Paradise Eden from the beginning This out of Hierome b No such No man denieth that Paradise may be spiritually vnderstood excepting Ambrose in his booke De Paradiso But all the Fathers professe that Paradise was a reall pleasant place full of trees as Damascene saith and like to the Poets imaginary Elizium Away with their foolery saith Hierome vpon Daniel that seeke for figures in truthes and would ouerthrow the reall existence of trees and riuers in Paradise by drawing all into an Allegory This did Origen making a spirituall meaning of the whole hiâ—…ory and placing the true Paradice in the third heauen whither the Apostle Paul was rapt c Foure riuers Nile of Egipt Euphrates and Tigris of Syria and Ganges of India There heads are vnknowne and they run vnder the Ocean into our sea and therefore the Egiptian priests called Niâ—… the Ocean Herodot d Read in the. Cant 4 12. My sister my spouse is as a garden inclosed as a spring shut vp and a fountaine sealed vp their plants are as an orchard of pomegranates with sweete fruites c. That the Saints bodies after resurrection shal be spirituall and yet not changed into spirits CHAP. 22. THe bodies of the Saints in the resurrection shall need none of the tree of life to preserue them in life health or strength nor any meate to keepe away hunger and thirst They shall haue such an euery way absolute immortality that they shall neuer need to eare power they shall haue to doe it if they will but no â—…ssity For so the Angels did appearing visibly and sensibly not of necessity 〈◊〉 of power and will to affoord their ministerie vnto man in more congruence 〈◊〉 we may not thinke that when a they lodged in mens houses they did but eare b seemingly though they seemed to eate with the same appetite that the 〈◊〉 did who knew them not to be Angels And therefore the Angell saith in Tobiâ—…n saw mee eate but you saw it but in vision that is you thought I had eaten as 〈◊〉 did to refresh my body But if the other side may bee probably held of the Angels yet verily wee doubt it not to bee true c of Christ that hee in his spirituall flesh after his resurrection yet was it his true flesh eate and dranke with his disciples The neede onely not the power is taken from those glorified bodies which are spirituall not because they cease to bee bodyes but because they subsist by the quickning of the spirit L. VIVES THey a lodged In the houses of Abraham Lot and Tobias b Eate seemingly They did not eate as we doe passing the meate from the mouth to the stomack through the throate 〈◊〉 so decoct it and dispâ—…rse the iuice through the veines for nutâ—…iment nor yet did they deâ—… mens eyes by seeming to mooue that which they had for their chaps and yet moouing 〈◊〉 not or seeming to chaw bread or flesh and yet leauing it whole They did eate really 〈◊〉 â—…ere not nourished by eating c Of Christ Luke the 23. The earth saith Bede vpon 〈◊〉 â—…ce drinketh vp water one way and the sunne another the earth for neede the sunne 〈◊〉 power And so our Sauiour did eate but not as we eate that glorious body of his tooke â—…te but turned it not into nutriment as ours doe Of bodies animate and spirituall these dying in Adam and those beeing quickned in Christ. CHAP. 23. 〈◊〉 â—…s the bodyes that haue a liuing soule though as yet vnquickned by the â—…it are called animate yet are our soules but bodyes so are the other calâ—…tuall yet God forbid we should beleeue them to bee spirit or other then â—…tiall fleshly bodies yet vncorruptible and without weight by the quickâ—… of the spirit For man shall not then be earthly but celestiall not that he shall 〈◊〉 his earthly body but because he shall be so endowed from heauen that he 〈◊〉 â—…habite it with losse of his nature onely by attaining a celestiall quality 〈◊〉 â—…st man was made earth of earth into a a liuing creature but not into b â—…ing spirit as â—…ee should haue beene had hee perseuered in obedience â—…lesse therefore his body needing meate and drinke against hunger and 〈◊〉 and being not kept in youth from death by indissoluble immortality but 〈◊〉 by the Tree of life was not spirituall but onely animaâ—…e yet should it not 〈◊〉 â—…ied but that it incurred Gods heauy sentence by offending And though he 〈◊〉 take of other meates out of Paradice yet had he bin c â—…bidden to touch 〈◊〉 of life he should haue bin liable to time corruption in that life onely 〈◊〉 had he continued in spirituall obedience though it were but meerely aniâ—… might haue beene eternall in Paradise Wherefore though by these words 〈◊〉 d When soeuer you eate thereof you shall dye the death wee vnderstand by 〈◊〉 the seperation of soule and body yet ought it not seeme absurd in that 〈◊〉 dyed not the very day that they tooke this deadly meate for that very 〈◊〉 their nature was depraued and by their iust exclusion from the Tree 〈◊〉 the necessitie of death entred vppon them wherein wee all are brought forth And therefore the Apostle saith not The body shall dye for sinne but The body is dead because of sinne and the spirit is life for iustice sake And then he addeth But if the spirit of him that raised vp Iesus from the dead dâ—… in you he that raised vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodyes by his spirit dwelling in you Therefore then as the Apostle saith shall be in quickning of the spirit which is now in the life of soule and yet dead because it must necessarily dye But in the first man it was in life of soule and not in quickning of spirit yet could it not be called dead because had not he broken the precept hee had not beene bound to death But whereas God signified the death of the soule in leauing of him saying Adam where art thou and in saying Earth thou art and to earth thou shalt goe signified the death of the body in leauing of the soule therefore wee must thinke he spoake not of the second death reseruing that secret because of his new testament where it is plainly discouered that the first which is common to all might bee shewen to proceed from that sinne which one mans acte made common to all but that the second death is not common to all because of those holy onely whom hee hath fore-knowne and predestinated as the Apostle saith to bee made like the image of his sonne that he might be the first borne of many brethren whom the grace of God by this mediator had saued from the second death Therefore the first mans body was but animate as the Apostle witnesseth who desiring our animate bodies now from those spirituall ones that they shall become in the resurrection It is sowne in corruption saith he but
shall rise againe incorruptible it is sowne in reproche but it is raised in glory it is sowâ—…n in weakenesse but raised in powre it is sowne an animated body but shall arise a spirituall body And then to prooue this hee proceedes for if there be a naturall or animated bodie there is also a spirituall body And to shew what a naturall body is hee saith The first man Adam was made a liuing soule Thus then shewed he what a naturall body is though the scripture doe noâ—… say of the first man Adam when God brâ—…athed in his face the breath of life that man became a liuing body but man became a liuing soule The first man was made a liuing soule saith the Apostle meaning a naturall body But how the spirituall body is to be taken hee sheâ—…eth also adding but the last man a quickning spirit meaning Christ assuredly who rose from death to dye no more Then hee proceedeth saying That was not first made which is spirituall but that which is naturall and that which is spirituall after-wards Here hee sheweth most plainly that he did meane by the liuing soule the naturall body and the spirituall by the quickning spirit For the naturall body that Adam had was first though it had not dyed but for that he sinned and such haue wee now one nature drawing corruption and necessity of death from him and from his sinne such also did Christ take vpon him for vs not needfully but in his power but the spirituall body is afterwards and such had Christ our head in his resurrection such also shall wee his members haue in ours Then doth the Apostle describe the difference of these two thus The first man is of the earth earthly the second is of heauen heauenly as the earthly one was so are all the earthly and as the heauenly one is such shall all the heauenly ones bee As wee haue borne the Image of the earthly so shall wee beare the image of the heauenly This the Apostle inferres vpon the sacrament of regeneration as hee saith else-where All yee that are baptized into Christ haue put on Christ which shall then be really performed when that which is naturall in our birth shall become spirituall in our resurrection that I may vse his owne wordes for wee are saued by hope Wee put on the image of the earthly man by the propagation of sinne and corruption adherent vnto our first birth but wee put on that of Heauenly man by grace pardon and promise of life eternall which regeneration assureth vs by the mercy onely of the mediator betweene God and man the man Christ Iesus whome the Angell calles the Heauenly man because hee came from Heauen to take vpon him the shape of earthly mortality and to shape it into heauenly immortality Hee calleth the rest heauenly also because they are made members of Christ by grace they and Christ being one as the members and the head is own body This he auerreth plainly in the chapter aforesaid by a man came dâ—…h and by a man came the resurrection from the dead for as in Adam all die euen so in Christ shall all bee made aliue and that into a quickning spirit that is a spirituall body not that all that die in Adam shall become members of Christ for many more of them shall fall into the eternall second death but it is said all and all because as none dy naturall but in Adam so none shall reuiue spirituall but in Christ wee may not then thinke that our bodies at the rusurrection shall be such as Adams was at the creation nor that this place As the earthly one was so are all the earthly is meant of that which was effected by the transgression for we may not thinke that Adam had a spiritual body ere he fell and in his fall was made a naturall one he that conceiueth it so giues but little regard to that great teacher that saith If ther be a natural body then is there also a spiritual as it is also written the first man Adam was made a liuing soule was this done after sinne being the first estate of man from whence the blessed Apostle tooke this testimony of the 〈◊〉 to shew what a naturall body was L. VIVES A Liuing a Or with a liuing soule but the first is more vsual in holy writ b A quickning â—…ssed and ioyned with God bâ—… which coniunction it imparteth integrity and immorâ—…â—…to the body c Forbidden Out of much diuersity of reading I hold this the best for 〈◊〉 â—…oule that liueth and the quickning spirit that giueth life d When soeuer Symmachus 〈◊〉 Hierome expounds this place better thou shalt be mortall But indâ—…ed we die as soone 〈◊〉 borne as Manilius saith Nascentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet Being borne we die our ends hangs at our birth How Gods breathing life into Adam and Christs breathing vpon his Apostles when be said receiue the holy spirit are to be vnderstood CHAP. 24. Sâ—…e therefore do vnaduisedly thinke that God when he breathed in his face the â—…th of life and man became a liuing soule did a not then giue him a soule but by the holy spirit onely quickned a soule that was in him before They ground 〈◊〉 Christs breathing vpon his Apostles after his resurrection and saying 〈◊〉 the Holy spirit thinking that this â—…was such another breathing so that 〈◊〉 â—…angelist might haue sayd they became liuing soules which if hee had 〈◊〉 it would haue caused vs to imagine all reasonable soules dead that are 〈◊〉 â—…kned by Gods spirit though their bodies seeme to bee a liue But it 〈◊〉 so when man was made as the Scripture sheweth plaine in these words 〈◊〉 â—…d GOD formed man being dust of the Earth which some thinking to 〈◊〉 translate c And GOD framed man of the Lome of the Earth because it was said before amist went vp from the earth and watred all the earth that lome should seeme to be produced by this mixture of earth and water for immediatly followeth And God framed man being dust of the earth as the Greeke translations d whence our latine is do read it but whether the Greeâ—…e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be formed or framed it maketh no matter e framed is the more proper word but they that vsed formed thought they avoyded ambiguity because that fingo in the latine is vsed f commonly for to feygne by lying or illuding This man therefore being framed of dust or lome for lome is moystned dust that this dust of the earth to speake with the scripture more expressly when it receiued a soule was made an animate body the Apostle affirmeth saying the man was made a liuing soule that is this dust being formed was made a liuing soule I say they but hee had a soule now already other-wise hee could not haue beene man being neither soule only nor body only but consisting of both T' is true the soule is not whole man
Creator But the causes voluntary God Angels Men and diuers other creatures haue often in their wil and power i If we may call that power a will by which the brute beastes flye their owne hurt and desire their good by Natures instinct That there is a will in Angels I doe absolutely affirme be they good whom we call Gods Angells or euill whome we call the diuels Angels fiends or diuels them-selues So men good and bad haue all their wills and hereby it is apparant that the efficient causes of all effects are nothing but the decrees of that nature which is The spirit of life Aire or wind is called a Spirit But because it is a body it is not the spirit of life But the spirit of life that quickneth all things is the Creator of all bodies and all created spirits this is God a spirit from eternity vncreated in his wil there is that height of power which assisteth the wills of the good spirits iudgeth the bad disposeth of al giuing power to whom he pleaseth and holding it from whome he list For as he is a Creator of all natures so is hee of all powers but not the giuer of all wills for wicked wills are not of him beeing against that nature which is of him So the bodyes are all subiect vnto diuers wills some to our owne wills that is the wills rather of men then of beasts som to the Angels but all to the will of God vnto whom al wills are subiect because they haue no power but what hee giueth them The cause then that maketh all and is not made it selfe is God The other causes do both effect and are effected such are all created spirits chiefly the reasonable ones The corporal causes which are rather effects then otherwise are not to be counted as efficient causes because they came but to do that which the will of the spirit within them doth inioine thē how then can that set order of causes in Gods foreknowledge depriue our wils of power seeing they bear such a sway amongst the very causes them-selues But k let Cicero rangle his fellowes that say this order is fatall or rather fate it selfe which we abhor because of the word chieflly being vsed in a false beliefe but wheras he denieth that God knoweth assuredly the set order of those causes we detest his assertion worse then the Stoiks do for he either denieth God which he indeuoreth vnder a false person in his bookes De n◅t de Or if he do acknowledge him yet in denying him this fore-knowledge he saith but as the foole said in his heart There is no God for if God want the praescience of all future euents hee is not God And therefore l our wills are of as much power as God would haue them and knew before that they should be and the power that they haue is theirs free to do what they shall do truly and freely because he fore-knew that they should haue this power and do these acts whose fore-knowledge cannot be deceiued wherefore if I list to vse the m word fate in any thing I would rather say that it belonged to the weaker and that will belonged to the higher who hath the other in his power rather then grant that our liberty of will were taken away by that sette order which the Stoikes after a peculiar phraze of their owne call fate L. VIVES EIther a in God De diuinat lib 2. where in a disputation with his brother Quintus he indeauoureth to ouerthrow diuination for which Q. had stood in the booke before For he saith that There is nothing so contrary to reason and constancy as fortune is so that mee thinkes God him-selfe should haue no fore-knowledge of those casuall euents For if he haue it must come so to passe as he knoweth and then it is not casuall but casuall euents there are and therefore there is no fore-knowledge of them This in the said place and much more pertaining to the explaining of this chapter which it sufficeth vs to haue pointed out b A fate to the Stars They all doe so but some giue fate the originall from them excluding God c Lucilius Balbus In the end of the book thus he concludeth This said we departed Velleius holding Cotta's disputation for the truer and I being rather inclined to Balbus suit d Of him-selfe For in his 2. booke hee speaketh him-selfe and confuteth his brothers assertions for diuination e Stoikes Of this in the next chapter f Vnlesse fate Var. de Ling. lat l. 8. The destinies giue a fortune to the childe at the birth and this is called fate of fari to speake Lucan lib. 9. Non vocibus vllis Numen eget dixitquesem◅l nascentibus auctor Quicquid scire licet The Deities neuer need Much language fate but once no more doth read The fortune of each birth It seemes hee borrowed this out of the Psalme heere cited or out of Iob. chap. 33. v. 14. Hee hath spoke once and hath not repeated it againe Both which places demonstrat the constancy of Gods reuealed knowledge by that his once speaking as the common interpretation is the which followeth in the Psalme these two things c. some refer to them which followeth That power belongeth c. Others to the two testaments The Thargum of the Chaldees commeth neere this later opinion saying God hath spoken one law and wee haue heard it twise out of the mouth of Moyses the great scribe vertue is before our God and thou Lord that thou wouldst be bountifull vnto the iust g For Tullies In his booke de fato following Carneades he setteth down three kinds of causes naturall arising from nature as for a stone to fal downward for the fire to burne Voluntary consisting in the free wills of men wherein it is necessary there be no precedent causes but that they be left free and Casuall which are hidden and vnknown in diuers euents Herein he is of the N◅turalists opinion that will haue nothing come to passe without a cause h Naturall Fire hath no other cause of heate a stone of heauynesse a man of reason procreation of like c. then the will of natures Creator who had hee pleased might haue made the fire coole the stone mount vpwards the man a brute beast or dead or vnable to beget his like i If we may cal Arist de anima l. 3. Putteth will only in reasonable creatures and appetite being that instinct wherby they desire or refuse any thing in beastes Will in creatures of reason is led by reason and accompanied by election or rather is election it selfe k But Cicero With the Stoikes l Our wills are God created our wils free and that because it was his will so they may make choyce of contraries yet cannot go against Gods predestination not questionlesse euer would although they could for sure it is that much might bee done which neuer shal so
should be saued and who should be damned CHAP. 27. BVt now because we must end this booke let this bee our position that in the first man the fore-said two societies or cities had originall yet not euidentlie but vnto Gods prescience for from him were the rest of men to come some to be made fellow cittizens with the Angels in ioy and some with the Deuils in torment by the secret but iust iudgment of God For seeing that it is written All the wayes of the Lord bee mercy and truth his grace can neither bee vniust nor his iustice cruell Finis lib. 12. THE CONTENTS OF THE thirteenth booke of the City of God 1. Of the first Mans fall and the procurement of mortality 2. Of the death that may befall the immortal soule and of the bodies death 3. Whether death propagated vnto all men from the first bee punishment of sinne to the Saints 4. Why the first death is not with-held from the regenerate from sinne by grace 5. As the wicked vse the good law euill so the good vse death which is euill well 6. The generall euill of that death that seuereth soule and body 7. Of the death that such as are not regenerate doe suffer for Christ. 8. That the Saints in suffering the first death for the truth are quit from the second 9. Whether a man at the houre of his death may be said to be among the dead or the dying 10. Whether this mortall life be rather to bee called death then life 11. Whether one may bee liuing and dead both together 12. Of the death that God threatned to punish the first man withall if he transgressed 13. What punishment was first laid on mans preuarication 14. In what state God made Man and into what state he fell by his voluntary choyce 15. That Adam forsooke God ere God forsooke him and that the soules first death was the departure from God 16. Of the Philosophers that held corporall death not to bee penall whereas Plato brings in the Creator promising the lesser Gods that they should neuer leaue their bodies 17. Against the opinion that earthly bodies cannot be corruptible nor eternall 18. Of the terrene bodies which the Philosophers hold cannot bee in heauen but must fall to earth by their naturall weight 19 Against those that hold that Man should not haue beene immortall if hee had not sinned 20. That the bodies of the Saints now resting in hope shall become better then our first fathers was 21. Of the Paradice when our first parents were placed and that it may be taken spiritually also with-out any wrong to the truth of the historie as touching the reall place 22. That the Saints bodies after resurrection shall bee spirituall and yet not changed into spirits 23. Of bodies animate and spirituall these dying in Adam and those beeing quickned in Christ. 24. How Gods breathing a life into Adam and Christs breathing vpon his Apostles when hee said Receiue the holy spirit are to bee vnderstood FINIS THE THIRTEENTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of the first Mans fall and the procurement of mortalitie CHAP. 1. HAuing gotten through the intricate questions of the worlds originall and man-kindes our methode now calleth vs to discourse of the first mans fall nay the first fall of both in that kind and consequently of the originall and propagation of our mortality for God made not man as he did Angels that though they sinned yet could not dye but so as hauing a performed their course in obedience death could not preuent them from partaking for euer of blessed and Angelicall immortality but hauing left this course death should take them into iust damnation as we said in the last booke L. VIVES HAuing a performed Euery man should haue liued a set time vpon earth and then being confirmed in nature by tasting of the tree of life haue beene immortally translated into heauen Here are many questions made first by Augustine and then by Lombard dist 2. What mans estate should haue beene had he not sinned but these are modest and timerous inquirers professing they cannot finde what they seeke But our later coments vpon Lumbard flie directly to affirmatiue positions vpon very coniectures or grounds of nature I heare them reason but I see them grauelled and in darknesse where yet they will not feele before them ere they goe but rush on despight of all break-neck play What man hath now wee all know to our cost what he should haue had it is a question whether Adam knew and what shall we then seeke why should we vse coniectures in a things so transcendent that it seemes miraculous to the heauens as if this must follow natures lawes which would haue amazed nature had it had existence then What light Augustine giues I will take and as my power and duty is explaine the rest I will not meddle with Of the death that may befall the immortall soule and of the bodyes death CHAP. 2. BVt I see I must open this kinde of death a little plainer For mans soule though it be immortall dyeth a kinde of death a It is called immortall because it can neuer leaue to bee liuing and sensitiue and the body is mortall because it may be destitute of life and left quite dead in it selfe But the death of the soule is when God leaueth it the death of the body is when the soule leaueth it so that the death of both is when the soule being left of God leaueth the body And this death is seconded by that which the Scripture calles the b second death This our Sauiour signified when hee said feare him which is able to destroy both body and soule in hell which comming not to passe before the body is ioyned to the soule neuer to be seperated it is strange that the body can be sayd to die by that death which seuereth not the soule from it but torments them both together For that â—…all paine of which wee will speake here-after is fitly called the soules deaâ—… because it liueth not with God but how is it the bodies which liueth with the soule for otherwise it could not feele the corporall paines that expect it after the resurrection is it because all life how-so-euer is good and all paine euill that the body is said to dye wherein the soule is cause of sorrow rather then life Therefore the soule liueth by God when it liueth well for it cannot liue without God working good in it and the body liueth by the soule when the soule liueth in the body whether it liue by God or no. For the wicked haue liâ—…â—…body but none of soule their soules being dead that is forsaken of God lâ—…g power as long as their immortall proper life failes not to afforde them 〈◊〉 but in the last damnation though man bee not insensitiue yet this sence of 〈◊〉 â—…ing neither pleasing nor peacefull but sore and
peace for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation Let the church then say I haue reioyced in thy saluation there is none holy as the Lord is no God like to our GOD for hee is holy and maketh holy iust himselfe and iustifyiâ—… others none is holy besides thee for none is holy but from thee Finally it followeâ—… speake no more presumptuously let not arragance come out of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him are all enterprises establisâ—…d 〈◊〉 none knoweth what he knoweth for he that thinketh himselfe to be some thing seduceth himselfe and is nothing at all This now is against the presumptuous Babilonian enemies vnto Gods Cittie glorying in themselues and not in God as also against the carnall Israelites who as the Apostle saith beeing ignorant of the righteâ—…sse of God that is that which he being onely righteous and iustifying giueth man and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse 〈◊〉 as if they had gotten such themselues and had none of his bestowing 〈◊〉 not themselues vnto the righteousnesse of God but thinking proudly to please 〈◊〉 â—…stice of their owne and none of his who is the God of knowledge and the 〈◊〉 of consciences and the discerner of all mans thoughts which beeing 〈◊〉 â—…eriue not from him So they fell into reprobation And by him saith the 〈◊〉 arè all enterprises established and what are they but the suppression of 〈◊〉 and the aduancement of the humble These are Gods intents as it folâ—… the bow of the mighty hath he broken and guirded the weake with strength 〈◊〉 that is their proud opinions that then could sanctifie themselues withâ—…â—…spirations and they are guirded with strength that say in their hearts 〈◊〉 on mee O Lord for I am weake They that were full are f hired out for 〈◊〉 that is they are made lesser then they were for in their very bread that 〈◊〉 â—…ne words which Israel as then had alone from all the world that saâ—…â—…thing but the tast of earth But the hungry nations that had not the 〈◊〉 â—…ing to those holy words by the New Testament they passed ouer the 〈◊〉 found because they relished an heauenly tast in those holy doctrines 〈◊〉 a sauour of earth And this followeth as the reason for the barren hath 〈◊〉 â—…rth seauen and she that had many children is enfeebled Here is the whole 〈◊〉 opened to such as knowe the number of the Iewes what it is to wit â—…ber of the churches perfection and therefore Iohn the Apostle writeth 〈◊〉 seauen churches implying in that the fulnesse of one onely and so it 〈◊〉 â—…uely spoken in Salomon Wisdome hath built her an house and hewen out 〈◊〉 pillers For the Citty of God was barren in all the nations vntill shee 〈◊〉 that fruite whereby now we see her a fruitfull mother and the earthly 〈◊〉 that had so many sonnes wee now behold to bee weake and enfeebled 〈◊〉 the free-womans sonnes were her vertues but now seeing shee hath 〈◊〉 â—…nely without the spirit shee hath lost her vertue and is become 〈◊〉 â—…e Lord killeth and the Lord quickneth hee killeth her that had so many 〈◊〉 quickneth her wombe was dead before and hath made her bring 〈◊〉 although properly his quickning be to be implied vpon those whom 〈◊〉 â—…d for she doth as it were repeate it saying hee bringeth downe to the 〈◊〉 raiseth vp for they vnâ—…o whom the Apostle saith If yee bee dead with 〈◊〉 the things that are aboue where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God 〈◊〉 â—…to saluation by the LORD vnto which purpose he addeth Set your 〈◊〉 vpon things aboue and not on things that are on the earth For you 〈◊〉 â—…oth hee behold here how healthfull the Lord killeth and then followâ—… â—…our life is hid with Christ in God Behold here how God quickneth I 〈◊〉 bring them to the graue and backe againe Yes without doubt all 〈◊〉 faithfull see that fulfilled in our head with whom our life is hidde in 〈◊〉 â—…e that spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all hee killed 〈◊〉 manner and in raysing him from death hee quickned him againe 〈◊〉 we heare him say in the psalme thou shalt not leaue my soule in the 〈◊〉 â—…ore he brought him vnto the graue and backe againe By his pouerty 〈◊〉 â—…ched for the Lord maketh poore and enritcheth that is nothing else 〈◊〉 humbleth and exalteth humbling the proud and exalting the 〈◊〉 â—…or that same place God resisteth the proud and giueth grace vnto the 〈◊〉 the text wherevpon all this prophetesses words haue dependance 〈◊〉 â—…hich followeth He raiseth the poore out of the dust and lifteth the begâ—… dunghill is the fittliest vnderstood of him who became poore for vs whereas he was ritch by his pouerty as I said to enritch vs. For he raised him from the earth so soone that his flesh saw no corruption nor is this sequence And lifteth the begger from the dunghill meant of any but him g for the begger and the poore is all one the dunghill whence hee was lifted is the persecuting route of Iewes amongst whom the Apostle had beene one but afterwards as he saith that which was aduantage vnto mee I held losse for Christs sake nay not oneâ—… losse but I iudge them all dunge that I might winne Christ. Thus then was this poore man raised aboue all the ritch men of the earth and this begger was lifted vp from the dunghill to sit with the Princes of the people to whom hee saith You shall sit on twelue thrones c. and to make them inherite the seat of glory for those mighty ones had said Behold we haue left all and followed thee this vowe had those mighties vowed But whence had they this vow but from him that giueth vowes vnto those that vow otherwise they should bee of those mighties whose bow he hath broken That giueth vowes saith she vnto them that vow For none can vow any set thing vnto God but hee must haue it from God it followeth and blesseth the yeares of the iust that is that they shal be with him eternally vnto whom it is written thy yeares shall neuer faile for that they are fixed but here they either passe or perish for they are gone ere they come bringing still their end with them But of these two hee giueth vowes to those that vow and blesseth the yeares of the iust the one wee performe and the other wee receiue but this alwaies by Gods giuing wee receiue nor can wee doe the other without Gods helpe because in his owne might shall no man be stronge The Lord shall weaken his aduersaries namely such as resist and enuy his seruants in fulfilling their vowes h The greeke may also signifie his owne aduersaries for hee that is our aduersary when we are Gods children is his aduersarie also and is ouercome by vs but not by our strength for in his owne might shall no man bee stronge The LORD the holy
Father inherite you the kingdome prepared for you for if there were not another reigning of Christ with the Saints in another place whereof him-selfe saith I am with you alway vnto the end of the world the Church now vpon earth should not bee called his kingdome or the kingdome of heauen for the Scribe that was taught vnto the kingdome of God liued in this thousand yeares And the Reapers shall take the tares out of the Church which grew vntill haruest together with the good corne which Parable he expoundeth saying The â—…est is the end of the world and the reapers are the Angels as then the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the end of the world The sonne of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all things that offend What doth hee speake heare of that kingdome where there is no offence No but of the Church that is heere below Hee saith further Who-so-euer shall breake one of these least commandements and teach men so hee shall bee called the least in the kingdome of heauen but who-so-euer shall obserue and teach them the same shall bee called great in the kingdome of heauen Thus both these are done in the kingdome of heauen both the breach of the commandements and the keeping of them â—…hen hee proceedeth Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees that is of such as breake what they teach and as Christ 〈◊〉 else-where of them Say well but doe nothing vnlesse you exceed these that is â—…th teach and obserue you shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen Now the kingdome where the keeper of the commandements and the contemner were 〈◊〉 said to be is one and the kingdome into which he that saith and doth not shal not enter is another So then where both sorts are the church is that now is but where the better sort is only the church is as it shal be here-after vtterly exempt from euill So that the church now on earth is both the kingdom of Christ and the kingdome of heauen The Saints reigne with him now but not as they shall doe here-after yet the tares reigne hot with them though they grow in the Church â—…ngst the good seed They reigne with him who do as the Apostle saith If yee 〈◊〉 be risen with Christ seeke the things which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the 〈◊〉 â—…d of God Set your affections on things which are aboue and not on things 〈◊〉 are on earth of whome also hee saith that their conuersation is in heauen â—…ly they reigne with Christ who are with all his kingdom where he reigneth 〈◊〉 how do they reigne with him at all who continuing below vntill the worlds 〈◊〉 vntill his kingdome be purged of all the tares do neuer-the-lesse seeke their 〈◊〉 pleasures and not their redeemers This booke therefore of Iohnsâ—…th â—…th of this kingdome of malice wherein there are daily conflicts with the â—…my some-times with victory and some-times with foyle vntill the time of that most peaceable kingdome approach where no enemy shall euer shew his 〈◊〉 this and the first resurrection are the subiect of the Apostles Reuelation For hauing sayd that the deuill was bound for a thousand yeares and then was to bee loosed for a while hee recapitulateth the gifts of the Church during the sayd thousand yeares And I saw seates saith he and they sat vpon them and iudgement was giuen vnto them This may not bee vnderstood of the last iudgement but by the seales are 〈◊〉 the rulers places of the Church and the persons them-selues by whom it is gouerned and for the Iudgement giuen them it cannot be better explaned then in these words what-so-euer yee binde on earth shall be bound in heauen and what-so-euer yee loose on earth shall bee loosed in heauen Therefore saith Saint Paul 〈◊〉 haue I to doe to iudge them also that bee without doe not yee iudge them that 〈◊〉 within On. And I saw the soules of them which were slaine for the witnesse of Iesus 〈◊〉 for the word of God vnderstand that which followeth they raigned with Christ a 〈◊〉 yeares These were the martires soules hauing not their bodies as yet for 〈◊〉 soules of the Godly are not excluded from the Church which as it is now is 〈◊〉 kingdome of God Otherwise she shold not mention them nor celebrate their â—…ories at our communions of the body and bloud of Christ nor were it necessary 〈◊〉 â—…in our perills to run vnto his Baptisme or to be afraid to dy without it nor to seeke reconciliation to his church if a man haue incurred any thing that exacteth repentance or burdeneth his conscience Why doe we those things but that euen such as are dead in the faith are members of Gods Church Yet are they not with their bodies and yet neuer-the-lesse their soules reigne with Christ the whole space of this thousand yeares And therefore wee reade else-where in the same booke Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord Euen so saith the spirit for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them Thus then the Church raigneth with Christ first in the quick and the dead for Christ as the Apostle saith that hee might thence-forth rule both ouer the quick and the dead But the Apostle heere nameth the soules of the martyrs onely because their kingdome is most glorious after death as hauing fought for the truth vntill death But this is but a taking of the part for the whole for wee take this place to include all the dead that belong to Chrsts kingdome which is the Church But the sequell And which did not worship the beast neither his Image neither had taken his marke vpon their fore-heads or on their hands this is meant both of the quick and dead Now although wee must make a more exact inquiry what this beast was yet is it not against Christianity to interpret it the society of the wicked opposed against the com pany of Gods seruants and against his holy Citty Now his image that is his dissimulation in such as professe religion and practise infidelity They faigne to bee what they are not and their shew not their truth procureth them the name of Christians For this Beast consisteth not onely of the professed enemies of Christ and his glorious Hierarchy but of the tares also that in the worlds end are to be gathered out of the very fields of his owne Church And who are they that adore not the beast but those of whome Saint Pauls aduise taketh effect Bee not vnequally yoaked with the Infidells These giue him no adoration no consent no obedience nor take his marke that is the brand of their owne sinne vpon their fore-heads by professing it or on their hands by working according to it They that are cleare of this be they liuing or be they dead they reigne with Christ
