,,to ,,subscribers4 ,,messrs4 ,,clark have much pleasure in publishing the first issue of ,translations of the ,writings of ,,st4 ,,augustine3 ,,the ',,city ,,of ,,god1' ,,in ,,two ,,volumes4 ,they believe this will prove not the least valuable of their various ,series1 and no pains will be spared to make it so4 ,the ,editor has secured a most competent staff of ,translators1 and every care is being taken to secure not only accuracy but elegance4 ,the ,works of ,,st4 ,,augustine to be included in the ,series are 7in addition to the ',,city ,,of ,,god'73-- ,all the ,,treatises in the ,,pelagian1 and the four leading ,,treatises in the ,,donatist ,,controversy4 ,the ,,treatises against ,,faustus the ,manichan2 on ,,christian ,,doctrine2 the ,,trinity2 the ,,harmony ,,of ,,the ,,evangelists2 the ,,sermon ,,on ,,the ,,mount4 ,also1 the ,,lectures on the ,,gospel ,,of ,,st4 ,,john1 the ,,confessions1 a ,,selection from the ,,letters1 the ,,retractations1 the ,,soliloquies1 and ,,selections from the ,,practical ,,treatises4 ,all these works are of first-rate importance1 and only a small proportion of them have yet appeared in an ,english dress4 ,the ,,sermons and the ,,commentaries ,,on ,,the ,,psalms having been already given by the ,oxford ,translators1 it is not intended1 at least in the first instance1 to publish them4 ,the ,series will include a ,,life ,,of ,,st4 ,,augustine1 by ,,robert ,,rainy1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,church ,history1 ,new ,college1 ,edinburgh4 ,the ,series will probably extend to ,sixteen or ,eighteen ,volumes4 ,the ,publishers will be glad to receive the ,names of ,subscribers as early as possible4 ,,subscription3 ,four ,volumes for a ,guinea1 payable in advance1 as in the case of the ,,ante-,,nicene ,,series 7#bds4 when not paid in advance74 ,it is understood that ,subscribers are bound to take at least the books of the first two years4 ,each ,volume will be sold separately at 7on an average7 #ajs4 #f;d4 each volume4 ,the second issue will be ready in a few months1 and will probably comprise3--,the ,volume on the ,,donatist ,,controversy1 translated by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,r4 ,,king1 ,vicar of ,st4 ,peter's in the ,east1 ,oxford2 and the ,first ,volume of the ,,treatises in the ,,pelagian ,,controversy1 translated by ,rev4 ,,peter ,,holmes1 ,d4,d41 ,rural ,dean1 etc41 ,plymouth4 ,they trust the ,subscribers to the ,,ante-,,nicene ,,library will continue their ,subscription to this ,series1 and they hope to be favoured with an early remittance of the ,subscription4 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,aurelius ,,augustine1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,hippo4 ,a ,,new ,,translation4 ,edited by the ,,rev4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,m4,a4 ,,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,god1 ,,volume ,,ii4 ,,edinburgh3 ,t4 ,t4 ,,clark1 #ch1 ,,george ,,street4 ,,mdccclxxi4 ,,printed ,,by ,,murray ,,and ,,gibb1 ,,for ,t4 ,t4 ,,clark1 ,,edinburgh4 ,,london1 ,,hamilton1 ,,adams1 ,,and ,,co4 ,,dublin1 ,,john ,,robertson ,,and ,,co4 ,,new ,,york1 ,c4 ,,scribner ,,and ,,co4 ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,god4 ,translated by the ,,rev4 ,,marcus ,,dods1 ,m4,a4 ,,volume ,,ii4 ,,edinburgh3 ,t4 ,t4 ,,clark1 #ch1 ,,george ,,street4 ,,mdccclxxi4 ,of the following ,work1 ,books ,,iv4 ,,xvii4 and ,,xviii4 have been translated by the ,rev4 ,,george ,,wilson1 ,glenluce2 ,books ,v4 ,,vi4 ,,vii4 and ,,viii4 by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,j4 ,,smith4 ,,contents4 ,,book ,,xiv4 ,,page ,of the punishment and results of man's first sin1 and of the propagation of man without lust1 #a ,,book ,,xv4 ,the progress of the earthly and heavenly cities traced by the sacred history1 #di ,,book ,,xvi4 ,the history of the city of ,god from ,noah to the time of the kings of ,israel1 #ajd ,,book ,,xvii4 ,the history of the city of ,god from the times of the prophets to ,christ1 #afe ,,book ,,xviii4 ,a parallel history of the earthly and heavenly cities from the time of ,abraham to the end of the world1 #bag ,,book ,,xix4 ,a review of the philosophical opinions regarding the ,supreme ,good1 and a comparison of these opinions with the ,christian belief regarding happiness1 #bic ,,book ,,xx4 ,of the last judgment1 and the declarations regarding it in the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 #cde ,,book ,,xxi4 ,of the eternal punishment of the wicked in hell1 and of the various objections urged against it1 #dac ,,book ,,xxii4 ,of the eternal happiness of the saints1 the resurrection of the body1 and the miracles of the early ,church1 #dgb ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,god4 ,,book ,,fourteenth4#a ,,argument4 ,,augustine ,,again ,,treats ,,of ,,the ,,sin ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,man1 ,,and ,,teaches ,,that ,,it ,,is ,,the ,,cause ,,of ,,the ,,carnal ,,life ,,and ,,vicious ,,affections ,,of ,,man4 ,,especially ,,he ,,proves ,,that ,,the ,,shame ,,which ,,accompanies ,,lust ,,is ,,the ,,just ,,punishment ,,of ,,that ,,disobedience1 ,,and ,,inquires ,,how ,,man1 ,,if ,,he ,,had ,,not ,,sinned1 ,,would ,,have ,,been ,,able ,,without ,,lust ,,to ,,propagate ,,his ,,kind4 #a4 ,that the disobedience of the first man would have plunged all men into the endless misery of the second death1 had not the grace of ,god rescued many4 ,we have already stated in the preceding books that ,god1 desiring not only that the human race might be able by their similarity of nature to associate with one another1 but also that they might be bound together in harmony and peace by the ties of relationship1 was pleased to derive all men from one individual1 and created man with such a nature that the members of the race should not have died1 had not the two first 7of whom the one was created out of nothing1 and the other out of him7 merited this by their disobedience2 for by them so great a sin was committed1 that by it the human nature was altered for the worse1 and was transmitted also to their posterity1 liable to sin and subject to death4 ,and the kingdom of death so reigned over men1 that the deserved penalty of sin would have hurled all headlong even into the second death1 of which there is no end1 had not the undeserved grace of ,god saved some therefrom4 ,and thus it has come to pass1 that though there are very many and great nations all over the earth1 whose rites and customs1 speech1 arms1 and dress1 are distinguished by marked differences1 yet there are no more than two kinds of human society1 which we may justly call two cities1 according to the language of our ,scriptures4 ,the one consists of those who wish to live after the flesh1 the other of those who wish to live after the spirit2 and when they severally achieve what they wish1 they live in peace1 each after their kind4 #b4 ,of carnal life1 which is to be understood not only of living in bodily indulgence1 but also of living in the vices of the inner man4 ,first1 we must see what it is to live after the flesh1 and what to live after the spirit4 ,for any one who either does not recollect1 or does not sufficiently weigh1 the language of sacred ,scripture1 may1 on first hearing what we have said1 suppose that the ,epicurean philosophers live after the flesh1 because they place man's highest good in bodily pleasure2 and that those others do so who have been of opinion that in some form or other bodily good is man's supreme good2 and that the mass of men do so who1 without dogmatizing or philosophizing on the subject1 are so prone to lust that they cannot delight in any pleasure save such as they receive from bodily sensations3 and he may suppose that the ,stoics1 who place the supreme good of men in the soul1 live after the spirit2 for what is man's soul1 if not spirit8 ,but in the sense of the divine ,scripture both are proved to live after the flesh4 ,for by flesh it means not only the body of a terrestrial and mortal animal1 as when it says1 ,all flesh is not the same flesh1 but there is one kind of flesh of men1 another flesh of beasts1 another of fishes1 another of birds1#b but it uses this word in many other significations2 and among these various usages1 a frequent one is to use flesh for man himself1 the nature of man taking the part for the whole1 as in the words1 ,by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified2#c for what does he mean here by no flesh but no man8 ,and this1 indeed1 he shortly after says more plainly3 ,no man shall be justified by the law2#d and in the ,epistle to the ,galatians1 ,knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law4 ,and so we understand the words1 ,and the ,word was made flesh1#e--that is1 man1 which some not accepting in its right sense1 have supposed that ,christ had not a human soul4#f ,for as the whole is used for the part in the words of ,mary ,magdalene in the ,gospel1 ,they have taken away my ,lord1 and ,i know not where they have laid ,him1#g by which she meant only the flesh of ,christ1 which she supposed had been taken from the tomb where it had been buried1 so the part is used for the whole1 flesh being named1 while man is referred to1 as in the quotations above cited4 ,since1 then1 ,scripture uses the word flesh in many ways1 which there is not time to collect and investigate1 if we are to ascertain what it is to live after the flesh 7which is certainly evil1 though the nature of flesh is not itself evil71 we must carefully examine that passage of the epistle which the ,apostle ,paul wrote to the ,galatians1 in which he says1 ,now the works of the flesh are manifest1 which are these3 adultery1 fornication1 uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 idolatry1 witchcraft1 hatred1 variance1 emulations1 wrath1 strife1 seditions1 heresies1 envyings1 murders1 drunkenness1 revellings1 and such like3 of the which ,i tell you before1 as ,i have also told you in time past1 that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of ,god4#h ,this whole passage of the apostolic epistle being considered1 so far as it bears on the matter in hand1 will be sufficient to answer the question1 what it is to live after the flesh4 ,for among the works of the flesh which he said were manifest1 and which he cited for condemnation1 we find not only those which concern the pleasure of the flesh1 as fornications1 uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 drunkenness1 revellings1 but also those which1 though they be remote from fleshly pleasure1 reveal the vices of the soul4 ,for who does not see that idolatries1 witchcrafts1 hatreds1 variance1 emulations1 wrath1 strife1 heresies1 envyings1 are vices rather of the soul than of the flesh8 ,for it is quite possible for a man to abstain from fleshly pleasures for the sake of idolatry or some heretical error2 and yet1 even when he does so1 he is proved by this apostolic authority to be living after the flesh2 and in abstaining from fleshly pleasure1 he is proved to be practising damnable works of the flesh4 ,who that has enmity has it not in his soul8 or who would say to his enemy1 or to the man he thinks his enemy1 ,you have a bad flesh towards me1 and not rather1 ,you have a bad spirit towards me8 ,in fine1 if any one heard of what ,i may call carnalities1 he would not fail to attribute them to the carnal part of man2 so no one doubts that animosities belong to the soul of man4 ,why then does the doctor of the ,gentiles in faith and verity call all these and similar things works of the flesh1 unless because1 by that mode of speech whereby the part is used for the whole1 he means us to understand by the word flesh the man himself8 #c4 ,that sin is caused not by the flesh1 but by the soul1 and that the corruption contracted from sin is not sin1 but sin's punishment4 ,but if any one says that the flesh is the cause of all vices and ill conduct1 inasmuch as the soul lives wickedly only because it is moved by the flesh1 it is certain he has not carefully considered the whole nature of man4 ,for the corruptible body1 indeed1 weigheth down the soul4#i ,whence1 too1 the apostle1 speaking of this corruptible body1 of which he had shortly before said1 though our outward man perish1#aj says1 ,we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved1 we have a building of ,god1 an house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens4 ,for in this we groan1 earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven3 if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked4 ,for we that are in this tabernacle do groan1 being burdened3 not for that we would be unclothed1 but clothed upon1 that mortality might be swallowed up in life4#aa ,we are then burdened with this corruptible body2 but knowing that the cause of this burdensomeness is not the nature and substance of the body1 but its corruption1 we do not desire to be deprived of the body1 but to be clothed with its immortality4 ,for then1 also1 there will be a body1 but it shall no longer be a burden1 being no longer corruptible4 ,at present1 then1 the corruptible body presseth down the soul1 and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind that museth upon many things1 nevertheless they are in error who suppose that all the evils of the soul proceed from the body4 ,virgil1 indeed1 seems to express the sentiments of ,plato in the beautiful lines1 where he says1-- ,a fiery strength inspires their lives1 ,an essence that from heaven derives1 ,though clogged in part by limbs of clay1 ,and the dull 'vesture of decay2'#ab but though he goes on to mention the four most common mental emotions1--desire1 fear1 joy1 sorrow1--with the intention of showing that the body is the origin of all sins and vices1 saying1-- ,hence wild desires and grovelling fears1 ,and human laughter1 human tears1 ,immured in dungeon-seeming night1 ,they look abroad1 yet see no light1#ac yet we believe quite otherwise4 ,for the corruption of the body1 which weighs down the soul1 is not the cause but the punishment of the first sin2 and it was not the corruptible flesh that made the soul sinful1 but the sinful soul that made the flesh corruptible4 ,and though from this corruption of the flesh there arise certain incitements to vice1 and indeed vicious desires1 yet we must not attribute to the flesh all the vices of a wicked life1 in case we thereby clear the devil of all these1 for he has no flesh4 ,for though we cannot call the devil a fornicator or drunkard1 or ascribe to him any sensual indulgence 7though he is the secret instigator and prompter of those who sin in these ways71 yet he is exceedingly proud and envious4 ,and this viciousness has so possessed him1 that on account of it he is reserved in chains of darkness to everlasting punishment4#ad ,now these vices1 which have dominion over the devil1 the apostle attributes to the flesh1 which certainly the devil has not4 ,for he says hatred1 variance1 emulations1 strife1 envying are the works of the flesh2 and of all these evils pride is the origin and head1 and it rules in the devil though he has no flesh4 ,for who shows more hatred to the saints8 who is more at variance with them8 who more envious1 bitter1 and jealous8 ,and since he exhibits all these works1 though he has no flesh1 how are they works of the flesh1 unless because they are the works of man1 who is1 as ,i said1 spoken of under the name of flesh8 ,for it is not by having flesh1 which the devil has not1 but by living according to himself1--that is1 according to man1--that man became like the devil4 ,for the devil too1 wished to live according to himself when he did not abide in the truth2 so that when he lied1 this was not of ,god1 but of himself1 who is not only a liar1 but the father of lies1 he being the first who lied1 and the originator of lying as of sin4 #d4 ,what it is to live according to man1 and what to live according to ,god4 ,when1 therefore1 man lives according to man1 not according to ,god1 he is like the devil4 ,because not even an angel might live according to an angel1 but only according to ,god1 if he was to abide in the truth1 and speak ,god's truth and not his own lie4 ,and of man1 too1 the same apostle says in another place1 ,if the truth of ,god hath more abounded through my lie2#ae--my lie1 he said1 and ,god's truth4 ,when1 then1 a man lives according to the truth1 he lives not according to himself1 but according to ,god2 for ,he was ,god who said1 ,i am the truth4#af ,when1 therefore1 man lives according to himself1--that is1 according to man1 not according to ,god1--assuredly he lives according to a lie2 not that man himself is a lie1 for ,god is his author and creator1 who is certainly not the author and creator of a lie1 but because man was made upright1 that he might not live according to himself1 but according to ,him that made him1--in other words1 that he might do ,his will and not his own2 and not to live as he was made to live1 that is a lie4 ,for he certainly desires to be blessed even by not living so that he may be blessed4 ,and what is a lie if this desire be not8 ,wherefore it is not without meaning said that all sin is a lie4 ,for no sin is committed save by that desire or will by which we desire that it be well with us1 and shrink from it being ill with us4 ,that1 therefore1 is a lie which we do in order that it may be well with us1 but which makes us more miserable than we were4 ,and why is this1 but because the source of man's happiness lies only in ,god1 whom he abandons when he sins1 and not in himself1 by living according to whom he sins8 ,in enunciating this proposition of ours1 then1 that because some live according to the flesh and others according to the spirit there have arisen two diverse and conflicting cities1 we might equally well have said1 because some live according to man1 others according to ,god4 ,for ,paul says very plainly to the ,corinthians1 ,for whereas there is among you envying and strife1 are ye not carnal1 and walk according to man8#ag ,so that to walk according to man and to be carnal are the same2 for by flesh1 that is1 by a part of man1 man is meant4 ,for before he said that those same persons were animal whom afterwards he calls carnal1 saying1 ,for what man knoweth the things of a man1 save the spirit of man which is in him8 even so the things of ,god knoweth no man1 but the ,spirit of ,god4 ,now we have received not the spirit of this world1 but the ,spirit which is of ,god2 that we might know the things which are freely given to us of ,god4 ,which things also we speak1 not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth1 but which the ,holy ,ghost teacheth2 comparing spiritual things with spiritual4 ,but the animal man perceiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god2 for they are foolishness unto him4#ah ,it is to men of this kind1 then1 that is1 to animal men1 he shortly after says1 ,and ,i1 brethren1 could not speak unto you as unto spiritual1 but as unto carnal4#ai ,and this is to be interpreted by the same usage1 a part being taken for the whole4 ,for both the soul and the flesh1 the component parts of man1 can be used to signify the whole man2 and so the animal man and the carnal man are not two different things1 but one and the same thing1 viz4 man living according to man4 ,in the same way it is nothing else than men that are meant either in the words1 ,by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified2#bj or in the words1 ,seventy-five souls went down into ,egypt with ,jacob4#ba ,in the one passage1 no flesh signifies no man2 and in the other1 by seventy-five souls seventy-five men are meant4 ,and the expression1 not in words which man's wisdom teacheth1 might equally be not in words which fleshly wisdom teacheth2 and the expression1 ye walk according to man1 might be according to the flesh4 ,and this is still more apparent in the words which followed3 ,for while one saith1 ,i am of ,paul1 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos1 are ye not men8 ,the same thing which he had before expressed by ye are animal1 ye are carnal1 he now expresses by ye are men2 that is1 ye live according to man1 not according to ,god1 for if you lived according to ,him1 you should be gods4 #e4 ,that the opinion of the ,platonists regarding the nature of body and soul is not so censurable as that of the ,manichans1 but that even it is objectionable1 because it ascribes the origin of vices to the nature of the flesh4 ,there is no need1 therefore1 that in our sins and vices we accuse the nature of the flesh to the injury of the ,creator1 for in its own kind and degree the flesh is good2 but to desert the ,creator good1 and live according to the created good1 is not good1 whether a man choose to live according to the flesh1 or according to the soul1 or according to the whole human nature1 which is composed of flesh and soul1 and which is therefore spoken of either by the name flesh alone1 or by the name soul alone4 ,for he who extols the nature of the soul as the chief good1 and condemns the nature of the flesh as if it were evil1 assuredly is fleshly both in his love of the soul and hatred of the flesh2 for these his feelings arise from human fancy1 not from divine truth4 ,the ,platonists1 indeed1 are not so foolish as1 with the ,manichans1 to detest our present bodies as an evil nature2#bb for they attribute all the elements of which this visible and tangible world is compacted1 with all their qualities1 to ,god their ,creator4 ,nevertheless1 from the death-infected members and earthly construction of the body they believe the soul is so affected1 that there are thus originated in it the diseases of desires1 and fears1 and joy1 and sorrow1 under which four perturbations1 as ,cicero#bc calls them1 or passions1 as most prefer to name them with the ,greeks1 is included the whole viciousness of human life4 ,but if this be so1 how is it that neas in ,virgil1 when he had heard from his father in ,hades that the souls should return to bodies1 expresses surprise at this declaration1 and exclaims3 ,o father6 and can thought conceive ,that happy souls this realm would leave1 ,and seek the upper sky1 ,with sluggish clay to reunite8 ,this direful longing for the light1 ,whence comes it1 say1 and why8#bd ,this direful longing1 then1 does it still exist even in that boasted purity of the disembodied spirits1 and does it still proceed from the death-infected members and earthly limbs8 ,does he not assert that1 when they begin to long to return to the body1 they have already been delivered from all these so-called pestilences of the body8 ,from which we gather that1 were this endlessly alternating purification and defilement of departing and returning souls as true as it is most certainly false1 yet it could not be averred that all culpable and vicious motions of the soul originate in the earthly body2 for1 on their own showing1 this direful longing1 to use the words of their noble exponent1 is so extraneous to the body1 that it moves the soul that is purged of all bodily taint1 and is existing apart from any body whatever1 and moves it1 moreover1 to be embodied again4 ,so that even they themselves acknowledge that the soul is not only moved to desire1 fear1 joy1 sorrow1 by the flesh1 but that it can also be agitated with these emotions at its own instance4 #f4 ,of the character of the human will which makes the affections of the soul right or wrong4 ,but the character of the human will is of moment2 because1 if it is wrong1 these motions of the soul will be wrong1 but if it is right1 they will be not merely blameless1 but even praiseworthy4 ,for the will is in them all2 yea1 none of them is anything else than will4 ,for what are desire and joy but a volition of consent to the things we wish8 ,and what are fear and sadness but a volition of aversion from the things which we do not wish8 ,but when consent takes the form of seeking to possess the things we wish1 this is called desire2 and when consent takes the form of enjoying the things we wish1 this is called joy4 ,in like manner1 when we turn with aversion from that which we do not wish to happen1 this volition is termed fear2 and when we turn away from that which has happened against our will1 this act of will is called sorrow4 ,and generally in respect of all that we seek or shun1 as a man's will is attracted or repelled1 so it is changed and turned into these different affections4 ,wherefore the man who lives according to ,god1 and not according to man1 ought to be a lover of good1 and therefore a hater of evil4 ,and since no one is evil by nature1 but whoever is evil is evil by vice1 he who lives according to ,god ought to cherish towards evil men a perfect hatred1 so that he shall neither hate the man because of his vice1 nor love the vice because of the man1 but hate the vice and love the man4 ,for the vice being cursed1 all that ought to be loved1 and nothing that ought to be hated1 will remain4 #g4 ,that the words love and regard 7amor and dilectio7 are in ,scripture used indifferently of good and evil affection4 ,he who resolves to love ,god1 and to love his neighbour as himself1 not according to man but according to ,god1 is on account of this love said to be of a good will2 and this is in ,scripture more commonly called charity1 but it is also1 even in the same books1 called love4 ,for the apostle says that the man to be elected as a ruler of the people must be a lover of good4#be ,and when the ,lord ,himself had asked ,peter1 ,hast thou a regard for me 7diligis7 more than these8 ,peter replied1 ,lord1 ,thou knowest that ,i love 7amo7 ,thee4 ,and again a second time the ,lord asked not whether ,peter loved 7amaret7 ,him1 but whether he had a regard 7diligeret7 for ,him1 and he again answered1 ,lord1 ,thou knowest that ,i love 7amo7 ,thee4 ,but on the third interrogation the ,lord ,himself no longer says1 ,hast thou a regard 7diligis7 for me1 but ,lovest thou 7amas7 me8 ,and then the evangelist adds1 ,peter was grieved because ,he said unto him the third time1 ,lovest thou 7amas7 me8 though the ,lord had not said three times but only once1 ,lovest thou 7amas7 me8 and twice ,diligis me8 from which we gather that1 even when the ,lord said diligis1 ,he used an equivalent for amas4 ,peter1 too1 throughout used one word for the one thing1 and the third time also replied1 ,lord1 ,thou knowest all things1 ,thou knowest that ,i love 7amo7 ,thee4#bf ,i have judged it right to mention this1 because some are of opinion that charity or regard 7dilectio7 is one thing1 love 7amor7 another4 ,they say that dilectio is used of a good affection1 amor of an evil love4 ,but it is very certain that even secular literature knows no such distinction4 ,however1 it is for the philosophers to determine whether and how they differ1 though their own writings sufficiently testify that they make great account of love 7amor7 placed on good objects1 and even on ,god ,himself4 ,but we wished to show that the ,scriptures of our religion1 whose authority we prefer to all writings whatsoever1 make no distinction between amor1 dilectio1 and caritas2 and we have already shown that amor is used in a good connection4 ,and if any one fancy that amor is no doubt used both of good and bad loves1 but that dilectio is reserved for the good only1 let him remember what the psalm says1 ,he that loveth 7diligit7 iniquity hateth his own soul2#bg and the words of the ,apostle ,john1 ,if any man love 7diligere7 the world1 the love 7dilectio7 of the ,father is not in him4#bh ,here you have in one passage dilectio used both in a good and a bad sense4 ,and if any one demands an instance of amor being used in a bad sense 7for we have already shown its use in a good sense71 let him read the words1 ,for men shall be lovers 7amantes7 of their own selves1 lovers 7amatores7 of money4#bi ,the right will is1 therefore1 well-directed love1 and the wrong will is ill-directed love4 ,love1 then1 yearning to have what is loved1 is desire2 and having and enjoying it1 is joy2 fleeing what is opposed to it1 it is fear2 and feeling what is opposed to it1 when it has befallen it1 it is sadness4 ,now these motions are evil if the love is evil2 good if the love is good4 ,what we assert let us prove from ,scripture4 ,the apostle desires to depart1 and to be with ,christ4#cj ,and1 ,my soul desired to long for ,thy judgments2#ca or if it is more appropriate to say1 ,my soul longed to desire ,thy judgments4 ,and1 ,the desire of wisdom bringeth to a kingdom4#cb ,yet there has always obtained the usage of understanding desire and concupiscence in a bad sense if the object be not defined4 ,but joy is used in a good sense3 ,be glad in the ,lord1 and rejoice1 ye righteous4#cc ,and1 ,thou hast put gladness in my heart4#cd ,and1 ,thou wilt fill me with joy with ,thy countenance4#ce ,fear is used in a good sense by the apostle when he says1 ,work out your salvation with fear and trembling4#cf ,and1 ,be not high-minded1 but fear4#cg ,and1 ,i fear1 lest by any means1 as the serpent beguiled ,eve through his subtilty1 so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in ,christ4#ch ,but with respect to sadness1 which ,cicero prefers to call sickness 7gritudo71 and ,virgil pain 7dolor7 7as he says1 ,dolent gaudentque#ci71 but which ,i prefer to call sorrow1 because sickness and pain are more commonly used to express bodily suffering1--with respect to this emotion1 ,i say1 the question whether it can be used in a good sense is more difficult4 #h4 ,of the three perturbations1 which the ,stoics admitted in the soul of the wise man to the exclusion of grief or sadness1 which the manly mind ought not to experience4 ,those emotions which the ,greeks call 1 and which ,cicero calls constanti1 the ,stoics would restrict to three2 and1 instead of three perturbations in the soul of the wise man1 they substituted severally1 in place of desire1 will2 in place of joy1 contentment2 and for fear1 caution2 and as to sickness or pain1 which we1 to avoid ambiguity1 preferred to call sorrow1 they denied that it could exist in the mind of a wise man4 ,will1 they say1 seeks the good1 for this the wise man does4 ,contentment has its object in good that is possessed1 and this the wise man continually possesses4 ,caution avoids evil1 and this the wise man ought to avoid4 ,but sorrow arises from evil that has already happened2 and as they suppose that no evil can happen to the wise man1 there can be no representative of sorrow in his mind4 ,according to them1 therefore1 none but the wise man wills1 is contented1 uses caution2 and that the fool can do no more than desire1 rejoice1 fear1 be sad4 ,the former three affections ,cicero calls constanti1 the last four perturbationes4 ,many1 however1 call these last passions2 and1 as ,i have said1 the ,greeks call the former 1 and the latter 4 ,and when ,i made a careful examination of ,scripture to find whether this terminology was sanctioned by it1 ,i came upon this saying of the prophet3 ,there is no contentment to the wicked1 saith the ,lord2#dj as if the wicked might more properly rejoice than be contented regarding evils1 for contentment is the property of the good and godly4 ,i found also that verse in the ,gospel3 ,whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so unto them2#da which seems to imply that evil or shameful things may be the object of desire1 but not of will4 ,indeed1 some interpreters have added good things to make the expression more in conformity with customary usage1 and have given this meaning1 ,whatsoever good deeds that ye would that men should do unto you4 ,for they thought that this would prevent any one from wishing other men to provide him with unseemly1 not to say shameful1 gratifications1--luxurious banquets1 for example1--on the supposition that if he returned the like to them he would be fulfilling this precept4 ,in the ,greek ,gospel1 however1 from which the ,latin is translated1 good does not occur1 but only1 ,all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so unto them1 and1 as ,i believe1 because good is already included in the word would2 for ,he does not say desire4 ,yet though we may sometimes avail ourselves of these precise proprieties of language1 we are not to be always bridled by them2 and when we read those writers against whose authority it is unlawful to reclaim1 we must accept the meanings above mentioned in passages where a right sense can be educed by no other interpretation1 as in those instances we adduced partly from the prophet1 partly from the ,gospel4 ,for who does not know that the wicked exult with joy8 ,yet there is no contentment for the wicked1 saith the ,lord4 ,and how so1 unless because contentment1 when the word is used in its proper and distinctive significance1 means something different from joy8 ,in like manner1 who would deny that it were wrong to enjoin upon men that whatever they desire others to do to them they should themselves do to others1 lest they should mutually please one another by shameful and illicit pleasure8 ,and yet the precept1 ,whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you1 do ye even so to them1 is very wholesome and just4 ,and how is this1 unless because the will is in this place used strictly1 and signifies that will which cannot have evil for its object8 ,but ordinary phraseology would not have allowed the saying1 ,be unwilling to make any manner of lie1#db had there not been also an evil will1 whose wickedness separates it from that which the angels celebrated1 ,peace on earth1 of good will to men4#dc ,for good is superfluous if there is no other kind of will but good will4 ,and why should the apostle have mentioned it among the praises of charity as a great thing1 that it rejoices not in iniquity1 unless because wickedness does so rejoice8 ,for even with secular writers these words are used indifferently4 ,for ,cicero1 that most fertile of orators1 says1 ,i desire1 conscript fathers1 to be merciful4#dd ,and who would be so pedantic as to say that he should have said ,i will rather than ,i desire1 because the word is used in a good connection8 ,again1 in ,terence1 the profligate youth1 burning with wild lust1 says1 ,i will nothing else than ,philumena4#de ,that this will was lust is sufficiently indicated by the answer of his old servant which is there introduced3 ,how much better were it to try and banish that love from your heart1 than to speak so as uselessly to inflame your passion still more6 ,and that contentment was used by secular writers in a bad sense1 that verse of ,virgil testifies1 in which he most succinctly comprehends these four perturbations1-- ,hence they fear and desire1 grieve and are content4#df ,the same author had also used the expression1 the evil contentments of the mind4#dg ,so that good and bad men alike will1 are cautious1 and contented2 or1 to say the same thing in other words1 good and bad men alike desire1 fear1 rejoice1 but the former in a good1 the latter in a bad fashion1 according as the will is right or wrong4 ,sorrow itself1 too1 which the ,stoics would not allow to be represented in the mind of the wise man1 is used in a good sense1 and especially in our writings4 ,for the apostle praises the ,corinthians because they had a godly sorrow4 ,but possibly some one may say that the apostle congratulated them because they were penitently sorry1 and that such sorrow can exist only in those who have sinned4 ,for these are his words3 ,for ,i perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry1 though it were but for a season4 ,now ,i rejoice1 not that ye were made sorry1 but that ye sorrowed to repentance2 for ye were made sorry after a godly manner1 that ye might receive damage by us in nothing4 ,for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of1 but the sorrow of the world worketh death4 ,for1 behold1 this selfsame thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort1 what carefulness it wrought in you6#dh ,consequently the ,stoics may defend themselves by replying1#di that sorrow is indeed useful for repentance of sin1 but that this can have no place in the mind of the wise man1 inasmuch as no sin attaches to him of which he could sorrowfully repent1 nor any other evil the endurance or experience of which could make him sorrowful4 ,for they say that ,alcibiades 7if my memory does not deceive me71 who believed himself happy1 shed tears when ,socrates argued with him1 and demonstrated that he was miserable because he was foolish4 ,in his case1 therefore1 folly was the cause of this useful and desirable sorrow1 wherewith a man mourns that he is what he ought not to be4 ,but the ,stoics maintain not that the fool1 but that the wise man1 cannot be sorrowful4 #i4 ,of the perturbations of the soul which appear as right affections in the life of the righteous4 ,but so far as regards this question of mental perturbations1 we have answered these philosophers in the ninth book#ej of this work1 showing that it is rather a verbal than a real dispute1 and that they seek contention rather than truth4 ,among ourselves1 according to the sacred ,scriptures and sound doctrine1 the citizens of the holy city of ,god1 who live according to ,god in the pilgrimage of this life1 both fear and desire1 and grieve and rejoice4 ,and because their love is rightly placed1 all these affections of theirs are right4 ,they fear eternal punishment1 they desire eternal life2 they grieve because they themselves groan within themselves1 waiting for the adoption1 the redemption of their body2#ea they rejoice in hope1 because there shall be brought to pass the saying that is written1 ,death is swallowed up in victory4#eb ,in like manner they fear to sin1 they desire to persevere2 they grieve in sin1 they rejoice in good works4 ,they fear to sin1 because they hear that because iniquity shall abound1 the love of many shall wax cold4#ec ,they desire to persevere1 because they hear that it is written1 ,he that endureth to the end shall be saved4#ed ,they grieve for sin1 hearing that ,if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us4#ee ,they rejoice in good works1 because they hear that the ,lord loveth a cheerful giver4#ef ,in like manner1 according as they are strong or weak1 they fear or desire to be tempted1 grieve or rejoice in temptation4 ,they fear to be tempted1 because they hear the injunction1 ,if a man be overtaken in a fault1 ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness2 considering thyself1 lest thou also be tempted4#eg ,they desire to be tempted1 because they hear one of the heroes of the city of ,god saying1 ,examine me1 ,o ,lord1 and tempt me3 try my reins and my heart4#eh ,they grieve in temptations1 because they see ,peter weeping2#ei they rejoice in temptations1 because they hear ,james saying1 ,my brethren1 count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations4#fj ,and not only on their own account do they experience these emotions1 but also on account of those whose deliverance they desire and whose perdition they fear1 and whose loss or salvation affects them with grief or with joy4 ,for if we who have come into the ,church from among the ,gentiles may suitably instance that noble and mighty hero who glories in his infirmities1 the teacher 7doctor7 of the nations in faith and truth1 who also laboured more than all his fellow-apostles1 and instructed the tribes of ,god's people by his epistles1 which edified not only those of his own time1 but all those who were to be gathered in1--that hero1 ,i say1 and athlete of ,christ1 instructed by ,him1 anointed of ,his ,spirit1 crucified with ,him1 glorious in ,him1 lawfully maintaining a great conflict on the theatre of this world1 and being made a spectacle to angels and men1#fa and pressing onwards for the prize of his high calling1#fb--very joyfully do we with the eyes of faith behold him rejoicing with them that rejoice1 and weeping with them that weep2#fc though hampered by fightings without and fears within2#fd desiring to depart and to be with ,christ2#fe longing to see the ,romans1 that he might have some fruit among them as among other ,gentiles2#ff being jealous over the ,corinthians1 and fearing in that jealousy lest their minds should be corrupted from the chastity that is in ,christ2#fg having great heaviness and continual sorrow of heart for the ,israelites1#fh because they1 being ignorant of ,god's righteousness1 and going about to establish their own righteousness1 have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of ,god2#fi and expressing not only his sorrow1 but bitter lamentation over some who had formally sinned and had not repented of their uncleanness and fornications4#gj ,if these emotions and affections1 arising as they do from the love of what is good and from a holy charity1 are to be called vices1 then let us allow these emotions which are truly vices to pass under the name of virtues4 ,but since these affections1 when they are exercised in a becoming way1 follow the guidance of right reason1 who will dare to say that they are diseases or vicious passions8 ,wherefore even the ,lord ,himself1 when ,he condescended to lead a human life in the form of a slave1 had no sin whatever1 and yet exercised these emotions where ,he judged they should be exercised4 ,for as there was in ,him a true human body and a true human soul1 so was there also a true human emotion4 ,when1 therefore1 we read in the ,gospel that the hard-heartedness of the ,jews moved ,him to sorrowful indignation1#ga that ,he said1 ,i am glad for your sakes1 to the intent ye may believe1#gb that when about to raise ,lazarus ,he even shed tears1#gc that ,he earnestly desired to eat the passover with ,his disciples1#gd that as ,his passion drew near ,his soul was sorrowful1#ge these emotions are certainly not falsely ascribed to ,him4 ,but as ,he became man when it pleased ,him1 so1 in the grace of ,his definite purpose1 when it pleased ,him ,he experienced those emotions in ,his human soul4 ,but we must further make the admission1 that even when these affections are well regulated1 and according to ,god's will1 they are peculiar to this life1 not to that future life we look for1 and that often we yield to them against our will4 ,and thus sometimes we weep in spite of ourselves1 being carried beyond ourselves1 not indeed by culpable desire1 but by praiseworthy charity4 ,in us1 therefore1 these affections arise from human infirmity2 but it was not so with the ,lord ,jesus1 for even ,his infirmity was the consequence of ,his power4 ,but so long as we wear the infirmity of this life1 we are rather worse men than better if we have none of these emotions at all4 ,for the apostle vituperated and abominated some who1 as he said1 were without natural affection4#gf ,the sacred ,psalmist also found fault with those of whom he said1 ,i looked for some to lament with me1 and there was none4#gg ,for to be quite free from pain while we are in this place of misery is only purchased1 as one of this world's literati perceived and remarked1#gh at the price of blunted sensibilities both of mind and body4 ,and therefore that which the ,greeks call 1 and what the ,latins would call1 if their language would allow them1 impassibilitas1 if it be taken to mean an impassibility of spirit and not of body1 or1 in other words1 a freedom from those emotions which are contrary to reason and disturb the mind1 then it is obviously a good and most desirable quality1 but it is not one which is attainable in this life4 ,for the words of the apostle are the confession1 not of the common herd1 but of the eminently pious1 just1 and holy men3 ,if we say we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us4#gi ,when there shall be no sin in a man1 then there shall be this 4 ,at present it is enough if we live without crime2 and he who thinks he lives without sin puts aside not sin1 but pardon4 ,and if that is to be called apathy1 where the mind is the subject of no emotion1 then who would not consider this insensibility to be worse than all vices8 ,it may1 indeed1 reasonably be maintained that the perfect blessedness we hope for shall be free from all sting of fear or sadness2 but who that is not quite lost to truth would say that neither love nor joy shall be experienced there8 ,but if by apathy a condition be meant in which no fear terrifies nor any pain annoys1 we must in this life renounce such a state if we would live according to ,god's will1 but may hope to enjoy it in that blessedness which is promised as our eternal condition4 ,for that fear of which the ,apostle ,john says1 ,there is no fear in love2 but perfect love casteth out fear1 because fear hath torment4 ,he that feareth is not made perfect in love1#hj--that fear is not of the same kind as the ,apostle ,paul felt lest the ,corinthians should be seduced by the subtlety of the serpent2 for love is susceptible of this fear1 yea1 love alone is capable of it4 ,but the fear which is not in love is of that kind of which ,paul himself says1 ,for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear4#ha ,but as for that clean fear which endureth for ever1#hb if it is to exist in the world to come 7and how else can it be said to endure for ever871 it is not a fear deterring us from evil which may happen1 but preserving us in the good which cannot be lost4 ,for where the love of acquired good is unchangeable1 there certainly the fear that avoids evil is1 if ,i may say so1 free from anxiety4 ,for under the name of clean fear ,david signifies that will by which we shall necessarily shrink from sin1 and guard against it1 not with the anxiety of weakness1 which fears that we may strongly sin1 but with the tranquillity of perfect love4 ,or if no kind of fear at all shall exist in that most imperturbable security of perpetual and blissful delights1 then the expression1 ,the fear of the ,lord is clean1 enduring for ever1 must be taken in the same sense as that other1 ,the patience of the poor shall not perish for ever4#hc ,for patience1 which is necessary only where ills are to be borne1 shall not be eternal1 but that which patience leads us to will be eternal4 ,so perhaps this clean fear is said to endure for ever1 because that to which fear leads shall endure4 ,and since this is so1--since we must live a good life in order to attain to a blessed life1--a good life has all these affections right1 a bad life has them wrong4 ,but in the blessed life eternal there will be love and joy1 not only right1 but also assured2 but fear and grief there will be none4 ,whence it already appears in some sort what manner of persons the citizens of the city of ,god must be in this their pilgrimage1 who live after the spirit1 not after the flesh1--that is to say1 according to ,god1 not according to man1--and what manner of persons they shall be also in that immortality whither they are journeying4 ,and the city or society of the wicked1 who live not according to ,god1 but according to man1 and who accept the doctrines of men or devils in the worship of a false and contempt of the true divinity1 is shaken with those wicked emotions as by diseases and disturbances4 ,and if there be some of its citizens who seem to restrain and1 as it were1 temper those passions1 they are so elated with ungodly pride1 that their disease is as much greater as their pain is less4 ,and if some1 with a vanity monstrous in proportion to its rarity1 have become enamoured of themselves because they can be stimulated and excited by no emotion1 moved or bent by no affection1 such persons rather lose all humanity than obtain true tranquillity4 ,for a thing is not necessarily right because it is inflexible1 nor healthy because it is insensible4 #aj4 ,whether it is to be believed that our first parents in ,paradise1 before they sinned1 were free from all perturbation4 ,but it is a fair question1 whether our first parent or first parents 7for there was a marriage of two71 before they sinned1 experienced in their animal body such emotions as we shall not experience in the spiritual body when sin has been purged and finally abolished4 ,for if they did1 then how were they blessed in that boasted place of bliss1 ,paradise8 ,for who that is affected by fear or grief can be called absolutely blessed8 ,and what could those persons fear or suffer in such affluence of blessings1 where neither death nor ill-health was feared1 and where nothing was wanting which a good will could desire1 and nothing present which could interrupt man's mental or bodily enjoyment8 ,their love to ,god was unclouded1 and their mutual affection was that of faithful and sincere marriage2 and from this love flowed a wonderful delight1 because they always enjoyed what was loved4 ,their avoidance of sin was tranquil2 and1 so long as it was maintained1 no other ill at all could invade them and bring sorrow4 ,or did they perhaps desire to touch and eat the forbidden fruit1 yet feared to die2 and thus both fear and desire already1 even in that blissful place1 preyed upon those first of mankind8 ,away with the thought that such could be the case where there was no sin6 ,and1 indeed1 this is already sin1 to desire those things which the law of ,god forbids1 and to abstain from them through fear of punishment1 not through love of righteousness4 ,away1 ,i say1 with the thought1 that before there was any sin1 there should already have been committed regarding that fruit the very sin which our ,lord warns us against regarding a woman3 ,whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her1 hath committed adultery with her already in his heart4#hd ,as happy1 then1 as were these our first parents1 who were agitated by no mental perturbations1 and annoyed by no bodily discomforts1 so happy should the whole human race have been1 had they not introduced that evil which they have transmitted to their posterity1 and had none of their descendants committed iniquity worthy of damnation2 but this original blessedness continuing until1 in virtue of that benediction which said1 ,increase and multiply1#he the number of the predestined saints should have been completed1 there would then have been bestowed that higher felicity which is enjoyed by the most blessed angels1--a blessedness in which there should have been a secure assurance that no one would sin1 and no one die2 and so should the saints have lived1 after no taste of labour1 pain1 or death1 as now they shall live in the resurrection1 after they have endured all these things4 #aa4 ,of the fall of the first man1 in whom nature was created good1 and can be restored only by its ,author4 ,but because ,god foresaw all things1 and was therefore not ignorant that man also would fall1 we ought to consider this holy city in connection with what ,god foresaw and ordained1 and not according to our own ideas1 which do not embrace ,god's ordination4 ,for man1 by his sin1 could not disturb the divine counsel1 nor compel ,god to change what ,he had decreed2 for ,god's foreknowledge had anticipated both1--that is to say1 both how evil the man whom ,he had created good should become1 and what good ,he ,himself should even thus derive from him4 ,for though ,god is said to change ,his determinations 7so that in a tropical sense the ,holy ,scripture says even that ,god repented#hf71 this is said with reference to man's expectation1 or the order of natural causes1 and not with reference to that which the ,almighty had foreknown that ,he would do4 ,accordingly ,god1 as it is written1 made man upright1#hg and consequently with a good will4 ,for if he had not had a good will1 he could not have been upright4 ,the good will1 then1 is the work of ,god2 for ,god created him with it4 ,but the first evil will1 which preceded all man's evil acts1 was rather a kind of falling away from the work of ,god to its own works than any positive work4 ,and therefore the acts resulting were evil1 not having ,god1 but the will itself for their end2 so that the will or the man himself1 so far as his will is bad1 was as it were the evil tree bringing forth evil fruit4 ,moreover1 the bad will1 though it be not in harmony with1 but opposed to nature1 inasmuch as it is a vice or blemish1 yet it is true of it as of all vice1 that it cannot exist except in a nature1 and only in a nature created out of nothing1 and not in that which the ,creator has begotten of ,himself1 as ,he begot the ,word1 by whom all things were made4 ,for though ,god formed man of the dust of the earth1 yet the earth itself1 and every earthly material1 is absolutely created out of nothing2 and man's soul1 too1 ,god created out of nothing1 and joined to the body1 when ,he made man4 ,but evils are so thoroughly overcome by good1 that though they are permitted to exist1 for the sake of demonstrating how the most righteous foresight of ,god can make a good use even of them1 yet good can exist without evil1 as in the true and supreme ,god ,himself1 and as in every invisible and visible celestial creature that exists above this murky atmosphere2 but evil cannot exist without good1 because the natures in which evil exists1 in so far as they are natures1 are good4 ,and evil is removed1 not by removing any nature1 or part of a nature1 which had been introduced by the evil1 but by healing and correcting that which had been vitiated and depraved4 ,the will1 therefore1 is then truly free1 when it is not the slave of vices and sins4 ,such was it given us by ,god2 and this being lost by its own fault1 can only be restored by ,him who was able at first to give it4 ,and therefore the truth says1 ,if the ,son shall make you free1 ye shall be free indeed2#hh which is equivalent to saying1 ,if the ,son shall save you1 ye shall be saved indeed4 ,for ,he is our ,liberator1 inasmuch as ,he is our ,saviour4 ,man then lived with ,god for his rule in a paradise at once physical and spiritual4 ,for neither was it a paradise only physical for the advantage of the body1 and not also spiritual for the advantage of the mind2 nor was it only spiritual to afford enjoyment to man by his internal sensations1 and not also physical to afford him enjoyment through his external senses4 ,but obviously it was both for both ends4 ,but after that proud and therefore envious angel 7of whose fall ,i have said as much as ,i was able in the eleventh and twelfth books of this work1 as well as that of his fellows1 who1 from being ,god's angels1 became his angels71 preferring to rule with a kind of pomp of empire rather than to be another's subject1 fell from the spiritual ,paradise1 and essaying to insinuate his persuasive guile into the mind of man1 whose unfallen condition provoked him to envy now that himself was fallen1 he chose the serpent as his mouthpiece in that bodily ,paradise in which it and all the other earthly animals were living with those two human beings1 the man and his wife1 subject to them1 and harmless2 and he chose the serpent because1 being slippery1 and moving in tortuous windings1 it was suitable for his purpose4 ,and this animal being subdued to his wicked ends by the presence and superior force of his angelic nature1 he abused as his instrument1 and first tried his deceit upon the woman1 making his assault upon the weaker part of that human alliance1 that he might gradually gain the whole1 and not supposing that the man would readily give ear to him1 or be deceived1 but that he might yield to the error of the woman4 ,for as ,aaron was not induced to agree with the people when they blindly wished him to make an idol1 and yet yielded to constraint2 and as it is not credible that ,solomon was so blind as to suppose that idols should be worshipped1 but was drawn over to such sacrilege by the blandishments of women2 so we cannot believe that ,adam was deceived1 and supposed the devil's word to be truth1 and therefore transgressed ,god's law1 but that he by the drawings of kindred yielded to the woman1 the husband to the wife1 the one human being to the only other human being4 ,for not without significance did the apostle say1 ,and ,adam was not deceived1 but the woman being deceived was in the transgression2#hi but he speaks thus1 because the woman accepted as true what the serpent told her1 but the man could not bear to be severed from his only companion1 even though this involved a partnership in sin4 ,he was not on this account less culpable1 but sinned with his eyes open4 ,and so the apostle does not say1 ,he did not sin1 but ,he was not deceived4 ,for he shows that he sinned when he says1 ,by one man sin entered into the world1#ij and immediately after more distinctly1 ,in the likeness of ,adam's transgression4 ,but he meant that those are deceived who do not judge that which they do to be sin2 but he knew4 ,otherwise how were it true ,adam was not deceived8 ,but having as yet no experience of the divine severity1 he was possibly deceived in so far as he thought his sin venial4 ,and consequently he was not deceived as the woman was deceived1 but he was deceived as to the judgment which would be passed on his apology3 ,the woman whom thou gavest to be with me1 she gave me1 and ,i did eat4#ia ,what need of saying more8 ,although they were not both deceived by credulity1 yet both were entangled in the snares of the devil1 and taken by sin4 #ab4 ,of the nature of man's first sin4 ,if any one finds a difficulty in understanding why other sins do not alter human nature as it was altered by the transgression of those first human beings1 so that on account of it this nature is subject to the great corruption we feel and see1 and to death1 and is distracted and tossed with so many furious and contending emotions1 and is certainly far different from what it was before sin1 even though it were then lodged in an animal body1--if1 ,i say1 any one is moved by this1 he ought not to think that that sin was a small and light one because it was committed about food1 and that not bad nor noxious1 except because it was forbidden2 for in that spot of singular felicity ,god could not have created and planted any evil thing4 ,but by the precept ,he gave1 ,god commended obedience1 which is1 in a sort1 the mother and guardian of all the virtues in the reasonable creature1 which was so created that submission is advantageous to it1 while the fulfilment of its own will in preference to the ,creator's is destruction4 ,and as this commandment enjoining abstinence from one kind of food in the midst of great abundance of other kinds was so easy to keep1--so light a burden to the memory1--and1 above all1 found no resistance to its observance in lust1 which only afterwards sprung up as the penal consequence of sin1 the iniquity of violating it was all the greater in proportion to the ease with which it might have been kept4 #ac4 ,that in ,adam's sin an evil will preceded the evil act4 ,our first parents fell into open disobedience because already they were secretly corrupted2 for the evil act had never been done had not an evil will preceded it4 ,and what is the origin of our evil will but pride8 ,for pride is the beginning of sin4#ib ,and what is pride but the craving for undue exaltation8 ,and this is undue exaltation1 when the soul abandons ,him to whom it ought to cleave as its end1 and becomes a kind of end to itself4 ,this happens when it becomes its own satisfaction4 ,and it does so when it falls away from that unchangeable good which ought to satisfy it more than itself4 ,this falling away is spontaneous2 for if the will had remained stedfast in the love of that higher and changeless good by which it was illumined to intelligence and kindled into love1 it would not have turned away to find satisfaction in itself1 and so become frigid and benighted2 the woman would not have believed the serpent spoke the truth1 nor would the man have preferred the request of his wife to the command of ,god1 nor have supposed that it was a venial transgression to cleave to the partner of his life even in a partnership of sin4 ,the wicked deed1 then1--that is to say1 the transgression of eating the forbidden fruit1--was committed by persons who were already wicked4 ,that evil fruit#ic could be brought forth only by a corrupt tree4 ,but that the tree was evil was not the result of nature2 for certainly it could become so only by the vice of the will1 and vice is contrary to nature4 ,now1 nature could not have been depraved by vice had it not been made out of nothing4 ,consequently1 that it is a nature1 this is because it is made by ,god2 but that it falls away from ,him1 this is because it is made out of nothing4 ,but man did not so fall away#id as to become absolutely nothing2 but being turned towards himself1 his being became more contracted than it was when he clave to ,him who supremely is4 ,accordingly1 to exist in himself1 that is1 to be his own satisfaction after abandoning ,god1 is not quite to become a nonentity1 but to approximate to that4 ,and therefore the holy ,scriptures designate the proud by another name1 self-pleasers4 ,for it is good to have the heart lifted up1 yet not to one's self1 for this is proud1 but to the ,lord1 for this is obedient1 and can be the act only of the humble4 ,there is1 therefore1 something in humility which1 strangely enough1 exalts the heart1 and something in pride which debases it4 ,this seems1 indeed1 to be contradictory1 that loftiness should debase and lowliness exalt4 ,but pious humility enables us to submit to what is above us2 and nothing is more exalted above us than ,god2 and therefore humility1 by making us subject to ,god1 exalts us4 ,but pride1 being a defect of nature1 by the very act of refusing subjection and revolting from ,him who is supreme1 falls to a low condition2 and then comes to pass what is written3 ,thou castedst them down when they lifted up themselves4#ie ,for he does not say1 when they had been lifted up1 as if first they were exalted1 and then afterwards cast down2 but when they lifted up themselves even then they were cast down1--that is to say1 the very lifting up was already a fall4 ,and therefore it is that humility is specially recommended to the city of ,god as it sojourns in this world1 and is specially exhibited in the city of ,god1 and in the person of ,christ its ,king2 while the contrary vice of pride1 according to the testimony of the sacred writings1 specially rules his adversary the devil4 ,and certainly this is the great difference which distinguishes the two cities of which we speak1 the one being the society of the godly men1 the other of the ungodly1 each associated with the angels that adhere to their party1 and the one guided and fashioned by love of self1 the other by love of ,god4 ,the devil1 then1 would not have ensnared man in the open and manifest sin of doing what ,god had forbidden1 had man not already begun to live for himself4 ,it was this that made him listen with pleasure to the words1 ,ye shall be as gods1#if which they would much more readily have accomplished by obediently adhering to their supreme and true end than by proudly living to themselves4 ,for created gods are gods not by virtue of what is in themselves1 but by a participation of the true ,god4 ,by craving to be more1 man becomes less2 and by aspiring to be self-sufficing1 he fell away from ,him who truly suffices him4 ,accordingly1 this wicked desire which prompts man to please himself as if he were himself light1 and which thus turns him away from that light by which1 had he followed it1 he would himself have become light1--this wicked desire1 ,i say1 already secretly existed in him1 and the open sin was but its consequence4 ,for that is true which is written1 ,pride goeth before destruction1 and before honour is humility2#ig that is to say1 secret ruin precedes open ruin1 while the former is not counted ruin4 ,for who counts exaltation ruin1 though no sooner is the ,highest forsaken than a fall is begun8 ,but who does not recognise it as ruin1 when there occurs an evident and indubitable transgression of the commandment8 ,and consequently1 ,god's prohibition had reference to such an act as1 when committed1 could not be defended on any pretence of doing what was righteous4#ih ,and ,i make bold to say that it is useful for the proud to fall into an open and indisputable transgression1 and so displease themselves1 as already1 by pleasing themselves1 they had fallen4 ,for ,peter was in a healthier condition when he wept and was dissatisfied with himself1 than when he boldly presumed and satisfied himself4 ,and this is averred by the sacred ,psalmist when he says1 ,fill their faces with shame1 that they may seek ,thy name1 ,o ,lord2#ii that is1 that they who have pleased themselves in seeking their own glory may be pleased and satisfied with ,thee in seeking ,thy glory4 #ad4 ,of the pride in the sin1 which was worse than the sin itself4 ,but it is a worse and more damnable pride which casts about for the shelter of an excuse even in manifest sins1 as these our first parents did1 of whom the woman said1 ,the serpent beguiled me1 and ,i did eat2 and the man said1 ,the woman whom ,thou gavest to be with me1 she gave me of the tree1 and ,i did eat4#ajj ,here there is no word of begging pardon1 no word of entreaty for healing4 ,for though they do not1 like ,cain1 deny that they have perpetrated the deed1 yet their pride seeks to refer its wickedness to another1--the woman's pride to the serpent1 the man's to the woman4 ,but where there is a plain transgression of a divine commandment1 this is rather to accuse than to excuse oneself4 ,for the fact that the woman sinned on the serpent's persuasion1 and the man at the woman's offer1 did not make the transgression less1 as if there were any one whom we ought rather to believe or yield to than ,god4 #ae4 ,of the justice of the punishment with which our first parents were visited for their disobedience4 ,therefore1 because the sin was a despising of the authority of ,god1--who had created man2 who had made him in ,his own image2 who had set him above the other animals2 who had placed him in ,paradise2 who had enriched him with abundance of every kind and of safety2 who had laid upon him neither many1 nor great1 nor difficult commandments1 but1 in order to make a wholesome obedience easy to him1 had given him a single very brief and very light precept by which ,he reminded that creature whose service was to be free that ,he was ,lord1--it was just that condemnation followed1 and condemnation such that man1 who by keeping the commandments should have been spiritual even in his flesh1 became fleshly even in his spirit2 and as in his pride he had sought to be his own satisfaction1 ,god in ,his justice abandoned him to himself1 not to live in the absolute independence he affected1 but instead of the liberty he desired1 to live dissatisfied with himself in a hard and miserable bondage to him to whom by sinning he had yielded himself1 doomed in spite of himself to die in body as he had willingly become dead in spirit1 condemned even to eternal death 7had not the grace of ,god delivered him7 because he had forsaken eternal life4 ,whoever thinks such punishment either excessive or unjust shows his inability to measure the great iniquity of sinning where sin might so easily have been avoided4 ,for as ,abraham's obedience is with justice pronounced to be great1 because the thing commanded1 to kill his son1 was very difficult1 so in ,paradise the disobedience was the greater1 because the difficulty of that which was commanded was imperceptible4 ,and as the obedience of the second ,man was the more laudable because ,he became obedient even unto death1#aja so the disobedience of the first man was the more detestable because he became disobedient even unto death4 ,for where the penalty annexed to disobedience is great1 and the thing commanded by the ,creator is easy1 who can sufficiently estimate how great a wickedness it is1 in a matter so easy1 not to obey the authority of so great a power1 even when that power deters with so terrible a penalty8 ,in short1 to say all in a word1 what but disobedience was the punishment of disobedience in that sin8 ,for what else is man's misery but his own disobedience to himself1 so that in consequence of his not being willing to do what he could do1 he now wills to do what he cannot8 ,for though he could not do all things in ,paradise before he sinned1 yet he wished to do only what he could do1 and therefore he could do all things he wished4 ,but now1 as we recognise in his offspring1 and as divine ,scripture testifies1 ,man is like to vanity4#ajb ,for who can count how many things he wishes which he cannot do1 so long as he is disobedient to himself1 that is1 so long as his mind and his flesh do not obey his will8 ,for in spite of himself his mind is both frequently disturbed1 and his flesh suffers1 and grows old1 and dies2 and in spite of ourselves we suffer whatever else we suffer1 and which we would not suffer if our nature absolutely and in all its parts obeyed our will4 ,but is it not the infirmities of the flesh which hamper it in its service8 ,yet what does it matter how its service is hampered1 so long as the fact remains1 that by the just retribution of the sovereign ,god whom we refused to be subject to and serve1 our flesh1 which was subjected to us1 now torments us by insubordination1 although our disobedience brought trouble on ourselves1 not upon ,god8 ,for ,he is not in need of our service as we of our body's2 and therefore what we did was no punishment to ,him1 but what we receive is so to us4 ,and the pains which are called bodily are pains of the soul in and from the body4 ,for what pain or desire can the flesh feel by itself and without the soul8 ,but when the flesh is said to desire or to suffer1 it is meant1 as we have explained1 that the man does so1 or some part of the soul which is affected by the sensation of the flesh1 whether a harsh sensation causing pain1 or gentle1 causing pleasure4 ,but pain in the flesh is only a discomfort of the soul arising from the flesh1 and a kind of shrinking from its suffering1 as the pain of the soul which is called sadness is a shrinking from those things which have happened to us in spite of ourselves4 ,but sadness is frequently preceded by fear1 which is itself in the soul1 not in the flesh2 while bodily pain is not preceded by any kind of fear of the flesh1 which can be felt in the flesh before the pain4 ,but pleasure is preceded by a certain appetite which is felt in the flesh like a craving1 as hunger and thirst and that generative appetite which is most commonly identified with the name lust1 though this is the generic word for all desires4 ,for anger itself was defined by the ancients as nothing else than the lust of revenge2#ajc although sometimes a man is angry even at inanimate objects which cannot feel his vengeance1 as when one breaks a pen1 or crushes a quill that writes badly4 ,yet even this1 though less reasonable1 is in its way a lust of revenge1 and is1 so to speak1 a mysterious kind of shadow of the great law of retribution1 that they who do evil should suffer evil4 ,there is therefore a lust for revenge1 which is called anger2 there is a lust of money1 which goes by the name of avarice2 there is a lust of conquering1 no matter by what means1 which is called opinionativeness2 there is a lust of applause1 which is named boasting4 ,there are many and various lusts1 of which some have names of their own1 while others have not4 ,for who could readily give a name to the lust of ruling1 which yet has a powerful influence in the soul of tyrants1 as civil wars bear witness8 #af4 ,of the evil of lust1--a word which1 though applicable to many vices1 is specially appropriated to sexual uncleanness4 ,although1 therefore1 lust may have many objects1 yet when no object is specified1 the word lust usually suggests to the mind the lustful excitement of the organs of generation4 ,and this lust not only takes possession of the whole body and outward members1 but also makes itself felt within1 and moves the whole man with a passion in which mental emotion is mingled with bodily appetite1 so that the pleasure which results is the greatest of all bodily pleasures4 ,so possessing indeed is this pleasure1 that at the moment of time in which it is consummated1 all mental activity is suspended4 ,what friend of wisdom and holy joys1 who1 being married1 but knowing1 as the apostle says1 how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour1 not in the disease of desire1 as the ,gentiles who know not ,god1#ajd would not prefer1 if this were possible1 to beget children without this lust1 so that in this function of begetting offspring the members created for this purpose should not be stimulated by the heat of lust1 but should be actuated by his volition1 in the same way as his other members serve him for their respective ends8 ,but even those who delight in this pleasure are not moved to it at their own will1 whether they confine themselves to lawful or transgress to unlawful pleasures2 but sometimes this lust importunes them in spite of themselves1 and sometimes fails them when they desire to feel it1 so that though lust rages in the mind1 it stirs not in the body4 ,thus1 strangely enough1 this emotion not only fails to obey the legitimate desire to beget offspring1 but also refuses to serve lascivious lust2 and though it often opposes its whole combined energy to the soul that resists it1 sometimes also it is divided against itself1 and while it moves the soul1 leaves the body unmoved4 #ag4 ,of the nakedness of our first parents1 which they saw after their base and shameful sin4 ,justly is shame very specially connected with this lust2 justly1 too1 these members themselves1 being moved and restrained not at our will1 but by a certain independent autocracy1 so to speak1 are called shameful4 ,their condition was different before sin4 ,for as it is written1 ,they were naked and were not ashamed1#aje--not that their nakedness was unknown to them1 but because nakedness was not yet shameful1 because not yet did lust move those members without the will's consent2 not yet did the flesh by its disobedience testify against the disobedience of man4 ,for they were not created blind1 as the unenlightened vulgar fancy2#ajf for ,adam saw the animals to whom he gave names1 and of ,eve we read1 ,the woman saw that the tree was good for food1 and that it was pleasant to the eyes4#ajg ,their eyes1 therefore1 were open1 but were not open to this1 that is to say1 were not observant so as to recognise what was conferred upon them by the garment of grace1 for they had no consciousness of their members warring against their will4 ,but when they were stripped of this grace1#ajh that their disobedience might be punished by fit retribution1 there began in the movement of their bodily members a shameless novelty which made nakedness indecent3 it at once made them observant and made them ashamed4 ,and therefore1 after they violated ,god's command by open transgression1 it is written3 ,and the eyes of them both were opened1 and they knew that they were naked2 and they sewed fig leaves together1 and made themselves aprons4#aji ,the eyes of them both were opened1 not to see1 for already they saw1 but to discern between the good they had lost and the evil into which they had fallen4 ,and therefore also the tree itself which they were forbidden to touch was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from this circumstance1 that if they ate of it it would impart to them this knowledge4 ,for the discomfort of sickness reveals the pleasure of health4 ,they knew1 therefore1 that they were naked1--naked of that grace which prevented them from being ashamed of bodily nakedness while the law of sin offered no resistance to their mind4 ,and thus they obtained a knowledge which they would have lived in blissful ignorance of1 had they1 in trustful obedience to ,god1 declined to commit that offence which involved them in the experience of the hurtful effects of unfaithfulness and disobedience4 ,and therefore1 being ashamed of the disobedience of their own flesh1 which witnessed to their disobedience while it punished it1 they sewed fig leaves together1 and made themselves aprons1 that is1 cinctures for their privy parts2 for some interpreters have rendered the word by succinctoria4 ,campestria is1 indeed1 a ,latin word1 but it is used of the drawers or aprons used for a similar purpose by the young men who stripped for exercise in the campus2 hence those who were so girt were commonly called campestrati4 ,shame modestly covered that which lust disobediently moved in opposition to the will which was thus punished for its own disobedience4 ,consequently all nations1 being propagated from that one stock1 have so strong an instinct to cover the shameful parts1 that some barbarians do not uncover them even in the bath1 but wash with their drawers on4 ,in the dark solitudes of ,india also1 though some philosophers go naked1 and are therefore called gymnosophists1 yet they make an exception in the case of these members1 and cover them4 #ah4 ,of the shame which attends all sexual intercourse4 ,lust requires for its consummation darkness and secrecy2 and this not only when unlawful intercourse is desired1 but even such fornication as the earthly city has legalized4 ,where there is no fear of punishment1 these permitted pleasures still shrink from the public eye4 ,even where provision is made for this lust1 secrecy also is provided2 and while lust found it easy to remove the prohibitions of law1 shamelessness found it impossible to lay aside the veil of retirement4 ,for even shameless men call this shameful2 and though they love the pleasure1 dare not display it4 ,what6 does not even conjugal intercourse1 sanctioned as it is by law for the propagation of children1 legitimate and honourable though it be1 does it not seek retirement from every eye8 ,before the bridegroom fondles his bride1 does he not exclude the attendants1 and even the paranymphs1 and such friends as the closest ties have admitted to the bridal chamber8 ,the greatest master of ,roman eloquence says1 that all right actions wish to be set in the light1 i4e4 desire to be known4 ,this right action1 however1 has such a desire to be known1 that yet it blushes to be seen4 ,who does not know what passes between husband and wife that children may be born8 ,is it not for this purpose that wives are married with such ceremony8 ,and yet1 when this well-understood act is gone about for the procreation of children1 not even the children themselves1 who may already have been born to them1 are suffered to be witnesses4 ,this right action seeks the light1 in so far as it seeks to be known1 but yet dreads being seen4 ,and why so1 if not because that which is by nature fitting and decent is so done as to be accompanied with a shame-begetting penalty of sin8 #ai4 ,that it is now necessary1 as it was not before man sinned1 to bridle anger and lust by the restraining influence of wisdom4 ,hence it is that even the philosophers who have approximated to the truth have avowed that anger and lust are vicious mental emotions1 because1 even when exercised towards objects which wisdom does not prohibit1 they are moved in an ungoverned and inordinate manner1 and consequently need the regulation of mind and reason4 ,and they assert that this third part of the mind is posted as it were in a kind of citadel1 to give rule to these other parts1 so that1 while it rules and they serve1 man's righteousness is preserved without a breach4#aaj ,these parts1 then1 which they acknowledge to be vicious even in a wise and temperate man1 so that the mind1 by its composing and restraining influence1 must bridle and recall them from those objects towards which they are unlawfully moved1 and give them access to those which the law of wisdom sanctions1--that anger1 e4g41 may be allowed for the enforcement of a just authority1 and lust for the duty of propagating offspring1--these parts1 ,i say1 were not vicious in ,paradise before sin1 for they were never moved in opposition to a holy will towards any object from which it was necessary that they should be withheld by the restraining bridle of reason4 ,for though now they are moved in this way1 and are regulated by a bridling and restraining power1 which those who live temperately1 justly1 and godly exercise1 sometimes with ease1 and sometimes with greater difficulty1 this is not the sound health of nature1 but the weakness which results from sin4 ,and how is it that shame does not hide the acts and words dictated by anger or other emotions1 as it covers the motions of lust1 unless because the members of the body which we employ for accomplishing them are moved1 not by the emotions themselves1 but by the authority of the consenting will8 ,for he who in his anger rails at or even strikes some one1 could not do so were not his tongue and hand moved by the authority of the will1 as also they are moved when there is no anger4 ,but the organs of generation are so subjected to the rule of lust1 that they have no motion but what it communicates4 ,it is this we are ashamed of2 it is this which blushingly hides from the eyes of onlookers4 ,and rather will a man endure a crowd of witnesses when he is unjustly venting his anger on some one1 than the eye of one man when he innocently copulates with his wife4 #bj4 ,of the foolish beastliness of the ,cynics4 ,it is this which those canine or cynic#aaa philosophers have overlooked1 when they have1 in violation of the modest instincts of men1 boastfully proclaimed their unclean and shameless opinion1 worthy indeed of dogs1 viz41 that as the matrimonial act is legitimate1 no one should be ashamed to perform it openly1 in the street or in any public place4 ,instinctive shame has overborne this wild fancy4 ,for though it is related#aab that ,diogenes once dared to put his opinion in practice1 under the impression that his sect would be all the more famous if his egregious shamelessness were deeply graven in the memory of mankind1 yet this example was not afterwards followed4 ,shame had more influence with them1 to make them blush before men1 than error to make them affect a resemblance to dogs4 ,and possibly1 even in the case of ,diogenes1 and those who did imitate him1 there was but an appearance and pretence of copulation1 and not the reality4 ,even at this day there are still ,cynic philosophers to be seen2 for these are ,cynics who are not content with being clad in the pallium1 but also carry a club2 yet no one of them dares to do this that we speak of4 ,if they did1 they would be spat upon1 not to say stoned1 by the mob4 ,human nature1 then1 is without doubt ashamed of this lust2 and justly so1 for the insubordination of these members1 and their defiance of the will1 are the clear testimony of the punishment of man's first sin4 ,and it was fitting that this should appear specially in those parts by which is generated that nature which has been altered for the worse by that first and great sin1--that sin from whose evil connection no one can escape1 unless ,god's grace expiate in him individually that which was perpetrated to the destruction of all in common1 when all were in one man1 and which was avenged by ,god's justice4 #ba4 ,that man's transgression did not annul the blessing of fecundity pronounced upon man before he sinned1 but infected it with the disease of lust4 ,far be it1 then1 from us to suppose that our first parents in ,paradise felt that lust which caused them afterwards to blush and hide their nakedness1 or that by its means they should have fulfilled the benediction of ,god1 ,increase and multiply and replenish the earth2#aac for it was after sin that lust began4 ,it was after sin that our nature1 having lost the power it had over the whole body1 but not having lost all shame1 perceived1 noticed1 blushed at1 and covered it4 ,but that blessing upon marriage1 which encouraged them to increase and multiply and replenish the earth1 though1 it continued even after they had sinned1 was yet given before they sinned1 in order that the procreation of children might be recognised as part of the glory of marriage1 and not of the punishment of sin4 ,but now1 men being ignorant of the blessedness of ,paradise1 suppose that children could not have been begotten there in any other way than they know them to be begotten now1 i4e4 by lust1 at which even honourable marriage blushes2 some not simply rejecting1 but sceptically deriding the divine ,scriptures1 in which we read that our first parents1 after they sinned1 were ashamed of their nakedness1 and covered it2 while others1 though they accept and honour ,scripture1 yet conceive that this expression1 ,increase and multiply1 refers not to carnal fecundity1 because a similar expression is used of the soul in the words1 ,thou wilt multiply me with strength in my soul2#aad and so1 too1 in the words which follow in ,genesis1 ,and replenish the earth1 and subdue it1 they understand by the earth the body which the soul fills with its presence1 and which it rules over when it is multiplied in strength4 ,and they hold that children could no more then than now be begotten without lust1 which1 after sin1 was kindled1 observed1 blushed for1 and covered2 and even that children would not have been born in ,paradise1 but only outside of it1 as in fact it turned out4 ,for it was after they were expelled from it that they came together to beget children1 and begot them4 #bb4 ,of the conjugal union as it was originally instituted and blessed by ,god4 ,but we1 for our part1 have no manner of doubt that to increase and multiply and replenish the earth in virtue of the blessing of ,god1 is a gift of marriage as ,god instituted it from the beginning before man sinned1 when ,he created them male and female1--in other words1 two sexes manifestly distinct4 ,and it was this work of ,god on which ,his blessing was pronounced4 ,for no sooner had ,scripture said1 ,male and female created ,he them1#aae than it immediately continues1 ,and ,god blessed them1 and ,god said unto them1 ,increase1 and multiply1 and replenish the earth1 and subdue it1 etc4 ,and though all these things may not unsuitably be interpreted in a spiritual sense1 yet male and female cannot be understood of two things in one man1 as if there were in him one thing which rules1 another which is ruled2 but it is quite clear that they were created male and female1 with bodies of different sexes1 for the very purpose of begetting offspring1 and so increasing1 multiplying1 and replenishing the earth2 and it is great folly to oppose so plain a fact4 ,it was not of the spirit which commands and the body which obeys1 nor of the rational soul which rules and the irrational desire which is ruled1 nor of the contemplative virtue which is supreme and the active which is subject1 nor of the understanding of the mind and the sense of the body1 but plainly of the matrimonial union by which the sexes are mutually bound together1 that our ,lord1 when asked whether it were lawful for any cause to put away one's wife 7for on account of the hardness of the hearts of the ,israelites ,moses permitted a bill of divorcement to be given71 answered and said1 ,have ye not read that ,he which made them at the beginning made them male and female1 and said1 ,for this cause shall a man leave father and mother1 and shall cleave to his wife1 and they twain shall be one flesh8 ,wherefore they are no more twain1 but one flesh4 ,what1 therefore1 ,god hath joined together1 let not man put asunder4#aaf ,it is certain1 then1 that from the first men were created1 as we see and know them to be now1 of two sexes1 male and female1 and that they are called one1 either on account of the matrimonial union1 or on account of the origin of the woman1 who was created from the side of the man4 ,and it is by this original example1 which ,god ,himself instituted1 that the apostle admonishes all husbands to love their own wives in particular4#aag #bc4 ,whether generation should have taken place even in ,paradise had man not sinned1 or whether there should have been any contention there between chastity and lust4 ,but he who says that there should have been neither copulation nor generation but for sin1 virtually says that man's sin was necessary to complete the number of the saints4 ,for if these two by not sinning should have continued to live alone1 because1 as is supposed1 they could not have begotten children had they not sinned1 then certainly sin was necessary in order that there might be not only two but many righteous men4 ,and if this cannot be maintained without absurdity1 we must rather believe that the number of the saints fit to complete this most blessed city would have been as great though no one had sinned1 as it is now that the grace of ,god gathers its citizens out of the multitude of sinners1 so long as the children of this world generate and are generated4#aah ,and therefore that marriage1 worthy of the happiness of ,paradise1 should have had desirable fruit without the shame of lust1 had there been no sin4 ,but how that could be1 there is now no example to teach us4 ,nevertheless1 it ought not to seem incredible that one member might serve the will without lust then1 since so many serve it now4 ,do we now move our feet and hands when we will to do the things we would by means of these members8 do we meet with no resistance in them1 but perceive that they are ready servants of the will1 both in our own case and in that of others1 and especially of artisans employed in mechanical operations1 by which the weakness and clumsiness of nature become1 through industrious exercise1 wonderfully dexterous8 and shall we not believe that1 like as all those members obediently serve the will1 so also should the members have discharged the function of generation1 though lust1 the award of disobedience1 had been awanting8 ,did not ,cicero1 in discussing the difference of governments in his ,de ,republica1 adopt a simile from human nature1 and say that we command our bodily members as children1 they are so obedient2 but that the vicious parts of the soul must be treated as slaves1 and be coerced with a more stringent authority8 ,and no doubt1 in the order of nature1 the soul is more excellent than the body2 and yet the soul commands the body more easily than itself4 ,nevertheless this lust1 of which we at present speak1 is the more shameful on this account1 because the soul is therein neither master of itself1 so as not to lust at all1 nor of the body1 so as to keep the members under the control of the will2 for if they were thus ruled1 there should be no shame4 ,but now the soul is ashamed that the body1 which by nature is inferior and subject to it1 should resist its authority4 ,for in the resistance experienced by the soul in the other emotions there is less shame1 because the resistance is from itself1 and thus1 when it is conquered by itself1 itself is the conqueror1 although the conquest is inordinate and vicious1 because accomplished by those parts of the soul which ought to be subject to reason1 yet1 being accomplished by its own parts and energies1 the conquest is1 as ,i say1 its own4 ,for when the soul conquers itself to a due subordination1 so that its unreasonable motions are controlled by reason1 while it again is subject to ,god1 this is a conquest virtuous and praiseworthy4 ,yet there is less shame when the soul is resisted by its own vicious parts than when its will and order are resisted by the body1 which is distinct from and inferior to it1 and dependent on it for life itself4 ,but so long as the will retains under its authority the other members1 without which the members excited by lust to resist the will cannot accomplish what they seek1 chastity is preserved1 and the delight of sin foregone4 ,and certainly1 had not culpable disobedience been visited with penal disobedience1 the marriage of ,paradise should have been ignorant of this struggle and rebellion1 this quarrel between will and lust1 that the will may be satisfied and lust restrained1 but those members1 like all the rest1 should have obeyed the will4 ,the field of generation#aai should have been sown by the organ created for this purpose1 as the earth is sown by the hand4 ,and whereas now1 as we essay to investigate this subject more exactly1 modesty hinders us1 and compels us to ask pardon of chaste ears1 there would have been no cause to do so1 but we could have discoursed freely1 and without fear of seeming obscene1 upon all those points which occur to one who meditates on the subject4 ,there would not have been even words which could be called obscene1 but all that might be said of these members would have been as pure as what is said of the other parts of the body4 ,whoever1 then1 comes to the perusal of these pages with unchaste mind1 let him blame his disposition1 not his nature2 let him brand the actings of his own impurity1 not the words which necessity forces us to use1 and for which every pure and pious reader or hearer will very readily pardon me1 while ,i expose the folly of that scepticism which argues solely on the ground of its own experience1 and has no faith in anything beyond4 ,he who is not scandalized at the apostle's censure of the horrible wickedness of the women who changed the natural use into that which is against nature1#abj will read all this without being shocked1 especially as we are not1 like ,paul1 citing and censuring a damnable uncleanness1 but are explaining1 so far as we can1 human generation1 while with ,paul we avoid all obscenity of language4 #bd4 ,that if men had remained innocent and obedient in ,paradise1 the generative organs should have been in subjection to the will as the other members are4 ,the man1 then1 would have sown the seed1 and the woman received it1 as need required1 the generative organs being moved by the will1 not excited by lust4 ,for we move at will not only those members which are furnished with joints of solid bone1 as the hands1 feet1 and fingers1 but we move also at will those which are composed of slack and soft nerves3 we can put them in motion1 or stretch them out1 or bend and twist them1 or contract and stiffen them1 as we do with the muscles of the mouth and face4 ,the lungs1 which are the very tenderest of the viscera except the brain1 and are therefore carefully sheltered in the cavity of the chest1 yet for all purposes of inhaling and exhaling the breath1 and of uttering and modulating the voice1 are obedient to the will when we breathe1 exhale1 speak1 shout1 or sing1 just as the bellows obey the smith or the organist4 ,i will not press the fact that some animals have a natural power to move a single spot of the skin with which their whole body is covered1 if they have felt on it anything they wish to drive off1--a power so great1 that by this shivering tremor of the skin they can not only shake off flies that have settled on them1 but even spears that have fixed in their flesh4 ,man1 it is true1 has not this power2 but is this any reason for supposing that ,god could not give it to such creatures as ,he wished to possess it8 ,and therefore man himself also might very well have enjoyed absolute power over his members had he not forfeited it by his disobedience2 for it was not difficult for ,god to form him so that what is now moved in his body only by lust should have been moved only at will4 ,we know1 too1 that some men are differently constituted from others1 and have some rare and remarkable faculty of doing with their body what other men can by no effort do1 and1 indeed1 scarcely believe when they hear of others doing4 ,there are persons who can move their ears1 either one at a time1 or both together4 ,there are some who1 without moving the head1 can bring the hair down upon the forehead1 and move the whole scalp backwards and forwards at pleasure4 ,some1 by lightly pressing their stomach1 bring up an incredible quantity and variety of things they have swallowed1 and produce whatever they please1 quite whole1 as if out of a bag4 ,some so accurately mimic the voices of birds and beasts and other men1 that1 unless they are seen1 the difference cannot be told4 ,some have such command of their bowels1 that they can break wind continuously at pleasure1 so as to produce the effect of singing4 ,i myself have known a man who was accustomed to sweat whenever he wished4 ,it is well known that some weep when they please1 and shed a flood of tears4 ,but far more incredible is that which some of our brethren saw quite recently4 ,there was a presbyter called ,restitutus1 in the parish of the ,calamensian#aba ,church1 who1 as often as he pleased 7and he was asked to do this by those who desired to witness so remarkable a phenomenon71 on some one imitating the wailings of mourners1 became so insensible1 and lay in a state so like death1 that not only had he no feeling when they pinched and pricked him1 but even when fire was applied to him1 and he was burned by it1 he had no sense of pain except afterwards from the wound4 ,and that his body remained motionless1 not by reason of his self-command1 but because he was insensible1 was proved by the fact that he breathed no more than a dead man2 and yet he said that1 when any one spoke with more than ordinary distinctness1 he heard the voice1 but as if it were a long way off4 ,seeing1 then1 that even in this mortal and miserable life the body serves some men by many remarkable movements and moods beyond the ordinary course of nature1 what reason is there for doubting that1 before man was involved by his sin in this weak and corruptible condition1 his members might have served his will for the propagation of offspring without lust8 ,man has been given over to himself because he abandoned ,god1 while he sought to be self-satisfying2 and disobeying ,god1 he could not obey even himself4 ,hence it is that he is involved in the obvious misery of being unable to live as he wishes4 ,for if he lived as he wished1 he would think himself blessed2 but he could not be so if he lived wickedly4 #be4 ,of true blessedness1 which this present life cannot enjoy4 ,however1 if we look at this a little more closely1 we see that no one lives as he wishes but the blessed1 and that no one is blessed but the righteous4 ,but even the righteous himself does not live as he wishes1 until he has arrived where he cannot die1 be deceived1 or injured1 and until he is assured that this shall be his eternal condition4 ,for this nature demands2 and nature is not fully and perfectly blessed till it attains what it seeks4 ,but what man is at present able to live as he wishes1 when it is not in his power so much as to live8 ,he wishes to live1 he is compelled to die4 ,how1 then1 does he live as he wishes who does not live as long as he wishes8 or if he wishes to die1 how can he live as he wishes1 since he does not wish even to live8 ,or if he wishes to die1 not because he dislikes life1 but that after death he may live better1 still he is not yet living as he wishes1 but only has the prospect of so living when1 through death1 he reaches that which he wishes4 ,but admit that he lives as he wishes1 because he has done violence to himself1 and forced himself not to wish what he cannot obtain1 and to wish only what he can 7as ,terence has it1 ,since you cannot do what you will1 will what you can#abb71 is he therefore blessed because he is patiently wretched8 ,for a blessed life is possessed only by the man who loves it4 ,if it is loved and possessed1 it must necessarily be more ardently loved than all besides2 for whatever else is loved must be loved for the sake of the blessed life4 ,and if it is loved as it deserves to be1--and the man is not blessed who does not love the blessed life as it deserves1--then he who so loves it cannot but wish it to be eternal4 ,therefore it shall then only be blessed when it is eternal4 #bf4 ,that we are to believe that in ,paradise our first parents begat offspring without blushing4 ,in ,paradise1 then1 man lived as he desired so long as he desired what ,god had commanded4 ,he lived in the enjoyment of ,god1 and was good by ,god's goodness2 he lived without any want1 and had it in his power so to live eternally4 ,he had food that he might not hunger1 drink that he might not thirst1 the tree of life that old age might not waste him4 ,there was in his body no corruption1 nor seed of corruption1 which could produce in him any unpleasant sensation4 ,he feared no inward disease1 no outward accident4 ,soundest health blessed his body1 absolute tranquillity his soul4 ,as in ,paradise there was no excessive heat or cold1 so its inhabitants were exempt from the vicissitudes of fear and desire4 ,no sadness of any kind was there1 nor any foolish joy2 true gladness ceaselessly flowed from the presence of ,god1 who was loved out of a pure heart1 and a good conscience1 and faith unfeigned4#abc ,the honest love of husband and wife made a sure harmony between them4 ,body and spirit worked harmoniously together1 and the commandment was kept without labour4 ,no languor made their leisure wearisome2 no sleepiness interrupted their desire to labour4#abd ,in tanta facilitate rerum et felicitate hominum1 absit ut suspicemur1 non potuisse prolem seri sine libidinis morbo3 sed eo voluntatis nutu moverentur illa membra quo ctera1 et sine ardoris illecebroso stimulo cum tranquillitate animi et corporis nulla corruptione integritatis infunderetur gremio maritus uxoris4 ,neque enim quia experientia probari non potest1 ideo credendum non est2 quando illas corporis partes non ageret turbidus calor1 sed spontanea potestas1 sicut opus esset1 adhiberet2 ita tunc potuisse utero conjugis salva integritate feminei genitalis virile semen immitti1 sicut nunc potest eadem integritate salva ex utero virginis fluxus menstrui cruoris emitti4 ,eadem quippe via posset illud injici1 qua hoc potest ejici4 ,ut enim ad pariendum non doloris gemitus1 sed maturitatis impulsus feminea viscera relaxaret3 sic ad ftandum et concipiendum non libidinis appetitus1 sed voluntarius usus naturam utramque conjungeret4 ,we speak of things which are now shameful1 and although we try1 as well as we are able1 to conceive them as they were before they became shameful1 yet necessity compels us rather to limit our discussion to the bounds set by modesty than to extend it as our moderate faculty of discourse might suggest4 ,for since that which ,i have been speaking of was not experienced even by those who might have experienced it1--,i mean our first parents 7for sin and its merited banishment from ,paradise anticipated this passionless generation on their part71--when sexual intercourse is spoken of now1 it suggests to men's thoughts not such a placid obedience to the will as is conceivable in our first parents1 but such violent acting of lust as they themselves have experienced4 ,and therefore modesty shuts my mouth1 although my mind conceives the matter clearly4 ,but ,almighty ,god1 the supreme and supremely good ,creator of all natures1 who aids and rewards good wills1 while ,he abandons and condemns the bad1 and rules both1 was not destitute of a plan by which ,he might people ,his city with the fixed number of citizens which ,his wisdom had foreordained even out of the condemned human race1 discriminating them not now by merits1 since the whole mass was condemned as if in a vitiated root1 but by grace1 and showing1 not only in the case of the redeemed1 but also in those who were not delivered1 how much grace ,he has bestowed upon them4 ,for every one acknowledges that he has been rescued from evil1 not by deserved1 but by gratuitous goodness1 when he is singled out from the company of those with whom he might justly have borne a common punishment1 and is allowed to go scathless4 ,why1 then1 should ,god not have created those whom ,he foresaw would sin1 since ,he was able to show in and by them both what their guilt merited1 and what ,his grace bestowed1 and since1 under ,his creating and disposing hand1 even the perverse disorder of the wicked could not pervert the right order of things8 #bg4 ,of the angels and men who sinned1 and that their wickedness did not disturb the order of ,god's providence4 ,the sins of men and angels do nothing to impede the great works of the ,lord which accomplish ,his will4#abe ,for ,he who by ,his providence and omnipotence distributes to every one his own portion1 is able to make good use not only of the good1 but also of the wicked4 ,and thus making a good use of the wicked angel1 who1 in punishment of his first wicked volition1 was doomed to an obduracy that prevents him now from willing any good1 why should not ,god have permitted him to tempt the first man1 who had been created upright1 that is to say1 with a good will8 ,for he had been so constituted1 that if he looked to ,god for help1 man's goodness should defeat the angel's wickedness2 but if by proud self-pleasing he abandoned ,god1 his ,creator and ,sustainer1 he should be conquered4 ,if his will remained upright1 through leaning on ,god's help1 he should be rewarded2 if it became wicked1 by forsaking ,god1 he should be punished4 ,but even this trusting in ,god's help could not itself be accomplished without ,god's help1 although man had it in his own power to relinquish the benefits of divine grace by pleasing himself4 ,for as it is not in our power to live in this world without sustaining ourselves by food1 while it is in our power to refuse this nourishment and cease to live1 as those do who kill themselves1 so it was not in man's power1 even in ,paradise1 to live as he ought without ,god's help2 but it was in his power to live wickedly1 though thus he should cut short his happiness1 and incur very just punishment4 ,since1 then1 ,god was not ignorant that man would fall1 why should ,he not have suffered him to be tempted by an angel who hated and envied him8 ,it was not1 indeed1 that ,he was unaware that he should be conquered1 but because ,he foresaw that by the man's seed1 aided by divine grace1 this same devil himself should be conquered1 to the greater glory of the saints4 ,all was brought about in such a manner1 that neither did any future event escape ,god's foreknowledge1 nor did ,his foreknowledge compel any one to sin1 and so as to demonstrate in the experience of the intelligent creation1 human and angelic1 how great a difference there is between the private presumption of the creature and the ,creator's protection4 ,for who will dare to believe or say that it was not in ,god's power to prevent both angels and men from sinning8 ,but ,god preferred to leave this in their power1 and thus to show both what evil could be wrought by their pride1 and what good by ,his grace4 #bh4 ,of the nature of the two cities1 the earthly and the heavenly4 ,accordingly1 two cities have been formed by two loves3 the