eternall after the last iudgment vnto them that endure them temporally after death For some shal be pardoned in the world to come that are not pardoned in this and acquitted there and not here from entring into paines eternall as I said before L. VIVES Willingly a or by Willingly that is of set purpose or through a wrong perswasion that 〈◊〉 doth him good when he hurteth him as the torturers and murtherers of the martyrs beleeued These were all guilty nor waâ—… their ignorance excuseable which in what cases it may be held pardonable Augustine disputeth in Quaest. vet Nou. Testam The 〈◊〉 all paines of this life afflicting all man-kinde CHAP. 14. BVT fewe theâ—… 〈◊〉 that endure none of these paines vntill after death Some indeed I haue known heard of that neuer had houres sickenes vntil their dying day and liued very long though notwithstanding mans whole life bee a paine in that it is a temptation and a warre-fare vpon earth as Holy Iob saith for ignorance is a great punishment and therefore you see that little children are forced to a auoyde it by stripes and sorrowes that also which they learne being such a paine to them that some-times they had rather endure the punishments that enforce them learne it then to learne that which would avoyde them a Who would not tremble and rather choose to die then to be an infant againe if he were put to such a choyce We begin it with teares and therein presage our future miseries Onely b Zoroastres smiled they say when hee was borne but his prodigyous mirth boded him no good for hee was by report the first inuentor of Magike which notwithstanding stood him not in a pins stead in his misfortunes for Ninus King of Assiriaouer came him in battel and tooke his Kingdome of Bactria from him So that it is such an impossibility that those words of the Scripture Great trauell is created for all men and an heauy yoke vpon the sonnes of Adam from the day that they go out of their mothers wombe vntill the day that they returne vnto the mother of all things should not be fulfilled that the very infants being Baptised and therein quitte from all their guilt which then is onely originall are notwithstanding much and often afflicted yea euen sometimes by the incursion of Deuills which notwithstanding cannot hurt them if they die at that tendernesse of age L. VIVES WHo a would Some would thinke them-selues much beholding to God if they might begin their daies againe but wise Cato in Tully was of another minde b Zoroastres smiled He was king of Bactria the founder of Magique Hee liued before the Troian warre 5000. yeares saith Hermodotus Platonicus Agnaces taught him Hee wrot 100000. verses Idem Eudoxus maketh him liue 5000. yeares before Plato his death and so doth Aristotle Zanthus Lydius is as short as these are ouer in their account giuing but 600 betweene Zoroastres and Xerxes passage into Greece Pliny doubts whether there were many of this name But this liued in Ninus his time hee smiled at his birth and his braine beate so that it would lift vp the hand a presage of his future knowledge Plin. He liued twenty yeares in a desert vpon cheese which hee had so mixed that it neuer grew mouldy nor decayed That the scope of Gods redeeming vs is wholly pertinent to the world to come CHAP. 15. BVt yet notwithstanding in this heauy yoke that lieth vpon Adams children from ther birth to their buriall we haue this one meanes left vs to liue sober and to weigh that our first parents sin hath made this life but a paine to vs and that all the promises of the New-Testament belonge onely to the Heritage layd vp for vs in the world to come pledges wee haue here but the performance due thereto we shall not haue till then Let vs now therefore walke in hope and profiting day by day let vs mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the spirit for God knoweth all that are his and as many as are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God but by grace not by nature for Gods onely sonne by nature was made the sonne of man for vs that we being the sons of men by nature might become the sonnes of God in him by grace for hee remayning changelesse tooke our nature vpon him and keeping still his owne diuinity that wee being changed might leaue our frailety and apnesse to sinne through the participation of his righteousnesse and immortallity and keepe that which hee had made good in vs by the perfection of that good which is in him for as wee all fell into this misery by one mans sinne so shall wee ascend vnto that glory by one deified mans righteousnesse Nor may any imagine that hee hath had this passe vntill 〈◊〉 bee there where there is no temptation but all full of that peace which wee seeke by these conflicts of the spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit This warre had neuer beene had man kept his will in that right way wherein it was first placed But refusing that