In that d you did it to one of these you did it vnto me He saith thereâ—… â—…t he trusted in him as the Apostles trusted in Iudas when hee was 〈◊〉 Apostle Now the Iewes hope that their Christ that they hope for 〈◊〉 â—…er die and therefore they hold that the law and the Prophets prefigâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ours but one that shal be free from all touch of death whom they doe 〈◊〉 for and may doe long inough And this miserable blindnesse maketh 〈◊〉 take that sleepe and rising againe of which wee now speake in the literall sence not for death and resurrection 〈◊〉 the 16. psalme confoundeth them thus My heart is glad and my tongue reâ—… my flesh also resteth in hope for thou wilt not leaue my soule in hell neiâ—… 〈◊〉 thou suffer thine Holy one to see corruption What man could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flesh rested in that hope that his soule should not bee left in hell but 〈◊〉 presently to the flesh to saue it from the corruption of a carcasse excepting him onely that rose againe the third day It cannot be said of Dauid The sixtie eight Psalme saith also Our God is the God that e saueth vs and the issues of death are the Lords What can bee more plaine Iesus Christ is the God that saueth vs for Iesus is a Sauiour as the reason of his name was giuen in the Gospell saying Hee shall saue his people from their sinnes And seeing that his bloud was shed for the remission of sinnes the enemies of death ought to belong vnto none but vnto him nor could hee haue passage out of this life but by death And therefore it is said Vnto him belong the f issues of death to shew that hee by death should redeeme the world And this last is spoken in an admiration as if the Prophet should haue sayd Such is the life of man that the Lord him-selfe leaueth it not but by death L. VIVES ANd a praescience Some copies adde heere quia certa erant but it seemeeth to haue but crept in out of some scholion b Kicked at me Supplantauit me taken vp mine heeles as wrastlers doe one with another Allegorically it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to deceiue c One of you The Bruges copie hath One of you shall betraye mee and one of you is a deuill both they are two seuerall places in the Gospell Iohn 13. and Iohn 6. Iudas is called a Deuill because of his deceitfull villanie d In that you did it Or in as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 e That saueth vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A proper phrase to the Greeke tongue but vnordinary in the Latine vnlesse the nowne bee vsed to say the God of saluation f Issues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The obstinate infidelitie of the Iewes declared in the sixtie nine Psalme CHAP. 19. BVt all those testimonies and prefigurations beeing so miraculously come to effect could not mooue the Iewes wherefore that of the sixty nine Psalme was fulfilled in them which speaking in the person of Christ of the accidents in his passion saith this also among the rest They gaue mee gall to eate and when I was thirsty they gaue mee vinegar to drinke And this banquet which they affoorded him hee thanketh them thus for Let their table bee a a snare for them and their prosperitie their ruine let their eyes bee blinded that they see not and bend their backs for euer c. which are not wishes but prophecies of the plagues that should befall them What wonder then if they whose eyes are blinded discerne not this and whose backes are eternally bended to sticke their aimes fast vpon earth for these words being drawne from the literall sence and the body import the vices of the minde And thus much of the Psalmes of Dauid to keepe our intended meane Those that read these and know them all already must needes pardon mee for beeing so copious and if they know that I haue omitted ought that is more concerning mine obiect I pray them to forbeare complaints of me for it L. VIVES A a Snare Saint Augustine calleth it heere Muscipula a Mouse-trappe The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dauids Kingdome his merit his sonne Salomon Prophecies of Christ in Salomons bookes and in bookes that are annexed vnto them CHAP. 20. DAuid the sonne of the celestiall Ierusalem reigned in the earthly one was much commended in the scriptures his piety and true humility so conquered his imperfections that he was one of whom we might say with him Blessed are thâ—…se whose iniquity is forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered After him his sonne Saâ—… reigned in all his Kingdome beginning to reigne as we said in his fathers 〈◊〉 a He beganne well but he ended badly prosperity the moath of wisdome did him more hurt then his famous and memorable wisdome it selfe profited him He was a prophet as his workes b namely the Prouerbs the Canticles and Ecclesiastes doe proue all which are canonicall But Ecclesiasticus and the booke of wisdome were onely called his for some similitude betweene his stile and theirs But all the learned affirme them none of his yet the churches of the West holds them of great authoritie and hath done long and in the booke of c Wisdome is a plaine prophecie of Christs passion for his wicked murderers 〈◊〉 brought in saying Let vs cercumuent the iust for he displeaseth vs and is contrary vnto our doings checking vs for offending thee law and shaming vs for our breach of discipline Hee boasteth himselfe of the knowledge of GOD and calleth himselfe the â—…ne of the LORD Hee is made to reprooue our thoughts it â—…reeueth vs to looke vpon him for his life is not like other mens his waies are of another fashion He 〈◊〉 vs triflers and avoideth our waies as vncleannesse he commendeth the ends of 〈◊〉 iust and boasteth that GOD is his father Let vs see then if he say true let â—…ue what end he shall haue If this iust man be GODS Sonne he will helpe him 〈◊〉 deliuer him from the hands of his enemies let vs examine him with rebukes 〈◊〉 â—…ments to know his meekenesse and to prooue his pacience Let vs condemne 〈◊〉 to a shamefull death for he saith he shal be preserued Thus they imagine 〈◊〉 â—…ay for their malice hath blinded them In d Ecclesiasticus also is the fuâ—…â—…th of the Gentiles prophecied in these words Haue mercy vpon vs O 〈◊〉 GOD of all and send thy feare amongst the Nations lift vppe thine hand 〈◊〉 the Nations that they may see thy power and as thou art sanctified in vs beâ—…â—…em so be thou magnified in them before vs that they may know thee as wee know 〈◊〉 that there is no God but onely thou O LORD This propheticall praier we see 〈◊〉 in Iesus Christ. But the scriptures that are not in the Iewes Canon are 〈◊〉 â—…d proofes against our aduersaries But it would be a tedious dispute and 〈◊〉
ment hereby S. Augustine confesseth that he cannot define Sup. Genes lib. 8. These are secrets all vnneedfull to be knowne and all wee vnworthy to know them Of the new Heauen and the new Earth CHAP. 16. THe iudgement of the wicked being past as he fore-told the iudgement of the goodâ—…ust follow for hee hath already explained what Christ said in briefe They shall go into euerlasting paine now he must expresse the sequell And the righteous into life eternall And I saw saith he a new heauen and a new earth The first heauen and earth were gone and so was thesea for such was the order described before by him when he saw the great white throne one sitting vpon it froÌ„ whose face they fled So then they that were not in the booke of life being iudged and cast into eternall fire what or where it is I hold is vnknowne to a all but those vnto whome it please the spirit to reueale it then shall this world loose the figure by worldly fire as it was erst destroyed by earthly water Then as I said shall all the worlds corruptible qualities be burnt away all those that held correspondence with our corruption shall be agreeable with immortality that the world being so substantially renewed may bee fittly adapted vnto the men whose substances are renewed also But for that which followeth There 〈◊〉 no more sea whether it imply that the sea should bee dried vp by that vniuersall conflagration or bee transformed into a better essence I cannot easily determyne Heauen and Earth were read shal be renewed but as concerning the sea I haue not read any such matter that I can remember vnlesse that other place in this booke of that which hee calleth as it were a sea of glasse like vnto christall import any such alteration But in that place hee speaketh not of the worlds end neither doth hee say directly a sea but as a sea Notwithstanding it is the Prophets guise to speake of truths in misticall manner and to mixe truths and types together and so he might say there was no more sea in the same sence that hee sayd the sea shall giue vp hir dead intending that there should be no more turbulent times in the world which he insinuateth vnder the word Sea L. VIVES VNknowne a to all To all nay Saint Augustine it seemes you were neuer at the schoole-mens lectures There is no freshman there at least no graduate but can tell that it is the elementany fire which is betweene the sphere of the moone and the ayre that shall come downe and purge the earth of drosse together with the ayre and water If you like not this another will tell you that the beames of the Sonne kindle a fire in the midst of the ayre as in a burning glasse and so worke wonders But I doe not blame you fire was not of that vse in your time that it is now of when eâ—…y Philosopher to omit the diuines can carry his mouth his hands and his feete full of fire 〈◊〉 in the midst of Decembers cold and Iulies heate Of Philosophers they become diuines and yet keepe their old fiery formes of doctrine still so that they haue farre better iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hot case then you or your predecessors euer had Of the glorification of the Church after death for euer CHAP. 17. AND I Iohn saith hee sawe that Holie Cittie new Ierusalem come downe from GOD out of Heauen prepared as a bride trimmed for her husband And I heard a great voice out of Heauen saying behold the Tabernacle of GOD is with men and hee will dwell with them and they shal be his people and hee himselfe shal be their GOD with them And GOD shall wipeawaie all teares from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither teares neither crying neither shall there bee any more paine for the first things are passed And hee that sate vpon the Throne sayd behold I make althings new c. This cittie is sayd to come from Heauen because the grace of GOD that founded it is heauenly as GOD saith in Esay I am the LORD that made thee This grace of his came downe from heauen euen from the beginning and since the cittizens of GOD haue had their increase by the same grace giuen 〈◊〉 the spirit from heauen in the fount of regeneration But at the last Iudgement of GOD by his Sonne Christ this onely shall appeare in a state so glorious that all the ancient shape shal be cast aside for the bodies of each member shall cast aside their olde corruption and put on a new forme of immortality For it were too grosse impudence to thinke that this was 〈◊〉 of the thousand yeares afore-sayd wherein the Church is sayd to reigne with Christ because he saith directly GOD shall wipe awaie all teares from their eies and there shal be no more death neither sorrowes neither crying neither shall there bee any more paine Who is so obstinately absurd or so absurdly obstinate as to averre that any one Saint much lesse the whole society of them shall passe this transitory life without teares or sorrowes or euer hath passed it cleare of them seeing that the more holy his desires are and the more zealous his holinesse the more teares shall bedew his Orisons Is it not the Heauenly Ierusalem that sayth My teares haue beene my meate daie and night And againe I cause my bedde euerie night to swimme and water my couch with teares and besides My sorrow is renewed Are not they his Sonnes that bewayle that which they will not forsake But bee cloathed in it that their mortality may bee re-inuested with eternity and hauing the first fruites of the spirit doe sigh in themselues wayting for the adoption that is the redemption of their bodies Was not Saint Paul one of the Heauenlie Cittie nay and that the rather in that hee tooke so great care for the earthly Israelites And when a shall death haue to doe in that Cittie but when they may say Oh death where is thy sting Oh hell where is thy b victorie The sting of death is sinne This could not bee sayd there where death had no sting but as for this world Saint Iohn himselfe saith If wee say wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. And in this his Reuelation there are many things written for the excercising of the readers vnderstanding and there are but few things whose vnderstanding may bee an induction vnto the rest for hee repeteth the same thing so many waies that it seemes wholy pertinent vnto another purpose and indeed it may often bee found as spoken in another kinde But here where hee sayth GOD shall wipe awaie all teares from their eyes c this is directly meant of the world to come and the immortalitie of the Saints for there shal be no sorrow no teares nor cause of sorrowe or teares if any one
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
