Proserpina then I must reconcile mother Flora vnto the Citie and people of Rome with the celebration of her enterludes c. b Which playes They were such that the actors would not play them as long as Cato the elder was present Seneca Valerius Plutarch and Martiall doe all report this c In another place In Catilinam Actio 3 d Men for whose he meaneth Cateline and his conspiratours e Freedome of Citie some copies read Tributa amouit but the ancient ones do read it Tribu mouit with more reason Of the saluation attained by the Christian religion CHAP. 28. WHy then doe these men complaine thinke you because that by the name of Christ they see so many discharged of these hellish bands that such vncleane spirits held them in and of the participation of the same punishment with them Their ingratefull iniquitie hath bound them so strongly in these deuilish enormities that they murmure and eate their galls when they see the people flock vnto the Church to these pure solemnities of Christ where both sexes are so honestly distinguished by their seuerall places where they may learne how well to lead their temporall liues here to become worthy of the eternall here-after where the holy doctrine of Gods word is read from an eminent place that all may heare it assure a reward to those that follow it and a iudgment to those that neglect it Into which place if there chance to come any such as scoffe at such precepts they are presently either conuerted by a sudden power or cured by a sacred feare for there is no filthy sights set forth there nor any obscaenities to be seene or to be followed but there either the commandements of the true God are propounded his miracles related his guifts commended or his graces implored An exhortation to the Romaines to renounce their Paganisme CHAP. 29. LEt these rather bee the obiects of thy desires thou couragious nation of the Romaines thou progenie of the Reguli Scaeuolae Scipioes and a Fabricii long after these discerne but the difference betweene these and that luxurious filthy shamelesse maleuolence of the diuills b If nature haue giuen thee any lawdable eminence it must be true piety that must purge and perfect it impiety contaminates and consumes it Now then choose which of these to follow that thy praises may arise not from thy selfe that may bee misled but from the true God who is without all error Long agoe wast thou great in popular glory but as then as it pleased the prouidence of the high God was the true Religion wanting for thee to choose and embrace But now awake and rowse thy selfe c it is now day thou art already awake in some of thy children of whose full vertue and constant sufferings for the truth we doe iustly glory they euen these who fighting at all hands against the powers of iniquity and conquering them all by dying vndaunted haue purchased this possession for vs with the price of their bloud To pertake of which possession wee do now inuite and exhorte thee that thou wouldest become a Citizen with the rest in that citty wherein true remission of sinnes standeth as a glorious sanctuary Giue no eare vnto that degenerate brood of thine which barketh at the goodnesse of Christ and Christianity accusing these times of badnesse and yet desiring such as should bee worse by denying tranquillity to vertue giuing security vnto al iniquity these times didst thou neuer approue nor euer desiredst to secure they temporall estate by them Now then reatch vp at the heauenly ones for which take but a little paines and thou shalt reape the possession of them vnto all eternity There shalt thou finde no vestall fire nor e stone of the capitoll but one true God f who will neither limmit thee blessednesse in quality nor time but giue thee an Empire both vniuersal perfect eternall Be no longer led in blindnesse by these thy illuding and erroneous gods reiect them from the and taking vp thy true liberty shake of their damnable subiection They are no gods but wicked fiends and all the Empire they can giue them is but possession of euerlasting paine g Iuno did neuer greeue so much that the Troyans of whom thou descendest should arise againe to the state of Rome as these damned deuills whom as yet thou holdest for gods doe enuie and repine that mortall men should euer enioy the glories of eternity And thou thy selfe hast censured them with no obscure note in affording them such plaies whose actors thou hast branded with expresse infamy Suffer vs then to plead thy freedome against all those Impure deuills that imposed the dedication and celebration of their owne shame filthinesse vpon thy neck and honor Thou couldst remoue and dis-inable the plaiers of those vncleanesses from all honors pray likewise vnto the true God to quit thee from those vile spirits that delight in beholding their owne spots whither they bee true which is most ignominious or faigned which is most malicious Thou didst well in clearing the state of thy Citty from all such scurrilous off-scummes as stage-plaiers looke a little further into it Gods Maiesty can neuer delight in that which polluteth mans dignity How then canst thou hold these powers that loued such
can glory attend the armes of the daughter city against the mother do yee make a difference in that their field was larger theÌ„ the fencers stage that they fought not in view of the theater but the whole world presenting a spectacle of eternall impiety both to the present times and to all posteritie But your great guardian-gods bore all this vnmooued sitting as spectators of this tragedy whilest for the three Curiatij that were flaine the sister of the Horatij must be stabbed by the hand of her owne brother to make euen the number with hir two other brethren that Romes conquest might cost no lesse bloud then Alba's losse did which as the fruite of the victory h was vtterly subuerted euen this place which the gods after Ilium which the Greekes destroyed and Lauinium where Latinus placed fugitiue Aeneas as King had chosen to bee their third place of habitation But it may be they were gone hence also and so it came to be razed yes sure all they that kept the state of it vp were departed from their shrines Then they left Alba where Amulius had raigned hauing thrust out his brother and went to dwell at Rome where Romulus had raigned hauing killed his brother Nay but before this demolition say they the people of Alba were all transported vnto Rome to make one Cittie of both Well be it so yet the Cittie that was the seate Royall of Ascanius and the third habitacle of the Troian gods was vtterly demolished And much bloud was spilt before they came to make this miserable confusion of both these people 's together Why should I particularize the often renouation of these warres vnder so many seuerall kings which when they seemed to be ended in victory began so often againe in slaughters and after combination and league brake out so fresh betweene kindred and kindred both in the predecessors and their posteritie No vaine Embleme of their misery was that continuall standing open of Ianus his gate so that for all the helpe of these gods-guardians there was not one King of them that continued his raigne in peace L. VIVES a ALba There were many Alba's one in Spaine called also Virgao Another in that part of France called Prouence a towne of the Heluii A third in Italy by the Lake Fucinus now called Lago di Marso or Lago di Celaeno c. A fourth in Lombardy called Pompeia The fift vpon Mount Albanus called Alba Longa. And Rome not onely that which Romulus built was a collony of the Albanes brought out by Romulus and Remus but many thinke that the old Rome also that was long before was built by Romulus Aeneas his sonne which being at length through pestilence and often inuasion left desolate was by the Albans pitying the inhabitants cases restored and diuerse of them sent to repaire and people it b Three bretheren Liu lib. 1. It is commonly knowne that Metius Suffetius the Dictator of Alba counselled and agreed with Tullus the King of Rome to take a course to saue the liues of so many innocent people on both sides and to haue the controuersie decided by a few onely so making a league sixe men were appointed to fight for both the states soueraignties Now there were three bretheren in either armie these were turned together into the lists and whose side conquered that people should bee soueraigne c Besides Saint Augustine may be his owne comment herein hee tells it so plaine d Bewayling him Lauâ—…us Mezentius his sonne Aeneid 10. e Cyrus There were two Cyri the greater meant here Conqueror of Asiae Scythia and all the East reigning in the time of Tarquin the proud Hee tooke Craesus the ritch King of Lydia but by Tomiris Queene of Scythia himselfe was taken beheaded and his head souced in a tubbe of bloud to satisfie his cruell thirst Plutarch Strabo Trogus Herodotus c. Herodotus calleth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great King And there-vpon the other Persian Kings are vsually so stiled The other was Cyrus the lesser sonne to Darius brother to Artaxerxes whose iourney into Persia Xenophon wrote f Doe neuer passe With crownes hung all with labells and pendants g Amphitheater The Theater was like halfe a circle the Amphitheater like a full circle it was strowed with Sand and there the Fencers fought h Was vtterly Liu. In the first Veian warre when Metius of Alba stood as neuter with his armie and would not helpe Tullus according to the conditions of the league Tullus made him be drawne in peeces with horses destroied Alba remoued all the Albans to Rome Of the liues and deaths of the Romaine Kings CHAP. 15. BVt how ended their Kings still for Romulus let that flattering fable looke to him which hath sent him vp into heauen Let'some of their owne a writers iudge that affirme him torne in peeces by the Senate for his pride and that b I know not whom one Iulius Proculus was suborned to say that he appeared vnto him commanding him to bid Rome giue him diuine honor and so was the furie of the people surprised Besides an Ecclipse of the sunne falling out at the same time wrought so vpon the c ignorance of the rude vulgar that they ascribed all this vnto Romulus his worthe and glories As though that if the sunne had mourned as they thought it did d they should not rather imagine that it was because Romulus was murdered and therefore that the sunne turned his light from such a villanie as it did indeed when our Lord and Sauiour was crucified by the bloudy reprobate Iewes e That the Eclipse which befell at our Sauiours death was quite against the regular course of the stars is hence most plaine because it was the Iewes Easter which is continually kept at the ful of the Moone But f the regular eclipse of the Sunne neuer hapneth but in the changing of the Moone Now Cicero intimates plainely that this admission of Romulus into heauen was rather imagined then performed there where in Scipio's words De repub speaking of his prayses Hee attained so much saith hee that being not to be found after the sunnes Eclipse he was accounted as admitted into the number of the gods which opinion there is no man without admirable merit of vertue can purchase Now whereas hee saith that hee was not to bee found hee glanceth doubtlesse eyther at the secrecie of the murther or intimateth the violence of the tempest For other writers g adde vnto this Ecclipse a sudden storme which either was the agent or the occasion of Romulus his murther Now Tully in the same bookes speaking of h Hostilius third King after Romulus who was striken to death with thunder saith that hee was not reckoned amongst the gods because that which was prooued true that is that which they beleeued was so in Romulus the Romaines would not i embase by making it too common in giuing it to the one as well as the other And in
