Concerning the Truth of Christian Religion, Chapter 34
The xxxiiij. Chapter.
That the Gospell in very trueth conteyneth the doctrine of Iesus the Sonne of God.
NOw, as for our Lord Iesus Christ himself, (for I think I may now so call him without offence to the Iewes or scorne of the Gentyles) he hath not left vsus any of his owne life or doctrine written by himself. For soothly had he writte it him selfe, men would hauehave conceiued some suspition thereof. Againe, had he set downe those high things in a high style; the common sort would not hauehave vnderstood them: and had he vttered them in a simple stile, they would hauehave concluded (for so farre as they had vnderstood,) that it had bene but the worde of a Man, and not the word of God himselfe; as wee see it is a very common fondnesse in the world, to estéeme more of the bookes that are darke by reason of their ouerhigh style, than of those which stoope as low as they can to the capacitie of the readers, to instruct them. But his life and his doctrine be recorded by his Apostles and Disciples assisted by his spirit,The sinceritie of the writers of the Newe Testament. from whom we hauehave the Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistles, all which together we call the newe Couenant or the newe Testament. And whether this Testament ought to be of authoritie among vsus or no; I reporte me to the iudgement of all the world. For the writers therof liued in the same tyme that ye things were done, and sawe the doing of them. And although that at the tyme of their writing, they were farre asunder; yet agrée they both in the Historie and in the Doctrine; and looke what they wrate, the same did they preach and publish openly euerywhere, euen while those were aliue which could witnesse thereof, yea euen while their enemies liued which would hauehave bin very glad to hauehave taken them with an vntrueth: and in the end they signed it with their blud, and sealed it with their death in all places of the earth: which thing we reade not to hauehave bene done for any other writing or Testament whatsoeuer, though it came from neuer so great a State or Monarke, how authenticall soeuer men laboured to make it. If wee looke vpō the authors, their writing is not to flatter some Prince, as some doe. For had Iesus bene but a Man, what could hauehave bin gained by flattering him when he was crucified? Againe, they were none such as made their gayne of writing. And such would Cornelius Tacitus hauehave men to beléeue. Nay rather, they gaue ouer the world, and gaue their owne liues for the things which they wrate. If ye hauehave an eye to the style, it is natiue, simple, playne; preaching Christes Godhead without concealing his infirmitie, and confessing his infirmitie without graunting away his Godhead. The weakenesse, the curiousnesse, and the ambitiousnesse of the Apostles, that is to wit of the writers themselues, are registred diligently there. Of bragging, of boasting, of vanitie, or of ye praise of Iesus himselfe, there is not one word. Peter stept aside, and denyed his Maister thrée tymes: and Mark his Disciple (who wrate the Gospell vnderunder him) hath set it downe in writing. Iohn and Iames the Sonnes of Zebedie desired to sit, the one on the right hand and the other on the left hand of Iesus in his Kingdome; and who vrged them to tell such tales out of Schoole, which might seeme to abate their owne credite and authoritie? Also Iesus himselfe was wearie, and thirstie, and wept: these are infirmities of man: yet doe they preach him to be God and dye vppon it. Might thei not hauehave concealed these things without preiudice of ye trueth? yes to our seeming, and euen with aduauncement thereof; at leastwise if they had not wirtten in the behalfe of the trueth it selfe, and that they had not bin sure that his mightinesse vttered it selfe in infirmitie. To bee short, they set downe the particularities of tyme, place, and person, day, Citie, and house. The more particularly that they declare things, the more easie was it to hauehave discouered their vntrueths, and to hauehave conuinced them. For they spake not in Iewrie of things done in the Indyes, but at the gates of Hierusalem, in Bethanie, in Bethsaida, and in Hierusalem it self, in such a streate, at such a gate, by such a poole and so foorth. The witnesses were then aliue, the blynd saw, and the dead walked vp and downe among them. Had the Apostles lyed, how easie had it bene to hauehave disproued them? What weapons gaue they to their enemies to hauehave ouercome them selues withall? And yet for all this, how happened it that of so many Pharisies enraged ageinst them, which tooke exception so precisely to the healing of a man vponupon the Sabboth day, and to this saying of Christs misunderstoode, Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I wil rayse it vp agein; and of so many men which were ready both to do euill and to say euill; none of them all stoode vp to geynsay them? Where was the zeale of Gods house become at that time, than at the which there were neuer mo zelouse persones to be seene? At leastwise how happeneth it that in that houge heape of nyne or ten volumes of the Talmud, they bring not foorth their exceptions and geynsayings, ne set vsus downe some Countergospell? Seeing then that Hatred picketh out proofes and testimonies where none are; and yet notwithstanding, the extreme hatred of the Pharisies findeth none, no not euen in the tyme and place where the things were done, and when their owne authoritie was strongest and at the hyghest pitch: what may we conclude thereon, but the infallible trueth of the Historie of the Gospell?
