commended before as fitt questians of euery creature viz who made it how and why the answeare to which is GOD by his word because hee is good whether the holy Trinity the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost doe imitate this vnto vs from their misticall body or there be some places of Scripture that doth prohibite vs to answeare thus is a great questian and not fit to bee opened in one volume L. VIVES THe a soules Origen in his first booke Periarchion holds that GOD first created all things incorpore all and that they were called by the names of heauen and earth which afterward were giuen vnto bodies Amongst which spirituals or soules Mentes were created who declining to vse Ruffinus his translation from the state and dignity became soules as their name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declareth by waxing cold in their higher state of being mentes The mind fryling of the diuine heate takes the name and state of a soule which if it arise and ascend vnto againe it gaines the former state of a minde Which were it true I should thinke that the mindes of men vnequally from God some more and some lesse some should rather bee soules then other some some retaining much of their mentall vigor and some little or none But these soules saith he being for their soule fals to bee put into grosser bodies the world was made as a place large enough to exercise them all in as was appointed And from the diuersity and in-equality of their fall from him did God collect the diuersity of things here created This is Origens opinion Hierom reciteth it ad auitum b which good We should haue beene Gods freely without any trouble c Any ayry body Of this here-after Of the diuine Trinity notifying it selfe in some part in all the workes thereof CHAP. 24. VVE beleeue a faithfully affirme that God the Father begot the world his wisdom by which al was made his only Son one with one coeternal most good and most equall And that the holy spirit is both of the Father and the 〈◊〉 consubstantiall coeternall with them both this is both a Trinity in respect of the persons and but one God in the inseperable diuinity one omnipotent in the vnseperable power yet so as euery one of the three be held to bee God omnipotent and yet altogether are not three Gods omnipotents but one God omnipotent such is the inseperable unity of three persons and so must it bee taâ—… off But whether the spirit beeing the good Fathers and the good Sonnes may â—…e sayd to be both their goodnesses c heere I dare not rashly determine I durst rather call it the sanctity of them both not as their quality but their substance and the third person in Trinity For to that this probability leadeth mee that the Father is holy and the Son holy and yet the Spirit is properly called holy as beeing the substantiall and consubstantiall holynesse of them both But if the diuine goodnesse be nothing else but holynesse then is it but diligent reason and no bold presumption to thinke for exercise of our intentions sake that in these three questions of each worke of God who made it how and why the holy Trinity is secretly intimated vnto vs for it was the Father of the word that sayd Let it be made and that which was made when hee spake doubtlesse was made by the word and in that where it is sayd And God saw that it was good it is playne that neyther necessity nor vse but onely his meere will moued God to make what was made that is Because it was good which was sayd after it was done to shew the correspondence of the good creature to the Creator by reason of whose goodnesse it was made If this goodnes be now the holy spirit then is al the whole Trinity intimate to vs in euery creature hence is the originall forme and perfection of that holy Citty wherof the Angells are inhabitants Aske whence it is God made it how hath it wisedome God enlightned it How is it happy God whom it enioyes hath framed the existence and illustrated the contemplation and sweetned the inherence thereof in him-selfe that is it seeth loueth reioyceth in Gods eternity shines in his truth and ioyeth in his goodnesse L. VIVES VVâ—… a beleeue Lette vs beleeue then and bee silent hold and not inquire preach faithfully and not dispute contentiously b Begotte What can I do heere but fall to adoration What can I say but recite that saying of Paul in admiration O the deepnesse of the ritches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God! c Heere I dare not Nor I though many diuines call the spirit the Fathers goodnesse and the Sonne his wisedome Who dare affirme ought directly in those deepe misteries d Because it or because it was equally good Of the tripartite diuision of All Phylosophicall discipline CHAP. 25. HEnce was it as far as we conceiue that Phylosophy got three parts or rather that the Phylosophers obserued the three parts They did not inuent them but they obserued the naturall rationall and morrall from hence These are the Latine names ordinarily vsed as wee shewed in our eighth booke not that it followeth that herein they conceiued a whit of the Trinity though Plato were the first that is sayd to finde out and record this diuision and that vnto him none but God seemed the author of all nature or the giuer of reason or the inspirer of honesty But whereas in these poynts of nature inquisition of truth and the finall good there are many diuers opinions yet al their controuersie lieth in those three great and generall questions euery one maketh a discrepant opinion from another in all three and yet all doe hold that nature hath some cause knowledge 〈◊〉 and life some direction and summe For three things are sought out in 〈◊〉 nature skill and practise his nature to bee iudged off by witte 〈◊〉 â—…y knowledge and his practise a by the vse b I know well that â—…elongs to fruition properly and vse to the vser And that they seeme to â—…ently vsed fruition of a thing which beeing desired for it selfe onely deâ—… vs and vse of that which we seeke for another respect in which sence we â—…her vse then inioy temporalityes to deserue the fruition of eternity â—…e wicked inioyes money and vseth GOD spending not money for 〈◊〉 â—…ut honouring him for money Yet in common phraze of speech wee 〈◊〉 â—…ruition and inioy vse For fruites properly are the fieldes increase 〈◊〉 â—…ppon wee liue So then thus I take vse in three obseruations of an arâ—… nature skill and vse From which the Phylosophers inuented the seueâ—…â—…lines tending all to beatitude The naturall for nature the rationall 〈◊〉 â—…e the morall for vse So that if our nature were of it selfe wee should 〈◊〉 owne wisedome and neuer go about to know it by learning ab exterâ—… if our loue had
and in discourse he that repeateth one thing twise of one fashion procureth loathing but vary it a thousand wayes and it will stil passe pleasing This is taught in Rhetorike And it is like that which Q. Flamâ—…ius in Liuie saith of the diuers sauces Therfore the types of the old law that signified one thing were diuers that men might apprehend the future saluation with lesse surfet and the 〈◊〉 persons amongst so many might find one wherby to conceiue what was to come Of the power giuen to the diuels to the greater gloryfying of the Saints that haue suffered martyrdome and conquered the ayry spirits not by appeasing them but adhering to God CHAP. 21. THe Diuells hadde a certayne temporary power allowed them whereby to excite such as they possessed against GODS Citty and both to accept sacrifices of the willing offerers and to require them of the vnwilâ—…g yea euen to extort them by violent plagues nor was this at all preiudicial but very commodious for the Church that the number of Mar tirs might bee fulfilled whom the Citty of God holds so much the dearer because they speâ—… their blood for it against the power of impiety these now if the church admiâ—… the words vse we might worthily call our a Heroes For this name came from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iuno and therefore one of her sonnes I know not which was called Heâ—… the mistery beeing that Iuno was Queene of the ayre where the Heroes the well deseruing soules dwell with the Daemones But ours if wee might vse the word should be called so for a contrary reason namely not for dwelling with the Daemones in the ayre but for conquering those Daemones those aereall powers and in them all that is called Iuno whome it was not for nothing that the Poets made so enuious and such an opposite to c good men beeing deified for their vertue But vnhappily was Virgill ouer-seene in making her first to say Aeneas conquers men and then to bring in Helenus warning Aeneas as his ghostly father in these wordes Iunoni cane vota libens dominamque potentem Supplicibus supera donis Purchas'd great Iunos d wrath with willing prayers and e conquer'd her with humble gifts And therfore Porphyry though not of him-selfe holds that a good God or Genius neuer commeth to a man till the bad be appeased as if it were of more poweâ—… then the other seeing that the bad can hinder the good for working and must be intreated to giue them place wheras the good can do no good vnlesse the others list and the others can do mischeefe maugre their beards This is no tract of true religion our Martirs do not conquer Iuno that is the ayry powers that mallice their vertues on this fashion Our Heroes If I may say so conquer noâ—… Herâ—… by humble gifts but by diuine vertues Surely f Scipio deserued the name of African rather for conquering Africa then for begging or buying his honour of his foes L. VIVES Our a Heroes Plato in his order of the gods makes some lesse then ayry Daemones and more then men calling them demi-gods now certainly these bee the Heroes for so 〈◊〉 they called that are begotten of a god and a mortall as Hercules Dionysius Aeneas Aescâ—…pius Romulus and such one of whose parents being a god they would not call them bare men but somewhat more yet lesse then the Daemones And so holds Iamblicus Hierocles the Sâ—… relating Pythagoras his verses or as some say Philolaus his saith that Angels and Heroes as Pâ—…to saith are both included in the ranke of Daemones the celestiall are Angels the earthly Heâ—… the meane Daemones But Pythagoras held quoth he that the goddes sonnes were called Heâ—… Daemones And so they are in that sence that Hesiod cals the men of the golden age Terâ—… Daemones for hee putteth a fourth sort of men worse then the golden ones but better then the third sort for the Heroes But these and the other also he calleth men and Semi-gods saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A blessed kinde of Heroes they were Surnamed Semi-gods To wit those yâ— Plato meaneth for these ar more ancient venerable then they that â—…ailed 〈◊〉 Iason in the fatal ship sought in the war of Troy For Hesiod cals theÌ„ warlike and thence 〈◊〉 Meâ—…der saith were they held wrathful violent if any one went by their temples called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must passe in reuerend silence least hee should anger the Heroes and set altogether by the â—…es And many such temples were erâ—…cted in Greece 〈◊〉 mentioneth diuers to Vlissâ—…s Tâ—…talus and Acrisius The Latines hadde them also Plin. lib. 19. mentioneth of one Plaâ—…o deriues Heros of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loue because the loue betweene a god or goddesse and a mortall produced the Heroes Some draw it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speake because they were eloquent states-men Hierocles allowes the deriuation from loue but not in respect of the birth but their singular loue of the gods inciting vs to the like For Iaâ—…blichus saies they rule ouer men giuing vs life reason guarding and freeing our soules at pleasure But we haue showne these to be the powers of the soule and each one is his owne Daemon Some deriue it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 earth they being earthly Daemones For so Hesiod calleth the good soules departed and Pythagoras also bidding 〈◊〉 â—…orship the earthly Daemones Homers interpretor liketh this deriuation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he in one language is earth and of earth was mankind made Capella Nupt. lib. 2. sayth that all between vs and the Moone is the Kingdome of the Manes and father Dis. But in the highest part are the Heroes and the Manes below them and those Heroes or semi-gods haue soules and holy mindes in mens formes and are borne to the worlds great good So was Hercules Dionys Tryptoleâ—…s c. and therefore the name comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iuno because shee rules the ayre whither the good soules ascend as Hierocles witnesseth in these verses of Pythagoras or Philolaus relating their opinion herein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If quit from earthly drosse to heau'n thou soare Then shalt thou be a God and dye no more But Plato thinketh them to become Sea-goddes I beleeue because hee holdes them grosser bodyed then the Daemones whome he calleth purely aâ—…reall and so thought fitte to giue them hâ—…bitation in the most appropin quate part of nature the water Hera also the Latines vse for a Lady or a Queene Vâ—…rg Aen. 3. and so Heroes if it deriue from Hera may bee taken for â—…ords or Kinges b One of her sonnes I thinke I haue read of this in the Greeke commentaâ—…es but I cannot remember which these things as I said before are rather pertinent to chance then schollership c Good mens As to Hercules Dionysius and Aeneas d Great The translation of Hera For Proserpina whom
Hiâ—…ome expoundes it thus Wee may not omit to declâ—… how GOD that cannot lie promised life before eternity Euen since the world as it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…s made and time ordeined to passe in daies months years in this course the times passe 〈◊〉 come being past or future Whervpon some Philosophers held no time present but all either past or to come because all that we doe speake or thinke either passeth as it is a doing or is so come if it bee not done We must therefore beleeue an eternity of continuance before these â—…ldly times in which the Father was with the Sonne and the Holy Ghost and if I may say so all â—…ity is one Time of Gods nay innumerable Times for he being infinite was before time and shall exceede all Time our world is not yet 6000. yeares old what eternities what huge Times and originalls of ages may we imagine was before it wherein the Aâ—…gells Thrones Dominations and other hoasts serued God and subsisted by Gods command â—…out measure or courses of Times So then before all these Times which neither the tongue 〈◊〉 declare the minde comprize or the secret thought once touch at did GOD the Father of visdome promise his Word and Wisdome and Life to such as would beleeue vpon this promise Thus far Hierome Peter Lumbard obiecting this against him-selfe maketh Hierome speake it as confuting others not affirming himselfe Sent. lib. 2. So doth he with Augustine also is many places an easie matter when great authors oppose ought that wee approoue Augstine against the Priscillianists saith that them times were called eternall before which there was no time as if one should say from the creation our common reading is before the world began the greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The defence of Gods vnchanging will against those that fetch Gods workes about from eternity in circles from state to state CHAP. 17. NOâ—… doe I doubt that there was no man before the first mans creation but deny the I cannot tell what reuolution of the same man I know not how often or of others like him in nature nor can the Philosophers driue mee from this by obiecting acutely they thinke that nullum a infinitum est scibile infinite thâ—…s are beyond reach of knowledge And therefore God say they hath definite formes in himselfe of all the definite creatures that hee made nor must his goodnesse be euer held idle nor his workes temporall as if he had had such an e ternity of leasure before and then repented him of it and so fell to worke therefore say they is this reuolution necessary the world either remayning in change which though it hath beene alwaies yet was created or else being dissolued and re-edified in this circular course otherwise giuing Gods workes a temporall beginning wee seeme to make him disallow and condemne that leasure that he rested in from all eternity before as sloathfull and vselesse But if hee did create from eternity now this and then that and came to make man in time that was not made before then shall hee seeme not to haue made him by knowledge which they say containes nothing infinite but at the present time by chance as it came into his minde But admit those reuolutions say they either with the worlds continuance in change or circular reuolution and then wee acquit GOD both of this so long and idle seeming cessation and from all operation in rashnesse and chance For if the same things bee not renewed the vatiâ—…ion of things infinite are too incomprehensible for his knowledge or prescience These batteries the vngodly doe plant against our faith to winne vs into their circle but if reason will not refute them faith must deride them But by Gods grace reason will lay those circularities flat inough For here is these mens error running rather in a maze then stepping into the right way that they proportionate the diuine vnchangeable power vnto they humaine fraile and weake spirit in mutability and apprehension But as the Apostle saith b Comparing themselues to themselues they know not themselues For because their actions that are suddainely done proceede all from new intents their mindes beeing mutable they doe imagine not GOD for him they cannot comprehend but themselues for GOD and compare not him to himselfe but themselues in his stead vnto themselues But wee may not thinke that GODS rest affects him one way and his worke another hee is neuer affected nor doth his nature admit any thing that hath not beene euer in him That which is affected suffereth and that which suffers is mutable For his vacation is not idle sloathfull nor sluggish nor is his worke painefull busie or industrious Hee can rest working and worke resting Hee can apply an eternall will to a new worke and begins not to worke now because he repenteth that hee wrought not before But if hee rested first and wrought after which I see not how man can coceiue this first and after were in things that first had no beeing and afterwards had But there was neither precedence nor subsequence in him to alter or abolish his will but all that euer hee created was in his vnchanged fixed will eternally one and the same first willing that they should not be and afterwards willing that they should be and so they were not during his pleasure and began to be at his pleasure Wonderously shewing to such as can conceiue it that hee needed none of these creatures but created them of his pure goodnesse hauing continued no lesse blessed without them from alll vn-begunne eternity L. VIVES NVâ—… infinitum a Arist. metaphys 2. and in his first of his posterior Analitikes he saith that then know we a thing perfectly when we know the end and that singularities are infinite bâ—…â—…rsalities most simple So as things are infinite they cannot bee knowne but as they are defiâ—… they may And Plato hauing diuided a thing vnto singularities forbiddes further progresse for they are infinite and incomprehensible b Comparing Cor. 2. 10. This place Erasmus saith Augustine vseth often in this sence Against such as say that things infinite are aboue Gods knowledge CHAP. 18. BVt such as say that things infinite are past Gods knowledge may euen aswell leape head-long into this pit of impiety and say that God knoweth not all numbers That numbers are infinite it is sure for take what number you can and thinke to end with it let it bee neuer so great and immense I will ad vnto it not one nor two but by the law of number multiply it vnto ten times the summe it was And so is euery number composed that one a cannot be equall to another but all are different euery perticular being definite and all in generall infinite b Doth not GOD then know these numbers because they are infinite and can his knowledge attaine one sum of numbers not the rest what mad man would say so nay they dare
Iuno for all that shee was now as her husband was good friends with the Romaines nor Venus could helpe her sonnes progenie to honest and honorable mariages but suffered this want to growe so hurtfull vnto them that they were driuen to get them wiues by force and soone after were compelled to go into the field against their wiues owne fathers and the wretched women beeing yet scarcely reconciled to their husbands for this wrong offered them were now endowed with their fathers murthers and kindreds bloud but in this conflict the Romaines had the lucke to be conquerors But O what worlds of wounds what numbers of funerals what Oceans of bloudshed did those victories cost for one onely father a in lawe Caesar and for one onely sonne in law Pompey the wife of Pompey and daughter to Caesar being dead with what true feeling and iust cause of sorrow doth Lucane crie out Bella per Emathios plus quam ciuilia campos â—…usque datum sceleri canimus Warres worse then ciuill in th' b Emathian plaines And right left spoile to rage we sing Thus then the Romaines conquered that they might now returne and embrace the daughters with armes embrued in the bloud of the fathers nor duâ—…st the poore creatures weepe for their slaughtered parents for feare to offend their conquering husbands but all the time of the battle stood with their vowes in their mouthes c and knew not for which side to offer them Such mariages Bellona and not Venus bestowed vpon the Romaines or perhaps d Alecto that filthy hellish furie now that Iuno was agreed with them had more power vpon their bosomes now then shee had then when Iuno entreated her helpe against Aeneas Truly e Andromacha's captiuitie was farre more tollerable then these Romaine mariages for though she liued seruile yet Pyrrhus after hee had once embraced her would neuer kill Troian more But the Romaines slaughtered their owne step fathers in the field whose daughters they had already enioyed in their beds Andromacha's estate secured her from further feares though it freed her not from precedent sorrowes But these poore soules being matched to these sterne warriours could not but feare at their husbands going to battell and wept at their returne hauing no way to freedome either by their feares or teares For they must either in piety bewaile the death of their friendes and kinsfolkes or in cruelty reioice at the victories of their husbands Besides as warres chance is variable some lost their husbands by their fathers swords and some lost both by the hand of each other For it was no small war that Rome at that time waged It came to the besieging of the citty it selfe and the Romaines were forced to rely vppon the strength of their walls and gates which f being gotten open by a wile and the foe being entred within the wals g euen in the very market-place was there a most wofull and wicked battell struck betwixt the fathers in law and the sons And here were the rauishers coÌ„quered maugre their beards and driuen to flye into their owne houses to the great staine of all their precedent though badly and bloudily gotten h conquests for here Romulus him-selfe dispairing of his soldiors valors i praid vnto Iupiter to make them stand and k here-vpon got Iupiter his sur-name of Stator l Nor would these butcheries haue euer beene brought vnto any end but that the silly rauished women came running forth with torne and disheueled haire and falling at their parents feete with passionate intreaties insteed of hostile armes appeased their iustly inraged valors And then was Romulus that could not indure to share with his brother compelled to diuide his Kingdom with Tatius the King of the Sabines but m how long would he away with him that misliked the fellowship of his owne twin-borne brother So Tatius being slaine he to become the greater Deity tooke possession of the whole kingdome O what rights of mariage were these what firebrands of war what leagues of brother-hood affinity vnion or Deity And ah what n liues the cittizens lastly led vnder so huge a bed-roll of gods Guardians You see what copious matter this place affordeth but that our intention bids vs remember what is to follow and falles on discourse to other particulars L. VIVES FAther in law a Caesar Iulia the only daughter of C. Caesar was married vnto Cn. Pompeius the great Shee died in child-bed whilst her father warred in France And after that he and his sonne in law waged ciuils wars one against another b Emathian That which is called Macedonia now was called once Emathia Plin. lib. 4. There did Pompey and Caesar fight a set field c And knew not Ouid Fastor 3. hath these wordes of the Sabine women when the Romaines battell and theirs were to ioine Mars speaketh Conueniunt nuptae dictam Iunonis in aedem Quas inter mea sic est nurus ausa loqui O pariter raptae quoniam hoc commune tenemus Non vltra lentae possumus essepiae Stant acies sed vtradij sunt pro parte rogandi Eligite hinc coniunx hinc pater arma tenet Querendum est viduae fieri malitis an orbae c. The wiues in Iunoes church a meeting make Where met my daughter thus them all be spake Poore rauisht soules since all our plights are one Our zeale ha's now no meane to thinke vpon The batails ioine whom shall we pray for rather Choose here a husband fights and there a father Would you be spouselesse wiues or fatherlesse c. e Or perhaps Alecto The 3. furies Alecto Magera Tisiphone are called the daughters of night Acheron Alecto affects yâ— hart with ire hate tumult sedition clamors war slaughters Tâ—… pâ—…es unaâ—…s arâ—…re in prâ—…lia â—…ratres 〈◊〉 â—…is verâ—…re dâ—…s T is thou can make sworne bretheren mortall foes Confounding hate with hate Saith Iuno to Alecto stirring her vp against the Troians Aeneid 7. e Andromache Hectors wife daughter to Tetion King of Thebes in Cilicia Pyrrhus married her after the destruction of Troye f Beeing gotte open Sp. Tarpeius was Lieutenant of the Tower whose daughter Tarpeia Tatius the Sabine King with great promises allured to let in his souldiors when shee went out to fetch water Shee assented vpon condition that shee might haue that which each of his souldiors wore vpon his left arme Tatius agreed and being let in the Soldiours smothered the maide to death with their bucklers for them they wore on their left armes also whereas shee dreamed onely of their golden bracelets which they bore on that arme Plutarch out of Aristides Milesius saith that this happened to the Albanes not to the Sabines In Parallelis But I do rather agree with Liuie Fabius Piso and Cincius of the Latine writers and Dionysius of the Greekes g In the very market place Betweene the Capitoll and Mount Palatine h Conquests Not of the Sabines but of the Ceninensians the Crustumerians and the Attennates i Praid
Cattell dyed also so sore that one would haue thought the worldes vtter vastation was entered And then there was a winter how strangely vnseasonable The snow lying in the Market-place forty daies together in a monstrous depth all Tiber beeing frozen quite ouer If this hadde hapened in our times Lord how it would haue beene scanned vppon And then for that o great pestilence how many thousand tooke it hence which maugre all Aesculapius his druggs lasting till the next yeare they were faine to betake them-selues to the bookes of the Sybils p In which kind of Oracles as Tully saith well in his booke De diuinat the expounders of them are oftener trusted then otherwise gesse they neuer so vnlikely and then it was said that the pestilence raged so because that q many of the Temples were put vnto priuat mens vses Hereby freeing Aesculapius either from great ignorance or negligence But why were these Temples turned vnto priuate habitations without prohibition but onely because they saw they hadde lost too much labour in praying to such a crue of goddes so long and so becomming wiser by degrees had left haunting of those places by little and little and at length abandoned them wholy for the priuate vses of such as would inhabit them For those houses that as then for auoiding of this pestilence were so dilligently repared if they were not afterwards vtterly neglected and so incroched vppon by priuat men as before Varro should bee too blame to say speaking of Temples that many of them were vnknowne But in the meane time this fetch was a pretty excuse for the goddes but no cure at all for the Pestilence L. VIVES A Few a of the greatest The Plebeians either through hate to the Nobles or ambition in them-selues disturbed the common state exceedingly to assure and augment their owne pretending the defence of the peoples freedome notwithstanding in all their courses the Patriots opposed them abstracting from the peoples meanes to share amongst them-selues pretending the defence of the Senates dignity which the state would haue most eminent but indeed they did nothing but contend bandy factions each with other according to his power b deserts Some books put in incesserant but it hurteth the sence c Where then were All this relation of Augustines is out of Liuie read it in him least our repitition becomme both tedious and troublesome d It was scaled Incensum scaled and not incensum fired e SP. Aemilius This must be Melius assuredly by the history f Bed-spreadings It was an old fashion to banket vpon beds But in their appeasiue and sacrifical banquets in the Temples and in the night orgies they made beds in the place for the gods to lye and reuel vpon and this was called Lectisterium Bed-spreading the Citty being sore infected with the plague saith Liuie lib. 5. a few yeares ere it was taken by the Galles the Sybils bookes directed the first Bed-spreading to last eight dayes three beds were fitted one for Apollo and Latona one for Diana and Hercules one for Mercury and Neptune But how this can bee the first Bed-spreading I cannot see seeing that in the secular games that Poplicola Brutus his Collegue ordayned there were three nights Bed-spreadings Valer lib. 2. Censorin de die Natall g Another In yâ— Consulship of C L. Marcellus T. Ualerius was a great question in the Court about poisons because many great men had bene killed by their wiues vsing such meanes h Then grew wars Against the Samnites Galles Tarentines Lucans Brutians and Hetrurians after al which followed Pyrrhus the King of Epirus his warre But now a word or two of the Proletarij the Brood-men here named Seruius Tullus the sixt King of Rome diuided the people into six companies or formes in the first was those that were censured worth C. M. Asses or more but vnder that King the greatest Censure was but C X M. Plin lib. 33. the second contained all of an estate between C. and LXXV Asses the third them vnder L. the fourth them vnder XXXV the fift them vnder XI the last was a Century of men freed from warre-fare Proletarii or Brood-men and Capiti-censi A Brood-man was hee that was rated ML Asses in the Censors booke more or lesse and such were euer forborne from all offices and vses in the Cittie beeing reserued onely to begette children and therefore were stiled Proletarii of Proles brood or ofspring The Capite Censi were poorer and valued but at CCCLXXV asses Who because they were not censured by their states were counted by the poll as augmenting the number of the Cittizens These two last sorts did Seru. Tullius exempt from all seruice in warre not that they were vnfit them-selues or hadde not pledges to leaue for their fealty but because they could not beare the charges of warre for the soldiers in those daies maintained them-selues It may be this old custome remained after the institution of tribute and the people of Rome thought it not fitte that such men should go to warre because that they accounted all by the purse This reason is giuen by Valerius and Gellius But these Brood-men were diuers times ledde forth to the wars afterward mary the Capite Censi neuer vntill Marius his time and the warre of Iugurthe Salust Valer. Quintillian also toucheth this In milite mariano And here-vppon Marius their Generall was called Capite Census i Pyrrhus Descended by his mother from Achilles by his father from Hercules by both from Ioue This man dreaming on the worlds Monarchy went with speed at the Tarentines intreaty against the Romaines hence hoping to subdue Italie and then the whole world as Alexander had done a while before him k Who asking Cicero de diuinat lib. 2 saith that it is a verse in Ennius Aio and as in the text Which the Poet affirmeth that the Oracle returned as answer to Pyrrhus in his inquiry hereof Whence Tully writeth thus But now to thee Apollo thou that sittest vpon the earths nauell from whence this cruel and superstitious voice first brake Chrysippus fill'd a booke with thine Oracles but partly fained I thinke and partly casuall as is often seene in ordinary discourses and partly equiuocall that the interpreter shall need an interpreter and the lotte must abide the try all by lotte and partly doutful requiring the skil of Logike Thus farre he seeming to taxe Poets verse with falshood Pyrrhus is called Aeacides for Achilles was son to Peleus and Peleus vnto Aacus Virgill ipsumque Aeacidem c. meaning Pyrrhus l Pyrrhus was conqueror Pyrrhus at Heraclea ouerthrew Valerius Consull but got a bloudy victory whence the Heraclean victory grew to a prouerb but after Sulpitius and Decius foyled him and Curius Dentatus at length ouerthrew him and chased him out of Italy m And in this This is out of Orosius lib. 4. hapning in the Consulship of Gurges and Genutiuâ—… in Pyrrhus his warre n Prince of