now hee fighteth in himselfe and yet this inconuenience is not so bad as the former for happier farre is hee that striueth against sinne then hee that alloweth it soueraygnty ouer him Better is warre with hope of eternall peace then thraldome without any thought of freedome We wish the want of this warre though and God inspireth vs to ayme at that orderly peace wherein the inferiour obeyeth the superior in althings but if there were hope of it in this life as God forbid wee should imagine by yeelding to sinne a yet ought we rather to stand out against it in all our miseries then to giue ouer our freedomes to sinne by yeelding to it L. VIVES YEt a ought we So said the Philosophers euen those that held the soules to be mortall that vertue was more worth then all the glories of a vicious estate and a greater reward to it selfe nay that the vertuous are more happy euen in this life then the vicious and thereâ—… Christ animates his seruants with promises of rewards both in the world to come and in this that is present The lawes of grace that all the regenerate are blessed in CHAP. 16. BVt Gods mercy is so great in the vessells whome hee hath prepared for glory that euen the first age of man which is his infancy where the flesh ruleth without controll and the second his child-hood where his reason is so weake that it giueth way to all â—…nticements and the mind is altogether incapable of religious precepts if notwithstanding they bee washed in the fountaine of regeneration and he dye at this or that age he is translated from the powers of darknes to the glories of Christ and freed from all paynes eternall and purificatory His regeneration onely is sufficient cleare that after death which his carnall generation had contracted with death But when he cometh to
yeares of discretion and is capable of good counsel then must he begin a fierce conflict with vices least it allure 〈◊〉 to damnation Indeede the fresh-water soldiour is the more easily put to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 practise will make him valourous and to persue victory with all his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he must euermore assay by a weapoÌ„ called the a loue of true righâ—… 〈◊〉 â—…is is kept in the faith of Christ for if the command be present and the 〈◊〉 absent the very forbidding of the crime enflameth the peruerse flesh to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…er into it sometimes producing open enormities and sometimes b sectes ones farre-worse then the other in that pride and ruinous selfe conceit perswadeâ—… 〈◊〉 that they are vertues Then therfore sin is quelled when it is beaten downe by they loue of God which none but he and that he doth only by Iesus Christ the mediator of God and man who made him-selfe mortall that we might bee made eternall few are so happy to passe their youth without taynt of some damnable sinne or other either in deed opinion or so but let them aboue all seeke to suppresse by the fullnesse of spirit all such euill motions as shall be incited by the loosenesse of the flesh Many hauing betaken them-selues to the law becomming preuaricators thereof through sinne are afterwards faine to fly vnto the law of grace assistant which making them both truer penitents and stouter opponents subiecteth their spirits to God and so they get the conquest of the flesh Hee therefore that will escape hell fire must be both Baptized and iustified in Christ and this is his only way to passe from the Deuill vnto him And let him assuredly beleeue that there is no purgatory paines but before that great and terrible iudgement Indeede it is true that the fire of Hell shal be c more forcible against some then against others according to the diuersity of their deserts whether it be adapted in nature to the quality of their merits or remaine one fire vnto all and yet bee not felt alike of all L. VIVES THe a loue of This made Plato aduise men to vse their children onely to vertuous delights and to induce a hate of bad things into their mindes which were it obserued out loue would then be as much vnto vertue as now it is vnto carnall pleasures for custome is another nature and a good man liketh vertue better then the voluptuary doth sensuality b Secret ones far worse Plato hauing feasted certaine Gentlemen spread the Roome with mats and dressed his banqueting beds handsomely In comes Diogenes the Cynicke and falls presently a trampling of the hangings with his durty feete Plato comming in why how now Diogenes quoth he Nothing said the other but that I tread downe Platoes Pride Thou dost indeed saith Plato but with a pride farre greater for indeed this was a greater vaine-glory and arrogance in Diogenes that was poore then in Plato that was rich and had but prepared these things for his friends So shall you haue a many proud beggers thinke them-selues holyer then honest rich men onely