Neuerthelesse, let vsus yet satisfy vnbeléeuers, by prouing ye things vntounto them which they esteeme to be most vncredible in the Historie of our Lord Iesus Christ. When Iesus was borne in Bethelem, a StarreThe Starre that led the Wise men. (sayth the Gospell) was marked by the wyse men in the East, the which they followed, and it gwyded them to the place where Iesus was. Some perhappes will flatly deny this Starre to hauehave bin. (Let any man iudge, how little credit to himself and authoritie to Christ, the Euangelist could hauehave purchaced by beginning with a lye which all men could hauehave disproued, specially seeing he taketh the Scrybes, and Pharisies themselues to witnesse therof.Plinie lib. 2. cap. 25. But we reade that the very same time, (Augustus hauing then the cheefe charge of the Games kept in the honor of his moother Venus) at Rome) there was seene a Blasingstarre or Comet (that is the name whiche they giuegive too all extraordinarie Starres) whereof the Preests of that Colledge gaue their iudgement, that for the singular markes which it had, it betokened not warre, plague, or famin, as other ordinarie Comets do; but the saluation of mankynd to be at hand. And vntounto this Comet (bycause of the rarenesse thereof) there was an Image set vp in the Citie, And that onelyonly Comet (sayeth Plinie) is woorshipped ouer all the World. Whereunto relyeth this verse of Virgill in his fourth Eglog, made to flatter Augustus by applying vntounto him the appering of that Starre; Behold how noble Caesars Starre steppes foorth with stately pace. After which maner hee wresteth vntounto Augustus, all the happinesse with Sibyll promised by the birth of the Redeemer. Also Cheremon a Stoik Philosopher,Origē against Celsus. iudged the same Starre to betoken welfare and happynesse; and thereuppon perceyuing his Gods to be weakened, he traueled into Iewry with certeine Astrologers, to seeke the true God. And Chatcidins the Platonist sayth expresly, that the Chaldees had obserued that it betokened the Honorable comming of God downe vntounto vsus, to bring grace to mortall men. Here the Astrologers had matter whereupon to excercyse their Contemplations. For this Starre appeared in December, when the Sunne was in Sagittarius, Marsilius Ficinus in his treatise of the Starre that led the Wise men.in which signe (say they) both Iupiter, the Sunne, and Venus were met altogether; al which thrée (by their principles) betoken a most ryghtuouse, a most myghtie, and a most mercifull King, but yet poore, by reason of the Sunne which was come in betwixt them. How should he be myghty, if poore? Frutefull also, bycause of Iupiter in the Angel of the ascendant; but yet baren and Chyldlesse by reason of the Moone which was in ye first face of Virgo. Of these their Contrarieties we myght, according too their art, gather some profit. But I will let these curiosities alone too such as delyght in them. But in very deede, this Starre appearing in December without rayes, and being healthfull, was not an ordinarie Comet, but a very Starre in deede. The lyke whereof we hauehave seene ourselues in the same season of the yere, in the yere of our Lord a thousand fiuehundred threescore and twelue, the signification whereof God will reueale vntounto vsus when he sees tyme. How had the former Starre bin one of the ordinarie Starres that are fixed in the firmament; what a miracle was it that it should leaue his place and charge, not to reigne ouer Iesus, but to serue him? And if it were newly then created; by whome could it be created, but by the Creator; and for whom, but for himself? And whereas Iulian the Renegate not being able to deny the trueth of the Historie, and the cunning of the Wise men by the gwyding thereof, would beare men on hand that it was the Starre named Asaph, which the Egiptians hauehave marked to be séene but once at eueryevery fower hundred yeres: besides that we reade not of any lyke to hauehave bin séene in all the former ages; it hath not bin séene any more in these full fiftéene hundred yeeres which are passed since that tyme. Now by this inquirie of the wise men, Herod was moued to kill all the Children about Bethelem, which were two yéeres old and vnderunder, meaning among them to hauehave killed the Child whom the Starre betokened: in doing wherof bycause a Sonne of his owne was killed with the rest; we reade in Macrobius, Macrobius in his Saturnals.that the Emperour Augustus héering thereof gaue him this taunt, I had leuer be Herods Swyne than his Sonne.