all this whole time from the vnion vnto him to the end of the time implyed in the thousand yeares The rest saith Saint Iohn shall not liue for now is the houre when the dead shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God and they that he are it shall liue the rest shall not liue but the addition vntill the thousand yeares be finished implieth that they shall want life all the time that they should haue it in attayning it by passing through faith from death to life And therefore on the day of the generall resurrection they shall rise also not vnto life but vnto iudgement that is vnto condemnation which is truly called the second death for hee that liueth not before the thousand yeares be expired that is he that heareth not the Sauiours voyce and passeth not from death to life during the time of the first resurrection assuredly shall be throwne both body and soule into the second death at the day of the second resurrection For Saint Iohn proceedeth plainly This saith hee is the first resurrection Blessed and holy is hee that hath part in the first resurrection and part of it is his who doth not onely arise from death in sinne but continueth firme in his resurrection On such saith he the second death hath no power But it hath power ouer the rest of whome hee sayd before The rest shall not liue vntill the thousand yeares bee finished because that in all that whole time meant by the thousand yeares although that each of them had a bodily life at one time or other yet they spent it and ended it with-out arising out of the death of iniquitie wherein the deuill held them which resurrection should haue beene their onely meane to haue purchased them a part in the first resurrection ouer which the second death hath no power An answer to the obiection of some affirming that resurrection is proper to the body onely and not to the soule CHAP. 10. SOme obiect this that resurrection pertaineth onely to the body and therefore the first resurrection is a bodily one for that which falleth say they that may rise againe but the body falleth by death for so is the word Cadauer a carcasse deriued of Cado to fall Ergo rising againe belongeth soly to the body and not vnto the soule Well but what will you answer the Apostle that in as plaine terms as may be he calleth the soules bettring a resurrection they were not reuiued in the outward man but in the inward vnto whom he said If yee then be risen with Christ seeke the things which are aboue which he explaineth else-where saying Like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glory of the father so wee also should walke in newnesse of life Hence also is that place Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall giue thee light Now whereas they say none can rise but those that fall ergo the body onely can arise why can they not heare that shrill sound of the spirit Depart not from him least you fall and againe Hâ—… standeth or falleth to his owne maister and further Let him that thinketh hee sâ—…eth take heed least hee fall I thinke these places meane not of bodily falls but 〈◊〉 the soules If then resurrection concerne them that fall and that the soule â—…y also fall it must needs follow that the soule may rise againe Now Saint 〈◊〉 hauing said On such the second death shall haue no power proceedeth thus But 〈◊〉 shall bee the Priests of God and of Christ and shall reigne with him a thousand â—…es Now this is not meant onely of those whome the Church peculiarly calleth Bishops and Priests but as wee are all called Christians because of our mysticall Chrisme our vnction so are wee all Priests in being the members of â—…e Priest Where-vpon Saint Peter calleth vs A royall Priest-hood an holy nation And marke how briefly Saint Iohn insinuateth the deity a of Christ in these words of God and of Christ that is of the Father and of the Sonne yet as hee was made the sonne of man because of his seruants shape so in the same respect was he made a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech whereof wee haue spoken diuerse times in this worke L. VIVES DEity a of Christ For it were a damnable and blasphemous iniury to God to suffer any one to haue Priests but him alone the very Gentiles would by no meanes allowe it 〈◊〉 Philippic 2. Of Gog and Magog whom the Deuill at the worlds end shall stirre vp against the Church of God CHAP. 11. ANd when the thousand yeares saith hee are expired Sathan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall goe out to deceiue the people which are in the foure quarters of the earth euen God and Magog to gather them together into Battell whose number is as the sand of the sea So then the ayme of his decept shal be this warre for he vsed diuers waies to seduce before and all tended to euill He shall leaue the dennes of his hate and burst out into open persecution This shal be the last persecution hard before the last iudgement and the Church shall suffer it all the earth ouer the whole citty of the Diuell shall afflict the Citty of God at these times in all places This Gog and this Magog are not to bee taken for a any particular Barbarous nations nor for the Getes and Messagetes because of their litterall affinity nor for any other Countryes beyond the Romaines iurisdiction hee meaneth all the earth when hee saith The people which are in the foure quarters of the Earth and then addeth that they are Gog and Magog b Gog is an house and Magog of an house as if hee had sayd the house and hee that commeth of the house So that they are the nations wherein the Deuill was bound before and now that he is loosed cometh from thence they being as the house and hee as comming out of the house But wee referre both these names vnto the nations and neither vnto him they are both the house because the old enemy is hid and housed in them and they are of the house when out of secret hate they burst into open violence Now where as hee sayth They went vp into the plaine of the Earth and compassed the tents of the Saints about and the beloued City wee must not thinke they came to any one set place as if the Saints tents were in any one certaine nation or the beloued Citty either no this Citty is nothing but Gods Church dispersed throughout the whole earth and being resident in all places and amongst all nations as them words the plaine of the Earth do insinuate there shall the tents of the Saints stand there shall the beloued Ctty stand There shall the fury of the presecuting enemy guirt them in with multitudes of all nations vnited in one rage of
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
Surgeons b Anotamists they call them haue often cut vp dead men and liue men sometimes to learne the posture of mans inward parts and which way to make incisions and to effect their cures yet those members whereof I speake and whereof the c harmony and proportion of mans whole body doth consist no man could euer finde or durst euer vndertake to enquire which if they could bee knowne we should finde more reason and pleasing contemplation in the forming of the interior parts then wee can obserue or collect from those that lye open to the eye There are some parts of the body that concerne decorum onely and are of no vse such are the pappes on the brests of men and the beard which is no strengthning but an ornament to the face as the naked chins of women which being weaker were other-wise to haue this strengthning also do plainly declare Now if there be no exterior part of man that is vse-full which is not also comely and if there bee also parts in man that are comely and not vse-full then GOD in the framing of mans body had a greater respect of dignity then of necessity For necessity shall cease the time shall come when wee shall doe nothing but enioy our lustlesse beauties for which we must especially glorifie him to whom the Psalme saith Thou hast put on praise and comlinesse And then for the beauty and vse of other creatures which God hath set before the eyes of man though as yet miserable and amongst miseries what man is able to recount them the vniuersall gracefulnesse of the heauens the earth and the sea the brightnesse of the light in the Sunne Moone and Starres the shades of the woods the colours and smells of flowres the numbers of birds and their varied hewes and songs the many formes of beasts and fishes whereof the least are the rarest for the fabrike of the Bee or Pismier is more admired then the Whales and the strange alterations in the colour of the sea as beeing in seuerall garments now one greene then another now blew and then purple How pleasing a sight sometimes it is to see it rough and how more pleasing when it is calme And O what a hand is that that giueth so many meates to asswage hunger so many tastes to those meates with-out helpe of Cooke and so many medecinall powers to those tastes How delightfull is the dayes reciprocation with the night the temperatenesse of the ayre and the workes of nature in the barkes of trees and skinnes of beasts O who can draw the perticulars How tedious should I be in euery peculiar of these few that I haue heere as it were heaped together if I should stand vpon them one by one Yet are all these but solaces of mans miseries no way pertinent to his glories What are they then that his blisse shall giue him if that his misery haue such blessings as these What will GOD giue them whome hee hath predestinated vnto life hauing giuen such great things euen to them whome hee hath predestinated vnto death What will hee giue them in his kingdome for whome hee sent his onely sonne to suffer all iniuries euen to death vpon earth Wherevpon Saint Paul sayth vnto them Hee who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all vnto death how shall hee not with Him giue vs all things also When this promise is fulfilled O what shall wee bee then How glorious shall the soule of man bee with-out all staine and sinne that can either subdue or oppose it or against which it need to contend perfect in all vertue and enthroned in all perfection of peace How great how delightfull how true shall our knowledge of all things be there with-out all error with-out all labour where wee shall drinke at the spring head of GODS sapience with-out all difficulty and in all felicity How perfect shall our bodies bee beeing wholy subiect vnto their spirits and there-by sufficiently quickned and nourished with-out any other sustenance for they shall now bee no more naturall but spirituall they shall haue the substance of â—…sh quite exempt from all fleshly corruption L. VIVES PArtly a necessary Such as husbandry the Arte of Spinning weauing and such as man cannot liue without b Anatomists that is cutters vp of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a section incision or cutting c Harmony The congruence connexion and concurrence of any thing may be called so it commeth of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to adapt or compose a thing proportionably Of the obstinacie of some few in denying the resurrection which the whole world beleeueth as it was fore-told CHAP. 25. BVT as touching the goods of the minde which the blessed shall enioy after this life the Philosophers and wee are both of one minde Our difference is concerning the resurrection which they deny with all the power they haue but the increase of the beleeuers hath left vs but a few opposers CHRIST that disprooued the obstinate euen in his proper body gathering all vnto his faith learned and vnlearned wise and simple The world beleeued GODS promise in this who promised also that it should beleeue this It was a not Peters magick that wrought it but it was that GOD of whome as I haue said often and as Porphyry confesseth from their owne Oracles all their Gods doe stand in awe and dread Porphyry calles him GOD the Father and King of GODS But GOD forbid that wee should beleeue his promises as they doe that will not beleeue what hee had promised that the world should beleeue For why should wee not rather beleeue as the world doth and as it was prophecied it should and leaue them to their owne idle talke that will not beleeue this that the world was promised to beleeue for if they say wee must take it in another sence because they will not doe that GOD whome they haue commended so much iniury as to say his Scriptures are idle things Yet surely they iniure him as much or more in saying they must bee vnderstood other-wise then the world vnderstandeth them which is as GOD both promised and performed Why cannot GOD raise the flesh vnto eternall life Is it a worke vnworthy of God Touching his omnipotencie whereby hee worketh so many wonders I haue sayd enough already If they would shew mee a thing which hee cannot doe I will tell them hee cannot lye Let vs therefore beleeue onely what hee can doe and not beleeue what hee cannot If they doe not then beleeue that hee can lye let them beleeue that hee will doe what hee promiseth And let them beleeue as the world beleeues which hee promised should beleeue and whose beleefe hee both produced and praised And how prooue they the worke of the resurrection any way vnworthy of GOD There shall be no corruption there-in and that is all the euill that can be-fall the body Of the elementary orders wee haue spoken already as also of the possibility of the swift motion
Manichees VVherefore setting aside these dotages when we read this precept Thou shalt not kill If wee hold it not to bee meant of fruites or trees because they are not sensitiue nor of vnreasonable creatures either going flying swimming or creeping because they haue no society with vs in reason which God the Creator hath not made common both to them and vs and therefore by his iust ordinance their deaths and liues are both most seruiceable and vse-full vnto vs then it followes necessarily that thou shalt not kil is meant only ofmen Thou shalt not kill namely Neither thy self or another For he that kils him-selfe kils no other but a man L. VIVES TO haue a sence Aristotle saith that plants are animate and liuing creatures but yet not sensitiue But Plato being of Empedocles his opinion holds them both liuing and sensitiue Either may be they may die because they do liue howsoeuer Of some sort of killing men which notwithstanding are no murthers CHAP. 20. Indeed the authority of the law diuine hath sette downe some exceptions wherein it is lawfull to kill a man But excepting those whome God commaundes to bee slayne either by his expresse law or by some particular commaund vnto any person by any temporall occasion and hee committeth not homicide that owes his seruice vnto him that commaundeth him beeing but as the sword is a helpe to him that vseth it And therefore those men do not breake the commandement which forbiddeth killing who doe make warre by the authority of a Gods commaund or beeing in some place of publike magistracie do putte to death malefactors according to their lawes that is according to the rule of iustice and reason Abraham was not onely freed from beeing blamed as a murtherer but he was also commended as a godly man in that hee would haue killed his sonne Isaack not in wickednesse but in obedience And it is a doubtfull question whether it bee to bee held as a command from God that b Iepthe killed his daughter that met him in his returne seeing that he had vowed to sacrifice the first liuing thing that came out of his house to meete him when hee returned conqueror from the warres c Nor could Sampson be excused pulling downe the house vpon him-selfe and his enemies but that the spirit within him which wrought miracles by him did prompt him vnto this act Those therfore beeing excepted which either the iustice of the law or the fountaine of all iustice Gods particular commaund would haue killed he that killeth either himself or any other incurreth the guilt of a homicide L. VIVES AVthority a of Gods command As the Iewes did they waged warres but it was by Gods expresse command But if they were counted godly that to please God though against natural humanitie afflicted his enemies with war and slaughter truly then cannot we butbe held the most vngodly of the world that butcher vp so many thousand Christians against the expresse will of God b Iepthe Iudges the 11. Chapt. Verse 31. Whose fact was like that which the Tragedians write of Agamemnon who sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia vnto Diana at Aulis Many reproue this sacrifice of Iephte for his vowe was to bee interpreted as ment of those things which were accustomed to be offred with Gods good pleasure and so was that of Agamemnons to haue bene construed also c Nor could Sampson Iudges the 16. chapter and the 30. verse That voluntary death can neuer be any signe of magnanimity or greatnes of spirit CHAP 21. WHo soeuer haue committed this homicide vppon them-selues may perhaps bee commended of some for their greatnesse of spirit but neuer for their soundnesse of iudgement But indeed if you looke a little deeper into the matter it cannot bee rightly termed magnanimitie when a man beeing vnable to indure either casuall miseries or others oppressions to auoid them destroyeth him-selfe For that minde discouereth it selfe to bee of the greatest infirmitie that can neither indure hard bondage in his bodie or the fond opinion of the vulgar and worthily is that spirit entitled great that can rather indure calamities then auoyde them And in respect of their owne purity and inlightned conscience can sette at naught the triuiall censures of mortall men a which are most commonly enclowded in a mist of ignorance and errour If wee shall thinke it a part of magnanimity to putte a mans selfe to death then is b Cleombrotus most worthie of this magnanimous title who hauing read Platoes booke of the immortality of the soule cast himself headlong from the toppe of a wall and so leauing this life went vnto another which hee beleeued was better For neither calamity nor guiltinesse either true or false vrged him to avoide it by destroying himselfe but his great spirit alone was sufficient to make him catch at his death and breake all the pleasing fetters of this life Which deed notwithstanding that it was rather great then good Plato himselfe whom he read might haue assured him who be sure would haue done it or taught it himselfe if he had not discerned by the same instinct whereby he discerned the soules eternity that this was at no hand to bee practised but rather vtterly c prohibited L. VIVES VVHich a Are indeed The ancient wise men were euer wont to call the people the great Maister of Error b Cleombrotus This was the Ambraciot who hauing read Plato's dialogue called Phaedo of the immortality of the soule that hee might leaue this life which is but as a death and passe vnto immortality threw himselfe ouer a wall into the sea without any other cause in the world Of him did Callimachus make an epigrame in Greeke and in Latine I haue seene it thus Vita vale muro praeceps delapsus ab alto Dixisti moriens Ambraciota puer Nullum in morte malum credens sed scripta Platonis Non ita erant animo percipienda tuo When Cleombrotus from the turret threw Himselfe to death he cried new life adue Holding death hurtlesse But graue Plato's sense He should haue read with no such reference There was also another Cleombrotus King of Lacedaemon whom Epaminondas the Thebane ouercame c Rather vtterly prohibited For in the beginning of his Phaedo hee saith it is wickednesse for a man to kill himselfe and that God is angred at such a fact like the maister of a family when any of his slaues haue killed themselues and in many other places he saith that without Gods command no man ought to leaue this life For here we are all as in a set front of battell euery one placed as God our Emperor and Generall pleaseth to appoint vs and greater is his punishment that forsaketh his life then his that forsaketh his colours Of Cato who killed himselfe being not able to endure Caesars victory CHAP. 22. BVt many haue killed themselues for feare to fal into the hands of their foes We dispute not here de facto whether
n terror to the Romaines whole estate and boded misfortune vnto those her powers that came against it L. VIVES SCipio a that protector P. Cornelius Scipio African who passing ouer into Africke fetched Hanniball out of Italy sixteene yeares after his first entrie ouer-threw him in â—…frick chased him thence and gaue end to this most dangerous warre b Religiousnesse Liu. lib. â—…6 Besides from the time that he tooke on his gowne of man-slate hee would neuer meddle in any matter publike or priuate before he had beene in the temple in the Capitoll and had meditated there awhile alone This he vsed all his life time c Accusations Liu. lib. 38. Plut. in his life d Linternum It is in Campania called now Torre della Patria e Gaue charge Liuie reciteth diuerse opinions of the place of his death For it is vncertaine whether he died at Rome or no. f Afterwards Liu. lib. 39. The Gallo-grecians were a people of the lesser Asia called in Greeke Galatae of the Galles that went thether vnder Brenne and inhabited there g Luxurie of Asâ—… the lesser whereof hereafter h Voconian preferred by Q. Voconius Saxa tribune Approoued by Cato the elder a little before Perseus warre Liu. lib. 41. where Volumnius is read for Uoconius i Onely daughter Though he had no other children but her k League of Numance Hostilius Mancinus Consull with an armie of 30000. was ouer-throwne by the Numantines being but 4000. and forced to make a shamefull peace with them l Chickins flew The Romaines in their warres vsed to carry chickens about with them in Cages and he that kept them was called Pullarius the chickin-keeper If they fead greedily it was a good signe if so greedily that part of their victuales fell to the earth it was the best of all For that was called Tripudium Solistimum and once it was called Terripanium à pauiendo of striking the earth in the fall of it And Solistimum of Solum the ground For thus it was written in the Augurs bookes that if any of the Chickens meate fell from them it was Tripudium But an vnluckly signe it was if they fedde not as happened to P. Claudius Caecus his sonne But a worse if they flew out of their cages The Sooth-sayers as Festus saith obserued the signes of fiue seuerall things the heauens birds these Tripudia beasts and curses m Little citty Without walles or Fortes keeping but an armie of 4000. men The warre began because they receiued the Sedigenses people that the Romaines hated and had ouer-throwne into their cittie and houses n Terror Cicero calles Carthage and Numance the two terrors of the Romaine Empire Pro Muraena Of the Edict of Mithridates commanding euery Romaine that was to be found in Asia to be put to death CHAP. 22. BVt as I said these shall passe marry not that of Mithridates a King of Asia who gaue direct command that what euer Romaine was to bee found traffiquing or trauelling any where in al Asia vpon one certaine day he should be immediately slaine and it was effected How dolorous a sight was this to see men slaine in such numbers wheresoeuer they were taken in field way towne house streete court temple bed or table or wheresoeuer so suddenly and so wickedly what sorrowes would possesse the standers by and perhaps the very doers of the deeds themselues to heare the sad grones of the dying men vnto what extremity were the hosts of lodgings brought now when they must not onely behold those murders committed in their houses but euen helpe to performe them themselues To turne so suddenly from gentle humanity vnto barbarous cruelty to do the act of an enemy in peace and that on his friend enterchanging indeed wounds with the murthered the murthered being striken in the body the murtherer in the mind did al these that were thus slaine neglect Auguries Had they no gods publike nor priuat to aske counsell of ere they betooke them vnto this trauell from whence they were neuer to returne If this bee true then haue they of our times no cause to complaine of vs for the neglect of those things the Romaines of ould contemned them as vanities But if they did not but vsed to aske counsell of them then tell me I pray to what end was it when other mens powers fell so heauy vpon these wretches without all prohibition or meanes to avoyd them L. VIVES MIthridates a King The first Mithridates was of the bloud of the seauen Persians that tooke the kingdome from the Magi. Antigonus King of Syria was his foe and chaced him into Cappadocia where he was afterwards King and so left his crowne to his sonne he to his and so downe to the sixt of his descent the sixt was the Mithridates that warred with the Romaines a man of a strong body and of as stout a spirit he guyded sixe horses in his chariot he spake two and twenty seuerall languages and was surnamed the great First hee was friend to Rome for hee sent Crassus ayde against Aristonicus but by reason of the warre hee had with Nicomedes King of Bythynia he fell from affecting the Romaines inuaded the Romaine Prouinces in Phrigia expelled the legate Aquilius and soone after imprisoned both him and Q. Oppius viceconsuls together and sent his letters forth through out all Asia that vpon one set day what euer Romaine were resident in all his dominions should be forthwith slaine without all respect of dignity age sexe or place that hee should fly into And it was done as he commaunded Of the more priuat and interior mischieues that Rome endured which were presaged by that prodigious madnesse of all the creatures that serued the vse of man CHAP. 23. BVt now let vs do what we can to recite those euills which the more domestique they were to Rome the more miserable they made it I meane the ciuill or rather vnciuill discordes being now no more seditions but plaine warres and those in the very bowells of the Citty wherein so much bloud was spilt where the Senators powers were now no more bent to altercations a and wranglings but directly to armes and weapons O what riuers of Romaines bloud flowed from the Sociall Seruile and Ciuill warres how sore a wast fell vpon the brest of all Italy from hence For before that b Latium being associate and confederate with the rest arose against Rome c all the creatures that were vse-full vnto Man dogges horses asses oxen and all others besides that serued humane occasions growing suddenly starke mad and losing all their meeknesse runne wild out of the townes into the deserts fieldes and forrests flying the company not onely of all others but euen of their owne maisters and endangering any man that offered to come neare them What d a prodigious signe was heare but if this being so great a mischiefe of it selfe were but the presage of another what a mischiefe must that be then that was
〈◊〉 O â—…en say they it is a hard controuersie and so leaue it neuer looking nor if they woâ—…ld could they discerne whose cause is better defended because they doe not vnderstand it 〈◊〉 euen as Augustine saith here Uanity hauing more words then veritie those fooles ofteâ—…â—…on that side that kept the most coyle c O wretched Tusc. l. 5. speaking of Cinâ—… Is 〈◊〉 â—…appy that slew those men no I rather thinke him wretched not onely for dooing it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ied himselfe so to gette the licence to doe it Though to offend is vnlawfull and liâ—…â—…o man wee abuse the world for that is lawfull which each mans good hath left 〈◊〉 â—…o performe or follow Finis lib. 5. THE CONTENTS OF THE sixt booke of the City of God 1. Of those that affirme they do worship these Gods for eternall life and not for temporall respects 2. What may be thought of Varroes opinion of the gods who dealeth so with them in his discouery of them and their ceremonies that with more reuerence vnto them he might haue held his peace 3. The diuision of Varroes bookes which 〈◊〉 stileth The Antiquities of Diuine Humaine affaires 4. That by Varroes disputations the affaires of those men that worshipped the gods are of far more antiquitie then those of the Gods themselues 5. Of Varroes three kinds of Diuinity Fabulous Naturall and Politique 6. Of the Fabulous and Politique Diuinity against Varro 7. The coherence and similitude between the fabulous Diuinitie and the ciuill 8. Of the naturall interpretations which the Paynim Doctors pretend for their Gods 9. Of the offices of each peculiar God 10. Of Senecaes freer reprehension of the ciuill Theology then Varroes was of the Fabulous 11. Senecaes opinion of the Iewes 12. That it is plaine by this discouery of the Pagan Gods vanity that they cannot giue eternall life hauing no power to helpe in the temporall FINIS THE SIXTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of those that affirme they do worship these gods for eternall life and not for temporall respects CHAP. 1. IN the fiue precedent bookes I thinke they be sufficiently confounded that hold that worship iustly giuen vnto these false gods which is peculiar onely to one true GOD and in greeke is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that this worshippe ought to bee offered vnto them for temporall commodities all which Gods Christianity conuinceth either to bee friuilous and vnprofitable Images and damned spirits or at least and at best no Creators but Creatures But who knoweth not that neither those fiue bookes nor all that a man could make would stay and satisfie excesse of obstinacy for it is some mens glory vaine indeed neuer to yeeld to the truth but oppose it to their owne perdition in whose bosomes sinne hath so large an Empire for their disease exceedth all cure not through the Phisitians want of skill but the patients impatient frowardnesse But as for such as read the sayd bookes without any obstinate intent or with little and ponder the things they reade in an vnpartiall discretion those shall approue that our labour in their satisfaction hath rather performed more then the question required then otherwise and that all the malice wherein they â—…ke Christianity the cause of all the afflictions falling vpon this transitory world the best learned of them dissembling their knowledge against their oâ—…â—…sciences is not onely voide of all reason and honesty but frought 〈◊〉 rashnesse and pernicious impudence Now therefore as our method 〈◊〉 are they to bee dealt withall that make eternity the end of this erroniâ—… worship which Christian religion so reiecteth let vs take our beginning from the holy and oraculous Psalmist that saith a Blessed is the man that maketh the â—…rd his trust and regardeth not the proude nor such as turne aside to lies But of al such as doe goe astray in those errors the Philosophers are least falty that could neuer abide the fond opinions of the vulgar who made their gods images fabled diuers things of them most false and vnworthy the Deities or els beleeued them from the reports of others and from that beleefe intruded them into the ceremonies and made them parts of their worships Wherefore with such as b though they durst not openly yet secretly disliked those things this question may beâ—…lty disputed of Whether it bee fit to worship one God the maker of al bodies and spirits for the life to come or many gods c beeing all by their best Philosophers confessions both created and aduanced But who can endure to heare it said that the gods which I reckned vp in part in the 4. booke and haue peculiar charges can giue one life eternall And those sharpe witted men that 〈◊〉 of the good they doe by writing of these things in instructing the people what to intreate at each of their hands would they commit such a grosse absurdity as that which the Mimickes doe in ieast asking water of Bacchus and 〈◊〉 of the Nymphes As thus would they teach a man that praied unâ—… the Nymphes for wine if they answered him wee haue no wine goe to â—…hus for that Then to replie if you haue no wine I praie you then giue mee life eternall what grosser foolery could there bee then this would not the Nymphes fall a laughing for they are d prone to laughter when they do not affect deceite as the deuills vse to do and say to him why fond man dost thou thinke we haue life eternall at command that haue not a cuppe of wine at command as thou hearest Such fruitlesse absurdity should it bee to aske eternall life or hope for it of such Gods as are so bound to peculiar charges in things respecting this fraile and transitory life that it were like mymicall scurrility to demaund any thing of any one of them which resteth vnder the disposing of another Which when the Mimikes doe men doe very worthily laugh at them in the Theater and when ignorant fooles doe it they are farre more worthyly derided in the world Wherefore the peculiar positions that wee ought to make vnto euery god by the gouernours of cities their learned men haue compiled and left vnto memory which must bee made to Bacchus which to the Nymphes Vulcan c. part whereof I recited in the fourth booke and part I willingly omitted Now then if it bee an error to aske wine of Ceres bread of Bacchus water of Vulcan and sire of the Nymphes how much more were it an error to aske life eternall of any one of them wherefore if that in our disputation about the earthly Kingdomes and in whose powre they should bee wee shewed that it was directly false to beleeue that they consisted in the powre of any one of those imaginary gods were it not outragious madnesse then to beleeue that the life eternall with which the Kingdomes of the earth are no way worthy to be
