The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 22
CHAP XXII. Of those that through pride and vaine-glory strove to usurpe the honour due unto God.
AForgetfull and unthankfull minde for the benefits which God bestoweth upon us, is a branch of this first Commandement, as well as those which went before: And this is when we ascribe not unto God the glory of his benefits, to give him thanks for them, but through a foolish pride extoll our selves higher than we ought, presuming above measure and reason in our owne power, desire to place our selves in a higher degree than is meet. With this sond and foolish affection (I know not how) our first fathers Gen. 1.were tickled and tainted from the beginning, to think to impaire the glory of God: and they also were puffed up with the blast of ambition, that I know not with what fond, foolish, rash, and proud conceit, went about after the floud to build a city and tower of exceeding height, by that means to win same and reputation amongst men: In stead whereof they ought rather Gen. 11.to have praysed God by remembring his gracious goodnesse in their miraculous deliverance in their fathers persons, from that generall deluge and shipwracke of the world: but forasmuch as with a proud and high stomacke they lifted up themselves against God, to whom all glory onelyonly appertaineth, therefore God also set himselfe against them and against their over bold practises, interrupting all their determined presumptuous purposes, by such a confusion and alteration of tongues which he sent among them, that one could not understand another: so that with shame they were constrained to leave their begun worke. And besides, in stead of that strong and sure habitation which they dreamed on, to maintain and defend themselves by, against all enemies, and … fortresse and castle wherby they went about to keep other in subje…on to them, they were forced to forsake the place by the just judgement of God, who scattered and dispersed them hither and thither that he might bring them to that estate and condition which they most of all feared, and strove to shun. And thus God resisteth the proud, and favoureth the humble: loe here the punishment wherewith God punished their sin, remaining still upon them this day, for a chastisement of their proud spirits.
With the staine of this sinne, most commonly, the mightiest Potentates of this world are defiled, who although both by word and writing avouch and confesse their power to be by the grace of God, yet for the most part they are very unthankfull for the same, and so proud and high minded, that they shew themselves most obstinate and ungratefull of all men: for oftentimes they rob him of the honour and glory which is peculiar unto himselfe, and attribute it to themselves, in setting forth their brave and sumptuous shewes and triumphs: this is the sinne whereof Nabuchadnezzar King of Babell was reproved; for God having bestowed upon him a kingdome with such pompe and renowne, that he made whole nations to tremble before his face, and putting many people in subjection under him, he (in stead of giving thanks for these great benefits) exalted himselfe, suffering his heart to swell, and his understanding to waxe hard with pride, not regarding the Lord who extolled him so high: and yet notwithstanding he was constrained to confesse and acknowledge him for the true God, to have an everlasting Kingdome, and an infinite power, as well by the forewarning of dreames which Daniel interpreted, as by the miraculous deliverance of three young men out of the burning furnace; therefore as he walked one day in his royall palace at Babylon, and vaunted of his greatnesse, and magnificence, saying to himselfe, Is not this great Babell, which I have built for the house of the Kingdome, by the might of my power, and Dan. 4.for the honour of my Majesty? Now whilest the word was yet in his mouth, a voyce was heard from heaven, saying, O King, to thee it is spoken, Thy Kingdome shall depart from thee: and according to the tenour of the voyce hee was immediately deposed from his royall seat, spoiled of all his glory, driven from the society of men, deprived of sense, and made a companion for the bruit beasts, and wilde asses, eating grasse like oxen, even so long, untill his haire was growne stiffe like Eagles feathers, and his nailes like the clawes of birds. In which estate he continued the space of seven yeares; even he that a little before was so proud and arrogant, and he that had conquered so many kingdomes and nations, that triumphed over Ierusalem, with the Kings thereof. This is a most excellent looking glasse for Kings to behold the ficklenesse and instability of all their power and pomp, when it pleaseth God to humble and bring them under: there is neither Scepter, Crowne, stay, or strength of man, that is able to hinder and turne aside the hand of the Almighty, the King of Kings, from abasing and weakning the most high and strong of this world, let them be never so brave and jolly, and bringing them into a low, contemptible, and brutish estate.