rest should be intirely hers now let vs looke in to the reasons why that God that can giue those earthly goods aswel to the good as the euill and consequently to such as are not happy should vouchsafe the Romaine empire so large a dilatation and so long a contiunance for we haue already partly proued and hereafter in conuenient place will proue more fully that it was not their rable of false gods that kept it in the state it was in wherefore the cause of this was neither a Fortune nor Fate as they call them holding Fortune to be an euent of things beyond al reason and cause and Fate an euent from some necessity of order excluding the will of god and man But the god of Heauen by his onely prouidence disposeth of the kingdomes of Earth which if any man will say is swayd by fate and meane by that fate b the will of God he may hold his opinion still but yet he must amend his phrase of speach for why did hee not learne this of him that taught him what fate was The ordinary custome of this hath made men imagine fate to bee c a power of the starres so or so placed in natiuities or conceptions which d some do seperate from the determination of God and other some do affirme to depend wholy therevpon But those that hold that the starres do manage our actions or our passions good or ill without gods appointment are to be silenced and not to be heard be they of the true religion or bee they bondslaues to Idolatry of what sort soeuer for what doth this opinion but flattly exclude alll deity Against this error we professe not any disputation but onely against those that calumniat Christian religion in defence of their imaginary goddes As for those that make these operations of the starres in good or bad to depend vpon Gods will if they say that they haue this power giuen them from him to vse according to their owne wills they do Heauen much wronge in imagining that any wicked acts or iniuries are decreed in so glorious a senate and such as if any earthly city had but instituted the whole generation of man would haue conspired the subuersion of it And what part hath GOD left him in this disposing of humaine affaires if they be swayed by a necessity from the starres whereas he is Lord both of starres and men If they do not say that the starres are causes of these wicked arts through a power that god hath giuen them but that they effect them by his expresse commaund is this fit to be imagined for true of God that is vnworthy to be held true of the starres e But if the starres bee said to portend this onely And not to procure it and that their positions be but signes not causes of such effects for so hold many great schollers though the Astrologians vse not to say f Mars in such an house signifieth this or that no but maketh the child-borne an homicide to g grant them this error of speech which they must learâ—…e to reforme of the Philosophers in all their presages deriued from the starres positions how commeth it to passe that they could neuer shew the reason of that diuersity of life actions fortune profession arte honour and such humaine accidentes that hath befallne two twinnes nor of such a great difference both in those afore-said courses and in their death that in this case many strangers haue come nearer them in their courses of life then the one hath done the other beeing notwithstanding borne both within a little space of time the one of the other and conceiued both in one instant and from one acte of generation L. VIVES FOrtune a Nor fate Seeing Augustine disputeth at large in this place concerning fate will diue a littlle deeper into the diuersity of olde opinions herein to make the â—…est more plaine Plato affirmed there was one GOD the Prince and Father of all the rest at whose becke all the gods and the whole world were obedient that al the other gods celestial vertues were but ministers to this Creator of the vniuerse and that they gouerned the whole world in places and orders by his appointment that the lawes of this great God were vnalterable and ineuitable and called by the name of Necessities No force arte or reason can stoppe oâ—… hinder any of their effectes whereof the prouerbe ariseth The gods themselues must serue necessity But for the starres some of their effects may be auoided by wisdome labour or industry wherein fortune consisteth which if they followed certaine causes and were vnchangeable should bee called fate and yet inferre no necessity of election For it is in our powre to choose beginne or wish what wee will but hauing begunne fate manageth the rest that followeth It was free for Laius saith Euripides to haue begotten a sonne or not but hauing begotten him then Apollo's Oracle must haue the euents prooue true which it presaged Thâ—… and much more doth Plato dispute obscurely vpon in his last de repub For there hee puttes the three fatall sisters Necessities daughters in heauen and saith that Lachesis telleth the soules that are to come to liue on earth that the deuill shall not possesse them but they shal rather possesse the deuill But the blame lieth wholy vpon the choise if the choise bee naught GOD is acquit of all blame and then Lachesis casteth the lottes Epicurus derideth all this and affirmes all to bee casuall without any cause at all why it should bee thus or thus or if there bee any causes they are as easie to bee auoided as a mothe is to bee swept by The Platonists place Fortune in things ambiguous and such as may fall out diuersely also in obscure things whose true causes why they are so oâ—… otherwise are vnknowne so that Fortune dealeth not in things that follow their efficient cause but either such as may bee changed or are vndiscouered Now Aristotle Phys. 2. and all the Peripatetikes after him Alex. Aphrodisiensis beeing one is more plaine Those things saith hee are casuall whose acte is not premeditated by any agent as if any man digge his ground vppe to make it fatte finde a deale of treasure hidden this is Fortune for hee came not to digge for that treasure but to fatten his earth and in this the casuall euent followed the not casuáll intent So in things of fortune the agent intendeth not the end that they obtaine but it falleth out beyond expectation The vulgar call fortune blinde rash vncertaine madde and brutish as Pacuuius saith and ioyne Fate and Necessity together holding it to haue 〈◊〉 powre both ouer all the other gods and Ioue their King himselfe Which is verified by the Poet that said What must bee passeth Ioue to hold from beeing Quod fore paratum 〈◊〉 id summum exuperat Iouem For in Homer Ioue lamenteth that hee could not saue his sonne
for the thing it selfe and a flaggon a set in Libers 〈◊〉 to signifie wine taking the continent for the contained so by that huâ—… shape the reasonable soule in the like included might bee expressed of 〈◊〉 â—…ure they say that God or the gods are These are the mysticall doctrines 〈◊〉 â—…is sharpe witt went deepe into and so deliuered But tell mee thou accâ—…n hast thou lost that iudgement in these mysteries that made thee say that they that first made Images freed the Cittie from all awe and added error to error and that the old Romaines serued the gods in better order without any statues at all They were thy authors for that thou spokest against their successors For had they had statues also perhaps feare would haue made thee haue suppressed thy opinion of abolishing Images and haue made thee haue sought further for these vaine Mythologies and figments for thy soule so learned and so ingenious which we much bewaile in thee by being so ingratefull to that God by whom not with whom it was made nor was a part of him but a thing made by him who is not the life of all things but all lifes maker could neuer come to his knowledge by these mysteries But of what nature and worth they are let vs see Meane time this learned man affirmeth the worlds soule intirely to bee truly God so that all his Theologie being naturall extendeth it selfe euen to the nature of the reasonable soule Of this naturall kinde hee speaketh briefly in his booke whence we haue this wherein wee must see whether all his mysticall wrestings can bring the naturall to the ciuill of which he discourseth in his last booke of the select Gods if he can all shall be naturall And then what need hee bee so carefull in their distinction But if they be rightly diuided seeing that the naturall that he liketh so of is not true for hee comes but to the soule not to God that made the soule how much more is the ciuill kinde vntrue and subiect that is all corporall and conuersant about the body as his owne interpretations being dilligently called out shall by my rehearsall make most apparent L. VIVES FLaggon a Oenophorum of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wine and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to carry Iuuenall vseth the word Sat. 6. and Apuleius Asin. l. 2. 8. and Martiall Pliny saith it was a worke of the rare painter Praxitales but he meanes a boy bearing wine Beroaldus out of this place gathereth that they vsed to set a flaggon of wine in Bacchus temple It is more then hee can gather hence though it may be there was such an vse Of Varro his opinion that God was the soule of the world and yet had many soules vnder him in his parts all which were of the diuine nature CHAP. 6. THe same Varro speaking further of this Physicall Theology a saith that he holds God to be the soule of the world which the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and b that this world is God But as a whole man body and soule is called wise of the soule onely so is the world called God in respect of the soule onely being both soule and body Here seemingly he confesseth one God but it is to bring in more for so he diuides the world into heauen and earth heauen into the ayre and the skie earth into land and water all which foure parts he filles with soules the skye c highest the ayre next then the water and then the earth the soules of the first two hee maketh immortall the latter mortall The space betweene the highest heauen and the Moone hee fills with soules ethereall and starres affirming that they both are and seeme celestiall Gods d Betweene the Moone and the toppes of the windes he bestoweth ayry soules but inuisible saue to the minde calling them Heroes Lares and Genij This he briefly recordeth in his prologue to his naturall Theologie which pleased not him alone but many Philosophers more whereof with Gods helpe we will discourse at full when wee handle the ciuill Theologie as it respecteth the select gods L. VIVES THeology a saith The Platonists Stoiks Pythagorians and the Ionikes before them all held God to bee a soule but diuersly Plato gaue the world a soule and made them conioyned god But his other god his Mens he puts before this later as father to him The Stoikes and hee agree that agree at all Thales and Democritus held the worlds soule the highest god b That this Plato the Stoikes and many Phylosophers held this c Skie the highest Aristotle puts the fire aboue the ayre and the heauen the Platonists held the heauen to be fiery and therefore called Aether And that the ayre next it was a hurtlesse fire kindled by it This many say that Plato heldâ—… following Pythagoras who made the vniuersall globe of 4. bodies But Uarro heere maketh ayre to be next heauen as the Stoikes did especially and others also Though the Platoâ—… and they differ not much nor the Peripatetiques if they speak as they meane and be rightly vnderstood But aether is the aire as well as the skie and fire as caelum is in latine Virgil. Illa leuem fugiens raptim secat aethera pennis With swift-wing'd speede she cuts the yeelding aire a 〈◊〉 the moone The first region of the Ayre Aristotle in his Physicks ending at the toppe of the cloudes the second contayning the cloudes thunder rayne hayle and snowâ—… the 〈◊〉 from thence to the Element of fire Whether it stand with reason that Ianus and Terminus should bee two godees CHAP. 7. I 〈◊〉 therfore whome I begun with what is he The a world Why this is a plaine and brief answer but why hath b he the rule and beginnings then and another one Terminus of the ends For therfore they haue two c months dedicated to them Ianuary to Ianus and February to Terminus And so the d Terminaâ—… then kept when the e purgatory sacrifice called f Februm was also kept 〈◊〉 the moneth hath the name Doth then the beginning of things belong to the â—…ld to Ianus and not the end but vnto another Is not al things beginning 〈◊〉 world to haue their end also therein What fondnesse is this to giue him 〈◊〉 â—…se a power and yet a double face were it not better g to call that double-faced statue both Ianus and Terminus and to giue the beginnings one face and the 〈◊〉 another because he that doth an act must respect both For in all actions 〈◊〉 that regardeth not the beginning fore-seeth not the end So that a respectiue memory and a memoratiue prouidence must of force go together But if they imagine that blessednes of life is but begun and not ended in this world and that therefore the world Ianus is to haue but power of the beginnings why then they should put Terminus amongst the selected gods before him For though they were both imploied about one subiect yet Terminus should haue
Terminus is already heard But the causes that Ioue swayeth are not effects but efficients nor can the facts begun or ended be before them for the agent is alwayes before the acte Wherefore let Ianus haue sway in beginnings of acts Ioue yet hath dominion in things before his For nothing is either ended or begun without a precedent efficient cause Now as for this great natures maister and cause-disposing God if the vulgar call him Ioue and adore him with such horrible imputations of villanie as they doe they had better and with lesse sacriledge beleeue no God at all They had better call any one Ioue that were worthy of these horred and hatefull horrors or set a stocke before them and call it Ioue with intent to blaspheme him as Saturne had a stone laide him to deuoure in his sonnes stead then to call him both thunderer and letcher the worlds ruler and the womens rauisher the giuer of all good causes to nature and the receiuer of all bad in himselfe Againe if Iaâ—…s bee the world I aske where Ioues seate is is our author hath said that the true Gods are but parts of the worlds soule and the soule it selfe well then hee that is not such is no true God How then Is Ioue the worlds soule and Ianus the body this visible world If it be so Ianus is no god for the worlds body is none but the soule and his parts onely witnesse them-selues So Varro saith plainly hee holds that God is the worlds soule and this soule is god But as a wise man hath body and soule and yet his name of â—…ise is onely in respect of his soule So the world hath soule and body yet is called God onely in reference to the soule So then the worlds body alone is no god but the soule either seperate or combined with the body yet so that the god-head rest onely in it selfe if Iâ—… then be the world and a god how can Ioue be a part of Ianus onely and yet so great a god for they giue more to Ioue then Ianus Iouis omnia plena all is full of Ioâ—…e say they Therefore if Ioue be a god the king of gods they cannot make any but him to bee the world because hee must reigne ouer the rest as ouer his owne parts To this purpose Varro in his booke of the worship of the gods which he published seuerall from these other set downe a distich of Valerius c Sorâ—…nus his making it is this Iupiter omnipotens regum rex ipse deusque Progenitor genitrixque deum deus vâ—…us omnis High Ioue Kings King and Parent Generall To all the gods God onely and God all These verses Varro expâ—…undeth and calling the giuer of seed the male and the receiuer the female accounted Ioue the world that both giueth all seed it selfe and receiueth it into it selfe And therefore Soranus saith hee called Ioue Progenitor genitrixque father and mother Full Parent generall to all c. and by the same reason is it that he was called one and the same all for the f world is one and all things are in that one L. VIVES IOue a or Iupiter For they are both declinable nominatiues Genetiuo Iouis and Iupâ—…ris though wee vse the nominatiue onely of the later and the other cases of the first as the Greekes doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b Uirgils Georgic 2. calling the inuestigators of causes happy as the Philosophers did of the Peripatetiques and Academikes Arist. Ethic. 10. Cicero de finib 5. c Soranus Mentioned by Cicero de Oratore 1. Plin. lib. 3. Solin Polihist Plut. Probl. Macrob. Saturn Seru. in Georg. 1. Hee was a learned Latine counted the best scholler of the Gowned professors Cic. de orat 1. Varro was so held also but Soranus before him as Ennius the best Poet before Uirgill Hee had honors at Rome and the tribuneship for one and because hee spoake the secret name of Rome which no man might vtter hee lost his life Pliâ—… Solin Macrob. and Plutarch though in Pompeyes life Plutarch saith that Q. Valeriâ—… the Philosopher which most vnderstood to be Soranus was put to death by Pompey But this is but at the second hand saith he from Oppius let vs beware how wee trust a friend to Caesar in a storiâ—… of Pompey Some say hee died suddenly Others that hee was crucified Seru. d Iupiter The old copies read Iupiter omnipotens regum rerumque deumque for the first verse e Gâ—…uer of seede Orph. Hymn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. God as a man begets as woman breedes f World is So held all the best Philosophers against Anaximander Anaximenes Aristarchus Xenophanâ—…s Diogenes Leucippus Democritus and Epicurus all which held many worlds Whether Ianus and Ioue be rightly distinguished or no. CHAP. 10. WHerefore Ianus being the world and Ioue the world also and yet the world but one why then are not Ianus and Ioue one Why haue the seuerall Temples seuerall altars rites and statues all seuerall Because the originall is one thing and the cause another and therefore their names and natures are distinct herein Why how can this bee If one man haue two authorities or two sciences because they are distinct is he therefore two officers or two tradesmen So then if one GOD haue two powers ouer causes and ouer originalls must hee needs therefore be two Gods because they are two things If this may bee faith then let Ioue be as many gods as he hath surnames for his seuerall authorities for all his powers whence they are deriued are truly distinct let vs looke in a few of them and see if this be not true Of Ioues surnames referred all vnto him as one god not as to many CHAP. 11. THey called him a Victor Inâ—…incible Helper Impulsor Stator b Hundred footeâ—… the Râ—…fter c the Nourisher Ruminus and inunmerable other names too long d to rehearse All the names they gaue one God for diuers respect and powers yet did they not make him a god for each peculiar because he conquered was vnconquered helped the needy had power to inforce to stay to establish to ouerturne because he bore vp the world like a e rafter because he nourished all and as it were gaue all the world suck Marke these powers conferred with the epithites Some are of worth some idle yet one gods worke they are f all as they say I thinke there is more neerenesse of nature betweene the causes and the beginnings of things for which they make one world two gods Ianus and Ioue who they say both contayneth all and yet giueth creatures sucke yet for these two works of such different qualities is not Ioue compelled to become two gods but playeth the one part as he is Tigillus The Rafter and the other as he in Ruminus the Dugg-bearer I will not say that it were fitter for Iuno to suckle the words creatures then Iupiter especially hauing power to make a
extracted as Eusebius saith both out of Sanchoniato proueth also by argument De praeparat Euang. lib. 1. As Augustine doth also here b The mooâ—… also Mac. Sat. 1. alledging Philochorus in Atis that Uenus is the Moone and that men in womens apparell sacrificed to her and women in mens because she was held both Thou heauenly Venus saith Apuleius to the Moone that caused all copulation in the beginning propagating humane original thou art now adored in the sacred oratory of Paphos Transform lib. 11. c Golden apple The goddesses contention about the golden apple is plainer then that it needs my rehersall of Lucifer Pliny saith thus Vnder the Sun is the bright star Venus moouing diurnally and planetarily called both Uenus and Luna in the morning being Sols harbinger she is called Lucifer as the pety-sun and light-giuer of the day at night following the sun she is stiled Uesper as the light continuer and the moones vice-gerent lib. 2. Pithagoras first of all found her nature magnitude and motion Olympiad 4â—… about the yeare of Rome 142. shee is bigger then all the other starres and so cleare that some-times her beames make a shadowe That maketh her haue such variety of names as Iuno Isis Berecynthia c. d In his Kingdome Whence he was driuen by his son Ioue as also from the Capitol that before was called Saturnia vntill it was dedicated to Iupiter Capitolinus e Ioue Vsing Iouis the Latine nominatiue as Tully doth in 6. De republ that happy starre called Ioue f Highest The Zodiake in the 8. Sphere so called of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a creature euery signe whereof conteyneth diuers bright starres g Certaine motion Perpetually and diurnally once about from East to West in 24. houres making night and day and euer keeping place whereas the Planets are now ioyned now opposite now swift now retrograde which change gaue them the greeke name Planet of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 error though they keepe a certaine motion neuerthelesse yet seemingly they erre and wander through their alteration in motion which the Zodiake neuer alters as situate in the 8. Sphere called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of Apollo Diana and other select gods called parts of the world CHAP. 16. ANd though they make a Apollo a b wizard a c phisitian yet to making him a part of the world they say he is the Sunne Diana his sister is the Moone and d goddesse of iourneyes So is shee e a Virgin also vntouched and they both beare shafts f because these 2. stars only do send to the earth Vulcan they say is the worlds fire Neptune the water father Dis the earths foundation and depth Bacchus and Ceres seed-gods he to the masculine shee of the feminine or hee of the moysture and shee of the dry part of the seede All this now hath reference to the world to Ioue who is called the full parent generall because hee both begets and brings forth all things seminall And Ceres the great mother her they make the earth and Iuno besides Thus the second cause of things are in her power though Ioue be called the full parent as they affirme him to bee all the world And Minerua because they had made her the artes goddesse and had neuer a starre for her they made her also the sky or g the Moone Vesta they accounted the chiefe of all the goddesses being taken for the earth and yet gaue her the protection of the h worlds fire more light and not so violent as that of Vulcans was And thus by all these select gods they intend but the world in some totall and in others partiall to all as Ioue is partiall as Genius the great mother Soll and Luna or rather Apollo and Diana sometimes one god stands for many things and sometimes one thing presents many gods the first is true in Iupiter hee is all the world hee but onely i Heauen and hee is onely a starre in Heauen So is Iuno goddesse of all second causes yet onely the ayre and yet the earth though shee might k get the starre from Venus So is Minerua the highest sky and the Moone in the lowest sky as they hold The second is true in the world which is both Ioue and Ianus and in the earth which is both Iuno the Great mother and Ceres L. VIVES APollo a Tully de dat deor lib. 3. makes 4. Apollos and 3. Dianas The 3. Apollo and the 2. Diana were the children of Ioue and Latona b Wizard Commonly affirmed in all authors of this subiect Greeke and Latine Plato saith the Thessalonians called him not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simple because of his diuination wherein was required 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truth and simplicity which are all one In Cratilo Glaucus taught him his diuination he that was afterward made a Sea-god and called Melicerta Nicand in Aâ—…tolicis c Phisitian Macrob. Satur. They counted the vestalls thus Apollo phisitiâ—…n Apollo Paean c. He proues him to bee Aesculapius that is a strength of health a rising soly from the substance of animated creatures Much of Apollo yea may read in the said place d Goddesse of Her statues were cut all youthfull because that age beareth trauell lest Festus lib. 9. for Diana was held a goddesse of waies and iournies shee ruled also mountaines and groues and vsed the â—…hes often in her hunting as shal bee shewed hereafter e Virgin So it is reported that it was not lawfull for men to come in her temple at Rome because one rauished a woman there once that came to salute the goddesse and the dogs tare him in peeces immediatly Plato calleth her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. because of the integrity and modesty that she professed in her loue of virginity or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. because she hath the copulation of man and woman Though the fables go that shee lay with Endymyon and that Pan Mercuries sonne gaue her a white sheepe for 〈◊〉 Uirg 3. Georg. Munere sic niueo lanae si credere digum est Pandeus Archadiae captam te Luna fefellit In Nemora alta vocans nec tu aspernata vocaâ—…tem es c. Arcadian Pans white fleece t is said so blinded Thine eyes faire Phaebe he being breefely minded Call'd the thou yeeldest and to the thicke you went c. f Shaftes Apollo beareth those that hee killed the serpent Python withall and therefore Homer calleth him oftentimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is far-darting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is shooting high and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eternall archer Now Diana vowed a perpetuall virgine haunteth the woods and hills hunting as Virgill describeth Uenus when Aeneas saw her buskind and tucked round and a quiuer at her backe as ready for the pursute These shaftes are nothing all say but the beames of those starres as Lactantius saith of the Sonne Armatus radiis elementa liquentia lustrans Armed with raies he vewes
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