altogether execrable or els the gods were showne by them to bee none but men departed whome worm-eaten antiquity perswaded the world to bee gods whereas they were deuills that delighted in those obscaene mynisteries and vnder their names whom the people held diuine got place to play their impostures and by illusiue miracles to captiuate all their soules But it was by gods eternall secret prouidence that they were permitted to confesse all to Nâ—…a who by his Hydromancy was become their friend and yet not to warne him rather to burne them at his death then to bury them for they could neither withstand the plough that found them nor Varro's penne that vnto all memory hath recorded them For the deuills cannot exceed their direct permission which GOD alloweth them for their merits that vnto his iustice seeme either worthy to be onely afflicted or wholy seduced by them But the horrible danger of these bookes and their distance from true diuinity may by this bee gathered that the senate chose rather to burne them that Numa had but hidden then e to feare what hee feared that durst not burne them Wherefore he that will neither haue happinesse in the future life nor godlinesse in the present let him vse these meanes for eternity But hee that will haue no society with the deuill let him not feare the superstition that their adoration exacteth but let him sticke to the true religion which conuinceth and confoundeth all their villanies and abhominations L. VIVES TO a Hydromancy Diuination by water Diuination generally was done by diuers means either by Earth Gâ—…mancy or by fire Pyromancy or Ignispicina found by Amphiarans as Pliny saith or by smoake Capâ—…mancy or by birds Augury or by intrailes Aruspicina vsed much by the Hetrurians and by Ianus Apollo's sonne amongst the Heleans and after him by Thrasibulus who beheld a dogge holding the cut liuer or by a siue called Coscinomancy oâ—… by hatchets Axinomancy or by Hearbes Botinomancy the witches magike or by dead bodies Nâ—…mancy or by the starres Astrologie wherein the most excellent are called Chaldees though neuer borne in Caldaea or by lottes Cleromancy or by lines in the hand Chiromancy or by the face and body Physiognâ—…my or by fishes Icthyomancy this Apuleius was charged with or by the twinckling and motion of the eies called Saliatio the Palmique augury Then was there interpretation of dreames and visions or sights of thunder or lightning noyses sneezings voices and a thousand such arts of inuoking the deuills which are far better vnnamed Hydromancy I haue kept vnto the last because it is my theame It is many-fold done either in a glâ—…sse bottle full of water wherein a Childe must looke and this is called Gastromancy of the glasses belly or in a basen of water which is called Lecanomancie in which Strabo sayth the Asians are singular Psellus de damonibus affirmeth this also and sheweth how it is done that the deuills creepe in the bottome and send sorth a still confused found which cannot bee fully vnderstood that they may be held to say what euer 〈◊〉 to passe and not to lye Many also in springs did see apparitions of future things 〈◊〉 â—…aith that in Aegina a part of Achaia there is a temple of Ceres and a fountaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein sick persons after their offring sacrifice behold the end or continuance of 〈◊〉 â—…ses Iamblichus tells of a caue at Colophon wherein was a Well that the Priest haâ—…â—…ifice certaine set nights tasted of and presently became inuisible and gaue anâ—…â—…at asked of him And a woman in Branchis saith he sat vpon an Axle-tree and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a rod that one of the goddesses gaue her or dipping her foote or skirt in the water so 〈◊〉 â—…d prophecied Apulcius writeth out of Uarro that the Trallians inquiring by 〈◊〉 of the end of the warre of Mithridates one appeared in the water like Mercurie 〈◊〉 that looked in it and sung the future successe of the war in 360. verses but because of â—…tion of the boy I thinke hee meanes Gastromancie Apolog. de Magia This last 〈◊〉 Nâ—…a vse in a fountaine Plutarch saith that there were women in Germanie that 〈◊〉 euents by the courses noyse and whirle-pittes of riuers In his life of Caesar. 〈◊〉 Pythagoras A carefull respect of the times for Numa was dead long before 〈◊〉 was borne Some say that he was Pythagoras his scholler and Ouid for one they all 〈◊〉 â—…ror is lighter in a Poet then in an Historiographer c Caesar Dictator and Priest 〈◊〉 dedicates his Antiquities d Aegeria Some held her to be one of the Muses 〈◊〉 called the wood where shee vsed Lucus Camaenarum the Muses wood Some 〈◊〉 but a water-nimphe and that after Numa his death Diana turned her into a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith she was called Aegeria ab egerendo of putting forth because the great 〈◊〉 sâ—…rificed vnto her for the ayde shee was thought to giue them in the deliueâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…estus e To feare For Numa durst not burne them for feare of prooâ—…â—…nger against him Finis lib. 7. THE CONTENTS OF THE eight booke of the City of God 1. Of the questions of naturall theology to be handled with the most excellent Philosophers chapter 1. 2. Of the two kinds of Philosophers Italian and Ionian 3. Of the Socraticall discipline 4. Of Plato the chiefe of Socrates his schollers who dâ—…d philosophy into three kinds 5. That the chiefe controuersie with the Plâ—…sts is about theologie and that all the Pâ—…rs opinions heereof are inferior to theâ—…y 6. How the Platonists conceiued of the naturall part of Philosophy 7. The excellency of the Platonists aboue the rest in logick 8. That the Platonists are to be preferred in Morallity also 9. Of the Philosophy that commeth nearest chrtianity 10. What the excellence of a religions christian is in these philosophicall artes 11. Whence Plato might haue that knowledge that brought hiâ—… so neare the christian doctrine 12. That the Platonists for all their good opâ—… of the true GOD yet neuerthelesse held thaâ—… worship was to be giuen to many 13. Of Platoes affirmation that the gods were all good and louers of vertue 14. Of such as hold three kinds of reasonable soules In the gods In ayery spirits and in Men. 15. That neither the ayry spirits bodies 〈◊〉 hight of place make them excell men 16. What Apuleius the Platonist held concerning the qualities of those ayry spirits 17. Whether it becomes a Man to worsâ—… those spirits from whose guilt he should be pâ—…e 18. Of that religion that teacheth that those spirits must bee mens Aduocates to the good Gods 19. Of the wickednesse of art magick depending on these wicked spirits ministry 20. Whether it bee credible that good Gods had rather conuerse with those spirits then wiâ—…h Men. 21. Whether the Gods vse the diuills as their messengers and be willing that they should 22. The renouncing of the worship of those spirits against Apuleius 23. Hermes Trismegistus his
far different manner then that composition of the bodies k The body Vâ—…gil Georg. 4. Aeneid 6. reciteth Pythagoras his opinion singing of God that is the worlds soule whence each one drawes a life at his originall and returnes it at his death But because it may be doubted how all soules haue one originall sence one vnderstandeth better then another and vseth reason more perfectly this difference he held did proceed from the body and not from the soules For these are his wordes Principâ—… Calum at Terras Camposque liquentes â—…temque Globune terrae Titaniaque astra Spâ—…s intus alit totamque infusa per artus Mens agiâ—…at moleâ—… magno se corpore miscet c. Heauen Earth and Sea each in his proper bound The Moones bright globe and all the spangled round A spirit within doth feed doth mooue and passe Through euery parcell of this spatious masse All â—…hich is explayned at full by Seruius the Gramarian Porphyry confesseth with Pythagoras 〈◊〉 the soule suffereth with the body whose affects good or bad redound in part vnto the 〈◊〉 yet denieth hee that they alter the soules nature De sacrificijs lib. 4. How the platonists conceiued of the naturall part of Phylosophy CHAP. 6. WHerefore ' these Phylosophers whom fame we see hath worthily preferred 〈◊〉 before the rest did wel perceiue that God was a no bodily thing therfore paâ—…â—…rther then al bodies in this inuestigatioÌ„ they saw that no b mutable thing 〈◊〉 and therfore went further then al mutable spirits and soules to seek for 〈◊〉 â—…gain they saw that c al formes of mutable things whereby they are what 〈◊〉 of what nature soeuer they be haue originall from none but him that is 〈◊〉 vnchangeable Consequently neither the body of this vniuerse the fiâ—…â—…alities motions and Elements nor the bodies in them all from heauen to 〈◊〉 â—…her vegetatiue as trees or sensitiue also as beasts or reasonable also as 〈◊〉 those that need no nutriment but subsist by them-selues as the Angels 〈◊〉 being but from him who hath only simple being For in him d to be and 〈◊〉 â—…ffer not as if he might haue being without life neither to liue and to 〈◊〉 â—…d as if he could haue life without intellect nor to vnderstand and to bee 〈◊〉 â—…s if he could haue the one and not the other But his life vnderstanâ—… beatitude are all but his being From this invariable and simple essence 〈◊〉 they gathered him to bee the vncreated Creator of all existence For they 〈◊〉 â—…ed that all thinges are eyther body or life that the e life excelleth the 〈◊〉 â—…hat sensibility is but a species of the body but vnderstanding of the life 〈◊〉 â—…fore they preferred intellect before sence Sensible things are those 〈◊〉 to be seen or touched Intelligible can only be vnderstood by the minde 〈◊〉 is no bodily sweetnesse be it in the body as beauty or in motion as 〈◊〉 â—…ll song but the minde doth iudge therof which it could not doe if this 〈◊〉 â—…ere not in it more excellent then eyther in that quantity of body or 〈◊〉 â—…se of voyces and keeping of tones and times Yet if it were not mutable 〈◊〉 â—…ld not iudge better then another of these sensible species nor one be wittiâ—…â—…inger or more exercised then another but he that began after should 〈◊〉 much as he that learned before and he that profited after should bee vnâ—… from his ignorance before but that which admitteth maiority or minoriâ—… angeable doubtlesse And therfore these learned men did well obserue 〈◊〉 first forme of things could not haue existence in a subiect mutable And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beholding degrees of diuersity in the formes of soules and bodies and 〈◊〉 the seperation of al forme from theÌ„ directly destroied theÌ„ this infered aneâ—…ty of some vnchangeable and consequently an all-excelling forme this they 〈◊〉 the beginning of all thinges vncreated all creating exceeding right This 〈◊〉 they knew of God he did manifest vnto them by teaching them the graduâ—…â—…emplation of his parts invisible by his workes visible as also his eternity â—…inity who created all things both visible and temporary Thus much of 〈◊〉 Physiology or naturall Phylosophy L. VIVES GOD a was no body This Alcinous in Plato's doctrine argueth thus If God were a 〈◊〉 hee should haue substance and forme for so haue all bodies being like the Idea's wherein they haâ—…e a secret resemblance But to say God hath substance and forme is absurd for he should â—…thor be the beginning nor vncompounded Therefore hee hath no body Besides euery body is of some substance What then shall GOD bee of fire or ayre earth or water Nor of these are beginnings but rather haue a later being then the substance whereof they consist â—…ut these are blasphemies the truth is GOD is incorporeall If he were a body hee were generated and therefoâ—…e corruptible But farre are those thinges from GOD. Thus farre Alcinous b No mutable Plato in Timaeus calls God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c one the same and alwaies like him-selfe as Tully translates it Alcinous saith hee must needes bee an intelligible substance Of which kind the soule is better theâ—… what is not the soule but the power that is perpetually actual excelleth that which is potentiall such therefore is God c All formes In Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Tully others interprete it d To bee and to liue Alcinous saith that God is supreme eternall ineffable selfe-perfect needing nothing eternally absolute Deity cause of all bâ—…ing truth harmony good and all these in one and one For I count them not as dis-ioyned but coessentiall And a little â—…ter he saith that God is incomprehensible onely apparant to the thought but conteyned vnder no kinde what-soeuer not definable nor specificall nor subiect to any accident to say hee is euill were wickednesse and to say hee is good is insufficient for then hee should participate of goodnesse but hee hath neyther difference nor accident This opinion did Dionisius the Diuine follow denying wisedome life or vnderstanding to be in god For these are the names of particular perfections which are not in God This seemes to bee grounded on Plato's wordes in Phadon that all good is such by participation of good but there hee excepteth true good that is doubtlesse God the Idea and essence of all beautifull goodnesse e Life excelleth He cals the soule life as Aristotle doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfection or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any thing eternally actuall both may bee said of the soule But Plato speaking of soules meaneth it seemes onely the rationall The excellency of the Platonists aboue the rest in logicke CHAP. 7. NOw as concerning the other part of their a doctrine called logicke farre bee it from vs to ioyne them in comparison with those fellowes that fetched the iudgement of truth from the bodily sences and held all things to bee swayed by their false and
is truly happy mary there is great hope of partaking it in the life to come when wee are freed from the bodies bounds the sole impediment of the soules perfection But when we die so we die pure then in the sight of that it that truly existent truth God we shall inioy the height of our desires that is truth and vniuersall knowledge Wherefore as the eye wanting the light is vselesse and setteth the owner sadly affected in darkenes and perpetually sorrowfull but when the Sun the light comes it riseth with vigor to the function and vseth the office with cheerefulnesse and alacrity so our intellect beeing vngiued from the body if it want the light of Gods truth it must needes lament and languish but if it haue it it exulteth and ioyfully vseth that light which presents the formes of all the creation Whence it commeth that in our pleasures and felicities wherein we fulfill our affections and as it were inioy our selues we dâ—…ot reape that delectable comfort that we draw from the internall contemplation of that eternall good and from that attayning the pure light of so perfect a wisedome So that the soule that is absolutely blessed inioyeth not God in his beauty and loue which concerne pleasure an act of the will but in his truth which is an act of the intellect though then followeth his beauty and his loue intirely delectable nor can these be seperated For none knowes God but admireth him none admireth him but ioines loue to his admiration and delighteth in them all Thus much out of Plato in diuers places of his Respub leges Phadon and Philaebus who still preferreth the inquiry and contemplation of truth and that to men of pure life exhorting and exciting all there-vnto And this all the Academicks and Peripatetiques professe after him as Tully teacheth De finib lib. 5. Of that Phylosophy that commeth nearest to Christianity CHAP. 9. LEt it suffice now to remember that Plato a did determine that the end of al good was the attayning a vertuous life which none could but hee that knew and followed God nor is any man happy by any other meanes And therefore he affirmeth that to be a Philosopher is to loue God whose nature is incorporeal And consequently that wisedomes student the Phylosopher is then blessed when hee inioyeth God For though the inioying of each thing a man loueth doth not forth-with make him happy for many by placing their loue on hateful obiects are wretched and more wretched in inioying them yet is no man happy that inioyeth not that he loueth For b euen those that loue what they should not thinke not them-selues happy in louing but in inioying But he that inioyes what he loues and loues the true and greatest good Who but a wretch will deny him to bee happy This true and greatest good is GOD saith Plato and therefore hee will haue a Phylosopher a louer of GOD that because Phylosophy aimes at beatitude the louer of God might bee blessed by inioying GOD. Wherfore what euer Phylosophers they were that held this of the high and true 〈◊〉 that he was the worlds Creator the light of vnderstanding and the good of all action that he is the beginning of nature the truth of doctrine and the happineâ—… life whether they be called Platonists as fittest or by any other sect c â—…er the Ionian teacher held as this Plato did and vnderstood him well Or thâ—…e Italians held it from Pythagoras his followers or any other of the same â—…ine of what nation so euer they were and were counted Phylosophers d â—…tes Lybians e Egiptians f Indians g Persians h Chaldees i Scythiâ—… Galles l Spaniards or others that obserued and taught this doctrine tâ—… wee preferre before all others and confesse their propinquity with our â—…e For though a Christian vsed onely to the Scriptures neuer heard of 〈◊〉 â—…nists nor knoweth whether Greece held two sects of Phylosophers the 〈◊〉 and the Italian yet is hee not so ignorant in humanity but hee knowes 〈◊〉 Phylosophers professe either the study of wisedome or wisedome 〈◊〉 But lette him beware of those that dispute m of the Elements of this 〈◊〉 â—…ely and reach not vp to God that made them Elements The Apostle 〈◊〉 good warning of this Beware saith hee least any deceiue you by Philosophy 〈◊〉 deceipt according to the worlds Elements But least you should thinke 〈◊〉 held all Phylosophers to bee such hee saith else-where n For that 〈◊〉 â—…ich is knowne of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it vnto 〈◊〉 For his invisible powers from the beginning of the world are manifested by 〈◊〉 and so is his p eternall vertue And hauing spoken a great matter conâ—… God vnto the Athenians which few of them vnderstood q In him we liue 〈◊〉 and haue our beeing he added as some also of your writers haue said Hee 〈◊〉 to beware of their errors For hee said that GOD had by his workes 〈◊〉 his invisible power to their vnderstanding there also hee said that they 〈◊〉 worship him aright but gaue the diuine honours with were his pecuriarly 〈◊〉 â—…her thinges theÌ„ was lawful because that when they knew God they glorified him 〈◊〉 â—…d neither were thankefull but became vaine in their owne imaginations O 〈◊〉 â—…sh heart was full of darkenesse For professing them-selues wise they prooued 〈◊〉 â—…d turned the glory of the incorruptible God into the similitude of the Image of 〈◊〉 â—…ible man and of birds and beasts and serpents r In this place the Romains 〈◊〉 â—…ns Egiptians and all that gloryed in their wisedome are iustly taxed But 〈◊〉 â—…d we will argue this hereafter as for those things wherin we and they conâ—… of one God the Creator of this vniuerse who is not only incorporeall 〈◊〉 all bodies but also incorruptible aboue all spirits our beginning our light 〈◊〉 goodnesse in these we preferre them before all others L. VIVES 〈◊〉 did determine That venerable and holy-teaching Plato surmounting all Phyloâ—…â—…rs in almost all other matters in defining mans greatest good out-stript â—…m-selfe in his first booke De Legib. Hee deuides good into diuine and humaine 〈◊〉 is quite seperate from vertue the first conioyned therewith Socrates in Gorâ—…â—…es â—…es that beatitude consisteth in learning and vertue calling onely the good happy 〈◊〉 wretched And in Menexenus in sixe hundred places and so all Plato through 〈◊〉 onely honest and beauteous As for other goddes without vertue they are the deâ—… of him that possesseth them But these are but Plato's common sayings in these 〈◊〉 â—…th with his fellowes But when he list he riseth in spirit and leaues all to other 〈◊〉 of wisedome beneath him His Philebus is a dialogue of the greatest good or as some intitle it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of pleasure Therein hee maketh sixe rankes of goods in the second standes the thinges proportionate faire perfect sufficient and such like In the third vnderstanding and sapience In the
videri aut tangi quod careat solido Solidum autem nihil quod terrae sit expers quamobrem mundâ—… efficere moliens deus terram primam ignemque iungebat The same is Tymaeus his opinion in his work De Mundo anima f He meaneth Plato said heauen was of fire the stars of the â—…oure elements because they seemâ—…d more solid But he held not heauen of the nature of our fire for he held fires of diuers nature g Two meanes Water and fire must needs haue a meane of coherence But solid bodies are hardly reconciled by one meane but must haue two which may of theÌ„selues their accidents compose a conuenient third such is water ayre between fire earth for water to earth ayre to fire beare the same proportion and so doth water and ayre betweene themselues which combination rules so in the elements that in the ascending and descending innumerable and imperceptible variations of nature all seemes but one body either rarified vnto fire or condensate vnto earth h Ayre is a spirit But not of God of this hereafter i I am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a perticiple as one should say I am he that is For wee can not transtate it by one word as Seneca affirmeth Epist. lib. 8. But wee may call it Ens of sâ—… as Caesar did being of to bee as potent of possum So did Sergius Quintil. GOD meaneth thâ—… hee hath beeing whereas as nothing else hath properly any beeing but are as Isayas saith of nothing and Iob hath it often GOD onely hath beeing the rest haue not their existencâ—… saith Seneca because they are eternall themselues but because their maker guardeth them and should hee disist they would all vanish into nothing Plato also sayth that corporal things neuer haue true beeing but spirituall haue In Timeo Sophista And there and iâ—… his Parmenides hee saith that GOD is one and Ens of whom all things depend that â—…ature hath not a fitte expressiue name for his Excellence nor can hee bee defined 〈◊〉 ascribed nor knowne nor comprehended that hee begotte all these lesser goâ—… whom in his Tymaeus he saith are immortall only by their fathers wil not by their own power Him hee calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as he saith of a true Philosopher in his Phaedon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he conceiueth him which is and a little after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pertake of them which is and in his Timaeus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the eternall beeing vnbegotten And all the Platonists agree that the title of his Parmenides De ente vno rerum prinoipio and of his Sophista 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are both ment of GOD which is the true being and the beginning of all things and 〈◊〉 being a perticile is of the presentence sâ—…gnifying that GOD hath no time past nor to come but with him all is present and so his beeing is That he saith in his Tymeus Time hath parâ—…es past present and to come and these times of our diuiding are by our error falsely ascribed to the diuine essence and vnmeetely For wee vse to say hee was is and wil be but indâ—…ed he onely is properly and truely was and wil be belong to things that arise and proceede according to the times and with them For they are two motions but the onely Lord of eternâ—…ty hath no motion nor is elder nor hath beene younger nor hath not beene hitherto or shall not bee hereafter nor feeleth any affect of a corporall bodie but those partes past and to come are belonging to time that followeth eternity and are species of that which mooueth it selfe according to number and space Thus much out of Timaeus hee that will reade the author let him looke till hee finde these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. there this sentence beginneth Gregory vsed part of it in his Sermon of the birth of Christ and handled it largely in that place GOD was alwaies and is and shal be saith he nay rather God is alwaies was and shal be are parts of our time and defects in nature But hee is eternally beeing and so he told Moyses when hee asked him his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Then hee beginnes to mount and with diuine eloquence to spread the lustre of GODS eternity and inmutability but this worthy man is faine to yeeld vnder so huge a burden and shut his eyes dazeled wiâ—…h so fiery a splendor Plutarch tells that on one poste of the Temples dore at Delphos was written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 know thy selfe and on the other 〈◊〉 thou art the first hauing reference to our preparation in matters of diuinity and the later vnto GODS nature which is alwaies sixt and firme whereas ours is fluxe and mutable Wherefore it may well bee said of him whose nature is not subiect to any alteration of time but alâ—…aies fixed and vnalterable thou art Thou art may also bee referred vnto the vnmoueable eternity without any respect of the time as Plato saith in his Parmenides who will not haue the time present made an attribute of GOD because it is a time nor will haue him called an essence but rather somewhat inexplicable aboue all essence to know what it is not is easie but what it is impossible Some thinke that Parmenides himselfe in his Philosophicall poeme meaneth of GOD there where hee saith all things are but one and so thought Symplicius for it is vnlike that so sharpe a wit as Parmenides found not the difference and multitude of things which hee setteth plainely downe in his poemes For hauing spoken largely of that onely Ens hee concludeth thus Thus much of the true high things now concerning the confused and mortall thing in which is much error Aristotle through desire to reprehend eâ—…roniously traduceth his opinion in his Physikes which Themistius toucheth at Parmenides saith he did not thinke an accident that hath existence but from another to bee the Ens hee meant of but hee spoke of the Ens which is properly especially and truely so which is indeed no other but Plato his very Ens. Nay what say you to Aristotle that saith himselfe that Parmenides ment of that one Ens which was the originall of all The other Platonists opinions I haue already related Now as for that sentence so common against them that the things intelligible onely not the sensible haue existence Alcymus in his worke to Amynthas declarâ—…th that Plato had both it and that of the Idea's out of Epicharmus his bookes and alledgeth the words of Epicharmus himselfe who was a Philosopher of Coos a Phythagorean who held that learning made a man as farre more excellent then others as the suâ—…ne excells the starres and all other light and the sea the riuers Plato himselfe in his Sophista auerreth the antiquity of that opinion that affirmed the essence of intelligibilities onely and that therevpon arose
and impious foulenesse of these deuills euen for honesties sake for if Plato's prohibition and proofe be iust then is their demand and desire most damnable So either Apulcius mistooke the kind of Socrates his Genius or Plato contradicts himselfe now d honoring those spirits and streight after abridging them their pleasures and expelling their delights from an honest state or else Socrates his spirit was not worth the approuing wherein Apuleius offended in being not ashamed to stâ—…le his booke e De deo Socratis of his god and yet proues by his owne distinction of Dij daemones that hee should haue called it De daemone Socratis of his diuell But this hee had rather professe in the body of his discourse then in his tiâ—…le for the name of a Daemon was by good doctrine brought into such hate that f whosoeuer had â—…ead Daemon in the title ere he had read the Daemons commendations in the booke would haue thought Apuleius g madde And what found he praise-worthy in them but their subtile durable bodies and eleuation of place when hee came to their conditions in generall hee found no good but spake much euill of them so that hee that readeth that booke will neuer maruell at their desiring plaies and that Iuch gods as they should be delighted with crimeâ—… beastly showes barbarous cruelty and what euer else is horrible or ridiculous that all this should square with their affects is no wonder L. VIVES REasonable a Creatures Plato reckoneth three sorts of gods the Deiâ—…yes the Daemones the Heroes but these last haue reference to men whence they arise De leg 4. Epinom Plutarch highly commends thoâ—…e that placed the spirits betwixt gods and men were it Orpheus some Phirgian or Aegiptian for both their sacrifices professeth it De defect oracul for they found the meanes saith he wherein gods and men concurre Homer saith he vseth the names at â—…don how calling them gods and now demones Hesiod fire made reasonable nature quadripartite into gods spirits Heroes and mortalles who liuing well arise both to Heroes and Daemones b The spirits Socrates in Platos Conuiuium mentioneth a disputation with Diotyma where hee affirmeth the spirits nature to bee meane betweene gods â—…nd mans c This power Socrates they say had a spirit that forbad him all acts whose euents it knew should not bee successefull but neuer incited him to any thing whatsoeuer d Honoring Teaching it also Epinom e De deo All that handled this before Apuleius called this spirit a Daemon not a deity him-selfe in aboue six hundreth places in Plato in Plato Zenophon also Cicero and Plutarch Maximus of Tyre who â—…rot a double demonstration hereof So did many other ca lit both Platonists and Philosophers of other nations â—…ecitall were tedious f Whosoeuer Whosoeuer reads the title before the booke ere he read the booke g Madde For the gentiles as then called the Demonyaks and such as were possessed with the deuill mad men That neither the ayry spirits bodies nor height of place make them excell men CHAP. 15. WHerfore God forbad that a soule that feares God should thinke those spirits to excell it because they haue more a perfect bodies So should beasts excel vs also many of which goe beyond vs in quicknes of sence nimblenes swiftnesse strength and long life what man sees like the Eagle or Vultur smells like to the dog is swifter then stags hares and birds strong as a lyon or an elephant or lines with the serpent b that with his skin put of his eares becomes yong again But as we excell these in vnderstanding so do wee the ayrie spirits in iust liuing or should do at least For therefore hath the high prouidence giuen them bodies in some sort excelling ours that we might haue the greater care to preserue and augment that wherein we excell them rather then our bodies and learne to contâ—…ne that bodily perfection which wee know they haue in respect of the goodnesse of life whereby we are before them and shall obtaine immortalitie of body also not for the eternitie of plagues to afflict but which purity of soule shall effect And for the c higher place they hauing the ayre and we the earth it were a ridiculous consequence to make them our betters in that for so should birds be by the same reason d I but birds being tyred or lacking meate come downe to earth to rest or to feede so doe not the spirits Well then will you preferre them before vs and the spirits before them if this bee a mad position as mad a consequence it is to make them excell vs by place whom we can nay must excell by pyety For as the birds of the ayre are not preferred before vs but subiected to vs for the equitie of our reason so though the deuills being higher then wee are not our betters because ayre is aboue earth but we are their betters because our saith farre surmounteth their despaire For Plato's reason diuiding the elements into foure and parting mooueable fire and immooueable earth by interposition of ayre and water giuing each an equall place aboue the other this prooues that the worth of creatures dependeth not vpon the placing of the elements And Apuleius making a man an earthly creature yet preferreth him before the water-creatures whereas Plato puts the water aboue the earth to shew that the worth of creatures is to be discerned by another methode then the posture of naturall bodies the meaner body may include the better soule and the perfecter the worse L. VIVES MOre a perfect Apuleius makes them of a meane temperature betweene earthly and aethereall more pure and transparent then a clowde coagulate of the most subtile parts of ayre and voide of all solidity inuisible vnlesse they please to forme themselues a groser shape b That with his skinne Casting his skinne he begins at his eies that one ignorant thereof would thinke him blind Then gettes he his head bare and in 24. houres putteth it of his whole body Looke Aristot. de gen anim lib. 8. c Higher place Which Apuleius gathers thus No element is voyde of creatures Earth hath men and beasts the water fishes fire some liuing things also witnesse Aristotle Ergo the ayre must haue some also but vnlesse those spirits bee they none can tell what they be So that the spirits are vnder the gods and aboue vs their inferiors our betters d I but birds Apuleius his answer thus Some giue the ayre to the birds to dwell in falsly For they neuer go higher then Olympus top which being the highest mount of the world yet perpendicularly measured is not two furlongs high whereas the ayre reacheth vp to the concaue of the Moones spheare and there the skies begin What is then in all that ayrie space betweene the Moone and Olympus top hath it no creatures is it a dead vselesse part of nature And-againe birds if one consider them well are rather creatures earthly
then aâ—…reall on earth they feed rest breed and flye as neare it as may bee and when they are weary earth is their port of retirement This from an imperfect coppy of Apuleius yet Augustines reason of the place must stand for though the spirits bee aboue the birds yet the birds are â—…ill aboue vs but I meane not heare to play the disputant What Apuleius the Platonist held concerning the qualities of those ayrie spirits CHAP. 16. THis same Platonist speaking of their qualities saith that they are as men subiect to passions of anger delight glory vnconstancie in their ceremonies and furie vpon neglect Besides to them belong diuinations dreames auguries prophesies and all â—…gicians miraculous workes Briefly he defineth them things created passiue reasoâ—…le â—…reall eternall In the three first they perticipate with vs in the fourth with â—…ne in the fift with the gods and two of the first the gods share with them also 〈◊〉 the a gods saith hee are creatures and giuing each element to his proâ—…habitants hee giues earth to men and the other creatures water to the 〈◊〉 c. aire to these spirits and Aether to the gods Now in that the spirits are creâ—…res they communicate both with men and beasts in reason with gods and â—…in eternity with gods onely in passion with men onely in ayrie essence with 〈◊〉 So that they are creatures is nothing for so are beasts in that they are reasoâ—…able so are we equally in that they are eternall what is that without felicity b Temporall happinesse excells eternall miserie In that they are passiue what geâ—… by that so are we and were we not wretched wee should not bee so in tâ—…â—…ir bodies are ayrie what of that seeing a soule of any nature is preferrâ—… 〈◊〉 a body of what perfection so euer And therefore the honor giuen by tâ—…â—…le is not due to the soules inferiour But if that amongst these spirits qualitiâ—… 〈◊〉 had reckoned wisdome vertue and felicitie and haue made them communâ—… these with the gods then had he spoake some-what worth noting yet oâ—… we not to worship them as God for these ends but rather we should know him of whom they had these good gifts But as they are how farre are they from woâ—…h of worship being reasonable to be wretched passiue to be wretched eternall 〈◊〉 euer wretched wherefore to leaue all and insist on this onely which I said 〈◊〉 spirits shared with vs that is passion if euery element haue his creaâ—… and ayre immortalls earth and water mortalls why are these spirits 〈◊〉 â—…o perturbations to that which the Greekes call c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence our 〈◊〉 passion deriueth word d of word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and passion being e a motion of 〈◊〉 â—…e against reason Why are these in these spirits that are not in beasts 〈◊〉 apparance of such in beasts is f no perturbation because it is not against 〈◊〉 which the beast wanteth And that it is a perturbation in men g their â—…esse or their h wretchednesse is cause For we cannot haue that perfecâ—… wisdom in this life that is promised vs after our acquittance from mortalâ—… 〈◊〉 the gods they say cannot suffer those perturbations because that their 〈◊〉 is conioyned wiâ—…h felicity and this they affirme the reasonable soule 〈◊〉 absolutely pure enioyeth also So then if the gods be free from passion beâ—… they are i creatures blessed and not wretched and the beasts because â—…e creatures neither capable of blessednesse nor wretchednesse it romaiâ—…â—…t these spirits be perturbed like men onely because they are creatures not â—…d but wretched L. VIVES THâ—… a Gods Plato also in his Timaeus saith that they are inuisible creatures Apuleius de deo Sâ—…cr makes some vncorporall Daemones viz. Loue Sleep b Temporal It is said that Chyron 〈◊〉 sonne refused immortality that Vlysses chose rather to liue and die at home with his â—…er and friends then to liue immortal amongst the goddesses Plato saith it is better to liue a 〈◊〉 little while then to be eternally possest of all bodily pleasures without iustice the other 〈◊〉 de legib the Philosophers haue a saying it is better to be then not to be of that hereafter 〈◊〉 So Tull. Tus. qu. translateth it Quintil. l. 6. termeth it affects holds yâ— most proper 〈◊〉 â—…ly of their ancients vseth passion for it but I make doubt that the copy is faulty li. 20. 〈◊〉 â—…ds are It helpeth the passions of the belly being 〈◊〉 thervpoÌ„ d Word of word as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 passio of pâ—…tior to suffer e A motion Tully hath it from Zâ—…no f No perturbation Tully Tusc. quaest The affections of the body may be inculpable but not the mindes all which arise out of the neglect of reason and therefore are existent onely in men for that which wee see by accident in beasts is no perturbation g Their foolishnesse For wee are ouer-borne with false opinions and our selues rather worke our affects then receiue them ab extra and as Sâ—…a saith we are euer worse afraide then hurt The Stoikes held all perturbations to haue their source from deprauation of opinion For desire is an opinion of a future good and feare an opinion of future euill sorrow of present euill ioy of present good all which we measuring by the fondnesse of our thoughts and not by the nature of things thence it comes that wee are rapt with so many violent thoughts h Their wretchednesse This is mans miserie that the very wisest is subiect to sorrow ioy and other affects doe he what he can i Creatures Socrates durst not confesse that these spirits were bad or wretched but hee boldly affirmes they are neither good nor happy Plato Conuiuio Whether it becomes a man to worship those spirits from whose guilt he should be pure CHAP. 17. WHat fondnesse then nay what madnesse subiects vs vnto that religion of deuills when as by the truth of religion we should be saued from participation of their vices for they are mooued with wrath as Apuleius for all his adoring and sparing them affirmes but true religion biddeth vs not to yeeld to wrath but rather a resist it b They are wonne with guifts wee are forbidden to take bribes of any They loue honors we are c prohibited all honors affectation They are haters of some louers of some as their affects transport them truth teacheth vs to loue all euen d our very enemies Briefly all the intemperance of minde e passions and perturbations which the truth affirmes of them it forbiddeth vs. What cause is then but thine owne lamentable error for thee to humble thy selfe to them in worship whom thou seekest to oppose in vprightnesse of conuersation and to adore those thou hatest to imitate when as all religion teacheth vs to imitate those we adore L. VIVES RAther a resist Christ in Mathewes Gospels vtterly forbids anger Abbot Agatho said that an angry