earthly by the love of self1 even to the contempt of ,god2 the heavenly by the love of ,god1 even to the contempt of self4 ,the former1 in a word1 glories in itself1 the latter in the ,lord4 ,for the one seeks glory from men2 but the greatest glory of the other is ,god1 the witness of conscience4 ,the one lifts up its head in its own glory2 the other says to its ,god1 ,thou art my glory1 and the lifter up of mine head4#abf ,in the one1 the princes and the nations it subdues are ruled by the love of ruling2 in the other1 the princes and the subjects serve one another in love1 the latter obeying1 while the former take thought for all4 ,the one delights in its own strength1 represented in the persons of its rulers2 the other says to its ,god1 ,i will love ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 my strength4#abg ,and therefore the wise men of the one city1 living according to man1 have sought for profit to their own bodies or souls1 or both1 and those who have known ,god glorified ,him not as ,god1 neither were thankful1 but became vain in their imaginations1 and their foolish heart was darkened2 professing themselves to be wise1--that is1 glorying in their own wisdom1 and being possessed by pride1--they became fools1 and changed the glory of the incorruptible ,god into an image made like to corruptible man1 and to birds1 and four-footed beasts1 and creeping things4 ,for they were either leaders or followers of the people in adoring images1 and worshipped and served the creature more than the ,creator1 who is blessed for ever4#abh ,but in the other city there is no human wisdom1 but only godliness1 which offers due worship to the true ,god1 and looks for its reward in the society of the saints1 of holy angels as well as holy men1 that ,god may be all in all4#abi ,,footnotes3 #a ,this book is referred to in another work of ,augustine's 7contra ,advers4 ,legis et ,prophet4 i4 #ah71 which was written about the year #dbj4 #b #a ,cor4 xv4 #ci4 #c ,rom4 iii4 #bj4 #d ,gal4 iii4 #aa4 #e ,john4 i4 #ad4 #f ,the ,apollinarians4 #g ,john4 xx4 #ac4 #h ,gal4 v4 #ai-ba4 #i ,wisd4 ix4 #ae4 #aj #b ,cor4 iv4 #af4 #aa #b ,cor4 v4 #a-d4 #ab neid1 vi4 #gcj-cb4 #ac ,ib4 #gcc1 #gcd4 #ad ,on the punishment of the devil1 see the ,de ,agone ,christi1 #c-e1 and ,de ,nat4 ,boni1 #cc4 #ae ,rom4 iii4 #g4 #af ,john xiv4 #f4 #ag #a ,cor4 iii4 #c4 #ah #a ,cor4 ii4 #aa-ad4 #ai #a ,cor4 iii4 #a4 #bj ,rom4 iii4 #bj4 #ba ,gen4 xlvi4 #bg4 #bb ,see ,augustine1 ,de ,hres4 #df4 #bc ,tusc4 ,qust4 iv4 #f4 #bd neid1 vi4 #gai-ba4 #be ,tit4 i4 #h1 according to ,greek and ,vulgate4 #bf ,john xxi4 #ae-ag4 ,on these synonyms see the commentaries in loc4 #bg ,ps4 xi4 #e4 #bh #a ,john ii4 #ae #bi #b ,tim4 iii4 #b4 #cj ,phil4 i4 #bc4 #ca ,ps4 cxix4 #bj4 #cb ,wisd4 vi4 #bj4 #cc ,ps4 xxxii4 #aa4 #cd ,ps4 iv4 #g4 #ce ,ps4 xvi4 #aa4 #cf ,phil4 ii4 #ab4 #cg ,rom4 xi4 #bj4 #ch #b ,cor4 xi4 #c4 #ci neid1 vi4 #gcc4 #dj ,isa4 lvii4 #ba4 #da ,matt4 vii4 #ab4 #db ,ecclus4 vii4 #ac4 #dc ,luke ii4 #ad4 #dd ,cat4 i4 #b4 #de ,ter4 ,andr4 ii4 #a1 #f4 #df neid1 vi4 #gcc4 #dg neid1 v4 #bgh4 #dh #b ,cor4 vii4 #h-aa4 #di ,tusc4 ,disp4 iii4 #cb4 #ej ,c4 #d1 #e4 #ea ,rom4 viii4 #bc4 #eb #a ,cor4 xv4 #ed4 #ec ,matt4 xxiv4 #ab4 #ed ,matt4 x4 #bb4 #ee #a ,john i4 #h4 #ef #b ,cor4 ix4 #g4 #eg ,gal4 vi4 #a4 #eh ,ps4 xxvi4 #b4 #ei ,matt4 xxvi4 #ge4 #fj ,jas4 i4 #b4 #fa #a ,cor4 iv4 #i4 #fb ,phil4 iii4 #ad4 #fc ,rom4 xii4 #ae4 #fd #b ,cor4 vii4 #e4 #fe ,phil4 i4 #bc4 #ff ,rom4 i4 #aa-ac4 #fg #b ,cor4 xi4 #a-c4 #fh ,rom4 ix4 #b4 #fi ,rom4 x4 #c4 #gj #b ,cor4 xii4 #ba4 #ga ,mark iii4 #e4 #gb ,john xi4 #ae4 #gc ,john xi4 #ce4 #gd ,luke xxii4 #ae4 #ge ,matt4 xxvi4 #ch4 #gf ,rom4 i4 #ca4 #gg ,ps4 lxix4 #bj4 #gh ,crantor1 an ,academic philosopher quoted by ,cicero1 ,tusc4 ,qust4 iii4 #f4 #gi #a ,john i4 #h4 #hj #a ,john iv4 #ah4 #ha ,rom4 viii4 #ae4 #hb ,ps4 xix4 #i4 #hc ,ps4 ix4 #ah4 #hd ,matt4 v4 #bh4 #he ,gen4 i4 #bh4 #hf ,gen4 vi4 #f1 and #a ,sam4 xv4 #aa4 #hg ,eccles4 vii4 #bi4 #hh ,john viii4 #cf4 #hi #a ,tim4 ii4 #ad4 #ij ,rom4 v4 #ab4 #ia ,gen4 iii4 #ab4 #ib ,ecclus4 x4 #ac4 #ic ,matt4 vii4 #ah4 #id ,defecit4 #ie ,ps4 lxxiii4 #ah4 #if ,gen4 iii4 #e4 #ig ,prov4 xviii4 #ab4 #ih ,that is to say1 it was an obvious and indisputable transgression4 #ii ,ps4 lxxxiii4 #af4 #ajj ,gen4 iii4 #ab1 #ac4 #aja ,phil4 ii4 #h4 #ajb ,ps4 cxliv4 #d4 #ajc ,cicero1 ,tusc4 ,qust4 iii4 #f and iv4 #i4 ,so ,aristotle4 #ajd #a ,thess4 iv4 #d4 #aje ,gen4 ii4 #be4 #ajf ,an error which arose from the words1 ,the eyes of them both were opened1 ,gen4 iii4 #g4--,see ,de ,genesi ad lit4 ii4 #dj4 #ajg ,gen4 iii4 #f4 #ajh ,this doctrine and phraseology of ,augustine being important in connection with his whole theory of the fall1 we give some parallel passages to show that the words are not used at random3 ,de ,genesi ad lit4 xi4 #da2 ,de ,corrept4 et ,gratia1 xi4 #ca2 and especially ,cont4 ,julian4 iv4 #hb4 #aji ,gen4 iii4 #g4 #aaj ,see ,plato's ,republic1 book iv4 #aaa ,the one word being the ,latin form1 the other the ,greek1 of the same adjective4 #aab ,by ,diogenes ,laertius1 vi4 #fi1 and ,cicero1 ,de ,offic4 i4 #da4 #aac ,gen4 i4 #bh4 #aad ,ps4 cxxxviii4 #c4 #aae ,gen4 i4 #bg1 #bh4 #aaf ,matt4 xix4 #d1 #e4 #aag ,eph4 v4 #be4 #aah ,luke xx4 #cd4 #aai ,see ,virgil1 ,georg4 iii4 #acf4 #abj ,rom4 i4 #bf4 #aba ,the position of ,calama is described by ,augustine as between ,constantine and ,hippo1 but nearer ,hippo4--,contra ,lit4 ,petil4 ii4 #bbh4 ,a full description of it is given in ,poujoulat's ,histoire de ,s4 ,augustin1 i4 #cdj1 who says it was one of the most important towns of ,numidia1 eighteen leagues south of ,hippo1 and represented by the modern ,ghelma4 ,it is to its bishop1 ,possidius1 we owe the contemporary ,life of ,augustine4 #abb ,andr4 ii4 #a1 #e4 #abc #a ,tim4 i4 #e4 #abd ,compare ,basil's ,homily on ,paradise1 and ,john ,damascene1 ,de ,fide ,orthod4 ii4 #aa4 #abe ,ps4 cxi4 #b4 #abf ,ps4 iii4 #c4 #abg ,ps4 xviii4 #a4 #abh ,rom4 i4 #ba-be4 #abi #a ,cor4 xv4 #bh4 ,,book ,,fifteenth4 ,,argument4 ,,having ,,treated ,,in ,,the ,,four ,,preceding ,,books ,,of ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,two ,,cities1 ,,the ,,earthly ,,and ,,the ,,heavenly1 ,,augustine ,,explains ,,their ,,growth ,,and ,,progress ,,in ,,the ,,four ,,books ,,which ,,follow2 ,,and1 ,,in ,,order ,,to ,,do ,,so1 ,,he ,,explains ,,the ,,chief ,,passages ,,of ,,the ,,sacred ,,history ,,which ,,bear ,,upon ,,this ,,subject4 ,,in ,,this ,,fifteenth ,,book ,,he ,,opens ,,this ,,part ,,of ,,his ,,work ,,by ,,explaining ,,the ,,events ,,recorded ,,in ,,genesis ,,from ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,cain ,,and ,,abel ,,to ,,the ,,deluge4 #a4 ,of the two lines of the human race which from first to last divide it4 ,,of the bliss of ,paradise1 of ,paradise itself1 and of the life of our first parents there1 and of their sin and punishment1 many have thought much1 spoken much1 written much4 ,we ourselves1 too1 have spoken of these things in the foregoing books1 and have written either what we read in the ,holy ,scriptures1 or what we could reasonably deduce from them4 ,and were we to enter into a more detailed investigation of these matters1 an endless number of endless questions would arise1 which would involve us in a larger work than the present occasion admits4 ,we cannot be expected to find room for replying to every question that may be started by unoccupied and captious men1 who are ever more ready to ask questions than capable of understanding the answer4 ,yet ,i trust we have already done justice to these great and difficult questions regarding the beginning of the world1 or of the soul1 or of the human race itself4 ,this race we have distributed into two parts1 the one consisting of those who live according to man1 the other of those who live according to ,god4 ,and these we also mystically call the two cities1 or the two communities of men1 of which the one is predestined to reign eternally with ,god1 and the other to suffer eternal punishment with the devil4 ,this1 however1 is their end1 and of it we are to speak afterwards4 ,at present1 as we have said enough about their origin1 whether among the angels1 whose numbers we know not1 or in the two first human beings1 it seems suitable to attempt an account of their career1 from the time when our two first parents began to propagate the race until all human generation shall cease4 ,for this whole time or world-age1 in which the dying give place and those who are born succeed1 is the career of these two cities concerning which we treat4 ,of these two first parents of the human race1 then1 ,cain was the first-born1 and he belonged to the city of men2 after him was born ,abel1 who belonged to the city of ,god4 ,for as in the individual the truth of the apostle's statement is discerned1 that is not first which is spiritual1 but that which is natural1 and afterward that which is spiritual1#acj whence it comes to pass that each man1 being derived from a condemned stock1 is first of all born of ,adam evil and carnal1 and becomes good and spiritual only afterwards1 when he is grafted into ,christ by regeneration3 so was it in the human race as a whole4 ,when these two cities began to run their course by a series of deaths and births1 the citizen of this world was the first-born1 and after him the stranger in this world1 the citizen of the city of ,god1 predestinated by grace1 elected by grace1 by grace a stranger below1 and by grace a citizen above4 ,by grace1--for so far as regards himself he is sprung from the same mass1 all of which is condemned in its origin2 but ,god1 like a potter 7for this comparison is introduced by the apostle judiciously1 and not without thought71 of the same lump made one vessel to honour1 another to dishonour4#aca ,but first the vessel to dishonour was made1 and after it another to honour4 ,for in each individual1 as ,i have already said1 there is first of all that which is reprobate1 that from which we must begin1 but in which we need not necessarily remain2 afterwards is that which is well-approved1 to which we may by advancing attain1 and in which1 when we have reached it1 we may abide4 ,not1 indeed1 that every wicked man shall be good1 but that no one will be good who was not first of all wicked2 but the sooner any one becomes a good man1 the more speedily does he receive this title1 and abolish the old name in the new4 ,accordingly1 it is recorded of ,cain that he built a city1#acb but ,abel1 being a sojourner1 built none4 ,for the city of the saints is above1 although here below it begets citizens1 in whom it sojourns till the time of its reign arrives1 when it shall gather together all in the day of the resurrection2 and then shall the promised kingdom be given to them1 in which they shall reign with their ,prince1 the ,king of the ages1 time without end4 #b4 ,of the children of the flesh and the children of the promise4 ,there was indeed on earth1 so long as it was needed1 a symbol and foreshadowing image of this city1 which served the purpose of reminding men that such a city was to be1 rather than of making it present2 and this image was itself called the holy city1 as a symbol of the future city1 though not itself the reality4 ,of this city which served as an image1 and of that free city it typified1 ,paul writes to the ,galatians in these terms3 ,tell me1 ye that desire to be under the law1 do ye not hear the law8 ,for it is written1 that ,abraham had two sons1 the one by a bond maid1 the other by a free woman4 ,but he who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh1 but he of the free woman was by promise4 ,which things are an allegory3#acc for these are the two covenants2 the one from the mount ,sinai1 which gendereth to bondage1 which is ,agar4 ,for this ,agar is mount ,sinai in ,arabia1 and answereth to ,jerusalem which now is1 and is in bondage with her children4 ,but ,jerusalem which is above is free1 which is the mother of us all4 ,for it is written1 ,rejoice1 thou barren that bearest not2 break forth and cry1 thou that travailest not3 for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband4 ,now we1 brethren1 as ,isaac was1 are the children of promise4 ,but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the ,spirit1 even so it is now4 ,nevertheless1 what saith the ,scripture8 ,cast out the bond woman and her son3 for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman4 ,and we1 brethren1 are not children of the bond woman1 but of the free1 in the liberty wherewith ,christ hath made us free4#acd ,this interpretation of the passage1 handed down to us with apostolic authority1 shows how we ought to understand the ,scriptures of the two covenants--the old and the new4 ,one portion of the earthly city became an image of the heavenly city1 not having a significance of its own1 but signifying another city1 and therefore serving1 or being in bondage4 ,for it was founded not for its own sake1 but to prefigure another city2 and this shadow of a city was also itself foreshadowed by another preceding figure4 ,for ,sarah's handmaid ,agar1 and her son1 were an image of this image4 ,and as the shadows were to pass away when the full light came1 ,sarah1 the free woman1 who prefigured the free city 7which again was also prefigured in another way by that shadow of a city ,jerusalem71 therefore said1 ,cast out the bond woman and her son2 for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with my son ,isaac1 or1 as the apostle says1 with the son of the free woman4 ,in the earthly city1 then1 we find two things--its own obvious presence1 and its symbolic presentation of the heavenly city4 ,now citizens are begotten to the earthly city by nature vitiated by sin1 but to the heavenly city by grace freeing nature from sin2 whence the former are called vessels of wrath1 the latter vessels of mercy4#ace ,and this was typified in the two sons of ,abraham1--,ishmael1 the son of ,agar the handmaid1 being born according to the flesh1 while ,isaac was born of the free woman ,sarah1 according to the promise4 ,both1 indeed1 were of ,abraham's seed2 but the one was begotten by natural law1 the other was given by gracious promise4 ,in the one birth1 human action is revealed2 in the other1 a divine kindness comes to light4 #c4 ,that ,sarah's barrenness was made productive by ,god's grace4 ,sarah1 in fact1 was barren2 and1 despairing of offspring1 and being resolved that she would have at least through her handmaid that blessing she saw she could not in her own person procure1 she gave her handmaid to her husband1 to whom she herself had been unable to bear children4 ,from him she required this conjugal duty1 exercising her own right in another's womb4 ,and thus ,ishmael was born according to the common law of human generation1 by sexual intercourse4 ,therefore it is said that he was born according to the flesh1--not because such births are not the gifts of ,god1 nor ,his handiwork1 whose creative wisdom reaches1 as it is written1 from one end to another mightily1 and sweetly doth she order all things1#acf but because1 in a case in which the gift of ,god1 which was not due to men and was the gratuitous largess of grace1 was to be conspicuous1 it was requisite that a son be given in a way which no effort of nature could compass4 ,nature denies children to persons of the age which ,abraham and ,sarah had now reached2 besides that1 in ,sarah's case1 she was barren even in her prime4 ,this nature1 so constituted that offspring could not be looked for1 symbolized the nature of the human race vitiated by sin and by just consequence condemned1 which deserves no future felicity4 ,fitly1 therefore1 does ,isaac1 the child of promise1 typify the children of grace1 the citizens of the free city1 who dwell together in everlasting peace1 in which self-love and self-will have no place1 but a ministering love that rejoices in the common joy of all1 of many hearts makes one1 that is to say1 secures a perfect concord4 #d4 ,of the conflict and peace of the earthly city4 ,but the earthly city1 which shall not be everlasting 7for it will no longer be a city when it has been committed to the extreme penalty71 has its good in this world1 and rejoices in it with such joy as such things can afford4 ,but as this is not a good which can discharge its devotees of all distresses1 this city is often divided against itself by litigations1 wars1 quarrels1 and such victories as are either life-destroying or short-lived4 ,for each part of it that arms against another part of it seeks to triumph over the nations through itself in bondage to vice4 ,if1 when it has conquered1 it is inflated with pride1 its victory is life-destroying2 but if it turns its thoughts upon the common casualties of our mortal condition1 and is rather anxious concerning the disasters that may befall it than elated with the successes already achieved1 this victory1 though of a higher kind1 is still only short-lived2 for it cannot abidingly rule over those whom it has victoriously subjugated4 ,but the things which this city desires cannot justly be said to be evil1 for it is itself1 in its own kind1 better than all other human good4 ,for it desires earthly peace for the sake of enjoying earthly goods1 and it makes war in order to attain to this peace2 since1 if it has conquered1 and there remains no one to resist it1 it enjoys a peace which it had not while there were opposing parties who contested for the enjoyment of those things which were too small to satisfy both4 ,this peace is purchased by toilsome wars2 it is obtained by what they style a glorious victory4 ,now1 when victory remains with the party which had the juster cause1 who hesitates to congratulate the victor1 and style it a desirable peace8 ,these things1 then1 are good things1 and without doubt the gifts of ,god4 ,but if they neglect the better things of the heavenly city1 which are secured by eternal victory and peace never-ending1 and so inordinately covet these present good things that they believe them to be the only desirable things1 or love them better than those things which are believed to be better1--if this be so1 then it is necessary that misery follow and ever increase4 #e4 ,of the fratricidal act of the founder of the earthly city1 and the corresponding crime of the founder of ,rome4 ,thus the founder of the earthly city was a fratricide4 ,overcome with envy1 he slew his own brother1 a citizen of the eternal city1 and a sojourner on earth4 ,so that we cannot be surprised that this first specimen1 or1 as the ,greeks say1 archetype of crime1 should1 long afterwards1 find a corresponding crime at the foundation of that city which was destined to reign over so many nations1 and be the head of this earthly city of which we speak4 ,for of that city also1 as one of their poets has mentioned1 the first walls were stained with a brother's blood1#acg or1 as ,roman history records1 ,remus was slain by his brother ,romulus4 ,and thus there is no difference between the foundation of this city and of the earthly city1 unless it be that ,romulus and ,remus were both citizens of the earthly city4 ,both desired to have the glory of founding the ,roman republic1 but both could not have as much glory as if one only claimed it2 for he who wished to have the glory of ruling would certainly rule less if his power were shared by a living consort4 ,in order1 therefore1 that the whole glory might be enjoyed by one1 his consort was removed2 and by this crime the empire was made larger indeed1 but inferior1 while otherwise it would have been less1 but better4 ,now these brothers1 ,cain and ,abel1 were not both animated by the same earthly desires1 nor did the murderer envy the other because he feared that1 by both ruling1 his own dominion would be curtailed1--for ,abel was not solicitous to rule in that city which his brother built1--he was moved by that diabolical1 envious hatred with which the evil regard the good1 for no other reason than because they are good while themselves are evil4 ,for the possession of goodness is by no means diminished by being shared with a partner either permanent or temporarily assumed2 on the contrary1 the possession of goodness is increased in proportion to the concord and charity of each of those who share it4 ,in short1 he who is unwilling to share this possession cannot have it2 and he who is most willing to admit others to a share of it will have the greatest abundance to himself4 ,the quarrel1 then1 between ,romulus and ,remus shows how the earthly city is divided against itself2 that which fell out between ,cain and ,abel illustrated the hatred that subsists between the two cities1 that of ,god and that of men4 ,the wicked war with the wicked2 the good also war with the wicked4 ,but with the good1 good men1 or at least perfectly good men1 cannot war2 though1 while only going on towards perfection1 they war to this extent1 that every good man resists others in those points in which he resists himself4 ,and in each individual the flesh lusteth against the spirit1 and the spirit against the flesh4#ach ,this spiritual lusting1 therefore1 can be at war with the carnal lust of another man2 or carnal lust may be at war with the spiritual desires of another1 in some such way as good and wicked men are at war2 or1 still more certainly1 the carnal lusts of two men1 good but not yet perfect1 contend together1 just as the wicked contend with the wicked1 until the health of those who are under the treatment of grace attains final victory4 #f4 ,of the weaknesses which even the citizens of the city of ,god suffer during this earthly pilgrimage in punishment of sin1 and of which they are healed by ,god's care4 ,this sickliness--that is to say1 that disobedience of which we spoke in the fourteenth book--is the punishment of the first disobedience4 ,it is therefore not nature1 but vice2 and therefore it is said to the good who are growing in grace1 and living in this pilgrimage by faith1 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4#aci ,in like manner it is said elsewhere1 ,warn them that are unruly1 comfort the feeble-minded1 support the weak1 be patient toward all men4 ,see that none render evil for evil unto any man4#adj ,and in another place1 ,if a man be overtaken in a fault1 ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness2 considering thyself1 lest thou also be tempted4#ada ,and elsewhere1 ,let not the sun go down upon your wrath4#adb ,and in the ,gospel1 ,if thy brother shall trespass against thee1 go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone4#adc ,so too of sins which may create scandal the apostle says1 ,them that sin rebuke before all1 that others also may fear4#add ,for this purpose1 and that we may keep that peace without which no man can see the ,lord1#ade many precepts are given which carefully inculcate mutual forgiveness2 among which we may number that terrible word in which the servant is ordered to pay his formerly remitted debt of ten thousand talents1 because he did not remit to his fellow-servant his debt of two hundred pence4 ,to which parable the ,lord ,jesus added the words1 ,so likewise shall my heavenly ,father do also unto you1 if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother4#adf ,it is thus the citizens of the city of ,god are healed while still they sojourn in this earth and sigh for the peace of their heavenly country4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 too1 works within1 that the medicine externally applied may have some good result4 ,otherwise1 even though ,god ,himself make use of the creatures that are subject to ,him1 and in some human form address our human senses1 whether we receive those impressions in sleep or in some external appearance1 still1 if ,he does not by ,his own inward grace sway and act upon the mind1 no preaching of the truth is of any avail4 ,but this ,god does1 distinguishing between the vessels of wrath and the vessels of mercy1 by ,his own very secret but very just providence4 ,when ,he ,himself aids the soul in ,his own hidden and wonderful ways1 and the sin which dwells in our members1 and is1 as the apostle teaches1 rather the punishment of sin1 does not reign in our mortal body to obey the lusts of it1 and when we no longer yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness1#adg then the soul is converted from its own evil and selfish desires1 and1 ,god possessing it1 it possesses itself in peace even in this life1 and afterwards1 with perfected health and endowed with immortality1 will reign without sin in peace everlasting4 #g4 ,of the cause of ,cain's crime and his obstinacy1 which not even the word of ,god could subdue4 ,but though ,god made use of this very mode of address which we have been endeavouring to explain1 and spoke to ,cain in that form by which ,he was wont to accommodate ,himself to our first parents and converse with them as a companion1 what good influence had it on ,cain8 ,did he not fulfil his wicked intention of killing his brother even after he was warned by ,god's voice8 ,for when ,god had made a distinction between their sacrifices1 neglecting ,cain's1 regarding ,abel's1 which was doubtless intimated by some visible sign to that effect2 and when ,god had done so because the works of the one were evil but those of his brother good1 ,cain was very wroth1 and his countenance fell4 ,for thus it is written3 ,and the ,lord said unto ,cain1 ,why art thou wroth1 and why is thy countenance fallen8 ,if thou offerest rightly1 but dost not rightly distinguish1 hast thou not sinned8 ,fret not thyself1 for unto thee shall be his turning1 and thou shalt rule over him4#adh ,in this admonition administered by ,god to ,cain1 that clause indeed1 ,if thou offerest rightly1 but dost not rightly distinguish1 hast thou not sinned8 is obscure1 inasmuch as it is not apparent for what reason or purpose it was spoken1 and many meanings have been put upon it1 as each one who discusses it attempts to interpret it according to the rule of faith4 ,the truth is1 that a sacrifice is rightly offered when it is offered to the true ,god1 to whom alone we must sacrifice4 ,and it is not rightly distinguished when we do not rightly distinguish the places or seasons or materials of the offering1 or the person offering1 or the person to whom it is presented1 or those to whom it is distributed for food after the oblation4 ,distinguishing#adi is here used for discriminating1--whether when an offering is made in a place where it ought not or of a material which ought to be offered not there but elsewhere2 or when an offering is made at a wrong time1 or of a material suitable not then but at some other time2 or when that is offered which in no place nor any time ought to be offered2 or when a man keeps to himself choicer specimens of the same kind than he offers to ,god2 or when he or any other who may not lawfully partake profanely eats of the oblation4 ,in which of these particulars ,cain displeased ,god1 it is difficult to determine4 ,but the ,apostle ,john1 speaking of these brothers1 says1 ,not as ,cain1 who was of that wicked one1 and slew his brother4 ,and wherefore slew he him8 ,because his own works were evil1 and his brother's righteous4#aej ,he thus gives us to understand that ,god did not respect his offering because it was not rightly distinguished in this1 that he gave to ,god something of his own but kept himself to himself4 ,for this all do who follow not ,god's will but their own1 who live not with an upright but a crooked heart1 and yet offer to ,god such gifts as they suppose will procure from ,him that ,he aid them not by healing but by gratifying their evil passions4 ,and this is the characteristic of the earthly city1 that it worships ,god or gods who may aid it in reigning victoriously and peacefully on earth not through love of doing good1 but through lust of rule4 ,the good use the world that they may enjoy ,god3 the wicked1 on the contrary1 that they may enjoy the world would fain use ,god1--those of them1 at least1 who have attained to the belief that ,he is and takes an interest in human affairs4 ,for they who have not yet attained even to this belief are still at a much lower level4 ,cain1 then1 when he saw that ,god had respect to his brother's sacrifice1 but not to his own1 should have humbly chosen his good brother as his example1 and not proudly counted him his rival4 ,but he was wroth1 and his countenance fell4 ,this angry regret for another person's goodness1 even his brother's1 was charged upon him by ,god as a great sin4 ,and ,he accused him of it in the interrogation1 ,why art thou wroth1 and why is thy countenance fallen8 ,for ,god saw that he envied his brother1 and of this ,he accused him4 ,for to men1 from whom the heart of their fellow is hid1 it might be doubtful and quite uncertain whether that sadness bewailed his own wickedness by which1 as he had learned1 he had displeased ,god1 or his brother's goodness1 which had pleased ,god1 and won ,his favourable regard to his sacrifice4 ,but ,god1 in giving the reason why ,he refused to accept ,cain's offering and why ,cain should rather have been displeased at himself than at his brother1 shows him that though he was unjust in not rightly distinguishing1 that is1 not rightly living and being unworthy to have his offering received1 he was more unjust by far in hating his just brother without a cause4 ,yet ,he does not dismiss him without counsel1 holy1 just1 and good4 ,fret not thyself1 ,he says1 for unto thee shall be his turning1 and thou shalt rule over him4 ,over his brother1 does ,he mean8 ,most certainly not4 ,over what1 then1 but sin8 ,for ,he had said1 ,thou hast sinned1 and then ,he added1 ,fret not thyself1 for to thee shall be its turning1 and thou shalt rule over it4#aea ,and the turning of sin to the man can be understood of his conviction that the guilt of sin can be laid at no other man's door but his own4 ,for this is the health-giving medicine of penitence1 and the fit plea for pardon2 so that1 when it is said1 ,to thee its turning1 we must not supply shall be1 but we must read1 ,to thee let its turning be1 understanding it as a command1 not as a prediction4 ,for then shall a man rule over his sin when he does not prefer it to himself and defend it1 but subjects it by repentance2 otherwise he that becomes protector of it shall surely become its prisoner4 ,but if we understand this sin to be that carnal concupiscence of which the apostle says1 ,the flesh lusteth against the spirit1#aeb among the fruits of which lust he names envy1 by which assuredly ,cain was stung and excited to destroy his brother1 then we may properly supply the words shall be1 and read1 ,to thee shall be its turning1 and thou shalt rule over it4 ,for when the carnal part which the apostle calls sin1 in that place where he says1 ,it is not ,i who do it1 but sin that dwelleth in me1#aec that part which the philosophers also call vicious1 and which ought not to lead the mind1 but which the mind ought to rule and restrain by reason from illicit motions1--when1 then1 this part has been moved to perpetrate any wickedness1 if it be curbed and if it obey the word of the apostle1 ,yield not your members instruments of unrighteousness unto sin1#aed it is turned towards the mind and subdued and conquered by it1 so that reason rules over it as a subject4 ,it was this which ,god enjoined on him who was kindled with the fire of envy against his brother1 so that he sought to put out of the way him whom he should have set as an example4 ,fret not thyself1 or compose thyself1 ,he says3 withhold thy hand from crime2 let not sin reign in your mortal body to fulfil it in the lusts thereof1 nor yield your members instruments of unrighteousness unto sin4 ,for to thee shall be its turning1 so long as you do not encourage it by giving it the rein1 but bridle it by quenching its fire4 ,and thou shalt rule over it2 for when it is not allowed any external actings1 it yields itself to the rule of the governing mind and righteous will1 and ceases from even internal motions4 ,there is something similar said in the same divine book of the woman1 when ,god questioned and judged them after their sin1 and pronounced sentence on them all1--the devil in the form of the serpent1 the woman and her husband in their own persons4 ,for when ,he had said to her1 ,i will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception2 in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children1 then ,he added1 and thy turning shall be to thy husband1 and he shall rule over thee4#aee ,what is said to ,cain about his sin1 or about the vicious concupiscence of his flesh1 is here said of the woman who had sinned2 and we are to understand that the husband is to rule his wife as the soul rules the flesh4 ,and therefore1 says the apostle1 ,he that loveth his wife1 loveth himself2 for no man ever yet hated his own flesh4#aef ,this flesh1 then1 is to be healed1 because it belongs to ourselves3 is not to be abandoned to destruction as if it were alien to our nature4 ,but ,cain received that counsel of ,god in the spirit of one who did not wish to amend4 ,in fact1 the vice of envy grew stronger in him2 and1 having entrapped his brother1 he slew him4 ,such was the founder of the earthly city4 ,he was also a figure of the ,jews who slew ,christ the ,shepherd of the flock of men1 prefigured by ,abel the shepherd of sheep3 but as this is an allegorical and prophetical matter1 ,i forbear to explain it now2 besides1 ,i remember that ,i have made some remarks upon it in writing against ,faustus the ,manichan4#aeg #h4 ,what ,cain's reason was for building a city so early in the history of the human race4 ,at present it is the history which ,i aim at defending1 that ,scripture may not be reckoned incredible when it relates that one man built a city at a time in which there seem to have been but four men upon earth1 or rather indeed but three1 after one brother slew the other1--to wit1 the first man the father of all1 and ,cain himself1 and his son ,enoch1 by whose name the city was itself called4 ,but they who are moved by this consideration forget to take into account that the writer of the sacred history does not necessarily mention all the men who might be alive at that time1 but those only whom the scope of his work required him to name4 ,the design of that writer 7who in this matter was the instrument of the ,holy ,ghost7 was to descend to ,abraham through the successions of ascertained generations propagated from one man1 and then to pass from ,abraham's seed to the people of ,god1 in whom1 separated as they were from other nations1 was prefigured and predicted all that relates to the city whose reign is eternal1 and to its king and founder ,christ1 which things were foreseen in the ,spirit as destined to come2 yet neither is this object so effected as that nothing is said of the other society of men which we call the earthly city1 but mention is made of it so far as seemed needful to enhance the glory of the heavenly city by contrast to its opposite4 ,accordingly1 when the divine ,scripture1 in mentioning the number of years which those men lived1 concludes its account of each man of whom it speaks1 with the words1 ,and he begat sons and daughters1 and all his days were so and so1 and he died1 are we to understand that1 because it does not name those sons and daughters1 therefore1 during that long term of years over which one lifetime extended in those early days1 there might not have been born very many men1 by whose united numbers not one but several cities might have been built8 ,but it suited the purpose of ,god1 by whose inspiration these histories were composed1 to arrange and distinguish from the first these two societies in their several generations1--that on the one side the generations of men1 that is to say1 of those who live according to man1 and on the other side the generations of the sons of ,god1 that is to say1 of men living according to ,god1 might be traced down together and yet apart from one another as far as the deluge1 at which point their dissociation and association are exhibited3 their dissociation1 inasmuch as the generations of both lines are recorded in separate tables1 the one line descending from the fratricide ,cain1 the other from ,seth1 who had been born to ,adam instead of him whom his brother slew2 their association1 inasmuch as the good so deteriorated that the whole race became of such a character that it was swept away by the deluge1 with the exception of one just man1 whose name was ,noah1 and his wife and three sons and three daughters-in-law1 which eight persons were alone deemed worthy to escape from that desolating visitation which destroyed all men4 ,therefore1 although it is written1 ,and ,cain knew his wife1 and she conceived and bare ,enoch1 and he builded a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son ,enoch1#aeh it does not follow that we are to believe this to have been his first-born2 for we cannot suppose that this is proved by the expression he knew his wife1 as if then for the first time he had had intercourse with her4 ,for in the case of ,adam1 the father of all1 this expression is used not only when ,cain1 who seems to have been his first-born1 was conceived1 but also afterwards the same ,scripture says1 ,adam knew ,eve his wife1 and she conceived and bare a son1 and called his name ,seth4#aei ,whence it is obvious that ,scripture employs this expression neither always when a birth is recorded nor then only when the birth of a first-born is mentioned4 ,neither is it necessary to suppose that ,enoch was ,cain's first-born because he named his city after him4 ,for it is quite possible that though he had other sons1 yet for some reason the father loved him more than the rest4 ,judah was not the first-born1 though he gives his name to ,juda and the ,jews4 ,but even though ,enoch was the first-born of the city's founder1 that is no reason for supposing that the father named the city after him as soon as he was born2 for at that time he1 being but a solitary man1 could not have founded a civic community1 which is nothing else than a multitude of men bound together by some associating tie4 ,but when his family increased to such numbers that he had quite a population1 then it became possible to him both to build a city1 and give it1 when founded1 the name of his son4 ,for so long was the life of those antediluvians1 that he who lived the shortest time of those whose years are mentioned in ,scripture attained to the age of #gec years4#afj ,and though no one attained the age of a thousand years1 several exceeded the age of nine hundred4 ,who then can doubt that during the lifetime of one man the human race might be so multiplied that there would be a population to build and occupy not one but several cities8 ,and this might very readily be conjectured from the fact that from one man1 ,abraham1 in not much more than four hundred years1 the numbers of the ,hebrew race so increased1 that in the exodus of that people from ,egypt there are recorded to have been six hundred thousand men capable of bearing arms1#afa and this over and above the ,idumans1 who1 though not numbered with ,israel's descendants1 were yet sprung from his brother1 also a grandson of ,abraham2 and over and above the other nations which were of the same stock of ,abraham1 though not through ,sarah1--that is1 his descendants by ,hagar and ,keturah1 the ,ishmaelites1 ,midianites1 etc4 #i4 ,of the long life and greater stature of the antediluvians4 ,wherefore no one who considerately weighs facts will doubt that ,cain might have built a city1 and that a large one1 when it is observed how prolonged were the lives of men1 unless perhaps some sceptic take exception to this very length of years which our authors ascribe to the antediluvians and deny that this is credible4 ,and so1 too1 they do not believe that the size of men's bodies was larger then than now1 though the most esteemed of their own poets1 ,virgil1 asserts the same1 when he speaks of that huge stone which had been fixed as a landmark1 and which a strong man of those ancient times snatched up as he fought1 and ran1 and hurled1 and cast it1-- ,scarce twelve strong men of later mould ,that weight could on their necks uphold2#afb thus declaring his opinion that the earth then produced mightier men4 ,and if in the more recent times1 how much more in the ages before the world-renowned deluge8 ,but the large size of the primitive human body is often proved to the incredulous by the exposure of sepulchres1 either through the wear of time or the violence of torrents or some accident1 and in which bones of incredible size have been found or have rolled out4 ,i myself1 along with some others1 saw on the shore at ,utica a man's molar tooth of such a size1 that if it were cut down into teeth such as we have1 a hundred1 ,i fancy1 could have been made out of it4 ,but that1 ,i believe1 belonged to some giant4 ,for though the bodies of ordinary men were then larger than ours1 the giants surpassed all in stature4 ,and neither in our own age nor any other have there been altogether wanting instances of gigantic stature1 though they may be few4 ,the younger ,pliny1 a most learned man1 maintains that the older the world becomes1 the smaller will be the bodies of men4#afc ,and he mentions that ,homer in his poems often lamented the same decline2 and this he does not laugh at as a poetical figment1 but in his character of a recorder of natural wonders accepts it as historically true4 ,but1 as ,i said1 the bones which are from time to time discovered prove the size of the bodies of the ancients1#afd and will do so to future ages1 for they are slow to decay4 ,but the length of an antediluvian's life cannot now be proved by any such monumental evidence4 ,but we are not on this account to withhold our faith from the sacred history1 whose statements of past fact we are the more inexcusable in discrediting1 as we see the accuracy of its prediction of what was future4 ,and even that same ,pliny#afe tells us that there is still a nation in which men live #bjj years4 ,if1 then1 in places unknown to us1 men are believed to have a length of days which is quite beyond our own experience1 why should we not believe the same of times distant from our own8 ,or are we to believe that in other places there is what is not here1 while we do not believe that in other times there has been anything but what is now8 #aj4 ,of the different computation of the ages of the antediluvians1 given by the ,hebrew manuscripts and by our own4#aff ,wherefore1 although there is a discrepancy for which ,i cannot account between our manuscripts and the ,hebrew1 in the very number of years assigned to the antediluvians1 yet the discrepancy is not so great that they do not agree about their longevity4 ,for the very first man1 ,adam1 before he begot his son ,seth1 is in our manuscripts found to have lived #bcj years1 but in the ,hebrew ,,mss4 #acj4 ,but after he begot ,seth1 our copies read that he lived #gjj years1 while the ,hebrew give #hjj4 ,and thus1 when the two periods are taken together1 the sum agrees4 ,and so throughout the succeeding generations1 the period before the father begets a son is always made shorter by #ajj years in the ,hebrew1 but the period after his son is begotten is longer by #ajj years in the ,hebrew than in our copies4 ,and thus1 taking the two periods together1 the result is the same in both4 ,and in the sixth generation there is no discrepancy at all4 ,in the seventh1 however1 of which ,enoch is the representative1 who is recorded to have been translated without death because he pleased ,god1 there is the same discrepancy as in the first five generations1 #ajj years more being ascribed to him by our ,,mss4 before he begat a son4 ,but still the result agrees2 for according to both documents he lived before he was translated #cfe years4 ,in the eighth generation the discrepancy is less than in the others1 and of a different kind4 ,for ,methuselah1 whom ,enoch begat1 lived1 before he begat his successor1 not #ajj years less1 but #ajj years more1 according to the ,hebrew reading2 and in our ,,mss4 again these years are added to the period after he begat his son2 so that in this case also the sum-total is the same4 ,and it is only in the ninth generation1 that is1 in the age of ,lamech1 ,methuselah's son and ,noah's father1 that there is a discrepancy in the sum-total2 and even in this case it is slight4 ,for the ,hebrew ,,mss4 represent him as living twenty-four years more than ours assign to him4 ,for before he begat his son1 who was called ,noah1 six years fewer are given to him by the ,hebrew ,,mss4 than by ours2 but after he begat this son1 they give him thirty years more than ours2 so that1 deducting the former six1 there remains1 as we said1 a surplus of twenty-four4 #aa4 ,of ,methuselah's age1 which seems to extend fourteen years beyond the deluge4 ,from this discrepancy between the ,hebrew books and our own arises the well-known question as to the age of ,methuselah2#afg for it is computed that he lived for fourteen years after the deluge1 though ,scripture relates that of all who were then upon the earth only the eight souls in the ark escaped destruction by the flood1 and of these ,methuselah was not one4 ,for1 according to our books1 ,methuselah1 before he begat the son whom he called ,lamech1 lived #afg years2 then ,lamech himself1 before his son ,noah was born1 lived #ahh years1 which together make #cee years4 ,add to these the age of ,noah at the date of the deluge1 #fjj years1 and this gives a total of #iee from the birth of ,methuselah to the year of the flood4 ,now all the years of the life of ,methuselah are computed to be #ifi2 for when he had lived #afg years1 and had begotten his son ,lamech1 he then lived after this #hjb years1 which makes a total1 as we said1 of #ifi years4 ,from this1 if we deduct #iee years from the birth of ,methuselah to the flood1 there remain fourteen years1 which he is supposed to have lived after the flood4 ,and therefore some suppose that1 though he was not on earth 7in which it is agreed that every living thing which could not naturally live in water perished71 he was for a time with his father1 who had been translated1 and that he lived there till the flood had passed away4 ,this hypothesis they adopt1 that they may not cast a slight on the trustworthiness of versions which the ,church has received into a position of high authority1#afh and because they believe that the ,jewish ,,mss4 rather than our own are in error4 ,for they do not admit that this is a mistake of the translators1 but maintain that there is a falsified statement in the original1 from which1 through the ,greek1 the ,scripture has been translated into our own tongue4 ,they say that it is not credible that the seventy translators1 who simultaneously and unanimously produced one rendering1 could have erred1 or1 in a case in which no interest of theirs was involved1 could have falsified their translation2 but that the ,jews1 envying us our translation of their ,law and ,prophets1 have made alterations in their texts so as to undermine the authority of ours4 ,this opinion or suspicion let each man adopt according to his own judgment4 ,certain it is that ,methuselah did not survive the flood1 but died in the very year it occurred1 if the numbers given in the ,hebrew ,,mss4 are true4 ,my own opinion regarding the seventy translators ,i will1 with ,god's help1 state more carefully in its own place1 when ,i have come down 7following the order which this work requires7 to that period in which their translation was executed4#afi ,for the present question1 it is enough that1 according to our versions1 the men of that age had lives so long as to make it quite possible that1 during the lifetime of the first-born of the two sole parents then on earth1 the human race multiplied sufficiently to form a community4 #ab4 ,of the opinion of those who do not believe that in these primitive times men lived so long as is stated4 ,for they are by no means to be listened to who suppose that in those times years were differently reckoned1 and were so short that one of our years may be supposed to be equal to ten of theirs4 ,so that they say1 when we read or hear that some man lived #ijj years1 we should understand ninety1--ten of those years making but one of ours1 and ten of ours equalling #ajj of theirs4 ,consequently1 as they suppose1 ,adam was twenty-three years of age when he begat ,seth1 and ,seth himself was twenty years and six months old when his son ,enos was born1 though the ,scripture calls these months #bje years4 ,for1 on the hypothesis of those whose opinion we are explaining1 it was customary to divide one such year as we have into ten parts1 and to call each part a year4 ,and each of these parts was composed of six days squared2 because ,god finished ,his works in six days1 that ,he might rest the seventh4 ,of this ,i disputed according to my ability in the eleventh book4#agj ,now six squared1 or six times six1 gives thirty-six days2 and this multiplied by ten amounts to #cfj days1 or twelve lunar months4 ,as for the five remaining days which are needed to complete the solar year1 and for the fourth part of a day1 which requires that into every fourth or leap-year a day be added1 the ancients added such days as the ,romans used to call intercalary1 in order to complete the number of the years4 ,so that ,enos1 ,seth's son1 was nineteen years old when his son ,cainan was born1 though ,scripture calls these years #aij4 ,and so through all the generations in which the ages of the antediluvians are given1 we find in our versions that almost no one begat a son at the age of #ajj or under1 or even at the age of #abj or thereabouts2 but the youngest fathers are recorded to have been #afj years old and upwards4 ,and the reason of this1 they say1 is that no one can beget children when he is ten years old1 the age spoken of by those men as #ajj1 but that sixteen is the age of puberty1 and competent now to propagate offspring2 and this is the age called by them #afj4 ,and that it may not be thought incredible that in these days the year was differently computed from our own1 they adduce what is recorded by several writers of history1 that the ,egyptians had a year of four months1 the ,acarnanians of six1 and the ,lavinians of thirteen months4#aga ,the younger ,pliny1 after mentioning that some writers reported that one man had lived #aeb years1 another ten more1 others #bjj1 others #cjj1 that some had even reached #ejj and #fjj1 and a few #hjj years of age1 gave it as his opinion that all this must be ascribed to mistaken computation4 ,for some1 he says1 make summer and winter each a year2 others make each season a year1 like the ,arcadians1 whose years1 he says1 were of three months4 ,he added1 too1 that the ,egyptians1 of whose little years of four months we have spoken already1 sometimes terminated their year at the wane of each moon2 so that with them there are produced lifetimes of #ajjj years4 ,by these plausible arguments certain persons1 with no desire to weaken the credit of this sacred history1 but rather to facilitate belief in it by removing the difficulty of such incredible longevity1 have been themselves persuaded1 and think they act wisely in persuading others1 that in these days the year was so brief that ten of their years equal but one of ours1 while ten of ours equal #ajj of theirs4 ,but there is the plainest evidence to show that this is quite false4 ,before producing this evidence1 however1 it seems right to mention a conjecture which is yet more plausible4 ,from the ,hebrew manuscripts we could at once refute this confident statement2 for in them ,adam is found to have lived not #bcj but #acj years before he begat his third son4 ,if1 then1 this mean thirteen years by our ordinary computation1 then he must have begotten his first son when he was only twelve or thereabouts4 ,who can at this age beget children according to the ordinary and familiar course of nature8 ,but not to mention him1 since it is possible he may have been able to beget his like as soon as he was created1--for it is not credible that he was created so little as our infants are1--not to mention him1 his son was not #bje years old when he begat ,enos1 as our versions have it1 but #aje1 and consequently1 according to this idea1 was not eleven years old4 ,but what shall ,i say of his son ,cainan1 who1 though by our version #agj years old1 was by the ,hebrew text seventy when he beget ,mahalaleel8 ,if seventy years in those times meant only seven of our years1 what man of seven years old begets children8 #ac4 ,whether1 in computing years1 we ought to follow the ,hebrew or the ,septuagint4 ,but if ,i say this1 ,i shall presently be answered1 ,it is one of the ,jews' lies4 ,this1 however1 we have disposed of above1 showing that it cannot be that men of so just a reputation as the seventy translators should have falsified their version4 ,however1 if ,i ask them which of the two is more credible1 that the ,jewish nation1 scattered far and wide1 could have unanimously conspired to forge this lie1 and so1 through envying others the authority of their ,scriptures1 have deprived themselves of their verity2 or that seventy men1 who were also themselves ,jews1 shut up in one place 7for ,ptolemy king of ,egypt had got them together for this work71 should have envied foreign nations that same truth1 and by common consent inserted these errors3 who does not see which can be more naturally and readily believed8 ,but far be it from any prudent man to believe either that the ,jews1 however malicious and wrong-headed1 could have tampered with so many and so widely-dispersed manuscripts2 or that those renowned seventy individuals had any common purpose to grudge the truth to the nations4 ,one must therefore more plausibly maintain1 that when first their labours began to be transcribed from the copy in ,ptolemy's library1 some such misstatement might find its way into the first copy made1 and from it might be disseminated far and wide2 and that this might arise from no fraud1 but from a mere copyist's error4 ,this is a sufficiently plausible account of the difficulty regarding ,methuselah's life1 and of that other case in which there is a difference in the total of twenty-four years4 ,but in those cases in which there is a methodical resemblance in the falsification1 so that uniformly the one version allots to the period before a son and successor is born #ajj years more than the other1 and to the period subsequent #ajj years less1 and vice vers1 so that the totals may agree1--and this holds true of the first1 second1 third1 fourth1 fifth1 and seventh generations1--in these cases error seems to have1 if we may say so1 a certain kind of constancy1 and savours not of accident1 but of design4 ,accordingly1 that diversity of numbers which distinguishes the ,hebrew from the ,greek and ,latin copies of ,scripture1 and which consists of a uniform addition and deduction of #ajj years in each lifetime for several consecutive generations1 is to be attributed neither to the malice of the ,jews nor to men so diligent and prudent as the seventy translators1 but to the error of the copyist who was first allowed to transcribe the manuscript from the library of the above-mentioned king4 ,for even now1 in cases where numbers contribute nothing to the easier comprehension or more satisfactory knowledge of anything1 they are both carelessly transcribed1 and still more carelessly emended4 ,for who will trouble himself to learn how many thousand men the several tribes of ,israel contained8 ,he sees no resulting benefit of such knowledge4 ,or how many men are there who are aware of the vast advantage that lies hid in this knowledge8 ,but in this case1 in which during so many consecutive generations #ajj years are added in one manuscript where they are not reckoned in the other1 and then1 after the birth of the son and successor1 the years which were wanting are added1 it is obvious that the copyist who contrived this arrangement designed to insinuate that the antediluvians lived an excessive number of years only because each year was excessively brief1 and that he tried to draw the attention to this fact by his statement of their age of puberty at which they became able to beget children4 ,for1 lest the incredulous might stumble at the difficulty of so long a lifetime1 he insinuated that #ajj of their years equalled but ten of ours2 and this insinuation he conveyed by adding #ajj years whenever he found the age below #afj years or thereabouts1 deducting these years again from the period after the son's birth1 that the total might harmonize4 ,by this means he intended to ascribe the generation of offspring to a fit age1 without diminishing the total sum of years ascribed to the lifetime of the individuals4 ,and the very fact that in the sixth generation he departed from this uniform practice1 inclines us all the rather to believe that when the circumstance we have referred to required his alterations1 he made them2 seeing that when this circumstance did not exist1 he made no alteration4 ,for in the same generation he found in the ,hebrew ,,ms4 that ,jared lived before he begat ,enoch #afb years1 which1 according to the short year computation1 is sixteen years and somewhat less than two months1 an age capable of procreation2 and therefore it was not necessary to add #ajj short years1 and so make the age twenty-six years of the usual length2 and of course it was not necessary to deduct1 after the son's birth1 years which he had not added before it4 ,and thus it comes to pass that in this instance there is no variation between the two manuscripts4 ,this is corroborated still further by the fact that in the eighth generation1 while the ,hebrew books assign #ahbagb years to ,methuselah before ,lamech's birth1 ours assign to him twenty less1 though usually #ajj years are added to this period2 then1 after ,lamech's birth1 the twenty years are restored1 so as to equalize the total in the two books4 ,for if his design was that these #agj years be understood as seventeen1 so as to suit the age of puberty1 as there was no need for him adding anything1 so there was none for his subtracting anything2 for in this case he found an age fit for the generation of children1 for the sake of which he was in the habit of adding those #ajj years in cases where he did not find the age already sufficient4 ,this difference of twenty years we might1 indeed1 have supposed had happened accidentally1 had he not taken care to restore them afterwards as he had deducted them from the period before1 so that there might be no deficiency in the total4 ,or are we perhaps to suppose that there was the still more astute design of concealing the deliberate and uniform addition of #ajj years to the first period and their deduction from the subsequent period1--did he design to conceal this by doing something similar1 that is to say1 adding and deducting1 not indeed a century1 but some years1 even in a case in which there was no need for his doing so8 ,but whatever may be thought of this1 whether it be believed that he did so or not1 whether1 in fine1 it be so or not1 ,i would have no manner of doubt that when any diversity is found in the books1 since both cannot be true to fact1 we do well to believe in preference that language out of which the translation was made into another by translators4 ,for there are three ,greek ,,mss41 one ,latin1 and one ,syriac1 which agree with one another1 and in all of these ,methuselah is said to have died six years before the deluge4 #ad4 ,that the years in those ancient times were of the same length as our own4 ,let us now see how it can be plainly made out that in the enormously protracted lives of those men the years were not so short that ten of their years were equal to only one of ours1 but were of as great length as our own1 which are measured by the course of the sun4 ,it is proved by this1 that ,scripture states that the flood occurred in the six hundredth year of ,noah's life4 ,but why in the same place is it also written1 ,the waters of the flood were upon the earth in the six hundredth year of ,noah's life1 in the second month1 the twenty-seventh day of the month1#agc if that very brief year 7of which it took ten to make one of ours7 consisted of thirty-six days8 ,for so scant a year1 if the ancient usage dignified it with the name of year1 either has not months1 or its month must be three days1 so that it may have twelve of them4 ,how then was it here said1 ,in the six hundredth year1 the second month1 the twenty-seventh day of the month1 unless the months then were of the same length as the months now8 ,for how else could it be said that the flood began on the twenty-seventh day of the second month8 ,then afterwards1 at the end of the flood1 it is thus written3 ,and the ark rested in the seventh month1 on the twenty-seventh day of the month1 on the mountains of ,ararat4 ,and the waters decreased continually until the eleventh month3 on the first day of the month were the tops of the mountains seen4#agd ,but if the months were such as we have1 then so were the years4 ,and certainly months of three days each could not have a twenty-seventh day4 ,or if every measure of time was diminished in proportion1 and a thirtieth part of three days was then called a day1 then that great deluge1 which is recorded to have lasted forty days and forty nights1 was really over in less than four of our days4 ,who can away with such foolishness and absurdity8 ,far be this error from us1--an error which seeks to build up our faith in the divine ,scriptures on false conjecture1 only to demolish our faith at another point4 ,it is plain that the day then was what it now is1 a space of four-and-twenty hours1 determined by the lapse of day and night2 the month then equal to the month now1 which is defined by the rise and completion of one moon2 the year then equal to the year now1 which is completed by twelve lunar months1 with the addition of five days and a-fourth to adjust it with the course of the sun4 ,it was a year of this length which was reckoned the six hundredth of ,noah's life2 and in the second month1 the twenty-seventh day of the month1 the flood began1--a flood which1 as is recorded1 was caused by heavy rains continuing for forty days1 which days had not only two hours and a little more1 but four-and-twenty hours1 completing a night and a day4 ,and consequently those antediluvians lived more than #ijj years1 which were years as long as those which afterwards ,abraham lived #age of1 and after him his son ,isaac #ahj1 and his son ,jacob nearly #aej1 and some time after1 ,moses #abj1 and men now seventy or eighty1 or not much longer1 of which years it is said1 their strength is labour and sorrow4#age ,but that discrepancy of numbers which is found to exist between our own and the ,hebrew text does not touch the longevity of the ancients2 and if there is any diversity so great that both versions cannot be true1 we must take our ideas of the real facts from that text out of which our own version has been translated4 ,however1 though any one who pleases has it in his power to correct this version1 yet it is not unimportant to observe that no one has presumed to emend the ,septuagint from the ,hebrew text in the many places where they seem to disagree4 ,for this difference has not been reckoned a falsification2 and for my own part ,i am persuaded it ought not to be reckoned so4 ,but where the difference is not a mere copyist's error1 and where the sense is agreeable to truth and illustrative of truth1 we must believe that the divine ,spirit prompted them to give a varying version1 not in their function of translators1 but in the liberty of prophesying4 ,and therefore we find that the apostles justly sanction the ,septuagint1 by quoting it as well as the ,hebrew when they adduce proofs from the ,scriptures4 ,but as ,i have promised to treat this subject more carefully1 if ,god help me1 in a more fitting place1 ,i will now go on with the matter in hand4 ,for there can be no doubt that1 the lives of men being so long1 the first-born of the first man could have built a city1--a city1 however1 which was earthly1 and not that which is called the city of ,god1 to describe which we have taken in hand this great work4 #ae4 ,whether it is credible that the men of the primitive age abstained from sexual intercourse until that date at which it is recorded that they begat children4 ,some one1 then1 will say1 ,is it to be believed that a man who intended to beget children1 and had no intention of continence1 abstained from sexual intercourse a hundred years and more1 or even1 according to the ,hebrew version1 only a little less1 say eighty1 seventy1 or sixty years2 or1 if he did not abstain1 was unable to beget offspring8 ,this question admits of two solutions4 ,for either puberty was so much later as the whole life was longer1 or1 which seems to me more likely1 it is not the first-born sons that are here mentioned1 but those whose names were required to fill up the series until ,noah was reached1 from whom again we see that the succession is continued to ,abraham1 and after him down to that point of time until which it was needful to mark by pedigree the course of the most glorious city1 which sojourns as a stranger in this world1 and seeks the heavenly country4 ,that which is undeniable is that ,cain was the first who was born of man and woman4 ,for had he not been the first who was added by birth to the two unborn persons1 ,adam could not have said what he is recorded to have said1 ,i have gotten a man by the ,lord4#agf ,he was followed by ,abel1 whom the elder brother slew1 and who was the first to show1 by a kind of foreshadowing of the sojourning city of ,god1 what iniquitous persecutions that city would suffer at the hands of wicked and1 as it were1 earth-born men1 who love their earthly origin1 and delight in the earthly happiness of the earthly city4 ,but how old ,adam was when he begat these sons does not appear4 ,after this the generations diverge1 the one branch deriving from ,cain1 the other from him whom ,adam begot in the room of ,abel slain by his brother1 and whom he called ,seth1 saying1 as it is written1 ,for ,god hath raised me up another seed for ,abel whom ,cain slew4#agg ,these two series of generations accordingly1 the one of ,cain1 the other of ,seth1 represent the two cities in their distinctive ranks1 the one the heavenly city1 which sojourns on earth1 the other the earthly1 which gapes after earthly joys1 and grovels in them as if they were the only joys4 ,but though eight generations1 including ,adam1 are registered before the flood1 no man of ,cain's line has his age recorded at which the son who succeeded him was begotten4 ,for the ,spirit of ,god refused to mark the times before the flood in the generations of the earthly city1 but preferred to do so in the heavenly line1 as if it were more worthy of being remembered4 ,further1 when ,seth was born1 the age of his father is mentioned2 but already he had begotten other sons1 and who will presume to say that ,cain and ,abel were the only ones previously begotten8 ,for it does not follow that they alone had been begotten of ,adam1 because they alone were named in order to continue the series of generations which it was desirable to mention4 ,for though the names of all the rest are buried in silence1 yet it is said that ,adam begot sons and daughters2 and who that cares to be free from the charge of temerity will dare to say how many his offspring numbered8 ,it was possible enough that ,adam was divinely prompted to say1 after ,seth was born1 ,for ,god hath raised up to me another seed for ,abel1 because that son was to be capable of representing ,abel's holiness1 not because he was born first after him in point of time4 ,then because it is written1 ,and ,seth lived #bje years1 or1 according to the ,hebrew reading1 #aje years1 and begat ,enos1#agh who but a rash man could affirm that this was his first-born8 ,will any man do so to excite our wonder1 and cause us to inquire how for so many years he remained free from sexual intercourse1 though without any purpose of continuing so1 or how1 if he did not abstain1 he yet had no children8 ,will any man do so when it is written of him1 ,and he begat sons and daughters1 and all the days of ,seth were #iab years1 and he died8#agi ,and similarly regarding those whose years are afterwards mentioned1 it is not disguised that they begat sons and daughters4 ,consequently it does not at all appear whether he who is named as the son was himself the first begotten4 ,nay1 since it is incredible that those fathers were either so long in attaining puberty1 or could not get wives1 or could not impregnate them1 it is also incredible that those sons were their first-born4 ,but as the writer of the sacred history designed to descend by well-marked intervals through a series of generations to the birth and life of ,noah1 in whose time the flood occurred1 he mentioned not those sons who were first begotten1 but those by whom the succession was handed down4 ,let me make this clearer by here inserting an example1 in regard to which no one can have any doubt that what ,i am asserting is true4 ,the evangelist ,matthew1 where he designs to commit to our memories the generation of the ,lord's flesh by a series of parents1 beginning from ,abraham and intending to reach ,david1 says1 ,abraham begat ,isaac2#ahj why did he not say ,ishmael1 whom he first begat8 ,then ,isaac begat ,jacob2 why did he not say ,esau1 who was the first-born8 ,simply because these sons would not have helped him to reach ,david4 ,then follows1 ,and ,jacob begat ,judah and his brethren3 was ,judah the first begotten8 ,judah1 he says1 begat ,pharez and ,zara2 yet neither were these twins the first-born of ,judah1 but before them he had begotten three other sons4 ,and so in the order of the generations he retained those by whom he might reach ,david1 so as to proceed onwards to the end he had in view4 ,and from this we may understand that the antediluvians who are mentioned were not the first-born1 but those through whom the order of the succeeding generations might be carried on to the patriarch ,noah4 ,we need not1 therefore1 weary ourselves with discussing the needless and obscure question as to their lateness of reaching puberty4 #af4 ,of marriage between blood-relations1 in regard to which the present law could not bind the men of the earliest ages4 ,as1 therefore1 the human race1 subsequently to the first marriage of the man who was made of dust1 and his wife who was made out of his side1 required the union of males and females in order that it might multiply1 and as there were no human beings except those who had been born of these two1 men took their sisters for wives1--an act which was as certainly dictated by necessity in these ancient days as afterwards it was condemned by the prohibitions of religion4 ,for it is very reasonable and just that men1 among whom concord is honourable and useful1 should be bound together by various relationships2 and that one man should not himself sustain many relationships1 but that the various relationships should be distributed among several1 and should thus serve to bind together the greatest number in the same social interests4 ,father and father-in-law are the names of two relationships4 ,when1 therefore1 a man has one person for his father1 another for his father-in-law1 friendship extends itself to a larger number4 ,but ,adam in his single person was obliged to hold both relations to his sons and daughters1 for brothers and sisters were united in marriage4 ,so too ,eve his wife was both mother and mother-in-law to her children of both sexes2 while1 had there been two women1 one the mother1 the other the mother-in-law1 the family affection would have had a wider field4 ,then the sister herself by becoming a wife sustained in her single person two relationships1 which1 had they been distributed among individuals1 one being sister1 and another being wife1 the family tie would have embraced a greater number of persons4 ,but there was then no material for effecting this1 since there were no human beings but the brothers and sisters born of those two first parents4 ,therefore1 when an abundant population made it possible1 men ought to choose for wives women who were not already their sisters2 for not only would there then be no necessity for marrying sisters1 but1 were it done1 it would be most abominable4 ,for if the grandchildren of the first pair1 being now able to choose their cousins for wives1 married their sisters1 then it would no longer be only two but three relationships that were held by one man1 while each of these relationships ought to have been held by a separate individual1 so as to bind together by family affection a larger number4 ,for one man would in that case be both father1 and father-in-law1 and uncle#aha to his own children 7brother and sister now man and wife72 and his wife would be mother1 aunt1 and mother-in-law to them2 and they themselves would be not only brother and sister1 and man and wife1 but cousins also1 being the children of brother and sister4 ,now1 all these relationships1 which combined three men into one1 would have embraced nine persons had each relationship been held by one individual1 so that a man had one person for his sister1 another his wife1 another his cousin1 another his father1 another his uncle1 another his father-in-law1 another his mother1 another his aunt1 another his mother-in-law2 and thus the social bond would not have been tightened to bind a few1 but loosened to embrace a larger number of relations4 ,and we see that1 since the human race has increased and multiplied1 this is so strictly observed even among the profane worshippers of many and false gods1 that though their laws perversely allow a brother to marry his sister1#ahb yet custom1 with a finer morality1 prefers to forego this licence2 and though it was quite allowable in the earliest ages of the human race to marry one's sister1 it is now abhorred as a thing which no circumstances could justify4 ,for custom has very great power either to attract or to shock human feeling4 ,and in this matter1 while it restrains concupiscence within due bounds1 the man who neglects and disobeys it is justly branded as abominable4 ,for if it is iniquitous to plough beyond our own boundaries through the greed of gain1 is it not much more iniquitous to transgress the recognised boundaries of morals through sexual lust8 ,and with regard to marriage in the next degree of consanguinity1 marriage between cousins1 we have observed that in our own time the customary morality has prevented this from being frequent1 though the law allows it4 ,it was not prohibited by divine law1 nor as yet had human law prohibited it2 nevertheless1 though legitimate1 people shrank from it1 because it lay so close to what was illegitimate1 and in marrying a cousin seemed almost to marry a sister1--for cousins are so closely related that they are called brothers and sisters1#ahc and are almost really so4 ,but the ancient fathers1 fearing that near relationship might gradually in the course of generations diverge1 and become distant relationship1 or cease to be relationship at all1 religiously endeavoured to limit it by the bond of marriage before it became distant1 and thus1 as it were1 to call it back when it was escaping them4 ,and on this account1 even when the world was full of people1 though they did not choose wives from among their sisters or half-sisters1 yet they preferred them to be of the same stock as themselves4 ,but who doubts that the modern prohibition of the marriage even of cousins is the more seemly regulation1--not merely on account of the reason we have been urging1 the multiplying of relationships1 so that one person might not absorb two1 which might be distributed to two persons1 and so increase the number of people bound together as a family1 but also because there is in human nature ,i know not what natural and praiseworthy shamefacedness which restrains us from desiring that connection which1 though for propagation1 is yet lustful1 and which even conjugal modesty blushes over1 with any one to whom consanguinity bids us render respect8 ,the sexual intercourse of man and woman1 then1 is in the case of mortals a kind of seed-bed of the city2 but while the earthly city needs for its population only generation1 the heavenly needs also regeneration to rid it of the taint of generation4 ,whether before the deluge there was any bodily or visible sign of regeneration1 such as was afterwards enjoined upon ,abraham when he was circumcised1 or what kind of sign it was1 the sacred history does not inform us4 ,but it does inform us that even these earliest of mankind sacrificed to ,god1 as appeared also in the case of the two first brothers2 ,noah1 too1 is said to have offered sacrifices to ,god when he had come forth from the ark after the deluge4 ,and concerning this subject we have already said in the foregoing books that the devils arrogate to themselves divinity1 and require sacrifice that they may be esteemed gods1 and delight in these honours on no other account than this1 because they know that true sacrifice is due to the true ,god4 #ag4 ,of the two fathers and leaders who sprang from one progenitor4 ,since1 then1 ,adam was the father of both lines1--the father1 that is to say1 both of the line which belonged to the earthly1 and of that which belonged to the heavenly city1--when ,abel was slain1 and by his death exhibited a marvellous mystery1 there were henceforth two lines proceeding from two fathers1 ,cain and ,seth1 and in those sons of theirs1 whom it behoved to register1 the tokens of these two cities began to appear more distinctly4 ,for ,cain begat ,enoch1 in whose name he built a city1 an earthly one1 which was not from home in this world1 but rested satisfied with its temporal peace and happiness4 ,cain1 too1 means possession2 wherefore at his birth either his father or mother said1 ,i have gotten a man through ,god4 ,then ,enoch means dedication2 for the earthly city is dedicated in this world in which it is built1 for in this world it finds the end towards which it aims and aspires4 ,further1 ,seth signifies resurrection1 and ,enos his son signifies man1 not as ,adam1 which also signifies man but is used in ,hebrew indifferently for man and woman1 as it is written1 ,male and female created ,he them1 and blessed them1 and called their name ,adam1#ahd leaving no room to doubt that though the woman was distinctively called ,eve1 yet the name ,adam1 meaning man1 was common to both4 ,but ,enos means man in so restricted a sense1 that ,hebrew linguists tell us it cannot be applied to woman3 it is the equivalent of the child of the resurrection1 when they neither marry nor are given in marriage4#ahe ,for there shall be no generation in that place to which regeneration shall have brought us4 ,wherefore ,i think it not immaterial to observe that in those generations which are propagated from him who is called ,seth1 although daughters as well as sons are said to have been begotten1 no woman is expressly registered by name2 but in those which sprang from ,cain at the very termination to which the line runs1 the last person named as begotten is a woman4 ,for we read1 ,methusael begat ,lamech4 ,and ,lamech took unto him two wives3 the name of the one was ,adah1 and the name of the other ,zillah4 ,and ,adah bare ,jabal3 he was the father of the shepherds that dwell in tents4 ,and his brother's name was ,jubal3 he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ4 ,and ,zillah1 she also bare ,tubal-,cain1 an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron3 and the sister of ,tubal-,cain was ,naamah4#ahf ,here terminate all the generations of ,cain1 being eight in number1 including ,adam1--to wit1 seven from ,adam to ,lamech1 who married two wives1 and whose children1 among whom a woman also is named1 form the eighth generation4 ,whereby it is elegantly signified that the earthly city shall to its termination have carnal generations proceeding from the intercourse of males and females4 ,and therefore the wives themselves of the man who is the last named father of ,cain's line are registered in their own names1--a practice nowhere followed before the deluge save in ,eve's case4 ,now as ,cain1 signifying possession1 the founder of the earthly city1 and his son ,enoch1 meaning dedication1 in whose name it was founded1 indicate that this city is earthly both in its beginning and in its end1--a city in which nothing more is hoped for than can be seen in this world1--so ,seth1 meaning resurrection1 and being the father of generations registered apart from the others1 we must consider what this sacred history says of his son4 #ah4 ,the significance of ,abel1 ,seth1 and ,enos to ,christ and ,his body the ,church4 ,and to ,seth1 it is said1 there was born a son1 and he called his name ,enos3 he hoped to call on the name of the ,lord ,god4#ahg ,here we have a loud testimony to the truth4 ,man1 then1 the son of the resurrection1 lives in hope3 he lives in hope as long as the city of ,god1 which is begotten by faith in the resurrection1 sojourns in this world4 ,for in these two men1 ,abel1 signifying grief1 and his brother ,seth1 signifying resurrection1 the death of ,christ and ,his life from the dead are prefigured4 ,and by faith in these is begotten in this world the city of ,god1 that is to say1 the man who has hoped to call on the name of the ,lord4 ,for by hope1 says the apostle1 we are saved3 but hope that is seen is not hope3 for what a man seeth1 why doth he yet hope for8 ,but if we hope for that we see not1 then do we with patience wait for it4#ahh ,who can avoid referring this to a profound mystery8 ,for did not ,abel hope to call upon the name of the ,lord ,god when his sacrifice is mentioned in ,scripture as having been accepted by ,god8 ,did not ,seth himself hope to call on the name of the ,lord ,god1 of whom it was said1 ,for ,god hath appointed me another seed instead of ,abel8 ,why then is this which is found to be common to all the godly specially attributed to ,enos1 unless because it was fit that in him1 who is mentioned as the first-born of the father of those generations which were separated to the better part of the heavenly city1 there should be a type of the man1 or society of men1 who live not according to man in contentment with earthly felicity1 but according to ,god in hope of everlasting felicity8 ,and it was not said1 ,he hoped in the ,lord ,god1 nor ,he called on the name of the ,lord ,god1 but ,he hoped to call on the name of the ,lord ,god4 ,and what does this hoped to call mean1 unless it is a prophecy that a people should arise who1 according to the election of grace1 would call on the name of the ,lord ,god8 ,it is this which has been said by another prophet1 and which the apostle interprets of the people who belong to the grace of ,god3 ,and it shall be that whosoever shall call upon the name of the ,lord shall be saved4#ahi ,for these two expressions1 ,and he called his name ,enos1 which means man1 and ,he hoped to call on the name of the ,lord ,god1 are sufficient proof that man ought not to rest his hopes in himself2 as it is elsewhere written1 ,cursed is the man that trusteth in man4#aij ,consequently no one ought to trust in himself that he shall become a citizen of that other city which is not dedicated in the name of ,cain's son in this present time1 that is to say1 in the fleeting course of this mortal world1 but in the immortality of perpetual blessedness4 #ai4 ,the significance of ,enoch's translation4 ,for that line also of which ,seth is the father has the name ,dedication in the seventh generation from ,adam1 counting ,adam4 ,for the seventh from him is ,enoch1 that is1 ,dedication4 ,but this is that man who was translated because he pleased ,god1 and who held in the order of the generations a remarkable place1 being the seventh from ,adam1 a number signalized by the consecration of the ,sabbath4 ,but1 counting from the diverging point of the two lines1 or from ,seth1 he was the sixth4 ,now it was on the sixth day ,god made man1 and consummated ,his works4 ,but the translation of ,enoch prefigured our deferred dedication2 for though it is indeed already accomplished in ,christ our ,head1 who so rose again that ,he shall die no more1 and who was ,himself also translated1 yet there remains another dedication of the whole house1 of which ,christ ,himself is the foundation1 and this dedication is deferred till the end1 when all shall rise again to die no more4 ,and whether it is the house of ,god1 or the temple of ,god1 or the city of ,god1 that is said to be dedicated1 it is all the same1 and equally in accordance with the usage of the ,latin language4 ,for ,virgil himself calls the city of widest empire the house of ,assaracus1#aia meaning the ,romans1 who were descended through the ,trojans from ,assaracus4 ,he also calls them the house of neas1 because ,rome was built by those ,trojans who had come to ,italy under neas4#aib ,for that poet imitated the sacred writings1 in which the ,hebrew nation1 though so numerous1 is called the house of ,jacob4 #bj4 ,how it is that ,cain's line terminates in the eighth generation1 while ,noah1 though descended from the same father1 ,adam1 is found to be the tenth from him4 ,some one will say1 ,if the writer of this history intended1 in enumerating the generations from ,adam through his son ,seth1 to descend through them to ,noah1 in whose time the deluge occurred1 and from him again to trace the connected generations down to ,abraham1 with whom ,matthew begins the pedigree of ,christ the eternal ,king of the city of ,god1 what did he intend by enumerating the generations from ,cain1 and to what terminus did he mean to trace them8 ,we reply1 ,to the deluge1 by which the whole stock of the earthly city was destroyed1 but repaired by the sons of ,noah4 ,for the earthly city and community of men who live after the flesh will never fail until the end of this world1 of which our ,lord says1 ,the children of this world generate1 and are generated4#aic ,but the city of ,god1 which sojourns in this world1 is conducted by regeneration to the world to come1 of which the children neither generate nor are generated4 ,in this world generation is common to both cities2 though even now the city of ,god has many thousand citizens who abstain from the act of generation2 yet the other city also has some citizens who imitate these1 though erroneously4 ,for to that city belong also those who have erred from the faith1 and introduced divers heresies2 for they live according to man1 not according to ,god4 ,and the ,indian gymnosophists1 who are said to philosophize in the solitudes of ,india in a state of nudity1 are its citizens2 and they abstain from marriage4 ,for continence is not a good thing1 except when it is practised in the faith of the highest good1 that is1 ,god4 ,yet no one is found to have practised it before the deluge2 for indeed even ,enoch himself1 the seventh from ,adam1 who is said to have been translated without dying1 begat sons and daughters before he was translated1 and among these was ,methuselah1 by whom the succession of the recorded generations is maintained4 ,why1 then1 is so small a number of ,cain's generations registered1 if it was proper to trace them to the deluge1 and if there was no such delay of the date of puberty as to preclude the hope of offspring for a hundred or more years8 ,for if the author of this book had not in view some one to whom he might rigidly trace the series of generations1 as he designed in those which sprang from ,seth's seed to descend to ,noah1 and thence to start again by a rigid order1 what need was there of omitting the first-born sons for the sake of descending to ,lamech1 in whose sons that line terminates1--that is to say1 in the eighth generation from ,adam1 or the seventh from ,cain1--as if from this point he had wished to pass on to another series1 by which he might reach either the ,israelitish people1 among whom the earthly ,jerusalem presented a prophetic figure of the heavenly city1 or to ,jesus ,christ1 according to the flesh1 who is over all1 ,god blessed for ever1#aid the ,maker and ,ruler of the heavenly city8 ,what1 ,i say1 was the need of this1 seeing that the whole of ,cain's posterity were destroyed in the deluge8 ,from this it is manifest that they are the first-born sons who are registered in this genealogy4 ,why1 then1 are there so few of them8 ,their numbers in the period before the deluge must have been greater1 if the date of puberty bore no proportion to their longevity1 and they had children before they were a hundred years old4 ,for supposing they were on an average thirty years old when they began to beget children1 then1 as there are eight generations1 including ,adam and ,lamech's children1 #h times #cj gives #bdj years2 did they then produce no more children in all the rest of the time before the deluge8 ,with what intention1 then1 did he who wrote this record make no mention of subsequent generations8 ,for from ,adam to the deluge there are reckoned1 according to our copies of ,scripture1 #bbfb years1#aie and according to the ,hebrew text1 #afef years4 ,supposing1 then1 the smaller number to be the true one1 and subtracting from #afef years #bdj1 is it credible that during the remaining #adjj and odd years until the deluge the posterity of ,cain begat no children8 ,but let any one who is moved by this call to mind that when ,i discussed the question1 how it is credible that those primitive men could abstain for so many years from begetting children1 two modes of solution were found1--either a puberty late in proportion to their longevity1 or that the sons registered in the genealogies were not the first-born1 but those through whom the author of the book intended to reach the point aimed at1 as he intended to reach ,noah by the generations of ,seth4 ,so that1 if in the generations of ,cain there occurs no one whom the writer could make it his object to reach by omitting the first-borns and inserting those who would serve such a purpose1 then we must have recourse to the supposition of late puberty1 and say that only at some age beyond a hundred years they became capable of begetting children1 so that the order of the generations ran through the first-borns1 and filled up even the whole period before the deluge1 long though it was4 ,it is1 however1 possible that1 for some more secret reason which escapes me1 this city1 which we say is earthly1 is exhibited in all its generations down to ,lamech and his sons1 and that then the writer withholds from recording the rest which may have existed before the deluge4 ,and without supposing so late a puberty in these men1 there might be another reason for tracing the generations by sons who were not first-borns1 viz4 that the same city which ,cain built1 and named after his son ,enoch1 may have had a widely extended dominion and many kings1 not reigning simultaneously1 but successively1 the reigning king begetting always his successor4 ,cain himself would be the first of these kings2 his son ,enoch1 in whose name the city in which he reigned was built1 would be the second2 the third ,irad1 whom ,enoch begat2 the fourth ,mehujael1 whom ,irad begat2 the fifth ,methusael1 whom ,mehujael begat2 the sixth ,lamech1 whom ,methusael begat1 and who is the seventh from ,adam through ,cain4 ,but it was not necessary that the first-born should succeed their fathers in the kingdom1 but those would succeed who were recommended by the possession of some virtue useful to the earthly city1 or who were chosen by lot1 or the son who was best liked by his father would succeed by a kind of hereditary right to the throne4 ,and the deluge may have happened during the lifetime and reign of ,lamech1 and may have destroyed him along with all other men1 save those who were in the ark4 ,for we cannot be surprised that1 during so long a period from ,adam to the deluge1 and with the ages of individuals varying as they did1 there should not be an equal number of generations in both lines1 but seven in ,cain's1 and ten in ,seth's2 for as ,i have already said1 ,lamech is the seventh from ,adam1 ,noah the tenth2 and in ,lamech's case not one son only is registered1 as in the former instances1 but more1 because it was uncertain which of them would have succeeded when he died1 if there had intervened any time to reign between his death and the deluge4 ,but in whatever manner the generations of ,cain's line are traced downwards1 whether it be by first-born sons or by the heirs to the throne1 it seems to me that ,i must by no means omit to notice that1 when ,lamech had been set down as the seventh from ,adam1 there were named1 in addition1 as many of his children as made up this number to eleven1 which is the number signifying sin2 for three sons and one daughter are added4 ,the wives of ,lamech have another signification1 different from that which ,i am now pressing4 ,for at present ,i am speaking of the children1 and not of those by whom the children were begotten4 ,since1 then1 the law is symbolized by the number ten1--whence that memorable ,decalogue1--there is no doubt that the number eleven1 which goes beyond#aif ten1 symbolizes the transgression of the law1 and consequently sin4 ,for this reason1 eleven veils of goat's skin were ordered to be hung in the tabernacle of the testimony1 which served in the wanderings of ,god's people as an ambulatory temple4 ,and in that haircloth there was a reminder of sins1 because the goats were to be set on the left hand of the ,judge2 and therefore1 when we confess our sins1 we prostrate ourselves in haircloth1 as if we were saying what is written in the psalm1 ,my sin is ever before me4#aig ,the progeny of ,adam1 then1 by ,cain the murderer1 is completed in the number eleven1 which symbolizes sin2 and this number itself is made up by a woman1 as it was by the same sex that beginning was made of sin by which we all die4 ,and it was committed that the pleasure of the flesh1 which resists the spirit1 might follow2 and so ,naamah1 the daughter of ,lamech1 means pleasure4 ,but from ,adam to ,noah1 in the line of ,seth1 there are ten generations4 ,and to ,noah three sons are added1 of whom1 while one fell into sin1 two were blessed by their father2 so that1 if you deduct the reprobate and add the gracious sons to the number1 you get twelve1--a number signalized in the case of the patriarchs and of the apostles1 and made up of the parts of the number seven multiplied into one another1--for three times four1 or four times three1 give twelve4 ,these things being so1 ,i see that ,i must consider and mention how these two lines1 which by their separate genealogies depict the two cities1 one of earth-born1 the other of regenerated persons1 became afterwards so mixed and confused1 that the whole human race1 with the exception of eight persons1 deserved to perish in the deluge4 #ba4 ,why it is that1 as soon as ,cain's son ,enoch has been named1 the genealogy is forthwith continued as far as the deluge1 while after the mention of ,enos1 ,seth's son1 the narrative returns again to the creation of man4 ,we must first see why1 in the enumeration of ,cain's posterity1 after ,enoch1 in whose name the city was built1 has been first of all mentioned1 the rest are at once enumerated down to that terminus of which ,i have spoken1 and at which that race and the whole line was destroyed in the deluge2 while1 after ,enos the son of ,seth has been mentioned1 the rest are not at once named down to the deluge1 but a clause is inserted to the following effect3 ,this is the book of the generations of ,adam4 ,in the day that ,god created man1 in the likeness of ,god made ,he him2 male and female created ,he them2 and blessed them1 and called their name ,adam1 in the day when they were created4#aih ,this seems to me to be inserted for this purpose1 that here again the reckoning of the times may start from ,adam himself1--a purpose which the writer had not in view in speaking of the earthly city1 as if ,god mentioned it1 but did not take account of its duration4 ,but why does he return to this recapitulation after mentioning the son of ,seth1 the man who hoped to call on the name of the ,lord ,god1 unless because it was fit thus to present these two cities1 the one beginning with a murderer and ending in a murderer 7for ,lamech1 too1 acknowledges to his two wives that he had committed murder71 the other built up by him who hoped to call upon the name of the ,lord ,god8 ,for the highest and complete terrestrial duty of the city of ,god1 which is a stranger in this world1 is that which was exemplified in the individual who was begotten by him who typified the resurrection of the murdered ,abel4 ,that one man is the unity of the whole heavenly city1 not yet indeed complete1 but to be completed1 as this prophetic figure foreshows4 ,the son of ,cain1 therefore1 that is1 the son of possession 7and of what but an earthly possession871 may have a name in the earthly city which was built in his name4 ,it is of such the ,psalmist says1 ,they call their lands after their own names4#aii ,wherefore they incur what is written in another psalm3 ,thou1 ,o ,lord1 in ,thy city wilt despise their image4#bjj ,but as for the son of ,seth1 the son of the resurrection1 let him hope to call on the name of the ,lord ,god4 ,for he prefigures that society of men which says1 ,but ,i am like a green olive-tree in the house of ,god3 ,i have trusted in the mercy of ,god4#bja ,but let him not seek the empty honours of a famous name upon earth1 for ,blessed is the man that maketh the name of the ,lord his trust1 and respecteth not vanities nor lying follies4#bjb ,after having presented the two cities1 the one founded in the material good of this world1 the other in hope in ,god1 but both starting from a common gate opened in ,adam into this mortal state1 and both running on and running out to their proper and merited ends1 ,scripture begins to reckon the times1 and in this reckoning includes other generations1 making a recapitulation from ,adam1 out of whose condemned seed1 as out of one mass handed over to merited damnation1 ,god made some vessels of wrath to dishonour and others vessels of mercy to honour2 in punishment rendering to the former what is due1 in grace giving to the latter what is not due3 in order that by the very comparison of itself with the vessels of wrath1 the heavenly city1 which sojourns on earth1 may learn not to put confidence in the liberty of its own will1 but may hope to call on the name of the ,lord ,god4 ,for will1 being a nature which was made good by the good ,god1 but mutable by the immutable1 because it was made out of nothing1 can both decline from good to do evil1 which takes place when it freely chooses1 and can also escape the evil and do good1 which takes place only by divine assistance4 #bb4 ,of the fall of the sons of ,god who were captivated by the daughters of men1 whereby all1 with the exception of eight persons1 deservedly perished in the deluge4 ,when the human race1 in the exercise of this freedom of will1 increased and advanced1 there arose a mixture and confusion of the two cities by their participation in a common iniquity4 ,and this calamity1 as well as the first1 was occasioned by woman1 though not in the same way2 for these women were not themselves betrayed1 neither did they persuade the men to sin1 but having belonged to the earthly city and society of the earthly1 they had been of corrupt manners from the first1 and were loved for their bodily beauty by the sons of ,god1 or the citizens of the other city which sojourns in this world4 ,beauty is indeed a good gift of ,god2 but that the good may not think it a great good1 ,god dispenses it even to the wicked4 ,and thus1 when the good that is great and proper to the good was abandoned by the sons of ,god1 they fell to a paltry good which is not peculiar to the good1 but common to the good and the evil2 and when they were captivated by the daughters of men1 they adopted the manners of the earthly to win them as their brides1 and forsook the godly ways they had followed in their own holy society4 ,and thus beauty1 which is indeed ,god's handiwork1 but only a temporal1 carnal1 and lower kind of good1 is not fitly loved in preference to ,god1 the eternal1 spiritual1 and unchangeable good4 ,when the miser prefers his gold to justice1 it is through no fault of the gold1 but of the man2 and so with every created thing4 ,for though it be good1 it may be loved with an evil as well as with a good love3 it is loved rightly when it is loved ordinately2 evilly1 when inordinately4 ,it is this which some one has briefly said in these verses in praise of the ,creator3#bjc ,these are ,thine1 they are good1 because ,thou art good who didst create them4 ,there is in them nothing of ours1 unless the sin we commit when we forget the order of things1 and instead of ,thee love that which ,thou hast made4 ,but if the ,creator is truly loved1 that is1 if ,he ,himself is loved and not another thing in ,his stead1 ,he cannot be evilly loved2 for love itself is to be ordinately loved1 because we do well to love that which1 when we love it1 makes us live well and virtuously4 ,so that it seems to me that it is a brief but true definition of virtue to say1 it is the order of love2 and on this account1 in the ,canticles1 the bride of ,christ1 the city of ,god1 sings1 ,order love within me4#bjd ,it was the order of this love1 then1 this charity or attachment1 which the sons of ,god disturbed when they forsook ,god1 and were enamoured of the daughters of men4#bje ,and by these two names 7sons of ,god and daughters of men7 the two cities are sufficiently distinguished4 ,for though the former were by nature children of men1 they had come into possession of another name by grace4 ,for in the same ,scripture in which the sons of ,god are said to have loved the daughters of men1 they are also called angels of ,god2 whence many suppose that they were not men but angels4 #bc4 ,whether we are to believe that angels1 who are of a spiritual substance1 fell in love with the beauty of women1 and sought them in marriage1 and that from this connection giants were born4 ,in the third book of this work 7c4 #e7 we made a passing reference to this question1 but did not decide whether angels1 inasmuch as they are spirits1 could have bodily intercourse with women4 ,for it is written1 ,who maketh ,his angels spirits1#bjf that is1 ,he makes those who are by nature spirits ,his angels by appointing them to the duty of bearing ,his messages4 ,for the ,greek word 1 which in ,latin appears as angelus1 means a messenger4 ,but whether the ,psalmist speaks of their bodies when he adds1 and ,his ministers a flaming fire1 or means that ,god's ministers ought to blaze with love as with a spiritual fire1 is doubtful4 ,however1 the same trustworthy ,scripture testifies that angels have appeared to men in such bodies as could not only be seen1 but also touched4 ,there is1 too1 a very general rumour1 which many have verified by their own experience1 or which trustworthy persons who have heard the experience of others corroborate1 that sylvans and fauns1 who are commonly called incubi1 had often made wicked assaults upon women1 and satisfied their lust upon them2 and that certain devils1 called ,duses by the ,gauls1 are constantly attempting and effecting this impurity is so generally affirmed1 that it were impudent to deny it4#bjg ,from these assertions1 indeed1 ,i dare not determine whether there be some spirits embodied in an aerial substance 7for this element1 even when agitated by a fan1 is sensibly felt by the body71 and who are capable of lust and of mingling sensibly with women2 but certainly ,i could by no means believe that ,god's holy angels could at that time have so fallen1 nor can ,i think that it is of them the ,apostle ,peter said1 ,for if ,god spared not the angels that sinned1 but cast them down to hell1 and delivered them into chains of darkness1 to be reserved unto judgment4#bjh ,i think he rather speaks of those who first apostatized from ,god1 along with their chief the devil1 who enviously deceived the first man under the form of a serpent4 ,but the same holy ,scripture affords the most ample testimony that even godly men have been called angels2 for of ,john it is written3 ,behold1 ,i send my messenger 7angel7 before ,thy face1 who shall prepare ,thy way4#bji ,and the prophet ,malachi1 by a peculiar grace specially communicated to him1 was called an angel4#baj ,but some are moved by the fact that we have read that the fruit of the connection between those who are called angels of ,god and the women they loved were not men like our own breed1 but giants2 just as if there were not born even in our own time 7as ,i have mentioned above7 men of much greater size than the ordinary stature4 ,was there not at ,rome a few years ago1 when the destruction of the city now accomplished by the ,goths was drawing near1 a woman1 with her father and mother1 who by her gigantic size overtopped all others8 ,surprising crowds from all quarters came to see her1 and that which struck them most was the circumstance that neither of her parents were quite up to the tallest ordinary stature4 ,giants therefore might well be born1 even before the sons of ,god1 who are also called angels of ,god1 formed a connection with the daughters of men1 or of those living according to men1 that is to say1 before the sons of ,seth formed a connection with the daughters of ,cain4 ,for thus speaks even the canonical ,scripture itself in the book in which we read of this2 its words are3 ,and it came to pass1 when men began to multiply on the face of the earth1 and daughters were born unto them1 that the sons of ,god saw the daughters of men that they were fair good2 and they took them wives of all which they chose4 ,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,my ,spirit shall not always strive with man1 for that he also is flesh3 yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years4 ,there were giants in the earth in those days2 and also after that1 when the sons of ,god came in unto the daughters of men1 and they bare children to them1 the same became the giants1 men of renown4#baa ,these words of the divine book sufficiently indicate that already there were giants in the earth in those days1 in which the sons of ,god took wives of the children of men1 when they loved them because they