Agein, that Christ should be borne of a Uirgin, they thinke it very straunge.Borne of a Virgin. Clement in his Recognitions. Petrus Comestor. I hauehave discussed this poynt already ageinst the Iewes. GOD had foretold it; and what could then let him to bring it to passe? For who can dout of his power, when he is sure of his will? But this was so true, that Simon Magus to the intent he myght not seeme inferior to Christ in any thing, Preached to his owne Disciples, that he himself was the sonne of a Uirgin, which thing Iesus Christ neuer Preached of himself. And wee reade that the same day that Christ was borne, the Temple of Peace fell downe at Rome; at the laying of the foundation whereof, Apolo told the Romanes it should stand till a Uirgin did beare a Chyld; wherevpon they thought it should hauehave continewed for euer. And as touching Simeon, who hauing Iesus in his armes acknowledged him to be the Sauiour of the world, I hauehave declared what the Iewes say of him.Iosephus lib. 18. cap. 7. And as for Iohn the Baptist our Lords foregoer, the Historie of his godly life and doctrine and of his death also, is set downe after the same maner in Iosephus, that it is in our Euangelists. If we consider Christes works, all the whole course of his life was nothing but myracles, the which I hauehave proued true long ago. And this only poynt, namely that they be described & set forth with so many circumstances, whereunto neuer any man hath yet presumed to take exceptions, doth sufficiently giuegive credite to the matter; and therefore let vsus passe vntounto his death.
From the sixth hower (saith our Euangelist) vntounto the nineth hower there was darknesse ouer all the Land: The Eclips. Mark. 27. vers 45. Mark. 15. verse 33.that is to say, at high noone and euen in the chiefe of the day. If they doubt hereof, Phlegon Trallia the Emperour Adrians Fréedman, the diligentest of all Chronaclers,Phlegon Trallian in the 13. booke of his Chronicles. Origē against Celsus. Suidas. noteth that in the fourth yéere of the two hundred and tenth Olympiade, there was the greatest Eclips of the Sunne that euer was seene, and therewithall a very straunge Earthquake. And that was the very 18. yéere of Tyberius, in the which yere Christ suffered his passion. And Eusebius sayth he had read the like in the Commentaries of the Gentyles. Also Lucian a Priest of Antioche cryed out to such as tormented him: Search your owne Chronicles, and you shall finde that in the tyme of Pylate the light fayled in the chiefe of the day, and the Sunne was put to flight as long as Christ was a suffering. And Tertullian Tertullian in his Apologie.in his Apology doth summon them to the same bookes. Now, that it was no naturall Eclips, it appeareth playne: For ye Sunne was then so farre of from Cōiunction with the Moone, that it was euen full against it, according to the Lawe of the Passouer, which was to bee kept the 14. day of the Moone. And if they take exceptions to the Epistles of Dennis of Areopagus, wherein he describeth the spectacle of this wonder at lēgth; Esculus the Astrologian a man of small Religion sayth, that at that tyme the Sunne was in the first degree of Aries, and the Moone was newly entered into Libra. Others say, that the Moone was in Virgo and the Sunne in Pisces, which commeth al to one in effect: and therfore that there could bee no naturall Eclips by reason of this opposition. To bée short, some say it was vniuersall ouer all the world; and then was it a speciall worke of God, for the order of Nature can doe no such thing in the world. Othersome say it was peculiar to ye only Land of Iewrie; and then is Gods speciall working yet more manifest: for it is (as yée would say) a poynting at the cause of the Eclips with his finger; namely, the suffering of the Sauiour of the world. And as little also could that Eclips be by the order of Nature, as the other. For who but onelyonly God could dim the sight and light of the Sunne in such sorte without a Coniunction thereof with the Moone, that it should giuegive light to all places sauing onelyonly Iewrie, as who would say, he sholed out Iewrie frō al the rest of the world? And as touching the EarthquakeThe Earthquake. that accompanyed it, the foresayd Phlegon speaketh thereof, ioyning it to the Eclips as our Euangelistes doe. And these cases are so rare and vnseene, not in some one age, but in the whole course of the world, that seeing they be reported to hauehave bene in one selfesame yéere, and both together; they cannot be vnderstood of any other than those which our Euangelists and Authors speake of. To be short, the Ueyle or Curteine of the Temple did rend asunder. For the beléeuing or discrediting of this poynt, there néeded no more but to goe to the place and see whether it were so or no. And Iosephus speaking of the foretokens of the destruction of the Iewes, reporteth the like thing.