the Marucine fields that remooued quite ouer the high-way and that the whole farmes went out of their places and seated them-selues elsewhere Magick saith Apuleius was forbidden of old by the twelue tables because of the incredible bewitching of the corne d Was not So were many by the Romaine lawes Apollonius Tyaneus by Domitian and Apuleius by Claud. Maximus Praefect of Africa not the C◅stian e Now extant His two Apologies concerning Magicke wherein hee leaueth all his luxurious phrase and his fustian tearmes and goeth to it like a plaine lawyer yet not so well but he flies out here and there and must bee Apuleius still f For all these How could men know saith Eusebius how to call and compell the Deuils but by the deuills owne teaching them This Porphyry confesseth and alledgeth Hecates prescription how shee should bee called out De Orac. Whether it be credible that good Gods had rather conuerse with those spirits then with men CHAP. 20. O But there is a necessitie bindeth these spirits in this place between the gods and men to carry recarry messages answers from the one to the other Well and what necessity why because no god hath commerce immediatly with man Very good Oh a that is a glorious holynesse of GOD surely that conuerseth not with a penitent humble man and yet will conuerse with a proud spirit Hee hath no commerce with a man that flieth from succour to his death but with a spirit that counterfeits his deity hee hath hee medleth not with him that asketh pardō but with the spirit that imagineth mischiefe he doth he dealeth not with a Philosopher y◠expelleth stage-playes out of an honest city he dealeth with a deuill that forceth stage-playes from the priests and Senators as part of the religion of a citty he liketh not the mens company that forbid slanders of the gods but the deuils that delight in them theirs he li◅eth of Hee conuerseth not with the man that executeth iust lawes vpon Magitians but with the deuills that teach Magicke and giue it effect those hee con◅uerseth with nor is ioyned with a man that flieth the example of the deuill yet ioynes with the deuill that hunteth for the wrack of man This is likely sure L. VIVES O a that is a glorious The Bruges copie hath a little alteration transferring penitent into a following sentence but the sence is all one it were curiosity to stand vpon such small trifles Whether the gods vse the Deuills as their Messengers and be willing that they should deceiue them or ignorant that they do it CHAP. 21. BVt there is a great necessity of this so vile an inconuenience because the Aethereall gods but that these spirits being upward other-wise could not know the affaires of earth heauen yee know being farre from earth and ayre adioyning to both O rare wisdome This is their opinion that their good gods haue a care of humane businesses else were they not worth worship and yet the distance of place debarres them from notice how things passe but that the spirits helpe them so there are they necessary and consequently worship-worthy as the meanes that the gods haue to know mens cases and to send them helpe in time If this then be so the deuills contiguous body is better knowne to the gods then a mans good minde O lamentable necessity nay rediculous detestable vanitie to keepe vanity from diuinitie If the gods by their freedom from the bodies obstacles can behold our mindes what need they any spirits helpe And if the gods haue corporall meanes as sight speach motion or so in bodies by which they receiue the spirits messages then may the spirits lye and deceiue them also So that if the deyties be not ignorant of the deuills deceits no more are they bard the knowledge of our actions But I would they would tell mee whether the spirits told the gods that Plato disliked the slanders that the Poets laide vpon them and yet concealed that they did like well of them or concealed all that the gods neuer knew it or reuealed all Plato's religious zeale and their owne vile affection or did they suppresse Plato's opinion that would haue such impious liberty abrogated as by Poetique fables did iniure the gods and yet shamed not to lay open their owne wickednesse in affecting such playes as conteined the gods disgraces Choose of these foure which they will and marke the sequell How vilely they thought of these good gods If they choose the first then it is granted that the gods might not conuerse with good Plato that restrained their shames and yet conuersed with those euill spirits that reioyced at these iniuries of the gods who could not know a good man being a farre but by these deuills because they could not know these deuills that were so neare them If they take the second and say the spirits concealed both that the gods should neither know Plato's religious lawe and the deuills sacriligious practise what vse can the gods haue of these messengers for any knowledge seeing they could not haue knowledge of the good lawes that honest men promulgated in their honor against the lust of those vile spirits If they choose the third and make these spirits both to celebrate Plato's prohibition of the gods iniuries and their owne affectation of their continuance why were not this rather to ouer-crow them then to interprete to them And so should the gods heare and iud◅e of both these relations that they neither should casheere these spirits of their seruice that oppo◅ed Plato his good zeale nor for beare to send Plato rewards by them for his honest intent For so are they placed in the chaine of natures a elements that they m◅y haue the company of those that iniurie them but not of those that defend them both they may know but the states of b ayre and earth they cannot alter nor transmute Now if they choose the fourth it is worse then all For who can endure the deuills should tell the gods how they are abused by players and Poets and of the height of pleasure themselues take in these shewes and yet bee silent of Plato's graue decree that abrogated all such obscenities that so the good gods might haue intelligence of the wickednesse of the worst their owne messengers and yet none of the Philosophers goodnesses that aymed all at their honor whereas the other professed their extreame disgrace L. VIVES THe a chaine of for the elements are cheined together as it were the lower to the higher so coherent that the parts contiguous seeme both of one nature so it is in the sphe◅es that are all contained one within another b Ayre and earth That we can neither ascend not in thought vnto them nor they descend to vs to heare and helpe vs without interpretours The renouncing of the worship of those spirits against Apuleius CHAP. 22. TO auoyde therefore all euill thoughts concerning the gods all the foure are to be auoyded
nor must we at all beleeue what Apuleius would haue vs and others with him that the Daemones are so placed betweene the gods and men that they beare vp mens prayers and bring downe the gods helpes but that they are spirits most thirstie of mischiefe wholy vniust proud enuious treacherous a inhabiting the ayre in deed as thrust out of the glorious heauen for their vnpardonable guilt and condemned eternally to that prison Nor are they aboue man in merite because ayre is aboue earth for men doe easily excell them not in quality of body but in the faith and fauour of the true God Indeed they rule ouer many that are not worthy of the perticipation of gods truth such are their subiects wonne to them by false myracles and by illusions perswading them that they are gods But others that looked more narrowly into them and their qualities would not beleeue this that they were gods onely they gott this place in their opinion to be held the gods messengers and bringers of mens good fortunes Yet those that held them not gods would not giue them the honor of gods because they saw them euill and held all gods to be good yet durst they not denie them all diuine honors for feare of offending the people whose inueterate superstition preserued them in so many temples altars and sacrifices L. VIVES INhabiting a the ayre The olde writers placed all their fable of hell in the ayre and there was 〈◊〉 Proserpina the Manâ—…s and the Furies Capella Chalcâ—… saith the ayre was iustly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 darke Peter also and Iude affirme that the deuills 〈◊〉 bound in darknesse in the ayre some in the lowest parts of the earth Empedocles in Plâ—… 〈◊〉 faith that Heauen reiected them earth expels them the sea cannot abide them thus are they â—…ed by being tossed from place to place Hermes Trismegistus his opinion of Idolatrie and how he might come to know that the Egiptian superstitions were to be abrogated CHAP. 23. FOr Hermes a the Aegiptian called Trismegistus wrote contrary to these Aâ—… indeed holds them no gods but middle agents betweene gods and men that being so necessary he conioynes their adoration with the diuine worship But Trismegistus saith that the high God made some gods and men other some These words as I write them may bee vnderstood of Images because they are the workes of men But he calleth visible and palpable bodies the bodyes of the gods wherein are spirits inuited in thereto that haue power to hurt or pleasure such as giue them diuine honors So then to combine such a spirit inuisible by arts vnto a visible image of some certaine substance which it must vse as the soule doth the body this is to make a god saith hee and this wonderfull power of making gods is in the hands of man His b words are these And whereas 〈◊〉 discourse saith he concernes the affinitie betweene gods and men marke Asclepius this power of man Our God the Lord and Father is the creator of the celestiall gods so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the terrestriall which are in the temples And a little after So doth humanity remember the originall and euer striueth to imitate the deity making gods like the oâ—…ne Image as God the father hath done like his Do you meane statues replied Asclepius statues quoth he doe you not see them animate full of spirits and sence d trust your eyes doing such wonders see you not statues that presage future euents farre perhaps e beyond all propheticall inspiration to fore-tell that cure diseases and câ—…se them giuing men mirth or sadnesse as they deserue Know you not Asclepius thâ—…t Egâ—…pt 〈◊〉 heauens Image or rather the place whereinto all the celestiall graces desâ—…end the very temple of the whole world And since wisdome should fore-know all I 〈◊〉 not haue you ignorant herein The time shall come that all the zeale of Egipt shall be â—…gated and all the religious obseruations held idle and vaine Then goeth hee forward prophecying by all likelyhood of christianity whose true sanctitie is the â—…tter subuersion of all fictions and superstitions that the Sauiours true grace might free vs from those humaine gods those handy-workes of man and place vs to gods seruice mans maker But Hermes presageth these things as the deuills confederate suppressing the euidence of the Christian name and yet fore-telling with a sorrowfull intimation that from it should proceed the wracke of all their Idolatrous superstitions for Hermes was one of those who as the Apostle saith Kâ—…ing GOD glorified him not as GOD nor were thankfull but became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darkenesse when they professed them-selues wise they became fooles For they turned the glory of the incorruptible God into the symilitude of the Image of a corruptible man and byrdes and foore-footed beasts and Serpents f For this Hermes saith much of God according to truth But how blindnesse of heart drawes him to affirme this I know not that these gods should bee alwayes subiect whome man hath made and yet to bewaile their abrogations to come As if man could bee more miserable any way then in liuing slaue to his owne handy-worke g it being easier for him to put off all humanitie in adoring these peeces hee hath made then for them to put on deity by being made by him For it comes ofteneâ—… to passe that a man being set in honor be not vnderstood to bee like to the beasts then that his handy-worke should bee preferred before the worke that God made like his owne Image to wit mans selfe Worthily then doth hee fall from his grace that made him that maketh that his Lord which he hath made himselfe Those vaine deceitfull pernicious sacriledges Hermes foreseeing should perish deploreth but as impudently as hee had knowne it foolishly For the spirit of GOD had not spoken to him as it did to the Prophets that spoke this with gladnesse If a man make gods behold they are no gods and in another place At that day saith the LORD I will take the names of their Idols from the earth and there shal be no remembrance thereof And to the purpose of Egipt heare Isaias The Idols of Egipt shal be mooued at his presence and the heart of Egipt shall melt in the midst of her and so forward Such were they also that reioyced for the fulfilling h of that which they knew should come to passe as Simeon Anna and Elizabeth the first knowing Christ at his birth the second at his conception and i Peter that by Gods inspiration sayd Thou art that Christ the Sonne of the liuing GOD. But Hermes had his knowledge from those deuills that trembling in the flesh sayd to Christ Why art thou come to vndoe vs before the time Either k because that came suddenly vpon them which they expected not vntill afterwards or that they called it their vndoing to bee knowne and so despised and this was
all vice and consequently these passions that befall a wise 〈◊〉 â—…s they doe not offer any preiudice to his reason or vertue are no vices 〈◊〉 Stoikes Platonists and Peripatetiques doe all agree in one But as d Tulâ—…â—…he Grecians of old affect verbosity of contention rather then truth But now it 〈◊〉 question whether it bee coherent vnto the infirmity of this present life 〈◊〉 these affections in all good offices how euer whereas the holy Angells 〈◊〉 they punish such as gods eternall prouidence appointeth with anger 〈◊〉 they helpe those that they loue out of danger without any feare and sucâ—…â—…retched without feeling any compassion are notwithstanding said afâ—…â—…rase of speaking to be pertakers of those passions because of the similiâ—… 〈◊〉 their workes not any way because of their infirmity of affections And so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the scripture is sayd to bee angry yet farre is hee from feeling affect the 〈◊〉 of his reuenge did procure this phrase not the turbulence of his passion L. VIVES STâ—…es a indeed Cic. pro Muren A many come to you in distresse and misery you shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in taking any compassion vpon them This in disgrace of Stoicisme hath Tully b 〈◊〉 Pro Q. Ligario c This now intimating that he had more words then wisdome as 〈◊〉 sayd of Catiline wisdome indeed being peculiar to those that serue the true God the Kâ—…g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ole vniuerse and his wisdome his soâ—…e d Tully saith Crassus his words of the Greekes opâ—…ion of an oratour De oratore lib. 1. What passion the spirits that Apuleius maketh mediators betweene the gods and men are subiect vnto by his owne confession CHAP 6. BVt to deferre the question of the holy Angels awhile let vs see how the Platonists teach of their mediating spirits in this matter of passion If those Daemones ouâ—… ruled all their affects with freedome and reason then would not Apuleius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they are tossed in the same tempestuous cogitations that mens 〈◊〉 â—…eete in So their minde then their reasonable part that if it had any 〈◊〉 â—…ted in it should be the dominator ouer these turbulent affects of the 〈◊〉 parts this very minde floteth say the Platonists in this sea of perturbation Well then the deuills mindes lye open to the passions of lust feare wrath and the rest What part then haue they free wise and vnaffected whereby to please the gods and conuerse with good men when as their whole minde is so â—…ated vnto affects their vices that their whole reason is eternally emploiâ—… 〈◊〉 deceipt illusion as their desire to endamage all creatures is eternall 〈◊〉 thâ—… Platonists doe but seeke contentions in saying the Poets de fame the goâ—…s whereas their imputations pertaine to the deuills and not to the gods CHAP. 7. Iâ—… 〈◊〉 say the Poets tolerable fictions that some gods were louers or haters of 〈◊〉 men were not spoken vniuersally but restrictiuely respecting the euill 〈◊〉 whom Apuleius saith doe flote in a sea of turbulent thoughts how can this 〈◊〉 when in his placing of them in the midst betweene the gods and vs hee saiâ—… 〈◊〉 some for the euill but a all because all haue ayrie bodies for this he saith is a â—…on of the Poets that make gods of those spirits and call them so making â—…m friends to such or such men as their owne loose affects do put in their heads to 〈◊〉 whereas indeed the gods are farre from these in place blessednesse 〈◊〉 qualitie This is the fiction then to call them gods that are not so and to set 〈◊〉 at oddes or at amity with such or such perticular men vnder the titles of 〈◊〉 But this fiction saith he was not much for though the spirits bee calâ—… 〈◊〉 as they are not yet they are described as they are And thence saith he 〈◊〉 â—…ers tale of Minerua that staide Achilles from striking in the middest of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoast That this was Minerua hee holds it false because shee in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c a goddesse highly placed amongst the greatest deities farre from 〈◊〉 with mortalls Now if it were some spirit that fauoured the 〈◊〉 Troy as Troy had diuerse against them one of whom hee calls d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mars who indeed are higher gods then to meddle with such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirits contended each for his owne side then this fiction is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For it was spoken of them whome he himselfe hath testified subiect to 〈◊〉 as mortall men are so that they might vse their loues and hates not according to iustice but euen e as the people doe in huntings and 〈◊〉 each one doe the best for his owne partie for the Philosophers care it 〈◊〉 was this to preuent the imputation of such acts vpon the gods whose 〈◊〉 the Poets vsed and to lay them vpon the spirits to whom of right they 〈◊〉 L. VIVES Bâ—…â—…all all are meane betweene gods and men not in substance but nature and place â—…ers Iliaed 1. She staid Achilles from striking Agamemnon vpon ill words past beâ—…â—…m c A goddesse One of the twelue counsellor-gods that Ennius hath in his diâ—… good powrefull and inuisible d Uenus They thinke saith Plutarch De defect 〈◊〉 â—…one of these calamities which the gods are blamed for were their doings but the 〈◊〉 certaine wicked spirits e As the people In the greater circuite they had horseâ—…â—…tings and the riders were attired either in white blew greene or redde and so 〈◊〉 were there Martiall mentions two of their colours Prasine Uenetian that is 〈◊〉 blew Some hold those foure colours dedicated to the foure seasons of the yeare 〈◊〉 â—…aith Suetonius added two more golden and purple The blew was sacred to the 〈◊〉 greene to the verdant spring white to the Autumne frosts and red to the sumâ—… Pâ—…ie writeth thus hereof I wonder to see so many thousands of people gazing at a sort 〈◊〉 â—…ding about like boyes if they did either respect the horses speed or the horsmans skill it 〈◊〉 but their minde is all vpon the colour and if they change colours in the midst of their 〈◊〉 spectators fauour changeth also and those whome they knew but euen now a farre of and 〈◊〉 vpon their names presently they haue done with they Such fauor such credit followeth 〈◊〉 Not in the vulgars iudgement onely which is not worth a tatter but euen in the 〈◊〉 grauer sort hath this foolery gotten residence Epist. lib. 8. Apuleius his definition of the gods of heauen spirits of ayre and men of earth CHAP. 8. 〈◊〉 of his definition of spirits it is vniuersall and therefore worth inspecâ—… They are saith he creatures passiue reasonable aeriall eternall In all 〈◊〉 there is no coÌ„munity that those spirits haue with goodmen but they 〈◊〉 bad also For making a large description of man in their place being 〈◊〉 the gods are the first to passe from commemoration of both their 〈◊〉 vnto that which was the meane betweene them viz.
these deuills thus 〈◊〉 Men ioying a in reason perfect in speach mortall in body immortall in 〈◊〉 â—…onate and vnconstant in minde brutish and fraile in body of discrepant conâ—…â—…d conformed errors of impudent boldnesse of bold hope of indurate labour 〈◊〉 â—…taine fortune perticularly mortâ—…ll generally eternall propagating one anoâ—… of life slowe of wisdome sudden of death and discontented in life these dwell 〈◊〉 In these generals common to many he added one that he knew was false 〈◊〉 b slowe of wisdome which had he omitted hee had neglected to perfect â—…ription For in his description of the gods heâ—… saith that that beatitude 〈◊〉 men doe seeke by wisdome excelleth in them so had hee thought of any 〈◊〉 deuills their definition should haue mentioned it either by shewing them â—…ticipate some of the gods beatitude or of mans wisdome But hee hath no â—…ion betweene them and wretches though hee bee fauourable in discoueâ—…â—…eir maleuolent natures not so much for feare of them as their seruants 〈◊〉 â—…ould read his positions To the wise hee leaues his opinion open inough 〈◊〉 â—…hat theirs should bee both in his seperation of the gods from all temâ—… of affect and therein from the spirits in all but eternitie and in his â—…tion that their mindes were like mens not the gods nay and that not 〈◊〉 wisedome which men may pertake with the gods but in being proue to passions which rule both in the wicked and the witlesse but is ouer ruled by the wise man yet so as hee had c rather want it then conquer it for if hee seeke to make the diuells to communicate with the gods in eternity of mind onely not of body then should hee not exclude man whose soule hee held eternall as well as the rest and therefore hee saith that man is a creature mortall in body and immortall in soule L. VIVES IOying a in reason Or contending by reason Cluentes of Cluo to striue b Slow Happy â—…s hee that getts to true knowledge in his age Plato c Rather want A wise man hath rathâ—… haue no passions of mind but seeing that cannot be he taketh the next course to keepe theâ—… vnder and haue them still in his power Whether the ayry spirits can procure a man the gods friendships CHAP. 9. WHerfore if men by reason of their mortal bodies haue not that participation of eternity with the gods that these spirits by reason of their immortall bodiâ—… haâ—…e what mediators can their be between the gods men that in their best part their soule are worse then men and better in the worst part of a creature the body for all creatures consisting of body and soule haue the a soule for the better part bee it neuer so weake and vicious and the body neuer so firme and perfect because it is of a more excelling nature nor can the corruption oâ—… vice deiect it to the basenesse of the body but like base gold that is dearer thâ—… the best siluer so farre doth it exceed the bodies worth Thus then those ioly mediators or posts from heauen to earth haue eternity of body with the gods and corruption of soule with the mortalls as though that religion that must make god and man to meete were rather corporall then spirituall But what guilt or sentence hath hung vp those iugling intercedents by the heeles and the head downeward that their lower partes their bodies participate with the higher powers and their higher their soules with the lower holding correspondence with the Gods in their seruile part and with mortalls in their principall for the body as Salust saith is the soules slaue at least should bee in the true vse and hee proceeds the one wee haue common with beasts the other with gods speaking of man whose body is as mortall as a beasts Now those whome the Philosophers haue put betweene the gods and vs may say thus also Wee hâ—… body and soule in community with gods and men but then as I said they are bound with their heeles vpward hauing their slauish body common with the gods and their predominant soule common with wretched men their worst part aloft and their best vnderfoote wherefore if any one thinke them eternall with the gods because they neuer die the death with creatures let vs not vnderstand their boâ—… to bee the eternall pallace wherein they are blessed but b the eternall priâ—… wherein they are damned and so he thinketh as he should L. VIVES THâ—… 〈◊〉 a fâ—… For things inherent neuer change their essentiall perfection and I do wondâ—… that 〈◊〉 the Peripatetique schoole of Paris would make any specificall difference of souleâ—… b Dâ—… Not in the future tence for they are damned euersince their fall Ploâ—…ines opinion that men are lesse wretched in their mortality then the diâ—…lls are in their eternity CHAP. 10. IT is said that Plâ—… that liued but a lately vnderstood Plato the best of any Hee seaking of mens soules saith thus b The father out of his mercy bound them 〈◊〉 fâ—…r a season So that in that mens bonds their bodies are mortal he impuâ—… it â—…o God the fathers mercy thereby freeing vs from the eternall tediousâ—… of this life Now the deuills wickednesse is held vnworthy of this fauour 〈◊〉 passiue soules haue eternall prisons not temporall as mens are for they 〈◊〉 happier then men had they mortall bodies with vs and blessed soules with the Gods And mens equalls were they if they had but mortall bodies to their â—…hed soules and then could worke them-selues rest after death by faith and 〈◊〉 But as they are they are not only more vnhappy then man in the wretchednesse of soules but far more in eternity of bondage in their bodies c hee would 〈◊〉 haue men to vnderstand that they could euer come to bee gods by any grace or wisdome seeing that he calleth them eternall diuells L. VIVES Bâ—… a Lately In Probus his time not 200. yeares ere Honâ—…rius his raigne In Plotine 〈◊〉 saith him thought Plato's academy reuiued Indeed hee was the plainest and puâ—… â—…ists that euer was Plato and Plotinus Princes of the Philosophers Macrob. Porphiry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wrot his life and prefixed it vnto Plotines workes b The father Plato said this of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gods in Timaeo but Plotine saith it was the mercy of yâ— father to free maÌ„ from this liues 〈◊〉 his words are these Ioue the father pitying our soules laâ—…s prefixed an expiration 〈◊〉 â—…ds wherein wee labour and granted certaine times for vs to remaine without bodies there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worlds soule râ—…leth eternally out of all this trouble De dub animae c For hee Apuleius 〈◊〉 â—…th that which followeth 〈◊〉 the Platonists that held mens soules to become Daemones after death CHAP. 11. 〈◊〉 saith a also that mens soules are Daemones and become b Lares if their 〈◊〉 be good if euill c Lemures goblins if different d Manes But â—…tious this opinion is to all goodnesse who sees not for be men neuer so â—…ous
Diuinity did not terrifie vs but take hold of our acceptance of this inuitation and so translate vs into ioy perpetuall But hee could neither haue bin inuited nor allured to this but onely by one like our selues nor yet could wee bee made happy but onely by God the fountaine of happynesse So then there is but one way Christs humanity by which all accesse lyeth to his Deity that is life eternall and beatitude Whether it be probable that the Platonists say That the gods auoyding earthly contagion haue no commerce with men but by the meanes of the ayry spirits CHAP. 16. FOr it is false that this Platonist saith Plato said God hath no commerce with man and maketh this absolute seperation the most perfect note of their glory and height So then the Diuels are left to deale and to bee infected by mans conuersation and therefore cannot mundifie those that infect them so that both become vnclean the diuels by conuersing with men and then men by adoration of the diuels Or if the diuels can conuerse with men and not bee infected then are they better then the gods for they cannot auoid this inconuenience for that he makes the gods peculiar to bee farre aboue the reach of mans corruption But a God the Creator whome we call the true God he maketh such an one out of Plato as words cannot describe at any hand nay and that the wisest men in their greatest height of abstractiue speculation can haue but now and then a sodaine and b momentary glimpse of the c vnderstanding of this God Well then if this high God d afford his ineffable presence vnto wise men sometimes in their abstractiâ—…e speculation though after a sodaine fashion and yet is not contaminate thereby why then are the gods placed so farre off sor feare of this contamination As though the sight of those ethaereal bodies that light the earth were not sufficient And if our sight of the starres whome hee maketh visible gods doe not â—…minate them then no more doth it the spirits though seene nearer hand Orâ—… mans speech more infectious then his sight and therefore the goddes to keepe them-selues pure receiue all their requests at the deliuery of the diuells What shall I say of the other senâ—…s Their smelling would not infect them if they were below or when they are below as diuells the smel of a quicke man is not infectâ—…s at all if the steame of so many dead carcasses in sacrifices infect not Their taste is not soÌ„ crauing of them as they should bee driuen to come and aske their meate of men and for their touch it is in their owne choyce For though e handling bee peculiar to that sence indeed yet may they handle their businesse with men to see them and heare them without any necessity of touching for men would dare to desire no further then to see and heare them and if they should what man can touch a God or a Spirit against their wils when we see one cannot touch a sparrow vnlesse he haue first taken her So then in sight hearing speech the goddes might haue corporeal commerce with man Now if the diuels haue thus much without infection and the gods cannot why then the goddes are subiect to contamination and not the diuels But if they bee infected also then what good can they doe a man vnto eternity whome beeing them-selues infected they cannot make cleane nor fit to bee adioyned with the gods between whom and men they are mediators And if they cannot doe this what vse hath man of their mediation Vnlesse that after death they liue both together corrupted and neuer come nearer the goddes nor inioy any beatitude either of them Vnlesse some will make the spirits like to spunges fetching all the filth from others and retayning iâ—… in them-selues which if it bee so the gods conuerse with spirits that are more vncleane then the man whose conuersation they auoyd for vncleanenesse sake Or can the gods mundifie the diuels from their infection vn-infected and cannot do so with men VVho beleeues this that beleeueth not the diuels illusions Againe if the lookes of man infect then those visible gods the f worlds bright eyes and the other stars are lyable to this infection and the diuels that are not seene but when they list in better state then they But if the sight of man not his infect then let them deny that they do see man we seeing their beames stretcht to the very earth Their beames looke vn-infected through all infection and them-selues cannot conuerse purely with men onely though man stand in neuer so much necessity of their helpe wee see the Sunnes and Moones beames to reflect vppon the earth without contamination of the light But I wonder that so many learned men preferring things intelligible euer-more before sensible would mention any corporall matter in the doctrine of beatitude VVhere is that saying of g Plotine Lette vs flie to our bright country there is the father and there is all VVhat flight is that h to become like to GOD. If then the liker a man is to GOD the nearer hee is also why then the more vnlike the farther off And mans soule the more it lookes after thinges mutable and temporall the more vnlike is it to that essence that is immutable and eternall L. VIVES GOD a the Creator Apul. de dâ—…o Sâ—…crat Dog Platon GOD is celestiall ineffable and vn-name-able whose nature is hard to finde ' and harder to declare words The of Plato are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To finde God is hard but to comprehend him impossible Thus farre Apuleius Plato in his Timaeus that to finde out the father of this vniuerse is a hard matter but to expresse his full nature to another vtterly impossible And in his Parmenides disputing of that One Hee saith it can neyther bee named defined 〈◊〉 comprehended seene nor imagined b Momentary Signifieth that the dimme light sodainly with-draweth it selfe leauing a slender species or light impression thereof only in the mindes of such as haue seene it yet such an one as giueth ample testimony of the â—…ensity and lustre thereof c Vnderstanding In the world there are some markes whereby the 〈◊〉 Maker may be knowne but that a farre off as a light in the most thicke and spatious dâ—…ke and not by all but only by the sharpest wits that giue them-selues wholly to speculation thereof d Afford his Nor doth the knowledge of God leaue the wise minde but is euer present when it is purely sought and holyly e Handling Contrectation of Tracto to handle f Worldet bright Apulei de deo Socrat. For as their maiesty required he dedicated heauen to the immortall goddes whome partly wee see and call them celestiall as you the worlds bright eye that guides the times Vos O Clarissima mundi Lumina saith Virgill of the Sunne and Moone Georg. 1. g Plotine Plato saith hee Coleyne copy h To become The