were good1 that is1 fair4 ,for it is the custom of this ,scripture to call those who are beautiful in appearance good4 ,but after this connection had been formed1 then too were giants born4 ,for the words are3 ,there were giants in the earth in those days1 and also after that1 when the sons of ,god came in unto the daughters of men4 ,therefore there were giants both before1 in those days1 and also after that4 ,and the words1 they bare children to them1 show plainly enough that before the sons of ,god fell in this fashion they begat children to ,god1 not to themselves1--that is to say1 not moved by the lust of sexual intercourse1 but discharging the duty of propagation1 intending to produce not a family to gratify their own pride1 but citizens to people the city of ,god2 and to these they as ,god's angels would bear the message1 that they should place their hope in ,god1 like him who was born of ,seth the son of resurrection1 and who hoped to call on the name of the ,lord ,god1 in which hope they and their offspring would be co-heirs of eternal blessings1 and brethren in the family of which ,god is the ,father4 ,but that those angels were not angels in the sense of not being men1 as some suppose1 ,scripture itself decides1 which unambiguously declares that they were men4 ,for when it had first been stated that the angels of ,god saw the daughters of men that they were fair1 and they took them wives of all which they chose1 it was immediately added1 ,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,my ,spirit shall not always strive with these men1 for that they also are flesh4 ,for by the ,spirit of ,god they had been made angels of ,god1 and sons of ,god2 but declining towards lower things1 they are called men1 a name of nature1 not of grace2 and they are called flesh1 as deserters of the ,spirit1 and by their desertion deserted by ,him4 ,the ,septuagint indeed calls them both angels of ,god and sons of ,god1 though all the copies do not show this1 some having only the name sons of ,god4 ,and ,aquila1 whom the ,jews prefer to the other interpreters1#bab has translated neither angels of ,god nor sons of ,god1 but sons of gods4 ,but both are correct4 ,for they were both sons of ,god1 and thus brothers of their own fathers1 who were children of the same ,god2 and they were sons of gods1 because begotten by gods1 together with whom they themselves also were gods1 according to that expression of the psalm3 ,i have said1 ,ye are gods1 and all of you are children of the ,most ,high4#bac ,for the ,septuagint translators are justly believed to have received the ,spirit of prophecy2 so that1 if they made any alterations under ,his authority1 and did not adhere to a strict translation1 we could not doubt that this was divinely dictated4 ,however1 the ,hebrew word may be said to be ambiguous1 and to be susceptible of either translation1 sons of ,god1 or sons of gods4 ,let us omit1 then1 the fables of those scriptures which are called apocryphal1 because their obscure origin was unknown to the fathers from whom the authority of the true ,scriptures has been transmitted to us by a most certain and well-ascertained succession4 ,for though there is some truth in these apocryphal writings1 yet they contain so many false statements1 that they have no canonical authority4 ,we cannot deny that ,enoch1 the seventh from ,adam1 left some divine writings1 for this is asserted by the ,apostle ,jude in his canonical epistle4 ,but it is not without reason that these writings have no place in that canon of ,scripture which was preserved in the temple of the ,hebrew people by the diligence of successive priests2 for their antiquity brought them under suspicion1 and it was impossible to ascertain whether these were his genuine writings1 and they were not brought forward as genuine by the persons who were found to have carefully preserved the canonical books by a successive transmission4 ,so that the writings which are produced under his name1 and which contain these fables about the giants1 saying that their fathers were not men1 are properly judged by prudent men to be not genuine2 just as many writings are produced by heretics under the names both of other prophets1 and1 more recently1 under the names of the apostles1 all of which1 after careful examination1 have been set apart from canonical authority under the title of ,apocrypha4 ,there is therefore no doubt that1 according to the ,hebrew and ,christian canonical ,scriptures1 there were many giants before the deluge1 and that these were citizens of the earthly society of men1 and that the sons of ,god1 who were according to the flesh the sons of ,seth1 sunk into this community when they forsook righteousness4 ,nor need we wonder that giants should be born even from these4 ,for all of their children were not giants2 but there were more then than in the remaining periods since the deluge4 ,and it pleased the ,creator to produce them1 that it might thus be demonstrated that neither beauty1 nor yet size and strength1 are of much moment to the wise man1 whose blessedness lies in spiritual and immortal blessings1 in far better and more enduring gifts1 in the good things that are the peculiar property of the good1 and are not shared by good and bad alike4 ,it is this which another prophet confirms when he says1 ,these were the giants1 famous from the beginning1 that were of so great stature1 and so expert in war4 ,those did not the ,lord choose1 neither gave ,he the way of knowledge unto them2 but they were destroyed because they had no wisdom1 and perished through their own foolishness4#bad #bd4 ,how we are to understand this which the ,lord said to those who were to perish in the flood3 ,their days shall be #abj years4 ,but that which ,god said1 ,their days shall be an hundred and twenty years1 is not to be understood as a prediction that henceforth men should not live longer than #abj years1--for even after the deluge we find that they lived more than #ejj years1--but we are to understand that ,god said this when ,noah had nearly completed his fifth century1 that is1 had lived #dhj years1 which ,scripture1 as it frequently uses the name of the whole for the largest part1 calls #ejj years4 ,now the deluge came in the #fjjth year of ,noah's life1 the second month2 and thus #abj years were predicted as being the remaining span of those who were doomed1 which years being spent1 they should be destroyed by the deluge4 ,and it is not unreasonably believed that the deluge came as it did1 because already there were not found upon earth any who were not worthy of sharing a death so manifestly judicial1--not that a good man1 who must die some time1 would be a jot the worse of such a death after it was past4 ,nevertheless there died in the deluge none of those mentioned in the sacred ,scripture as descended from ,seth4 ,but here is the divine account of the cause of the deluge3 ,the ,lord ,god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth1 and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually4 ,and it repented#bae the ,lord that ,he had made man on the earth1 and it grieved ,him at ,his heart4 ,and the ,lord said1 ,i will destroy man1 whom ,i have created1 from the face of the earth2 both man and beast1 and the creeping thing1 and the fowls of the air3 for ,i am angry that ,i have made them4#baf #be4 ,of the anger of ,god1 which does not inflame ,his mind1 nor disturb ,his unchangeable tranquillity4 ,the anger of ,god is not a disturbing emotion of ,his mind1 but a judgment by which punishment is inflicted upon sin4 ,his thought and reconsideration also are the unchangeable reason which changes things2 for ,he does not1 like man1 repent of anything ,he has done1 because in all matters ,his decision is as inflexible as ,his prescience is certain4 ,but if ,scripture were not to use such expressions as the above1 it would not familiarly insinuate itself into the minds of all classes of men1 whom it seeks access to for their good1 that it may alarm the proud1 arouse the careless1 exercise the inquisitive1 and satisfy the intelligent2 and this it could not do1 did it not first stoop1 and in a manner descend1 to them where they lie4 ,but its denouncing death on all the animals of earth and air is a declaration of the vastness of the disaster that was approaching3 not that it threatens destruction to the irrational animals as if they too had incurred it by sin4 #bf4 ,that the ark which ,noah was ordered to make figures in every respect ,christ and the church4 ,moreover1 inasmuch as ,god commanded ,noah1 a just man1 and1 as the truthful ,scripture says1 a man perfect in his generation1--not indeed with the perfection of the citizens of the city of ,god in that immortal condition in which they equal the angels1 but in so far as they can be perfect in their sojourn in this world1--inasmuch as ,god commanded him1 ,i say1 to make an ark1 in which he might be rescued from the destruction of the flood1 along with his family1 i4e4 his wife1 sons1 and daughters-in-law1 and along with the animals who1 in obedience to ,god's command1 came to him into the ark3 is certainly a figure of the city of ,god sojourning in this world2 that is to say1 of the church1 which is rescued by the wood on which hung the ,mediator of ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus4#bag ,for even its very dimensions1 in length1 breadth1 and height1 represent the human body in which ,he came1 as it had been foretold4 ,for the length of the human body1 from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot1 is six times its breadth from side to side1 and ten times its depth or thickness1 measuring from back to front3 that is to say1 if you measure a man as he lies on his back or on his face1 he is six times as long from head to foot as he is broad from side to side1 and ten times as long as he is high from the ground4 ,and therefore the ark was made #cjj cubits in length1 #ej in breadth1 and #cj in height4 ,and its having a door made in the side of it certainly signified the wound which was made when the side of the ,crucified was pierced with the spear3 for by this those who come to ,him enter2 for thence flowed the sacraments by which those who believe are initiated4 ,and the fact that it was ordered to be made of squared timbers1 signifies the immoveable steadiness of the life of the saints2 for however you turn a cube1 it still stands4 ,and the other peculiarities of the ark's construction are signs of features of the church4 ,but we have not now time to pursue this subject2 and1 indeed1 we have already dwelt upon it in the work we wrote against ,faustus the ,manichean1 who denies that there is anything prophesied of ,christ in the ,hebrew books4 ,it may be that one man's exposition excels another's1 and that ours is not the best2 but all that is said must be referred to this city of ,god we speak of1 which sojourns in this wicked world as in a deluge1 at least if the expositor would not widely miss the meaning of the author4 ,for example1 the interpretation ,i have given in the work against ,faustus1 of the words1 with lower1 second1 and third storeys shalt thou make it1 is1 that because the church is gathered out of all nations1 it is said to have two storeys1 to represent the two kinds of men1--the circumcision1 to wit1 and the uncircumcision1 or1 as the apostle otherwise calls them1 ,jews and ,gentiles2 and to have three storeys1 because all the nations were replenished from the three sons of ,noah4 ,now any one may object to this interpretation1 and may give another which harmonizes with the rule of faith4 ,for as the ark was to have rooms not only on the lower1 but also on the upper storeys1 which were called third storeys1 that there might be a habitable space on the third floor from the basement1 some one may interpret these to mean the three graces commended by the apostle1--faith1 hope1 and charity4 ,or even more suitably they may be supposed to represent those three harvests in the gospel1 thirty-fold1 sixtyfold1 an hundredfold1--chaste marriage dwelling in the ground floor1 chaste widowhood in the upper1 and chaste virginity in the top storey4 ,or any better interpretation may be given1 so long as the reference to this city is maintained4 ,and the same statement ,i would make of all the remaining particulars in this passage which require exposition1 viz4 that although different explanations are given1 yet they must all agree with the one harmonious catholic faith4 #bg4 ,of the ark and the deluge1 and that we cannot agree with those who receive the bare history1 but reject the allegorical interpretation1 nor with those who maintain the figurative and not the historical meaning4 ,yet no one ought to suppose either that these things were written for no purpose1 or that we should study only the historical truth1 apart from any allegorical meanings2 or1 on the contrary1 that they are only allegories1 and that there were no such facts at all1 or that1 whether it be so or no1 there is here no prophecy of the church4 ,for what right-minded man will contend that books so religiously preserved during thousands of years1 and transmitted by so orderly a succession1 were written without an object1 or that only the bare historical facts are to be considered when we read them8 ,for1 not to mention other instances1 if the number of the animals entailed the construction of an ark of great size1 where was the necessity of sending into it two unclean and seven clean animals of each species1 when both could have been preserved in equal numbers8 ,or could not ,god1 who ordered them to be preserved in order to replenish the race1 restore them in the same way ,he had created them8 ,but they who contend that these things never happened1 but are only figures setting forth other things1 in the first place suppose that there could not be a flood so great that the water should rise fifteen cubits above the highest mountains1 because it is said that clouds cannot rise above the top of ,mount ,olympus1 because it reaches the sky where there is none of that thicker atmosphere in which winds1 clouds1 and rains have their origin4 ,they do not reflect that the densest element of all1 earth1 can exist there2 or perhaps they deny that the top of the mountain is earth4 ,why1 then1 do these measurers and weighers of the elements contend that earth can be raised to those aerial altitudes1 and that water cannot1 while they admit that water is lighter1 and liker to ascend than earth8 ,what reason do they adduce why earth1 the heavier and lower element1 has for so many ages scaled to the tranquil ther1 while water1 the lighter1 and more likely to ascend1 is not suffered to do the same even for a brief space of time8 ,they say1 too1 that the area of that ark could not contain so many kinds of animals of both sexes1 two of the unclean and seven of the clean4 ,but they seem to me to reckon only one area of #cjj cubits long and #ej broad1 and not to remember that there was another similar in the storey above1 and yet another as large in the storey above that again2 and that there was consequently an area of #ijj cubits by #aej4 ,and if we accept what ,origen#bah has with some appropriateness suggested1 that ,moses the man of ,god1 being1 as it is written1 learned in all the wisdom of the ,egyptians1#bai who delighted in geometry1 may have meant geometrical cubits1 of which they say that one is equal to six of our cubits1 then who does not see what a capacity these dimensions give to the ark8 ,for as to their objection that an ark of such size could not be built1 it is a very silly calumny2 for they are aware that huge cities have been built1 and they should remember that the ark was an hundred years in building4 ,or1 perhaps1 though stone can adhere to stone when cemented with nothing but lime1 so that a wall of several miles may be constructed1 yet plank cannot be riveted to plank by mortices1 bolts1 nails1 and pitch-glue1 so as to construct an ark which was not made with curved ribs but straight timbers1 which was not to be launched by its builders but to be lifted by the natural pressure of the water when it reached it1 and which was to be preserved from shipwreck as it floated about rather by divine oversight than by human skill4 ,as to another customary inquiry of the scrupulous about the very minute creatures1 not only such as mice and lizards1 but also locusts1 beetles1 flies1 fleas1 and so forth1 whether there were not in the ark a larger number of them than was determined by ,god in ,his command1 those persons who are moved by this difficulty are to be reminded that the words every creeping thing of the earth only indicate that it was not needful to preserve in the ark the animals that can live in the water1 whether the fishes that live submerged in it1 or the sea-birds that swim on its surface4 ,then1 when it is said male and female1 no doubt reference is made to the repairing of the races1 and consequently there was no need for those creatures being in the ark which are born without the union of the sexes from inanimate things1 or from their corruption2 or if they were in the ark1 they might be there as they commonly are in houses1 not in any determinate numbers2 or if it was necessary that there should be a definite number of all those animals that cannot naturally live in the water1 that so the most sacred mystery which was being enacted might be bodied forth and perfectly figured in actual realities1 still this was not the care of ,noah or his sons1 but of ,god4 ,for ,noah did not catch the animals and put them into the ark1 but gave them entrance as they came seeking it4 ,for this is the force of the words1 ,they shall come unto thee1#a--not1 that is to say1 by man's effort1 but by ,god's will4 ,but certainly we are not required to believe that those which have no sex also came2 for it is expressly and definitely said1 ,they shall be male and female4#bbj ,for there are some animals which are born out of corruption1 but yet afterwards they themselves copulate and produce offspring1 as flies2 but others1 which have no sex1 like bees4 ,then1 as to those animals which have sex1 but without ability to propagate their kind1 like mules and she-mules1 it is probable that they were not in the ark1 but that it was counted sufficient to preserve their parents1 to wit1 the horse and the ass2 and this applies to all hybrids4 ,yet1 if it was necessary for the completeness of the mystery1 they were there2 for even this species has male and female4 ,another question is commonly raised regarding the food of the carnivorous animals1--whether1 without transgressing the command which fixed the number to be preserved1 there were necessarily others included in the ark for their sustenance2 or1 as is more probable1 there might be some food which was not flesh1 and which yet suited all4 ,for we know how many animals whose food is flesh eat also vegetable products and fruits1 especially figs and chestnuts4 ,what wonder is it1 therefore1 if that wise and just man was instructed by ,god what would suit each1 so that without flesh he prepared and stored provision fit for every species8 ,and what is there which hunger would not make animals eat8 ,or what could not be made sweet and wholesome by ,god1 who1 with a divine facility1 might have enabled them to do without food at all1 had it not been requisite to the completeness of so great a mystery that they should be fed8 ,but none but a contentious man can suppose that there was no prefiguring of the church in so manifold and circumstantial a detail4 ,for the nations have already so filled the church1 and are comprehended in the framework of its unity1 the clean and unclean together1 until the appointed end1 that this one very manifest fulfilment leaves no doubt how we should interpret even those others which are somewhat more obscure1 and which cannot so readily be discerned4 ,and since this is so1 if not even the most audacious will presume to assert that these things were written without a purpose1 or that though the events really happened they mean nothing1 or that they did not really happen1 but are only allegory1 or that at all events they are far from having any figurative reference to the church2 if it has been made out that1 on the other hand1 we must rather believe that there was a wise purpose in their being committed to memory and to writing1 and that they did happen1 and have a significance1 and that this significance has a prophetic reference to the church1 then this book1 having served this purpose1 may now be closed1 that we may go on to trace in the history subsequent to the deluge the courses of the two cities1--the earthly1 that lives according to men1 and the heavenly1 that lives according to ,god4 ,,footnotes3 #acj #a ,cor4 xv4 #df4 #aca ,rom4 ix4 #ba4 #acb ,gen4 iv4 #ag4 #acc ,comp4 ,de ,trin4 xv4 c4 #ae4 #acd ,gal4 iv4 #ba-ca4 #ace ,rom4 ix4 #bb1 #bc4 #acf ,wisdom viii4 #a4 #acg ,lucan1 ,phar4 i4 #ie4 #ach ,gal4 v4 #ag4 #aci ,gal4 vi4 #b4 #adj #a ,thess4 v4 #ad1 #ae4 #ada ,gal4 vi4 #a4 #adb ,eph4 iv4 #bf4 #adc ,matt4 xviii4 #ae4 #add #a ,tim4 v4 #bj4 #ade ,heb4 xii4 #ad4 #adf ,matt4 xviii4 #ce4 #adg ,rom4 vi4 #ab1 #ac4 #adh ,gen4 iv4 #f1 #g4 #adi ,literally1 division4 #aej #a ,john iii4 #ab4 #aea ,we alter the pronoun to suit ,augustine's interpretation4 #aeb ,gal4 v4 #ag4 #aec ,rom4 vii4 #ag4 #aed ,rom4 vi4 #ac4 #aee ,gen4 iii4 #af4 #aef ,eph4 v4 #bh1 #bi4 #aeg ,c4 ,faustum4 ,man4 xii4 c4 #i4 #aeh ,gen4 iv4 #ag4 #aei ,gen4 iv4 #be4 #afj ,lamech1 according to the ,,lxx4 #afa ,ex4 xii4 #cg4 #afb ,virgil1 neid1 xii4 #hii1 #ijj4 ,compare the ,iliad1 v4 #cjb1 and ,juvenal1 xv4 #fe et seqq4 ,terra malos homines nunc educat atque pusillos4 #afc ,plin4 ,hist4 ,nat4 vii4 #af4 #afd ,see the account given by ,herodotus 7i4 #fg7 of the discovery of the bones of ,orestes1 which1 as the story goes1 gave a stature of seven cubits4 #afe ,pliny1 ,hist4 ,nat4 vii4 #di1 merely reports what he had read in ,hellanicus about the ,epirotes of ,etolia4 #aff ,our own ,,mss41 of which ,augustine here speaks1 were the ,latin versions of the ,septuagint used by the ,church before ,jerome's was received2 the ,hebrew ,,mss4 were the versions made from the ,hebrew text4 ,compare ,de ,doct4 ,christ4 ii4 #ae et seqq4 #afg ,jerome 7,de ,qust4 ,heb4 in ,gen47 says it was a question famous in all the churches4--,,vives4 #afh ,quos in auctoritatem celebriorum ,ecclesia suscepit4 #afi ,see below1 book xviii4 c4 #db-dd4 #agj ,c4 #h4 #aga ,on this subject see ,wilkinson's note to the second book 7appendix7 of ,rawlinson's ,herodotus1 where all available references are given4 #agb ,one hundred and eighty-seven is the number given in the ,hebrew1 and one hundred and sixty-seven in the ,septuagint2 but notwithstanding the confusion1 the argument of ,augustine is easily followed4 #agc ,gen4 vii4 #aj1 #aa 7in our version the seventeenth day74 #agd ,gen4 viii4 #d1 #e4 #age ,ps4 xc4 #aj4 #agf ,gen4 iv4 #a4 #agg ,gen4 iv4 #be4 #agh ,gen4 v4 #f4 #agi ,gen4 v4 #h4 #ahj ,matt4 i4 #aha ,his own children being the children of his sister1 and therefore his nephews4 #ahb ,this was allowed by the ,egyptians and ,athenians1 never by the ,romans4 #ahc ,both in ,hebrew1 ,greek1 and ,latin1 though not uniformly1 nor in ,latin commonly4 #ahd ,gen4 v4 #b4 #ahe ,luke xx4 #ce1 #cf4 #ahf ,gen4 iv4 #ah-bb4 #ahg ,gen4 iv4 #bf4 #ahh ,rom4 viii4 #bd1 #be4 #ahi ,rom4 x4 #ac4 #aij ,jer4 xvii4 #e4 #aia neid1 i4 #bhh4 #aib neid1 iii4 #ig4 #aic ,luke xx4 #cd4 #aid ,rom4 ix4 #e4 #aie ,eusebius1 ,jerome1 ,bede1 and others1 who follow the ,septuagint1 reckon only #bbdb years1 which ,vives explains by supposing ,augustine to have made a copyist's error4 #aif ,transgreditur4 #aig ,ps4 li4 #c4 #aih ,gen4 v4 #a4 #aii ,ps4 xlix4 #aa4 #bjj ,ps4 lxxiii4 #bj4 #bja ,ps4 lii4 #h4 #bjb ,ps4 xl4 #d4 #bjc ,or1 according to another reading1 ,which ,i briefly said in these verses in praise of a taper4 #bjd ,cant4 ii4 #d4 #bje ,see ,de ,doct4 ,christ4 i4 #bh4 #bjf ,ps4 civ4 #d4 #bjg ,on these kinds of devils1 see the note of ,vives in loc41 or ,lecky's ,hist4 of ,rationalism1 i4 #bf1 who quotes from ,maury's ,histoire de la ,magie1 that the ,dusii were ,celtic spirits1 and are the origin of our ,deuce4 #bjh #b ,pet4 ii4 #d4 #bji ,mark i4 #b4 #baj ,mal4 ii4 #g4 #baa ,gen4 vi4 #a-d4 ,lactantius 7,inst4 ii4 #ae71 ,sulpicius ,severus 7,hist4 i4 #b71 and others suppose from this passage that angels had commerce with the daughters of men4 ,see further references in the ,commentary of ,pererius in loc4 #bab ,aquila lived in the time of ,hadrian1 to whom he is said to have been related4 ,he was excommunicated from the ,church for the practice of astrology2 and is best known by his translation of the ,hebrew ,scriptures into ,greek1 which he executed with great care and accuracy1 though he has been charged with falsifying passages to support the ,jews in their opposition to ,christianity4 #bac ,ps4 lxxxii4 #f4 #bad ,baruch iii4 #bf-bh4 #bae ,lit43 ,the ,lord thought and reconsidered4 #baf ,gen4 vi4 #e-g4 #bag #a ,tim4 ii4 #e4 #bah ,in his second homily on ,genesis4 #bai ,acts vii4 #bb4 #bbj ,gen4 vi4 #ai1 #bj4 ,,book ,,sixteenth4 ,,argument4 ,,in ,,the ,,former ,,part ,,of ,,this ,,book1 ,,from ,,the ,,first ,,to ,,the ,,twelfth ,,chapter1 ,,the ,,progress ,,of ,,the ,,two ,,cities1 ,,the ,,earthly ,,and ,,the ,,heavenly1 ,,from ,,noah ,,to ,,abraham1 ,,is ,,exhibited ,,from ,,holy ,,scripture3 ,,in ,,the ,,latter ,,part1 ,,the ,,progress ,,of ,,the ,,heavenly ,,alone1 ,,from ,,abraham ,,to ,,the ,,kings ,,of ,,israel1 ,,is ,,the ,,subject4 #a4 ,whether1 after the deluge1 from ,noah to ,abraham1 any families can be found who lived according to ,god4 ,it is difficult to discover from ,scripture1 whether1 after the deluge1 traces of the holy city are continuous1 or are so interrupted by intervening seasons of godlessness1 that not a single worshipper of the one true ,god was found among men2 because from ,noah1 who1 with his wife1 three sons1 and as many daughters-in-law1 achieved deliverance in the ark from the destruction of the deluge1 down to ,abraham1 we do not find in the canonical books that the piety of any one is celebrated by express divine testimony1 unless it be in the case of ,noah1 who commends with a prophetic benediction his two sons ,shem and ,japheth1 while he beheld and foresaw what was long afterwards to happen4 ,it was also by this prophetic spirit that1 when his middle son--that is1 the son who was younger than the first and older than the last born--had sinned against him1 he cursed him not in his own person1 but in his son's 7his own grandson's71 in the words1 ,cursed be the lad ,canaan2 a servant shall he be unto his brethren4#bba ,now ,canaan was born of ,ham1 who1 so far from covering his sleeping father's nakedness1 had divulged it4 ,for the same reason also he subjoins the blessing on his two other sons1 the oldest and youngest1 saying1 ,blessed be the ,lord ,god of ,shem2 and ,canaan shall be his servant4 ,god shall gladden ,japheth1 and he shall dwell in the houses of ,shem4#bbb ,and so1 too1 the planting of the vine by ,noah1 and his intoxication by its fruit1 and his nakedness while he slept1 and the other things done at that time1 and recorded1 are all of them pregnant with prophetic meanings1 and veiled in mysteries4#bbc #b4 ,what was prophetically prefigured in the sons of ,noah4 ,the things which then were hidden are now sufficiently revealed by the actual events which have followed4 ,for who can carefully and intelligently consider these things without recognising them accomplished in ,christ8 ,shem1 of whom ,christ was born in the flesh1 means named4 ,and what is of greater name than ,christ1 the fragrance of whose name is now everywhere perceived1 so that even prophecy sings of it beforehand1 comparing it in the ,song of ,songs#bbd to ointment poured forth8 ,is it not also in the houses of ,christ1 that is1 in the churches1 that the enlargement of the nations dwells8 ,for ,japheth means enlargement4 ,and ,ham 7i4e4 hot71 who was the middle son of ,noah1 and1 as it were1 separated himself from both1 and remained between them1 neither belonging to the first-fruits of ,israel nor to the fulness of the ,gentiles1 what does he signify but the tribe of heretics1 hot with the spirit1 not of patience1 but of impatience1 with which the breasts of heretics are wont to blaze1 and with which they disturb the peace of the saints8 ,but even the heretics yield an advantage to those that make proficiency1 according to the apostle's saying1 ,there must also be heresies1 that they which are approved may be made manifest among you4#bbe ,whence1 too1 it is elsewhere said1 ,the son that receives instruction will be wise1 and he uses the foolish as his servant4#bbf ,for while the hot restlessness of heretics stirs questions about many articles of the catholic faith1 the necessity of defending them forces us both to investigate them more accurately1 to understand them more clearly1 and to proclaim them more earnestly2 and the question mooted by an adversary becomes the occasion of instruction4 ,however1 not only those who are openly separated from the church1 but also all who glory in the ,christian name1 and at the same time lead abandoned lives1 may without absurdity seem to be figured by ,noah's middle son3 for the passion of ,christ1 which was signified by that man's nakedness1 is at once proclaimed by their profession1 and dishonoured by their wicked conduct4 ,of such1 therefore1 it has been said1 ,by their fruits ye shall know them4#bbg ,and therefore was ,ham cursed in his son1 he being1 as it were1 his fruit4 ,so1 too1 this son of his1 ,canaan1 is fitly interpreted their movement1 which is nothing else than their work4 ,but ,shem and ,japheth1 that is to say1 the circumcision and uncircumcision1 or1 as the apostle otherwise calls them1 the ,jews and ,greeks1 but called and justified1 having somehow discovered the nakedness of their father 7which signifies the ,saviour's passion71 took a garment and laid it upon their backs1 and entered backwards and covered their father's nakedness1 without their seeing what their reverence hid4 ,for we both honour the passion of ,christ as accomplished for us1 and we hate the crime of the ,jews who crucified ,him4 ,the garment signifies the sacrament1 their backs the memory of things past3 for the church celebrates the passion of ,christ as already accomplished1 and no longer to be looked forward to1 now that ,japheth already dwells in the habitations of ,shem1 and their wicked brother between them4 ,but the wicked brother is1 in the person of his son 7i4e4 his work71 the boy1 or slave1 of his good brothers1 when good men make a skilful use of bad men1 either for the exercise of their patience or for their advancement in wisdom4 ,for the apostle testifies that there are some who preach ,christ from no pure motives2 but1 says he1 whether in pretence or in truth1 ,christ is preached2 and ,i therein do rejoice1 yea1 and will rejoice4#bbh ,for it is ,christ ,himself who planted the vine of which the prophet says1 ,the vine of the ,lord of hosts is the house of ,israel2#bbi and ,he drinks of its wine1 whether we thus understand that cup of which ,he says1 ,can ye drink of the cup that ,i shall drink of8#bcj and1 ,father1 if it be possible1 let this cup pass from me1#bca by which ,he obviously means ,his passion4 ,or1 as wine is the fruit of the vine1 we may prefer to understand that from this vine1 that is to say1 from the race of ,israel1 ,he has assumed flesh and blood that ,he might suffer2 and he was drunken1 that is1 ,he suffered2 and was naked1 that is1 ,his weakness appeared in ,his suffering1 as the apostle says1 though ,he was crucified through weakness4#bcb ,wherefore the same apostle says1 ,the weakness of ,god is stronger than men2 and the foolishness of ,god is wiser than men4#bcc ,and when to the expression he was naked ,scripture adds in his house1 it elegantly intimates that ,jesus was to suffer the cross and death at the hands of ,his own household1 ,his own kith and kin1 the ,jews4 ,this passion of ,christ is only externally and verbally professed by the reprobate1 for what they profess they do not understand4 ,but the elect hold in the inner man this so great mystery1 and honour inwardly in the heart this weakness and foolishness of ,god4 ,and of this there is a figure in ,ham going out to proclaim his father's nakedness2 while ,shem and ,japheth1 to cover or honour it1 went in1 that is to say1 did it inwardly4 ,these secrets of divine ,scripture we investigate as well as we can4 ,all will not accept our interpretation with equal confidence1 but all hold it certain that these things were neither done nor recorded without some foreshadowing of future events1 and that they are to be referred only to ,christ and ,his church1 which is the city of ,god1 proclaimed from the very beginning of human history by figures which we now see everywhere accomplished4 ,from the blessing of the two sons of ,noah1 and the cursing of the middle son1 down to ,abraham1 or for more than a thousand years1 there is1 as ,i have said1 no mention of any righteous persons who worshipped ,god4 ,i do not therefore conclude that there were none2 but it had been tedious to mention every one1 and would have displayed historical accuracy rather than prophetic foresight4 ,the object of the writer of these sacred books1 or rather of the ,spirit of ,god in him1 is not only to record the past1 but to depict the future1 so far as it regards the city of ,god2 for whatever is said of those who are not its citizens1 is given either for her instruction1 or as a foil to enhance her glory4 ,yet we are not to suppose that all that is recorded has some signification2 but those things which have no signification of their own are interwoven for the sake of the things which are significant4 ,it is only the ploughshare that cleaves the soil2 but to effect this1 other parts of the plough are requisite4 ,it is only the strings in harps and other musical instruments which produce melodious sounds2 but that they may do so1 there are other parts of the instrument which are not indeed struck by those who sing1 but are connected with the strings which are struck1 and produce musical notes4 ,so in this prophetic history some things are narrated which have no significance1 but are1 as it were1 the framework to which the significant things are attached4 #c4 ,of the generations of the three sons of ,noah4 ,we must therefore introduce into this work an explanation of the generations of the three sons of ,noah1 in so far as that may illustrate the progress in time of the two cities4 ,scripture first mentions that of the youngest son1 who is called ,japheth3 he had eight sons1#bcd and by two of these sons seven grandchildren1 three by one son1 four by the other2 in all1 fifteen descendants4 ,ham1 ,noah's middle son1 had four sons1 and by one of them five grandsons1 and by one of these two great-grandsons2 in all1 eleven4 ,after enumerating these1 ,scripture returns to the first of the sons1 and says1 ,cush begat ,nimrod2 he began to be a giant on the earth4 ,he was a giant hunter against the ,lord ,god3 wherefore they say1 ,as ,nimrod the giant hunter against the ,lord4 ,and the beginning of his kingdom was ,babylon1 ,erech1 ,accad1 and ,calneh1 in the land of ,shinar4 ,out of that land went forth ,assur1 and built ,nineveh1 and the city ,rehoboth1 and ,calah1 and ,resen between ,nineveh and ,calah3 this was a great city4 ,now this ,cush1 father of the giant ,nimrod1 is the first-named among the sons of ,ham1 to whom five sons and two grandsons are ascribed4 ,but he either begat this giant after his grandsons were born1 or1 which is more credible1 ,scripture speaks of him separately on account of his eminence2 for mention is also made of his kingdom1 which began with that magnificent city ,babylon1 and the other places1 whether cities or districts1 mentioned along with it4 ,but what is recorded of the land of ,shinar which belonged to ,nimrod's kingdom1 to wit1 that ,assur went forth from it and built ,nineveh and the other cities mentioned with it1 happened long after2 but he takes occasion to speak of it here on account of the grandeur of the ,assyrian kingdom1 which was wonderfully extended by ,ninus son of ,belus1 and founder of the great city ,nineveh1 which was named after him1 ,nineveh1 from ,ninus4 ,but ,assur1 father of the ,assyrian1 was not one of the sons of ,ham1 ,noah's middle son1 but is found among the sons of ,shem1 his eldest son4 ,whence it appears that among ,shem's offspring there arose men who afterwards took possession of that giant's kingdom1 and advancing from it1 founded other cities1 the first of which was called ,nineveh1 from ,ninus4 ,from him ,scripture returns to ,ham's other son1 ,mizraim2 and his sons are enumerated1 not as seven individuals1 but as seven nations4 ,and from the sixth1 as if from the sixth son1 the race called the ,philistines are said to have sprung2 so that there are in all eight4 ,then it returns again to ,canaan1 in whose person ,ham was cursed2 and his eleven sons are named4 ,then the territories they occupied1 and some of the cities1 are named4 ,and thus1 if we count sons and grandsons1 there are thirty-one of ,ham's descendants registered4 ,it remains to mention the sons of ,shem1 ,noah's eldest son2 for to him this genealogical narrative gradually ascends from the youngest4 ,but in the commencement of the record of ,shem's sons there is an obscurity which calls for explanation1 since it is closely connected with the object of our investigation4 ,for we read1 ,unto ,shem also1 the father of all the children of ,heber1 the brother of ,japheth the elder1 were children born4#bce ,this is the order of the words3 ,and to ,shem was born ,heber1 even to himself1 that is1 to ,shem himself was born ,heber1 and ,shem is the father of all his children4 ,we are intended to understand that ,shem is the patriarch of all his posterity who were to be mentioned1 whether sons1 grandsons1 great-grandsons1 or descendants at any remove4 ,for ,shem did not beget ,heber1 who was indeed in the fifth generation from him4 ,for ,shem begat1 among other sons1 ,arphaxad2 ,arphaxad begat ,cainan1 ,cainan begat ,salah1 ,salah begat ,heber4 ,and it was with good reason that he was named first among ,shem's offspring1 taking precedence even of his sons1 though only a grandchild of the fifth generation2 for from him1 as tradition says1 the ,hebrews derived their name1 though the other etymology which derives the name from ,abraham 7as if ,abrahews7 may possibly be correct4 ,but there can be little doubt that the former is the right etymology1 and that they were called after ,heber1 ,heberews1 and then1 dropping a letter1 ,hebrews2 and so was their language called ,hebrew1 which was spoken by none but the people of ,israel among whom was the city of ,god1 mysteriously prefigured in all the people1 and truly present in the saints4 ,six of ,shem's sons then are first named1 then four grandsons born to one of these sons2 then it mentions another son of ,shem1 who begat a grandson2 and his son1 again1 or ,shem's great-grandson1 was ,heber4 ,and ,heber begat two sons1 and called the one ,peleg1 which means dividing2 and ,scripture subjoins the reason of this name1 saying1 for in his days was the earth divided4 ,what this means will afterwards appear4 ,heber's other son begat twelve sons2 consequently all ,shem's descendants are twenty-seven4 ,the total number of the progeny of the three sons of ,noah is seventy-three1 fifteen by ,japheth1 thirty-one by ,ham1 twenty-seven by ,shem4 ,then ,scripture adds1 ,these are the sons of ,shem1 after their families1 after their tongues1 in their lands1 after their nations4 ,and so of the whole number3 ,these are the families of the sons of ,noah after their generations1 in their nations2 and by these were the isles of the nations dispersed through the earth after the flood4 ,from which we gather that the seventy-three 7or rather1 as ,i shall presently show1 seventy-two7 were not individuals1 but nations4 ,for in a former passage1 when the sons of ,japheth were enumerated1 it is said in conclusion1 ,by these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands1 every one after his language1 in their tribes1 and in their nations4 ,but nations are expressly mentioned among the sons of ,ham1 as ,i showed above4 ,mizraim begat those who are called ,ludim2 and so also of the other seven nations4 ,and after enumerating all of them1 it concludes1 ,these are the sons of ,ham1 in their families1 according to their languages1 in their territories1 and in their nations4 ,the reason1 then1 why the children of several of them are not mentioned1 is that they belonged by birth to other nations1 and did not themselves become nations4 ,why else is it1 that though eight sons are reckoned to ,japheth1 the sons of only two of these are mentioned2 and though four are reckoned to ,ham1 only three are spoken of as having sons2 and though six are reckoned to ,shem1 the descendants of only two of these are traced8 ,did the rest remain childless8 ,we cannot suppose so2 but they did not produce nations so great as to warrant their being mentioned1 but were absorbed in the nations to which they belonged by birth4 #d4 ,of the diversity of languages1 and of the founding of ,babylon4 ,but though these nations are said to have been dispersed according to their languages1 yet the narrator recurs to that time when all had but one language1 and explains how it came to pass that a diversity of languages was introduced4 ,the whole earth1 he says1 was of one lip1 and all had one speech4 ,and it came to pass1 as they journeyed from the east1 that they found a plain in the land of ,shinar1 and dwelt there4 ,and they said one to another1 ,come1 and let us make bricks1 and burn them thoroughly4 ,and they had bricks for stone1 and slime for mortar4 ,and they said1 ,come1 and let us build for ourselves a city1 and a tower whose top shall reach the sky2 and let us make us a name1 before we be scattered abroad on the face of all the earth4 ,and the ,lord came down to see the city and the tower1 which the children1 of men builded4 ,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,behold1 the people is one1 and they have all one language2 and this they begin to do3 and now nothing will be restrained from them1 which they have imagined to do4 ,come1 and let us go down1 and confound there their language1 that they may not understand one another's speech4 ,and ,god scattered them thence on the face of all the earth3 and they left off to build the city and the tower4 ,therefore the name of it is called ,confusion2 because the ,lord did there confound the language of all the earth3 and the ,lord ,god scattered them thence on the face of all the earth4#bcf ,this city1 which was called ,confusion1 is the same as ,babylon1 whose wonderful construction ,gentile history also notices4 ,for ,babylon means ,confusion4 ,whence we conclude that the giant ,nimrod was its founder1 as had been hinted a little before1 where ,scripture1 in speaking of him1 says that the beginning of his kingdom was ,babylon1 that is1 ,babylon had a supremacy over the other cities as the metropolis and royal residence2 although it did not rise to the grand dimensions designed by its proud and impious founder4 ,the plan was to make it so high that it should reach the sky1 whether this was meant of one tower which they intended to build higher than the others1 or of all the towers1 which might be signified by the singular number1 as we speak of the soldier1 meaning the army1 and of the frog or the locust1 when we refer to the whole multitude of frogs and locusts in the plagues with which ,moses smote the ,egyptians4#bcg ,but what did these vain and presumptuous men intend8 ,how did they expect to raise this lofty mass against ,god1 when they had built it above all the mountains and the clouds of the earth's atmosphere8 ,what injury could any spiritual or material elevation do to ,god8 ,the safe and true way to heaven is made by humility1 which lifts up the heart to the ,lord1 not against ,him2 as this giant is said to have been a hunter against the ,lord4 ,this has been misunderstood by some through the ambiguity of the ,greek word1 and they have translated it1 not against the ,lord1 but before the ,lord2 for means both before and against4 ,in the ,psalm this word is rendered1 ,let us weep before the ,lord our ,maker4#bch ,the same word occurs in the book of ,job1 where it is written1 ,thou hast broken into fury against the ,lord4#bci ,and so this giant is to be recognised as a hunter against the ,lord4 ,and what is meant by the term hunter but deceiver1 oppressor1 and destroyer of the animals of the earth8 ,he and his people1 therefore1 erected this tower against the ,lord1 and so gave expression to their impious pride2 and justly was their wicked intention punished by ,god1 even though it was unsuccessful4 ,but what was the nature of the punishment8 ,as the tongue is the instrument of domination1 in it pride was punished2 so that man1 who would not understand ,god when ,he issued ,his commands1 should be misunderstood when he himself gave orders4 ,thus was that conspiracy disbanded1 for each man retired from those he could not understand1 and associated with those whose speech was intelligible2 and the nations were divided according to their languages1 and scattered over the earth as seemed good to ,god1 who accomplished this in ways hidden from and incomprehensible to us4 #e4 ,of ,god's coming down to confound the languages of the builders of the city4 ,we read1 ,the ,lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men built3 it was not the sons of ,god1 but that society which lived in a merely human way1 and which we call the earthly city4 ,god1 who is always wholly everywhere1 does not move locally2 but ,he is said to descend when ,he does anything in the earth out of the usual course1 which1 as it were1 makes ,his presence felt4 ,and in the same way1 ,he does not by seeing learn some new thing1 for ,he cannot ever be ignorant of anything2 but ,he is said to see and recognise1 in time1 that which ,he causes others to see and recognise4 ,and therefore that city was not previously being seen as ,god made it be seen when ,he showed how offensive it was to ,him4 ,we might1 indeed1 interpret ,god's descending to the city of the descent of ,his angels in whom ,he dwells2 so that the following words1 ,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,behold1 they are all one race and of one language1 and also what follows1 ,come1 and let us go down and confound their speech1 are a recapitulation1 explaining how the previously intimated descent of the ,lord was accomplished4 ,for if ,he had already gone down1 why does ,he say1 ,come1 and let us go down and confound8--words which seem to be addressed to the angels1 and to intimate that ,he who was in the angels descended in their descent4 ,and the words most appropriately are1 not1 ,go ye down and confound1 but1 ,let us confound their speech2 showing that ,he so works by ,his servants1 that they are themselves also fellow-labourers with ,god1 as the apostle says1 ,for we are fellow-labourers with ,god4#bdj #f4 ,what we are to understand by ,god's speaking to the angels4 ,we might have supposed that the words uttered at the creation of man1 ,let us1 and not ,let me1 make man1 were addressed to the angels1 had ,he not added in our image2 but as we cannot believe that man was made in the image of angels1 or that the image of ,god is the same as that of angels1 it is proper to refer this expression to the plurality of the ,trinity4 ,and yet this ,trinity1 being one ,god1 even after saying ,let us make1 goes on to say1 ,and ,god made man in ,his image1#bda and not ,gods made1 or in their image4 ,and were there any difficulty in applying to the angels the words1 ,come1 and let us go down and confound their speech1 we might refer the plural to the ,trinity1 as if the ,father were addressing the ,son and the ,holy ,spirit2 but it rather belongs to the angels to approach ,god by holy movements1 that is1 by pious thoughts1 and thereby to avail themselves of the unchangeable truth which rules in the court of heaven as their eternal law4 ,for they are not themselves the truth2 but partaking in the creative truth1 they are moved towards it as the fountain of life1 that what they have not in themselves they may obtain in it4 ,and this movement of theirs is steady1 for they never go back from what they have reached4 ,and to these angels ,god does not speak1 as we speak to one another1 or to ,god1 or to angels1 or as the angels speak to us1 or as ,god speaks to us through them3 ,he speaks to them in an ineffable manner of ,his own1 and that which ,he says is conveyed to us in a manner suited to our capacity4 ,for the speaking of ,god antecedent and superior to all ,his works1 is the immutable reason of ,his work3 it has no noisy and passing sound1 but an energy eternally abiding and producing results in time4 ,thus ,he speaks to the holy angels2 but to us1 who are far off1 ,he speaks otherwise4 ,when1 however1 we hear with the inner ear some part of the speech of ,god1 we approximate to the angels4 ,but in this work ,i need not labour to give an account of the ways in which ,god speaks4 ,for either the unchangeable ,truth speaks directly to the mind of the rational creature in some indescribable way1 or speaks through the changeable creature1 either presenting spiritual images to our spirit1 or bodily voices to our bodily sense4 ,the words1 ,nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do1#bdb are assuredly not meant as an affirmation1 but as an interrogation1 such as is used by persons threatening1 as1 e4g41 when ,dido exclaims1 ,they will not take arms and pursue8#bdc ,we are to understand the words as if it had been said1 ,shall nothing be restrained from them which they have imagined to do8#bdd ,from these three men1 therefore1 the three sons of ,noah we mean1 #gc1 or rather1 as the catalogue will show1 #gb nations and as many languages were dispersed over the earth1 and as they increased filled even the islands4 ,but the nations multiplied much more than the languages4 ,for even in ,africa we know several barbarous nations which have but one language2 and who can doubt that1 as the human race increased1 men contrived to pass to the islands in ships8 #g4 ,whether even the remotest islands received their ,,fauna from the animals which were preserved1 through the deluge1 in the ark4 ,there is a question raised about all those kinds of beasts which are not domesticated1 nor are produced like frogs from the earth1 but are propagated by male and female parents1 such as wolves and animals of that kind2 and it is asked how they could be found in the islands after the deluge1 in which all the animals not in the ark perished1 unless the breed was restored from those which were preserved in pairs in the ark4 ,it might1 indeed1 be said that they crossed to the islands by swimming1 but this could only be true of those very near the mainland2 whereas there are some so distant1 that we fancy no animal could swim to them4 ,but if men caught them and took them across with themselves1 and thus propagated these breeds in their new abodes1 this would not imply an incredible fondness for the chase4 ,at the same time1 it cannot be denied that by the intervention of angels they might be transferred by ,god's order or permission4 ,if1 however1 they were produced out of the earth as at their first creation1 when ,god said1 ,let the earth bring forth the living creature1#bde this makes it more evident that all kinds of animals were preserved in the ark1 not so much for the sake of renewing the stock1 as of prefiguring the various nations which were to be saved in the church2 this1 ,i say1 is more evident1 if the earth brought forth many animals in islands to which they could not cross over4 #h4 ,whether certain monstrous races of men are derived from the stock of ,adam or ,noah's sons4 ,it is also asked whether we are to believe that certain monstrous races of men1 spoken of in secular history1#bdf have sprung from ,noah's sons1 or rather1 ,i should say1 from that one man from whom they themselves were descended4 ,for it is reported that some have one eye in the middle of the forehead2 some1 feet turned backwards from the heel2 some1 a double sex1 the right breast like a man1 the left like a woman1 and that they alternately beget and bring forth3 others are said to have no mouth1 and to breathe only through the nostrils2 others are but a cubit high1 and are therefore called by the ,greeks ,pigmies3#bdg they say that in some places the women conceive in their fifth year1 and do not live beyond their eighth4 ,so1 too1 they tell of a race who have two feet but only one leg1 and are of marvellous swiftness1 though they do not bend the knee3 they are called ,skiopodes1 because in the hot weather they lie down on their backs and shade themselves with their feet4 ,others are said to have no head1 and their eyes in their shoulders2 and other human or quasi-human races are depicted in mosaic in the harbour esplanade of ,carthage1 on the faith of histories of rarities4 ,what shall ,i say of the ,cynocephali1 whose dog-like head and barking proclaim them beasts rather than men8 ,but we are not bound to believe all we hear of these monstrosities4 ,but whoever is anywhere born a man1 that is1 a rational mortal animal1 no matter what unusual appearance he presents in colour1 movement1 sound1 nor how peculiar he is in some power1 part1 or quality of his nature1 no ,christian can doubt that he springs from that one protoplast4 ,we can distinguish the common human nature from that which is peculiar1 and therefore wonderful4 ,the same account which is given of monstrous births in individual cases can be given of monstrous races4 ,for ,god1 the ,creator of all1 knows where and when each thing ought to be1 or to have been created1 because ,he sees the similarities and diversities which can contribute to the beauty of the whole4 ,but he who cannot see the whole is offended by the deformity of the part1 because he is blind to that which balances it1 and to which it belongs4 ,we know that men are born with more than four fingers on their hands or toes on their feet3 this is a smaller matter2 but far from us be the folly of supposing that the ,creator mistook the number of a man's fingers1 though we cannot account for the difference4 ,and so in cases where the divergence from the rule is greater4 ,he whose works no man justly finds fault with1 knows what ,he has done4 ,at ,hippo-,diarrhytus there is a man whose hands are crescent-shaped1 and have only two fingers each1 and his feet similarly formed4 ,if there were a race like him1 it would be added to the history of the curious and wonderful4 ,shall we therefore deny that this man is descended from that one man who was first created8 ,as for the ,androgyni1 or ,hermaphrodites1 as they are called1 though they are rare1 yet from time to time there appear persons of sex so doubtful1 that it remains uncertain from which sex they take their name2 though it is customary to give them a masculine name1 as the more worthy4 ,for no one ever called them ,hermaphroditesses4 ,some years ago1 quite within my own memory1 a man was born in the ,east1 double in his upper1 but single in his lower half--having two heads1 two chests1 four hands1 but one body and two feet like an ordinary man2 and he lived so long that many had an opportunity of seeing him4 ,but who could enumerate all the human births that have differed widely from their ascertained parents8 ,as1 therefore1 no one will deny that these are all descended from that one man1 so all the races which are reported to have diverged in bodily appearance from the usual course which nature generally or almost universally preserves1 if they are embraced in that definition of man as rational and mortal animals1 unquestionably trace their pedigree to that one first father of all4 ,we are supposing these stories about various races who differ from one another and from us to be true2 but possibly they are not3 for if we were not aware that apes1 and monkeys1 and sphinxes are not men1 but beasts1 those historians would possibly describe them as races of men1 and flaunt with impunity their false and vainglorious discoveries4 ,but supposing they are men of whom these marvels are recorded1 what if ,god has seen fit to create some races in this way1 that we might not suppose that the monstrous births which appear among ourselves are the failures of that wisdom whereby ,he fashions the human nature1 as we speak of the failure of a less perfect workman8 ,accordingly1 it ought not to seem absurd to us1 that as in individual races there are monstrous births1 so in the whole race there are monstrous races4 ,wherefore1 to conclude this question cautiously and guardedly1 either these things which have been told of some races have no existence at all2 or if they do exist1 they are not human races2 or if they are human1 they are descended from ,adam4 #i4 ,whether we are to believe in the ,antipodes4 ,but as to the fable that there are ,antipodes1 that is to say1 men on the opposite side of the earth1 where the sun rises when it sets to us1 men who walk with their feet opposite ours1 that is on no ground credible4 ,and1 indeed1 it is not affirmed that this has been learned by historical knowledge1 but by scientific conjecture1 on the ground that the earth is suspended within the concavity of the sky1 and that it has as much room on the one side of it as on the other3 hence they say that the part which is beneath must also be inhabited4 ,but they do not remark that1 although it be supposed or scientifically demonstrated that the world is of a round and spherical form1 yet it does not follow that the other side of the earth is bare of water2 nor even1 though it be bare1 does it immediately follow that it is peopled4 ,for ,scripture1 which proves the truth of its historical statements by the accomplishment of its prophecies1 gives no false information2 and it is too absurd to say1 that some men might have taken ship and traversed the whole wide ocean1 and crossed from this side of the world to the other1 and that thus even the inhabitants of that distant region are descended from that one first man4 ,wherefore let us seek if we can find the city of ,god that sojourns on earth among those human races who are catalogued as having been divided into seventy-two nations and as many languages4 ,for it continued down to the deluge and the ark1 and is proved to have existed still among the sons of ,noah by their blessings1 and chiefly in the eldest son ,shem2 for ,japheth received this blessing1 that he should dwell in the tents of ,shem4 #aj4 ,of the genealogy of ,shem1 in whose line the city of ,god is preserved till the time of ,abraham4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 to preserve the series of generations descending from ,shem1 for the sake of exhibiting the city of ,god after the flood2 as before the flood it was exhibited in the series of generations descending from ,seth4 ,and therefore does divine ,scripture1 after exhibiting the earthly city as ,babylon or ,confusion1 revert to the patriarch ,shem1 and recapitulate the generations from him to ,abraham1 specifying besides1 the year in which each father begat the son that belonged to this line1 and how long he lived4 ,and unquestionably it is this which fulfils the promise ,i made1 that it should appear why it is said of the sons of ,heber1 ,the name of the one was ,peleg1 for in his days the earth was divided4#bdh ,for what can we understand by the division of the earth1 if not the diversity of languages8 ,and1 therefore1 omitting the other sons of ,shem1 who are not concerned in this matter1 ,scripture gives the genealogy of those by whom the line runs on to ,abraham1 as before the flood those are given who carried on the line to ,noah from ,seth4 ,accordingly this series of generations begins thus3 ,these are the generations of ,shem3 ,shem was an hundred years old1 and begat ,arphaxad two years after the flood4 ,and ,shem lived after he begat ,arphaxad five hundred years1 and begat sons and daughters4 ,in like manner it registers the rest1 naming the year of his life in which each begat the son who belonged to that line which extends to ,abraham4 ,it specifies1 too1 how many years he lived thereafter1 begetting sons and daughters1 that we may not childishly suppose that the men named were the only men1 but may understand how the population increased1 and how regions and kingdoms so vast could be populated by the descendants of ,shem2 especially the kingdom of ,assyria1 from which ,ninus subdued the surrounding nations1 reigning with brilliant prosperity1 and bequeathing to his descendants a vast but thoroughly consolidated empire1 which held together for many centuries4 ,but to avoid needless prolixity1 we shall mention not the number of years each member of this series lived1 but only the year of his life in which he begat his heir1 that we may thus reckon the number of years from the flood to ,abraham1 and may at the same time leave room to touch briefly and cursorily upon some other matters necessary to our argument4 ,in the second year1 then1 after the flood1 ,shem when he was a hundred years old begat ,arphaxad2 ,arphaxad when he was #ace years old begat ,cainan2 ,cainan when he was #acj years begat ,salah4 ,salah himself1 too1 was the same age when he begat ,eber4 ,eber lived #acd years1 and begat ,peleg1 in whose days the earth was divided4 ,peleg himself lived #acj years1 and begat ,reu2 and ,reu lived #acb years1 and begat ,serug2 ,serug #acj1 and begat ,nahor2 and ,nahor #gi1 and begat ,terah2 and ,terah #gj1 and begat ,abram1 whose name ,god afterwards changed into ,abraham4 ,there are thus from the flood to ,abraham #ajgb years1 according to the ,vulgate or ,septuagint versions4 ,in the ,hebrew copies far fewer years are given2 and for this either no reason or a not very credible one is given4 ,when1 therefore1 we look for the city of ,god in these seventy-two nations1 we cannot affirm that while they had but one lip1 that is1 one language1 the human race had departed from the worship of the true ,god1 and that genuine godliness had survived only in those generations which descend from ,shem through ,arphaxad and reach to ,abraham2 but from the time when they proudly built a tower to heaven1 a symbol of godless exaltation1 the city or society of the wicked becomes apparent4 ,whether it was only disguised before1 or non-existent2 whether both cities remained after the flood1--the godly in the two sons of ,noah who were blessed1 and in their posterity1 and the ungodly in the cursed son and his descendants1 from whom sprang that mighty hunter against the ,lord1--is not easily determined4 ,for possibly--and certainly this is more credible--there were despisers of ,god among the descendants of the two sons1 even before ,babylon was founded1 and worshippers of ,god among the descendants of ,ham4 ,certainly neither race was ever obliterated from earth4 ,for in both the ,psalms in which it is said1 ,they are all gone aside1 they are altogether become filthy2 there is none that doeth good1 no1 not one1 we read further1 ,have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge8 who eat up my people as they eat bread1 and call not upon the ,lord4#bdi ,there was then a people of ,god even at that time4 ,and therefore the words1 ,there is none that doeth good1 no1 not one1 were said of the sons of men1 not of the sons of ,god4 ,for it had been previously said1 ,god looked down from heaven upon the sons of men1 to see if any understood and sought after ,god2 and then follow the words which demonstrate that all the sons of men1 that is1 all who belong to the city which lives according to man1 not according to ,god1 are reprobate4 #aa4 ,that the original language in use among men was that which was afterwards called ,hebrew1 from ,heber1 in whose family it was preserved when the confusion of tongues occurred4 ,wherefore1 as the fact of all using one language did not secure the absence of sin-infected men from the race1--for even before the deluge there was one language1 and yet all but the single family of just ,noah were found worthy of destruction by the flood1--so when the nations1 by a prouder godlessness1 earned the punishment of the dispersion and the confusion of tongues1 and the city of the godless was called ,confusion or ,babylon1 there was still the house of ,heber in which the primitive language of the race survived4 ,and therefore1 as ,i have already mentioned1 when an enumeration is made of the sons of ,shem1 who each founded a nation1 ,heber is first mentioned1 although he was of the fifth generation from ,shem4 ,and because1 when the other races were divided by their own peculiar languages1 his family preserved that language which is not unreasonably believed to have been the common language of the race1 it was on this account thenceforth named ,hebrew4 ,for it then became necessary to distinguish this language from the rest by a proper name2 though1 while there was only one1 it had no other name than the language of man1 or human speech1 it alone being spoken by the whole human race4 ,some one will say3 ,if the earth was divided by languages in the days of ,peleg1 ,heber's son1 that language1 which was formerly common to all1 should rather have been called after ,peleg4 ,but we are to understand that ,heber himself gave to his son this name ,peleg1 which means ,division2 because he was born when the earth was divided1 that is1 at the very time of the division1 and that this is the meaning of the words1 ,in his days the earth was divided4#bej ,for unless ,heber had been still alive when the languages were multiplied1 the language which was preserved in his house would not have been called after him4 ,we are induced to believe that this was the primitive and common language1 because the multiplication and change of languages was introduced as a punishment1 and it is fit to ascribe to the people of ,god an immunity from this punishment4 ,nor is it without significance that this is the language which ,abraham retained1 and that he could not transmit it to all his descendants1 but only to those of ,jacob's line1 who distinctively and eminently constituted ,god's people1 and received ,his covenants1 and were ,christ's progenitors according to the flesh4 ,in the same way1 ,heber himself did not transmit that language to all his posterity1 but only to the line from which ,abraham sprang4 ,and thus1 although it is not expressly stated1 that when the wicked were building ,babylon there was a godly seed remaining1 this indistinctness is intended to stimulate research rather than to elude it4 ,for when we see that originally there was one common language1 and that ,heber is mentioned before all ,shem's sons1 though he belonged to the fifth generation from him1 and that the language which the patriarchs and prophets used1 not only in their conversation1 but in the authoritative language of ,scripture1 is called ,hebrew1 when we are asked where that primitive and common language was preserved after the confusion of tongues1 certainly1 as there can be no doubt that those among whom it was preserved were exempt from the punishment it embodied1 what other suggestion can we make1 than that it survived in the family of him whose name it took1 and that this is no small proof of the righteousness of this family1 that the punishment with which the other families were visited did not fall upon it8 ,but yet another question is mooted3 ,how did ,heber and his son ,peleg each found a nation1 if they had but one language8 ,for no doubt the ,hebrew nation propagated from ,heber through ,abraham1 and becoming through him a great people1 is one nation4 ,how1 then1 are all the sons of the three branches of ,noah's family enumerated as founding a nation each1 if ,heber and ,peleg did not so8 ,it is very probable that the giant ,nimrod founded also his nation1 and that ,scripture has named him separately on account of the extraordinary dimensions of his empire and of his body1 so that the number of seventy-two nations remains4 ,but ,peleg was mentioned1 not because he founded a nation 7for his race and language are ,hebrew71 but on account of the critical time at which he was born1 all the earth being then divided4 ,nor ought we to be surprised that the giant ,nimrod lived to the time in which ,babylon was founded and the confusion of tongues occurred1 and the consequent division of the earth4 ,for though ,heber was in the sixth generation from ,noah1 and ,nimrod in the fourth1 it does not follow that they could not be alive at the same time4 ,for when the generations are few1 they live longer and are born later2 but when they are many1 they live a shorter time1 and come into the world earlier4 ,we are to understand that1 when the earth was divided1 the descendants of ,noah who are registered as founders of nations were not only already born1 but were of an age to have immense families1 worthy to be called tribes or nations4 ,and therefore we must by no means suppose that they were born in the order in which they were set down2 otherwise1 how could the twelve sons of ,joktan1 another son of ,heber's1 and brother of ,peleg1 have already founded nations1 if ,joktan was born1 as he is registered1 after his brother ,peleg1 since the earth was divided at ,peleg's birth8 ,we are therefore to understand that1 though ,peleg is named first1 he was born long after ,joktan1 whose twelve sons had already families so large as to admit of their being divided by different languages4 ,there is nothing extraordinary in the last born being first named3 of the sons of ,noah1 the descendants of ,japheth are first named2 then the sons of ,ham1 who was the second son2 and last the sons of ,shem1 who was the first and oldest4 ,of these nations the names have partly survived1 so that at this day we can see from whom they have sprung1 as the ,assyrians from ,assur1 the ,hebrews from ,heber1 but partly have been altered in the lapse of time1 so that the most learned men1 by profound research in ancient records1 have scarcely been able to discover the origin1 ,i do not say of all1 but of some of these nations4 ,there is1 for example1 nothing in the name ,egyptians to show that they are descended from ,misraim1 ,ham's son1 nor in the name ,ethiopians to show a connection with ,cush1 though such is said to be the origin of these nations4 ,and if we take a general survey of the names1 we shall find that more have been changed than have remained the same4 #ab4 ,of the era in ,abraham's life from which a new period in the holy succession begins4 ,let us now survey the progress of the city of ,god from the era of the patriarch ,abraham1 from whose time it begins to be more conspicuous1 and the divine promises which are now fulfilled in ,christ are more fully revealed4 ,we learn1 then1 from the intimations of holy ,scripture1 that ,abraham was born in the country of the ,chaldeans1 a land belonging to the ,assyrian empire4 ,now1 even at that time impious superstitions were rife with the ,chaldeans1 as with other nations4 ,the family of ,terah1 to which ,abraham belonged1 was the only one in which the worship of the true ,god survived1 and the only one1 we may suppose1 in which the ,hebrew language was preserved2 although ,joshua the son of ,nun tells us that even this family served other gods in ,mesopotamia4#bea ,the other descendants of ,heber gradually became absorbed in other races and other languages4 ,and thus1 as the single family of ,noah was preserved through the deluge of water to renew the human race1 so1 in the deluge of superstition that flooded the whole world1 there remained but the one family of ,terah in which the seed of ,god's city was preserved4 ,and as1 when ,scripture has enumerated the generations prior to ,noah1 with their ages1 and explained the cause of the flood before ,god began to speak to ,noah about the building of the ark1 it is said1 ,these are the generations of ,noah2 so also now1 after enumerating the generations from ,shem1 ,noah's son1 down to ,abraham1 it then signalizes an era by saying1 ,these are the generations of ,terah3 ,terah begat ,abram1 ,nahor1 and ,haran2 and ,haran begat ,lot4 ,and ,haran died before his father ,terah in the land of his nativity1 in ,ur of the ,chaldees4 ,and ,abram and ,nahor took them wives3 the name of ,abram's wife was ,sarai2 and the name of ,nahor's wife ,milcah1 the daughter of ,haran1 the father of ,milcah1 and the father of ,iscah4#beb ,this ,iscah is supposed to be the same as ,sarah1 ,abraham's wife4 #ac4 ,why1 in the account of ,terah's emigration1 on his forsaking the ,chaldeans and passing over into ,mesopotamia1 no mention is made of his son ,nahor4 ,next it is related how ,terah with his family left the region of the ,chaldeans and came into ,mesopotamia1 and dwelt in ,haran4 ,but nothing is said about one of his sons called ,nahor1 as if he had not taken him along with him4 ,for the narrative runs thus3 ,and ,terah took ,abram his son1 and ,lot the son of ,haran1 his son's son1 and ,sarah his daughter-in-law1 his son ,abram's wife1 and led them forth out of the region of the ,chaldeans to go into the land of ,canaan2 and he came into ,haran1 and dwelt there4#bec ,nahor and ,milcah his wife are nowhere named here4 ,but afterwards1 when ,abraham sent his servant to take a wife for his son ,isaac1 we find it thus written3 ,and the servant took ten camels of the camels of his lord1 and of all the goods of his lord1 with him2 and arose1 and went into ,mesopotamia1 into the city of ,nahor4#bed ,this and other testimonies of this sacred history show that ,nahor1 ,abraham's brother1 had also left the region of the ,chaldeans1 and fixed his abode in ,mesopotamia1 where ,abraham dwelt with his father4 ,why1 then1 did the ,scripture not mention him1 when ,terah with his family went forth out of the ,chaldean nation and dwelt in ,haran1 since it mentions that he took with him not only ,abraham his son1 but also ,sarah his daughter-in-law1 and ,lot his grandson8 ,the only reason we can think of is1 that perhaps he had lapsed from the piety of his father and brother1 and adhered to the superstition of the ,chaldeans1 and had afterwards emigrated thence1 either through penitence1 or because he was persecuted as a suspected person4 ,for in the book called ,judith1 when ,holofernes1 the enemy of the ,israelites1 inquired what kind of nation that might be1 and whether war should be made against them1 ,achior1 the leader of the ,ammonites1 answered him thus3 ,let our lord now hear a word from the mouth of thy servant1 and ,i will declare unto thee the truth concerning the people which dwelleth near thee in this hill country1 and there shall no lie come out of the mouth of thy servant4 ,for this people is descended from the ,chaldeans1 and they dwelt heretofore in ,mesopotamia1 because they would not follow the gods of their fathers1 which were glorious in the land of the ,chaldeans1 but went out of the way of their ancestors1 and adored the ,god of heaven1 whom they knew2 and they cast them out from the face of their gods1 and they fled into ,mesopotamia1 and dwelt there many days4 ,and their ,god said to them1 that they should depart from their habitation1 and go into the land of ,canaan2 and they dwelt1#bee etc41 as ,achior the ,ammonite narrates4 ,whence it is manifest that the house of ,terah had suffered persecution from the ,chaldeans for the true piety with which they worshipped the one and true ,god4 #ad4 ,of the years of ,terah1 who completed his lifetime in ,haran4 ,on ,terah's death in ,mesopotamia1 where he is said to have lived #bje years1 the promises of ,god made to ,abraham now begin to be pointed out2 for thus it is written3 ,and the days of ,terah in ,haran were two hundred and five years1 and he died in ,haran4#bef ,this is not to be taken as if he had spent all his days there1 but that he there completed the days of his life1 which were two hundred and five years3 otherwise it would not be known how many years ,terah lived1 since it is not said in what year of his life he came into ,haran2 and it is absurd to suppose that1 in this series of generations1 where it is carefully recorded how many years each one lived1 his age was the only one not put on record4 ,for although some whom the same ,scripture mentions have not their age recorded1 they are not in this series1 in which the reckoning of time is continuously indicated by the death of the parents and the succession of the children4 ,for this series1 which is given in order from ,adam to ,noah1 and from him down to ,abraham1 contains no one without the number of the years of his life4 #ae4 ,of the time of the migration of ,abraham1 when1 according to the commandment of ,god1 he went out from ,haran4 ,when1 after the record of the death of ,terah1 the father of ,abraham1 we next read1 ,and the ,lord said to ,abram1 ,get thee out of thy country1 and from thy kindred1 and from thy father's house1#beg etc41 it is not to be supposed1 because this follows in the order of the narrative1 that it also followed in the chronological order of events4 ,for if it were so1 there would be an insoluble difficulty4 ,for after these words of ,god which were spoken to ,abraham1 the ,scripture says3 ,and ,abram departed1 as the ,lord had spoken unto him2 and ,lot went with him4 ,now ,abraham was seventy-five years old when he departed out of ,haran4#beh ,how can this be true if he departed from ,haran after his father's death8 ,for when ,terah was seventy years old1 as is intimated above1 he begat ,abraham2 and if to this number we add the seventy-five years which ,abraham reckoned when he went out of ,haran1 we get #ade years4 ,therefore that was the number of the years of ,terah1 when ,abraham departed out of that city of ,mesopotamia2 for he had reached the seventy-fifth year of his life1 and thus his father1 who begat him in the seventieth year of his life1 had reached1 as was said1 his #adeth4 ,therefore he did not depart thence after his father's death1 that is1 after the #bje years his father lived2 but the year of his departure from that place1 seeing it was his seventy-fifth1 is inferred beyond a doubt to have been the #adeth of his father1 who begat him in his seventieth year4 ,and thus it is to be understood that the ,scripture1 according to its custom1 has gone back to the time which had already been passed by the narrative2 just as above1 when it had mentioned the grandsons of ,noah1 it said that they were in their nations and tongues2 and yet afterwards1 as if this also had followed in order of time1 it says1 ,and the whole earth was of one lip1 and one speech for all4#bei ,how1 then1 could they be said to be in their own nations and according to their own tongues1 if there was one for all2 except because the narrative goes back to gather up what it had passed over8 ,here1 too1 in the same way1 after saying1 ,and the days of ,terah in ,haran were #bje years1 and ,terah died in ,haran1 the ,scripture1 going back to what had been passed over in order to complete what had been begun about ,terah1 says1 ,and the ,lord said to ,abram1 ,get thee out of thy country1#bfj etc4 ,after which words of ,god it is added1 ,and ,abram departed1 as the ,lord spake unto him2 and ,lot went with him4 ,but ,abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of ,haran4 ,therefore it was done when his father was in the #adeth year of his age2 for it was then the seventy-fifth of his own4 ,but this question is also solved in another way1 that the seventy-five years of ,abraham when he departed out of ,haran are reckoned from the year in which he was delivered from the fire of the ,chaldeans1 not from that of his birth1 as if he was rather to be held as having been born then4 ,now the blessed ,stephen1 in narrating these things in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 says3 ,the ,god of glory appeared unto our father ,abraham1 when he was in ,mesopotamia1 before he dwelt in ,charran1 and said unto him1 ,get thee out of thy country1 and from thy kindred1 and from thy father's house1 and come into the land which ,i will show thee4#bfa ,according to these words of ,stephen1 ,god spoke to ,abraham1 not after the death of his father1 who certainly died in ,haran1 where his son also dwelt with him1 but before he dwelt in that city1 although he was already in ,mesopotamia4 ,therefore he had already departed from the ,chaldeans4 ,so that when ,stephen adds1 ,then ,abraham went out of the land of the ,chaldeans1 and dwelt in ,charran1#bfb this does not point out what took place after ,god spoke to him 7for it was not after these words of ,god that he went out of the land of the ,chaldeans1 since he says that ,god spoke to him in ,mesopotamia71 but the word then which he uses refers to that whole period from his going out of the land of the ,chaldeans and dwelling in ,haran4 ,likewise in what follows1 ,and thenceforth1 when his father was dead1 he settled him in this land1 wherein ye now dwell1 and your fathers1 he does not say1 after his father was dead he went out from ,haran2 but thenceforth he settled him here1 after his father was dead4 ,it is to be understood1 therefore1 that ,god had spoken to ,abraham when he was in ,mesopotamia1 before he dwelt in ,haran2 but that he came to ,haran with his father1 keeping in mind the precept of ,god1 and that he went out thence in his own seventy-fifth year1 which was his father's #adeth4 ,but he says that his settlement in the land of ,canaan1 not his going forth from ,haran1 took place after his father's death2 because his father was already dead when he purchased the land1 and personally entered on possession of it4 ,but when1 on his having already settled in ,mesopotamia1 that is1 already gone out of the land of the ,chaldeans1 ,god says1 ,get thee out of thy country1 and from thy kindred1 and from thy father's house1#bfc this means1 not that he should cast out his body from thence1 for he had already done that1 but that he should tear away his soul4 ,for he had not gone out from thence in mind1 if he was held by the hope and desire of returning1--a hope and desire which was to be cut off by ,god's command and help1 and by his own obedience4 ,it would indeed be no incredible supposition that afterwards1 when ,nahor followed his father1 ,abraham then fulfilled the precept of the ,lord1 that he should depart out of ,haran with ,sarah his wife and ,lot his brother's son4 #af4 ,of the order and nature of the promises of ,god which were made to ,abraham4 ,god's promises made to ,abraham are now to be considered2 for in these the oracles of our ,god1#bfd that is1 of the true ,god1 began to appear more openly concerning the godly people1 whom prophetic authority foretold4 ,the first of these reads thus3 ,and the ,lord said unto ,abram1 ,get thee out of thy country1 and from thy kindred1 and from thy father's house1 and go into a land that ,i will show thee3 and ,i will make of thee a great nation1 and ,i will bless thee1 and magnify thy name2 and thou shalt be blessed3 and ,i will bless them that bless thee1 and curse them that curse thee3 and in thee shall all tribes of the earth be blessed4#bfe ,now it is to be observed that two things are promised to ,abraham1 the one1 that his seed should possess the land of ,canaan1 which is intimated when it is said1 ,go into a land that ,i will show thee1 and ,i will make of thee a great nation2 but the other far more excellent1 not about the carnal but the spiritual seed1 through which he is the father1 not of the one ,israelite nation1 but of all nations who follow the footprints of his faith1 which was first promised in these words1 ,and in thee shall all tribes of the earth be blessed4 ,eusebius thought this promise was made in ,abraham's seventy-fifth year1 as if soon after it was made ,abraham had departed out of ,haran2 because the ,scripture cannot be contradicted1 in which we read1 ,abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of ,haran4 ,but if this promise was made in that year1 then of course ,abraham was staying in ,haran with his father2 for he could not depart thence unless he had first dwelt there4 ,does this1 then1 contradict what ,stephen says1 ,the ,god of glory appeared to our father ,abraham1 when he was in ,mesopotamia1 before he dwelt in ,charran8#bff ,but it is to be understood that the whole took place in the same year1--both the promise of ,god before ,abraham dwelt in ,haran1 and his dwelling in ,haran1 and his departure thence1--not only because ,eusebius in the ,chronicles reckons from the year of this promise1 and shows that after #dcj years the exodus from ,egypt took place1 when the law was given1 but because the ,apostle ,paul also mentions it4 #ag4 ,of the three most famous kingdoms of the nations1 of which one1 that is1 the ,assyrian1 was already very eminent when ,abraham was born4 ,during the same period there were three famous kingdoms of the nations1 in which the city of the earth-born1 that is1 the society of men living according to man under the domination of the fallen angels1 chiefly flourished1 namely1 the three kingdoms of ,sicyon1 ,egypt1 and ,assyria4 ,of these1 ,assyria was much the most powerful and sublime2 for that king ,ninus1 son of ,belus1 had subdued the people of all ,asia except ,india4 ,by ,asia ,i now mean not that part which is one province of this greater ,asia1 but what is called ,universal ,asia1 which some set down as the half1 but most as the third part of the whole world1--the three being ,asia1 ,europe1 and ,africa1 thereby making an unequal division4 ,for the part called ,asia stretches from the south through the east even to the north2 ,europe from the north even to the west2 and ,africa from the west even to the south4 ,thus we see that two1 ,europe and ,africa1 contain one half of the world1 and ,asia alone the other half4 ,and these two parts are made by the circumstance1 that there enters between them from the ocean all the ,mediterranean water1 which makes this great sea of ours4 ,so that1 if you divide the world into two parts1 the east and the west1 ,asia will be in the one1 and ,europe and ,africa in the other4 ,so that of the three kingdoms then famous1 one1 namely ,sicyon1 was not under the ,assyrians1 because it was in ,europe2 but as for ,egypt1 how could it fail to be subject to the empire which ruled all ,asia with the single exception of ,india8 ,in ,assyria1 therefore1 the dominion of the impious city had the pre-eminence4 ,its head was ,babylon1--an earth-born city1 most fitly named1 for it means confusion4 ,there ,ninus reigned after the death of his father ,belus1 who first had reigned there sixty-five years4 ,his son ,ninus1 who1 on his father's death1 succeeded to the kingdom1 reigned fifty-two years1 and had been king forty-three years when ,abraham was born1 which was about the #abjjth year before ,rome was founded1 as it were another ,babylon in the west4 #ah4 ,of the repeated address of ,god to ,abraham1 in which ,he promised the land of ,canaan to him and to his seed4 ,abraham1 then1 having departed out of ,haran in the seventy-fifth year of his own age1 and in the hundred and forty-fifth of his father's1 went with ,lot1 his brother's son1 and ,sarah his wife1 into the land of ,canaan1 and came even to ,sichem1 where again he received the divine oracle1 of which it is thus written3 ,and the ,lord appeared unto ,abram1 and said unto him1 ,unto thy seed will ,i give this land4#bfg ,nothing is promised here about that seed in which he is made the father of all nations1 but only about that by which he is the father of the one ,israelite nation2 for by this seed that land was possessed4 #ai4 ,of the divine preservation of ,sarah's chastity in ,egypt1 when ,abraham had called her not his wife but his sister4 ,having built an altar there1 and called upon ,god1 ,abraham proceeded thence and dwelt in the desert1 and was compelled by pressure of famine to go on into ,egypt4 ,there he called his wife his sister1 and told no lie4 ,for she was this also1 because she was near of blood2 just as ,lot1 on account of the same nearness1 being his brother's son1 is called his brother4 ,now he did not deny that she was his wife1 but held his peace about it1 committing to ,god the defence of his wife's chastity1 and providing as a man against human wiles2 because if he had not provided against the danger as much as he could1 he would have been tempting ,god rather than trusting in ,him4 ,we have said enough about this matter against the calumnies of ,faustus the ,manichan4 ,at last what ,abraham had expected the ,lord to do took place4 ,for ,pharaoh1 king of ,egypt1 who had taken her to him as his wife1 restored her to her husband on being severely plagued4 ,and far be it from us to believe that she was defiled by lying with another2 because it is much more credible that1 by these great afflictions1 ,pharaoh was not permitted to do this4 #bj4 ,of the parting of ,lot and ,abraham1 which they agreed to without breach of charity4 ,on ,abraham's return out of ,egypt to the place he had left1 ,lot1 his brother's son1 departed from him into the land of ,sodom1 without breach of charity4 ,for they had grown rich1 and began to have many herdmen of cattle1 and when these strove together1 they avoided in this way the pugnacious discord of their families4 ,indeed1 as human affairs go1 this cause might even have given rise to some strife between themselves4 ,consequently these are the words of ,abraham to ,lot1 when taking precaution against this evil1 ,let there be no strife between me and thee1 and between my herdmen and thy herdmen2 for we be brethren4 ,behold1 is not the whole land before thee8 ,separate thyself from me3 if thou wilt go to the left hand1 ,i will go to the right2 or if thou wilt go to the right hand1 ,i will go to the left4#bfh ,from this1 perhaps1 has arisen a pacific custom among men1 that when there is any partition of earthly things1 the greater should make the division1 the less the choice4 #ba4 ,of the third promise of ,god1 by which ,he assured the land of ,canaan to ,abraham and his seed in perpetuity4 ,now1 when ,abraham and ,lot had separated1 and dwelt apart1 owing to the necessity of supporting their families1 and not to vile discord1 and ,abraham was in the land of ,canaan1 but ,lot in ,sodom1 the ,lord said to ,abraham in a third oracle1 ,lift up thine eyes1 and look from the place where thou now art1 to the north1 and to ,africa1 and to the east1 and to the sea2 for all the land which thou seest1 to thee will ,i give it1 and to thy seed for ever4 ,and ,i will make thy seed as the dust of the earth3 if any one can number the dust of the earth1 thy seed shall also be numbered4 ,arise1 and walk through the land1 in the length of it1 and in the breadth of it2 for unto thee will ,i give it4#bfi ,it does not clearly appear whether in this promise that also is contained by which he is made the father of all nations4 ,for the clause1 ,and ,i will make thy seed as the dust of the earth1 may seem to refer to this1 being spoken by that figure the ,greeks call hyperbole1 which indeed is figurative1 not literal4 ,but no person of understanding can doubt in what manner the ,scripture uses this and other figures4 ,for that figure 7that is1 way of speaking7 is used when what is said is far larger than what is meant by it2 for who does not see how incomparably larger the number of the dust must be than that of all men can be from ,adam himself down to the end of the world8 ,how much greater1 then1 must it be than the seed of ,abraham1--not only that pertaining to the nation of ,israel1 but also that which is and shall be according to the imitation of faith in all nations of the whole wide world6 ,for that seed is indeed very small in comparison with the multitude of the wicked1 although even those few of themselves make an innumerable multitude1 which by a hyperbole is compared to the dust of the earth4 ,truly that multitude which was promised to ,abraham is not innumerable to ,god1 although to man2 but to ,god not even the dust of the earth is so4 ,further1 the promise here made may be understood not only of the nation of ,israel1 but of the whole seed of ,abraham1 which may be fitly compared to the dust for multitude1 because regarding it also there is the promise#bgj of many children1 not according to the flesh1 but according to the spirit4 ,but we have therefore said that this does not clearly appear1 because the multitude even of that one nation1 which was born according to the flesh of ,abraham through his grandson ,jacob1 has increased so much as to fill almost all parts of the world4 ,consequently1 even it might by hyperbole be compared to the dust for multitude1 because even it alone is innumerable by man4 ,certainly no one questions that only that land is meant which is called ,canaan4 ,but that saying1 ,to thee will ,i give it1 and to thy seed for ever1 may move some1 if by for ever they understand to eternity4 ,but if in this passage they take for ever thus1 as we firmly hold it means1 that the beginning of the world to come is to be ordered from the end of the present1 there is still no difficulty1 because1 although the ,israelites are expelled from ,jerusalem1 they still remain in other cities in the land of ,canaan1 and shall remain even to the end2 and when that whole land is inhabited by ,christians1 they also are the very seed of ,abraham4 #bb4 ,of ,abraham's overcoming the enemies of ,sodom1 when he delivered ,lot from captivity and was blessed by ,melchizedek the priest4 ,having received this oracle of promise1 ,abraham migrated1 and remained in another place of the same land1 that is1 beside the oak of ,mamre1 which was ,hebron4 ,then on the invasion of ,sodom1 when five kings carried on war against four1 and ,lot was taken captive with the conquered ,sodomites1 ,abraham delivered him from the enemy1 leading with him to battle three hundred and eighteen of his home-born servants1 and won the victory for the kings of ,sodom1 but would take nothing of the spoils when offered by the king for whom he had won them4 ,he was then openly blessed by ,melchizedek1 who was priest of ,god ,most ,high1 about whom many and great things are written in the epistle which is inscribed to the ,hebrews1 which most say is by the ,apostle ,paul1 though some deny this4 ,for then first appeared the sacrifice which is now offered to ,god by ,christians in the whole wide world1 and that is fulfilled which long after the event was said by the prophet to ,christ1 who was yet to come in the flesh1 ,thou art a priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek1#bga--that is to say1 not after the order of ,aaron1 for that order was to be taken away when the things shone forth which were intimated beforehand by these shadows4 #bc4 ,of the word of the ,lord to ,abraham1 by which it was promised to him that his posterity should be multiplied according to the multitude of the stars2 on believing which he was declared justified while yet in uncircumcision4 ,the word of the ,lord came to ,abraham in a vision also4 ,for when ,god promised him protection and exceeding great reward1 he1 being solicitous about posterity1 said that a certain ,eliezer of ,damascus1 born in his house1 would be his heir4 ,immediately he was promised an heir1 not that house-born servant1 but one who was to come forth of ,abraham himself2 and again a seed innumerable1 not as the dust of the earth1 but as the stars of heaven1--which rather seems to me a promise of a posterity exalted in celestial felicity4 ,for1 so far as multitude is concerned1 what are the stars of heaven to the dust of the earth1 unless one should say the comparison is like inasmuch as the stars also cannot be numbered8 ,for it is not to be believed that all of them can be seen4 ,for the more keenly one observes them1 the more does he see4 ,so that it is to be supposed some remain concealed from the keenest observers1 to say nothing of those stars which are said to rise and set in another part of the world most remote from us4 ,finally1 the authority of this book condemns those like ,aratus or ,eudoxus1 or any others who boast that they have found out and written down the complete number of the stars4 ,here1 indeed1 is set down that sentence which the apostle quotes in order to commend the grace of ,god1 ,abraham believed ,god1 and it was counted to him for righteousness2#bgb lest the circumcision should glory1 and be unwilling to receive the uncircumcised nations to the faith of ,christ4 ,for at the time when he believed1 and his faith was counted to him for righteousness1 ,abraham had not yet been circumcised4 #bd4 ,of the meaning of the sacrifice ,abraham was commanded to offer when he supplicated to be taught about those things he had believed4 ,in the same vision1 ,god in speaking to him also says1 ,i am ,god that brought thee out of the region of the ,chaldees1 to give thee this land to inherit it4#bgc ,and when ,abram asked whereby he might know that he should inherit it1 ,god said to him1 ,take me an heifer of three years old1 and a she-goat of three years old1 and a ram of three years old1 and a turtle-dove1 and a pigeon4 ,and he took unto him all these1 and divided them in the midst1 and laid each piece one against another2 but the birds divided he not4 ,and the fowls came down1 as it is written1 on the carcases1 and ,abram sat down by them4 ,but about the going down of the sun1 great fear fell upon ,abram2 and1 lo1 an horror of great darkness fell upon him4 ,and ,he said unto ,abram1 ,know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs1 and they shall reduce them to servitude2 and shall afflict them four hundred years3 but the nation whom they shall serve will ,i judge2 and afterward shall they come out hither with great substance4 ,and thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace2 kept in a good old age4 ,but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again3 for the iniquity of the ,amorites is not yet full4 ,and when the sun was setting1 there was a flame1 and a smoking furnace1 and lamps of fire1 that passed through between those pieces4 ,in that day the ,lord made a covenant with ,abram1 saying1 ,unto thy seed will ,i give this land1 from the river of ,egypt unto the great river ,euphrates3 the ,kenites1 and the ,kenizzites1 and the ,kadmonites1 and the ,hittites1 and the ,perizzites1 and the ,rephaims1 and the ,amorites1 and the ,canaanites1 and the ,hivites1 and the ,girgashites1 and the ,jebusites4#bgd ,all these things were said and done in a vision from ,god2 but it would take long1 and would exceed the scope of this work1 to treat of them exactly in detail4 ,it is enough that we should know that1 after it was said ,abram believed in ,god1 and it was counted to him for righteousness1 he did not fail in faith in saying1 ,lord ,god1 whereby shall ,i know that ,i shall inherit it8 for the inheritance of that land was promised to him4 ,now he does not say1 ,how shall ,i know1 as if he did not yet believe2 but he says1 ,whereby shall ,i know1 meaning that some sign might be given by which he might know the manner of those things which he had believed1 just as it is not for lack of faith the ,virgin ,mary says1 ,how shall this be1 seeing ,i know not a man8#bge for she inquired as to the way in which that should take place which she was certain would come to pass4 ,and when she asked this1 she was told1 ,the ,holy ,ghost shall come upon thee1 and the power of the ,highest shall overshadow thee4#bgf ,here also1 in fine1 a symbol was given1 consisting of three animals1 a heifer1 a she-goat1 and a ram1 and two birds1 a turtle-dove and pigeon1 that he might know that the things which he had not doubted should come to pass were to happen in accordance with this symbol4 ,whether1 therefore1 the heifer was a sign that the people should be put under the law1 the she-goat that the same people was to become sinful1 the ram that they should reign 7and these animals are said to be of three years old for this reason1 that there are three remarkable divisions of time1 from ,adam to ,noah1 and from him to ,abraham1 and from him to ,david1 who1 on the rejection of ,saul1 was first established by the will of the ,lord in the kingdom of the ,israelite nation3 in this third division1 which extends from ,abraham to ,david1 that people grew up as if passing through the third age of life71 or whether they had some other more suitable meaning1 still ,i have no doubt whatever that spiritual things were prefigured by them as well as by the turtle-dove and pigeon4 ,and it is said1 ,but the birds divided he not1 because carnal men are divided among themselves1 but the spiritual not at all1 whether they seclude themselves from the busy conversation of men1 like the turtle-dove1 or dwell among them1 like the pigeon2 for both birds are simple and harmless1 signifying that even in the ,israelite people1 to which that land was to be given1 there would be individuals who were children of the promise1 and heirs of the kingdom that is#bgg to remain in eternal felicity4 ,but the fowls coming down on the divided carcases represent nothing good1 but the spirits of this air1 seeking some food for themselves in the division of carnal men4 ,but that ,abraham sat down with them1 signifies that even amid these divisions of the carnal1 true believers shall persevere to the end4 ,and that about the going down of the sun great fear fell upon ,abraham and a horror of great darkness1 signifies that about the end of this world believers shall be in great perturbation and tribulation1 of which the ,lord said in the gospel1 ,for then shall be great tribulation1 such as was not from the beginning4#bgh ,but what is said to ,abraham1 ,know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs1 and they shall reduce them to servitude1 and shall afflict them #djj years1 is most clearly a prophecy about the people of ,israel which was to be in servitude in ,egypt4 ,not that this people was to be in that servitude under the oppressive ,egyptians for #djj years1 but it is foretold that this should take place in the course of those #djj years4 ,for as it is written of ,terah the father of ,abraham1 ,and the days of ,terah in ,haran were #bje years1#bgi not because they were all spent there1 but because they were completed there1 so it is said here also1 ,and they shall reduce them to servitude1 and shall afflict them #djj years1 for this reason1 because that number was completed1 not because it was all spent in that affliction4 ,the years are said to be #djj in round numbers1 although they were a little more1--whether you reckon from this time1 when these things were promised to ,abraham1 or from the birth of ,isaac1 as the seed of ,abraham1 of which these things are predicted4 ,for1 as we have already said above1 from the seventy-fifth year of ,abraham1 when the first promise was made to him1 down to the exodus of ,israel from ,egypt1 there are reckoned #dcj years1 which the apostle thus mentions3 ,and this ,i say1 that the covenant confirmed by ,god1 the law1 which was made #dcj years after1 cannot disannul1 that it should make the promise of none effect4#bhj ,so then these #dcj years might be called #djj1 because they are not much more1 especially since part even of that number had already gone by when these things were shown and said to ,abraham in vision1 or when ,isaac was born in his father's #ajjth year1 twenty-five years after the first promise1 when of these #dcj years there now remained #dje1 which ,god was pleased to call #djj4 ,no one will doubt that the other things which follow in the prophetic words of ,god pertain to the people of ,israel4 ,when it is added1 ,and when the sun was now setting there was a flame1 and lo1 a smoking furnace1 and lamps of fire1 which passed through between those pieces1 this signifies that at the end of the world the carnal shall be judged by fire4 ,for just as the affliction of the city of ,god1 such as never was before1 which is expected to take place under ,antichrist1 was signified by ,abraham's horror of great darkness about the going down of the sun1 that is1 when the end of the world draws nigh1--so at the going down of the sun1 that is1 at the very end of the world1 there is signified by that fire the day of judgment1 which separates the carnal who are to be saved by fire from those who are to be condemned in the fire4 ,and then the covenant made with ,abraham particularly sets forth the land of ,canaan1 and names eleven tribes in it from the river of ,egypt even to the great river ,euphrates4 ,it is not then from the great river of ,egypt1 that is1 the ,nile1 but from a small one which separates ,egypt from ,palestine1 where the city of ,rhinocorura is4 #be4 ,of ,sarah's handmaid1 ,hagar1 whom she herself wished to be ,abraham's concubine4 ,and here follow the times of ,abraham's sons1 the one by ,hagar the bond maid1 the other by ,sarah the free woman1 about whom we have already spoken in the previous book4 ,as regards this transaction1 ,abraham is in no way to be branded as guilty concerning this concubine1 for he used her for the begetting of progeny1 not for the gratification of lust2 and not to insult1 but rather to obey his wife1 who supposed it would be a solace of her barrenness if she could make use of the fruitful womb of her handmaid to supply the defect of her own nature1 and by that law of which the apostle says1 ,likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body1 but the wife1#bha could1 as a wife1 make use of him for childbearing by another1 when she could not do so in her own person4 ,here there is no wanton lust1 no filthy lewdness4 ,the handmaid is delivered to the husband by the wife for the sake of progeny1 and is received by the husband for the sake of progeny1 each seeking1 not guilty excess1 but natural fruit4 ,and when the pregnant bond woman despised her barren mistress1 and ,sarah1 with womanly jealousy1 rather laid the blame of this on her husband1 even then ,abraham showed that he was not a slavish lover1 but a free begetter of children1 and that in using ,hagar he had guarded the chastity of ,sarah his wife1 and had gratified her will and not his own1--had received her without seeking1 had gone in to her without being attached1 had impregnated without loving her1--for he says1 ,behold thy maid is in thy hands3 do to her as it pleaseth thee2#bhb a