beastes from beeing part of him But what needes all this Lette vs go but vnto this reasonable creature man can there be a more damnable absurdity then to beleeue that part of Gods essence is beaten when an offending childis beaten To make the subsistence of almighty God be so lasciuious vniust wicked and damnable as diuers men are What man can indure to heare it but hee that is absolutely madde lastly how can God bee iustly angry with those that doe not worshippe him when as they are partes of his owne selfe that are guilty So then they are forced to say that euery particular godde hath his life and subsistence by him-selfe and that they are not peeces of one another but each one that is particularly knowne must haue his peculiar worshippe that is knowne I say because they cannot all bee knowne Ouer all whome Iupiter beeing King thence it comes as I imagine that they beleeue him to bee the sole erecter and protector of Romes Monarchy For if it were not hee that didde it whome should they thinke able to performe so great a worke each one hauing his peculiar taske already so distinctty assigned that one must by no meanes meddle with that which was vnder the charge of another So then the conclusion is it must needs bee onely the King of goddes that erected and preserued this Kingdome of men That the augmentations of Kingdomes are vnfitly ascribed to Ioue Victory whome they call a goddesse being sufficient of her selfe to giue a full dispatch to all such businesses CHAP. 14. NOw heree is a question why may not Soueraignty it selfe bee a God What should hinder it more then a hinders Victory Or what need men trouble Iâ—…e if Victory be but fauourable ynough and will stay with such as she meaneth to make conquerors If she be but propitious let Ioue mind his own businesse the nations shall come vnder b Yea but it may bee they are good men and loth to wrong their neighbours that wrong not them or to prouoke them to warre withoâ—…t a iuster cause then meere desire to inlarge their Kingdome Nay bee they of that minde I commend them with all mine heart L. VIVES THen a Victory Cato the elder built hir a little Temple by the Market place She had also a greater Temple by that little one which P Posth Megellus beeing Aedile built with the mulot-money hee hadde gathered and dedicated it in his Consulship with M. Attill Regulns in the Samnites warre Sylla ordained playes for her in the ciuill warres Ascon Pâ—…d Cicer. in Verr. Actio 1. She was daughter to Styx and Pallas Hesiod and had Zeale Power and Force to her bretheren which alwaies sitte by Ioue nor raigneth he nor any King without them b It may be There are some copyes that differ from vs heere but they are corrupted Whether an honest man ought to intertaine any desire to inlarge his Empire CHAP. 15. VVWherefore lette them obserue whether it befitte a good and vpright man to reioyce in the inlarging of his dominions For it was the badnesse of those against whome iust warres were whilome vnder-taken that hath aduanced earthly soueraignties to that port they now hold which would haue beene little still if no enemy had giuen cause nor prouocation to war by offring his neighbour wrong If men had alwaies beene thus conditioned the Kingdomes of the earth would haue continued little in quantity and peacefull in neighbourly agreement And then a many Kingdomes would haue beene in the world as a many families are now in a citty So that the waging warre and the augmentation of dominions by conquest may seeme to the badde as a great felicity but the good must needs hold it a meere necessity But because it would bee worse if the badde should gette all the Soueraignty and so ouer-rule the good therefore in that respect the honest men may esteem their owne soueraingty a felicity But doubtlesse hee is farre more happy that hath a good neighbour by him in quiet then hee that must bee forced to subdue an euil neighbour by contention It is an euill wish to wish for one that thou hatest or fearest or for one to trouble thee that thou mightst haue one to conquer VVherfore if the Romaines attained to so great an Empire by honest vpright iust wars why should they not reuerence their enemies iniquity take itfor their goddesses good For we see that Iniquity hath giuen good assistance to the increase of this Empire by setting on others vppon vniust prouocation to iust warre that so the Romaines might haue iust cause to subdue them and so consequently to inlarge their owne dominions And why should not Iniquity be a goddesse at least among forreyne Nations as well as Feare and Palenesse and Feuer was at Rome So that by these two Deities Iniquity and Victory the first beginning the warres and the latter ending them with the conquest Romes Empire was inlarged infinitely whilest Ioue kept holyday in the Capitoll For what hath Iupiter to doe heere whâ—…e those which they may say are but meerely his benefits are worshipped iâ—…ed and accoumpted for direct deities and partes of his essence Indeed 〈◊〉 should haue hadde a faire good hand in this businesse if that hee were called â—…eraignty as well as shee is called Victory But if that a Soueraignty bee but a meere guift of Ioues then why may not Victory bee so too Both would bee 〈◊〉 to bee so if the Romaines didde not worshippe a dead stone in the Capitoll bâ—… the true King of Kinges and Lord of all domination both in earth and Heauen L. VIVES Iâ—… a Kingdome So saith Homer in diuers places The reason why the Romaines in their appointments of seuerall Goddes for euery thing and euery action would needes place the Temple of Rest or Quiet with-out the Gates CHAP. 16. BVt I wonder much that the Romaines appointing particular goddes ouer euery thing and almost euery motion Agenoria that stirred men to action Stimula a that forced them forward b Murcia that neuer went out of her pace And as c Pomponius saith made men slouthfull and disabled them from action Strenua that made men resolute Vnto all which goddes and goddesses they offered publike sacrifices and kept sollemne feasts Beeing to dispose d of Quiet the goddesse of Rest her they onely vouchsafed a Temple without Port Collina but allowed hir no publike honors at all in the citty VVhether was this a signe of their vnquiet and turbulent spirits or that those who hadde such a rable of diuell-gods No worship and reuerence should neuer come to inioy that Rest where-vnto the true Phsition inuiteth vs Saying Learne of me that I am meeke Math. 11. 29. and lowly in heart and you shall find rest vnto your soules L. VIVES STimula a This may bee Horta that in her life-time was called Hersilia Romulus his wife called Horta of exhorting men to action Labeo Her Temple was neuer shutte to signifie
himselfe being slaine by his foes hands there was no meanes for one man to escape but by yeelding to the foe so much of the Empire as now to this day they possesse making a bargaine not altogether so bad as Hadrians was but taking a e middle course betweene two extremes So that Terminus his standing out with Ioue was but an vnlucky signe and foolish augury seeing that Hadrians will Iulians rashnesse and f Iouians necessitie all made him giue roome to them The Romaines that were of discreation obserued this well but they could not ouer-turne the inueterate idolatry wherein the Deuills had bound the citty so fast and they themselues though holding these things vaine thought not-with-standing Nature should haue that diuine worship allowed her which indeed is the true gods onely peculiar vnder whom she is at command These serued the creature rather then the Creator as the Apostle saith who is blessed for euer-more This Gods helpe was needed to send some godly men to suffer death for the true religion and thereby to take away these erronious illusions from the world L. VIVES MArs a his nation The Romaines both for their valors and their originall from Mars his sonne So many of the writers call diuerse Romaines Martiall mâ—…nded b Hadriaâ—…s Fourteenth Emperour of Rome adopted by Traian whom he succeeded But enuying his fathers glory amongst others he gaue the Persians back Armenia Mesopotamia and Assyria which Trâ—…an had wone from them by conquest setting Euphrates as bounder to the Empire and calling home the armie Eutrop. lib. 8. The reason I thinke was because it was an olde saying that that generall that led an army beyond Euphrates and the cittie Ctesiphon should neuer haue good fortune which hapned to Crassus and Traian himselfe neuer came into Italy from the Parthian conquest c The said Eutrop. Assyria by the Antoniâ—… 〈◊〉 bretheren Mesopotamia by Galienus vnder the conduct of Odenatus Armenia for Diocletiaâ—… vnder Galerius d Iulian He began his raigne in the Cities MCXVI. yeare Consuls Mamertinus and Neâ—…tta A great foe to Christianitie being ouer-throwne by the Parthians at Ctesiphon by his death hee left the whole armie and state in a desperate case e Middle So that the bounds were not remooued by force but by condition of peace f Iouianus A Pannonian being made Emperor by the soldiours in this extremitie of Iulians procuring he was faine to conclude a disgracefull peace with the Parthians but necessitie hath no law Hee gaue them the towne Nisibides and part of the vpper Mesopotamia and so came the Empires bounds to be remooued The confessions of such as doe worship those Pagan gods from their owne mouthes CHAP. 30. CIâ—…ro a beeing Augur derideth the Auguries and b blames men for letting their actions relie vpon the voyce of a Crowe or a Dawe O but this c Academick saith that all things are vncertaine hee is not worthy to bee trusted in any of these mysteries d Q. Lucil. Balbus in Tullies second booke De â—…t â—…eor disputeth hereof and hauing prooued these superstitions to be Physicall in nature yet condemneth the institution of Images and their fables in these words Perceiue you not then that from the vsefull obseruation of these things in nature the tract was found to bring in those imaginarie and forged gods hence came all the false opinions errors and old wiues tales for now are wee acquainted with the shapes ages apparell kindes mariages kindreds and all are squared out by â—…aine fancies nay they haue turbulence of effects also Wee haue heard of their desâ—…res sorrowes and passions Nor wanted they warres if all tales bee true They fought in c parties not onely in Homer but all on a side also against the f Tiâ—…ans and Giants and hence ariseth a sottish beleefe of their vanitie and exâ—…ame g inconstancie Behold now what they them-selues say that worship these forgeries hee affirmeth that these things belonged to superstition but he teacheth of religion as the Stoikes doe For quoth hee not onely the Philosophers but all our ancestors made a difference betweene religion and superstition For h such as prayed whole dayes together and offered for their childrens liues 〈◊〉 were called Superstitious Who perceiueâ—…h not now that hee standing i in awe of this citties custome did not-with-standing commend the religion of his auncestors and would faine haue seuered it from superstition but that he cannot tell how for if the auncients called those Superstitious that prayed and sacrificed whole daies together were not they worthy of that name also whome he reprehendeth for inuenting so many distinct ages images and sexes c. for the whole number of the gods if the institutors of those be culpable it implieth guilt also vnto these ancients that inuented and adored such idle fooleries and vnto him also for all his eloquent euasions that must be tied by necessiity to this absurd worship and dare not speake in a publike oration what hee deliuereth here in a priuat disputation Thankes therefore be giuen to our Lord Iesus Christ from all vs Christians not to k Heauen and Earth as he would haue it but vnto him that made Heauen and Earth who hath ouerturned and abolished those superstitions which Balbus durst scarcely mutter at by his heauenly humility his Apostles preaching and his martirs faith that died for the truth and liued in the truth hauing by these meanes rooted all errors not only out of the hearts of the religious but euen out of the Temples of the superstitious L. VIVES CIcero being a Augur And of their College elected by Q. Hortensius the Orator b Blameth De diuinat lib. 2. c Academike That sect would affirme nothing but confute the assertions of others which Cicero vseth in many of his dialogues professing himselfe a defender of that sect dâ—… na de li. 2. d Balbus An excellent Stoike e On sides On the one side Iâ—… Pallas Neptune against them Apollo Uenus and Mars in the Troyan wars f Titans Sonne to Earth and Titan Saturnes brother they claimed the Kingdome of Iupiter by the agreement of their fathers first they did but wrangle but afterwards to armes It was a great warre yet the Titans were subdued Buu then followed a greater the rest of the Titans reneuing thâ—… forces and chasing Ioue and all his friends into Aegipt The first was called the Titans war thiâ—… the Giants g Inconstancy Thus farre Tully h Such as Lactantius disliketh this deriuation of Superstitious and Religious deriuing religious of religo to bind because they are bound to God superstitious of superstes aliue because they were of the false religion which was professed in the liues of their auncestors lib. 4. of Religions and read Gellus lib. 4. But Tully doth not confine the name to those praying fellowes but saith it was of large vse afterwards in other respects i in awe In the bookes De nat deor and De diuinat it is plaine that Tully
it is shedde k If Marcus Puluillus in his dedication of the Temple to Ioue Iuno and Min◅ false newes beeing brought c by those that enuied his honour of his sonnes death that so hee might leaue all the dedication to his fellowe and goe perturbed away did neuerthelesse so contemne the newes that d hee bad them cast him forth vnburned his desire of glory vtterlie conquering his griefe of beeing childlesse why should that man say hee hath done much for the preaching of the gospell which freeth and gathereth Gods citizens out of so many errours to whome beeing carefull of his Fathers funerall the LORD sayd Follow mee and let the dead bury their dead If M. Regulus not to deale falsely with his most cruell enemies returned backe to them from Rome it selfe because as hee answered the Romaines that would haue staid him hee could not liue in the dignitie of an honest cittizen in Rome since hee had beene a slaue in Africke and that the Carthaginians put him to an horrible death for speaking against them in Romes Senate What torments are not bee scorned for the faith of the country vnto whose eternall happinesse faith it selfe conducteth vs Or what reward had GOD for all his benefits if for the faith which euery one owes to him hee should suffer as much torment as Regulus suffered for the faith which he ought to his bloudiest foes Or how dare any Christian boast of voluntary pouerty the f meanes to make his trauell vnto his country where GOD the true riches dwelleth more light and easie when he shall heare or read of g L. Valerius who dying consull was so poore that his buriall was paid for out of the common purse or of Q. h Cincinatus who hauing but 4. acres of land and tilling it himselfe with his owne hands was fetched from the plough to bee Dictator an office i more honorable then the Consulls and hauing k conquered his foes and gotten great honor returned to his old state of pouerty Or why should any man thinke it a great matter not to bee seduced from the fellowship of celestial powers by this worlds vanities when as hee reades how l Fabricius could not bee drawne from the Romaines by all Pyrrhus the King of Epirus his promises though extended euen to the 4. part of his Kingdome but would liue there still in his accustomed pouerty for whereas they had a ritch and powrefull weale-publike and yet were so poore themselues that m one that had been twise Cons◅ was put out of that Senate of n poore men by the Censors decree because hee was found to bee worth ten pound in siluer if those men that inritched the treasury by their triumphs were so poore themselues then much more ought the christians whose ritches are for a better intent all in common as the Apostles acts record to be distributed to euery man according to his neede neither any of them said that any thing he possessed was his owne but all was in common much more I say ought they to know that this is no iust thing to boast vpon seeing that they doe but that for gayning the society of the Angells which the other did or neere did for their preseruing of the glory of the Romaines These now and other such like in their bookes how should they haue beene so