the strangest for man is a a greater miracle then all that hee can worke Wherefore God that made heauen and earth both miracles scorneth not as yet to worke miracles in heauen and earth to draw mens soules that yet affect visibilities vnto the worship of his inuisible essence But where and when he will doe this his vnchangeable will onely can declare b at whose disposing all time past hath beene and to come is He mooueth all things in time but time adoreth not him nor mooueth hee future effects otherwise then present Nor heareth our praiers otherwise then he fore-seeth them ere we pray for when his Angells here them he heareth in them as in his true temples not made with hands so doth he hold al things effected temporally in his Saints by his eternall disposition L. VIVES MAn is a a greater The saying is most common in Trismegistus Man is a great miracle b At whose disposing Paul saith all things lie open and bare vnto Gods knowledge for all time is neither past nor to come but present to him So doth hee determine and dispose of all things as present nor doth yesterday or this day passe or come with him as it doth with vs. His power and essence admitreth no such conditions nor restraintes All eternity is present to him much more our little percell of time yet he that made our soules adapted them times fit for their apprehensions and though hee see how wee see and know yet hee neither seeth nor knoweth like vs. Shall wee run on in a Philosophicall discourse hereof wanting rather wordes then matter or is it bettâ—…r to burst out with Paul into admiration and cry out O the altitude of the ritches wisdome and knowledge of God! How the inuisible God hath often made himselfe visible not as he is really but as we could be able to comprehend his sight CHAP. 13. NOr hurteth it his inuisibility to haue appeared a visible oftentimes vnto the fathers For as the impression of a sound of a sentence in the intellect is not the same that the sound was so the shape wherein they conceiued Gods inuisible nature was not the same that he is yet was he seene in that shape as the sentâ—…e was conceiued in that sound for they knew that no bodily forme could b containe God He talked with Moyses yet Moyses intreated him a If I haue found 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy fight shew meÌ„e thy face that I may d know thee And seeing it behouâ—… the law of God to bee giuen from the mouthes of Angells with terror not to a 〈◊〉 of the wisest but to a whole nation great things were done in the mount 〈◊〉 â—…he sayd people the lawe beeing giuen by one and all the rest beholding the â—…ble and strange things that were done For the Israelites had not that confidence in Moyses that the Lacedemonians had in d Lycurgus to beleeue that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his lawes from Ioue or Apollo For when that lawe was giuen the people that enioynes the worshippe of one God in the view of the same people were strange prooâ—… shewne as many as Gods prouidence thought fit to proue that that was the Creator whom they his creatures ought to serue in thâ—… 〈◊〉 L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a visible Iohn in his Gospell saith that no man hath euer seene God and Paul conâ—… it yet Iacob saith Hee saw the Lord face to face And Exod. 33. it is said Moyses 〈◊〉 God face to face as one friend with another which many places of Scripture teâ—… 〈◊〉 is so sure that man cannot behold Gods inuisible nature that some haue said that 〈◊〉 Angels nor Archangels doe see him Chrysost. and Gregor The fathers therefore 〈◊〉 such Maiestie of forme as they thought was diuine for that the Angels spoake 〈◊〉 â—…ers and gaue them the lawe Paul affirmeth to the Hebrewes in these words If 〈◊〉 â—…ken by Angels was stedfast c. The same saith Steuen Actes 7. Now this was no 〈◊〉 for none hee hath saith Chrysostome that Christ saith the Iewes neuer sawe 〈◊〉 was that visible shape that the Angels by Gods appointment take vpon them so 〈◊〉 â—…ing ordinary shapes that it seemes diuine and is a degree to the view of the 〈◊〉 saith he Christ saith they had not seene though they thought they had Exo. 19. 〈◊〉 A diuerse reading in the Latine c If I haue It is plaine saith Gregorie that 〈◊〉 life man may see some images of God but neuer him-selfe in his proper nature as 〈◊〉 â—…pired with the spirit seemeth some figures of God but can neuer reach the view of 〈◊〉 Hence it is that Iacob seeing but an Angell thought hee had seene God And 〈◊〉 for all he was said to speake with him face to face yet said Shew mee thy face that I 〈◊〉 whence it is apparant that hee desired to behold that cleare vncircumscribed 〈◊〉 â—…ch he had but yet beheld in shadowes and figures Moralan Iob. lib. 17. But the Anâ—… 〈◊〉 deputy answered Moyses thus Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lâ—…e But a little after Thou shalt see my back parts but my face thou shalt not see 〈◊〉 of the deity left in his creatures we may see and so aspire towards his inuisibility 〈◊〉 knowledge thereof as God giues more grace But his true essence is more amâ—… weake sence and intellect can comprehend or then can be so farre debased But 〈◊〉 â—…th God it is not so nor doe I thinke it impious or absurd to hold that God spake 〈◊〉 â—…he Fathers and after Christ to many of the Saints God euen that God of heaâ—… 〈◊〉 it is not against his Maiestie but congruent to his infinite goodnesse His face 〈◊〉 as Augustine declares d Know thee Or see thee knowingly e Lycurgus 〈◊〉 King of Sparta and Dionassa brother to king Polibites or Plutarch Poliâ—… 〈◊〉 whose death he reigned vntill his brothers wife prooued with child for then hee 〈◊〉 â—…o the childe vnborne if it were a sonne and proouing so hee was protector He gaue 〈◊〉 â—…nians sharpe lawes and therefore feyned to haue them from Apollo of Delphos 〈◊〉 Ioue because hee went into Crete to auoide the maleuolence of some of his 〈◊〉 and there they say learned hee his lawes of Ioue that was borne there Iustine 〈◊〉 in Creete But the Historiographers doe neither agree of his birth lawes nor 〈◊〉 Plutarch nor of his time nor whether there were diuerse so called Timaeus 〈◊〉 and both Lacedemonians but saith that both their deedes were referred to the 〈◊〉 â—…e elder liued in Homers time or not long after Of Lycurgus lawes I omitte to 〈◊〉 seeing they are so rife in Plutarch and Zenophon common authors both 〈◊〉 but one God is to be worshipped for all things temporall and eternall all being in the power of his prouidence CHAP. 14. 〈◊〉 true religion of all mankinde referred to the people of God as well 〈◊〉 hath had increase and receiued
these things testifie the Deity â—…ing to passe at the houre when this religion was taught that commaundeth â—…tion of one God the onely louing and beloued God blessing all limiâ—…â—…hese sacrifices in a certaine time and then changing them into better by 〈◊〉 Priest and testifiing hereby that hee desireth not these but their signifiâ—… not to haue any honour from them neither but that we by the fire of 〈◊〉 might be inflamed to adore him and adhere vnto him which is al for our 〈◊〉 good and addeth nothing to his Against such as deny to beleeue the scriptures concerning those miracles shewne to Gods people CHAP. 18. VVil any one say there was no such miracles all is lyes Hee that sayth so and takes a way the authority of scripture herein may as well say that the Gods respect not men For they had no meane but miracles to attayne their worship wherein their Pagan stories shew how far they had power to proue them-selues alwayes rather wonderfull then vsefull But in this our worke whereof this is the tenth book we deale not against Atheists nor such as exclude the gods from dealing in mans affaires but with such as preferre their gods before our God the founder of this glorious Citty knowing that he is the Creator inuisible imâ—…table of this visible and changeable world and the giuer of beatitude from none of his creatures but from him-selfe intyrely For his true Prophet sayth It is good for me to adhere vnto the Lord. The Phylosophers contend about the finall good a to which all the paines man takes hath relation But hee sayd not it is good for mee to bee wealthy honourable or inuested a King Or as some of the Phylosophers shamed not to say It is good for mee to haue fulnesse of bodily pleasure Or as the better sort sayd It is good for mee to haue vertue of minde But hee sayd It is good for me to adhere vnto God This had hee taught him vnto whom onely both the Angels and the b testimony of the law doe reach all sacrifice to bee due So that the Prophet became a sacrifice vnto him beeing inflamed with his intellectuall fire and holding a fruition of his ineffable goodnesse in a holy desire to bee vnited to him Now if these men of many goddes in the discourse of their miracles giue credence to their historyes and magicall Or to speake to please them Theurgicall bookes why should not the scripture bee beleeued in these other who are as farre beyond the rest as hee is aboue the others to whom onely these our bookes teach all religious honour to bee peculiar L. VIVES TO a which al Tully stoically diuided mans offices or duties into two parts absolute referred to the absolute vertues wisdome c. and so to good ends and this the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latines rectum a thing well done conteyning all vertuous acts the other is referred to the rules of commoÌ„ life and hath alwaies a probable reason why it hath this effect rather then that This is called medium a meane or community possible to be drawne to a wise or to a foolish euent Such actions concerne common weales honours ritches c. b Testimony of Miracles saith one copy and another otherwise all comes to one purpose The reason of that visible sacrifice that the true religion commands vs to offer vnto one God CHAP. 19. But as for those that thinke visible sacrifices pertaine to others and inuisible to him as onely inuisible as greater to the greater and better to the better 〈◊〉 the duties of a pure heart and an holy will verely these men conceiue not that the other are Symbols of these as the sound of words are significations of things VVherefore as in our prayses and prayers to him wee speake vocall wordes but offer the contents of our hearts euen so we in our sacrifice know that wee must offer thus visibly to none but him to whome our hearts must be an inuisible sacrifice For then the Angels and predominate powers doe a reioyce with vs and further vs with all their power and ability But if wee offer vnto them they are not willing to take it and when they are personally sent downe to men they expresly forbidde it And this the b Scriptures testifie Some held that the Angels were eyther to haue adoration or that which wee owe only to God sacrifice but they were forbidden and taught that al was only Gods lawfully giuen him And those Angels the Saints did follow c Paul Barnabas beeing in Lycaonia the people for a miraculous cure held them goddes and would haue sacrificed vnto them but they humbly and godlyly denyed it and preached that God vnto them in whome they beleeued But the wicked spirits do affect it onely because they know it to be gods onely due For as Porpâ—…yry and others thinke it is the diuine honours not the smels of the offerings that they delight in For those smels they haue plenty and may procure them-selues more if they list So then these arrogant spirits affect not the smoake ascending from a body but the honours giuen them from the soule which they may deceiue and domineere ouer stopping mans way to God and keeping him from becomming Gods sacrifice by offering vnto other then God L. VIVES Reioyce a with The Angels reioyce at mans righteousnes 〈◊〉 15. c Scriptures Iohâ—… would haue worshipped the Angel that was sent him but he sorbad him willing him rather to worshippe God whome he as his fellow seruant serued Apoc. 19. c Paul Being in Lyaconia a part of Asia preaching Gods word and curing a lame man by Gods power the people said they were gods calling Barnabas Ioue Paul that preached Merâ—…ury the pretended God of speach So they prepared them sacrifices but the Apostles were angry and â—…orbad it fearing to take to them-selues the due of God Of the onely and true sacrifice which the Mediator be tweene God and man became CHAP. 20. VVHerefore the true Mediator being in the forme of a seruant made Mediator betweene God and man the man Christ Iesus taking sacrifices with his father as God yet in in the seruile forme choose rather to bee one then to take any least some hereby should gather that one might sacrifice vnto creatures By this is hee the Priest offâ—…ring and offerer The true Sacrament whereof is the Churches daily sacrifice which being the body of him the head a learneth to offer it selfe by him The ancient sacrifices of the Saints were all diuers types of this also this beeing figured in many and diuers as one thing is told in many words that it might be commended b without tediousnesse And to this great and true facrifice all false ones gaue place L. VIVES LEarneth a to Or saith she offereth by him so the Coleyne Bruges copies haue it but the other is good also b Without tediousnesse For variety easeth that