for their name sake as if God respected the goods and not there mindes They will not be ritch because they thinke their pouerty maketh them more admired Diogenes had wont to doe horrible things to make the people obserue him and one day in the midst of winter hee fell a washing himselfe in a cold spring whither by and by there gathred a great multitude who seeing him pittied him and praied him to for-beare O no saith Plato aloud if you will pitty him get yee all gone for he saw it was not vertue but vaine-glory that made him do thus c More forcible According to the words of Christ 〈◊〉 â—…be easier for Tyre and Sydon c. Of some Christians that held that Hells paines should not be eternall CHAP. 17. NOw must I haue a gentle disputation with certaine tender hearts of our own religion who thinke that God who hath iuâ—… doomed the damned vnto 〈◊〉 fire wil after a certaine space which his goodnesse shal thinke fit for the merit of each mans guilt deliuer them from that torment And of this opinion was a Origen in farre more pittiful manner for he held that the diuells themselues after a set time 〈◊〉 should bee loosed from their torments and become bright 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…hey were before But this and other of his opinions chiefly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…-volution of misery and blisse which hee held that all 〈◊〉 should runne in gaue the church cause to pronounce him Anathema 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had lost this seeming pitty by assigning a true misery after a while and 〈◊〉 blisse vnto the Saints in heauen where they if they were true could neuer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to â—…aine But farre other-wise iâ—… their tendernesse of heart which â—…old that this freedome out of hell shall onely be extended vnto the soules of the 〈◊〉 after a certaine time appointed for euery one so that all at length shall 〈◊〉 to bee Saints in heauen But if this opinion bee good and true because it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the farther it extendeth the better it is so that it may as well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freedome of the deuills also after a longer continuance of time Wâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it with man kinde onely and excludeth them â—…ay but it dares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they dare not extend their pitty vnto the deuill But if any one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goâ—… beyond them and yet sinneth in erring more deformedly and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ly against the expresse word of GOD though hee thinke to shew the more pitty herein L. VIVES ORigen a in Periarch lib. Of this already b Include the freedome So did Origen 〈◊〉 likewise made good Angels become deuills in processe of time according to his imaâ—… circum-â—… Of those that hold that the intercession of the Saints shallsaue all men from damnation CHAP. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with some that seeme to reuerence the Scriptures and yet are no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who would make God farre more mercifull then the other For as 〈◊〉 the wicked they confesse that they deserue to bee plagued but mercy shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hand when it comes to iudgement for God shall giue them all 〈◊〉 the prayers and intercession of the Saints who if they prayed for them 〈◊〉 they 〈◊〉 ouer them as enemies will doe it much more now when they 〈◊〉 prostrate aâ—… their feete like slaues For it is incredible say they that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mercy when they are most holy and perfect who prayed 〈◊〉 theyr foes when they were not with-out sinne them-selues Surely then they 〈◊〉 pray for them being now become their suppliants when as they haue no 〈◊〉 at 〈◊〉 left in them And will not God heare them when their prayers haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then bring they forth the testimony of the Psalme which the 〈◊〉 that held the sauing of all the damned after a time doe alledge also but 〈◊〉 that it maketh more for them the words are these Hath God forâ—…