knowne and so famous had not Romes Empire had this great and magnificent exaltation and dilatation Wherefore that Empire so spacious and so contin◅ant renowned by the vertues of those illustrious men was giuen both to stand as a rewarde for their merrites and to produce examples for our vses That if wee obserue not the lawes of those vertues for attaining the celestiall Kingdome which they did for preseruing one but terrestriall wee might bee ashamed but if wee doe then that wee bee not exalted for as the Apostle saith The afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory which shal be shewed vnto vs. But their liues seemed worthy of that present temporall glory And therfore the Iewes that executed Christ the New testament reuealing what the old cōceiled that God was not be worshipped for the earthly benefites which he bestowes vpon bad as well as good but for life eternall and the perpetuall blessing of that supernall citty were iustly giuen to be the slaues and instruments of their glory that those that sought earthly glory by any vertue soeuer might ouercome and subdue those that refused and murdered the giuer of true glory and eternall felicity L. VIVES NO other a place Some texts want the second negatiue but erroneously I◅ must bee read as wee haue placed it a M. Puluillus Liu. lib. 2. Ualer lib. 5. Plut. in Poplicol Dionys and others This temple to Ioue Iuno and Minerua Tarquin Priscus vowed Tarquin the proud built and the dedication falling to the Consulls Puluillus had it and was informed as Augustine saith that his sonne c. c by those that by M. Ualerius brother to P. Valerius Consul who greeued that that magnifi◅nt temple should not be dedicated by one of his family and so brought that news of Puluillus his sonnes death that the greefe of his family might make him giue ouer the dedication d Hee bad them cast him Plutarch Liuy sayth hee bad them bury him then e Let the dead Liuing to the world but dead i◅ deed since dead to God let them bury such as they thinke are dead f the meanes In ones life as in ones trauell the lesse Burthen he hath about or vpon him the lighter he goeth on his iourny g L. Ualerius Liu Plutarch and Ualerius write that this Ualerius Poplicola was so poore that they were faine to bury him at the charge of the citty So doth Eutropius and others It is said each one gaue somewhat to his buriall Plut farthings a peece saith Apuleius Apolog. de Magia Augustine doth but touch at the story respecting neither his surname not the yeare of his death for he was called Publius not Lucius and died a yeare after his 4. consulship Uerginius and Cassius being Conss the sixt yeare after the expulsion of the Kings Liu. D◅ h Q. Cincinatus Liu. lib. 3. Ualer lib. 4. i More honorable The dictatorshippe was a regall office from it was no apeale to it were consulls and all obedient it continued by the law but sixe monethes and was in vse onely in dangerous times the election was made alwaies in Italy and in the night Hee was called the maister of the People and had the Maister of the horsemen ioyned with him This office had originall in the CCLII yeare of the Citty after Caesars death by the law of Antony the consul and for enuy of Caesar perpetuall dictatoriship was abolished for euer k conquered The Aequi and triumped ouer thē l Fabritius One not rich but a scorner of ritches Being sent Embassador to Pyrrhus King of Epirus abut the rans◅ming of the prisoners he
Obruit aduersas aciâ—…s reuolutáque tela Vertit in auctores turbine repulit hast as O nimium dilecte deo cui fundit ab antris Aeolus armatas hyemes cui miâ—…itat aether Et coniurati veniunt ad classica venti Swift victory needs not be sought Shee 's thine this fight thou and â—…hy father fought Their natiue strength nor did it boote the foe To man his fortes the trench and rockes fell flatte And left away for thee to enter at For thee the North-winde from the heights descended In whiâ—…le-windes raining all the darts they bended At thee on their owne brests in pointed showers O Gods belou'd to whom the stormy powers Raisd from the deepe in armes ethercall And windes are prest to helpe when thou doost call Tâ—… Claudiâ—…n hath it differing some-what from Augustines quotation It may be the versâ—…s were spred at first as Augustine hath them for he liued in Claudians time In the copie of Colâ—… it is râ—…d lust as it is in the text O nimium dilecte deo cui militet â—…ther c. And so in Orosius and 〈◊〉 e Footemen An office in court that was belonging to the speedy dispatch of the Princes message not much vnlike our Lackeys at this day Footmen they were called both of old by Tully and of late times by Martiall Suetonius mentioneth them in his Nero He neuer trauelled â—…r made a iourney saith he of Nero without a thousand Caroches their mules shodde all with silâ—…r his muletours all in silken raiments and all his coatch-men and foote-men in their bracâ—…lets and ritch coates And in his Titus Presently he sent his foote-men to the others mother who was a farre off to tell her very carefully that her sonne was well The Romaine Emperor remoouing into Greece gaue Greeke names to all the offices about them and amongst others these foot-men were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 runners Such they had of old also as Alexander the great had Philonides that ranne 1200. furlongs in one day Plinie f When they were They would not be quiet when the warres were finished but hauing no foes left to kill made them-selues some continually to practise murther vpon g Valens A chiefe Arrian hee did extreame harme to the Bishops and religious men in the Church and put many of them to death and sent Arian Bishops to the Gothes that desired to be instructed in the Christian faith h Humilitie The Thessalonicans cittizens of a towne of Macedonia so called hauing by a tumult begun in the Theater expelled the Magistrates out of the towne Theodosius being here-at greeuously offended intended to punish this iniurious act most seuerely yet by the Bishops intreaties pardoned them Not-with-standing the wronged parties hauing many friends in court that ceased not dayly to animate and vrge Theodosius to this reuenge at length being ouer-come by their intreaties hee sent an armie and put a many thousands of the citizens to death For which deed Ambrose Bishop of Millaine on good-Friday excommunicated him â—…arring him the Church vntill he had satisfied for his crime by a publick repentance He obeyed and prostrating himselfe humbly before the world as the old custome was professed himselfe repentant and sorry for his offence intreated pardon first of God and the whole hoast of heauen next of the Bishop and lastly of all the whole church and being thus purged was restored to the vse of Church and Sacraments Augustines inuectiue against such as wrote against the Bookes already published CHAP. 27. BVt now I see I must take those in hand that seeing they are conuicted by iust plaine arguments in this that these false gods haue no power in the distribution of temporall goods which fooles desire onely now goe to affirme that they are worshipped not for the helpes of this life present but of that which is to come For in these fiue bookes past wee haue sayd enough to such as like little babyes cry out that they would faine worship them for those earthly helpes but cannot be suffred The first three Bookes I had no sooner finished and let them passe abroade vnto some mens hands but I heard of some that prepared to make I know not what an answer to them or a reply vpon them Afterward I heard that they had written them and did but watch a a time when to publish it securely But I aduise them not to wish a thing so inexpedient b It is an easie thing for any man to seeme to haue made an answer that is not altogether silent but what is more talkatiue then vanitie which cannot haue the power of truth by reason it hath more tongue then truth But let these fellowes marke each thing well and if their impartiall iudgements tell them that their tongue-ripe Satyrisme may more easily disturbe the truth of this world then subuert it let them keepe in their trumperies and learne rather to bee reformed by the wise then applauded by the foolish For if they expect a time not for the freedome of truth but for the licensing of reproch God forbid that that should bee true of them which Tully spoake of a certaine man that was called happy in hauing free leaâ—…e to â—…ffend c O wretched hee that hath free libertie to offend And therefore what euer hee be that thinketh himselfe happy in his freedome of reproâ—…hing others I giue him to vnderstand that farre happyer should he be in the lacke of that licence seeing that as now hee may in forme of consultation contradict or oppose what hee will setting aside the affecting of vaine applause and heare what hee will and what is fit in honest graue free and friendly disputation L. VIVES WAtch a a time Many write against others and watch a time for the publication to the hurt of the aduersary and their owne profit Such men writing onely to doe mischiefe are to be hated as the execrable enemies of all good iudgments For who cannot doe iniurie And what a minde hath hee that thinketh his guifts and learning must serue him to vse vnto others ruine If they seeke to doe good by writing let them publish them then when they may doâ—… others the most good and their opponents the least hurt Let them set them forth whilâ—… 〈◊〉 aduersary liues is lusty and can reply vpon them and defend his owne cause Plâ—…â—…tes that Asinius Pollio had Orations against Plancus which hee meant to publish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 death least hee should come vpon him with a reply Plancus hearing of it tush saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is none but ghosts will contend with the dead which answer so cutte the combes of the â—…ions that all Schollers made ieasts and mockes of them b It is easye The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the voluntary censurer of the contentions betweene the greatest Schollers if 〈◊〉 silent presently condemne him and giue him for conquered without any other tryall and holding him the sufficient answerer that doth not hold his peace If both write
that they would prouide that you should not bee ruled by any more gods but by many more deuills that delighted in such vanities But why hath Salacia that you call the inmost sea being there vnder her husband lost her place for you bring her vp aboue when shee is the ebbing tide Hath shee thrust her husband downe into the bottome for entertaining Venilia to his harlot L. VIVES LUst a flowes Alluding to the sea b Goeth and neuer returneth Spoken of the damned that neither haue ease nor hope at all He alludeth to Iob. 10. vers 21. Before I goe and shall not returne to the land of darkenesse and shadow of death euen the land of misery and darknesse which both the words them-selues shew and the learned comments affirme is meant of hell Of the earth held by Varro to be a goddesse because the worlds soule his god doth penetrate his lowest part and communicateth his essence there-with CHAP. 23. WE see one earth filled with creatures yet being a masse of elemental bodies and the worlds lowest part why call they it a goddesse because it is fruitfull why are not men gods then that make it so with labour not with worship No the part of the worlds soule say they conteined in her maâ—…eth hir diuine good as though that soule were not more apparant in man without all question yet men are no gods and yet which is most lamentable are subiected so that they adore the inferiors as gods such is their miserable error Varro in his booke of the select gods putteth a three degrees of the soule in all nature One liuing in all bodies vnsensitiue onely hauing life this he saith we haue in our bones nailes and haire and so haue trees liuing without sence Secondly the power of sence diffused through our eyes eares nose mouth and touch Thirdly the highest degree of the soule called the minde or intellect confined b onely vnto mans fruition wherein because men are like gods that part in the world he calleth a god and in vse a Genius So diuideth hee the worlds soule into three degrees First stones and wood and this earth insensible which we tread on Secondly the worlds sence the heauens or Aether thirdly her soule set in the starres his beleeued gods and by them descending through the earth goddesie Tellus and when it comes in the sea it is Neptune stay now back a little from this morall theologie whether hee went to refresh him-selfe after his toile in these straites back againe I say to the ciuill let vs plead in this court a little I say not yet that if the earth and stones bee like our nailes and bones they haue no more intellect then sence Or if our bones and nailes be said to haue intellect because wee haue it hee is as very a foole that calleth them gods in the world as hee that should â—…me them men in vs. But this perhaps is for Philosophers let vs to our ciuill theame For it may bee though hee lift vp his head a little to the freedome of 〈◊〉 naturall theologie yet comming to this booke and knowing what he had to â—…oe hee lookes now and then back and saith this least his ancestors and others should be held to haue adored Tellus and Neptune to no end But this I say seeing â—…th onely is that part of the worlds soule that penetrateth earth why is it not 〈◊〉 intirely one goddesse and so called Tellus which done where is Orcus 〈◊〉 and Neptunes brother father Dis and where is Proserpina his wife that some opinions there recorded hold to be the earths depth not her fertility If they say the soule of the world that passeth in the vpper part is Dis and that in the loâ—…er Proserpina what shall then become of Tellus for thus is she intirely diuided into halfes that where she should be third there is no place vnlesse some will say that Orcus and Proserpina together are Tellus and so make not three but one or two of them yet 3. they are held worshiped by 3. seuerall sorts of rites by their altars priests statues and are indeed three deuills that do draw the deceiued soule to damnable whoredome But one other question what part of the worlds soule is Tellumo No saith he the earth hath two powers a masculine to produce and a feminine to receiue this is Tellus and that Tellumo But why then doe the Priests as he sheweth adde other two and make them foure Tellumo Tellus c Altor Rusor for the two first you are answered why Altor of Alo to nourish earth nourisheth all things Why Rusor of Rursus againe all things turne againe to earth L. VIVES PUtteth three a degrees Pythagoras and Plato say the soule is of three kindes vegetable sensitiue reasonable Mans soule say they is two-fold rationall and irrationall the later two-fold affectionate to ire and to desire all these they doe locally seperate Plat. de Rep. l. 4. Aristotle to the first three addeth a fourth locally motiue But he distinguisheth those parts of the reasonable soule in vse onely not in place nor essence calling them but powers referred vnto actions Ethic. Alez Aphrodiseus sheweth how powers are in the soule But this is not a fit theame for this place But this is all it is but one soule that augmenteth the hayre and bones profiteth the sences and replenisheth the heart and braine b Onely vnto This place hath diuersities of reading some leaue out part and some do alter but the sence being vnaltered a note were further friuolous c Altor Father Dis and Proserpina had many names in the ancient ceremonies Hee Dis Tellumo Altor Rusor Cocytus shee Uerra Orca and Nâ—…se Tellus Thus haue the priests bookes them Romulus was also called Altellus of nourishing his subiects so admirably against their enuious borderers Iupiter Plutonius saith Trismegistus rules sea and land and is the nourisher of all fruitfull and mortall foules In Asclepio Of earths surnames and significations which though they arose of diuerse originals yet should they not be accompted diuerse Gods CHAP. 24. THerefore earth for her foure qualities ought to haue foure names yet not to make foure gods One Ioue serues to many surnames and so doth one Iuno in all which the multitude of their powers constitute but one God and one goddesse not producing multitude of gods But as the vilest women are some-times ashamed of the company that their lust calleth them into so the polluted soule prostitute vnto all hell though it loued multitude of false gods yet it som-times lothed them For Varro as shaming at this crew would haue Tellus to be but one goddesse They a call her saith hee the Great mother and her Tymbrell is a signe of the earths roundnesse the turrets on her head of the townes the seates about her of her eternall stability when all things else are mooued her 〈◊〉 Priests signifie that such as want seede must follow the earth