opinion of Idolatry and how hee might come to know thâ—… the Aegiptian superstitions were to be abrogated 24. How Hermes openly confessed his progenitors error and yet bewailed the destruction of it 25. Of such things as may bee common in Angells and Men. 26. That all paganisme was fully contaiâ—…d in dead men 27. Of the honor that Christians giue to â—…he Martirs FINIS THE EIGHTH BOOKE OF THE CITTIE OF GOD. Written by Saint Augustine Bishop of Hippo vnto Marcellinus Of the questions of naturall Theologie to bee handled with the most excellent Philosophers CHAP. 1. NOw had wee need to call our wittes together in farre more exacte manner then we vsed in our precedent discourses for now wee are to haue to doe with the Theology called naturall nor deale wee against each fellow for this is neither the ciuill nor stage-theology the one of which recordes the gods filthy crimes and the other their more filthy desires and both shew â—…lls and not gods but against Philosophers whose very name a truely iâ—…ed professeth a loue of wisdome Now if GOD b bee wisdome as 〈◊〉 scripture testifieth then a true Philosopher is a louer of GOD. But 〈◊〉 the thing thus called is not in all men that boast of that name for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are called Philosophers are not louers of the true wisdome we must 〈◊〉 as wee know how they stand affected by their writings and with â—…te of this question in due fashion I vndertake not here to refute all â—…ophers assertions that concerne other matters but such onely as perâ—… Theology which e word in greeke signifieth speech of diuinity 〈◊〉 that kinde either but onely such as holding a deity respecting matâ—…â—…iall yet affirme that the adoration of one vnchangeable GOD sufâ—… vnto eternall life but that many such are made and ordained by him 〈◊〉 â—…red also for this respect For these doe surpasse Varro his opinion in 〈◊〉 at the truth for hee could carry his naturall Theology no farther 〈◊〉 world and the worldes soule but these beyond all nature liuing acâ—… a GOD creator not only of this visible world vsually called Heauen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but of euery liuing soule also and one that doth make the reasonâ—… blessed by the perticipation of his incorporeall and vnchangeable 〈◊〉 that these Philosophers were called Platonists of their first founder Plato 〈◊〉 that none that hath heard of these opinions but knoweth L. VIVES Vâ—…y a name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wisdomes loue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wisdomes louer whose contrary is 〈◊〉 opposition to wisdome as Speusippus saith b Bee wisdome Wisdome the 7. Pâ—…o the Hebrewes chapter 1. Doe call the sonne the wisdome of the father by which hee â—…de the world c. The thing Lactantius holds this point strongly against the Philosophers 〈◊〉 â—…eins hath an elegant saying I hate saith hee the men that are idle indeede and Phiâ—…all in word But many haue handled this theme d All that A different reading all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pâ—…rpose e Word in greekâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speech or discourse or reason concerning GOD 〈◊〉 is all these Of the two kinds of Philosophers Italian and Ionian and of their authors CHAP. 2. VVHerefore concerning this Plato as much as shall concerne our purpose I will speake in briefe with a remembrance of such as before him held the same positions The greeke monuments a language the most famous of all the nations doe record a two kinds of Philosophers th' Italian b out of that part of Italy which was whilom called Magna Grecia and the c Ionian in the country now called Greece The Italian had their originall from d Pythagoras of Samos e who also was the first author they say of the name of Philosophers For whereas they were before called wise men that professed a reformed course of life aboue the rest hee beeing asked what hee professed answered hee was a Philosopher that is a louer and a longer after wisdome but to call himselfe a wise man hee held a part of too great arrogance But the Ionikes were they whose chieÌ„fe was f Thales Milesius g one of the seauen Sages But the h other sixe were distinguished by their seuerall courses of life and the rules they gaue for order of life But Thales to propagate his doctrine to succession searched into the secrets of nature and committing his positions vnto monuments and letters grew famous but most admired hee was because hee got the knowledge of k Astrologicall computations and was able to prognosticate the eclipses of Sunne and Moone yet did hee thinke that all the world was made of l water that it was the beginning of all the elements and all thereof composed m Nor did hee teach that this faire admired vniuerse was gouerned by any diuine or mentall power After him came n Anaximander his scholler but hee changed his opinion concerning the natures of things holding that the whole world was not created of one thing as Thales held of water but that euery thing had originall from his proper beginnings which singular beginnings hee held to be infinite that infinit worlds were thereby gotten all which had their successiue original continuance and end o nor did he mention any diuine minde as rector of any part hereof This man left p Anaximenes his scholler and successor who held all things to haue their causes from the q infinite ayre but hee professed their was gods yet made them creatures of the ayre not creators thereof But r Anaxagoras his scholler first held the diuine minde to bee the efficient cause of all things visible out of an infinite matter consisting of s vnlike partes in themselues and that euery kinde of thing was produced according to the Species but all by the worke of the diuine essence And t Diogenes another of Anaximenes his followers held that the u ayre was the substance producing all things but that it was ayded by the diuine essence without which of it selfe it could doe nothing To Anaxagoras succeeded x Archelaus and y hee also held all things to consist of this dissimilitude of partes yet so as there was a diuine essence wrought in them by dispersing and compacting of this z consonance and dissonance This mans scholler was a Socrates Plato his Maister for whose sake I haue made this short recapitulation of these other L. VIVES TWo a kindes The sects of Philosophers at first were so great in Greece that they were distinguished by the names of the Seigniories they liued in One of Italy the country where Phythagoras the first Maister of one opinion taught another of Ionia Thales his natiue soile wherein Miletum standeth called also saith Mela Ionia because it was the chiefe Citty of that country So did Plato and Aristotle distinguish such as were of more antiquity then these b Out of that part At Locris saith Pliny beginneth the coast of that part of Italy called Magna Grecia it is extended into three bares and confronteth the Hadriatique sea now
before the time that is the iudgement wherein they and all men their sectaries are to bee cast into eternall torments as that l truth saith that neither deceiueth nor is deceiued not as hee saith that following the puffes of Philosophy flies here and there mixing truth and falshood greeuing at the ouerthrow of that religion which afterwards hee affirmes is all error L. VIVES HErmes a Of him by and by b His words We haue seene of his bookes greeke and latine This is out of his Asclepius translated by Apuleius c So doth humanity So humanity adapting it selfe to the nature and originall saith Hermes his booke d Trust So hath Hermes it Bruges copy hath Mistrust not your selfe e Beyond Apuleius and the Coleâ—…ne copy haue it both in this maner onely Mirth the Coleynists haue more then he f For Hermes I would haue cited some of his places but his bookes are common and so it is needelesse 〈◊〉 It being easier A diuersity of reading but of no moment nor alteration of sence h Of that which Reioycing that Christ is come whom the law and Prophets had promised So Iohn bad his disciples aske art thou he that should come or shall wee looke for an other i Peter This confession is the Churches corner stone neuer decaying to beleeue and affirme THAT IESVS IS CHRIST THE SONNE OF THE LIVING GOD. This is no Philosophicall reuelation no inuention no quirke no worldly wisdome but reuealed by GOD the father of all to such as hee doth loue and vouchsafe it k Because Hee sheweth why the deuills thought that Christ vndid them before the time l Truth Mat. 25. 41. Depart from meâ—… yee cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuill and his angells How Hermes openly confessed his progenitors error and yet bewayled the destruction of it CHAP. 24. FOr after much discourse hee comes againe to speake of the gods men made but of these sufficient saith hee let vs returne againe to man to reason by which diuine guift man hath the name of reasonable For we haue yet spoken no wonderfull thing of man the a wonder of all wonders is that man could fiâ—…e out the diuine nature and giue it effect Wherefore our fathers erring exceedinly in incredulity b concerning the deities and neuer penetrating into the depth of diuine religioÌ„ they inueÌ„ted an art to make gods whervnto they ioyned a vertue out of some part of the worlds nature like to the other and conioyning these two because they could make no soules they framed certaine Images whereinto they called either Angells or deuills and so by these mysteries gaue these Idols power to hurt or helpe them I know not whether the deuills being admited would say asmuch as this man saith Our fathers exceedingly erring saith he in incredulity concerning the deities not penetrating into the depth of diuine religion inuented an arte to make gods Was hee content to say they but erred in this inuention no he addeth Exceedingly thus this exceeding error and incredulity of those that looked not into matters diuine gaue life to this inuention of making gods And yet though it were so though this was but an inuention of error incredulity and irreligiousnes yet this wise man lamenteth that future times should abolish it Marke now whether Gods power compell him to confesse his progenitors error the diuills to bee made the future wrack of the said error If it were their exceeding error incredulity negligence in matters diuine that giue first life to this god-making inuention what wonder if this arte bee detestable and all that it did against the truth cast out from the truth this truth correcting that errour this faith that incredulity this conuersion that neglect If he conceale the cause and yet confesse that rite to be their inuention we if we haue any wit cannot but gather that had they bin in the right way they would neuer haue fallen to that folly had they either thought worthily or meditated seriously of religion yet should wee a ffirme that their great incredulous contemptuous error in the cause of diuinity was the cause of this inuention wee should neuerthelesse stand in need to prepare our selues to endure the impudence of the truths obstinate opponeÌ„ts But since he that admires yâ— power of this art aboue all other things in man and greeues that the time should come wherein al those illusions should claspe with ruine through the power of legall authority since he confesseth the causes that gaue this art first original namely the exceeding error incredulity negligeÌ„ce of his ancestor in matters diuine what should wee doe but thinke GOD hath ouerthrowne these institutions by their iust contrary causes that which errors multitude ordained hath truths tract abolished faith hath subuerted the worke of incredulity and conuersion vnto Gods truth hath suppressed the effects of true Gods neglect not in Egipt only where onely the diabolicall spirit bewaileth but in all the world which heareth a new song sung vnto the Lord as the holy scripture saith Sing vnto the Lord a new song Sing vnto the Lord all the earth for the c title of this Psalme is when the house was built after the captiuity the City of God the Lords house is built that is the holy Church all the earth ouer after captiuity wherein the deuills held those men slaues who after by their faith in God became principall stones in the building for mans making of these gods did not acquit him from beeing slaue to these works of his but by his willing worship he was drawn into their society a society of suttle diuills not of stupid Idols for what are Idols but as the Scripture saith haue eyes and see not all the other properties that may be said of a dead sencelesse Image how well soeuer carued But the vncleane spirits therein by that truly black art bouÌ„d their soules that adored theÌ„ in their society most horrid captiuity therefore saith the Apostle We know that an Idol is nothing in the world But the Gentiles offer to deuilis not vnto God I wil not haue them to haue society with the deuils So then after this captiuity that bound men slaue to the deuils Gods house began to be built through the earth thence had the Psalme the beginning Sing vnto the Lord a new song sing vnto the Lord all the earth Sing vnto the Lord and praise his name d declare his saluation e from day to day Declare his glorie amongst all nations and his wonders amongst all people For the Lord is great and much to be praised hee is to be feared aboue all gods For all the gods of the people are Idols but the Lord made the heauens Hee then that bewailed the abolishment of these Idols in the time to come and of the slauery wherein the deuills held men captiue did it out of an euill spirits inspiration and from that did desire the continuance of that captiuity
which beeing dissanulled the Psalmist sung that gods house was built vp through the earth Hermes presaged it with teares the Prophet with ioy and because that spirit that the Prophet spake by is euer victor Hermes himselfe that bewailed their future ruine and wisht their eternity is by a strange power compelled to confesse their original from error incredulity and contempt of GOD not from prudence faith and deuotion And though he call them gods that in saying yet men did make them and such men as wee should not imitate what doth he despite his heart but teach vs that they are not to be worshiped of such men as are not like theÌ„ that made them namely of those that be wise faithful and religious shewing also that those men that made them bound themselues to adore such gods as were no gods at al. So true is that of the Prophet If a man make gods behold they are no gods Now Hermes in calling those gods that are made by such meanes that is deuills bound in Idols by an arte or rather by their owne elections and affirming them the handy-workes of men giueth them not so much as Apuleius the Platonist doth but wee haue shewne already how grosely and absurdly who maketh them the messengers betweene the gods that God made and the men that hee made also to carry vp praiers and bring downe benefites for it were fondnesse to thinke that a god of mans making could doe more with the gods of Gods making then a man whom he made also could For because a deuill bound in a statue by this damned arte is made a god not to each man but to his binder g such as he is Is not this a sweete god now whome none but an erroneous incredulous irreligious man would goe about to make furthermore if the Temple-deuills beeing bound by arte forsooth in those Idols by them that made them gods at such time as they themselues were wanderers vnbeleeuers and contemners of gods true religion are no messengers betweene the gods and them and if by reason of their damnable conditions those men that do so wander beleeue so little and despise religion so much be neuerthelesse their betters as they must needs bee beeing their godheads makers then remaineth but this that which they doe they doe as deuills onely either doing good for the more mischiefe as most deceitfull or doing open mischiâ—…fe yet neither of these can they doe without the high inscrutable prouidence of God nothing is in their power as they are the gods friends and messenger to and from men for such they are not for the good diuine powers whom wee call the holy angells and the reasonable creature inhabiting heauen whether they be Thrones Dominations Principalities or Powers can hold no frindship at all with these spirits from whom they differ as much in affection as vertue differeth from vice or h malice from goodnesse L. VIVES THE wonder a There also hee calleth man a great miracle a venerable honorable creature b Concerning the Or against the deities c The title The greeke saith A pray â—…g song of Dauid that the house was built after the captiuity Hieromes translation from the Hebrew hath no title and therefore the Greekes call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vntitled d Declare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Annunciate declare tell e From day A Greeke phraise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 f An arte Porphyry saith the gods doe not only afford men their familiar company but shew them what allureth them what bindeth them what they loue which daies to auoide which to obserue and what formes to make them as Hecate shewes in the Oracle saying shee cannot neglect a statue of brasse gold or siluer and shewes further the vse of wormwood a Mouses bloud Mirrh Frankincense and stirax g Such as he An euill man for such an one Hermes describes h Malice Malice is here vsed for all euill as the Greekes vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but Tully saith he had rather interprete 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by vice then by malice for malice is a Species of vice opposite to honest simplicity and mother to all fraude and deceite Of such things as may be common to Angells and Men. CHAP. 25. WHerefore the deuills are no means for man to receiue the gods benefits by or rather good Angells but it is our good wills imitating theirs making vs line in one community with them and in honor of that one God that they honor though we see not them with our earthly eyes that is the meanes to their society and whereas our miserable frailty of will and infirmity of spirit doth effect a difference betweene them and vs therein wee are farre short of them in merit of life not in habite of body It is not our earthly bodily habitation but our vncleane carnall affection that causeth separation between them and vs. But when we are purified we become as they drawing neare them neuerthelesse before by our faith if we beleeue that by their good fauours also he that blessed them will make vs also blessed That all Paganisme was fully contained in dead men CHAP. 26. BVt marke what Hermes in his bewayling of the expulsion of those Idols out of Egipt which had such an erroneous incredulity irreligious institutors faith amongst the restâ—… then saith he that holy seate of temples shall become a sepulcher of dead bodies As if men should not die vnlesse these things were demolished or being dead should be buried any where saue in the earth Truly the more time that passeth the more carcasses shal stil be buried more graues made But this it seemes is his griefe that the memories of our Martires should haue place in their Temples that the mis-vnderstanding reader hereof might imagine that the Pagans worshiped gods in the Temples and wee dead men in their tombes For mens blindnesse doth so carry them head-long against a Mountaines letting them not see till they bee struck that they doe not consider that in all paganisme there cannot bee a god found but hath bin a man but on will they and b honor them as eternally pure from all humanity Let Varro passe that said all that died were held gods infernall c proouing it by the sacrifices done at all burialls d there also he reckneth the e funerall plaies as the greatest token of their diuinity plaies beeing neuer presented but to the gods Hermes him-selfe now mentioned in his deploratiue presage saying Then that holy seate of Temples shall become a sepulcher of dead bodies doth plainly auerre that the Egiptian gods were all dead men for hauing said that his fathers in their exceeding errour incredulity and neglect of religion had found a meane to make gods her evnto saith he they added a vertue out of some part of the worlds nature and conioyning these two because they could make no soules they framed certaine Images into which they called
these deuills thus 〈◊〉 Men ioying a in reason perfect in speach mortall in body immortall in 〈◊〉 â—…onate and vnconstant in minde brutish and fraile in body of discrepant conâ—…â—…d conformed errors of impudent boldnesse of bold hope of indurate labour 〈◊〉 â—…taine fortune perticularly mortâ—…ll generally eternall propagating one anoâ—… of life slowe of wisdome sudden of death and discontented in life these dwell 〈◊〉 In these generals common to many he added one that he knew was false 〈◊〉 b slowe of wisdome which had he omitted hee had neglected to perfect â—…ription For in his description of the gods heâ—… saith that that beatitude 〈◊〉 men doe seeke by wisdome excelleth in them so had hee thought of any 〈◊〉 deuills their definition should haue mentioned it either by shewing them â—…ticipate some of the gods beatitude or of mans wisdome But hee hath no â—…ion betweene them and wretches though hee bee fauourable in discoueâ—…â—…eir maleuolent natures not so much for feare of them as their seruants 〈◊〉 â—…ould read his positions To the wise hee leaues his opinion open inough 〈◊〉 â—…hat theirs should bee both in his seperation of the gods from all temâ—… of affect and therein from the spirits in all but eternitie and in his â—…tion that their mindes were like mens not the gods nay and that not 〈◊〉 wisedome which men may pertake with the gods but in being proue to passions which rule both in the wicked and the witlesse but is ouer ruled by the wise man yet so as hee had c rather want it then conquer it for if hee seeke to make the diuells to communicate with the gods in eternity of mind onely not of body then should hee not exclude man whose soule hee held eternall as well as the rest and therefore hee saith that man is a creature mortall in body and immortall in soule L. VIVES IOying a in reason Or contending by reason Cluentes of Cluo to striue b Slow Happy â—…s hee that getts to true knowledge in his age Plato c Rather want A wise man hath rathâ—… haue no passions of mind but seeing that cannot be he taketh the next course to keepe theâ—… vnder and haue them still in his power Whether the ayry spirits can procure a man the gods friendships CHAP. 9. WHerfore if men by reason of their mortal bodies haue not that participation of eternity with the gods that these spirits by reason of their immortall bodiâ—… haâ—…e what mediators can their be between the gods men that in their best part their soule are worse then men and better in the worst part of a creature the body for all creatures consisting of body and soule haue the a soule for the better part bee it neuer so weake and vicious and the body neuer so firme and perfect because it is of a more excelling nature nor can the corruption oâ—… vice deiect it to the basenesse of the body but like base gold that is dearer thâ—… the best siluer so farre doth it exceed the bodies worth Thus then those ioly mediators or posts from heauen to earth haue eternity of body with the gods and corruption of soule with the mortalls as though that religion that must make god and man to meete were rather corporall then spirituall But what guilt or sentence hath hung vp those iugling intercedents by the heeles and the head downeward that their lower partes their bodies participate with the higher powers and their higher their soules with the lower holding correspondence with the Gods in their seruile part and with mortalls in their principall for the body as Salust saith is the soules slaue at least should bee in the true vse and hee proceeds the one wee haue common with beasts the other with gods speaking of man whose body is as mortall as a beasts Now those whome the Philosophers haue put betweene the gods and vs may say thus also Wee hâ—… body and soule in community with gods and men but then as I said they are bound with their heeles vpward hauing their slauish body common with the gods and their predominant soule common with wretched men their worst part aloft and their best vnderfoote wherefore if any one thinke them eternall with the gods because they neuer die the death with creatures let vs not vnderstand their boâ—… to bee the eternall pallace wherein they are blessed but b the eternall priâ—… wherein they are damned and so he thinketh as he should L. VIVES THâ—… 〈◊〉 a fâ—… For things inherent neuer change their essentiall perfection and I do wondâ—… that 〈◊〉 the Peripatetique schoole of Paris would make any specificall difference of souleâ—… b Dâ—… Not in the future tence for they are damned euersince their fall Ploâ—…ines opinion that men are lesse wretched in their mortality then the diâ—…lls are in their eternity CHAP. 10. IT is said that Plâ—… that liued but a lately vnderstood Plato the best of any Hee seaking of mens soules saith thus b The father out of his mercy bound them 〈◊〉 fâ—…r a season So that in that mens bonds their bodies are mortal he impuâ—… it â—…o God the fathers mercy thereby freeing vs from the eternall tediousâ—… of this life Now the deuills wickednesse is held vnworthy of this fauour 〈◊〉 passiue soules haue eternall prisons not temporall as mens are for they 〈◊〉 happier then men had they mortall bodies with vs and blessed soules with the Gods And mens equalls were they if they had but mortall bodies to their â—…hed soules and then could worke them-selues rest after death by faith and 〈◊〉 But as they are they are not only more vnhappy then man in the wretchednesse of soules but far more in eternity of bondage in their bodies c hee would 〈◊〉 haue men to vnderstand that they could euer come to bee gods by any grace or wisdome seeing that he calleth them eternall diuells L. VIVES Bâ—… a Lately In Probus his time not 200. yeares ere Honâ—…rius his raigne In Plotine 〈◊〉 saith him thought Plato's academy reuiued Indeed hee was the plainest and puâ—… â—…ists that euer was Plato and Plotinus Princes of the Philosophers Macrob. Porphiry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wrot his life and prefixed it vnto Plotines workes b The father Plato said this of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gods in Timaeo but Plotine saith it was the mercy of yâ— father to free maÌ„ from this liues 〈◊〉 his words are these Ioue the father pitying our soules laâ—…s prefixed an expiration 〈◊〉 â—…ds wherein wee labour and granted certaine times for vs to remaine without bodies there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worlds soule râ—…leth eternally out of all this trouble De dub animae c For hee Apuleius 〈◊〉 â—…th that which followeth 〈◊〉 the Platonists that held mens soules to become Daemones after death CHAP. 11. 〈◊〉 saith a also that mens soules are Daemones and become b Lares if their 〈◊〉 be good if euill c Lemures goblins if different d Manes But â—…tious this opinion is to all goodnesse who sees not for be men neuer so â—…ous
the gods and â—…her proper vnto man they must need hold nearer correspondence with gods tâ—… men For if it were otherwise their two attributes should communicate with one vpon either side not with two vpon one side as a man is in the midst beâ—…ne a beast and an Angel a beast beeing vnreasonable and mortall an Angell â—…sonable and immortall a man mortall and reasonable holding the first with a 〈◊〉 the second with an Angell and so stands meane vnder Angels aboue 〈◊〉 Euen so in seeking a mediety betweene immortality blessed and moâ—…lity wretched wee must eyther finde mortality blessed or immortality â—…ched L. VIVES Bâ—… a Gods prouidence So Plato affirmeth often that the great father both created and â—…ed all the world Now hee should doe vniustice in afflicting an innocent with eterâ—…â—…ery for temporall affliction vppon a good man is to a good end that his reward may â—…ee the greater and hee more happy by suffering so much for eternall happynesse Whether mortall men may attaine true happpnesse CHAP. 14. 〈◊〉 great question whether a man may be both mortall and happy some a â—…ering their estate with humility affirmed that in this life man could not â—…y others extolled them-selues and auouched that a wise man was happy 〈◊〉 it bee so why are not they made the meanes betweene the immortally â—…nd the mortally wretched Hold their beatitude of the first and their morâ—… the later Truly if they be blessed they enuy no man For b what is more â—…ed then enuy And therefore they shall do their best in giuing wretched 〈◊〉 good councell to beatitude that they may become immortall after death 〈◊〉 ioyned in fellowship with the eternall blessed Angels L. VIVES Sâ—… a considering Solon of Athens held none could be happy til death Plato excepted a 〈◊〉 But Solon grounded vpon the vncertaine fate of man For who could say Pryam was 〈◊〉 before the warre being to suffer the misery of a tenne yeares siege Or Craesus in all â—…h being to be brought by Cyrus to bee burnt at a stake Now Plato respected the â—…ty of attayning that diuine knowledge in this life which makes vs blessed b VVhat 〈◊〉 is all the good that enuy hath that it afflicteth those extreamely that vse it most as 〈◊〉 â—…eeke author saith Of the Mediator of god and man the man Christ Iesus CHAP. 15. 〈◊〉 if that bee true which is farre more probable that all men of necessity 〈◊〉 bee a miserable whilest they are mortall then must a meane be found 〈◊〉 is God as well as man who by the mediation of his blessed mortality may 〈◊〉 vs out of this mortall misery vnto that immortall happynesse And 〈◊〉 meane must bee borne mortall but not continue so He became mortall not by any weakening of his Deity but by taking on him this our fraile flesh he remained not mortall because hee raized him-selfe vp from death for the fruit of his mediation is to free those whom he is mediator for from the eternall death of the flesh So then it was necessary for the mediator betweene God and vs to haue a temporall mortality and an eternall beatitude to haue correspondence with mortals by the first and to transferre them by eternity to the second Wherefore the good Angels cannot haue this place beeing immortall and blessed The euill may as hauing their immortality and our misery And to these is the good mediator opposed beeing mortall for a while and blessed for euer against their immortall misery And so these proud immortals and hurtfull wretches least by the boast of their immortality they should draw men to misery hath hee by his humble death and bountifull beaitude expelled from swaying of all such hearts as he hath pleased to cleanse and illuminate by faith in him what mean the shal a wretched mortall far seperate from the blessed immortals choose to attain their societies The diuels immortality is miserable But Christs mortality hath nothing vndelectable There we had need beware of eternall wretchednesse heere we need not feare the death which cannot be eternal and we cannot but loue the happines which is eternal for the me an that is immortally wretched aimes al at keeping vs froÌ„ immortal beatitude by persisting in the contrary misery but the mean that is mortal blessed intends after our mortality to make vs immortal as he shewewed in his resurrection and of wretches to make vs blessed with he neuer wanted So that ther is an euill meane that seperateth friends and a good that reconciles them of the first sort b is many because the blessednes that the other multitude attaineth comes al froÌ„ participating of one God wherof the miserable multitude of euil Angels being c depriued with rather are opposite to hinder then interposed to further doth al that in it lieth to withdraw vs from that only one way that leadeth to this blessed good namely the word of God not made but the maker of al yet is he no mediator as he is the word for so is hee most blessed and immortal farre from vs miserable men But as he is man therein making it plaine that to the attainment of this blessed and blessing good we must vse no other mediators wherby to work God him-selfe blessed and blessing al hauing graced our humanity with participation of his deity for when hee freeth vs from misery and mortality he doth not make vs happy by participation of blessed Angels but of yâ— trinity in whose participation the Angels themselues ar blessed and therfore d when he was below the Angels in forme of a seruant then we also aboue them in forme of a god being the same way of life below and life it selfe aboue L. VIVES BE a miserable Homer cals men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is miserable and so do the Latines b Is many Vertue is simple and singular nor is there many waies to it Vice is confused and infinite paths there are vnto it Arist. Ethic. So the diuels haue many wayes to draw a man from God but the Angels but one to draw him vnto him by Christ the Mediator c Depriued As darkenesse is the priuation of light so is misery of beatitude But not contrarywise d When he was Plin. 2. Who being in the forme GOD thought it no robbâ—… to be equall with GOD but made him-selfe of no reputation and took on him the forme of a seruant These are Pauls wordes proouing that though CHRIST were most like to his father yet neuer professed him-selfe his equall here vppon earth unto vs that respected but his manhood Though hee might lawfully haue done it But the LORD of 〈◊〉 puâ—…te on him the forme of a seruant and the high GOD debased him-selfe into one degree with vs that by his likenes to ours he might bring vs to the knowledge of his power essence and so estate vs in eternity before his father and that his humanity might so inuite vs that his