to you that knowe such things and ought to inioyne your selues to beleeue it can iâ—… seeme incredible to you that GOD should assume mans nature and bodye you giue so much to the intellectuall part of the soule beeing bâ—… humaine that you make it consubstantiall with the Fathers intellect which you confesse is his Sonne How then is it incredible for that Sonâ—… to assume one intellectuall soule to saue a many of the rest by Now nature teacheth vs the cohaerence of the body and the soule to the making of a fâ—… man Which if it were not ordinary were more incredible then the other For wee may the more easily beleeue that a spirit may cohere with a spirit beeing both incorporcall though the one humaine and the other diuine then a corporall body with an incorporeall spirit But are you offended at the strange child-birth of a Virgin This ought not to procure offence but rather pious admiration that he was so wonderfully borne Or dislike you that hee changed his body after death and resurrection into a better and so carried it vp into heauen being made incorruptible and immortall This perphappes you will not beleeue because Porphyry saith so often in his worke De regressu aniae whence I haue cited much that the soule must leaue the body intirely ere it can bee ioyned with God But that opinion of his ought to be retracted seeing that both hee and you doe hold such incredible things of the worlds soule animating the huge masse of the bodily vniuerse For Plato b teacheth you to call the world a creature a blessed one and you would haue it an eternall one Well then how shall it be eternally happy and yet neuer put off the body if your former rule be true Besides the Sunne Moone and Starres you all say are creatures which all men both see and say also But your skill you thinke goeth farther calleth them blessed creatures and eternally with their bodies Why doe you then forget or dissemble this when you are inuited to Christianity which you otherwise teach and professe so openly why will you not leaue your contradictory opinions subuerting them-selues for christianitie but because Christ came humbly and you are all pride Of what qualitie the Saints bodyes shall be after resurrection may well bee a question amongst our greatest christian doctors but wee all hold they shall be eternall c and such as Christ shewed in his resurrection But how-so-euer seeing they are taught to bee incorruptible immortall and no impediment to the soules contemplation of God and you your selues say that they are celestiall bodies immortally blessed with their soules why should you thinke that wee cannot bee happy without leauing of our bodies to pretend a reason for auoyding christianitie but onely as I said because Christ was humble and you are proud Are you ashamed to bee corrected in your faults a true character of a proud man You that were Plato's d learned schollers shame to become Christs who by his spirit taught a fisher wisdome to say In the beginning 〈◊〉 the worde and the word was with God and GOD was the word The same was in the beginning with God all things were made by it and without it was made nothing e that was made In it was life and the life was the light of men And the light shineth in the darkenesse and the darknesse comprehended it not f Which beginning of Saint Iohns Gospell a certaine Platonist as olde holy g Simplictanus afterwards Bishop of Millaine tolde mee sayd was fitte to bee written in letters of golde and set vp to bee read in the highest places of all Churches But those proud fellowes scorne to haue GGD their Maister because the word became 〈◊〉 and dwelt in vs. Such a thing of nothing it is for the wretched to be sicke and weake but they must axalt them-selues in their sickest weaknesse and shame to take the onely medicine that must cure them nor doe they this to rise but to 〈◊〉 a more wretched fall L. VIVES TRue a â—…latonist Plato in Phaed. Epinon hereof already booke the 8. b Teacheth in his Timaeus c And such Sound incorruptible immortall pertaking with the soule in happinesse Phillip 3. We looke for the sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Christ who shall change our vile body that 〈◊〉 may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body c. ver 21. d Learned What an insolent thing is it to boast of wisdome As if Plato were ashamed of his Maister Socrates that said hee knew nothing and did not glory in all his life that he was scholler to that stone cutters sonne and that all his wisdome whatsoeuer was his Maisters And as if Socrates him-selfe in Plato and Xenophon chiefe founders of that discipline did not referre much of his knowledge to Aspasia and Diotima his two women instructers e That was made The point is so in the greeke as we haue lest it as if the world should become nothing but for the care of the creator as the Philosophers held The Coleyn copy also pointeth it so but wee must let this alone as now f Which beginning Augustine Confess lib. 8. saith that hee had read the beginning of Saint Iohns Gospell In the beginning was the word In Plato but not in the same words Amelius the Platonist saith And this was that word by which all things were made that were made yet being eternall as Heraclitus saith and disposed in their order and dignity with god as the other Barbarian held that word was God and with God and by it was all things made and it was the life and being of all things that were made thus farre Amelius calling Saint Iohn a barbarian But we teach it out of Plato that by the word of God were althings made and out of Plotine that the Sonne of God is the creator Numerius will not haue the first God to be the creator but the second g Simplicianus Bishop of Millaine a friend of Augustines betweene whome many letters were written He being but as yet a Priest exhorted Augustine to vse his wit in the study of holy writ Gennad Catolog viror illustr What opinions of Plato Prophiry confuted and corrected CHAP. 30. IF it be vnfit to correct ought after Plato why doth Porphiry correct such and so many of his doctrines a Sure it is that Plato held a transmigration of mens soules into beasts yet though b Plato the learned held thus Porphiry his scholler iustly refuted him holding that mens soules returned no more to the bodies they once left but into other humane bodies Hee was ashamed to beleeue the other least the mother liuing in a mule should cary her sonne but neuer shamed to beleeue the later though the mother liuing in some other maid might beecome her sonnes wife But how farre better were it to beleeue the sanctified and true Angels the holy inspired prophets him that taught the comming of Christ and the blessed Apostles that spread the gospell
â—…ledge of God which none can attaine but through the mediator betweene God and man the Man Christ Iesus CHAP. 2. IT is a grâ—… and admirable thing for one to transcend all creatures corporal or incorporall fraile and mutable by speculation and to attaine to the Deity it selfe and learne of that that it made all things that are not of the diuine essence For so doth God teach a man speaking not by any corporall creature vnâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…erberating the ayre betweene the eare and the speaker nor by any 〈◊〉 â—…ature or apparition as in dreames or otherwise For so hee doth 〈◊〉 â—…nto bodily eares and as by a body and by breach of ayre and distance 〈◊〉 are very like bodies But he speaketh by the truth if the eares of the 〈◊〉 ready and not the body For hee speaketh vnto the best part of the 〈◊〉 and that wherein God onely doth excell him and vnderstand a man 〈◊〉 fashion you cannot then but say he is made after Gods Image beeing 〈◊〉 God onely by that part wherein hee excelleth his others which hee â—…ed with him by beasts But yet the minde a it selfe wherein reason and 〈◊〉 â—…ding are naturall inherents is weakned and darkened by the mist of inâ—…â—…ror and diss-enabled to inioy by inherence b nay euen to endure that 〈◊〉 light vntill it bee gradually purified cured and made fit for such an 〈◊〉 therefore it must first bee purged and instructed by faith to set it the 〈◊〉 â—…in truth it selfe Gods Sonne and God taking on our man without 〈◊〉 god-head ordained that faith to bee a passe c for man to God by 〈◊〉 â—…at was both God and man d for by his man-hood is he mediator 〈◊〉 is hee our way For if the way lie betweene him that goeth and the 〈◊〉 â—…ch he goeth there is hope to attaine it But if e one haue no way nor 〈◊〉 way to goe what booteth it to know whether to goe And the oneâ—… infallible high way is this mediator God and Man God our iourâ—… Man our way vnto it L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a it selfe We call the minde mans purest and most excellent part by which 〈◊〉 â—…stand argue collect discourseâ—… apprehending things simply or comparing 〈◊〉 â—…g all artes and disciplines managing the whole course of life and inuenting 〈◊〉 the minde b Nay euen to endure So is the best reading c For by his This 〈◊〉 but all added by some other vnto the chapters end Of the authority of the canonicall Scriptures made by the spirit of God CHAP. 3. 〈◊〉 hauing spoken what he held conuenient first by his Prophets then 〈◊〉 â—…fe and afterwards by his Apostle made that scripture also which 〈◊〉 â—…icall of most eminent authority on which wee relie in things that 〈◊〉 â—…nderstanding and yet cannot bee attained by our selues For if things 〈◊〉 either to our exterior or interior sence wee call them things present 〈◊〉 owne in our owne iudgements b wee see them before our eyes and 〈◊〉 as infallible obiects of our sence then truely in things that fall not in 〈◊〉 of sence because our owne iudgements doe faile vs we must seeke out 〈◊〉 â—…rities to whom such things wee thinke haue beene more apparant 〈◊〉 we are to trust Wherefore as in things visible hauing not seene them 〈◊〉 we trust those that haue and so in all other obiects of the sences eâ—…â—…ngs mentall and intelligible which procure a notice or sence in man 〈◊〉 â—…omes the word sentence that is c in things inuisible to our exteriâ—…e must needs trust them d who haue learned then of that incorpoâ—… or e behold them continually before him L. VIVES 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sensible That power in man or other creature whatsoeuer that discerneth any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called sence Fiue exterior sences there are and one within the minde or soule feeliâ—… 〈◊〉 of sorrow or of ought that the exteriors present ioy praise glory vertue vice hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the exteriors as thus wee say what doe you thinke of this wine this musicke this â—…ure of such a mans iudgement or wisdome Philosophy diuinity or policy Thus much because our Philosophers will not endure the minde should bee called sence directly against Augustine But what hath a Philosopher of our time to do with the knowledge of speach 〈◊〉 is as they interpret it with grammar b Wee see them So it must be prae sensibus before oâ—… sences not prâ—…sentibus c In things inuisible Visible commeth of Videre to see that that is common to all the sences Saw you not what a vile speech hee made saw you euer worse wine and so the Greekes vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So doth Augustine vse inuisible here for that which is no obiect to any exterior sence d Who haue learned The Saints of God their Maister e Behold The holy Angells Thâ—… 〈◊〉 state of the world is neither eternall nor ordained by any new thought of gods as if he meant that after which he meant not before CHAP. 4. OF things visible the world is the greatest of inuisible God But the first wee see the second wee but beleeue That God made the world whom shall wee beleeue with more safety them himselfe Where haue we heard him neuer better then in the holy scriptures where the Prophet saith In the beginning God created heauen and earth Was the Prophet there when he made it no. But Gods wisdome whereby hee made it was there and that doth infuse it selfe into holy soules making Prophets and Saints declaring his workes vnto them inwardly without any noise And the holy Angells that eternally behold the face of the Father they come downe when they are appointed and declare his will vnto them of whom he was one that wrote In the beginning God created heauen and earth and who was so fit a witnesse to beleeue God by that by the same spirit that reuealed this vnto him did hee prophecy the comming of our faith But a what made God create heauen and earth then not sooner b they that say this to import an eternity of the world being not by God created are damnably and impiously deceiued and infected For to except all prophecy the very c order disposition beauty and change of the worlde and all therein proclaimeth it selfe to haue beene mâ—…de and not possible to haue beene made but by God that ineffable inuisible great one ineffably inuisible beaâ—…teous But they that say God made the world and yet allow it no temporall but onely a formall originall being made after a manner almost incomprehensible they seeme to say some-what in Gods defence from that chancefull rashnesse to take a thing into his head that was not therein before viz to make the world and to be subiect to change of will he beâ—…g wholy vnchangeable and for euer But I see not how their reason can stand in â—…er respects chiefly d in that of the soule which if they doe coeternize with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can neuer shew how that misery befalleth it