it hath been done or no but de Iure whether it were to be done or no. For souÌ„d reason is before example al authorities to the contrary as wherevnto all examples do consent being such as by their excellence in goodnesse are worthily imitable neither Patriarch Prophet nor Apostle euer did this yet our Lord Iesus Christ when hee admonished his disciples in persecution to flie from city to city might haue willed them in such cases to make a present dispatch of themselues and so to avoide their persecutors hadd hee held it fitte But if hee neuer gaue any such admonition or command that any to whome hee promised a mansion of eternity at their deaths should passe vnto their deaths on this fashion lette then the heathen that know not God produce al they can it is plainly vnlawful for any one than serueth the onely true God to follow this course But indeed besides Luâ—…ia of whome I think we haue sufficiently argued before it is hard for them to find one other example worth prescribing as a fitte authority for others to follow besides that a Cato only that killed him-selfe at Vtica b not that hee alone was his owne deaths-man but because he was accounted as a c learned and d honest man which may beget a beleefe that to do as hee didde were to doe well VVhat should I say of his fact more then his friendes and e some of them learned men haue said who shewed far more iudgement in disswading the deed and censuring it as the effect of a spirit rather deiected then magnanimous And of this f did Cato him-selfe leaue a testimony in his owne famous Sonne For if it were base to liue vnder Caesars victory why did he aduise his son to this willing him to entertaine a full hope of Caesars clemency Yea why did he not vrge him to go willingly to his end with him If it were laudable in Torquatus g to kill his sonne that hadde fought and foyled his enemy though herein he had broken the Dictators commaund why didde conquered Cato spare his ouerthrowne sonne that spared not him-selfe VVas it more vile to bee a conquerour agaynst lawe then to indure a conquerour against honour What shall wee saie then but that euen in the same measure that hee loued his sonne whome hee both hoped and wished that Caesar woulde spare in the same didde hee enuy Caesars glory which hee h should haue gotten in sparing of him also or else to mollifie this matter som-what he was ashamed to receiue such courtesie at Caesars hands L. VIVES THat a Cato The Catoe's were of the Portian family arising from Tusculum a towne of the Latines The first of this stocke that was called Cato that is wise and wary was Marcus Portius a man of meane discent but attaining to all the honours of Consull Censor and of Triumph His nephewes sonne was Marcus Portius Cato both of them were great and yet innocent men The first was called Maior or the Elder the later Minor or the younger The younger beeing a Leader in the ciuill wars of Pompey tooke his that was the common weales and the liberties part against the vsurparion of Caius Caesar Now Pompey beeing ouercome by Caesar at Pharsalia and Scipio Metellus Pompey his father in law in Affrica this Cato seeing his faction subuerted and Caesar beare al down before him being retyred vnto Vtica a Citty in Affrike and reading Platoe's Phaedâ—… twise ouer together the same night thrust him-selfe through with his sword b Not because he alone No for many in other warres had slaine them-selues least they should fall into the hand of the enemie and in this same warre so did Scipio Metellus Afranius King Iuba c Learned A stoyke and excellently skill'd in the wisdom of the Greeks d Honest the wisdom and innocencie that was in both these Catoes grew into a prouerb and hereof saith Iâ—…all Tâ—…rtius 〈◊〉 Caelo cecidit Cato Now Heauen hath giuen vs a third Catâ—… Velleius Paterculus writing vnto Uinicius thus describeth this Cato Hee was descended from Marcus Cato that head of the Porcian family who was his great grandfather hee was a man like vertues selfe and rather of diuine then humane capacity hee neuer did good that he cared should be noted but because hee could not doe any thing but good as holding that onely reasonable which was iust free was hee from all the corruptions of man and euermore swayed his owne fortune to his owne liking Thus farre Uelleius to omit the great testimonies of Seneca Lucane Tully Saluste and others of this worthy man e some of them learned It is recorded that Apollonides the Stoike Demetrius the Peripatetike and Cleanthes the Phisicion were then at Utica with Cato For he loued much the company of the Greeke Philosophers and his great grand-father neuer hated them so much as he respected them And vpon the night that he slew himselfe on saith Plutarch at supper there arose a disputation about such things as really concerne the liberty of a man wherein Demetrius spoke many things against Cato's constant assertions of the praise of such as killed themselues which indeed was so vehement that it begot a suspicion in them all that hee would follow the same course himselfe f This did Cato himselfe Plutarch writeth that when Cato came to Vtica he sent away his followers by shipping and earnestly preswaded his sonne to goe with them but could not force him to forsake his father This sonne of his Caesar afterwardes pardoned as Liuy saith lib. 114. and Caesar himselfe in his Commentaries of the African warre Hee was as Plutarch saith in his fathers life much giuen to venerie but in the battaile of Phillipi fighting valiantly on his cozen Brutus his