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we translate seruice but with 〈◊〉 it onely to God their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we turne it Religion but still with a â—…ence to God their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee haue no one word for but wee may 〈◊〉 worship which wee say is due onely to him that is the true God and â—…uants gods Wherefore if there be any blessed immortalls in heaâ—…â—…ther loue vs nor would haue vs blessed them wee must not serue but 〈◊〉 loue vs and wish vs happinesse then truly they wish it vs from the 〈◊〉 they haue it Or shall theirs come from one stocke and ours from 〈◊〉 L. VIVES 〈◊〉 dominations Iamblichus diuides the supernall powers into Angels Archanâ—…s Heroes Principalities and Powers and those hee saith doe appeare in diuerse â—…ions In Myster All the other Platonists make them but gods and Daemones 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to serue but it grew to be vsed for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to worship Suidas But â—…e the seruice of men called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the place hee quoteth is 〈◊〉 c. Ephes. 6. 5. Hence ariseth the dictinction of adoratio Latria Dulia and â—…lla makes Latria and Dulia both one for seruice or bondage and sheweth it 〈◊〉 of Suidas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seruice or bondage is mercenary For an â—…h in Xenophon I would redeeme this woman from slauery or bondage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Cyrus Cyripaed lib. 3. then the wife replied Let him redeeme himselfe from bonâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With his owne life Ibid. The scriptures also vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for to bee seruile 〈◊〉 You shall doe no seruile worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And againe Thou shall make 〈◊〉 to bâ—… slaue to thy Prince 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in Iob a begger is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue the last syllable but one long c Wee worship And so doth holy â—…tion d Things vnder vs Rightly for Colâ—… is to handle or exercise so 〈◊〉 all that wee vse or practise learning armes sports the earth c. It is also to inhabite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such as till hired grounds are called coloni as they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hired houses in citties and husbandmen that till their owne ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…nt forth to inhabit any where are called coloni Therevpon grew the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…olonies to omit the Greekes and Asians The townes that send out the colonies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Metropolitane cities thereof f Tyrii The Tyrianâ—… built Carthage and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Dido Elisa that â—…ed from Pigâ—…lion after the death of Sicheus her husband This 〈◊〉 is as common as a 〈◊〉 g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All one with Latria saith Suidas and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 are all one belonging to the gods For Orpâ—… they say first taught the misteries of religion and because hâ—…e was 〈◊〉 Thracian hee called this duty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else of Threâ—… 〈◊〉 oâ—… word to see h It is refâ—…rred Being taken for piety which is referred to our country pâ—…rents and kiâ—…d i The workes The vulgar call the mercifull godly mercy godlinesse So do the Spaniâ—…ds and French that speake Latine thâ—… 〈◊〉 k Fore and. These two words some copieâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherevpon it is said I will haue mercy and no sacrifice Osâ—… 6. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 None of the learned vse it in that sence indeed The opinion of Plotine the Platonist concerning the supernall illumination CHAP. 2. BVt wee and those great Philosophers haue no conflict about this question for they well saw and many of them plainely wrot that both their beatitude â—…dours had originall from the perticipation of an intellectual light which they â—…nted God and different from themselues this gaue them all their light and by the 〈◊〉 of this they were perfect blessed a in many places doth Plotine ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which we call the soule of this vniuerse hath the beatiâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with vs â—…ly a light which it is not but which made it 〈…〉 it hath al the intelligible splendor This he arâ—… 〈…〉 from the visible celestiall bodies compared with these 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 for b one and the Moone for another for 〈…〉 held to proceed from the reflection of the Sunne So saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the reasonaâ—… or intellectuall soule of whose nature all the 〈…〉 that are contained in Heauen hath no essence aboue it bâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creatâ—…d both it and all the world nor haue those supernall creâ—…tures their 〈◊〉 or vnderstanding of the truth from any other origâ—…ll then ours hath herein truly agreeing with the scripture where it is wriâ—… 〈◊〉 There was a man sent from God whose name was Iohn the same came for a witnesse to beare witnesse of the light that allmen d through him might beleeue e He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the light but 〈◊〉 to beare witnesse of the light That was the true light f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that cometh into the world which difference sheweth that 〈◊〉 â—…sonable soule which was in Iohn could not bee the owne light but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…tion of â—…ther the true light This Iohn him-selfe confessed in his 〈◊〉 where he said Of â—…is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all we receiued L. VIVES 〈…〉 the contemplation of that good father ariseth all beatitude Plâ—… 〈…〉 saith yâ— our soules after their temporal labours shal enioy 〈◊〉 〈…〉 with yâ— soule of the vniuerse b For one For the Prince 〈◊〉 〈…〉 ariseth the Mâ—… for the worlds soule c Ther was A 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 â—…ger from 〈◊〉 consequently Iohn an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he could bring no such newes from any but God d Through him not in him 〈◊〉 for cursed is the man that trusteth in man but in the light by his testimonie yet 〈◊〉 cannot be distinguished to either side e Hee was not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thâ—…ophilact will haue a misterie The Saints are lights You are the light of the Christ. for they are deriued from his light Thence followeth that That was the true 〈◊〉 saith Augustine because that which is lightened ab externo is light also 〈◊〉 true light that enlightneth Or the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may haue relation to the preceâ—…â—…the sence bee Iohn was not that light of which I spake f Which lightneth not that 〈◊〉 â—…ghtned but because none are enlightned but by this light or as Chrysostome 〈◊〉 each man as farre as belongs to him to be lightned If any doe shutte their â—…st the beames the nature of the light doth not cause the darkenesse in them but 〈◊〉 â—…licious depriuing them-selues of such a good other-wise so generally spred 〈◊〉 word g That commeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen allegorizeth vpon it it lightneth 〈◊〉 into the world of vertues not of vices 〈◊〉 worship of God wherein the Platonists failed in worshipping good or
it selfe If you wil I wil proceed if not let it alone Then Glaucus replied that hee should go on with the son and leaue the father till another time So he proceeds to discourse of the birth and sonne of good and after some questions saith that good is as the sun and the son is as the light we haue from the sun And in his Epistle to Hermias he speaketh of such as were sworne to fit studies and the Muses sister lerning by God the guide father of al things past and to come And in his Epinomis hee saith that by that most diuine Word was the world and al therin created This word did so rauish the wise man with diuine loue that he conceiued the meanes of beatitude For many say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant of the Word not of the world and so wee haue vsed it in the eighth book speaking of Plato's opinion of beatitude So that Plato mentions the father and the son expresly mary the third he thought was indeclareable Though hee hold that in the degrees of Diuinity the soule of the world the third proceedeth from the beginning and the begininnings sonne Mens which soule if one would stand for Plato might easily be defended to be that spirit that mooued upon the waters which they seeme to diffuse through the whole masse and to impart life and being to euery particular And this is the Trine in diuinity of which he writeth to Dionysius aenigmatically as him-selfe saith Al thinges are about the King of al and by him haue existence the seconds about the second and yâ— thirds about the third I omit to write what Trismegistus saith Iamblichus from him we are all for the Platonist but I cannot omitte Serapis his answer to Thules the King of Egipt in the Troian wars who inquyring of him who was most blessed had this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. First God and then the sonne and next the spirit All coëternall one in act and merit b The son Porphyry explaning Plato's opinion as Cyril saith against Iultan puts three essences in the Deity 1 God almighty 2. the Creator 3. the soule of the world nor is the deity extended any further Plato he both cal the Creator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fathers intellect with the Poets though obscurely touch at calling Minerua 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borne without a mother the wisedom brought forth out of the fathers brain c Plotine he wâ—…ote a book of the three persons or substances yâ— first hee maketh absolute and father to the second that is also eternall and perfect Hee calleth the father Mens also in another place as Plato doth but the word arose from him For hee sayth De prouâ—…d lib. 2. in the begining all this whole vniuerse was created by the Mens the father and his Worde d Alme religion tyeth vs to haue a care how wee speake herein e Sabellians They said that the person of the father and â—…f the Son was all one because the scripture saith I and the Father am one Of the true onely beginning that purgeth and renueth mans whole nature CHAP. 24. BVt Porphyry beeing slaue to the malicious powers of whome hee was ashamed yet durst not accuse them would not conceiue that Christ was the beginning by whose incarnation wee are purged but contemned him in that flesh which he assumed to be a sacrifice for our purgation not apprehending the great sacrament because of his diuell-inspired pride which Christ the good Mediator by his owne humility subuerted shewing him-selfe to mortals in that mortal state which the false Mediators wanted and therefore insulted the more ouer mens wretcheds soules falsely promising them succors from their immortality But our good and true Mediator made it apparant that it was not the fleshly substance but sinne that is euil the flesh and soule of man may be both assumed kept and putte off without guilt and bee bettered at the resurrection Nor is death though it be the punishment of sinne yet payd by Christ for our sinnes to bee anoyded by sinne but rather if occasion serue to bee indured for iustice For Christs dying and that not for his owne sinne was of force to procure the pardon of all other sinnes That hee was the beginning this Platonist did not vnderstand else would hee haue confessed his power in purgation For neither the flesh nor the soule was the beginning but the word all creating Nor can the flesh purge 〈◊〉 by it selfe but by that word that assumed it when the word became flesh dwels in vs. For hee speaking of the mysticall eating of his flesh and some that vnderstood not beeing offended at it and departing saying This is a hard saying who can heare it Answered to those that staid with him It is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Therfore the beginning hauing assumed flesh and soule mundifieth both in the beleeuer And so when the Iewes asked him who hee was hee answered them that hee was the a beginning which our flesh and bloud beeing incumbred with sinfull corruption can neuer conceiue vnlesse he by whome wee were and were not doe purifie vs. Wee were men but iust wee were not But in his incarnation our nature was and that iust not sinfull This is the mediation that helpeth vp those that are falne and downe This is the seed that the Angels sowed by dictating the law wherein the true worship of one God was taught and this our Mediator truly promised L VIVES THe a beginning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Augustine will haue the Sonne to bee a beginning but no otherwise then the father as no otherwise GOD. And this hee takes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Valla and Erasmus say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 can be no nowne here but an aduerbe as in the beginning I wil speake my minde here of briefly though the phraze be obscure and perhaps an Hebraisme as many in the new Testament are Christ seemeth not to say hee is the beginning but beeing asked who hee was he hauing no one word to expresse his full nature to all their capacities left it to each ones minde to thinke in his minde what he was not by his sight but by his wordes and to ponder how one in that bodily habite could speake such thinges It was the Deity that spake in the flesh whence all those admirable actes proceeded Therefore he said I am hee 〈◊〉 the beginning and I speake to you vsing a mortall body as an instrument giuing you no more precepts by angels but by my selfe This answer was not vnlike that giuen to Moyses I am that I am but that concerned Gods simple essence and maiesty this was more later and declared God in the fâ—…me of man That all the saints in the old law and other ages before it were iustified only by the mistery and faith of Christ.
anew that was neuer acciâ—… 〈◊〉 it before e If they say that the happinesse misery haue bin coeternaleâ—… then must they be so still then followes this absurdity that the soule being 〈◊〉 shall not be happy in this that it foreseeth the misery to come If it 〈◊〉 foresee their blisse nor their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is it happily a false vnderstandâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a most fond assertion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they hold that the misery and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ed each other froÌ„ al eternity but that afterwards the soule beâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no more to misery yet doth not this saue theÌ„ from being câ—…ed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was neuer truly happy before but then begineth to enioy 〈◊〉 new vncertâ—… happines so they coÌ„fesse that this so strang vnexpected 〈◊〉 thing befâ—…ls the soule then that neuer befel it before which new changes cause 〈◊〉 â—…y deny yâ— God eternally foreknew they deny him also to be the author of that 〈◊〉 which were wicked to doe And then if they should say that hee 〈◊〉 resolued that the soule should not become eternally blessed how farre 〈◊〉 â—…m quitting him from that mutability which they disallow But if 〈◊〉 â—…ledge that it had f a true temporall beginning but shall neuer 〈◊〉 â—…ral end hauing once tried misery and gotten cleare of it shal neuer 〈◊〉 â—…ble more this they may boldly affirme with preiudice to Gods immuâ—… will And so they may beeleeue that the world had a temporall origiâ—… 〈◊〉 that God did not alter his eternall resolution in creating of it L. VIVES 〈◊〉 a made Epicurus his question Câ—…c de nat deor 1. Uelleius reasons of it b They 〈◊〉 This is a maine doubt mightily diuided and tossed into parts by great wittes and 〈◊〉 â—…tes Some hold the world neuer made nor euer ending so doe the Peripatetiâ—…â—…y â—…y Latines as Pliny and Manilius follow them Cato the elder saith that of the 〈◊〉 â—…me said it was created but must bee eternall as they in the other booke said Plaâ—… said it was from eternity but must haue an end Some that God made it corrupâ—…â—…dlesse as preserued by the diuine essence and these are Pythagoreans Some say it 〈◊〉 beginning and must haue an end the Epicureans Anaxagoras Empedocles and the 〈◊〉 this Of these Plut. de Plac. Philoso Galen Histor. Philosoph if that booke bee his 〈◊〉 die nat Macrobius and others doe write Aphrodiseus stands to Aristotle beâ—…â—…inion was the most battered at Galen made the sences iudges of all the whole 〈◊〉 because wee see the same world all in the same fashion therefore it was vncreaâ—… bee eternall For as Manilius saith The Father sees not one world the Sonne anoâ—… of them that make it eternall say that God made it Some giue it no cause of beeâ—… it cause of it selfe and all besides Arist. de caelo mundo c Order Chance 〈◊〉 â—…ke so singularly an ordered worke nor any other reason or work-man but beauâ—… could produce so beauteous an obiect All the Philosophers schooles that smelt of 〈◊〉 held directly that nothing prooued the world to bee of Gods creating so much 〈◊〉 â—…ll beauty thereof Plato the Stoikes Cicero Plutarch and Aristotle were all thus 〈◊〉 Cic. de nat de lib. 2. d In that of the soule Plato thrusts their eternal soules into 〈◊〉 â—…nto prisons for sins coÌ„mitted e If they They must needs say they were either euer 〈◊〉 euer wretched or successiuely both which if it be the alteration of the soules naâ—…â—…use it perforce For what vicissitude of guilt and expiation could there bee for so 〈◊〉 â—…sand yeares of eternity so constant as to make the soules now blessed and now miâ—… A true Some read a beginning as number hath number begins at one and so runs 〈◊〉 the great number may stil be increased nor can you euer come to the end of numâ—… hath no end but is iustly called infinite 〈◊〉 we ought not to seeke to comprehend the infinite spaces of time or place ere the world was made CHAP. 5. 〈◊〉 then let vs see what wee must say to those that make God the worlds 〈◊〉 and yet examine the time and what they wil say to vs when wee exaâ—… of the place They aske why it was made then and no sooner as wee â—…ke why was it made in this place and in no other for if they imagine inâ—…â—…paces of time before the world herein they cannot thinke that God did 〈◊〉 so likewise may they suppose infinite spaces of place besides the world 〈◊〉 if they doe not make the Deity to rest and not operate they must fall to 〈◊〉 a his dreame of innumerable worlds onely this difference there wil be 〈◊〉 all his worlds of the b casuall coagulation of Atomes and so by their 〈◊〉 dissolues them but they must make all theirs Gods handiworkes if the will not let him rest in all the inter-mirable space beyond the world and haue none of all them worlds no more then this of ours to bee subiect to dissolution c foâ—… we now dispute with those that doe as wee doe make God the incorporeall Creator of all things that are not of his owne essence For those that stand for many gods they are vnworthy to bee made disputants in this question of religion The other Philosophers haue quite d out-stript all the rest in fame and credit because though they werefarre from the truth yet were they nearer then the rest Perhaps they will neither make Gods essence dilatable not limmitable but as one should indeed hold will affirme his incorporeall presence in all that spacious distance besides the world imploied onely in this little place in respect of his immensity that the world is fixt in I doe not thinke they will talke so idly If they set God on worke in this one determinate though greatly dilated world that reason that they gaue why God should not worke in all those infinite places beyond the world let them giue the same why God wrought not in all the infinite times before the world But as it is not consequent that God followed chance rather then reason in placing of the worlds frame where it now standeth in no other place though this place had no merit to deserue it before the infinite others yet no mans reason can comprehend why the diuine will placed it so euen so no more is it consequent that wee should thinke that it was any chance made God create this world than rather then at any other time whereas all times before had their equall course and none was more meritorious of the creation then another But if they say men are fond to thinke there is any place besides that wherein the world is so are they say wee to immagine any time for God to bee idle in since there was no time before the worldes creation L. VIVES EPicurus a his dreame Who held not onely many worlds but infinite I shewed it elsewhere Metrodorus saith it as absurd to imagine but
althings in number weight measure that if he should say too much of number hee should seeme both to neglect his owne grauity and measure and the wise-mans c Let this The Iewes in the religious keeping of their Sabboth shew that 7. was a number of much mistery Hierome in Esay Gellius lib. 3. and his emulator Macrobius in Somn. Scip. lib. 1. record the power of it in Heauen the Sea and in Men. The Pythagorists as Chalcidius writeth included all perfection nature sufficiency herein And wee Christians hold it sacred in many of our religious misteries d That 3. is An euen number sayth Euclid is that which is diuisible by two the odde is the contrary Three is not diuisible into two nor any for one is no number Foure is diuided into two and by vnites and this foure was the first number that gotte to halfes as Macrobius sayth who therefore commendeth 7. by the same reason that Aug. vseth here e For all Aug. in Epist. ad Galat. f By this number Serm. de verb dom in monte This appellation ariseth from the giftes shewne in Esay Chap. 32. Of their opinion that held Angels to be created before the world CHAP. 32. BVt if some oppose and say that that place Let there be light and there was light was not meant of the Angels creation but of some a other corporall light and teach that the Angels wer made not only before the firmament diuiding the waters and called heauen but euen before these words were spoken In the beginning God made heauen and earth Taking not this place as if nothing had bene made before but because God made all by his Wisedome and Worde whome the Scripture also calleth a a beginning as answered also to the Iewes when they inquired what he was I will not contend because I delight so in the intimation of the Trinity in the first chapter of Genesis For hauing said In the beginning God made heauen and earth that is the Father created it in the Son as the Psalme saith O Lord how manyfold are thy workes In thy wisedome madest thou them all presently after he mentioneth the Holy Spirit For hauing shewed the fashion of earth and what a huge masse of the future creation God called heauen and earth The earth was without forme void and darknesse was vpon the deepe to perfect his mention of the Trinity he added c And the spirit of the Lord moued vpon the waters Let each one take it as he liketh it is so profound that learning may produce diuers opinions herein all faithfull and true ones so that none doubt that the Angels are placed in the high heauens not as coeternals with God but as sure of eternall felicity To whose society Christ did not onely teach that his little ones belonged saying They shall be equal vvith the Angels of God but shewes further the very contemplation of the Angels saying Se that you despise not one of these little ones for I say vnto you that in heauen their Angels alway behold the face of my Father vvhich is in Heauen L. VIVES SOme a other corporeall Adhering to some body b Beginning I reproue not the diuines in calling Christ a beginning For he is the meane of the worlds creation and cheefe of all that the Father begotte But I hold it no fit collection from his answere to the Iewes It were better to say so because it was true then because Iohn wrote so who thought not so The heretikes make vs such arguments to scorne vs with at all occasion offered But what that wisely and freely religious Father Hierome held of the first verse of Genesis I will now relate Many as Iason in Papisc Tertull. contra Praxeam and Hillar in Psalm Hold that the Hebrew text hath In the Sonne God made Heauen and earth which is directly false For the 70. Symachus and Theodotion translate it In the beginning The Hebrew is Beresith which Aquila translates in Capitulo not Ba-ben in the Son So then the sence rather then the translation giueth it vnto Christ who is called the Creator of Heauen and earth as well in the front of Genesis the head of all bookes as in S. Iohns Ghospell So the Psalmist saith in his person In the head of the booke it is written of me viz. of Genesis and of Iohn Al things were made by it without it was made nothing c. But we must know that this book is called Beresith the Hebrewes vsing to put their books names in their beginnings Thus much word for word out of Hierome c And the spirit That which wee translate Ferebatur moued sayth Hierome the Hebrewes read Marahefet forwhich we may fitly interprete incubabat brooded or cherished as the hen doth heregges with heate Therfore was it not the spirit of the world as some thinke but the holy spirite that is called the quickner of all things from the beginning If the Quickner then the maker if the Maker then the God If thou send forth thy word saith he they are created Of the two different societies of Angels not vnfitly tearmed light and darkenesse CHAP. 33. THat some Angels offended and therfore were thrust into prisons in the worlds lowest parts vntill the day of their last iudiciall damnation S. Peter testifieth playnely saying That God spared not the Angels that had sinned but cast them downe into hell and deliuered them into a chaynes of darkenesse to be kept vnto damnation Now whether Gods prescience seperated these from the other who doubteth that he called the other light worthily who denyeth Are not we heare on earth by faith and hope of equality with them already ere wee haue it called light by the Apostle Ye were once darkenesse saith he but are now light in the Lord. And well doe these perceiue the other Apostaticall powers are called darkenesse who consider them rightly or beleeue them to bee worse then the worst vnbeleeuer Wherefore though that light which GOD sayd should bee and it was bee one thing and the darkenesse from which GOD seperated the light bee another yet the obscurity of this opinion of these two societies the one inioying GOD the other swelling in b pride the one to whome it sayd Praise GOD all â—…ee his Angels the other whose Prince said All these will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee the one inflamed with GOD'S loue the other blowne bigge with selfe-loue whereas it is sayd God resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the lowly the one in the highest heauens the other in the obscurest ayre the one piously quiet the other madly turbulent the one punishing or releeuing according to Gods c iustice and mercy the other raging with the ouer vnreasonable desire to hurt and subdue the one allowed GODS Minister to all good the other restrayned by GOD from doing d the desired hurt the one scorning the other for doing good against their wills
this subsequent that since they were Egiptians Heauen hath had foure changes of reuolutions and the Sunne hath set twise where it riseth now Diodorus also writteth that from Osyris vnto Alexander that built Alexandria some recken 10000. and some 13000. yeares and some fable that the Gods had the Kingdome of Isis and then that men reigned afterward very neare 15000. yeares vntill the 180. Olympiad when Ptolomy beganne to reigne Incredible was this abâ—… vanity of the Egiptians who to make themselues the first of the creation lied so many thousand yeares Which was the cause that many were deceiued and deceiued oâ—…hers also as concâ—…ning the worlds originall Tully followes Plato and maketh Egipt infinitly old and so doth â—…ristotle Polit 7. g Yeares but Pliny lib. 7. saith the Nations diuided their yeares some by the Sommer some by the Winter some by the quarters as the Archadians whose yeare was three monethes some by the age of the Moone as the Egiptians So that some of them haue liued a thousand of their yeares Censorinus saith that the Egiptians most ancient yeares was two moneths Then King Piso made it foure at last it came to thirteene moneths and fiue daies Diodorus saith that it being reported that some of the ancient Kings had reigned 1200. yeares beeing to much to beleeue they found for certaine that the course of the Sunne beeing not yet knowne they counted their yeares by the Moones So then the wonder of old 〈◊〉 ceaseth some diuiding our yeare into foure as diuers of the Greekes did Diodorus saith also that the Chaldees had monethes to their yeares But to shew what my coniecture is of these numbers of yeares amongst the nations I hold that men beeing so much giâ—…n to the starres counted the course of euery starre for a yeare So that in 30. yeares of the Sâ—…e are one of Saturne fiue of Iupiter sixe of Mars more then 30. of Uenus and Mercury and almost 400 of the Moone So they are in all neare 500. Of those that hold not the eternity of the World but either a dissolution and generation of inumeraâ—…le Worlds or of this one at the eâ—…piration of certaine yeares CHAP. 11. BVt others there are that doe not thinke the World eternall and yet either imagine it not to be one a world but many or b one onely dissolued and regenerate at the date of certaine yeares Now these must needs confesse that there were first men of themselues ere any men were begotten c For they cannot thinke that the whole world perishing any man could remaine as they may doe in those burnings invndations which left still some men to repaire man-kinde but as they hold the world to bee re-edified out of the owne ruines so must they beleeue that man-kinde first was produced out of the elements and from these first as mans following propagation as other creatures by generation of their like L. VIVES NOt to bee one a world Which Democritus and Epicurus held b One onely Heraclytus Hippasus and the Stoickes held that the world should be consumed by fire and then be reâ—…ed c For they cannot Plato and Aristotle hold that there cannot be an vniuersall deluge or burning But the Stoickes as Tully saith beleeued that the World at length should become all on fire and the moisture so dried as neither the earth could nourish the plants nor the ayre be drawn in bredth â—…or produced all the water being consumed So that Plato and Aristotle still reserued 〈◊〉 then for propagation these none but destroied All to re-edifie All. Of such as held Mans Creation too lately effected CHAP. 12. WHerefore our answere to those that held the world to haue beene ab aeterno against Plato's expresse confession though some say hee spake not as hee thought the same shal be our answere still to those that thinke Mans Creation too lately effected hauing letten those innumerable spaces of time passe and by the scriptures authority beene made but so late as within this sixe thousand yeares If the bâ—…ity of time be offensiue and that the yeares since Man was made seeme so few let them consider that a nothing that hath an extreame is continuall and that all the definite spaces of the World being compared to the interminate Trinity are as a very little Nay as iust nothing And therefore though wee should recken fiue or sixe or sixty or six hundred thousand yeares and multiply them so often till the number wanted a name and say then GOD made man yet may we aske why he made him no sooner For GODS pause before Mans Creation beeing from all eternity was so great that compare a definite number with it of neuer so vnspeakeable a quantity and it is not so much as one halfe drop of water being counterpoised with the whole Ocean for in these though the one be so exceeding small and the other so incomparably great yet b both are definite But that time which hath any originall runne it on to neuer so huge a quantity being compared vnto that which hath no beginning I know not whether to call it small or nothing For with-draw but moments from the end of the first and be the number neuer so great it will as if one should diminish the number of a mans daies from the time he liues in to his birth day decrease vntill we come to the very beginning But from the later abstract not moments nor daies nor monethes nor years but as much time as the other whole number contained lie it out of the compasse of all computation and that as often as you please preuaile you when you can neuer attaine the Beginning it hauing none at all Wherefore that which we aske now after fiue thousand yeares and the ouerpâ—…s our posterity may as well aske after sixe hundreth thousand years if our mortallity should succeede and our infirmity endure so long And our forefathers presently vpon the first mans time might haue called this in question Nay the first man himselfe that very day that he was made or the next might haue asked why he was made no sooner But when soeuer hee had beene made this controâ—…ie of his originall and the worlds should haue no better foundation then is 〈◊〉 now L. VIVES NOthing a that Cic. de senect When the extreame comes then that which is past is gone b Both are Therefore is there some propertion betweene them whereas betweene definite and indefinite there is none Of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Times at whose expiration some Philosophers held that the Vâ—… should 〈◊〉 to the state it was in at first CHAP. 13. NOw these Philosophers beleeued that this world had no other dissolution 〈◊〉 renewing of it continually at certaine a reuolutions of time wherein the 〈◊〉 of things was repaired and so passed on a continuall b rotation of ages 〈◊〉 and comming whether this fell out in the continuance of one world or the 〈◊〉 arising and falling gaue this succession and date of things by