Besides this which we have already touched, there is another kinde of pride and presumption most damnable and detestable of all; and it is when a man doth so much forget himselfe, as to seise and take upon him that honour which onelyonly appertaineth to God, ascribing to himselfe a certaine deity. One would hardly thinke that there were any such in the world, so proud as to commit this sinne, did not experience by certaine examples teach us the contrary: As first of all the King of Tyre, whose heart was so exalted with the multitude of riches, and the renowne and greatnesse of his house, that he doubted not to esteeme himselfe a god, and to desire majesty and power correspondent thereunto. For which presumption God by Chap. 28. 1, 2, 3, &c.the Prophet Ezechiel reproved him, and threatned his destruction, which afterward came upon him, when by the power of a strange and terrible nation, his goodly godhead was overcome and murthered, feeling indeed that he was no god, as hee supposed, but a man subject to death and misery.
King Herod, sirnamed Agrippa, which put Iames the brother of Iohn to Acts 12.death, and imprisoned Peter, with purpose to make him taste of the same cup, was puffed up with no lesse sacrilegious pride; for being upon a time seated in his throne of judgement, and arrayed in his royall robes, shewing forth his greatnesse and magnificence in the presence of the Embassadors of Tyre and Sidon, that desired to continue in peace with him, as he spake unto them, the people shouted and cryed, That it was the voice of God, and not of man: which titles of honour he disclaimed not, and therefore the Angell of the Lord smote him suddenly, because he gave not the glory to God: so that he was eaten with wormes, and gave up the ghost. Iosephus reporteth the same story more at large on this manner: VponUpon the second Iewish Antiquities, l. 19. c. 7.day of the solemnization of the playes which Herod caused to be celebrated for the Emperours health, there being a great number of Gentlemen and Lords present, that came from all quarters to his feast, he came betime in the morning to the Theatre, clad in a garment all woven with silver of a marvellous workmanship; upon which, as the Sun rising cast his beames, there glittered out such an excellent brightnesse, that thereby his pernitious flatterers tooke occasion to call him with a loud voice by the name of God: for the which sacrilegious speech, he not reproving nor forbidding them, was presently taken with most grievous and horrible dolours and gripes in his bowels, so that looking upon the people he uttered these words: Behold here your goodly god, whom you but now so highly honored, ready to die with extreame paine. And so he died indeed most miserably, even when he was in the top of his honour and jollity, and as it were in the midst of his earthly Paradise, being beaten downe and swallowed up with confusion and ignominy, not stricken with the edge of sword or speare (for that had been far more honourable) but gnawne in pieces with lice and vermine.
Simon Magus, otherwise called Simon the Samaritane, borne in a village Euseb. l. 2. c. 12. Phil. in Chron. Cen…. 1. l. 3. c. 11.called Gitton, after he was cursed of Peter the Apostle, for offering to buy the gifts of the Spirit of God with money, went to Rome, and there putting in practise his magicall arts, and working miracles by the Devill, was reputed a god, and had an image erected in his honour, with this inscription, To Simon the holy god: Besides, all the Samaritanes, and divers also of other nations accounted him no lesse, as appeared by the reverence and honour which they did unto him: insomuch, as they called his companion, or rather his whore Helena (for that was her profession in Tyre a city of Phenicia) the first mover that distilled out of Simons bosome. Now he, to foster this foolish and ridiculous opinion of theirs, and to eternize his name, boasted that he would at a certaine time fly up into heaven, which, as he attempted to doe by the help of the Devill, Peter the Apostle commanded the unclean spirit to cast him down again, so that he fell upon the earth and was bruised to death, and proved himselfe thereby to be no more than a mortall, wicked, and detestable wretch.