sentence is Plato 〈◊〉 wee rehearsed it in the last book Hee calls heauen our countrey because hence we are exiled Our bright countrey because all thinges there are pure certaine and illustrate here soule fickle and obscure There is the father of this vniuerse and all thinges about him as the King of all as Plato writes to Dyonisius How shall wee gette thether being so farre and the way vnpasseable by our bodies Onely one direct and ready way there is to it to follow God with all our indeaâ—…r of imitation This onely eleuateth vs thether That vnto that beatitude that consisteth in participation of the greatest good wee must haue onely such a mediator as Christ no such as the diuell CHAP. 17. TO auoyd this inconuenience seeing that mortall impurity cannot attayne to the height of the celestiall purity wee must haue a Mediator not one bodyly mortall as the goddes are and mentally miserable as men are for such an one will rather maligne then further our cure but one adapted vnto our body by nature and of an immortall right eousnesse of spirit whereby not for distance of place but excellence of similitude hee remayned aboue such an one must giue vs his truly diuine helpe in our â—…ure from corruption and captiuity Farre bee it from this incorruptible GOD to feare the corruption of a that man which hee putte on or of those men with whome as man hee conuersed For these two Documents of his incarnation are of no small value that neyther true diuinity could bee contaminate by the flesh nor that the diuels are our bettets in hauing no flesh This as the Scripture proclaymeth is the Mediator betweene GOD and man the man CHRIST IESVS of whose Diuinity equall with the father and his humanity like vnto ours this is now no fiâ—…e place to dispute L. VIVES OF e that man The Phraze of Hierome Augustine and all the Latine Fathers The Greekes vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in CHRIST that is man nor haue they any other Phraze to vse for the Sonne of GOD his assumption of man The later Diuines as if they only were Diuines and hadde found out all CHRISTS Deity and humanity say that it was not mâ—…n but manhood that hee tooke vpon him And this say they is the best ground against hereâ—… As if Augustine and Hierome were no body I but they meant manhood say these though they said man Well then speake you as they didde and thinke so too But you are the neate Polishers of the rude antient Latine and Greeke Mary the best iest is you will 〈◊〉 none to contradict the fathers and giue them the first opposition your selues and in this you thinke you shew rare acutenesse But if an other do but leaue your â—…ripples and sticke to the fathers you presently proclayme him an Heretique For if any of your learners of Diâ—…inity desiring to seeme more religious and almost attayning it should say that CHRIST assured man hee is presently thrust from the Lecture for an heretike O but say they man is but the name of the subiect but manhood declares the nature Good God 〈◊〉 Her etique will not thinke you would deride him if hee vse it thus And would not deâ—…ide vs if wee should vse it so That the diuels vnder coullor of their intercession seeke but to draw vs from God CHAP. 18. BVt those false and deceiptfull mediators the diuells wretched in vncleanesse of spirit yet working strange effects by their aëreall bodyes seeke to draw vs from profit of soule shewing vs no way to GOD but sweating to conceale that wholy from vs For in the corporall way which is most false and erroneous a way that righteousnesse walkes not for our ascent to GOD must be by this spirituall likenesse not by corporall eleuation but as I sayd in this corporall way that the diuels seruants dreame doth ly through the Elements the diuels are placed in the midst betweene the celestiall Goddes and the earthly men and the gods haue this preheminence that the distance of place keepeth them from contagion of man so that rather they beleeue that the diuels are infected by man then he mundified by them for so would he infect the gods think they but for the far distance that keeps them cleane Now who is he so wretched as to thinke any way to perfection there where the men do infect the spirits are infected and the gods subiect to infection And wil not rather select that way where the polluted spirits are abandoned and men are purged from infection by that vnchangeable God and so made fit persons for the fellowship of the Angels euer vnpolluted That the word Daemon is not vsed as now of any Idolater in a good sence CHAP. 19. BVt to auoyd controuersie concerning wordes because some of these Daemonseruers and Labeo for one say that a whome they call Demones others call Angels now must I say some-what of the good Angels whome indeed they deny not but hadde rather call them Daemons then Angels But we as scripture and consequently Christianity instructs vs acknowledge Angels both good and euill but no good Daemons But wher-soeuer in our scripture Daemon or Daemonium is read it signifieth an euill and vncleane spirit and is now so vniuersally vsed in that sence that euen the c Pagans them-selues that hold multitude of gods and Daemons to be adored yet bee they neuer such schollers dare not say to their slaue as in his praise thou hast a Daemon who-soeuer doth say so knoweth that he is held rather to cursse then commend Seeing therefore that all eares do so dislike this word that almost none but taketh it in ill part why should we bee compelled to expres our assertion further seeing that the vse of the word Angell will 〈◊〉 abolish the offence that the vse of the word Daemon causeth L. VIVES WHâ—… a they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a messenger and thence in the Greekès we read often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the messengers face Euripid. Iphgen So the Daemones being held the goddes messengers and interpretors are called Angeli and so is Mercury for his office Trismegistus and Capella both call him so and auerre the duenesse of his name as declaring our secret thought to the higher powers b Wee as Scripture The Ghospell speakes much of good Angels and Christ nameth the diuels Angels c Pagans I said before that after Christ was borne the name of a Daemon grew into suspect and so into hatred as the epithite of an euill essence as well to the vulgar as the Phylosophers Of the quality of the diuels knowledge whereof they are so proud CHAP. 20. YEt the originall of this name if we looke into diuinity affordes some-what â—…th obseruation for they were called in Greeke a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their knowâ—… Now the apostle speaking in the holy spirit saith Knowledge puffeth vppe 〈◊〉 â—…ifieth that is knowledge is then good when it linketh with charity
seuerall kindes of Daemones CHAP. 11. TRuly Porphyry shewed more witte in his Epistle to a Anebuns of Egipt where betweene learning and instructing hee both opens and subuertes all these sacriledges Therein hee reprooueth all the Daemones that because of their foolishnesse doe draw as hee sayth the b humid vapours vppe vnto them and therefore are not in the skie but in the ayre vnder the Moone and in the Moones bodie Yet dares hee not ascribe all the vanities to all the deuills that stucke in his minde For some of them hee as others doe calls good whereas before hee had called them all fooles And much is his wonder why the gods should loue sacrifices and bee compelled to grant mens sutes And if the gods and Daemones bee distinguished by corporall and vncorporall why should the Sunne Moone and other Starres visible in Heauen whom hee auoutcheth to bee bodies bee called gods and if they bee gods how can some bee good and some euill Or beeing bodies how can they bee ioyned with the gods that haue no bodies Furthermore hee maketh doubts whether the soule of a diuiâ—…r or a worker of strange things or an externall spirit cause the effect But hee coniectureth on the spirites side the rather of the two because that they may bee bound or loosed by c hearbes and stones in this or that strange operation And some therefore hee saith doe d hold a kinde of spirits that properly heare vs of a suttle nature and a changeable forme counterfeyting both gods Daemones and dead soules and those are agents in all good or badde effects But they neuer further man in good action as not knowing them but they doe entangle and hinder the progresse of vertue by all meanes they are rash and proud louers of fumigations taken easily by flattery and so forth of those spirits that come externally into the soule and delude mans sences sleeping and waking yet all this hee doth not affirme but coniectures or doubts or saith that others affirme for it was hard for so great a Philosopher to know all the deuills vilenesse fully and to accuse it freely which knowledge no Christian Idiot euer seeketh but fully detesteth Perhaps hee was afraide to offend Anebuns to whome hee wrote as a greâ—… Priest of such Sacrifices and the other e admirers of those things as appurtenances of the diuine honors Yet maketh hee as it were an inquisitiue proceeding in those things which beeing well pondered will prooue attributes to none but malignant spirits Hee asketh f why the best gods beeing inuoâ—…ed are commanded as the worst to fullfill mens pleasures and why they will not heare ones praiers that is stayned with venery when as they haue such 〈◊〉 contracts amongst themselues as examples to others Why they forbidde their priests the vse of liuing creatures least they should bee polluted by their smells when as they are inuoked and inuited with continuall fuffumigations and smells of sacrifices And the sooth-saver g is forbidden to touch the carcasse when as their religion lies wholy vpon carcasses Why the charmer threatneth not the gods or Daemorâ—…s or dead mens soules but h the Sunne or the Moone or such celestiall bodies fetching the truth out by this so false a terour They will threaten to knocke downe the skie and such impossibilities that the gods beeing like foolish babes afraide of this ridiculous terrour may doe as they are charged Hee sayth farther that one Chaeremon one of the sacred or rather sacrilegious priests hath written that that same Egiptian report of i Isis or her husband Osyris is most powerfull in compelling of the gods to doe mens pleasures when the inuoker threatens to reueale them or to cast abroad the members of Osyris if hee doe not dispatch it quickly That these idle fond threates of man yea vnto the gods and heauenly bodies the Sunne the Moone c. should haue that violent effect to force them to performe what men desire Porphyry doth iustly wonder at nay rather vnder colour of one admiring and inquiring hee sheweth these to bee the actions of those â—…its whome hee described vnder shadowe of relating others opinions to bee such deceitfull counterfeiters of the other gods mary they are deuills themselues without dissembling As for the Herbes Stones Creatures Sounds Wordes Characters and k constellations vsed in drawing the powers of those effects all these hee ascribes to the deuills delight in deluding and abusing the soules that serue and obserue them So that Porphyry either in a true doubt describeth such of those actes as can haue no reference to those powers by which wee must ayme at eternity but conuince them selues the false deuills peculiars or els hee desireth by his humility in inquiring not by his contentious opposing to drawe this Anebuns that was a great Priest in those ceremonies and thought hee knewe much vnto a due speculation of these things and to detect their detestable absurdity vnto him Finally in the end of his Epistle hee desireth to bee informed what doctrine of beatitude the Egiptians held But yet hee affirmes that such as conuerse with the gods and trouble the deity about fetching againe of theeues buying of landes marriages bargaines or such like seeme all in a wrong way to wisdome And the gods they vse herein though they tell them true yet teaching them nothing concerning beatitude are neither gods nor good Daemones but either the false ones or all is but a figment of man But because these artes effect many things beyond all humaine capacity what remaineth but firmely to beleeue and credibly to affirme that such wonders in worde or deedes as haue no reference to the confirmation of their worship of that one God to whom to adhere as the Platonists affirme is the onely beatitude are onely seducements of the deceiptfull fiendes to hinder mans progresse to vertue and soly to bee auoided and discouered by true zeale and piety L. VIVES TO a Anebuns Or Anebon b Humid vapors Hee saith they loue fumes and smells of flesh which fatten their spirituall bodies which liue vpon vapors and fumigations and 〈◊〉 diuersly strengthed by their diueâ—…sity Iamblichus the truer Daemonist seeing him put 〈◊〉 as an expression of the deuills nature denies it all For Porphyry directly affirmed that all such spirits as delighted in slaughtered offrings were euill Daemones and liers and consequently 〈◊〉 were all his gods to whom he diuideth sacrifices in his Responsa mentioned in our Coâ—… vpon the ninth chapter of this booke Thus was he tost betweene truth and inueterate 〈◊〉 daring neiâ—…her affirme them al good nor al euill for feare of his schollers his disciplines authority and the deuill himselfe c Herbes Porphyry maruells that men haue the gods so obsqous as to giue presages in a little meale This admiration and question Iamblichus as hee vseth answers with a goodly front of words which any one may reade but neither the Egiptians nor he himselfe can probably declare what they meane The gods
it selfe If you wil I wil proceed if not let it alone Then Glaucus replied that hee should go on with the son and leaue the father till another time So he proceeds to discourse of the birth and sonne of good and after some questions saith that good is as the sun and the son is as the light we haue from the sun And in his Epistle to Hermias he speaketh of such as were sworne to fit studies and the Muses sister lerning by God the guide father of al things past and to come And in his Epinomis hee saith that by that most diuine Word was the world and al therin created This word did so rauish the wise man with diuine loue that he conceiued the meanes of beatitude For many say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant of the Word not of the world and so wee haue vsed it in the eighth book speaking of Plato's opinion of beatitude So that Plato mentions the father and the son expresly mary the third he thought was indeclareable Though hee hold that in the degrees of Diuinity the soule of the world the third proceedeth from the beginning and the begininnings sonne Mens which soule if one would stand for Plato might easily be defended to be that spirit that mooued upon the waters which they seeme to diffuse through the whole masse and to impart life and being to euery particular And this is the Trine in diuinity of which he writeth to Dionysius aenigmatically as him-selfe saith Al thinges are about the King of al and by him haue existence the seconds about the second and yâ— thirds about the third I omit to write what Trismegistus saith Iamblichus from him we are all for the Platonist but I cannot omitte Serapis his answer to Thules the King of Egipt in the Troian wars who inquyring of him who was most blessed had this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. First God and then the sonne and next the spirit All coëternall one in act and merit b The son Porphyry explaning Plato's opinion as Cyril saith against Iultan puts three essences in the Deity 1 God almighty 2. the Creator 3. the soule of the world nor is the deity extended any further Plato he both cal the Creator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fathers intellect with the Poets though obscurely touch at calling Minerua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borne without a mother the wisedom brought forth out of the fathers brain c Plotine he wâ—…ote a book of the three persons or substances yâ— first hee maketh absolute and father to the second that is also eternall and perfect Hee calleth the father Mens also in another place as Plato doth but the word arose from him For hee sayth De prouâ—…d lib. 2. in the begining all this whole vniuerse was created by the Mens the father and his Worde d Alme religion tyeth vs to haue a care how wee speake herein e Sabellians They said that the person of the father and â—…f the Son was all one because the scripture saith I and the Father am one Of the true onely beginning that purgeth and renueth mans whole nature CHAP. 24. BVt Porphyry beeing slaue to the malicious powers of whome hee was ashamed yet durst not accuse them would not conceiue that Christ was the beginning by whose incarnation wee are purged but contemned him in that flesh which he assumed to be a sacrifice for our purgation not apprehending the great sacrament because of his diuell-inspired pride which Christ the good Mediator by his owne humility subuerted shewing him-selfe to mortals in that mortal state which the false Mediators wanted and therefore insulted the more ouer mens wretcheds soules falsely promising them succors from their immortality But our good and true Mediator made it apparant that it was not the fleshly substance but sinne that is euil the flesh and soule of man may be both assumed kept and putte off without guilt and bee bettered at the resurrection Nor is death though it be the punishment of sinne yet payd by Christ for our sinnes to bee anoyded by sinne but rather if occasion serue to bee indured for iustice For Christs dying and that not for his owne sinne was of force to procure the pardon of all other sinnes That hee was the beginning this Platonist did not vnderstand else would hee haue confessed his power in purgation For neither the flesh nor the soule was the beginning but the word all creating Nor can the flesh purge 〈◊〉 by it selfe but by that word that assumed it when the word became flesh dwels in vs. For hee speaking of the mysticall eating of his flesh and some that vnderstood not beeing offended at it and departing saying This is a hard saying who can heare it Answered to those that staid with him It is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Therfore the beginning hauing assumed flesh and soule mundifieth both in the beleeuer And so when the Iewes asked him who hee was hee answered them that hee was the a beginning which our flesh and bloud beeing incumbred with sinfull corruption can neuer conceiue vnlesse he by whome wee were and were not doe purifie vs. Wee were men but iust wee were not But in his incarnation our nature was and that iust not sinfull This is the mediation that helpeth vp those that are falne and downe This is the seed that the Angels sowed by dictating the law wherein the true worship of one God was taught and this our Mediator truly promised L VIVES THe a beginning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Augustine will haue the Sonne to bee a beginning but no otherwise then the father as no otherwise GOD. And this hee takes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Valla and Erasmus say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can be no nowne here but an aduerbe as in the beginning I wil speake my minde here of briefly though the phraze be obscure and perhaps an Hebraisme as many in the new Testament are Christ seemeth not to say hee is the beginning but beeing asked who hee was he hauing no one word to expresse his full nature to all their capacities left it to each ones minde to thinke in his minde what he was not by his sight but by his wordes and to ponder how one in that bodily habite could speake such thinges It was the Deity that spake in the flesh whence all those admirable actes proceeded Therefore he said I am hee 〈◊〉 the beginning and I speake to you vsing a mortall body as an instrument giuing you no more precepts by angels but by my selfe This answer was not vnlike that giuen to Moyses I am that I am but that concerned Gods simple essence and maiesty this was more later and declared God in the fâ—…me of man That all the saints in the old law and other ages before it were iustified only by the mistery and faith of Christ.
but he durst not defend the worshippe of one God against the adoration of many Hee sayd there were some Angels that came downe and taught Theurgike practisers thinges to come and others that declared the will of the Father vpon earth and his altitude and immensity Now whether would hee haue vs subiect to those Angels that declare the will of the Father vyon earth or vnto him whose wil they declare T' is plain hee biddeth vs rather imitate them then inuocate them why then wee need not feare to giue no sacrifices to these blessed immortals but referre it all freely vnto God For questionlesse that which they know to bee due to that God onely in whose participation they are blessed they will neuer ascribe to them-selues either by figures or significations This is arrogance proper to the proud and miserable diuels from which the zeale of Gods subiects and such as are blessed bâ—… coherence with him ought to be farre seperate To which blessed coherence it behouâ—…â—…e Angels to fauour our attaynement not arrogating our subiection to 〈◊〉 but declaring God the meane of both our coherences vnto vs. Why feaâ—… thou now Philosopher to censure these aduerse powers enemies both to the true God and true vertue Thou saidst but a now that the true Angels that reâ—…le Gods will do differ from them that descend vnto men that vse Theurgicallâ—…rations â—…rations VVhy dost thou honour them so much as to say they teach diuine â—…ges How can that be teaching not the will of the Father a Those now are they whom the malicious Theurgike bound from purging the soule of the good 〈◊〉 VVhome hee could not loose for all that they desired to be lette loose and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him some good Doubtest thou yet that those are wicked diuels Or dost 〈◊〉 â—…ssemble for feare of offending the Theurgikes whose curiosity inueigled 〈◊〉 so that they made theee beleeue they did thee a great pleasure in teaching 〈◊〉 this damnable cunning Darest thou extoll that maliciousplague no powâ—… 〈◊〉 is a slaue and no regent ouer the enuious aboue the ayre into Heauen and doe the starry goddes or the starres them-selues such foule disgrace as to place it amongst them L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a but now The old copies read Distinxisti for Dixisti but the sence is not alteâ—… a tittle b Those now Hee had sayd before that the euill Daemon hinders the 〈◊〉 â—…at the first must depart ere the latter could come to worke effect And of the Chalâ—…â—…ome another malicious fellow hindered from being purged in soule Of Porphyry his exeeding Apuleius in impiety CHAP. 27. â—…w much more tollerable was the error of Apuleius thy fellow sectary who â—…on fessed spite of his teeth for all his honouring of them that the diuels 〈◊〉 the Moone onely were subiect to perturbation quitting the Gods aethereâ—…â—…th â—…th visible as the Sun Moone c. And inuisible also from these affects by all 〈◊〉 arguments hee could deuise Plato taught thee not this thine impiety but thy 〈◊〉 maisters to thrust vp mortall vices amongst the aethereall powers that the gods might instruct your Theurgike in diuinity which notwithstanding thou in thine intellectual life makest thy selfe excel putting art Theurgike as not necessary for thee but for others that will be no phylosophers yet thou teachest it to repay 〈◊〉 maisters in seducing those to it that affect not Phylosophy yet holding it of 〈◊〉 vse for a Phylosopher as thou thy selfe art So that all that fancy not Phyloâ—… which being hard to attayne is affected by few might by thine authoâ—… inquire oâ—…t Theurgikes and of them attaine no intellectuall but a spirituall â—…cation And because the multitude of those do farre exceed the Phylosoâ—… therefore more are drawne to thy vnlawfull Magicall maisters then to 〈◊〉 schooles for this the vncleane Diuell those counterfeyt aethereallâ—…es â—…es whose messenger thou art become promised thee that such as were purged by Theurgy should neuer returne to the father but inhabite 〈◊〉 ayre amongst the aethereall goddes But those whome Christ came 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those diuelish powers indure not this doctrine For in him haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mercyfull purification of body soule and spirit For therefore put hee on 〈◊〉 man without sinne to cleanse whole man from sinne I wish thou hadst knoâ—… 〈◊〉 him and laid the cure of thy selfe vppon him rather then vpon thine oâ—…ne fraâ—…e weake vertue or thy pernicious curiosity For hee which your owne a Oracles as thou writest acknowledged for holy and immortall would neuer haue deceiued thee Of whome also that famous Poet saith Poetically indeed as vnder a another person but with a true reference to him b Te duce si qua manent sceleris vestigia nostri Irritaperpetua soluent formidine terras Thy conduct all sinnes markes from man shall cleare And quit the world of their eternall feare Speaking of those steppes of sinne if not sinnes which by reason of our infirmity may haue residence in the great proficients of righteousnesse and are cured by none but Christ of whome the verse speaketh For Virgill c spoke it not of himselfe as he sheweth about the fourth verse of his Eglogue where hee saith Vltima Cumaei venit iam carminis aetas Time and Sybilla's verse are now new met Playnly shewing hee had it from Sybilla Cumaea But those Theurgikes or rather fiendes in the shapes of goddes doe rather putrifie the purifie mens hearts by their false aparitions and deceiptfull illusion in change of formes For how should they cleanse another beeing vncleane them-selues Otherwise could they not be bound by the charmes of the enuious eyther to feare to infect or to enuy to bestow the good they seemingly were about to doe But it sufficeth that thou confessest that neyther the soules intellectuall part is made pure nor the spiritual that is vnder the other part eternall by art theurgike But Christ promiseth this eternity and therfore to thy owne great admiration and deepe greefe the World flocketh to him d VVhat of that that thou canst not deny that the Theurgikes doe often erre and draw others into the same blindenesse and that it is a most playne error to become supplyant to those Angelicall power And then as though thou hadst not lost thy labour in the former assertion thou sendest such as liue not intellectually to the Theurgikes to bee purged in the mindes spirituall part L. VIVES YOur a Oracles Of this in the 20. booke b Te duce Seruius refers all this eglogue to the ciuill wars in Assinius Pollio's Consulship that in his time they should end and all the feare bee extiâ—…ct But they out-lasted him Hee was Consul with Domitius Aenobarbâ—… the fourth veare of his Triumvirship c Spoke it not The whole eglogue is nothing but Syâ—… verses which being Enygmatically spoken of Christ and the time touched in certaine mistiâ—… tokens Virgill obseruing it to bee neere hand thought they meant some of the Româ—… Princes and â—…o attributes them to Saloninus Pollio's
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
eyther excerciseth the humility or beates downe the pride nothing a at all in nature being euill euill being but a priuation of good but euery thing from earth to heauen ascending in a degree of goodnesse and so from the visible vnto the inuisible vnto which all are vnequall And in the greatest is God the great workeman yet b no lesser in the lesse which little thinges are not to be measured to their owne greatnesse beeing neare to nothing but by their makers wisedome as in a mans shape shane his eye-brow a very nothing to the body yet how much doth it deforme him his beauty consisting more of proportion and parilyty of parts then magnitude Nor is it a wonder that c those that hold some nature bad and produced from a bad beginning do not receiue GODS goodnesse for the cause of the creation but rather thinke that hee was compelled by this rebellious euill of meere necessity to fall a creating and mixing of his owne good nature with euill in the suppression and reforming thereof by which it was so foyled and so toyled that he had much adoe to re-create and mundifie it nor can yet cleanse it all but that which hee could cleanse serues as the future prison of the captiued enemy This was not the Maniches foolishnes but their madnesse which they should abandon would they like Christians beleeue that Gods nature is vnchangeable incorruptible impassible and that the soule which may be changed by the will vnto worse and by the corruption of sinne be depriued of that vnchangeable light is no part of God nor Gods nature but by him created of a farre inferiour mould L. VIVES NOthing a at all This Augustine repeats often and herein do al writers of our religion besides Plato Aristotle Tully and many other Philosophers agree with him Plato in his Timaeus holds it wicked to imagine any thing that God made euill he being so good a God him-selfe for his honesty enuied nothing but made all like him-selfe And in his 2. de rep he saith The good was author of no euill but only of things good blaming Hesiod and Homer for making Ioue the author of mischiefe confessing God to be the Creator of this vniuerse therby shewing nothing to be euill in nature I will say briefly what I thinke That is good as Aristotle saith iâ—…â—…s â—…etorik which we desire either for it selfe or for another vse And the iust contrary is euil wâ—…efore in the world some things are vsefull and good some auoideble bad Some 〈◊〉 and indifferent and to some men one thing is good and to others bad yea vnto one man at seuerall times seuerall good bad or neuter vpon seueral causes This opinioÌ„ the weaknesse of our iudgements respects of profit do produce But only that is the diuine iudgement which so disposeth all things that each one is of vse in the worlds gouernment And hee knoweth all without error that seeth all things to bee good and vsefull in their due seasons which the wise man intimates when hee saith That God made all things good each in the due time Therefore did hee blesse all with increase and multiplication If any thing were alwayes vnprofitable it should bee rooted out of the creation b No lesse Nature is in the least creatures pismires gnats bees spiders as potent as in horses oxâ—…n whales or elephants and as admirable Pliny lib. 11. c Those This heresie of the Manichees Augustine declareth De heres ad Quod vult deum Contra Faust. Manich. De Genes ad liter Of the error that Origen incurreth CHAP. 23. Bvt the great wonder is that some hold one beginning with vs of all thinges and that God created all thinges that are not of his essence otherwise they could neuer haue had beeing And yet wil not hold that plaine good beleefe of the Worlds simple and good course of creation that the good God made all thinges good They hold that all that is not GOD after him and yet that all is not good which none but God could make But the a soules they say not part but creatures of God sinned in falling from the maker being cast according to their deserts into diuers degrees down from heauen got certaine bodies for their prisons And ther-upon the world was made say they not for increase of good but restrrint of bad and this is the World Herein is Origen iustly culpable for in his Periarchion or booke of beginnings he affirmes this wherein I haue much maruaile that a man so read indiuine scriptures should not obserue first how contrary this was to the testimony of scripture that confirmeth all Gods workes with this And God saw that it was good And at the conclusion God saw all that hee made and loe it was very good Auerring no cause for this creation but onely that the good God should produce good things where if no man had sinned the world should haue beene adorned and filled b onely with good natures But sin being commited it did not follow that all should be filled with badnes the far greater part remaining still good keeping the course of their nature in heauen nor could the euil willers in breaking the lawes of nature auoyd the iust lawes of the al-disposed God For as a picture sheweth well though it haue black colors in diuers places so the Vniuerse is most faire for all these staines of sins which notwithstaÌ„ding being waighed by themselues do disgrace the lustre of it Besides Origen should haue seene and all wise men with him that if the world were made onely for a penall prison for the transgressing powers to bee imbodyed in each one according to the guilt the lesse offenders the higher and lighter and the greater ones the baser and heauier that then the Diuels the worst preuaricators should rather haue bin thurst into the basest that is earthly bodies then the worst men But that we might know that the spirits merits are not repaid by the bodies qualitie the worst diuell hath an c ayry body and man though he be bad yet of farre lesse malice and guilt hath an earthly body yea had ere his fall And what can be more fond then to thinke that the Sunne was rather made for a soule to be punished in as a prison rather then by the prouidence of God to bee one in one world as a light to the beauty and a comfort to the creatures Otherwise two ten or en hundred soules sinning all a like the world should haue so many Sunnes To auoyd which we must rather beleeue that there was but one soule sinned in that kind deseruing such a body rather then that the Makers miraculous prouidence did so dispose of the Sunne for the light comfort of things created It is not the soules whereof speake they know not what but it is their owne soules that are so farre from truth that they must needes be attanted and restraned Therefore these three I
the priuation thereof The office of this sence neither the 〈◊〉 eare the smell the taste nor the touche can performe By this I know 〈◊〉 â—…ng and I know this knowledge and I loue them both and know that I 〈◊〉 both L. VIVES SO a naturally A Stoicall and Academicall disputation handled by Tully Offic. 1. de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stoically and De fin 5. Academically b For their Foolishnesse is the greatest 〈◊〉 â—…nd wisdome the good So held the Stoikes c Deeper A diuerse reading the text 〈◊〉 both d Antisthenes the first Cynickes choise His reason was because to reioyce in â—…d minde was base and cast downe the minde from the true state Socrates in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alcibiades that possessions with-out wisdome are not onely fruitlesse but hurtfull e â—…re It is not then our witte or toyle but GODS bountie that instructs vs in the 〈◊〉 â—…ourse of nature and sharpens the iudgement which bounty the good man attaining 〈◊〉 bad must needs bee wiser though lesse learned or popularly acute Therefore saith 〈◊〉 Into an euill soule wisdome will not come The same that Socrates said Onely good men 〈◊〉 f Iust by By a forme left in my minde by seeing iustice done and the due conâ—…â—…ing thereto which be it absent I conceiue what iniustice is by seeing the faire 〈◊〉 â—…ent harmony subuerted I build not vpon hurts violence iniuries or reproches 〈◊〉 no priuations but may be iustly done vpon due command of the magistrate or with â—…ent but vpon this I see the vertues decorum broken Forme is neither to bee taken â—…pes or abstracts of things reserued in the soule and called motions say some Well 〈◊〉 they either want witte or knowledge And because they cannot make them-selues 〈◊〉 by things really extant they must fetch their audiences eares vp to them by pursuing 〈◊〉 non entia this is our schoole-mens best trade now a dayes â—…ther we draw nearer to the image of the holy trinity in louing of that loue by which we loue to be and to know our being CHAP. 28. 〈◊〉 wee haue spoken as much as needeth here of the essence and knowledge 〈◊〉 much we ought to respect them in our selues and in other creatures vnâ—…â—…ough we finde a different similitude in them But whether the loue that 〈◊〉 â—…e them in be loued that is to declare It is loued wee prooue it because it iâ—…â—…d in all things that are iustly loued For hee is not worthily called a good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowes good but hee that loues it Why then may wee not loue that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selues whereby wee loue that which is to bee loued They may both 〈◊〉 â—…e man and it is good for a man that his goodnesse increasing his â—…d decrease euen to the perfection of his cure and full change into 〈◊〉 for if wee were beasts wee should loue a carnall sensitiue life 〈◊〉 good would suffice our nature b without any further trouble if 〈◊〉 â—…ees wee should not indeede loue any thing by motion of sence yet should we seeme to affect fruitfulnesse and growth if wee were stones water winde fire or so we should want sence and life yet should we haue a naturall appetiâ—…e vnto our due c places for the d motions of weights are like the bodies loues go they vpward or downwards for weight is to the body as loue is to the â—…ule But because we are men made after our creators image whose eternity is true truth eternall charity true and eternall neither confounded nor seuered we runne through all things vnder vs which could not be created formed not ordered without the hand of the most essentiall wise and good God so through all the workes of the creation gathering from this e more playne and from that lesse apparant markes of his essence and beholding his image in our selues f like the prodigall childe wee recall our thoughts home and returne to him from whom we fell There our being shall haue no end our knowledge no error our loue no offence But as now though wee see these three sure trusting not to others but obseruing it our selues with our certaine interior sight yet because of our selues we cannot know how long they shall last when they shall end whither they shall goe doing well or euill therefore here we take other witnesses of the infallibity of whose credit wee will not dispute here but hereafter In this booke of the Citty of God that was neuer pilgrim but alwayes immortall in heauen being compounded of the Angels eternally coherent with God and neuer ceasing this coherence betweene whom and their darknesse namely those that forsooke him a seperation was made as we said at first by God now will wee by his grace proceede in our discourse already begun L. VIVES FOr that a is loue There is a will in vs arising from the corruption of the body which reason ruleth not as it doth the better will but it haleth it and traileth it to good it flyes all good properly and seeketh euills bodily delights and pleasures These two Paul calleth the law of the flesh the law of the spirit some-times flesh and spirit The first brutish foule hated of good men who when they can cannot expell it they compell and force it vnto Gods obedience otherwise it produceth a loue of things vnmeete b Without Either in this life or vnto our bodies c Places Or orders and formes of one nature the preseruation of which each thing desires for it selfe helping it selfe against externall violence if it bee not hindered d 〈◊〉 of this before the Latine word is momenta e More plaine Our reason plâ—…ceth an Image rather then a marke of God in vs. Man hath the sight of heauen and the knowledge of God bestowed vpon him whereas all other creatures are chained to the earth Wherfore the spirit ouer-looking the creation left his image in our erected nature in the rest whome hee did as it were put vnder foote hee left onely his markes Take this now as a figuratiue speech f Prâ—…digall Luc. 15. Of the Angels knowledge of the Trinity in the Deity and consequently of the causes of things in the Archetype ere they come to be effected in workes CHAP. 29. THese holy Angels learne not of God by sounds but by being present wiâ—… thâ—… â—…geable truth his onely begotten word himselfe and his holy spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of substantiall persons yet hold they not three Gods but one 〈◊〉 this thâ—…y a â—…ow plainer then we know our selues b The creatures also 〈◊〉 they know 〈◊〉 in the wisdome of God the worke-mans draught then in the thingâ—… produced and consequently them-selues in that better then in thâ—…-selues though â—…ing their knowledge in both for they were made are not of 〈◊〉 â—…nce that made them Therefore in him their knowledge is day in 〈◊〉 as we sayd twy-light But the knowledges of a thing by the means 〈◊〉 and the thing it selfe made are farre different c The vnderstanding 〈◊〉 a figure doth produce a perfecter