and the Holy spirit one God in substance and quality euer one and the same CHAP. 10. GOod therefore which is God is onely simple and consequently vnchangeable This good created all things but not simple therefore changeable I say created that is made not begotte For that which the simple good begot is as simple as it is and is the same that begot it These two we call Father and sonne both which with their spirit are one God that spirit being the fathers and the sonnes is properly called in scriptures the holy spirit a it is neither father nor sonne but personally distinct from both but it is not really for it is a simple and vnchangeable good with them and coeternall And this trinity is one God not simple because a trinity for we call not the nature of that good simple because the father is alone therein or the sonne or holy ghost alone for that name of the trinitie is not alone with personall subsistance as the b Sabâ—…llians held but it is called simple because it is one in essence the same one in quality excepting their personall relation for therein the father hath a sonne yet is no sonne the sonne a father yet is no father c But in consideration each of it selfe the quality and essence is both one therein as each liueth that is hath life anâ—… is life it selfe This is the reason of the natures simplicity wherein nothing adheareth that can bee lost nor is the continent one the thing conteined another as vessels liquors bodies and colours ayre and heate or the soule and wisdome are for those are not coessentiall with their qualities the vessell is not the liquor nor the body the colour nor ayre heate nor the soule wisdome therefore may they all looâ—… these adiuncts and assume others the vessel may be empty the body discoloured the ayre cold the soule foolish But d the body being one incorruptible as the saints shall haue in the resurrection that incorruption it shall neuer loose yet is not that incorruption one essence with the bodily substance For it is a like in all parts of the body all are incorruptible But the body is greater in whoâ—…e then in part and the parts are some larger some lesser yet neither enlarging or lessening the incorruptibility So then e the body being not entire in it selfe incorruptibility being intire in it selfe do differ for all parts of the body haue inequalitie in themselues but none in incorruptibility The finger is lesse then the hand but neither more nor lesse corruptible then the hand being vnequall to themselues their incorruptibility is equall And therefore though incorruptibility be the bodies inseperable inherent yet the substance making the body the quality mâ—…ing it incorruptible are absolutely seuerall And so it is in the adiunct aforesaid of the soule though the soule be alwaies wise as it shall bee when it is deliuered from misery to eternity though it be from thence euermore wise yet it is by participation of the diuine wisdome of whose substance the soule is not For though the ayre be euer light it followeth not that the light and the ayre should be all one I say not this f as though the ayre were a soule as some that g could not conceiue an vncorporal nature did imagine But there is a great similitude in this disparity so that one may fitly say as the corporeall ayre is lightned by the corporeal light so is the incorporeal soule by gods wisdomes incorporeall light as the aire being depriued of that light becomes darke h corporeall darknesse being nothing but aire depriued of light so doth the soule grow darkned by want of the light of wisdom According to this then they are called simple things tâ—…at are truely and principally diuine because their essence and i their quality are indistinct nor do they partake of any deity substance wisdome or beâ—…titude but are all entirely them-selues The scripture indeed calls the Holy Ghost the manifold spirit of wisdome because the powers of it are many but all one with the essence and all included in one for the wisdome thereof iâ—… not manyfold but one and therein are infinite and vnmeasurable k treasuries of things intelligible wherein are all the immutable and inscrutable causes of al things both visible and mutable which are thereby created for God did nothing vnwittingly l it were disgrace to say so of any humaine artificer But if he made all knowing then made hee but what hee knew This now produceth a wonder but yet a truth in our mindes that the world could not be vnto vs but that it is now extant but it could not haue beene at all m but that God knew it L. VIVES IT is a Neither Words I thinke ad little to religion yet must we haue a care to keepe the old path and receiued doctrine of the Church for diuinity being so farre aboue our reach how can wee giue it the proper explanation All words are mans inuention for humane vses and no man may refuse the old approued words to bring in new of his owne inuention for when as proprieties are not to be found out by mans wit those are the fittest to declare things by that ancient vse hath leâ—… vs and they that haue recorded most part of our religion This I say for that a sort of smattring rash fellowes impiously presume to cast the old formes of speach at their heeles and to set vp their own maisters-ships being grâ—…ssly ignorant both in the matters and their bare formes and will haue it lawâ—…ull for them at their fond likings to 〈◊〉 or fashion the phrases of the fathers in matâ—…er of religion into what forme they list like a 〈◊〉 of waxe b Sabellians Of them before The hâ—…ld no persons in the Ternity c But in câ—…deration The Bruges copy reads it without the sentence precedent in the copy that Uiues commented vpon and so doth Paris Louaines and Basills all d The body Prouing accidents both separable and inseparable to be distinct from the substance they do adhere vnto e The body being not The body consâ—…sts of parts â—…t cannot stand without them combined and coâ—…gulate in one the hand is not the body of his whole nor the magnitude yet the incorâ—…bility of the hand is no part of the bodies incorruptibility for this is not diuisible though it be in the whole body but so indiuisible that being all in all the body it is also all in 〈◊〉 part and so are all spirituall things Angels soules and God their natures possesse no place so that they may say this is on my rigâ—…t haâ—…d this on the left or this aboue and this below but they are entirely whole in euery particle of their place and yet faâ—…le not to fill the whole whether this be easilier spoken or vnderstood â—…udge you f As though So Anaximenes of Miletus and Diogenes of Apollonia held Anaâ—…as held the soule was like
by temptations the other enuying this the recollection of the faithfull pilgrims the obscurity I say of the opinion of these two so contrary societies the one good in nature and wil the other good in nature also but bad by wil since it is not explaned by other places of scripture that this place in Genesiis of the light and darknes may bee applyed as Denominatiue vnto them both though the author hadde no such intent yet hath not beene vnprofitably handled because though wee could not knowe the authors will yet wee kept the rule of faith which many other places make manifest For though Gods corporall workes bee heere recited yet haue some similitude with the spiritual as the Apostle sayth you are all the children of the light and the children of the day wee are no sonnes of the night nor darknes But if this were the authors mind the other disputation hath attained perfection that so wise a man of God nay the spirit in him in reciting the workes of God all perfected in sixe dayes might by no meanes bee held to leaue out the Angels eyther in the beginning that is because hee had made them first or as wee may better vnderstand In the beginning because hee made them in his onely begotten Word in which beginning God made heauen and earth Which two names eyther include all the creation spirituall and temporall which is more credible Or the two great partes onely as continents of the lesser beeing first proposed in whole and then the parts performed orderly according to the mistery of the sixe dayes L. VIVES INto a cheynes This is playne in Saint Peters second Epistle and Saint Iudes also The Angels sayth the later which kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation hath hee reserued in euerlasting cheynes vnder Darkenesse vnto the iudgement of the great day Augustine vseth prisons for places whence they cannot passe as the horses were inclosed and could not passe out of the circuit vntill they had run b Pride Typhus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Pride and the Greeks vse Typhon of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee proud and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to burne for the fiery diuell So sayth Plutarch of Typhon Osyris his brother that he was a diuell that troubled all the world with acts of malice and torment Augustine rather vseth it then the Latine for it is of more force and was of much vse in those dayes Philip the Priest vseth it in his Commentaries vppon Iob. c Iustice For God doth iustly reuenge by his good Ministers He maketh the spirits his messengers flaming fire his Ministers Ps. 103. d The desired There is no power on the earth like the diuels Iob. 40. Which might they practise as they desire they would burne drowne waste poyson torture and vtterly destroy man and beast And though we know not the diuells power directly where it is limited and how farr extended yet are wee sure they can do vs more hurt then we can euer repaire Of the power of Angels read Augustâ—… de Trinit lib. 3. Of the opinion that some held that the Angels weee meant by the seueral waters and of others that held the waters vncreated CHAP. 34. YEt some there a were that thought that the b company of Angels were meant by the waters and that these wordes Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it seperate the waters from the waters meant by the vpperwaters the Angels and by the lower eyther the nations or the diuels But if this bee so there is no mention of the Angels creation but onely of their seperation c Though some most vainely and impiously deny that God made the waters because hee neuer said Let there be waters So they may say of earth for he neuer said Let there be earth I but say they it is written God created both heauen and earth Did he so Then is water included therein also for one name serues both for the Psalm sayth The sea is his and he made it and his hands prepared the dry land but the d elementary weights do moue these men to take the waters aboue for the Angels because so an element cannot remayne aboue the heauens No more would these men if they could make a man after their principles put fleame being e in stead of water in mans body in the head f but there is the seate of fleame most fitly appointed by God but so absurdly in these mens conceits that if wee know not though this booke told vs playne that God had placed this fluid cold and consequently heauy humor in the vppermost part of mans body these world-weighers would neuer beleeue it And if they were subiect to the scriptures authority they would yet haue some meaning to shift by But seeing that the consideration of all thinges that the Booke of God conteineth concerning the creation would draw vs farre from our resolued purpose lette vs now together with the conclusion of this booke giue end to this disputation of the two contrary societyes of Angells wherein are also some groundes of the two societies of mankinde vnto whome we intend now to proceed in a fitting discourse L. VIVES SOme a there were as Origen for one who held that the waters aboue the heauens were no waters but Angelicall powers and the waters vnder the heauens their contraries diuels Epiph. ad Ioan. Hierosol Episc. b Companies Apocal. The peaple are like many waters and here-vpon some thought the Psalme meant saying You waters that bee aboue the heauens praise the name of the Lord for that belongs only to reasonable creatures to do c Though some Augustine reckoneth this for an heresie to hold the waters coeternall with God but names no author I beleeue Hesiods Chaos and Homers all producing waters were his originals d Elementary I see all this growes into question whether there be waters aboue the heauens and whether they be elementary as ours are Of the first there is lesse doubt For if as some hold the firmament be the ayre then the seperation of waters from waters was but the parting of the cloudes from the sea But the holy men that affirme the waters of Genesis to be aboue the starry firmament preuaile I gesse now in this great question that a thicke clowd commixt with ayre was placed betwixt heauen and earth to darken the space betweene heauen and vs And that part of it beeing thickned into that sea we see was drawne by the Creator from the face of the earth to the place where it is that other part was borne vp by an vnknowne power to the vttermost parts of the world And hence it came that the vpper still including the lower heauen the fire fire the ayre ayre the water this water includeth not the earth because the whole element thereof is not vnder the Moone as fire and ayre is Now for the nature of those waters Origen to begin with the