Behold, Iesus is now dead: but the third day he ryseth againe,The Rysing agayne of Iesus from the dead. as he himselfe had told aforehand. If he had sayd as Mahomet sayd, about an eight hundred yéeres hence I will come see you againe; he had taken a good terme for tryall of his lye. But when he sayd I will come againe within these three daies; his deceyt (if he had ment any) would soone hauehave bin discouered. Here they crye out and cannot admit the storie to bee true. And yet notwithstanding when they reade that one Erus an Armenian, that one Aristeus, or that one Thespesius rose againe to life; they thinke no euill of Plato, Herodotus, or Plutarke for reporting it. How vnindifferent are these people, which will néedes both beléeue and be beléeued of all men without witnesse and vnrequested; and yet no witnesse can suffice to make them beléeue their owne saluation? Women sawe Christ, men touched him, the vnbeléeuers felt him with their fingars; he did eate and drinke and was conuersant among them, dyuers tymes and many daies: and yet all this they stoutly denye. But Pylate witnessed it; and the Apostles being earst astonished at it, did afterward preach it, publish it, & signe it with their blud. He whom the Chambermayd had made amazed, and who had denyed him thrée tymes in one hower when he was aliue; doth preach & publish him euen in Hierusalem, before the Magistrates, and before the Priestes; and no threates can make him holde his peace. If Christ rotted in his graue: what hope of benefite was to be had of his dead carkesse? Nay if he liued not in Peter; who vrged Peter to preach him? And if he spake not in him; who would hauehave beléeued him? Who (say I) would hauehave beléeued it, at leastwise so farre as to preach and publish it, and to signe and seale it with their blud, vponupon his report, and also after that he was gone? Uerely, the very slaunderers themselues giuegive light vntounto this trueth. For thervpon it is that the Iewes hauehave feyned, that his bodie was stolne away: for they found it not there: but Pylate prooueth them lyers expresly. And therevppon also did some of the Gentyles surmise, that they had crucified a Ghoste or Sporne in stead of him: which thing the Iewes vphold to bee very false, who tooke offence at his death, as which thei knew to be a matter of trueth, in respect wherof they call him still the Crucified. But hee liued then, and liueth still for euer and euer. And therefore as he had promised his Disciples afore his death,The cōming downe of the holy Ghost. Sainct Luke sayth that he sent them the holy Ghost in firie Tongues within a few daies after his rising againe: wherby they receiued the gift of Tongues or Languages, yea and that in such wise, that the same gift came doune vponupon many others by their laying of their hands vpō them. This is one of the things which they will not beléeue, as who would say it were not as easte for God to giuegive one man the vnderstanding of many Tongues, as it was to deuide one language into so many when he was displeased. But if it be a bragge, as they surmise: to what end was it? and what might hauehave bin more easely disproued? The Magistrate had them in his hand: why did he not examine them before the people? Hierusalem was as the Musteringplace of all the East: and where then might they hauehave bene disproued and made to recant it? Nay, the effect that followed vponupon it confirmed it. For the Apostles, béeing but Fisshers, and Publicanes, and at the beginning ignorant persons, men which ordinarily knewe no more than their owne moother tongue, and that but grossely; did afterward write bookes, and trauell ouer the whole world, preaching in all places. Consider what lyking either the Iewes or the Gentyles would hauehave had of such folke, to hauehave made them their spokesmen to the people. And yet the Disciples did it so effectually, that in lesse than fortie yéeres, the whole world that was inhabited, was replenished with the name and doctrine of Iesus. How could that hauehave bin done, if they had not had an extraordinarie skill of the Languages? Soothly the Historie thereof was so true and so commonly knowne, that Simon Magus to countenance himselfe withall, reported himselfe to bée the same that came downe vponupon the Apostles in firie tungs, vnderunder pretence that by the helpe of the Deuill, he counterfetted after a sort the gift of tongues.