first forsaken of Gods grace and confounded with his ownenakednesse and so with the figge leaues the first perhaps that came to hand they couered their nakednesse aâ—…d shame their members were before as they were then but they were not a shameful before whereas now they felt a new motion of their disobedient flesh as the reciprocal b punishment of their disobedience for the soule being now delighted with peruerse liberty and scorning to serue GOD could not haue the body at the former command hauing willingly forsaken GOD the superior iâ—… could not haue the inferior so seruiceable as it desired nor had the flesh subiect as it might haue had alwaies had it selfe remained Gods subiect For then the flesh beganne to couet and contend against the spirit and c with this contention are wee all borne d drawing death from our originall and bearing natures corruption and contention or victory in our members L. VIVES NOt a shamefull Not filthy nor procuring shame they had not beene offenside had wee 〈◊〉 sinned but had had the same vse that or feete our hands now but hauing offended there was an obscaene pleasure put in them which maketh them to bee ashamed of and couered b Reciprocall Which disobedience reflected vpon them as they obeied not GOD to 〈◊〉 nature subiected them so should they finde a rebell one of the members against the rule of reason d With this Some bookes ads some-thing here but it is needlesse d Drawing 〈◊〉 That is vpon the first sinne arose this contention betweene the minde and their affects which is perpetually in vs wherein the minde is some-times victor and some-times 〈◊〉 some read without victory implying that the affections cannot be so suppressed but then they will still rebell against reason and disturbe it This is the more subtile sence and seemeth best to mee In what state GOD made Man and into what state hee feil by his voluntary choice CHAP. 14. FOr GOD the Creator of nature and not of vice made man vpright who being willingly depraued and iustly condemned be got all his progeny vnder the 〈◊〉 deprauation and condemnation for in him were we all when as he beeing â—…ced by the woman corrupted a vs all by her that before sinne was made of himselfe VVee had not our perticular formes yet but there was he seede of 〈◊〉 naturall propagation which beeing corrupted by sinne must needs produce man of that same nature the slaue to death the obiect of iust condeÌ„nation and therefore this came from the bad vsing of b free will thence aroâ—… all this teame of calamity drawing al men on into misery excepting Gods Saints froÌ„ their corrupted originall euen to the beginning of the second death which hath no end L. VIVES COrrupted a vs all A diuersity of reading Augustines meaning is that we being all potentially in hm and hee beeing corrupted by sinne therefore wee arising all from him as our first fountaine draw the corruption a long with vs also b Free will For our first parents abused the freedome of it hauing power aswell to keepe Gods hests eternally as to breake them That Adam forsooke GOD ere GOD for sooke him and that the soules first death was the departure from GOD. CHAP. 15. VVHerefore in that it was sayd You shall die the death because it was not sayd the deaths if we vnderstand that death wherein the soule leaueth the life that is GOD for it was not forsaken ere it forsooke him but contrary the owne will being their first leader to euill but the Creators will being the first leader to good both in the creation of it before it had being and the restoring of it when it had falne wherefore if we doe vnderstand that God meant but of this death where hee saith whensoeuer thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death as if hee had sayd whensoeuer you forsake mee in disobedience I will forsake you in iustice yet verily doe all the other deaths follow the denunciation of this death For in that the soule felt a disobedient motion of the flesh and therevpon couered the bodies secret partes in this was the first death felt that is the departure of the soule from God Which was signified in that that when the man in mad feare had gone and hid himselfe God said to him Adam where art thou not ignorantly seeking him but watchfully warning him to looke well where hee was seeing God was not with him But when the soule forsaketh the body decaied with age then is the other death felt whereof God said in imposing mans future punishment earth thou wast and to earth thou shalt returne That by these two the first death which is of whole man might be accoÌ„plished which the second should second if Gods grace procure not mans freedome from it for the body which is earth returnes not to earth but by the owne death that is the departure of the soule from it Wherefore all christians b holding the Catholike faith beleeue that the bodily death lieth vpon mankind by no lawe of nature as if GOD had made man for to die but as a c due punishment for sin because God in scourging this sinne sayd vnto man of whom we all are descended Earth thou wast and 〈◊〉 earth thou shalt returne L. VIVES EArth a thou wast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Septuagints by the later article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implying the element of earth the graue of althings dying b Holding the Augustine often auerreth directly that man had not died had he not sinned nor had had a body subiect to death or disease the tree of life should haue made him immortall And S. Thomas Aquiâ—…as the best schoole diuine holds so also But Scotus either for faction or will denies it al making mâ—… in his first state subiect to diseases yet that he should be taken vp to heauen ere he died but if he were left on earth he should die at length for that the tree of life could not eternize hâ—… but onely prolong his life c A due deserued by his guilt Of the Philosophers that held corporall death not to be penall whereas Plato brings in the Creator promising the lesser gods that they should neuer leaue their bodies CHAP. 16. BVt the Philosophers against whose callumnies we defeÌ„d this City of God 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 church thinke they giue vs a witty scoffe for saying that the soules seperation from the body is to be held as part of the punishment when as they affirme 〈◊〉 â—…n a is the soule perfectly blessed when it leaueth the body and goeth vp pâ—… and naked vnto God If I should finde no battery against this opinion out of their owne bookes I should haue a great adoe to prooue not the body but the corruptibility of the body to be the soules burden wherevpon is that which we 〈◊〉 in our last booke A corruptible body is heauy vnto the soule In adding corâ—…le he sheweth that this being
haire of their head they desire and waite for the resurrection of their bodies wherein they suffred such paines and are neuer to suffer more b For if they hated not their flesh when they were faine to bind it from rebelling by the law of the spirit how much shall they loue it becomming wholy spirituall for if wee may iustly call the spirit seruing the flesh carnall then so may we call the flesh seruing the spirit spirituall c not because it shal be turned into the spirit as some thinke because it is written It is sowne a naturall bodie but it arisâ—…th a spirituall bodie but because it shall serue the spirit in all wonderfull and ready obeisance to the fulfilling of most secure will of indissolluble immortality all sence of trouble heauynesse and corruptibility beeing quike taken from it For it shall not bee so bad as it is now in our best health nor as it was in our first paâ—…ts before sinne for they though they had not dyed but that they sinned 〈◊〉 â—…aine to eate corporal meate as men do now hauing earthly and not spiritual bodies and though they should neuer haue growne old and so haue died the 〈◊〉 of life that stood in the midst of Paradise vnlawfull for them to tast of affording them this estate by GODS wonderfull grace yet they eate of more 〈◊〉 then that one which was forbidden them because it was bad but 〈◊〉 their instruction in pure and simple obedience which is a great vertue in a â—…ble creature placed vnder God the creator for though a man touched no 〈◊〉 â—…et in touching that which was forbidden him the very act was the sinne 〈◊〉 obedence they liued therefore of other fruites and eate least their carnall 〈◊〉 should haue beene troubled by hunger or thirst but the tast of the tree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was giuen them to confirme them against death and weakenesse by age 〈◊〉 rest seruing them for nutriment and this one for a sacrament the tree of life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 earthly paradise being as the wisdome of God is in the heauenly whereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…itten It is a tree of life to them that imbrace it L. VIVES VNâ—… them a That Luc. 21. 7. b For if Ephes. 5. 29 no man euer yet hated his owne flesh c Not because Saint Origen faith that all our corporall nature shall become spirituall and all 〈◊〉 â—…ance shal become a body purer and clearer then the light and such an one as man canâ—…â—…ine God shall be all in all so that euery creature shall be transmuted into that which 〈◊〉 then all namely into the diuine substance for that is the best Periarch Of the Paridise wherein our first parents were placed and that it may be taken spiritually also without any wrong to the truth of the history as touching the reall place CHAP. 21. WHerevpon some referred that a Paradise wherein the first man was placed as the scripture recordeth al vnto a spiritual meaning taking the trees to 〈◊〉 â—…es as if there were b no such visible things but onely that they were 〈◊〉 signifie things intelligible As if there were not a reall Paradise because 〈◊〉 vnderstand a spiritual one as if there were not two such women as Agar 〈◊〉 and two sonnes of Abraham by them the one being a bond woman and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 free because the Apostle saith that they signified the two Testaments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Rocke gushed not forth in water when Moyses smot it because that 〈◊〉 â—…ay prefigure Christ the same Apostle saying the rocke was Christ No man 〈◊〉 that the Paradise may be vnderstood the blisse of the Saints the c foure 〈◊〉 foure vertues prudence fortitude temperance and iustice the trees all 〈◊〉 â—…sciplines the tree of life wisdome the mother of the rest the tree of the â—…edge of good and euill the triall of transgression for God decreed a puâ—…nt for sinne iustly and well if man could haue made vse of it to his owne 〈◊〉 These things may also be vnderstood of the Church and that in a better 〈◊〉 as prophetique tokens of things to come Paradise may be taken for the Church as wee d read in the canticles thereof The foure flouds are the foure Ghospels the frutefull trees the Saints their fruits their workes the tree of life the holy of holies Christ the tree of the knowledge of good and euill free election of will for if man once forsake Gods will he cannot vse him-selfe but to his owne destruction and therefore hee learneth either to adhere vnto the good of all goods or to affect his owne onely for louing himselfe he is giuen to himselfe that being in troubles sorrowes and feares and feeling them withall hee may sing with the Psalmist My soule is cast downe within me and being reformed I will waite vpon thee O God my defence These and such like may be lawfully vnderstood by Paradise taken in a spirituall sence so that the history of the true and locall one be as firmely beleeued L. VIVES PAradise a Augustine super Genes ad lit lib. 8. recites three opinions of Paradice 1. Spirituall onely 2. locall onely third spirituall and locall both and this he approues for the likeliest But where Paradise was is a maine doubt in authors Iosephus placeth it in the east and so doth Bede adding withall that it is a region seuered by seas from all the world and lying so high that it toucheth the moone Plato in his Phaedo placeth it aboue the cloudes which others dissalow as vnlikely Albertus Grotus herein followeth Auicen and the elder writers also as Polibius and Eratosthenes imagining a delicate and most temperate region vnder the equinoctiall gainst the old Position that the climate vnder the equinoctiall was inhabitable The equinoctiall diuides the torrid Zone in two parts touching the Zodiacke in two points Aries and Libra There did hee thinke the most temperate clime hauing twelue howers day and twelue night all the yeare long and there placed hee his Paradise So did Scotus nor doth this controull them that place it in the east for there is cast and west vnder the equinoctiall line Some say that the sword of fire signifieth that burning clymate wherein as Arrianus saith there is such lightning and so many fiery apparitions where Paradise was Hierome thinketh that the Scriptures doth shew and though the Septuagintes translate in Eden from the east Oriens is a large signification Hierome saith thus for Paradise there is Ortus Gan. Eden is also Deliciae pleasures for which Symmachus translateth Paradisus florens That also which followeth Contra Orientem in the Hebrew Mikkedem Aquila translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may read it from the beginning Symmachus hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Theodotion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both which signifie beginning and not the east whereby it is plaine that God had made Paradise before he made heauen and earth as we read also in the Hebrew God had planted the
but the better part onely nor the body whole man but the worse part only and both conioyned make man yet when we speake of them disioyned they loose not that name for who may not follow custome and say such a man is dead such a man is now in ioy or in paine and speake but of the soule onely or such a man is in his graue and meane but the body onely will they say the scripture vseth no such phrase yes it both calles the body and soule conioyned by the name of man and also diuiding them calles the soule the inward man and the body the outward as if they were two men and not both composiâ—…gone And marke in what respect man is called Gods image and man of earth returning to earth the first is in respect of the reasonable soule which God breathed or inspired into man that is into mans body and the laâ—…er is in respect of the body which God made of the dust and gaue it a soule whereby it became a liuing body that is man became a liuing soule and therefore whereas Christ breathing vpon his Apostles said receue the holy spirit this was to shew that the spirit was his aswell as the Fathers for the spirit is the Fathers and the Sonnes making vp the Trinity of Father Sonne and Holy Spirit being no creature but a creator That breath which was carnally breathed was not the substantiall nature of the Holy Spirit but rather a signification as I said of the Sonnes communication of the spirit with his Father it being not particular to either but common to both The scriptures in Greeke calleth it alwaies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Lord called it here when by signifiing it with his breath hee gaue it to his disciples and I neuer read it otherwise called in any place of Gods booke But here whereas it is sayd that God formed man being dust of the earth and breathed in his face the spirit or breath of life the Greeke is g not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word is read oftener for the creature then the creator and therefore some latinists for difference sake do not interpret this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirit but breath for so it is in Esay where God saith h I haue made all breath meaning doubtlesse euery soule Therefore that which the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee do sometimes call breath some-time spirit some-time inspiration and aspiration and some-times i soule but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neuer but spirit either of man as the Apostle saith what man knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man which is in him or of a beast as wee read in the preacher Who knoweth whether the spirit of man ascendeth vpwardes and the spirit of the beast downewards to the earth or that bodily spirit which wee call wind as the Psalme saith fire hayle snow Ice and the spirit of tempests or of no creature but the creator himselfe whereof our Sauiour said in the Gospell Receiue the holy 〈◊〉 signifying it in his bodily breath and there also where hee saith Goe and bâ—…ise all nations in the name of the father the sonne and the holy spirit plainly and excellently intimating the full Trinity vnto vs and there also where wee read God is a spirit and in many other places of scripture In all those places of Scriptâ—… the Greeke wee see hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latine flatus and not spiâ—…us And therefore if in that place Hee breathed into his face the breath of life tâ—… Greeke had not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it hath but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet were it no consequent that wee should take it for the holy spirit the third person in Trinity because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is vâ—… for a creature as well as the creator and as ordinarily O but â—…ay they hee â—…ld not haue added vitae of life but that hee meant that spirit aâ—…d whereas 〈◊〉 sâ—…id Man became a soule hee would not haue added liuing but that he meant the soules life which is giuen from aboue by the spirit of God for the soule haâ—…g a proper life by it selfe why should hee adde liuing but to intimate the 〈◊〉 giuen by the holy spirit But what is this but folly to respect coniecture and 〈◊〉 to neglect scripture for what need we goe further then a chapter and beâ—…old let the earth bring forth the liuing soule speaking of the creation of all eâ—…ly creatures and besides for fiue or sixe Chapters onely after why might 〈◊〉 â—…ot obserue this Euery thing in whose nosthrills the spirit of life did breath â—…soeuer they were in the drye land dyed relating the destruction of euery liuing 〈◊〉 vpon earth by the deluge If then wee finde a liuing soule and a spirit of life in beasts as the Scripture saith plainly vsing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this very 〈◊〉 place why may wee not as well say why added hee liuing there seeing 〈◊〉 soule cannot bee vnlesse it liue and why added hee Of life here hauing â—…d spirit But wee vnderstand the Scriptures ordinary vsage of the liuing 〈◊〉 and the spirit of life for animated bodyes naturall and sensitiue and yet 〈◊〉 this vsuall phrase of Scripture when it commeth to bee vsed concerning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of man Whereas it implieth that man receiued a reasonable soule of 〈◊〉 â—…ated by his breath k not as the other were produced out of water and 〈◊〉 and yet so that it was made in that body to liue therein and make it an aniâ—… body and a liuing soule as the other creatures were whereof the Scripture sayd Let the earth bring forth a liuing soule and that in whose nostrills was the â—…rit of life which the Greek text calleth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meaning not the holy spirit but their life But wee say they doe conceiue Gods breath to come from the mouth of God now if that bee a soule l wee must holde it equall 〈◊〉 â—…substantiall with that wisdome or Worde of GOD which saith I am come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mouth of the most high Well it saith not that it was breathed from 〈◊〉 â—…outh but came out of it And as wee men not out of our owne nature but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ayre about vs can make a contraction into our selues and giue it out 〈◊〉 in a breath so Almighty GOD not onely out of his owne nature or of 〈◊〉 â—…feriour creature but euen of nothing can make a breath which hee may 〈◊〉 most fitly said to breath or inspire into man it being as hee is incorporeall 〈◊〉 â—…ot as hee is immutable because it is created as he is not 〈◊〉 to let those men see that will talke of Scriptures and yet marke not what 〈◊〉 doe intend that some-thing may bee sayd to come
forth of GODS mouth 〈◊〉 that which is equall and consubstantiall with him let them read or heare 〈◊〉 owne words Because thou art luke warme and neither colde nor hotte it will 〈◊〉 to passe that I shall spew thee out of my mouth Therefore wee haue to contraâ—… the Apostles plainenesse in distinguishing the naturall body wherein wee now are from the spirituall wherein wee shall bee where he saith It is sowen a naturall body but ariseth a spirituall body as it is also written The first man Adam was made a liuing soule and the last Adam a quickning spirit The first was of earth earthly the second of heauen heauenly as is the earthly such are all the earthly and as the heauenly is such are the heauenly And as wee haue borne the Image of the earthly so shall wee beare the Image of the heauenly Of all which words wee spake before Therefore the naturall body wherein man was first made was not made immortall but yet was made so that it should not haue dyed vnlesse man had offended But the body that shall bee spirituall and immortall shall neuer haue power to dye as the soule is created immortall who though it doe in a manner lose the life by loosing the spirit of God which should aduance it vnto beatitude yet it reserueth the proper life that is it liueth in misery for euer for it cannot dye wholy The Apostaticall Angels after a sort are dead by sinning because they forsooke God the fountaine of life whereat they might haue drunke eternall felicity yet could they not dye so that their proper life and sence should leaue them because they were made immortall and at the last iudgement they shal be thrown headlong into the second death yet so as they shal liue therin for euer in perpetuall sence of torture But the Saints the Angels fellow-cittizens belonging to the grace of God shall be so inuested in spiritual bodies that from thence-forth they shall neither sinne nor die becomming so immortall as the Angels are that sinne can neuer subuert their eternity the nature of flesh shall still be theirs but quite extracted from all corruption vnweeldynesse and ponderosity Now followeth another question which by the true Gods helpe we meane to decide and that is this If the motion of concupiscence arose in the rebelling members of our first parents immediately vppon their transgression where-vppon they saw that is they did more curiously obserâ—…e their owne nakednesse and because the vncleane motion resisted their wils couered their priuie partes how should they haue begotten children had they remayned as they were created without preuarication But this booke being fit for an end and this question not fit for a too succinct discussion it is better to leaue it to the next volume L. VIVES DId not a then This the Manichees held Aug. de Genes ad lit lib. 2. Caâ—… 8. b And GOD formed They doe translate it And God framed man of earth taken from the earth I thinke Augustine wanteth a word taken or taking Laurinus his copy teadeth it as the Septuagints do Yet the Chaldee Thargum or paraphraze reading it as Augustine hath it and so it is in the Bible that Cardinall Ximenes my patron Crâ—… his predecessor published in foure languages beeing assisted by many learned men but for the greeke especially by Iohn Vergara a deepe vprightly iudicious and vnvulgar Scholler Their Pentateuch Lewis Coronelli lent me forbearing al the while that I was in hand with this worke for the common good c And God framed Hieromes translation d Whence 〈◊〉 Shewing that in his time the Church vsed the Latine translation from the seauentie and noâ—… Hiâ—…s I wonder therefore that men should be excluded from sober vsing of diuerse translations e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greeke is we vse it of those that forme any thing out of claye that is â—…gere and great authors vse it concerning men He made them finxit greedie and gluttonous Salust He made thee finxit wise temperate c. by nature Cic. 〈◊〉 Mâ—… speaking of Cato Maiâ—…r To forme I thinke is nothing but to giue forme property f Commonly If a moderne diuine had plaide the Gramarian thus hee should haue heard of it But Augustine may but if he and Paul liued now adayes hee should be held a Pedant 〈◊〉 a petty orator and Paul a madde man or an heretique Not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Chaldees read a speaking spirit Here Augustine shewes plainly how necessarie the true knowledge of the meaâ—…gs of words is in art and discipline h I haue made I say 57. 16. the 70. also read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all breath Many of the Latinists animus and anima for ayre and breath Uirg Semina terrarumque animaeque marisque fuissent They had beene seeds of earth of ayre and sea And Tully in his Academikes vseth it for breath Si vnus simplex vtrum sit ignis an anima 〈◊〉 sâ—…guis If it be simply one whether is it fire breath or bloud Terenc Compressi animam I 〈◊〉 my breath Plaut Faetet anima vxoris tuae Your wiues breath stinkes and Pliny Anima 〈◊〉 virus graue A Lions breath is deadly poison i Soule I like this reading better then Bâ—…es copies it squares better with the following Scriptures k Not as the If we say that Augustine held mans soule created without the body and then infused as Aristotle seemes to â—…rre De generat animal S. Thomas and a many more moderne authors goe downe the winde But if wee say it is not created as the mortall ones are that are produced out of the â—…osition of the substances wherein they are but that it is created from aboue within man â—…out all power of the materiall parts to worke any such effect this were the most common opinion and Aristotle should be thus vnderstood which seemes not to agree with this assertion that it commeth ab externo nor with his opinion that holdeth it immortall and inborne if I vnderstand his minde aright whereof I see his interpretors are very vncertaine l We must hold There were not onely a many Pagans as wee haue shewen but some Chriâ—… also that held the soule to be of Gods substance nor were these heretiques onely as 〈◊〉 â—…risilliannists and some others but euen that good Christian Lactantius not that I or 〈◊〉 wiser then I will approoue him in this but in that hee seemeth to stand zealously â—…d vnto Christ. His words are these Hauing made the body he breathed into it a soule out of 〈◊〉 lâ—…ing fountaine of his owne spirit which is eternall Institut diuin lib. 2. wherein hee seemes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that mans soule was infused into him from the spirit of God Finis lib. 13. THE CONTENTS OF THE foureteenth booke of the City of God 1. That the inobedience of the first man had drawne all mankind into the perpetuity of the second death but that Gods grace hath
freed a-many from it 2. Of the carnall life apparant in the soules viciousnesse as well as the bodies 3. That sinne came from the soule and not the flesh and that the corruption which sinne hath procured is not sinne but the punishment of sinne 4. What it is to liue according to man and to liue according to God 5. That the Platonists teach the natures of soule and bodie better then the Maniches yet they erre in ascribing sinne vnto the nature of the flesh 6. Of the quality of mans will vnto which all affections Good and Bad are subiect 7. That Amor and Dilectio are of indifferent vse in the Scriptures both for Good and Euill 8. Of the three passions that the Stoykes allow a wiseman excluding sadnes as foe to a vertuous mind 9. Of the perturbations of mind which the iust doe moderate and rule aright 10. Whether Man had those perturbations in Paradise before his fall 11. The fall of the first Man wherein Nature was made good and cannot bee repair'd but by the Maker 12. Of the quality of Mans first offence 13. That in Adams offence his Euill will was before his euill woorke 14. Of the pride of the transgressioÌ„ which was worse then the transgression it selfe 15. Of the iust reward that our first parents receiued for sinne 16. Of the euill of lust how the name is geâ—…rall to many vices but proper vnto venereall concupiscence 17. Of the nakednesse that our first parents discouered in themselues after their sinne 18. Of the shame that accompanieth copulation as well in common as in mariage 19. That the motions of wrath and lust are so violent that they doe necessarily require to bee suppressed by wisdome and that they were not 〈◊〉 our Nature before our fall depraued it 20. Of the vaine obscaenity of the Cynikes 21. Of the blessing of multiplication before sinne which the transgression did not abolish but onely linked to lust 22. That God first instituted and blessed the band of marriage 23. Whether if man had not sinned hee should haue begotten children in paradice and whether there should there haue bin any contention betweene chastity and lust 24. That our first parents had they liued without sinne should haue had their members of generation as subiect vnto their wills as any of the rest 25. Of the true beatitude vnattayne ablâ—… 〈◊〉 this life 26. That our first parents in Paradise migâ—… haue produced manking without any shamâ—… appetite 27. That the sinners Angels and men caâ—…not with their peruersenesse disturbe Gods prouidence 28. The state of the two Citties the Heauenly and the Earthly FINIS THE FOVRTEENTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus That the inobedience of the first man had drawne all mankinde into the perpetuity of the second death but that Gods grace hath freed a many from it CHAP. 1. WE said in our precedent bookes that it was Gods pleasure to propagate all men from one both for the keeping of humaine nature in one sociable similitude and also for to make their vnity of originall be the meanes of their concord in heart Nor should any of this kinde haue dyed but the first two the one whereof was made of the other and the other of nothing had incurred this punishment by their disobedience in committing so great a sinne that their whole nature being hereby depraued was so transfused through all their off-spring in the same degree of corruption and necessity of death whose kingdome here-vpon became so great in man that all should haue beene cast headlong in the second death that hath no end by this due punishment but the vndue a grace of God acquitted some from it whereby it comes to passe that whereas man-kinde is diuided into so many nations distinct in language discipline habite and fashion yet is there but two sorts of men that doe properly make the two citties wee speake of the one is of men that liue according to the flesh and the other of those that liue according to the spirit either in his kinde and when they haue attained their desire either doe liue in their peculiar peace L. VIVES VNdue a grace For God owes no man any thing and therefore it is called grace because it comes gratis freely and because it maketh the receiuer gratum thankfull Who hath giâ—… vnto him first and hee shall be recompensed Rom. 11. 35. If it were due he should not then giue but restore it Not by the workes of righteousnesse which wee haue done but according to his 〈◊〉 hee saued vs. Tit. 3. 5. Of the carnall life apparant in the soules viciousnesse as well as the bodies CHAP. 2. WE must first then see what it is to liue according to the flesh and what according to the spirit The raw and inconsiderate considerer hereof not attending well to the scriptures may thinke that the Epicureans were those that liued according to the flesh because â—…hey made bodily pleasure that summum boâ—… and all such as any way held corporall delight to be mans chiefest good as the vulgar also which not out of Philosophy but out of their owne pronenesse to lust can delight in no pleasures but such as are bodily and sensible but that the Stoickes that placed this summum bonum in the minde liue according to the spirit for what is mans minde but his spirit But the Scriptures prooue them both to follow the courses of the flesh calling the flesh not onely an earthly animate body as it doth saying All flesh is not the same flesh for there is one flesh of men and another flesh of beasts and another of fishes and another of birdes but it vseth the worde in farre other significations amongst which one is that it calleth whole man that is his intire nature flesh vsing the part for the whole as By the workes of the lawe shall no flesh be iustified What meanes hee by no flesh but no man hee explaineth him-selfe immediatly a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe And in another place No man is iustified by the lawe The word was made flesh What is that but man Some misconceiuing this place held that Christ had no humaine soule For as the part is taken for the whole in these words of Mary Magdalene They haue taken away my Lord and I know not where they haue laide him Meaning onely the flesh of Christ which shee thought they had taken out of the Sepulchre so is the part taken for the whole when wee say flesh for Man as in the quotations before Seeing therefore that the Scripture vseth flesh in so many significations too tedious heere to recollect To finde what it is to liue according to the flesh the course being enill when the flesh is not euill let vs looke a little diligently into that place of the Apostle Paul to the Galathians where hee saith The workes of the flesh are
by the words increase and multiply the number of 〈◊〉 â—…nat were fulfilled then should a better haue beene giuen vs namely 〈◊〉 the Angells haue wherein there is an eternall security from sinne 〈◊〉 and so should the Saints haue liued then after no tast of labour sorâ—… death as they shall do now in the resurrection after they haue endured 〈◊〉 L. VIVES 〈◊〉 The desire is a sinne aswell as the act not onely by the Scriptures but by the â—…ct discipline of humanity also Cic. Philippic 2. Though there be no law against it for 〈◊〉 â—…th not if this man desire thus much land let him be fined as Cato the elder pleaded 〈◊〉 â—…odians The fall of the first man wherein nature was made good and cannot be repaired but by the maker CHAP. 11. BVt God foreknowing althings could not but know that man would fall therefore wee must ground our City vpon his prescience and ordinance not vpon that which we know not and God hath vnreuealed For mans sinne could not disturbe Gods decree nor force him to change his resolue God fore-knew and preuented both that is how bad man whome hee had made should become and what good hee meant to deriue from him for all his badnesse For though God bee said to change his resâ—… as the scriptures a tropically say that hee repented c. Yet this is in respect of mans hope or natures order not according to his own prescience So then God made man vpright and consequently well-willed otherwise he could not haue beene vpright So that this good will was Gods worke man being there-with created But the euill will which was in man before his euill worke was rather a fayling from the worke of God to the owne workes then any worke at all And therefore were the workes euill because they were according to them-selues and not to God this euill will being as a tree bearing such bad fruite or man himselfe in respect of his euill will Now this euill will though it do not follow but oppose nature being a falt yet is it of the same nature that vice is which cannot but bee in some nature but it must bee in that nature which God made of nothing not in that which he begot of himselfe as his word is whereby althings were made for although God made man of dust yet hee made dust of nothing and hee made the soule of nothing which he ioyned with the body making full man But euills are so farre vnder that which is good that though they be permitted to bee for to shew what good vse Gods prouident iustice can make of them yet may that which is good consist without them as that true and glorious God him selfe and all the visible resplendent heauens do aboue this darkned misty aire of ours but euills cannot consist but in that which is good for all the natures wherein they abide being considered as meere natures are good And euill is drawne from nature not by abscission of any nature contrary to this or any part of this but by purifiying of that onely which was thus depraued Then b therefore is the will truely free when it serueth neither vice nor sin Such God gaue vs such we lost and cannot recouer but by him that gaue it as the truth saith If the sonne free you you shal be truly freed it is all one as if hee should say If the sonne saue you you shal be truely saued c for hee is the freer that is the Sauiour Wherefore d in Paradise both locall and spirituall man made God his rule to liue by for it was not a Paradise locall for the bodies good and not spirituall for the spirits nor was it a spirituall 〈◊〉 the spirits good and no locall one for the bodies Noe it was both for both But after that e that proud and therefore enuious Angell falling through that pride from God vnto him-selfe and choosing in a tiranicall vain glory raâ—…r to rule then to be ruled fell from the spirituall paradise of whose fall and 〈◊〉 fellowes that therevpon of good Angells became his I disputed in my ninth booke 〈◊〉 God gaue grace and meanes hee desiring to creepe into mans minde by his ill-perswading suttlely and enuying mans constancy in his owne fall chose the serpent one of the creatures that as then liued hurtlesse with the man 〈◊〉 â—…oman in the earthly paradise a beast slippery and moueable wreatchd â—…ots and fit f for his worke this hee chose to speake through abusing it 〈◊〉 subiect vnto the greater excellency of his angelicall nature and making it 〈◊〉 â—…rument of his spirituall wickdnesse through it he began to speake deceitâ—… vnto the woman beginning at the meaner part of man-kind to inuade the 〈◊〉 by degrees thinking the man was not so credulous nor so soone deluded 〈◊〉 would be seing another so serued before him for as Aaron consented not by â—…sion but yeelded by compulsion vnto the Hebrewes idolatry to make 〈◊〉 an Idol nor Salomon as it is credible yeelded worship to idols of his owne â—…ous beleefe but was brought vnto that sacriledge by his wiues perswaâ—… So is it to bee thought that the first man did not yeeld to his wife in this â—…ession of Gods precept as if hee thought shee said two but onely being â—…elled to it by this sociall loue to her being but one with one and both of 〈◊〉 â—…ture and kind for it is not in vaine that the Apostle saith Adam was not 〈◊〉 â—…iued but the woman was deceiued but it sheweth that the woman did 〈◊〉 the serpents words true but Adam onely would not breake company 〈◊〉 â—…is fellow were it in sinne and so sinned wittingly wherefore the Apostle 〈◊〉 not He sinned not but He was not seduced for hee sheweth that hee sinned 〈◊〉 by one man sinne entred into the world and a little after more plainely after â—…er of the transgression of Adam And those he meanes are seduced that 〈◊〉 the first to be no sinn which he knew to bee a sinne otherwise why should 〈◊〉 Adam was not seduced But he that is not acquainted with the diuine seâ—… might therein be deceiued to conceiue that his sinne was but veniall And 〈◊〉 in that the woman was seduced he was not but this was it that i deceiâ—… that hee was to bee iudged for all that he had this excuse The woman 〈◊〉 gauest me to be with me she gaue me of the tree and I did eate what need we 〈◊〉 then though they were not both seduced they were both taken in sin 〈◊〉 the diuells captiues L. VIVES â—…ally a Say Figuratiuely A trope saith Quintilian is the translation of one word 〈◊〉 the fit signification of another from the owne that God repented is a Metaphor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 figure that who so knowes not and yet would learne for the vnderstanding of scripâ—… not go vnto Tully or Quintilian but vnto our great declamers who knowing not y◠〈◊〉 betweene Gramar
