The Theater of Gods Judgments, Book 1 · Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. Of Blasphemers.
AS touching Blasphemy, it was a most grievous and enormous sin, and contrary to this third Commanmandement, when a man is so wretched and miseble, as to pronounce presumptuous speeches against God, whereby his name is slandered and evill spoken of: which sinne cannot chuse but be sharply and severely punished; for if so be that God holdeth not him guiltles, that doth but take his name in vain must he not needs abhor him that blasphemeth his Name? See how meritoriously that wicked and perverse wretch that blasphemed and murdered (as it were) the name of God, among the people of Israel in the desart, was punished: he was taken, put in prison, and condemned, and speedily stoned to death by the whole multitude: and upon that occasion (as evill manners evermore begat good lawes) the Lord instituted a perpetuall Levit. 24.law and decree, that every one that should blaspheme and curse God, of what estate or degree soever, should be stoned to death, in token of detestation: which sentence, if it might now adaies stand in force, there would not raign so many miserable blasphemers and deniers of God as the world is now filled and infected with. It was also ordained by a new law of Iustinian, Cod. lib. 3. tit. 43.That blasphemies should be severely punished by the judges and magistrates of Commonweales: but such is the corruption and misery of this age, that those men that ought to correct others for such speeches, are oftentimes worst themselves: and there are that thinke, that they cannot be sufficiently feared and awed of men, except by horrible bannings and swearings they despight and maugre God: nay it is further come to that passe, that in some places, to swearc and ban be the markes and ensignes of a Catholike, and they are best welcome that can blaspheme most. How much then is that good King Saint Lewis of France to be commended, who Nich. Gil. vol. Of French Chronicles.especially discharged all his subjects from swearing and blaspheming within his realm, insomuch that when he heard a *Lord of Ienville.nobleman blaspheme God most cruelly, he caused him to be laid hold on, and his lips to bee slit with an hot yron, saying, hee must be content to endure that punishment, seeing he purposed to banish oathes out of his kingdome. Now wee call blasphemy (according to the Scripture phrase) every word that derogateth either from the bounty, mercy, justice, eternity, and soveraigne power of God. Of this sort was that blasphemous speech of one of King Iorams Princes, who at the time of the great famine in Samaria, when it was besieged by the Syrians, hearing Elizeus the Prophet say, that the next morrow there should be plenty of victuals and good cheap, rejected this promise of God made by his Prophet, saying that it was impossible; as if God were either a lyar, or not able to performe what he would: for this cause this unbeleeving blasphemer received the same day a deserved punishment for 2 King. 7.his blasphemy, for he was troden to death in the gate of the city under the feet of the multitude that went out into the Syrians campe, forsaken and left desolate by them, through a feare which the Lord sent among them.
Senaccherib King of Assyria, after he had obtained many victories, and …odued much people under him, and also layd siege to Ierusalem, became 2 King 19.…proud and arrogant, as by his servants mouth to revile and blaspheme the living God, speaking no otherwise of him than of some strange idoll, and one that had no power to help and deliver those that trusted in him; for which blasphemies he soone after felt a just vengeance of God upon himselfe and his people: for although in mans eyes he seemed to be without the reach of danger (seeing he was not assayled, but did assayle, and was guarded with so mighty an army, that assured him to make him lord of Ierusalem in short space) yet the Lord overthrew his power, and destroyed of his men in one night by the hand of his Angell 185 thousand men, so that he was faine to raise his siege, and returne into his owne kingdome, where finally he was slaine by his owne sons, as he was worshipping on his knees in the temple of his god.
In the time of the Machabees, those men that were in the strong hold called Gazara, fighting against the Iewes, trusting to the strength of the 2 Mach. 10.place wherein they were, uttered forth most infamous speeches against God: but ere long, their blasphemous mouths were encountred by a condigne punishment: for the first day of the siege, Machabeus put fire to the towne, and consumed the place (with the blasphemers in it) to ashes.
Holofernes, when Achior advanced the glory of the God of Israel, replyed on this fashion: Since thou hast prophesied unto us, that Israel shall be defended by their God, thou shalt prove that there is no God but Nabuchadnezzar, when the Iudeth 6. 7.sword of mine army shall passe through thy sides, and thou shalt fall among their slaine: but for this blasphemy the Lord cut him short, and prevented his cruell purpose by sudden death, und that by the hand of a woman, to his further shame.
Nay, this sinne is so odious in the sight of God, that he punisheth even them that give occasion thereof unto others, yea though they be his dearest children, as it appeareth by the words of the Prophet Nathan unto King David: Because of this deed (saith he) of murthering Vriah, and defiling 2 Kings 12.Bathshabe, thou hast made the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the childe that is borne unto thee shall surely die.
In the Empire of Iulian the Apostata, there were divers great men that for the Emperours sake sake forsooke Christ and his religion: amongst Theod. lib. 3. cap. 11, & 12. Contempt of holy things. Lib. 1. cap. 3, 4.whom, was one Iulian, uncle to the Emperour, and Governour of the East; another, Foelix the Emperours Treasurer: the first of which two, after hee had spoyled all Christian Churches and Temples, pissed against the table whereon the holy Sacraments were used to be administred, in contempt, and strucke Euzoius on the care for reproving him for it: the other beholding the holy vessels that belonged to the Church said, See what pretious vessels Maries sonne is served withall. After which blasphemy, the Lord plagued them most strangely: for Iulian fell into so strange a disease, that his intrailes being rotten, he voided his excrements at his mouth, because when they passed naturally, he abused them to the dishonour of God. Foelix vomited bloud so excessively night and day at his blasphemous mouth, that he died forthwith.