And as for some searchers and sisters of words, it is not for them to carpe at the Hebrewe phrases which they finde in our Euangelistes; seeing that in Horace or in Virgill they count Gréeke phrases for an elegancie. For to the intent they may perceiue that it is done to expresse Christes matters the more pithily, and to represent them the more néerely: let them reade S. Paule. and there they shall finde so fayre a Gréeke tongue, so full of pithie wordes, so full of excellent and chosen phrases, and so peculiar to the Gréeke tongue it selfe, that the best learned doe confesse he had the very ground of it, and alledge him for an example of eloquence. Let vsus come to the historie of him. This S. Paule a Disciple of Gamalielles, was sent with Commission to persecute the Christians. In his way (sayth Luke) a light shone about him,Acts. 9. & 22. and being smitten to the ground, he heard this voyce, Saule, Saule, why persecutest thou me. To bee short, of a Iewe he became a Christian: and of a Persecuter, a Martir.1. Cor. 15. 8. 2. Cor. 12. 2. The Conuersiō of S. Paule, And if thou beléeuest not S. Luke; S. Paule himselfe toucheth his owne historie in diuers places. What hath vnbeléefe to bring against this, saue onelyonly peraduenture a bare denyall, according to common custome? If Peter sawe it: he is but a Fissherman say they. If Paule heard it: he is an Orator. So then belike, if God offer thee his grace in an earthen vessell, thou mislykest of it: and if he offet it thee in a vessell of some valewe, thou suspectest it: eyther the one is beguyled, or the other beguyleth thee, sayest thou. What wilt thou hauehave God to doe to make thee to beleeue him? Examine this case well. Paule in the way to growe great, he is in good reputation with the Magistrate & the Priestes, and sodeinly he chaungeth his Copie out of one extremitie into an other, to bee skorned, scourged, cudg…led, stoned, and put to death. Put the case that neither S. Luke nor S. Paule did tell thee the cause thereof. What mayst thou imagine, but that it was a very great and forcible cause, that was able to chaunge a mans heart so sodeynly and so straungely? Is it not daylie s…ene (wilt thou say) that men are soone changed and vponupon light causes? Yes, fooles are. But he debateth the matter, he vrgeth his arguments, and he driueth his conclustons to an ende. The best learned of his enemies finde fault with his misapplying (as they terme it) of his skill, and yet commend his writings. Yea, and he knoweth that vntounto thee his preaching will seeme folly, and yet that (as much folly as it is) it is the very wisedome of God; and that by following it he shall hauehave nothing but aduersitie, and yet for all that, he doth not giuegive it ouer. How shall he be wise, that counteth himselfe a foole? or rather which of the wiser sort is not rauished at his sayings and doings? But if he be wise, learned, and weladuised as thou seest he is; what followeth but that his chaunge proceedeth of some cause? And seeing the chaunge was great, the cause must néedes be great also: and seeing it was extreame and against …; surely it must needes proceede of a supernaturall and souereine cause. Uerely the reason that leadeth thee to this generall conclusion, ought to leade thee to the speciall also: that is to wit, that it was a very great and supernaturall cause that moued him: namely, the same which Sainct Luke rehearseth, and which he himselfe confirmeth in many places, for the which he estéemeth himselfe right happie to …ndure the miserie which he caused and procured vntounto others, and in the end after a thousand hurts and a thousand deaths, he willingly spent his life.