opinion for it is not lawfull to hold any creature be it neuer so small to haue any other Creator then God euen before it could be vnderstood But the Angells whome they had rather call Gods though c at his command they worke in things of the world yet wee no more call them creators of liuing things then we call husband-men the creators of fruites and trees L. VIVES WIth a therâ—… With the Epicurists that held althings from chance or from meere nature without GOD althings I meane in this sublâ—…ary world which opinion some say was Aâ—…les or with the heretikes some of whome held the diuills creators of al things corporal b Those that Plato in his Timaeus brings in God the Father commanding the lesser Gods to make the lesser liuing creatures for they are creatures also and so they tooke the immortall beginning of a creature the soule from the starres imitating the Father and Creator and borrowing parcells of earth water and ayre from the world knit them together in one not as they were knit but yet in an insensible connexion because of the combination of such small parts whereof the whole body was framed One Menander a Scholler of Symon Magus said the Angells made the world Saturninus said that 7. Angells made it beyond the Fathers knowledge c Though The Angells as Paul saith are Gods ministers and deputies and do â—…y things vpon earth at his command for as Augustine saith euery visible thing on earth is under an Angelicall power and Gregory saith that nothing in the visible would but is ordered by a visible creature I will except Miracles if any one contend But Plato as he followeth Mâ—…s in the worlds creation had this place also of the creation of liuing things from the Scripures for hauing read that God this great architect of so new a worke said â—…et vs make 〈◊〉 after our owne Image thought he had spoken to the Angells to whose ministery he supposed mans creation committed But it seemed vnworthy to him that God should vse them in â—…king of man the noblest creature and make all the rest with his own hands and therfore he thought the Angels made all whose words if one consider them in Tullies translation which I vse he shal find that Plato held none made the soule but God and that of the stars which â—…ully de 〈◊〉 1. confirmes out of Plato saying that the soule is created by God within the elementary body which he made also and the lesser Gods did nothing but as ministers câ—…e those which hee â—…ad first created and forme it into the essence of a liuing creature Seneca explanes Plaâ—… more plainely saying That when God had laid the first foundation of this rare and excellent frame of nature and begun it he ordayned that each peculiar should haue a peculiar gouernor and though himselfe â—…ad modelled and dilated the whole vniuerse yet created he the lesser gods to be his ministers 〈◊〉 vice-gerents in this his kingdome That no nature or forme of any thing liuing hath any other Creator but God CHAP. 25. WHereas there is one forme giuen externally to all corporall substances according to the which Potters Carpenters and other shape antiques and figures of creatures and another that containeth the efficient causes hereof in the secret power of the vniting and vnderstanding nature which maketh not onely the natural formes but euen the liuing soules when they are not extant The first each artificer hath in his brayne but the later belongs to none but God who formed the world and the Angells without either world or Angells for from that 〈◊〉 all diuiding and all effectiue diuine power which cannot be made but makes and which in the beginning gaue rotundity both to the Heauens Sunne from the same had the eye the apple and all other round figures that wee see in nature their rotundity not from any externall effectiue but from the depth of that creators power that said I fill heauen and earth and whose wisdome reacheth from end to end ordering all in a delicate Decorum wherefore what vse he made of the Angels in the creation making all himselfe I know not I dare neither ascribe them more then their power nor detract any thing from that But with their fauours I attribute the estate of althings as they are natures vnto God onely of whome they thankefully aknowledge their being we do not then call husbandmen the creators of trees or plants or any thing else fot we read Neither is he that planteth any thing neither he that watereth but God that giueth the increase No not the earth neither though it seemes the fruitful mother of al things that grow for wee read also God giueth bodies vnto what hee will euen to euery seed his owne body Nor call wee a woman the creatrixe of her child but him that said to a seruant of his Before I formed thee in the wombe I knew thee although the womans soule being thus or thus affected may put some quality vpon her burthen b as we read that Iacob coloured his sheepe diuersly by spotted stickes yet shee can no more make the nature that is produced then shee could make her selfe what seminall causes then soeuer that Angells or men do vse in producing of things liuing or dead or c proceed from the copulation of male and female d or what affections soeuer of the mother dispose thus or thus of the coullour or feature of her conception the natures thus or thus affected in each of their kindes are the workes of none but God whose secret power passeth through all giuing all being to all what soeuer in that it hath being e because without that hee made it it should not bee thus nor thus but haue no being at all wherefore if in those formes externall imposed vpon things corporall we say that not workemen but Kings Romulus was the builder of Rome and Alexander of f Alexandria because by their direction these citties were built how much the rather ought we to call God the builder of nature who neither makes any thing of any substance but what hee had made before nor by any other ministers but those hee had made before and if hee withdraw his g efficient power from things they shall haue no more being then they had ere they were created Ere they were I meane in eternity not in time for who created time but he that made them creatures whose motions time followeth L. VIVES THat a all-diuiding All diuiding may be some addition the sence is good without it b As we Pliny saith that looke in the Rammes mouth and the collour of the veines vnder his tongue shal be the colour of the lambe he getteth if diuers diuers and change of waters varieth it Their shepehards then may haue sheep of what collour they will which Iacob knew well inough for he liking the particolours cast white straked rods into the watring places at Ramming
before as Caine and Abel and who dare say whether he had more besides them for it is no consequent that they were all the sons he had because they were onely named for the fit distinction of the two generations for wee read that hee had sonnes and daughters all which are vnnamed who dare affirme how many they were without incursion of rashnesse Adam might by Gods instinct say at Seths birth God hath raised me vp another seed for Abell in that Seth was to fulfill Abells sanctity not that he was borne after him by course of time And where as it is written Seth liued 105. or 205. yeares begot Eâ—…s who but one brainelesse would gather from hence that Enos was Seths first sâ—…n to giue vs cause of admiration that Seth could liue so long continent without purpose of continency or without vse of the mariage bed vnto generation for it is writte of him He begat sons and daughters and the daies of Seth were 912. yeares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 died And thus the rest also that are named are al recorded to haue had sons daughters But here is no proofe that he that is named to be son to any of them should be their first son nor is it credible that their fathers liued al this while either immature or vnmarried or vnchilded nor that they were their fathers first â—…ome But the scripture intending to descend by a genealogicall scale from Adâ—… vnto Noah to the deluge recounted not the first borne of euery father but only such as fell within the compasse of these two generations Take this example to cleare all further or future doubt Saint Mathew the Euangelist intending to record the generation of the Man CHRIST beginning at Abrahâ—… and descending downe to Dauid Abraham saith hee begot Isaac why not 〈◊〉 he was his first sonne Isaac begot Iacob why not Esau hee was his first 〈◊〉 too The reason is he could not descend by them vnto Dauid It followeth Iacob begat Iudas and his brethren Why was Iudas his first borne Iudas begat Phâ—…es and Zara. Why neither of these were Iudas his first sonnes he had three before either of them So the Euangelist kept onely the genealogy that tracted directly downe to Dauid and so to his purpose Hence may wee therefore see plaine that the mens first borne before the deluge were not respected in this account but those onely through whose loines the propagation passed from Adam to Noah the Patriarche And thus the fruitlesse and obscure question of their late maturity is opened as farre as needeth we will not tire our selues therein L. VIVES LOnger a immature Maturity in man is the time when he is fit to beget children when as haire groweth vpon the immodest parts of nature in man or woman b Gotten Or possesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the seauenty Caine saith Hieroâ—… is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 possession Of the lawes of marriage which the first women might haue different from the succeeding CHAP. 16. THerefore whereas mankinde after the forming of the first man out of clay and the first woman out of his side needed coniunction of male and female for propagation sake it beeing impossible for man to bee increased but by such meanes the brethren maried the sisters this was lawfull then through the compulsion of necessity but now it is as damnable through the prohibition of it in religion for there was a a iust care had of charity that them to whom concord was most vsefull might be combined togither in diuers bonds of kinred and affinity that one should haue many in one but that euery peculiar should bee bestowed abroade and so many byas many should bee conglutinate in honest coniugall society As father and father in law are two names of kinred So if one haue both of them there is a larger extent of charity Adam is compelled to be both vnto his sonnes and his daughters who were matched together beeing brothers and sisters So was Euah both mother and step-mother to them both But if there had bin two women for these two names the loue of charity had extended further The sister also here that was made a wife comprized two alliances in her selfe which had they beene diuided and she sister to one and wife to another the combination had taken in more persons then as now it could beeing no mankinde vpon earth but brothers and sisters the progeny of the first created But it was fit to be done as soone as it could and that then wiues and sisters should be no more one it being no neede but great abhomination to practise it any more For if the first mens nephewes that maried their cousin-germaines had married their sisters there had beene three alliances not two includâ—… in one which three ought for the extention of loue and charity to haue beene communicated vnto three seuerall persons for one man should be father stepfather and vncle vnto his owne children brother and sister should they two mary together and his wife should be mother stepmother and aunte vnto them and they themselues should bee not onely brother and sister but b brother and sisters children also Now those alliances that combine three men vnto one should conioyne nine persons together in kinred amity if they were seuereâ—… one may haue one his sister another his wife another his cousin another his father another his vncle another his step father another his mother another his aâ—…te and another his step-mother thus were the sociall amity dilated and not contracted all into two or three And this vpon the worlds increase wee may obserue euen in Paynims and Infidels that although c some of their bestiall lawes allowed the bretheren to marry their sister yet better custome abhorred this badde liberty and for all that in the worldes beginning it was lawfull yet they auoide it so now as if it had neuer beene lawfull for custome is a gâ—…at matter to make a man hate or affect any thing and custome herein suppressing the immoderate immodesty of coÌ„cupiscence hath iustly set a brand of ignominy vpon it as an irreligious and vnhumaine acte for if it be a vice to plow beyond your bounder for greedinesse of more ground how farre doth this exceed it for lust of carnality to transgresse all bound nay subuert all ground of good manners And wee haue obserued that the marriage of cousin-germaines because of the degree it holdeth next vnto brother and sister to haue beene wonderfull seldome in these later times of ours and this now because of good custome otherwise though the lawes allowed it for the lawe of GOD hath not forbidden it d nor as yet had the lawe of man But this although it were lawfull is avoided because it is so neare to that which is vnlawfull and that which one doth with his cousin hee almost thinketh that hee doth with his sister for these because of their neare consanguinity e are called brothers and sisters and
wife with-out all doubt his fathers obedience was of the greater merite so that for his sake God saith that hee will doe Isaac that good that he did him In thy seede shall all the nations of the world bee blessed saith he because thy father Abraham obeyed my voyce c. Againe saith he the God of thy father Abraham feare not for I am with thee and haue blessed thee and will multiply thy seede for Abraham thy Fathers sake To shew all those carnally minded men that thinke it was lust that made Abraham doe as it is recorded that hee did it with no lust at all but a chaste intent teaching vs besides that wee ought not compare mens worths by singularitie but to take them with all their qualities together For a man may excell another in this or that vertue who excelleth him as farre in another as good And al-be-it it be true that continence is better then marriage yet the faithfull married man is better then the continent Infidell for such 〈◊〉 one a is not onely not to be praised for his continencie since he beleeueth not but rather highly to bee dispraised for not beleeuing seeing hee is continent But to grant them both good a married man of great faith and obedience in Iesus Christ is better then a continent man with lesse but if they be equall who maketh any question that the continent man is the more exellent L. VIVES SUch an a One is not Herein is apparant how fruitlesse externall workes are without the dew of grace do ripen them in the heart the Bruges copy readeth not this place so well in my iudgement Of Esau and Iacob and the misteries included in them both CHAP. 27. SO Isaacs two sonnes Esau and Iacob were brought vp together now the yonger got the birth-right of the elder by a bargaine made for a lentiles and potage which Iacob had prepared Esau longed for exceedingly so sold him his birth-right for some of them and confirmed the bargaine with an oth Here now may we learne that it is b not the kind of meate but the gluttonous affect that hurts To proceed Isaac growes old and his sight fayled him he would willingly blesse his elder sonne and not knowing he blessed the yonger who had counterfeited his brothers roughnesse of body by putting goats skins vpon his necke and hands and so let his father feele him Now least some should thinke that this were c â—…lent deceipt in Iacob the Scripture saith before Esau was a cunning hunter 〈◊〉 â—…ed in the fieles but Iacob was a simple playne man and kept at home d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…lesse one without counterfeyting what was the deceipt then of this plaâ—… dealing man in getting of this blessing what can the guile of a guiltlesse true hearted soule be in this case but a deepe mistery of the truth what was the blessing Behold saith he the smell of my sonne is as the smell of a field which the Lord 〈◊〉 blessed God giue thee therefore of the dew of heauen and the fatnesse of earth â—…d plenty of wheate and wine let the nations bee thy seruants and Princes bow downe vnto thee bee Lord ouer thy bretheren and let thy mothers children honor thee cursed be he that curseth thee and blessed be he that blesseth thee Thus this blessing of Iacob is the preaching of Christ vnto all the nations This is the whole scope in Isaac is the law and the prophets and by the mouths of the Iewes is Christ blessed vnknowen to them because hee knoweth not them The odour of his name fills the world like a field the dew of heauen is his diuine doctrine the fertile â—…th is the faithfull Church the plenty of wheat and wine is the multitude â—…ed in Christ by the sacraments of his body and blood Him do nations serue and Princes adore Heâ—… is Lord ouer his brother for his people rule oâ—…r the Iewes The sonnes of his father that is Abrahams sonnes in the faith doe honour him For hee is Abrahams sonne in the flesh cursed bee hee that curseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blessed be he that blesseth him Christ I meane our Sauiour blessed That is â—…ly â—…ught by the Prophets of the woundring Iewes and is still blessed by oâ—… of them that as yet erroneously expect his comming And now comes 〈◊〉 â—…er for the blessing promised then is Isaac afraid and knowes hee had blessed the one for the other Hee wonders and asketh who he was yet complaineth hee not of the deceit but hauing the mysterie thereof opened in his heart hee forbeares fretning and confirmeth the blessing Who was hee then saith he that hunted and tooke venison for me and I haue eaten of it all before thou camest and I haue blessed him and hee shall bee blessed Who would not haue here expected a curse rather but that his minde was altered by a diuine inspiration O true done deedes but yet all propheticall on earth but all by heauen by men but all for God! whole volumes would not hold all the mysteries that they conceiue but wee must restraine our selues The processe of the worke calleth vs on vnto other matters L. VIVES FOr a lentiles There is lenticula a vessell of oyle and lenticula of lens a little fitchie kinde of pease the other comes of lentitas because the oyle cannot runne but gently lente out of the mouth it is so straite But the scriptures say that they were onely read poâ—…ge that Esau solde his birth-right for and therefore hee was called Edom redde b Not the 〈◊〉 of This is a true precept of the Euangelicall lawe Heere I might inscribe much not allow the commons any licentiousnesse but to teach the rulers diuerse things which I must let alone for once c Fraudulent deceipt For deceipt may be either good or bad Of Iacobs iourney into Mesopotamia for a wife his vision in the night as hee went his returne with foure women whereas he went but for one CHAP. 38. IAcobs parents sent him into Mesopotamia there to get a wife His father dismissed him with these words Thou shalt take thee no wife of the daughters of Canaan Arise get thee to Mesopotamia to the house of Bathuel thy mothers father 〈◊〉 thence take thee a wife of the daughters of Laban thy mothers brother My GOD blesse thee and increase thee and multiply thee that thou maist bee a multitude of people and giue the blessing of Abraham to thee and to thy seede after thee that 〈◊〉 maiest inherite the land wherein thou art a stranger which God gaue Abraham Heere wee see Iacob the one halfe of Isaacs seede seuered from Esau the other halfe For when it was said in Isaac shall thy seed bee called that is the seed pertaining to Gods holy Cittie then was Abrahams other seede the bond-womans sonne seuered from this other as Kethurahs was also to bee done with afterwards But now there was this doubt risen about Isaacs two sonnes whether
nations to the other What greater proofe need wee then this to confirme that the Israelites and all the world besides are contained in Abrahams seed the first in the flesh and the later in the spirit Of Moyses his times Iosuah the Iudges the Kings Saul the first Dauid the chiefe both in merite and in mysticall reference CHAP. 43. IAcob and Ioseph being dead the Israelites in the other hundred fortie foure yeares at the end of which they left Egypt increased wonderfully though the Egyptians oppressed them sore and once killed all their male children for feare of their wonderfull multiplication But Moses was saued from those butchers and brought vp in the court by Pharaohs daughter the a name of the Egiptian Kings God intending great things by him and he grew vp to that worth that he was held fit to lead the nation out of this extreame slauery or rather God did it by him according to his promise to Abraham First hee fled into Madian for killing an Egiptian in defence of an Israelite and afterwards returning full of Gods spirit hee foyled the enchanters h of Pharao in all their opposition and laide the ten sore plagues vpon the Egiptians because they would not let Israel depart namely the changing of the water into bloud Frogges c Lyce d Gnattes morren of Cattell botches and sores Haile Grashoppers darkenesse and death of all the first borne and lastly the Israelites being permitted after all the plagues that Egypt had groned vnder to depart and yet beeing pursued afterwards by them againe passed ouer the redde Sea dry-foote and left all the hoast of Egipt drowned in the middest the sea opened before the Israelites and shut after them returning vpon the pursuers and ouer-whelming them And then forty yeares after was Israell in the deserts with Moyses and there had they the tabernacle of the testimonie where God was serued with sacrifices that were all figures of future euents the law being now giuen with terror vpon mount Syna for the terrible voyces and thunders were full prooses that God was there And this was presently after their departure from Egipt in the wildernesse and there they celebrated their Passe-ouer fiftie dayes after by offring of a Lambe the true type of Christs passing vnto his father by his passion in this world For Pascha in Hebrew is a passing ouer and so the fiftith day after the opening of the new Testament and the offring of Christ our Passeâ—…ouer the holy spirit descended downe from heauen he whom the scriptures call the finger of God to renew the memory of the first miraculous prefiguration in our hearts because the law in the tables is said to be written by the finger of GOD. Moyses being dead Iosuah ruled the people and lead them into the land of promise diuiding it amongst them And by these two glorious captaines were strange battels wonne and they were ended with happy successe God himselfe auouching that the losers sinnes and not the winners merits were causes of those conquests After these two the land of promise was ruled by Iudges that Abrahams seede might see the first promise fulfilled concerning the land of Canaan though not as yet concerning the nations of all the earth for that was to be fulfilled by the comming of Christ in the flesh and the faith of the Gospell not the precepts of the law which was insinuated in this that it was not Moyses that receiued the law but Iosuab h whose name God also changed that lead the people into the promised land But in the Iudges times as the people offended or obeyed God so varied their fortunes in warre On vnto the Kings Saul was the first King of Israel who being a reprobate and dead in the field and all his race reiected from ability of succession Dauid was enthroned i whose sonne our Sauiour is especially called In him is as it were a point from whence the people of God doe flowe whose originall as then being in the youthfull time thereof is drawne from Abraham vnto this Dauid For it is not out of neglect that Mathew the Euangelist reckoneth the descents so that hee putteth foureteene generations betweene Abraham and Dauid For a man may be able to beget in his youth and therefore he begins his genealogies from Abraham who vpon the changing of his name was made the father of many nations So that before him the Church of God was in the infancie as it were from Noah I meane vnto him and therefore the first language the Hebrew as then was inuented for to speake by For from the terme of ones infancie hee begins to speake beeing called an infant k a non sancto of not speaking which age of himselfe euery man forgetteth as fully as the world was destroyed by the deluge For who can remember his infancie Wherefore in this progresse of the Cittie of God as the last booke conteined the first age thereof so let this containe the second and the third when the yoake of the law was laide on their necks the aboundance of sinne appeared and the earthly kingdome had beginning c. intimated by the Heifer the Goate â—…d the Ramme of three yeares old in which there wanted not some faithfull persons as the turtle-doue and the Pidgeon portended L. VIVES THe a name of To anoyde the supposition that Pharao that reigned in Iacob and Iosephs time was all one Pharao with this here named Pharao was a name of kingly dignity in Egipâ—… Hieron in Ezechiel lib. 9. So was Prolomy after Alexander Caesar and Augustus after the two braue Romaines and Abimelech in Palestina Herodotus speaketh of one Pharao that was blinde They were called Pharao of Pharos an I le ouer-against Alexandria called Carpathoâ—… of old Proteus reigned in it The daughter of this Pharao Iosephus calleth Thermuth b Of Pharao Which Pharao this was it is doubtfull Amasis saith Apion Polyhistor as Eusebius citeth him reigned in Egipt when the Iewes went thence But this cannot be for Amasis was long after viz. in Pythagoras his time vnto whom he was commended by Polycrates king of Samos But Iosephus saith out of Manethon that this was Techmosis and yet sheweth him to vary from him-selfe and to put Amenophis in another place also Eusebius saith that it was Pharao Cenchres In Chron. and that the Magicians names were Iannes and Iambres Prep euangel ex Numenio c Lyce So doth Iosephus say if Ruffinus haue well translated him that this third plague was the disease called Phthiriasis or the lousie euill naming no gnattes Peter denatalibus and Albertus Grotus saith that the Cyniphes are a kinde of flye So saith Origen Albertus saith that they had the body of a worme the wings and head of a flye with a sting in their mouth where-with they prick and draw-bloud and are commonly bred in fens and marishes troubling all creatures but man especially Origen calleth them Snipes They do flie faith he but are so
were to raigne there â—…ingly The Lord will seeke him a man saith hee meaning either Dauid or the mediator prefigured in the vnction of Dauid and his posterity Hee doth not say he will seeke as if hee knew not where to finde but hee speaketh as one that seeketh our vnderstanding for wee were all knowen both to God the father and his sonne the seeker of the lost sheepe and elected in him also before the beginning of the world c He will seeke that is he will shew the world that which hee himselfe knoweth already And so haue we acquiro in the latine with a preposition to attaine and may vse quaero in that sence also as questus the substantiue for gaine L. VIVES Tâ—… a skirt Or hemme or edge any thing that he could come nearest to cut the Iewes vsed edged garments much according to that command in the booke of Numbers The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wing of his doublet Ruffinus translateth it Summitatem b His 〈◊〉 Which were three hundred saith Iosephus lib. 6. c He will seeke A diuersity of reaâ—… I thinke the words from And so haue we acquiro to the end of the chapter bee some 〈◊〉 of others The Kingdome of Israell rent prefiguring the perpetuall diuision betweene the spirituall and carnall Israell CHAP. 7. SAul fell againe by a disobedience and Samuell told him againe from God Thou hast cast off the Lord and the Lord hath cast off thee that thou shalt no more bee King of Israell Now Saul confessing this sinne and praying for pardon and that Samuell would go with him to intreat the Lord. Not I saith Samuell thou hast cast off the Lord c. And Samuell turned him-selfe to depart and Saul held him by the lappe of his coate and it rent Then quoth Samuell the Lord hath rent the Kingdome of Israell from thee this day and hath giuen it vnto thy neighbor which is better then thee and Israell shall bee parted into two and shall no more bee vnited nor hee is not a man that hee should repent c. Now hee vnto whome these words were said ruled Israell fourty yeares euen as long as Dauid and yet was told this in the beginning of his Kingdome to shew vs that none of his race should reigne after him and to turne our eyes vppon the line of Dauid whence Christ our mediator tooke his humanity Now the originall read not this place as the Latines doe The Lord shall rend the Kingdome of Israell from thee this day but the Lord hath rent c. from thee that is from Israell so that this man was a type of Israell that was to loose the Kingdome as soone as Christ came with the New Testament to rule spiritually not carnally Of whome these wordes and hath giuen it vnto thy neighbour sheweth the consanguinity with Israell in the flesh and so with Saul and that following who is better then thee implyeth not any good in Saul or Israell but that which the Psalme saith vntill I make thine enemies thy footstoole whereof Israell the persecutor whence Christ rent the Kingdome was one Although there were Israell the wheat amongst Israell the chaffe also for the Apostles were thence and Stephen with a many Martyrs besides and from their seed grew up so many Churches as Saint Paul reckoneth all glory fiing God in his conuersion And that which followeth Israell shall bee parted into two concerning this point assuredly namely into Israell Christs friend and Israell Christs foe into Israell the free woman and Israell the slaue For these two were first vnited Abraham accompanying with his maid vntill his wiues barrennesse being fruitfull she cryed out Cast out the bondwoman her sonne Indeed because of Salomons sin we know that in his sonne Roboams time Israell diuided it selfe into two parts and either had a King vntill the Chaldeans came subdued and ren-versed all But what was this vnto Saul Such an euen was rather to be threatned vnto Dauid Salomons father And now in these times the Hebrews are not diuided but dispersed all ouer the world continuing on still in their errour But that diuision that God threatned vnto Saul who was a figure of this people was a premonstration of the eternall irreuocable separation because presently it followeth And shall no more bee vnited nor repent of it for it is no man that it should repent Mans threatnings are transitory but what God once resolueth is irremoueable For where wee read that God repented it portends an alteration of things out of his eternall prescience And likewise where hee did not it portends a fixing of things as they are So here wee see the diuision of Israell perpetuall and irreuocable grounded vppon this prophecy For they that come from thence to Christ or contrary were to doe so by Gods prouidence though humaine concâ—… cannot apprehend it and their separation is in the spirit also not in the flesh And those Israelites that shall stand in Christ vnto the end shall neuer perâ—… with those that stayed with his enemies vnto the end but be as it is here said 〈◊〉 seperate For the Old Testament of Sina begetting in bondage shall doe them no good nor any other further then confirmeth the New Otherwise as long as Moses is read d the vaile is drawne ouer their hearts and when they 〈◊〉 to Christ then is remooued For the thoughts of those that passe from 〈◊〉 to him are changed and bettered in their passe and thence their felicitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is spirituall no more carnall Wherefore the great Prophet Samuel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had annointed Saul when hee cryed to the Lord for Israel and hee â—…d him and when hee offered the burnt offering the Philistins comming against Israell and the Lord thundred vpon them and scattered them so that they fell before Israell tooke e a stone and placed it betweene the f two Maspha's the Old and the New and named the place Eben Ezer that is the stone of 〈◊〉 saying Hetherto the Lâ—… hath helped vs that stone is the mediation of our 〈◊〉 by which wee come from the Old Maspha to the New from the thought of a carnall kingdome in all felicitie vnto the expectation of a crowne of spiriâ—… glory as the New Testamenâ—… teacheth vs and seeing that that is the sum â—…ope of all euen â—…itherto hath God helped vs. L. VIVES Bâ—… disobedience For being commanded by Samuel from God to kill all the Amalechites 〈◊〉 and beast hee tooke Agag the King aliue and droue away a multitude of Cattle 〈◊〉 lappe of his coate Diplois is any double garment c The Lord hath rent Shall rend â—…us But hath rent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is in the LXX d The vaile The vaile that Moiâ—…â—…ed â—…ed his face was a tipe of that where-with the Iewes couer their hearts vntill they bee 〈◊〉 1. Corinth 3. e Astone Iosephus saith that hee placed it at Charron and called 〈◊〉 lib. 6. f