man able to use women as a man should1--his wife temperately1 his handmaid compliantly1 neither intemperately6 #bf4 ,of ,god's attestation to ,abraham1 by which ,he assures him1 when now old1 of a son by the barren ,sarah1 and appoints him the father of the nations1 and seals his faith in the promise by the sacrament of circumcision4 ,after these things ,ishmael was born of ,hagar2 and ,abraham might think that in him was fulfilled what ,god had promised him1 saying1 when he wished to adopt his home-born servant1 ,this shall not be thine heir2 but he that shall come forth of thee1 he shall be thine heir4#bhc ,therefore1 lest he should think that what was promised was fulfilled in the handmaid's son1 when ,abram was ninety years old and nine1 ,god appeared to him1 and said unto him1 ,i am ,god2 be well-pleasing in my sight1 and be without complaint1 and ,i will make my covenant between me and thee1 and will fill thee exceedingly4#bhd ,here there are more distinct promises about the calling of the nations in ,isaac1 that is1 in the son of the promise1 by which grace is signified1 and not nature2 for the son is promised from an old man and a barren old woman4 ,for although ,god effects even the natural course of procreation1 yet where the agency of ,god is manifest1 through the decay or failure of nature1 grace is more plainly discerned4 ,and because this was to be brought about1 not by generation1 but by regeneration1 circumcision was enjoined now1 when a son was promised of ,sarah4 ,and by ordering all1 not only sons1 but also home-born and purchased servants to be circumcised1 he testifies that this grace pertains to all4 ,for what else does circumcision signify than a nature renewed on the putting off of the old8 ,and what else does the eighth day mean than ,christ1 who rose again when the week was completed1 that is1 after the ,sabbath8 ,the very names of the parents are changed3 all things proclaim newness1 and the new covenant is shadowed forth in the old4 ,for what does the term old covenant imply but the concealing of the new8 ,and what does the term new covenant imply but the revealing of the old8 ,the laughter of ,abraham is the exultation of one who rejoices1 not the scornful laughter of one who mistrusts4 ,and those words of his in his heart1 ,shall a son be born to me that am an hundred years old8 and shall ,sarah1 that is ninety years old1 bear8 are not the words of doubt1 but of wonder4 ,and when it is said1 ,and ,i will give to thee1 and to thy seed after thee1 the land in which thou art a stranger1 all the land of ,canaan1 for an everlasting possession1 if it troubles any one whether this is to be held as fulfilled1 or whether its fulfilment may still be looked for1 since no kind of earthly possession can be everlasting for any nation whatever1 let him know that the word translated everlasting by our writers is what the ,greeks term 1 which is derived from 1 the ,greek for sculum1 an age4 ,but the ,latins have not ventured to translate this by secular1 lest they should change the meaning into something widely different4 ,for many things are called secular which so happen in this world as to pass away even in a short time2 but what is termed either has no end1 or lasts to the very end of this world4 #bg4 ,of the male1 who was to lose his soul if he was not circumcised on the eighth day1 because he had broken ,god's covenant4 ,when it is said1 ,the male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin1 that soul shall be cut off from his people1 because he hath broken my covenant1#bhe some may be troubled how that ought to be understood1 since it can be no fault of the infant whose life it is said must perish1 nor has the covenant of ,god been broken by him1 but by his parents1 who have not taken care to circumcise him4 ,but even the infants1 not personally in their own life1 but according to the common origin of the human race1 have all broken ,god's covenant in that one in whom all have sinned4#bhf ,now there are many things called ,god's covenants besides those two great ones1 the old and the new1 which any one who pleases may read and know4 ,for the first covenant1 which was made with the first man1 is just this3 ,in the day ye eat thereof1 ye shall surely die4#bhg ,whence it is written in the book called ,ecclesiasticus1 ,all flesh waxeth old as doth a garment4 ,for the covenant from the beginning is1 ,thou shalt die the death4#bhh ,now1 as the law was more plainly given afterward1 and the apostle says1 ,where no law is1 there is no prevarication1#bhi on what supposition is what is said in the psalm true1 ,i accounted all the sinners of the earth prevaricators1#bij except that all who are held liable for any sin are accused of dealing deceitfully 7prevaricating7 with some law8 ,if on this account1 then1 even the infants are1 according to the true belief1 born in sin1 not actual but original1 so that we confess they have need of grace for the remission of sins1 certainly it must be acknowledged that in the same sense in which they are sinners they are also prevaricators of that law which was given in ,paradise1 according to the truth of both scriptures1 ,i accounted all the sinners of the earth prevaricators1 and ,where no law is1 there is no prevarication4 ,and thus1 because circumcision was the sign of regeneration1 and the infant1 on account of the original sin by which ,god's covenant was first broken1 was not undeservedly to lose his generation unless delivered by regeneration1 these divine words are to be understood as if it had been said1 ,whoever is not born again1 that soul shall perish from his people1 because he hath broken my covenant1 since he also has sinned in ,adam with all others4 ,for had ,he said1 ,because he hath broken this my covenant1 ,he would have compelled us to understand by it only this of circumcision2 but since ,he has not expressly said what covenant the infant has broken1 we are free to understand ,him as speaking of that covenant of which the breach can be ascribed to an infant4 ,yet if any one contends that it is said of nothing else than circumcision1 that in it the infant has broken the covenant of ,god because he is not circumcised1 he must seek some method of explanation by which it may be understood without absurdity 7such as this7 that he has broken the covenant1 because it has been broken in him although not by him4 ,yet in this case also it is to be observed that the soul of the infant1 being guilty of no sin of neglect against itself1 would perish unjustly1 unless original sin rendered it obnoxious to punishment4 #bh4 ,of the change of name in ,abraham and ,sarah1 who received the gift of fecundity when they were incapable of regeneration owing to the barrenness of one1 and the old age of both4 ,now when a promise so great and clear was made to ,abraham1 in which it was so plainly said to him1 ,i have made thee a father of many nations1 and ,i will increase thee exceedingly1 and ,i will make nations of thee1 and kings shall go forth of thee4 ,and ,i will give thee a son of ,sarah2 and ,i will bless him1 and he shall become nations1 and kings of nations shall be of him1#bia--;a promise which we now see fulfilled in ,christ1--from that time forward this couple are not called in ,scripture1 as formerly1 ,abram and ,sarai1 but ,abraham and ,sarah1 as we have called them from the first1 for every one does so now4 ,the reason why the name of ,abraham was changed is given3 ,for1 ,he says1 ,i have made thee a father of many nations4 ,this1 then1 is to be understood to be the meaning of ,abraham2 but ,abram1 as he was formerly called1 means exalted father4 ,the reason of the change of ,sarah's name is not given2 but as those say who have written interpretations of the ,hebrew names contained in these books1 ,sarah means my princess1 and ,sarai strength4 ,whence it is written in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 ,through faith also ,sarah herself received strength to conceive seed4#bib ,for both were old1 as the ,scripture testifies2 but she was also barren1 and had ceased to menstruate1 so that she could no longer bear children even if she had not been barren4 ,further1 if a woman is advanced in years1 yet still retains the custom of women1 she can bear children to a young man1 but not to an old man1 although that same old man can beget1 but only of a young woman2 as after ,sarah's death ,abraham could of ,keturah1 because he met with her in her lively age4 ,this1 then1 is what the apostle mentions as wonderful1 saying1 besides1 that ,abraham's body was now dead2#bic because at that age he was no longer able to beget children of any woman who retained now only a small part of her natural vigour4 ,of course we must understand that his body was dead only to some purposes1 not to all2 for if it was so to all1 it would no longer be the aged body of a living man1 but the corpse of a dead one4 ,although that question1 how ,abraham begot children of ,keturah1 is usually solved in this way1 that the gift of begetting which he received from the ,lord1 remained even after the death of his wife1 yet ,i think that solution of the question which ,i have followed is preferable1 because1 although in our days an old man of a hundred years can beget children of no woman1 it was not so then1 when men still lived so long that a hundred years did not yet bring on them the decrepitude of old age4 #bi4 ,of the three men or angels1 in whom the ,lord is related to have appeared to ,abraham at the oak of ,mamre4 ,god appeared again to ,abraham at the oak of ,mamre in three men1 who it is not to be doubted were angels1 although some think that one of them was ,christ1 and assert that ,he was visible before ,he put on flesh4 ,now it belongs to the divine power1 and invisible1 incorporeal1 and incommutable nature1 without changing itself at all1 to appear even to mortal men1 not by what it is1 but by what is subject to it4 ,and what is not subject to it8 ,yet if they try to establish that one of these three was ,christ by the fact that1 although he saw three1 he addressed the ,lord in the singular1 as it is written1 ,and1 lo1 three men stood by him3 and1 when he saw them1 he ran to meet them from the tent-door1 and worshipped toward the ground1 and said1 ,lord1 if ,i have found favour before thee1#bid etc42 why do they not advert to this also1 that when two of them came to destroy the ,sodomites1 while ,abraham still spoke to one1 calling him ,lord1 and interceding that he would not destroy the righteous along with the wicked in ,sodom1 ,lot received these two in such a way that he too in his conversation with them addressed the ,lord in the singular8 ,for after saying to them in the plural1 ,behold1 my lords1 turn aside into your servant's house1#bie etc41 yet it is afterwards said1 ,and the angels laid hold upon his hand1 and the hand of his wife1 and the hands of his two daughters1 because the ,lord was merciful unto him4 ,and it came to pass1 whenever they had led him forth abroad1 that they said1 ,save thy life2 look not behind thee1 neither stay thou in all this region3 save thyself in the mountain1 lest thou be caught4 ,and ,lot said unto them1 ,i pray thee1 ,lord1 since thy servant hath found grace in thy sight1#bif etc4 ,and then after these words the ,lord also answered him in the singular1 although ,he was in two angels1 saying1 ,see1 ,i have accepted thy face1#big etc4 ,this makes it much more credible that both ,abraham in the three men and ,lot in the two recognised the ,lord1 addressing ,him in the singular number1 even when they were addressing men2 for they received them as they did for no other reason than that they might minister human refection to them as men who needed it4 ,yet there was about them something so excellent1 that those who showed them hospitality as men could not doubt that ,god was in them as ,he was wont to be in the prophets1 and therefore sometimes addressed them in the plural1 and sometimes ,god in them in the singular4 ,but that they were angels the ,scripture testifies1 not only in this book of ,genesis1 in which these transactions are related1 but also in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 where in praising hospitality it is said1 ,for thereby some have entertained angels unawares4#bih ,by these three men1 then1 when a son ,isaac was again promised to ,abraham by ,sarah1 such a divine oracle was also given that it was said1 ,abraham shall become a great and numerous nation1 and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him4#bii ,and here these two things are promised with the utmost brevity and fulness1--the nation of ,israel according to the flesh1 and all nations according to faith4 #cj4 ,of ,lot's deliverance from ,sodom1 and its consumption by fire from heaven2 and of ,abimelech1 whose lust could not harm ,sarah's chastity4 ,after this promise ,lot was delivered out of ,sodom1 and a fiery rain from heaven turned into ashes that whole region of the impious city1 where custom had made sodomy as prevalent as laws have elsewhere made other kinds of wickedness4 ,but this punishment of theirs was a specimen of the divine judgment to come4 ,for what is meant by the angels forbidding those who were delivered to look back1 but that we are not to look back in heart to the old life which1 being regenerated through grace1 we have put off1 if we think to escape the last judgment8 ,lot's wife1 indeed1 when she looked back1 remained1 and1 being turned into salt1 furnished to believing men a condiment by which to savour somewhat the warning to be drawn from that example4 ,then ,abraham did again at ,gerar1 with ,abimelech the king of that city1 what he had done in ,egypt about his wife1 and received her back untouched in the same way4 ,on this occasion1 when the king rebuked ,abraham for not saying she was his wife1 and calling her his sister1 he explained what he had been afraid of1 and added this further1 ,and yet indeed she is my sister by the father's side1 but not by the mother's2#cjj for she was ,abraham's sister by his own father1 and so near of kin4 ,but her beauty was so great1 that even at that advanced age she could be fallen in love with4 #ca4 ,of ,isaac1 who was born according to the promise1 whose name was given on account of the laughter of both parents4 ,after these things a son was born to ,abraham1 according to ,god's promise1 of ,sarah1 and was called ,isaac1 which means laughter4 ,for his father had laughed when he was promised to him1 in wondering delight1 and his mother1 when he was again promised by those three men1 had laughed1 doubting for joy2 yet she was blamed by the angel because that laughter1 although it was for joy1 yet was not full of faith4 ,afterwards she was confirmed in faith by the same angel4 ,from this1 then1 the boy got his name4 ,for when ,isaac was born and called by that name1 ,sarah showed that her laughter was not that of scornful reproach1 but that of joyful praise2 for she said1 ,god hath made me to laugh1 so that every one who hears will laugh with me4#cja ,then in a little while the bond maid was cast out of the house with her son2 and1 according to the apostle1 these two women signify the old and new covenants1--,sarah representing that of the ,jerusalem which is above1 that is1 the city of ,god4#cjb #cb4 ,of ,abraham's obedience and faith1 which were proved by the offering up of his son in sacrifice2 and of ,sarah's death4 ,among other things1 of which it would take too long time to mention the whole1 ,abraham was tempted about the offering up of his well-beloved son ,isaac1 to prove his pious obedience1 and so make it known to the world1 not to ,god4 ,now every temptation is not blameworthy2 it may even be praiseworthy1 because it furnishes probation4 ,and1 for the most part1 the human mind cannot attain to self-knowledge otherwise than by making trial of its powers through temptation1 by some kind of experimental and not merely verbal self-interrogation2 when1 if it has acknowledged the gift of ,god1 it is pious1 and is consolidated by stedfast grace and not puffed up by vain boasting4 ,of course ,abraham could never believe that ,god delighted in human sacrifices2 yet when the divine commandment thundered1 it was to be obeyed1 not disputed4 ,yet ,abraham is worthy of praise1 because he all along believed that his son1 on being offered up1 would rise again2 for ,god had said to him1 when he was unwilling to fulfil his wife's pleasure by casting out the bond maid and her son1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called4 ,no doubt ,he then goes on to say1 ,and as for the son of this bond woman1 ,i will make him a great nation1 because he is thy seed4#cjc ,how then is it said1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called1 when ,god calls ,ishmael also his seed8 ,the apostle1 in explaining this1 says1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called1 that is1 they which are the children of the flesh1 these are not the children of ,god3 but the children of the promise are counted for the seed4#cjd ,in order1 then1 that the children of the promise may be the seed of ,abraham1 they are called in ,isaac1 that is1 are gathered together in ,christ by the call of grace4 ,therefore the father1 holding fast from the first the promise which behoved to be fulfilled through this son whom ,god had ordered him to slay1 did not doubt that he whom he once thought it hopeless he should ever receive would be restored to him when he had offered him up4 ,it is in this way the passage in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews is also to be understood and explained4 ,by faith1 he says1 ,abraham overcame1 when tempted about ,isaac3 and he who had received the promise offered up his only son1 to whom it was said1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called3 thinking that ,god was able to raise him up1 even from the dead2 therefore he has added1 from whence also he received him in a similitude4#cje ,in whose similitude but ,his of whom the apostle says1 ,he that spared not ,his own ,son1 but delivered ,him up for us all8#cjf ,and on this account ,isaac also himself carried to the place of sacrifice the wood on which he was to be offered up1 just as the ,lord ,himself carried ,his own cross4 ,finally1 since ,isaac was not to be slain1 after his father was forbidden to smite him1 who was that ram by the offering of which that sacrifice was completed with typical blood8 ,for when ,abraham saw him1 he was caught by the horns in a thicket4 ,what1 then1 did he represent but ,jesus1 who1 before ,he was offered up1 was crowned with thorns by the ,jews8 ,but let us rather hear the divine words spoken through the angel4 ,for the ,scripture says1 ,and ,abraham stretched forth his hand to take the knife1 that he might slay his son4 ,and the ,angel of the ,lord called unto him from heaven1 and said1 ,abraham4 ,and he said1 ,here am ,i4 ,and he said1 ,lay not thine hand upon the lad1 neither do thou anything unto him3 for now ,i know that thou fearest ,god1 and hast not spared thy beloved son for my sake4#cjg ,it is said1 ,now ,i know1 that is1 ,now ,i have made to be known2 for ,god was not previously ignorant of this4 ,then1 having offered up that ram instead of ,isaac his son1 ,abraham1 as we read1 called the name of that place ,the ,lord seeth3 as they say this day1 ,in the mount the ,lord hath appeared4#cjh ,as it is said1 ,now ,i know1 for ,now ,i have made to be known1 so here1 ,the ,lord sees1 for ,the ,lord hath appeared1 that is1 made ,himself to be seen4 ,and the ,angel of the ,lord called unto ,abraham from heaven the second time1 saying1 ,by myself have ,i sworn1 saith the ,lord2 because thou hast done this thing1 and hast not spared thy beloved son for my sake2 that in blessing ,i will bless thee1 and in multiplying ,i will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven1 and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore2 and thy seed shall possess by inheritance the cities of the adversaries3 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed2 because thou hast obeyed my voice4#cji ,in this manner is that promise concerning the calling of the nations in the seed of ,abraham confirmed even by the oath of ,god1 after that burnt-offering which typified ,christ4 ,for ,he had often promised1 but never sworn4 ,and what is the oath of ,god1 the true and faithful1 but a confirmation of the promise1 and a certain reproof to the unbelieving8 ,after these things ,sarah died1 in the #abgth year of her life1 and the #acgth of her husband2 for he was ten years older than she1 as he himself says1 when a son is promised to him by her3 ,shall a son be born to me that am an hundred years old8 and shall ,sarah1 that is ninety years old1 bear8#caj ,then ,abraham bought a field1 in which he buried his wife4 ,and then1 according to ,stephen's account1 he was settled in that land1 entering then on actual possession of it1--that is1 after the death of his father1 who is inferred to have died two years before4 #cc4 ,of ,rebecca1 the grand-daughter of ,nahor1 whom ,isaac took to wife4 ,isaac married ,rebecca1 the grand-daughter of ,nahor1 his father's brother1 when he was forty years old1 that is1 in the #adjth year of his father's life1 three years after his mother's death4 ,now when a servant was sent to ,mesopotamia by his father to fetch her1 and when ,abraham said to that servant1 ,put thy hand under my thigh1 and ,i will make thee swear by the ,lord1 the ,god of heaven1 and the ,lord of the earth1 that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son ,isaac of the daughters of the ,canaanites1#caa what else was pointed out by this1 but that the ,lord1 the ,god of heaven1 and the ,lord of the earth1 was to come in the flesh which was to be derived from that thigh8 ,are these small tokens of the foretold truth which we see fulfilled in ,christ8 #cd4 ,what is meant by ,abraham's marrying ,keturah after ,sarah's death4 ,what did ,abraham mean by marrying ,keturah after ,sarah's death8 ,far be it from us to suspect him of incontinence1 especially when he had reached such an age and such sanctity of faith4 ,or was he still seeking to beget children1 though he held fast1 with most approved faith1 the promise of ,god that his children should be multiplied out of ,isaac as the stars of heaven and the dust of the earth8 ,and yet1 if ,hagar and ,ishmael1 as the apostle teaches us1 signified the carnal people of the old covenant1 why may not ,keturah and her sons also signify the carnal people who think they belong to the new covenant8 ,for both are called both the wives and the concubines of ,abraham2 but ,sarah is never called a concubine 7but only a wife74 ,for when ,hagar is given to ,abraham1 it is written1 ,and ,sarai1 ,abram's wife1 took ,hagar the ,egyptian1 her handmaid1 after ,abram had dwelt ten years in the land of ,canaan1 and gave her to her husband ,abram to be his wife4#cab ,and of ,keturah1 whom he took after ,sarah's departure1 we read1 ,then again ,abraham took a wife1 whose name was ,keturah4#cac ,lo1 both are called wives1 yet both are found to have been concubines2 for the ,scripture afterward says1 ,and ,abraham gave his whole estate unto ,isaac his son4 ,but unto the sons of his concubines ,abraham gave gifts1 and sent them away from his son ,isaac1 7while he yet lived17 eastward1 unto the east country4#cad ,therefore the sons of the concubines1 that is1 the heretics and the carnal ,jews1 have some gifts1 but do not attain the promised kingdom2 ,for they which are the children of the flesh1 these are not the children of ,god3 but the children of the promise are counted for the seed1 of whom it was said1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called4#cae ,for ,i do not see why ,keturah1 who was married after the wife's death1 should be called a concubine1 except on account of this mystery4 ,but if any one is unwilling to put such meanings on these things1 he need not calumniate ,abraham4 ,for what if even this was provided against the heretics who were to be the opponents of second marriages1 so that it might be shown that it was no sin in the case of the father of many nations himself1 when1 after his wife's death1 he married again8 ,and ,abraham died when he was #age years old1 so that he left his son ,isaac seventy-five years old1 having begotten him when #ajj years old4 #ce4 ,what was indicated by the divine answer about the twins still shut up in the womb of ,rebecca their mother4 ,let us now see how the times of the city of ,god run on from this point among ,abraham's descendants4 ,in the time from the first year of ,isaac's life to the seventieth1 when his sons were born1 the only memorable thing is1 that when he prayed ,god that his wife1 who was barren1 might bear1 and the ,lord granted what he sought1 and she conceived1 the twins leapt while still enclosed in her womb4 ,and when she was troubled by this struggle1 and inquired of the ,lord1 she received this answer3 ,two nations are in thy womb1 and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels2 and the one people shall overcome the other people1 and the elder shall serve the younger4#caf ,the ,apostle ,paul would have us understand this as a great instance of grace2#cag for the children being not yet born1 neither having done any good or evil1 the younger is chosen without any good desert1 and the elder is rejected1 when beyond doubt1 as regards original sin1 both were alike1 and as regards actual sin1 neither had any4 ,but the plan of the work on hand does not permit me to speak more fully of this matter now1 and ,i have said much about it in other works4 ,only that saying1 ,the elder shall serve the younger1 is understood by our writers1 almost without exception1 to mean that the elder people1 the ,jews1 shall serve the younger people1 the ,christians4 ,and truly1 although this might seem to be fulfilled in the ,idumean nation1 which was born of the elder 7who had two names1 being called both ,esau and ,edom1 whence the name ,idumeans71 because it was afterwards to be overcome by the people which sprang from the younger1 that is1 by the ,israelites1 and was to become subject to them2 yet it is more suitable to believe that1 when it was said1 ,the one people shall overcome the other people1 and the elder shall serve the younger1 that prophecy meant some greater thing2 and what is that except what is evidently fulfilled in the ,jews and ,christians8 #cf4 ,of the oracle and blessing which ,isaac received1 just as his father did1 being beloved for his sake4 ,isaac also received such an oracle as his father had often received4 ,of this oracle it is thus written3 ,and there was a famine over the land1 beside the first famine that was in the days of ,abraham4 ,and ,isaac went unto ,abimelech king of the ,philistines unto ,gerar4 ,and the ,lord appeared unto him1 and said1 ,go not down into ,egypt2 but dwell in the land which ,i shall tell thee of4 ,and abide in this land1 and ,i will be with thee1 and will bless thee3 unto thee and unto thy seed ,i will give all this land2 and ,i will establish mine oath1 which ,i sware unto ,abraham thy father3 and ,i will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven1 and will give unto thy seed all this land3 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed2 because that ,abraham thy father obeyed my voice1 and kept my precepts1 my commandments1 my righteousness1 and my laws4#cah ,this patriarch neither had another wife1 nor any concubine1 but was content with the twin-children begotten by one act of generation4 ,he also was afraid1 when he lived among strangers1 of being brought into danger owing to the beauty of his wife1 and did like his father in calling her his sister1 and not telling that she was his wife2 for she was his near blood-relation by the father's and mother's side4 ,she also remained untouched by the strangers1 when it was known she was his wife4 ,yet we ought not to prefer him to his father because he knew no woman besides his one wife4 ,for beyond doubt the merits of his father's faith and obedience were greater1 inasmuch as ,god says it is for his sake ,he does ,isaac good3 ,in thy seed1 ,he says1 shall all the nations of the earth be blessed1 because that ,abraham thy father obeyed my voice1 and kept my precepts1 my commandments1 my statutes1 and my laws4 ,and again in another oracle ,he says1 ,i am the ,god of ,abraham thy father3 fear not1 for ,i am with thee1 and will bless thee1 and multiply thy seed for my servant ,abraham's sake4#cai ,so that we must understand how chastely ,abraham acted1 because imprudent men1 who seek some support for their own wickedness in the ,holy ,scriptures1 think he acted through lust4 ,we may also learn this1 not to compare men by single good things1 but to consider everything in each2 for it may happen that one man has something in his life and character in which he excels another1 and it may be far more excellent than that in which the other excels him4 ,and thus1 according to sound and true judgment1 while continence is preferable to marriage1 yet a believing married man is better than a continent unbeliever2 for the unbeliever is not only less praiseworthy1 but is even highly detestable4 ,we must conclude1 then1 that both are good2 yet so as to hold that the married man who is most faithful and most obedient is certainly better than the continent man whose faith and obedience are less4 ,but if equal in other things1 who would hesitate to prefer the continent man to the married8 #cg4 ,of the things mystically prefigured in ,esau and ,jacob4 ,isaac's two sons1 ,esau and ,jacob1 grew up together4 ,the primacy of the elder was transferred to the younger by a bargain and agreement between them1 when the elder immoderately lusted after the lentiles the younger had prepared for food1 and for that price sold his birthright to him1 confirming it with an oath4 ,we learn from this that a person is to be blamed1 not for the kind of food he eats1 but for immoderate greed4 ,isaac grew old1 and old age deprived him of his eyesight4 ,he wished to bless the elder son1 and instead of the elder1 who was hairy1 unwittingly blessed the younger1 who put himself under his father's hands1 having covered himself with kid-skins1 as if bearing the sins of others4 ,lest we should think this guile of ,jacob's was fraudulent guile1 instead of seeking in it the mystery of a great thing1 the ,scripture has predicted in the words just before1 ,esau was a cunning hunter1 a man of the field2 and ,jacob was a simple man1 dwelling at home4#cbj ,some of our writers have interpreted this1 without guile4 ,but whether the ,greek means without guile1 or simple1 or rather without feigning1 in the receiving of that blessing what is the guile of the man without guile8 ,what is the guile of the simple1 what the fiction of the man who does not lie1 but a profound mystery of the truth8 ,but what is the blessing itself8 ,see1 he says1 the smell of my son is as the smell of a full field which the ,lord hath blessed3 therefore ,god give thee of the dew of heaven1 and of the fruitfulness of the earth1 and plenty of corn and wine3 let nations serve thee1 and princes adore thee3 and be lord of thy brethren1 and let thy father's sons adore thee3 cursed be he that curseth thee1 and blessed be he that blesseth thee4#cba ,the blessing of ,jacob is therefore a proclamation of ,christ to all nations4 ,it is this which has come to pass1 and is now being fulfilled4 ,isaac is the law and the prophecy3 even by the mouth of the ,jews ,christ is blessed by prophecy as by one who knows not1 because it is itself not understood4 ,the world like a field is filled with the odour of ,christ's name3 ,his is the blessing of the dew of heaven1 that is1 of the showers of divine words2 and of the fruitfulness of the earth1 that is1 of the gathering together of the peoples3 ,his is the plenty of corn and wine1 that is1 the multitude that gathers bread and wine in the sacrament of ,his body and blood4 ,him the nations serve1 ,him princes adore4 ,he is the ,lord of ,his brethren1 because ,his people rules over the ,jews4 ,him ,his ,father's sons adore1 that is1 the sons of ,abraham according to faith2 for ,he ,himself is the son of ,abraham according to the flesh4 ,he is cursed that curseth ,him1 and he that blesseth ,him is blessed4 ,christ1 ,i say1 who is ours is blessed1 that is1 truly spoken of out of the mouths of the ,jews1 when1 although erring1 they yet sing the law and the prophets1 and think they are blessing another for whom they erringly hope4 ,so1 when the elder son claims the promised blessing1 ,isaac is greatly afraid1 and wonders when he knows that he has blessed one instead of the other1 and demands who he is2 yet he does not complain that he has been deceived1 yea1 when the great mystery is revealed to him1 in his secret heart he at once eschews anger1 and confirms the blessing4 ,who then1 he says1 hath hunted me venison1 and brought it me1 and ,i have eaten of all before thou camest1 and have blessed him1 and he shall be blessed8#cbb ,who would not rather have expected the curse of an angry man here1 if these things had been done in an earthly manner1 and not by inspiration from above8 ,o things done1 yet done prophetically2 on the earth1 yet celestially2 by men1 yet divinely6 ,if everything that is fertile of so great mysteries should be examined carefully1 many volumes would be filled2 but the moderate compass fixed for this work compels us to hasten to other things4 #ch4 ,of ,jacob's mission to ,mesopotamia to get a wife1 and of the vision which he saw in a dream by the way1 and of his getting four women when he sought one wife4 ,jacob was sent by his parents to ,mesopotamia that he might take a wife there4 ,these were his father's words on sending him3 ,thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of the ,canaanites4 ,arise1 fly to ,mesopotamia1 to the house of ,bethuel1 thy mother's father1 and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of ,laban thy mother's brother4 ,and my ,god bless thee1 and increase thee1 and multiply thee2 and thou shalt be an assembly of peoples2 and give to thee the blessing of ,abraham thy father1 and to thy seed after thee2 that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou dwellest1 which ,god gave unto ,abraham4#cbc ,now we understand here that the seed of ,jacob is separated from ,isaac's other seed which came through ,esau4 ,for when it is said1 ,in ,isaac shall thy seed be called1#cbd by this seed is meant solely the city of ,god2 so that from it is separated ,abraham's other seed1 which was in the son of the bond woman1 and which was to be in the sons of ,keturah4 ,but until now it had been uncertain regarding ,isaac's twin-sons whether that blessing belonged to both or only to one of them2 and if to one1 which of them it was4 ,this is now declared when ,jacob is prophetically blessed by his father1 and it is said to him1 ,and thou shalt be an assembly of peoples1 and ,god give to thee the blessing of ,abraham thy father4 ,when ,jacob was going to ,mesopotamia1 he received in a dream an oracle1 of which it is thus written3 ,and ,jacob went out from the well of the oath1#cbe and went to ,haran4 ,and he came to a place1 and slept there1 for the sun was set2 and he took of the stones of the place1 and put them at his head1 and slept in that place1 and dreamed4 ,and behold a ladder set up on the earth1 and the top of it reached to heaven2 and the angels of ,god ascended and descended by it4 ,and the ,lord stood above it1 and said1 ,i am the ,god of ,abraham thy father1 and the ,god of ,isaac2 fear not3 the land whereon thou sleepest1 to thee will ,i give it1 and to thy seed2 and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth2 and it shall be spread abroad to the sea1 and to ,africa1 and to the north1 and to the east3 and all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in thee and in thy seed4 ,and1 behold1 ,i am with thee1 to keep thee in all thy way wherever thou goest1 and ,i will bring thee back into this land2 for ,i will not leave thee1 until ,i have done all which ,i have spoken to thee of4 ,and ,jacob awoke out of his sleep1 and said1 ,surely the ,lord is in this place1 and ,i knew it not4 ,and he was afraid1 and said1 ,how dreadful is this place6 this is none other but the house of ,god1 and this is the gate of heaven4 ,and ,jacob arose1 and took the stone that he had put under his head there1 and set it up for a memorial1 and poured oil upon the top of it4 ,and ,jacob called the name of that place the house of ,god4#cbf ,this is prophetic4 ,for ,jacob did not pour oil on the stone in an idolatrous way1 as if making it a god2 neither did he adore that stone1 or sacrifice to it4 ,but since the name of ,christ comes from the chrism or anointing1 something pertaining to the great mystery was certainly represented in this4 ,and the ,saviour ,himself is understood to bring this latter to remembrance in the gospel1 when ,he says of ,nathanael1 ,behold an ,israelite indeed1 in whom is no guile6#cbg because ,israel who saw this vision is no other than ,jacob4 ,and in the same place ,he says1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,ye shall see heaven open1 and the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the ,son of man4 ,jacob went on to ,mesopotamia to take a wife from thence4 ,and the divine ,scripture points out how1 without unlawfully desiring any of them1 he came to have four women1 of whom he begat twelve sons and one daughter2 for he had come to take only one4 ,but when one was falsely given him in place of the other1 he did not send her away after unwittingly using her in the night1 lest he should seem to have put her to shame2 but as at that time1 in order to multiply posterity1 no law forbade a plurality of wives1 he took her also to whom alone he had promised marriage4 ,as she was barren1 she gave her handmaid to her husband that she might have children by her2 and her elder sister did the same thing in imitation of her1 although she had borne1 because she desired to multiply progeny4 ,we do not read that ,jacob sought any but one1 or that he used many1 except for the purpose of begetting offspring1 saving conjugal rights2 and he would not have done this1 had not his wives1 who had legitimate power over their own husband's body1 urged him to do it4 ,so he begat twelve sons and one daughter by four women4 ,then he entered into ,egypt by his son ,joseph1 who was sold by his brethren for envy1 and carried there1 and who was there exalted4 #ci4 ,the reason why ,jacob was also called ,israel4 ,as ,i said a little ago1 ,jacob was also called ,israel1 the name which was most prevalent among the people descended from him4 ,now this name was given him by the angel who wrestled with him on the way back from ,mesopotamia1 and who was most evidently a type of ,christ4 ,for when ,jacob overcame him1 doubtless with his own consent1 that the mystery might be represented1 it signified ,christ's passion1 in which the ,jews are seen overcoming ,him4 ,and yet he besought a blessing from the very angel he had overcome2 and so the imposition of this name was the blessing4 ,for ,israel means seeing ,god1#cbh which will at last be the reward of all the saints4 ,the angel also touched him on the breadth of the thigh when he was overcoming him1 and in that way made him lame4 ,so that ,jacob was at one and the same time blessed and lame3 blessed in those among that people who believed in ,christ1 and lame in the unbelieving4 ,for the breadth of the thigh is the multitude of the family4 ,for there are many of that race of whom it was prophetically said beforehand1 ,and they have halted in their paths4#cbi #dj4 ,how it is said that ,jacob went into ,egypt with seventy-five souls1 when most of those who are mentioned were born at a later period4 ,seventy-five men are reported to have entered ,egypt along with ,jacob1 counting him with his children4 ,in this number only two women are mentioned1 one a daughter1 the other a grand-daughter4 ,but when the thing is carefully considered1 it does not appear that ,jacob's offspring was so numerous on the day or year when he entered ,egypt4 ,there are also included among them the great-grandchildren of ,joseph1 who could not possibly be born already4 ,for ,jacob was then #acj years old1 and his son ,joseph thirty-nine2 and as it is plain that he took a wife when he was thirty or more1 how could he in nine years have great-grandchildren by the children whom he had by that wife8 ,now1 since ,ephraim and ,manasseh1 the sons of ,joseph1 could not even have children1 for ,jacob found them boys under nine years old when he entered ,egypt1 in what way are not only their sons but their grandsons reckoned among those seventy-five who then entered ,egypt with ,jacob8 ,for there is reckoned there ,machir the son of ,manasseh1 grandson of ,joseph1 and ,machir's son1 that is1 ,gilead1 grandson of ,manasseh1 great-grandson of ,joseph2 there1 too1 is he whom ,ephraim1 ,joseph's other son1 begot1 that is1 ,shuthelah1 grandson of ,joseph1 and ,shuthelah's son ,ezer1 grandson of ,ephraim1 and great-grandson of ,joseph1 who could not possibly be in existence when ,jacob came into ,egypt1 and there found his grandsons1 the sons of ,joseph1 their grandsires1 still boys under nine years of age4#ccj ,but doubtless1 when the ,scripture mentions ,jacob's entrance into ,egypt with seventy-five souls1 it does not mean one day1 or one year1 but that whole time as long as ,joseph lived1 who was the cause of his entrance4 ,for the same ,scripture speaks thus of ,joseph3 ,and ,joseph dwelt in ,egypt1 he and his brethren1 and all his father's house3 and ,joseph lived #aaj years1 and saw ,ephraim's children of the third generation4#cca ,that is1 his great-grandson1 the third from ,ephraim2 for the third generation means son1 grandson1 great-grandson4 ,then it is added1 ,the children also of ,machir1 the son of ,manasseh1 were born upon ,joseph's knees4#ccb ,and this is that grandson of ,manasseh1 and great-grandson of ,joseph4 ,but the plural number is employed according to scriptural usage2 for the one daughter of ,jacob is spoken of as daughters1 just as in the usage of the ,latin tongue liberi is used in the plural for children even when there is only one4 ,now1 when ,joseph's own happiness is proclaimed1 because he could see his great-grandchildren1 it is by no means to be thought they already existed in the thirty-ninth year of their great-grandsire ,joseph1 when his father ,jacob came to him in ,egypt4 ,but those who diligently look into these things will the less easily be mistaken1 because it is written1 ,these are the names of the sons of ,israel who entered into ,egypt along with ,jacob their father4#ccc ,for this means that the seventy-five are reckoned along with him1 not that they were all with him when he entered ,egypt2 for1 as ,i have said1 the whole period during which ,joseph1 who occasioned his entrance1 lived1 is held to be the time of that entrance4 #da4 ,of the blessing which ,jacob promised in ,judah his son4 ,if1 on account of the ,christian people in whom the city of ,god sojourns in the earth1 we look for the flesh of ,christ in the seed of ,abraham1 setting aside the sons of the concubines1 we have ,isaac2 if in the seed of ,isaac1 setting aside ,esau1 who is also ,edom1 we have ,jacob1 who also is ,israel2 if in the seed of ,israel himself1 setting aside the rest1 we have ,judah1 because ,christ sprang of the tribe of ,judah4 ,let us hear1 then1 how ,israel1 when dying in ,egypt1 in blessing his sons1 prophetically blessed ,judah4 ,he says3 ,judah1 thy brethren shall praise thee3 thy hands shall be on the back of thine enemies2 thy father's children shall adore thee4 ,judah is a lion's whelp3 from the sprouting1 my son1 thou art gone up3 lying down1 thou hast slept as a lion1 and as a lion's whelp2 who shall awake him8 ,a prince shall not be lacking out of ,judah1 and a leader from his thighs1 until the things come that are laid up for him2 and ,he shall be the expectation of the nations4 ,binding his foal unto the vine1 and his ass's foal to the choice vine2 he shall wash his robe in wine1 and his clothes in the blood of the grape3 his eyes are red with wine1 and his teeth are whiter than milk4#ccd ,i have expounded these words in disputing against ,faustus the ,manichan2 and ,i think it is enough to make the truth of this prophecy shine1 to remark that the death of ,christ is predicted by the word about his lying down1 and not the necessity1 but the voluntary character of ,his death1 in the title of lion4 ,that power ,he ,himself proclaims in the gospel1 saying1 ,i have the power of laying down my life1 and ,i have the power of taking it again4 ,no man taketh it from me2 but ,i lay it down of myself1 and take it again4#cce ,so the lion roared1 so ,he fulfilled what ,he said4 ,for to this power what is added about the resurrection refers1 ,who shall awake him8 ,this means that no man but ,himself has raised ,him1 who also said of ,his own body1 ,destroy this temple1 and in three days ,i will raise it up4#ccf ,and the very nature of ,his death1 that is1 the height of the cross1 is understood by the single word1 ,thou art gone up4 ,the evangelist explains what is added1 ,lying down1 thou hast slept1 when he says1 ,he bowed ,his head1 and gave up the ghost4#ccg ,or at least ,his burial is to be understood1 in which ,he lay down sleeping1 and whence no man raised ,him1 as the prophets did some1 and as ,he ,himself did others2 but ,he ,himself rose up as if from sleep4 ,as for ,his robe which ,he washes in wine1 that is1 cleanses from sin in ,his own blood1 of which blood those who are baptized know the mystery1 so that he adds1 ,and his clothes in the blood of the grape1 what is it but the ,church8 ,and his eyes are red with wine1 these are ,his spiritual people drunken with ,his cup1 of which the psalm sings1 ,and thy cup that makes drunken1 how excellent it is6 ,and his teeth are whiter than milk1#cch--that is1 the nutritive words which1 according to the apostle1 the babes drink1 being as yet unfit for solid food4#cci ,and it is ,he in whom the promises of ,judah were laid up1 so that until they come1 princes1 that is1 the kings of ,israel1 shall never be lacking out of ,judah4 ,and ,he is the expectation of the nations4 ,this is too plain to need exposition4 #db4 ,of the sons of ,joseph1 whom ,jacob blessed1 prophetically changing his hands4 ,now1 as ,isaac's two sons1 ,esau and ,jacob1 furnished a type of the two people1 the ,jews and the ,christians 7although as pertains to carnal descent it was not the ,jews but the ,idumeans who came of the seed of ,esau1 nor the ,christian nations but rather the ,jews who came of ,jacob's2 for the type holds only as regards the saying1 ,the elder shall serve the younger#cdj71 so the same thing happened in ,joseph's two sons2 for the elder was a type of the ,jews1 and the younger of the ,christians4 ,for when ,jacob was blessing them1 and laid his right hand on the younger1 who was at his left1 and his left hand on the elder1 who was at his right1 this seemed wrong to their father1 and he admonished his father by trying to correct his mistake and show him which was the elder4 ,but he would not change his hands1 but said1 ,i know1 my son1 ,i know4 ,he also shall become a people1 and he also shall be exalted2 but his younger brother shall be greater than he1 and his seed shall become a multitude of nations4#cda ,and these two promises show the same thing4 ,for that one is to become a people2 this one a multitude of nations4 ,and what can be more evident than that these two promises comprehend the people of ,israel1 and the whole world of ,abraham's seed1 the one according to the flesh1 the other according to faith8 #dc4 ,of the times of ,moses and ,joshua the son of ,nun1 of the judges1 and thereafter of the kings1 of whom ,saul was the first1 but ,david is to be regarded as the chief1 both by the oath and by merit4 ,jacob being dead1 and ,joseph also1 during the remaining #add years until they went out of the land of ,egypt that nation increased to an incredible degree1 even although wasted by so great persecutions1 that at one time the male children were murdered at their birth1 because the wondering ,egyptians were terrified at the too great increase of that people4 ,then ,moses1 being stealthily kept from the murderers of the infants1 was brought to the royal house1 ,god preparing to do great things by him1 and was nursed and adopted by the daughter of ,pharaoh 7that was the name of all the kings of ,egypt71 and became so great a man that he--yea1 rather ,god1 who had promised this to ,abraham1 by him--drew that nation1 so wonderfully multiplied1 out of the yoke of hardest and most grievous servitude it had borne there4 ,at first1 indeed1 he fled thence 7we are told he fled into the land of ,midian71 because1 in defending an ,israelite1 he had slain an ,egyptian1 and was afraid4 ,afterward1 being divinely commissioned in the power of the ,spirit of ,god1 he overcame the magi of ,pharaoh who resisted him4 ,then1 when the ,egyptians would not let ,god's people go1 ten memorable plagues were brought by ,him upon them1--the water turned into blood1 the frogs and lice1 the flies1 the death of the cattle1 the boils1 the hail1 the locusts1 the darkness1 the death of the first-born4 ,at last the ,egyptians were destroyed in the ,red ,sea while pursuing the ,israelites1 whom they had let go when at length they were broken by so many great plagues4 ,the divided sea made a way for the ,israelites who were departing1 but1 returning on itself1 it overwhelmed their pursuers with its waves4 ,then for forty years the people of ,god went through the desert1 under the leadership of ,moses1 when the tabernacle of testimony was dedicated1 in which ,god was worshipped by sacrifices prophetic of things to come1 and that was after the law had been very terribly given in the mount1 for its divinity was most plainly attested by wonderful signs and voices4 ,this took place soon after the exodus from ,egypt1 when the people had entered the desert1 on the fiftieth day after the passover was celebrated by the offering up of a lamb1 which is so completely a type of ,christ1 foretelling that through ,his sacrificial passion ,he should go from this world to the ,father 7for pascha in the ,hebrew tongue means transit71 that when the new covenant was revealed1 after ,christ our passover was offered up1 the ,holy ,spirit came from heaven on the fiftieth day2 and ,he is called in the gospel the ,finger of ,god1 because ,he recalls to our remembrance the things done before by way of types1 and because the tables of that law are said to have been written by the finger of ,god4 ,on the death of ,moses1 ,joshua the son of ,nun ruled the people1 and led them into the land of promise1 and divided it among them4 ,by these two wonderful leaders wars were also carried on most prosperously and wonderfully1 ,god calling to witness that they had got these victories not so much on account of the merit of the ,hebrew people as on account of the sins of the nations they subdued4 ,after these leaders there were judges1 when the people were settled in the land of promise1 so that1 in the meantime1 the first promise made to ,abraham began to be fulfilled about the one nation1 that is1 the ,hebrew1 and about the land of ,canaan2 but not as yet the promise about all nations1 and the whole wide world1 for that was to be fulfilled1 not by the observances of the old law1 but by the advent of ,christ in the flesh1 and by the faith of the gospel4 ,and it was to prefigure this that it was not ,moses1 who received the law for the people on ,mount ,sinai1 that led the people into the land of promise1 but ,joshua1 whose name also was changed at ,god's command1 so that he was called ,jesus4 ,but in the times of the judges prosperity alternated with adversity in war1 according as the sins of the people and the mercy of ,god were displayed4 ,we come next to the times of the kings4 ,the first who reigned was ,saul2 and when he was rejected and laid low in battle1 and his offspring rejected so that no kings should arise out of it1 ,david succeeded to the kingdom1 whose son ,christ is chiefly called4 ,he was made a kind of starting-point and beginning of the advanced youth of ,god's people1 who had passed a kind of age of puberty from ,abraham to this ,david4 ,and it is not in vain that the evangelist ,matthew records the generations in such a way as to sum up this first period from ,abraham to ,david in fourteen generations4 ,for from the age of puberty man begins to be capable of generation2 therefore he starts the list of generations from ,abraham1 who also was made the father of many nations when he got his name changed4 ,so that previously this family of ,god's people was in its childhood1 from ,noah to ,abraham2 and for that reason the first language was then learned1 that is1 the ,hebrew4 ,for man begins to speak in childhood1 the age succeeding infancy1 which is so termed because then he cannot speak4#cdb ,and that first age is quite drowned in oblivion1 just as the first age of the human race was blotted out by the flood2 for who is there that can remember his infancy8 ,wherefore in this progress of the city of ,god1 as the previous book contained that first age1 so this one ought to contain the second and third ages1 in which third age1 as was shown by the heifer of three years old1 the she-goat of three years old1 and the ram of three years old1 the yoke of the law was imposed1 and there appeared abundance of sins1 and the beginning of the earthly kingdom arose1 in which there were not lacking spiritual men1 of whom the turtle-dove and pigeon represented the mystery4 ,,footnotes3 #bba ,gen4 ix4 #be4 #bbb ,gen4 ix4 #bf1 #bg4 #bbc ,see ,contra ,faust4 xii4 c4 #bb sqq4 #bbd ,song of ,solomon i4 #c4 #bbe #a ,cor4 xi4 #ai4 #bbf ,prov4 x4 #e 7,,lxx474 #bbg ,matt4 vii4 #bj4 #bbh ,phil4 i4 #ah4 #bbi ,isa4 v4 #g4 #bcj ,matt4 xx4 #bb4 #bca ,matt4 xxvi4 #ci4 #bcb #b ,cor4 xiii4 #d4 #bcc #a ,cor4 i4 #be4 #bcd ,augustine here follows the ,greek version1 which introduces the name ,elisa among the sons of ,japheth1 though not found in the ,hebrew4 ,it is not found in the ,complutensian ,greek translation1 nor in the ,,mss4 used by ,jerome4 #bce ,gen4 x4 #ba4 #bcf ,gen4 xi4 #a-i4 #bcg ,ex4 x4 #bch ,ps4 xcv4 #f4 #bci ,job xv4 #ac4 #bdj #a ,cor4 iii4 #i4 #bda ,gen4 i4 #bf4 #bdb ,gen4 xi4 #f4 #bdc ,virgil1 neid1 iv4 #eib4 #bdd ,here ,augustine remarks on the addition of the particle ne to the word non1 which he has made to bring out the sense4 #bde ,gen4 i4 #bd4 #bdf ,pliny1 ,hist4 ,nat4 vii4 #b2 ,aulus ,gellius1 ,noct4 ,att4 ix4 #d4 #bdg ,from 1 a cubit4 #bdh ,gen4 x4 #be4 #bdi ,ps4 xiv4 #c1 #d1 liii4 #c1 #d4 #bej ,gen4 x4 #be4 #bea ,josh4 xxiv4 #b4 #beb ,gen4 xi4 #bg-bi4 #bec ,gen4 xi4 #ca4 #bed ,gen4 xxiv4 #aj4 #bee ,judith v4 #e-i4 #bef ,gen4 xi4 #cb4 #beg ,gen4 xii4 #a4 #beh ,gen4 xii4 #d4 #bei ,gen4 xi4 #a4 #bfj ,gen4 xii4 #a4 #bfa ,acts vii4 #b1 #c4 #bfb ,acts vii4 #d4 #bfc ,gen4 xii4 #a4 #bfd ,various reading1 of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 #bfe ,gen4 xii4 #a-c4 #bff ,acts vii4 #b4 #bfg ,gen4 xii4 #g4 #bfh ,gen4 xiii4 #h1 #i4 #bfi ,gen4 xiii4 #ad-ag4 #bgj ,various reading1 the express promise4 #bga ,ps4 cx4 #d4 #bgb ,rom4 iv4 #c2 ,gen4 xv4 #f4 #bgc ,gen4 xv4 #g4 #bgd ,gen4 xv4 #i-ba4 #bge ,luke i4 #cd4 #bgf ,luke i4 #ce4 #bgg ,various reading1 who are to remain4 #bgh ,matt4 xxiv4 #ba4 #bgi ,gen4 xi4 #cb4 #bhj ,gal4 iii4 #ag4 #bha #a ,cor4 vii4 #d4 #bhb ,gen4 xvi4 #f4 #bhc ,gen4 xv4 #d4 #bhd ,gen4 xvii4 #a-bb4 ,the passage is given in full by ,augustine4 #bhe ,gen4 xvii4 #ad4 #bhf ,rom4 v4 #ab1 #ai4 #bhg ,gen4 ii4 #ag4 #bhh ,ecclus4 xv4 #ag4 #bhi ,rom4 iv4 #ae4 #bij ,ps4 cxix4 #aai4 ,augustine and the ,vulgate follow the ,,lxx4 #bia ,gen4 xvii4 #e1 #f1 #af4 #bib ,heb4 xi4 #aa4 #bic ,heb4 xi4 #ab4 #bid ,gen4 xviii4 #b1 #c4 #bie ,gen4 xix4 #b4 #bif ,gen4 xix4 #af-ai4 #big ,gen4 xix4 #ba4 #bih ,heb4 xiii4 #b4 #bii ,gen4 xviii4 #ah4 #cjj ,gen4 xx4 #ab4 #cja ,gen4 xxi4 #f4 #cjb ,gal4 iv4 #bd-bf4 #cjc ,gen4 xxi4 #ab1 #ac4 #cjd ,rom4 ix4 #g1 #h4 #cje ,heb4 xi4 #ag-ai4 #cjf ,rom4 viii4 #cb4 #cjg ,gen4 xxii4 #aj-ab4 #cjh ,gen4 xxii4 #ad4 #cji ,gen4 xxii4 #ae-ah4 #caj ,gen4 xvii4 #ag4 #caa ,gen4 xxiv4 #b1 #c4 #cab ,gen4 xvi4 #c4 #cac ,gen4 xxv4 #a4 #cad ,gen4 xxv4 #e1 #f4 #cae ,rom4 ix4 #g1 #h4 #caf ,gen4 xxv4 #bc4 #cag ,rom4 ix4 #aj-ac4 #cah ,gen4 xxvi4 #a-e4 #cai ,gen4 xxvi4 #bd4 #cbj ,gen4 xxv4 #bg4 #cba ,gen4 xxvii4 #bg-bi4 #cbb ,gen4 xxvii4 #cc4 #cbc ,gen4 xxviii4 #a-d4 #cbd ,gen4 xxi4 #ab4 #cbe ,beer-sheba4 #cbf ,gen4 xxviii4 #aj-ai4 #cbg ,john i4 #dg1 #ea4 #cbh ,gen4 xxxii4 #bh3 ,israel a prince of ,god2 ver4 #cj3 ,peniel the face of ,god4 #cbi ,ps4 xviii4 #de4 #ccj ,augustine here follows the ,septuagint1 which at ,gen4 xlvi4 #bj adds these names to those of ,manasseh and ,ephraim1 and at ver4 #bg gives the whole number as seventy-five4 #cca ,gen4 l4 #bb1 #bc4 #ccb ,gen4 l4 #bc4 #ccc ,gen4 xlvi4 #h4 #ccd ,gen4 xlix4 #h-ab4 #cce ,john x4 #ah4 #ccf ,john ii4 #ai4 #ccg ,john xix4 #cj4 #cch ,gen4 xlix4 #ab4 #cci #a ,pet4 ii4 #b2 #a ,cor4 iii4 #b4 #cdj ,gen4 xxv4 #bc4 #cda ,gen4 xlviii4 #ai4 #cdb ,infans1 from in1 not1 and fari1 to speak4 ,,book ,,seventeenth4 ,,argument4 ,,in ,,this ,,book ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,god ,,is ,,traced ,,during ,,the ,,period ,,of ,,the ,,kings ,,and ,,prophets ,,from ,,samuel ,,to ,,david1 ,,even ,,to ,,christ2 ,,and ,,the ,,prophecies ,,which ,,are ,,recorded ,,in ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,kings1 ,,psalms1 ,,and ,,those ,,of ,,solomon1 ,,are ,,interpreted ,,of ,,christ ,,and ,,the ,,church4 #a4 ,of the prophetic age4 ,by the favour of ,god we have treated distinctly of ,his promises made to ,abraham1 that both the nation of ,israel according to the flesh1 and all nations according to faith1 should be his seed1 and the ,city of ,god1 proceeding according to the order of time1 will point#cdc out how they were fulfilled4 ,having therefore in the previous book come down to the reign of ,david1 we shall now treat of what remains1 so far as may seem sufficient for the object of this work1 beginning at the same reign4 ,now1 from the time when holy ,samuel began to prophesy1 and ever onward until the people of ,israel was led captive into ,babylonia1 and until1 according to the prophecy of holy ,jeremiah1 on ,israel's return thence after seventy years1 the house of ,god was built anew1 this whole period is the prophetic age4 ,for although both the patriarch ,noah himself1 in whose days the whole earth was destroyed by the flood1 and others before and after him down to this time when there began to be kings over the people of ,god1 may not undeservedly be styled prophets1 on account of certain things pertaining to the city of ,god and the kingdom of heaven1 which they either predicted or in any way signified should come to pass1 and especially since we read that some of them1 as ,abraham and ,moses1 were expressly so styled1 yet those are most and chiefly called the days of the prophets from the time when ,samuel began to prophesy1 who at ,god's command first anointed ,saul to be king1 and1 on his rejection1 ,david himself1 whom others of his issue should succeed as long as it was fitting they should do so4 ,if1 therefore1 ,i wished to rehearse all that the prophets have predicted concerning ,christ1 while the city of ,god1 with its members dying and being born in constant succession1 ran its course through those times1 this work would extend beyond all bounds4 ,first1 because the ,scripture itself1 even when1 in treating in order of the kings and of their deeds and the events of their reigns1 it seems to be occupied in narrating as with historical diligence the affairs transacted1 will be found1 if the things handled by it are considered with the aid of the ,spirit of ,god1 either more1 or certainly not less1 intent on foretelling things to come than on relating things past4 ,and who that thinks even a little about it does not know how laborious and prolix a work it would be1 and how many volumes it would require to search this out by thorough investigation and demonstrate it by argument8 ,and then1 because of that which without dispute pertains to prophecy1 there are so many things concerning ,christ and the kingdom of heaven1 which is the city of ,god1 that to explain these a larger discussion would be necessary than the due proportion of this work admits of4 ,therefore ,i shall1 if ,i can1 so limit myself1 that in carrying through this work1 ,i may1 with ,god's help1 neither say what is superfluous nor omit what is necessary4 #b4 ,at what time the promise of ,god was fulfilled concerning the land of ,canaan1 which even carnal ,israel got in possession4 ,in the preceding book we said1 that in the promise of ,god to ,abraham two things were promised from the beginning1 the one1 namely1 that his seed should possess the land of ,canaan1 which was intimated when it was said1 ,go into a land that ,i will show thee1 and ,i will make of thee a great nation2#cdd but the other far more excellent1 concerning not the carnal but the spiritual seed1 by which he is the father1 not of the one nation of ,israel1 but of all nations who follow the footsteps of his faith1 which began to be promised in these words1 ,and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed4#cde ,and thereafter we showed by yet many other proofs that these two things were promised4 ,therefore the seed of ,abraham1 that is1 the people of ,israel according to the flesh1 already was in the land of promise2 and there1 not only by holding and possessing the cities of the enemies1 but also by having kings1 had already begun to reign1 the promises of ,god concerning that people being already in great part fulfilled3 not only those that were made to those three fathers1 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 and whatever others were made in their times1 but those also that were made through ,moses himself1 by whom the same people was set free from servitude in ,egypt1 and by whom all bygone things were revealed in his times1 when he led the people through the wilderness4 ,but neither by the illustrious leader ,jesus the son of ,nun1 who led that people into the land of promise1 and1 after driving out the nations1 divided it among the twelve tribes according to ,god's command1 and died2 nor after him1 in the whole time of the judges1 was the promise of ,god concerning the land of ,canaan fulfilled1 that it should extend from some river of ,egypt even to the great river ,euphrates2 nor yet was it still prophesied as to come1 but its fulfilment was expected4 ,and it was fulfilled through ,david1 and ,solomon his son1 whose kingdom was extended over the whole promised space2 for they subdued all those nations1 and made them tributary4 ,and thus1 under those kings1 the seed of ,abraham was established in the land of promise according to the flesh1 that is1 in the land of ,canaan1 so that nothing yet remained to the complete fulfilment of that earthly promise of ,god1 except that1 so far as pertains to temporal prosperity1 the ,hebrew nation should remain in the same land by the succession of posterity in an unshaken state even to the end of this mortal age1 if it obeyed the laws of the ,lord its ,god4 ,but since ,god knew it would not do this1 ,he used ,his temporal punishments also for training ,his few faithful ones in it1 and for giving needful warning to those who should afterwards be in all nations1 in whom the other promise1 revealed in the ,new ,testament1 was about to be fulfilled through the incarnation of ,christ4 #c4 ,of the threefold meaning of the prophecies1 which are to be referred now to the earthly1 now to the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and now again to both4 ,wherefore just as that divine oracle to ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 and all the other prophetic signs or sayings which are given in the earlier sacred writings1 so also the other prophecies from this time of the kings pertain partly to the nation of ,abraham's flesh1 and partly to that seed of his in which all nations are blessed as fellow-heirs of ,christ by the ,new ,testament1 to the possessing of eternal life and the kingdom of the heavens4 ,therefore they pertain partly to the bond maid who gendereth to bondage1 that is1 the earthly ,jerusalem1 which is in bondage with her children2 but partly to the free city of ,god1 that is1 the true ,jerusalem eternal in the heavens1 whose children are all those that live according to ,god in the earth3 but there are some things among them which are understood to pertain to both1--to the bond maid properly1 to the free woman figuratively4#cdf ,therefore prophetic utterances of three kinds are to be found2 forasmuch as there are some relating to the earthly ,jerusalem1 some to the heavenly1 and some to both4 ,i think it proper to prove what ,i say by examples4 ,the prophet ,nathan was sent to convict king ,david of heinous sin1 and predict to him what future evils should be consequent on it4 ,who can question that this and the like pertain to the terrestrial city1 whether publicly1 that is1 for the safety or help of the people1 or privately1 when there are given forth for each one's private good divine utterances whereby something of the future may be known for the use of temporal life8 ,but where we read1 ,behold1 the days come1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will make for the house of ,israel1 and for the house of ,judah1 a new testament3 not according to the testament that ,i settled for their fathers in the day when ,i laid hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of ,egypt2 because they continued not in my testament1 and ,i regarded them not1 saith the ,lord4 ,for this is the testament that ,i will make for the house of ,israel3 after those days1 saith the ,lord1 ,i will give my laws in their mind1 and will write them upon their hearts1 and ,i will see to them2 and ,i will be to them a ,god1 and they shall be to me a people2#cdg--without doubt this is prophesied to the ,jerusalem above1 whose reward is ,god ,himself1 and whose chief and entire good it is to have ,him1 and to be ,his4 ,but this pertains to both1 that the city of ,god is called ,jerusalem1 and that it is prophesied the house of ,god shall be in it2 and this prophecy seems to be fulfilled when king ,solomon builds that most noble temple4 ,for these things both happened in the earthly ,jerusalem1 as history shows1 and were types of the heavenly ,jerusalem4 ,and this kind of prophecy1 as it were compacted and commingled of both the others in the ancient canonical books1 containing historical narratives1 is of very great significance1 and has exercised and exercises greatly the wits of those who search holy writ4 ,for example1 what we read of historically as predicted and fulfilled in the seed of ,abraham according to the flesh1 we must also inquire the allegorical meaning of1 as it is to be fulfilled in the seed of ,abraham according to faith4 ,and so much is this the case1 that some have thought there is nothing in these books either foretold and effected1 or effected although not foretold1 that does not insinuate something else which is to be referred by figurative signification to the city of ,god on high1 and to her children who are pilgrims in this life4 ,but if this be so1 then the utterances of the prophets1 or rather the whole of those ,scriptures that are reckoned under the title of the ,old ,testament1 will be not of three1 but of two different kinds4 ,for there will be nothing there which pertains to the terrestrial ,jerusalem only1 if whatever is there said and fulfilled of or concerning her signifies something which also refers by allegorical prefiguration to the celestial ,jerusalem2 but there will be only two kinds1 one that pertains to the free ,jerusalem1 the other to both4 ,but just as1 ,i think1 they err greatly who are of opinion that none of the records of affairs in that kind of writings mean anything more than that they so happened1 so ,i think those very daring who contend that the whole gist of their contents lies in allegorical significations4 ,therefore ,i have said they are threefold1 not twofold4 ,yet1 in holding this opinion1 ,i do not blame those who may be able to draw out of everything there a spiritual meaning1 only saving1 first of all1 the historical truth4 ,for the rest1 what believer can doubt that those things are spoken vainly which are such that1 whether said to have been done or to be yet to come1 they do not beseem either human or divine affairs8 ,who would not recall these to spiritual understanding if he could1 or confess that they should be recalled by him who is able8 #d4 ,about the prefigured change of the ,israelitic kingdom and priesthood1 and about the things ,hannah the mother of ,samuel prophesied1 personating the ,church4 ,therefore the advance of the city of ,god1 where it reached the times of the kings1 yielded a figure1 when1 on the rejection of ,saul1 ,david first obtained the kingdom on such a footing that thenceforth his descendants should reign in the earthly ,jerusalem in continual succession2 for the course of affairs signified and foretold1 what is not to be passed by in silence1 concerning the change of things to come1 what belongs to both ,testaments1 the ,old and the ,new1--where the priesthood and kingdom are changed by one who is a priest1 and at the same time a king1 new and everlasting1 even ,christ ,jesus4 ,for both the substitution in the ministry of ,god1 on ,eli's rejection as priest1 of ,samuel1 who executed at once the office of priest and judge1 and the establishment of ,david in the kingdom1 when ,saul was rejected1 typified this of which ,i speak4 ,and ,hannah herself1 the mother of ,samuel1 who formerly was barren1 and afterwards was gladdened with fertility1 does not seem to prophesy anything else1 when she exultingly pours forth her thanksgiving to the ,lord1 on yielding up to ,god the same boy she had born and weaned with the same piety with which she had vowed him4 ,for she says1 ,my heart is made strong in the ,lord1 and my horn is exalted in my ,god2 my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies2 ,i am made glad in ,thy salvation4 ,because there is none holy as the ,lord2 and none is righteous as our ,god3 there is none holy save ,thee4 ,do not glory so proudly1 and do not speak lofty things1 neither let vaunting talk come out of your mouth3 for a ,god of knowledge is the ,lord1 and a ,god preparing ,his curious designs4 ,the bow of the mighty hath ,he made weak1 and the weak are girded with strength4 ,they that were full of bread are diminished2 and the hungry have passed beyond the earth3 for the barren hath born seven2 and she that hath many children is waxed feeble4 ,the ,lord killeth and maketh alive3 ,he bringeth down to hell1 and bringeth up again4 ,the ,lord maketh poor and maketh rich3 ,he bringeth low and lifteth up4 ,he raiseth up the poor out of the dust1 and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill1 that ,he may set him among the mighty of ,his people1 and maketh them inherit the throne of glory2 giving the vow to him that voweth1 and ,he hath blessed the years of the just3 for man is not mighty in strength4 ,the ,lord shall make ,his adversary weak3 the ,lord is holy4 ,let not the prudent glory in his prudence2 and let not the mighty glory in his might2 and let not the rich glory in his riches3 but let him that glorieth glory in this1 to understand and know the ,lord1 and to do judgment and justice in the midst of the earth4 ,the ,lord hath ascended into the heavens1 and hath thundered3 ,he shall judge the ends of the earth1 for ,he is righteous3 and ,he giveth strength to our kings1 and shall exalt the horn of ,his ,christ4#cdh ,do you say that these are the words of a single weak woman giving thanks for the birth of a son8 ,can the mind of men be so much averse to the light of truth as not to perceive that the sayings this woman pours forth exceed her measure8 ,moreover1 he who is suitably interested in these things which have already begun to be fulfilled even in this earthly pilgrimage also1 does he not apply his mind1 and perceive1 and acknowledge1 that through this woman--whose very name1 which is ,hannah1 means ,his grace--the very ,christian religion1 the very city of ,god1 whose king and founder is ,christ1 in fine1 the very grace of ,god1 hath thus spoken by the prophetic ,spirit1 whereby the proud are cut off so that they fall1 and the humble are filled so that they rise1 which that hymn chiefly celebrates8 ,unless perchance any one will say that this woman prophesied nothing1 but only lauded ,god with exulting praise on account of the son whom she had obtained in answer to prayer4 ,what then does she mean when she says1 ,the bow of the mighty hath ,he made weak1 and the weak are girded with strength2 they that were full of bread are diminished1 and the hungry have gone beyond the earth2 for the barren hath born seven1 and she that hath many children is waxed feeble8 ,had she herself born seven1 although she had been barren8 ,she had only one when she said that2 neither did she bear seven afterwards1 nor six1 with whom ,samuel himself might be the seventh1 but three males and two females4 ,and then1 when as yet no one was king over that people1 whence1 if she did not prophesy1 did she say what she puts at the end1 ,he giveth strength to our kings1 and shall exalt the horn of ,his ,christ8 ,therefore let the ,church of ,christ1 the city of the great ,king1#cdi full of grace1 prolific of offspring1 let her say what the prophecy uttered about her so long before by the mouth of this pious mother confesses1 ,my heart is made strong in the ,lord1 and my horn is exalted in my ,god4 ,her heart is truly made strong1 and her horn is truly exalted1 because not in herself1 but in the ,lord her ,god4 ,my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies2 because even in pressing straits the word of ,god is not bound1 not even in preachers who are bound4#cej ,i am made glad1 she says1 in ,thy salvation4 ,this is ,christ ,jesus ,himself1 whom old ,simeon1 as we read in the ,gospel1 embracing as a little one1 yet recognising as great1 said1 ,lord1 now lettest ,thou ,thy servant depart in peace1 for mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation4#cea ,therefore may the ,church say1 ,i am made glad in ,thy salvation4 ,for there is none holy as the ,lord1 and none is righteous as our ,god2 as holy and sanctifying1 just and justifying4#ceb ,there is none holy beside ,thee2 because no one becomes so except by reason of ,thee4 ,and then it follows1 ,do not glory so proudly1 and do not speak lofty things1 neither let vaunting talk come out of your mouth4 ,for a ,god of knowledge is the ,lord4 ,he knows you even when no one knows2 for he who thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing deceiveth himself4#cec ,these things are said to the adversaries of the city of ,god who belong to ,babylon1 who presume in their own strength1 and glory in themselves1 not in the ,lord2 of whom are also the carnal ,israelites1 the earth-born inhabitants of the earthly ,jerusalem1 who1 as saith the apostle1 being ignorant of the righteousness of ,god1#ced that is1 which ,god1 who alone is just1 and the justifier1 gives to man1 and wishing to establish their own1 that is1 which is as it were procured by their own selves1 not bestowed by ,him1 are not subject to the righteousness of ,god1 just because they are proud1 and think they are able to please ,god with their own1 not with that which is of ,god1 who is the ,god of knowledge1 and therefore also takes the oversight of consciences1 there beholding the thoughts of men that they are vain1#cee if they are of men1 and are not from ,him4 ,and preparing1 she says1 ,his curious designs4 ,what curious designs do we think these are1 save that the proud must fall1 and the humble rise8 ,these curious designs she recounts1 saying1 ,the bow of the mighty is made weak1 and the weak are girded with strength4 ,the bow is made weak1 that is1 the intention of those who think themselves so powerful1 that without the gift and help of ,god they are able by human sufficiency to fulfil the divine commandments2 and those are girded with strength whose inward cry is1 ,have mercy upon me1 ,o ,lord1 for ,i am weak4#cef ,they that were full of bread1 she says1 are diminished1 and the hungry have gone beyond the earth4 ,who are to be understood as full of bread except those same who were as if mighty1 that is1 the ,israelites1 to whom were committed the oracles of ,god8#ceg ,but among that people the children of the bond maid were diminished1--by which word minus1 although it is ,latin1 the idea is well expressed that from being greater they were made less1--because1 even in the very bread1 that is1 the divine oracles1 which the ,israelites alone of all nations have received1 they savour earthly things4 ,but the nations to whom that law was not given1 after they have come through the ,new ,testament to these oracles1 by thirsting much have gone beyond the earth1 because in them they have savoured not earthly1 but heavenly things4 ,and the reason why this is done is as it were sought2 for the barren1 she says1 hath born seven1 and she that hath many children is waxed feeble4 ,here all that had been prophesied hath shone forth to those who understood the number seven1 which signifies the perfection of the universal ,church4 ,for which reason also the ,apostle ,john writes to the seven churches1#ceh showing in that way that he writes to the totality of the one ,church2 and in the ,proverbs of ,solomon it is said aforetime1 prefiguring this1 ,wisdom hath builded her house1 she hath strengthened her seven pillars4#cei ,for the city of ,god was barren in all nations before that child arose whom we see4#cfj ,we also see that the temporal ,jerusalem1 who had many children1 is now waxed feeble4 ,because1 whoever in her were sons of the free woman were her strength2 but now1 forasmuch as the letter is there1 and not the spirit1 having lost her strength1 she is waxed feeble4 ,the ,lord killeth and maketh alive3 ,he has killed her who had many children1 and made this barren one alive1 so that she has born seven4 ,although it may be more suitably understood that ,he has made those same alive whom ,he has killed4 ,for she1 as it were1 repeats that by adding1 ,he bringeth down to hell1 and bringeth up4 ,to whom truly the apostle says1 ,if ye be dead with ,christ1 seek those things which are above1 where ,christ sitteth on the right hand of ,god4#cfa ,therefore they are killed by the ,lord in a salutary way1 so that he adds1 ,savour things which are above1 not things on the earth2 so that these are they who1 hungering1 have passed beyond the earth4 ,for ye are dead1 he says3 behold how ,god savingly kills6 ,then there follows1 ,and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god3 behold how ,god makes the same alive6 ,but does ,he bring them down to hell and bring them up again8 ,it is without controversy among believers that we best see both parts of this work fulfilled in ,him1 to wit1 our ,head1 with whom the apostle has said our life is hid in ,god4 ,for when ,he spared not ,his own ,son1 but delivered ,him up for us all1#cfb in that way1 certainly1 ,he has killed ,him4 ,and forasmuch as ,he raised ,him up again from the dead1 ,he has made ,him alive again4 ,and since ,his voice is acknowledged in the prophecy1 ,thou wilt not leave my soul in hell1#cfc ,he has brought ,him down to hell and brought ,him up again4 ,by this poverty of ,his we are made rich2#cfd for the ,lord maketh poor and maketh rich4 ,but that we may know what this is1 let us hear what follows3 ,he bringeth low and lifteth up2 and truly ,he humbles the proud and exalts the humble4 ,which we also read elsewhere1 ,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble4#cfe ,this is the burden of the entire song of this woman whose name is interpreted ,his grace4 ,farther1 what is added1 ,he raiseth up the poor from the earth1 ,i understand of none better than of ,him who1 as was said a little ago1 was made poor for us1 when ,he was rich1 that by ,his poverty we might be made rich4 ,for ,he raised ,him from the earth so quickly that ,his flesh did not see corruption4 ,nor shall ,i divert from ,him what is added1 ,and raiseth up the poor from the dunghill4 ,for indeed he who is the poor man is also the beggar4#cff ,but by the dunghill from which he is lifted up we are with the greatest reason to understand the persecuting ,jews1 of whom the apostle says1 when telling that when he belonged to them he persecuted the ,church1 ,what things were gain to me1 those ,i counted loss for ,christ2 and ,i have counted them not only loss1 but even dung1 that ,i might win ,christ4#cfg ,therefore that poor one is raised up from the earth above all the rich1 and that beggar is lifted up from that dunghill above all the wealthy1 that he may sit among the mighty of the people1 to whom ,he says1 ,ye shall sit upon twelve thrones1#cfh and to make them inherit the throne of glory4 ,for these mighty ones had said1 ,lo1 we have forsaken all and followed ,thee4 ,they had most mightily vowed this vow4 ,but whence do they receive this1 except from ,him of whom it is here immediately said1 ,giving the vow to him that voweth8 ,otherwise they would be of those mighty ones whose bow is weakened4 ,giving1 she saith1 the vow to him that voweth4 ,for no one could vow anything acceptable to ,god1 unless he received from ,him that which he might vow4 ,there follows1 ,and ,he hath blessed the years of the just1 to wit1 that he may live for ever with ,him to whom it is said1 ,and ,thy years shall have no end4 ,for there the years abide2 but here they pass away1 yea1 they perish3 for before they come they are not1 and when they shall have come they shall not be1 because they bring their own end with them4 ,now of these two1 that is1 giving the vow to him that voweth1 and ,he hath blessed the years of the just1 the one is what we do1 the other what we receive4 ,but this other is not received from ,god1 the liberal giver1 until ,he1 the helper1 ,himself has enabled us for the former2 for man is not mighty in strength4 ,the ,lord shall make his adversary weak1 to wit1 him who envies the man that vows1 and resists him1 lest he should fulfil what he has vowed4 ,owing to the ambiguity of the ,greek1 it may also be understood his own adversary4 ,for when ,god has begun to possess us1 immediately he who had been our adversary becomes ,his1 and is conquered by us2 but not by our own strength1 for man is not mighty in strength4 ,therefore the ,lord shall make ,his own adversary weak1 the ,lord is holy1 that he may be conquered by the saints1 whom the ,lord1 the ,holy of holies1 hath made saints4 ,for this reason1 let not the prudent glory in his prudence1 and let not the mighty glory in his might1 and let not the rich glory in his riches2 but let him that glorieth glory in this1--to understand and know the ,lord1 and to do judgment and justice in the midst of the earth4 ,he in no small measure understands and knows the ,lord who understands and knows that even this1 that he can understand and know the ,lord1 is given to him by the ,lord4 ,for what hast thou1 saith the apostle1 that thou hast not received8 ,but if thou hast received it1 why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it8#cfi ,that is1 as if thou hadst of thine own self whereof thou mightest glory4 ,now1 he does judgment and justice who lives aright4 ,but he lives aright who yields obedience to ,god when ,he commands4 ,the end of the commandment1 that is1 to which the commandment has reference1 is charity out of a pure heart1 and a good conscience1 and faith unfeigned4 ,moreover1 this charity1 as the ,apostle ,john testifies1 is of ,god4#cgj ,therefore to do justice and judgment is of ,god4 ,but what is in the midst of the earth8 ,for ought those who dwell in the ends of the earth not to do judgment and justice8 ,who would say so8 ,why1 then1 is it added1 ,in the midst of the earth8 ,for if this had not been added1 and it had only been said1 ,to do judgment and justice1 this commandment would rather have pertained to both kinds of men1--both those dwelling inland and those on the sea-coast4 ,but lest any one should think that1 after the end of the life led in this body1 there remains a time for doing judgment and justice which he has not done while he was in the flesh1 and that the divine judgment can thus be escaped1 in the midst of the earth appears to me to be said of the time when every one lives in the body2 for in this life every one carries about his own earth1 which1 on a man's dying1 the common earth takes back1 to be surely returned to him on his rising again4 ,therefore in the midst of the earth1 that is1 while our soul is shut up in this earthly body1 judgment and justice are to be done1 which shall be profitable for us hereafter1 when every one shall receive according to that he hath done in the body1 whether good or bad4#cga ,for when the apostle there says in the body1 he means in the time he has lived in the body4 ,yet if any one blaspheme with malicious mind and impious thought1 without any member of his body being employed in it1 he shall not therefore be guiltless because he has not done it with bodily motion1 for he will have done it in that time which he has spent in the body4 ,in the same way we may suitably understand what we read in the psalm1 ,but ,god1 our ,king before the worlds1 hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth2#cgb so that the ,lord ,jesus may be understood to be our ,god who is before the worlds1 because by ,him the worlds were made1 working our salvation in the midst of the earth1 for the ,word was made flesh and dwelt in an earthly body4 ,then after ,hannah has prophesied in these words1 that he who glorieth ought to glory not in himself at all1 but in the ,lord1 she says1 on account of the retribution which is to come on the day of judgment1 ,the ,lord hath ascended into the heavens1 and hath thundered3 ,he shall judge the ends of the earth1 for ,he is righteous4 ,throughout she holds to the order of the creed of ,christians3 ,for the ,lord ,christ has ascended into heaven1 and is to come thence to judge the quick and dead4#cgc ,for1 as saith the apostle1 ,who hath ascended but ,he who hath also descended into the lower parts of the earth8 ,he that descended is the same also that ascended up above all heavens1 that ,he might fill all things4#cgd ,therefore ,he hath thundered through ,his clouds1 which ,he hath filled with ,his ,holy ,spirit when ,he ascended up4 ,concerning which the bond maid ,jerusalem that is1 the unfruitful vineyard is threatened in ,isaiah the prophet that they shall rain no showers upon her4 ,but ,he shall judge the ends of the earth is spoken as if it had been said1 even the extremes of the earth4 ,for it does not mean that ,he shall not judge the other parts of the earth1 who1 without doubt1 shall judge all men4 ,but it is better to understand by the extremes of the earth the extremes of man1 since those things shall not be judged which1 in the middle time1 are changed for the better or the worse1 but the ending in which he shall be found who is judged4 ,for which reason it is said1 ,he that shall persevere even unto the end1 the same shall be saved4#cge ,he1 therefore1 who perseveringly does judgment and justice in the midst of the earth shall not be condemned when the extremes of the earth shall be judged4 ,and giveth1 she saith1 strength to our kings1 that ,he may not condemn them in judging4 ,he giveth them strength whereby as kings they rule the flesh1 and conquer the world in ,him who hath poured out ,his blood for them4 ,and shall exalt the horn of ,his ,christ4 ,for ,he of whom it was said above1 ,the ,lord hath ascended into the heavens1 meaning the ,lord ,christ1 ,himself1 as it is said here1 shall exalt the horn of ,his ,christ4 ,who1 therefore1 is the ,christ of ,his ,christ8 ,does it mean that ,he shall exalt the horn of each one of ,his believing people1 as she says in the beginning of this hymn1 ,mine horn is exalted in my ,god8 ,for we can rightly call all those christs who are anointed with ,his chrism1 forasmuch as the whole body with its head is one ,christ4#cgf ,these things hath ,hannah1 the mother of ,samuel1 the holy and much-praised man1 prophesied1 in which1 indeed1 the change of the ancient priesthood was then figured and is now fulfilled1 since she that had many children is waxed feeble1 that the barren who hath born seven might have the new priesthood in ,christ4 #e4 ,of those things which a man of ,god spake by the ,spirit to ,eli the priest1 signifying that the priesthood which had been appointed according to ,aaron was to be taken away4 ,but this is said more plainly by a man of ,god sent to ,eli the priest himself1 whose name indeed is not mentioned1 but whose office and ministry show him to have been indubitably a prophet4 ,for it is thus written3 ,and there came a man of ,god unto ,eli1 and said1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,i plainly revealed myself unto thy father's house1 when they were in the land of ,egypt slaves in ,pharaoh's house2 and ,i chose thy father's house out of all the sceptres of ,israel to fill the office of priest for me1 to go up to my altar1 to burn incense and wear the ephod2 and ,i gave thy father's house for food all the offerings made by fire of the children of ,israel4 ,wherefore then hast thou looked at mine incense and at mine offerings with an impudent eye1 and hast glorified thy sons above me1 to bless the first-fruits of every sacrifice in ,israel before me8 ,therefore thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 ,i said thy house and thy father's house should walk before me for ever3 but now the ,lord saith1 ,be it far from me2 for them that honour me will ,i honour1 and he that despiseth me shall be despised4 ,behold1 the days come1 that ,i will cut off thy seed1 and the seed of thy father's house1 and thou shalt never have an old man in my house4 ,and ,i will cut off the man of thine from mine altar1 so that his eyes shall be consumed1 and his heart shall melt away2 and every one of thy house that is left shall fall by the sword of men4 ,and this shall be a sign unto thee that shall come upon these thy two sons1 ,hophni and ,phinehas2 in one day they shall die both of them4 ,and ,i will raise me up a faithful priest1 that shall do according to all that is in mine heart and in my soul2 and ,i will build him a sure house1 and he shall walk before my ,christ for ever4 ,and it shall come to pass that he who is left in thine house shall come to worship him with a piece of money1 saying1 ,put me into one part of thy priesthood1 that ,i may eat bread4#cgg ,we cannot say that this prophecy1 in which the change of the ancient priesthood is foretold with so great plainness1 was fulfilled in ,samuel2 for although ,samuel was not of another tribe than that which had been appointed by ,god to serve at the altar1 yet he was not of the sons of ,aaron1 whose offspring was set apart that the priests might be taken out of it4 ,and thus by that transaction also the same change which should come to pass through ,christ ,jesus is shadowed forth1 and the prophecy itself in deed1 not in word1 belonged to the ,old ,testament properly1 but figuratively to the ,new1 signifying by the fact just what was said by the word to ,eli the priest through the prophet4 ,for there were afterwards priests of ,aaron's race1 such as ,zadok and ,abiathar during ,david's reign1 and others in succession1 before the time came when those things which were predicted so long before about the changing of the priesthood behoved to be fulfilled by ,christ4 ,but who that now views these things with a believing eye does not see that they are fulfilled8 ,since1 indeed1 no tabernacle1 no temple1 no altar1 no sacrifice1 and therefore no priest either1 has remained to the ,jews1 to whom it was commanded in the law of ,god that he should be ordained of the seed of ,aaron2 which is also mentioned here by the prophet1 when he says1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 ,i said thy house and thy father's house shall walk before me for ever3 but now the ,lord saith1 ,that be far from me2 for them that honour me will ,i honour1 and he that despiseth me shall be despised4 ,for that in naming his father's house he does not mean that of his immediate father1 but that of ,aaron1 who first was appointed priest1 to be succeeded by others descended from him1 is shown by the preceding words1 when he says1 ,i was revealed unto thy father's house1 when they were in the land of ,egypt slaves in ,pharaoh's house2 and ,i chose thy father's house out of all the sceptres of ,israel to fill the office of priest for me4 ,which of the fathers in that ,egyptian slavery1 but ,aaron1 was his father1 who1 when they were set free1 was chosen to the priesthood8 ,it was of his lineage1 therefore1 he has said in this passage it should come to pass that they should no longer be priests2 which already we see fulfilled4 ,if faith be watchful1 the things are before us3 they are discerned1 they are grasped1 and are forced on the eyes of the unwilling1 so that they are seen3 ,behold the days come1 he says1 that ,i will cut off thy seed1 and the seed of thy father's house1 and thou shalt never have an old man in mine house4 ,and ,i will cut off the man of thine from mine altar1 so that his eyes shall be consumed and his heart shall melt away4 ,behold the days which were foretold have already come4 ,there is no priest after the order of ,aaron2 and whoever is a man of his lineage1 when he sees the sacrifice of the ,christians prevailing over the whole world1 but that great honour taken away from himself1 his eyes fail and his soul melts away consumed with grief4 ,but what follows belongs properly to the house of ,eli1 to whom these things were said3 ,and every one of thine house that is left shall fall by the sword of men4 ,and this shall be a sign unto thee that shall come upon these thy two sons1 ,hophni and ,phinehas2 in one day they shall die both of them4 ,this1 therefore1 is made a sign of the change of the priesthood from this man's house1 by which it is signified that the priesthood of ,aaron's house is to be changed4 ,for the death of this man's sons signified the death not of the men1 but of the priesthood itself of the sons of ,aaron4 ,but what follows pertains to that ,priest whom ,samuel typified by succeeding this one4 ,therefore the things which follow are said of ,christ ,jesus the true ,priest of the ,new ,testament3 ,and ,i will raise me up a faithful ,priest that shall do according to all that is in mine heart and in my soul2 and ,i will build ,him a sure house4 ,the same is the eternal ,jerusalem above4 ,and ,he shall walk1 saith ,he1 before my ,christ always4 ,he shall walk means he shall be conversant with1 just as ,he had said before of ,aaron's house1 ,i said that thine house and thy father's house shall walk before me for ever4 ,but what ,he says1 ,he shall walk before my ,christ1 is to be understood entirely of the house itself1 not of the priest1 who is ,christ ,himself1 the ,mediator and ,saviour4 ,his house1 therefore1 shall walk before ,him4 ,shall walk may also be understood to mean from death to life1 all the time this mortality passes through1 even to the end of this world4 ,but where ,god says1 ,who will do all that is in mine heart and in my soul1 we must not think that ,god has a soul1 for ,he is the ,author of souls2 but this is said of ,god tropically1 not properly1 just as ,he is said to have hands and feet1 and other corporal members4 ,and1 lest it should be supposed from such language that man in the form of this flesh is made in the image of ,god1 wings also are ascribed to ,him1 which man has not at all2 and it is said to ,god1 ,hide me under the shadow of ,thy wings1#cgh that men may understand that such things are said of that ineffable nature not in proper but in figurative words4 ,but what is added1 ,and it shall come to pass that he who is left in thine house shall come to worship ,him1 is not said properly of the house of this ,eli1 but of that ,aaron1 the men of which remained even to the advent of ,jesus ,christ1 of which race there are not wanting men even to this present4 ,for of that house of ,eli it had already been said above1 ,and every one of thine house that is left shall fall by the sword of men4 ,how1 therefore1 could it be truly said here1 ,and it shall come to pass that every one that is left shall come to worship him1 if that is true1 that no one shall escape the avenging sword1 unless he would have it understood of those who belong to the race of that whole priesthood after the order of ,aaron8 ,therefore1 if it is of these the predestinated remnant1 about whom another prophet has said1 ,the remnant shall be saved2#cgi whence the apostle also says1 ,even so then at this time also the remnant according to the election of grace is saved2#chj since it is easily understood to be of such a remnant that it is said1 ,he that is left in thine house1 assuredly he believes in ,christ2 just as in the time of the apostle very many of that nation believed2 nor are there now wanting those1 although very few1 who yet believe1 and in them is fulfilled what this man of ,god has here immediately added1 ,he shall come to worship him with a piece of money2 to worship whom1 if not that ,chief ,priest1 who is also ,god8 ,for in that priesthood after the order of ,aaron men did not come to the temple or altar of ,god for the purpose of worshipping the priest4 ,but what is that he says1 ,with a piece of money1 if not the short word of faith1 about which the apostle quotes the saying1 ,a consummating and shortening word will the ,lord make upon the earth8#cha ,but that money is put for the word the psalm is a witness1 where it is sung1 ,the words of the ,lord are pure words1 money tried with the fire4#chb ,what then does he say who comes to worship the priest of ,god1 even the ,priest who is ,god8 ,put me into one part of ,thy priesthood1 to eat bread4 ,i do not wish to be set in the honour of my fathers1 which is none2 put me in a part of ,thy priesthood4 ,for ,i have chosen to be mean in ,thine house2#chc ,i desire to be a member1 no matter what1 or how small1 of ,thy priesthood4 ,by the priesthood he here means the people itself1 of which ,he is the ,priest who is the ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus4#chd ,this people the ,apostle ,peter calls a holy people1 a royal priesthood4#che ,but some have translated1 ,of ,thy sacrifice1 not ,of ,thy priesthood1 which no less signifies the same ,christian people4 ,whence the ,apostle ,paul says1 ,we being many are one bread1 one body4#chf ,and again he says1 ,present your bodies a living sacrifice4#chg ,what1 therefore1 he has added1 to eat bread1 also elegantly expresses the very kind of sacrifice of which the ,priest ,himself says1 ,the bread which ,i will give is my flesh for the life of the world4#chh ,the same is the sacrifice not after the order of ,aaron1 but after the order of ,melchisedec3#chi let him that readeth understand4#cij ,therefore this short and salutarily humble confession1 in which it is said1 ,put me in a part of ,thy priesthood1 to eat bread1 is itself the piece of money1 for it is both brief1 and it is the ,word of ,god who dwells in the heart of one who believes4 ,for because ,he had said above1 that ,he had given for food to ,aaron's house the sacrificial victims of the ,old ,testament1 where ,he says1 ,i have given thy father's house for food all things which are offered by fire of the children of ,israel1 which indeed were the sacrifices of the ,jews2 therefore here ,he has said1 ,to eat bread1 which is in the ,new ,testament the sacrifice of the ,christians4 #f4 ,of the ,jewish priesthood and kingdom1 which1 although promised to be established for ever1 did not continue2 so that other things are to be understood to which eternity is assured4 ,while1 therefore1 these things now shine forth as clearly as they were loftily foretold1 still some one may not vainly be moved to ask1 ,how can we be confident that all things are to come to pass which are predicted in these books as about to come1 if this very thing which is there divinely spoken1 ,thine house and thy father's house shall walk before me for ever1 could not have effect8 ,for we see that priesthood has been changed2 and there can be no hope that what was promised to that house may some time be fulfilled1 because that which succeeds on its being rejected and changed is rather predicted as eternal4 ,he who says this does not yet understand1 or does not recollect1 that this very priesthood after the order of ,aaron was appointed as the shadow of a future eternal priesthood2 and therefore1 when eternity is promised to it1 it is not promised to the mere shadow and figure1 but to what is shadowed forth and prefigured by it4 ,but lest it should be thought the shadow itself was to remain1 therefore its mutation also behoved to be foretold4 ,in this way1 too1 the kingdom of ,saul himself1 who certainly was reprobated and rejected1 was the shadow of a kingdom yet to come which should remain to eternity4 ,for1 indeed1 the oil with which he was anointed1 and from that chrism he is called ,christ1 is to be taken in a mystical sense1 and is to be understood as a great mystery2 which ,david himself venerated so much in him1 that he trembled with smitten heart when1 being hid in a dark cave1 which ,saul also entered when pressed by the necessity of nature1 he had come secretly behind him and cut off a small piece of his robe1 that he might be able to prove how he had spared him when he could have killed him1 and might thus remove from his mind the suspicion through which he had vehemently persecuted the holy ,david1 thinking him his enemy4 ,therefore he was much afraid lest he should be accused of violating so great a mystery in ,saul1 because he had thus meddled even his clothes4 ,for thus it is written3 ,and ,david's heart smote him because he had taken away the skirt of his cloak4#cia ,but to the men with him1 who advised him to destroy ,saul thus delivered up into his hands1 he saith1 ,the ,lord forbid that ,i should do this thing to my lord1 the ,lord's christ1 to lay my hand upon him1 because he is the ,lord's christ4 ,therefore he showed so great reverence to this shadow of what was to come1 not for its own sake1 but for the sake of what it prefigured4 ,whence also that which ,samuel says to ,saul1 ,since thou hast not kept my commandment which the ,lord commanded thee1 whereas now the ,lord would have prepared thy kingdom over ,israel for ever1 yet now thy kingdom shall not continue for thee2 and the ,lord will seek ,him a man after ,his own heart1 and the ,lord will command him to be prince over ,his people1 because thou hast not kept that which the ,lord commanded thee1#cib is not to be taken as if ,god had settled that ,saul himself should reign for ever1 and afterwards1 on his sinning1 would not keep this promise2 nor was ,he ignorant that he would sin1 but ,he had established his kingdom that it might be a figure of the eternal kingdom4 ,therefore he added1 ,yet now thy kingdom shall not continue for thee4 ,therefore what it signified has stood and shall stand2 but it shall not stand for this man1 because he himself was not to reign for ever1 nor his offspring2 so that at least that word for ever might seem to be fulfilled through his posterity one to another4 ,and the ,lord1 he saith1 will seek ,him a man1 meaning either ,david or the ,mediator of the ,new ,testament1#cic who was figured in the chrism with which ,david also and his offspring was anointed4 ,but it is not as if ,he knew not where he was that ,god thus seeks ,him a man1 but1 speaking through a man1 ,he speaks as a man1 and in this sense seeks us4 ,for not only to ,god the ,father1 but also to ,his ,only-begotten1 who came to seek what was lost1#cid we had been known already even so far as to be chosen in ,him before the foundation of the world4#cie ,he will seek him therefore means1 ,he will have ,his own 7just as if ,he had said1 ,whom ,he already has known to be ,his own ,he will show to others to be ,his friend74 ,whence in ,latin this word 7qurit7 receives a preposition and becomes acquirit 7acquires71 the meaning of which is plain enough2 although even without the addition of the preposition qurere is understood as acquirere1 whence gains are called qustus4 #g4 ,of the disruption of the kingdom of ,israel1 by which the perpetual division of the spiritual from the carnal ,israel was prefigured4 ,again ,saul sinned through disobedience1 and again ,samuel says to him in the word of the ,lord1 ,because thou hast despised the word of the ,lord1 the ,lord hath despised thee1 that thou mayest not be king over ,israel4#cif ,and again for the same sin1 when ,saul confessed it1 and prayed for pardon1 and besought ,samuel to return with him to appease the ,lord1 he said1 ,i will not return with thee3 for thou hast despised the word of the ,lord1 and the ,lord will despise thee that thou mayest not be king over ,israel4 ,and ,samuel turned his face to go away1 and ,saul laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle1 and rent it4 ,and ,samuel said unto him1 ,the ,lord hath rent the kingdom from ,israel out of thine hand this day1 and will give it to thy neighbour1 who is good above thee1 and will divide ,israel in twain4 ,and ,he will not be changed1 neither will ,he repent3 for ,he is not as a man1 that ,he should repent2 who threatens and does not persist4#cig ,he to whom it is said1 ,the ,lord will despise thee that thou mayest not be king over ,israel1 and ,the ,lord hath rent the kingdom from ,israel out of thine hand this day1 reigned forty years over ,israel1--that is1 just as long a time as ,david himself1--yet heard this in the first period of his reign1 that we may understand it was said because none of his race was to reign1 and that we may look to the race of ,david1 whence also is sprung1 according to the flesh1#cih the ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus4#cii ,but the ,scripture has not what is read in most ,latin copies1 ,the ,lord hath rent the kingdom of ,israel out of thine hand this day1 but just as we have set it down it is found in the ,greek