Also the death of Herod striken by the Angell for not giuing glorie vntounto God,The death of Herodes Agrippa. is reported vntounto vsus much more amply by Iosephus, than by S. Luke. Acts. 12.Herod (sayth he) made showes in Caesarea, and the second day of the solemnitie, Iosephus in his antiquit… lib. 19. cap ….he came into the Theatre being full, clad in robe or cloath of Siluer, which by the stryking of the Sunnebeames vppon it, made it the more stately. Then began certeyne Clawbacks to call him God, and to pray him to bee gracious vntounto them. But forasmuch as he did not refuse that flatterie, he sawe an Owle sitting vponupon his head, and by and by he was taken with so straunge torments, that within feawe daies after he dyed, acknowledging Gods iudgement vponupon him, and preaching thereof to his flatterers. This Historie is set out more at large by Iosephus, which in effect is all one with that which is written by S. Luke, who sayeth that the people cryed out, It is the voyce of God, and not of a man: and that thervpon an Angell of God strake him, and he was eaten with wormes, and so dyed. These bee the things which they finde scarce credible in the historie of our Euangelistes: which yet notwithstanding are cōfirmed by the histories of the Iewes and Gentyles, who report the things with words full of admiration, which our Euangelistes set downe simply after their owne maner. And seeing that in these things, which exceede nature, they bee found true; what likelyhoode is there that they should not also deliuer vsus Christes doctrine truely; specially being (as I hauehave shewed afore) miraculously assisted with the power of his spirit according to his promisses, and moreouer hauing witnessed the sinceritie of their writings, by suffering so many torments, and in the end death? Seeing then that the new Testament conteyneth the trueth of the doctrine of Iesus, and proceeded from the spirit of Iesus, whom I hauehave shewed to be the Sonne of God; what remayneth for vsus, but to imbrace the Scriptures as the worde of life and Soulehealth, and as the will of the Father declared vntounto vsus by his Sonne, and to liue thereafter, and to dye for the same; considering that by the same wee shall be raysed one day to glorie, and reigne with him for euer?
But forasmuch as we make mention of rysing ageine from the dead;An obiection against the rysing againe of the Dead. that is yet one scruple more that remayneth. What lykelyhod is there of that (say they,) séeing that our bodyes rotte, Woormes deuour vsus, yea our bodyes do turne into woormes, and a nomber of other chaunges …o passe ouer them? This is a continewall stumbling alwayes at one stone, namely to stand gasing at Gods power who can do all things, when ye should rather rest vponupon his will. He will do it: for he hath knit the body and Soule togither, duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page to be parttakers of good and euill togither, and hee hath giuen one Lawe on them both togither, so as they must suffer togither and ioy togither, yea and suffer one for another and one by another in this lyfe: and what Iustice then were it to separate them in another lyfe? He will do it: for he made the whole man; who if he were but Soule alone, were no man atall. He will do it: for to the intent to… saue man, his Sonne hath takē the flesh of man vntounto him. Now to saue the Soule, it had bin inough for him too hauehave taken but a Soule: but he that made the whole man, will also saue the whole man. To be short; he will do it; for he hath sayd it: and he will doo it; for he hath done it already. He hath sayd it by his Sonne, and he hath also done it in his Sonne, and his sonne adorneth vsus with his victorie; and he will surely adorne vsus with his glorie. Looke vponupon the grayne that is cast into the ground; if it rotte not, it springeth not vp; if it spring not vp, it yeldeth no foyson. Agein, of one graine, come many Eares of Corne; of a kernell, a goodly Tree; of a thing of nothing (as yée would say) a perfect liuing Creature. Which of all these things resembleth the thing that commeth thereof, eyther in substance, or in shape, or in quantitie, or in qualitie? To be short, what straungenesse is there in this? Of a handfull of Earth God made thée, and all the Earth of nothing, and of a handfull will he make thée new ageine? This body of thine which in time past was not, is of his making; this body which one day shall ceasse to be, he wil one day make new agein. Uerily this doctrine was common to all true Iewes, and among all the Teachers of the Lawe, who had gathered it out of the old Testament, (as we reade in Iosephus and in the Acts of the Apostles) for they agrée fully with S. Paule in that behalf. And in the Talmud Talmud. cap. Helec. treatise. Sanhedrin.there are infinite places thereof. Also the Alcorane (which is borrowed of their Rabbines) is full of this Doctrine. And as concerning the Heathen of old tyme, Zoroastres sayd, that one day there shal be a generall rysing ageine of all the dead. Theopompus a Disciple of Aristotles doth the lyke; and noman in old tyme (sayeth AEnaeas of Gaza AEnaeas Gaza concerning Immortalitie. Seneca in his 75. Epistle, and in his bookes of Questions. lib. 3. cap. 26. 27. 28. &c. Ouid in his Metamorphosis lib. 1.) did once geynsay them. The Stoiks hild opinion, that after a certeine tyme there should bée an vniuersall burning of the World, (which wée call Doomesday,) and that immediatly after, all things should be set in their perfect state ageine, as they were at the first: and it was the opinion of Crysippus in his booke of Prouidence translated by Lucane the Stoik, which new state Varro calleth Palingenesian, that is to say, a Regeneration, Rebegetting, or New birth Platosaith expresly that mens Soules shall returne into their bodyes. The Astrologers following Albumazar, Lucane the Neuew of Seneca. lib. 1. Lucretius. li. 5. Lactātius out of Chrysippus lib. 7. cap. 22.vphold that when ye Starres come home ageine eueryevery one into his first place, all things shal bée sette ageine in their first originall state, both men, Beastes, Trées and all other Creatures; which opinion euen Arethmetick alone sheweth to bee absurd in Astrologie, and the best learned men reiect it. Neuerthelesse it bewrayeth our beastlynes,Austin of the Citie of God. lib. 22. cap. 27. Haly vponupon the first Apotetesme of Prolomie. which do attribute such power to the Starres, to defeate the maker of them thereof.