for what pride those wicked fiendes had their fall Hence arose those routes of gods whereof partly wee haue spoken and others of other nations as well as those wee now are in hand with the Senate of selected gods selected indeed but for villany not for vertue Whose rites Varro seeking by reason to reduce to nature and to couer turpitude with an honest cloake can by no meanes make them square together because indeed the causes that hee held or would haue others hold for their worship are no such as he takes them nor causes of their worship For if they or their like were so though they should not concerne the true God nor life eternall which true religion must affoord yet their colour of reason would be some mitigation for the absurd actes of Ignorance which Varro did endeuour to bring about in diuers their theater-fables or temple-mysteries wherein hee freed not the theaters for their correspondence with the temples but condemned the temples for their correspondence with the theaters yet endeuouring with naturall reasons to wipe away the filthy shapes that those presentments imprinted in the sences Of Numa his bookes which the Senate for keeping their mysteries in secret did command should be burned CHAP. 34. BVt contrarywise we do finde as Varro himselfe said of Numa his bookes that these naturall reasons giuen for these ceremonies could no way be allowed of nor worthy of their priests reading no not so much as their secret reseruing For now I will tell yee what I promised in my third booke to relate in conuenient place One a Terentius as Varro hath it in his booke de Cultu deorum had some ground neare to mount Ianiculus and his seruants plowing neare to Nâ—… his tombe the plough turned vp some bookes conteining the ceremonies institutions b Terentius brought them into the citty to the Praetor who hauing looked in them brought this so weighty an affaire before the Senate where hauing read some of the first causes why hee had instituted this and that in their religion The Senate agreed with dead Numa and like c religious fathers gaue order to the Praetor for the burning of them Euery one here may beleeue as he list nay let any contentious mad patron of absurd vanity say here what he list Sufficeth it I shew that the causes that Nâ—… their King gaue for his owne institutions ought neither to bee shewed to people senate no nor to the Priests them-selues and that Numa by his vnlawfull 〈◊〉 came to the knowledge of such deuillish secrets as he was worthy to be 〈◊〉 â—…ded for writing of Yet though hee were a King that feared no man hee duâ—… for all that either publish them or abolish them publish them he would noâ—…â—…are of teaching wickednesse burne them he durst not for feare of offendiâ—… deuils so he buried them where he thought they would be safe d not 〈◊〉 â—…he turning vp of his graue by a plough But the Senate fearing to reâ—… their ancestors religion and so agreeing with Numa's doctrine yet held 〈◊〉 â—…kes too pernicious either to bee buried againe least mens madder cuâ—… should seeke them out or to bee put to any vse but burning to the end 〈◊〉 seeiâ—…g they must needs stick to their old superstition they might doe it with â—…ame by concealing the causes of it whose knowledge would haue disturâ—… whole cittie L. VIVES 〈◊〉 Terentius The storie is written by Liuy Ualerius Plutarch and Lactantius Liuy 〈◊〉 â—…erius his ordinary follower say that Q. Petilius found the bookes Pliny out of 〈◊〉 that Gn. Terentius found them in one chest not two Liuy calles that yeares 〈◊〉 C. Bebius Pamphilus and M. Amilius Lepidus for whom Hemina putteth P. Corâ—…â—…gus after Numa his reigne DXXXV of the bookes the seuerall opinions are 〈◊〉 13. cap. 13. b Terentius Petilius they sayd some say he desired the Pretor they 〈◊〉 â—…ead others that he brought a Scriuener to read them The historie in Liuy lib. 40. 〈◊〉 and Plinie lib. 1. 'T is sufficient to shew the places He saith he brought them inâ—… for though Numa's tombe were in the cittie namely in the foureteenth region 〈◊〉 yet being beyond Tyber such as came to the Senate house seemed to come out 〈◊〉 â—…bes or countrie c Religious fathers as touched with feare that religion should 〈◊〉 by the publication of those bookes Some read religious in reference vnto bookes 〈◊〉 â—…ng scruples of religion in mens mindes for that is the signification of the Latine 〈◊〉 any man will read it irreligious d Not fearing It was a great and religious 〈◊〉 â—…as had ouer Sepulchers of old none might violate or pull them downe it was a 〈◊〉 twelue tables and also one of Solons and Numa's of most old law-giuers Greekes â—…es belonging rather to their religion then their ciuill law for they held Sepulchers 〈◊〉 â—…les of th' Infernall gods and therefore they wrote vpon them these letters D. M. S. 〈◊〉 â—…anibus sacrum A place sacred to the gods of Hell and their sollemnities were 〈◊〉 â—…cia Cicero de legib lib. 2. Of Hydromancie whereby Numa was mocked with apparitions CHAP. 35. 〈◊〉 Nâ—…ma him-selfe being not instructed by any Prophet or Angell of God 〈◊〉 faine to fall to d Hydromancie making his gods or rather his deuills to 〈◊〉 in water and instruct him in his religious institutions Which kinde of 〈◊〉 â—…n saith Varro came from Persia and was vsed by Numa and afterwards 〈◊〉 â—…thagoras wherein they vsed bloud also and called forth spirits infernall 〈◊〉 â—…ncie the greekes call it but Necromancie or Hydromancie whether ye like 〈◊〉 it is that the dead seeme to speake How they doe these things looke they 〈◊〉 for I will not say that their lawes prohibited the vse of such things in 〈◊〉 cities before the comming of our Sauiour I doe not say so perhaps they 〈◊〉 allowed it But hence did Numa learne his ordinances which he published 〈◊〉 publishing their causes so afraide was he of that which he had learned 〈◊〉 which afterward the Senate burned But why then doth Varro giue them such a sort of other naturall reasons which had they beene in Numa's bookes they had 〈◊〉 beene burned or else Varro's that were dedicated to c Caesar the priest should haue beene burned for company So that Numa's hauing nymph a â—…ia to his wife was as Varro saith nothing but his vse of water in Hydromâ—…cy For so vse actions to bee spiced with falshood and turned into fables So by that Hydromancy did this curious King learne his religious lawes that hee gaue the Romaines and which the Priests haue in their bookes marry for their causes them hee learned also but kept to himselfe and after a sort entoumbed them in death with himselfe such was his desire to conceale them from the world So then either were these bookes filled with the deuills best all desires and thereby all the politique Theology that presenteth them such filthynesses made
that both the world and the gods made by that great GOD in the world had a beginning but shall haue no end but by the will of the creator endure for euer But they haue a b meaning for this they say this beginning concerned not time but substitution for c euen as the foote say they if it had stood eternally in the dust the foote-step should haue beene eternall also yet no man but can say some foote made this step nor should the one be before the other though one were made by the other So the world and the God there-in haue beene euer coeternall with the creators eternitie though by him created Well then put case the soule bee and hath beene eternall hath the soules misery beene so also Truly if there be some-thing in the soule that had a temporall beginning why might not the soule it selfe haue a beginning also And then the beatitude being firmer by triall of euill and to endure for euer questionlesse had a beginning though it shall neuer haue end So then the position that nothing can be endlesse that had a temporall beginning is quite ouer-throwne For the blessednesse of the soule hath a beginning but it shall neuer haue end Let our weaknesse therefore yeeld vnto the diuine authoritie and vs trust those holy immortalls in matter of religion who desire no worship to them-selues as knowing all is peculiar to their and our God nor command vs to sacrifice but vnto him to whom as I said often and must so still they and wee both are a sacrifice to be offered by that priest that tooke our manhood and in that this priesthood vpon him and sacrificed himselfe euen to the death for vs. L. VIVES ANd a necessary Plato subiects the soule both in the body and without the body vnto the power of the fates that after the reuolution of life death must come and after the purification of the soule life againe making our time in the body vncertaine but freeing vs from the body a 1000. years This reuolution they held necessary because God creating but a seâ—…nuÌ„ber of soules in the beginning the world should otherwise want men to inhabite it it being so 〈◊〉 and we so mortall This Virgill more expresly calls a wheele which being once turned about restores the life that it abridged and another turning taking it away againe both brâ—… things to one course This from death to death that from life to life but that worketh by death and this by life b A meaning It is well knowne that Plato held that God created the world But the question is whether it began temporally some yeares ago or had no temâ—…ll beginning Plutarch Atticus and Seuerus held that Plato's world had a beginning â—…porall but was neuer to haue end But Crantor Plotine Porphyry Iamblichus Proculus and 〈◊〉 all Platonists thought that it neuer beganne nor neuer should haue end So doth 〈◊〉 adioyning this and Pythagoras his opinion in one for Plato Pythagorized in all naâ—… questions This Cicero Iustine Martir and Boetius doe subscribe vnto also Plato â—…th Apuleius de deo Socrat. held all these gods to bee true incorporeall liuing and eternall 〈◊〉 neither beginning nor end Yet Apuleius in his Dogma Platonis affirmes that Plaâ—… taught vncertainely concerning the worlds beginning saying one while it had an origiâ—… and another while it had none c Euen as Our Philosophers disputing of an 〈◊〉 that is coequall in time and beeing with the cause compare them to the Sunne and the 〈◊〉 light Of the vniuersall way of the soules freedome which Porphyry sought amisse and therefore found not that onely Christ hath declared it CHAP. 32. THis is the religion that containes the vniuersall way of the soules freedome â—…or no where els is it found but herein This is the a Kings high way that leads to the eternall dangerlesse Kingdome to no temporall or transitory one And â—…reas Porphyry saith in the end of his first booke De regressu animae that there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one sect yet either truely Philosophicall b Indian or Chaldaean that teachetâ—… this vniuersall way and that hee hath not had so much as any historicall reaâ—… of it yet hee confesseth that such an one there is but what it is hee knoweth 〈◊〉 So insufficient was all that hee had learnt to direct him to the soules true â—…me and all that himselfe held or others thought him hold for he obserâ—… want of an authority fit for him to follow But whereas hee saith that 〈◊〉 of the true Philosophy euer had notice of the vniuersall way of the soules 〈◊〉 he shewes plaine that either his owne Phylosophy was not true or els 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wanted the knowledge of this way and then still how could it be true for 〈◊〉 vniuersall way of freeing the soules is there but that which freeth all soules 〈◊〉 coÌ„nsequently without which none is freed But whereas he addeth Indian or Chaldaean he giues a cleare testimony that neither of their doctrines contaiâ—… this way of the soules freedome yet could not he coâ—…ceale but is stil a telling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Chaldaeans had hee the diuine oracles What vniuersall way 〈◊〉 doth hee meane that is neither receiued in Philosophy nor into those Paâ—… disciplines that had such a stroke with him in matters of diuinity because 〈◊〉 with them did the curious fond superstition inuocation of all Angells 〈◊〉 which he neuer had so much as read of What is that vniuersall way not peculiar to euery perticuler nation but common to c all the world and giuen to it by the power of God Yet this witty Philosopher knew that some such way thers was For hee beleeues not that Gods prouidence would leaue man-kinde without a meane of the soules freedome He saith not there is no such but that so great and good an helpe is not yet knowne to vs nor vnto him no meruell for Prophyry was yet all d for the world when that vniuersall way of the soules freedome christianity was suffered to be opposed by the deuills and their seruants earthly powers to make vp the holy number of Martires e that is witnesses of the truth who might shew that all corporall tortures were to be endured for aduancement of the truth of piety This Porphyry saw and thinking persecution would soone extinguish this way therefore held not this the vniuersall not conceiuing that that which he stucke at and feared to endure in his choice belonged to his greater commendation and confirmation This therefore is that vniuersal way of the soules freedome that is granted vnto all nations out of Gods mercy the knowledge whereof commeth and is to come vnto all men wee may not nor any hereafter say why f commeth it so soone or why so late for his wisdome that doth send it is vnsearcheable vnto man Which he well perceiued when he sayd it was not yet receiued or knowne vnto him he denied not the truth thereof because he as yet had it