Moreover elsewhere we read of Alexander the Great, whose courage Oros. lib. 3.and magnanimity was so exceeding great, that he enterprised to goe out of Greece and set upon all Asia, onelyonly with an army of two and thirty thousand footmen, five hundred horse, and an hundred and foure score ships: and in this appointment passing the seas, he conquered in short space the greatest part of the world: for which cause he was represented to the Prophet Daniel in a vision, by the figure of a Leopard with wings on his backe, to notifie the great diligence and speedy expedition which he used in compassing so many sudden and great victories; with pride he was so soone infected, that he would brooke no equall nor companion in his Empire; but as heaven had but one Sunne, so he thought the earth ought to have but one Monarch, which was himselfe: which mind of his he made known by his answer to King Darius demanding peace, and offering him the one Just. lib. 11.halfe of his Kingdome to be quiet; when he refused to accord thereunto; saying, He scorned to be a partner in the halfe, and hoped to be full possessor of the whole. After his first victory had of Darius, and his entrance into Aegypt (which he tooke without blowes, as also he did Rhodes and Cilicia) he practised and suborned the Priests that ministred at the Oracle of Hammon, to make him be pronounced and entituled by the Oracle, The sonne of Iupiter (which kinde of jugling and deceit was common at that time.) Having obtained this honour, forthwith he caused himselfe to be worshipped as a god, according to the custome of the Kings of Persia: neither wanted he flatterers about him that egged him forward, and soothed Iust. lib. 12. Curt. lib. 8.him up in this proud humor: albeit that many of the better sort endeavoured tooth and nayle to turne him from it. It hapned as he warred in India, he received so sore a wound, that with paine thereof he was constrained to say, Though he was the renowned sonne of Iupiter, yet he ceased not to feele the infirmities of a weake and diseased body: finally, being returned to Babylon, where many Embassadors of divers farre countries, as of Carthage, and other cities in Africa, Spaine, France, Sicily, Sardinia, and certaine cities of Italy, were arrived to congratulate his good successe, for the great renowne which by his worthy deeds he had gotten; as he lay there taking his rest many dayes, and bathing himselfe in all kinde of pleasure, one day after a great feast, that lasted a whole day and a night, in a banquet after supper, being ready to returne home, he was poysoned; when before hee had drunke his whole draught, he gave a deep sigh suddenly, as if hee had been thrust through with a dart, and was carried away in a swoone, vexed with such horrible torment, that had he not been restrained, he would have killed himselfe. And on this manner he that could not content himselfe with the condition of a man, but would needs climbe above the clouds, to goe in equipage with God, drunke up his owne death, leaving as suddenly all his worldly pompe, as hee had suddenly gotten it: which vanished like smoake, none of his children being any whit the better for it.
There was in Syracusa a city of Sicilia (which is now called Saragosse) a Physitian called Menecrates, whose folly and presumption was so great, that he accounted himselfe a god, and desired to be so reputed by others; insomuch that he required no other wages and recompence of the patients which he tooke in hand (as Aelianus witnesseth) but that they should onelyonly acknowledge him to be Iupiter, and call him so, and avow themselves to his service. VponUpon a time Denis the tyrant, desirous to make some pastime with him, made a feast, and invited him amongst others to be his guest; but because he was a god, to doe him honour answerable to his name, he placed him at a table all alone, and set before him no dishes, but only a censer with frankincense, which was a proper and convenient service for the gods. This honourable duty pleased the Physitian very well at the first, so that he shuffed up the perfume most willingly: but when this poore god saw the other guests eating and drinking indeed, and himselfe not being able to be fed with smoake, ready to starve with hunger, arose up and went away all inraged in himselfe, and derided of others; having more need to purge his owne braines of their superfluous humor, than others from their sicknesses.