their postâ—…re 〈◊〉 a quadrangle there were on the walls one thousand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…undred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Robooth Hieromes translation hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Râ—…ad onely Hee built Nâ—…iue and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnlesse the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The hebrew hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 f Niâ—… 〈◊〉 following the Phaenician Theology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sonâ—… oâ—… 〈◊〉 and calleth him Iupiter Belus Now there was another 〈◊〉 sonne to Epaphus kinge of Egypt whome Ioue begot vnto this Belus Isis was mother 〈◊〉 Eusebius make him the sonne of Telegonus who maried Isis after Apis was dead 〈◊〉 reigning as then in Athens But Belus that was father to Ninus was a quiet King of 〈◊〉 anâ—… contented with a little Empire yet had hee this warlike sonne whereby he was â—…d as a God and called the Babilonian Iupiter This was their Belus say the Egyptians 〈◊〉 Egiptus whome they call the sonne of Neptune and Lybia and granchild to Epaphus 〈◊〉 â—…her Hee placed colonies in Babilon and seating him-selfe vpon the bankes of Euâ—…â—…stituted his Priests there after the Egyptian order That Belus whom they worshipped â—…outly in Assiria and who had a temple at Babilon in Plinies time was as he saith 〈◊〉 â—…tor of Astronomy and the Assirians dedicated a iewell vnto him and called it Belus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g Unto Sem also The seauenty lay it downe most playnely h Hebrewes Paul 〈◊〉 of Borgos a great Hebraician sayth they were called Hebrewes quasi trauellers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word intends trauellers they were indeed both in Egypt and in the land of Canaan i 〈◊〉 â—…ese were As Ilands are diuided from the continent by the sea so were they amongst â—…es by riuers mountaines woods sands deserts and marishes Of the confusion of tongues and the building of Babilon CHAP. 8. WHereas therefore the Scriptures reckneth those nations each according to his proper tongue yet it returneth backe to the time when they had 〈◊〉 â—…one tongue and then sheweth the cause of the diuersity Then the whole 〈◊〉 â—…th it was of one language and one speach And as they went from the East 〈◊〉 a plaine in the land of Semar and there they aboade and they sayd one to 〈◊〉 â—…me let vs make bricke and burne it in the fire so they had bricke for stone 〈◊〉 â—…ch for lime They sayd also come let vs build vs a citty and b a tower whose 〈◊〉 reach to the heauen that we c may get vs a name least we bee scattred vpon 〈◊〉 earth And the Lord came downe to see the citty and tower which the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men builded And the Lord sayd behold the people is all one and haue all 〈◊〉 â—…ge and this they begun to do neither can they now be stopped from 〈◊〉 â—…er they haue imagined to effect come on let vs downe and confound 〈◊〉 â—…guage there that each one of them vnderstand not his fellowes speach So 〈◊〉 Lord scattered them from thence ouer the whole earth and they d left 〈◊〉 â—…ild the citty and the tower Therefore the name of it was called confuâ—…â—…cause â—…cause there the Lord confounded the language of the whole earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thence did the Lord scatter them vpon all the earth This Citty 〈◊〉 â—…ch was called confusion is that Babilon whose wounderfull building 〈◊〉 â—…d euen in prophane histories for Babilon is interpreted confusion 〈◊〉 we gather that Nembrod the Giant was as we said before the builder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scripture saying the beginning of his kingdome was Babilon that is this 〈◊〉 metropolitane city of the realme the kings chamber and the chiefe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rest though it were neuer brought to that strange perfection that the 〈◊〉 and the proud would haue it to be for it was built to heigh which 〈◊〉 â—…as vp to heauen whether this were the fault of some one Tower which 〈◊〉 â—…ght more vpon then all the rest or of them all vnder one as wee will 〈◊〉 soldiour or enemy when we meane of many thousands and as the 〈◊〉 of Frogges and Locusts that plagued Egypt were called onely in the 〈◊〉 number the Frogge and Locust But what intended mans vaine presumption herein admit they could haue exceeded all the mountaines with their buildings height could they euer haue gotten aboue the element of ayre and what hurt can elleuation either of body or spirit do vnto God Humility is the true tract vnto heauen lifting vppe the spirit vnto GOD but not against GOD as that gyant was said to be an hunter against the Lord which some not vnderstanding were deceiued by the ambiguity of the greeke and translated before the Lord f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beeing both before and against for the Psalme vseth it so and kneele before the Lord our maker And it is also in Iob He hath stretched out his hand against God Thus then g is that hunter against the Lord to bee vnderstood But what is the worde Hunter but an entrapper persecutor and murderer of earthly creatures So rose this hunter and his people and raised this tower against GOD which was a type of the impiety of pride and an euill intent though neuer effected deserueth to bee punished But how was it punished Because that h all soueraignty lieth in commaund and all commaund in the tongue thus pride was plagued that the commaunder of men should not be vnderstood because he would not vnderstand the Lord his commander Thus was this conspiracy dissolued each one departing from him whom hee vnderstood not nor could he adapt himselfe to any but those that hee vnderstood and thus these languages diuided them into Nations and dispersed them ouer the whole earth as God who wrought those strange effects had resolued L. VIVES ANd a pitch Bitumen whereof there was great store in those places b A tower The like to this do the prophane writers talke of the Gyants wars against the Gods laying mountaine vpon mountaine to get foote-hold against heauen the nearer it Ter sunt conati inponere Pelion Ossae Ter pater extructos disiecit fulmine montes Pelion on Ossa three times they had throwne And thrice Ioues thunder struck the bul-warke downe Saith Uirgil The story is common it might be wrested out of this of the confusion as diuers other things are drawne from holy writ into heathenisme c We may get Let this bee a monument of vs all d Left off And the builders of the cittie ceased say the seauenty e Wonderfull In Pliny Solinus Mela Strabo Herodotus all the geographers and many of the Poets of this else-where f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So it is in latin also g Is that hunter Iosephus writeth that Nimrod first taught mankinde to iniure GOD and to grow proud against him for being wondrous valiant he perswaded them that they might thanke themselues and not God for any good that befell them And so ordeined he himselfe a souerainty and to prouide that God should not subuert it
they shall be so reioyned againe that neither time nor torment shall bee able to procure their seperation Wherefore though our flesh as now bee such that it cannot suffer all paine without dying yet then shall it become of another nature as death also then shal be of another nature For the death then shal be eternall and the soule that suffereth it shall neither bee able to liue hauing lost her God and onely life nor yet to avoide torment hauing lost all meanes of death The first death forceth her from the body against her will and the second holds her in the body against her will Yet both are one in this that they enforce the soule to suffer in the body against her will Our opponent will allow this that no flesh as now can suffer the greatest paine and yet not perish but they obserue not that there is a thing aboue the body called a soule that rules and guides it and this may suffer all torment and yet remaine for euer Behold now here is a thing sensible of sorrow and yet eternall this power then that is now in the soules of all shal be as then in the bodies of the damned And if wee weigh it well the paines of the bodie are rather referred to the soule The soule it is and not the body that feeles the hurt inflicted vpon any part of the bodie So that as wee call them liuing and sensitiue bodies though all the life and sense is from the soule so likewise doe wee say they are greeued bodies though the griefe bee onely in the soule So then when the bodie is hurt the soule grieueth with the bodie When the minde is offended by some inward vexation then the soule greeueth alone though it bee in the bodie and further it may greeue when it is without the bodie as the soule of the ritch glutton did in hell when hee sayd I am tormented in this flame But the bodie wanting a soule grieueth not nor hauing a soule doth it grieue without the soule If therefore it were meete to draw an argument of death from the feeling of paine as if wee should say hee may feele paine ergo he may die this should rather inferre that the soule may die because it is that which is the feeler of the paine But seeing that this is absurd false how then can it follow that those bodies which shal be in paine shall therefore bee subiect vnto death Some d Platonists hold that those parts of the soule wherein feare ioye and griefe were resident were mortall and perished wherevpon Virgill sayd Hinc metuunt cupiuntque dolent gaudent hence that is by reason of those mortall parts of the soule did feare hope ioye and griefe possesse them But touching this wee prooued in our foureteenth booke that after that their soules were purged to the vttermost yet remained there a desire in them to returne vnto their bodies and where desire is there griefe may bee For hope beeing frustate and missing the ayme turneth into griefe and anguish Wherefore if the soule which doth principally or onely suffer paine bee notwithstanding e after a sort immortall then doth it not follow that a body should perish because it is in paine Lastly if the bodie may breed the soules greefe and yet cannot kill it this is a plaine consequent that paine doth not necessarily inferre death Why then is it not as credible that the fire should grieue those bodies and yet not kill them as that the body should procure the soules ◅nguish and yet not the death Paine therefore is no sufficient argument to proue that death must needs follow it L. VIVES THere is a no body A common proposition of Aristotle Plato Epicurus Zeno Cicero Seneca all the ancient Philosophers b Whether the deuills The Platonists dispute among thēselues whether the bodies of the Damones haue feeling Some say thus the feeling lieth onely in the Nerues and sinewes The Daemones haue now sinewes ergo Others as the old Atheists say that the feeling is not in the sinewes but in the spirit that engirteth them which if it leaue the sinew it becommeth stupid and dead therefore may the bodies of these Daemones both feele and be felt and consequently bee hurt and cut in peeces by a more solid body and yet notwithstanding they doe presently reioyne and so feele the lesse paine though they feele some the more concrete and condensate that their bodies are the more subiect are they to suffer paine and therefore they doe some of them feare swords and threatnings of casting them downe headlong Mich. Psell. and Marc. Ch◅rrones Hence it is perphaps that Virgil maketh Sibylla bid Aeneas draw his sword when they went downe to hell Aeneid 6. c Uiolence Paine saith Tully Tusc. quaest 2. is a violent motion in the body offending the sences which if it exceede oppresseth the vitalls and bringeth death whether it arise of the super-abundance of some quality of the bodie of heate moysture the spirits the excrements or of the defect of any of them or ab externo which three are generally the causes of paine d Some Platonists Aristotle affirmes as much De anima lib. e After a sort For it was not from before the beginning and yet shal be euerlasting it shall neuer be made nothing though it shall suffer the second death and endure eternally dying Natures testimonies that bodies may remaine vndiminished in the fire CHAP. 4. IF therefore the a Salamander liue in the fire as the most exact naturalists record and if there bee certaine famous hills in b Sicily that haue beene on fire continually from beyond the memory of man and yet remaine whole vnconsumed then are these sufficient proofes to shew that all doth not consume that burneth as the soule prooueth that all that feeleth paine doth not perish Why then should we stand vpon any more examples to prooue the perpetuity of mans soule and body without death or dissolution in euerlasting fire and torment That GOD that endowed nature with so many seuerall and c admirable qualities shall as then giue the flesh a quality whereby it shall endure paine and burning for euer Who was it but hee that hath made the flesh of a d dead Peacock to remaine alwaies sweete and without all putrefaction I thought this vnpossible at first and by chance being at meate in Carthage a boyled Peacock was serued in and I to try the conclusion tooke of some of the Lyre of the breast and caused it to be layd vp After a certaine space sufficient for the putrefaction of any ordinary flesh I called for it and smelling to it found no ill taste in it at all Layd it vp againe and thirty daies after I lookt againe it was the same I left it The like I did an whole yeare after and found no change onely it was somewhat more drie and solide Who gaue such cold vnto the chaffe that it will keepe snow vnmelted in it and withall
inextinguible lampe This they may obiect to put vs to our plunges for if wee say it is false wee detract from the truth of our former examples and if wee say it is true wee shall seeme to avouch a Pagan deity But as I sayd in the eighteenth booke we need not beleeue all that Paganisme hath historically published their histories as Varro witnesseth seemeing to conspire in voluntary contention one against an other but wee may if we will beleeue such of their relations as doe not contradict those bookes which wee are bound to beleeue Experience and sufficient testimony shall afford vs wonders enow of nature to conuince the possibility of what we intend against those Infidells As for that lampe of Venus it rather giueth our argument more scope then any way suppresseth it For vnto that wee can adde a thousand strange things effected both by humane inuention and Magicall operation Which if wee would deny we should contradict those very bookes wherein wee beleeue Wherefore that lampe either burned by the artificiall placing a of some Asbest in it or it was effected by b art magike to procure a religious wonder or else some deuill hauing honour there vnder the name of Venus continued in this apparition for the preseruation of mens misbeleefe For the c deuills are allured to inhabite some certaine bodies by the very creatures of d God and not their delighting in them not as other creatures doe in meates but as spirits doe in characters and signes ad-apted to their natures either by stones herbes plants liuing creatures charmes and ceremonies And this allurement they doe sutly entice man to procure them either by inspiring him with the secrets thereof or teaching him the order in a false and flattering apparition making some few schollers to them and teachers to a many more For man could neuer know what they loue and what they loathe but by their owne instructions which were the first foundations of arte Magike And then doe they get the fastest hold of mens hearts which is all they seeke and glory in when they appeare like Angells of light How euer their workes are strange and the more admired the more to be avoided which their owne natures doe perswade vs to doe for if these foule deuills can worke such wonders what cannot the glorious angells doe then Nay what cannot that GOD doe who hath giuen such power to the most hated creatures So then if humane arte can effect such rare conclusions that such as know them not would thinke them diuine effects as there was an Iron Image hung e in a certaine temple so strangely that the ignorant would haue verely beleeued they had seene a worke of GODS immediate power it hung so iust betweene two loade-stones whereof one was placed in the roofe of the temple and the other in the floore without touching of any thing at all and as there might be such a tricke of mans art in that inextinguible lampe of Venus if Magicians which the scriptures call sorcerers and enchanters can doe such are exploytes by the deuills meanes as Virgil that famous Poet relateth of an Enchantresse in these words f Haec se carminibus promittit soluere mentes Quas velit ast aliis dur as immittere curas Sistere aquam fluuiis vertere sydera retrò Nocturnosque ciâ—…t manes mugire videbis Sub pedibus terram descendere montibus Ornos She said her charmes could ease ones heart of paine Euen when she list and make him greeue againe Stop flouds bring back the stars and with her breath Rouse the black fiends vntill the earth beneath Groan'd and the trees came marching from the hills c. If all this bee possible to those how much more then can the power of GOD exceed them in working such things as are incredible to infidelity but easie to his omnipotency who hath giuen vertues vnto stones witte vnto man and such large power vnto Angells his wonderfull power exceedeth all wonders his wisdome permitteth and effecteth all and euery perticular of them and cannot hee make the most wonderfull vse of all the parts of that world that hee onely hath created L. VIVES PLacing a of some Asbest Or of a kinde of flaxe that will neuer bee consumed for such there is Plin. lib. 19. Piedro Garsia and I saw many lampes of it at Paris where wee saw also a napkin of it throwne into the middest of a fire and taken out againe after a while more white and cleane then all the sope in Europe would haue made it Such did Pliny see also as hee saith himselfe b By art magique In my fathers time there was a tombe â—…ound wherein there burned a lampe which by the inscription of the tombe had beene lighted therein the space of one thousand fiue hundered yeares and more Beeing touched it fell all to dust c Deuills are allured Of this reade more in the eight and tenth bookes of this present worke and in Psell. de Daem d And not theirs The Manichees held the deuills to bee the creators of many things which this denieth e In a certaine temple In the temple of Serapis of Alexandria Rufâ—…n Hist. Eccl. lib. 21. f Haee se Aeneid 4. Gods omnipotency the ground of all beleefe in things admired CHAP. 7. VVHy then cannot a GOD make the bodies of the dead to rise againe and the damned to suffer torment and yet not to consume seeing hee hath filled heauen earth ayre and water so full of inumerable miracles and the world which hee made beeing a greater miracle then any it containeth But our aduersaries beleeuing a God that made the world and the other gods by whom he gouerneth the world doe not deny but auoutch that there are powers that effect wonders in the world either voluntarily or ceremonially and magically but when wee giue them an instance wrought neither by man nor by spirit they answere vs it is nature nature hath giuen it this quality So then it was nature that made the Agrigentine salt melt in the fire and crackle in the water Was it so this seemes rather contrary to the nature of salt which naturally dissolueth in water and crakleth in the fire I but nature say they made this perticular salt of a quality iust opposite Good this then is the reason also of the heare and cold of the Garamantine fountaine and of the other that puts out the torch and lighteth it againe as also of the Aâ—…beste and those other all which to reherse were too tedious There is no other reason belike to bee giuen for them but such is their nature A good briefe reason verely and b a sufficient But GOD beeing the Authour of all nature why then doe they exact a stronger reason of vs when as wee in proouing that which they hold for an impossibility affirme that it is thus by the will of Almighty GOD who is therefore called Almighty because hee can doe all that hee will hauing created so
that sorrow in the Scriptures though it be not expressed so yet it is vnderstood to bee a fruitlesse repentance conâ—…oyned with a corporall torment for the scripture saith the vengeance of the flesh of the wicked is fire and the worme hee might haue said more briefely the vengance of the wicked why did hee then ad of the flesh but to shew that both those plagues the fire and the worme shal be corporall If hee added it because that man shal be thus plagued for liuing according to the flesh for it is therefore that hee incurreth the second death which the Apostle meaneth of when hee saith If yee liue after the flesh yee die but euery man beleeue as hee like either giuing the fire truely to the body and the worme figuratiuely to the soule or both properly to the body for we haue fully proued already that a creature may burne and yet not consume may liue in paine and yet not dye which he that denyeth knoweth not him that is the author of all natures wonders that God who hath made all the miracles that I erst recounted and thousand thousands more and more admirable shutting them all in the world the most admirable worke of all Let euery man therefore choose what to thinke of this whether both the fire and the worme plague the body or whether the worme haue a metaphoricall reference to the soule The truth of this question shall then appeare plaine when the knowledge of the Saints shall bee such as shall require no triall of it but onely shal be fully satisfied and resolued by the perfection and plenitude of the diuine sapience We know but now in part vntill that which is perfect be come but yet may wee not beleeue those bodies to be such that the fire can worke them no anguish nor torment L. VIVES THeir a worme Is. 66. 24. this is the worme of conscience Hierome vpon this place Nor is there any villany saith Seneca how euer fortunate that escapeth vnpunished but is plague to it selfe by wringing the conscience with feare and distrust And this is Epicurus his reason to proue that man was created to avoyd sinne because hauing committed it it scourgeth the conscience and maketh it feare euen without all cause of feare This out of Seneca â—…pist lib. â—…6 And so singeth Iuuenall in these words Exemplo quodâ—…unque malo committitur ipsi Dâ—…splicet auctori prima est haec vltio quòd se Iudice nemo nocens absoluitur c. Each deed of mischiefe first of all dislikes The authout with this whip Reuenge first strikes That no stain'd thought can cleare it selfe c. And by and by after Cur tamen hos tuâ—… Euasisse putes quos diriconscia facti Mens habet â—…ttionitos surdo verbere caedit Occultum quatiente animo tortore flagellum Poena autem vehemens multo saeuior illis Quas Ceditius grauis inuenit Rhadamanthus Nocte dieque suum gestare in pectore testem But why should you suppose Them free whose soule blackt ore with ougly deeds Affrights and teares the conscience still and feeds Reuenge by nousling terrour feare and warre Euen in it selfe O plagues farre lighter farre To beare guilts blisters in a brest vnsound Then Rhadamant or sterne Ceditius found Nay the conscience confoundeth more then a thousand witnesses Tully holdes there are no other hell furies then those stings of conscience and that the Poets had that inuention from hence In l. Pis. Pro Rosâ—… Amerin Hereof you may read more in Quintilians Orations Whether the fyre of hell if it be corporall can take effect vpon the incorporeall deuills CHAP. 10. BVt here now is another question whether this fire if it plague not spiritually but onely by a bodily touch can inflict any torment vpon the deuill and his Angels they are to remaine in one fire with the damned according to our Sauiours owne words Depart from mee you cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuill and his Angels But the deuills according as some learned men suppose haue bodies of condensate ayre such as wee feele in a winde and this ayre is passible and may suffer burning the heating of bathes prooueth where the ayre is set on fire to heate the water and doth that which first it suffereth If any will oppose and say the deuills haue no bodies at all the matter is not great nor much to be stood vpon For why may not vnbodyed spirits feele the force of bodily fire as well as mans incorporeall soule is now included in a carnall shape and shall at that day be bound into a body for euer These spirituall deuils therefore or those deuillish spirits though strangely yet shall they bee truly bound in this corporall fire which shall torment them for all that they are incorporeall Nor shall they bee so bound in it that they shall giue it a soule as it were and so become both one liuing creature but as I sayd by a wonderfull power shall they be so bound that in steed of giuing it life they shal frÌ„o it receiue intollerable torment although the coherence of spirits and bodies whereby both become one creature bee as admirable and exceede all humaine capacitie And surely I should thinke the deuills shall burne them as the riche glutton did when hee cryed saying I am tormented in this flame but that I should be answered that that fire was such as his tongue was to coole which hee seeing Lazarus a farre of intreated him to helpe him with a little water on the tippe of his finger Hee was not then in the body but in soule onely such likewise that is incorporeall was the fire hee burned in and the water hee wished for as the dreames of those that sleepe and the vision of men in extasies are which present the formes of bodies and yet are not bodies indeed And though man see these things onely in spirit yet thinketh he him-selfe so like to his body that hee cannot discerne whether hee haue it on or no. But that hell that â—…ake of fire and brimstone shall bee reall and the fire corporall burning both men and deuills the one in flesh and the other in ayre the one iâ—… the body adhaerent to the spirit and the other in spirit onely adhaerent to the fire and yet not infusing life but feeling torment for one fire shall torment both men and Deuills Christ hath spoken it Whether it bee not iustice that the time of the paines should be proportioned to the time of the sinnes and crimes CHAP. 11. BVt some of the aduersaries of Gods citty hold it iniustice for him that hath offended but temporally to be bound to suffer paine eternally this they say is â—…ly vnâ—… As though they knew any law chat adapted the time of the punishment to the time in which the crime was committed Eight kinde of punishments dâ—…th Tully affirme the lawes to inflict Damages imprisonment whipping like for like publicke
would break the law that he bound him to and forsake his Maker yet did hee not take away his freedome of election fore-seeing the good vse that hee would make of this euill by restoring man to his grace by meanes of a man borne of the condemned seed of man-kinde and by gathering so many vnto this grace as should supply the places of the falne Angels and so preserue and perhaps augment the number of the heauenly Inhabitants For euill men do much against the will of God but yet his wisedome fore-sees that all such actions as seeme to oppose his will do tend to such ends as hee fore-knew to be good and iust And therefore wheras God is said To change his will that is to turne his meeknesse into anger against some persons the change in this câ—…se is in the persons and not in him and they finde him changed in their sufferances as a sore eye findeth the sun sharp and being cured findes it comfortable wheras this change was in the eie and not in the sun which keeps his office as he did at first For Gods operation in the hearts of the obedient is said to be his will where-vppon the Apostle faith It is God that worketh in you both will and deed For euen as that righteousnesse wherein both God him-selfe is righteous and whereby also a man that is iustified of God is such is termed the righteousnes of God So also is that law which hee giueth vnto man called his law whereas it is rather pertinent vnto man then vnto him For those were men vnto whom Christ said It is written also in your law though we read else-where The law of his God is in his heart and according vnto his wil which God worketh in man him-selfe is said to wil it because he worketh it in others who do will it as he is said to know that which hee maketh the ignorant to know For whereas S. Peter saith We now knowing God yea rather being knowne of God we may not hereby gather that God came but as then to the knowledg of those who hee had predestinate before the foundations of the world but God as then is said to know that which he made knowne to others Of this phraze of speach I haue spoken I remember heretofore And according vnto this Will wherby we say that God willeth that which he maketh others to will who know not what is to come hee willeth many things and yet effecteth them not The promise of the Saints eternall blisse and the wickeds perpetuall torment CHAP. 2. FOr the Saints doe will many things that are inspired with his holy will and yet are not done by him as when they pray for any one it is not hee that causeth this their praier though he do produce this will of praier in them by his holy spirit And therfore when the Saints do will and pray according to God wee may well say that God willeth it and yet worketh it not as we say hee willeth that him-self which he maketh others to wil. But according to his eternall wil ioined with his fore-knowledge therby did he create al that he pleased in heauen and in earth and hath wrought al things already as well future as past or present But when as the time of manifestation of any thing which God fore-knoweth to come is not yet come we say It shal be when God wil if both the time be vncertaine and the thing it selfe then we say It shall be if God will not that God shall haue any other will as than then hee had before but because that shall bee then effected which his eternall vnchanging will had from al eternity ordained The promise of the Saints eternall blisse and the wickeds perpetual torment CHAP. 3. VVHerefore to omit many wordes As we see his promise to Abraham In thy seed shall all nations be blessed fulfilled in Christ so shall that be fulfilled hereafter which was promised to the said seed by the Prophet The dead shal liue euen with their bodies shall they rise And whereas he saith I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde But be you glad and reioice in the things I shal create For behold I will create Hierusalem as a reioycing and her people as a ioy c. And by another Prophet At that time shall thy people be deliuered euery one that shall bee found written in the booke of life and many that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euer lasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt And againe they shall take the kingdome of the Saintes of the most High and possesse it for euer euen for euer and euer And by and by after His Kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome c. Together with all such places as I eyther put into the twentith booke or left vntouched All these things shall come to passe and those haue already which the infidels would neuer beleeue For the same GOD promised them both euen hee whome the pagan goddes do tremble before as Porphyry a worthy Phylosopher of theirs confesseth Against the wise men of the world that hold it impossible for mans bodie to be transported vp to the dwellings of ioy iâ—… heauen CHAP. 4. BVt the learned of the world thinke that they oppose this all-conuerting power very strongly as touching the resurrection when they vse that place of Cicero in his third booke de repub Who hauing affirmed that Romulus and Hercules were both deified yet were a not their bodies saith hee translated into heauen for nature will alow an earthly body no place but in the earth This is the wise mans argument which GOD knowes how vaine it is for admit that wee were all meere spirits without bodies dwelling in heauen and beeing ignorant of all earthly creatures and it should be told vs that one day we should be bound in corporal bodies might we not then vse this obiection to more power and refuse to beleeue that nature would euer suffer an â—…ncorporeall substance to bee bound or circumscribed by a corporeall one Yet is the earth full of vegetable soules strangely combined with earthly bodies Why then cannot God that made this creature transport an earthly body into heauen as well as he can bring a soule a purer essence then any celestiall body downe from heauen and inclose it in a forme of earth Can this little peece of earth include so excellent a nature in it and liue by it and cannot heauen entertaine it nor keepe it in it seeing that it liueth by an essence more excellent then heauen it selfe is Indeed this shall not come to passe as yet because it is not his pleasure who made this that we daily see and so respect not in a far more admirable manner then that shall be which those wise men beleeue not for why is it not more strange that a most pure