like a parcells of some poâ—…â—…hose â—…hose intent concerneth a theame far different Now to shew this testimoâ—… one in euery Psalme of the booke wee must expound the Psalme 〈◊〉 to do how great a worke it is both others and our volumes wherein wee 〈◊〉 done it do expressly declare let him that can and list read those and there â—…ll see how abundant the prophecies of Dauid concerning Christ and of his Church were namely concerning that celestiall King and the Citty which hee builded L. VIVES LIke e parcells Centones are peeces of cloath of diuerse colours vsed any way on the back or on the bedde Cic. Cato Maior Sisenna C. Caesar. Metaphorically it is a poeme patched out of other poems by ends of verses as Homero-centon and Uirgilio-centon diuerse made by Proba and by Ausonius b Retrograde poeme Sotadicall verses that is verses backward and forwards as Musa mihi causas memora quo numine laesa Laeso numine quo memora causas mihi Musa Sotadicall verses may bee turned backwards into others also as this Iambick Pio precare thure caelestum numina turne it Numina caelestum thure precare piâ—… it is a Pâ—…ntameter They are a kinde of wanton verse as Quintilian saith inuented saith Strabo or rather vsed saith Diomedes by Sotades whome Martiall calleth Gnidus some of Augustines copies read it a great poeme and it is the fitter as if one should pick verses out of some greater workes concerning another purpose and apply them vnto his owne as some Centonists did turning Uirgils and Homers words of the Greekes and Troyan warres vnto Christ and diuine matters And Ausonius turneth them vnto an Epithalamion Of the fortie fiue Psalme the tropes and truths therein concerning Christ and the Church CHAP. 16. FOr although there be some manifest prophecies yet are they mixed with figures putting the learned vnto a great deale of labour in making the ignorant vnderstand them yet some shew Christ and his Church at first sight though we must at leisure expound the difficulties that we finde therein as for example Psal. 45. Mine heart hath giuen out a good word I dedicate my workes to the King My tongue is the pen of a ready writer Thou fairer then the children of men grâ—… is powred in thy lippes for GOD hath blessed thee for euer Girde thy sworde vpon thy â—…high thou most mighty Proceede in thy beauty and glory and reigne prosperouly because of thy truth thy iustice and thy gentlenesse thy right hand shall guide thee wondrously Thine arrowes are sharpe most mighty against the hearts of the Kings enemies the people shall fall vnder thee Thy throne O GOD is euer-lasting and the scepter of thy kingdome a scepter of direction Thou louest iustice and hatest iniquitie therefore GOD euen thy GOD hath annoynted thee with oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes All thy garments smell of Myrrhe Alloes and Cassia from the Iâ—…ry palaces wherein the Kings daughters had made thee glâ—…d in their honour Who is so dull that he discerneth not Christ our God in whome we beleeue by this place hearing him called GOD whose throne is for euer and annoynâ—…d by GOD not with visible but with spirituall Chrisme who is so barbarously ignorant in this immortall and vniuersall religion that hee heareth not that Christs name commeth of Chrisma vnction Heere wee know CHRIST let vs see then vnto the types How is hee father then vnto the sonnes of men in a beauty farre more amiable then that of the body What is his sword his shaftes c. all these are tropicall characters of his power and how they are all so let him that is the subiect to this true iust and gentle King looke to at his leasure And then behold his Church that spirituall spouse of his and that diuine wed-locke of theirs here it is The Queene stood on thy right hand her â—…lothing was of gold embrodered with diuers collours Heaâ—…e Oh daughter and 〈◊〉 attend and forget thy people and thy fathers house For the King taketh pleasure in thy beauty and hee is the Lord thy God The sonnes of Tyre shall adore him 〈◊〉 guifts the ritch men of the people shall â—…ooe him with presents The Kings daughter 〈◊〉 all glorious within her cloathing is of wrought gold The Virgins shal be brought after her vnto the King and her kinsfolkes and companions shal follow her with ioy and gladnesse shal they be brought and shall enter into the Kings chamber Instead of fathers 〈◊〉 shalt haue children to make them Princes through out the earth They shal remember thy name O Lord from a generation to generation therefore shall their people giue â—…ks vnto thee world without end I doe not think any one so besotted as to thinke this to be meant of any personal woman no no she is his spouse to whoÌ„ it is said Thy throne O God is euerlasting and the scepter of thy Kingdome a scepter of direction 〈◊〉 hast loued iustice and hated iniquity therefore the Lord thy God hath annointed 〈◊〉 â—…ith the oyle of gladnesse before thy fellowes Namely Christ before the christiâ—… For they are his fellowes of whose concord out of all nations commeth this Queene as an other psalme saith the Citty of the great King meaning the spirituall Syon Syon is speculation for so it speculateth the future good that it is to receiue and thither directeth it all the intentions This is the spirituall Ierusalem whereof wee haue all this while spoken this is the foe of that deuillish Babilon hight confusion and that the foe of this Yet is this City by regeneration freed from the Babilonian bondage and passeth ouer the worst King for the best that euer was turning from the deuill and comming home to Christ for which it is sayd forget thy people and thy fathers house c. The Israelites were a part of thiâ—… â—…tty in the flesh but not in that faith but became foes both to this great 〈◊〉 Queene Christ was killed by them and came from them to b those 〈◊〉 â—…euer saw in the flesh And therefore our King saith by the mouth of the 〈◊〉 in another place thou hast deliuered me from the contentions of the people 〈◊〉 me the head of the heathen a people whom I haue not knowne hath serued 〈◊〉 assoone as they heard me obeyed me This was the Gentiles who neuer 〈◊〉 â—…rist in the flesh nor hee them yet hearing him preached they beleeued 〈◊〉 â—…astly that he might well say as soone as they heard me they obeyed mee for 〈◊〉 â—…es by hearing This people conioyned with the true Israell both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and spirit is that Citty of God which when it was onely in Israell brought 〈◊〉 â—…hrist in the flesh for thence was the Virgin Mary from whom Christ 〈◊〉 our man-hood vpon him Of this cittie thus saith another psalme c 〈◊〉 â—…ll call it our Mother Sion he became man therein the most high hath founded 〈◊〉 was this most high but
talked with this Theodorus at Antioch 〈◊〉 asked him if hee felt no payne who told him no for there stood a young-man behind me in a white raiment who oftentimes sprinckled cold water vpon me and wiped my sweat a way with a towell as white as snow so that it was rather paine to mee to bee taken from the racke q Ualens An Arrian when Augustine was a youth this Emperour made a law that Monkes should goe to the warres and those that would not hee sent his souldiors to beate them to death with clubbes An huge company of those Monkes liued in the deserts of Egipt Euseb. Eutrop. Oros r By their owne Immediatly after Ualens his death Arianisme as then raging in the church s In Persia Vnder King Gororanes a deuillish persecutor who raged because Abdias an holy bishop had burnt downe all the Temples of the Persians great god their fire Cassiod Hist. trip lib. 10. Sapor also persecuted sore in Constantines time a little before this of Gororanes Of the vnknowne time of the last persecution CHAP. 53. THe last persecution vnder Antichrist Christs personall presence shall extinguish For He shall consume him with the breath of his mouth and abolish him with the brightnesse of his wisdome saith the Apostle And here is an vsuall question when shall this bee it is a saucy one If the knowledge of it would haue done vs good who would haue reuealed it sooner then Christ vnto his disciples for they were not bird-mouthed vnto him but asked him saying Lord wilt thou at this time a restore the Kingdome to Israel But what said he It is not for you to knowe the b times or seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power They asked him not of the day or houre but of the time when hee answered them thus In vaine therefore doe wee stand reckning the remainder of the worlds yeares wee heare the plaine truth tell vs it befits vs not to know them Some talke how it shall last 400. some fiue hundered some a thousand yeares after the Ascension euery one hath his vie it were in vaine to stand shewing vpon what grounds In a word their coniectures are all humane grounded vpon no certenty of scripture For hee that said It is not for you to know the times c. stoppes all your accounts and biddes you leaue your calculations But c this beeing an Euangelicall sentence I wonder not that it was not of power to respresse the audacious fictions of some infidels touching the continuance of christian religion For those obseruing that these greatest persecutions did rather increase then suppresse the faith of CHRIST inuented a sort of greeke verses like as if they had beene Oracle conteyning how CHRIST was cleare of this sacreledge but that Peter had by magike founded the worship of the name of CHRIST for three hundered three score and fiue yeares and at that date it should vtterly cease Oh learned heads Oh rare inuentions fit to beleeue those things of CHRIST since you will not beleeue in CHRIST to wit that Peter learned magike of CHRIST yet was he innocent and that his disciple was a witch and yet had rather haue his Maisters name honored then his owne working to that end with his magike with toile with perills and lastly with the effusion of his bloud If Peters witch craft made the world loue CHRIST so well what had CHRISTS innocence done that Peter should loue him so well Let them answere and if they can conceiue that it was that supernall grace that fixed CHRIST in the hearts of the nations for the attainment of eternall blisse which grace also made Peter willing to endure a temporall death for CHRIST by him to bee receiued into the sayd eternity And what goodly gods are these that can presage these things and yet not preuent them but are forced by one witch and as they affirme by one c child-slaughtring sacrifice to suffer a sect so miurious to them to preuaile against them so long time and to beare downe all persecutions by bearing them with patience and to destroy their Temples Images and sacrifices which of their gods is it none of ours it is that is compelled to worke these effects by such a damned oblation for the verses say that Peter dealt not with a deuill but with a god in his magicall operation Such a god haue they that haue not CHRIST for their GOD. L. VIVES AT this time a restore So it must bee read not represent b It is not for you He forbiddeth all curiosity reseruing the knowledge of things to come onely to himselfe Now let my figure-flingers and mine old wiues that hold Ladies and scarlet potentates by the eares with tales of thus and thus it shal be let them all goe packe Nay sir he doth it by Christs command why very good you see what Christs command is Yet haue wee no such delight as in lies of this nature and that maketh them the bolder in their fictions thinking that wee hold their meere desire to tell true a great matter in so strange a case c Euangelicall Spoken by Christ and written by an Euangelist Indeed Christs ascension belongeth to the Gospell and that Chap. of the Actes had been added to the end of Lukes Gospell but that his preface would haue made a seperation d Child-slaughtering The Pagans vsed to vpbraid the Christians much with killing of Children Tertull Apologet. It was a filthy lie Indeed the Cataphrygians and the Pepuzians two damned sects of heresie vsed to prick a yong childes body all ouer with needles and so to wring out the bloud wherewith they tempered their past for the Eucharisticall bread Aug ad Quodvultd So vsed the Euâ—…hitae and the Gnostici for to driue away deuills with Psell. But this was euer held rather villanies of magike then rites of christianity The Pagans foolishnesse in affirming that Christianity should last but 365. yeares CHAP. 54. I Could gather many such as this if the yeare were not past that those lies prefixed and those fooles expected But seeing it is now aboue three hundred sixty fiue yeares since Christs comming in the flesh and the Apostles preaching his name what needeth any plainer confutation For to ommit Christs infancy and child-hood where in he had no disciples yet after his baptisme in Iordan by Ihon as soone as he called some disciples to him his name assuredly began to bee â—…lged of whom the Prophet had said hee shall rule from sea to sea and from the 〈◊〉 to the lands end But because the faith was not definitiuely decreed vntill 〈◊〉 his passion to wit in his resurrection for so saith Saint Paul to the Athenians Now hee admonisheth all men euery where to repent because hee hath appoinâ—…da daie in which hee will iudge the world in righteousnesse by that man in whom â—…ee hath appointed a faith vnto all men in that hee hath raised him from the dead Wee shall
is the righteousnesse of GOD made manifest without the law hauing witnesse of the law and the Prophets to wit the righteousnesse of GOD by the faith of IESVS CHRIST vnto all and vpon al that beleeue This righteousnesse of GOD belongeth vnto the New Testament and hath confirmation from the Old namely the law and the prophets Wee must therefore first of all propound the cause and then produce the confirmations for CHRIST himselfe so ordered it saying Euery scribe which is taught vnto the kingdome of heauen is like vnto an housholder which bringeth out of his treasury things both new and old He saith not both and new but if hee had not respected the order of dignity more then of antiquity he would haue done so and not as he did Places of Scripture prouing that there shal be a daie of Iudgement at the worlds end CHAP. 5. OVr Sauiour therefore condeming the citties whom his great miracles did not induce vnto faith and preferring aliens before them telleth them this Isay vnto you it shal be easier for Tyrus a and Sydon at the day of iudgement then for you And by and by after vnto another cittie Isay vnto you that it shal be easier for them of the Land of Sodome in the daie of iudgement then for thee Here is a plaine prediction of such a day Againe The men of Niniuie saith hee shall arise in iudgement with this generation and condemne it c. The Queene of the south shall rise in Iudgement with this generation and shall condemne it c. Heere wee learne two things 1. that there shal be a iudgement 2. that it shal be when the dead doe arise againe For Our Sauiour speaking of the Niniuites and of the Queene of the South speaketh of them that were dead long before Now b hee sayd not shall condemne as if they were to bee the iudges but that their comparison with the afore-said generation shall iustly procure the iudges condemning sentence Againe speaking of the present commixtion of the good and bad and their future seperation in the day of Iudgement hee vseth a simily of the sowne wheate and the tares sowne afterwards amongst it which hee expoundeth vnto his disciples Hee that soweth the good seed is the Sonne of Man the field is the world the good seed they are the children of the Kingdome the tares are the children of the wicked the enemy that soweth that is the deuill the haruest is the end of the world and the reapers bee the Angells As then the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it bee in the ende of this worlde the Sonne of Man shall send forth his Angells and they shall gather out of his Kingdome all things that offend and they which doe iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth Then shall the iust men shine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of their Father Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare Hee nameth not the Iudgement day heere but hee expresseth it farre more plainely by the effects and promiseth it to befall at the end of the world Furthermore hee saith to his disciples Verely I say vnto you that when the Sonne of Man shall sit in the Throne of his Maiesty then yee which followed mee in their regeneration shall sit also vpon twelue thrones and iudge the twelue tribes of Israell Here wee see that Christ shall bee iudge together with his Apostles Wherevpon hee sayd vnto the Iewes in another place If I through Beelzebub cast out deuills by whom doe your children cast them out therefore they shal be your iudges But now in that he speaketh of twelue thrones we may not imagine that he and one twelue more with him shal be the worlds Iudges The number of twelue includeth the whole number of the Iudges by reason of the two parts of seauen which number signifieth the totall and the vniuerse which two parts foure and three multiplied either by other make vp twelue three times foure or foure times three is twelue besides others reasons why twelue is vsed in these words of our Sauiour Otherwise Mathias hauing Iudas his place Saint Paul should haue no place left him to sit as Iudge in though hee tooke more paines then them all but that hee belongeth vnto the number of the Iudges his owne wordes doe proue Know yee not that we shall iudge the Angells The reason of their iudgements also is included in the number of twelue For Christ in saying To iudge the twelue tribes of Israel excludeth neither the tribe of Leui which was the thirteenth nor all the other Nations besides Israell from vnder-going this iudgement Now whereas hee saith In the regeneration heereby assuredlie hee meanes the resurrection of the dead For our flesh shal be regenerate by incorruption as our soule is by faith I omit many things that might concerne this great daie because inquiry may rather make them seeme ambiguous or belonging vnto other purpose then this as either vnto CHRISTS dayly comming vnto his church in his members vnto each in perticular or vnto the destruction of the earthly Ierusalem because Our Sauiour speaking of that vseth the same phrase that hee vseth concerning the end of the world and the last iudgement so that wee can scarcely distinguish them but by conferring the three Euangelists Mathew Marke and Luke together in their places touching this point For one hath it some-what difficult and another more apparant the one explayning the intent of the other And those places haue I conferred together in one of mine Epistles vnto Hesychius of blessed memory Bishoppe of Salon the Epistle is intituled De fine seculi of the worldes ende So that I will in this place relate onely that place of Saint Mathew where CHRIST the last iudge beeing then present shall seperate the good from the badde It is thus When the Sonne of Man commeth in his glory and all the holy Angells with him then shal he sit vpon the throne of his glorie and before him shal be gathered all nations and he shall seperate them one from another as a sheepheard seperateth the sheepe from the goates and hee shall set the sheepe on his right hand and the goates on his left Then shall the King say to them on his right hand come yee blessed of my father inherite yee the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the worlde For I was an hungered and you gaue mee meate I thirsted and you gaue mee drinke I was a stranger and you lodged mâ—… I was naked and yee cloathed mee I was sicke and yee visited mee I was in prison and yee came vnto mee Then shall the righteous answere him saying LORD when saw wee thee an hungred and fedde thee or a thirst and gaue thee drinke c. And the King shall answere and say vnto them Verely I say vnto you in asmuch as yee haue done
God knoweth those that bee his and the deuill cannot draw a soule of them vnto damnation For this God knoweth as knowing all things to come not as one man seeth another in presence and cannot tell what shall be-come either of him hee seeth or of him-selfe here-after The diuell was therefore bound and locked vp that hee should no more seduce the nations the Churches members whom he had held in errour and impiety before they were vnited vnto the Church It is not said that hee should deceiue no man any more but that he should deceiue the people no more whereby questionlesse hee meaneth the Church Proceed vntill the thousand yeares bee fulfilled that is either the remainder of the sixth day the last thousand or the whole time that the world was to continue Nor may wee vnderstand the deuill so to bee barred from seducing that at this time expired hee should seduce those nations againe whereof the Church consisteth and from which hee was forbidden before But this place is like vnto that of the Psalme Our eyes waite vpon the Lord vntill hee haue mercy vpon vs for the seruants of God take not their eyes from beholding as soone as he hath mercy vpon them or else the order of the words is this Hee â—…t him vp and sealed the doore vpon him vntill a thousand yeares were fulfilled all that commeth betweene namely that he should not deceiue the people hauing no necessary connexion here-vnto but beeing to bee seuerally vnderstood as if it were added afterwards and so the sence runne thus And he shut him vp and sealed the dore vpon him vntill a thousand yeares were fulfilled that hee should not seduce the people that is therefore hee shutte him vp so long that he should seduce them no more L. VIVES FRom the a thousand Iohns mention of a thousand yeares in this place and Christs words I will not drinke hence-forth of the fruite of the vine vntill that day that I drinke it new with you in my Fathers kingdome together with many Prophecies touching Christs kingdome in Hierusalem made some imagine that Christ would returne into the world raise the Saints in their bodyes and liue a thousand yeares heere on earth in all ioy peace and prosperitie farre exceeding the golden age of the Poets or that of Sybilla and Esayas The first Author of this opinion was Papias Bishop of Hierusalem who liued in the Apostles times Hee was seconded by Irenaeus Apollinarius Tertullian lib. de fidelium Victorinus 〈◊〉 Lactantius Diuin Instit. lib. 7. And although Hierome deride and scoffe at this opinion in many places yet in his fourth booke of his Commentaries vpon Hieremy hee saith that hee dare not condemne it because many holy martyrs and religious Christians held it so great an authority the person some-times giueth to the position that we must vse great modesty in our dissention with them and giue great reuerence to their godlynesse and grauity I cannot beleeue that the Saints held this opinion in that manner that Cerinthus the heretique did of whome wee read this in Eusebius Cerinthus held that Christ would haue an earthly kingdome in Hierusalem after the resurrection where the Saints should liue in all societie of humaine lusts and concupiscences Besides against all truth of scripture hee held that for a thousand yeares space this should hold with reuells and mariage and other works of corruption onely to deâ—…iue the carnall minded person Dionisius disputing of S. Iohns reuelation and reciting some ancient traditions of the Church hath thus much concerning this man Cerinthus quoth he the author of the Cerinthian heresie delighted much in getting his sect authority by wresting of scripture His heresie was that Christs Kingdome should bee terrestriall and being giuen vp vnto lust and gluttony himselfe he affirmed nothing but such things as those two affects taught him That all should abound with banquets and belly-chere and for the more grace to his assertions that the feasts of the law should be renewed and the offring of carnall sacrifices restored Irenaeus publisheth the secresie of this heresie in his first booke they that would know it may finde it there Thus farre Eusebius Hist. Eccl. lib. 3. wherefore this was not Papias his opinion whose originall Hierome would otherwise haue ascribed vnto Cerinthus who was more ancient then Papias a little though both liued in one age nor would Iraeneus haue written against Cerinthus for he allowed of Papias his opinion neither did all the sects agree in one as touching this thousand yeares but each one taught that which seemed likeliest vnto him-selfe and no wonder in so vaine a fiction Dionisius of Alexandria as Hierome affirmeth In Esai lib. 18. wroâ—… an elegant worke in derision of these Chiliasts and there Golden Hierusalem their reparation of the temple their bloud of sacrifices there Sabbath there circumsitions there birth there mariages there banquets there soueraignties their warres and tryumphs c. b The cheare shall exceed So saith Lactantius The earth shall yeeld her greatest faecundity and yeeld her plenty vntilled The rockie mountaines shall sweate hony the riuers shall runne wine and the fountaines milke To omit Cerinthus his relations which are farre more odious c Chiliast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a thousand d On the sixt day There is a report that in the bookes of Elias the Prophet it was recorded that the world should last 6000. yeares 2000. vnder vanity vnto Abraham 2000. vnder the law vnto Christ. and 2000. vnder Christ vnto the iudgement This by the Hebrewes account for the LXX haue aboue 3000. yeares from Adam to Abraham And in Augustines time the world lackt not 400 yeares of the full 6000. So that now our Vulgar accoumpt is aboue 6700. yeares Namely from Our Sauiour 1522. Whom Eusebius and such as follow the LXX affirme to haue beene borne in the yeare of the world 5100. and somewhat more Therefore Augustine saith that the later end of the 6000. yeares passed along in his time And Lactantius who liued before Augustine vnder Constantine saith that in his time there was but 200. of the 6000. yeares to runne Of the binding and loosing of the Diuell CHAP. 8. AFter that saith S. Iohn he must be loosed for a season Well although the Diuell be bound and lockt vp that he should not seduce the Church shall hee therefore be looosed to seduce it God forbid That Church which God predestinated and setled before the worlds foundation whereof it is written God knoweth those that be his that the Deuill shall neuer seduce and yet it shal be on earth euen at the time of his loosing as it hath continued in successiue estate euer since it was first erected for by and by after hee saith that the Diuill shall bring his seduced nations in armes against it whose number shal be as the sea sands And they went vp saith hee vnto the plaine of the earth and compassed the tents of the Saints about and