Caligula the first, Emperor, being become an ordinary despiser and open mocker of all Religion, it came presently in his braine to beleeve (so drunken was he with a draught of his owne foolish conceit) that there was no other God but himselfe; therefore he caused men to worship him, and to kisse his hands or his feet in token of reverence (which honour afterwards the Popes tooke upon them) yea and was so besotted, that he went about by certaine engines of art to counterfeit thunder and lightnings: albeit in all this pride and arrogancy, or rather folly, there was none so timerous and fearefull as he, or that could sooner upon lighter occasion be dismaied. One day as he was by mount Aetna in Sicily, hearing by chance the violent cracking of the flames which all that season ascended out of the top of the hill, it strucke so sudden and horrible a feare into him, that he never ceased flying all night till he came to Phar in Messina. Every little thunderclap put him in feare of death, for he would leap up and downe like a mad man when he heard it thunder; finding himselfe not able by his god head to defend himselfe from the power thereof: but if there chanced greater cracks than ordinary, then would not his hot bed hold him, but needs must he run into the cold floore underneath the bed, to hide himselfe. Thus was hee compelled against his will to feare him whom willingly he would not deigne to acknowledge. And thus it falleth out with all wicked miserable Atheists, whose hearts imagine there is no God; and therefore have so little assurance in themselves, that there need no thunder and lightening to amase them; for the shaking of every leafe is sufficient to make them tremble: To conclude, this Atheist, void of all Religion and feare of God, and full of all prophanenesse, was according to his due desert, murthered by one of his servants: of the which will follow more at large in the next booke.
Domitian likewise was so blinded with pride, that hee would be called Gros. l. 7. c. 7.a god, and worshipped: of whom also wee will speake in the second booke.
To these we may adde them also, that to the end to make themselves Dion. Mal. l. 1. Antiq. Roman.feared and reverenced as gods, have counterfeited the lightnings and thunders of heaven, as we read of one Alladius a Latine King that raigned before Romulus: who being a most wicked Tyrant, and a contemner of God, invented a tricke whereby to present to the eare and eye, the ratling and swift shine of both thunder and lightning; that by that means astonishing his subjects, he might be esteemed of them for a god: but it chanced that his house being set on fire by true lightning, and overthrowne with the violent strength of tempestuous rain, together with the overflowing of a pond that stood neer, he perished by fire and water, burnt and drowned, and all at once.
Did not the King of Elide the like, and to the same end also, by the devise of a char…t drawne about with foure horses, wherein were certain yronworks, Diod. lib. 4.which with wrinching about gave an horrible sound resembling thunder, and torches and squibs which hee caused to be throwne about like lightnings, in such sort, that hee oftentimes burnt the beholders: and in this manner he went up and downe braving it, especially over an yron bridge which he had of purpose built to passe and repasse over at his pleasure; untill Gods long suffering could not endure any longer such outragious and presumptuous madnesse, but sent a thunderbolt from heaven upon his head, that all the world might see by his destruction, the exceeding folly and vaine pride which bewitched him in his life time: which history the Poet in the person of Sibylla, setteth downe to this effect:
I saw Salmon in cruell torments lie,
For counterfeiting thunder of the skie,Aenead. 6.
And Ioves cleere lightning: whilst with torches bright,
Drawne with foure steeds, and brandished his light,
He rode triumphantly through Elis streats,
And made all Grecia wonder at his feats.
Thinking to win the honour of a god,
(Mad as he was) by scattering fire abroad.
With brazen engines, and with courses faigning,
A noyse like that which in the clouds is raigning,
And no where else: but God from thickest skie,
No torch, but such a thunderbolt let flie
At him, that headlong whirld him from his Cell,
And tumbled downe into the deepest Hell.
Thus this arrogant King was punished according to the quality of his offence, even in the same kinde wherein he offended: which thing though it be found written in a Poet, yet ought not be rejected for an old wives tale, seeing it is not incredible, that a King might make such pastimes and yron-crashing noises, nor that he might be justly punished for the same: and the rather, because Caligula did the like, as we have heard before. And wee read also, that one Arthemesius, in the time of the Emperour Iustinian, counterfeited Agath. lib. 5. …el. Gothu.by certain engines and devises, in his owne house in Constantinople, such earthquakes, lightenings, and thunders, that would astonish a wise braine to heare or behold them on a sudden.