side for his countries freedome hee was slaine scorning to leaue the fight when the chiefest captaines fled g to kill his sonne Titus Manlius Torquatus made his sonnes head bee cut off for fighting contrary to the edict though he returned with victory But of this else-where h should haue gotten by sparing of him Commonly knowne is that saying of Caesar to him that brought newes of Cato's death Cato I enuy thy glory for thou enuiedst mine and would not haue it reckoned amongst mine other famous actes that I saued Cato Caesar wrote two bookes called Anticatones against Cato as Cicero and Suetonius testifie The Cardinall of Liege told mee that he saw them both in a certaine old librarie at Liege and that hee would see they should bee sent me which if he do I will not defraud the learned of their vse and publication That the Christians excell Regulus in that vertue wherein he excelled most CHAP. 23. BVt those whom we oppose will not haue their Cato excelled by our Iob that holy man who choose rather to endure all them horrible torments a in his flesh then by aduenturing vpon death to auoide all those vexations and other Saints of high credit and
small that hee that discerneth them as they flie must haue a sharpe eye but when they alight vpon the body they will soone make them-selues knowne to his feeling though his sight discerne them not Super Exod. By this creature Origen vnderstands logick which enters the mind with such stings of vndiscerned subtlety that the party deceiued neuer perceiueth till he be fetched ouer But the Latines nor the Greekes euer vsed either Cynipes or Snipes nor is it in the seauentie eyther but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnat-like creatures saith Suidas and such as eate holes in wood Psal. 104. The Hebrew and Chaldee Paraphrase read lice for this word as Iosephus doth also d Horse-flyes Or Dogge-flies the vulgar readeth flyes onely e Grashoppers The fields plague much endamaging that part of Africa that bordereth vpon Egipt Pliny saith they are held notes of Gods wrath where they exceed thus f Groned vnder Perfracti perfractus is throughly tamed praefractus obstinate g Passe-ouer Phase is a passing ouer because the Angel of death passed ouer the Israelites houses smote them not hence arose the paschall feast Hieron in Mich. lib. 2. not of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to suffer as if it had beene from the passion In Matth. h Whose name In Hebrew Iosuah and Iesus seemes all one both are saluation and Iesus the sonne of Iosedech in Esdras is called Iosuah i Whose sonne Mat. 1. an 〈◊〉 all the course of the Gospell Christ is especially called the sonne of two Abraham or Dauid for to them was hee chiefly promised k à non fando And therefore great fellowes that cannot speake are some-times called infants and such also as stammer 〈◊〉 their language and such like-wise as being expresse dolts and sottes in matter of learning will challenge the names of great Artists Philosophers and Diuines Finis lib. 16. THE CONTENTS OF THE seauenteenth booke of the City of God 1. Of the times of the Prophets 2. At what time Gods promise concerning 〈◊〉 Land of Canaan was fulfilled and Israell â—…ed it to dwell in and possesse 3. The Prophets three meanings of earthly â—…lem of heauenly Ierusalem and of both 4. The change of the kingdome of Israel Anâ—…â—…uels mother a prophetesse and a type 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Church what she prophecied 5. The Prophets words vnto Heli the priest â—…g the taking away of Aarons priestâ—… 6. The promise of the priest-hood of the 〈◊〉 and their kingdome to stand eternally â—…ed in that sort that other promises of 〈◊〉 â—…nded nature are 〈◊〉 kingdome of Israell rent prefiguring â—…all diuision betweene the spirituall â—…ll Israel 〈◊〉 â—…ises made to Dauid concerning his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fulfilled in Salomon but in Christ. 〈◊〉 â—…phecy of Christ in the 88. psalme 〈◊〉 â—…s of Nathan in the booke of Kings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diuers actions done in the earthly Ieâ—… 〈◊〉 the kingdome differing from Gods 〈◊〉 to shew that the truth of his word conâ—…â—…he glory of an other kingdome and anâ—…â—…g 11. The substance of the people of God who 〈◊〉 Christ in the flesh who only had power to 〈◊〉 â—…e soule of man from hell 12. â—…her verse of the former psalme and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to whom it belongeth 13. Whether the truth of the promised peace may be ascribed vnto Salomons time 14. Of Dauids endeauors in composing of the psalmes 15. Whether all things concerning Christ his church in the psalmes be to bee rehearsed in this worke 16. Of the forty fiue psalme the tropes and truths therein concerning Christ and the church 17. Of the references of the hundreth and tenth psalme vnto Christs priest-hood and the two and twentith vnto his passion 18. Christs death and resurrection prophecied in psalme 3. et 40. 