his wife and shee 〈◊〉 and bare a son and called his name Seth. Plaine it is then that the Scripâ—…â—…th this phrase in all copulations and not onely in those wherein the first 〈◊〉 are borne Nor is it necessary that Henoch should be Caines first sonne 〈◊〉 the citty bore his name there might bee some other reason why his faâ—…â—…ed him aboue the rest e For Iudas of whome the name of Iudâ—… and 〈◊〉 â—…me was not Israels first borne but admit Henoch was this builders 〈◊〉 it is no consequent that his father named the citty after him as soone as hee was borne for then could not he haue founded a city which is nothing else but a multitude of men combined in one band of society Therefore when this mans children family grew populous then he might sort them into a city and call it after his first sonne for the men liued so long in those dayes that of all that are recorded together with their yeares he that liued the least time f liued 753. yeares And some exceeded 900. yet all were short of a 1000. g Who maketh any doubt now that in one mans time man-kinde might increase to a number able to replenish many cities more then one It is a good proofe hereof that of Abrahams seede onely the Hebrew people in lesse then 500. yeares grew to such a number that their went 600000. persons of them out of Egypt and those all warlike youthes to omit the progeny of the Idumaeans that Esau begot and the h nations that came of Abrahams other sonne not by Sara for these belong not to Israel L. VIVES NEeded a not Noe they say had a sonne called Ionicus a great astronomer Moyses nameth him not b For him Therevpon was he called Seth. Gen. 4. 25. c And he built The humanists cannot agree about the first city-founder Some with Pliny say Cecrops who built that which was first called Arx Cecropia and afterwards Acropolis Staho sayth 〈◊〉 built Argos which Homer calls Pelasgicon first The Egyptians clayme all them-selues and make their Diospolis or Thebes the eldest citty of all But this Henochia as Ioseph noteth which Cayne built is the eldest of all Cayne being plagued with terror of conscience for the death of hiâ—… brother built it and walled it about It was a tipe of this world and the society of deuills Hiâ—…on ad Marcellam d First son Iosephus saith he was but he taketh the scriptures at the first sight e For Iudas He was Iacobs fourth soone by Lea. Iuda was first called Canaan of Chams sonne and afterwards Iuda of Iudas Iacobs sonne Iosephus So saith Iustine lib. 36. who reckneth but ten sonnes of Israel but hee erres in this as he doth there where he saith that the whole nation were called Iewes by Israel him-selfe after his sonne Iudas who died after the diuision but before his father Lactantius saith that they tooke this name in a certaine desert of Syris where they rested because Iudas had bin the captaine of that company the land where they had dwelt had bin called Iudea lib. 4. But I thinke that both the nation got the name and the tribe of Iudah the Kingdome for that in passing of the read sea all the tribes stopping Iudah made first way out after Moyses which the Hebrewes say is ment by that of Iacob vnto Iudas Thou hast come vp from captiuity my sonne for so do they read it f Liued 753. I thinke this was Lamech Noes father who as the Hebrew saith liued 757. yeares and the Septuagins 753. g Who maketh In my fathers time their was a towne in Spaine euery dweller whereof was descended from the children of one man who was then a liue yet were there an hundred houses in the towne so that the youngest knew not by what name of kinred to call the old man for our language hath names no higher then the great grandfather h The nations From Isâ—…ael Abrahams sonne by Agar Of the length of life and bignesse of body that men had before the deluge CHAP. 9. THerefore no wise-man neede doubt that Caine might build a Citty and that a large one men liuing so long in those daies vnles some faithlesse will take occason of incredulity from the number of years which our authours recite men to haue liued and say it is impossible And so also they may deny the bignesse of mens bodies in those daies to haue far exceeded ours whereof their famous Poet a Virgil giues a testimonie of a bounder stone that a valiant man caught vp in fight and running vpon his foe threw this at him Uix illud lecti bis sex ceruice tulissent Qualia nunc hominum producit corpora tellus It past the power of twelue strong men to raise That stone from ground as men go now adayes b Intimating that mâ—…n of elder times were of farre larger bodyes How much more then before that famous deluge in the worlds infancie This difference of growth is conuinced out of old Sepulchres which either ruines or ruiners or 〈◊〉 â—…hance haue opened and wherein haue beene found bones of an incredible â—…e Vpon the shore of Vtica I my selfe and many with mee saw a mans c 〈◊〉 â—…oth of that bignesse that if it had beene cut into peeces would haue 〈◊〉 an hundred of ours But I thinke it was some Giants tooth for though the â—…ents bodies exceeds ours the Giants exceeded all them and our times 〈◊〉 seene some though very few that haue ouer-growne the ordinary staâ—… exceedingly d Pliny the second that great scholler affirmes that the 〈◊〉 the world lasteth the lesser bodies shall nature produce as Homer hee 〈◊〉 doth often complaine not deriding it as a fiction but recording it as a 〈◊〉 of the myracles of nature But as I sayd the bones of the entombed 〈◊〉 haue left great proofes of this vnto posteritie but as for the continuâ—… their times that cannot bee prooued by any of those testimonies yet â—…e not derogate from the credite of holy Scriptures nor bee so impudent â—…g incredulous of what they relate seeing wee see those things haue â—…taine euents that they fore-tell Pliny e saith that there is as yet a 〈◊〉 wherein men liue two hundred yeares If then wee beleeue that this 〈◊〉 of life which wee haue not knowne is yet extant in some vn-knowne 〈◊〉 why may wee not beleeue that it hath beene generall in ancient â—…ls it possible that that which is not here may be in another place and is it â—…ble that that which is not now might haue come at some other time L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a giues Aeneid 12. of Turnus Alluding to that fight of Diomedes and Aeneas 〈◊〉 where Diomedes takes vp a stone which foureteene such men as the world 〈◊〉 faith hee could not lift and threw it at Eneas who being striken downe with 〈◊〉 â—…her couered him with a miste and so saued him Iuuenall toucheth them both at 〈◊〉 Uirgil and Homer
so shee was indeed both these and withall of such beauty that she was amiable euen at those years L. VIVES A Shower a of fire Of this combustion many prophane authors make mention Strabo saith that cities were consumed by that fire as the inhabitāts thereabout report the poole that remaineth where Sodome stood the chiefe city is sixty furlongs about Many of thē also mention the lake Asphalts where the bitumen groweth b Apiller Iosephus saith he did see it Of Isaac borne at the time prefixed and named so because of his parents laughter CHAP. 31. AFter this Abraham according to Gods promise had a son by Sarah and called him Isaac that is Laughter for his father laughed for ioy and admiration when he was first promised and his mother when the three men confirmed this promise againe laughed also betweene ioye and doubt the Angell shewing her that her laughter was not faithfull though it were ioyfull Hence had the child his name for this laughter belonged not to the recording of reproach but to the celebration of gladnesse as Sarah shewed when Isaac was borne and called by this name for she said God hath made me to laugh and all that heare me will reioyce with me and soone after the bond-woman and her son is cast out of the house in signification of the old Testament as Sarah was of the new as the Apostle saith and of that glorious City of God the Heauenly Ierusalem Abrahams faith and obedience proo◅ in his intent to offer his sonne Sarahs death CHAP. 32. TO omit many accidents for brenities sake Abraham for a triall was commanded to goe and sacrifice his dearest sonne Isaac that his true obedience might shew it selfe to all the world in that shape which GOD knew already that it bate This now was an inculpable temptation and some such there bee and was to bee taken thankfully as one of Gods trialls of man And generally mans minde can neuer know it selfe well but putting forth it selfe vpon trialls and experimentall hazards and by their euents it learneth the owne state wherein if it acknowledge Gods enabling it it is godly and confirmed in solidity of grace against all the bladder-like humors of vaine-glory Abraham would neuer beleeue that God could take delight in sacrifices of mans flesh though Gods thundring commands are to bee obeyed not questioned vpon yet is Abraham commended for hauing a firme faith and beleefe that his sonne Isaac should rise againe after hee were sacrificed For when he would not obey his wife in casting out the bond-woman and hir sonne God said vnto him In Isaac shall thy seede bee called and addeth Of the bond-womans sonne will I make a great nation also because hee is thy seede How then is Isaac onely called Abrahams seede when God calleth Ismael so likewise The Apostle expoundeth it in these words that is they which are the children of the flesh are not the children of God but the children of the promise are accounted for the seede And thus are the sonnes of promise called to be Abrahams seede in Isaac that is gathered into the Church by Christ his free grace and mercy This promise the father holding fast seeing that it must bee fulfilled in him whom God commanded to kill doubted not but that that God could restore him after sacrificing who had giuen him at first beyond all hope So the Scripture taketh his beleefe to haue beene and deliuereth it By faith a Abraham offered vp Isaac when hee was tryed and hee that had receiued the promises offered his onely sonne to whom it was said in Isaac shall thy seede bee called for hee considered that God was able to raise him from the dead and then followeth for when hee receiued him also in a sort in what sort but as hee receiued his sonne of whom it is said Who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him to dye for vs all And so did Isaac carry the wood of sacrifice to the place euen as Christ carried the crosse Lastly seeing Isaac was not to be slaine indeed and his father commanded to hold his hand who was that Ram that was offered as a full and typicall sacrifice Namely that which Abraham first of all espied entangled b in the bushes by the hornes What was this but a type of Iesus Christ crowned with thornes ere hee was crucified But marke the Angels words Abraham saith the Scriptures lift vp his hand and tooke the knife to kill his sonne But the Angell of the Lord called vnto him from heauen saying Abraham and he answered Here Lord then he said Lay not thy hand vpon thy sonne nor doe any thing vnto him for now I know thou fearest God seeing that for my sake thou hast not spared thine onely sonne Now I know that is now I haue made knowne for God knew it ere now And then Abraham hauing offered the Ram for his sonne Isaac called the place c the Lord hath seene as it is said vnto this day in the mount hath the Lord appeared the Angels of the Lord called vnto Abraham againe out of heauen saying By my selfe haue I sworne saith the Lord because thou hast done this thing lust not spared thine onely sonne for me surely I will blesse thee multiply thy seed as the starres of heauen or the sands of the sea and thy seed shal possesse the gate of his enemies and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because thou hast a obayed my voyce This is that promise sworne vnto by God concerning the calling of the Gentiles after the offering of the Ram the type of Christ. God had often promised before but neuer sworne And what is Gods oth but a confirmation of his promise and a reprehension of the faithlesse after this died Sara being ahundred twenty seauen yeares old in the hundred thirty seauen yeare of her husbands age for hee was ten yeares elder then she as he shewed when Isaac was first promised saying shall I that am a hundred yeares old haue a child and shall Sarah that is foure score and tenne yeares old beare and then did Abraham buy a peece of ground and buried his wife in it and then as Stephen sayth was hee seated in that land for then began hee to be a possessor namely after the death of his father who was dead some two yeares before L. VIVES BY a faith A diuersity of reading in the text of Scripture therefore haue wee followed the vulgar b in the bushes This is after the seauenty and Theodotion whose translation Hierome approues before that of Aquila and Symachus c The Lord hath seene The Hebrew saith Hierome is shall see And it was a prouerbe vsed by the Hebrewes in all their extremities wishing Gods helpe to say In the mount the Lord shall see that is as hee pitied Abraham so will hee pitty vs. And in signe of that Ramme that God sent him they vse vnto this day to blow