But above all others that by darkning the glory of God, to increase their own power, have proudly exalted themselves against him, the Popes are the ring-leaders, whose unbridled boldnes hath bin so much the more impudent and pernitious; for that in terming themselves the servants of the servants of God, in word, in deed, take unto them the authority and power of God himselfe: as of pardoning and absolving sinnes, creating lawes and ordinances at their pleasure, in binding or unbinding mens consciences; which things appertaine to God onelyonly. Nay they have been so brazen-faced, as to command angels and devils, as Clement the fifth did in one of his buls: so impudent as to be carried like Idols upon their vassals shoulders, and weare three crownes upon their heads; so proud and arrogant, as to constraine Kings and Emperours to kisse their feet, to make them their vassals, to usurp lordship and dominion over them, and all their lands and possessions, and to dispossesse whom they like not, of Kingdomes, and install in their roome whom they please; and all this by the thunder of excommunication, whereby they make themselves feared and stood in awe of. By which dealing of theirs, they verifie in themselves that which the Scripture speaketh of Antichrist, which is the man of sinne, the sonne of perdition, an adversary, 2 Thess. 2. 3.and one that exalteth himselfe against all which is called God, or which is worshipped, till he be set as a God in the Temple of God, shewing himselfe that he is God. Wherefore also the heavy vengeance of God is manifest upon them, by the great and horrible punishments they have been tormented with: for some of them have had their eyes pulled out; others have dyed in prisons; a third sort have bin smothered to death; a fourth hath bin killed with the sword; a fifth hath died with hunger; a sixth hath been stoned; a seventh poysoned; and yet there hath not wanted an eighth sort, whom the Devill himselfe hath stifled.
This it is to over-reach the clouds, and not content with earthly power, Sabel. Aenead. 9. lib. 7. John le Maire de Besges. Nich. Gyles, of the Chronicles of France.to usurp a supremacy and preheminence over Kings: such was the pride of Pope Boniface the eighth, when he sent an embassage to Philip the Faire, King of France, to command him to take upon him an expedition against the Sarazens beyond the sea, upon paine of forfeiting of his Kingdome into his hands; and when having his sword by his side he shamed not to say, that he alone, and none else, was Emperour and Lord of all the world: in demonstration whereof, he bestowed the Empire upon Duke Albert, together with the Crowne of France; and not content herewith, his insolency was so importunate, that he charged Philip the Faire to acknowledge himselfe to be his subject in all causes, as well spirituall as temporall, and to levy a subfidy for his holinesse out of his clergy, disabling his authority in bestowing Church livings, which prerogative he challenged to his See: the conclusion of this bull was in these words: Aliud credentes fatuos reputamus; as much to say, as, whosoever is of another mind than this, we esteeme him a foole. Whereunto the King answered in this wise, Philippus Dei, gratia Francorum Rex, Bonifacio se gerenti pro summo pontifice salutem modicam sive nullam. Sciat tua maxima fatuitas, in temporalibus nos alicui non subesse, Ecclesiarum & Prebendarum vacantium collationem ad nos jure regio pertinere: secus autem credentes fatuos reputamus deviantes. In English thus: Philip by the grace of God King of France, to Boniface bearing himselfe for Pope, little or no health. Be it knowne to thy exceeding great foolishnesse, that we in temperall affaires are subject to none, that the bestowing of Benefices belongs to us by our royall right: and if there be any that thinke otherwise, we hold them for erroneous fools. A memorable answer, well beseeming a true royall and French heart. Immediately he assembled together a nationall Councell of all the Barons and Prelates within his dominion, at Paris, wherein Boniface being pronounced an Hereticke, a Symonist, and a Manslayer, it was agreed upon by a joint consent, that the King should doe no more obeisance, but reject as nothing worth, whatsoever he should impose. Wherefore the King to tame his proud and malitious nature, dispatched secretly two hundred men at armes under the conduct of one Captaine Noguard, towards Avian in Naples (whither his Holinesse was fled for feare of divers whose houses and castles he had caused to be rased downe) there to surprise him on a sudden: which stratagem they speedily performed, and carried him prisoner to Rome, where he died most miserably. Peter Mesie a Spanish Gentleman of Sevill, saith in many of his Lectures, that he died in prison inraged with famine. Nicholas Gilles in his first volume of French Chronicles reporteth, that he died in the castle Saint Angelo, through a fluxe of his belly, which cast him into a frenzy, that he gnew off his owne hands, and that at the houre of his death there were heard horrible thunders, and tempests, and lightenings round about: this is he in whose honour this fine Epitaph was made: Intravit ut Vulpes, regnavit ut Leo, mortuus est ut Canis, He entred like Sabel. Aenead. 