copies1 ,the ,lord hath rent the kingdom from ,israel out of thine hand2 that the words out of thine hand may be understood to mean from ,israel4 ,therefore this man figuratively represented the people of ,israel1 which was to lose the kingdom1 ,christ ,jesus our ,lord being about to reign1 not carnally1 but spiritually4 ,and when it is said of ,him1 ,and will give it to thy neighbour1 that is to be referred to the fleshly kinship1 for ,christ1 according to the flesh1 was of ,israel1 whence also ,saul sprang4 ,but what is added1 ,good above thee1 may indeed be understood1 ,better than thee1 and indeed some have thus translated it2 but it is better taken thus1 ,good above thee1 as meaning that because ,he is good1 therefore ,he must be above thee1 according to that other prophetic saying1 ,till ,i put all ,thine enemies under ,thy feet4#djj ,and among them is ,israel1 from whom1 as ,his persecutor1 ,christ took away the kingdom2 although the ,israel in whom there was no guile may have been there too1 a sort of grain1 as it were1 of that chaff4 ,for certainly thence came the apostles1 thence so many martyrs1 of whom ,stephen1 is the first1 thence so many churches1 which the ,apostle ,paul names1 magnifying ,god in their conversion4 ,of which thing ,i do not doubt what follows is to be understood1 ,and will divide ,israel in twain1 to wit1 into ,israel pertaining to the bond woman1 and ,israel pertaining to the free4 ,for these two kinds were at first together1 as ,abraham still clave to the bond woman1 until the barren1 made1 fruitful by the grace of ,god1 cried1 ,cast out the bond woman and her son4#dja ,we know1 indeed1 that on account of the sin of ,solomon1 in the reign of his son ,rehoboam ,israel was divided in two1 and continued so1 the separate parts having their own kings1 until that whole nation was overthrown with a great destruction1 and carried away by the ,chaldeans4 ,but what was this to ,saul1 when1 if any such thing was threatened1 it would be threatened against ,david himself1 whose son ,solomon was8 ,finally1 the ,hebrew nation is not now divided internally1 but is dispersed through the earth indiscriminately1 in the fellowship of the same error4 ,but that division with which ,god threatened the kingdom and people in the person of ,saul1 who represented them1 is shown to be eternal and unchangeable by this which is added1 ,and ,he will not be changed1 neither will ,he repent3 for ,he is not as a man1 that ,he should repent2 who threatens and does not persist1--that is1 a man threatens and does not persist1 but not ,god1 who does not repent like man4 ,for when we read that ,he repents1 a change of circumstance is meant1 flowing from the divine immutable foreknowledge4 ,therefore1 when ,god is said not to repent1 it is to be understood that ,he does not change4 ,we see that this sentence concerning this division of the people of ,israel1 divinely uttered in these words1 has been altogether irremediable and quite perpetual4 ,for whoever have turned1 or are turning1 or shall turn thence to ,christ1 it has been according to the foreknowledge of ,god1 not according to the one and the same nature of the human race4 ,certainly none of the ,israelites1 who1 cleaving to ,christ1 have continued in ,him1 shall ever be among those ,israelites who persist in being ,his enemies even to the end of this life1 but shall for ever remain in the separation which is here foretold4 ,for the ,old ,testament1 from the ,mount ,sinai1 which gendereth to bondage1#djb profiteth nothing1 unless because it bears witness to the ,new ,testament4 ,otherwise1 however long ,moses is read1 the veil is put over their heart2 but when any one shall turn thence to ,christ1 the veil shall be taken away4#djc ,for the very desire of those who turn is changed from the old to the new1 so that each no longer desires to obtain carnal but spiritual felicity4 ,wherefore that great prophet ,samuel himself1 before he had anointed ,saul1 when he had cried to the ,lord for ,israel1 and ,he had heard him1 and when he had offered a whole burnt-offering1 as the aliens were coming to battle against the people of ,god1 and the ,lord thundered above them and they were confused1 and fell before ,israel and were overcome2 then he took one stone and set it up between the old and new ,massephat 7,mizpeh71 and called its name ,ebenezer1 which means the stone of the helper1 and said1 ,hitherto hath the ,lord helped us4#djd ,massephat is interpreted desire4 ,that stone of the helper is the mediation of the ,saviour1 by which we go from the old ,massephat to the new1--that is1 from the desire with which carnal happiness was expected in the carnal kingdom to the desire with which the truest spiritual happiness is expected in the kingdom of heaven2 and since nothing is better than that1 the ,lord helpeth us hitherto4 #h4 ,of the promises made to ,david in his son1 which are in no wise fulfilled in ,solomon1 but most fully in ,christ4 ,and now ,i see ,i must show what1 pertaining to the matter ,i treat of1 ,god promised to ,david himself1 who succeeded ,saul in the kingdom1 whose change prefigured that final change on account of which all things were divinely spoken1 all things were committed to writing4 ,when many things had gone prosperously with king ,david1 he thought to make a house for ,god1 even that temple of most excellent renown which was afterwards built by king ,solomon his son4 ,while he was thinking of this1 the word of the ,lord came to ,nathan the prophet1 which he brought to the king1 in which1 after ,god had said that a house should not be built unto ,him by ,david himself1 and that in all that long time ,he had never commanded any of ,his people to build ,him a house of cedar1 he says1 ,and now thus shalt thou say unto my servant ,david1 ,thus saith ,god ,almighty1 ,i took thee from the sheep-cote that thou mightest be for a ruler over my people in ,israel3 and ,i was with thee whithersoever thou wentest1 and have cut off all thine enemies from before thy face1 and have made thee a name1 according to the name of the great ones who are over the earth4 ,and ,i will appoint a place for my people ,israel1 and will plant him1 and he shall dwell apart1 and shall be troubled no more2 and the son of wickedness shall not humble him any more1 as from the beginning1 from the days when ,i appointed judges over my people ,israel4 ,and ,i will give thee rest from all thine enemies1 and the ,lord will tell hath told thee1 because thou shalt build an house for ,him4 ,and it shall come to pass when thy days be fulfilled1 and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers1 that ,i will raise up thy seed after thee1 which shall proceed out of thy bowels1 and ,i will prepare his kingdom4 ,he shall build me an house for my name2 and ,i will order his throne even to eternity4 ,i will be his ,father1 and he shall be my son4 ,and if he commit iniquity1 ,i will chasten him with the rod of men1 and with the stripes of the sons of men3 but my mercy ,i will not take away from him1 as ,i took it away from those whom ,i put away from before my face4 ,and his house shall be faithful1 and his kingdom even for evermore before me1 and his throne shall be set up even for evermore4#dje ,he who thinks this grand promise was fulfilled in ,solomon greatly errs2 for he attends to the saying1 ,he shall build me an house1 but he does not attend to the saying1 ,his house shall be faithful1 and his kingdom for evermore before me4 ,let him therefore attend and behold the house of ,solomon full of strange women worshipping false gods1 and the king himself1 aforetime wise1 seduced by them1 and cast down into the same idolatry3 and let him not dare to think that ,god either promised this falsely1 or was unable to foreknow that ,solomon and his house would become what they did4 ,but we ought not to be in doubt here1 or to see the fulfilment of these things save in ,christ our ,lord1 who was made of the seed of ,david according to the flesh1#djf lest we should vainly and uselessly look for some other here1 like the carnal ,jews4 ,for even they understand this much1 that the son whom they read of in that place as promised to ,david was not ,solomon2 so that1 with wonderful blindness to ,him who was promised and is now declared with so great manifestation1 they say they hope for another4 ,indeed1 even in ,solomon there appeared some image of the future event1 in that he built the temple1 and had peace according to his name 7for ,solomon means pacific71 and in the beginning of his reign was wonderfully praiseworthy2 but while1 as a shadow of ,him that should come1 he foreshowed ,christ our ,lord1 he did not also in his own person resemble ,him4 ,whence some things concerning him are so written as if they were prophesied of himself1 while the ,holy ,scripture1 prophesying even by events1 somehow delineates in him the figure of things to come4 ,for1 besides the books of divine history1 in which his reign is narrated1 the #gb;d ,psalm also is inscribed in the title with his name1 in which so many things are said which cannot at all apply to him1 but which apply to the ,lord ,christ with such evident fitness as makes it quite apparent that in the one the figure is in some way shadowed forth1 but in the other the truth itself is presented4 ,for it is known within what bounds the kingdom of ,solomon was enclosed2 and yet in that psalm1 not to speak of other things1 we read1 ,he shall have dominion from sea even to sea1 and from the river to the ends of the earth1#djg which we see fulfilled in ,christ4 ,truly he took the beginning of ,his reigning from the river where ,john baptized2 for1 when pointed out by him1 ,he began to be acknowledged by the disciples1 who called ,him not only ,master1 but also ,lord4 ,nor was it for any other reason that1 while his father ,david was still living1 ,solomon began to reign1 which happened to none other of their kings1 except that from this also it might be clearly apparent that it was not himself this prophecy spoken to his father signified beforehand1 saying1 ,and it shall come to pass when thy days be fulfilled1 and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers1 that ,i will raise up thy seed which shall proceed out of thy bowels1 and ,i will prepare ,his kingdom4 ,how1 therefore1 shall it be thought on account of what follows1 ,he shall build me an house1 that this ,solomon is prophesied1 and not rather be understood on account of what precedes1 ,when thy days be fulfilled1 and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers1 ,i will raise up thy seed after thee1 that another pacific ,one is promised1 who is foretold as about to be raised up1 not before ,david's death1 as he was1 but after it8 ,for however long the interval of time might be before ,jesus ,christ came1 beyond doubt it was after the death of king ,david1 to whom ,he was so promised1 that ,he behoved to come1 who should build an house of ,god1 not of wood and stone1 but of men1 such as we rejoice ,he does build4 ,for to this house1 that is1 to believers1 the apostle saith1 ,the temple of ,god is holy1 which temple ye are4#djh #i4 ,how like the prophecy about ,christ in the #hith ,psalm is to the things promised in ,nathan's prophecy in the ,books of ,samuel4 ,wherefore also in the #hith ,psalm1 of which the title is1 ,an instruction for himself by ,ethan the ,israelite1 mention is made of the promises ,god made to king ,david1 and some things are there added similar to those found in the ,book of ,samuel1 such as this1 ,i have sworn to ,david my servant that ,i will prepare his seed for ever4#dji ,and again1 ,then thou spakest in vision to thy sons1 and saidst1 ,i have laid help upon the mighty ,one1 and have exalted the chosen ,one out of my people4 ,i have found ,david my servant1 and with my holy oil ,i have anointed him4 ,for mine hand shall help him1 and mine arm shall strengthen him4 ,the enemy shall not prevail against him1 and the son of iniquity shall harm him no more4 ,and ,i will beat down his foes from before his face1 and those that hate him will ,i put to flight4 ,and my truth and my mercy shall be with him1 and in my name shall his horn be exalted4 ,i will set his hand also in the sea1 and his right hand in the rivers4 ,he shall cry unto me1 ,thou art my ,father1 my ,god1 and the undertaker of my salvation4 ,also ,i will make him my first-born1 high among the kings of the earth4 ,my mercy will ,i keep for him for evermore1 and my covenant shall be faithful 7sure7 with him4 ,his seed also will ,i set for ever and ever1 and his throne as the days of heaven4#daj ,which words1 when rightly understood1 are all understood to be about the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 under the name of ,david1 on account of the form of a servant1 which the same ,mediator assumed#daa from the virgin of the seed of ,david4#dab ,for immediately something is said about the sins of his children1 such as is set down in the ,book of ,samuel1 and is more readily taken as if of ,solomon4 ,for there1 that is1 in the ,book of ,samuel1 he says1 ,and if he commit iniquity1 ,i will chasten him with the rod of men1 and with the stripes of the sons of men2 but my mercy will ,i not take away from him1#dac meaning by stripes the strokes of correction4 ,hence that saying1 ,touch ye not my christs4#dad ,for what else is that than1 ,do not harm them8 ,but in the psalm1 when speaking as if of ,david1 ,he says something of the same kind there too4 ,if his children1 saith ,he1 forsake my law1 and walk not in my judgments2 if they profane my righteousnesses1 and keep not my commandments2 ,i will visit their iniquities with the rod1 and their faults with stripes3 but my mercy ,i will not make void from him4#dae ,he did not say from them1 although ,he spoke of his children1 not of himself2 but he said from him1 which means the same thing if rightly understood4 ,for of ,christ ,himself1 who is the head of the ,church1 there could not be found any sins which required to be divinely restrained by human correction1 mercy being still continued2 but they are found in ,his body and members1 which is ,his people4 ,therefore in the ,book of ,samuel it is said1 iniquity of ,him1 but in the psalm1 of ,his children1 that we may understand that what is said of ,his body is in some way said of ,himself4 ,wherefore also1 when ,saul persecuted ,his body1 that is1 ,his believing people1 ,he ,himself saith from heaven1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou me8#daf ,then in the following words of the psalm ,he says1 ,neither will ,i hurt in my truth1 nor profane my covenant1 and the things that proceed from my lips ,i will not disallow4 ,once have ,i sworn by my holiness1 if ,i lie unto ,david1#dag--that is1 ,i will in no wise lie unto ,david2 for ,scripture is wont to speak thus4 ,but what that is in which ,he will not lie1 ,he adds1 saying1 ,his seed shall endure for ever1 and his throne as the sun before me1 and as the moon perfected for ever1 and a faithful witness in heaven4#dah #aj4 ,how different the acts in the kingdom of the earthly ,jerusalem are from those which ,god had promised1 so that the truth of the promise should be understood to pertain to the glory of the other ,king and kingdom4 ,that it might not be supposed that a promise so strongly expressed and confirmed was fulfilled in ,solomon1 as if he hoped for1 yet did not find it1 he says1 ,but ,thou hast cast off1 and hast brought to nothing1 ,o ,lord4#dai ,this truly was done concerning the kingdom of ,solomon among his posterity1 even to the overthrow of the earthly ,jerusalem itself1 which was the seat of the kingdom1 and especially the destruction of the very temple which had been built by ,solomon4 ,but lest on this account ,god should be thought to have done contrary to ,his promise1 immediately he adds1 ,thou hast delayed ,thy ,christ4#dbj ,therefore he is not ,solomon1 nor yet ,david himself1 if the ,christ of the ,lord is delayed4 ,for while all the kings are called ,his christs1 who were consecrated with that mystical chrism1 not only from king ,david downwards1 but even from that ,saul who first was anointed king of that same people1 ,david himself indeed calling him the ,lord's christ1 yet there was one true ,christ1 whose figure they bore by the prophetic unction1 who1 according to the opinion of men1 who thought he was to be understood as come in ,david or in ,solomon1 was long delayed1 but who1 according as ,god had disposed1 was to come in ,his own time4 ,the following part of this psalm goes on to say what in the meantime1 while ,he was delayed1 was to become of the kingdom of the earthly ,jerusalem1 where it was hoped ,he would certainly reign3 ,thou hast overthrown the covenant of ,thy servant2 ,thou hast profaned in the earth his sanctuary4 ,thou hast broken down all his walls2 ,thou hast put his strongholds in fear4 ,all that pass by the way spoil him2 he is made a reproach to his neighbours4 ,thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies2 ,thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice4 ,thou hast turned aside the help of his sword1 and hast not helped him in war4 ,thou hast destroyed him from cleansing2 ,thou hast dashed down his seat to the ground4 ,thou hast shortened the days of his seat2 ,thou hast poured confusion over him4#dba ,all these things came upon ,jerusalem the bond woman1 in which some also reigned who were children of the free woman1 holding that kingdom in temporary stewardship1 but holding the kingdom of the heavenly ,jerusalem1 whose children they were1 in true faith1 and hoping in the true ,christ4 ,but how these things came upon that kingdom1 the history of its affairs points out if it is read4 #aa4 ,of the substance of the people of ,god1 which through ,his assumption of flesh is in ,christ1 who alone had power to deliver ,his own soul from hell4 ,but after having prophesied these things1 the prophet betakes him to praying to ,god2 yet even the very prayer is prophecy3 ,how long1 ,lord1 dost ,thou turn away in the end8#dbb ,thy face is understood1 as it is elsewhere said1 ,how long dost ,thou turn away ,thy face from me8#dbc ,for therefore some copies have here not dost1 but wilt ,thou turn away2 although it could be understood1 ,thou turnest away ,thy mercy1 which ,thou didst promise to ,david4 ,but when he says1 in the end1 what does it mean1 except even to the end8 ,by which end is to be understood the last time1 when even that nation is to believe in ,christ ,jesus1 before which end what ,he has just sorrowfully bewailed must come to pass4 ,on account of which it is also added here1 ,thy wrath shall burn like fire4 ,remember what is my substance4#dbd ,this cannot be better understood than of ,jesus ,himself1 the substance of ,his people1 of whose nature ,his flesh is4 ,for not in vain1 he says1 hast ,thou made all the sons of men4#dbe ,for unless the one ,son of man had been the substance of ,israel1 through which ,son of man many sons of men should be set free1 all the sons of men would have been made wholly in vain4 ,but now indeed all mankind through the fall of the first man has fallen from the truth into vanity2 for which reason another psalm says1 ,man is like to vanity3 his days pass away as a shadow2#dbf yet ,god has not made all the sons of men in vain1 because ,he frees many from vanity through the ,mediator ,jesus1 and those whom ,he did not foreknow as to be delivered1 ,he made not wholly in vain in the most beautiful and most just ordination of the whole rational creation1 for the use of those who were to be delivered1 and for the comparison of the two cities by mutual contrast4 ,thereafter it follows1 ,who is the man that shall live1 and shall not see death8 shall he snatch his soul from the hand of hell8#dbg ,who is this but that substance of ,israel out of the seed of ,david1 ,christ ,jesus1 of whom the apostle says1 that rising from the dead ,he now dieth not1 and death shall no more have dominion over ,him8#dbh ,for ,he shall so live and not see death1 that yet ,he shall have been dead2 but shall have delivered ,his soul from the hand of hell1 whither ,he had descended in order to loose some from the chains of hell2 but ,he hath delivered it by that power of which ,he says in the ,gospel1 ,i have the power of laying down my life1 and ,i have the power of taking it again4#dbi #ab4 ,to whose person the entreaty for the promises is to be understood to belong1 when he says in the psalm1 ,where are ,thine ancient compassions1 ,lord8 etc4 ,but the rest of this psalm runs thus3 ,where are ,thine ancient compassions1 ,lord1 which ,thou swarest unto ,david in ,thy truth8 ,remember1 ,lord1 the reproach of ,thy servants1 which ,i have borne in my bosom of many nations2 wherewith ,thine enemies have reproached1 ,o ,lord1 wherewith they have reproached the change of ,thy ,christ4#dcj ,now it may with very good reason be asked whether this is spoken in the person of those ,israelites who desired that the promise made to ,david might be fulfilled to them2 or rather of the ,christians1 who are ,israelites not after the flesh but after the ,spirit4#dca ,this certainly was spoken or written in the time of ,ethan1 from whose name this psalm gets its title1 and that was the same as the time of ,david's reign2 and therefore it would not have been said1 ,where are ,thine ancient compassions1 ,lord1 which ,thou hast sworn unto ,david in ,thy truth8 unless the prophet had assumed the person of those who should come long afterwards1 to whom that time when these things were promised to ,david was ancient4 ,but it may be understood thus1 that many nations1 when they persecuted the ,christians1 reproached them with the passion of ,christ1 which ,scripture calls ,his change1 because by dying ,he is made immortal4 ,the change of ,christ1 according to this passage1 may also be understood to be reproached by the ,israelites1 because1 when they hoped ,he would be theirs1 ,he was made the ,saviour of the nations2 and many nations who have believed in ,him by the ,new ,testament now reproach them who remain in the old with this3 so that it is said1 ,remember1 ,lord1 the reproach of ,thy servants2 because through the ,lord's not forgetting1 but rather pitying them1 even they after this reproach are to believe4 ,but what ,i have put first seems to me the most suitable meaning4 ,for to the enemies of ,christ who are reproached with this1 that ,christ hath left them1 turning to the ,gentiles1#dcb this speech is incongruously assigned1 ,remember1 ,lord1 the reproach of ,thy servants1 for such ,jews are not to be styled the servants of ,god2 but these words fit those who1 if they suffered great humiliations through persecution for the name of ,christ1 could call to mind that an exalted kingdom had been promised to the seed of ,david1 and in desire of it1 could say not despairingly1 but as asking1 seeking1 knocking1#dcc ,where are ,thine ancient compassions1 ,lord1 which ,thou swarest unto ,david in ,thy truth8 ,remember1 ,lord1 the reproach of ,thy servants1 that ,i have borne in my bosom of many nations2 that is1 have patiently endured in my inward parts4 ,that ,thine enemies have reproached1 ,o ,lord1 wherewith they have reproached the change of ,thy ,christ1 not thinking it a change1 but a consumption4#dcd ,but what does ,remember1 ,lord1 mean1 but that ,thou wouldst have compassion1 and wouldst for my patiently borne humiliation reward me with the excellency which ,thou swarest unto ,david in ,thy truth8 ,but if we assign these words to the ,jews1 those servants of ,god who1 on the conquest of the earthly ,jerusalem1 before ,jesus ,christ was born after the manner of men1 were led into captivity1 could say such things1 understanding the change of ,christ1 because indeed through ,him was to be surely expected1 not an earthly and carnal felicity1 such as appeared during the few years of king ,solomon1 but a heavenly and spiritual felicity2 and when the nations1 then ignorant of this through unbelief1 exulted over and insulted the people of ,god for being captives1 what else was this than ignorantly to reproach with the change of ,christ those who understand the change of ,christ8 ,and therefore what follows when this psalm is concluded1 ,let the blessing of the ,lord be for evermore1 amen1 amen1 is suitable enough for the whole people of ,god belonging to the heavenly ,jerusalem1 whether for those things that lay hid in the ,old ,testament before the ,new was revealed1 or for those that1 being now revealed in the ,new ,testament1 are manifestly discerned to belong to ,christ4 ,for the blessing of the ,lord in the seed of ,david does not belong to any particular time1 such as appeared in the days of ,solomon1 but is for evermore to be hoped for1 in which most certain hope it is said1 ,amen1 amen2 for this repetition of the word is the confirmation of that hope4 ,therefore ,david understanding this1 says in the second ,book of ,kings1 in the passage from which we digressed to this psalm1#dce ,thou hast spoken also for ,thy servant's house for a great while to come4#dcf ,therefore also a little after he says1 ,now begin1 and bless the house of ,thy servant for evermore1 etc41 because the son was then about to be born from whom his posterity should be continued to ,christ1 through whom his house should be eternal1 and should also be the house of ,god4 ,for it is called the house of ,david on account of ,david's race2 but the selfsame is called the house of ,god on account of the temple of ,god1 made of men1 not of stones1 where shall dwell for evermore the people with and in their ,god1 and ,god with and in ,his people1 so that ,god may fill ,his people1 and the people be filled with their ,god1 while ,god shall be all in all1 ,himself their reward in peace who is their strength in war4 ,therefore1 when it is said in the words of ,nathan1 ,and the ,lord will tell thee what an house thou shalt build for ,him1#dcg it is afterwards said in the words of ,david1 ,for ,thou1 ,lord ,almighty1 ,god of ,israel1 hast opened the ear of ,thy servant1 saying1 ,i will build thee an house4#dch ,for this house is built both by us through living well1 and by ,god through helping us to live well2 for except the ,lord build the house1 they labour in vain that build it4#dci ,and when the final dedication of this house shall take place1 then what ,god here says by ,nathan shall be fulfilled1 ,and ,i will appoint a place for my people ,israel1 and will plant him1 and he shall dwell apart1 and shall be troubled no more2 and the son of iniquity shall not humble him any more1 as from the beginning1 from the days when ,i appointed judges over my people ,israel4#ddj #ac4 ,whether the truth of this promised peace can be ascribed to those times passed away under ,solomon4 ,whoever hopes for this so great good in this world1 and in this earth1 his wisdom is but folly4 ,can any one think it was fulfilled in the peace of ,solomon's reign8 ,scripture certainly commends that peace with excellent praise as a shadow of that which is to come4 ,but this opinion is to be vigilantly opposed1 since after it is said1 ,and the son of iniquity shall not humble him any more1 it is immediately added1 as from the beginning1 from the days in which ,i appointed judges over my people ,israel4#dda ,for the judges were appointed over that people from the time when they received the land of promise1 before kings had begun to be there4 ,and certainly the son of iniquity1 that is1 the foreign enemy1 humbled him through periods of time in which we read that peace alternated with wars2 and in that period longer times of peace are found than ,solomon had1 who reigned forty years4 ,for under that judge who is called ,ehud there were eighty years of peace4#ddb ,be it far from us1 therefore1 that we should believe the times of ,solomon are predicted in this promise1 much less indeed those of any other king whatever4 ,for none other of them reigned in such great peace as he2 nor did that nation ever at all hold that kingdom so as to have no anxiety lest it should be subdued by enemies3 for in the very great mutability of human affairs such great security is never given to any people1 that it should not dread invasions hostile to this life4 ,therefore the place of this promised peaceful and secure habitation is eternal1 and of right belongs eternally to ,jerusalem the free mother1 where the genuine people of ,israel shall be3 for this name is interpreted ,seeing ,god2 in the desire of which reward a pious life is to be led through faith in this miserable pilgrimage4#ddc #ad4 ,of ,david's concern in the writing of the ,psalms4 ,in the progress of the city of ,god through the ages1 therefore1 ,david first reigned in the earthly ,jerusalem as a shadow of that which was to come4 ,now ,david was a man skilled in songs1 who dearly loved musical harmony1 not with a vulgar delight1 but with a believing disposition1 and by it served his ,god1 who is the true ,god1 by the mystical representation of a great thing4 ,for the rational and well-ordered concord of diverse sounds in harmonious variety suggests the compact unity of the well-ordered city4 ,then almost all his prophecy is in psalms1 of which a hundred and fifty are contained in what we call the ,book of ,psalms1 of which some will have it those only were made by ,david which are inscribed with his name4 ,but there are also some who think none of them were made by him except those which are marked ,of ,david2 but those which have in the title ,for ,david have been made by others who assumed his person4 ,which opinion is refuted by the voice of the ,saviour ,himself in the ,gospel1 when ,he says that ,david himself by the ,spirit said ,christ was his ,lord2 for the #aajth ,psalm begins thus1 ,the ,lord said unto my ,lord1 ,sit ,thou at my right hand1 until ,i make ,thine enemies ,thy footstool4#ddd ,and truly that very psalm1 like many more1 has in the title1 not of ,david1 but for ,david4 ,but those seem to me to hold the more credible opinion1 who ascribe to him the authorship of all these hundred and fifty psalms1 and think that he prefixed to some of them the names even of other men1 who prefigured something pertinent to the matter1 but chose to have no man's name in the titles of the rest1 just as ,god inspired him in the management of this variety1 which1 although dark1 is not meaningless4 ,neither ought it to move one not to believe this1 that the names of some prophets who lived long after the times of king ,david are read in the inscriptions of certain psalms in that book1 and that the things said there seem to be spoken as it were by them4 ,nor was the prophetic ,spirit unable to reveal to king ,david1 when he prophesied1 even these names of future prophets1 so that he might prophetically sing something which should suit their persons2 just as it was revealed to a certain prophet that king ,josiah should arise and reign after more than three hundred years1 who predicted his future deeds also along with his name4#dde #ae4 ,whether all the things prophesied in the ,psalms concerning ,christ and ,his ,church should be taken up in the text of this work4 ,and now ,i see it may be expected of me that ,i shall open up in this part of this book what ,david may have prophesied in the ,psalms concerning the ,lord ,jesus ,christ or ,his ,church4 ,but although ,i have already done so in one instance1 ,i am prevented from doing as that expectation seems to demand1 rather by the abundance than the scarcity of matter4 ,for the necessity of shunning prolixity forbids my setting down all things2 yet ,i fear lest if ,i select some ,i shall appear to many1 who know these things1 to have passed by the more necessary4 ,besides1 the proof that is adduced ought to be supported by the context of the whole psalm1 so that at least there may be nothing against it if everything does not support it2 lest we should seem1 after the fashion of the centos1 to gather for the thing we wish1 as it were verses out of a grand poem1 what shall be found to have been written not about it1 but about some other and widely different thing4 ,but ere this could be pointed out in each psalm1 the whole of it must be expounded2 and how great a work that would be1 the volumes of others1 as well as our own1 in which we have done it1 show well enough4 ,let him then who will1 or can1 read these volumes1 and he will find out how many and great things ,david1 at once king and prophet1 has prophesied concerning ,christ and ,his ,church1 to wit1 concerning the ,king and the city which ,he has built4 #af4 ,of the things pertaining to ,christ and the ,church1 said either openly or tropically in the #deth ,psalm4 ,for whatever direct and manifest prophetic utterances there may be about anything1 it is necessary that those which are tropical should be mingled with them2 which1 chiefly on account of those of slower understanding1 thrust upon the more learned the laborious task of clearing up and expounding them4 ,some of them1 indeed1 on the very first blush1 as soon as they are spoken1 exhibit ,christ and the ,church1 although some things in them that are less intelligible remain to be expounded at leisure4 ,we have an example of this in that same ,book of ,psalms3 ,my heart bubbled up a good matter3 ,i utter my words to the king4 ,my tongue is the pen of a scribe1 writing swiftly4 ,thy form is beautiful beyond the sons of men2 grace is poured out in ,thy lips3 therefore ,god hath blessed ,thee for evermore4 ,gird ,thy sword about ,thy thigh1 ,o ,most ,mighty4 ,with ,thy goodliness and ,thy beauty go forward1 proceed prosperously1 and reign1 because of ,thy truth1 and meekness1 and righteousness2 and ,thy right hand shall lead ,thee forth wonderfully4 ,thy sharp arrows are most powerful4 ,the people shall fall under ,thee3 in the heart of the ,king's enemies4 ,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever3 a rod of direction is the rod of ,thy kingdom4 ,thou hast loved righteousness1 and hast hated iniquity3 therefore ,god1 ,thy ,god1 hath anointed ,thee with the oil of exultation above ,thy fellows4 ,myrrh and drops1 and cassia from ,thy vestments1 from the houses of ivory3 out of which the daughters of kings have delighted ,thee in ,thine honour4#ddf ,who is there1 no matter how slow1 but must here recognise ,christ whom we preach1 and in whom we believe1 if he hears that ,he is ,god1 whose throne is for ever and ever1 and that ,he is anointed by ,god1 as ,god indeed anoints1 not with a visible1 but with a spiritual and intelligible chrism8 ,for who is so untaught in this religion1 or so deaf to its far and wide spread fame1 as not to know that ,christ is named from this chrism1 that is1 from this anointing8 ,but when it is acknowledged that this ,king is ,christ1 let each one who is already subject to ,him who reigns because of truth1 meekness1 and righteousness1 inquire at his leisure into these other things that are here said tropically3 how ,his form is beautiful beyond the sons of men1 with a certain beauty that is the more to be loved and admired the less it is corporeal2 and what ,his sword1 arrows1 and other things of that kind may be1 which are set down1 not properly1 but tropically4 ,then let him look upon ,his ,church1 joined to her so great ,husband in spiritual marriage and divine love1 of which it is said in these words which follow1 ,the queen stood upon ,thy right hand in gold-embroidered vestments1 girded about with variety4 ,hearken1 ,o daughter1 and look1 and incline thine ear2 forget also thy people1 and thy father's house4 ,because the ,king hath greatly desired thy beauty2 for ,he is the ,lord thy ,god4 ,and the daughters of ,tyre shall worship ,him with gifts2 the rich among the people shall entreat ,thy face4 ,the daughter of the ,king has all her glory within1 in golden fringes1 girded about with variety4 ,the virgins shall be brought after her to the ,king3 her neighbours shall be brought to ,thee4 ,they shall be brought with gladness and exultation3 they shall be led into the temple of the ,king4 ,instead of thy fathers1 sons shall be born to thee3 thou shalt establish them as princes over all the earth4 ,they shall be mindful of thy name in every generation and descent4 ,therefore shall the people acknowledge thee for evermore1 even for ever and ever4#ddg ,i do not think any one is so stupid as to believe that some poor woman is here praised and described1 as the spouse1 to wit1 of ,him to whom it is said1 ,thy throne1 ,o ,god1 is for ever and ever3 a rod of direction is the rod of ,thy kingdom4 ,thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity3 therefore ,god1 ,thy ,god1 hath anointed ,thee with the oil of exultation above ,thy fellows2#ddh that is1 plainly1 ,christ above ,christians4 ,for these are ,his fellows1 out of the unity and concord of whom in all nations that queen is formed1 as it is said of her in another psalm1 ,the city of the great ,king4#ddi ,the same is ,sion spiritually1 which name in ,latin is interpreted speculatio 7discovery72 for she descries the great good of the world to come1 because her attention is directed thither4 ,in the same way she is also ,jerusalem spiritually1 of which we have already said many things4 ,her enemy is the city of the devil1 ,babylon1 which is interpreted confusion4 ,yet out of this ,babylon this queen is in all nations set free by regeneration1 and passes from the worst to the best ,king1--that is1 from the devil to ,christ4 ,wherefore it is said to her1 ,forget thy people and thy father's house4 ,of this impious city those also are a portion who are ,israelites only in the flesh and not by faith1 enemies also of this great ,king ,himself1 and of ,his queen4 ,for ,christ1 having come to them1 and been slain by them1 has the more become the ,king of others1 whom ,he did not see in the flesh4 ,whence our ,king ,himself says through the prophecy of a certain psalm1 ,thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people2 ,thou wilt make me head of the nations4 ,a people whom ,i have not known hath served me3 in the hearing of the ear it hath obeyed me4#dej ,therefore this people of the nations1 which ,christ did not know in ,his bodily presence1 yet has believed in that ,christ as announced to it2 so that it might be said of it with good reason1 ,in the hearing of the ear it hath obeyed me1 for faith is by hearing4#dea ,this people1 ,i say1 added to those who are the true ,israelites both by the flesh and by faith1 is the city of ,god1 which has brought forth ,christ ,himself according to the flesh1 since ,he was in these ,israelites only4 ,for thence came the ,virgin ,mary1 in whom ,christ assumed flesh that ,he might be man4 ,of which city another psalm says1 ,mother ,sion1 shall a man say1 and the man is made in her1 and the ,highest ,himself hath founded her4#deb ,who is this ,highest1 save ,god8 ,and thus ,christ1 who is ,god1 before ,he became man through ,mary in that city1 ,himself founded it by the patriarchs and prophets4 ,as therefore was said by prophecy so long before to this queen1 the city of ,god1 what we already can see fulfilled1 ,instead of thy fathers1 sons are born to thee2 thou shalt make them princes over all the earth2#dec so out of her sons truly are set up even her fathers princes through all the earth1 when the people1 coming together to her1 confess to her with the confession of eternal praise for ever and ever4 ,beyond doubt1 whatever interpretation is put on what is here expressed somewhat darkly in figurative language1 ought to be in agreement with these most manifest things4 #ag4 ,of those things in the #aajth ,psalm which relate to the priesthood of ,christ1 and in the #bb;d to ,his passion4 ,just as in that psalm also where ,christ is most openly proclaimed as ,priest1 even as ,he is here as ,king1 ,the ,lord said unto my ,lord1 ,sit ,thou at my right hand1 until ,i make ,thine enemies ,thy footstool4#ded ,that ,christ sits on the right hand of ,god the ,father is believed1 not seen2 that ,his enemies also are put under ,his feet doth not yet appear2 it is being done1 therefore it will appear at last3 yea1 this is now believed1 afterward it shall be seen4 ,but what follows1 ,the ,lord will send forth the rod of ,thy strength out of ,sion1 and rule ,thou in the midst of ,thine enemies1#dee is so clear1 that to deny it would imply not merely unbelief and mistake1 but downright impudence4 ,and even enemies must certainly confess that out of ,sion has been sent the law of ,christ which we call the gospel1 and acknowledge as the rod of ,his strength4 ,but that ,he rules in the midst of ,his enemies1 these same enemies among whom ,he rules themselves bear witness1 gnashing their teeth and consuming away1 and having power to do nothing against ,him4 ,then what he says a little after1 ,the ,lord hath sworn and will not repent1#def by which words ,he intimates that what ,he adds is immutable1 ,thou art a priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek1#deg who is permitted to doubt of whom these things are said1 seeing that now there is nowhere a priesthood and sacrifice after the order of ,aaron1 and everywhere men offer under ,christ as the ,priest1 which ,melchizedek showed when he blessed ,abraham8 ,therefore to these manifest things are to be referred1 when rightly understood1 those things in the same psalm that are set down a little more obscurely1 and we have already made known in our popular sermons how these things are to be rightly understood4 ,so also in that where ,christ utters through prophecy the humiliation of ,his passion1 saying1 ,they pierced my hands and feet2 they counted all my bones4 ,yea1 they looked and stared at me4#deh ,by which words he certainly meant ,his body stretched out on the cross1 with the hands and feet pierced and perforated by the striking through of the nails1 and that ,he had in that way made ,himself a spectacle to those who looked and stared4 ,and he adds1 ,they parted my garments among them1 and over my vesture they cast lots4#dei ,how this prophecy has been fulfilled the ,gospel history narrates4 ,then1 indeed1 the other things also which are said there less openly are rightly understood when they agree with those which shine with so great clearness2 especially because those things also which we do not believe as past1 but survey as present1 are beheld by the whole world1 being now exhibited just as they are read of in this very psalm as predicted so long before4 ,for it is there said a little after1 ,all the ends of the earth shall remember1 and turn unto the ,lord1 and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before ,him2 for the kingdom is the ,lord's1 and ,he shall rule the nations4 #ah4 ,of the #c;d1 #dast1 #aeth1 and #fhth ,psalms1 in which the death and resurrection of the ,lord are prophesied4 ,about ,his resurrection also the oracles of the ,psalms are by no means silent4 ,for what else is it that is sung in ,his person in the #c;d ,psalm1 ,i laid me down and took a sleep1 and ,i awaked1 for the ,lord shall sustain me8#dfj ,is there perchance any one so stupid as to believe that the prophet chose to point it out to us as something great that ,he had slept and risen up1 unless that sleep had been death1 and that awaking the resurrection1 which behoved to be thus prophesied concerning ,christ8 ,for in the #dast ,psalm also it is shown much more clearly1 where in the person of the ,mediator1 in the usual way1 things are narrated as if past which were prophesied as yet to come1 since these things which were yet to come were in the predestination and foreknowledge of ,god as if they were done1 because they were certain4 ,he says1 ,mine enemies speak evil of me2 ,when shall he die1 and his name perish8 ,and if he came in to see me1 his heart spake vain things3 he gathered iniquity to himself4 ,he went out of doors1 and uttered it all at once4 ,against me all mine enemies whisper together3 against me do they devise evil4 ,they have planned an unjust thing against me4 ,shall not he that sleeps also rise again8#dfa ,these words are certainly so set down here that he may be understood to say nothing else than if he said1 ,shall not ,he that died recover life again8 ,the previous words clearly show that ,his enemies have meditated and planned ,his death1 and that this was executed by him who came in to see1 and went out to betray4 ,but to whom does not ,judas here occur1 who1 from being ,his disciple1 became ,his betrayer8 ,therefore because they were about to do what they had plotted1--that is1 were about to kill ,him1--he1 to show them that with useless malice they were about to kill ,him who should rise again1 so adds this verse1 as if he said1 ,what vain thing are you doing8 ,what will be your crime will be my sleep4 ,shall not ,he that sleeps also rise again8 ,and yet he indicates in the following verses that they should not commit so great an impiety with impunity1 saying1 ,yea1 the man of my peace in whom ,i trusted1 who ate my bread1 hath enlarged the heel over me2#dfb that is1 hath trampled me under foot4 ,but ,thou1 he saith1 ,o ,lord1 be merciful unto me1 and raise me up1 that ,i may requite them4#dfc ,who can now deny this who sees the ,jews1 after the passion and resurrection of ,christ1 utterly rooted up from their abodes by warlike slaughter and destruction8 ,for1 being slain by them1 ,he has risen again1 and has requited them meanwhile by temporary discipline1 save that for those who are not corrected ,he keeps it in store for the time when ,he shall judge the quick and the dead4#dfd ,for the ,lord ,jesus ,himself1 in pointing out that very man to the apostles as ,his betrayer1 quoted this very verse of this psalm1 and said it was fulfilled in ,himself3 ,he that ate my bread enlarged the heel over me4 ,but what he says1 ,in whom ,i trusted1 does not suit the head but the body4 ,for the ,saviour ,himself was not ignorant of him concerning whom ,he had already said before1 ,one of you is a devil4#dfe ,but ,he is wont to assume the person of ,his members1 and to ascribe to ,himself what should be said of them1 because the head and the body is one ,christ2#dff whence that saying in the ,gospel1 ,i was an hungered1 and ye gave me to eat4#dfg ,expounding which1 ,he says1 ,since ye did it to one of the least of mine1 ye did it to me4#dfh ,therefore ,he said that ,he had trusted1 because ,his disciples then had trusted concerning ,judas2 for he was numbered with the apostles4#dfi ,but the ,jews do not expect that the ,christ whom they expect will die2 therefore they do not think ours to be ,him whom the law and the prophets announced1 but feign to themselves ,i know not whom of their own1 exempt from the suffering of death4 ,therefore1 with wonderful emptiness and blindness1 they contend that the words we have set down signify1 not death and resurrection1 but sleep and awaking again4 ,but the #afth ,psalm also cries to them1 ,therefore my heart is jocund1 and my tongue hath exulted2 moreover1 my flesh also shall rest in hope3 for ,thou wilt not leave my soul in hell2 neither wilt ,thou give ,thine ,holy ,one to see corruption4#dgj ,who but ,he that rose again the third day could say ,his flesh had rested in this hope2 that ,his soul1 not being left in hell1 but speedily returning to it1 should revive it1 that it should not be corrupted as corpses are wont to be1 which they can in no wise say of ,david the prophet and king8 ,the #fhth ,psalm also cries out1 ,our ,god is the ,god of salvation3 even of the ,lord the exit was by death4#dga ,what could be more openly said8 ,for the ,god of salvation is the ,lord ,jesus1 which is interpreted ,saviour1 or ,healing ,one4 ,for this reason this name was given1 when it was said before ,he was born of the virgin3 ,thou shalt bring forth a ,son1 and shalt call ,his name ,jesus2 for ,he shall save ,his people from their sins4#dgb ,because ,his blood was shed for the remission of their sins1 it behoved ,him to have no other exit from this life than death4 ,therefore1 when it had been said1 ,our ,god is the ,god of salvation1 immediately it was added1 ,even of the ,lord the exit was by death1 in order to show that we were to be saved by ,his dying4 ,but that saying is marvellous1 ,even of the ,lord1 as if it was said1 ,such is that life of mortals1 that not even the ,lord ,himself could go out of it otherwise save through death4 #ai4 ,of the #fith ,psalm1 in which the obstinate unbelief of the ,jews is declared4 ,but when the ,jews will not in the least yield to the testimonies of this prophecy1 which are so manifest1 and are also brought by events to so clear and certain a completion1 certainly that is fulfilled in them which is written in that psalm which here follows4 ,for when the things which pertain to ,his passion are prophetically spoken there also in the person1 of ,christ1 that is mentioned which is unfolded in the ,gospel3 ,they gave me gall for my meat2 and in my thirst they gave me vinegar for drink4#dgc ,and as it were after such a feast and dainties in this way given to ,himself1 presently ,he brings in these words3 ,let their table become a trap before them1 and a retribution1 and an offence3 let their eyes be dimmed that they see not1 and their back be always bowed down1#dgd etc4 ,which things are not spoken as wished for1 but are predicted under the prophetic form of wishing4 ,what wonder1 then1 if those whose eyes are dimmed that they see not do not see these manifest things8 ,what wonder if those do not look up at heavenly things whose back is always bowed down that they may grovel among earthly things8 ,for these words transferred from the body signify mental faults4 ,let these things which have been said about the ,psalms1 that is1 about king ,david's prophecy1 suffice1 that we may keep within some bound4 ,but let those readers excuse us who knew them all before2 and let them not complain about those perhaps stronger proofs which they know or think ,i have passed by4 #bj4 ,of ,david's reign and merit2 and of his son ,solomon1 and that prophecy relating to ,christ which is found either in those books which are joined to those written by him1 or in those which are indubitably his4 ,david therefore reigned in the earthly ,jerusalem1 a son of the heavenly ,jerusalem1 much praised by the divine testimony2 for even his faults are overcome by great piety1 through the most salutary humility of his repentance1 that he is altogether one of those of whom he himself says1 ,blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven1 and whose sins are covered4#dge ,after him ,solomon his son reigned over the same whole people1 who1 as was said before1 began to reign while his father was still alive4 ,this man1 after good beginnings1 made a bad end4 ,for indeed prosperity1 which wears out the minds of the wise1#dgf hurt him more than that wisdom profited him1 which even yet is and shall hereafter be renowned1 and was then praised far and wide4 ,he also is found to have prophesied in his books1 of which three are received as of canonical authority1 ,proverbs1 ,ecclesiastes1 and the ,song of ,songs4 ,but it has been customary to ascribe to ,solomon other two1 of which one is called ,wisdom1 the other ,ecclesiasticus1 on account of some resemblance of style1--but the more learned have no doubt that they are not his2 yet of old the ,church1 especially the ,western1 received them into authority1--in the one of which1 called the ,wisdom of ,solomon1 the passion of ,christ is most openly prophesied4 ,for indeed ,his impious murderers are quoted as saying1 ,let us lie in wait for the righteous1 for he is unpleasant to us1 and contrary to our works2 and he upbraideth us with our transgressions of the law1 and objecteth to our disgrace the transgressions of our education4 ,he professeth to have the knowledge of ,god1 and he calleth himself the ,son of ,god4 ,he was made to reprove our thoughts4 ,he is grievous for us even to behold2 for his life is unlike other men's1 and his ways are different4 ,we are esteemed of him as counterfeits2 and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness4 ,he extols the latter end of the righteous2 and glorieth that he hath ,god for his ,father4 ,let us see1 therefore1 if his words be true2 and let us try what shall happen to him1 and we shall know what shall be the end of him4 ,for if the righteous be the ,son of ,god1 ,he will undertake for him1 and deliver him out of the hand of those that are against him4 ,let us put him to the question with contumely and torture1 that we may know his reverence1 and prove his patience4 ,let us condemn him to the most shameful death2 for by ,his own sayings ,he shall be respected4 ,these things did they imagine1 and were mistaken2 for their own malice hath quite blinded them4#dgg ,but in ,ecclesiasticus the future faith of the nations is predicted in this manner3 ,have mercy upon us1 ,o ,god1 ,ruler of all1 and send ,thy fear upon all the nations3 lift up ,thine hand over the strange nations1 and let them see ,thy power4 ,as ,thou wast sanctified in us before them1 so be ,thou sanctified in them before us1 and let them acknowledge ,thee1 according as we also have acknowledged ,thee2 for there is not a ,god beside ,thee1 ,o ,lord4#dgh ,we see this prophecy in the form of a wish and prayer fulfilled through ,jesus ,christ4 ,but the things which are not written in the canon of the ,jews cannot be quoted against their contradictions with so great validity4 ,but as regards those three books which it is evident are ,solomon's1 and held canonical by the ,jews1 to show what of this kind may be found in them pertaining to ,christ and the ,church demands a laborious discussion1 which1 if now entered on1 would lengthen this work unduly4 ,yet what we read in the ,proverbs of impious men saying1 ,let us unrighteously hide in the earth the righteous man2 yea1 let us swallow him up alive as hell1 and let us take away his memory from the earth3 let us seize his precious possession1#dgi is not so obscure that it may not be understood1 without laborious exposition1 of ,christ and ,his possession the ,church4 ,indeed1 the gospel parable about the wicked husbandmen shows that our ,lord ,jesus ,himself said something like it3 ,this is the heir2 come1 let us kill him1 and the inheritance shall be ours4#dhj ,in like manner also that passage in this same book1 on which we have already touched#dha when we were speaking of the barren woman who hath born seven1 must soon after it was uttered have come to be understood of only ,christ and the ,church by those who knew that ,christ was the ,wisdom of ,god4 ,wisdom hath builded her an house1 and hath set up seven pillars2 she hath sacrificed her victims1 she hath mingled her wine in the bowl2 she hath also furnished her table4 ,she hath sent her servants summoning to the bowl with excellent proclamation1 saying1 ,who is simple1 let him turn aside to me4 ,and to the void of sense she hath said1 ,come1 eat of my bread1 and drink of the wine which ,i have mingled for you4#dhb ,here certainly we perceive that the ,wisdom of ,god1 that is1 the ,word co-eternal with the ,father1 hath builded ,him an house1 even a human body in the virgin womb1 and hath subjoined the ,church to it as members to a head1 hath slain the martyrs as victims1 hath furnished a table with wine and bread1 where appears also the priesthood after the order of ,melchizedek1 and hath called the simple and the void of sense1 because1 as saith the apostle1 ,he hath chosen the weak things of this world that ,he might confound the things which are mighty4#dhc ,yet to these weak ones she saith what follows1 ,forsake simplicity1 that ye may live2 and seek prudence1 that ye may have life4#dhd ,but to be made partakers of this table is itself to begin to have life4 ,for when he says in another book1 which is called ,ecclesiastes1 ,there is no good for a man1 except that he should eat and drink1#dhe what can he be more credibly understood to say1 than what belongs to the participation of this table which the ,mediator of the ,new ,testament ,himself1 the ,priest after the order of ,melchizedek1 furnishes with ,his own body and blood8 ,for that sacrifice has succeeded all the sacrifices of the ,old ,testament1 which were slain as a shadow of that which was to come2 wherefore also we recognise the voice in the #djth ,psalm as that of the same ,mediator speaking through prophesy1 ,sacrifice and offering ,thou didst not desire2 but a body hast ,thou perfected for me4#dhf ,because1 instead of all these sacrifices and oblations1 ,his body is offered1 and is served up to the partakers of it4 ,for that this ,ecclesiastes1 in this sentence about eating and drinking1 which he often repeats1 and very much commends1 does not savour the dainties of carnal pleasures1 is made plain enough when he says1 ,it is better to go into the house of mourning than to go into the house of feasting4#dhg ,and a little after ,he says1 ,the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning1 and the heart of the simple in the house of feasting4#dhh ,but ,i think that more worthy of quotation from this book which relates to both cities1 the one of the devil1 the other of ,christ1 and to their kings1 the devil and ,christ3 ,woe to thee1 ,o land1 he says1 when thy king is a youth1 and thy princes eat in the morning6 ,blessed art thou1 ,o land1 when thy king is the son of nobles1 and thy princes eat in season1 in fortitude1 and not in confusion6#dhi ,he has called the devil a youth1 because of the folly and pride1 and rashness and unruliness1 and other vices which are wont to abound at that age2 but ,christ is the ,son of nobles1 that is1 of the holy patriarchs1 of those belonging to the free city1 of whom ,he was begotten in the flesh4 ,the princes of that and other cities are eaters in the morning1 that is1 before the suitable hour1 because they do not expect the seasonable felicity1 which is the true1 in the world to come1 desiring to be speedily made happy with the renown of this world1 but the princes of the city of ,christ patiently wait for the time of a blessedness that is not fallacious4 ,this is expressed by the words1 in fortitude1 and not in confusion1 because hope does not deceive them1 of which the apostle says1 ,but hope maketh not ashamed4#dij ,a psalm also saith1 ,for they that hope in ,thee shall not be put to shame4#dia ,but now the ,song of ,songs is a certain spiritual pleasure of holy minds1 in the marriage of that ,king and ,queen-city1 that is1 ,christ and the ,church4 ,but this pleasure is wrapped up in allegorical veils1 that the ,bridegroom may be more ardently desired1 and more joyfully unveiled1 and may appear2 to whom it is said in this same song1 ,equity hath delighted ,thee2#dib and the bride who those hears1 ,charity is in thy delights4#dic ,we pass over many things in silence1 in our desire to finish this work4 #ba4 ,of the kings after ,solomon1 both in ,judah and ,israel4 ,the other kings of the ,hebrews after ,solomon are scarcely found to have prophesied1 through certain enigmatic words or actions of theirs1 what may pertain to ,christ and the ,church1 either in ,judah or ,israel2 for so were the parts of that people styled1 when1 on account of ,solomon's offence1 from the time of ,rehoboam his son1 who succeeded him in the kingdom1 it was divided by ,god as a punishment4 ,the ten tribes1 indeed1 which ,jeroboam the servant of ,solomon received1 being appointed the king in ,samaria1 were distinctively called ,israel1 although this had been the name of that whole people2 but the two tribes1 namely1 of ,judah and ,benjamin1 which for ,david's sake1 lest the kingdom should be wholly wrenched from his race1 remained subject to the city of ,jerusalem1 were called ,judah1 because that was the tribe whence ,david sprang4 ,but ,benjamin1 the other tribe which1 as was said1 belonged to the same kingdom1 was that whence ,saul sprang before ,david4 ,but these two tribes together1 as was said1 were called ,judah1 and were distinguished by this name from ,israel1 which was the distinctive title of the ten tribes under their own king4 ,for the tribe of ,levi1 because it was the priestly one1 bound to the servitude of ,god1 not of the kings1 was reckoned the thirteenth4 ,for ,joseph1 one of the twelve sons of ,israel1 did not1 like the others1 form one tribe1 but two1 ,ephraim and ,manasseh4 ,yet the tribe of ,levi also belonged more to the kingdom of ,jerusalem1 where was the temple of ,god whom it served4 ,on the division of the people1 therefore1 ,rehoboam1 son of ,solomon1 reigned in ,jerusalem as the first king of ,judah1 and ,jeroboam1 servant of ,solomon1 in ,samaria as king of ,israel4 ,and when ,rehoboam wished as a tyrant to pursue that separated part with war1 the people were prohibited from fighting with their brethren by ,god1 who told them through a prophet that ,he had done this2 whence it appeared that in this matter there had been no sin either of the king or people of ,israel1 but the accomplished will of ,god the avenger4 ,when this was known1 both parts settled down peaceably1 for the division made was not religious but political4 #bb4 ,of ,jeroboam1 who profaned the people put under him by the impiety of idolatry1 amid which1 however1 ,god did not cease to inspire the prophets1 and to guard many from the crime of idolatry4 ,but ,jeroboam king of ,israel1 with perverse mind1 not believing in ,god1 whom he had proved true in promising and giving him the kingdom1 was afraid lest1 by coming to the temple of ,god which was in ,jerusalem1 where1 according to the divine law1 that whole nation was to come in order to sacrifice1 the people should be seduced from him1 and return to ,david's line as the seed royal2 and set up idolatry in his kingdom1 and with horrible impiety beguiled the people1 ensnaring them to the worship of idols with himself4 ,yet ,god did not altogether cease to reprove by the prophets1 not only that king1 but also his successors and imitators in his impiety1 and the people too4 ,for there the great and illustrious prophets ,elijah and ,elisha his disciple arose1 who also did many wonderful works4 ,even there1 when ,elijah said1 ,o ,lord1 they have slain ,thy prophets1 they have digged down ,thine altars2 and ,i am left alone1 and they seek my life1 it was answered that seven thousand men were there who had not bowed the knee to ,baal4#did #bc4 ,of the varying condition of both the ,hebrew kingdoms1 until the people of both were at different times led into captivity1 ,judah being afterwards recalled into his kingdom1 which finally passed into the power of the ,romans4 ,so also in the kingdom of ,judah pertaining to ,jerusalem prophets were not lacking even in the times of succeeding kings1 just as it pleased ,god to send them1 either for the prediction of what was needful1 or for correction of sin and instruction in righteousness2#die for there1 too1 although far less than in ,israel1 kings arose who grievously offended ,god by their impieties1 and1 along with their people1 who were like them1 were smitten with moderate scourges4 ,the no small merits of the pious kings there are praised indeed4 ,but we read that in ,israel the kings were1 some more1 others less1 yet all wicked4 ,each part1 therefore1 as the divine providence either ordered or permitted1 was both lifted up by prosperity and weighed down by adversity of various kinds2 and it was afflicted not only by foreign1 but also by civil wars with each other1 in order that by certain existing causes the mercy or anger of ,god might be manifested2 until1 by ,his growing indignation1 that whole nation was by the conquering ,chaldeans not only overthrown in its abode1 but also for the most part transported to the lands of the ,assyrians1--first1 that part of the thirteen tribes called ,israel1 but afterwards ,judah also1 when ,jerusalem and that most noble temple was cast down1--in which lands it rested seventy years in captivity4 ,being after that time sent forth thence1 they rebuilt the overthrown temple4 ,and although very many stayed in the lands of the strangers1 yet the kingdom no longer had two separate parts1 with different kings over each1 but in ,jerusalem there was one prince over them2 and at certain times1 from every direction wherever they were1 and from whatever place they could1 they all came to the temple of ,god which was there4 ,yet not even then were they without foreign enemies and conquerors2 yea1 ,christ found them tributaries of the ,romans4 #bd4 ,of the prophets1 who either were the last among the ,jews1 or whom the gospel history reports about the time of ,christ's nativity4 ,but in that whole time after they returned from ,babylon1 after ,malachi1 ,haggai1 and ,zechariah1 who then prophesied1 and ,ezra1 they had no prophets down to the time of the ,saviour's advent except another ,zechariah1 the father of ,john1 and ,elisabeth his wife1 when the nativity of ,christ was already close at hand2 and when ,he was already born1 ,simeon the aged1 and ,anna a widow1 and now very old2 and1 last of all1 ,john himself1 who1 being a young man1 did not predict that ,christ1 now a young man1 was to come1 but by prophetic knowledge pointed ,him out although unknown2 for which reason the ,lord ,himself says1 ,the law and the prophets were until ,john4#dif ,but the prophesying of these five is made known to us in the gospel1 where the virgin mother of our ,lord herself is also found to have prophesied before ,john4 ,but this prophecy of theirs the wicked ,jews do not receive2 but those innumerable persons received it who from them believed the gospel4 ,for then truly ,israel was divided in two1 by that division which was foretold by ,samuel the prophet to king ,saul as immutable4 ,but even the reprobate ,jews hold ,malachi1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,ezra as the last received into canonical authority4 ,for there are also writings of these1 as of others1 who being but a very few in the great multitude of prophets1 have written those books which have obtained canonical authority1 of whose predictions it seems good to me to put in this work some which pertain to ,christ and ,his ,church2 and this1 by the ,lord's help1 shall be done more conveniently in the following book1 that we may not further burden this one1 which is already too long4 ,,footnotes3 #cdc ,has pointed4 #cdd ,gen4 xii4 #a1 #b4 #cde ,gen4 xii4 #c4 #cdf ,gal4 iv4 #bb-ca4 #cdg ,heb4 viii4 #h-aj4 #cdh #a ,sam4 ii4 #a-aj4 #cdi ,ps4 xlviii4 #b4 #cej #b ,tim4 ii4 #i2 ,eph4 vi4 #bj4 #cea ,luke ii4 #be-cj4 #ceb ,rom4 iii4 #bf8 #cec ,gal4 vi4 #c4 #ced ,rom4 x4 #c4 #cee ,ps4 xciv4 #aa2 #a ,cor4 iii4 #bj4 #cef ,ps4 vi4 #b4 #ceg ,rom4 iii4 #b4 #ceh ,rev4 i4 #d4 #cei ,prov4 ix4 #a4 #cfj ,by whom we see her made fruitful4 #cfa ,col4 iii4 #a-c4 #cfb ,rom4 viii4 #cb4 #cfc ,ps4 xvi4 #aj2 ,acts ii4 #bg1 #ca4 #cfd #b ,cor4 viii4 #i4 #cfe ,jas4 iv4 #f2 #a ,pet4 v4 #e4 #cff ,for the poor man is the same as the beggar4 #cfg ,phil4 iii4 #g1 #h4 #cfh ,matt4 xix4 #bg1 #bh4 #cfi #a ,cor4 iv4 #g4 #cgj #a ,john iv4 #g4 #cga #b ,cor4 v4 #aj4 #cgb ,ps4 lxxiv4 #ab4 #cgc ,acts x4 #db4 #cgd ,eph4 iv4 #i1 #aj4 #cge ,matt4 xxiv4 #ac4 #cgf #a ,cor4 #ab4 #cgg #a ,sam4 ii4 #bg-cf4 #cgh ,ps4 xvii4 #h4 #cgi ,isa4 x4 #ba4 #chj ,rom4 xi4 #e4 #cha ,isa4 xxviii4 #bb2 ,rom4 ix #bh4 #chb ,ps4 xii4 #f4 #chc ,ps4 lxxxiv4 #aj4 #chd #a ,tim4 ii4 #e4 #che #a ,pet4 ii4 #i4 #chf #a ,cor4 x4 #ag4 #chg ,rom4 xii4 #a4 #chh ,john vi4 #ea4 #chi ,heb4 vii4 #aa1 #bg4 #cij ,matt4 xxiv4 #ae4 #cia #a ,sam4 xxiv4 #e1 #f4 #cib #a ,sam4 xiii4 #ac1 #ad4 #cic ,heb4 ix4 #ae4 #cid ,luke xix4 #aj4 #cie ,eph4 i4 #d4 #cif #a ,sam4 xv4 #bc4 #cig #a ,sam4 xv4 #bf-bi4 #cih ,rom4 i4 #c4 #cii #a ,tim4 ii4 #e4 #djj ,ps4 cx4 #a4 #dja ,gen4 xxi4 #aj4 #djb ,gal4 iv4 #be4 #djc #b ,cor4 iii4 #ae1 #af4 #djd #a ,sam4 vii4 #i-ab4 #dje #b ,sam4 vii4 #h-af4 #djf ,rom4 i4 #c4 #djg ,ps4 lxxii4 #h4 #djh #a ,cor4 iii4 #ag4 #dji ,ps4 lxxxix4 #c1 #d4 #daj ,ps4 lxxxix4 #ai-bi4 #daa ,phil4 ii4 #g4 #dab ,matt4 i4 #a1 #ah2 ,luke i4 #bg4 #dac #b ,sam4 vii1 #ad1 #ae4 #dad ,ps4 cv4 #ae4 #dae ,ps4 lxxxix4 #cj-cc4 #daf ,acts ix4 #d4 #dag ,ps4 lxxxix4 #cd1 #ce4 #dah ,ps4 lxxxix4 #cf1 #cg4 #dai ,ps4 lxxxix4 #ch4 #dbj ,ps4 lxxxix4 #ch4 #dba ,ps4 lxxxix4 #ci-de4 #dbb ,ps4 lxxxix4 #df4 #dbc ,ps4 xiii4 #a4 #dbd ,ps4 lxxxix4 #df1 #dg4 #dbe ,ps4 lxxxix4 #dg4 #dbf ,ps4 cxliv4 #d4 #dbg ,ps4 lxxxix4 #dh4 #dbh ,rom4 vi4 #i4 #dbi ,john x4 #ah4 #dcj ,ps4 lxxxix4 #di-ea4 #dca ,rom4 iii4 #bh1 #bi4 #dcb ,acts xiii4 #df4 #dcc ,matt4 vii4 #g1 #h4 #dcd ,another reading1 consummation4 #dce ,see above1 chap4 viii4 #dcf #b ,sam4 vii4 #ai4 #dcg #b ,sam4 vii4 #h4 #dch #b ,sam4 vii4 #bg4 #dci ,ps4 cxxvii4 #a4 #ddj #b ,sam4 vii4 #aj1 #aa4 #dda #b ,sam4 vii4 #aj1 #aa4 #ddb ,judg4 iii4 #cj4 #ddc ,israel a prince of ,god2 ,peniel the face of ,god 7,gen4 xxxii4 #bh-cj74 #ddd ,ps4 cx4 #a1 quoted in ,matt4 xxii4 #dd4 #dde #a ,kings xiii4 #b2 fulfilled #b ,kings xxiii4 #ae-ag4 #ddf ,ps4 xlv4 #a-i4 #ddg ,ps4 xlv4 #i-ag4 #ddh ,ps4 xlv4 #g4 #ddi ,ps4 xlviii4 #b4 #dej ,ps4 xviii4 #dc4 #dea ,rom4 x4 #e4 #deb ,ps4 lxxxvii4 #e4 #dec ,ps4 xlv4 #af4 #ded ,ps4 cx4 #a4 #dee ,ps4 cx4 #b4 #def ,ps4 cx4 #d4 #deg ,ps4 cx4 #d4 #deh ,ps4 xxii4 #af1 #ag4 #dei ,ps4 xxii4 #ah1 #ai4 #dfj ,ps4 iii4 #e4 #dfa ,ps4 xli4 #e-h4 #dfb ,ps4 xli4 #i4 #dfc ,ps4 xli4 #aj4 #dfd #b ,tim4 iv4 #a2 #b ,pet4 iv4 #e4 #dfe ,john vi4 #gj4 #dff #a ,cor4 xii4 #ab4 #dfg ,matt4 xxv4 #ce4 #dfh ,matt4 xxv4 #dj4 #dfi ,acts i4 #ag4 #dgj ,ps4 xvi4 #i1 #aj4 #dga ,ps4 lxviii4 #bj4 #dgb ,matt4 i4 #ba4 #dgc ,ps4 lxix4 #ba2 ,matt4 xxvii4 #cd1 #dh4 #dgd ,ps4 lxix4 #bb1 #bc4 #dge ,ps4 xxxii4 #a4 #dgf ,sallust1 ,bel4 ,cat4 c4 xi4 #dgg ,wisd4 ii4 #ab-ba4 #dgh ,ecclus4 xxxvi4 #a-e4 #dgi ,prov4 i4 #aa-ac4 #dhj ,matt4 xxi4 #ch4 #dha ,ch4 #d4 #dhb ,prov4 ix4 #a-e 7ver4 #a is quoted above in ch4 #d74 #dhc #a ,cor4 i4 #bg4 #dhd ,prov4 ix4 #f4 #dhe ,eccles4 ii4 #bd1 iii4 #ac1 v4 #ah1 viii4 #ae4 #dhf ,ps4 xl4 #f4 #dhg ,eccles4 vii4 #b4 #dhh ,eccles4 vii4 #d4 #dhi ,eccles4 x4 #af1 #ag4 #dij ,rom4 v4 #e4 #dia ,ps4 lxix4 #f4 8 #dib ,cant4 i4 #d4 #dic ,cant4 vii4 #f4 #did #a ,kings xix4 #aj1 #ad1 #ae4 #die #b ,tim4 #af4 #dif ,matt4 xi4 #ac4 ,,book ,,eighteenth4 ,,argument4 ,,augustine ,,traces ,,the ,,parallel ,,courses ,,of ,,the ,,earthly ,,and ,,heavenly ,,cities ,,from ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,abraham ,,to ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,world2 ,,and ,,alludes ,,to ,,the ,,oracles ,,regarding ,,christ1 ,,both ,,those ,,uttered ,,by ,,the ,,sibyls1 ,,and ,,those ,,of ,,the ,,sacred ,,prophets ,,who ,,wrote ,,after ,,the ,,foundation ,,of ,,rome1 ,,hosea1 ,,amos1 ,,isaiah1 ,,micah1 ,,and ,,their ,,successors4 #a4 ,of those things down to the times of the ,saviour which have been discussed in the seventeen books4 ,i promised to write of the rise1 progress1 and appointed end of the two cities1 one of which is ,god's1 the other this world's1 in which1 so far as mankind is concerned1 the former is now a stranger4 ,but first of all ,i undertook1 so far as ,his grace should enable me1 to refute the enemies of the city of ,god1 who prefer their gods to ,christ its founder1 and fiercely hate ,christians with the most deadly malice4 ,and this ,i have done in the first ten books4 ,then1 as regards my threefold promise which ,i have just mentioned1 ,i have treated distinctly1 in the four books which follow the tenth1 of the rise of both cities4 ,after that1 ,i have proceeded from the first man down to the flood in one book1 which is the fifteenth of this work2 and from that again down to ,abraham our work has followed both in chronological order4 ,from the patriarch ,abraham down to the time of the ,israelite kings1 at which we close our sixteenth book1 and thence down to the advent of ,christ ,himself in the flesh1 to which period the seventeenth book reaches1 the city of ,god appears from my way of writing to have run its course alone2 whereas it did not run its course alone in this age1 for both cities1 in their course amid mankind1 certainly experienced chequered times together just as from the beginning4 ,but ,i did this in order that1 first of all1 from the time when the promises of ,god began to be more clear1 down to the virgin birth of ,him in whom those things promised from the first were to be fulfilled1 the course of that city which is ,god's might be made more distinctly apparent1 without interpolation of foreign matter from the history of the other city1 although down to the revelation of the new covenant it ran its course1 not in light1 but in shadow4 ,now1 therefore1 ,i think fit to do what ,i passed by1 and show1 so far as seems necessary1 how that other city ran its course from the times of ,abraham1 so that attentive readers may compare the two4 #b4 ,of the kings and times of the earthly city which were synchronous with the times of the saints1 reckoning from the rise of ,abraham4 ,the society of mortals spread abroad through the earth everywhere1 and in the most diverse places1 although bound together by a certain fellowship of our common nature1 is yet for the most part divided against itself1 and the strongest oppress the others1 because all follow after their own interests and lusts1 while what is longed for either suffices for none1 or not for all1 because it is not the very thing4 ,for the vanquished succumb to the victorious1 preferring any sort of peace and safety to freedom itself2 so that they who chose to die rather than be slaves have been greatly wondered at4 ,for in almost all nations the very voice of nature somehow proclaims1 that those who happen to be conquered should choose rather to be subject to their conquerors than to be killed by all kinds of warlike destruction4 ,this does not take place without the providence of ,god1 in whose power it lies that any one either subdues or is subdued in war2 that some are endowed with kingdoms1 others made subject to kings4 ,now1 among the very many kingdoms of the earth into which1 by earthly interest or lust1 society is divided 7which we call by the general name of the city of this world71 we see that two1 settled and kept distinct from each other both in time and place1 have grown far more famous than the rest1 first that of the ,assyrians1 then that of the ,romans4 ,first came the one1 then the other4 ,the former arose in the east1 and1 immediately on its close1 the latter in the west4 ,i may speak of other kingdoms and other kings as appendages of these4 ,ninus1 then1 who succeeded his father ,belus1 the first king of ,assyria1 was already the second king of that kingdom when ,abraham was born in the land of the ,chaldees4 ,there was also at that time a very small kingdom of ,sicyon1 with which1 as from an ancient date1 that most universally learned man ,marcus ,varro begins1 in writing of the ,roman race4 ,for from these kings of ,sicyon he passes to the ,athenians1 from them to the ,latins1 and from these to the ,romans4 ,yet very little is related about these kingdoms1 before the foundation of ,rome1 in comparison with that of ,assyria4 ,for although even ,sallust1 the ,roman historian1 admits that the ,athenians were very famous in ,greece1 yet he thinks they were greater in fame than in fact4 ,for in speaking of them he says1 ,the deeds of the ,athenians1 as ,i think1 were very great and magnificent1 but yet somewhat less than reported by fame4 ,but because writers of great genius arose among them1 the deeds of the ,athenians were celebrated throughout the world as very great4 ,thus the virtue of those who did them was held to be as great as men of transcendent genius could represent it to be by the power of laudatory words4#dig ,this city also derived no small glory from literature and philosophy1 the study of which chiefly flourished there4 ,but as regards empire1 none in the earliest times was greater than the ,assyrian1 or so widely extended4 ,for when ,ninus the son of ,belus was king1 he is reported to have subdued the whole of ,asia1 even to the boundaries of ,libya1 which as to number is called the third part1 but as to size is found to be the half of the whole world4 ,the ,indians in the eastern regions were the only people over whom he did not reign2 but after his death ,semiramis his wife made war on them4 ,thus it came to pass that all the people and kings in those countries were subject to the kingdom and authority of the ,assyrians1 and did whatever they were commanded4 ,now ,abraham was born in that kingdom among the ,chaldees1 in the time of ,ninus4 ,but since ,grecian affairs are much better known to us than ,assyrian1 and those who have diligently investigated the antiquity of the ,roman nation's origin have followed the order of time through the ,greeks to the ,latins1 and from them to the ,romans1 who themselves are ,latins1 we ought on this account1 where it is needful1 to mention the ,assyrian kings1 that it may appear how ,babylon1 like a first ,rome1 ran its course along with the city of ,god1 which is a stranger in this world4 ,but the things proper for insertion in this work in comparing the two cities1 that is1 the earthly and heavenly1 ought to be taken mostly from the ,greek and ,latin kingdoms1 where ,rome herself is like a second ,babylon4 ,at ,abraham's birth1 then1 the second kings of ,assyria and ,sicyon respectively were ,ninus and ,europs1 the first having been ,belus and gialeus4 ,but when ,god promised ,abraham1 on his departure from ,babylonia1 that he should become a great nation1 and that in his seed all nations of the earth should be blessed1 the ,assyrians had their seventh king1 the ,sicyons their fifth2 for the son of ,ninus reigned among them after his mother ,semiramis1 who is said to have been put to death by him for attempting to defile him by incestuously lying with him4 ,some think that she founded ,babylon1 and indeed she may have founded it anew4 ,but we have told1 in the sixteenth book1 when or by whom it was founded4 ,now the son of ,ninus and ,semiramis1 who succeeded his mother in the kingdom1 is also called ,ninus by some1 but by others ,ninias1 a patronymic word4 ,telexion then held the kingdom of the ,sicyons4 ,in his reign times were quiet and joyful to such a degree1 that after his death they worshipped him as a god by offering sacrifices and by celebrating games1 which are said to have been first instituted on this occasion4 #c4 ,what kings reigned in ,assyria and ,sicyon when1 according to the promise1 ,isaac was born to ,abraham in his hundredth year1 and when the twins ,esau and ,jacob were born of ,rebecca to ,isaac in his sixtieth year4 ,in his times also1 by the promise of ,god1 ,isaac1 the son of ,abraham1 was born to his father when he was a hundred years old1 of ,sarah his wife1 who1 being barren and old1 had already lost hope of issue4 ,aralius was then the fifth king of the ,assyrians4 ,to ,isaac himself1 in his sixtieth year1 were born twin-sons1 ,esau and ,jacob1 whom ,rebecca his wife bore to him1 their grandfather ,abraham1 who died on completing a hundred and seventy years1 being still alive1 and reckoning his hundred and sixtieth year4#dih ,at that time there reigned as the seventh kings1--among the ,assyrians1 that more ancient ,xerxes1 who was also called ,balus2 and among the ,sicyons1 ,thuriachus1 or1 as some write his name1 ,thurimachus4 ,the kingdom of ,argos1 in which ,inachus reigned first1 arose in the time of ,abraham's grandchildren4 ,and ,i must not omit what ,varro relates1 that the ,sicyons were also wont to sacrifice at the tomb of their seventh king ,thuriachus4 ,in the reign of ,armamitres in ,assyria and ,leucippus in ,sicyon as the eighth kings1 and of ,inachus as the first in ,argos1 ,god spoke to ,isaac1 and promised the same two things to him as to his father1--namely1 the land of ,canaan to his seed1 and the blessing of all nations in his seed4 ,these same things were promised to his son1 ,abraham's grandson1 who was at first called ,jacob1 afterwards ,israel1 when ,belocus was the ninth king of ,assyria1 and ,phoroneus1 the son of ,inachus1 reigned as the second king of ,argos1 ,leucippus still continuing king of ,sicyon4 ,in those times1 under the ,argive king ,phoroneus1 ,greece was made more famous by the institution of certain laws and judges4 ,on the death of ,phoroneus1 his younger brother ,phegous built a temple at his tomb1 in which he was worshipped as ,god1 and oxen were sacrificed to him4 ,i believe they thought him worthy of so great honour1 because in his part of the kingdom 7for their father had divided his territories between them1 in which they reigned during his life7 he had founded chapels for the worship of the gods1 and had taught them to measure time by months and years1 and to that extent to keep count and reckoning of events4 ,men still uncultivated1 admiring him for these novelties1 either fancied he was1 or resolved that he should be made1 a god after his death4 ,io also is said to have been the daughter of ,inachus1 who was afterwards called ,isis1 when she was worshipped in ,egypt as a great goddess2 although others write that she came as a queen out of ,ethiopia1 and because she ruled extensively and justly1 and instituted for her subjects letters and many useful things1 such divine honour was given her there after she died1 that if any one said she had been human1 he was charged with a capital crime4 #d4 ,of the times of ,jacob and his son ,joseph4 ,in the reign of ,balus1 the ninth king of ,assyria1 and ,mesappus1 the eighth of ,sicyon1 who is said by some to have been also called ,cephisos 7if indeed the same man had both names1 and those who put the other name in their writings have not rather confounded him with another man71 while ,apis was third king of ,argos1 ,isaac died1 a hundred and eighty years old1 and left his twin-sons a hundred and twenty years old4 ,jacob1 the younger of these1 belonged to the city of ,god about which we write 7the elder being wholly rejected71 and had twelve sons1 one of whom1 called ,joseph1 was sold by his brothers to merchants going down to ,egypt1 while his grandfather ,isaac was still alive4 ,but when he was thirty years of age1 ,joseph stood before ,pharaoh1 being exalted out of the humiliation he endured1 because1 in divinely interpreting the king's dreams1 he foretold that there would be seven years of plenty1 the very rich abundance of which would be consumed by seven other years of famine that should follow4 ,on this account the king made him ruler over ,egypt1 liberating him from prison1 into which he had been thrown for keeping his chastity intact2 for he bravely preserved it from his mistress1 who wickedly loved him1 and told lies to his weakly credulous master1 and did not consent to commit adultery with her1 but fled from her1 leaving his garment in her hands when she laid hold of him4 ,in the second of the seven years of famine ,jacob came down into ,egypt to his son with all he had1 being a hundred and thirty years old1 as he himself said in answer to the king's question4 ,joseph was then thirty-nine1 if we add seven years of plenty and two of famine to the thirty he reckoned when honoured by the king4 #e4 ,of ,apis king of ,argos1 whom the ,egyptians called ,serapis1 and worshipped with divine honours4 ,in these times ,apis king of ,argos crossed over into ,egypt in ships1 and1 on dying there1 was made ,serapis1 the chief god of all the ,egyptians4 ,now ,varro gives this very ready reason why1 after his death1 he was called1 not ,apis1 but ,serapis4 ,the ark in which he was placed when dead1 which every one now calls a sarcophagus1 was then called in ,greek 1 and they began to worship him when buried in it before his temple was built2 and from ,soros and ,apis he was called first ,sorosapis1 or ,sorapis1 and then ,serapis1 by changing a letter1 as easily happens4 ,it was decreed regarding him also1 that whoever should say he had been a man should be capitally punished4 ,and since in every temple where ,isis and ,serapis were worshipped there was also an image which1 with finger pressed on the lips1 seemed to warn men to keep silence1 ,varro thinks this signifies that it should be kept secret that they had been human4 ,but that bull which1 with wonderful folly1 deluded ,egypt nourished with abundant delicacies in honour of him1 was not called ,serapis1 but ,apis1 because they worshipped him alive without a sarcophagus4 ,on the death of that bull1 when they sought and found a calf of the same colour1--that is1 similarly marked with certain white spots1--they believed it was something miraculous1 and divinely provided for them4 ,yet it was no great thing for the demons1 in order to deceive them1 to show to a cow when she was conceiving and pregnant the image of such a bull1 which she alone could see1 and by it attract the breeding passion of the mother1 so that it might appear in a bodily shape in her young1 just as ,jacob so managed with the spotted rods that the sheep and goats were born spotted4 ,for what men can do with real colours and substances1 the demons can very easily do by showing unreal forms to breeding animals4 #f4 ,who were kings of ,argos1 and of ,assyria1 when ,jacob died in ,egypt4 ,apis1 then1 who died in ,egypt1 was not the king of ,egypt1 but of ,argos4 ,he was succeeded by his son ,argus1 from whose name the land was called ,argos and the people ,argives1 for under the earlier kings neither the place nor the nation as yet had this name4 ,while he then reigned over ,argos1 and ,eratus over ,sicyon1 and ,balus still remained king of ,assyria1 ,jacob died in ,egypt a hundred and forty-seven years old1 after he had1 when dying1 blessed his sons and his grandsons by ,joseph1 and prophesied most plainly of ,christ1 saying in the blessing of ,judah1 ,a prince shall not fail out of ,judah1 nor a leader from his thighs1 until those things come which are laid up for him2 and ,he is the expectation of the nations4#dii ,in the reign of ,argus ,greece began to use fruits1 and to have crops of corn in cultivated fields1 the seed having been brought from other countries4 ,argus also began to be accounted a god after his death1 and was honoured with a temple and sacrifices4 ,this honour was conferred in his reign1 before being given to him1 on a private individual for being the first to yoke oxen in the plough4 ,this was one ,homogyrus1 who was struck by lightning4 #g4 ,who were kings when ,joseph died in ,egypt4 ,in the reign of ,mamitus1 the twelfth king of ,assyria1 and ,plemnus1 the eleventh of ,sicyon1 while ,argus still reigned over the ,argives1 ,joseph died in ,egypt a hundred and ten years old4 ,after his death1 the people of ,god1 increasing wonderfully1 remained in ,egypt a hundred and forty-five years1 in tranquillity at first1 until those who knew ,joseph were dead4 ,afterward1 through envy of their increase1 and the suspicion that they would at length gain their freedom1 they were oppressed with persecutions and the labours of intolerable servitude1 amid which1 however1 they still grew1 being multiplied with ,god-given fertility4 ,during this period the same kingdoms continued in ,assyria and ,greece4 #h4 ,who were kings when ,moses was born1 and what gods began to be worshipped then4 ,when ,saphrus reigned as the fourteenth king of ,assyria1 and ,orthopolis as the twelfth of ,sicyon1 and ,criasus as the fifth of ,argos1 ,moses was born in ,egypt1 by whom the people of ,god were liberated from the ,egyptian slavery1 in which they behoved to be thus tried that they might desire the help of their ,creator4 ,some have thought that ,prometheus lived during the reign of the kings now named4 ,he is reported to have formed men out of clay1 because he was esteemed the best teacher of wisdom2 yet it does not appear what wise men there were in his days4 ,his brother ,atlas is said to have been a great astrologer2 and this gave occasion for the fable that he held up the sky1 although the vulgar opinion about his holding up the sky appears rather to have been suggested by a high mountain named after him4 ,indeed1 from those times many other fabulous things began to be invented in ,greece2 yet1 down to ,cecrops king of ,athens1 in whose reign that city received its name1 and in whose reign ,god brought ,his people out of ,egypt by ,moses1 only a few dead heroes are reported to have been deified according to the vain superstition of the ,greeks4 ,among these were ,melantomice1 the wife of king ,criasus1 and ,phorbas their son1 who succeeded his father as sixth king of the ,argives1 and ,iasus1 son of ,triopas1 their seventh king1 and their ninth king1 ,sthenelas1 or ,stheneleus1 or ,sthenelus1--for his name is given differently by different authors4 ,in those times also1 ,mercury1 the grandson of ,atlas by his daughter ,maia1 is said to have lived1 according to the common report in books4 ,he was famous for his skill in many arts1 and taught them to men1 for which they resolved to make him1 and even believed that he deserved to be1 a god after death4 ,hercules is said to have been later1 yet belonging to the same period2 although some1 whom ,i think mistaken1 assign him an earlier date than ,mercury4 ,but at whatever time they were born1 it is agreed among grave historians1 who have committed these ancient things to writing1 that both were men1 and that they merited divine honours from mortals because they conferred on them many benefits to make this life more pleasant to them4 ,minerva was far more ancient than these2 for she is reported to have appeared in virgin age in the times of ,ogyges at the lake called ,triton1 from which she is also styled ,tritonia1 the inventress truly of many works1 and the more readily believed to be a goddess because her origin was so little known4 ,for what is sung about her having sprung from the head of ,jupiter belongs to the region of poetry and fable1 and not to that of history and real fact4 ,and historical writers are not agreed when ,ogyges flourished1 in whose time also a great flood occurred1--not that greatest one from which no man escaped except those who could get into the ark1 for neither ,greek nor ,latin history knew of it1 yet a greater flood than that which happened afterward in ,deucalion's time4 ,for ,varro begins the book ,i have already mentioned at this date1 and does not propose to himself1 as the starting-point from which he may arrive at ,roman affairs1 anything more ancient than the flood of ,ogyges1 that is1 which happened in the time of ,ogyges4 ,now our writers of chronicles--first ,eusebius1 and afterwards ,jerome1 who entirely follow some earlier historians in this opinion--relate that the flood of ,ogyges happened more than three hundred years after1 during the reign of ,phoroneus1 the second king of ,argos4 ,but whenever he may have lived1 ,minerva was already worshipped as a goddess when ,cecrops reigned in ,athens1 in whose reign the city itself is reported to have been rebuilt or founded4 #i4 ,when the city of ,athens was founded1 and what reason ,varro assigns for its name4 ,athens certainly derived its name from ,minerva1 who in ,greek is called 1 and ,varro points out the following reason why it was so called4 ,when an olive-tree suddenly appeared there1 and water burst forth in another place1 these prodigies moved the king to send to the ,delphic ,apollo to inquire what they meant and what he should do4 ,he answered that the olive signified ,minerva1 the water ,neptune1 and that the citizens had it in their power to name their city as they chose1 after either of these two gods whose signs these were4 ,on receiving this oracle1 ,cecrops convoked all the citizens of either sex to give their vote1 for it was then the custom in those parts for the women also to take part in public deliberations4 ,when the multitude was consulted1 the men gave their votes for ,neptune1 the women for ,minerva2 and as the women had a majority of one1 ,minerva conquered4 ,then ,neptune1 being enraged1 laid waste the lands of the ,athenians1 by casting up the waves of the sea2 for the demons have no difficulty in scattering any waters more widely4 ,the same authority said1 that to appease his wrath the women should be visited by the ,athenians with the threefold punishment--that they should no longer have any vote2 that none of their children should be named after their mothers2 and that no one should call them ,athenians4 ,thus that city1 the mother and nurse of liberal doctrines1 and of so many and so great philosophers1 than whom ,greece had nothing more famous and noble1 by the mockery of demons about the strife of their gods1 a male and female1 and from the victory of the female one through the women1 received the name of ,athens2 and1 on being damaged by the vanquished god1 was compelled to punish the very victory of the victress1 fearing the waters of ,neptune more than the arms of ,minerva4 ,for in the women who were thus punished1 ,minerva1 who had conquered1 was conquered too1 and could not even help her voters so far that1 although the right of voting was henceforth lost1 and the mothers could not give their names to the children1 they might at least be allowed to be called ,athenians1 and to merit the name of that goddess whom they had made victorious over a male god by giving her their votes4 ,what and how much could be said about this1 if we had not to hasten to other things in our discourse1 is obvious4 #aj4 ,what ,varro reports about the term ,areopagus1 and about ,deucalion's flood4 ,marcus ,varro1 however1 is not willing to credit lying fables against the gods1 lest he should find something dishonouring to their majesty2 and therefore he will not admit that the ,areopagus1 the place where the ,apostle ,paul disputed with the ,athenians1 got this name because ,mars1 who in ,greek is called 1 when he was charged with the crime of homicide1 and was judged by twelve gods in that field1 was acquitted by the sentence of six2 because it was the custom1 when the votes were equal1 to acquit rather than condemn4 ,against this opinion1 which is much most widely published1 he tries1 from the notices of obscure books1 to support another reason for this name1 lest the ,athenians should be thought to have called it ,areopagus from the words ,mars and field1#ejj as if it were the field of ,mars1 to the dishonour of the gods1 forsooth1 from whom he thinks lawsuits and judgments far removed4 ,and he asserts that this which is said about ,mars is not less false than what is said about the three goddesses1 to wit1 ,juno1 ,minerva1 and ,venus1 whose contest for the palm of beauty1 before ,paris as judge1 in order to obtain the golden apple1 is not only related1 but is celebrated in songs and dances amid the applause of the theatres1 in plays meant to please the gods who take pleasure in these crimes of their own1 whether real or fabled4 ,varro does not believe these things1 because they are incompatible with the nature of the gods and of morality2 and yet1 in giving not a fabulous but a historic reason for the name of ,athens1 he inserts in his books the strife between ,neptune and ,minerva as to whose name should be given to that city1 which was so great that1 when they contended by the display of prodigies1 even ,apollo dared not judge between them when consulted2 but1 in order to end the strife of the gods1 just as ,jupiter sent the three goddesses we have named to ,paris1 so he sent them to men1 when ,minerva won by the vote1 and yet was defeated by the punishment of her own voters1 for she was unable to confer the title of ,athenians on the women who were her friends1 although she could impose it on the men who were her opponents4 ,in these times1 when ,cranaos reigned at ,athens as the successor of ,cecrops1 as ,varro writes1 but1 according to our ,eusebius and ,jerome1 while ,cecrops himself still remained1 the flood occurred which is called ,deucalion's1 because it occurred chiefly in those parts of the earth in which he reigned4 ,but this flood did not at all reach ,egypt or its vicinity4 #aa4 ,when ,moses led the people out of ,egypt2 and who were kings when his successor ,joshua the son of ,nun died4 ,moses led the people out of ,egypt in the last time of ,cecrops king of ,athens1 when ,ascatades reigned in ,assyria1 ,marathus in ,sicyon1 ,triopas in ,argos2 and having led forth the people1 he gave them at ,mount ,sinai the law he received from ,god1 which is called the ,old ,testament1 because it has earthly promises1 and because1 through ,jesus ,christ1 there was to be a ,new ,testament1 in which the kingdom of heaven should be promised4 ,for the same order behoved to be observed in this as is observed in each man who prospers in ,god1 according to the saying of the apostle1 ,that is not first which is spiritual1 but that which is natural1 since1 as he says1 and that truly1 ,the first man of the earth1 is earthly2 the second man1 from heaven1 is heavenly4#eja ,now ,moses ruled the people for forty years in the wilderness1 and died a hundred and twenty years old1 after he had prophesied of ,christ by the types of carnal observances in the tabernacle1 priesthood1 and sacrifices1 and many other mystic ordinances4 ,joshua the son of ,nun succeeded ,moses1 and settled in the land of promise the people he had brought in1 having by divine authority conquered the people by whom it was formerly possessed4 ,he also died1 after ruling the people twenty-seven years after the death of ,moses1 when ,amyntas reigned in ,assyria as the eighteenth king1 ,coracos as the sixteenth in ,sicyon1 ,danaos as the tenth in ,argos1 ,ericthonius as the fourth in ,athens4 #ab4 ,of the rituals of false gods instituted by the kings of ,greece in the period from ,israel's exodus from ,egypt down to the death of ,joshua the son of ,nun4 ,during this period1 that is1 from ,israel's exodus from ,egypt down to the death of ,joshua the son of ,nun1 through whom that people received the land of promise1 rituals were instituted to the false gods by the kings of ,greece1 which1 by stated celebration1 recalled the memory of the flood1 and of men's deliverance from it1 and of that troublous life they then led in migrating to and fro between the heights and the plains4 ,for even the ,luperci1#ejb when they ascend and descend the sacred path1 are said to represent the men who sought the mountain summits because of the inundation of water1 and returned to the lowlands on its subsidence4 ,in those times1 ,dionysus1 who was also called ,father ,liber1 and was esteemed a god after death1 is said to have shown the vine to his host in ,attica4 ,then the musical games were instituted for the ,delphic ,apollo1 to appease his anger1 through which they thought the regions of ,greece were afflicted with barrenness1 because they had not defended his temple which ,danaos burnt when he invaded those lands2 for they were warned by his oracle to institute these games4 ,but king ,ericthonius first instituted games to him in ,attica1 and not to him only1 but also to ,minerva1 in which games the olive was given as the prize to the victors1 because they relate that ,minerva was the discoverer of that fruit1 as ,liber was of the grape4 ,in those years ,europa is alleged to have been carried off by ,xanthus king of ,crete 7to whom we find some give another name71 and to have borne him ,rhadamanthus1 ,sarpedon1 and ,minos1 who are more commonly reported to have been the sons of ,jupiter by the same woman4 ,now those who worship such gods regard what we have said about ,xanthus king of ,crete as true history2 but this about ,jupiter1 which the poets sing1 the theatres applaud1 and the people celebrate1 as empty fable got up as a reason for games to appease the deities1 even with the false ascription of crimes to them4 ,in those times ,hercules was held in honour in ,tyre1 but that was not the same one as he whom we spoke of above4 ,in the more secret history there are said to have been several who were called ,father ,liber and ,hercules4 ,this ,hercules1 whose great deeds are reckoned as twelve 7not including the slaughter of ,antus the ,african1 because that affair pertains to another ,hercules71 is declared in their books to have burned himself on ,mount ta1 because he was not able1 by that strength with which he had subdued monsters1 to endure the disease under which he languished4 ,at that time the king1 or rather tyrant ,busiris1 who is alleged to have been the son of ,neptune by ,libya the daughter of ,epaphus1 is said to have offered up his guests in sacrifice to the gods4 ,now it must not be believed that ,neptune committed this adultery1 lest the gods should be criminated2 yet such things must be ascribed to them by the poets and in the theatres1 that they may be pleased with them4 ,vulcan and ,minerva are said to have been the parents of ,ericthonius king of ,athens1 in whose last years ,joshua the son of ,nun is found to have died4 ,but since they will have it that ,minerva is a virgin1 they say that ,vulcan1 being disturbed in the struggle between them1 poured out his seed into the earth1 and on that account the man born of it received that name2 for in the ,greek language is strife1 and earth1 of which two words ,ericthonius is a compound4 ,yet it must be admitted that the more learned disprove and disown such things concerning their gods1 and declare that this fabulous belief originated in the fact that in the temple at ,athens1 which ,vulcan and ,minerva had in common1 a boy who had been exposed was found wrapped up in the coils of a dragon1 which signified that he would become great1 and1 as his parents were unknown1 he was called the son of ,vulcan and ,minerva1 because they had the temple in common4 ,yet that fable accounts for the origin of his name better than this history4 ,but what does it matter to us8 ,let the one in books that speak the truth edify religious men1 and the other in lying fables delight impure demons4 ,yet these religious men worship them as gods4 ,still1 while they deny these things concerning them1 they cannot clear them of all crime1 because at their demand they exhibit plays in which the very things they wisely deny are basely done1 and the gods are appeased by these false and base things4 ,now1 even although the play celebrates an unreal crime of the gods1 yet to delight in the ascription of an unreal crime is a real one4 #ac4 ,what fables were invented at the time when judges began to rule the ,hebrews4 ,after the death of ,joshua the son of ,nun1 the people of ,god had judges1 in whose times they were alternately humbled by afflictions on account of their sins1 and consoled by prosperity through the compassion of ,god4 ,in those times were invented the fables about ,triptolemus1 who1 at the command of ,ceres1 borne by winged snakes1 bestowed corn on the needy lands in flying over them2 about that beast the ,minotaur1 which was shut up in the ,labyrinth1 from which men who entered its inextricable mazes could find no exit2 about the ,centaurs1 whose form was a compound of horse and man2 about ,cerberus1 the three-headed dog of hell2 about ,phryxus and his sister ,hellas1 who fled1 borne by a winged ram2 about the ,gorgon1 whose hair was composed of serpents1 and who turned those who looked on her into stone2 about ,bellerophon1 who was carried by a winged horse called ,pegasus2 about ,amphion1 who charmed and attracted the stones by the sweetness of his harp2 about the artificer ,ddalus and his son ,icarus1 who flew on wings they had fitted on2 about dipus1 who compelled a certain four-footed monster with a human face1 called a sphynx1 to destroy herself by casting herself headlong1 having solved the riddle she was wont to propose as insoluble2 about ,antus1 who was the son of the earth1 for which reason1 on falling on the earth1 he was wont to rise up stronger1 whom ,hercules slew2 and perhaps there are others which ,i have forgotten4 ,these fables1 easily found in histories containing a true account of events1 bring us down to the ,trojan war1 at which ,marcus ,varro has closed his second book about the race of the ,roman people2 and they are so skilfully invented by men as to involve no scandal to the gods4 ,but whoever have pretended as to ,jupiter's rape of ,ganymede1 a very beautiful boy1 that king ,tantalus committed the crime1 and the fable ascribed it to ,jupiter2 or as to his impregnating ,dane as a golden shower1 that it means that the woman's virtue was corrupted by gold3 whether these things were really done or only fabled in those days1 or were really done by others and falsely ascribed to ,jupiter1 it is impossible to tell how much wickedness must have been taken for granted in men's hearts that they should be thought able to listen to such lies with patience4 ,and yet they willingly accepted them1 when1 indeed1 the more devotedly they worshipped ,jupiter1 they ought the more severely to have punished those who durst say such things of him4 ,but they not only were not angry at those who invented these things1 but were afraid that the gods would be angry at them if they did not act such fictions even in the theatres4 ,in those times ,latona bore ,apollo1 not him of whose oracle we have spoken above as so often consulted1 but him who is said1 along with ,hercules1 to have fed the flocks of king ,admetus2 yet he was so believed to be a god1 that very many1 indeed almost all1 have believed him to be the selfsame ,apollo4 ,then also ,father ,liber made war in ,india1 and led in his army many women called ,bacch1 who were notable not so much for valour as for fury4 ,some1 indeed1 write that this ,liber was both conquered and bound2 and some that he was slain in ,persia1 even telling where he was buried2 and yet in his name1 as that of a god1 the unclean demons have instituted the sacred1 or rather the sacrilegious1 ,bacchanalia1 of the outrageous vileness of which the senate1 after many years1 became so much ashamed as to prohibit them in the city of ,rome4 ,men believed that in those times ,perseus and his wife ,andromeda were raised into heaven after their death1 so that they were not ashamed or afraid to mark out their images by constellations1 and call them by their names4 #ad4 ,of the theological poets4 ,during the same period of time arose the poets1 who were also called theologues1 because they made hymns about the gods2 yet about such gods as1 although great men1 were yet but men1 or the elements of this world which the true ,god made1 or creatures who were ordained as principalities and powers according to the will of the ,creator and their own merit4 ,and if1 among much that was vain and false1 they sang anything of the one true ,god1 yet1 by worshipping ,him along with others who are not gods1 and showing them the service that is due to ,him alone1 they did not serve ,him at all rightly2 and even such poets as ,orpheus1 ,musus1 and ,linus1 were