15. et 67. 19. The obstinate infidelity of the Iewes declared in the 69. psalme 20. Dauids kingdome his merrit his sonne Salomon his prophecies of Christ in Salomons bookes and in bookes that are annexed vnto them 21. Of the Kings of Israel and Iudah after Salomon 22. How Hieroboam infected his subiects with Idolatry yet did God neuer failed them in Prophets nor in keeping many from that infection 23. The state of Israel and Iudah vnto both their captiuities which befell at different times diuersly altered Iudah vnited to Israell and lastly both vnto Rome 24. Of the last Prophets of the Iewes about the time that Christ was borne FINIS THE SEVENTEENTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of the times of the Prophets CHAP. 1. THus haue we attained the vnderstanding of Gods promises made vnto Abraham and due vnto Israel his seed in the flesh and to all the Nations of earth as his seed in the spirit how they were fulfilled the progresse of the Cittie of God in those times did manifest Now because our last booke ended at the reigne of Dauid let vs in this booke proceed with the same reigne as farre as is requisite All the time therefore betweene Samuels first prophecy and the returning of Israel from seauenty yeares captiuity in Babilon to repaire the Temple as Hieremy had prophecied all this is called the time of the Prophets For although that the Patriarch Noah in whose time the vniuersall deluge befel and diuers others liuing before there were Kings in Israel for some holy and heauenly predictions of theirs may not vndeseruedly be called a Prophets especially seeing wee see Abraham and Moses chiefly called by those names and more expressly then the rest yet the daies wherein Samuel beganne to prophecy were called peculiarly the Prophets times Samuel anoynted Saul first and afterwards he beeing reiected hee anoynted Dauid for King by Gods expresse command and from Dauids loines was all the bloud royall to descend during that Kingdomes continuance But if I should rehearse all that the Prophets each in his time successiuely presaged of Christ during all this time that the Cittie of God continued in those times and members of his I should neuer make an end First because the scriptures though they seeme but a bare relation of the successiue deeds of each King in his time yet being considered with the assistance of Gods spirit will prooue either more or as fully prophecies of things to come as histories of things past And how laborious it were to stand vpon each peculiar hereof and how huge a worke it would amount vnto who knoweth not that hath any insight herein Secondly because the prophecies concerning Christ and his Kingdome the Cittie of God are so many in multitude that the disputations arising hereof would not be contained in a farre bigger volume then is necessary for mine intent So that as I will restraine my penne as neare as I can from all superfluous relations in this worke so will I not ommit any thing that shall be really pertinent vnto our purpose L. VIVES CAlled a Prophets The Hebrewes called them Seers because they saw the Lord in his predictions or prefigurations of any thing with
them hath declared these things The Lord hath loued him hee will do his will in Bable and his arme shal be against the Chaldaeans I euen I haue spoken it and I haue called him I haue brought him and his waies shall prosper Come neare vnto me heare yee this I haue not spoke it in secret from the beginning from the time that the thing was I was there and now the LORD GOD and his spirit hath sent me This was he that spoke here as the LORD GOD and yet it had not beene euident that hee was Christ but that hee addeth the last clause the LORD GOD and his spirit hath sent me For this hee spoke of that which was to come in the forme of a seruant vsing the preterperfect tense for the future as the Prophet doth else-where saying he was led as a sheepe to the slaughter he doth not say He shal be led but putteth the time past for the time to come according to the vsuall phrase of propheticall speeches There is also another place in Zacharie as euident as this where the Almightie sent the Almightie and what was that but that the Father sent the Sonne the words are these Thus saith the Lord of Hoastes After this glory hath hee sent mee vnto the nations which spoyled you for hee that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of his eye Behold I will lift my hand vpon them and they shall bee a spoyle to those that serued them and yee shall know that the Lord of Hoastes hath sent mee Behold here the LORD of hoastes saith that the LORD of hoastes hath sent him Who dare say that these words proceed from any but from Christ speaking to his lost sheepe of Israell for hee saith so him-selfe I am not sent but vnto the lost sheepe