9. lib. 7.a Fox, raigned like a Lyon, and dyed like a Dog. And this was he that on the first day of Lent giving ashes to the Bishop of Genes, in stead of using the ordinary forme of speech, which is, Memento homo quòd cinis es, & in cinerem converter is, Remember man that thou art ashes, and into ashes thou shalt returne said in despight and mockery, Memento homo quia Gibellinus es, & cum Gibellinis in cinerem converter is: Rember that thou art a Gibelline, and together with the Gibell nes thou shalt be turned into ashes: and in stead of laying the ashes upon his forehead, threw them into his eyes, and forthwith deprived him of his Bishopricke, and would have done worse, if it had been in his power: marke what little account this holy father himselfe made of these ceremonies; and therefore it is no marvell if others mocke at them, seeing the Popes themselves make them but matters of pastime.
If it be so therefore, that no man ought to arrogate to himselfe any title of deity, then consequently it is no lesse unlawfull to give that divine honour to any other mortall creature; and therefore the people of Caesarea faulted greatly, when blasphemously they called King Herod a god, as hath been declared before. Likewise it was high and proud presumption in the Senat of Rome, not to receive any god to their Common-wealth, without their owne fore-approbation and consent. As if that God could not maintaine his dignity, nor stand without the good liking and assent of men; or as if that man could defie whom he li…ted, which is a most ridiculous and absurd thing. And thus the Romanes in time of Tiberius consecrating Tertullian Apolog.to themselves a whole legion, even thousands of false gods, would not admit of the true God, and his Sonne Christ, but rejected him above all others.
Among all the vanities of the Athenians, this was one worthy noting, how they ordained, that Demetrius, Alexanders successor (for re-establishing their popular and antient liberty) with his father Antigonus, should be called Kings, and honoured with the title of Saving gods, and to have a Priest that should offer sacrifice unto them: and moreover caused their pictures to be drawne in the same banner where the pictures of Iupiter and Minerva (the protectors of their city) were drawne in broidered worke: but this goodly banner as it was carried about in procession, was rent in pieces by a tempestuous storme that arose suddenly. God thereby manifesting how odious and displeasant both this new and old superstition was in his sight: besides that, doe but consider the laudable vertues that so commended this new god Demetrius, to make them honour him in such sort; they were violence and cruelties, intemperance, with all inordinate lasciviousnesse, villanies, and whoredomes: so that it was no marvell if they had made him a god, being unworthy altogether of humane society. This new found god having gotten a great victory by sea, as he triumphed and braved it with ships after the same, was so shattered with a sudden tempest, that the greatest part of his navy went to wrecke, and afterwards was vanquished by Seleuchus in a battell, wherein his father Antigonus was slaine: and when he thought to returne to Athens, they shut their gates upon him, whom a little before they had canonized for a god: for which cause he raised war against them, and so wearied them with onsets on each side, and so inclosed them both by sea and land, that being brought to extreame famine and necessity, they were compelled to entertain him again, and to behold the horrible outrages of their owne made god, to their griefe and confusion. But not long after, Seleuchus once againe damped his courage, insomuch that having lived three yeares in a countrey of Syria, like a banished outlaw; for feare to be delivered into his hands, and weary of his owne life, he stuffed himselfe so with food, that he burst in pieces. Therefore let every man learne by these examples, not to translate the honour and majesty of God to any creature, but to leave it to him alone, who is jealous thereof, and will not (as the Prophet saith) give his glory unto another.