As touching the iudgement which the Sonne of God shall giuegive after the sayd Resurection; although the same were not foretold by the Prophets of old time, and by so many verses of the Sibills, and finally by the mouth of Iesus and his Apostles: surely Gods giuing of his Lawe, not to the outward man but to the inward,Nicolaus Oresmus concerning Proportions. The Acrostiks of Sibill. Lactantius. lib. 7. nor to our déedes onelyonly but also to our thoughts, sheweth sufficiently without other proofe, that there is another Iudge than the Magistrats of this world to iudge vsus, and another Iudgment than their iudgement to be lookedfor, as whose iudgment here procéedeth but to the outward déede, and by proofes of witnesses, and therefore cannot in any wise pearce into the hart, to discerne what is within. Neither would our owne cōsciences sumon vsus so often as they do, if we were not to appeare before other than men. For sith it is the Soule that cheefely receyueth the Commaundement and cheefely breaketh it: it is the Soule that must come to examination and tryall; which cannot be done in this world, wherein there is but a shadowe of Iustice, and whose Lawes and Iudges extend no further than the outter side.Midrasch. Psalm. 118. Esay. 45. Psalm. 149. &c. And therefore wee see that the auncient Rabines speake very often of this General Iudgment, and (which more is) do attribute it to the Messias, saying; Feare not God for your Iudge; For your Iudge is your owne fellow citizen, your owne kinsman, and your owne brother. All the auntient Gentyles hauehave spoken so of this Iudgement, which they say shall bee giuen in another lyfe, in the féeld of truthe, whereuppon shall followe eyther endlesse lyfe or endlesse death as I hauehave shewed afore. Yea and it séemeth that by the lending of their auncient Oracles (which were a kynd of Cabale) they passed yet further. For they called their greate and souereine God by the name of Iupiter, and gaue the iudging of mens Soules to his Sonne Minos, the King and Lawegiuer, and not vntounto Apollo, Mercurie or any other: as who should say, they ment that the Iudge of the World should be the Sonne of God, and yet there withall a ryghtuouse man, that duplicate page duplicate page is to say, the Mediator, God and man.