of Israell those hee compareth heere vnto the Apple of his eye in his most feruent loue vnto them and of those lost ones the Apostles were a part themselues but after this resurrection before which the Holy Ghost saith Iohn was not yet giuen because that IESVS was not yet glorified hee was also sent vnto the gentiles in his Apostles and so was that of the psalme fulfilled Thou hast deliuered mee from the contentions of the people thou hast made mee the head of the heathen that those that had spoiled the Israelites and made them slaues should spoile them no more but become their slaues This promised hee to his Apostles saying I will make you fishers of men and againe vnto one of them alone from hence-forth thou shalt catch men Thus shal the nations become spoiles but vnto a good end as vessell tane from a strong man that is bound by a stronger The said Prophet also in another place saith or rather the LORD by him saith In that daie will I seeke to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem and I will powre vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of compassion and they shall looke vpon mee whome they haue pearced and they shall lament for him as one mourneth for his onely sonne and bee sorry for him as one is sory for his first borne Who is it but GOD that shall ridde Ierusalem of the foes that come against her that is that oppose her faith or as some interprete it that seeke to make her captiue who but hee can powre the spirit of grace and compassion vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem This is Gods peculiar and spoken by God himselfe in the prophet and yet that this GOD who shall doe all the wonderfull workes is CHRIST the sequele sheweth plainely they shall looke vpon mee whom they haue pearced and bee sorry c. For those Iewes who shall receiue the spirit of grace and compassion in the time to come shall repent that euer they had insulted ouer CHRIST in his passion when they shall see him comming in his Maiesty and know that this is hee whose base-nesse of parentage they had whilom â—…owted at And their fore-fathers shall see him too vpon whom they had exercised such impiety euen him shall they behold but not vnto their correction but vnto their confusion These words there I will powre vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Hierusalem the spirit of grace and compassion c. doe no way concerne them but their progenie onelye whome the preaching of Helias shall bring to the true faith But as wee say to the Iewes You killed Christ though it were their predecessors so shall the progeny of those murtherers bewayle the death of Christ them-selues though their predecessors and not they were they that did the deed So then though they receiue the spirit of grace and compassion and so escape the damnation of their fore-fathers yet shall they grieue as if they had beene pertakers of their predecessors villanie yet shall it not be guilt but zeale that shall inforce this griefe in them The LXX doe read this place thus They shall behold mee ouer whome they haue insulted but the Hebrews read it whom they haue pearced which giueth a fuller intimation of the crucifying of Christ. But that insultation in the LXX was continued euen through the whole passion of Christ Their taking him binding him iudging him apparelling him with sot-like habites crowning him with thorne striking him on the head with reedes mocking him with fained reuerence enforcing him to beare his owne crosse and crucifying him euen to his very last gaspe was nothing but a continuate insultation So that laying both the interpretations together as wee doe wee expresse at full that this place implyeth Christ and none other Therefore when-so-euer wee read in the Prophets that God shall iudge the world though there bee no other distinction that that very word Iudge doth expresse the Sonne of man for by his comming it is that Gods iudgement shall be executed God the Father in his personall presence will iudge no man but hath giuen all iudgement vnto his Sonne who shall shew him-selfe as man to iudge the world euen as hee shewed him-selfe as man to bee iudged of the world Who is it of whome God speaketh in Esaias vnder the name of Iacob and Israel but this sonne of man that tooke flesh of Iacobs progeny Iacob my seruant I will stay vpon him Israel mine elect in whome my soule delighteth I haue put my spirit vpon him hee shall bring forth Iudgement vnto the Gentiles Hâ—… shall not crye nor lift vp nor cause his voyce to bee heard in the streetes A bruised Reede shall hee not breake and the smoaking Flaxe shall hee not quench hee shall bring forth iudgement in truth Hee shall not faile nor bee discouraged vntill hee haue setled iudgement in the earth and the Iles shall hope in his name In the Hebrew there is no b mention of Iacob nor of Israel but the LXX being desirous to shew what hee meant by his