ceasing and destruction ensuing which was performed by the Romanes as I erst related But the house of the New Testament is of another lustre the workemanship being more glorious and the stones being more precious But it was figured in the repaire of the old Temple because the whole New Testament was figured in the old one Gods prophecy therefore that saith In that place will I giue peace is to be meant of the place signified not of the place significant that is as the restoring that house prefigured the church which Christ was to build so GOD said in this place that is in the place that this prefigureth will I giue peace for all things signifying seeme to support the persons of the things signified as Saint Peter said the Rock was Christ for it signifyed Christ. So then farre is the glory of the house of the New Testament aboue the glory of the Old as shall appeare in the finall dedication Then shall the desire of all nations appeare as it is in the hebrew for his first comming was not desired of all the nations for some knew not whom to desire nor in whom to beleeue And then also shall they that are Gods elect out of all nations come as the LXX read it for none shall come truely at that day but the elect of whoÌ„ the Apostle saith As he hath elected vs in him before the beginning of the world for the Architect himself that sayd Many are called but few are chosen he spoke not of those that were called to the feast and then cast out but meant to shew that hee had built an house of his elect which times worst spight could neuer ruine But being altogither in the church as yet to bee hereafter sifited the corne from the chaffe the glory of this house cannot be so great now as it shal be then where man shal be alwaies there where he is once The Churches increase vncertaine because of the commixtion of elect and reprobate in this world CHAP. 49. THerefore in these mischieuous daies wherein the church worketh for his fu ture glory in present humility in feares in sorrowes in labours and in temptations ioying onely in hope when shee ioyeth as she should many rebrobaâ—…e liue amongst the elect both come into the Gospells Net and both swim at randon in the sea of mortality vntill the fishers draw them to shore and then the 〈◊〉 owne from the good in whom as in his Temple God is all in all We acknowledge therefore his words in the psalme I would declare and speake of them 〈◊〉 are more then I am able to expresse to be truly fulfilled This multiplication 〈◊〉 at that instant when first Iohn his Messenger and then himselfe in person 〈◊〉 to say Amend your liues for the Kingdome of God is at hand He chose him disâ—… and named the Apostles poore ignoble vnlearned men that what great 〈◊〉 soeuer was done hee might bee seene to doe it in them He had one who abused his goodnesse yet vsed hee this wicked man to a good end to the fulfilling of his passion and presenting his church an example of patience in tribulation And hauing sowne sufficiently the seed of saluation he suffered was buried and 〈◊〉 againe shewing by his suffering what wee ought to endure for the truth and 〈◊〉 resurrection what we ought for to hope of eternity a besides the ineffaâ—…ament of his bloud shed for the remission of sinnes Hee was forty daies 〈◊〉 with his disciples afterwardes and in their sight ascended to heauen â—…es after sending downe his promised spirit vpon them which in the comming gaue that manifest and necessary signe of the knowledge in languages of 〈◊〉 to signifie that it was but one Catholike church that in all those natiâ—…â—…uld vse all those tongues L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a the ineffable For Christs suffrance and his life hath not onely leaft vs the vertue 〈◊〉 Sacraments but of his example also whereby to direct ourselues in all good courses 〈◊〉 Gospell preached and gloriously confirmed by the bloud of the preachers CHAP. 50. 〈◊〉 then as it is written The law shall goe forth of Zion and the word of 〈◊〉 Lord from Ierusalem and as Christ had fore-told when as his disciplies â—…onished at his resurrection he opened their vnderstandings in the scripâ—… told them that it was written thus It behoued Christ to suffer and to rise 〈◊〉 the third day and that repentance and remission of sinnes should bee preached in 〈◊〉 â—…mongst all nations beginning at Ierusalem and where they asked him of 〈◊〉 comming and he answered It is not for you to know the times and seasons 〈◊〉 father hath put in his owne power but you shall receiue power of the Holie 〈◊〉 hee shall come vpon you and you shal be witnesses of mee in Ierusalem and in 〈◊〉 in Samaria and vnto the vtmost part of the earth First the church spred 〈◊〉 â—…om Ierusalem and then through Iudaea and Samaria and those lights 〈◊〉 world bare the Gospell vnto other nations for Christ had armed them 〈◊〉 Feare not them that kill the body but are not able to kill the soule they had 〈◊〉 of loue that kept out the cold of feare finally by their persons who 〈◊〉 him aliue and dead and aliue againe and by the horrible persecutiâ—… by their successors after their death and by the euer conquered to 〈◊〉 â—…conquerable tortures of the Martires the Gospell was diffused 〈◊〉 all the habitable world GOD going with it in Miracles in vertues and 〈◊〉 of the Holy Ghost in so much that the nations beleeuing in him who 〈◊〉 for their Redemption in christian loue did hold the bloud of those Martires in reuerence which before they had shed in barbarousnesse and the Kings whose edicts afflicted the church came humbly to be warriours vnder that banner which they cruelly before had sought vtterly to abolish beginning now to persecute the false gods for whom before they had persecuted the seruants of 〈◊〉 true GOD. That the Church is confirmed euen by the schismes of Heresies CHAP. 51. NOw the deuill seeing his Temples empty al running vnto this Redeemer set heretiques on foote to subert Christ in a christiaÌ„ vizar as if there were yâ— allowance for them in the heauenly Ierusalem which their was for contrariety of Philosophers in the deuills BabiloÌ„ Such therfore as in the church of God do distast any thing and a being checked aduised to beware do obstinately oppose themselues against good instructions and rather defend their abhominations then discard them those become Heretikes and going forth of Gods House are to be held as our most eager enemies yet they doe the members of the Catholike Church this good that their fall maketh them take better hold vpon God who vseth euill to a good end and worketh all for the good of those that loue him So then the churches enemies whatsoeuer if they haue the power to impose corporall afflictioÌ„ they exercise her patience
it vnto one of the least of these my bretheren yee haue done it vnto mee Then shall hee say vnto them on the left hand Depart from mee yee cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuill and his Angells for I was an hungered and yee gaâ—…e mee no meate I thirsted and yee gaue mee no drinke c. Then shall they also answere him saying LORD when sawe wee thee hungery or a thirst or a stranger or naked or in prison or sicke and did not minister vnto thee Then shall hee answere them and saie Verelie I saie vnto you in asmuch as yee did it not vnto one of the least of these yee did it not vnto mee And these shâ—…ll goe into euerlasting fire and the righteous into life eternall Now Iohn the Euangelist sheweth plainely that CHRIST fore-told this iudgement to bee at the resurrection For hauing sayd The Father iudgeth no man but hath committed all iudgement vnto the Sonne Because all men should honour the Sonne as they honour the Father hee that honoureth not the Sonne the sâ—…e honoureth not the Father that sent him Hee addeth forth-with Verelie verelie I say vnto you hee that heareth my Worde and beleeâ—…eth in him that sent mee hath euerlasting life and shall not come into c iudgement but shall passe from death to life Behold heere hee 〈◊〉 directly that the faithfull shall not bee iudged How then shall they by his iudgement bee seuered from the faithlesse vnlesse iudgement bee vsed heere for condemnation For that is the iudgement into which they that heare his word and beleeue in him that sent him shall neuer enter L. VIVES TYrus a and Sydon Two Citties on the Coast of Phoenicia called now Suri and Saiâ—… Postell Niger b Hee sayd not The accusers of the guilty persons are sayd to condemne him aswell as the Iudges c Iudgement but shall passe Our translation readeth it condemnation but hath passed Hierome readeth it transiet What the first resurrection is and what the second CHAP. 6. THen hee proceedeth in these words Verely verelie I say vnto you the houre shall come and now is when the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of GOD and they that heare it shall liue For as the father hath life in himselfe so likewise hath â—…ee giuen vnto the Sonne to haue life in himselfe Hee doth not speake as yet of the second resurrection of that of the bodies which is to come but of the first resurrection which is now For to distinguish these two hee sayth the houre shall come and now is Now this is the soules resurrection not the bodies for the soules haue their deaths in sinne as the bodies haue in nature and therein were they dead of whome Our Sauiour sayd let the dead bury the dead to witte let the dead in soule bury the dead in bodie So then these wordes The houre shall come and now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of GOD and they that heare it shall liue They that heare it that is they that obey it beleeue it and remaine in it Hee maketh no distinction heere betweene good and euill none at all For it is good for all to heare his voice and thereby to passe out of the death of sinne and impiety vnto life and eternity Of this death in sinne the Apostle speaketh in these wordes If one bee dead for all then were all dead and hee died for all that they which liue should not hence-forth liue vnto themselues but vnto him which died for them and rose againe Thus then all were dead in sinne none excepted either in originall sinne or in actuall either by being ignorant of good or by knowing good and not performing it and for all these dead soules one liuing Son came and died liuing that is one without all sinne that such as get life by hauing their sinnes remitted should no more liue vnto themselues but vnto him that suffered for all our sinnes and rose againe for all our iustifications that wee which beleeue vpon the iustifier of the wicked beeing iustified out of wickednesse and raysed as it were from death to life nay bee assured to belong vnto the first resurrection that now is For none but such as are heires of eternall blisse haue any part in this first resurrection but the second is common both â—…o the blessed and the wretched The first is mercies resurrection the second iudgements And therefore the Psalme saith I will sing mercie and iudgement vnto thee O LORD With this iudgement the Euangelist proceedeth thus Anâ—… hath giuen him power also to execute Iudgement in that hee is the Sonne of Man Loe heere now in that flesh wherein hee was iudged shall hee come to bee the whole worldes iudge For these wordes In that hee is the Sonne of Man haue a direct ayme at this And then hee addeth this Maruell not at this for the houre shall come in the which all that are in the graues shall heare his voice and they shall come forth which haue done good vnto the resurrection of life but they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of iudgement This is that iudgement which hee put before for condemnation when hee sayd Hee that heareth my Worde c. shall not come into iudgement but shall passe from death to life that is hee belongs to the first resurrection and that belongeth to life so that hee shall not come into condemnation which hee vnderstandeth by the worde Iudgement in this last place vnto the resurrection of Iudgement Oh Rise then in the first resurrection all you that will not perish in the the second For the houre will come and now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of GOD and they that heare it shall liue that is they shall not come into condemnation which is called the second death vnto which they shall all bee cast head-long after the second resurrection that arise not in the first For the houre will come hee saith not that houre is now because it shal be in the worldes end in the which all that are in the graues shall heare His voice and shall come forth but hee saith not heare as hee sayd before and they that heare it shall liue for they shall not liue all in blisse which is onely to bee called life because it is the true life Yet must they haue some life otherwise they could neither heare nor arise in their quickned flesh And why they shall not all liue hee giueth this subsequent reason They that haue done good shal come forth vnto the resurrection of life and these only are they that shall liue they that haue done euill vnto the resurrection of condemnation and these GOD wot shall not liue for they shall die the second death In liuing badlie they haue done badly and in refusing to rise in the first resurrection they haue liued badly or at least in not continuing their resurrection
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
the meanes alone to him who concealeth the plainest workes of nature from our apprehensions Esaias his doctrine concerning the iudgement and the resurrection CHAP. 21. THe dead saith the prophet Esaias shall arise againe and they shall arise againe that were in the graues and all they shal be glad that are in the earth for the Dew that is from thee is health to them and the Land or earth of the wicked shall fall All this belongs to the resurrection And whereas he saith the land of the wicked shall fall that is to bee vnderstood by their bodies which shal be ruined by damnation But now if wee looke well into the resurrection of the Saints these wordes The dead shall arise againe belong to the first resurrection and these they shall arise againe that were in the graues vnto the second And as for those holie ones whom CHRIST shall meete in their flesh this is fittely pertinent vnto them All they shal be glad that are in the earth for the dewe that is from thee is health vnto them By health in this place is meant immortality for that is the best health and needes no daiely refection to preserue it The same prophet also speaketh of the iudgement both to the comfort of the Godly and the terror of the wicked Thus saith the Lord Behold I will incline vnto them as a floud of peace and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing streame Then shal yee suck yee shal be borne vpon her shoulders and be ioyfull vpon her knees As one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort you and yee shal be comforted in Ierusalem And when yee see this your hearts shall reioyce and your bones shal flourish as an herbe and the hand of the Lord shal be knowne vnto his seruants and his indignation against his enemies For be hold the Lord will come with fire and his chariots like a whirle-winde that hee may recompence his anger with wrath and his indignation with a flame of fire for the LORD will iudge with fyre and with his sword all flesh and the slaine of the LORD shal be many Thus you heare as touching his promises to the good hee inclineth to them like a floud of peace that is in all peacefull abundance and such shall our soules bee watred withall at the worldes end but of this in the last booke before This hee extendeth vnto them to whom hee promiseth such blisse that wee may conceiue that this floud of beatitude doth sufficently bedewe all the whole region of Heauen where we are to dwell But because he bestoweth the peace of incorruption vpon corruptible bodies therefore hee saith he will incline as if hee came downe-wards from aboue to make man-kinde equall with the Angells By Ierusalem wee vnderstand not her that serueth with her children but our free mother as the Apostle saith which is eternall and aboue where after the shockes of all our sorrowes bee passed wee shall bee conforted and rest like infants in her glorious armes and on her knees Then shall our rude ignorance bee inuested in that vn-accustomed blessednesse then-shall wee see this and our heart shall reioyce what shall wee see it is not set downe But what is it but GOD that so the Gospell might bee fulfilled Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see GOD. And all that blisse which wee now beleeue but like fraile-men in farre lesse