because preuarication is added c the lawe beeing also contemned 〈◊〉 the lust of sinne Why doe wee recite this Because as the lawe is not 〈◊〉 â—…en it exciteth concupiscence in the bad so earth is not good when it inâ—…th the glory of the good neither the law when it is forsaken by sinners and 〈◊〉 them Preuaricators nor death when it is vnder-taken for truth and maâ—… them Martyrs Consequently the law forbidding sinne is good and death 〈◊〉 the reward of sinne euill But as the wicked vse all things good and euill badly so the iust vse all things euil and good well Therefore the wicked vse the 〈◊〉 that is good badly and the vse death that is bad well L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a of It is naturall vnto exorbitant minds the more a thing is forbidden them 〈◊〉 to affect it as women whose mindes are most vnstayed desire that onely that 〈◊〉 â—…hibited So that whereas men knew not what it was to goe to the stewes nor 〈◊〉 vpon it in comes the lawe and saith thou shalt not goe and so taught them all 〈◊〉 to goe setting their depraued natures vpon pursuite of those vnlawfull actes I 〈◊〉 saith Paul what concupiscence was vntill the law told me Thou shalt not couet 〈◊〉 that Solâ—… set downe no lawe against parricide which being vnknowne hee was 〈◊〉 to declare then punish Pro Ros. Amerin b That sinne The old bookes read 〈◊〉 â—…ner Augustine ad Simplic an lib 1. quotes it thus that the sinner might bee out 〈◊〉 a sinner c. but his quotations are both false For thus it should be read indeed 〈◊〉 â—…er might bee out of measure sinfull c. Sinner being referred to sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ith the Greeke vnlesse you will make sinfull a nowne and no participle as Salust â—…tens and Terence Fugitans c The law All the terrors of the law being contemâ—… such as haue turned their custome of sinne into their nature The generall euill of that death that seuereth soule and body CHAP. 6. WHerefore as for the death that diuides soule and body when they suffer it whome we say are a dying it is good vnto none For it hath a sharpe a â—…rall sence by which nature is wrung this way and that in the composition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 liuing creature vntill it bee dead and vntill all the sence be gone wherein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and body was combined Which great trouble one stroake of the boâ—… or one rapture of the soule often-times preuenteth and out runneth sence in â—…tnesse But what-so-euer it is in death that takes away b our sence with so â—…ous a sence being faithfully indured it augmenteth the merite of paciâ—…â—…ut taketh not away the name of paine It is sure the death of the first man â—…pagate though if it be endured for faith and iustice it bee the glory of â—…nerate Thus death being the reward of sinne some-time quitteth sinne 〈◊〉 â—…ll rewarde L. VIVES VNnaturall a sence Sence for passion b Our sence with so grieuous a sence The first actiue the second passiue the great passion taketh away our power of ience Of the death of such as are not regenerate do suffer for Christ. CHAP. 7. FOr whosoeuer hee is that beeing not yet regenerate dyeth for confessing of Christ it freeth him of his sinne as wel as if he had receaued the sacrament of Baptisme For he that said Vnlesse a man bee borne againe of water and of the holy spirit he shall not enter into the kingdome of God excepteth these else-where in as generall a saying whosoeuer confesseth me before men him will I confesse before my father which is in heauen And againe He that looseth his soule for me shall finde it Hereupon it is that Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the Saints For what is more deere then that death wherein all a mans badnes is abolished and his good augmented Those thad die daptized because they could liue no longer are not of that merite that those that die willingly where as they might haue liued longer because these had rather die in confessing of Christ then deny him and so come to baptisme a Which if they had done this sacrament wold haue for giuen it because they denied him for feare of death For in it euen their b villany was forgiuen that murdered Christ. c But how cold they loue Christ so dearely as to contemne life for him but by abounding in the grace of that spirit that inspireth where it pleaseth Pretious therefore is the death of those Saints who tooke such gratious hold of the death of Christ that they stuck not to engage their owne soules in the quest of him and whose death shewed that they made vse of that which before was the punishment of sinne to the producing of a greater haruest of glory But death ought not to seeme good because it is Gods helpe and not the owne power that hath made it of such good vse that beeing once propounded as a penalty laid vpon sinne it is now elected as a deliuerance from sinne and an expiation of sinne to the crowning of iustice with glorious victory L. VIVES WHich a if Intimating that no guilt is so great but Baptisme will purge it b Theâ—… villanie It is like he meanes of some that had holpen to crucifie Christ and were afterwards conuerted c But how It could not bee but out of great aboundance of grace that they should loue Christ as well as those that were baptized already in him That the Saints in suffering the first death for the truth are quit from the second CHAP. 8. FOr if wee marke well in dying well and laudably for the truth is a worse death â—…oyded and therefore wee take part of it least the whole should fall vpon 〈◊〉 and a second that should neuer haue end Wee vndertake the seperation of the body from the soule least wee should come to haue the soule seuered from God and then from the body and so mans first death beeing past the second that endlesse one should fall presently vpon him Wherefore the dâ—…th as I say that wee suffer a when wee die and causeth vs dye is good vnto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it is well tolerated for attaining of good But when men once are in death and called dead then we may say that it is good to the good and bad to the bad For the good soules being seuered from their bodies are in rest the euill in torment vntill the bodies of the first rise to life eternall and the later vnto the eternall or second death L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a when The dead and the dying are said both to be in death death being both in 〈◊〉 departure and after in the first as a passion in the second as a priuation Both are of 〈◊〉 the authors Virg. 〈◊〉 â—…amus quanquam media iam morte tenetur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lies now in midst of death that is a dying and the 〈◊〉 Morte Neoptolemi regnorum reddita
in the same stead that a Kings are to him his 〈◊〉 his mantle and his staffe his scepter The Donatists and the Circumcelliones beeing 〈◊〉 both of one stampe in Augustines time went so cloaked and bare clubbes to destroy 〈◊〉 Christians withall Of the blessing of multiplication before sinne which the transgression did not abolish but onely lincked to lust CHAP. 21. â—…D forbid then that we should beleeue that our parents in Paradise should â—…e full-filled that blessing Increase and multiply and fill the earth in that 〈◊〉 made them blush and hide their priuities this lust was not in them vntill 〈◊〉 â—…ne and then their shame fast nature hauing the power and rule of the 〈◊〉 perceiued it blushed at it and couered it But that blessing of marriage â—…rease multiplication and peopling of the earth though it remained in 〈◊〉 after sin yet was it giuen them before sin to know that procreation of 〈◊〉 â—…onged to the glory of mariage not to the punishment of sin But the 〈◊〉 are now on earth knowing not that happinesse of Paradise doe thinke â—…dren cannot be gotten but by this lust which they haue tried this is that 〈◊〉 honest mariage ashamed to act it 〈◊〉 a reiecting impiously deriding the holy scriptures that say they were â—…d of their nakednesse after they had sinned couered their priuities and b others though they receiue the scriptures yet hold that this blessing Increase and multiply is meant of a spirituall and not a corporall faecundity because the Psalme saith thou shalt multiply vertue in my soule and interprete the following words of Genesis And fill the earth and rule ouer it thus earth that is the flesh which the soule filleth with the presence and ruleth ouer it when it is multiplied in vertue but that the carnall propagation cannot bee performed without that lust which arose in man was discouered by him shamed him and made him couer it after sinne and that his progeny were not to liue in Paradise but without it as they did for they begot no children vntill they were put forth of Paradise and then they did first conioyne and beget them L. VIVES OThers a reiecting The Manichees that reiected all the olde Testament as I sayd elsewhere b Others though The Adamites that held that if Adam had not sinned there should haue beene no marying c Thou shalt multiply The old bookes reade Thou shalt multiply me in soule by thy vertue And this later is the truer reading I thinke for Aug. followed the 70. and they translate it so That God first instituted and blessed the band of Mariage CHAP. 22. BVt wee doubt not at all that this increase multiplying and filling of the earth was by Gods goodnesse bestowed vpon the marriage which hee ordeined in the beginning ere man sinned when hee made them male and female sexes euident in the flesh This worke was no sooner done but it was blessed for the scripture hauing said He created them male and female addeth presently And God blessed them saying Increase and multiply c. a All which though they may not vnfitly be applied spiritually yet male and female can in no wise be appropriate to any spirituall thing in man not vnto that which ruleth and that which is ruled but as it is euident in the reall distinction of sexe they were made male and female to bring forth fruite by generation to multiply and to fill the earth This plaine truth none but fooles will oppose It cannot bee ment of the spirit ruling and the flesh obeying of the reason gouerning and the affect working of the contemplatiue part excelling and the actiue seruing nor of the mindes vnderstanding and the bodies sence but directly of the band of marriage combining both the sexes in one Christ being asked whether one might put away his wife for any cause because Moses by reason of the hardnesse of their hearts suffred them to giue her a bill of diuorce answered saying Haue you not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female and sayd for this cause shall â—…man leaue father and mother and sleaue vnto his wife and they tvvaine shal be one flesh So that now they are no more two but one Let no man therefore sunder what God hath coupled together Sure it t s therefore that male and female were ordained at the beginning in the same forme and difference that mankinde is now in And they are called one either because of their coniunction or the womans originall who came of the side of man for the Apostle warnes all maried men by this example to loue their wiues L. VIVES ALL a which There is nothing in the scripture but may bee spiritually applied yet must we keepe the true and real sence otherwise we should make a great confusion in religion for the Heretiques as they please wrest all vnto their positions But if God in saying Increase c. had no corporall meaning but onely spirituall what remaines but that we allow this spirituall increase vnto beasts vpon whom also this blessing was laide Whether if man had not sinned he should haue begotten children in Paradice and vvhether there should there haue beene any contention betvveene chastity and lust CHAP. 23. BVt he that saith that there should haue beene neither copulation nor propagation but for sinne what doth he els but make sinne the originall of the holy number of Saints for if they two should haue liued alone not sinning seeing sinne as these say was their onely meane of generation then veryly was sinne necessary to make the number of Saints more then two But if it bee absurd to hold this it is fit to hold that that the number of Gods cittizenâ—… should haue beene as great then if no man had sinned as now shal be gathered by Gods grace out of the multitude of sinners as long a as this worldly multiplication of the sonnes of the world men shal endure And therefore that marriage that was held fit to bee in Paradice should haue had increase but no lust had not sinne beene How this might be here is no fit place to discusse but it neede not seeme incredible that one member might serue the will without lust then so many seruing it now b Do wee now mooue our hands and feete so lasily when wee will vnto their offices without resistance as wee see in our selues and others chiefely handicraftesmen where industry hath made dull nature nimble and may wee not beleeue that those members might haue serued our first father vnto procreation if they had not beene seazed with lust the reward of his disobedience as well as all his other serued him to other acts doth not Tully disputing of the difference of gouerments in his bookes of the Common-weale and drawing a simyly from mans nature say that they c command our bodily members as sonnes they are so obedient and that wee must keepe an harder forme