unable to abstain from dishonouring their gods by fables4 ,but yet these theologues worshipped the gods1 and were not worshipped as gods1 although the city of the ungodly is wont1 ,i know not how1 to set ,orpheus over the sacred1 or rather sacrilegious1 rites of hell4 ,the wife of king ,athamas1 who was called ,ino1 and her son ,melicertes1 perished by throwing themselves into the sea1 and were1 according to popular belief1 reckoned among the gods1 like other men of the same times1 among whom were ,castor and ,pollux4 ,the ,greeks1 indeed1 called her who was the mother of ,melicertes1 ,leucothea1 the ,latins ,matuta2 but both thought her a goddess4 #ae4 ,of the fall of the kingdom of ,argos1 when ,picus the son of ,saturn first received his father's kingdom of ,laurentum4 ,during those times the kingdom of ,argos came to an end1 being transferred to ,mycene1 from which ,agamemnon came1 and the kingdom of ,laurentum arose1 of which ,picus son of ,saturn was the first king1 when the woman ,deborah judged the ,hebrews2 but it was the ,spirit of ,god who used her as ,his agent1 for she was also a prophetess1 although her prophecy is so obscure that we could not demonstrate1 without a long discussion1 that it was uttered concerning ,christ4 ,now the ,laurentes already reigned in ,italy1 from whom the origin of the ,roman people is quite evidently derived after the ,greeks2 yet the kingdom of ,assyria still lasted1 in which ,lampares was the twenty-third king when ,picus first began to reign at ,laurentum4 ,the worshippers of such gods may see what they are to think of ,saturn the father of ,picus1 who deny that he was a man2 of whom some also have written that he himself reigned in ,italy before ,picus his son2 and ,virgil in his well-known book says1-- ,that race indocile1 and through mountains high ,dispersed1 he settled1 and endowed with laws1 ,and named their country ,latium1 because ,latent within their coasts he dwelt secure4 ,tradition says the golden ages pure ,began when he was king4#ejc ,but they regard these as poetic fancies1 and assert that the father of ,picus was ,sterces rather1 and relate that1 being a most skilful husbandman1 he discovered that the fields could be fertilized by the dung of animals1 which is called stercus from his name4 ,some say he was called ,stercutius4 ,but for whatever reason they chose to call him ,saturn1 it is yet certain they made this ,sterces or ,stercutius a god for his merit in agriculture2 and they likewise received into the number of these gods ,picus his son1 whom they affirm to have been a famous augur and warrior4 ,picus begot ,faunus1 the second king of ,laurentum2 and he too is1 or was1 a god with them4 ,these divine honours they gave to dead men before the ,trojan war4 #af4 ,of ,diomede1 who after the destruction of ,troy was placed among the gods1 while his companions are said to have been changed into birds4 ,troy was overthrown1 and its destruction was everywhere sung and made well known even to boys2 for it was signally published and spread abroad1 both by its own greatness and by writers of excellent style4 ,and this was done in the reign of ,latinus the son of ,faunus1 from whom the kingdom began to be called ,latium instead of ,laurentum4 ,the victorious ,greeks1 on leaving ,troy destroyed and returning to their own countries1 were torn and crushed by divers and horrible calamities4 ,yet even from among them they increased the number of their gods1 for they made ,diomede a god4 ,they allege that his return home was prevented by a divinely imposed punishment1 and they prove1 not by fabulous and poetic falsehood1 but by historic attestation1 that his companions were turned into birds4 ,yet they think that1 even although he was made a god1 he could neither restore them to the human form by his own power1 nor yet obtain it from ,jupiter his king1 as a favour granted to a new inhabitant of heaven4 ,they also say that his temple is in the island of ,diomeda1 not far from ,mount ,garganus in ,apulia1 and that these birds fly round about this temple1 and worship in it with such wonderful obedience1 that they fill their beaks with water and sprinkle it2 and if ,greeks1 or those born of the ,greek race1 come there1 they are not only still1 but fly to meet them2 but if they are foreigners1 they fly up at their heads1 and wound them with such severe strokes as even to kill them4 ,for they are said to be well enough armed for these combats with their hard and large beaks4 #ag4 ,what ,varro says of the incredible transformations of men4 ,in support of this story1 ,varro relates others no less incredible about that most famous sorceress ,circe1 who changed the companions of ,ulysses into beasts1 and about the ,arcadians1 who1 by lot1 swam across a certain pool1 and were turned into wolves there1 and lived in the deserts of that region with wild beasts like themselves4 ,but if they never fed on human flesh for nine years1 they were restored to the human form on swimming back again through the same pool4 ,finally1 he expressly names one ,demnetus1 who1 on tasting a boy offered up in sacrifice by the ,arcadians to their god ,lycus according to their custom1 was changed into a wolf1 and1 being restored to his proper form in the tenth year1 trained himself as a pugilist1 and was victorious at the ,olympic games4 ,and the same historian thinks that the epithet ,lycus was applied in ,arcadia to ,pan and ,jupiter for no other reason than this metamorphosis of men into wolves1 because it was thought it could not be wrought except by a divine power4 ,for a wolf is called in ,greek 1 from which the name ,lycus appears to be formed4 ,he says also that the ,roman ,luperci were as it were sprung of the seed of these mysteries4 #ah4 ,what we should believe concerning the transformations which seem to happen to men through the art of demons4 ,perhaps our readers expect us to say something about this so great delusion wrought by the demons2 and what shall we say but that men must fly out of the midst of ,babylon8#ejd ,for this prophetic precept is to be understood spiritually in this sense1 that by going forward in the living ,god1 by the steps of faith1 which worketh by love1 we must flee out of the city of this world1 which is altogether a society of ungodly angels and men4 ,yea1 the greater we see the power of the demons to be in these depths1 so much the more tenaciously must we cleave to the ,mediator through whom we ascend from these lowest to the highest places4 ,for if we should say these things are not to be credited1 there are not wanting even now some who would affirm that they had either heard on the best authority1 or even themselves experienced1 something of that kind4 ,indeed we ourselves1 when in ,italy1 heard such things about a certain region there1 where landladies of inns1 imbued with these wicked arts1 were said to be in the habit of giving to such travellers as they chose1 or could manage1 something in a piece of cheese by which they were changed on the spot into beasts of burden1 and carried whatever was necessary1 and were restored to their own form when the work was done4 ,yet their mind did not become bestial1 but remained rational and human1 just as ,apuleius1 in the books he wrote with the title of ,the ,golden ,ass1 has told1 or feigned1 that it happened to his own self that1 on taking poison1 he became an ass1 while retaining his human mind4 ,these things are either false1 or so extraordinary as to be with good reason disbelieved4 ,but it is to be most firmly believed that ,almighty ,god can do whatever ,he pleases1 whether in punishing or favouring1 and that the demons can accomplish nothing by their natural power 7for their created being is itself angelic1 although made malign by their own fault71 except what ,he may permit1 whose judgments are often hidden1 but never unrighteous4 ,and indeed the demons1 if they really do such things as these on which this discussion turns1 do not create real substances1 but only change the appearance of things created by the true ,god so as to make them seem to be what they are not4 ,i cannot therefore believe that even the body1 much less the mind1 can really be changed into bestial forms and lineaments by any reason1 art1 or power of the demons2 but the phantasm of a man1 which even in thought or dreams goes through innumerable changes1 may1 when the man's senses are laid asleep or overpowered1 be presented to the senses of others in a corporeal form1 in some indescribable way unknown to me1 so that men's bodies themselves may lie somewhere1 alive1 indeed1 yet with their senses locked up much more heavily and firmly than by sleep1 while that phantasm1 as it were embodied in the shape of some animal1 may appear to the senses of others1 and may even seem to the man himself to be changed1 just as he may seem to himself in sleep to be so changed1 and to bear burdens2 and these burdens1 if they are real substances1 are borne by the demons1 that men may be deceived by beholding at the same time the real substance of the burdens and the simulated bodies of the beasts of burden4 ,for a certain man called ,prstantius used to tell that it had happened to his father in his own house1 that he took that poison in a piece of cheese1 and lay in his bed as if sleeping1 yet could by no means be aroused4 ,but he said that after a few days he as it were woke up and related the things he had suffered as if they had been dreams1 namely1 that he had been made a sumpter horse1 and1 along with other beasts of burden1 had carried provisions for the soldiers of what is called the ,rhtian ,legion1 because it was sent to ,rhtia4 ,and all this was found to have taken place just as he told1 yet it had seemed to him to be his own dream4 ,and another man declared that in his own house at night1 before he slept1 he saw a certain philosopher1 whom he knew very well1 come to him and explain to him some things in the ,platonic philosophy which he had previously declined to explain when asked4 ,and when he had asked this philosopher why he did in his house what he had refused to do at home1 he said1 ,i did not do it1 but ,i dreamed ,i had done it4 ,and thus what the one saw when sleeping was shown to the other when awake by a phantasmal image4 ,these things have not come to us from persons we might deem unworthy of credit1 but from informants we could not suppose to be deceiving us4 ,therefore what men say and have committed to writing about the ,arcadians being often changed into wolves by the ,arcadian gods1 or demons rather1 and what is told in song about ,circe transforming the companions of ,ulysses1#eje if they were really done1 may1 in my opinion1 have been done in the way ,i have said4 ,as for ,diomede's birds1 since their race is alleged to have been perpetuated by constant propagation1 ,i believe they were not made through the metamorphosis of men1 but were slyly substituted for them on their removal1 just as the hind was for ,iphigenia1 the daughter of king ,agamemnon4 ,for juggleries of this kind could not be difficult for the demons if permitted by the judgment of ,god2 and since that virgin was afterward found alive1 it is easy to see that a hind had been slyly substituted for her4 ,but because the companions of ,diomede were of a sudden nowhere to be seen1 and afterward could nowhere be found1 being destroyed by bad avenging angels1 they were believed to have been changed into those birds1 which were secretly brought there from other places where such birds were1 and suddenly substituted for them by fraud4 ,but that they bring water in their beaks and sprinkle it on the temple of ,diomede1 and that they fawn on men of ,greek race and persecute aliens1 is no wonderful thing to be done by the inward influence of the demons1 whose interest it is to persuade men that ,diomede was made a god1 and thus to beguile them into worshipping many false gods1 to the great dishonour of the true ,god2 and to serve dead men1 who even in their lifetime did not truly live1 with temples1 altars1 sacrifices1 and priests1 all which1 when of the right kind1 are due only to the one living and true ,god4 #ai4 ,that neas came into ,italy when ,abdon the judge ruled over the ,hebrews4 ,after the capture and destruction of ,troy1 neas1 with twenty ships laden with the ,trojan relics1 came into ,italy1 when ,latinus reigned there1 ,menestheus in ,athens1 ,polyphidos in ,sicyon1 and ,tautanos in ,assyria1 and ,abdon was judge of the ,hebrews4 ,on the death of ,latinus1 neas reigned three years1 the same kings continuing in the above-named places1 except that ,pelasgus was now king in ,sicyon1 and ,sampson was judge of the ,hebrews1 who is thought to be ,hercules1 because of his wonderful strength4 ,now the ,latins made neas one of their gods1 because at his death he was nowhere to be found4 ,the ,sabines also placed among the gods their first king1 ,sancus1 ,sangus1 or ,sanctus1 as some call him4 ,at that time ,codrus king of ,athens exposed himself incognito to be slain by the ,peloponnesian foes of that city1 and so was slain4 ,in this way1 they say1 he delivered his country4 ,for the ,peloponnesians had received a response from the oracle1 that they should overcome the ,athenians only on condition that they did not slay their king4 ,therefore he deceived them by appearing in a poor man's dress1 and provoking them1 by quarrelling1 to murder him4 ,whence ,virgil says1 ,or the quarrels of ,codrus4#ejf ,and the ,athenians worshipped this man as a god with sacrificial honours4 ,the fourth king of the ,latins was ,silvius the son of neas1 not by ,cresa1 of whom ,ascanius the third king was born1 but by ,lavinia the daughter of ,latinus1 and he is said to have been his posthumous child4 ,oneus was the twenty-ninth king of ,assyria1 ,melanthus the sixteenth of the ,athenians1 and ,eli the priest was judge of the ,hebrews2 and the kingdom of ,sicyon then came to an end1 after lasting1 it is said1 for nine hundred and fifty-nine years4 #bj4 ,of the succession of the line of kings among the ,israelites after the times of the judges4 ,while these kings reigned in the places mentioned1 the period of the judges being ended1 the kingdom of ,israel next began with king ,saul1 when ,samuel the prophet lived4 ,at that date those ,latin kings began who were surnamed ,silvii1 having that surname1 in addition to their proper name1 from their predecessor1 that son of neas who was called ,silvius2 just as1 long afterward1 the successors of ,csar ,augustus were surnamed ,csars4 ,saul being rejected1 so that none of his issue should reign1 on his death ,david succeeded him in the kingdom1 after he had reigned forty years4 ,then the ,athenians ceased to have kings after the death of ,codrus1 and began to have a magistracy to rule the republic4 ,after ,david1 who also reigned forty years1 his son ,solomon was king of ,israel1 who built that most noble temple of ,god at ,jerusalem4 ,in his time ,alba was built among the ,latins1 from which thereafter the kings began to be styled kings not of the ,latins1 but of the ,albans1 although in the same ,latium4 ,solomon was succeeded by his son ,rehoboam1 under whom that people was divided into two kingdoms1 and its separate parts began to have separate kings4 #ba4 ,of the kings of ,latium1 the first and twelfth of whom1 neas and ,aventinus1 were made gods4 ,after neas1 whom they deified1 ,latium had eleven kings1 none of whom was deified4 ,but ,aventinus1 who was the twelfth after neas1 having been laid low in war1 and buried in that hill still called by his name1 was added to the number of such gods as they made for themselves4 ,some1 indeed1 were unwilling to write that he was slain in battle1 but said he was nowhere to be found1 and that it was not from his name1 but from the alighting of birds1 that hill was called ,aventinus4#ejg ,after this no god was made in ,latium except ,romulus the founder of ,rome4 ,but two kings are found between these two1 the first of whom ,i shall describe in the ,virgilian verse3 ,next came that ,procas1 glory of the ,trojan race4#ejh ,that greatest of all kingdoms1 the ,assyrian1 had its long duration brought to a close in his time1 the time of ,rome's birth drawing nigh4 ,for the ,assyrian empire was transferred to the ,medes after nearly thirteen hundred and five years1 if we include the reign of ,belus1 who begot ,ninus1 and1 content with a small kingdom1 was the first king there4 ,now ,procas reigned before ,amulius4 ,and ,amulius had made his brother ,numitor's daughter1 ,rhea by name1 who was also called ,ilia1 a vestal virgin1 who conceived twin sons by ,mars1 as they will have it1 in that way honouring or excusing her adultery1 adding as a proof that a she-wolf nursed the infants when exposed4 ,for they think this kind of beast belongs to ,mars1 so that the she-wolf is believed to have given her teats to the infants1 because she knew they were the sons of ,mars her lord2 although there are not wanting persons who say that when the crying babes lay exposed1 they were first of all picked up by ,i know not what harlot1 and sucked her breasts first 7now harlots were called lup1 she-wolves1 from which their vile abodes are even yet called lupanaria71 and that afterwards they came into the hands of the shepherd ,faustulus1 and were nursed by ,acca his wife4 ,yet what wonder is it1 if1 to rebuke the king who had cruelly ordered them to be thrown into the water1 ,god was pleased1 after divinely delivering them from the water1 to succour1 by means of a wild beast giving milk1 these infants by whom so great a city was to be founded8 ,amulius was succeeded in the ,latian kingdom by his brother ,numitor1 the grandfather of ,romulus2 and ,rome was founded in the first year of this ,numitor1 who from that time reigned along with his grandson ,romulus4 #bb4 ,that ,rome was founded when the ,assyrian kingdom perished1 at which time ,hezekiah reigned in ,judah4 ,to be brief1 the city of ,rome was founded1 like another ,babylon1 and as it were the daughter of the former ,babylon1 by which ,god was pleased to conquer the whole world1 and subdue it far and wide by bringing it into one fellowship of government and laws4 ,for there were already powerful and brave peoples and nations trained to arms1 who did not easily yield1 and whose subjugation necessarily involved great danger and destruction as well as great and horrible labour4 ,for when the ,assyrian kingdom subdued almost all ,asia1 although this was done by fighting1 yet the wars could not be very fierce or difficult1 because the nations were as yet untrained to resist1 and neither so many nor so great as afterward2 forasmuch as1 after that greatest and indeed universal flood1 when only eight men escaped in ,noah's ark1 not much more than a thousand years had passed when ,ninus subdued all ,asia with the exception of ,india4 ,but ,rome did not with the same quickness and facility wholly subdue all those nations of the east and west which we see brought under the ,roman empire1 because1 in its gradual increase1 in whatever direction it was extended1 it found them strong and warlike4 ,at the time when ,rome was founded1 then1 the people of ,israel had been in the land of promise seven hundred and eighteen years4 ,of these years twenty-seven belong to ,joshua the son of ,nun1 and after that three hundred and twenty-nine to the period of the judges4 ,but from the time when the kings began to reign there1 three hundred and sixty-two years had passed4 ,and at that time there was a king in ,judah called ,ahaz1 or1 as others compute1 ,hezekiah his successor1 the best and most pious king1 who it is admitted reigned in the times of ,romulus4 ,and in that part of the ,hebrew nation called ,israel1 ,hoshea had begun to reign4 #bc4 ,of the ,erythran sibyl1 who is known to have sung many things about ,christ more plainly than the other sibyls4 ,some say the ,erythran sibyl prophesied at this time4 ,now ,varro declares there were many sibyls1 and not merely one4 ,this sibyl of ,erythr certainly wrote some things concerning ,christ which are quite manifest1 and we first read them in the ,latin tongue in verses of bad ,latin1 and unrhythmical1 through the unskilfulness1 as we afterward learned1 of some interpreter unknown to me4 ,for ,flaccianus1 a very famous man1 who was also a proconsul1 a man of most ready eloquence and much learning1 when we were speaking about ,christ1 produced a ,greek manuscript1 saying that it was the prophecies of the ,erythran sibyl1 in which he pointed out a certain passage which had the initial letters of the lines so arranged that these words could be read in them3 1 which mean1 ,jesus ,christ the ,son of ,god1 the ,saviour4 ,and these verses1 of which the initial letters yield that meaning1 contain what follows as translated by some one into ,latin in good rhythm3 ,judgment shall moisten the earth with the sweat of its standard1 ,ever enduring1 behold the ,king shall come through the ages1 ,sent to be here in the flesh1 and ,judge at the last of the world4 ,o ,god1 the believing and faithless alike shall behold ,thee ,uplifted with saints1 when at last the ages are ended4 ,sisted before ,him are souls in the flesh for ,his judgment4 ,hid in thick vapours1 the while desolate lieth the earth4 ,rejected by men are the idols and long hidden treasures2 ,earth is consumed by the fire1 and it searcheth the ocean and heaven2 ,issuing forth1 it destroyeth the terrible portals of hell4 ,saints in their body and soul freedom and light shall inherit2 ,those who are guilty shall burn in fire and brimstone for ever4 ,occult actions revealing1 each one shall publish his secrets2 ,secrets of every man's heart ,god shall reveal in the light4 ,then shall be weeping and wailing1 yea2 and gnashing of teeth2 ,eclipsed is the sun1 and silenced the stars in their chorus4 ,over and gone is the splendour of moonlight1 melted the heaven4 ,uplifted by ,him are the valleys1 and cast down the mountains4 ,utterly gone among men are distinctions of lofty and lowly4 ,into the plains rush the hills1 the skies and oceans are mingled4 ,oh1 what an end of all things6 earth broken in pieces shall perish2 ,swelling together at once shall the waters and flames flow in rivers4 ,sounding the archangel's trumpet shall peal down from heaven1 ,over the wicked who groan in their guilt and their manifold sorrows4 ,trembling1 the earth shall be opened1 revealing chaos and hell4 ,every king before ,god shall stand in that day to be judged4 ,rivers of fire and of brimstone shall fall from the heavens4 ,in these ,latin verses the meaning of the ,greek is correctly given1 although not in the exact order of the lines as connected with the initial letters2 for in three of them1 the fifth1 eighteenth1 and nineteenth1 where the ,greek letter occurs1 ,latin words could not be found beginning with the corresponding letter1 and yielding a suitable meaning4 ,so that1 if we note down together the initial letters of all the lines in our ,latin translation except those three in which we retain the letter in the proper place1 they will express in five ,greek words this meaning1 ,jesus ,christ the ,son of ,god1 the ,saviour4 ,and the verses are twenty-seven1 which is the cube of three4 ,for three times three are nine2 and nine itself1 if tripled1 so as to rise from the superficial square to the cube1 comes to twenty-seven4 ,but if you join the initial letters of these five ,greek words1 1 which mean1 ,jesus ,christ the ,son of ,god1 the ,saviour1 they will make the word 1 that is1 fish1 in which word ,christ is mystically understood1 because ,he was able to live1 that is1 to exist1 without sin in the abyss of this mortality as in the depth of waters4 ,but this sibyl1 whether she is the ,erythran1 or1 as some rather believe1 the ,cuman1 in her whole poem1 of which this is a very small portion1 not only has nothing that can relate to the worship of the false or feigned gods1 but rather speaks against them and their worshippers in such a way that we might even think she ought to be reckoned among those who belong to the city of ,god4 ,lactantius also inserted in his work the prophecies about ,christ of a certain sibyl1 he does not say which4 ,but ,i have thought fit to combine in a single extract1 which may seem long1 what he has set down in many short quotations4 ,she says1 ,afterward ,he shall come into the injurious hands of the unbelieving1 and they will give ,god buffets with profane hands1 and with impure mouth will spit out envenomed spittle2 but ,he will with simplicity yield ,his holy back to stripes4 ,and ,he will hold ,his peace when struck with the fist1 that no one may find out what word1 or whence1 ,he comes to speak to hell2 and ,he shall be crowned with a crown of thorns4 ,and they gave ,him gall for meat1 and vinegar for ,his thirst3 they will spread this table of inhospitality4 ,for thou thyself1 being foolish1 hast not understood thy ,god1 deluding the minds of mortals1 but hast both crowned ,him with thorns and mingled for ,him bitter gall4 ,but the veil of the temple shall be rent2 and at midday it shall be darker than night for three hours4 ,and ,he shall die the death1 taking sleep for three days2 and then returning from hell1 ,he first shall come to the light1 the beginning of the resurrection being shown to the recalled4 ,lactantius made use of these sibylline testimonies1 introducing them bit by bit in the course of his discussion as the things he intended to prove seemed to require1 and we have set them down in one connected series1 uninterrupted by comment1 only taking care to mark them by capitals1 if only the transcribers do not neglect to preserve them hereafter4 ,some writers1 indeed1 say that the ,erythran sibyl was not in the time of ,romulus1 but of the ,trojan war4 #bd4 ,that the seven sages flourished in the reign of ,romulus1 when the ten tribes which were called ,israel were led into captivity by the ,chaldeans1 and ,romulus1 when dead1 had divine honours conferred on him4 ,while ,romulus reigned1 ,thales the ,milesian is said to have lived1 being one of the seven sages1 who succeeded the theological poets1 of whom ,orpheus was the most renowned1 and were called 1 that is1 sages4 ,during that time the ten tribes1 which on the division of the people were called ,israel1 were conquered by the ,chaldeans and led captive into their lands1 while the two tribes which were called ,judah1 and had the seat of their kingdom in ,jerusalem1 remained in the land of ,judea4 ,as ,romulus1 when dead1 could nowhere be found1 the ,romans1 as is everywhere notorious1 placed him among the gods1--a thing which by that time had already ceased to be done1 and which was not done afterwards till the time of the ,csars1 and then not through error1 but in flattery2 so that ,cicero ascribes great praises to ,romulus1 because he merited such honours not in rude and unlearned times1 when men were easily deceived1 but in times already polished and learned1 although the subtle and acute loquacity of the philosophers had not yet culminated4 ,but although the later times did not deify dead men1 still they did not cease to hold and worship as gods those deified of old2 nay1 by images1 which the ancients never had1 they even increased the allurements of vain and impious superstition1 the unclean demons effecting this in their heart1 and also deceiving them by lying oracles1 so that even the fabulous crimes of the gods1 which were not once imagined by a more polite age1 were yet basely acted in the plays in honour of these same false deities4 ,numa reigned after ,romulus2 and although he had thought that ,rome would be better defended the more gods there were1 yet on his death he himself was not counted worthy of a place among them1 as if it were supposed that he had so crowded heaven that a place could not be found for him there4 ,they report that the ,samian sibyl lived while he reigned at ,rome1 and when ,manasseh began to reign over the ,hebrews1--an impious king1 by whom the prophet ,isaiah is said to have been slain4 #be4 ,what philosophers were famous when ,tarquinius ,priscus reigned over the ,romans1 and ,zedekiah over the ,hebrews1 when ,jerusalem was taken and the temple overthrown4 ,when ,zedekiah reigned over the ,hebrews1 and ,tarquinius ,priscus1 the successor of ,ancus ,martius1 over the ,romans1 the ,jewish people was led captive into ,babylon1 ,jerusalem and the temple built by ,solomon being overthrown4 ,for the prophets1 in chiding them for their iniquity and impiety1 predicted that these things should come to pass1 especially ,jeremiah1 who even stated the number of years4 ,pittacus of ,mitylene1 another of the sages1 is reported to have lived at that time4 ,and ,eusebius writes that1 while the people of ,god were held captive in ,babylon1 the five other sages lived1 who must be added to ,thales1 whom we mentioned above1 and ,pittacus1 in order to make up the seven4 ,these are ,solon of ,athens1 ,chilo of ,lacedmon1 ,periander of ,corinth1 ,cleobulus of ,lindus1 and ,bias of ,priene4 ,these flourished after the theological poets1 and were called sages1 because they excelled other men in a certain laudable line of life1 and summed up some moral precepts in epigrammatic sayings4 ,but they left posterity no literary monuments1 except that ,solon is alleged to have given certain laws to the ,athenians1 and ,thales was a natural philosopher1 and left books of his doctrine in short proverbs4 ,in that time of the ,jewish captivity1 ,anaximander1 ,anaximenes1 and ,xenophanes1 the natural philosophers1 flourished4 ,pythagoras also lived then1 and at this time the name philosopher was first used4 #bf4 ,that at the time when the captivity of the ,jews was brought to an end1 on the completion of seventy years1 the ,romans also were freed from kingly rule4 ,at this time1 ,cyrus king of ,persia1 who also ruled the ,chaldeans and ,assyrians1 having somewhat relaxed the captivity of the ,jews1 made fifty thousand of them return in order to rebuild the temple4 ,they only began the first foundations and built the altar2 but1 owing to hostile invasions1 they were unable to go on1 and the work was put off to the time of ,darius4 ,during the same time also those things were done which are written in the book of ,judith1 which1 indeed1 the ,jews are said not to have received into the canon of the ,scriptures4 ,under ,darius king of ,persia1 then1 on the completion of the seventy years predicted by ,jeremiah the prophet1 the captivity of the ,jews was brought to an end1 and they were restored to liberty4 ,tarquin then reigned as the seventh king of the ,romans4 ,on his expulsion1 they also began to be free from the rule of their kings4 ,down to this time the people of ,israel had prophets2 but1 although they were numerous1 the canonical writings of only a few of them have been preserved among the ,jews and among us4 ,in closing the previous book1 ,i promised to set down something in this one about them1 and ,i shall now do so4 #bg4 ,of the times of the prophets whose oracles are contained in books1 and who sang many things about the call of the ,gentiles at the time when the ,roman kingdom began and the ,assyrian came to an end4 ,in order that we may be able to consider these times1 let us go back a little to earlier times4 ,at the beginning of the book of the prophet ,hosea1 who is placed first of twelve1 it is written1 ,the word of the ,lord which came to ,hosea in the days of ,uzziah1 ,jotham1 ,ahaz1 and ,hezekiah1 kings of ,judah4#eji ,amos also writes that he prophesied in the days of ,uzziah1 and adds the name of ,jeroboam king of ,israel1 who lived at the same time4#eaj ,isaiah the son of ,amos--either the above-named prophet1 or1 as is rather affirmed1 another who was not a prophet1 but was called by the same name--also puts at the head of his book these four kings named by ,hosea1 saying by way of preface that he prophesied in their days4#eaa ,micah also names the same times as those of his prophecy1 after the days of ,uzziah2#eab for he names the same three kings as ,hosea named1--,jotham1 ,ahaz1 and ,hezekiah4 ,we find from their own writings that these men prophesied contemporaneously4 ,to these are added ,jonah in the reign of ,uzziah1 and ,joel in that of ,jotham1 who succeeded ,uzziah4 ,but we can find the date of these two prophets in the chronicles1#eac not in their own writings1 for they say nothing about it themselves4 ,now these days extend from ,procas king of the ,latins1 or his predecessor ,aventinus1 down to ,romulus king of the ,romans1 or even to the beginning of the reign of his successor1 ,numa ,pompilius4 ,hezekiah king of ,judah certainly reigned till then4 ,so that thus these fountains of prophecy1 as ,i may call them1 burst forth at once during those times when the ,assyrian kingdom failed and the ,roman began2 so that1 just as in the first period of the ,assyrian kingdom ,abraham arose1 to whom the most distinct promises were made that all nations should be blessed in his seed1 so at the beginning of the western ,babylon1 in the time of whose government ,christ was to come in whom these promises were to be fulfilled1 the oracles of the prophets were given not only in spoken but in written words1 for a testimony that so great a thing should come to pass4 ,for although the people of ,israel hardly ever lacked prophets from the time when they began to have kings1 these were only for their own use1 not for that of the nations4 ,but when the more manifestly prophetic ,scripture began to be formed1 which was to benefit the nations too1 it was fitting that it should begin when this city was founded which was to rule the nations4 #bh4 ,of the things pertaining to the gospel of ,christ which ,hosea and ,amos prophesied4 ,the prophet ,hosea speaks so very profoundly that it is laborious work to penetrate his meaning4 ,but1 according to promise1 we must insert something from his book4 ,he says1 ,and it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them1 ,ye are not my people1 there they shall be called the sons of the living ,god4#ead ,even the apostles understood this as a prophetic testimony of the calling of the nations who did not formerly belong to ,god2 and because this same people of the ,gentiles is itself spiritually among the children of ,abraham1 and for that reason is rightly called ,israel1 therefore he goes on to say1 ,and the children of ,judah and the children of ,israel shall be gathered together in one1 and shall appoint themselves one headship1 and shall ascend from the earth4#eae ,we should but weaken the savour of this prophetic oracle if we set ourselves to expound it4 ,let the reader but call to mind that corner-stone and those two walls of partition1 the one of the ,jews1 the other of the ,gentiles1#eaf and he will recognise them1 the one under the term sons of ,judah1 the other as sons of ,israel1 supporting themselves by one and the same headship1 and ascending from the earth4 ,but that those carnal ,israelites who are now unwilling to believe in ,christ shall afterward believe1 that is1 their children shall 7for they themselves1 of course1 shall go to their own place by dying71 this same prophet testifies1 saying1 ,for the children of ,israel shall abide many days without a king1 without a prince1 without a sacrifice1 without an altar1 without a priesthood1 without manifestations4#eag ,who does not see that the ,jews are now thus8 ,but let us hear what he adds3 ,and afterward shall the children of ,israel return1 and seek the ,lord their ,god1 and ,david their king1 and shall be amazed at the ,lord and at ,his goodness in the latter days4#eah ,nothing is clearer than this prophecy1 in which by ,david1 as distinguished by the title of king1 ,christ is to be understood1 who is made1 as the apostle says1 of the seed of ,david according to the flesh4#eai ,this prophet has also foretold the resurrection of ,christ on the third day1 as it behoved to be foretold1 with prophetic loftiness1 when he says1 ,he will heal us after two days1 and in the third day we shall rise again4#ebj ,in agreement with this the apostle says to us1 ,if ye be risen with ,christ1 seek those things which are above4#eba ,amos also prophesies thus concerning such things3 ,prepare thee1 that thou mayst invoke thy ,god1 ,o ,israel2 for lo1 ,i am binding the thunder1 and creating the spirit1 and announcing to men their ,christ4#ebb ,and in another place he says1 ,in that day will ,i raise up the tabernacle of ,david that is fallen1 and build up the breaches thereof2 and ,i will raise up his ruins1 and will build them up again as in the days of old3 that the residue of men may inquire for me1 and all the nations upon whom my name is invoked1 saith the ,lord that doeth this4#ebc #bi4 ,what things are predicted by ,isaiah concerning ,christ and the ,church4 ,the prophecy of ,isaiah is not in the book of the twelve prophets1 who are called the minor from the brevity of their writings1 as compared with those who are called the greater prophets because they published larger volumes4 ,isaiah belongs to the latter1 yet ,i connect him with the two above named1 because he prophesied at the same time4 ,isaiah1 then1 together with his rebukes of wickedness1 precepts of righteousness1 and predictions of evil1 also prophesied much more than the rest about ,christ and the ,church1 that is1 about the ,king and that city which he founded2 so that some say he should be called an evangelist rather than a prophet4 ,but1 in order to finish this work1 ,i quote only one out of many in this place4 ,speaking in the person of the ,father1 he says1 ,behold1 my servant shall understand1 and shall be exalted and glorified very much4 ,as many shall be astonished at ,thee4#ebd ,this is about ,christ4 ,but let us now hear what follows about the ,church4 ,he says1 ,rejoice1 ,o barren1 thou that barest not2 break forth and cry1 thou that didst not travail with child3 for many more are the children of the desolate than of her that has an husband4#ebe ,but these must suffice2 and some things in them ought to be expounded2 yet ,i think those parts sufficient which are so plain that even enemies must be compelled against their will to understand them4 #cj4 ,what ,micah1 ,jonah1 and ,joel prophesied in accordance with the ,new ,testament4 ,the prophet ,micah1 representing ,christ under the figure of a great mountain1 speaks thus3 ,it shall come to pass in the last days1 that the manifested mountain of the ,lord shall be prepared on the tops of the mountains1 and it shall be exalted above the hills2 and people shall hasten unto it4 ,many nations shall go1 and shall say1 ,come1 let us go up into the mountain of the ,lord1 and into the house of the ,god of ,jacob2 and ,he will show us ,his way1 and we will go in ,his paths3 for out of ,zion shall proceed the law1 and the word of the ,lord out of ,jerusalem4 ,and ,he shall judge among many people1 and rebuke strong nations afar off4#ebf ,this prophet predicts the very place in which ,christ was born1 saying1 ,and thou1 ,bethlehem1 of the house of ,ephratah1 art the least that can be reckoned among the thousands of ,judah2 out of thee shall come forth unto me a leader1 to be the prince in ,israel2 and ,his going forth is from the beginning1 even from the days of eternity4 ,therefore will ,he give them up even until the time when she that travaileth shall bring forth2 and the remnant of ,his brethren shall be converted to the sons of ,israel4 ,and ,he shall stand1 and see1 and feed ,his flock in the strength of the ,lord1 and in the dignity of the name of the ,lord ,his ,god3 for now shall ,he be magnified even to the utmost of the earth4#ebg ,the prophet ,jonah1 not so much by speech as by his own painful experience1 prophesied ,christ's death and resurrection much more clearly than if he had proclaimed them with his voice4 ,for why was he taken into the whale's belly and restored on the third day1 but that he might be a sign that ,christ should return from the depths of hell on the third day8 ,i should be obliged to use many words in explaining all that ,joel prophesies in order to make clear those that pertain to ,christ and the ,church4 ,but there is one passage ,i must not pass by1 which the apostles also quoted when the ,holy ,spirit came down from above on the assembled believers according to ,christ's promise4 ,he says1 ,and it shall come to pass after these things1 that ,i will pour out my ,spirit upon all flesh2 and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy1 and your old men shall dream1 and your young men shall see visions3 and even on my servants and mine handmaids in those days will ,i pour out my ,spirit4#ebh #ca4 ,of the predictions concerning the salvation of the world in ,christ1 in ,obadiah1 ,nahum1 and ,habakkuk4 ,the date of three of the minor prophets1 ,obadiah1 ,nahum1 and ,habakkuk1 is neither mentioned by themselves nor given in the chronicles of ,eusebius and ,jerome4 ,for although they put ,obadiah with ,micah1 yet when ,micah prophesied does not appear from that part of their writings in which the dates are noted4 ,and this1 ,i think1 has happened through their error in negligently copying the works of others4 ,but we could not find the two others now mentioned in the copies of the chronicles which we have2 yet because they are contained in the canon1 we ought not to pass them by4 ,obadiah1 so far as his writings are concerned1 the briefest of all the prophets1 speaks against ,idumea1 that is1 the nation of ,esau1 that reprobate elder of the twin sons of ,isaac and grandsons of ,abraham4 ,now if1 by that form of speech in which a part is put for the whole1 we take ,idumea as put for the nations1 we may understand of ,christ what he says among other things1 ,but upon ,mount ,sion shall be safety1 and there shall be a ,holy ,one4#ebi ,and a little after1 at the end of the same prophecy1 he says1 ,and those who are saved again shall come up out of ,mount ,sion1 that they may defend ,mount ,esau1 and it shall be a kingdom to the ,lord4#ecj ,it is quite evident this was fulfilled when those saved again out of ,mount ,sion--that is1 the believers in ,christ from ,judea1 of whom the apostles are chiefly to be acknowledged--went up to defend ,mount ,esau4 ,how could they defend it except by making safe1 through the preaching of the gospel1 those who believed that they might be delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of ,god8#eca ,this he expressed as an inference1 adding1 ,and it shall be to the ,lord a kingdom4 ,for ,mount ,sion signifies ,judea1 where it is predicted there shall be safety1 and a ,holy ,one1 that is1 ,christ ,jesus4 ,but ,mount ,esau is ,idumea1 which signifies the ,church of the ,gentiles1 which1 as ,i have expounded1 those saved again out of ,sion have defended that it should be a kingdom to the ,lord4 ,this was obscure before it took place2 but what believer does not find it out now that it is done8 ,as for the prophet ,nahum1 through him ,god says1 ,i will exterminate the graven and the molten things3 ,i will make thy burial4 ,for lo1 the feet of ,him that bringeth good tidings and announceth peace are swift upon the mountains6 ,o ,judah1 celebrate thy festival days1 and perform thy vows2 for now they shall not go on any more so as to become antiquated4 ,it is completed1 it is consumed1 it is taken away4 ,he ascendeth who breathes in thy face1 delivering thee out of tribulation4#ecb ,let him that remembers the gospel call to mind who hath ascended from hell and breathed the ,holy ,spirit in the face of ,judah1 that is1 of the ,jewish disciples2 for they belong to the ,new ,testament1 whose festival days are so spiritually renewed that they cannot become antiquated4 ,moreover1 we already see the graven and molten things1 that is1 the idols of the false gods1 exterminated through the gospel1 and given up to oblivion as of the grave1 and we know that this prophecy is fulfilled in this very thing4 ,of what else than the advent of ,christ1 who was to come1 is ,habakkuk understood to say1 ,and the ,lord answered me1 and said1 ,write the vision openly on a tablet of boxwood1 that he that readeth these things may understand4 ,for the vision is yet for a time appointed1 and it will arise in the end1 and will not become void3 if it tarry1 wait for it2 because it will surely come1 and will not be delayed8#ecc #cb4 ,of the prophecy that is contained in the prayer and song of ,habakkuk4 ,in his prayer1 with a song1 to whom but the ,lord ,christ does he say1 ,o ,lord1 ,i have heard ,thy hearing1 and was afraid3 ,o ,lord1 ,i have considered ,thy works1 and was greatly afraid8#ecd ,what is this but the inexpressible admiration of the foreknown1 new1 and sudden salvation of men8 ,in the midst of two living creatures thou shalt be recognised4 ,what is this but either between the two testaments1 or between the two thieves1 or between ,moses and ,elias talking with ,him on the mount8 ,while the years draw nigh1 ,thou wilt be recognised2 at the coming of the time ,thou wilt be shown1 does not even need exposition4 ,while my soul shall be troubled at ,him1 in wrath ,thou wilt be mindful of mercy4 ,what is this but that ,he puts ,himself for the ,jews1 of whose nation ,he was1 who were troubled with great anger and crucified ,christ1 when ,he1 mindful of mercy1 said1 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do8#ece ,god shall come from ,teman1 and the ,holy ,one from the shady and close mountain4#ecf ,what is said here1 ,he shall come from ,teman1 some interpret from the south1 or from the south-west1 by which is signified the noonday1 that is1 the fervour of charity and the splendour of truth4 ,the shady and close mountain might be understood in many ways1 yet ,i prefer to take it as meaning the depth of the divine ,scriptures1 in which ,christ is prophesied3 for in the ,scriptures there are many things shady and close which exercise the mind of the reader2 and ,christ comes thence when he who has understanding finds ,him there4 ,his power covereth up the heavens1 and the earth is full of ,his praise4 ,what is this but what is also said in the psalm1 ,be ,thou exalted1 ,o ,god1 above the heavens2 and ,thy glory above all the earth8#ecg ,his splendour shall be as the light4 ,what is it but that the fame of ,him shall illuminate believers8 ,horns are in ,his hands4 ,what is this but the trophy of the cross8 ,and ,he hath placed the firm charity of ,his strength#ech needs no exposition4 ,before ,his face shall go the word1 and it shall go forth into the field after ,his feet4 ,what is this but that ,he should both be announced before ,his coming hither and after ,his return hence8 ,he stood1 and the earth was moved4 ,what is this but that ,he stood for succour1 and the earth was moved to believe8 ,he regarded1 and the nations melted2 that is1 ,he had compassion1 and made the people penitent4 ,the mountains are broken with violence2 that is1 through the power of those who work miracles the pride of the haughty is broken4 ,the everlasting hills flowed down2 that is1 they are humbled in time that they may be lifted up for eternity4 ,i saw ,his goings made eternal for ,his labours2 that is1 ,i beheld ,his labour of love not left without the reward of eternity4 ,the tents of ,ethiopia shall be greatly afraid1 and the tents of the land of ,midian2 that is1 even those nations which are not under the ,roman authority1 being suddenly terrified by the news of ,thy wonderful works1 shall become a ,christian people4 ,wert ,thou angry at the rivers1 ,o ,lord8 or was ,thy fury against the rivers8 or was ,thy rage against the sea8 ,this is said because ,he does not now come to condemn the world1 but that the world through ,him might be saved4#eci ,for ,thou shalt mount upon ,thy horses1 and ,thy riding shall be salvation2 that is1 ,thine evangelists shall carry ,thee1 for they are guided by ,thee1 and ,thy gospel is salvation to them that believe in ,thee4 ,bending1 ,thou wilt bend ,thy bow against the sceptres1 saith the ,lord2 that is1 ,thou wilt threaten even the kings of the earth with ,thy judgment4 ,the earth shall be cleft with rivers2 that is1 by the sermons of those who preach ,thee flowing in upon them1 men's hearts shall be opened to make confession1 to whom it is said1 ,rend your hearts and not your garments4#edj ,what does ,the people shall see ,thee and grieve mean1 but that in mourning they shall be blessed8#eda ,what is ,scattering the waters in marching1 but that by walking in those who everywhere proclaim ,thee1 ,thou wilt scatter hither and thither the streams of ,thy doctrine8 ,what is ,the abyss uttered its voice8 ,is it not that the depth of the human heart expressed what it perceived8 ,the words1 ,the depth of its phantasy1 are an explanation of the previous verse1 for the depth is the abyss2 and ,uttered its voice is to be understood before them1 that is1 as we have said1 it expressed what it perceived4 ,now the phantasy is the vision1 which it did not hold or conceal1 but poured forth in confession4 ,the sun was raised up1 and the moon stood still in her course2 that is1 ,christ ascended into heaven1 and the ,church was established under her ,king4 ,thy darts shall go in the light2 that is1 ,thy words shall not be sent in secret1 but openly4 ,for ,he had said to ,his own disciples1 ,what ,i tell you in darkness1 that speak ye in the light4#edb ,by threatening thou shalt diminish the earth2 that is1 by that threatening ,thou shalt humble men4 ,and in fury ,thou shalt cast down the nations2 for in punishing those who exalt themselves ,thou dashest them one against another4 ,thou wentest forth for the salvation of ,thy people1 that ,thou mightest save ,thy ,christ2 ,thou hast sent death on the heads of the wicked4 ,none of these words require exposition4 ,thou hast lifted up the bonds1 even to the neck4 ,this may be understood even of the good bonds of wisdom1 that the feet may be put into its fetters1 and the neck into its collar4 ,thou hast struck off in amazement of mind the bonds must be understood for1 ,he lifts up the good and strikes off the bad1 about which it is said to ,him1 ,thou hast broken asunder my bonds1#edc and that in amazement of mind1 that is1 wonderfully4 ,the heads of the mighty shall be moved in it2 to wit1 in that wonder4 ,they shall open their teeth like a poor man eating secretly4 ,for some of the mighty among the ,jews shall come to the ,lord1 admiring ,his works and words1 and shall greedily eat the bread of ,his doctrine in secret for fear of the ,jews1 just as the ,gospel has shown they did4 ,and ,thou hast sent into the sea ,thy horses1 troubling many waters1 which are nothing else than many people2 for unless all were troubled1 some would not be converted with fear1 others pursued with fury4 ,i gave heed1 and my belly trembled at the voice of the prayer of my lips2 and trembling entered into my bones1 and my habit of body was troubled under me4 ,he gave heed to those things which he said1 and was himself terrified at his own prayer1 which he had poured forth prophetically1 and in which he discerned things to come4 ,for when many people are troubled1 he saw the threatening tribulation of the ,church1 and at once acknowledged himself a member of it1 and said1 ,i shall rest in the day of tribulation1 as being one of those who are rejoicing in hope1 patient in tribulation4#edd ,that ,i may ascend1 he says1 among the people of my pilgrimage1 departing quite from the wicked people of his carnal kinship1 who are not pilgrims in this earth1 and do not seek the country above4#ede ,although the fig-tree1 he says1 shall not blossom1 neither shall fruit be in the vines2 the labour of the olive shall lie1 and the fields shall yield no meat2 the sheep shall be cut off from the meat1 and there shall be no oxen in the stalls4 ,he sees that nation which was to slay ,christ about to lose the abundance of spiritual supplies1 which1 in prophetic fashion1 he has set forth by the figure of earthly plenty4 ,and because that nation was to suffer such wrath of ,god1 because1 being ignorant of the righteousness of ,god1 it wished to establish its own1#edf he immediately says1 ,yet will ,i rejoice in the ,lord2 ,i will joy in ,god my salvation4 ,the ,lord ,god is my strength1 and ,he will set my feet in completion2 ,he will place me above the heights1 that ,i may conquer in ,his song1 to wit1 in that song of which something similar is said in the psalm1 ,he set my feet upon a rock1 and directed my goings1 and put in my mouth a new song1 a hymn to our ,god4#edg ,he therefore conquers in the song of the ,lord1 who takes pleasure in ,his praise1 not in his own2 that ,he that glorieth1 let him glory in the ,lord4#edh ,but some copies have1 ,i will joy in ,god my ,jesus1 which seems to me better than the version of those who1 wishing to put it in ,latin1 have not set down that very name which for us it is dearer and sweeter to name4 #cc4 ,what ,jeremiah and ,zephaniah have1 by the prophetic ,spirit1 spoken before concerning ,christ and the calling of the nations4 ,jeremiah1 like ,isaiah1 is one of the greater prophets1 not of the minor1 like the others from whose writings ,i have just given extracts4 ,he prophesied when ,josiah reigned in ,jerusalem1 and ,ancus ,martius at ,rome1 when the captivity of the ,jews was already at hand2 and he continued to prophesy down to the fifth month of the captivity1 as we find from his writings4 ,zephaniah1 one of the minor prophets1 is put along with him1 because he himself says that he prophesied in the days of ,josiah2 but he does not say till when4 ,jeremiah thus prophesied not only in the times of ,ancus ,martius1 but also in those of ,tarquinius ,priscus1 whom the ,romans had for their fifth king4 ,for he had already begun to reign when that captivity took place4 ,jeremiah1 in prophesying of ,christ1 says1 ,the breath of our mouth1 the ,lord ,christ1 was taken in our sins1#edi thus briefly showing both that ,christ is our ,lord and that ,he suffered for us4 ,also in another place he says1 ,this is my ,god1 and there shall none other be accounted of in comparison of ,him2 who hath found out all the way of prudence1 and hath given it to ,jacob ,his servant1 and to ,israel ,his beloved3 afterward ,he was seen on the earth1 and conversed with men4#eej ,some attribute this testimony not to ,jeremiah1 but to his secretary1 who was called ,baruch2 but it is more commonly ascribed to ,jeremiah4 ,again the same prophet says concerning ,him1 ,behold the days come1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will raise up unto ,david a righteous shoot1 and a ,king shall reign and shall be wise1 and shall do judgment and justice in the earth4 ,in those days ,judah shall be saved1 and ,israel shall dwell confidently3 and this is the name which they shall call ,him1 ,our righteous ,lord4#eea ,and of the calling of the nations which was to come to pass1 and which we now see fulfilled1 he thus spoke3 ,o ,lord my ,god1 and my refuge in the day of evils1 to ,thee shall the nations come from the utmost end of the earth1 saying1 ,truly our fathers have worshipped lying images1 wherein there is no profit4#eeb ,but that the ,jews1 by whom ,he behoved even to be slain1 were not going to acknowledge ,him1 this prophet thus intimates3 ,heavy is the heart through all2 and ,he is a man1 and who shall know ,him8#eec ,that passage also is his which ,i have quoted in the seventeenth book concerning the new testament1 of which ,christ is the ,mediator4 ,for ,jeremiah himself says1 ,behold1 the days come1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will complete over the house of ,jacob a new testament1 and the rest1 which may be read there4#eed ,for the present ,i shall put down those predictions about ,christ by the prophet ,zephaniah1 who prophesied with ,jeremiah4 ,wait ye upon me1 saith the ,lord1 in the day of my resurrection1 in the future2 because it is my determination to assemble the nations1 and gather together the kingdoms4#eee ,and again he says1 ,the ,lord will be terrible upon them1 and will exterminate all the gods of the earth2 and they shall worship ,him every man from his place1 even all the isles of the nations4#eef ,and a little after he says1 ,then will ,i turn to the people a tongue1 and to ,his offspring1 that they may call upon the name of the ,lord1 and serve ,him under one yoke4 ,from the borders of the rivers of ,ethiopia shall they bring sacrifices unto me4 ,in that day thou shalt not be confounded for all thy curious inventions1 which thou hast done impiously against me3 for then ,i will take away from thee the naughtiness of thy trespass2 and thou shalt no more magnify thyself above thy holy mountain4 ,and ,i will leave in thee a meek and humble people1 and they who shall be left of ,israel shall fear the name of the ,lord4#eeg ,these are the remnant of whom the apostle quotes that which is elsewhere prophesied3 ,though the number of the children of ,israel be as the sand of the sea1 a remnant shall be saved4#eeh ,these are the remnant of that nation who have believed in ,christ4 #cd4 ,of the prophecy of ,daniel and ,ezekiel1 other two of the greater prophets4 ,daniel and ,ezekiel1 other two of the greater prophets1 also first prophesied in the very captivity of ,babylon4 ,daniel even defined the time when ,christ was to come and suffer by the exact date4 ,it would take too long to show this by computation1 and it has been done often by others before us4 ,but of ,his power and glory he has thus spoken3 ,i saw in a night vision1 and1 behold1 one like the ,son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven1 and ,he came even to the ,ancient of days1 and ,he was brought into ,his presence4 ,and to ,him there was given dominion1 and honour1 and a kingdom3 and all people1 tribes1 and tongues shall serve ,him4 ,his power is an everlasting power1 which shall not pass away1 and ,his kingdom shall not be destroyed4#eei ,ezekiel also1 speaking prophetically in the person of ,god the ,father1 thus foretells ,christ1 speaking of ,him in the prophetic manner as ,david because ,he assumed flesh of the seed of ,david1 and on account of that form of a servant in which ,he was made man1 ,he who is the ,son of ,god is also called the servant of ,god4 ,he says1 ,and ,i will set up over my sheep one ,shepherd1 who will feed them1 even my servant ,david2 and ,he shall feed them1 and ,he shall be their shepherd4 ,and ,i the ,lord will be their ,god1 and my servant ,david a prince in the midst of them4 ,i the ,lord have spoken4#efj ,and in another place he says1 ,and one ,king shall be over them all3 and they shall no more be two nations1 neither shall they be divided any more into two kingdoms3 neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols1 and their abominations1 and all their iniquities4 ,and ,i will save them out of all their dwelling-places wherein they have sinned1 and will cleanse them2 and they shall be my people1 and ,i will be their ,god4 ,and my servant ,david shall be king over them1 and there shall be one ,shepherd for them all4#efa #ce4 ,of the prophecy of the three prophets1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi4 ,there remain three minor prophets1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi1 who prophesied at the close of the captivity4 ,of these ,haggai more openly prophesies of ,christ and the ,church thus briefly3 ,thus saith the ,lord of hosts1 ,yet one little while1 and ,i will shake the heaven1 and the earth1 and the sea1 and the dry land2 and ,i will move all nations1 and the desired of all nations shall come4#efb ,the fulfilment of this prophecy is in part already seen1 and in part hoped for in the end4 ,for ,he moved the heaven by the testimony of the angels and the stars1 when ,christ became incarnate4 ,he moved the earth by the great miracle of ,his birth of the virgin4 ,he moved the sea and the dry land1 when ,christ was proclaimed both in the isles and in the whole world4 ,so we see all nations moved to the faith2 and the fulfilment of what follows1 ,and the desired of all nations shall come1 is looked for at ,his last coming4 ,for ere men can desire and wait for ,him1 they must believe and love ,him4 ,zechariah says of ,christ and the ,church1 ,rejoice greatly1 ,o daughter of ,sion2 shout joyfully1 ,o daughter of ,jerusalem3 behold1 thy ,king shall come unto thee1 just and the ,saviour2 ,himself poor1 and mounting an ass1 and a colt the foal of an ass3 and ,his dominion shall be from sea to sea1 and from the river even to the ends of the earth4#efc ,how this was done1 when the ,lord ,christ on ,his journey used a beast of burden of this kind1 we read in the ,gospel1 where1 also1 as much of this prophecy is quoted as appears sufficient for the context4 ,in another place1 speaking in the ,spirit of prophecy to ,christ ,himself of the remission of sins through ,his blood1 he says1 ,thou also1 by the blood of ,thy testament1 hast sent forth ,thy prisoners from the lake wherein is no water4#efd ,different opinions may be held1 consistently with right belief1 as to what he meant by this lake4 ,yet it seems to me that no meaning suits better than that of the depth of human misery1 which is1 as it were1 dry and barren1 where there are no streams of righteousness1 but only the mire of iniquity4 ,for it is said of it in the ,psalms1 ,and ,he led me forth out of the lake of misery1 and from the miry clay4#efe ,malachi1 foretelling the ,church which we now behold propagated through ,christ1 says most openly to the ,jews1 in the person of ,god1 ,i have no pleasure in you1 and ,i will not accept a gift at your hand4 ,for from the rising even to the going down of the sun1 my name is great among the nations2 and in every place sacrifice shall be made1 and a pure oblation shall be offered unto my name3 for my name shall be great among the nations1 saith the ,lord4#eff ,since we can already see this sacrifice offered to ,god in every place1 from the rising of the sun to his going down1 through ,christ's priesthood after the order of ,melchisedec1 while the ,jews1 to whom it was said1 ,i have no pleasure in you1 neither will ,i accept a gift at your hand1 cannot deny that their sacrifice has ceased1 why do they still look for another ,christ1 when they read this in the prophecy1 and see it fulfilled1 which could not be fulfilled except through ,him8 ,and a little after he says of ,him1 in the person of ,god1 ,my covenant was with ,him of life and peace2 and ,i gave to ,him that ,he might fear me with fear1 and be afraid before my name4 ,the law of truth was in ,his mouth3 directing in peace ,he hath walked with me1 and hath turned many away from iniquity4 ,for the ,priest's lips shall keep knowledge1 and they shall seek the law at ,his mouth3 for ,he is the ,angel of the ,lord ,almighty4#efg ,nor is it to be wondered at that ,christ ,jesus is called the ,angel of the ,almighty ,god4 ,for just as ,he is called a servant on account of the form of a servant in which ,he came to men1 so ,he is called an angel on account of the evangel which ,he proclaimed to men4 ,for if we interpret these ,greek words1 evangel is good news1 and angel is messenger4 ,again he says of ,him1 ,behold ,i will send mine angel1 and ,he will look out the way before my face3 and the ,lord1 whom ye seek1 shall suddenly come into ,his temple1 even the ,angel of the testament1 whom ye desire4 ,behold1 ,he cometh1 saith the ,lord ,almighty1 and who shall abide the day of ,his entry1 or who shall stand at ,his appearing8#efh ,in this place he has foretold both the first and second advent of ,christ3 the first1 to wit1 of which he says1 ,and ,he shall come suddenly into ,his temple2 that is1 into ,his flesh1 of which ,he said in the ,gospel1 ,destroy this temple1 and in three days ,i will raise it up again4#efi ,and of the second advent he says1 ,behold1 ,he cometh1 saith the ,lord ,almighty1 and who shall abide the day of ,his entry1 or who shall stand at ,his appearing8 ,but what he says1 ,the ,lord whom ye seek1 and the ,angel of the testament whom ye desire1 just means that even the ,jews1 according to the ,scriptures which they read1 shall seek and desire ,christ4 ,but many of them did not acknowledge that ,he whom they sought and desired had come1 being blinded in their hearts1 which were preoccupied with their own merits4 ,now what he here calls the testament1 either above1 where he says1 ,my testament had been with ,him1 or here1 where he has called ,him the ,angel of the testament1 we ought1 beyond a doubt1 to take to be the new testament1 in which the things promised are eternal1 and not the old1 in which they are only temporal4 ,yet many who are weak are troubled when they see the wicked abound in such temporal things1 because they value them greatly1 and serve the true ,god to be rewarded with them4 ,on this account1 to distinguish the eternal blessedness of the new testament1 which shall be given only to the good1 from the earthly felicity of the old1 which for the most part is given to the bad as well1 the same prophet says1 ,ye have made your words burdensome to me3 yet ye have said1 ,in what have we spoken ill of ,thee8 ,ye have said1 ,foolish is every one who serves ,god2 and what profit is it that we have kept ,his observances1 and that we have walked as suppliants before the face of the ,lord ,almighty8 ,and now we call the aliens blessed2 yea1 all that do wicked things are built up again2 yea1 they are opposed to ,god and are saved4 ,they that feared the ,lord uttered these reproaches every one to his neighbour3 and the ,lord hearkened and heard2 and ,he wrote a book of remembrance before ,him1 for them that fear the ,lord and that revere ,his name4#egj ,by that book is meant the ,new ,testament4 ,finally1 let us hear what follows3 ,and they shall be an acquisition for me1 saith the ,lord ,almighty1 in the day which ,i make2 and ,i will choose them as a man chooseth his son that serveth him4 ,and ye shall return1 and shall discern between the just and the unjust1 and between him that serveth ,god and him that serveth ,him not4 ,for1 behold1 the day cometh burning as an oven1 and it shall burn them up2 and all the aliens and all that do wickedly shall be stubble3 and the day that shall come will set them on fire1 saith the ,lord ,almighty1 and shall leave neither root nor branch4 ,and unto you that fear my name shall the ,sun of ,righteousness arise1 and health shall be in ,his wings2 and ye shall go forth1 and exult as calves let loose from bonds4 ,and ye shall tread down the wicked1 and they shall be ashes under your feet1 in the day in which ,i shall do this1 saith the ,lord ,almighty4#ega ,this day is the day of judgment1 of which1 if ,god will1 we shall speak more fully in its own place4 #cf4 ,about ,esdras and the books of the ,maccabees4 ,after these three prophets1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi1 during the same period of the liberation of the people from the ,babylonian servitude ,esdras also wrote1 who is historical rather than prophetical1 as is also the book called ,esther1 which is found to relate1 for the praise of ,god1 events not far from those times2 unless1 perhaps1 ,esdras is to be understood as prophesying of ,christ in that passage where1 on a question having arisen among certain young men as to what is the strongest thing1 when one had said kings1 another wine1 the third women1 who for the most part rule kings1 yet that same third youth demonstrated that the truth is victorious over all4#egb ,for by consulting the ,gospel we learn that ,christ is the ,truth4 ,from this time1 when the temple was rebuilt1 down to the time of ,aristobulus1 the ,jews had not kings but princes2 and the reckoning of their dates is found1 not in the ,holy ,scriptures which are called canonical1 but in others1 among which are also the books of the ,maccabees4 ,these are held as canonical1 not by the ,jews1 but by the ,church1 on account of the extreme and wonderful sufferings of certain martyrs1 who1 before ,christ had come in the flesh1 contended for the law of ,god even unto death1 and endured most grievous and horrible evils4 #cg4 ,that prophetic records are found which are more ancient than any fountain of the ,gentile philosophy4 ,in the time of our prophets1 then1 whose writings had already come to the knowledge of almost all nations1 the philosophers of the nations had not yet arisen1--at least1 not those who were called by that name1 which originated with ,pythagoras the ,samian1 who was becoming famous at the time when the ,jewish captivity ended4 ,much more1 then1 are the other philosophers found to be later than the prophets4 ,for even ,socrates the ,athenian1 the master of all who were then most famous1 holding the pre-eminence in that department that is called the moral or active1 is found after ,esdras in the chronicles4 ,plato also was born not much later1 who far outwent the other disciples of ,socrates4 ,if1 besides these1 we take their predecessors1 who had not yet been styled philosophers1 to wit1 the seven sages1 and then the physicists1 who succeeded ,thales1 and imitated his studious search into the nature of things1 namely1 ,anaximander1 ,anaximenes1 and ,anaxagoras1 and some others1 before ,pythagoras first professed himself a philosopher1 even these did not precede the whole of our prophets in antiquity of time1 since ,thales1 whom the others succeeded1 is said to have flourished in the reign of ,romulus1 when the stream of prophecy burst forth from the fountains of ,israel in those writings which spread over the whole world4 ,so that only those theological poets1 ,orpheus1 ,linus1 and ,musus1 and1 it may be1 some others among the ,greeks1 are found earlier in date than the ,hebrew prophets whose writings we hold as authoritative4 ,but not even these preceded in time our true divine1 ,moses1 who authentically preached the one true ,god1 and whose writings are first in the authoritative canon2 and therefore the ,greeks1 in whose tongue the literature of this age chiefly appears1 have no ground for boasting of their wisdom1 in which our religion1 wherein is true wisdom1 is not evidently more ancient at least1 if not superior4 ,yet it must be confessed that before ,moses there had already been1 not indeed among the ,greeks1 but among barbarous nations1 as in ,egypt1 some doctrine which might be called their wisdom1 else it would not have been written in the holy books that ,moses was learned in all the wisdom of the ,egyptians1#egc as he was1 when1 being born there1 and adopted and nursed by ,pharaoh's daughter1 he was also liberally educated4 ,yet not even the wisdom of the ,egyptians could be antecedent in time to the wisdom of our prophets1 because even ,abraham was a prophet4 ,and what wisdom could there be in ,egypt before ,isis had given them letters1 whom they thought fit to worship as a goddess after her death8 ,now ,isis is declared to have been the daughter of ,inachus1 who first began to reign in ,argos when the grandsons of ,abraham are known to have been already born4 #ch4 ,that the ecclesiastical canon has not admitted certain writings on account of their too great antiquity1 lest through them false things should be inserted instead of true4 ,if ,i may recall far more ancient times1 our patriarch ,noah was certainly even before that great deluge1 and ,i might not undeservedly call him a prophet1 forasmuch as the ark he made1 in which he escaped with his family1 was itself a prophecy of our times4#egd ,what of ,enoch1 the seventh from ,adam8 ,does not the canonical epistle of the ,apostle ,jude declare that he prophesied8#ege ,but the writings of these men could not be held as authoritative either among the ,jews or us1 on account of their too great antiquity1 which made it seem needful to regard them with suspicion1 lest false things should be set forth instead of true4 ,for some writings which are said to be theirs are quoted by those who1 according to their own humour1 loosely believe what they please4 ,but the purity of the canon has not admitted these writings1 not because the authority of these men who pleased ,god is rejected1 but because they are not believed to be theirs4 ,nor ought it to appear strange if writings for which so great antiquity is claimed are held in suspicion1 seeing that in the very history of the kings of ,judah and ,israel containing their acts1 which we believe to belong to the canonical ,scripture1 very many things are mentioned which are not explained there1 but are said to be found in other books which the prophets wrote1 the very names of these prophets being sometimes given1 and yet they are not found in the canon which the people of ,god received4 ,now ,i confess the reason of this is hidden from me2 only ,i think that even those men1 to whom certainly the ,holy ,spirit revealed those things which ought to be held as of religious authority1 might write some things as men by historical diligence1 and others as prophets by divine inspiration2 and these things were so distinct1 that it was judged that the former should be ascribed to themselves1 but the latter to ,god speaking through them3 and so the one pertained to the abundance of knowledge1 the other to the authority of religion4 ,in that authority the canon is guarded4 ,so that1 if any writings outside of it are now brought forward under the name of the ancient prophets1 they cannot serve even as an aid to knowledge1 because it is uncertain whether they are genuine2 and on this account they are not trusted1 especially those of them in which some things are found that are even contrary to the truth of the canonical books1 so that it is quite apparent they do not belong to them4 #ci4 ,about the ,hebrew written characters which that language always possessed4 ,now we must not believe that ,heber1 from whose name the word ,hebrew is derived1 preserved and transmitted the ,hebrew language to ,abraham only as a spoken language1 and that the ,hebrew letters began with the giving of the law through ,moses2 but rather that this language1 along with its letters1 was preserved by that succession of fathers4 ,moses1 indeed1 appointed some among the people of ,god to teach letters1 before they could know any letters of the divine law4 ,the ,scripture calls these men 1 who may be called in ,latin inductores or introductores of letters1 because they1 as it were1 introduce them into the hearts of the learners1 or rather lead those whom they teach into them4 ,therefore no nation could vaunt itself over our patriarchs and prophets by any wicked vanity for the antiquity of its wisdom2 since not even ,egypt1 which is wont falsely and vainly to glory in the antiquity of her doctrines1 is found to have preceded in time the wisdom of our patriarchs in her own wisdom1 such as it is4 ,neither will any one dare to say that they were most skilful in wonderful sciences before they knew letters1 that is1 before ,isis came and taught them there4 ,besides1 what1 for the most part1 was that memorable doctrine of theirs which was called wisdom but astronomy1 and it may be some other sciences of that kind1 which usually have more power to exercise men's wit than to enlighten their minds with true wisdom8 ,as regards philosophy1 which professes to teach men something which shall make them happy1 studies of that kind flourished in those lands about the times of ,mercury whom they called ,trismegistus1 long before the sages and philosophers of ,greece1 but yet after ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and ,joseph1 and even after ,moses himself4 ,at that time1 indeed1 when ,moses was born1 ,atlas is found to have lived1 that great astronomer1 the brother of ,prometheus1 and maternal grandson of the elder ,mercury1 of whom that ,mercury ,trismegistus was the grandson4 #dj4 ,about the most mendacious vanity of the ,egyptians1 in which they ascribe to their science an antiquity of a hundred thousand years4 ,in vain1 then1 do some babble with most empty presumption1 saying that ,egypt has understood the reckoning of the stars for more than a hundred thousand years4 ,for in what books have they collected that number who learned letters from ,isis their mistress1 not much more than two thousand years ago8 ,varro1 who has declared this1 is no small authority in history1 and it does not disagree with the truth of the divine books4 ,for as it is not yet six thousand years since the first man1 who is called ,adam1 are not those to be ridiculed rather than refuted who try to persuade us of anything regarding a space of time so different from1 and contrary to1 the ascertained truth8 ,for what historian of the past should we credit more than him who has also predicted things to come which we now see fulfilled8 ,and the very disagreement of the historians among themselves furnishes a good reason why we ought rather to believe him who does not contradict the divine history which we hold4 ,but1 on the other hand1 the citizens of the impious city1 scattered everywhere through the earth1 when they read the most learned writers1 none of whom seems to be of contemptible authority1 and find them disagreeing among themselves about affairs most remote from the memory of our age1 cannot find out whom they ought to trust4 ,but we1 being sustained by divine authority in the history of our religion1 have no doubt that whatever is opposed to it is most false1 whatever may be the case regarding other things in secular books1 which1 whether true or false1 yield nothing of moment to our living rightly and happily4 #da4 ,about the discord of philosophic opinion1 and the concord of the ,scriptures that are held as canonical by the ,church4 ,but let us omit further examination of history1 and return to the philosophers from whom we digressed to these things4 ,they seem to have laboured in their studies for no other end than to find out how to live in a way proper for laying hold of blessedness4 ,why1 then1 have the disciples dissented from their masters1 and the fellow-disciples from one another1 except because as men they have sought after these things by human sense and human reasonings8 ,now1 although there might be among them a desire of glory1 so that each wished to be thought wiser and more acute than another1 and in no way addicted to the judgment of others1 but the inventor of his own dogma and opinion1 yet ,i may grant that there were some1 or even very many of them1 whose love of truth severed them from their teachers or fellow-disciples1 that they might strive for what they thought was the truth1 whether it was so or not4 ,but what can human misery do1 or how or where can it reach forth1 so as to attain blessedness1 if divine authority does not lead it8 ,finally1 let our authors1 among whom the canon of the sacred books is fixed and bounded1 be far from disagreeing in any respect4 ,it is not without good reason1 then1 that not merely a few people prating in the schools and gymnasia in captious disputations1 but so many and great people1 both learned and unlearned1 in countries and cities1 have believed that ,god spoke to them or by them1 i4e4 the canonical writers1 when they wrote these books4 ,there ought1 indeed1 to be but few of them1 lest on account of their multitude what ought to be religiously esteemed should grow cheap2 and yet not so few that their agreement should not be wonderful4 ,for among the multitude of philosophers1 who in their works have left behind them the monuments of their dogmas1 no one will easily find any who agree in all their opinions4 ,but to show this is too long a task for this work4 ,but what author of any sect is so approved in this demon-worshipping city1 that the rest who have differed from or opposed him in opinion have been disapproved8 ,the ,epicureans asserted that human affairs were not under the providence of the gods2 and the ,stoics1 holding the opposite opinion1 agreed that they were ruled and defended by favourable and tutelary gods4 ,yet were not both sects famous among the ,athenians8 ,i wonder1 then1 why ,anaxagoras was accused of a crime for saying that the sun was a burning stone1 and denying that it was a god at all2 while in the same city ,epicurus flourished gloriously and lived securely1 although he not only did not believe that the sun or any star was a god1 but contended that neither ,jupiter nor any of the gods dwelt in the world at all1 so that the prayers and supplications of men might reach them6 ,were not both ,aristippus and ,antisthenes there1 two noble philosophers and both ,socratic8 yet they placed the chief end of life within bounds so diverse and contradictory1 that the first made the delight of the body the chief good1 while the other asserted that man was made happy mainly by the virtue of the mind4 ,the one also said that the wise man should flee from the republic2 the other1 that he should administer its affairs4 ,yet did not each gather disciples to follow his own sect8 ,indeed1 in the conspicuous and well-known porch1 in gymnasia1 in gardens1 in places public and private1 they openly strove in bands each for his own opinion1 some asserting there was one world1 others innumerable worlds2 some that this world had a beginning1 others that it had not2 some that it would perish1 others that it would exist always2 some that it was governed by the divine mind1 others by chance and accident2 some that souls are immortal1 others that they are mortal1--and of those who asserted their immortality1 some said they transmigrated through beasts1 others that it was by no means so1 while of those who asserted their mortality1 some said they perished immediately after the body1 others that they survived either a little while or a longer time1 but not always2 some fixing supreme good in the body1 some in the mind1 some in both2 others adding to the mind and body external good things2 some thinking that the bodily senses ought to be trusted always1 some not always1 others never4 ,now what people1 senate1 power1 or public dignity of the impious city has ever taken care to judge between all these and other well-nigh innumerable dissensions of the philosophers1 approving and accepting some1 and disapproving and rejecting others8 ,has it not held in its bosom at random1 without any judgment1 and confusedly1 so many controversies of men at variance1 not about fields1 houses1 or anything of a pecuniary nature1 but about those things which make life either miserable or happy8 ,even if some true things were said in it1 yet falsehoods were uttered with the same licence2 so that such a city has not amiss received the title of the mystic ,babylon4 ,for ,babylon means confusion1 as we remember we have already explained4 ,nor does it matter to the devil1 its king1 how they wrangle among themselves in contradictory errors1 since all alike deservedly belong to him on account of their great and varied impiety4 ,but that nation1 that people1 that city1 that republic1 these ,israelites1 to whom the oracles of ,god were entrusted1 by no means confounded with similar licence false prophets with the true prophets2 but1 agreeing together1 and differing in nothing1 acknowledged and upheld the authentic authors of their sacred books4 ,these were their philosophers1 these were their sages1 divines1 prophets1 and teachers of probity and piety4 ,whoever was wise and lived according to them was wise and lived not according to men1 but according to ,god who hath spoken by them4 ,if sacrilege is forbidden there1 ,god hath forbidden it4 ,if it is said1 ,honour thy father and thy mother1#egf ,god hath commanded it4 ,if it is said1 ,thou shalt not commit adultery1 ,thou shalt not kill1 ,thou shalt not steal1#egg and other similar commandments1 not human lips but the divine oracles have enounced them4 ,whatever truth certain philosophers1 amid their false opinions1 were able to see1 and strove by laborious discussions to persuade men of1--such as that ,god has made this world1 and ,himself most providently governs it1 or of the nobility of the virtues1 of the love of country1 of fidelity in friendship1 of good works and everything pertaining to virtuous manners1 although they knew not to what end and what rule all these things were to be referred1--all these1 by words prophetic1 that is1 divine1 although spoken by men1 were commended to the people in that city1 and not inculcated by contention in arguments1 so that he who should know them might be afraid of contemning1 not the wit of men1 but the oracle of ,god4 #db4 ,by what dispensation of ,god's providence the sacred ,scriptures of the ,old ,testament were translated out of ,hebrew into ,greek1 that they might be made known to all the nations4 ,one of the ,ptolemies1 kings of ,egypt1 desired to know and have these sacred books4 ,for after ,alexander of ,macedon1 who is also styled the ,great1 had by his most wonderful1 but by no means enduring power1 subdued the whole of ,asia1 yea1 almost the whole world1 partly by force of arms1 partly by terror1 and1 among other kingdoms of the ,east1 had entered and obtained ,judea also1 on his death his generals did not peaceably divide that most ample kingdom among them for a possession1 but rather dissipated it1 wasting all things by wars4 ,then ,egypt began to have the ,ptolemies as her kings4 ,the first of them1 the son of ,lagus1 carried many captive out of ,judea into ,egypt4 ,but another ,ptolemy1 called ,philadelphus1 who succeeded him1 permitted all whom he had brought under the yoke to return free2 and1 more than that1 sent kingly gifts to the temple of ,god1 and begged ,eleazar1 who was the high priest1 to give him the ,scriptures1 which he had heard by report were truly divine1 and therefore greatly desired to have in that most noble library he had made4 ,when the high priest had sent them to him in ,hebrew1 he afterwards demanded interpreters of him1 and there were given him seventy-two1 out of each of the twelve tribes six men1 most learned in both languages1 to wit1 the ,hebrew and ,greek2 and their translation is now by custom called the ,septuagint4 ,it is reported1 indeed1 that there was an agreement in their words so wonderful1 stupendous1 and plainly divine1 that when they had sat at this work1 each one apart 7for so it pleased ,ptolemy to test their fidelity71 they differed from each other in no word which had the same meaning and force1 or in the order of the words2 but1 as if the translators had been one1 so what all had translated was one1 because in very deed the one ,spirit had been in them all4 ,and they received so wonderful a gift of ,god1 in order that the authority of these ,scriptures might be commended not as human but divine1 as indeed it was1 for the benefit of the nations who should at some time believe1 as we now see them doing4 #dc4 ,of the authority of the ,septuagint translation1 which1 saving the honour of the ,hebrew original1 is to be preferred to all translations4 ,for while there were other interpreters who translated these sacred oracles out of the ,hebrew tongue into ,greek1 as ,aquila1 ,symmachus1 and ,theodotion1 and also that translation which1 as the name of the author is unknown1 is quoted as the fifth edition1 yet the ,church has received this ,septuagint translation just as if it were the only one2 and it has been used by the ,greek ,christian people1 most of whom are not aware that there is any other4 ,from this translation there has also been made a translation in the ,latin tongue1 which the ,latin churches use4 ,our times1 however1 have enjoyed the advantage of the presbyter ,jerome1 a man most learned1 and skilled in all three languages1 who translated these same ,scriptures into the ,latin speech1 not from the ,greek1 but from the ,hebrew4 ,but although the ,jews acknowledge this very learned labour of his to be faithful1 while they contend that the ,septuagint translators have erred in many places1 still the churches of ,christ judge that no one should be preferred to the authority of so many men1 chosen for this very great work by ,eleazar1 who was then high priest2 for even if there had not appeared in them one spirit1 without doubt divine1 and the seventy learned men had1 after the manner of men1 compared together the words of their translation1 that what pleased them all might stand1 no single translator ought to be preferred to them2 but since so great a sign of divinity has appeared in them1 certainly1 if any other translator of their ,scriptures from the ,hebrew into any other tongue is faithful1 in that case he agrees with these seventy translators1 and if he is not found to agree with them1 then we ought to believe that the prophetic gift is with them4 ,for the same ,spirit who was in the prophets when they spoke these things was also in the seventy men when they translated them1 so that assuredly they could also say something else1 just as if the prophet himself had said both1 because it would be the same ,spirit who said both2 and could say the same thing differently1 so that1 although the words were not the same1 yet the same meaning should shine forth to those of good understanding2 and could omit or add something1 so that even by this it might be shown that there was in that work not human bondage1 which the translator owed to the words1 but rather divine power1 which filled and ruled the mind of the translator4 ,some1 however1 have thought that the ,greek copies of the ,septuagint version should be emended from the ,hebrew copies2 yet they did not dare to take away what the ,hebrew lacked and the ,septuagint had1 but only added what was found in the ,hebrew copies and was lacking in the ,septuagint1 and noted them by placing at the beginning of the verses certain marks in the form of stars which they call asterisks4 ,and those things which the ,hebrew copies have not1 but the ,septuagint have1 they have in like manner marked at the beginning of the verses by horizontal spit-shaped marks like those by which we denote ounces2 and many copies having these marks are circulated even in ,latin4#egh ,but we cannot1 without inspecting both kinds of copies1 find out those things which are neither omitted nor added1 but expressed differently1 whether they yield another meaning not in itself unsuitable1 or can be shown to explain the same meaning in another way4 ,if1 then1 as it behoves us1 we behold nothing else in these ,scriptures than what the ,spirit of ,god has spoken through men1 if anything is in the ,hebrew copies and is not in the version of the ,seventy1 the ,spirit of ,god did not choose to say it through them1 but only through the prophets4 ,but whatever is in the ,septuagint and not in the ,hebrew copies1 the same ,spirit chose rather to say through the latter1 thus showing that both were prophets4 ,for in that manner ,he spoke as ,he chose1 some things through ,isaiah1 some through ,jeremiah1 some through several prophets1 or else the same thing through this prophet and through that4 ,further1 whatever is found in both editions1 that one and the same ,spirit willed to say through both1 but so as that the former preceded in prophesying1 and the latter followed in prophetically interpreting them2 because1 as the one ,spirit of peace was in the former when they spoke true and concordant words1 so the selfsame one ,spirit hath appeared in the latter1 when1 without mutual conference1 they yet interpreted all things as if with one mouth4 #dd4 ,how the threat of the destruction of the ,ninevites is to be understood1 which in the ,hebrew extends to forty days1 while in the ,septuagint it is contracted to three4 ,but some one may say1 ,how shall ,i know whether the prophet ,jonah said to the ,ninevites1 ',yet three days and ,nineveh shall be overthrown1' or forty days8#egi ,for who does not see that the prophet could not say both1 when he was sent to terrify the city by the threat of imminent ruin8 ,for if its destruction was to take place on the third day1 it certainly could not be on the fortieth2 but if on the fortieth1 then certainly not on the third4 ,if1 then1 ,i am asked which of these ,jonah may have said1 ,i rather think what is read in the ,hebrew1 ,yet forty days and ,nineveh shall be overthrown4 ,yet the ,seventy1 interpreting long afterward1 could say what was different and yet pertinent to the matter1 and agree in the selfsame meaning1 although under a different signification4 ,and this may admonish the reader not to despise the authority of either1 but to raise himself above the history1 and search for those things which the history itself was written to set forth4 ,these things1 indeed1 took place in the city of ,nineveh1 but they also signified something else too great to apply to that city2 just as1 when it happened that the prophet himself was three days in the whale's belly1 it signified besides1 that ,he who is ,lord of all the prophets should be three days in the depths of hell4 ,wherefore1 if that city is rightly held as prophetically representing the ,church of the ,gentiles1 to wit1 as brought down by penitence1 so as no longer to be what it had been1 since this was done by ,christ in the ,church of the ,gentiles1 which ,nineveh represented1 ,christ ,himself was signified both by the forty and by the three days3 by the forty1 because ,he spent that number of days with ,his disciples after the resurrection1 and then ascended into heaven1 but by the three days1 because ,he rose on the third day4 ,so that1 if the reader desires nothing else than to adhere to the history of events1 he may be aroused from his sleep by the ,septuagint interpreters1 as well as the prophets1 to search into the depth of the prophecy1 as if they had said1 ,in the forty days seek ,him in whom thou mayest also find the three days1--the one thou wilt find in ,his ascension1 the other in ,his resurrection4 ,because that which could be most suitably signified by both numbers1 of which one is used by ,jonah the prophet1 the other by the prophecy of the ,septuagint version1 the one and selfsame ,spirit hath spoken4 ,i dread prolixity1 so that ,i must not demonstrate this by many instances in which the seventy interpreters may be thought to differ from the ,hebrew1 and yet1 when well understood1 are found to agree4 ,for which reason ,i also1 according to my capacity1 following the footsteps of the apostles1 who themselves have quoted prophetic testimonies from both1 that is1 from the ,hebrew and the ,septuagint1 have thought that both should be used as authoritative1 since both are one1 and divine4 ,but let us now follow out as we can what remains4 #de4 ,that the ,jews ceased to have prophets after the rebuilding of the temple1 and from that time until the birth of ,christ were afflicted with continual adversity1 to prove that the building of another temple had been promised by prophetic voices4 ,the ,jewish nation no doubt became worse after it ceased to have prophets1 just at the very time when1 on the rebuilding of the temple after the captivity in ,babylon1 it hoped to become better4 ,for so1 indeed1 did that carnal people understand what was foretold by ,haggai the prophet1 saying1 ,the glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former4#ehj ,now1 that this is said of the new testament1 he showed a little above1 where he says1 evidently promising ,christ1 ,and ,i will move all nations1 and the desired ,one shall come to all nations4#eha ,in this passage the ,septuagint translators1 giving another sense more suitable to the body than the ,head1 that is1 to the ,church than to ,christ1 have said by prophetic authority1 ,the things shall come that are chosen of the ,lord from all nations1 that is1 men1 of whom ,jesus saith in the ,gospel1 ,many are called1 but few are chosen4#ehb ,for by such chosen ones of the nations there is built1 through the new testament1 with living stones1 a house of ,god far more glorious than that temple was which was constructed by king ,solomon1 and rebuilt after the captivity4 ,for this reason1 then1 that nation had no prophets from that time1 but was afflicted with many plagues by kings of alien race1 and by the ,romans themselves1 lest they should fancy that this prophecy of ,haggai was fulfilled by that rebuilding of the temple4 ,for not long after1 on the arrival of ,alexander1 it was subdued1 when1 although there was no pillaging1 because they dared not resist him1 and thus1 being very easily subdued1 received him peaceably1 yet the glory of that house was not so great as it was when under the free power of their own kings4 ,alexander1 indeed1 offered up sacrifices in the temple of ,god1 not as a convert to ,his worship in true piety1 but thinking1 with impious folly1 that ,he was to be worshipped along with false gods4 ,then ,ptolemy son of ,lagus1 whom ,i have already mentioned1 after ,alexander's death carried them captive into ,egypt4 ,his successor1 ,ptolemy ,philadelphus1 most benevolently dismissed them2 and by him it was brought about1 as ,i have narrated a little before1 that we should have the ,septuagint version of the ,scriptures4 ,then they were crushed by the wars which are explained in the books of the ,maccabees4 ,afterward they were taken captive by ,ptolemy king of ,alexandria1 who was called ,epiphanes4 ,then ,antiochus king of ,syria compelled them by many and most grievous evils to worship idols1 and filled the temple itself with the sacrilegious superstitions of the ,gentiles4 ,yet their most vigorous leader ,judas1 who is also called ,maccabus1 after beating the generals of ,antiochus1 cleansed it from all that defilement of idolatry4 ,but not long after1 one ,alcimus1 although an alien from the sacerdotal tribe1 was1 through ambition1 made pontiff1 which was an impious thing4 ,after almost fifty years1 during which they never had peace1 although they prospered in some affairs1 ,aristobulus first assumed the diadem among them1 and was made both king and pontiff4 ,before that1 indeed1 from the time of their return from the ,babylonish captivity and the rebuilding of the temple1 they had not kings1 but generals or principes4 ,although a king himself may be called a prince1 from his principality in governing1 and a leader1 because he leads the army1 but it does not follow that all who are princes and leaders may also be called kings1 as that ,aristobulus was4 ,he was succeeded by ,alexander1 also both king and pontiff1 who is reported to have reigned over them cruelly4 ,after him his wife ,alexandra was queen of the ,jews1 and from her time downwards more grievous evils pursued them2 for this ,alexandra's sons1 ,aristobulus and ,hyrcanus1 when contending with each other for the kingdom1 called in the ,roman forces against the nation of ,israel4 ,for ,hyrcanus asked assistance from them against his brother4 ,at that time ,rome had already subdued ,africa and ,greece1 and ruled extensively in other parts of the world also1 and yet1 as if unable to bear her own weight1 had1 in a manner1 broken herself by her own size4 ,for indeed she had come to grave domestic seditions1 and from that to social wars1 and by and by to civil wars1 and had enfeebled and worn herself out so much1 that the changed state of the republic1 in which she should be governed by kings1 was now imminent4 ,pompey then1 a most illustrious prince of the ,roman people1 having entered ,judea with an army1 took the city1 threw open the temple1 not with the devotion of a suppliant1 but with the authority of a conqueror1 and went1 not reverently1 but profanely1 into the holy of holies1 where it was lawful for none but the pontiff to enter4 ,having established ,hyrcanus in the pontificate1 and set ,antipater over the subjugated nation as guardian or procurator1 as they were then called1 he led ,aristobulus with him bound4 ,from that time the ,jews also began to be ,roman tributaries4 ,afterward ,cassius plundered the very temple4 ,then after a few years it was their desert to have ,herod1 a king of foreign birth1 in whose reign ,christ was born4 ,for the time had now come signified by the prophetic ,spirit through the mouth of the patriarch ,jacob1 when he says1 ,there shall not be lacking a prince out of ,judah1 nor a teacher from his loins1 until ,he shall come for whom it is reserved2 and ,he is the expectation of the nations4#ehc ,there lacked not therefore a ,jewish prince of the ,jews until that ,herod1 who was the first king of a foreign race received by them4 ,therefore it was now the time when ,he should come for whom that was reserved which is promised in the ,new ,testament1 that ,he should be the expectation of the nations4 ,but it was not possible that the nations should expect ,he would come1 as we see they did1 to do judgment in the splendour of power1 unless they should first believe in ,him when ,he came to suffer judgment in the humility of patience4 #df4 ,of the birth of our ,saviour1 whereby the ,word was made flesh2 and of the dispersion of the ,jews among all nations1 as had been prophesied4 ,while ,herod1 therefore1 reigned in ,judea1 and ,csar ,augustus was emperor at ,rome1 the state of the republic being already changed1 and the world being set at peace by him1 ,christ was born in ,bethlehem of ,judah1 man manifest out of a human virgin1 ,god hidden out of ,god the ,father4 ,for so had the prophet foretold3 ,behold1 a virgin shall conceive in the womb1 and bring forth a ,son1 and they shall call ,his name ,immanuel1 which1 being interpreted1 is1 ,god with us4#ehd ,he did many miracles that ,he might commend ,god in ,himself1 some of which1 even as many as seemed sufficient to proclaim ,him1 are contained in the evangelic ,scripture4 ,the first of these is1 that ,he was so wonderfully born1 and the last1 that with ,his body raised up again from the dead ,he ascended into heaven4 ,but the ,jews who slew ,him1 and would not believe in ,him1 because it behoved ,him to die and rise again1 were yet more miserably wasted by the ,romans1 and utterly rooted out from their kingdom1 where aliens had already ruled over them1 and were dispersed through the lands 7so that indeed there is no place where they are not71 and are thus by their own ,scriptures a testimony to us that we have not forged the prophecies about ,christ4 ,and very many of them1 considering this1 even before ,his passion1 but chiefly after ,his resurrection1 believed on ,him1 of whom it was predicted1 ,though the number of the children of ,israel be as the sand of the sea1 the remnant shall be saved4#ehe ,but the rest are blinded1 of whom it was predicted1 ,let their table be made before them a trap1 and a retribution1 and a stumbling-block4 ,let their eyes be darkened lest they see1 and bow down their back alway4#ehf ,therefore1 when they do not believe our ,scriptures1 their own1 which they blindly read1 are fulfilled in them1 lest perchance any one should say that the ,christians have forged these prophecies about ,christ which are quoted under the name of the sibyl1 or of others1 if such there be1 who do not belong to the ,jewish people4 ,for us1 indeed1 those suffice which are quoted from the books of our enemies1 to whom we make our acknowledgment1 on account of this testimony which1 in spite of themselves1 they contribute by their possession of these books1 while they themselves are dispersed among all nations1 wherever the ,church of ,christ is spread abroad4 ,for a prophecy about this thing was sent before in the ,psalms1 which they also read1 where it is written1 ,my ,god1 ,his mercy shall prevent me4 ,my ,god hath shown me concerning mine enemies1 that ,thou shalt not slay them1 lest they should at last forget ,thy law3 disperse them in ,thy might4#ehg ,therefore ,god has shown the ,church in her enemies the ,jews the grace of ,his compassion1 since1 as saith the apostle1 their offence is the salvation of the ,gentiles4#ehh ,and therefore ,he has not slain them1 that is1 ,he has not let the knowledge that they are ,jews be lost in them1 although they have been conquered by the ,romans1 lest they should forget the law of ,god1 and their testimony should be of no avail in this matter of which we treat4 ,but it was not enough that he should say1 ,slay them not1 lest they should at last forget ,thy law1 unless he had also added1 ,disperse them2 because if they had only been in their own land with that testimony of the ,scriptures1 and not everywhere1 certainly the ,church which is everywhere could not have had them as witnesses among all nations to the prophecies which were sent before concerning ,christ4 #dg4 ,whether before ,christian times there were any outside of the ,israelite race who belonged to the fellowship of the heavenly city4 ,wherefore if we read of any foreigner--that is1 one neither born of ,israel nor received by that people into the canon of the sacred books--having prophesied something about ,christ1 if it has come or shall come to our knowledge1 we can refer to it over and above2 not that this is necessary1 even if wanting1 but because it is not incongruous to believe that even in other nations there may have been men to whom this mystery was revealed1 and who were also impelled to proclaim it1 whether they were partakers of the same grace or had no experience of it1 but were taught by bad angels1 who1 as we know1 even confessed the present ,christ1 whom the ,jews did not acknowledge4 ,nor do ,i think the ,jews themselves dare contend that no one has belonged to ,god except the ,israelites1 since the increase of ,israel began on the rejection of his elder brother4 ,for in very deed there was no other people who were specially called the people of ,god2 but they cannot deny that there have been certain men even of other nations who belonged1 not by earthly but heavenly fellowship1 to the true ,israelites1 the citizens of the country that is above4 ,because1 if they deny this1 they can be most easily confuted by the case of the holy and wonderful man ,job1 who was neither a native nor a proselyte1 that is1 a stranger joining the people of ,israel1 but1 being bred of the ,idumean race1 arose there and died there too1 and who is so praised by the divine oracle1 that no man of his times is put on a level with him as regards justice and piety4 ,and although we do not find his date in the chronicles1 yet from his book1 which for its merit the ,israelites have received as of canonical authority1 we gather that he was in the third generation after ,israel4 ,and ,i doubt not it was divinely provided1 that from this one case we might know that among other nations also there might be men pertaining to the spiritual ,jerusalem who have lived according to ,god and have pleased ,him4 ,and it is not to be supposed that this was granted to any one1 unless the one ,mediator between ,god and men1 the ,man ,christ ,jesus1#ehi was divinely revealed to him2 who was pre-announced to the saints of old as yet to come