measure then it is wee shall then behold and see Here wee hope there wee shall enioye But least wee should imagine that those causes of ioye concerned onelie the spirit hee addeth And your bones shall flourish as an herbe Here is a plaine touch at the resurrection relating as it were what hee had omitted These things shall not bee done euen then when wee doe see them but when they are already come to passe then shall wee see them For hee had spoken before of the new heauen and earth in his relations of the promises that were in the end to bee performed to the Saints saying I will create new Heauens and a new Earth and the former shall not hee remembered nor come into minde but bee you glad and reioyce therein for behold I will create Ierusalem as a reioycing and her people as a ioye and I will reioyce in Ierusalem and ioye in my people and the voice of weeping shal be heard no more in her nor the voice of crying c. This now some applie to the proofe of Chiliasme because that the Prophets manner is to mingle tropes with truthes to excercise the Reader in a fitte inquest of their spirituall meanings but carnall sloath contents it selfe with the litterall sence onely and neuer seekes further Thus farre of the Prophets wordes before that hee wrote what wee haue in hand now for-ward againe And your bones shall flourish like 〈◊〉 herbe that hee meaneth onelie the resurrection of the Saintes in this his addition prooues And the hand of the LORD shal bee knowne amongst his seruantes What is this but his hand distinguishing his seruants from such as scorne him of those it followeth And his indignation against his enemies or as another interprets it a against the vnfaithfull This is no threatning but the effect of all his threatnings For behold saith hee the LORD will come with fire and his chariots like a whirle-winde that hee may recompence his anger with wrath and his indignation with a flame of fire For the LORD will iudge with fire and with his sword all flesh and the slaine of the LORD shal bee many whither they perish by fire or sword or whirle-winde all denounce but the paine of the Iudgement for hee saith that GOD shall come as a whirle-winde that is vnto such as his comming shal be penall vnto Againe his chariots beeing spoke in the plurall imploy his ministring Angells But whereas hee saith that all flesh shal bee iudged by this fyre and sword wee doe except the Saints and imply it onelie to those which minde earthlie things and such minding is deadlie and such as those of whome GOD saith My spirit shall not alwaie striue with man because hee is but flesh But these words The slaine or wounded of the LORD shal bee many this implieth the second death The fire the sword and the stroke may all bee vnderstood in a good sence for GOD hath sayd hee would send fyre into the world And the Holie Ghost descended in the shape of fiery tongues Againe I came not saith CHRIST to send peace but the sworde And the scripture calls GODS Word a two edged sworde because of the two Testaments Besides the church in the Canticles saith that shee is wounded with loue euen as shotte with the force of loue So that this is plaine and so is this that wee read that the LORD shall come as a Reuenger c. So then the Prophet proceedes with the destruction of the wicked vnder the types of such as in the olde law forbare
affraide Therefore I came to one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all this so hee told mee and shewed mee the interpretation of these things These foure great beasts are foure Kings which shall arise out of the earth and they shall take away the Kingdome of the most high and possesse it for euer euen for euer and euer After this I would know the truth of the fourth beast which was so vnlike the other verie fearefull whose teeth were of Iron and his nayles of Brasse which deuoured brake in peeces and stamped the rest vnder his feete Also to knowe of the tenne hornes that were on his head and of the other that came vppe before whom three fell and of the horne that had eyes and of the month that spake presumptuous things whose looke was more stoute then his fellowes I beheld and the same horne made battaile against the Saints yea and preuailed against them vntill the Ancient of daies came and Iudgement was giuen to the Saints of the most high and the time approached that the Saints possessed the Kingdome All this Daniel inquired and then hee proceedeth Then hee sayd the fourth beast shal be the fourth Kingdome on the earth which shal be vnlike to all the Kingdomes and shall deuoure the whole earth and shall tread it downe and shall breake it in peeces And the tenne hornes are tenne Kings that shall rise and another shall rise after them and hee shal be vnlike to the first and hee shall subdue three Kings and shall speake wordes against the most high and shall consume the Saints of the most high and thinke that hee may change times and lawes and they shal bee giuen into his hand vntill a time and halfe a time But the iudgement shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it vnto the end And the kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome vnder the whole Heauen shal be giuen vnto the holy people of the most high whose Kingdome is an euerlasting Kingdome and all powers shall serue and obey him Euen this is the end of the matter I Daniell had many cogitations which troubled me and my countenance changed in me but I kept the matter in mine heart These foure Kingdomes some hold to bee a those of the Assirians Persians Macedonians and Romaines How fittly read Hieromes commentaries vpon Daniel and there you may haue full instruction But that Antichrists Kingdome shal be most cruell against the Church although it last but a while vntill the Saints receiue the Soueraignty none that reads this place can make question of The time times and halfe a time is three yeares and a halfe a yeare two yeares and halfe a yeare and this is declared by a number of daies afterwards and by the numbers of monethes in other places of the Scriptures Times in this place seemeth indefinite but the b duall number is here vsed by the LXX which the Latines haue not but both the Greekes and c Hebrewes haue Times then standeth but for two times Now I am afraid indeede that wee deceiue our selues in the ten Kings whome Antichrist shall find as tenne men by our account but there are not so many Kings in the Romaine Monarchy so that Antichrist may come vpon vs ere wee bee aware What if this number imply the fullnesse of regality which shal be expired ere hee come as the numbers of a thousand a hundred seauen and diuers more do oftentimes signifie the whole of a thing I leaue it to iudgement On with Daniel There shal be a time of trouble saith hee chap. 12 such as neuer was since there began to bee a nation vnto that same time and at that time thy people shal be deliuered euery one that shal be found written in the booke And many that sleepe in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to euerlasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt And they that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne to righteousnesse shall shine as the starres for euer and euer How like is this place vnto that of the Ghospell concerning the resurection that saith They that are in the graues This they that are in the dust of the Earth that saith shall come forth this shal awake that they that haue done good vnto eternall life and they that haue done euill vnto euerlasting damnation this some to euerlasting life and some to perpetuall shame and contempt Nor thinke they differ in that the Gospell saith all that are in the graues and the Prophet saith â—…t Many for the Scripture sometimes vseth many for all So was it said vnto Abraham thou shalt bee a father of many nations and yet in another place in thy seed shall all nations be blessed Of this resurrection it was said thus to Daniell him-selfe a little after Go thou thy way till the end be for thou shalt rest and stand vp in thy lot at the end of the daies L. VIVES THose of the a Assirians For the first beast was like a Lyonesse bloudy and lustful and like an Eagle proud and long liued and such was the Assirian Empire The second like a Beare rough and fierry such was Cyrus founder of the Persian Monarchy The third like a winged Leopard head-long bloudy and rushing vpon death such was the Macedon who seemed rather to fly to souerainety then goe on foote for how soone did hee bring all Asia vnder the forth the strangest strongest bloudiest c. Of all such was the Romaine Empire that exceeded Barbarisme in cruelty filling all the world with the rust of hir owne breeding with bones of her massacring with ruines of her causing b The Duall The ancient Greekes had but singular and plurall the duall was added afterwards which the Latines would not imitate Dionys. Grammat yet the Greeke Poets doe often vse the plurall for the duall as yee may obserue in Homer c. c Hebrewes haue So saith Hierome vpon Daniel Dauids Prophecies of the worlds end and the last iudgment CHAP. 24. TOuching this last iudgment we finde much spoken of it in the Psalmes but I omit the most of it yet the plainest thereof I cannot but rehearse Thou afore time layd the foundation of the earth and the heauens are the workes of thy hands They shall perish but thou shalt endure they shall all waxe old as doth a garment as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall bee changed but thou art the same and thy yeares shall not faile What reason now hath Porphyry to praise the Hebrewes for their adoration of the greatest God and yet blame the Christians for auoutching that the world shall haue an end seeing that these bookes of the Hebrews whose God hee confesseth to bee terrible to all the rest doe directly auerre it They shall perish what the heauens the greatest the safest the highest part of the world shall perish and shall
aduised them to remember the law of Moyses because he fore saw that would here-after miss-interprete much thereof hee addeth Behold I will send you a Heliah the Prophet before the comming of the great and fearefull day of the Lord and hee shall turne the heart of the fathers to the children and of the children to the fathers least I come and smite the earth with cursing That this great and mighty Prophet Elias shall conuert b the Iewes vnto Christ before the iudgment by expounding them the lawe is most commonly beleeued and taught of vs Christians and is held as a point of infallible truth For we may well hope for the comming of him before the iudgment of Christ whome we do truly beleeue to liue in the body at this present houre with-out hauing euer tasted of death Hee was taken vp by a fiery chariot body and soule from this mortall world as the scriptures plainly auouch Therefore when he commeth to giue the law a spirituall exposition which the Iewes doe now vnderstand wholy in a carnall sence Then shall hee turne the hearts of the fathers vnto the children or the heart of the father vnto the child for the LXX doe often vse the singular number for the plurall that is the Iewes shall then vnderstand the law as their holy forefathers had done before them Moyses the Prophets and the rest For the vnderstanding of the fathers being brought to the vnderstanding of the children is the turning of the fathers heart vnto the children and the childrens consent vnto the vnderstanding of the fathers is the turning of their heart vnto the fathers And whereas the LXX say c And the heart of a man vnto his kinsman fathers and children are the nearest of kindred and consequently are meant of in this place There may be a farther and more choice interpretation of this place namely that Helias should turne the heart of the father vnto the childe not by making the father to loue the child but by teaching that the father loueth him that the Iewes who had hated him before may hence-forth loue him also For they hold that God hateth him now because they hold him to be neither God nor the Sonne of God but then shall his heart in their iudgements be turned vnto him when they are so farre turned them-selues as to vnderstand how he loueth him The sequell And the heart of man vnto his kinsman meaneth the heart of man vnto the man Christ for hee being one God in the forme of God taking the forme of a seruant and becomming man vouchsafed to become our kinsman This then shall Heliah performe Least I come and smite the earth with cursing The earth that is those carnall thoughted Iewes that now are and that now murmure at the Deity saying that he delighted in the wicked and that it is in vaine to serue him L. VIVES HEliah a the Of him read the King 1. 2. The Iewes out of this place of Malachi beleeue that hee shall come againe before the Messiah as the Apostles doe shew in their question concerning his comming Matt. 17. to which our Sauiour in answering that he is come already doth not reproue the Scribes opinion but sheweth another cōming of Heliah before himelfe which the Scribes did not vnderstand Origen for first he had said that Helias must first come and restore all things But it being generally held that Helias should come before Christ and it being vnknowne before which comming of Christ our Sauiour to cleare the doubt that might arise of his deity in that the people did not see that Helias was come said Helias is come already meaning Iohn of whome hee him-selfe had sayd If yee will receiue it this is Helias As if he had said bee not moued in that you thinke you saw not Helias before me whome you doubt whether I be the Messias or no. No man can be deceiued in the beleeuing that Iohn who came before me was that Helias who was to come not that his soule was in Iohn or that Helias himselfe in person were come but in that Iohn came in the spirit and power of Helias to turne the hearts of the fathers vnto the children to make the vnbeleeuers righteous and to prepare me a perfect people as the Angel promised of him Luc. 1. 17 This great mistery the Lord being willing to poynt at and yet not laying it fully open hee eleuates the hearts of the audience with his vsuall phrase vpon such occasions Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare And truely Iohns life came very neare Helias his Both liued in the wildernesse both wore girdles of skins both reproued vicious Princes and were persecuted by them both preached the comming of Christ fittly therefore might Iohn bee called another Helias to forerunne Christs first comming as Helias him-selfe shall do the second c. b Conuert the Iewes Therefore said Christ Helias must first come c. to correct saith Chrisostome their infidelity and to turne the hearts of the fathers vnto the children that is vnto the Apostles And then hee maketh a question If Helias his comming shall do so much good why did not our Sauiour send him before his first comming Answ. because as then they held our Sauiour himselfe to be Helias and yet would not beleeue him wheras when at the worlds end Helias shall come after all their tedious expectation and shew them who was the true Messias then will they all beleeue him c And the heart of man Hierome and our English vulgar read it other-wise That it is not euident in the Old-Testament in such places as say God shall iudge that it shal be in the person of Christ but onely by some of the testimonies where the Lord God speakes CHAP. 30. TO gather the whole number of such places of Scripture as prophecy this iudgement were too tedious Sufficeth we haue proued it out of both the Testaments But the places of the Old-Testament are not so euident for the comming of Christ a in person as them of the New be for whereas we read in the Old that the Lord God shall come it is no consequent that it is meant of Christ for the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are all both Lord and God which we may not omit to obserue Wee must therefore first of all make a demonstration of those places in the prophets as do expressely name the Lord God and yet herein are euidently meant of Iesus Christ as also of those wherein this euidence is not so plaine and yet may bee conueniently vnderstood of him neuerthelesse There is one place in Isaias that hath it as plaine as may be Here me O Iacob and Israel saith the said Prophet my called I am I am the first and I am the last surely my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth and my right hand hath spanned the Heauens when I call them they stand together All you assemble your selues and heare which amongst