Father inherite you the kingdome prepared for you for if there were not another reigning of Christ with the Saints in another place whereof him-selfe saith I am with you alway vnto the end of the world the Church now vpon earth should not bee called his kingdome or the kingdome of heauen for the Scribe that was taught vnto the kingdome of God liued in this thousand yeares And the Reapers shall take the tares out of the Church which grew vntill haruest together with the good corne which Parable he expoundeth saying The â—…est is the end of the world and the reapers are the Angels as then the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the end of the world The sonne of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all things that offend What doth hee speake heare of that kingdome where there is no offence No but of the Church that is heere below Hee saith further Who-so-euer shall breake one of these least commandements and teach men so hee shall bee called the least in the kingdome of heauen but who-so-euer shall obserue and teach them the same shall bee called great in the kingdome of heauen Thus both these are done in the kingdome of heauen both the breach of the commandements and the keeping of them â—…hen hee proceedeth Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees that is of such as breake what they teach and as Christ 〈◊〉 else-where of them Say well but doe nothing vnlesse you exceed these that is â—…th teach and obserue you shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen Now the kingdome where the keeper of the commandements and the contemner were 〈◊〉 said to be is one and the kingdome into which he that saith and doth not shal not enter is another So then where both sorts are the church is that now is but where the better sort is only the church is as it shal be here-after vtterly exempt from euill So that the church now on earth is both the kingdom of Christ and the kingdome of heauen The Saints reigne with him now but not as they shall doe here-after yet the tares reigne hot with them though they grow in the Church â—…ngst the good seed They reigne with him who do as the Apostle saith If yee 〈◊〉 be risen with Christ seeke the things which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the 〈◊〉 â—…d of God Set your affections on things which are aboue and not on things 〈◊〉 are on earth of whome also hee saith that their conuersation is in heauen â—…ly they reigne with Christ who are with all his kingdom where he reigneth 〈◊〉 how do they reigne with him at all who continuing below vntill the worlds 〈◊〉 vntill his kingdome be purged of all the tares do neuer-the-lesse seeke their 〈◊〉 pleasures and not their redeemers This booke therefore of Iohnsâ—…th â—…th of this kingdome of malice wherein there are daily conflicts with the â—…my some-times with victory and some-times with foyle vntill the time of that most peaceable kingdome approach where no enemy shall euer shew his 〈◊〉 this and the first resurrection are the subiect of the Apostles Reuelation For hauing sayd that the deuill was bound for a thousand yeares and then was to bee loosed for a while hee recapitulateth the gifts of the Church during the sayd thousand yeares And I saw seates saith he and they sat vpon them and iudgement was giuen vnto them This may not bee vnderstood of the last iudgement but by the seales are 〈◊〉 the rulers places of the Church and the persons them-selues by whom it is gouerned and for the Iudgement giuen them it cannot be better explaned then in these words what-so-euer yee binde on earth shall be bound in heauen and what-so-euer yee loose on earth shall bee loosed in heauen Therefore saith Saint Paul 〈◊〉 haue I to doe to iudge them also that bee without doe not yee iudge them that 〈◊〉 within On. And I saw the soules of them which were slaine for the witnesse of Iesus 〈◊〉 for the word of God vnderstand that which followeth they raigned with Christ a 〈◊〉 yeares These were the martires soules hauing not their bodies as yet for 〈◊〉 soules of the Godly are not excluded from the Church which as it is now is 〈◊〉 kingdome of God Otherwise she shold not mention them nor celebrate their â—…ories at our communions of the body and bloud of Christ nor were it necessary 〈◊〉 â—…in our perills to run vnto his Baptisme or to be afraid to dy without it nor to seeke reconciliation to his church if a man haue incurred any thing that exacteth repentance or burdeneth his conscience Why doe we those things but that euen such as are dead in the faith are members of Gods Church Yet are they not with their bodies and yet neuer-the-lesse their soules reigne with Christ the whole space of this thousand yeares And therefore wee reade else-where in the same booke Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord Euen so saith the spirit for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them Thus then the Church raigneth with Christ first in the quick and the dead for Christ as the Apostle saith that hee might thence-forth rule both ouer the quick and the dead But the Apostle heere nameth the soules of the martyrs onely because their kingdome is most glorious after death as hauing fought for the truth vntill death But this is but a taking of the part for the whole for wee take this place to include all the dead that belong to Chrsts kingdome which is the Church But the sequell And which did not worship the beast neither his Image neither had taken his marke vpon their fore-heads or on their hands this is meant both of the quick and dead Now although wee must make a more exact inquiry what this beast was yet is it not against Christianity to interpret it the society of the wicked opposed against the com pany of Gods seruants and against his holy Citty Now his image that is his dissimulation in such as professe religion and practise infidelity They faigne to bee what they are not and their shew not their truth procureth them the name of Christians For this Beast consisteth not onely of the professed enemies of Christ and his glorious Hierarchy but of the tares also that in the worlds end are to be gathered out of the very fields of his owne Church And who are they that adore not the beast but those of whome Saint Pauls aduise taketh effect Bee not vnequally yoaked with the Infidells These giue him no adoration no consent no obedience nor take his marke that is the brand of their owne sinne vpon their fore-heads by professing it or on their hands by working according to it They that are cleare of this be they liuing or be they dead they reigne with Christ
thinke this place obscure let him looke for no plainenesse in the Scriptures L. VIVES THy a victory Some read contention but the originall is Victory and so doe Hierom and Ambrose reade it often Saint Paul hath the place out of Osee. chap. â—…3 ver 14. and vseth it 1. Cor. 16. ver 55. b When shall death The Cittie of GOD shall see death vntill the words that were sayd of Christ after his resurrection Oh hell where is thy victory may bee said of all our bodies that is at the resurrection when they shal be like his glorified bodie Saint Peters doctrine of the resurrection of the dead CHAP. 18. NOw let vs heare what Saint Peter sayth of this Iudgement There shall come saith hee in the last daies mockers which will walke after their lusts and say Where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers died all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation For this they willingly know not that the heauens were of old and the earth that was of the water and by the water by the word of GOD wherefore the world that then was perished ouer-flowed with the water But the heauens and earth that now are are kept by the same word in store and reserued vnto fire against the day of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men Dearcly beloued bee not ignorant of this that one daie with the LORD is as a thousand years and a thousand yeares as one daie The LORD is not flack concerning his promise as some men count slackenesse but is pacient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would haue all men to come to repentance But the daie of the LORD will come as a thiefe in the night in the which the heauens shall passe awaie with a noyse and the elements shall melt with 〈◊〉 and the earth with the workes that are therein shal be burnt vppe Seeing therefore all these must bee dissolued what manner of persons ought you to bee in holy conuersation and Godlinesse longing for and hasting vnto the comming of the daie of GOD by the which the heauens beeing on fire shal be dissolued and the elements shall melt vvith heate But vve-looke for a nevv heauen and a nevv earth according to his promise vvherein dvvelleth righteousnesse Thus sarre Now here is no mention of the resurrection of the dead but enough concerning the destruction of the world where his mention of the worlds destruction already past giueth vs sufficient warning to beleeue the dissolution to come For the world that was then perished saith hee at that time not onely the earth but that part of the ayre also which the watter a possessed or got aboue and so consequently almost all those ayry regions which hee calleth the heauen or rather in the plurall the heauens but not the spheres wherein the Sunne and the Starres haue their places they were not touched the rest was altered by humidity and so the earth perished and lost the first forme by the deluge But the heauens and earth saith hee that now are are kept by the same word in store and reserued vnto fire against the daie of iudgement and of the destruction of vngodly men Therefore the same heauen and earth that remained after the deluge are they that are reserued vnto the fire afore-said vnto the daie of iudgement and perdition of the wicked For because of this great change hee sticketh not to say there shal be a destruction of men also whereas indeed their essences shall neuer bee anniâ—…e although they liue in torment Yea but may some say if this old heauen and earth shall at the worlds end bee burned before the new ones be made where shal the Saints be in the time of this conflagration since they haue bodies and therefore must be in some bodily place We may answere in the vpper parts whither the fire as then shall no more ascend then the water did in the deluge For at this daie the Saints bodies shal be mooueable whither their wills doe please nor need they feare the fire beeing now both immortall and incorruptible b for the three children though their bodies were corruptible were notwithstanding preserued from loosing an haire by the fire and might not the Saints bodies be preserued by the same power L. VIVES THe a water possessed For the two vpper regions of the ayre doe come iust so low that they are bounded with a circle drawne round about the earthlie highest mountaines tops Now the water in the deluge beeing fifteene cubites higher then the highest mountaine it both drowned that part of the ayre wherein wee liue as also that part of the middle region wherein the birds do vsually flie both which in Holy writ and in Poetry also are called Heauens b The three Sidrach Misach and Abdenago at Babilon who were cast into a â—…nace for scorning of Nabuchadnezzars golden statue Dan. 3. Saint Pauls words to the Thessalonians Of the manifestations of Antichrist whose times shall immediately fore-runne the day of the Lord. CHAP. 19. I See I must ouer-passe many worthy sayings of the Saints concerning this day least my worke should grow to too great a volume but yet Saint Pauls I may by no meanes omit Thus sayth he Now I beseech you bretheren by the comming of our LORD IESVS CHRIST and by our assembling vnto him that you bee not suddenly mooued from your minde nor troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as if it were from vs as though the day of CHRIST were at hand Let no man deceiue you by any meanes for that day shall not come except there come a a fugitiue first and that that man of sinne bee disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersary and exalteth himselfe against all is called god or that is worshipped so that he sitteth as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God Remember yee not that when I was yet with you I told you these things And now yee know what withholdeth that he might be reuealed in his due time For the mistery of iniquity doth already worke onely he which now withholdeth shall let till he be taken out of the way and the wicked man shal be reuealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall abolish with the brightnesse of his comming euen him whose comming is by the working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying wonders and in all deceiuablenesse of vnrighteousnesse amongst them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued And therefore God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes that all they might bee damned which beleeue not in the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse This is doubtlesse meant of Antichrist and the day of iudgement For this day hee saith shall not come vntill that Antichrist be come before it he that is called here a fugitiue
not the lesser and lower doe so too If Ioue doe not like this whose oracle as Porphyry saith hath condemned the Christians credulity why doth hee not condemne the Hebrewes also for leauing this doctrine especially recorded in their holyest writings But if this Iewish wisdome which he doth so commend affirme that the heauens shall perish how vaine a thing is it to detest the Christian faith for auouching that the world shall perish which if it perish not then cannot the heauens perish Now our owne scriptures with which the Iewes haue nothing to doe our Ghospels and Apostolike writings do all affirme this The fashion of this world goeth away The world passeth away Heauen and earth shall passe away But I thinke that passeth away doth not imply so much as perisheth But in Saint Peters Epistle where hee saith how the world perished being ouer-flowed with water is plainly set downe both what he meant by the world how farre it perished and what was reserued for fire and the perdition of the wicked And by and by after The day of the Lord will come as a thiefe in the night in the which the Heauens shall passe away with a noyse the elements shall melt vvith heate and the earth vvith the rockes that are therein shall bee burnt vp and so concludeth that seeing all these perish what manner persons ought yee to be Now we may vnderstand that those heauens shall perish which he said were reserued for fire and those elements shall melt which are here below in this mole of discordant natures wherein also he saith those heauens are reserued not meaning the vpper spheres that are the seats of the stars for whereas it is written that the starres shall fall from heauen it is a good proofe that the heauens shall remaine vntouched if these words bee not figuratiue but that the starres shall fall indeed or some such wonderous apparitions fill this lower ayre as Virgil speaketh of Stella a facem ducens multa cum luce cucurrit A tailed Starre flew on with glistring light And so hid it selfe in the woods of Ida. But this place of the Psalme seemes to exempt none of all the heauens from perishing The heauens are the workes of thine hands they shall perish thus as hee made all so all shall bee destroyed The Pagans scorne I am sure to call Saint Peter to defend that Hebrew doctrine which their gods doe so approoue by alledging the figuratiue speaking hereof pars pro toto all shall perrish meaning onely all the lower parts as the Apostle saith there that the world perished in the deluge when it was onely the earth and some part of the ayre This shift they will not make least they should eyther yeeld to Saint Peter or allow this position that the fire at the last iudgement may doe as much as wee say the deluge did before their assertion that all man-kinde can neuer perish will allow them neither of these euasions Then they must needes say that when their gods commended the Hebrews wisdom they had not read this Psalme but there is another Psalme as plaine as this Our God shall come and shall not keepe silence a fire shall deuoure before him and a mightie tempest shall bee mooued round about him Hee shall call the heauen aboue and the earth to iudge his people Gather my Saints together vnto mee those that make a couenant with mee with sacrifice This is spoken of Christ whome wee beleeue shall come from heauen to iudge both the quick and the dead Hee shall come openly to iudge all most iustly who when hee came in secret was iudged himselfe most vniustly Hee shall come and shall not bee silent his voyce now shall confound the iudge before whome hee was silent when hee was lead like a sheepe to the slaughter and as a lambe before the shearer is dumbe as the Prophet saith of him and as it was fulfilled in the Ghospell Of this fire and tempest wee spake before in our discourse of Isaias prophecie touching this point But his calling the heauens aboue that is the Saints this is that which Saint Paul saith Then shall wee bee caught vp also in the clouds to meete the Lord in the â—…yre For if it meant not this how could the Heauens bee called aboue as though they could bee any where but aboue The words following And the earth if you adde not Aboue heere also may bee taken for those that are to bee iudged and the heauens for those that shall iudge with Christ. And then the calling of the heauens aboue implyeth the placing of the Saints in seates of iudgments not their raptures into the ayre Wee may further vnderstand it to bee his calling of the Angels from their high places to discend with him to iudgement and by the earth those that are to bee iudged But if wee doe vnderstand Aboue at both clauses it intimateth the Saints raptures directly putting the heauens for their soules and the earth for their bodyes to iudge or discerne his people that is to seperate the sheepe from the goates the good from the bad Then speaketh he to his Angels Gather my Saints together vnto mee this is done by the Angels ministery And whome gather they Those that make a couenant with mee with sacrifice and this is the duty of all iust men to doe For either they must offer their workes of mercy which is aboue sacrifice as the Lord saith I will haue mercy and not sacrifice or else their workes of mercy is the sacrifice it selfe that appeaseth Gods wrath as I prooued in the ninth booke of this present volume In such workes doe the iust make couenants with God in that they performe them for the promises made them in the New Testament So then Christ hauing gotten his righteous on his right hand will giue them this well-come Come yee blessed of my Father inherite yee the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world for I was an hungred and you gaue me to eate and so forth of the good workes and their eternall rewards which shall be returned for them in the last iudgment L. VIVES SStella a facem ducens Virg. Aeneid 2. Anchises beeing vnwilling to leaue Troy and Aeneas being desperate and resoluing to dye Iupiter sent them a token for their flight namely this tailed starre all of which nature saith Aristotle are produced by vapours enflamed in the ayres mid region If their formes be only lineall they call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is lampes or torches Such an one saith Plynie glided amongst the people at noone day when Germanicus Caesar presented his Sword-players prize others of them are called Bolidae and such an one was seene at Mutina The first sort of these flye burning onely at one end the latter burneth all ouer Thus Pliny lib. 2. Malachies Prophecy of the iudgement and of such as are to be purged by fire CHAP. 25. THe Prophet a Malachiel or Malachi
them hath declared these things The Lord hath loued him hee will do his will in Bable and his arme shal be against the Chaldaeans I euen I haue spoken it and I haue called him I haue brought him and his waies shall prosper Come neare vnto me heare yee this I haue not spoke it in secret from the beginning from the time that the thing was I was there and now the LORD GOD and his spirit hath sent me This was he that spoke here as the LORD GOD and yet it had not beene euident that hee was Christ but that hee addeth the last clause the LORD GOD and his spirit hath sent me For this hee spoke of that which was to come in the forme of a seruant vsing the preterperfect tense for the future as the Prophet doth else-where saying he was led as a sheepe to the slaughter he doth not say He shal be led but putteth the time past for the time to come according to the vsuall phrase of propheticall speeches There is also another place in Zacharie as euident as this where the Almightie sent the Almightie and what was that but that the Father sent the Sonne the words are these Thus saith the Lord of Hoastes After this glory hath hee sent mee vnto the nations which spoyled you for hee that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of his eye Behold I will lift my hand vpon them and they shall bee a spoyle to those that serued them and yee shall know that the Lord of Hoastes hath sent mee Behold here the LORD of hoastes saith that the LORD of hoastes hath sent him Who dare say that these words proceed from any but from Christ speaking to his lost sheepe of Israell for hee saith so him-selfe I am not sent but vnto the lost sheepe of Israell those hee compareth heere vnto the Apple of his eye in his most feruent loue vnto them and of those lost ones the Apostles were a part themselues but after this resurrection before which the Holy Ghost saith Iohn was not yet giuen because that IESVS was not yet glorified hee was also sent vnto the gentiles in his Apostles and so was that of the psalme fulfilled Thou hast deliuered mee from the contentions of the people thou hast made mee the head of the heathen that those that had spoiled the Israelites and made them slaues should spoile them no more but become their slaues This promised hee to his Apostles saying I will make you fishers of men and againe vnto one of them alone from hence-forth thou shalt catch men Thus shal the nations become spoiles but vnto a good end as vessell tane from a strong man that is bound by a stronger The said Prophet also in another place saith or rather the LORD by him saith In that daie will I seeke to destroy all the nations that come against Ierusalem and I will powre vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of compassion and they shall looke vpon mee whome they haue pearced and they shall lament for him as one mourneth for his onely sonne and bee sorry for him as one is sory for his first borne Who is it but GOD that shall ridde Ierusalem of the foes that come against her that is that oppose her faith or as some interprete it that seeke to make her captiue who but hee can powre the spirit of grace and compassion vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem This is Gods peculiar and spoken by God himselfe in the prophet and yet that this GOD who shall doe all the wonderfull workes is CHRIST the sequele sheweth plainely they shall looke vpon mee whom they haue pearced and bee sorry c. For those Iewes who shall receiue the spirit of grace and compassion in the time to come shall repent that euer they had insulted ouer CHRIST in his passion when they shall see him comming in his Maiesty and know that this is hee whose base-nesse of parentage they had whilom â—…owted at And their fore-fathers shall see him too vpon whom they had exercised such impiety euen him shall they behold but not vnto their correction but vnto their confusion These words there I will powre vpon the house of Dauid and vpon the inhabitants of Hierusalem the spirit of grace and compassion c. doe no way concerne them but their progenie onelye whome the preaching of Helias shall bring to the true faith But as wee say to the Iewes You killed Christ though it were their predecessors so shall the progeny of those murtherers bewayle the death of Christ them-selues though their predecessors and not they were they that did the deed So then though they receiue the spirit of grace and compassion and so escape the damnation of their fore-fathers yet shall they grieue as if they had beene pertakers of their predecessors villanie yet shall it not be guilt but zeale that shall inforce this griefe in them The LXX doe read this place thus They shall behold mee ouer whome they haue insulted but the Hebrews read it whom they haue pearced which giueth a fuller intimation of the crucifying of Christ. But that insultation in the LXX was continued euen through the whole passion of Christ Their taking him binding him iudging him apparelling him with sot-like habites crowning him with thorne striking him on the head with reedes mocking him with fained reuerence enforcing him to beare his owne crosse and crucifying him euen to his very last gaspe was nothing but a continuate insultation So that laying both the interpretations together as wee doe wee expresse at full that this place implyeth Christ and none other Therefore when-so-euer wee read in the Prophets that God shall iudge the world though there bee no other distinction that that very word Iudge doth expresse the Sonne of man for by his comming it is that Gods iudgement shall be executed God the Father in his personall presence will iudge no man but hath giuen all iudgement vnto his Sonne who shall shew him-selfe as man to iudge the world euen as hee shewed him-selfe as man to bee iudged of the world Who is it of whome God speaketh in Esaias vnder the name of Iacob and Israel but this sonne of man that tooke flesh of Iacobs progeny Iacob my seruant I will stay vpon him Israel mine elect in whome my soule delighteth I haue put my spirit vpon him hee shall bring forth Iudgement vnto the Gentiles Hâ—… shall not crye nor lift vp nor cause his voyce to bee heard in the streetes A bruised Reede shall hee not breake and the smoaking Flaxe shall hee not quench hee shall bring forth iudgement in truth Hee shall not faile nor bee discouraged vntill hee haue setled iudgement in the earth and the Iles shall hope in his name In the Hebrew there is no b mention of Iacob nor of Israel but the LXX being desirous to shew what hee meant by his
come vnlesse there were some who although they haue no remission in this yet might haue it in the world to come But when it shal be said of the Iudge of the quick and the dead Come yee blessed of my father possesse the Kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world and to others on the contrary Depart from me yee curssed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuill and his angells it were too much presumption to say that any of them should escape euerlasting punishment whom the Lord hath condemned to eternall torments so goe about by the perswasion of this presumption either also to despaire or doubt of eternall life Let no man therefore so vnderstand the Psalmist when he saith Will God forget to haue mercy or will he shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure that hee suppose that the sentence of GOD is true concerning the good false concerning the wicked or that it is true concerning good men and euill angells but concerning euill men to be false For that which is recorded in the Psalme belongeth to the vessells of mercy and to the sonnes of the promise of which the Prophet himselfe was one who when he had sayd Will God forget to haue mercy will he shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure straigth-way addeth And I sayd it is mine owne infirmity I will remember the yeares 〈◊〉 the right hand of the highest Verely hee hath declared what hee meant by these words Will the LORD shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure For truely this mortall life is the displeasure of God wherein man is made like vnto vanity and 〈◊〉 daies passe away like a shadow In which displeasure neuerthelesse GOD will not forget to bee gratious by causing his sunne to shine vpon the good and the euill and the 〈◊〉 to fall vpon the iust and vniust and so he doth not shut vp his louing kindnes in displeasure and especially in that which the psalme expresseth here saying I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the highest because in this most miserable life which is the displeasure of God he changeth the vessells of mercy into a better state although as yet his displeasure remaineth in the misery of this corruption because he doth not shut vp his mercies in his displeasure When as therefore the verity of this diuine song may be fulfilled in this manner it is not necessary that it should bee vnderstood of that place where they which pertaine not to the Citty of GOD shal be punished with euerlasting punishment But 〈◊〉 which please to stretch this sentence euen to the torments of the damned at least let them so vnderstand it that the displeasure of GOD remayning in them which is due to eternall punishment yet neuerthelesse that God doth not shut vp his louing kindnesse in this his heauy displeasure and causeth them not to 〈◊〉 tormented with such rigor of punishments as they haue deserued Yet not 〈◊〉 that they may b escape or at any time haue an end of those punishâ—… but that they shal be more easie then they haue deserued For so both 〈◊〉 â—…tch of GOD shall remaine and hee shall not shut vppe his louing â—…dnesse in his displeasure But I doe not confirme this thing because I doe 〈◊〉 contradict it 〈◊〉 not onely I but the sacred and diuine Scripture doth reproue and conuince them most plainely and fullie which thinke that to bee spoken rather by the way of threatning then truely when it is said Depart from mee yee wicked into â—…sting fire and also They shall goe into euerlasting punnishment and their 〈◊〉 shall not die and the fire shall not bee extinguished c. For the Niniuites 〈◊〉 fruitfull repentance in this life as in the field in which GOD would haue that to bee sowne with teares which should after-ward bee reaped with ioye And yet who will deny that to bee fulfiled in them which the LORD had spoken before vnlesse hee cannot well perceiue that the Lord doth not onely ouerthrow sinners in his anger but likewise in his mercy for sinners are confounded by two manner of waies either as the Sodomits that men suffer punishments for their sinnes or as the Niniuits that the sins of men bee destroied by repenting For Niniuy is destroied which was euill and good Niniuy is built which was not For the walls and houses standing stil the Citty is ouerthrowne in her wicked 〈◊〉 And so though the Prophet was grieued because that came not to 〈◊〉 which those men feared to come by his propehcy neuerthelesse that was â—…ought to passe which was fore-told by the fore-knowledge of God because 〈◊〉 which had fore-spoken it how it was to be fulfilled in a better manner But that they may know who are mercifull towards an obstinat sinner what that meaneth which is written How great oh LORD is the multitude of thy sweetnesse which thou hast hidden for them that feare thee let them also read that which followeth But thou hast performed it to them which hope in thee For what is Thou 〈◊〉 hidden for them which feare thee Thou hast performed to them which hope in thee but that the righteousnesse of GOD is not sweet vnto them because they know it 〈◊〉 which establish their owne righteousnesse for the feare of punishments which righteousnesse is in the law For they haue not tasted of it For they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 themselues not in him and therefore the multitude of the sweetnesse of GOD 〈◊〉 hidden vnto them for truely they feare GOD but with that seruile 〈◊〉 which is not in loue because perfect loue casteth away feare Therefore hee performeth his sweetnesse to them which hope in him by inspiring his loue into them that when they glory with chaste feare not in that which loue casteth away but which remaineth for euer and euer they may glory in the LORD For Christ is the righteousnesse of God Who vnto vs of GOD as the Apostle saith is made wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption That 〈◊〉 it is written Let him which reioyceth reioyce in the LORD They which will establish their owne righteousnesse know not this righteousnesse which grace doth giue without merrits and therefore they are not subiect to the righteousnesse of GOD which is CHRIST In which righteousnesse there is great aâ—… 〈◊〉 of the sweetnesse of GOD wherefore it is sayd in the Psalme Taste 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how sweet the Lord is And wee truely hauing a taste and not our fill of it in this 〈◊〉 pilgrimage doe rather hunger and thirst after it that wee may bee saâ—… 〈◊〉 it afterward when we see him as he is and that shal be fulfilled which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I shal be satisfied when thy glory shal be manifested So CHRIST efâ—… abundance of his sweetnesse to those which hope in him But if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sweetnesse which they thinke to bee theirs for them which feare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will not