in the flesh1 even as ,he is announced to us as having come1 that the selfsame faith through ,him may lead all to ,god who are predestinated to be the city of ,god1 the house of ,god1 and the temple of ,god4 ,but whatever prophecies concerning the grace of ,god through ,christ ,jesus are quoted1 they may be thought to have been forged by the ,christians4 ,so that there is nothing of more weight for confuting all sorts of aliens1 if they contend about this matter1 and for supporting our friends1 if they are truly wise1 than to quote those divine predictions about ,christ which are written in the books of the ,jews1 who have been torn from their native abode and dispersed over the whole world in order to bear this testimony1 so that the ,church of ,christ has everywhere increased4 #dh4 ,that ,haggai's prophecy1 in which he said that the glory of the house of ,god would be greater than that of the first had been1#eij was really fulfilled1 not in the rebuilding of the temple1 but in the ,church of ,christ4 ,this house of ,god is more glorious than that first one which was constructed of wood and stone1 metals1 and other precious things4 ,therefore the prophecy of ,haggai was not fulfilled in the rebuilding of that temple4 ,for it can never be shown to have had so much glory after it was rebuilt as it had in the time of ,solomon2 yea1 rather1 the glory of that house is shown to have been diminished1 first by the ceasing of prophecy1 and then by the nation itself suffering so great calamities1 even to the final destruction made by the ,romans1 as the things above-mentioned prove4 ,but this house which pertains to the new testament is just as much more glorious as the living stones1 even believing1 renewed men1 of which it is constructed are better4 ,but it was typified by the rebuilding of that temple for this reason1 because the very renovation of that edifice typifies in the prophetic oracle another testament which is called the new4 ,when1 therefore1 ,god said by the prophet just named1 ,and ,i will give peace in this place1#eia ,he is to be understood who is typified by that typical place2 for since by that rebuilt place is typified the ,church which was to be built by ,christ1 nothing else can be accepted as the meaning of the saying1 ,i will give peace in this place1 except ,i will give peace in the place which that place signifies4 ,for all typical things seem in some way to personate those whom they typify1 as it is said by the apostle1 ,that ,rock was ,christ4#eib ,therefore the glory of this new testament house is greater than the glory of the old testament house2 and it will show itself as greater when it shall be dedicated4 ,for then shall come the desired of all nations1#eic as we read in the ,hebrew4 ,for before ,his advent ,he had not yet been desired by all nations4 ,for they knew not ,him whom they ought to desire1 in whom they had not believed4 ,then1 also1 according to the ,septuagint interpretation 7for it also is a prophetic meaning71 shall come those who are elected of the ,lord out of all nations4 ,for then indeed there shall come only those who are elected1 whereof the apostle saith1 ,according as ,he hath chosen us in ,him before the foundation of the world4#eid ,for the ,master ,builder who said1 ,many are called1 but few are chosen1#eie did not say this of those who1 on being called1 came in such a way as to be cast out from the feast1 but would point out the house built up of the elect1 which henceforth shall dread no ruin4 ,yet because the churches are also full of those who shall be separated by the winnowing as in the threshing-floor1 the glory of this house is not so apparent now as it shall be when every one who is there shall be there always4 #di4 ,of the indiscriminate increase of the ,church1 wherein many reprobate are in this world mixed with the elect4 ,in this wicked world1 in these evil days1 when the ,church measures her future loftiness by her present humility1 and is exercised by goading fears1 tormenting sorrows1 disquieting labours1 and dangerous temptations1 when she soberly rejoices1 rejoicing only in hope1 there are many reprobate mingled with the good1 and both are gathered together by the gospel as in a drag net2#eif and in this world1 as in a sea1 both swim enclosed without distinction in the net1 until it is brought ashore1 when the wicked must be separated from the good1 that in the good1 as in ,his temple1 ,god may be all in all4 ,we acknowledge1 indeed1 that ,his word is now fulfilled who spake in the psalm1 and said1 ,i have announced and spoken2 they are multiplied above number4#eig ,this takes place now1 since ,he has spoken1 first by the mouth of his forerunner ,john1 and afterward by ,his own mouth1 saying1 ,repent3 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand4#eih ,he chose disciples1 whom ,he also called apostles1#eii of lowly birth1 unhonoured1 and illiterate1 so that whatever great thing they might be or do1 ,he might be and do it in them4 ,he had one among them whose wickedness ,he could use well in order to accomplish ,his appointed passion1 and furnish ,his ,church an example of bearing with the wicked4 ,having sown the holy gospel as much as that behoved to be done by ,his bodily presence1 ,he suffered1 died1 and rose again1 showing by ,his passion what we ought to suffer for the truth1 and by ,his resurrection what we ought to hope for in adversity2 saving always the mystery of the sacrament1 by which ,his blood was shed for the remission of sins4 ,he held converse on the earth forty days with ,his disciples1 and in their sight ascended into heaven1 and after ten days sent the promised ,holy ,spirit4 ,it was given as the chief and most necessary sign of ,his coming on those who had believed1 that every one of them spoke in the tongues of all nations2 thus signifying that the unity of the catholic ,church would embrace all nations1 and would in like manner speak in all tongues4 #ej4 ,of the preaching of the gospel1 which is made more famous and powerful by the sufferings of its preachers4 ,then was fulfilled that prophecy1 ,out of ,sion shall go forth the law1 and the word of the ,lord out of ,jerusalem2#fjj and the prediction of the ,lord ,christ ,himself1 when1 after the resurrection1 ,he opened the understanding of ,his amazed disciples that they might understand the ,scriptures1 and said unto them that thus it is written1 and thus it behoved ,christ to suffer1 and to rise from the dead the third day1 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in ,his name among all nations1 beginning at ,jerusalem4#fja ,and again1 when1 in reply to their questioning about the day of ,his last coming1 ,he said1 ,it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the ,father hath put in ,his own power2 but ye shall receive the power of the ,holy ,ghost coming upon you1 and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in ,jerusalem1 and in all ,judea1 and ,samaria1 and even unto the ends of the earth4#fjb ,first of all1 the ,church spread herself abroad from ,jerusalem2 and when very many in ,judea and ,samaria had believed1 she also went into other nations by those who announced the gospel1 whom1 as lights1 ,he ,himself had both prepared by ,his word and kindled by ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,for ,he had said to them1 ,fear ye not them which kill the body1 but are not able to kill the soul4#fjc ,and that they might not be frozen with fear1 they burned with the fire of charity4 ,finally1 the gospel of ,christ was preached in the whole world1 not only by those who had seen and heard ,him both before ,his passion and after ,his resurrection1 but also after their death by their successors1 amid the horrible persecutions1 diverse torments and deaths of the martyrs1 ,god also bearing them witness1 both with signs and wonders1 and divers miracles and gifts of the ,holy ,ghost1#fjd that the people of the nations1 believing in ,him who was crucified for their redemption1 might venerate with ,christian love the blood of the martyrs which they had poured forth with devilish fury1 and the very kings by whose laws the ,church had been laid waste might become profitably subject to that name they had cruelly striven to take away from the earth1 and might begin to persecute the false gods for whose sake the worshippers of the true ,god had formerly been persecuted4 #ea4 ,that the catholic faith may be confirmed even by the dissensions of the heretics4 ,but the devil1 seeing the temples of the demons deserted1 and the human race running to the name of the liberating ,mediator1 has moved the heretics under the ,christian name to resist the ,christian doctrine1 as if they could be kept in the city of ,god indifferently without any correction1 just as the city of confusion indifferently held the philosophers who were of diverse and adverse opinions4 ,those1 therefore1 in the ,church of ,christ who savour anything morbid and depraved1 and1 on being corrected that they may savour what is wholesome and right1 contumaciously resist1 and will not amend their pestiferous and deadly dogmas1 but persist in defending them1 become heretics1 and1 going without1 are to be reckoned as enemies who serve for her discipline4 ,for even thus they profit by their wickedness those true catholic members of ,christ1 since ,god makes a good use even of the wicked1 and all things work together for good to them that love ,him4#fje ,for all the enemies of the ,church1 whatever error blinds or malice depraves them1 exercise her patience if they receive the power to afflict her corporally2 and if they only oppose her by wicked thought1 they exercise her wisdom3 but at the same time1 if these enemies are loved1 they exercise her benevolence1 or even her beneficence1 whether she deals with them by persuasive doctrine or by terrible discipline4 ,and thus the devil1 the prince of the impious city1 when he stirs up his own vessels against the city of ,god that sojourns in this world1 is permitted to do her no harm4 ,for without doubt the divine providence procures for her both consolation through prosperity1 that she may not be broken by adversity1 and trial through adversity1 that she may not be corrupted by prosperity2 and thus each is tempered by the other1 as we recognise in the ,psalms that voice which arises from no other cause1 ,according to the multitude of my griefs in my heart1 ,thy consolations have delighted my soul4#fjf ,hence also is that saying of the apostle1 ,rejoicing in hope1 patient in tribulation4#fjg ,for it is not to be thought that what the same teacher says can at any time fail1 ,whoever will live piously in ,christ shall suffer persecution4#fjh ,because even when those who are without do not rage1 and thus there seems to be1 and really is1 tranquillity1 which brings very much consolation1 especially to the weak1 yet there are not wanting1 yea1 there are many within who by their abandoned manners torment the hearts of those who live piously1 since by them the ,christian and catholic name is blasphemed2 and the dearer that name is to those who will live piously in ,christ1 the more do they grieve that through the wicked1 who have a place within1 it comes to be less loved than pious minds desire4 ,the heretics themselves also1 since they are thought to have the ,christian name and sacraments1 ,scriptures1 and profession1 cause great grief in the hearts of the pious1 both because many who wish to be ,christians are compelled by their dissensions to hesitate1 and many evil-speakers also find in them matter for blaspheming the ,christian name1 because they too are at any rate called ,christians4 ,by these and similar depraved manners and errors of men1 those who will live piously in ,christ suffer persecution1 even when no one molests or vexes their body2 for they suffer this persecution1 not in their bodies1 but in their hearts4 ,whence is that word1 ,according to the multitude of my griefs in my heart2 for he does not say1 in my body4 ,yet1 on the other hand1 none of them can perish1 because the immutable divine promises are thought of4 ,and because the apostle says1 ,the ,lord knoweth them that are ,his2#fji for whom ,he did foreknow1 ,he also predestinated to be conformed to the image of ,his ,son1#faj none of them can perish2 therefore it follows in that psalm1 ,thy consolations have delighted my soul4#faa ,but that grief which arises in the hearts of the pious1 who are persecuted by the manners of bad or false ,christians1 is profitable to the sufferers1 because it proceeds from the charity in which they do not wish them either to perish or to hinder the salvation of others4 ,finally1 great consolations grow out of their chastisement1 which imbue the souls of the pious with a fecundity as great as the pains with which they were troubled concerning their own perdition4 ,thus in this world1 in these evil days1 not only from the time of the bodily presence of ,christ and ,his apostles1 but even from that of ,abel1 whom first his wicked brother slew because he was righteous1#fab and thenceforth even to the end of this world1 the ,church has gone forward on pilgrimage amid the persecutions of the world and the consolations of ,god4 #eb4 ,whether we should believe what some think1 that1 as the ten persecutions which are past have been fulfilled1 there remains no other beyond the eleventh1 which must happen in the very time of ,antichrist4 ,i do not think1 indeed1 that what some have thought or may think is rashly said or believed1 that until the time of ,antichrist the ,church of ,christ is not to suffer any persecutions besides those she has already suffered1--that is1 ten1--and that the eleventh and last shall be inflicted by ,antichrist4 ,they reckon as the first that made by ,nero1 the second by ,domitian1 the third by ,trajan1 the fourth by ,antoninus1 the fifth by ,severus1 the sixth by ,maximin1 the seventh by ,decius1 the eighth by ,valerian1 the ninth by ,aurelian1 the tenth by ,diocletian and ,maximian4 ,for as there were ten plagues in ,egypt before the people of ,god could begin to go out1 they think this is to be referred to as showing that the last persecution by ,antichrist must be like the eleventh plague1 in which the ,egyptians1 while following the ,hebrews with hostility1 perished in the ,red ,sea when the people of ,god passed through on dry land4 ,yet ,i do not think persecutions were prophetically signified by what was done in ,egypt1 however nicely and ingeniously those who think so may seem to have compared the two in detail1 not by the prophetic ,spirit1 but by the conjecture of the human mind1 which sometimes hits the truth1 and sometimes is deceived4 ,but what can those who think this say of the persecution in which the ,lord ,himself was crucified8 ,in which number will they put it8 ,and if they think the reckoning is to be made exclusive of this one1 as if those must be counted which pertain to the body1 and not that in which the ,head ,himself was set upon and slain1 what can they make of that one which1 after ,christ ascended into heaven1 took place in ,jerusalem1 when the blessed ,stephen was stoned2 when ,james the brother of ,john was slaughtered with the sword2 when the ,apostle ,peter was imprisoned to be killed1 and was set free by the angel2 when the brethren were driven away and scattered from ,jerusalem2 when ,saul1 who afterward became the ,apostle ,paul1 wasted the ,church2 and when he himself1 publishing the glad tidings of the faith he had persecuted1 suffered such things as he had inflicted1 either from the ,jews or from other nations1 where he most fervently preached ,christ everywhere8 ,why1 then1 do they think fit to start with ,nero1 when the ,church in her growth had reached the times of ,nero amid the most cruel persecutions1 about which it would be too long to say anything8 ,but if they think that only the persecutions made by kings ought to be reckoned1 it was king ,herod who also made a most grievous one after the ascension of the ,lord4 ,and what account do they give of ,julian1 whom they do not number in the ten8 ,did not he persecute the ,church1 who forbade the ,christians to teach or learn liberal letters8 ,under him1 the elder ,valentinian1 who was the third emperor after him1 stood forth as a confessor of the ,christian faith1 and was dismissed from his command in the army4 ,i shall say nothing of what he did at ,antioch1 except to mention his being struck with wonder at the freedom and cheerfulness of one most faithful and stedfast young man1 who1 when many were seized to be tortured1 was tortured during a whole day1 and sang under the instrument of torture1 until the emperor feared lest he should succumb under the continued cruelties and put him to shame at last1 which made him dread and fear that he would be yet more dishonourably put to the blush by the rest4 ,lastly1 within our own recollection1 did not ,valens the ,arian1 brother of the foresaid ,valentinian1 waste the catholic ,church by great persecution throughout the ,east8 ,but how unreasonable it is not to consider that the ,church1 which bears fruit and grows through the whole world1 may suffer persecution from kings in some nations even when she does not suffer it in others6 ,perhaps1 however1 it was not to be reckoned a persecution when the king of the ,goths1 in ,gothia itself1 persecuted the ,christians with wonderful cruelty1 when there were none but catholics there1 of whom very many were crowned with martyrdom1 as we have heard from certain brethren who had been there at that time as boys1 and unhesitatingly called to mind that they had seen these things8 ,and what took place in ,persia of late8 ,was not persecution so hot against the ,christians 7if even yet it is allayed7 that some of the fugitives from it came even to ,roman towns8 ,when ,i think of these and the like things1 it does not seem to me that the number of persecutions with which the ,church is to be tried can be definitely stated4 ,but1 on the other hand1 it is no less rash to affirm that there will be some persecutions by kings besides that last one1 about which no ,christian is in doubt4 ,therefore we leave this undecided1 supporting or refuting neither side of this question1 but only restraining men from the audacious presumption of affirming either of them4 #ec4 ,of the hidden time of the final persecution4 ,truly ,jesus ,himself shall extinguish by ,his presence that last persecution which is to be made by ,antichrist4 ,for so it is written1 that ,he shall slay him with the breath of ,his mouth1 and empty him with the brightness of ,his presence4#fac ,it is customary to ask1 ,when shall that be8 ,but this is quite unreasonable4 ,for had it been profitable for us to know this1 by whom could it better have been told than by ,god ,himself1 the ,master1 when the disciples questioned ,him8 ,for they were not silent when with ,him1 but inquired of ,him1 saying1 ,lord1 wilt ,thou at this time present the kingdom to ,israel1 or when8#fad ,but ,he said1 ,it is not for you to know the times1 which the ,father hath put in ,his own power4 ,when they got that answer1 they had not at all questioned ,him about the hour1 or day1 or year1 but about the time4 ,in vain1 then1 do we attempt to compute definitely the years that may remain to this world1 when we may hear from the mouth of the ,truth that it is not for us to know this4 ,yet some have said that four hundred1 some five hundred1 others a thousand years1 may be completed from the ascension of the ,lord up to ,his final coming4 ,but to point out how each of them supports his own opinion would take too long1 and is not necessary2 for indeed they use human conjectures1 and bring forward nothing certain from the authority of the canonical ,scriptures4 ,but on this subject ,he puts aside the figures of the calculators1 and orders silence1 who says1 ,it is not for you to know the times1 which the ,father hath put in ,his own power4 ,but because this sentence is in the ,gospel1 it is no wonder that the worshippers of the many and false gods have been none the less restrained from feigning that by the responses of the demons1 whom they worship as gods1 it has been fixed how long the ,christian religion is to last4 ,for when they saw that it could not be consumed by so many and great persecutions1 but rather drew from them wonderful enlargements1 they invented ,i know not what ,greek verses1 as if poured forth by a divine oracle to some one consulting it1 in which1 indeed1 they make ,christ innocent of this1 as it were1 sacrilegious crime1 but add that ,peter by enchantments brought it about that the name of ,christ should be worshipped for three hundred and sixty-five years1 and1 after the completion of that number of years1 should at once take end4 ,oh the hearts of learned men6 ,oh1 learned wits1 meet to believe such things about ,christ as you are not willing to believe in ,christ1 that ,his disciple ,peter did not learn magic arts from ,him1 yet that1 although ,he was innocent1 ,his disciple was an enchanter1 and chose that ,his name rather than his own should be worshipped through his magic arts1 his great labours and perils1 and at last even the shedding of his blood6 ,if ,peter the enchanter made the world so love ,christ1 what did ,christ the innocent do to make ,peter so love ,him8 ,let them answer themselves then1 and1 if they can1 let them understand that the world1 for the sake of eternal life1 was made to love ,christ by that same supernal grace which made ,peter also love ,christ for the sake of the eternal life to be received from ,him1 and that even to the extent of suffering temporal death for ,him4 ,and then1 what kind of gods are these who are able to predict such things1 yet are not able to avert them1 succumbing in such a way to a single enchanter and wicked magician 7who1 as they say1 having slain a yearling boy and torn him to pieces1 buried him with nefarious rites71 that they permitted the sect hostile to themselves to gain strength for so great a time1 and to surmount the horrid cruelties of so many great persecutions1 not by resisting but by suffering1 and to procure the overthrow of their own images1 temples1 rituals1 and oracles8 ,finally1 what god was it--not ours1 certainly1 but one of their own--who was either enticed or compelled by so great wickedness to perform these things8 ,for those verses say that ,peter bound1 not any demon1 but a god to do these things4 ,such a god have they who have not ,christ4 #ed4 ,of the very foolish lie of the pagans1 in feigning that the ,christian religion was not to last beyond three hundred and sixty-five years4 ,i might collect these and many similar arguments1 if that year had not already passed by which lying divination has promised1 and deceived vanity has believed4 ,but as a few years ago three hundred and sixty-five years were completed since the time when the worship of the name of ,christ was established by ,his presence in the flesh1 and by the apostles1 what other proof need we seek to refute that falsehood8 ,for1 not to place the beginning of this period at the nativity of ,christ1 because as an infant and boy ,he had no disciples1 yet1 when ,he began to have them1 beyond doubt the ,christian doctrine and religion then became known through ,his bodily presence1 that is1 after ,he was baptized in the river ,jordan by the ministry of ,john4 ,for on this account that prophecy went before concerning ,him3 ,he shall reign from sea even to sea1 and from the river even to the ends of the earth4#fae ,but since1 before ,he suffered and rose from the dead1 the faith had not yet been defined to all1 but was defined in the resurrection of ,christ 7for so the ,apostle ,paul speaks to the ,athenians1 saying1 ,but now ,he announces to men that all everywhere should repent1 because ,he hath appointed a day in which to judge the world in equity1 by the ,man in whom ,he hath defined the faith to all men1 raising ,him from the dead#faf71 it is better that1 in settling this question1 we should start from that point1 especially because the ,holy ,spirit was then given1 just as ,he behoved to be given after the resurrection of ,christ in that city from which the second law1 that is1 the new testament1 ought to begin4 ,for the first1 which is called the old testament1 was given from ,mount ,sinai through ,moses4 ,but concerning this which was to be given by ,christ it was predicted1 ,out of ,sion shall go forth the law1 and the word of the ,lord out of ,jerusalem2#fag whence ,he ,himself said1 that repentance in ,his name behoved to be preached among all nations1 but yet beginning at ,jerusalem4#fah ,there1 therefore1 the worship of this name took its rise1 that ,jesus should be believed in1 who died and rose again4 ,there this faith blazed up with such noble beginnings1 that several thousand men1 being converted to the name of ,christ with wonderful alacrity1 sold their goods for distribution among the needy1 thus1 by a holy resolution and most ardent charity1 coming to voluntary poverty1 and prepared themselves1 amid the ,jews who raged and thirsted for their blood1 to contend for the truth even to death1 not with armed power1 but with more powerful patience4 ,if this was accomplished by no magic arts1 why do they hesitate to believe that the other could be done throughout the whole world by the same divine power by which this was done8 ,but supposing ,peter wrought that enchantment so that so great a multitude of men at ,jerusalem was thus kindled to worship the name of ,christ1 who had either seized and fastened ,him to the cross1 or reviled ,him when fastened there1 we must still inquire when the three hundred and sixty-five years must be completed1 counting from that year4 ,now ,christ died when the ,gemini were consuls1 on the eighth day before the kalends of ,april4 ,he rose the third day1 as the apostles have proved by the evidence of their own senses4 ,then forty days after1 ,he ascended into heaven4 ,ten days after1 that is1 on the fiftieth after ,his resurrection1 ,he sent the ,holy ,spirit2 then three thousand men believed when the apostles preached ,him4 ,then1 therefore1 arose the worship of that name1 as we believe1 and according to the real truth1 by the efficacy of the ,holy ,spirit1 but1 as impious vanity has feigned or thought1 by the magic arts of ,peter4 ,a little afterward1 too1 on a wonderful sign being wrought1 when at ,peter's own word a certain beggar1 so lame from his mother's womb that he was carried by others and laid down at the gate of the temple1 where he begged alms1 was made whole in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and leaped up1 five thousand men believed1 and thenceforth the ,church grew by sundry accessions of believers4 ,thus we gather the very day with which that year began1 namely1 that on which the ,holy ,spirit was sent1 that is1 during the ides of ,may4 ,and1 on counting the consuls1 the three hundred and sixty-five years are found completed on the same ides in the consulate of ,honorius and ,eutychianus4 ,now1 in the following year1 in the consulate of ,mallius ,theodorus1 when1 according to that oracle of the demons or figment of men1 there ought already to have been no ,christian religion1 it was not necessary to inquire what perchance was done in other parts of the earth4 ,but1 as we know1 in the most noted and eminent city ,carthage1 in ,africa1 ,gaudentius and ,jovius1 officers of the ,emperor ,honorius1 on the fourteenth day before the kalends of ,april1 overthrew the temples and broke the images of the false gods4 ,and from that time to the present1 during almost thirty years1 who does not see how much the worship of the name of ,christ has increased1 especially after many of those became ,christians who had been kept back from the faith by thinking that divination true1 but saw when that same number of years was completed that it was empty and ridiculous8 ,we1 therefore1 who are called and are ,christians1 do not believe in ,peter1 but in ,him whom ,peter believed1--being edified by ,peter's sermons about ,christ1 not poisoned by his incantations2 and not deceived by his enchantments1 but aided by his good deeds4 ,christ ,himself1 who was ,peter's ,master in the doctrine which leads to eternal life1 is our ,master too4 ,but let us now at last finish this book1 after thus far treating of1 and showing as far as seemed sufficient1 what is the mortal course of the two cities1 the heavenly and the earthly1 which are mingled together from the beginning down to the end4 ,of these1 the earthly one has made to herself of whom she would1 either from any other quarter1 or even from among men1 false gods whom she might serve by sacrifice2 but she which is heavenly1 and is a pilgrim on the earth1 does not make false gods1 but is herself made by the true ,god1 of whom she herself must be the true sacrifice4 ,yet both alike either enjoy temporal good things1 or are afflicted with temporal evils1 but with diverse faith1 diverse hope1 and diverse love1 until they must be separated by the last judgment1 and each must receive her own end1 of which there is no end4 ,about these ends of both we must next treat4 ,,footnotes3 #dig ,sallust1 ,bell4 ,cat4 c4 #h4 #dih ,in the ,hebrew text1 ,gen4 xxv4 #g1 a hundred and seventy-five years4 #dii ,gen4 xlix4 #aj4 #ejj and 4 #eja #a ,cor4 xv4 #df1 #dg4 #ejb ,the priests who officiated at the ,lupercalia4 #ejc neid1 viii4 #cba4 #ejd ,isa4 xlviii4 #bj4 #eje ,virgil1 ,eclogue1 viii4 #gj4 #ejf ,virgil1 ,eclogue1 v4 #aa4 #ejg ,varro1 ,de ,lingua ,latina1 v4 #dc4 #ejh neid1 vi4 #gfg4 #eji ,hos4 i4 #a4 #eaj ,amos i4 #a4 #eaa ,isa4 i4 #a4 ,isaiah's father was ,amoz1 a different name4 #eab ,mic4 i4 #a4 #eac ,the chronicles of ,eusebius and ,jerome4 #ead ,hos4 i4 #aj4 #eae ,hos4 i4 #aa4 #eaf ,gal4 ii4 #ad-bj4 #eag ,hos4 iii4 #d4 #eah ,hos4 iii4 #e4 #eai ,rom4 i4 #c4 #ebj ,hos4 vi4 #b4 #eba ,col4 iii4 #a4 #ebb ,amos iv4 #ab1 #ac4 #ebc ,amos ix4 #aa1 #ab2 ,acts xv4 #ae-ag4 #ebd ,isa4 lii4 #ac-liii4 #ac4 ,augustine quotes these passages in full4 #ebe ,isa4 liv4 #a-e4 #ebf ,mic4 iv4 #a-c4 #ebg ,mic4 v4 #b-d4 #ebh ,joel ii4 #bh1 #bi4 #ebi ,obad4 #ag4 #ecj ,obad4 #ba4 #eca ,col4 i4 #ac4 #ecb ,nah4 i4 #ad-;ii4 #a4 #ecc ,hab4 ii4 #b1 #c4 #ecd ,hab4 iii4 #b4 #ece ,luke xxiii4 #cd4 #ecf ,hab4 iii4 #c4 #ecg ,ps4 lvii4 #e1 #aa4 #ech ,hab4 iii4 #d4 #eci ,john iii4 #ag4 #edj ,joel ii4 #ac4 #eda ,matt4 v4 #d4 #edb ,matt4 x4 #bg4 #edc ,ps4 cxvi4 #af4 #edd ,rom4 xii4 #ab4 #ede ,heb4 xi4 #ac1 #af4 #edf ,rom4 x4 #c4 #edg ,ps4 xl4 #b1 #c4 #edh ,jer4 ix4 #bc1 #bd1 as in #a ,cor4 i4 #ca4 #edi ,lam4 iv4 #bj4 #eej ,bar4 iii4 #ce-cg4 #eea ,jer4 xxiii4 #e1 #f4 #eeb ,jer4 xvi4 #ai4 #eec ,jer4 xvii4 #i4 #eed ,jer4 xxxi4 #ca2 see ,bk4 xvii4 #c4 #eee ,zeph4 iii4 #h4 #eef ,zeph4 ii4 #aa4 #eeg ,zeph4 iii4 #i-ab4 #eeh ,isa4 x4 #bb2 ,rom4 ix4 #bg4 #eei ,dan4 vii4 #ac1 #ad4 #efj ,ezek4 xxxiv4 #bc4 #efa ,ezek4 xxxvii4 #bb-bd4 #efb ,hag4 ii4 #f4 #efc ,zech4 ix4 #i1 #aj4 #efd ,zech4 ix4 #aa4 #efe ,ps4 xl4 #b4 #eff ,mal4 i4 #aj1 #aa4 #efg ,mal4 ii4 #e-g4 #efh ,mal4 iii4 #a1 #b4 #efi ,john ii4 #ai4 #egj ,mal4 iii4 #ac-af4 #ega ,mal4 iii4 #ag-;iv4 #c4 #egb ,esdras iii4 and iv4 #egc ,acts vii4 #bb4 #egd ,heb4 xi4 #g2 #a ,pet4 iii4 #bj1 #ba4 #ege ,jude #ad4 #egf ,ex4 xx4 #ab4 #egg ,ex4 xx4 #ac-ae1 the order as in ,mark x4 #ai4 #egh ,var4 reading1 both in ,greek and ,latin4 #egi ,jon4 iii4 #d4 #ehj ,hag4 ii4 #i4 #eha ,hag4 ii4 #g4 #ehb ,matt4 xxii4 #ad4 #ehc ,gen4 xlix4 #aj4 #ehd ,isa4 vii4 #ad1 as in ,matt4 i4 #bc4 #ehe ,isa4 x4 #bb1 as in ,rom4 ix4 #bg1 #bh4 #ehf ,ps4 lxix4 #bb1 #bc2 ,rom4 xi4 #i1 #aj4 #ehg ,ps4 lxix4 #aj1 #aa4 #ehh ,rom4 xi4 #aa4 #ehi #a ,tim4 ii4 #e4 #eij ,hag4 ii4 #i4 #eia ,hag4 ii4 #i4 #eib #a ,cor4 x4 #d2 ,ex4 xvii4 #f4 #eic ,hag4 ii4 #g4 #eid ,eph4 i4 #d4 #eie ,matt4 xxii4 #aa-ad4 #eif ,matt4 xiii4 #dg-ej4 #eig ,ps4 xl4 #e4 #eih ,matt4 iii #b1 iv4 #ag4 #eii ,luke vi4 #ac4 #fjj ,isa4 ii4 #c4 #fja ,luke xxiv4 #de-dg4 #fjb ,acts i4 #g1 #h4 #fjc ,matt4 x4 #bh4 #fjd ,heb4 ii4 #d4 #fje ,rom4 viii4 #bh4 #fjf ,ps4 xciv4 #ai4 #fjg ,rom4 xii4 #ab4 #fjh #b ,tim4 iii4 #ab4 #fji #b ,tim4 ii4 #ai4 #faj ,rom4 viii4 #bi4 #faa ,ps4 xciv4 #ai4 #fab #a ,john iii4 #ab4 #fac ,isa4 xi4 #d2 #b ,thess4 i4 #i4 #fad ,acts i4 #f1 #g4 #fae ,ps4 lxxii4 #h4 #faf ,acts xvii4 #cj1 #ca4 #fag ,isa4 ii4 #c4 #fah ,luke xxiv4 #dg4 ,,book ,,nineteenth4 ,,argument4 ,,in ,,this ,,book ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,two ,,cities1 ,,the ,,earthly ,,and ,,the ,,heavenly1 ,,is ,,discussed4 ,,augustine ,,reviews ,,the ,,opinions ,,of ,,the ,,philosophers ,,regarding ,,the ,,supreme ,,good1 ,,and ,,their ,,vain ,,efforts ,,to ,,make ,,for ,,themselves ,a ,,happiness ,,in ,,this ,,life2 ,,and1 ,,while ,,he ,,refutes ,,these1 ,,he ,,takes ,,occasion ,,to ,,show ,,what ,,the ,,peace ,,and ,,happiness ,,belonging ,,to ,,the ,,heavenly ,,city1 ,,or ,,the ,,people ,,of ,,christ1 ,,are ,,both ,,now ,,and ,,hereafter4 #a4 ,that ,varro has made out that two hundred and eighty-eight different sects of philosophy might be formed by the various opinions regarding the supreme good4 ,as ,i see that ,i have still to discuss the fit destinies of the two cities1 the earthly and the heavenly1 ,i must first explain1 so far as the limits of this work allow me1 the reasonings by which men have attempted to make for themselves a happiness in this unhappy life1 in order that it may be evident1 not only from divine authority1 but also from such reasons as can be adduced to unbelievers1 how the empty dreams of the philosophers differ from the hope which ,god gives to us1 and from the substantial fulfilment of it which ,he will give us as our blessedness4 ,philosophers have expressed a great variety of diverse opinions regarding the ends of goods and of evils1 and this question they have eagerly canvassed1 that they might1 if possible1 discover what makes a man happy4 ,for the end of our good is that for the sake of which other things are to be desired1 while it is to be desired for its own sake2 and the end of evil is that on account of which other things are to be shunned1 while it is avoided on its own account4 ,thus1 by the end of good1 we at present mean1 not that by which good is destroyed1 so that it no longer exists1 but that by which it is finished1 so that it becomes complete2 and by the end of evil we mean1 not that which abolishes it1 but that which completes its development4 ,these two ends1 therefore1 are the supreme good and the supreme evil2 and1 as ,i have said1 those who have in this vain life professed the study of wisdom have been at great pains to discover these ends1 and to obtain the supreme good and avoid the supreme evil in this life4 ,and although they erred in a variety of ways1 yet natural insight has prevented them from wandering from the truth so far that they have not placed the supreme good and evil1 some in the soul1 some in the body1 and some in both4 ,from this tripartite distribution of the sects of philosophy1 ,marcus ,varro1 in his book ,de ,philosophia1#fai has drawn so large a variety of opinions1 that1 by a subtle and minute analysis of distinctions1 he numbers without difficulty as many as #bhh sects1--not that these have actually existed1 but sects which are possible4 ,to illustrate briefly what he means1 ,i must begin with his own introductory statement in the above-mentioned book1 that there are four things which men desire1 as it were by nature without a master1 without the help of any instruction1 without industry or the art of living which is called virtue1 and which is certainly learned3#fbj either pleasure1 which is an agreeable stirring of the bodily sense2 or repose1 which excludes every bodily inconvenience2 or both these1 which ,epicurus calls by the one name1 pleasure2 or the primary objects of nature1#fba which comprehend the things already named and other things1 either bodily1 such as health1 and safety1 and integrity of the members1 or spiritual1 such as the greater and less mental gifts that are found in men4 ,now these four things--pleasure1 repose1 the two combined1 and the primary objects of nature--exist in us in such sort that we must either desire virtue on their account1 or them for the sake of virtue1 or both for their own sake2 and consequently there arise from this distinction twelve sects1 for each is by this consideration tripled4 ,i will illustrate this in one instance1 and1 having done so1 it will not be difficult to understand the others4 ,according1 then1 as bodily pleasure is subjected1 preferred1 or united to virtue1 there are three sects4 ,it is subjected to virtue when it is chosen as subservient to virtue4 ,thus it is a duty of virtue to live for one's country1 and for its sake to beget children1 neither of which can be done without bodily pleasure4 ,for there is pleasure in eating and drinking1 pleasure also in sexual intercourse4 ,but when it is preferred to virtue1 it is desired for its own sake1 and virtue is chosen only for its sake1 and to effect nothing else than the attainment or preservation of bodily pleasure4 ,and this1 indeed1 is to make life hideous2 for where virtue is the slave of pleasure it no longer deserves the name of virtue4 ,yet even this disgraceful distortion has found some philosophers to patronize and defend it4 ,then virtue is united to pleasure when neither is desired for the other's sake1 but both for their own4 ,and therefore1 as pleasure1 according as it is subjected1 preferred1 or united to virtue1 makes three sects1 so also do repose1 pleasure and repose combined1 and the prime natural blessings1 make their three sects each4 ,for as men's opinions vary1 and these four things are sometimes subjected1 sometimes preferred1 and sometimes united to virtue1 there are produced twelve sects4 ,but this number again is doubled by the addition of one difference1 viz4 the social life2 for whoever attaches himself to any of these sects does so either for his own sake alone1 or for the sake of a companion1 for whom he ought to wish what he desires for himself4 ,and thus there will be twelve of those who think some one of these opinions should be held for their own sakes1 and other twelve who decide that they ought to follow this or that philosophy not for their own sakes only1 but also for the sake of others whose good they desire as their own4 ,these twenty-four sects again are doubled1 and become forty-eight by adding a difference taken from the ,new ,academy4 ,for each of these four and twenty sects can hold and defend their opinion as certain1 as the ,stoics defended the position that the supreme good of man consisted solely in virtue2 or they can be held as probable1 but not certain1 as the ,new ,academics did4 ,there are1 therefore1 twenty-four who hold their philosophy as certainly true1 other twenty-four who hold their opinions as probable1 but not certain4 ,again1 as each person who attaches himself to any of these sects may adopt the mode of life either of the ,cynics or of the other philosophers1 this distinction will double the number1 and so make ninety-six sects4 ,then1 lastly1 as each of these sects may be adhered to either by men who love a life of ease1 as those who have through choice or necessity addicted themselves to study1 or by men who love a busy life1 as those who1 while philosophizing1 have been much occupied with state affairs and public business1 or by men who choose a mixed life1 in imitation of those who have apportioned their time partly to erudite leisure1 partly to necessary business3 by these differences the number of the sects is tripled1 and becomes #bhh4 ,i have thus1 as briefly and lucidly as ,i could1 given in my own words the opinions which ,varro expresses in his book4 ,but how he refutes all the rest of these sects1 and chooses one1 the ,old ,academy1 instituted by ,plato1 and continuing to ,polemo1 the fourth teacher of that school of philosophy which held that their system was certain2 and how on this ground he distinguishes it from the ,new ,academy1#fbb which began with ,polemo's successor ,arcesilaus1 and held that all things are uncertain2 and how he seeks to establish that the ,old ,academy was as free from error as from doubt1--all this1 ,i say1 were too long to enter upon in detail1 and yet ,i must not altogether pass it by in silence4 ,varro then rejects1 as a first step1 all those differences which have multiplied the number of sects2 and the ground on which he does so is that they are not differences about the supreme good4 ,he maintains that in philosophy a sect is created only by its having an opinion of its own different from other schools on the point of the ends-in-chief4 ,for man has no other reason for philosophizing than that he may be happy2 but that which makes him happy is itself the supreme good4 ,in other words1 the supreme good is the reason of philosophizing2 and therefore that cannot be called a sect of philosophy which pursues no way of its own towards the supreme good4 ,thus1 when it is asked whether a wise man will adopt the social life1 and desire and be interested in the supreme good of his friend as in his own1 or will1 on the contrary1 do all that he does merely for his own sake1 there is no question here about the supreme good1 but only about the propriety of associating or not associating a friend in its participation3 whether the wise man will do this not for his own sake1 but for the sake of his friend in whose good he delights as in his own4 ,so1 too1 when it is asked whether all things about which philosophy is concerned are to be considered uncertain1 as by the ,new ,academy1 or certain1 as the other philosophers maintain1 the question here is not what end should be pursued1 but whether or not we are to believe in the substantial existence of that end2 or1 to put it more plainly1 whether he who pursues the supreme good must maintain that it is a true good1 or only that it appears to him to be true1 though possibly it may be delusive1--both pursuing one and the same good4 ,the distinction1 too1 which is founded on the dress and manners of the ,cynics1 does not touch the question of the chief good1 but only the question whether he who pursues that good which seems to himself true should live as do the ,cynics4 ,there were1 in fact1 men who1 though they pursued different things as the supreme good1 some choosing pleasure1 others virtue1 yet adopted that mode of life which gave the ,cynics their name4 ,thus1 whatever it is which distinguishes the ,cynics from other philosophers1 this has no bearing on the choice and pursuit of that good which constitutes happiness4 ,for if it had any such bearing1 then the same habits of life would necessitate the pursuit of the same chief good1 and diverse habits would necessitate the pursuit of different ends4 #b4 ,how ,varro1 by removing all the differences which do not form sects1 but are merely secondary questions1 reaches three definitions of the chief good1 of which we must choose one4 ,the same may be said of those three kinds of life1 the life of studious leisure and search after truth1 the life of easy engagement in affairs1 and the life in which both these are mingled4 ,when it is asked1 which of these should be adopted1 this involves no controversy about the end of good1 but inquires which of these three puts a man in the best position for finding and retaining the supreme good4 ,for this good1 as soon as a man finds it1 makes him happy2 but lettered leisure1 or public business1 or the alternation of these1 do not necessarily constitute happiness4 ,many1 in fact1 find it possible to adopt one or other of these modes of life1 and yet to miss what makes a man happy4 ,the question1 therefore1 regarding the supreme good and the supreme evil1 and which distinguishes sects of philosophy1 is one2 and these questions concerning the social life1 the doubt of the ,academy1 the dress and food of the ,cynics1 the three modes of life--the active1 the contemplative1 and the mixed--these are different questions1 into none of which the question of the chief good enters4 ,and therefore1 as ,marcus ,varro multiplied the sects to the number of #bhh 7or whatever larger number he chose7 by introducing these four differences derived from the social life1 the ,new ,academy1 the ,cynics1 and the threefold form of life1 so1 by removing these differences as having no bearing on the supreme good1 and as therefore not constituting what can properly be called sects1 he returns to those twelve schools which concern themselves with inquiring what that good is which makes man happy1 and he shows that one of these is true1 the rest false4 ,in other words1 he dismisses the distinction founded on the threefold mode of life1 and so decreases the whole number by two-thirds1 reducing the sects to ninety-six4 ,then1 putting aside the ,cynic peculiarities1 the number decreases by a half1 to forty-eight4 ,taking away next the distinction occasioned by the hesitancy of the ,new ,academy1 the number is again halved1 and reduced to twenty-four4 ,treating in a similar way the diversity introduced by the consideration of the social life1 there are left but twelve1 which this difference had doubled to twenty-four4 ,regarding these twelve1 no reason can be assigned why they should not be called sects4 ,for in them the sole inquiry is regarding the supreme good and the ultimate evil1--that is to say1 regarding the supreme good1 for this being found1 the opposite evil is thereby found4 ,now1 to make these twelve sects1 he multiplies by three these four things--pleasure1 repose1 pleasure and repose combined1 and the primary objects of nature which ,varro calls primigenia4 ,for as these four things are sometimes subordinated to virtue1 so that they seem to be desired not for their own sake1 but for virtue's sake2 sometimes preferred to it1 so that virtue seems to be necessary not on its own account1 but in order to attain these things2 sometimes joined with it1 so that both they and virtue are desired for their own sakes1--we must multiply the four by three1 and thus we get twelve sects4 ,but from those four things ,varro eliminates three--pleasure1 repose1 pleasure and repose combined--not because he thinks these are not worthy of the place assigned them1 but because they are included in the primary objects of nature4 ,and what need is there1 at any rate1 to make a threefold division out of these two ends1 pleasure and repose1 taking them first severally and then conjunctly1 since both they1 and many other things besides1 are comprehended in the primary objects of nature8 ,which of the three remaining sects must be chosen8 ,this is the question that ,varro dwells upon4 ,for whether one of these three or some other be chosen1 reason forbids that more than one be true4 ,this we shall afterwards see2 but meanwhile let us explain as briefly and distinctly as we can how ,varro makes his selection from these three1 that is1 from the sects which severally hold that the primary objects of nature are to be desired for virtue's sake1 that virtue is to be desired for their sake1 and that virtue and these objects are to be desired each for their own sake4 #c4 ,which of the three leading opinions regarding the chief good should be preferred1 according to ,varro1 who follows ,antiochus and the ,old ,academy4 ,which of these three is true and to be adopted he attempts to show in the following manner4 ,as it is the supreme good1 not of a tree1 or of a beast1 or of a god1 but of man1 that philosophy is in quest of1 he thinks that1 first of all1 we must define man4 ,he is of opinion that there are two parts in human nature1 body and soul1 and makes no doubt that of these two the soul is the better and by far the more worthy part4 ,but whether the soul alone is the man1 so that the body holds the same relation to it as a horse to the horseman1 this he thinks has to be ascertained4 ,the horseman is not a horse and a man1 but only a man1 yet he is called a horseman1 because he is in some relation to the horse4 ,again1 is the body alone the man1 having a relation to the soul such as the cup has to the drink8 ,for it is not the cup and the drink it contains which are called the cup1 but the cup alone2 yet it is so called because it is made to hold the drink4 ,or1 lastly1 is it neither the soul alone nor the body alone1 but both together1 which are man1 the body and the soul being each a part1 but the whole man being both together1 as we call two horses yoked together a pair1 of which pair the near and the off horse is each a part1 but we do not call either of them1 no matter how connected with the other1 a pair1 but only both together8 ,of these three alternatives1 then1 ,varro chooses the third1 that man is neither the body alone1 nor the soul alone1 but both together4 ,and therefore the highest good1 in which lies the happiness of man1 is composed of goods of both kinds1 both bodily and spiritual4 ,and consequently he thinks that the primary objects of nature are to be sought for their own sake1 and that virtue1 which is the art of living1 and can be communicated by instruction1 is the most excellent of spiritual goods4 ,this virtue1 then1 or art of regulating life1 when it has received these primary objects of nature which existed independently of it1 and prior to any instruction1 seeks them all1 and itself also1 for its own sake2 and it uses them1 as it also uses itself1 that from them all it may derive profit and enjoyment1 greater or less1 according as they are themselves greater or less2 and while it takes pleasure in all of them1 it despises the less that it may obtain or retain the greater when occasion demands4 ,now1 of all goods1 spiritual or bodily1 there is none at all to compare with virtue4 ,for virtue makes a good use both of itself and of all other goods in which lies man's happiness2 and where it is absent1 no matter how many good things a man has1 they are not for his good1 and consequently should not be called good things while they belong to one who makes them useless by using them badly4 ,the life of man1 then1 is called happy when it enjoys virtue and these other spiritual and bodily good things without which virtue is impossible4 ,it is called happier if it enjoys some or many other good things which are not essential to virtue2 and happiest of all1 if it lacks not one of the good things which pertain to the body and the soul4 ,for life is not the same thing as virtue1 since not every life1 but a wisely regulated life1 is virtue2 and yet1 while there can be life of some kind without virtue1 there cannot be virtue without life4 ,this ,i might apply to memory and reason1 and such mental faculties2 for these exist prior to instruction1 and without them there cannot be any instruction1 and consequently no virtue1 since virtue is learned4 ,but bodily advantages1 such as swiftness of foot1 beauty1 or strength1 are not essential to virtue1 neither is virtue essential to them1 and yet they are good things2 and1 according to our philosophers1 even these advantages are desired by virtue for its own sake1 and are used and enjoyed by it in a becoming manner4 ,they say that this happy life is also social1 and loves the advantages of its friends as its own1 and for their sake wishes for them what it desires for itself1 whether these friends live in the same family1 as a wife1 children1 domestics2 or in the locality where one's home is1 as the citizens of the same town2 or in the world at large1 as the nations bound in common human brotherhood2 or in the universe itself1 comprehended in the heavens and the earth1 as those whom they call gods1 and provide as friends for the wise man1 and whom we more familiarly call angels4 ,moreover1 they say that1 regarding the supreme good and evil1 there is no room for doubt1 and that they therefore differ from the ,new ,academy in this respect1 and they are not concerned whether a philosopher pursues those ends which they think true in the ,cynic dress and manner of life or in some other4 ,and1 lastly1 in regard to the three modes of life1 the contemplative1 the active1 and the composite1 they declare in favour of the third4 ,that these were the opinions and doctrines of the ,old ,academy1 ,varro asserts on the authority of ,antiochus1 ,cicero's master and his own1 though ,cicero makes him out to have been more frequently in accordance with the ,stoics than with the ,old ,academy4 ,but of what importance is this to us1 who ought to judge the matter on its own merits1 rather than to understand accurately what different men have thought about it8 #d4 ,what the ,christians believe regarding the supreme good and evil1 in opposition to the philosophers1 who have maintained that the supreme good is in themselves4 ,if1 then1 we be asked what the city of ,god has to say upon these points1 and1 in the first place1 what its opinion regarding the supreme good and evil is1 it will reply that life eternal is the supreme good1 death eternal the supreme evil1 and that to obtain the one and escape the other we must live rightly4 ,and thus it is written1 ,the just lives by faith1#fbc for we do not as yet see our good1 and must therefore live by faith2 neither have we in ourselves power to live rightly1 but can do so only if ,he who has given us faith to believe in ,his help do help us when we believe and pray4 ,as for those who have supposed that the sovereign good and evil are to be found in this life1 and have placed it either in the soul or the body1 or in both1 or1 to speak more explicitly1 either in pleasure or in virtue1 or in both2 in repose or in virtue1 or in both2 in pleasure and repose1 or in virtue1 or in all combined2 in the primary objects of nature1 or in virtue1 or in both1--all these have1 with a marvellous shallowness1 sought to find their blessedness in this life and in themselves4 ,contempt has been poured upon such ideas by the ,truth1 saying by the prophet1 ,the ,lord knoweth the thoughts of men 7or1 as the ,apostle ,paul cites the passage1 ,the ,lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise7 that they are vain4#fbd ,for what flood of eloquence can suffice to detail the miseries of this life8 ,cicero1 in the ,consolation on the death of his daughter1 has spent all his ability in lamentation2 but how inadequate was even his ability here8 ,for when1 where1 how1 in this life can these primary objects of nature be possessed so that they may not be assailed by unforeseen accidents8 ,is the body of the wise man exempt from any pain which may dispel pleasure1 from any disquietude which may banish repose8 ,the amputation or decay of the members of the body puts an end to its integrity1 deformity blights its beauty1 weakness its health1 lassitude its vigour1 sleepiness or sluggishness its activity1--and which of these is it that may not assail the flesh of the wise man8 ,comely and fitting attitudes and movements of the body are numbered among the prime natural blessings2 but what if some sickness makes the members tremble8 what if a man suffers from curvature of the spine to such an extent that his hands reach the ground1 and he goes upon all-fours like a quadruped8 ,does not this destroy all beauty and grace in the body1 whether at rest or in motion8 ,what shall ,i say of the fundamental blessings of the soul1 sense and intellect1 of which the one is given for the perception1 and the other for the comprehension of truth8 ,but what kind of sense is it that remains when a man becomes deaf and blind8 where are reason and intellect when disease makes a man delirious8 ,we can scarcely1 or not at all1 refrain from tears1 when we think of or see the actions and words of such frantic persons1 and consider how different from and even opposed to their own sober judgment and ordinary conduct their present demeanour is4 ,and what shall ,i say of those who suffer from demoniacal possession8 ,where is their own intelligence hidden and buried while the malignant spirit is using their body and soul according to his own will8 ,and who is quite sure that no such thing can happen to the wise man in this life8 ,then1 as to the perception of truth1 what can we hope for even in this way while in the body1 as we read in the true book of ,wisdom1 ,the corruptible body weigheth down the soul1 and the earthly tabernacle presseth down the mind that museth upon many things8#fbe ,and eagerness1 or desire of action1 if this is the right meaning to put upon the ,greek 1 is also reckoned among the primary advantages of nature2 and yet is it not this which produces those pitiable movements of the insane1 and those actions which we shudder to see1 when sense is deceived and reason deranged8 ,in fine1 virtue itself1 which is not among the primary objects of nature1 but succeeds to them as the result of learning1 though it holds the highest place among human good things1 what is its occupation save to wage perpetual war with vices1--not those that are outside of us1 but within2 not other men's1 but our own1--a war which is waged especially by that virtue which the ,greeks call 1 and we temperance1#fbf and which bridles carnal lusts1 and prevents them from winning the consent of the spirit to wicked deeds8 ,for we must not fancy that there is no vice in us1 when1 as the apostle says1 ,the flesh lusteth against the spirit2#fbg for to this vice there is a contrary virtue1 when1 as the same writer says1 ,the spirit lusteth against the flesh4 ,for these two1 he says1 are contrary one to the other1 so that you cannot do the things which you would4 ,but what is it we wish to do when we seek to attain the supreme good1 unless that the flesh should cease to lust against the spirit1 and that there be no vice in us against which the spirit may lust8 ,and as we cannot attain to this in the present life1 however ardently we desire it1 let us by ,god's help accomplish at least this1 to preserve the soul from succumbing and yielding to the flesh that lusts against it1 and to refuse our consent to the perpetration of sin4 ,far be it from us1 then1 to fancy that while we are still engaged in this intestine war1 we have already found the happiness which we seek to reach by victory4 ,and who is there so wise that he has no conflict at all to maintain against his vices8 ,what shall ,i say of that virtue which is called prudence8 ,is not all its vigilance spent in the discernment of good from evil things1 so that no mistake may be admitted about what we should desire and what avoid8 ,and thus it is itself a proof that we are in the midst of evils1 or that evils are in us2 for it teaches us that it is an evil to consent to sin1 and a good to refuse this consent4 ,and yet this evil1 to which prudence teaches and temperance enables us not to consent1 is removed from this life neither by prudence nor by temperance4 ,and justice1 whose office it is to render to every man his due1 whereby there is in man himself a certain just order of nature1 so that the soul is subjected to ,god1 and the flesh to the soul1 and consequently both soul and flesh to ,god1--does not this virtue demonstrate that it is as yet rather labouring towards its end than resting in its finished work8 ,for the soul is so much the less subjected to ,god as it is less occupied with the thought of ,god2 and the flesh is so much the less subjected to the spirit as it lusts more vehemently against the spirit4 ,so long1 therefore1 as we are beset by this weakness1 this plague1 this disease1 how shall we dare to say that we are safe8 and if not safe1 then how can we be already enjoying our final beatitude8 ,then that virtue which goes by the name of fortitude is the plainest proof of the ills of life1 for it is these ills which it is compelled to bear patiently4 ,and this holds good1 no matter though the ripest wisdom co-exists with it4 ,and ,i am at a loss to understand how the ,stoic philosophers can presume to say that these are no ills1 though at the same time they allow the wise man to commit suicide and pass out of this life if they become so grievous that he cannot or ought not to endure them4 ,but such is the stupid pride of these men who fancy that the supreme good can be found in this life1 and that they can become happy by their own resources1 that their wise man1 or at least the man whom they fancifully depict as such1 is always happy1 even though he become blind1 deaf1 dumb1 mutilated1 racked with pains1 or suffer any conceivable calamity such as may compel him to make away with himself2 and they are not ashamed to call the life that is beset with these evils happy4 ,o happy life1 which seeks the aid of death to end it6 ,if it is happy1 let the wise man remain in it2 but if these ills drive him out of it1 in what sense is it happy8 ,or how can they say that these are not evils which conquer the virtue of fortitude1 and force it not only to yield1 but so to rave that it in one breath calls life happy and recommends it to be given up8 ,for who is so blind as not to see that if it were happy it would not be fled from8 ,and if they say we should flee from it on account of the infirmities that beset it1 why then do they not lower their pride and acknowledge that it is miserable8 ,was it1 ,i would ask1 fortitude or weakness which prompted ,cato to kill himself8 for he would not have done so had he not been too weak to endure ,csar's victory4 ,where1 then1 is his fortitude8 ,it has yielded1 it has succumbed1 it has been so thoroughly overcome as to abandon1 forsake1 flee this happy life4 ,or was it no longer happy8 ,then it was miserable4 ,how1 then1 were these not evils which made life miserable1 and a thing to be escaped from8 ,and therefore those who admit that these are evils1 as the ,peripatetics do1 and the ,old ,academy1 the sect which ,varro advocates1 express a more intelligible doctrine2 but theirs also is a surprising mistake1 for they contend that this is a happy life which is beset by these evils1 even though they be so great that he who endures them should commit suicide to escape them4 ,pains and anguish of body1 says ,varro1 are evils1 and so much the worse in proportion to their severity2 and to escape them you must quit this life4 ,what life1 ,i pray8 ,this life1 he says1 which is oppressed by such evils4 ,then it is happy in the midst of these very evils on account of which you say we must quit it8 ,or do you call it happy because you are at liberty to escape these evils by death8 ,what1 then1 if by some secret judgment of ,god you were held fast and not permitted to die1 nor suffered to live without these evils8 ,in that case1 at least1 you would say that such a life was miserable4 ,it is soon relinquished1 no doubt1 but this does not make it not miserable2 for were it eternal1 you yourself would pronounce it miserable4 ,its brevity1 therefore1 does not clear it of misery2 neither ought it to be called happiness because it is a brief misery4 ,certainly there is a mighty force in these evils which compel a man--according to them1 even a wise man--to cease to be a man that he may escape them1 though they say1 and say truly1 that it is as it were the first and strongest demand of nature that a man cherish himself1 and naturally therefore avoid death1 and should so stand his own friend as to wish and vehemently aim at continuing to exist as a living creature1 and subsisting in this union of soul and body4 ,there is a mighty force in these evils to overcome this natural instinct by which death is by every means and with all a man's efforts avoided1 and to overcome it so completely that what was avoided is desired1 sought after1 and if it cannot in any other way be obtained1 is inflicted by the man on himself4 ,there is a mighty force in these evils which make fortitude a homicide1--if1 indeed1 that is to be called fortitude which is so thoroughly overcome by these evils1 that it not only cannot preserve by patience the man whom it undertook to govern and defend1 but is itself obliged to kill him4 ,the wise man1 ,i admit1 ought to bear death with patience1 but when it is inflicted by another4 ,if1 then1 as these men maintain1 he is obliged to inflict it on himself1 certainly it must be owned that the ills which compel him to this are not only evils1 but intolerable evils4 ,the life1 then1 which is either subject to accidents1 or environed with evils so considerable and grievous1 could never have been called happy1 if the men who give it this name had condescended to yield to the truth1 and to be conquered by valid arguments1 when they inquired after the happy life1 as they yield to unhappiness1 and are overcome by overwhelming evils1 when they put themselves to death1 and if they had not fancied that the supreme good was to be found in this mortal life2 for the very virtues of this life1 which are certainly its best and most useful possessions1 are all the more telling proofs of its miseries in proportion as they are helpful against the violence of its dangers1 toils1 and woes4 ,for if these are true virtues1--and such cannot exist save in those who have true piety1--they do not profess to be able to deliver the men who possess them from all miseries2 for true virtues tell no such lies1 but they profess that by the hope of the future world this life1 which is miserably involved in the many and great evils of this world1 is happy as it is also safe4 ,for if not yet safe1 how could it be happy8 ,and therefore the ,apostle ,paul1 speaking not of men without prudence1 temperance1 fortitude1 and justice1 but of those whose lives were regulated by true piety1 and whose virtues were therefore true1 says1 ,for we are saved by hope3 now hope which is seen is not hope2 for what a man seeth1 why doth he yet hope for8 ,but if we hope for that we see not1 then do we with patience wait for it4#fbh ,as1 therefore1 we are saved1 so we are made happy by hope4 ,and as we do not as yet possess a present1 but look for a future salvation1 so is it with our happiness1 and this with patience2 for we are encompassed with evils1 which we ought patiently to endure1 until we come to the ineffable enjoyment of unmixed good2 for there shall be no longer anything to endure4 ,salvation1 such as it shall be in the world to come1 shall itself be our final happiness4 ,and this happiness these philosophers refuse to believe in1 because they do not see it1 and attempt to fabricate for themselves a happiness in this life1 based upon a virtue which is as deceitful as it is proud4 #e4 ,of the social life1 which1 though most desirable1 is frequently disturbed by many distresses4 ,we give a much more unlimited approval to their idea that the life of the wise man must be social4 ,for how could the city of ,god 7concerning which we are already writing no less than the nineteenth book of this work7 either take a beginning or be developed1 or attain its proper destiny1 if the life of the saints were not a social life8 ,but who can enumerate all the great grievances with which human society abounds in the misery of this mortal state8 ,who can weigh them8 ,hear how one of their comic writers makes one of his characters express the common feelings of all men in this matter3 ,i am married2 this is one misery4 ,children are born to me2 they are additional cares4#fbi ,what shall ,i say of the miseries of love which ,terence also recounts--slights1 suspicions1 quarrels1 war to-day1 peace to-morrow8#fcj ,is not human life full of such things8 ,do they not often occur even in honourable friendships8 ,on all hands we experience these slights1 suspicions1 quarrels1 war1 all of which are undoubted evils2 while1 on the other hand1 peace is a doubtful good1 because we do not know the heart of our friend1 and though we did know it to-day1 we should be as ignorant of what it might be to-morrow4 ,who ought to be1 or who are more friendly than those who live in the same family8 ,and yet who can rely even upon this friendship1 seeing that secret treachery has often broken it up1 and produced enmity as bitter as the amity was sweet1 or seemed sweet by the most perfect dissimulation8 ,it is on this account that the words of ,cicero so move the heart of every one1 and provoke a sigh3 ,there are no snares more dangerous than those which lurk under the guise of duty or the name of relationship4 ,for the man who is your declared foe you can easily baffle by precaution2 but this hidden1 intestine1 and domestic danger not merely exists1 but overwhelms you before you can foresee and examine it4#fca ,it is also to this that allusion is made by the divine saying1 ,a man's foes are those of his own household1#fcb--words which one cannot hear without pain2 for though a man have sufficient fortitude to endure it with equanimity1 and sufficient sagacity to baffle the malice of a pretended friend1 yet if he himself is a good man1 he cannot but be greatly pained at the discovery of the perfidy of wicked men1 whether they have always been wicked and merely feigned goodness1 or have fallen from a better to a malicious disposition4 ,if1 then1 home1 the natural refuge from the ills of life1 is itself not safe1 what shall we say of the city1 which1 as it is larger1 is so much the more filled with lawsuits civil and criminal1 and is never free from the fear1 if sometimes from the actual outbreak1 of disturbing and bloody insurrections and civil wars8 #f4 ,of the error of human judgments when the truth is hidden4 ,what shall ,i say of these judgments which men pronounce on men1 and which are necessary in communities1 whatever outward peace they enjoy8 ,melancholy and lamentable judgments they are1 since the judges are men who cannot discern the consciences of those at their bar1 and are therefore frequently compelled to put innocent witnesses to the torture to ascertain the truth regarding the crimes of other men4 ,what shall ,i say of torture applied to the accused himself8 ,he is tortured to discover whether he is guilty1 so that1 though innocent1 he suffers most undoubted punishment for crime that is still doubtful1 not because it is proved that he committed it1 but because it is not ascertained that he did not commit it4 ,thus the ignorance of the judge frequently involves an innocent person in suffering4 ,and what is still more unendurable--a thing1 indeed1 to be bewailed1 and1 if that were possible1 watered with fountains of tears--is this1 that when the judge puts the accused to the question1 that he may not unwittingly put an innocent man to death1 the result of this lamentable ignorance is that this very person1 whom he tortured that he might not condemn him if innocent1 is condemned to death both tortured and innocent4 ,for if he has chosen1 in obedience to the philosophical instructions to the wise man1 to quit this life rather than endure any longer such tortures1 he declares that he has committed the crime which in fact he has not committed4 ,and when he has been condemned and put to death1 the judge is still in ignorance whether he has put to death an innocent or a guilty person1 though he put the accused to the torture for the very purpose of saving himself from condemning the innocent2 and consequently he has both tortured an innocent man to discover his innocence1 and has put him to death without discovering it4 ,if such darkness shrouds social life1 will a wise judge take his seat on the bench or no8 ,beyond question he will4 ,for human society1 which he thinks it a wickedness to abandon1 constrains him and compels him to this duty4 ,and he thinks it no wickedness that innocent witnesses are tortured regarding the crimes of which other men are accused2 or that the accused are put to the torture1 so that they are often overcome with anguish1 and1 though innocent1 make false confessions regarding themselves1 and are punished2 or that1 though they be not condemned to die1 they often die during1 or in consequence of1 the torture2 or that sometimes the accusers1 who perhaps have been prompted by a desire to benefit society by bringing criminals to justice1 are themselves condemned through the ignorance of the judge1 because they are unable to prove the truth of their accusations though they are true1 and because the witnesses lie1 and the accused endures the torture without being moved to confession4 ,these numerous and important evils he does not consider sins2 for the wise judge does these things1 not with any intention of doing harm1 but because his ignorance compels him1 and because human society claims him as a judge4 ,but though we therefore acquit the judge of malice1 we must none the less condemn human life as miserable4 ,and if he is compelled to torture and punish the innocent because his office and his ignorance constrain him1 is he a happy as well as a guiltless man8 ,surely it were proof of more profound considerateness and finer feeling were he to recognise the misery of these necessities1 and shrink from his own implication in that misery2 and had he any piety about him1 he would cry to ,god1 ,from my necessities deliver ,thou me4#fcc #g4 ,of the diversity of languages1 by which the intercourse of men is prevented2 and of the misery of wars1 even of those called just4 ,after the state or city comes the world1 the third circle of human society1--the first being the house1 and the second the city4 ,and the world1 as it is larger1 so it is fuller of dangers1 as the greater sea is the more dangerous4 ,and here1 in the first place1 man is separated from man by the difference of languages4 ,for if two men1 each ignorant of the other's language1 meet1 and are not compelled to pass1 but1 on the contrary1 to remain in company1 dumb animals1 though of different species1 would more easily hold intercourse than they1 human beings though they be4 ,for their common nature is no help to friendliness when they are prevented by diversity of language from conveying their sentiments to one another2 so that a man would more readily hold intercourse with his dog than with a foreigner4 ,but the imperial city has endeavoured to impose on subject nations not only her yoke1 but her language1 as a bond of peace1 so that interpreters1 far from being scarce1 are numberless4 ,this is true2 but how many great wars1 how much slaughter and bloodshed1 have provided this unity6 ,and though these are past1 the end of these miseries has not yet come4 ,for though there have never been wanting1 nor are yet wanting1 hostile nations beyond the empire1 against whom wars have been and are waged1 yet1 supposing there were no such nations1 the very extent of the empire itself has produced wars of a more obnoxious description--social and civil wars--and with these the whole race has been agitated1 either by the actual conflict or the fear of a renewed outbreak4 ,if ,i attempted to give an adequate description of these manifold disasters1 these stern and lasting necessities1 though ,i am quite unequal to the task1 what limit could ,i set8 ,but1 say they1 the wise man will wage just wars4 ,as if he would not all the rather lament the necessity of just wars1 if he remembers that he is a man2 for if they were not just he would not wage them1 and would therefore be delivered from all wars4 ,for it is the wrong-doing of the opposing party which compels the wise man to wage just wars2 and this wrong-doing1 even though it gave rise to no war1 would still be matter of grief to man because it is man's wrong-doing4 ,let every one1 then1 who thinks with pain on all these great evils1 so horrible1 so ruthless1 acknowledge that this is misery4 ,and if any one either endures or thinks of them without mental pain1 this is a more miserable plight still1 for he thinks himself happy because he has lost human feeling4 #h4 ,that the friendship of good men cannot be securely rested in1 so long as the dangers of this life force us to be anxious4 ,in our present wretched condition we frequently mistake a friend for an enemy1 and an enemy for a friend4 ,and if we escape this pitiable blindness1 is not the unfeigned confidence and mutual love of true and good friends our one solace in human society1 filled as it is with misunderstandings and calamities8 ,and yet the more friends we have1 and the more widely they are scattered1 the more numerous are our fears that some portion of the vast masses of the disasters of life may light upon them4 ,for we are not only anxious lest they suffer from famine1 war1 disease1 captivity1 or the inconceivable horrors of slavery1 but we are also affected with the much more painful dread that their friendship may be changed into perfidy1 malice1 and injustice4 ,and when these contingencies actually occur1--as they do the more frequently the more friends we have1 and the more widely they are scattered1--and when they come to our knowledge1 who but the man who has experienced it can tell with what pangs the heart is torn8 ,we would1 in fact1 prefer to hear that they were dead1 although we could not without anguish hear of even this4 ,for if their life has solaced us with the charms of friendship1 can it be that their death should affect us with no sadness8 ,he who will have none of this sadness must1 if possible1 have no friendly intercourse4 ,let him interdict or extinguish friendly affection2 let him burst with ruthless insensibility the bonds of every human relationship2 or let him contrive so to use them that no sweetness shall distil into his spirit4 ,but if this is utterly impossible1 how shall we contrive to feel no bitterness in the death of those whose life has been sweet to us8 ,hence arises that grief which affects the tender heart like a wound or a bruise1 and which is healed by the application of kindly consolation4 ,for though the cure is affected all the more easily and rapidly the better condition the soul is in1 we must not on this account suppose that there is nothing at all to heal4 ,although1 then1 our present life is afflicted1 sometimes in a milder1 sometimes in a more painful degree1 by the death of those very dear to us1 and especially of useful public men1 yet we would prefer to hear that such men were dead rather than to hear or perceive that they had fallen from the faith1 or from virtue1--in other words1 that they were spiritually dead4 ,of this vast material for misery the earth is full1 and therefore it is written1 ,is not human life upon earth a trial8#fcd ,and with the same reference the ,lord says1 ,woe to the world because of offences6#fce and again1 ,because iniquity abounded1 the love of many shall wax cold4#fcf ,and hence we enjoy some gratification when our good friends die2 for though their death leaves us in sorrow1 we have the consolatory assurance that they are beyond the ills by which in this life even the best of men are broken down or corrupted1 or are in danger of both results4 #i4 ,of the friendship of the holy angels1 which men cannot be sure of in this life1 owing to the deceit of the demons who hold in bondage the worshippers of a plurality of gods4 ,the philosophers who wished us to have the gods for our friends rank the friendship of the holy angels in the fourth circle of society1 advancing now from the three circles of society on earth to the universe1 and embracing heaven itself4 ,and in this friendship we have indeed no fear that the angels will grieve us by their death or deterioration4 ,but as we cannot mingle with them as familiarly as with men 7which itself is one of the grievances of this life71 and as ,satan1 as we read1#fcg sometimes transforms himself into an angel of light1 to tempt those whom it is necessary to discipline1 or just to deceive1 there is great need of ,god's mercy to preserve us from making friends of demons in disguise1 while we fancy we have good angels for our friends2 for the astuteness and deceitfulness of these wicked spirits is equalled by their hurtfulness4 ,and is this not a great misery of human life1 that we are involved in such ignorance as1 but for ,god's mercy1 makes us a prey to these demons8 ,and it is very certain that the philosophers of the godless city1 who have maintained that the gods were their friends1 had fallen a prey to the malignant demons who rule that city1 and whose eternal punishment is to be shared by it4 ,for the nature of these beings is sufficiently evinced by the sacred or rather sacrilegious observances which form their worship1 and by the filthy games in which their crimes are celebrated1 and which they themselves originated and exacted from their worshippers as a fit propitiation4 #aj4 ,the reward prepared for the saints after they have endured the trial of this life4 ,but not even the saints and faithful worshippers of the one true and most high ,god are safe from the manifold temptations and deceits of the demons4 ,for in this abode of weakness1 and in these wicked days1 this state of anxiety has also its use1 stimulating us to seek with keener longing for that security where peace is complete and unassailable4 ,there we shall enjoy the gifts of nature1 that is to say1 all that ,god the ,creator of all natures has bestowed upon ours1--gifts not only good1 but eternal1--not only of the spirit1 healed now by wisdom1 but also of the body renewed by the resurrection4 ,there the virtues shall no longer be struggling against any vice or evil1 but shall enjoy the reward of victory1 the eternal peace which no adversary shall disturb4 ,this is the final blessedness1 this the ultimate consummation1 the unending end4 ,here1 indeed1 we are said to be blessed when we have such peace as can be enjoyed in a good life2 but such blessedness is mere misery compared to that final felicity4 ,when we mortals possess such peace as this mortal life can afford1 virtue1 if we are living rightly1 makes a right use of the advantages of this peaceful condition2 and when we have it not1 virtue makes a good use even of the evils a man suffers4 ,but this is true virtue1 when it refers all the advantages it makes a good use of1 and all that it does in making good use of good and evil things1 and itself also1 to that end in which we shall enjoy the best and greatest peace possible4 #aa4 ,of the happiness of the eternal peace1 which constitutes the end or true perfection of the saints4 ,and thus we may say of peace1 as we have said of eternal life1 that it is the end of our good2 and the rather because the ,psalmist says of the city of ,god1 the subject of this laborious work1 ,praise the ,lord1 ,o ,jerusalem2 praise thy ,god1 ,o ,zion3 for ,he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates2 ,he hath blessed thy children within thee2 who hath made thy borders peace4#fch ,for when the bars of her gates shall be strengthened1 none shall go in or come out from her2 consequently we ought to understand the peace of her borders as that final peace we are wishing to declare4 ,for even the mystical name of the city itself1 that is1 ,jerusalem1 means1 as ,i have already said1 ,vision of ,peace4 ,but as the word peace is employed in connection with things in this world in which certainly life eternal has no place1 we have preferred to call the end or supreme good of this city life eternal rather than peace4 ,of this end the apostle says1 ,but now1 being freed from sin1 and become servants to ,god1 ye have your fruit unto holiness1 and the end life eternal4#fci ,but1 on the other hand1 as those who are not familiar with ,scripture may suppose that the life of the wicked is eternal life1 either because of the immortality of the soul1 which some of the philosophers even have recognised1 or because of the endless punishment of the wicked1 which forms a part of our faith1 and which seems impossible unless the wicked live for ever1 it may therefore be advisable1 in order that every one may readily understand what we mean1 to say that the end or supreme good of this city is either peace in eternal life1 or eternal life in peace4 ,for peace is a good so great1 that even in this earthly and mortal life there is no word we hear with such pleasure1 nothing we desire with such zest1 or find to be more thoroughly gratifying4 ,so that if we dwell for a little longer on this subject1 we shall not1 in my opinion1 be wearisome to our readers1 who will attend both for the sake of understanding what is the end of this city of which we speak1 and for the sake of the sweetness of peace which is dear to all4 #ab4 ,that even the fierceness of war and all the disquietude of men make towards this one end of peace1 which every nature desires4 ,whoever gives even moderate attention to human affairs and to our common nature1 will recognise that if there is no man who does not wish to be joyful1 neither is there any one who does not wish to have peace4 ,for even they who make war desire nothing but victory1--desire1 that is to say1 to attain to peace with glory4 ,for what else is victory than the conquest of those who resist us8 and when this is done there is peace4 ,it is therefore with the desire for peace that wars are waged1 even by those who take pleasure in exercising their warlike nature in command and battle4 ,and hence it is obvious that peace is the end sought for by war4 ,for every man seeks peace by waging war1 but no man seeks war by making peace4 ,for even they who intentionally interrupt the peace in which they are living have no hatred of peace1 but only wish it changed into a peace that suits them better4 ,they do not1 therefore1 wish to have no peace1 but only one more to their mind4 ,and in the case of sedition1 when men have separated themselves from the community1 they yet do not effect what they wish1 unless they maintain some kind of peace with their fellow-conspirators4 ,and therefore even robbers take care to maintain peace with their comrades1 that they may with greater effect and greater safety invade the peace of other men4 ,and if an individual happen to be of such unrivalled strength1 and to be so jealous of partnership1 that he trusts himself with no comrades1 but makes his own plots1 and commits depredations and murders on his own account1 yet he maintains some shadow of peace with such persons as he is unable to kill1 and from whom he wishes to conceal his deeds4 ,in his own home1 too1 he makes it his aim to be at peace with his wife and children1 and any other members of his household2 for unquestionably their prompt obedience to his every look is a source of pleasure to him4 ,and if this be not rendered1 he is angry1 he chides and punishes2 and even by this storm he secures the calm peace of his own home1 as occasion demands4 ,for he sees that peace cannot be maintained unless all the members of the same domestic circle be subject to one head1 such as he himself is in his own house4 ,and therefore if a city or nation offered to submit itself to him1 to serve him in the same style as he had made his household serve him1 he would no longer lurk in a brigand's hiding-places1 but lift his head in open day as a king1 though the same covetousness and wickedness should remain in him4 ,and thus all men desire to have peace with their own circle whom they wish to govern as suits themselves4 ,for even those whom they make war against they wish to make their own1 and impose on them the laws of their own peace4 ,but let us suppose a man such as poetry and mythology speak of1--a man so insociable and savage as to be called rather a semi-man than a man4#fdj ,although1 then1 his kingdom was the solitude of a dreary cave1 and he himself was so singularly bad-hearted that he was named 1 which is the ,greek word for bad2 though he had no wife to soothe him with endearing talk1 no children to play with1 no sons to do his bidding1 no friend to enliven him with intercourse1 not even his father ,vulcan 7though in one respect he was happier than his father1 not having begotten a monster like himself72 although he gave to no man1 but took as he wished whatever he could1 from whomsoever he could1 when he could2 yet in that solitary den1 the floor of which1 as ,virgil#fda says1 was always reeking with recent slaughter1 there was nothing else than peace sought1 a peace in which no one should molest him1 or disquiet him with any assault or alarm4 ,with his own body he desired to be at peace2 and he was satisfied only in proportion as he had this peace4 ,for he ruled his members1 and they obeyed him2 and for the sake of pacifying his mortal nature1 which rebelled when it needed anything1 and of allaying the sedition of hunger which threatened to banish the soul from the body1 he made forays1 slew1 and devoured1 but used the ferocity and savageness he displayed in these actions only for the preservation of his own life's peace4 ,so that1 had he been willing to make with other men the same peace which he made with himself in his own cave1 he would neither have been called bad1 nor a monster1 nor a semi-man4 ,or if the appearance of his body and his vomiting smoky fires frightened men from having any dealings with him1 perhaps his fierce ways arose not from a desire to do mischief1 but from the necessity of finding a living4 ,but he may have had no existence1 or1 at least1 he was not such as the poets fancifully describe him1 for they had to exalt ,hercules1 and did so at the expense of ,cacus4 ,it is better1 then1 to believe that such a man or semi-man never existed1 and that this1 in common with many other fancies of the poets1 is mere fiction4 ,for the most savage animals 7and he is said to have been almost a wild beast7 encompass their own species with a ring of protecting peace4 ,they cohabit1 beget1 produce1 suckle1 and bring up their young1 though very many of them are not gregarious1 but solitary1--not like sheep1 deer1 pigeons1 starlings1 bees1 but such as lions1 foxes1 eagles1 bats4 ,for what tigress does not gently purr over her cubs1 and lay aside her ferocity to fondle them8 ,what kite1 solitary as he is when circling over his prey1 does not seek a mate1 build a nest1 hatch the eggs1 bring up the young birds1 and maintain with the mother of his family as peaceful a domestic alliance as he can8 ,how much more powerfully do the laws of man's nature move him to hold fellowship and maintain peace with all men so far as in him lies1 since even wicked men wage war to maintain the peace of their own circle1 and wish that1 if possible1 all men belonged to them1 that all men and things might serve but one head1 and might1 either through love or fear1 yield themselves to peace with him6 ,it is thus that pride in its perversity apes ,god4 ,it abhors equality with other men under ,him2 but1 instead of ,his rule1 it seeks to impose a rule of its own upon its equals4 ,it abhors1 that is to say1 the just peace of ,god1 and loves its own unjust peace2 but it cannot help loving peace of one kind or other4 ,for there is no vice so clean contrary to nature that it obliterates even the faintest traces of nature4 ,he1 then1 who prefers what is right to what is wrong1 and what is well-ordered to what is perverted1 sees that the peace of unjust men is not worthy to be called peace in comparison with the peace of the just4 ,and yet even what is perverted must of necessity be in harmony with1 and in dependence on1 and in some part of the order of things1 for otherwise it would have no existence at all4 ,suppose a man hangs with his head downwards1 this is certainly a perverted attitude of body and arrangement of its members2 for that which nature requires to be above is beneath1 and vice vers4 ,this perversity disturbs the peace of the body1 and is therefore painful4 ,nevertheless the spirit is at peace with its body1 and labours for its preservation1 and hence the suffering2 but if it is banished from the body by its pains1 then1 so long as the bodily framework holds together1 there is in the remains a kind of peace among the members1 and hence the body remains suspended4 ,and inasmuch as the earthy body tends towards the earth1 and rests on the bond by which it is suspended1 it tends thus to its natural peace1 and the voice of its own weight demands a place for it to rest2 and though now lifeless and without feeling1 it does not fall from the peace that is natural to its place in creation1 whether it already has it1 or is tending towards it4 ,for if you apply embalming preparations to prevent the bodily frame from mouldering and dissolving1 a kind of peace still unites part to part1 and keeps the whole body in a suitable place on the earth1--in other words1 in a place that is at peace with the body4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the body receive no such care1 but be left to the natural course1 it is disturbed by exhalations that do not harmonize with one another1 and that offend our senses2 for it is this which is perceived in putrefaction until it is assimilated to the elements of the world1 and particle by particle enters into peace with them4 ,yet throughout this process the laws of the most high ,creator and ,governor are strictly observed1 for it is by ,him the peace of the universe is administered4 ,for although minute animals are produced from the carcase of a larger animal1 all these little atoms1 by the law of the same ,creator1 serve the animals they belong to in peace4 ,and although the flesh of dead animals be eaten by others1 no matter where it be carried1 nor what it be brought into contact with1 nor what it be converted and changed into1 it still is ruled by the same laws which pervade all things for the conservation of every mortal race1 and which bring things that fit one another into harmony4 #ac4 ,of the universal peace which the law of nature preserves through all disturbances1 and by which every one reaches his desert in a way regulated by the just ,judge4 ,the peace of the body then consists in the duly proportioned arrangement of its parts4 ,the peace of the irrational soul is the harmonious repose of the appetites1 and that of the rational soul the harmony of knowledge and action4 ,the peace of body and soul is the well-ordered and harmonious life and health of the living creature4 ,peace between man and ,god is the well-ordered obedience of faith to eternal law4 ,peace between man and man is well-ordered concord4 ,domestic peace is the well-ordered concord between those of the family who rule and those who obey4 ,civil peace is a similar concord among the citizens4 ,the peace of the celestial city is the perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of ,god1 and of one another in ,god4 ,the peace of all things is the tranquillity of order4 ,order is the distribution which allots things equal and unequal1 each to its own place4 ,and hence1 though the miserable1 in so far as they are such1 do certainly not enjoy peace1 but are severed from that tranquillity of order in which there is no disturbance1 nevertheless1 inasmuch as they are deservedly and justly miserable1 they are by their very misery connected with order4 ,they are not1 indeed1 conjoined with the blessed1 but they are disjoined from them by the law of order4 ,and though they are disquieted1 their circumstances are notwithstanding adjusted to them1 and consequently they have some tranquillity of order1 and therefore some peace4 ,but they are wretched because1 although not wholly miserable1 they are not in that place where any mixture of misery is impossible4 ,they would1 however1 be more wretched if they had not that peace which arises from being in harmony with the natural order of things4 ,when they suffer1 their peace is in so far disturbed2 but their peace continues in so far as they do not suffer1 and in so far as their nature continues to exist4 ,as1 then1 there may be life without pain1 while there cannot be pain without some kind of life1 so there may be peace without war1 but there cannot be war without some kind of peace1 because war supposes the existence of some natures to wage it1 and these natures cannot exist without peace of one kind or other4 ,and therefore there is a nature in which evil does not or even cannot exist2 but there cannot be a nature in which there is no good4 ,hence not even the nature of the devil himself is evil1 in so far as it is nature1 but it was made evil by being perverted4 ,thus he did not abide in the truth1#fdb but could not escape the judgment of the ,truth2 he did not abide in the tranquillity of order1 but did not therefore escape the power of the ,ordainer4 ,the good imparted by ,god to his nature did not screen him from the justice of ,god by which order was preserved in his punishment2 neither did ,god punish the good which ,he had created1 but the evil which the devil had committed4 ,god did not take back all ,he had imparted to his nature1 but something ,he took and something ,he left1 that there might remain enough to be sensible of the loss of what was taken4 ,and this very sensibility to pain is evidence of the good which has been taken away and the good which has been left4 ,for1 were nothing good left1 there could be no pain on account of the good which had been lost4 ,for he who sins is still worse if he rejoices in his loss of righteousness4 ,but he who is in pain1 if he derives no benefit from it1 mourns at least the loss of health4 ,and as righteousness and health are both good things1 and as the loss of any good thing is matter of grief1 not of joy1--if1 at least1 there is no compensation1 as spiritual righteousness may compensate for the loss of bodily health1--certainly it is more suitable for a wicked man to grieve in punishment than to rejoice in his fault4 ,as1 then1 the joy of a sinner who has abandoned what is good is evidence of a bad will1 so his grief for the good he has lost when he is punished is evidence of a good nature4 ,for he who laments the peace his nature has lost is stirred to do so by some relics of peace which make his nature friendly to itself4 ,and it is very just that in the final punishment the wicked and godless should in anguish bewail the loss of the natural advantages they enjoyed1 and should perceive that they were most justly taken from them by that ,god whose benign liberality they had despised4 ,god1 then1 the most wise ,creator and most just ,ordainer of all natures1 who placed the human race upon earth as its greatest ornament1 imparted to men some good things adapted to this life1 to wit1 temporal peace1 such as we can enjoy in this life from health and safety and human fellowship1 and all things needful for the preservation and recovery of this peace1 such as the objects which are accommodated to our outward senses1 light1 night1 the air1 and waters suitable for us1 and everything the body requires to sustain1 shelter1 heal1 or beautify it3 and all under this most equitable condition1 that every man who made a good use of these advantages suited to the peace of this mortal condition1 should receive ampler and better blessings1 namely1 the peace of immortality1 accompanied by glory and honour in an endless life made fit for the enjoyment of ,god and of one another in ,god2 but that he who used the present blessings badly should both lose them and should not receive the others4 #ad4 ,of the order and law which obtain in heaven and earth1 whereby it comes to pass that human society is served by those who rule it4 ,the whole use1 then1 of things temporal has a reference to this result of earthly peace in the earthly community1 while in the city of ,god it is connected with eternal peace4 ,and therefore1 if we were irrational animals1 we should desire nothing beyond the proper arrangement of the parts of the body and the satisfaction of the appetites1--nothing1 therefore1 but bodily comfort and abundance of pleasures1 that the peace of the body might contribute to the peace of the soul4 ,for if bodily peace be awanting1 a bar is put to the peace even of the irrational soul1 since it cannot obtain the gratification of its appetites4 ,and these two together help out the mutual peace of soul and body1 the peace of harmonious life and health4 ,for as animals1 by shunning pain1 show that they love bodily peace1 and1 by pursuing pleasure to gratify their appetites1 show that they love peace of soul1 so their shrinking from death is a sufficient indication of their intense love of that peace which binds soul and body in close alliance4 ,but1 as man has a rational soul1 he subordinates all this which he has in common with the beasts to the peace of his rational soul1 that his intellect may have free play and may regulate his actions1 and that he may thus enjoy the well-ordered harmony of knowledge and action which constitutes1 as we have said1 the peace of the rational soul4 ,and for this purpose he must desire to be neither molested by pain1 nor disturbed by desire1 nor extinguished by death1 that he may arrive at some useful knowledge by which he may regulate his life and manners4 ,but1 owing to the liability of the human mind to fall into mistakes1 this very pursuit of knowledge may be a snare to him unless he has a divine ,master1 whom he may obey without misgiving1 and who may at the same time give him such help as to preserve his own freedom4 ,and because1 so long as he is in this mortal body1 he is a stranger to ,god1 he walks by faith1 not by sight2 and he therefore refers all peace1 bodily or spiritual or both1 to that peace which mortal man has with the immortal ,god1 so that he exhibits the well-ordered obedience of faith to eternal law4 ,but as this divine ,master inculcates two precepts1--the love of ,god and the love of our neighbour1--and as in these precepts a man finds three things he has to love1--,god1 himself1 and his neighbour1--and that he who loves ,god loves himself thereby1 it follows that he must endeavour to get his neighbour to love ,god1 since he is ordered to love his neighbour as himself4 ,he ought to make this endeavour in behalf of his wife1 his children1 his household1 all within his reach1 even as he would wish his neighbour to do the same for him if he needed it2 and consequently he will be at peace1 or in well-ordered concord1 with all men1 as far as in him lies4 ,and this is the order of this concord1 that a man1 in the first place1 injure no one1 and1 in the second1 do good to every one he can reach4 ,primarily1 therefore1 his own household are his care1 for the law of nature and of society gives him readier access to them and greater opportunity of serving them4 ,and hence the apostle says1 ,now1 if any provide not for his own1 and specially for those of his own house1 he hath denied the faith1 and is worse than an infidel4#fdc ,this is the origin of domestic peace1 or the well-ordered concord of those in the family who rule and those who obey4 ,for they who care for the rest rule1--the husband the wife1 the parents the children1 the masters the servants2 and they who are cared for obey1--the women their husbands1 the children their parents1 the servants their masters4 ,but in the family of the just man who lives by faith and is as yet a pilgrim journeying on to the celestial city1 even those who rule serve those whom they seem to command2 for they rule not from a love of power1 but from a sense of the duty they owe to others--not because they are proud of authority1 but because they love mercy4 #ae4 ,of the liberty proper to man's nature1 and the servitude introduced by sin1--a servitude in which the man whose will is wicked is the slave of his own lust1 though he is free so far as regards other men4 ,this is prescribed by the order of nature3 it is thus that ,god has created man4 ,for let them1 ,he says1 have dominion over the fish of the sea1 and over the fowl of the air1 and over every creeping thing which creepeth on the earth4#fdd ,he did not intend that ,his rational creature1 who was made in ,his image1 should have dominion over anything but the irrational creation1--not man over man1 but man over the beasts4 ,and hence the righteous men in primitive times were made shepherds of cattle rather than kings of men1 ,god intending thus to teach us what the relative position of the creatures is1 and what the desert of sin2 for it is with justice1 we believe1 that the condition of slavery is the result of sin4 ,and this is why we do not find the word slave in any part of ,scripture until righteous ,noah branded the sin of his son with this name4 ,it is a name1 therefore1 introduced by sin and not by nature4 ,the origin of the ,latin word for slave is supposed to be found in the circumstance that those who by the law of war were liable to be killed were sometimes preserved by their victors1 and were hence called servants4#fde ,and these circumstances could never have arisen save through sin4 ,for even when we wage a just war1 our adversaries must be sinning2 and every victory1 even though gained by wicked men1 is a result of the first judgment of ,god1 who humbles the vanquished either for the sake of removing or of punishing their sins4 ,witness that man of ,god1 ,daniel1 who1 when he was in captivity1 confessed to ,god his own sins and the sins of his people1 and declares with pious grief that these were the cause of the captivity4#fdf ,the prime cause1 then1 of slavery is sin1 which brings man under the dominion of his fellow1--that which does not happen save by the judgment of ,god1 with whom is no unrighteousness1 and who knows how to award fit punishments to every variety of offence4 ,but our ,master in heaven says1 ,every one who doeth sin is the servant of sin4#fdg ,and thus there are many wicked masters who have religious men as their slaves1 and who are yet themselves in bondage2 for of whom a man is overcome1 of the same is he brought in bondage4#fdh ,and beyond question it is a happier thing to be the slave of a man than of a lust2 for even this very lust of ruling1 to mention no others1 lays waste men's hearts with the most ruthless dominion4 ,moreover1 when men are subjected to one another in a peaceful order1 the lowly position does as much good to the servant as the proud position does harm to the master4 ,but by nature1 as ,god first created us1 no one is the slave either of man or of sin4 ,this servitude is1 however1 penal1 and is appointed by that law which enjoins the preservation of the natural order and forbids its disturbance2 for if nothing had been done in violation of that law1 there would have been nothing to restrain by penal servitude4 ,and therefore the apostle admonishes slaves to be subject to their masters1 and to serve them heartily and with good-will1 so that1 if they cannot be freed by their masters1 they may themselves make their slavery in some sort free1 by serving not in crafty fear1 but in faithful love1 until all unrighteousness pass away1 and all principality and every human power be brought to nothing1 and ,god be all in all4 #af4 ,of equitable rule4 ,and therefore1 although our righteous fathers#fdi had slaves1 and administered their domestic affairs so as to distinguish between the condition of slaves and the heirship of sons in regard to the blessings of this life1 yet in regard to the worship of ,god1 in