Sat. 15. Saxa inclinatus per humum quaesita lacertis Incipiunt torquere domestica seditione Tela nec hunc lapidem quali se Turnus Aiax Et quo Tydides percussit pondere coxam Aeneae sed quam valeant emittere dextrae Illis dissimiles nostro tempore natae Nam genus hoc viuo iam decrescebat Homero Terra malos homines nunc educat atque pufillos Ergo dous quicunque aspexit ridet odit c. They stoopt for stones to cast and kept a coyle With those fitte weapons for a scambling broyle Not such as Turnus threw nor Aiax tall Nor that Aeneas haunch was hurt withall But such as our weake armes to weald were able Farre short of those those worthies memorable Began to faile ere Homer fail'd his pen And earth brings nothing forth but Pygmee-men The Gods behold our growth with ieasting scorne c. b Intimating And in his Georgikes lib. 1. Girandiaque effâ—…ssis mirabitur â—…sse sepulchris And gaze on those huge bones within the tombe c Axâ—…th Vpon Saint Christophers day wee went to visite the chiefe Church of our citty and there was a tooth shewen vs as bigge as my fist which they say was Saint Christophers There was with mee Hierom Burgarinâ—… a man of a most modest and sober carriage and an infatigable student which he hath both from nature and also from the example of his fatherâ—… who though hee were old and had a great charge of family yet gaue him-selfe to his booke that his children might see him and imitate him d Plinie His naturall history wee haue I need neither stand to commend this worke nor the authors learned diligence This which Augustine citeth is in his seauenth booke where also hee saith that in Crete there was a mountaine rent by an earth-quake and in it a body of fortie sixe cubites long was found Some sayd it was Otus his body and some Orions Orestes his body was digged vp by oracle and found to be seauen cubites long Now Homer complained of the decrease of stature very neare a thousand yeares agoe Thus farre Pliny Cyprian writes hereof also to Demetrianus and Vriell Gods Angell spake it also vnto Esdras Besides Gellius lib. 3. saith that the ordinary stature of man was neuer aboue seauen foote which I had rather beleeue then Herodotus that fabulous Historiographer who saith that Orestes his body was found to to be seauen cubites which is twelue foote and ¼ vnlesse as Homer thinke the bodies of the ancients were larger then those of later times who decline with the worlds declining age But Plato Aristotle and their followers that held the world to bee eternall affirme that it neither diminisheth nor declineth e Saith Lib. 7. chap. 48. Hellanicus saith that there is a race of the Epirotes in Etolia that liue two hundred yeares and Damastes holdeth so also naming one Pistorâ—…s a chiefe man amongst them in strength who liued three hundred yeares Of the difference that seemes to bee betweene the Hebrewes computation and ours CHAP. 10. VVHerefore though there seeme to be some difference betweene the Hebrews computation and ours I know not vpon what cause yet it doth not disprooue that those men liued as long as we say they did For Adam ere he begot Seth is sayd by our a bookes to haue liued two hundred and thirty yeares by the Hebrewes but one hundred and thirty But after hee had be gotten Seth hee liued seauen hundred yeares by our account and eight hundred by the Hebrews Thus both agree in the maine summe And so in the following generations the Hebrews are still at such or such an ones birth an hundred yeares behinde vs in this fathers age but in his yeares after his sonnes birth they still come vp vnto our generall summe and both agree in one But in the â—…xt generation they differ not a letter In the seauenth generation wherein Henoch was not hee that dyed but hee that pleased GOD and was translated there is the same difference of the one hundred yeares before hee begotte his sonne but all come to one end still both the bookes making him liue three hundred sixtie and fiue yeares ere his translation The eight generation hath some difference but of lesse moment and noâ—… like to this For Mathusalem hauing begotten Enoch before hee had his next sâ—…e whome the Scriptures name is said by the Hebrewes to haue liued twentie yeares longer then wee say hee liued but in the account of his yeares after this sonne wee added the twenty and both doe iumpe in one iust summe Onely in the ninth generation that is in the yeares of Lamech the sonne of Mathusalem and the father of Noah wee differ in the whole summe but it is but soure and 〈◊〉 yeares and that they haue more then we for his age ere he begot Noah in the Hebrew is six yeares lesse then in ours and their summe of his yeares afterwards is thirty more then ours which sixe taken from thirty leaues foure and twenty as I said before L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a bookes Meaning the Latine translations that the Church vsed then out of the 70. 〈◊〉 Hieroms was either published or receiued And by the Hebrew bookes he meanes the 〈◊〉 scriptures and the Hebrew authors thereto agreeing Adam saith Hierome liued 〈◊〉 and begot a sonne like him-selfe and called his name Seth. Where wee are to conâ—…â—…t from Adam to the floud where wee read two hundred yeares and the ouerplus the 〈◊〉 read onely one hundred and the ouer-plus And the dayes of Adam after he had beâ—… Seth were seauen hundred yeares because the translators had erred an hundred before 〈◊〉 he puts but seauen hundred where the Hebrew hath eight hundred Thus farre Hierome 〈◊〉 â—…cepts not at all at this manner of computation Augustine omittes Iareds begetting of 〈◊〉 in the sixt generation but this indeed goeth not aboue two hundred yeares Of Mathusalems yeares who seemeth to haue liued foureteene yeeres after the deluge CHAP. 11. â—…here is a a notable question arising vpon this difference betweene vs 〈◊〉 â—…he Hebrewes where Mathusalem is reckoned to haue liued foureteene 〈◊〉 â—…fter the deluge whereas the Scripture accompteth but eight persons 〈◊〉 saued therein of all man-kinde whereof Mathusalem was none For in â—…kes Mathusalem liued ere hee begot Lamech one hundred sixty seauen 〈◊〉 and Lamech vntill he begot Noah one hundred foure score eight yeares 〈◊〉 ioyned make three hundred fifty and fiue yeares vnto which adde Noahs 〈◊〉 â—…dred yeares for then begun the deluge and so the time betweene Maâ—… birth and the deluge is nine hundred fiftie and fiue yeares Now Maâ—… dayes are reckoned to bee nine hundred sixty and nine yeares for 〈◊〉 hundred sixtie and seauen yeares of age ere hee begot Lamech hee 〈◊〉 hundred and two yeares after which make in all nine hundred sixtie 〈◊〉 from whence take nine hundred â—…iftie fiue the time from his birth to 〈◊〉 â—…ge and there remaines fourteene which
〈◊〉 In signe of Dommes-day the whole earth shall sweate Euer to reigne a King in heau'nly seate Shall come to iudge all flesh The faithfull and Vnfaithfull too before this God shall stand Seeing him high with Saints in Times last end Corporeall shall hee sit and thence extend His doome on soules The earth shall quite lie wast Ruin'd ore-growne with thornes and men shall cast Idolls away and treasure Searching fire Shall burne the ground and thence it shall inquire Through seas and skie and breake Hells blackest gates So shall free light salute the blessed states Of Saints the guilty lasting flames shall burne No act so hid but then to light shall turne Nor brest so close but GOD shall open wide Each where shall cries be heard and noyse beside Of gnashing teeth The Sunne shall from the skie Flie forth and starres no more mooue orderly Great Heauen shall be dissolu'd the Moone depriu'd Of all her light places at height arriu'd Deprest and valleys raised to their seate There shall be nought to mortalls high or great Hills shall lye leuell with the plaines the sea Endure no burthen and the earth as they Shall perish cleft with lightning euery spring And riuer burne The fatall Trumpe shall ring Vnto the world from heauen a dismall blast Including plagues to come for ill deedes past Old Chaos through the cleft masse shall bee seene Vnto this Barre shall all earths Kings conueene Riuers of fire and Brimstone flowing from heau'n e Iudicii signo Act. 1. 11. This Iesus who is taken vp to heauen shall so come as you haue seene him goe vp into heauen f Scilicet This verse is not in the Greeke nor is it added here for there must be twenty seauen g Sicanimae The Greeke is then shall all flesh come into free heauen and the fire shall take away the holy and the wicked for euer but because the sence is harsh I had rather read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so make it agree with the Latine interpretation h Exuret The bookes of consciences shall bee opened as it is in the Reuelation Of those here-after i Sanctorum Isay. 40. 4. Euery valley shall bee exalted and euery mountaine and hill shall bee layde lowe the crooked shall bee streight and the rough places plaine k Occultos High and 〈◊〉 shall then bee all one and neither offensiue pompe height and glorye shall no more domineere in particular but as the Apostle saith Then shall all principalities and powers bee annihilated that GOD may bee all in all For there is no greater plague then to bee vnder him that is blowne bigge with the false conceite of greatnesse hee groweth rich and consequently proud hee thinkes hee may domineere his father â—…as I marry was hee his pedigree is alway in his mouth and very likely a theefe a Butcher or a Swin-heard in the front of this his noble descent Another Tarre-lubber bragges that hee is a souldiour an ayde vnto the state in affaires military therefore will hee reare and teare downe goe whole Citties before him if any leaue their owne seates and come into his way or to take the wall of him not else l No word For the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beginning a word is alwayes aspirate now if we bring it into Latine aspirate wee must put H. before it and this deceiues the ignorant m Quadrate and solid A plaine quadrate is a number multiplyed once by it selfe as three times three then multiply the product by the first and you haue a solid as three times three is nine Heere is your quadrate plaine three times nine is twenty seauen that is the quadrate solide n Lactantius Lactantius following his Maister Arnobius hath written seauen most excellent and acute volumes against the Pagans nor haue wee any Christian that is a better Ciceronian then hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To th'faithlesse vniust hands then shall hee come Whose impure hands shall giue him blowes and some Shall from their foule mouthes poysoned spittle send Hee to their whips his holy back shall bend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus beate hee shall stand mute that none may ken Who was or whence the worde to speake to men And hee shall beare a thornie crowne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They gaue him for drinke Vineger and Gall for meate This table of in-hospitalitie they set This is likewise in another verse of Sybills the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy God thy good thou brainlesse sencelesse didst not know Who past and plaid in mortall words and works below A crowne of thornes and fearfull gall thou didst bestow In the next Chapter following the words are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Temples veile shall rend in twaine and at mid-day Prodigious darkned night for three full houres shall stay In the same Chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Death shall shut vp his date with sleeping for three daies Then rising from the dead he turnes to the Sunne rayes The resurrections first-fruites to th'elect displayes o Of the resurrection Making away for the chosen by his resurrection so the Greeke implyeth Christ as the Apostle saith being the first borne of many brethren and the first fruites of those that sleepe The seauen Sages in Romulus his time Israel lead into captiuity Romulus dyeth and is deified CHAP. 24. IN Romulus his time liued Thales one of those who after the Theologicall Poets in which Orpheus was chiefe were called the Wise-men or Sages And a now did the Chaldaeans subdue the ten Tribes of Israell fallen before from Iuda and lead them all into Chaldaea captiue leauing onely the tribes of Iuda and Beniamin free who had their Kings seate at Hierusalem Romulus dying and beeing not to bee found was here-vpon deified which vse was now almost giuen ouer so that b in the Caesars times they did it rather vpon flattery then error and Tully commends Romulus highly in that hee could deserue those in so wise and learned an age though Philosophy were not yet in her height of subtile and acute positions and disputations But although in the later dayes they made no new Gods of men yet kept they their old ones still and gaue not ouer to worship them increasing superstition by their swarmes of Images whereof antiquity had none and the deuills working so powerfully with them that they got them to make publike presentations of the gods shames such as if they had bin vn-dreamed of before they would haue shamed to inuent as then After Romulus reigned Numa who stuffed all the Citty with false religion yet could hee not shape a God-head for him-selfe out of all this Chaos of his consecrations It seemes hee stowed