About the same time there lived a famous sophister and Epicure called Theatr. hist.Libanius; who being at Antioch, demanded blasphemously of a learned and godly schoolemaster, What the Carpenters sonne did, and how he occupied himselfe? Marry (quoth the schoolemaster, full of the spirit of God) the Creator of this world (whom thou disdainfully callest the carpenters sonne) is making a coffin for thee, to carry thee to thy grave: whereat the sophister jeasting, departed, and within few daies dying, was buried in a coffin, according to the prophesie of that holy man.
The Emperour Heraclius sending Embassadors to Cosroë the King of Persia to intreat of peace, returned with this answer, That he would never Vide l. 1. c. 21. …ares. Phil. Chron. Ab. Vrusperg.cease to trouble them with warre, till he had constrained them to forsake their crucified Christ, and to worship the Sunne. But ere long he bore the punishment of his blasphemy: for what with a domesticall calamity, and a forrein overthrow by the hand of Heraclius, he came to a most wofull destruction.
Michael that blasphemous Rabbine, that was accounted of the Iewes, as their Prince and Messias, as he was on a time banquetting with his companions, Fincelius de Miraculis. li. 2.amongst other things this was chiefest sauce for their meat, to blasphme Christ and his mother Mary, insomuch as he boasted of a victory already gotten over the Christians God. But marke the issue: as he descended down the stayres, his foot slipping, he tumbled headlong and broke his neck; wherein his late victory proved a discomfiture and overthrow, to his eternall shame and confusion.
Three souldiers (amongst the Tyrigetes, a people of Sarmatia) passing through a Wood, there arose a tempest of thunder and lightening, which though commonly it maketh the greatest Atheists to tremble, yet one of them to shew his contempt of God and his judgements, burst forth into blasphemy and despightings of God. But the Lord soone tamed his rebellious tongue: for he caused the winde to blow up by the root a huge tree, that fell upon him and crushed him to pieces, the other escaping to testifie to the World of his destruction.
At a village called Benavides in Spain, two young men being together Anthonio de Torquemeda.in a field, there arose of a sudden a terrible tempest, with such violence of weather and winde, and withall so impetuous a whirlwinde, that it amased those that beheld it. The two young men seeing the fury thereof comming amaine towards them, to avoid the danger ran away as fast as they possibly might: but make what haste they could it overtooke them: who fearing lest the same should swing them up into the ayre, fell flatlong down upon the earth, where the whirlwinde whisking about them a pretty while, and then passing forth, the one of them arose so altered and in such an agony, that he was scarcely able to stand on his feet: the other lying still and not stirring, some others afarre off, that stood under a hedge, went to see how hee did, and found him, to be starke dead, not without markes upon him of wonderfull admiration: for all his bones were so crushed, that the pipes and joynts of his legges and armes were as easie to be turned the one way as the other, as though his whole body had been made of mosse; and besides, his tongue was pulled out by the roots, which could not by any meanes be found, though they sought for it most diligently. And this was the miserable end of this wretched man, who was noted to be a great outragious swearer & blasphemer of Gods holy name; the Lord therfore chose him out, to make him an example to the world of his justice.
No lesse notable is the example of a young girle, named Denis Benesield, Acts and Monuments of the Church.of twelve yeares of age: who going to schoole amongst other girles, when they fell to reason among themselves after their childish discretion about God, one among the rest said that he was a good old father: What, hee? (said the foresaid Denis) he is an old doting foole: which being told to her mistresse, she purposed to correct her the next day for it: but it chanced that the next day her mother sent her to London to the market, the wench greatly intreating her mother that she might not goe, so that she escaped her mistresses correction. But the Lord in vengeance met with her: for as she returned homeward, suddenly she was stricken dead, all the one side of her being black; and buried at Hackney the same night. A terrible example (no doubt) both to old and young, what it is for children to blaspheme the Lord and God, and what it is for parents to suffer their young ones to grow up in blindnesse, without nurtering them in the feare of God, and reverence of his Majesty, and therefore worthy to be remembred of Paul Diacon. in the history of Anastatius. Sabel. Aenead. 8. lib. 2. Anton. Panor. of the acts of Alphonsus. Aeneas Silvius of the acts of Alphonsus.all.
In the yeare 510 an Arrian Bishop called Olympius, being at Carthage in the bathes, reproached and blasphemed the holy and sacred Trinity, and that openly: but lighting fell downe from heaven upon him three times, and he was burnt and consumed therewith. There was also in the time of Alphonsus King of Arragon and Sicily, in an Isle towards Africa, a certain hermit called Antonius, a monstrous and prophane hypocrite, that had so wicked a heart to devise, and so filthy a throat to belch out vile and injurious speeches against Christ Iesus and the Virgin Mary his mother; but hee was strieken with a most grievous disease, even to be eaten and gnawne in pieces of wormes untill he died.