I hope I hauehave now shewed the truenesse and substantialnesse of the Christian Religion,The Conclusion of the whole Booke. and the vanitie and wickednesse of all other Religions. Of the which Christian Religion, the Primitiue, Churche, for a Badge and comfort to the Christians, hath made a Sūme which we call the Créede of ye Apostles. For we beleeue in God the Father Almyghty maker of Heauen and Earth, &c. To beléeue in him, is to trust in him; to trust in him, is to hope for all good things at his hand; but vayne were our hope, if it reached no further than to this present world. Now I hauehave declared heretofore that there is but only one God: that the same God created the world for man,Chapt. 1. 2. 3. 4 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. and man for his owne glorie, and both of them of nothing: That he guydeth them by his Prouidence, the one according to nature, which is a steady and suresettled Lawe prescribed by him to the World; and the other according to wit and will, which he hath giuen him, so that which way so euer man take, he frameth him alwayes to his holy will, to such end as he hath appoynted: That man is immortall and created to leade an endlesse lyfe:Chapt. 14. and 15. that in that lyfe is the souereine welfare or good, which alonly can content mans will, and satisfie, his wit;Chapt. 18. 19. and therefore that he must tend and indeuer thither with all his heart and bend all the powers of his wit to that end: And to be short, that the meane for man to atteine thereunto,Chapt. 20. is to serue the true God with al his hart, with all his Soule, and with all his strength; that is to say, to vow all his thoughts wordes and déedes to the glorie of God. But I sayd also that man is falne from his Originall,Chapt. 16 17. 20. through the pryde and disobedience of the first man, whereuppon hath followed frowardnes in his will, and ignorance in his wit: Ignorance making him vnable to discerne his owne welfare, and frowardnes turning him away from it, yea euen when it is shewed him, and making him vnwoorthy to atteyne to it, and finally causing him to abuse his abilities and powers to all euill, and so consequently plunging him in the gulf of al miserie, both according to his owne desert, and according to the Iustice of God; Whereuppon it insueth that man is forlorne in himself, vnlesse God recouer him by his mercy; blind, except God inlyghten him ageine; vtterly Lame to the doing of any good, and to the atteynement of any good, vntill Gods grace do releeue him.Chapt. 20. And therefore I sayd, That he hath left vsus a Religion for a guyde, A Religion that turneth vsus from all Creatures, as which are but vanitie; and conuerteth vsus to him the only Creator of Heauen and Earth; and that the same is the Religion of the Israelytes; Chapt. … 23.and that in al other places there was nothing but the seruice of Diuells, and Idolatrie. That the Religion of Israell had the kéeping and custodie of his word, his reuelations, and his promises, giuing vsus his Lawe for a Rule to liue by, whereby it conuicteth vsus of our naughtynesse, and inuyteth vsus to call to God for grace.Chapt. 24. 25. 26. That the old Testament is the Lawe of Moyses and the Prophets, which I hauehave proued to hauehave proceeded from God, and to hauehave bin inspyred by him: that in the end hauing condemned vsus he offereth vsus his grace, and hauing giuen iudgement vponupon vsus, he sendeth vsus pardon, and steadeth vsus of a Surety that is able to pay our depts:Chapt. 27. 28. that this Surety is the Messias promised to the Iewes for the saluation of the whole world, the Mediator of mankynd, God and man, exhibited to the world in his due tyme, to bee the Sauyour of the Iewes and the lyght of the Gentyles, euen Iesus Christ the Sonne of God, Chapt. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.in whom we beleeue according to this percell of the Créede, And in Iesus Christ his Sonne our Lord, conceyued by the Holy Ghoste, borne of the Virgin Mary, crucified, Dead, and rizen agein, and so foorth. Al which poynts we hauehave proued ageinst both Iewes & Gentyles; ageinst the Iewes, by the Scriptures; and ageinst the Gentyles by reason, which they themselues say they take for their guyde; and by their owne Records. Our Créede addeth, I beleeue in the Holy Ghoste. And I also hauehave shewed how there bee thrée Inbeings in one Essence or Being,Chap… acknowledged by the Iewes and … by the Gentyles namely the Father, the Sonne, and the Holy Ghoste, which are termed by them, the One, the word, and the LoueLove, in the name of whom we be Baptysed. And finally we beleeue, that God by the dese… of his sonne in the power of his holy Spirit,Chapt. 34. maynteyneth his Church spred ouer the whole world, knitteth vsus in one Communion of fellowship togither, pardoneth our sinnes, and will one day rayse vsus vp ageine, to make vsus inioy euerlasting lyfe. To that end hath the Father created vsus, the So…ne redeemed vsus, & the holy Ghost inspired vsus. And therefore let vsus looke vp with sighes, and with sighes trauell vp towards the Kingdome whose King is the Trinitie, whose Lawe is Charitie, and whose measure is eternitie. And vntounto him, who hath graunted me both to begin and to end this woorke (whom I beséeche with all my heart to blesse it to his glorie, and to the saluation and welfare of those that are his) be honour, glorie and praise for euer and euer.
Amen.
FINIS.
Imprinted at London by George Robinson for Thomas Cadman, dwelling at the great Northdoore of S. Paules Church at the signe of the Byble. 1587.
End of the text · Philippe de Mornay, Concerning the Truth of Christian Religion (1587)