persecution there shall the Church bee hedged in with tribulations and shut vp on euery side yet shall she not forsake her warfare which is signified by the word Tents L. VIVES ANy a particular Barbarous The Iewes saith Hierome and some of our Christians also following them herein thinke that Gog is meant of the Huge nation of the Scythians beyond Caucasus and the fens of Maeotis reaching as farre as India and the Caspian Sea and that these after the Kingdome hath lasted a thousand yeares at Hierusalem shalâ—… be stirred vp by the Deuill to war against Israell and the Saints bringing an innumerable multitude with them first out of Mossoch which Iosephus calls Cappadocia and then out of Thubal which the Hebrewes affirme to be Italy and he holdeth to bee Spaine They shall bring also the Persians Ethiopians and Lybians with them of Gomer and Theogorma to wit the Galatians and Phrigians Saba also and Dedan the Carthaginians and Tharsians Thus farre Hierome In Ezch. lib. 11. b Gog is an house So saith Hierome So that these two words imply all proud and false knowledge that exalteth it selfe against the truth Whether the fire falling from heauen and deuouring them imply the last torments of the wicked CHAP. 12. BVt his following words fire came downe from GOD out of heauen and deuoured them are not to bee vnderstood of that punishment which these words imply Depart from me yee cursed into euerlasting fire for then shall they bee cast into the fire and not fire be cast downe vpon them But the first fire insinuateth the firmnesse of the Saints that will not yeeld vnto the wills of the wicked for heauen is the firmament whose firmnesse shall burne them vp for very zeale and vexation that they cannot draw the seruants of God vnto the side of Antichrist This is the fire from God that shall burne them vp in that God hath so confirmed his Saints that they become plagues vnto their opposites Now whereas I said zeale know that zeale is taken in good part or in euill in good as here The zeale of thine house hath eaten mee vp in euill as here Zeale hath possessed the ignorant people And now the fire shall eate vp these opposers but not that fire of the last iudgement Besides if the Apostle by this fire from heauen doe imply the plague that shall fall vpon such of Antichrists supporters as Christ at his comming shall finde left on earth yet not-with-standing this shall not be the wickeds last plague for that shall come vpon them afterwards when they are risen againe in their bodies Whether it be a thousand yeares vntill the persecution vnder Antichrist CHAP. 13. THis last persecution vnder Antichrist as wee said before and the Prophet Daniell prooueth shall last three yeares and an halfe a little space but whether it belong to the thousand yeares of the deuills bondage and the Saints reigne with Christ or be a space of time more then the other fully accompted is a great question If we hold the first part then wee must say that the Saints with Christ reigned longer then the deuill was bound Indeed the Saints shall reigne with him in the very heate of this persecution and stand out against the deuill when hee is in greatest power to molest them But why then doth the Scripture confine both their reigne and the deuils bondage to the iust summe of a thousand yeares seeing the diuells captiuitie is out three yeares and sixe moneths sooner then their kingdome with Christ well if wee hold the later part that these three yeares and a halfe are beyond the iust thousand to vnderstand Saint Iohn that the reigne of the Saints with Christ and the deuils imprisonment ended both at once according to the thousand yeares which hee giueth alike vnto both so that the said time of persecution belongeth neither to the time of the one nor the other then we must confesse that during this persecution the Saints reigne not with Christ. But what is he dare affirme that his members do not reigne with him when they do most firmliest of all keepe their coherence with him at such â—…e as when the warres doe rage the more apparent is their constancie and the more frequent is the ascent from martyrdome to glory If wee say they reigne not because of the affliction that they endure wee may then inferre that in the times already past if the Saints were once afflicted their kingdome with their Sauiour ceased and so they whose soules this Euangelist beheld namely of those who were slaine for the testimonie of IESVS and for the word of God reigned not with Christ in their persecutions nor were they the kingdome of Christ who were Christs most excellent possessions Oh this is absurd and abhominable No the victorious soules of the glorious martyrs subduing all earthly toyles and tortures went vp to reigne with Christ as they had reigned with him before vntill the expiration of the thousand yeares and then shall take their bodies againe and so reigne body and soule with him for euermore And therefore in this sore persecution of three yeares and an halfe both the soules of those that suffered for Christ before and those that are then to suffer shall reigne with him vntill the worlds date bee out and the kingdome begin that shall neuer haue end Wherefore assuredly the Saints reigne with Christ shall continue longer then Sathans bondage for they shall reigne with God the sonne their King three yeares and an halfe after Sathan bee loosed It remaineth then that when we heare that The Priests of God and of Christ shall reigne with him a thousand yeares and that after a thousand yeares the deuill shall bee loosed we must vnderstand that either the thousand years are decretiuely meant of the deuills bondage onely and not of the Saints kingdome or that the yeares of the Saints kingdome are longer and they of the deuils bondage shorter or that seeing three yeares and an halfe is but a little space therefore it was not counted either because the Saints reigne had more then it conceiued or the deuills bondage lesse as wee said of the foure hundred yeares in the sixteene booke The time was more yet that summe onely was set downe and this if one obserue it is very frequent in the Scriptures Satan and his followers condemned A recapitulation of the resurrection and the last iudgment CHAP. 14. AFter this rehearsall of the last persecution he proceeds with the successe of the deuill and his congregation at the last iudgment And the deuill saith he that deceiued them was cast into a lake of fire brimstone where the beast and the false Prophet shall be tormented euen day and night for euer-more The beast as I said before is the city of the wicked his false Prophet is either Antichrist or his image the figmet that I spake of before After all this commeth the last iudgment in the second resurrection to wit the bodies
and this he relateth by way of recapitulation as it was reuealed vnto him I saw saith he a great white throne and one that sate on it from whose face flew away both the earth and heauen and their place was no more found He saith not and heauen and earth flew away from his face as importing their present flight for that befell not vntill after the iudgement but from whose face flew away both heauen and earth namely afterwards when the iudgment shall be finished then this heauen and this earth shall cease and a new world shall begin But the old one shall not be vtterly consumed it shall onely passe through an vniuersall change and therefore the Apostle saith The fashion of this world goeth away and I would haue you with-out care The fashion goeth away not the nature Well let vs follow Saint Iohn who after the sight of this throne c. proceedeth thus And I sawe the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke a of life and the dead were iudged of those things which were written in the bookes according to their workes Behold the opening of bookes and of one booke This what it was hee sheweth which is the booke of life The other are the holy ones of the Old and New-Testament that therein might be shewed what God had commanded but in the booke b of life were the commissions and omissions of euery man on â—…th particularly recorded If we should imagine this to be an earthly booke 〈◊〉 as ours are who is he that could imagine how huge a volume it were or how long the contents of it all would be a reading Shall there be as many Angells as men and each one recite his deeds that were commited to his guard then shall there not bee one booke for all but each one shall haue one I but the Scripture here mentions but one in this kind It is therefore some diuine power â—…ed into the consciences of each peculiar calling all their workes wonderfully strangely vnto memory and so making each mans knowledge accuse or excuse his owne conscience these are all and singular iudged in themselues This power diuine is called a booke and fitly for therein is read all the facts that the doer hath committed by the working of this hee remembreth all But the Apostle to explaine the iudgement of the dead more fully and to shâ—…w how it compriseth greate and small he makes at it were a returne to what he had omitted or rather deferred saying And the sea gaue vp her dead which were within 〈◊〉 and death and Hell deliuered vp the dead which were in them This was before that they were iudged yet was the iudgment mentioned before so that as I said he returnes to his intermission hauing said thus much The sea gaue vp her dead c. As afore he now proceedeth in the true order saying And they were iudged euery 〈◊〉 according to his workes This hee repeateth againe here to shew the order 〈◊〉 was to manage the iudgment whereof hee had spoken before in these words And the dead were iudged of those things which were written in the bookes acâ—…g to their workes L. VIVES OF a life So readeth Hierome and so readeth the vulgar wee finde not any that readeth it Of the life of euery one as it is in some copies of Augustine The Greeke is iust as wee â—…d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of life without addition Of the dead whom the Sea and death and hell shall giue vp to Iudgement CHAP. 15. BVt what dead are they that the Sea shall giue vp for all that die in the sea are not kept from hell neither are their bodyes kept in the sea Shall we say that the sea keepeth the death that were good and hell those that were euill horrible â—…dity Who is so sottish as to beleeue this no the sea here is fitly vnderstood to imply the whole world Christ therefore intending to shew that those whome he found on earth at the time appointed should be iudged with those that were to rise againe calleth them dead men and yet good men vnto whom it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God But them he calleth euill of whome hee sayd Let the dead bury their dead Besides they may bee called dead in that their bodies are deaths obiects wherefore the Apostle saith The 〈◊〉 is dead because of sinne but the spirit is life for righteousnesse sake shew that in a mortall man there is both a dead body and a liuing spirit yet said hee not the body is mortall but dead although according to his manner of speach hee had called bodies mortall but alittle before Thus then the sea gaue vppe her dead the world waue vppe all mankinde that as yet had not approached the graue And death and hell quoth hee gaue vp the dead which were in them The sea gaue vp his for as they were then so were they found but death and hell had theirs first called to the life which they had left then gaue them vp Perhaps it were not sufficient to say death onely or hell onely but hee saith both death and hell death for such as might onely die and not enter hell and hell for such as did both for if it bee not absurd to beleeue that the ancient fathers beleeuing in Christ to come were all at rest a in a place farre from all torments and yet within hell vntill Christs passion and descension thether set them at liberty then surely the faithfull that are already redeemed by that passion neuer know what hell meaneth from their death vntill they arise and receiue their rewards And they iudged euery one according to their deedes a briefe declaration of the iudgement And death and hell saith he were cast into the lake of fire this is the second death Death and Hell are but the diuell and his angells the onely authors of death and hells torments This hee did but recite before when he said And the Diuell that deceiued them was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone But his mistical addition Where the beast and the false Prophet shall be tormented c. That he sheweth plainly here Whosoeuer was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire Now as for the booke of life it is not meant to put God in remembrance of any thing least hee should forget but it sheweth who are predestinate vnto saluation for God is not ignorant of their number neither readeth hee this booke to finde it his prescience is rather the booke it selfe wherein all are written that is fore-knowen L. VIVES IN a a place They call this place Abrahams bosome wherein were no paines felt as Christ sheweth plainely of Lazarus Luc. 16. and that this place was farre from the dungeon of the wicked but where it is or what is