seruant namely that same forme of a seruant wherein the highest was humbled added the name of the man From whose stock hee was to deriue that seruile forme The spirit of God came vpon him in forme of a Doue as the Ghospell testifieth Hee brought forth iudgement to the Gentiles in fore telling them of future things which they neuer knew of before Hee dyd not crie out yet ceased hee not to preach Nor was his voyce heard with out or in the streete for such as are cut off from his fold neuer heare his voyce Hee neither broake downe nor extinguished those Iewes his persecutors whose lost integrity and abandoned light made them like brused Reedes and c smoaking flaxe hee spared them for as yet hee was not come to iudge them but to bee iudged by them Hee brought forth iudgment in truth by shewing them their future plagues if they persisted in their malice His face sâ—…one on the mount his fame in the whole world hee neither failed nor fainted in that both hee and his Church stood firme against all persecutions Therefore his foes neuer had nor euer shall haue cause to thinke that fulfilled which they wished in the Psalme saying When shall hee dye and his name perish vntill hee haue setled iudgement in the earth Loe here is that wee seeke The last iudgement is that which hee shall settle vpon earth comming to effect it out of heauen As for the last wordes the Iles shall hope in his name wee see it fulfilled already Thus then by this which is so vn-deniable is that prooued credible which impudence dares yet deny For who would euer haue hoped for that which the vnbeleeuers them-selues doe now behold as well as wee to their vtter heart-breaking and confusion d Who did euer looke that the Gentiles should embrace Christianity that had seene the Author thereof bound beaten mocked and crucified That which one theefe durst but hope for vpon the crosse in that now doe the nations farre and wide repose their vtmost confidence and least they should incurre eternall death are signed with that figure where-vpon hee suffered his temporall death Let none therefore make any doubt that Christ shall bring forth such a iudgment as the Scriptures doe promise except hee beleeue not the Scriptures and stand in his owne malicious blindnesse against that which hath enlightned all the world And this iudgment shall consist of these circumstances partly precedent and partly adiacent Helias shall come the Iewes shall beleeue Antichrist shall persecute Christ shall iudge the dead shall arise the good and bad shall seuer the world shall burne and bee renewed All this wee must beleeue shall bee but in what order our full experience then shall exceed our imperfect intelligence as yet Yet verily I doe thinke they shall fall out in order as I haue rehearsed them Now remaineth there two bookes more of this theame to the perfect performance of our promise the first of which shall treate of the paines due vnto the wicked and the second of the glories bestowed vpon the righteous wherein if it please GOD wee will subuert the arguments which foolish mortalls and miserable wretches make for them-selues against GODS holy and diuine pre mises and against the sacred nutriment giuen to the soule by an vnspotted faith thinking them-selues the onely wise-men in these their vngratious cauills and deriding all religious instructions as contemptible and ridâ—…culous As for those that are wise in GOD in all that seemeth most incredible vnto man if it bee auouched by the holy Scriptures whose truth wee haue already sufficiently prooued they laye hold vpon the true and omnipotent deity as the strongest argument against all opposition for hee they know cannot possiblye speake false in those Scriptures and with-all can by his diuine power effect that which may seeme more then most impossible to the vn beleeuers L. VIVES GHrist a in person According to this iudgement of Christ did the Poets faigne thâ—… Iudges of hell for holding Ioue to be the King of Heauen they auoutched his sonne to be iudge of hell yet none of his sonnes that were wholy immortall at first as Bacchus Apollo or Mercurie was but a God that had beene also a mortall man and a iust man withall such as Minos Aeacus or Rhadamanthus was This out of Lactantius lib. 7. b No mention Hierom. in 42. Esai c Smoking flaxe It was a custome of old saith Plutarch in Quaestionib neuer to put out the snuffe of the lampe but to let it die of it selfe and that for diuers reasons first because this fire was some-what like in nature to that inextinguible immortall fire of heauen secondly they held this fire to be a liuing creature and therefore not to bee killed but when it did mischiefe That the fire was aliuing creature the want that it hath of nutriment and the proper motion besides the grone it seemeth to giue when it is quenshed induced them to affirme Thirdly because it is vnfit to destroy any thing that belongeth to mans continuall vse as fire or water c. But wee ought to leaue them to others when our owne turnes are serued Thus far Plutarch The first reason tendeth to religion the second to mansuetude the third to humanity d Who did euer looke Christ was not ignoraâ—… of the time to come nor of the eternity of his doctrine as his leauing it to the publishing of onely twelue weake men against the malicious opposition of all Iudea and his commanding them to preach it throughout the whole world doth sufficiently prooue besides his prophecying to the Apostles that they should all abandon him and hee bee led to death that night and yet againe hee promiseth them to be with them to the end of the world Finis lib. 20. THE CONTENTS OF THE ONE and twentith booke of the City of God 1. Why the punishment of the damned is here disputed of before the happinesse of the Saints 2. Whether an earthly body may possibly bee incorruptible by fire 3. Whether a fleshly body may possibly endure eternall paine 4. Natures testimonies that bodies may remaine vndiminished in the fire 5. Of such things as cannot bee assuredlie knowne to be such and yet are not to be doubted of 6. All strange effects are not natures some are mans deuises some the deuills 7. Gods omnipotency the ground of all beliefe in things admired 8. That the alteration of the knowne nature of any creature vnto a nature vnknowne is not opposite vnto the lawes of nature 9. Of Hell and the quality of the eternall paines therein 10. Whether the fire of hell if it be corporall can take effect vpon the incorporeal deuills 11. Whether it be not iustice that the time of the paines should bee proportioned to the time of the sinnes and criâ—…es 12. The greatnesse of Adams sin inflicting eternall damnation vpon all that are out of the state of grace 13. Against such as hold that the torments after the
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
the beleefe that CHRIST is GOD made his Citty to loue him So that euen as Rome hadde an obiect for hir loue which shee was ready to honour with a false beleefe So the Citie of GOD hath an obiect for her sayth which shee is euer ready to honour with a true and rightly grounded loue For as touching Christ besides those many miracles the holy Prophets also did teach him to be God long before his comming which as the fathers beleeued should come to passe so that we do now see that they are come to passe But as touching Romulus wee read that hee built Rome and raigned in it not that this was prophecyed before but as for his deifying their bookes affirme that it was beleeued but they shew not how it was effected for there were no miracles to proue it The shee Wolfe that fedde the two brethren with her milke which is held so miraculous what doth this prooue as concerning his deity If this shee Wolfe were not a strumpet but a brute beast yet the accident concerning both the bretheren alike why was not d Remus deified for company And who is there that if hee bee forbidden vppon paine of death to say that Hercules Romulus or such are deities had rather loofe his life then leaue to affirme it What nation would worship Romulus as a God if it were not for feare of Rome But on the other side who is hee that can number those that haue suffered death willingly in what forme of cruelty soeuer rather then deny the deity of Christ A light and little feare of the Romaine power compelled diuers inferior citties to honour Romulus as a god but neither feare of power torment nor death could hinder an infinite multitude of Martyrs all the world through both to beleeue and professe that Christ was God Nor did his Citty though shee were as then a pilgrime vppon earth and had huge multitudes within her euer go about to e defend her temporall estate against her persecutors by force but neglected that to gaine her place in eternity Her people were bound imprisoned beaten rackt burnt torne butchered and yet multiplyed Their fight for life was the contempt of life for their Sauiour Tully in his 3 De rep Or I am deceiued argueth that a iust Citty neuer should take armes but either for her safety or faith What he meanes by safety be sheweth else-where From those paines saith hee which the fondest may feele as pouerty banishment stripes imprisonment or so do priuate men escape by the ready dispatch of death But this death which seemeth to free priuate men from paines is paine it selfe vnto a citty For the aime of a citties continuance should bee eternity Death therfore is not so naturall to a common wealth as to a priuate man hee may often times bee driuen to wish for it but when a citty is destroyed the whole world seemes in a manner to perish with it Thus saith Tully holding the worlds eternity with the Platonists So then hee would haue a citty to take armes for her safety that is for her continuance for euer here vppon earth although her members perish and renew successiuely as the leaues of the Oliue and lawrell trees and such like as they are for death saith hee may free priuate men from misery but it is misery it selfe vnto a common-wealth And therefore it is a questioÌ„ whether the Saguntines did well in choosing the destruction of their citty before the breach of faith with the common-wealth of Rome an act which all the world commendeth But I cannot see how they could possibly keepe this rule that a Citty should not take armes but eyther for her faith or safety For when these two are ioyntly endangered that one cannot bee saued without the others losse one cannot determine which should bee chosen If the Saguntines had chosen to preserue their safety they had broken their faith If their faith then should they lose their safety as indeed they did But the safety of the Cittie of GOD is such that it is preserued or rather purchased by faith and fayth beeing once lost the safetie cannot possibly but perish also This cogitation with a firme and patient resolution crowned so many Martyrs for Christ when as Romulus neuer had so much as one man that would die in defence of his deity L VIVES VVIthin this a 600. yeares Tully speaketh not this of his owne times but in the person of Scipio Africanus the yonger and Laelius which Scipio liued about 602. yeares after the building of Rome which was not 600. yeares after the death of Romulus b More common For in those times liued Orpheus Musaeus Linus Philamnon Thamyris Orius 〈◊〉 Aristheas Proconnesius Pronetidas of Athens Euculus of Cyprus Phenius of Ithaca Hoâ—…r c. c Otherwise That is in saying he was but a man wheras the Romanes held him for a God Iames Passauant playeth the foole rarely in this place but it is not worth relating d Why was 〈◊〉 Remus Hee had a little Temple vppon Auentiâ—…e but it was an obscure one and rather like an Heroes temple then a gods e To defend She might haue repulsed iniuries by force and awed her aduersaries by power but shee deemed it fitter for such as professed the Ghospell of Christ to suffer then to offer to die then to kill to loose their body rather then the soule That the beleefe of Christes Deity was wrought by Gods power not mans perswasion CHAP. 7. BVt it is absurd to make any mention of the false Deity of Romulus when wee speake of Christ. But if the age of Romulus almost 600. yeares before Scipio were so stored with men of vnderstanding that no impossibility could enter their beleefe how much more wise were they 600. yeares after in Tulliestime in Tiberius his and in the daies of CHRISTS comming So that his resurrection and ascension would haue beene reiected as fictions and impossibilities if either the power of God or the multitude of miracles had not perswaded the contrary teaching that it was now shewne in Christ and hereafter to be shewne in all men besides and auerring it strongly against all horrid persecutions throughout the whole world through which the blood of the Martyrs made it spread and flourish They read the Prophets obserued a concordance and a concurrence of all those miracles the truth confirmed the noueltie beeing not contrary to reason so that at the last the World imbraced and professed that which before it had hated and persecuted Of the miracles which hath beene and are as yet wrought to procure and confirme the worlds beleefe in Christ-CHAP 8. BVt how commeth it say they that you haue no such miracles now adaies as you say were done of yore I might answer that they were necessary before the world beleeued to induce it to beleeue and he that seeketh to bee confirmed by wonders now is to bee wondred at most of al him-selfe in refusing to beleeâ—… what al the
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