miracles that the Pagans ascribe vnto their Idolds are no way comparable to the wonders wrought by our Martyrs But as Moyses ouer-threw the enchanters of Pharao so do our martyrs ouer-throw their deuills who wrought those wonders out of their owne pride onely to gaine the reputation of Gods But our Martyrs or rather GOD him-selfe through their prayers wrought vnto another end onely to confirme that faith which excludeth multitude of Gods and beleeueth but in one The Pagans built Temples to those Deuills ordeining Priests and sacrifices for them as for Gods But we build our martyrs no temples but onely erect them monuments as in memory of men departed whose spirits are at rest in God Wee erect no altars to sacrifice to them we offer onely to him who is both their God and ours at which offring those conquerors of the world as men of God haue each one his peculiar commemoration but no inuocation at all For the sacrifice is offred vnto Cod though it be in memory of them and he that offreth it is a Priest of the Lord and not of theirs and the offring is the body of the Lord which is not offred vnto them because they are that body them-selues Whose miracles shall wee then beleeue Theirs that would be accompted for Gods by those to whom they shew them or theirs which tend all to confirme our beleefe in one GOD which is CHRIST Those that would haue their filthiest acts held sacred or those that will not haue their very vertues held sacred in respect of their owne glories but referred vnto his glory who hath imparted such goodnesse vnto them Let vs beleeue them that doe both worke miracles and teach the truth for this latter gaue them power to performe the former A chiefe point of which truth is this CHRIST rose againe in the flesh and shewed the immortality of the resurrection in his owne body which hee promised vnto vs in the end of this world or in the beginning of the next Against the Platonists that oppose the eleuation of the body vp to heauen by arguments of elementary ponderosity CHAP. 11. AGainst this promise do many whose thoughts God knoweth to be vaine make oppositiō out of the nature of elements Plato their Mr. teaching them that the two most contrary bodies of the world are combined by other two meanes that is by ayre and water Therefore say they earth being lowest water next then ayre and then the heauen earth cannot possibly bee contained in heauen euery element hauing his peculiar poise and tending naturally to his proper place See with what vaine weake and weightlesse arguments mans infirmity opposeth Gods omnipotency Why then are there so many earthly bodies in the ayre ayre being the third element from earth Cannot he that gaue birds that are earthly bodyes fethers of power to sustaine them in the ayre giue the like power to glorified and immortall bodies to possesse the heauen Againe if this reason of theirs were true all that cannot flie should liue vnder the earth as fishes doe in the water Why then doe not the earthly creatures liue in the water which is the next element vnto earth but in the ayre which is the third And seeing they belong to the earth why doth the next element aboue the earth presently choake them and drowne them and the third feed and nourish them Are the elements out of order here now or are their arguments out of reason I will not stand heere to make a rehearsall of what I spake in the thirteene booke of many terrene substances of great weight as Lead Iron c. which not-with-standing may haue such a forme giuen it that it will swimme and support it selfe vpon the water And cannot God almighty giue the body of man such a forme like-wise that it may ascend and support it selfe in heauen Let them stick to their method of elements which is all their trust yet can they not tell what to say to my former assertion For earth is the lowest element and then water and ayre successiuely and heauen the fourth and highest but the soule is a fifth essence aboue them all Aristotle calleth it a fifth a body and Plato saith it is vtterly incorporeall If it were the fift in order then were it aboue the rest but being incorporeall it is much more aboue all substances corporeall What doth it then in a lumpe of earth it being the most subtile and this the most grosse essence It being the most actiue and this the most vnweeldy Cannot the excellencie of it haue power to lift vp this Hath the nature of the body power to draw downe a soule from heauen and shall not the soule haue power to carry the body thether whence it came it selfe And now if we should examine the miracles which they parallell with those of our martyrs wee should finde proofes against themselues out of their owne relations One of their greatest ones is that which Varro reports of a vestall votaresse who being suspected of whoredome filled a Siue with the water of Tiber and carried it vnto her Iudges with-out spilling a drop Who was it that kept the water in the siue so that not one droppe passed through those thousand holes Some God or some Diuell they must needs say Well if hee were a God is hee greater then hee that made the world if then an inferiour God Angell or Deuill had this power to dispose thus of an heauie element that the very nature of it seemed altered cannot then the Almighty maker of the whole world take away the ponderosity of earth and giue the quickned body an hability to dwell in the same place that the quickning spirit shall elect And where-as they place the ayre betweene the fire aboue and the water beneath how commeth it that wee often-times finde it betweene water and water or betweene water and earth for what will they make of those watry clowds betweene which and the sea the ayre hath an ordinary passage What order of the elements doth appoint that those flouds of raine that fall vpon the earth below the ayre should first hang in the clowds aboue the ayre And why is ayre in the midst betweene the heauen and the earth if it were as they say to haue the place betweene the heauens and the waters as water is betweene it and the earth And lastly if the elements bee so disposed as that the two meanes ayre and water doe combine the two extreames fire and earth heauen being in the highest place and earth in the lowest as the worlds foundation and therefore say they impossible to bee in heauen what doe wee then with fire here vpon earth for if this order of theirs bee kept inuiolate then as earth cannot haue any place in fire no more should fire haue any in earth as that which is lowest cannot haue residence aloft no more should that which is aloft haue residence below But we see this order renuersed We haue fire
the one whereof sinne came from our owne audaciousnesse and the other punishment from the iudgement of GOD we haue sayd sufficient already This place is for the goods which GOD hath giuen and doth still giue to the condemned state of man In which condemnation of his GOD tooke not all from him that he had giuen him for so hee should haue ceased to haue had any beeing nor did hee resigne his power ouer him when hee gaue him thrall to the Deuill for the Deuill him-selfe is his thrall he is cause of his subsistence he that is onely and absolutely essentiall and giueth all things essence vnder him gaue the Deuill his being also Of these two goods therefore which wee sayd that his Almighty goodnesse had allowed our nature how euer depraued and cursed hee gaue the first propagation as a blessing in the beginning of his workes from which hee rested the seauenth day The second conformation hee giueth as yet vnto euery worke which hee as yet effecteth For if hee should but with-hold his efficient power from the creatures of the earth they could neither increase to any further perfection nor continue in the state wherein hee should leaue them So then GOD creating man gaue him a power to propagate others and to allow them a power of propagation also yet no necessity for that GOD can depriue them of it whome hee pleaseth but it was his guift vnto the first parents of man-kinde and hee hauing once giuen hath not taken it any more away from all man-kinde But although sinne did not abolish this propagation yet it made it farre lesse then it had beene if sinne had not beene For man beeing in honour vnderstood not and so was compared vnto beasts begetting such like as him-selfe yet hath hee a little sparke left him of that reason whereby hee was like the image of GOD. Now if this propagation wanted conformation nature could keepe no forme nor similitude in her seuerall productions For if man and woman had not had copulation and that GOD neuer-the-lesse would haue filled the earth with men as hee made Adam with-out generation of man or woman so could hee haue made all the rest But man and woman coupling cannot beget vnlesse hee create For as Saint Paul saith in a spirituall sence touching mans conformation in righteousnesse Neither is hee that planteth any thing nor hee that watereth but GOD that giueth the increase so may wee say heere Neyther is hee that soweth any thing nor shee that conceiueth but GOD that giueth the forme It is his dayly worke that the seed vnsoldeth it selfe out of a secret clew as it were and brings the potentiall formes into such actuall decorum It is hee that maketh that strange combination of a nature incorporeall the ruler and a nature corporeall the subiect by which the whole becommeth a liuing creature A worke so admirable that it is able to amaze the minde and force praise to the Creator from it beeing obserued not onely in man whose reason giueth him excellence aboue all other creatures but euen in the least flye that is one may behold this wondrous and stupendious combination It is hee that giuen mans spirit an apprehension which seemeth together with reason to lye dead in an infant vntill yeares bring it to vse where-by hee hath a power to conceiue knowledge discipline and all habites of truth and good quality and by which he may extract the vnderstanding of all the vertues of prudence iustice fortitude and temperance to be thereby the better armed against viciousnesse and incited to subdue them by the contemplation of that high and vnchangeable goodnesse which height although it doe not attaine vnto yet who can sufficiently declare how great a good it is and how wonderfull a worke of the Highest beeing considered in other respects for besides the disciplines of good behauiour and the wayes to eternall happinesse which are called vertues and besides the grace of GOD which is in IESVS CHRIST imparted onely to the sonnes of the promise mans inuention hath brought forth so many and such rare sciences and artes partly a necessary and partly voluntary that the excellency of his capacity maketh the rare goodnesse of his creation apparant euen then when hee goeth about things that are either superfluous or pernicious and sheweth from what an excellent guift hee hath those his inuentions and practises What varieties hath man found out in Buildings Attyres Husbandry Nauigation Sculpture and Imagery what perfection hath hee shewen in the shewes of Theaters in taming killing and catching wilde beasts What millions of inuentions hath hee against others and for him-selfe in poysons armes engines stratagems and such like What thousands of medecines for the health of meates for the weasand of meanes and figures to perswade of eloquent phrases to delight of verses to disport of musicall inuentions and instruments How excellent an inuention is Geography Arithmetique Astrologie and the rest How large is the capacity of man if wee should stand vpon perticulars Lastly how cunningly and with what exquisite witte haue the Philosophers and the Heretiques defended their very errors it is strange to imagine for heere wee speake of the nature of mans soule in generall as man is mortall without any reference to the tract of truth whereby hee commeth to the life eternall Now therefore seeing that the true and onely GOD that ruleth all in his almighty power and iustice was the creator of this excellent essence him-selfe doubtlesse man had neuer fallen into such misery which many shall neuer bee freed from and some shall if the sinne of those that first incurred it had not beene extreamly malicious Come now to the body though it bee mortall as the beasts are and more weaker then many of theirs are yet marke what great goodnesse and prouidence is shewen herein by GOD Almighty Are not all the sinews and members disposed in such fitte places and the whole body so composed as if one would say Such an habitation is fittest for a spirit of reason You see the other creatures haue a groueling posture and looke towards earth whereas mans vpright forme bids him continually respect the things in heauen The nimblenesse of his tongue and hand in speaking and writing and working in trades what doth it but declare for whose vse they were made so Yet excluding respect of worke the very congruence and parilitie of the parts doe so concurre that one cannot discerne whether mans body were made more for vse or for comlinesse For there is no part of vse in man that hath not the proper decorum as wee should better discerne if wee knew the numbers of the proportions wherein each part is combined to the other which wee may perhaps come to learne by those that are apparant As for the rest that are not seene as the courses of the veines sinews and arteries and the secrets of the spiritualls wee cannot come to know their numbers for though some butcherly
hath related their opinion concealing their names haue said something which although it be false because the soules returning into the bodies which they haue before managed will neuer after forsake them not-withstanding it serueth to stoppe the mouth of those babblers and to ouerthrow the strong hold of many arguments of that impossibility For they doe not thinke it an impossible thing which haue thought these things that dead bodies resolued into aire dust ashes humors bodies of deuouring beastes or of men them selues should returne againe to that they haue beene Wherefore let Plato and Porphyry or such rather as doe affect them and are now liuing if they accord with vs that holy soules shall returne to their bodies as Plato saith but not to returne to any eiuls as Porphyrie saith that that sequele may follow which our Christian faith doth declare to wit that they shall receiue such bodies as they shall liue happily in them eternally without any euill Let them I say assume and take this also from Varro that they returne to the same bodies in which they had beene before time and then there shall bee a sweete harmony betweene them concerning the resurrection of the flesh eternally L. VIVES FOr a certaine Three things moued not only Greece but the whole world to applaud Plato to wit integritie of life sanctity of precepts and eloquence The b dead Euseb lib. 11. thinketh that Plato learned the alteration of the world the resurrection and the iudgement of the damned out of the bookes of Moyses 〈◊〉 Plato relateth that all earthly thinges shall perish a cercaine space of time being expired and that the frame of the worlde shall bee moued and shaken with wonderfull and strange â—…otions not without a great destruction and ouerthrow of all liuing creatures and then that a little time after it shall rest and bee at quiet by the assistance of the highest God who shall receiue the gouernment of it that it may not fall and perish endowing it with an euerlasting flourishing estate and with immortalitie c For he declareth Herus Pamphilius who dyed in battell Plato in fine in lib. de rep writeth that he was restored to life the tenth day after his death Cicero saith macrob lib. 1. may be grieued that this fable was scoffed at although of the vnlearned knowing it well ynough him-selfe neuerthelesse auoyding the scandall of a foolish reprehension hee had rather tell it that he was raized than that he reuiued d Labeo Plin lib. 7. setteth downe some examples of them which being carried forth to their graue reuiued againe and Plutarch in 〈◊〉 de anima relateth that one Enarchus returned to life againe after hee died who said that his soule did depart indeed out of his bodie but by the commandement of Pluto it was restored to his bodie againe those hellish spirits being grieuously punished by their Prince who commaunded to bring one Nicandas a tanner and a wrastler forgetting their errant and foulie mistaking the man went to Enarchus in stead of Nicandas who dyed within a little while after e Genethliaci They are mathematicall pettie sooth-sayers or fortune-tellers which by the day of Natiuitie presage what shall happen in the whole course of mans life Gellius hath the Chaldaeans and the Genethliaci both in one place lib. 14. Against them saith he who name them-selues Caldaeans or Genethliaci and professe to prognosticate future thinges by the motion and posture of the stars f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Regeneration or a second birth Lactant. also lib. 7. rehearseth these wordes of Chrysippus the stoicke out of his booke de prouidentia by which he confirmeth a returne after death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And wee saith hee certaine reuolutions of time being complet and finished after our death shall be restored to the same figure and shape which we haue now Of the quality of the vision with which the Saintes shall see GOD in the world to come CHAP. 29. NOw lette vs see what the Saintes shall doe in their immortall and spirituall bodies their flesh liuing now no more carnally but spiritually so far forth as the Lord shal vouchsafe to enable vs. And truly what maner of action or a rather rest and quietnesse it shall be if I say the truth I know not For I haue neuer seene it by the sences of the bodie But if I shall say I haue seene it by the mind that is by the vnderstanding alasse how great or what is our vnderstanding in comparison of that exceeding excellencie For there is the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding as the Apostle saith what vnderstanding but ours or peraduenture of all the holy Angels For it doth not passe the vnderstanding of God If therefore the Saintes shall liue in the peace of GOD without doubt they shall liue in that peace Which passeth all vnderstanding Now there is no doubt but that it passeth our vnderstanding But if it also passe the vnderstanding of Angels for hee seemeth not to except them when hee saith All vnderstanding then according to this saying wee ought to vnderstand that we are not able nor any Angels to know that peace where-with GOD him-selfe is pacified in such sort as GOD knoweth it But wee beeing made partakers of his peace according to the measure of our capacity shall obtaine a most excellent peace in vs and amongst vs and with him according to the quantity of our excellency In this manner the holy Angels according to their measure do know the same but men now doe know it in a farre lower degree although they excell in acuity of vnderstanding Wee must consider what a great man did say Wee know in part and we prophecie in part vntill that come which is perfect And wee see now in a glasse in a darke speaking but then wee shall see him face to face So doe the holy Angels now see which are called also our Angels because we beeing deliuered from the power of darkenesse and translated to the kingdome of God hauing receiued the pledge of the Spirite haue already begunne to pertaine to them with whome wee shall enioy that most holy and pleasant Cittie of God of which wee haue already written so many books So therefore the Angels are ours which are the Angels of God euen as the Christe of God is our Christe They are the Angels of GOD because they haue not forsaken God they are ours because they haue begunne to account vs their Cittizens For the Lord Iesus hath sayd Take heed you doe not despise one of these little ones For I say vnto you that their Angels doe alwayes beholde the face of my father which is in heauen As therefore they doe see so also we shall see but as yet wee doe not see so Wherefore the Apostle saith that which I haue spoken a little before We see now in a glasse in a dark speaking but then wee shal see him face to face
Therfore that vision is kept for vs beeing the reward of faith of which also the Apostle Iohn speaking saith When hee shall appeare wee shall bee like vnto him because wee shall see him as hee is But wee must vnderstand by the face of GOD his manifestation and not to bee any such member as wee haue in the body and doe call it by that name Wherefore when it is demanded of vs what the Saints shall doe in that spirituall body I doe not say that I see now but I say that I beleeue according to that which I read in the Psalme I beleeued and therefore I spake I say therefore that they shall see GOD in the body but whether by the same manner as wee now see by the body the Sunne Moone Starres Sea and Earth it is no small question It is a hard thing to say that then the Saints shall haue such bodyes that they cannot shutte and open their eyes when they will But it is more hard to say that who-so-euer shall shutte their eyes there shall not see GOD. For if the Prophet Heliseus absent in body saw his seruant Giezi receiuing the guifts which Naaman gaue vnto him whome the afore-said Prophet had cleansed from the deformitye of his leprosie which the wicked seruant thought hee had done secretly his maister not seeing him how much more shall the Saints in that spirituall body see all things not onely if they shutte their eyes but also from whence they are absent in body For then shall that bee perfect of which the Apostle speaking saith Wee know in part and Prophecie in part but when that shall come which is perfect that which is in part shall bee done away Afterward that hee might declare by some similitude how much this life doth differ from that which shall bee not of all sortes of men but also of them which are endewed heere with an especiall holynesse hee saith When I was a childe I vnderstood as a childe I did speake as a child I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things Wee see now in a Glasse in a darke-speaking but then wee shall see face to see Now I know in part but then shall I knowe euen as I am knowne If therefore in this life where the prophesie of admirable men is to bee compared to that life as children to a young man Not-with-standing Heliseus sawe his seruant receiuing guifts where hee himselfe was not shall therefore the Saints stand in neede of corporall eyes to see those things which are to bee seene which Heliseus beeing absent needed not to see his seruant For when that which is perfect is come neither now the corruptible body shall any more aggrauate the soule and no incorruptible thing shall hinder it For according to the LXX interpreters these are the words of the Prophet to Giezi Did not my heart goe with thee and I knew that the man turned backe from his charriot to meete thee and thou hast receiued money c. But as Hierome hath interpreted it out of the Hebrew Was not my heart saith hee in presence when the man returned from his Charriot to meete thee Therefore the Prophet sayd That hee sawe this thing with his heart wonderfully ayded by the diuine powre as no man doubteth But how much more shall all abound with that guift when GOD shall bee all things in all Neuer-the-lesse those corporall eyes also shall haue their office and shall bee in their place and the spirit shall vse them by the spirituall body For the Prophet did vse them to see things present though hee needed not them to see his absent seruant which present things hee was able to see by the spirit though hee did shut his eyes euen as hee saw things absent where hee was not with them GOD forbid therefore that wee should say that the Saints shall not see GOD in that life their eyes being shut whome they shall all alwayes see by the spirit But whether they shall also see by the eyes of the body when they shall haue them open from hence there ariseth a question For if they shall bee able to doe no more in the spirituall body by that meanes as they are spirituall eyes than those are able which wee haue now with-out all doubt they shall not bee able to see GOD Therefore they shall bee of a farre other power if that incorporate nature shall bee seene by them which is conteined in no place but is whole euery where For wee doe not say because wee say that GOD is both in heauen and also in earth For hee saith by the Prophet I fill heauen and earth that hee hath one part in heauen and another in earth but hee is whole in heauen and whole in earth not at seuerall times but hee is both together which no corporall nature can bee Therefore there shall bee a more excellent and potent force of those eyes not that they may see more sharply then some serpents and Eagles are reported to see for those liuing creatures by their greatest sharpnesse of seeing can see nothing but bodies but that they may also see incorporat things And it may be that great powre of seeing was granted for a time to the eyes of holy Iob yea in that mortall body when hee saith to GOD. By the hearing of the eare I did he are thee before but now my eye doth see thee therefore I despised my selfe consumed and esteemed my selfe to bee earth and ashes Although there is nothing to the contrary but that the eye of the heart may be vnderstood concerning which eyes the Apostle saith To haue the eyes of your heart enlightned But no Christian man doubteth that GOD shal be seene with them when hee shal be seen which faithfully receiueth that which GOD the maister saith Blessed are the pure in heart because they shall see GOD. But it now is in question whether hee may bee seene there also with corporall eyes For that which is written And all flesh shall see the saluation of God without any knotte or scruple of difficulty may so bee vnderstood as if it had beene sayd And euery man shall see the CHRIST of GOD who as hee hath beene seene in bodie shall likewise bee seene in bodie when hee shall iudge the quicke and the dead But that hee is the Saluation of GOD there are also many other testimonies of the Scriptures But the wordes of that worthie and reuerent old man Simeon declare it more euidentlie who after hee had receiued the Infant CHRIST into his hands Now sayth hee lettest thou thy seruant O LORD depart in peace according to thy worde because mine eyes haue seene thy saluation Also that which the aboue recited Iob saith as it is found in many coppies taken from the Hebrew And I shall see GOD in my flesh Verelie hee prophecied the Resurrection of the flesh without all doubt yet hee sayd
not By my flesh For if hee had sayd so GOD CHRIST might haue beene vnderstood who shal be seene in the flesh by the flesh now indeed it may also be taken In my flesh b I shall see GOD as if hee had sayd I shal be in my flesh when I shall see GOD. And that which the Apostle saith Face to face doth not compell vs that wee beleeue that wee shall see GOD by this corporall face where there are corporall eyes whome wee shall see by the spirit without intermission For vnlesse there were a face also of the inwarde man the same Apostle would not say But wee beholding the glorie of the LORD with the face vnuayled are transformed into the same Image from glory into glory as it were to the spirit of the LORD Neither doe wee otherwise vnderstand that which is sung in the Psalme Come vnto him and bee enlightened and your faces shall not bee ashamed For by faith wee come vnto GOD which as it is euident belongeth to the heart and not to the body vniuersally But because wee know not now how neare the spirituall body shall approche for wee speake of a thing of which wee haue no experience where some things are which can-not otherwise bee vnderstood the authority of the diuine Scriptures doth not resist but succour vs It must needs bee that that happen in vs which is read in the booke of Wisdome The thoughts of men are fearefull and our fore-sights are vncertaine For if that manner of arguing of the Philosophers by which they dispute that intelligible things are so to bee seene by the aspect of the vnderstanding and sensible that is to say corporall things so to bee seene by the sence of the body that neither the vnderstanding can bee able to behold intelligible things by the body nor corporall things by them-selues can bee most certaine vnto vs truly it should likewise be certaine that God could not be seene by the eyes of a spirituall body But both true reason and propheticall authority will deride this manner of disputing For who is such an obstinate and opposite enemy to the truth that hee dare say that God knoweth not these corporall things Hath hee therefore a body by the eyes of which he may learne those things Further-more doth not that which wee spake a little before of the Prophet Heliseus declare sufficiently also that corporall things may be seene by the spirit not by the body For when his seruant receiued rewards though it was corporally done yet the Prophet saw it not by the body but by the spirit As therefore it is manifest that bodies are seene by the spirit what if there shall be such a great powre of the spirituall body that the spirit may also be seene by the body For God is a spirit More-ouer euery man knoweth his owne life by which hee liueth now in the body and which doth make these earthly members growe and increase and maketh them liuing by the inward sense and not by the eyes of the body But hee seeth the liues of other men by the body when as they are inuisible For from whence doe wee discerne liuing bodyes from vn-liuing vnlesse wee see the bodyes and liues together But wee doe not see with corporall eyes the liues with-out bodyes Wherefore it may bee and it is very credible that then wee shall so see the worldly bodyes of the new heauen and new earth as wee see GOD present euery where and also gouerning all corporall things by the bodyes wee shall carry and which wee shall see where-so-euer wee shall turne our eyes most euidently all clowds of obscurity beeing remooued not in such sorts as the inuisible things of GOD are seene now beeing vnderstood by those things which are made in a glasse darkly and in part where faith preuaileth more in vs by which wee beleeue than the obiect of things which wee see by corporall eyes But euen as so soone as wee behold men amongst whome wee liue beeing aliue and performing vitall motions wee doe not beleeue that they liue but wee see them to liue when wee cannot see their life with-out bodyes which not-with-standing wee clearely behold by the bodyes all ambiguity beeing remooued so where-so-euer wee shall turne about these spirituall eyes of our bodyes wee shall like-wise see incorporate GOD gouerning all things by our bodyes GOD therefore shall eyther so bee seene by those eyes because they haue some-thing in that excellencie like vnto the vnderstanding whereby the incorporall nature may be seene which is either hard or impossible to declare by any examples or testimonies of diuine Scriptures or that which is more easily to be vnderstood God shall be so knowne conspicuous vnto vs that he may be seene by the spirit of euery one of vs in euery one of vs may be seene of another in another may be seene in him-selfe may be seene in the new heauen and in the new earth and in euery creature which shall be then may be seene also by the bodies in euery body where-so-euer the eyes of the spirituall body shall be directed by the sight comming thether Also our thoughts shall bee open and discouered to one another For then shall that bee fulfilled which the Apostle intimateth when hee said Iudge not any thing before the time vntill the Lord come who willl lighten things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest and then shall euery man haue praise of GOD. L. VIVES OR a rather rest For there shall be a rest from all labours I know not by what meanes the name of rest is more delightfull and sweet than of action therefore Aristotle nominateth that contemplation which he maketh the chiefest beatitude by the name of Rest. Besides the Sabbath is that to wit a ceassing from labour and a sempeternall rest b I shall see God It is read in some ancient copies of Augustine I shall see God my sauiour But we doe neither read it in Hieromes translation neither doth it seeme â—…o be added of Augustine by those words which follow For he speaketh of God with-out the man-hood Further if he had added Sauiour hee should haue seemed to haue spoken of Christ. Of the eternall felicity of the Citty of God and the perpetuall Sabbath CHAP. 30. HOw great a shall that felicity be where there shall be no euill thing where no good thing shall lye hidden there wee shall haue leasure to vtter forth the praises of God which shall bee all things in all For what other thing is done where we shall not rest with any slouthfulnesse nor labour for any want I know not I am admonished also by the holy song where I read or heare Blessed are they oh Lord which dwell in thy house they shall praise thee for euer and euer All the members and bowels of the incorruptible body which we now see distributed to diuerse vses of necessity because then
there shall not bee that necessity but a full sure secure euer-lasting felicity shall be aduanced and go forward in the praises of God For then all the numbers of which I haue already spoken of the corporall Harmony shall not lye hid which now lye hid being disposed inwardly and out-wardly through all the members of the body and with other things which shall be seene there being great and wonderfull shall kindle the reasonable soules with delight of such a reasonable beauty to sound forth the praises of such a great and excellent workman What the motions of those bodies shall be there I dare not rashly define when I am not able to diue into the depth of that mistery Neuertheles both the motion state as the forme of them shal be comly decent whatsoeuer it shall be where there shall bee nothing which shall not bee comly Truly where the spirit wil there forth-with shall the body be neither will the spirit will any thing which may not beseeme the body nor the spirit There shall be true glory where no man shall be praised for error or flattery True honor which shall be denied vnto none which is worthy shall bee giuen vnto none vnworthy But neither shall any vnworthy person couet after it where none is permitted to bee but hee which is worthy There is true peace where no man suffereth any thing which may molest him either of him-selfe or of any other Hee himselfe shall bee the reward of vertue which hath giuen vertue and hath promised himselfe vnto him then whom nothing can be better and greater For what other thing is that which he hath sayd by the Prophet I wil be their GOD and they shal be my people but I wil be whereby they shal be satisfied I wil be what-soeuer is lawfully desired of men life health food abundance glory honor peace and all good things For so also is that rightly vnderstood which the Apostle sayth That GOD may bee all in all He shal bee the end of our desires who shal be seene without end who shal be loued without any saciety and praised without any tediousnesse This function this affection this action verily shal be vnto all as the eternall life shal be common to all But who is sufficient to thinke much more to vtter what degrees there shall also bee of the rewardes for merits of the honors and glories But wee must not doubt but that there shal be degrees And also that Blessed Citty shall see that in it selfe that no inferior shall enuy his superior euen as now the other Angells doe not enuie the Arch-angells as euery one would not be which he hath not receiued although hee be combined with a most peaceable bond of concord to him which hath receiued by which the finger will not bee the eye in the body when as a peaceable coniunction and knitting together of the whole flesh doth containe both members Therefore one shall so haue a gift lesse then another hath that hee also hath this gift that he will haue no more Neither therefore shall they not haue free will because sinnes shall not delight them For it shal be more free beeing freed from the delight of sinning to an vndeclinable and sted-fast delight of not sinning For the first free-will which was giuen to man when hee was created righteous had power not to sinne but it had also powre to sinne but this last free-will shal be more powerfull then that because it shall not be able to sinne But this also by the gift of GOD not by the possibily of his owne nature For it is one thing to be GOD another thing to bee partaker of GOD. GOD cannot sinne by nature but hee which is partaker of GOD receiueth from him that hee cannot sinne But there were degrees to be obserued of the diuine gift that the first free-will might be giuen whereby man might be able not to sinne the last whereby he might not be able to sinne and the first did pertaine to obtaine a merit the later to receiue a reward But because that nature sinned when it might sinne it is freed by a more bountifull grace that it may be brought to that liberty in which it cannot sinne For as the first immortallity which Adam lost by sinning was to bee able not to die For so the will of piety and equity shal be free from beeing lost as the will of felicity is free from being lost For as by sinning wee neither kept piety nor felicity neither truely haue we lost the will of felicity felicity being lost Truely is GOD himselfe therefore to be denied to â—…aue free-will because hee cannot sinne Therefore the free-will of that Citty shall both bee one in all and also inseperable in euery one freed from all euill and filled with all good enioying an euerlasting pleasure of eternall ioyes forgetfull of faults forgetfull of punishments neither therefore so forgetfull of her deliuerance that shee bee vngratefull to her deliuerer For so much as concerneth reasonable knowledge shee is mindefull also of her euills which are past but so much as concerneth the experience of the senses altogether vnmindefull For a most skilfull Phisition also knoweth almost all diseases of the bodie as they are knowne by art but as they are felt in the bodie hee knoweth not many which he hath not suffered As therefore there are two knowledges of euills one by which they are not hidden from the power of the vnderstanding the other by which they are infixed to the senses of him that feeleth them for all vices are otherwise knowne by the doctrine of wisdome and otherwise by the most wicked life of a foolish man so there are two forgetfulnesses of euills For a skilfull and learned man doth forget them one way and hee that hath had experience and suffered them forgetteth them another way The former if he neglect his skill the later if hee want misery According to this forgetfulnesse which I haue set downe in the later place the Saints shall not be mindefull of euils past For they shall want all euils so that they shall be abolished vtterly from their senses Neuerthelesse that powre of knowledge which shal be great in them shall not onely know their owne euils past but also the euerlasting misery of the damned Otherwise if they shall not know that they haue beene miserable how as the psalme sayth Shall they sing the mercies of the LORD for euer Then which song nothing verily shal be more delightfull to that Citty to the glory of the loue of CHRIST by whose bloud we are deliuered There shal be perfected Bee at rest and see because I am GOD. Because there shal be the most great Sabbath hauing no euening Which the LORD commended vnto vs in the first workes of the world where it is read And GOD rested the seauenth day from all his workes he made and sanctified it because in it hee rested from all