ment hereby S. Augustine confesseth that he cannot define Sup. Genes lib. 8. These are secrets all vnneedfull to be knowne and all wee vnworthy to know them Of the new Heauen and the new Earth CHAP. 16. THe iudgement of the wicked being past as he fore-told the iudgement of the goodâ—…ust follow for hee hath already explained what Christ said in briefe They shall go into euerlasting paine now he must expresse the sequell And the righteous into life eternall And I saw saith he a new heauen and a new earth The first heauen and earth were gone and so was thesea for such was the order described before by him when he saw the great white throne one sitting vpon it froÌ„ whose face they fled So then they that were not in the booke of life being iudged and cast into eternall fire what or where it is I hold is vnknowne to a all but those vnto whome it please the spirit to reueale it then shall this world loose the figure by worldly fire as it was erst destroyed by earthly water Then as I said shall all the worlds corruptible qualities be burnt away all those that held correspondence with our corruption shall be agreeable with immortality that the world being so substantially renewed may bee fittly adapted vnto the men whose substances are renewed also But for that which followeth There 〈◊〉 no more sea whether it imply that the sea should bee dried vp by that vniuersall conflagration or bee transformed into a better essence I cannot easily determyne Heauen and Earth were read shal be renewed but as concerning the sea I haue not read any such matter that I can remember vnlesse that other place in this booke of that which hee calleth as it were a sea of glasse like vnto christall import any such alteration But in that place hee speaketh not of the worlds end neither doth hee say directly a sea but as a sea Notwithstanding it is the Prophets guise to speake of truths in misticall manner and to mixe truths and types together and so he might say there was no more sea in the same sence that hee sayd the sea shall giue vp hir dead intending that there should be no more turbulent times in the world which he insinuateth vnder the word Sea L. VIVES VNknowne a to all To all nay Saint Augustine it seemes you were neuer at the schoole-mens lectures There is no freshman there at least no graduate but can tell that it is the elementany fire which is betweene the sphere of the moone and the ayre that shall come downe and purge the earth of drosse together with the ayre and water If you like not this another will tell you that the beames of the Sonne kindle a fire in the midst of the ayre as in a burning glasse and so worke wonders But I doe not blame you fire was not of that vse in your time that it is now of when eâ—…y Philosopher to omit the diuines can carry his mouth his hands and his feete full of fire 〈◊〉 in the midst of Decembers cold and Iulies heate Of Philosophers they become diuines and yet keepe their old fiery formes of doctrine still so that they haue farre better iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hot case then you or your predecessors euer had Of the glorification of the Church after death for euer CHAP. 17. AND I Iohn saith hee sawe that Holie Cittie new Ierusalem come downe from GOD out of Heauen prepared as a bride trimmed for her husband And I heard a great voice out of Heauen saying behold the Tabernacle of GOD is with men and hee will dwell with them and they shal be his people and hee himselfe shal be their GOD with them And GOD shall wipeawaie all teares from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither teares neither crying neither shall there bee any more paine for the first things are passed And hee that sate vpon the Throne sayd behold I make althings new c. This cittie is sayd to come from Heauen because the grace of GOD that founded it is heauenly as GOD saith in Esay I am the LORD that made thee This grace of his came downe from heauen euen from the beginning and since the cittizens of GOD haue had their increase by the same grace giuen 〈◊〉 the spirit from heauen in the fount of regeneration But at the last Iudgement of GOD by his Sonne Christ this onely shall appeare in a state so glorious that all the ancient shape shal be cast aside for the bodies of each member shall cast aside their olde corruption and put on a new forme of immortality For it were too grosse impudence to thinke that this was 〈◊〉 of the thousand yeares afore-sayd wherein the Church is sayd to reigne with Christ because he saith directly GOD shall wipe awaie all teares from their eies and there shal be no more death neither sorrowes neither crying neither shall there bee any more paine Who is so obstinately absurd or so absurdly obstinate as to averre that any one Saint much lesse the whole society of them shall passe this transitory life without teares or sorrowes or euer hath passed it cleare of them seeing that the more holy his desires are and the more zealous his holinesse the more teares shall bedew his Orisons Is it not the Heauenly Ierusalem that sayth My teares haue beene my meate daie and night And againe I cause my bedde euerie night to swimme and water my couch with teares and besides My sorrow is renewed Are not they his Sonnes that bewayle that which they will not forsake But bee cloathed in it that their mortality may bee re-inuested with eternity and hauing the first fruites of the spirit doe sigh in themselues wayting for the adoption that is the redemption of their bodies Was not Saint Paul one of the Heauenlie Cittie nay and that the rather in that hee tooke so great care for the earthly Israelites And when a shall death haue to doe in that Cittie but when they may say Oh death where is thy sting Oh hell where is thy b victorie The sting of death is sinne This could not bee sayd there where death had no sting but as for this world Saint Iohn himselfe saith If wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. And in this his Reuelation there are many things written for the excercising of the readers vnderstanding and there are but few things whose vnderstanding may bee an induction vnto the rest for hee repeteth the same thing so many waies that it seemes wholy pertinent vnto another purpose and indeed it may often bee found as spoken in another kinde But here where hee sayth GOD shall wipe awaie all teares from their eyes c this is directly meant of the world to come and the immortalitie of the Saints for there shal be no sorrow no teares nor cause of sorrowe or teares if any one
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
from the face of the Lord for if all the vngodly deserue this name â—…y not hee most of all But in what temple of God he is to sit as God it is doubtfull whether it be the ruined Temple of Salomon or in the church For it cannot bee any heathen temple Saint Paul would neuer call any such the Temple of God Some therefore doe by Antichrist vnderstand the deuill and all his domination together with the whole multitude of his followers and imagine that it were better to say hee shall sit b in Templum dei as the Temple of God that is as though hee were the church as we say c Sedet in amicum hee sitteth as a friend and so forth But whereas hee saith And now yee know what with-holdeth that is what staieth him from being reuealed this implieth that they knew it before and therefore hee doth not relate it here Wherefore wee that know not what they knew doe striue to get vnderstanding of his knowledge of the Apostle but wee cannot because his addition maketh it the more mysticall For what is this The mystery of iniquity doth already worke onely hee that withholdeth shall let till hee bee taken out of the way Truely I confesse that I am vtterly ignorant of his meaning but what others coniectures are hereof I will not bee silent in Some say Saint Paul spoke d of the state of Rome and would not bee plainer least hee should incurre a slander that hee wished Romes Empire euill fortune whereas it was hoped that e it should continue for euer By the mistery of iniquity they say he meant Nero whose deeds were great resemblances of Antichrists so that some thinke that he shall rise againe and be the true Antichrist Others thinke he f neuer died but vanished and that he liueth in g that age and vigor wherein hee was supposed to be slaine vntill the time come that hee shal be reuealed and restored to his Kingdome But this is too presumptuous an opinion Onely these wordes Hee that withholdeth shall let till hee be taken out of the waie May not vnfitly bee vnderstood of Rome as if he had sayd He that now reigneth shall reigne vntill hee bee taken away And then the wicked man shal be reuealed This is Antichrist no man doubts it Now some vnderstand these words Now yee know what withholdeth and the mistery of iniquity doth already worke to be meant onely of the false christians in the church who shall increase vnto a number which shal make Antichrist a great people this say they is the mistery of iniquity for it is yet vnreuealed and therefore doth the Apostle animate the faithfull to preseuere saying let him that holdeth hold for thus they take this place vntill hee bee taken out of the way that is vntill Antichrist and his troupes this vnreuealed mistery of iniquity depart out of the midst of the church And vnto this doe they hold Saint Iohns words to belong Babes it is the last time And as yee haue heard that Antichrist shall come euen now there are many Antichrists whereby wee know that it is the last time They went out from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they would haue continued vvith vs. Thus say they euen as before the end in this time which Saint Iohn calls the last of all many heretiques whom he calleth many Antichrists went out of the church so likewise hereafter all those that belong not vnto CHRIST but vnto the last Antichrist shall depart out of the middest of CHRISTS flocke and then shall the man of sinne bee reuealed Thus one taketh the Apostles wordes one way and another another way but this hee meaneth assuredly that CHRIST will not come to iudge the world vntill Antichrist bee here before him to seduce the worlde although it bee GODS secret iudgement that hee should thus seduce it for his comming shal be as it is sayd by the working of Sathan vvith all povver and signes and lying vvonders and in all deceiuiablenesse of vnrighteousnesse amongst them that perish For then shall Sathan bee let loose and vvorke by this Antichrist vnto all mens admiration and yet all in falshood Now here is a doubt whither they bee called lying wonders because hee doth but delude the eyes in these miracles and doth not what hee seemes to doe or because that although they may bee reall actions yet the end of them all is to drawe ignorant man-kinde into this false conceite that such things could not bee done but by a diuine power because they know not that the deuill shall haue more power giuen him then them euer he had had before For the fire that fell from Heauen and burnt the house and goods of Holie Iob and the whirlewind that smote the building and slew his children were neither of them false apparitions yet were they the deuills effects by the power that GOD had giuen him Therefore in what respect these are called lying wonders shal be then more apparant Howsoeuer they shall seduce such as deserue to bee seduced because they receiued not the loue of truth that they might bee saued wherevpon the Apostle addeth this Therefore shall GOD send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lies GOD shall send it because his iust iudgement permittes it though the deuills maleuolent desire performes it That all they might bee damned which beleeue not in the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Thus being condemned they are feduced and beeing seduced condemned But their seducement is by the secret iudgement of God iustly secret and secretly iust euen his that hath iudged continually euer since the world beganne But their condemnation shal be by the last and manifest iudgement of IESVS CHRIST he that iudgeth most iustly and was most vniustly iudged himselfe L. VIVES A a Fugitiue The greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a departing and so the vulgar reads it b In templum dei So doth the greeke read it c Sedet in amicum The common phrase of scripture Esto mihi in deum be thou my God c. d Of the state of Rome Lactant. lib. 7. It was a generall opinion that towards the end of the world there should tenne Kings share the Romane Empire amongst them and that Antichrist should be the eleauenth and ouercome them all Hier. in Daniel But these are idle coniectures e It should continue for euer As the old Romanes dreamed So saith Iupiter in Uirgil His ego nec metas rerum nec tempora ponâ—… Imperium sine fine dedi I bound these fortunes by no time or place Their state shall euer stand f Neuer died His death in deed was secret for vpon Galba's approach hee fled in the night with foure onely in his company and his head couered vnto his country house betweene via Salaria and Momentana and there stabd himselfe and was buried by his nurses and concubine in the Sepulchre of the Domitii neare to the field
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