Surgeons b Anotamists they call them haue often cut vp dead men and liue men sometimes to learne the posture of mans inward parts and which way to make incisions and to effect their cures yet those members whereof I speake and whereof the c harmony and proportion of mans whole body doth consist no man could euer finde or durst euer vndertake to enquire which if they could bee knowne we should finde more reason and pleasing contemplation in the forming of the interior parts then wee can obserue or collect from those that lye open to the eye There are some parts of the body that concerne decorum onely and are of no vse such are the pappes on the brests of men and the beard which is no strengthning but an ornament to the face as the naked chins of women which being weaker were other-wise to haue this strengthning also do plainly declare Now if there be no exterior part of man that is vse-full which is not also comely and if there bee also parts in man that are comely and not vse-full then GOD in the framing of mans body had a greater respect of dignity then of necessity For necessity shall cease the time shall come when wee shall doe nothing but enioy our lustlesse beauties for which we must especially glorifie him to whom the Psalme saith Thou hast put on praise and comlinesse And then for the beauty and vse of other creatures which God hath set before the eyes of man though as yet miserable and amongst miseries what man is able to recount them the vniuersall gracefulnesse of the heauens the earth and the sea the brightnesse of the light in the Sunne Moone and Starres the shades of the woods the colours and smells of flowres the numbers of birds and their varied hewes and songs the many formes of beasts and fishes whereof the least are the rarest for the fabrike of the Bee or Pismier is more admired then the Whales and the strange alterations in the colour of the sea as beeing in seuerall garments now one greene then another now blew and then purple How pleasing a sight sometimes it is to see it rough and how more pleasing when it is calme And O what a hand is that that giueth so many meates to asswage hunger so many tastes to those meates with-out helpe of Cooke and so many medecinall powers to those tastes How delightfull is the dayes reciprocation with the night the temperatenesse of the ayre and the workes of nature in the barkes of trees and skinnes of beasts O who can draw the perticulars How tedious should I be in euery peculiar of these few that I haue heere as it were heaped together if I should stand vpon them one by one Yet are all these but solaces of mans miseries no way pertinent to his glories What are they then that his blisse shall giue him if that his misery haue such blessings as these What will GOD giue them whome hee hath predestinated vnto life hauing giuen such great things euen to them whome hee hath predestinated vnto death What will hee giue them in his kingdome for whome hee sent his onely sonne to suffer all iniuries euen to death vpon earth Wherevpon Saint Paul sayth vnto them Hee who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all vnto death how shall hee not with Him giue vs all things also When this promise is fulfilled O what shall wee bee then How glorious shall the soule of man bee with-out all staine and sinne that can either subdue or oppose it or against which it need to contend perfect in all vertue and enthroned in all perfection of peace How great how delightfull how true shall our knowledge of all things be there with-out all error with-out all labour where wee shall drinke at the spring head of GODS sapience with-out all difficulty and in all felicity How perfect shall our bodies bee beeing wholy subiect vnto their spirits and there-by sufficiently quickned and nourished with-out any other sustenance for they shall now bee no more naturall but spirituall they shall haue the substance of â—…sh quite exempt from all fleshly corruption L. VIVES PArtly a necessary Such as husbandry the Arte of Spinning weauing and such as man cannot liue without b Anatomists that is cutters vp of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a section incision or cutting c Harmony The congruence connexion and concurrence of any thing may be called so it commeth of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to adapt or compose a thing proportionably Of the obstinacie of some few in denying the resurrection which the whole world beleeueth as it was fore-told CHAP. 25. BVT as touching the goods of the minde which the blessed shall enioy after this life the Philosophers and wee are both of one minde Our difference is concerning the resurrection which they deny with all the power they haue but the increase of the beleeuers hath left vs but a few opposers CHRIST that disprooued the obstinate euen in his proper body gathering all vnto his faith learned and vnlearned wise and simple The world beleeued GODS promise in this who promised also that it should beleeue this It was a not Peters magick that wrought it but it was that GOD of whome as I haue said often and as Porphyry confesseth from their owne Oracles all their Gods doe stand in awe and dread Porphyry calles him GOD the Father and King of GODS But GOD forbid that wee should beleeue his promises as they doe that will not beleeue what hee had promised that the world should beleeue For why should wee not rather beleeue as the world doth and as it was prophecied it should and leaue them to their owne idle talke that will not beleeue this that the world was promised to beleeue for if they say wee must take it in another sence because they will not doe that GOD whome they haue commended so much iniury as to say his Scriptures are idle things Yet surely they iniure him as much or more in saying they must bee vnderstood other-wise then the world vnderstandeth them which is as GOD both promised and performed Why cannot GOD raise the flesh vnto eternall life Is it a worke vnworthy of God Touching his omnipotencie whereby hee worketh so many wonders I haue sayd enough already If they would shew mee a thing which hee cannot doe I will tell them hee cannot lye Let vs therefore beleeue onely what hee can doe and not beleeue what hee cannot If they doe not then beleeue that hee can lye let them beleeue that hee will doe what hee promiseth And let them beleeue as the world beleeues which hee promised should beleeue and whose beleefe hee both produced and praised And how prooue they the worke of the resurrection any way vnworthy of GOD There shall be no corruption there-in and that is all the euill that can be-fall the body Of the elementary orders wee haue spoken already as also of the possibility of the swift motion
of the incorruptible body Of mans bodily health in this world and the weakenesse of it in respect of immortality I thinke our thirteenth booke conteineth what will satisfie Let such as haue not read this booke or will not rehearse what they haue read read the passages of this present volume already recorded L. VIVES NOt a Peters Magick He toucheth at Porphyryes slandering of Saint Peter with sorcery and Magicall enchantments as you may read in the end of the eighteenth booke That Porphyryes opinion that the blessed soules should haue no bodiss is confuted by Plato himselfe who saith that the Creator promised the inferiour deities that they should neuer loose ther bodyes CHAP. 26. YEa but saith Porphyry a blessed soule must haue no body so that the bodies incorruptibility is nothing worth if the soule cannot bee blessed vnlesse it want a body But hereof wee haue sufficiently argued in the thirteenth booke onely I will rehearse but one onely thing If this were true then Plato their great Maister must goe reforme his bookes and say that the GODS must goe and leaue their bodies for hee saith they all haue celestiall bodyes that is they must dye ere they can bee blessed how-so-euer that hee hath made them promised them immortality and an eternall dwelling in their bodies to assure them of their blisse and this should come from his power-full will not from their natures The same Plato in the same place ouer-throwes their reason that say there shall be no resurrection because it is impossible for GOD the vncreated maker of the other Gods promising them eternity saith plainly that hee will doe a thing which is impossible for thus quoth Plato hee said vnto them Because you are created you cannot but hee mortall and dissoluble yet shall you neuer dye nor be dissolued fate shall not controule my will which is a greater bond for your perpetuity then all those where-by you are composed No man that heareth this bee hee neuer so doltish so hee bee not deafe will make any question that this was an impossibility which Platoes Creator promised the deities which hee had made For saying You cannot bee eternall yet by my will you shall bee eternall what is it but to say my will shall make you a thing impossible Hee therefore that as Plato saith did promise to effect this impossibility will also raise the flesh in an incorruptible spirituall and immortall quality Why doe they now crye out that that is impossible which GOD hath promised which the world hath beleeued and which it was promised it should beleeue seeing that Plato him-selfe is of our minde and saith that GOD can worke impossibilities Therefore it must not bee the want of a body but the possession of one vtterly incorruptible that the soule shall be blessed in And what such body shall bee so fitte for their ioy as that wherein whilest it was corruptible they endured such woe They shall not then be plagued with that desire that Virgil relateth out of Plato saying Rursus incipiunt in corpora velle reuerti Now gan they wish to liue on earth againe I meane when they haue their bodies that they desired they shall no more desire any bodyes but shall possesse those for euer without beeing euer seuered from them so much as one moment Contrarieties betweene Plato and Porphyry wherein if eyther should yeeld vnto other both should find out the truth CHAP. 27. PLato and Porphyry held diuers opinions which if they could haue come to reconcile they might perhaps haue prooued Christians Plato said That the soule could not bee alwayes without a body but that the soules of the wisest at length should returne into bodyes againe Porphyry sayd That when the purged soule ascendeth to the father it returnes no more to the infection of this world Now if Plato had yeelded vnto Porphyry that the soules returne should bee onely into an humaine body and Porphyry vnto Plato that the soule should neuer returne vnto the miseries of a corruptible body if both of them ioyntly had held both these positions I thinke it would haue followed both that the soules should returne into bodies and also into such bodies as were befitting them for eternall felicity For Plato saith The holy soules shall returne to humaine bodyes and Porphyry saith The holy soules shall not returne to the euills of this world Let Porphyry therefore say with Plato They shall returne vnto bodyes and Plato with Porphyry they shall not returne vnto euills And then they shall-both say They shall returne vnto such bodyes as shall not molest them with any euills namely those wherein GOD hath promised that the blessed soules should haue their eternall dwellings For this I thinke they would both grant vs that if they confessed a returne of the soules of the iust into immortall bodies it should bee into those wherein they suffred the miseries of this world and wherein they serued GOD so faithfully that they obteined an euerlasting deliuery from all future calamities What either Plato Labeo or Varro might haue auailed to the true faith of the resurrection if there had beene an Harmonie in their opinions CHAP. 28. SOme of vs liking and louing Plato a for a certaine eloquent and excellent kinde of speaking and because his opinion hath beene true in some things say that he thought some thing like vnto that which we doe concerning the Resurrection of the b dead Which thing Tully so toucheth in lib. de rep that hee affirmeth that hee rather spake in sport than that he had any intent to relate it as a matter of truth For c he declareth a man reuiued and related some things agreeable to Platoes disputations d Labeo also saith that there were two which dyed both in one day and that they met together in a crosse-way and that atferward they were commanded to returne againe to their bodies and then that they decreed to liue in perpetuall loue together and that it was so vntill they dyed afterward But these authors haue declared that they had such a resurrection of body as they haue had whome truly wee haue knowne to haue risen againe and to haue beene restored to this life but they doe not declare it in that manner that they should not dye againe Yet Marcus Varro recordeth a more strange admirable and wonderfull matter in his bookes which hee wrote of a Nation of the people of Rome I haue thought good to set downe his owne words Certaine Genethliaci wisards Haue written saith he that there is a regeneration or second birth in men to bee borne againe which the Greekes call f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They haue written that it is brought to passe and effected in the space of foure hundred and fortie yeares so that the same body and soule which had bene foretime knit together should returne againe into the same coniunction and vnion they had before Truly this Varro or those Genethliaci I know not who they are For he
an horne thus much Hierome In Spaine this Prouerbe remaineth still but not as Augustine taketh it The Lord wil be altogither seene but in a manner that is his helpe shall bee seene d Obeyed Ob-audisti and so the old writersvsed to say in steed of obedisti Of Rebecca Nachors neece whome Isaac maried CHAP 33. THen Isaac being forty yeares old maried Rebecca neece to his vncle Nachor three yeares after his mothers death his father being a hundred and forty yeares old And when Abraham sent his seruant into Mesopotamia to fetch her and said vnto him Put thine hand vnder my thigh and I will sweare thee by the Lord God of heauen and the Lord of earth that thou shalt not take my sonne Isaac a wife of the daughters of Canaan what is meant by this but the Lord God of Heauen and the Lord of Earth that was to proceed of those loynes are these meane prophesies and presages of that which wee see now fulfilled in Christ. Of Abraham marrying Kethurah after Sarahs death and the meaning therefore CHAP. 34. BVt what is ment by Abrahams marrying Kethurah after Sarahs death God defend vs from suspect of incontinency in him being so old and so holy and faithfull desired he more sonnes God hauing promised to make the seed of Isaac 〈◊〉 the stars of Heauen and the sandes of the Earth But if Agar and Hismaell did signifie the mortalls to the Old-testament as the Apostle teacheth why may not Kethurah and her sonnes signifie the mortalls belonging to the New-testament They both were called Abrahams wiues his concubines But Sarah was neuer called his concubine but his wife only for it is thus written of Sarahs giuing Agar vnto Abrahā Then Sarah Abrahams wife tooke Agar the Egiptian her maid after Abraham had dwelled tenne yeares in the land of Canaan and gaue her to her husband Abraham for his wife And of Kethurah wee read thus of his taking her after Sarahs death Now Abraham had taken him another wife called Kethurah Here now you heare them both called his wiues but the Scripture calleth them both his concubines also saying afterwards Abraham gaeue all his goods vnto Isaac but vnto the sonnes of his concubines he gaue guiftes and sent them away from Isaac his sonne while he yet liued Eastward into the East country Thus the concubines sonnes haue some guifts but none of them attayne the promised kingdome neither the carnall Iewes nor the heretiques for none are heyres but Isaac nor are the sonnes of the flesh the Sonnes of God but those of the promise of whome it is said In Isaac shal be called thy seede for I cannot see how Kethurah whome hee married after Sarahs death should bee called his concubine but in this respect But hee that will not vnderstand these things thus let him not slander Abraham for what if this were appointed by God to shew a those future heretiques that deny second mariage in this great father of so many nations that it is no sinne to many after the first wife be dead now Abraham died being a hundred seauenty fiue yeares old and Isaac whome hee begat when hee was a hundred was seauenty fiue yeares of age at his death L. VIVES THose a future The Cataphrygians that held second mariage to bee fornication Aug ad quod vult Hierome against Iouinian doth not onely abhorre second mariage but euen disliketh of the first for he was a single man and bare marriage no good will The appointment of God concerning the two twins in Rebeccas womb CHAP. 33. NOw let vs see the proceedings of the Citty of God after Abrahams death So then from Isaacs birth to the sixtith yere of his age wherin he had children there is this one thing to be noted that when as he had prayed for her frutefulnes who was barren and that God had heard him and opened her wombe and shee conceiued the two twins a played in her wombe where-with she being trou bled asked the Lords pleasure and was answered thus Two nations are in thy wombe and two manner of people shal be diuided out of thy bowells and the one shall bee mightier then the other and the elder shall serue the younger Wherin Peter the Apostle vnderstandeth the great mistery of grace in that ere they were borne and either done euill or good the one was elected and the other reiected and doubtlesse as concerning originall sin both were alike and guilty and as concerning actuall both a like and cleare But myne intent in this worke curbeth mee from further discourse of this point wee haue handled it in other volumes But that saying The elder shall serue the yonger all men interpret of the Iewes seruing the Christians and though it seeme fulfilled in b Idumaea which came of the elder Esau or Edom for hee had two names because it was afterward subdued by the Israelites that came of the yonger yet not-with-standing that prophecy must needs haue a greater intent then so and what is that but to be fulfilled in the Iewes and the Christians L. VIVES THe two twinnes a played So say the seauentie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or kicked Hierome saith mooued mouebantur Aquila saith were crushed confringebantur And Symmachus compareth their motion to an emptie ship at sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b Idumaea Stephanus deriueth their nation from Idumaas Semiramis her sonne as Iudaea from Iudas another of her sonnes but he is deceiued Of a promise and blessing receiued by Isaac in the manner that Abraham had receiued his CHAP. 36. NOw Isaac receiued such an instruction from God as his father had done diuerse times before It is recorded thus There was a famine in the land besides the first famine that was in Abrahams time and Isaac went to Abymelech king of the Philistines in Gerara And the Lord appeared vnto him and said Goe not downe into Aegypt but abide in the land which I shall shew thee dwell in this land and I will bee with thee and blesse thee for to thee and to thy seed will I giue this land and I will establish mine oath which I sware to Abraham thy father and will multiply thy seede as the starres of heauen and giue all this land vnto thy seede and in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth bee blessed because thy father Abraham obeyed my voyce and kept my ordinances my commandements my statutes and my lawes Now this Patriarch had no wife nor concubine more then his first but rested content with the two sonnes that God sent him at one birth And hee also feared his wiues beautie amongst those strangers and did as his father had done before him with-her calling her sister onely and not wife She was indeed his kinswoman both by father and mother but when the strangers knew that she was his wife they let her quietly alone with him Wee not preferre him before his father tho in that hee had but one
themselues from others as all others betters Both sorts taught the law out ofâ—… Moyses chaire the scribes the litterall sence and the Pharisees the misteries c Astronomy Geometry Arithmetick and Astronomy were the ancient Egyptians onely studies Necessity made them Geometers for Nilus his in-undations euery yeare tooke away the boundes of their lands so that each one was faine to know his owne quantity and how it lay and in what forme and thus they drewe the principles of that art Now aptnesse made theÌ„ Astronomers for their nights were cleare neuer cloud came on their land so as they might easily discerne all the motions stations rising and fall of euery star a â—…udy both wondrous delectable and exceeding profitable and beseeming the excellence of 〈◊〉 now these two arts could not consist without number and so Arithmetick gotte vp for the third d Before the sages A diuersity of reading rather worth nothing then noting The Aegyptians abhominable lyings to claime their wisdome the age of 100000. yeares CHAP. 40. IT is therefore a monstrous absurdity to say as some doe that it is aboue 100000. yeares since Astronomie began in Egipt What recordes haue they for this that had their letters but two thousand yeares agoe or little more from Isis. Varro's authority is of worth here agreeing herein with the holy Scriptures For seeing it is not yet sixe thousand yeares from the first man Adam how ridiculous are they that ouer-runne the truth such a multitude of yeares whome shall wee beleeue in this so soone as him that fore-told what now we see accordingly effected The dissonance of histories giueth vs leaue to leane to such as doe accorde with our diuinitie The cittizens of Babilon indeed being diffused all the earth ouer when they read two authors of like and allowable authority differing in relations of the eldest memory they know not which to beleeue But we haue a diuine historie to vnder-shore vs and wee know that what so euer seculer author he bee famous or obscure if hee contradict that hee goeth farre â—…ay from truth But bee his words true or false they are of no valew to the atâ—…ement of true felicitie The dissension of Philosophers and the concord of the Canonicall Scriptures CHAP. 41. BVt to leaue history and come to the Philosophers whom wee left long agoe their studies seemed wholy to ayme at the attainment of beatitude Why did the schollers then contradict their maisters but that both were whirled away with humaine affects wherein a although there might be some spice of vaine-glory each thinking him-selfe wiser and quicker conceited then other and affecting to bee an Arch-dogmatist him-selfe and not a follower of others notwithstanding to grant that it was the loue of truth that carried some or the most of them from their teachers opinions to contend for truth were it truth or were it none what course what act can mortall misery performe to the obtaining of true blessednesse with-out it haue a diuine instruction as for our Canonicall authors God forbid that they should differ No they do not and therefore Worthily did so many nations beleeue that God spoake either in them or by them this the multitude in other places learned and vnlearned doe auow though your petty company of ianglers in the schooles denie it Our Prophets were but few â—…east being more their esteeme should haue beene lesse which religion ought â—…ghly to reuerence yet are they not so few but that their concord is iustly to be admired Let one looke amongst all the multitude of philosophers writings and if he finde two that tell both one tale in all respects it may be registred for a rariâ—… It were two much for me to stand ranking out their diuersities in this worke 〈◊〉 what Dogmatist in all this Hierarchy of Hell hath any such priuiledge that 〈◊〉 may not bee controuled and opposed by others with gracious allowâ—… to both partes were not the Epiâ—…urists in great accoumpt at Athens â—…ing that GOD had naught to doe with man And were not the Stoikes their opponents that held the Gods to bee the directors of all things euen as gratious as they Wherfore I maruell that b Anaxagoras was accused for saying the sunne was a fiery stone denying the god-head thereof Epicurus being allowed and graced in that Citty who diuided both deities of sunne starres yea of Ioue him-selfe c and all the rest in all respect of the world and mans supplications vnto them was not Aristippus there with his bodily summum bonum and Antisthenes with his mentall Both famous Socratists and yet both so farre contrary each to other in their subiects of beatitude The one bad a wise man flye rule the other bad him take it and both had full and frequent audience Did not euery one defend his opinion in publike in the towne d gâ—…llery in e schooles in f gardens and likewise in all priuate places One g held one world another a thousand some hold that one created some not created some hold it eternall some not eternall some say it ruled by the power of God others by chance Some say the soules are immortall others mortall some transfuse them into beasts others deny it some of those that make them mortall say they dye presently after the body others say they liue longer yet not for euer some place the cheefest good in the body some in the soule some in both some draw the externall goods to the soule and the body some say the sences go alwaie true some say but some-times some say neuer These and millions more of dissentions do the Phylosophers bandy and what people state kingdom or citty of all the diabolicall socyety hath euer brought them to the test or reiected these and receiued the other But hath giuen nourishment to all confusion in their very bosomes and vpheld the rable of curious ianglers not about lands or cases in lawe but vppon mayne poynts of misery and blisse Wherein if they spoke true they had as good leaue to speake false so fully and so fitly sorted their society to the name of Babilon which as we sayd signifieth confusion Nor careth their King the diuell how much they iangle it procureth him the larger haruest of variable impiety But the people state nation and Citty of Israell to whome Gods holy lawes were left they vsed not that licentious confusion of the false Prophets with the the true but all in one consent held and acknowledged the later for the true authors recording Gods testimonies These were their Sages their Poets their Prophets their teachers of truth and piety Hee that liued after their rules followed not man but God who spake in them The sacriledge forbidden there God forbiddeth the commandement of honour thy father and mother God commandeth Thou shalt not commit adultery nor murder nor shalt steale Gods wisdome pronounceth this not the witte of man For h what truth soeuer the Philosophers attayned and disputed off amidst their falshood as
namely that God framed the world and gouerned it most excellently of the honesty of vertue the loue of our countrey the faith of friendship iust dealing and all the appendances belonging to good manners they knew not to what end the whole was to bee referred The Prophets taught that from the mouth of God in the persons of men not with inundations of arguments but with apprehension of fear and reuerence of the Lord in all that understood them L VIVES ALthough a there be Vain-glory led almost all the ancient authors wrong stuffing artes with infamous errors grosse and pernicious each one seeking to be the proclamer of his own opinion rather then the preferrer of anothers Blind men they saw not how laudable it is to obey Good councell to agree vnto truth I knew a man once not so learned as arrogant who professed that hee would write much and yet avoyd what others had said before him as hee would fly a serpent or a Basiliske for that hee had rather wittingly affirme a lie then assent vnto the opinion b Anaxagoras A stone fell once out of the ayre into Aegos ariuer in Thracia and Anaxagoras who had also presaged it affirmed that heauen was made all of stones and that the sonne was a firy stone where-vpon Euripides his scholler calleth it a golden turfe In Phaetonte for this assertion Sotion accused him of impiety and Pericles his scholler pleaded for him yet was he fined at fiue talents and perpetuall banishment Others say otherwise But the most say that Pericles who was great in the Citty saued his life being condemned where-vpon the Poets faigned that Ioue was Angry at Anaxagoras and threw a thunder-bolt at him but Pericles stept betweene and so it flew another way c And all the rest Epicurus held Gods but excluded them from medling in humane affayres and hearing vs indeed his vnder ayme was Atheisme but the Areopage awed him from professing it for farewell such Gods as wee haue no neede on saith Cotta in Tully d Towne gallery There taught the stoikes e Schooles As the Peripatetiques in the Lycaeum f Gardens As the Epâ—…cureans did g Some held Of these we spake at large vpon the eight booke h What truth soeuer Euse. de praep Euang prooueth by many arguments that Plato had all his excellent position out of the scriptures Of the translations of the Old-Testament out of Hebrew into Greeke by the ordinance of God for the benefit of the nations CHAP. 42. THese scriptures one a Ptolomy a king of Egypt desired to vnderstand for after the strange admirable conquest of Alexander of Macedon surnamed the great wherein he brought all Asia and almost all the world vnder his subiection partly by faire meanes and partly by force who came also into Iudaea his nobles after his death making a turbulent diuision or rather a dilaceration of his monarchy Egypt came to be ruled by Ptolomyes The first of which was the soone of Lagus who brought many Iewes captiue into Egypt the next was Philadelphus who freed all those captiues sent guifts to the temple and desired Eleazar the Priest to send him the Old-testament whereof he had hard great commendations and therefore hee ment to put it into his famous library Eleazar sent it in Hebrew and then hee desired interpretours of him and he sent him seauenty two sixe of euery tribe all most perfect in the Greeke and Hebrew Their translation doe wee now vsually call the Septuagints b The report of their diuine concord therein is admirable for Ptolomy hauing to try their faith made each one translate by him-selfe there was not one word difference between them either in sence or order but al was one as if only one had done them all because indeede there was but one spirit in them all And God gaue them that admirable guift to giue a diuine commemdation to so diuin a worke wherin the nations might see that presaged which wee all see now effected L VIVES ONe a Ptolomy The Kings of Egypt were all called Pharaos vntill Cambyses added that kingdome vnto the Monarchy of Persia. But after Alexander from Ptolomy sonof Lagus they were al called Ptolomies vntil Augustus made Egipt a prouince Alexander was abroad 〈◊〉 an army 21. yeares in which time he subdued al Asia but held it but a while for in the 32. 〈◊〉 of his age he died and then his nobles ranne all to share his Empire as it had bin a broâ—… filled with gold euery one got what he could and the least had a Kingdome to his 〈◊〉 Antigonus got Asia Seleucus Chaldaea Cassander Macedonia each one somewhat Ptoâ—… Egypt Phaenicia and Ciprus hee was but of meane descent Lagus his father was one of Alexanders guard and hee from a common soldior got highly into the fauour of his Prince for his valor discretion and experience Being old and addicted to peace he left his crowne to his sonne Philadelphus who had that name either for louing his sister Arsinoe or for hating her afterwards a contrario He freed all the Iewes whome his father had made captiues and set Iudaea free from a great tribute and being now growen old and diseased by the perswasion of Demetrius Phalereus whome enuy had chased from Athens thether hee betooke him-selfe to study gathered good writers together buylt that goodly librarie of Alexandria wherein he placed the Old-Testament for hee sent to Eleazar for translators for the law and Prophets who being mindfull of the good hee had done to Iudaea sent him the seauenty two interpretours whome from breuity sake we call the seauenty as the Romaines caâ—…led the hundred and fiue officers the Centumuirs In Iosephus are the Epistles of Ptolomy to Eleazar and his vnto him lib. 12. There is a booke of the seauenty interpreters that goeth vnder his name but I take it to be a false birth b The report of Ptolomy honored those interpreters highly To try the truth by their Agreement saith Iustine hee built seauenty two chambers placing a translator in euery one to write therein and when they had done conferred them all and their was not a letter difference Apologet. ad Gent. The ruines of these Iustine saith he saw in Pharos the tower of Alexandria Menedemus the Philosopher admired the congruence in the translation Tertull. Aduers gentes Hierome some-times extolls their translation as done by the holy spirit and some-times condemneth it for euill and ignorant as hee was vehement in all opposition that story of their chambers â—…e scoffeth at for this he saith I know not what hee was whose lyes built the chambers for the seauenty at Alexandria where they might write seuerall when as Aristeas one of Ptolomies gard saith that they all wrote in one great pallace not as Prophets for a prophet is one thing and a translatour another the one speaketh out of inspiration and the other translateth out of vnderstanding Prolog in Pentateuch That the