whom we hope for eternal blessings1 they took an equally loving oversight of all the members of their household4 ,and this is so much in accordance with the natural order1 that the head of the household was called paterfamilias2 and this name has been so generally accepted1 that even those whose rule is unrighteous are glad to apply it to themselves4 ,but those who are true fathers of their households desire and endeavour that all the members of their household1 equally with their own children1 should worship and win ,god1 and should come to that heavenly home in which the duty of ruling men is no longer necessary1 because the duty of caring for their everlasting happiness has also ceased2 but1 until they reach that home1 masters ought to feel their position of authority a greater burden than servants their service4 ,and if any member of the family interrupts the domestic peace by disobedience1 he is corrected either by word or blow1 or some kind of just and legitimate punishment1 such as society permits1 that he may himself be the better for it1 and be readjusted to the family harmony from which he had dislocated himself4 ,for as it is not benevolent to give a man help at the expense of some greater benefit he might receive1 so it is not innocent to spare a man at the risk of his falling into graver sin4 ,to be innocent1 we must not only do harm to no man1 but also restrain him from sin or punish his sin1 so that either the man himself who is punished may profit by his experience1 or others be warned by his example4 ,since1 then1 the house ought to be the beginning or element of the city1 and every beginning bears reference to some end of its own kind1 and every element to the integrity of the whole of which it is an element1 it follows plainly enough that domestic peace has a relation to civic peace1--in other words1 that the well-ordered concord of domestic obedience and domestic rule has a relation to the well-ordered concord of civic obedience and civic rule4 ,and therefore it follows1 further1 that the father of the family ought to frame his domestic rule in accordance with the law of the city1 so that the household may be in harmony with the civic order4 #ag4 ,what produces peace1 and what discord1 between the heavenly and earthly cities4 ,but the families which do not live by faith seek their peace in the earthly advantages of this life2 while the families which live by faith look for those eternal blessings which are promised1 and use as pilgrims such advantages of time and of earth as do not fascinate and divert them from ,god1 but rather aid them to endure with greater ease1 and to keep down the number of those burdens of the corruptible body which weigh upon the soul4 ,thus the things necessary for this mortal life are used by both kinds of men and families alike1 but each has its own peculiar and widely different aim in using them4 ,the earthly city1 which does not live by faith1 seeks an earthly peace1 and the end it proposes1 in the well-ordered concord of civic obedience and rule1 is the combination of men's wills to attain the things which are helpful to this life4 ,the heavenly city1 or rather the part of it which sojourns on earth and lives by faith1 makes use of this peace only because it must1 until this mortal condition which necessitates it shall pass away4 ,consequently1 so long as it lives like a captive and a stranger in the earthly city1 though it has already received the promise of redemption1 and the gift of the ,spirit as the earnest of it1 it makes no scruple to obey the laws of the earthly city1 whereby the things necessary for the maintenance of this mortal life are administered2 and thus1 as this life is common to both cities1 so there is a harmony between them in regard to what belongs to it4 ,but1 as the earthly city has had some philosophers whose doctrine is condemned by the divine teaching1 and who1 being deceived either by their own conjectures or by demons1 supposed that many gods must be invited to take an interest in human affairs1 and assigned to each a separate function and a separate department1--to one the body1 to another the soul2 and in the body itself1 to one the head1 to another the neck1 and each of the other members to one of the gods2 and in like manner1 in the soul1 to one god the natural capacity was assigned1 to another education1 to another anger1 to another lust2 and so the various affairs of life were assigned1--cattle to one1 corn to another1 wine to another1 oil to another1 the woods to another1 money to another1 navigation to another1 wars and victories to another1 marriages to another1 births and fecundity to another1 and other things to other gods3 and as the celestial city1 on the other hand1 knew that one ,god only was to be worshipped1 and that to ,him alone was due that service which the ,greeks call 1 and which can be given only to a god1 it has come to pass that the two cities could not have common laws of religion1 and that the heavenly city has been compelled in this matter to dissent1 and to become obnoxious to those who think differently1 and to stand the brunt of their anger and hatred and persecutions1 except in so far as the minds of their enemies have been alarmed by the multitude of the ,christians and quelled by the manifest protection of ,god accorded to them4 ,this heavenly city1 then1 while it sojourns on earth1 calls citizens out of all nations1 and gathers together a society of pilgrims of all languages1 not scrupling about diversities in the manners1 laws1 and institutions whereby earthly peace is secured and maintained1 but recognising that1 however various these are1 they all tend to one and the same end of earthly peace4 ,it therefore is so far from rescinding and abolishing these diversities1 that it even preserves and adopts them1 so long only as no hindrance to the worship of the one supreme and true ,god is thus introduced4 ,even the heavenly city1 therefore1 while in its state of pilgrimage1 avails itself of the peace of earth1 and1 so far as it can without injuring faith and godliness1 desires and maintains a common agreement among men regarding the acquisition of the necessaries of life1 and makes this earthly peace bear upon the peace of heaven2 for this alone can be truly called and esteemed the peace of the reasonable creatures1 consisting as it does in the perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of ,god and of one another in ,god4 ,when we shall have reached that peace1 this mortal life shall give place to one that is eternal1 and our body shall be no more this animal body which by its corruption weighs down the soul1 but a spiritual body feeling no want1 and in all its members subjected to the will4 ,in its pilgrim state the heavenly city possesses this peace by faith2 and by this faith it lives righteously when it refers to the attainment of that peace every good action towards ,god and man2 for the life of the city is a social life4 #ah4 ,how different the uncertainty of the ,new ,academy is from the certainty of the ,christian faith4 ,as regards the uncertainty about everything which ,varro alleges to be the differentiating characteristic of the ,new ,academy1 the city of ,god thoroughly detests such doubt as madness4 ,regarding matters which it apprehends by the mind and reason it has most absolute certainty1 although its knowledge is limited because of the corruptible body pressing down the mind1 for1 as the apostle says1 ,we know in part4#fej ,it believes also the evidence of the senses which the mind uses by aid of the body2 for if one who trusts his senses is sometimes deceived1 he is more wretchedly deceived who fancies he should never trust them4 ,it believes also the ,holy ,scriptures1 old and new1 which we call canonical1 and which are the source of the faith by which the just lives1#fea and by which we walk without doubting whilst we are absent from the ,lord4#feb ,so long as this faith remains inviolate and firm1 we may without blame entertain doubts regarding some things which we have neither perceived by sense nor by reason1 and which have not been revealed to us by the canonical ,scriptures1 nor come to our knowledge through witnesses whom it is absurd to disbelieve4 #ai4 ,of the dress and habits of the ,christian people4 ,it is a matter of no moment in the city of ,god whether he who adopts the faith that brings men to ,god adopts it in one dress and manner of life or another1 so long only as he lives in conformity with the commandments of ,god4 ,and hence1 when philosophers themselves become ,christians1 they are compelled1 indeed1 to abandon their erroneous doctrines1 but not their dress and mode of living1 which are no obstacle to religion4 ,so that we make no account of that distinction of sects which ,varro adduced in connection with the ,cynic school1 provided always nothing indecent or self-indulgent is retained4 ,as to these three modes of life1 the contemplative1 the active1 and the composite1 although1 so long as a man's faith is preserved1 he may choose any of them without detriment to his eternal interests1 yet he must never overlook the claims of truth and duty4 ,no man has a right to lead such a life of contemplation as to forget in his own ease the service due to his neighbour2 nor has any man a right to be so immersed in active life as to neglect the contemplation of ,god4 ,the charm of leisure must not be indolent vacancy of mind1 but the investigation or discovery of truth1 that thus every man may make solid attainments without grudging that others do the same4 ,and1 in active life1 it is not the honours or power of this life we should covet1 since all things under the sun are vanity1 but we should aim at using our position and influence1 if these have been honourably attained1 for the welfare of those who are under us1 in the way we have already explained4#fec ,it is to this the apostle refers when he says1 ,he that desireth the episcopate desireth a good work4#fed ,he wished to show that the episcopate is the title of a work1 not of an honour4 ,it is a ,greek word1 and signifies that he who governs1 superintends or takes care of those whom he governs3 for means over1 and 1 to see2 therefore means to oversee4#fee ,so that he who loves to govern rather than to do good is no bishop4 ,accordingly no one is prohibited from the search after truth1 for in this leisure may most laudably be spent2 but it is unseemly to covet the high position requisite for governing the people1 even though that position be held and that government be administered in a seemly manner4 ,and therefore holy leisure is longed for by the love of truth2 but it is the necessity of love to undertake requisite business4 ,if no one imposes this burden upon us1 we are free to sift and contemplate truth2 but if it be laid upon us1 we are necessitated for love's sake to undertake it4 ,and yet not even in this case are we obliged wholly to relinquish the sweets of contemplation2 for were these to be withdrawn1 the burden might prove more than we could bear4 #bj4 ,that the saints are in this life blessed in hope4 ,since1 then1 the supreme good of the city of ,god is perfect and eternal peace1 not such as mortals pass into and out of by birth and death1 but the peace of freedom from all evil1 in which the immortals ever abide1 who can deny that that future life is most blessed1 or that1 in comparison with it1 this life which now we live is most wretched1 be it filled with all blessings of body and soul and external things8 ,and yet1 if any man uses this life with a reference to that other which he ardently loves and confidently hopes for1 he may well be called even now blessed1 though not in reality so much as in hope4 ,but the actual possession of the happiness of this life1 without the hope of what is beyond1 is but a false happiness and profound misery4 ,for the true blessings of the soul are not now enjoyed2 for that is no true wisdom which does not direct all its prudent observations1 manly actions1 virtuous self-restraint1 and just arrangements1 to that end in which ,god shall be all and all in a secure eternity and perfect peace4 #ba4 ,whether there ever was a ,roman republic answering to the definitions of ,scipio in ,cicero's dialogue4 ,this1 then1 is the place where ,i should fulfil the promise ,i gave in the second book of this work1#fef and explain1 as briefly and clearly as possible1 that if we are to accept the definitions laid down by ,scipio in ,cicero's ,de ,republica1 there never was a ,roman republic2 for he briefly defines a republic as the weal of the people4 ,and if this definition be true1 there never was a ,roman republic1 for the people's weal was never attained among the ,romans4 ,for the people1 according to his definition1 is an assemblage associated by a common acknowledgment of right and by a community of interests4 ,and what he means by a common acknowledgment of right he explains at large1 showing that a republic cannot be administered without justice4 ,where1 therefore1 there is no true justice there can be no right4 ,for that which is done by right is justly done1 and what is unjustly done cannot be done by right4 ,for the unjust inventions of men are neither to be considered nor spoken of as rights2 for even they themselves say that right is that which flows from the fountain of justice1 and deny the definition which is commonly given by those who misconceive the matter1 that right is that which is useful to the stronger party4 ,thus1 where there is not true justice there can be no assemblage of men associated by a common acknowledgment of right1 and therefore there can be no people1 as defined by ,scipio or ,cicero2 and if no people1 then no weal of the people1 but only of some promiscuous multitude unworthy of the name of people4 ,consequently1 if the republic is the weal of the people1 and there is no people if it be not associated by a common acknowledgment of right1 and if there is no right where there is no justice1 then most certainly it follows that there is no republic where there is no justice4 ,further1 justice is that virtue which gives every one his due4 ,where1 then1 is the justice of man1 when he deserts the true ,god and yields himself to impure demons8 ,is this to give every one his due8 ,or is he who keeps back a piece of ground from the purchaser1 and gives it to a man who has no right to it1 unjust1 while he who keeps back himself from the ,god who made him1 and serves wicked spirits1 is just8 ,this same book1 ,de ,republica1 advocates the cause of justice against injustice with great force and keenness4 ,the pleading for injustice against justice was first heard1 and it was asserted that without injustice a republic could neither increase nor even subsist1 for it was laid down as an absolutely unassailable position that it is unjust for some men to rule and some to serve2 and yet the imperial city to which the republic belongs cannot rule her provinces without having recourse to this injustice4 ,it was replied in behalf of justice1 that this ruling of the provinces is just1 because servitude may be advantageous to the provincials1 and is so when rightly administered1--that is to say1 when lawless men are prevented from doing harm4 ,and further1 as they became worse and worse so long as they were free1 they will improve by subjection4 ,to confirm this reasoning1 there is added an eminent example drawn from nature3 for why1 it is asked1 does ,god rule man1 the soul the body1 the reason the passions and other vicious parts of the soul8 ,this example leaves no doubt that1 to some1 servitude is useful2 and1 indeed1 to serve ,god is useful to all4 ,and it is when the soul serves ,god that it exercises a right control over the body2 and in the soul itself the reason must be subject to ,god if it is to govern as it ought the passions and other vices4 ,hence1 when a man does not serve ,god1 what justice can we ascribe to him1 since in this case his soul cannot exercise a just control over the body1 nor his reason over his vices8 ,and if there is no justice in such an individual1 certainly there can be none in a community composed of such persons4 ,here1 therefore1 there is not that common acknowledgment of right which makes an assemblage of men a people whose affairs we call a republic4 ,and why need ,i speak of the advantageousness1 the common participation in which1 according to the definition1 makes a people8 ,for although1 if you choose to regard the matter attentively1 you will see that there is nothing advantageous to those who live godlessly1 as every one lives who does not serve ,god but demons1 whose wickedness you may measure by their desire to receive the worship of men though they are most impure spirits1 yet what ,i have said of the common acknowledgment of right is enough to demonstrate that1 according to the above definition1 there can be no people1 and therefore no republic1 where there is no justice4 ,for if they assert that in their republic the ,romans did not serve unclean spirits1 but good and holy gods1 must we therefore again reply to this evasion1 though already we have said enough1 and more than enough1 to expose it8 ,he must be an uncommonly stupid1 or a shamelessly contentious person1 who has read through the foregoing books to this point1 and can yet question whether the ,romans served wicked and impure demons4 ,but1 not to speak of their character1 it is written in the law of the true ,god1 ,he that sacrificeth unto any god save unto the ,lord only1 he shall be utterly destroyed4#feg ,he1 therefore1 who uttered so menacing a commandment decreed that no worship should be given either to good or bad gods4 #bb4 ,whether the ,god whom the ,christians serve is the true ,god to whom alone sacrifice ought to be paid4 ,but it may be replied1 ,who is this ,god1 or what proof is there that ,he alone is worthy to receive sacrifice from the ,romans8 ,one must be very blind to be still asking who this ,god is4 ,he is the ,god whose prophets predicted the things we see accomplished4 ,he is the ,god from whom ,abraham received the assurance1 ,in thy seed shall all nations be blessed4#feh ,that this was fulfilled in ,christ1 who according to the flesh sprang from that seed1 is recognised1 whether they will or no1 even by those who have continued to be the enemies of this name4 ,he is the ,god whose divine ,spirit spake by the men whose predictions ,i cited in the preceding books1 and which are fulfilled in the ,church which has extended over all the world4 ,this is the ,god whom ,varro1 the most learned of the ,romans1 supposed to be ,jupiter1 though he knows not what he says2 yet ,i think it right to note the circumstance that a man of such learning was unable to suppose that this ,god had no existence or was contemptible1 but believed ,him to be the same as the supreme ,god4 ,in fine1 ,he is the ,god whom ,porphyry1 the most learned of the philosophers1 though the bitterest enemy of the ,christians1 confesses to be a great ,god1 even according to the oracles of those whom he esteems gods4 #bc4 ,porphyry's account of the responses given by the oracles of the gods concerning ,christ4 ,for in his book called 1 in which he collects and comments upon the responses which he pretends were uttered by the gods concerning divine things1 he says--,i give his own words as they have been translated from the ,greek3 ,to one who inquired what god he should propitiate in order to recall his wife from ,christianity1 ,apollo replied in the following verses4 ,then the following words are given as those of ,apollo3 ,you will probably find it easier to write lasting characters on the water1 or lightly fly like a bird through the air1 than to restore right feeling in your impious wife once she has polluted herself4 ,let her remain as she pleases in her foolish deception1 and sing false laments to her dead ,god1 who was condemned by right-minded judges1 and perished ignominiously by a violent death4 ,then after these verses of ,apollo 7which we have given in a ,latin version that does not preserve the metrical form71 he goes on to say3 ,in these verses ,apollo exposed the incurable corruption of the ,christians1 saying that the ,jews1 rather than the ,christians1 recognised ,god4 ,see how he misrepresents ,christ1 giving the ,jews the preference to the ,christians in the recognition of ,god4 ,this was his explanation of ,apollo's verses1 in which he says that ,christ was put to death by right-minded or just judges1--in other words1 that ,he deserved to die4 ,i leave the responsibility of this oracle regarding ,christ on the lying interpreter of ,apollo1 or on this philosopher who believed it or possibly himself invented it2 as to its agreement with ,porphyry's opinions or with other oracles1 we shall in a little have something to say4 ,in this passage1 however1 he says that the ,jews1 as the interpreters of ,god1 judged justly in pronouncing ,christ to be worthy of the most shameful death4 ,he should have listened1 then1 to this ,god of the ,jews to whom he bears this testimony1 when that ,god says1 ,he that sacrificeth to any other god save to the ,lord alone shall be utterly destroyed4 ,but let us come to still plainer expressions1 and hear how great a ,god ,porphyry thinks the ,god of the ,jews is4 ,apollo1 he says1 when asked whether word1 i4e4 reason1 or law is the better thing1 replied in the following verses4 ,then he gives the verses of ,apollo1 from which ,i select the following as sufficient3 ,god1 the ,generator1 and the ,king prior to all things1 before whom heaven and earth1 and the sea1 and the hidden places of hell tremble1 and the deities themselves are afraid1 for their law is the ,father whom the holy ,hebrews honour4 ,in this oracle of his god ,apollo1 ,porphyry avowed that the ,god of the ,hebrews is so great that the deities themselves are afraid before ,him4 ,i am surprised1 therefore1 that when ,god said1 ,he that sacrificeth to other gods shall be utterly destroyed1 ,porphyry himself was not afraid lest he should be destroyed for sacrificing to other gods4 ,this philosopher1 however1 has also some good to say of ,christ1 oblivious1 as it were1 of that contumely of his of which we have just been speaking2 or as if his gods spoke evil of ,christ only while asleep1 and recognised ,him to be good1 and gave ,him ,his deserved praise1 when they awoke4 ,for1 as if he were about to proclaim some marvellous thing passing belief1 he says1 ,what we are going to say will certainly take some by surprise4 ,for the gods have declared that ,christ was very pious1 and has become immortal1 and that they cherish his memory3 that the ,christians1 however1 are polluted1 contaminated1 and involved in error4 ,and many other such things1 he says1 do the gods say against the ,christians4 ,then he gives specimens of the accusations made1 as he says1 by the gods against them1 and then goes on3 ,but to some who asked ,hecate whether ,christ were a ,god1 she replied1 ,you know the condition of the disembodied immortal soul1 and that if it has been severed from wisdom it always errs4 ,the soul you refer to is that of a man foremost in piety3 they worship it because they mistake the truth4 ,to this so-called oracular response he adds the following words of his own3 ,of this very pious man1 then1 ,hecate said that the soul1 like the souls of other good men1 was after death dowered with immortality1 and that the ,christians through ignorance worship it4 ,and to those who ask why he was condemned to die1 the oracle of the goddess replied1 ,the body1 indeed1 is always exposed to torments1 but the souls of the pious abide in heaven4 ,and the soul you inquire about has been the fatal cause of error to other souls which were not fated to receive the gifts of the gods1 and to have the knowledge of immortal ,jove4 ,such souls are therefore hated by the gods2 for they who were fated not to receive the gifts of the gods1 and not to know ,god1 were fated to be involved in error by means of him you speak of4 ,he himself1 however1 was good1 and heaven has been opened to him as to other good men4 ,you are not1 then1 to speak evil of him1 but to pity the folly of men3 and through him men's danger is imminent4 ,who is so foolish as not to see that these oracles were either composed by a clever man with a strong animus against the ,christians1 or were uttered as responses by impure demons with a similar design1--that is to say1 in order that their praise of ,christ may win credence for their vituperation of ,christians2 and that thus they may1 if possible1 close the way of eternal salvation1 which is identical with ,christianity8 ,for they believe that they are by no means counterworking their own hurtful craft by promoting belief in ,christ1 so long as their calumniation of ,christians is also accepted2 for they thus secure that even the man who thinks well of ,christ declines to become a ,christian1 and is therefore not delivered from their own rule by the ,christ he praises4 ,besides1 their praise of ,christ is so contrived that whosoever believes in ,him as thus represented will not be a true ,christian but a ,photinian heretic1 recognising only the humanity1 and not also the divinity of ,christ1 and will thus be precluded from salvation and from deliverance out of the meshes of these devilish lies4 ,for our part1 we are no better pleased with ,hecate's praises of ,christ than with ,apollo's calumniation of ,him4 ,apollo says that ,christ was put to death by right-minded judges1 implying that ,he was unrighteous4 ,hecate says that ,he was a most pious man1 but no more4 ,the intention of both is the same1 to prevent men from becoming ,christians1 because if this be secured1 men shall never be rescued from their power4 ,but it is incumbent on our philosopher1 or rather on those who believe in these pretended oracles against the ,christians1 first of all1 if they can1 to bring ,apollo and ,hecate to the same mind regarding ,christ1 so that either both may condemn or both praise ,him4 ,and even if they succeeded in this1 we for our part would notwithstanding repudiate the testimony of demons1 whether favourable or adverse to ,christ4 ,but when our adversaries find a god and goddess of their own at variance about ,christ1 the one praising1 the other vituperating ,him1 they can certainly give no credence1 if they have any judgment1 to mere men who blaspheme the ,christians4 ,when ,porphyry or ,hecate praises ,christ1 and adds that ,he gave ,himself to the ,christians as a fatal gift1 that they might be involved in error1 he exposes1 as he thinks1 the causes of this error4 ,but before ,i cite his words to that purpose1 ,i would ask1 ,if ,christ did thus give ,himself to the ,christians to involve them in error1 did ,he do so willingly1 or against ,his will8 ,if willingly1 how is ,he righteous8 ,if against ,his will1 how is ,he blessed8 ,however1 let us hear the causes of this error4 ,there are1 he says1 in a certain place very small earthly spirits1 subject to the power of evil demons4 ,the wise men of the ,hebrews1 among whom was this ,jesus1 as you have heard from the oracles of ,apollo cited above1 turned religious persons from these very wicked demons and minor spirits1 and taught them rather to worship the celestial gods1 and especially to adore ,god the ,father4 ,this1 he said1 the gods enjoin2 and we have already shown how they admonish the soul to turn to ,god1 and command it to worship ,him4 ,but the ignorant and the ungodly1 who are not destined to receive favours from the gods1 nor to know the immortal ,jupiter1 not listening to the gods and their messages1 have turned away from all gods1 and have not only refused to hate1 but have venerated the prohibited demons4 ,professing to worship ,god1 they refuse to do those things by which alone ,god is worshipped4 ,for ,god1 indeed1 being the ,father of all1 is in need of nothing2 but for us it is good to adore ,him by means of justice1 chastity1 and other virtues1 and thus to make life itself a prayer to ,him1 by inquiring into and imitating ,his nature4 ,for inquiry1 says he1 purifies and imitation deifies us1 by moving us nearer to ,him4 ,he is right in so far as he proclaims ,god the ,father1 and the conduct by which we should worship ,him4 ,of such precepts the prophetic books of the ,hebrews are full1 when they praise or blame the life of the saints4 ,but in speaking of the ,christians he is in error1 and calumniates them as much as is desired by the demons whom he takes for gods1 as if it were difficult for any man to recollect the disgraceful and shameful actions which used to be done in the theatres and temples to please the gods1 and to compare with these things what is heard in our churches1 and what is offered to the true ,god1 and from this comparison to conclude where character is edified1 and where it is ruined4 ,but who but a diabolical spirit has told or suggested to this man so manifest and vain a lie1 as that the ,christians reverenced rather than hated the demons1 whose worship the ,hebrews prohibited8 ,but that ,god1 whom the ,hebrew sages worshipped1 forbids sacrifice to be offered even to the holy angels of heaven and divine powers1 whom we1 in this our pilgrimage1 venerate and love as our most blessed fellow-citizens4 ,for in the law which ,god gave to ,his ,hebrew people ,he utters this menace1 as in a voice of thunder3 ,he that sacrificeth unto any god1 save unto the ,lord only1 he shall be utterly destroyed4#fei ,and that no one might suppose that this prohibition extends only to the very wicked demons and earthly spirits1 whom this philosopher calls very small and inferior1--for even these are in the ,scripture called gods1 not of the ,hebrews1 but of the nations1 as the ,septuagint translators have shown in the psalm where it is said1 ,for all the gods of the nations are demons1#ffj--that no one might suppose1 ,i say1 that sacrifice to these demons was prohibited1 but that sacrifice might be offered to all or some of the celestials1 it was immediately added1 save unto the ,lord alone4#ffa ,the ,god of the ,hebrews1 then1 to whom this renowned philosopher bears this signal testimony1 gave to ,his ,hebrew people a law1 composed in the ,hebrew language1 and not obscure and unknown1 but published now in every nation1 and in this law it is written1 ,he that sacrificeth unto any god1 save unto the ,lord alone1 he shall be utterly destroyed4 ,what need is there to seek further proofs in the law or the prophets of this same thing8 ,seek1 we need not say1 for the passages are neither few nor difficult to find2 but what need to collect and apply to my argument the proofs which are thickly sown and obvious1 and by which it appears clear as day that sacrifice may be paid to none but the supreme and true ,god8 ,here is one brief but decided1 even menacing1 and certainly true utterance of that ,god whom the wisest of our adversaries so highly extol4 ,let this be listened to1 feared1 fulfilled1 that there may be no disobedient soul cut off4 ,he that sacrifices1 ,he says1 not because ,he needs anything1 but because it behoves us to be ,his possession4 ,hence the ,psalmist in the ,hebrew ,scriptures sings1 ,i have said to the ,lord1 ,thou art my ,god1 for ,thou needest not my good4#ffb ,for we ourselves1 who are ,his own city1 are ,his most noble and worthy sacrifice1 and it is this mystery we celebrate in our sacrifices1 which are well known to the faithful1 as we have explained in the preceding books4 ,for through the prophets the oracles of ,god declared that the sacrifices which the ,jews offered as a shadow of that which was to be would cease1 and that the nations1 from the rising to the setting of the sun1 would offer one sacrifice4 ,from these oracles1 which we now see accomplished1 we have made such selections as seemed suitable to our purpose in this work4 ,and therefore1 where there is not this righteousness whereby the one supreme ,god rules the obedient city according to ,his grace1 so that it sacrifices to none but ,him1 and whereby1 in all the citizens of this obedient city1 the soul consequently rules the body and reason the vices in the rightful order1 so that1 as the individual just man1 so also the community and people of the just1 live by faith1 which works by love1 that love whereby man loves ,god as ,he ought to be loved1 and his neighbour as himself1--there1 ,i say1 there is not an assemblage associated by a common acknowledgment of right1 and by a community of interests4 ,but if there is not this1 there is not a people1 if our definition be true1 and therefore there is no republic2 for where there is no people there can be no republic4 #bd4 ,the definition which must be given of a people and a republic1 in order to vindicate the assumption of these titles by the ,romans and by other kingdoms4 ,but if we discard this definition of a people1 and1 assuming another1 say that a people is an assemblage of reasonable beings bound together by a common agreement as to the objects of their love1 then1 in order to discover the character of any people1 we have only to observe what they love4 ,yet whatever it loves1 if only it is an assemblage of reasonable beings and not of beasts1 and is bound together by an agreement as to the objects of love1 it is reasonably called a people2 and it will be a superior people in proportion as it is bound together by higher interests1 inferior in proportion as it is bound together by lower4 ,according to this definition of ours1 the ,roman people is a people1 and its weal is without doubt a commonwealth or republic4 ,but what its tastes were in its early and subsequent days1 and how it declined into sanguinary seditions and then to social and civil wars1 and so burst asunder or rotted off the bond of concord in which the health of a people consists1 history shows1 and in the preceding books ,i have related at large4 ,and yet ,i would not on this account say either that it was not a people1 or that its administration was not a republic1 so long as there remains an assemblage of reasonable beings bound together by a common agreement as to the objects of love4 ,but what ,i say of this people and of this republic ,i must be understood to think and say of the ,athenians or any ,greek state1 of the ,egyptians1 of the early ,assyrian ,babylon1 and of every other nation1 great or small1 which had a public government4 ,for1 in general1 the city of the ungodly1 which did not obey the command of ,god that it should offer no sacrifice save to ,him alone1 and which1 therefore1 could not give to the soul its proper command over the body1 nor to the reason its just authority over the vices1 is void of true justice4 #be4 ,that where there is no true religion there are no true virtues4 ,for though the soul may seem to rule the body admirably1 and the reason the vices1 if the soul and reason do not themselves obey ,god1 as ,god has commanded them to serve ,him1 they have no proper authority over the body and the vices4 ,for what kind of mistress of the body and the vices can that mind be which is ignorant of the true ,god1 and which1 instead of being subject to ,his authority1 is prostituted to the corrupting influences of the most vicious demons8 ,it is for this reason that the virtues which it seems to itself to possess1 and by which it restrains the body and the vices that it may obtain and keep what it desires1 are rather vices than virtues so long as there is no reference to ,god in the matter4 ,for although some suppose that virtues which have a reference only to themselves1 and are desired only on their own account1 are yet true and genuine virtues1 the fact is that even then they are inflated with pride1 and are therefore to be reckoned vices rather than virtues4 ,for as that which gives life to the flesh is not derived from flesh1 but is above it1 so that which gives blessed life to man is not derived from man1 but is something above him2 and what ,i say of man is true of every celestial power and virtue whatsoever4 #bf4 ,of the peace which is enjoyed by the people that are alienated from ,god1 and the use made of it by the people of ,god in the time of its pilgrimage4 ,wherefore1 as the life of the flesh is the soul1 so the blessed life of man is ,god1 of whom the sacred writings of the ,hebrews say1 ,blessed is the people whose ,god is the ,lord4#ffc ,miserable1 therefore1 is the people which is alienated from ,god4 ,yet even this people has a peace of its own which is not to be lightly esteemed1 though1 indeed1 it shall not in the end enjoy it1 because it makes no good use of it before the end4 ,but it is our interest that it enjoy this peace meanwhile in this life2 for as long as the two cities are commingled1 we also enjoy the peace of ,babylon4 ,for from ,babylon the people of ,god is so freed that it meanwhile sojourns in its company4 ,and therefore the apostle also admonished the ,church to pray for kings and those in authority1 assigning as the reason1 that we may live a quiet and tranquil life in all godliness and love4#ffd ,and the prophet ,jeremiah1 when predicting the captivity that was to befall the ancient people of ,god1 and giving them the divine command to go obediently to ,babylonia1 and thus serve their ,god1 counselled them also to pray for ,babylonia1 saying1 ,in the peace thereof shall ye have peace1#ffe--the temporal peace which the good and the wicked together enjoy4 #bg4 ,that the peace of those who serve ,god cannot in this mortal life be apprehended in its perfection4 ,but the peace which is peculiar to ourselves we enjoy now with ,god by faith1 and shall hereafter enjoy eternally with ,him by sight4 ,but the peace which we enjoy in this life1 whether common to all or peculiar to ourselves1 is rather the solace of our misery than the positive enjoyment of felicity4 ,our very righteousness1 too1 though true in so far as it has respect to the true good1 is yet in this life of such a kind that it consists rather in the remission of sins than in the perfecting of virtues4 ,witness the prayer of the whole city of ,god in its pilgrim state1 for it cries to ,god by the mouth of all its members1 ,forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors4#fff ,and this prayer is efficacious not for those whose faith is without works and dead1#ffg but for those whose faith worketh by love4#ffh ,for as reason1 though subjected to ,god1 is yet pressed down by the corruptible body1#ffi so long as it is in this mortal condition1 it has not perfect authority over vice1 and therefore this prayer is needed by the righteous4 ,for though it exercises authority1 the vices do not submit without a struggle4 ,for however well one maintains the conflict1 and however thoroughly he has subdued these enemies1 there steals in some evil thing1 which1 if it do not find ready expression in act1 slips out by the lips1 or insinuates itself into the thought2 and therefore his peace is not full so long as he is at war with his vices4 ,for it is a doubtful conflict he wages with those that resist1 and his victory over those that are defeated is not secure1 but full of anxiety and effort4 ,amidst these temptations1 therefore1 of all which it has been summarily said in the divine oracles1 ,is not human life upon earth a temptation8#fgj who but a proud man can presume that he so lives that he has no need to say to ,god1 ,forgive us our debts8 ,and such a man is not great1 but swollen and puffed up with vanity1 and is justly resisted by ,him who abundantly gives grace to the humble4 ,whence it is said1 ,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble4#fga ,in this1 then1 consists the righteousness of a man1 that he submit himself to ,god1 his body to his soul1 and his vices1 even when they rebel1 to his reason1 which either defeats or at least resists them2 and also that he beg from ,god grace to do his duty1#fgb and the pardon of his sins1 and that he render to ,god thanks for all the blessings he receives4 ,but1 in that final peace to which all our righteousness has reference1 and for the sake of which it is maintained1 as our nature shall enjoy a sound immortality and incorruption1 and shall have no more vices1 and as we shall experience no resistance either from ourselves or from others1 it will not be necessary that reason should rule vices which no longer exist1 but ,god shall rule the man1 and the soul shall rule the body1 with a sweetness and facility suitable to the felicity of a life which is done with bondage4 ,and this condition shall there be eternal1 and we shall be assured of its eternity2 and thus the peace of this blessedness and the blessedness of this peace shall be the supreme good4 #bh4 ,the end of the wicked4 ,but1 on the other hand1 they who do not belong to this city of ,god shall inherit eternal misery1 which is also called the second death1 because the soul shall then be separated from ,god its life1 and therefore cannot be said to live1 and the body shall be subjected to eternal pains4 ,and consequently this second death shall be the more severe1 because no death shall terminate it4 ,but war being contrary to peace1 as misery to happiness1 and life to death1 it is not without reason asked what kind of war can be found in the end of the wicked answering to the peace which is declared to be the end of the righteous8 ,the person who puts this question has only to observe what it is in war that is hurtful and destructive1 and he shall see that it is nothing else than the mutual opposition and conflict of things4 ,and can he conceive a more grievous and bitter war than that in which the will is so opposed to passion1 and passion to the will1 that their hostility can never be terminated by the victory of either1 and in which the violence of pain so conflicts with the nature of the body1 that neither yields to the other8 ,for in this life1 when this conflict has arisen1 either pain conquers and death expels the feeling of it1 or nature conquers and health expels the pain4 ,but in the world to come the pain continues that it may torment1 and the nature endures that it may be sensible of it2 and neither ceases to exist1 lest punishment also should cease4 ,now1 as it is through the last judgment that men pass to these ends1 the good to the supreme good1 the evil to the supreme evil1 ,i will treat of this judgment in the following book4 ,,footnotes3 #fai ,not extant4 #fbj ,alluding to the vexed question whether virtue could be taught4 #fba ,the prima natur1 or of the ,stoics4 #fbb ,frequently called the ,middle ,academy2 the ,new beginning with ,carneades4 #fbc ,hab4 ii4 #d4 #fbd ,ps4 xciv4 #aa1 and #a ,cor4 iii4 #bj4 #fbe ,wisdom ix4 #ae4 #fbf ,cicero1 ,tusc4 ,qust4 iii4 #h4 #fbg ,gal4 v4 #ag4 #fbh ,rom4 viii4 #bd4 #fbi ,terent4 ,adelph4 v4 #d4 #fcj ,eunuch4 i4 #a4 #fca ,in ,verrem1 ii4 #a4 #ae4 #fcb ,matt4 x4 #cf4 #fcc ,ps4 xxv4 #ag4 #fcd ,job vii4 #a4 #fce ,matt4 xvii4 #g4 #fcf ,matt4 xxiv4 #ab4 #fcg #b ,cor4 xi4 #ad4 #fch ,ps4 cxlvii4 #ab-ad4 #fci ,rom4 vi4 #bb4 #fdj ,he refers to the giant ,cacus4 #fda neid1 viii4 #aie4 #fdb ,john viii4 #dd4 #fdc #a ,tim4 v4 #h4 #fdd ,gen4 i4 #bf4 #fde ,servus1 a slave1 from servare1 to preserve4 #fdf ,dan4 ix4 #fdg ,john viii4 #cd4 #fdh #b ,pet4 ii4 #ai4 #fdi ,the patriarchs4 #fej #a ,cor4 xiii4 #i4 #fea ,hab4 ii4 #d4 #feb #b ,cor4 v4 #f4 #fec ,ch4 #f4 #fed #a ,tim4 iii4 #a4 #fee ,augustine's words are3 1 quippe 'super2' 1 vero1 'intentio' est3 1 si velimus1 latine 'superintendere' possumus dicere4 #fef ,ch4 #ba4 #feg ,ex4 xxii4 #bj4 #feh ,gen4 xxii4 #ah4 #fei ,ex4 xxii4 #bj4 #ffj ,ps4 xcvi4 #e4 #ffa ,augustine here warns his readers against a possible misunderstanding of the ,latin word for alone 7soli71 which might be rendered the sun4 #ffb ,ps4 xvi4 #b4 #ffc ,ps4 cxliv4 #ae4 #ffd #a ,tim4 ii4 #b2 var4 reading1 purity4 #ffe ,jer4 xxix4 #g4 #fff ,matt4 vi4 #ab4 #ffg ,jas4 ii4 #ag4 #ffh ,gal4 v4 #f4 #ffi ,wisdom ix4 #ae4 #fgj ,job vii4 #a4 #fga ,jas4 iv4 #f2 #a ,pet4 v4 #e4 #fgb ,gratia meritorum4 ,,book ,,twentieth4 ,,argument4 ,,concerning ,,the ,,last ,,judgment1 ,,and ,,the ,,declarations ,,regarding ,,it ,,in ,,the ,,old ,,and ,,new ,,testaments4 #a4 ,that although ,god is always judging1 it is nevertheless reasonable to confine our attention in this book to ,his last judgment4 ,intending to speak1 in dependence on ,god's grace1 of the day of ,his final judgment1 and to affirm it against the ungodly and incredulous1 we must first of all lay1 as it were1 in the foundation of the edifice the divine declarations4 ,those persons who do not believe such declarations do their best to oppose to them false and illusive sophisms of their own1 either contending that what is adduced from ,scripture has another meaning1 or altogether denying that it is an utterance of ,god's4 ,for ,i suppose no man who understands what is written1 and believes it to be communicated by the supreme and true ,god through holy men1 refuses to yield and consent to these declarations1 whether he orally confesses his consent1 or is from some evil influence ashamed or afraid to do so2 or even1 with an opinionativeness closely resembling madness1 makes strenuous efforts to defend what he knows and believes to be false against what he knows and believes to be true4 ,that1 therefore1 which the whole ,church of the true ,god holds and professes as its creed1 that ,christ shall come from heaven to judge quick and dead1 this we call the last day1 or last time1 of the divine judgment4 ,for we do not know how many days this judgment may occupy2 but no one who reads the ,scriptures1 however negligently1 need be told that in them day is customarily used for time4 ,and when we speak of the day of ,god's judgment1 we add the word last or final for this reason1 because even now ,god judges1 and has judged from the beginning of human history1 banishing from paradise1 and excluding from the tree of life1 those first men who perpetrated so great a sin4 ,yea1 ,he was certainly exercising judgment also when ,he did not spare the angels who sinned1 whose prince1 overcome by envy1 seduced men after being himself seduced4 ,neither is it without ,god's profound and just judgment that the life of demons and men1 the one in the air1 the other on earth1 is filled with misery1 calamities1 and mistakes4 ,and even though no one had sinned1 it could only have been by the good and right judgment of ,god that the whole rational creation could have been maintained in eternal blessedness by a persevering adherence to its ,lord4 ,he judges1 too1 not only in the mass1 condemning the race of devils and the race of men to be miserable on account of the original sin of these races1 but ,he also judges the voluntary and personal acts of individuals4 ,for even the devils pray that they may not be tormented1#fgc which proves that without injustice they might either be spared or tormented according to their deserts4 ,and men are punished by ,god for their sins often visibly1 always secretly1 either in this life or after death1 although no man acts rightly save by the assistance of divine aid2 and no man or devil acts unrighteously save by the permission of the divine and most just judgment4 ,for1 as the apostle says1 ,there is no unrighteousness with ,god2#fgd and as he elsewhere says1 ,his judgments are inscrutable1 and ,his ways past finding out4#fge ,in this book1 then1 ,i shall speak1 as ,god permits1 not of those first judgments1 nor of these intervening judgments of ,god1 but of the last judgment1 when ,christ is to come from heaven to judge the quick and the dead4 ,for that day is properly called the day of judgment1 because in it there shall be no room left for the ignorant questioning why this wicked person is happy and that righteous man unhappy4 ,in that day true and full happiness shall be the lot of none but the good1 while deserved and supreme misery shall be the portion of the wicked1 and of them only4 #b4 ,that in the mingled web of human affairs ,god's judgment is present1 though it cannot be discerned4 ,in this present time we learn to bear with equanimity the ills to which even good men are subject1 and to hold cheap the blessings which even the wicked enjoy4 ,and consequently1 even in those conditions of life in which the justice of ,god is not apparent1 ,his teaching is salutary4 ,for we do not know by what judgment of ,god this good man is poor and that bad man rich2 why he who1 in our opinion1 ought to suffer acutely for his abandoned life enjoys himself1 while sorrow pursues him whose praiseworthy life leads us to suppose he should be happy2 why the innocent man is dismissed from the bar not only unavenged1 but even condemned1 being either wronged by the iniquity of the judge1 or overwhelmed by false evidence1 while his guilty adversary1 on the other hand1 is not only discharged with impunity1 but even has his claims admitted2 why the ungodly enjoys good health1 while the godly pines in sickness2 why ruffians are of the soundest constitution1 while they who could not hurt any one even with a word are from infancy afflicted with complicated disorders2 why he who is useful to society is cut off by premature death1 while those who1 as it might seem1 ought never to have been so much as born have lives of unusual length2 why he who is full of crimes is crowned with honours1 while the blameless man is buried in the darkness of neglect4 ,but who can collect or enumerate all the contrasts of this kind8 ,but if this anomalous state of things were uniform in this life1 in which1 as the sacred ,psalmist says1 ,man is like to vanity1 his days as a shadow that passeth away1#fgf--so uniform that none but wicked men won the transitory prosperity of earth1 while only the good suffered its ills1--this could be referred to the just and even benign judgment of ,god4 ,we might suppose that they who were not destined to obtain those everlasting benefits which constitute human blessedness were either deluded by transitory blessings as the just reward of their wickedness1 or were1 in ,god's mercy1 consoled by them1 and that they who were not destined to suffer eternal torments were afflicted with temporal chastisement for their sins1 or were stimulated to greater attainment in virtue4 ,but now1 as it is1 since we not only see good men involved in the ills of life1 and bad men enjoying the good of it1 which seems unjust1 but also that evil often overtakes evil men1 and good surprises the good1 the rather on this account are ,god's judgments unsearchable1 and ,his ways past finding out4 ,although1 therefore1 we do not know by what judgment these things are done or permitted to be done by ,god1 with whom is the highest virtue1 the highest wisdom1 the highest justice1 no infirmity1 no rashness1 no unrighteousness1 yet it is salutary for us to learn to hold cheap such things1 be they good or evil1 as attach indifferently to good men and bad1 and to covet those good things which belong only to good men1 and flee those evils which belong only to evil men4 ,but when we shall have come to that judgment1 the date of which is called peculiarly the day of judgment1 and sometimes the day of the ,lord1 we shall then recognise the justice of all ,god's judgments1 not only of such as shall then be pronounced1 but of all which take effect from the beginning1 or may take effect before that time4 ,and in that day we shall also recognise with what justice so many1 or almost all1 the just judgments of ,god in the present life defy the scrutiny of human sense or insight1 though in this matter it is not concealed from pious minds that what is concealed is just4 #c4 ,what ,solomon1 in the book of ,ecclesiastes1 says regarding the things which happen alike to good and wicked men4 ,solomon1 the wisest king of ,israel1 who reigned in ,jerusalem1 thus commences the book called ,ecclesiastes1 which the ,jews number among their canonical ,scriptures3 ,vanity of vanities1 said ,ecclesiastes1 vanity of vanities2 all is vanity4 ,what profit hath a man of all his labour which he hath taken under the sun8#fgg ,and after going on to enumerate1 with this as his text1 the calamities and delusions of this life1 and the shifting nature of the present time1 in which there is nothing substantial1 nothing lasting1 he bewails1 among the other vanities that are under the sun1 this also1 that though wisdom excelleth folly as light excelleth darkness1 and though the eyes of the wise man are in his head1 while the fool walketh in darkness1#fgh yet one event happeneth to them all1 that is to say1 in this life under the sun1 unquestionably alluding to those evils which we see befall good and bad men alike4 ,he says1 further1 that the good suffer the ills of life as if they were evil-doers1 and the bad enjoy the good of life as if they were good4 ,there is a vanity which is done upon the earth2 that there be just men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked3 again1 there be wicked men1 to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous4 ,i said1 that this also is vanity4#fgi ,this wisest man devoted this whole book to a full exposure of this vanity1 evidently with no other object than that we might long for that life in which there is no vanity under the sun1 but verity under ,him who made the sun4 ,in this vanity1 then1 was it not by the just and righteous judgment of ,god that man1 made like to vanity1 was destined to pass away8 ,but in these days of vanity it makes an important difference whether he resists or yields to the truth1 and whether he is destitute of true piety or a partaker of it1--important not so far as regards the acquirement of the blessings or the evasion of the calamities of this transitory and vain life1 but in connection with the future judgment which shall make over to good men good things1 and to bad men bad things1 in permanent1 inalienable possession4 ,in fine1 this wise man concludes this book of his by saying1 ,fear ,god1 and keep ,his commandments3 for this is every man4 ,for ,god shall bring every work into judgment1 with every despised person1 whether it be good1 or whether it be evil4#fhj ,what truer1 terser1 more salutary enouncement could be made8 ,fear ,god1 he says1 and keep ,his commandments3 for this is every man4 ,for whosoever has real existence1 is this1 is a keeper of ,god's commandments2 and he who is not this1 is nothing4 ,for so long as he remains in the likeness of vanity1 he is not renewed in the image of the truth4 ,for ,god shall bring into judgment every work1--that is1 whatever man does in this life1--whether it be good or whether it be evil1 with every despised person1--that is1 with every man who here seems despicable1 and is therefore not considered2 for ,god sees even him1 and does not despise him nor pass him over in ,his judgment4 #d4 ,that proofs of the last judgment will be adduced1 first from the ,new ,testament1 and then from the ,old4 ,the proofs1 then1 of this last judgment of ,god which ,i propose to adduce shall be drawn first from the ,new ,testament1 and then from the ,old4 ,for although the ,old ,testament is prior in point of time1 the ,new has the precedence in intrinsic value2 for the ,old acts the part of herald to the ,new4 ,we shall therefore first cite passages from the ,new ,testament1 and confirm them by quotations from the ,old ,testament4 ,the ,old contains the law and the prophets1 the ,new the gospel and the apostolic epistles4 ,now the apostle says1 ,by the law is the knowledge of sin4 ,but now the righteousness of ,god without the law is manifested1 being witnessed by the law and the prophets2 now the righteousness of ,god is by faith of ,jesus ,christ upon all them that believe4#fha ,this righteousness of ,god belongs to the ,new ,testament1 and evidence for it exists in the old books1 that is to say1 in the law and the prophets4 ,i shall first1 then1 state the case1 and then call the witnesses4 ,this order ,jesus ,christ ,himself directs us to observe1 saying1 ,the scribe instructed in the kingdom of ,god is like a good householder1 bringing out of his treasure things new and old4#fhb ,he did not say old and new1 which ,he certainly would have said had ,he not wished to follow the order of merit rather than that of time4 #e4 ,the passages in which the ,saviour declares that there shall be a divine judgment in the end of the world4 ,the ,saviour ,himself1 while reproving the cities in which ,he had done great works1 but which had not believed1 and while setting them in unfavourable comparison with foreign cities1 says1 ,but ,i say unto you1 ,it shall be more tolerable for ,tyre and ,sidon at the day of judgment than for you4#fhc ,and a little after ,he says1 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,it shall be more tolerable for the land of ,sodom in the day of judgment than for thee4#fhd ,here ,he most plainly predicts that a day of judgment is to come4 ,and in another place ,he says1 ,the men of ,nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation1 and shall condemn it3 because they repented at the preaching of ,jonas2 and1 behold1 a greater than ,jonas is here4 ,the queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation1 and shall condemn it3 for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the words of ,solomon2 and1 behold1 a greater than ,solomon is here4#fhe ,two things we learn from this passage1 that a judgment is to take place1 and that it is to take place at the resurrection of the dead4 ,for when ,he spoke of the ,ninevites and the queen of the south1 ,he certainly spoke of dead persons1 and yet ,he said that they should rise up in the day of judgment4 ,he did not say1 ,they shall condemn1 as if they themselves were to be the judges1 but because1 in comparison with them1 the others shall be justly condemned4 ,again1 in another passage1 in which ,he was speaking of the present intermingling and future separation of the good and bad1--the separation which shall be made in the day of judgment1--,he adduced a comparison drawn from the sown wheat and the tares sown among them1 and gave this explanation of it to ,his disciples3 ,he that soweth the good seed is the ,son of man1#fhf etc4 ,here1 indeed1 ,he did not name the judgment or the day of judgment1 but indicated it much more clearly by describing the circumstances1 and foretold that it should take place in the end of the world4 ,in like manner ,he says to ,his disciples1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,that ye which have followed me1 in the regeneration1 when the ,son of man shall sit on the throne of ,his glory1 ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones1 judging the twelve tribes of ,israel4#fhg ,here we learn that ,jesus shall judge with ,his disciples4 ,and therefore ,he said elsewhere to the ,jews1 ,if ,i by ,beelzebub cast out devils1 by whom do your sons cast them out8 ,therefore they shall be your judges4#fhh ,neither ought we to suppose that only twelve men shall judge along with ,him1 though ,he says that they shall sit upon twelve thrones1 for by the number twelve is signified the completeness of the multitude of those who shall judge4 ,for the two parts of the number seven 7which commonly symbolizes totality71 that is to say1 four and three1 multiplied into one another1 give twelve4 ,for four times three1 or three times four1 are twelve4 ,there are other meanings1 too1 in this number twelve4 ,were not this the right interpretation of the twelve thrones1 then since we read that ,matthias was ordained an apostle in the room of ,judas the traitor1 the ,apostle ,paul1 though he laboured more than them all1#fhi should have no throne of judgment2 but he unmistakeably considers himself to be included in the number of the judges when he says1 ,know ye not that we shall judge angels8#fij ,the same rule is to be observed in applying the number twelve to those who are to be judged4 ,for though it was said1 judging the twelve tribes of ,israel1 the tribe of ,levi1 which is the thirteenth1 shall not on this account be exempt from judgment1 neither shall judgment be passed only on ,israel and not on the other nations4 ,and by the words in the regeneration ,he certainly meant the resurrection of the dead to be understood2 for our flesh shall be regenerated by incorruption1 as our soul is regenerated by faith4 ,many passages ,i omit1 because1 though they seem to refer to the last judgment1 yet on a closer examination they are found to be ambiguous1 or to allude rather to some other event1--whether to that coming of the ,saviour which continually occurs in ,his ,church1 that is1 in ,his members1 in which ,he comes little by little1 and piece by piece1 since the whole ,church is ,his body1 or to the destruction of the earthly ,jerusalem4 ,for when ,he speaks even of this1 ,he often uses language which is applicable to the end of the world and that last and great day of judgment1 so that these two events cannot be distinguished unless all the corresponding passages bearing on the subject in the three evangelists1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 are compared with one another1--for some things are put more obscurely by one evangelist and more plainly by another1--so that it becomes apparent what things are meant to be referred to one event4 ,it is this which ,i have been at pains to do in a letter which ,i wrote to ,hesychius of blessed memory1 bishop of ,salon1 and entitled1 ,of the ,end of the ,world4#fia ,i shall now cite from the ,gospel according to ,matthew the passage which speaks of the separation of the good from the wicked by the most efficacious and final judgment of ,christ3 ,when the ,son of man1 he says1 shall come in ,his glory1 444 then shall ,he say also unto them on ,his left hand1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels4#fib ,then ,he in like manner recounts to the wicked the things they had not done1 but which ,he had said those on the right hand had done4 ,and when they ask when they had seen ,him in need of these things1 ,he replies that1 inasmuch as they had not done it to the least of ,his brethren1 they had not done it unto ,him1 and concludes ,his address in the words1 ,and these shall go away into everlasting punishment1 but the righteous into life eternal4 ,moreover1 the evangelist ,john most distinctly states that ,he had predicted that the judgment should be at the resurrection of the dead4 ,for after saying1 ,the ,father judgeth no man1 but hath committed all judgment unto the ,son2 that all men should honour the ,son1 even as they honour the ,father3 he that honoureth not the ,son1 honoureth not the ,father which hath sent ,him2 ,he immediately adds1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that heareth my word and believeth on ,him that sent me1 hath everlasting life1 and shall not come into judgment2 but is passed from death to life4#fic ,here ,he said that believers on ,him should not come into judgment4 ,how1 then1 shall they be separated from the wicked by judgment1 and be set at ,his right hand1 unless judgment be in this passage used for condemnation8 ,for into judgment1 in this sense1 they shall not come who hear ,his word1 and believe on ,him that sent ,him4 #f4 ,what is the first resurrection1 and what the second4 ,after that ,he adds the words1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,the hour is coming1 and now is1 when the dead shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god2 and they that hear shall live4 ,for as the ,father hath life in ,himself2 so hath ,he given to the ,son to have life in ,himself4#fid ,as yet ,he does not speak of the second resurrection1 that is1 the resurrection of the body1 which shall be in the end1 but of the first1 which now is4 ,it is for the sake of making this distinction that ,he says1 ,the hour is coming1 and now is4 ,now this resurrection regards not the body1 but the soul4 ,for souls1 too1 have a death of their own in wickedness and sins1 whereby they are the dead of whom the same lips say1 ,suffer the dead to bury their dead1#fie--that is1 let those who are dead in soul bury them that are dead in body4 ,it is of these dead1 then--the dead in ungodliness and wickedness--that ,he says1 ,the hour is coming1 and now is1 when the dead shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god2 and they that hear shall live4 ,they that hear1 that is1 they who obey1 believe1 and persevere to the end4 ,here no difference is made between the good and the bad4 ,for it is good for all men to hear ,his voice and live1 by passing to the life of godliness from the death of ungodliness4 ,of this death the ,apostle ,paul says1 ,therefore all are dead1 and ,he died for all1 that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves1 but unto ,him which died for them and rose again4#fif ,thus all1 without one exception1 were dead in sins1 whether original or voluntary sins1 sins of ignorance1 or sins committed against knowledge2 and for all the dead there died the one only person who lived1 that is1 who had no sin whatever1 in order that they who live by the remission of their sins should live1 not to themselves1 but to ,him who died for all1 for our sins1 and rose again for our justification1 that we1 believing in ,him who justifies the ungodly1 and being justified from ungodliness or quickened from death1 may be able to attain to the first resurrection which now is4 ,for in this first resurrection none have a part save those who shall be eternally blessed2 but in the second1 of which ,he goes on to speak1 all1 as we shall learn1 have a part1 both the blessed and the wretched4 ,the one is the resurrection of mercy1 the other of judgment4 ,and therefore it is written in the psalm1 ,i will sing of mercy and of judgment3 unto ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 will ,i sing4#fig ,and of this judgment ,he went on to say1 ,and hath given ,him authority to execute judgment also1 because ,he is the ,son of man4 ,here ,he shows that ,he will come to judge in that flesh in which ,he had come to be judged4 ,for it is to show this ,he says1 because ,he is the ,son of man4 ,and then follow the words for our purpose3 ,marvel not at this3 for the hour is coming1 in the which all that are in the graves shall hear ,his voice1 and shall come forth2 they that have done good1 unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil1 unto the resurrection of judgment4#fih ,this judgment ,he uses here in the same sense as a little before1 when ,he says1 ,he that heareth my word1 and believeth on ,him that sent me1 hath everlasting life1 and shall not come into judgment1 but is passed from death to life2 i4e41 by having a part in the first resurrection1 by which a transition from death to life is made in this present time1 he shall not come into damnation1 which ,he mentions by the name of judgment1 as also in the place where ,he says1 but they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment1 i4e4 of damnation4 ,he1 therefore1 who would not be damned in the second resurrection1 let him rise in the first4 ,for the hour is coming1 and now is1 when the dead shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god2 and they that hear shall live1 i4e4 shall not come into damnation1 which is called the second death2 into which death1 after the second or bodily resurrection1 they shall be hurled who do not rise in the first or spiritual resurrection4 ,for the hour is coming 7but here ,he does not say1 and now is1 because it shall come in the end of the world in the last and greatest judgment of ,god7 when all that are in the graves shall hear ,his voice and shall come forth4 ,he does not say1 as in the first resurrection1 ,and they that hear shall live4 ,for all shall not live1 at least with such life as ought alone to be called life because it alone is blessed4 ,for some kind of life they must have in order to hear1 and come forth from the graves in their rising bodies4 ,and why all shall not live ,he teaches in the words that follow3 ,they that have done good1 to the resurrection of life1--these are they who shall live2 but they that have done evil1 to the resurrection of judgment1--these are they who shall not live1 for they shall die in the second death4 ,they have done evil because their life has been evil2 and their life has been evil because it has not been renewed in the first or spiritual resurrection which now is1 or because they have not persevered to the end in their renewed life4 ,as1 then1 there are two regenerations1 of which ,i have already made mention1--the one according to faith1 and which takes place in the present life by means of baptism2 the other according to the flesh1 and which shall be accomplished in its incorruption and immortality by means of the great and final judgment1--so are there also two resurrections1--the one the first and spiritual resurrection1 which has place in this life1 and preserves us from coming into the second death2 the other the second1 which does not occur now1 but in the end of the world1 and which is of the body1 not of the soul1 and which by the last judgment shall dismiss some into the second death1 others into that life which has no death4 #g4 ,what is written in the ,revelation of ,john regarding the two resurrections1 and the thousand years1 and what may reasonably be held on these points4 ,the evangelist ,john has spoken of these two resurrections in the book which is called the ,apocalypse1 but in such a way that some ,christians do not understand the first of the two1 and so construe the passage into ridiculous fancies4 ,for the ,apostle ,john says in the foresaid book1 ,and ,i saw an angel come down from heaven4444 ,blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection3 on such the second death hath no power2 but they shall be priests of ,god and of ,christ1 and shall reign with ,him a thousand years4#fii ,those who1 on the strength of this passage1 have suspected that the first resurrection is future and bodily1 have been moved1 among other things1 specially by the number of a thousand years1 as if it were a fit thing that the saints should thus enjoy a kind of ,sabbath-rest during that period1 a holy leisure after the labours of the six thousand years since man was created1 and was on account of his great sin dismissed from the blessedness of paradise into the woes of this mortal life1 so that thus1 as it is written1 ,one day is with the ,lord as a thousand years1 and a thousand years as one day1#gjj there should follow on the completion of six thousand years1 as of six days1 a kind of seventh-day ,sabbath in the succeeding thousand years2 and that it is for this purpose the saints rise1 viz4 to celebrate this ,sabbath4 ,and this opinion would not be objectionable1 if it were believed that the joys of the saints in that ,sabbath shall be spiritual1 and consequent on the presence of ,god2 for ,i myself1 too1 once held this opinion4#gja ,but1 as they assert that those who then rise again shall enjoy the leisure of immoderate carnal banquets1 furnished with an amount of meat and drink such as not only to shock the feeling of the temperate1 but even to surpass the measure of credulity itself1 such assertions can be believed only by the carnal4 ,they who do believe them are called by the spiritual ,chiliasts1 which we may literally reproduce by the name ,millenarians4#gjb ,it were a tedious process to refute these opinions point by point3 we prefer proceeding to show how that passage of ,scripture should be understood4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,himself says1 ,no man can enter into a strong man's house1 and spoil his goods1 except he first bind the strong man1#gjc--meaning by the strong man the devil1 because he had power to take captive the human race2 and meaning by his goods which he was to take1 those who had been held by the devil in divers sins and iniquities1 but were to become believers in ,himself4 ,it was then for the binding of this strong one that the apostle saw in the ,apocalypse an angel coming down from heaven1 having the key of the abyss1 and a chain in his hand4 ,and he laid hold1 he says1 on the dragon1 that old serpent1 which is called the devil and ,satan1 and bound him a thousand years1--that is1 bridled and restrained his power so that he could not seduce and gain possession of those who were to be freed4 ,now the thousand years may be understood in two ways1 so far as occurs to me3 either because these things happen in the sixth thousand of years or sixth millennium 7the latter part of which is now passing71 as if during the sixth day1 which is to be followed by a ,sabbath which has no evening1 the endless rest of the saints1 so that1 speaking of a part under the name of the whole1 he calls the last part of the millennium--the part1 that is1 which had yet to expire before the end of the world--a thousand years2 or he used the thousand years as an equivalent for the whole duration of this world1 employing the number of perfection to mark the fulness of time4 ,for a thousand is the cube of ten4 ,for ten times ten makes a hundred1 that is1 the square on a plane superficies4 ,but to give this superficies height1 and make it a cube1 the hundred is again multiplied by ten1 which gives a thousand4 ,besides1 if a hundred is sometimes used for totality1 as when the ,lord said by way of promise to him that left all and followed ,him1 ,he shall receive in this world an hundredfold2#gjd of which the apostle gives1 as it were1 an explanation when he says1 ,as having nothing1 yet possessing all things1#gje--;for even of old it had been said1 ,the whole world is the wealth of a believer1--with how much greater reason is a thousand put for totality since it is the cube1 while the other is only the square8 ,and for the same reason we cannot better interpret the words of the psalm1 ,he hath been mindful of ,his covenant for ever1 the word which ,he commanded to a thousand generations1#gjf than by understanding it to mean to all generations4 ,and he cast him into the abyss1--i4e4 cast the devil into the abyss4 ,by the abyss is meant the countless multitude of the wicked whose hearts are unfathomably deep in malignity against the ,church of ,god2 not that the devil was not there before1 but he is said to be cast in thither1 because1 when prevented from harming believers1 he takes more complete possession of the ungodly4 ,for that man is more abundantly possessed by the devil who is not only alienated from ,god1 but also gratuitously hates those who serve ,god4 ,and shut him up1 and set a seal upon him1 that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled4 ,shut him up1--i4e4 prohibited him from going out1 from doing what was forbidden4 ,and the addition of set a seal upon him seems to me to mean that it was designed to keep it a secret who belonged to the devil's party and who did not4 ,for in this world this is a secret1 for we cannot tell whether even the man who seems to stand shall fall1 or whether he who seems to lie shall rise again4 ,but by the chain and prisonhouse of this interdict the devil is prohibited and restrained from seducing those nations which belong to ,christ1 but which he formerly seduced or held in subjection4 ,for before the foundation of the world ,god chose to rescue these from the power of darkness1 and to translate them into the kingdom of the ,son of ,his love1 as the apostle says4#gjg ,for what ,christian is not aware that he seduces nations even now1 and draws them with himself to eternal punishment1 but not those predestined to eternal life8 ,and let no one be dismayed by the circumstance that the devil often seduces even those who have been regenerated in ,christ1 and begun to walk in ,god's way4 ,for the ,lord knoweth them that are ,his1#gjh and of these the devil seduces none to eternal damnation4 ,for it is as ,god1 from whom nothing is hid even of things future1 that the ,lord knows them2 not as a man1 who sees a man at the present time 7if he can be said to see one whose heart he does not see71 but does not see even himself so far as to be able to know what kind of person he is to be4 ,the devil1 then1 is bound and shut up in the abyss that he may not seduce the nations from which the ,church is gathered1 and which he formerly seduced before the ,church existed4 ,for it is not said that he should not seduce any man1 but that he should not seduce the nations--meaning1 no doubt1 those among which the ,church exists--till the thousand years should be fulfilled1--i4e4 either what remains of the sixth day which consists of a thousand years1 or all the years which are to elapse till the end of the world4 ,the words1 that he should not seduce the nations till the thousand years should be fulfilled1 are not to be understood as indicating that afterwards he is to seduce only those nations from which the predestined ,church is composed1 and from seducing whom he is restrained by that chain and imprisonment2 but they are used in conformity with that usage frequently employed in ,scripture and exemplified in the psalm1 ,so our eyes wait upon the ,lord our ,god1 until ,he have mercy upon us1#gji--not as if the eyes of ,his servants would no longer wait upon the ,lord their ,god when ,he had mercy upon them4 ,or the order of the words is unquestionably this1 ,and he shut him up and set a seal upon him1 till the thousand years should be fulfilled2 and the interposed clause1 that he should seduce the nations no more1 is not to be understood in the connection in which it stands1 but separately1 and as if added afterwards1 so that the whole sentence might be read1 ,and ,he shut him up and set a seal upon him till the thousand years should be fulfilled1 that he should seduce the nations no more1--i4e4 he is shut up till the thousand years be fulfilled1 on this account1 that he may no more deceive the nations4 #h4 ,of the binding and loosing of the devil4 ,after that1 says ,john1 he must be loosed a little season4 ,if the binding and shutting up of the devil means his being made unable to seduce the ,church1 must his loosing be the recovery of this ability8 ,by no means4 ,for the ,church predestined and elected before the foundation of the world1 the ,church of which it is said1 ,the ,lord knoweth them that are ,his1 shall never be seduced by him4 ,and yet there shall be a ,church in this world even when the devil shall be loosed1 as there has been since the beginning1 and shall be always1 the places of the dying being filled by new believers4 ,for a little after ,john says that the devil1 being loosed1 shall draw the nations whom he has seduced in the whole world to make war against the ,church1 and that the number of these enemies shall be as the sand of the sea4 ,and they went up on the breadth of the earth1 and compassed the camp of the saints about1 and the beloved city3 and fire came down from ,god out of heaven and devoured them4 ,and the devil who seduced them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone1 where the beast and the false prophet are1 and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever4#gaj ,this relates to the last judgment1 but ,i have thought fit to mention it now1 lest any one might suppose that in that short time during which the devil shall be loose there shall be no ,church upon earth1 whether because the devil finds no ,church1 or destroys it by manifold persecutions4 ,the devil1 then1 is not bound during the whole time which this book embraces1--that is1 from the first coming of ,christ to the end of the world1 when ,he shall come the second time1--not bound in this sense1 that during this interval1 which goes by the name of a thousand years1 he shall not seduce the ,church1 for not even when loosed shall he seduce it4 ,for certainly if his being bound means that he is not able or not permitted to seduce the ,church1 what can the loosing of him mean but his being able or permitted to do so8 ,but ,god forbid that such should be the case6 ,but the binding of the devil is his being prevented from the exercise of his whole power to seduce men1 either by violently forcing or fraudulently deceiving them into taking part with him4 ,if he were during so long a period permitted to assail the weakness of men1 very many persons1 such as ,god would not wish to expose to such temptation1 would have their faith overthrown1 or would be prevented from believing2 and that this might not happen1 he is bound4 ,but when the short time comes he shall be loosed4 ,for he shall rage with the whole force of himself and his angels for three years and six months2 and those with whom he makes war shall have power to withstand all his violence and stratagems4 ,and if he were never loosed1 his malicious power would be less patent1 and less proof would be given of the stedfast fortitude of the holy city3 it would1 in short1 be less manifest what good use the ,almighty makes of his great evil4 ,for the ,almighty does not absolutely seclude the saints from his temptation1 but shelters only their inner man1 where faith resides1 that by outward temptation they may grow in grace4 ,and ,he binds him that he may not1 in the free and eager exercise of his malice1 hinder or destroy the faith of those countless weak persons1 already believing or yet to believe1 from whom the ,church must be increased and completed2 and he will in the end loose him1 that the city of ,god may see how mighty an adversary it has conquered1 to the great glory of its ,redeemer1 ,helper1 ,deliverer4 ,and what are we in comparison with those believers and saints who shall then exist1 seeing that they shall be tested by the loosing of an enemy with whom we make war at the greatest peril even when he is bound8 ,although it is also certain that even in this intervening period there have been and are some soldiers of ,christ so wise and strong1 that if they were to be alive in this mortal condition at the time of his loosing1 they would both most wisely guard against1 and most patiently endure1 all his snares and assaults4 ,now the devil was thus bound not only when the ,church began to be more and more widely extended among the nations beyond ,judea1 but is now and shall be bound till the end of the world1 when he is to be loosed4 ,because even now men are1 and doubtless to the end of the world shall be1 converted to the faith from the unbelief in which he held them4 ,and this strong one is bound in each instance in which he is spoiled of one of his goods2 and the abyss in which he is shut up is not at an end when those die who were alive when first he was shut up in it1 but these have been succeeded1 and shall to the end of the world be succeeded1 by others born after them with a like hate of the ,christians1 and in the depth of whose blind hearts he is continually shut up as in an abyss4 ,but it is a question whether1 during these three years and six months when he shall be loose1 and raging with all his force1 any one who has not previously believed shall attach himself to the faith4 ,for how in that case would the words hold good1 ,who entereth into the house of a strong one to spoil his goods1 unless first he shall have bound the strong one8 ,consequently this verse seems to compel us to believe that during that time1 short as it is1 no one will be added to the ,christian community1 but that the devil will make war with those who have previously become ,christians1 and that1 though some of these may be conquered and desert to the devil1 these do not belong to the predestinated number of the sons of ,god3 ,for it is not without reason that ,john1 the same apostle as wrote this ,apocalypse1 says in his epistle regarding certain persons1 ,they went out from us1 but they were not of us2 for if they had been of us1 they would no doubt have remained with us4#gaa ,but what shall become of the little ones8 ,for it is beyond all belief that in these days there shall not be found some ,christian children born1 but not yet baptized1 and that there shall not also be some born during that very period2 and if there be such1 we cannot believe that their parents shall not find some way of bringing them to the laver of regeneration4 ,but if this shall be the case1 how shall these goods be snatched from the devil when he is loose1 since into his house no man enters to spoil his goods unless he has first bound him8 ,on the contrary1 we are rather to believe that in these days there shall be no lack either of those who fall away from1 or of those who attach themselves to the ,church2 but there shall be such resoluteness1 both in parents to seek baptism for their little ones1 and in those who shall then first believe1 that they shall conquer that strong one1 even though unbound1--that is1 shall both vigilantly comprehend1 and patiently bear up against him1 though employing such wiles and putting forth such force as he never before used2 and thus they shall be snatched from him even though unbound4 ,and yet the verse of the ,gospel will not be untrue1 ,who entereth into the house of the strong one to spoil his goods1 unless he shall first have bound the strong one8 ,for in accordance with this true saying that order is observed--the strong one first bound1 and then his goods spoiled2 for the ,church is so increased by the weak and strong from all nations far and near1 that by its most robust faith in things divinely predicted and accomplished1 it shall be able to spoil the goods of even the unbound devil4 ,for as we must own that1 when iniquity abounds1 the love of many waxes cold1#gab and that those who have not been written in the book of life shall in large numbers yield to the severe and unprecedented persecutions and stratagems of the devil now loosed1 so we cannot but think that not only those whom that time shall find sound in the faith1 but also some who till then shall be without1 shall become firm in the faith they have hitherto rejected1 and mighty to conquer the devil even though unbound1 ,god's grace aiding them to understand the ,scriptures1 in which1 among other things1 there is foretold that very end which they themselves see to be arriving4 ,and if this shall be so1 his binding is to be spoken of as preceding1 that there might follow a spoiling of him both bound and loosed2 for it is of this it is said1 ,who shall enter into the house of the strong one to spoil his goods1 unless he shall first have bound the strong one8 #i4 ,what the reign of the saints with ,christ for a thousand years is1 and how it differs from the eternal kingdom4 ,but while the devil is bound1 the saints reign with ,christ during the same thousand years1 understood in the same way1 that is1 of the time of ,his first coming4#gac ,for1 leaving out of account that kingdom concerning which ,he shall say in the end1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 take possession of the kingdom prepared for you1#gad the ,church could not now be called ,his kingdom or the kingdom of heaven unless ,his saints were even now reigning with ,him1 though in another and far different way2 for to ,his saints ,he says1 ,lo1 ,i am with you always1 even to the end of the world4#gae ,certainly it is in this present time that the scribe well instructed in the kingdom of ,god1 and of whom we have already spoken1 brings forth from his treasure things new and old4 ,and from the ,church those reapers shall gather out the tares which ,he suffered to grow with the wheat till the harvest1 as ,he explains in the words1 ,the harvest is the end of the world2 and the reapers are the angels4 ,as therefore the tares are gathered together and burned with fire1 so shall it be in the end of the world4 ,the ,son of man shall send ,his angels1 and they shall gather out of ,his kingdom all offences4#gaf ,can ,he mean out of that kingdom in which are no offences8 ,then it must be out of ,his present kingdom1 the ,church1 that they are gathered4 ,so ,he says1 ,he that breaketh one of the least of these commandments1 and teacheth men so1 shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven3 but he that doeth and teacheth thus shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven4#gag ,he speaks of both as being in the kingdom of heaven1 both the man who does not perform the commandments which ,he teaches1--for to break means not to keep1 not to perform1--and the man who does and teaches as ,he did2 but the one ,he calls least1 the other great4 ,and ,he immediately adds1 ,for ,i say unto you1 that except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and ,pharisees1--that is1 the righteousness of those who break what they teach2 for of the scribes and ,pharisees ,he elsewhere says1 ,for they say and do not2#gah--unless1 therefore1 your righteousness exceed theirs1 that is1 so that you do not break but rather do what you teach1 ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven4#gai ,we must understand in one sense the kingdom of heaven in which exist together both he who breaks what he teaches and he who does it1 the one being least1 the other great1 and in another sense the kingdom of heaven into which only he who does what he teaches shall enter4 ,consequently1 where both classes exist1 it is the ,church as it now is1 but where only the one shall exist1 it is the ,church as it is destined to be when no wicked person shall be in her4 ,therefore the ,church even now is the kingdom of ,christ1 and the kingdom of heaven4 ,accordingly1 even now ,his saints reign with ,him1 though otherwise than as they shall reign hereafter2 and yet1 though the tares grow in the ,church along with the wheat1 they do not reign with ,him4 ,for they reign with ,him who do what the apostle says1 ,if ye be risen with ,christ1 mind the things which are above1 where ,christ sitteth at the right hand of ,god4 ,seek those things which are above1 not the things which are on the earth4#gbj ,of such persons he also says that their conversation is in heaven4#gba ,in fine1 they reign with ,him who are so in ,his kingdom that they themselves are ,his kingdom4 ,but in what sense are those the kingdom of ,christ who1 to say no more1 though they are in it until all offences are gathered out of it at the end of the world1 yet seek their own things in it1 and not the things that are ,christ's8#gbb ,it is then of this kingdom militant1 in which conflict with the enemy is still maintained1 and war carried on with warring lusts1 or government laid upon them as they yield1 until we come to that most peaceful kingdom in which we shall reign without an enemy1 and it is of this first resurrection in the present life1 that the ,apocalypse speaks in the words just quoted4 ,for1 after saying that the devil is bound a thousand years and is afterwards loosed for a short season1 it goes on to give a sketch of what the ,church does or of what is done in the ,church in those days1 in the words1 ,and ,i saw seats and them that sat upon them1 and judgment was given4 ,it is not to be supposed that this refers to the last judgment1 but to the seats of the rulers and to the rulers themselves by whom the ,church is now governed4 ,and no better interpretation of judgment being given can be produced than that which we have in the words1 ,what ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven2 and what ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven4#gbc ,whence the apostle says1 ,what have ,i to do with judging them that are without8 do not ye judge them that are within8#gbd ,and the souls1 says ,john1 of those who were slain for the testimony of ,jesus and for the word of ,god1--understanding what he afterwards says1 reigned with ,christ a thousand years1#gbe--that is1 the souls of the martyrs not yet restored to their bodies4 ,for the souls of the pious dead are not separated from the ,church1 which even now is the kingdom of ,christ2 otherwise there would be no remembrance made of them at the altar of ,god in the partaking of the body of ,christ1 nor would it do any good in danger to run to ,his baptism1 that we might not pass from this life without it2 nor to reconciliation1 if by penitence or a bad conscience any one may be severed from ,his body4 ,for why are these things practised1 if not because the faithful1 even though dead1 are ,his members8 ,therefore1 while these thousand years run on1 their souls reign with ,him1 though not as yet in conjunction with their bodies4 ,and therefore in another part of this same book we read1 ,blessed are the dead who die in the ,lord from henceforth3 and now1 saith the ,spirit1 that they may rest from their labours2 for their works do follow them4#gbf ,the ,church1 then1 begins its reign with ,christ now in the living and in the dead4 ,for1 as the apostle says1 ,christ died that ,he might be ,lord both of the living and of the dead4#gbg ,but he mentioned the souls of the martyrs only1 because they who have contended even to death for the truth1 themselves principally reign after death2 but1 taking the part for the whole1 we understand the words of all others who belong to the ,church1 which is the kingdom of ,christ4 ,as to the words following1 ,and if any have not worshipped the beast nor his image1 nor have received his inscription on their forehead1 or on their hand1 we must take them of both the living and the dead4 ,and what this beast is1 though it requires a more careful investigation1 yet it is not inconsistent with the true faith to understand it of the ungodly city itself1 and the community of unbelievers set in opposition to the faithful people and the city of ,god4 ,his image seems to me to mean his simulation1 to wit1 in those men who profess to believe1 but live as unbelievers4 ,for they pretend to be what they are not1 and are called ,christians1 not from a true likeness1 but from a deceitful image4 ,for to this beast belong not only the avowed enemies of the name of ,christ and ,his most glorious city1 but also the tares which are to be gathered out of ,his kingdom1 the ,church1 in the end of the world4 ,and who are they who do not worship the beast and his image1 if not those who do what the apostle says1 ,be not yoked with unbelievers8#gbh ,for such do not worship1 i4e4 do not consent1 are not subjected2 neither do they receive the inscription1 the brand of crime1 on their forehead by their profession1 on their hand by their practice4 ,they1 then1 who are free from these pollutions1 whether they still live in this mortal flesh1 or are dead1 reign with ,christ even now1 through this whole interval which is indicated by the thousand years1 in a fashion suited to this time4 ,the rest of them1 he says1 did not live4 ,for now is the hour when the dead shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god1 and they that hear shall live2 and the rest of them shall not live4 ,the words added1 until the thousand years are finished1 mean that they did not live in the time in which they ought to have lived by passing from death to life4 ,and therefore1 when the day of the bodily resurrection arrives1 they shall come out of their graves1 not to life1 but to judgment1 namely1 to damnation1 which is called the second death4 ,for whosoever has not lived until the thousand years be finished1 i4e4 during this whole time in which the first resurrection is going on1--whosoever has not heard the voice of the ,son of ,god1 and passed from death to life1--that man shall certainly in the second resurrection1 the resurrection of the flesh1 pass with his flesh into the second death4 ,for he goes on to say1 ,this is the first resurrection4 ,blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection1 or who experiences it4 ,now he experiences it who not only revives from the death of sin1 but continues in this renewed life4 ,in these the second death hath no power4 ,therefore it has power in the rest1 of whom he said above1 ,the rest of them did not live until the thousand years were finished2 for in this whole intervening time1 called a thousand years1 however lustily they lived in the body1 they were not quickened to life out of that death in which their wickedness held them1 so that by this revived life they should become partakers of the first resurrection1 and so the second death should have no power over them4 #aj4 ,what is to be replied to those who think that resurrection pertains only to bodies and not to souls4 ,there are some who suppose that resurrection can be predicated only of the body1 and therefore they contend that this first resurrection 7of the ,apocalypse7 is a bodily resurrection4 ,for1 say they1 to rise again can only be said of things that fall4 ,now1 bodies fall in death4#gbi ,there cannot1 therefore1 be a resurrection of souls1 but of bodies4 ,but what do they say to the apostle who speaks of a resurrection of souls8 ,for certainly it was in the inner and not the outer man that those had risen again to whom he says1 ,if ye have risen with ,christ1 mind the things that are above4#gcj ,the same sense he elsewhere conveyed in other words1 saying1 ,that as ,christ has risen from the dead by the glory of the ,father1 so we also may walk in newness of life4#gca ,so1 too1 ,awake thou that sleepest1 and arise from the dead1 and ,christ shall give thee light4#gcb ,as to what they say about nothing being able to rise again but what falls1 whence they conclude that resurrection pertains to bodies only1 and not to souls1 because bodies fall1 why do they make nothing of the words1 ,ye that fear the ,lord1 wait for ,his mercy2 and go not aside lest ye fall2#gcc and ,to his own ,master he stands or falls2#gcd and ,he that thinketh he standeth1 let him take heed lest he fall8#gce ,for ,i fancy this fall that we are to take heed against is a fall of the soul1 not of the body4 ,if1 then1 rising again belongs to things that fall1 and souls fall1 it must be owned that souls also rise again4 ,to the words1 ,in them the second death hath no power1 are added the words1 but they shall be priests of ,god and ,christ1 and shall reign with ,him a thousand years2 and this refers not to the bishops alone1 and presbyters1 who are now specially called priests in the ,church2 but as we call all believers ,christians on account of the mystical chrism1 so we call all priests because they are members of the one ,priest4 ,of them the ,apostle ,peter says1 ,a holy people1 a royal priesthood4#gcf ,certainly he implied1 though in a passing and incidental way1 that ,christ is ,god1 saying priests of ,god and ,christ1 that is1 of the ,father and the ,son1 though it was in ,his servant-form and as ,son of man that ,christ was made a ,priest for ever after the order of ,melchisedec4 ,but this we have already explained more than once4 #aa4 ,of ,gog and ,magog1 who are to be roused by the devil to persecute the ,church1 when he is loosed in the end of the world4 ,and when the thousand years are finished1 ,satan shall be loosed from his prison1 and shall go out to seduce the nations which are in the four corners of the earth1 ,gog and ,magog1 and shall draw them to battle1 whose number is as the sand of the sea4 ,this1 then1 is his purpose in seducing them1 to draw them to this battle4 ,for even before this he was wont to use as many and various seductions as he could continue4 ,and the words he shall go out mean1 he shall burst forth from lurking hatred into open persecution4 ,for this persecution1 occurring while the final judgment is imminent1 shall be the last which shall be endured by the holy ,church throughout the world1 the whole city of ,christ being assailed by the whole city of the devil1 as each exists on earth4 ,for these nations which he names ,gog and ,magog are not to be understood of some barbarous nations in some part of the world1 whether the ,get and ,massaget1 as some conclude from the initial letters1 or some other foreign nations not under the ,roman government4 ,for ,john marks that they are spread over the whole earth1 when he says1 ,the nations which are in the four corners of the earth1 and he added that these are ,gog and ,magog4 ,the meaning of these names we find to be1 ,gog1 a roof1 ,magog1 from a roof1--a house1 as it were1 and he who comes out of the house4 ,they are therefore the nations in which we found that the devil was shut up as in an abyss1 and the devil himself coming out from them and going forth1 so that they are the roof1 he from the roof4 ,or if we refer both words to the nations1 not one to them and one to the devil1 then they are both the roof1 because in them the old enemy is at present shut up1 and as it were roofed in2 and they shall be from the roof when they break forth from concealed to open hatred4 ,the words1 ,and they went up on the breadth of the earth1 and encompassed the camp of the saints and the beloved city1 do not mean that they have come1 or shall come1 to one place1 as if the camp of the saints and the beloved city should be in some one place2 for this camp is nothing else than the ,church of ,christ extending over the whole world4 ,and consequently wherever the ,church shall be1--and it shall be in all nations1 as is signified by the breadth of the earth1--there also shall be the camp of the saints and the beloved city1 and there it shall be encompassed by the savage persecution of all its enemies2 for they too shall exist along with it in all nations1--that is1 it shall be straitened1 and hard pressed1 and shut up in the straits of tribulation1 but shall not desert its military duty1 which is signified by the word camp4 #ab4 ,whether the fire that came down out of heaven and devoured them refers to the last punishment of the wicked4 ,the words1 ,and fire came down out of heaven and devoured them1 are not to be understood of the final punishment which shall be inflicted when it is said1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire2#gcg for then they shall be cast into the fire1 not fire come down out of heaven upon them4 ,in this place fire out of heaven is well understood of the firmness of the saints1 wherewith they refuse to yield obedience to those who rage against them4 ,for the firmament is heaven1 by whose firmness these assailants shall be pained with blazing zeal1 for they shall be impotent to draw away the saints to the party of ,antichrist4 ,this is the fire which shall devour them1 and this is from ,god2 for it is by ,god's grace the saints become unconquerable1 and so torment their enemies4 ,for as in a good sense it is said1 ,the zeal of ,thine house hath consumed me1#gch so in a bad sense it is said1 ,zeal hath possessed the uninstructed people1 and now fire shall consume the enemies4#gci ,and now1 that is to say1 not the fire of the last judgment4 ,or if by this fire coming down out of heaven and consuming them1 ,john meant that blow wherewith ,christ in ,his coming is to strike those persecutors of the ,church whom ,he shall then find alive upon earth1 when ,he shall kill ,antichrist with the breath of ,his mouth1#gdj then even this is not the last judgment of the wicked2 but the last judgment is that which they shall suffer when the bodily resurrection has taken place4 #ac4 ,whether the time of the persecution of ,antichrist should be reckoned in the thousand years4 ,this last persecution by ,antichrist shall last for three years and six months1 as we have already said1 and as is affirmed both in the book of ,revelation and by ,daniel the prophet4 ,though this time is brief1 yet not without reason is it questioned whether it is comprehended in the thousand years in which the devil is bound and the saints reign with ,christ1 or whether this little season should be added over and above to these years4 ,for if we say that they are included in the thousand years1 then the saints reign with ,christ during a more protracted period than the devil is bound4 ,for they shall reign with their ,king and ,conqueror mightily even in that crowning persecution when the devil shall now be unbound and shall rage against them with all his might4 ,how then does ,scripture define both the binding of the devil and the reign of the saints by the same thousand years1 if the binding of the devil ceases three years and six months before this reign of the saints with ,christ8 ,on the other hand1 if we say that the brief space of this persecution is not to be reckoned as a part of the thousand years1 but rather as an additional period1 we shall indeed be able to interpret the words1 ,the priests of ,god and of ,christ shall reign with ,him a thousand years2 and when the thousand years shall be finished1 ,satan shall be loosed out of his prison2 for thus they signify that the reign of the saints and the bondage of the devil shall cease simultaneously1 so that the time of the persecution we speak of should be contemporaneous neither with the reign of the saints nor with the imprisonment of ,satan1 but should be reckoned over and above as a superadded portion of time4 ,but then in this case we are forced to admit that the saints shall not reign with ,christ during that persecution4 ,but who can dare to say that ,his members shall not reign with ,him at that very juncture when they shall most of all1 and with the greatest fortitude1 cleave to ,him1 and when the glory of resistance and the crown of martyrdom shall be more conspicuous in proportion to the hotness of the battle8 ,or if it is suggested that they may be said not to reign1 because of the tribulations which they shall suffer1 it will follow that all the saints who have formerly1 during the thousand years1 suffered tribulation1 shall not be said to have reigned with ,christ during the period of their tribulation1 and consequently even those whose souls the author of this book says that he saw1 and who were slain for the testimony of ,jesus and the word of ,god1 did not reign with ,christ when they were suffering persecution1 and they were not themselves the kingdom of ,christ1 though ,christ was then pre-eminently possessing them4 ,this is indeed perfectly absurd1 and to be scouted4 ,but assuredly the victorious souls of the glorious martyrs1 having overcome and finished all griefs and toils1 and having laid down their mortal members1 have reigned1 and do reign1 with ,christ till the thousand years are finished1 that they may afterwards reign with ,him when they have received their immortal bodies4 ,and therefore during these three years and a half the souls of those who were slain for ,his testimony1 both those which formerly passed from the body and those which shall pass in that last persecution1 shall reign with ,him till the mortal world come to an end1 and pass into that kingdom in which there shall be no death4 ,and thus the reign of the saints with ,christ shall last longer than the bonds and imprisonment of the devil1 because they shall reign with their ,king the ,son of ,god for these three years and a half during which the devil is no longer bound4 ,it remains1 therefore1 that when we read that the priests of ,god and of ,christ shall reign with ,him a thousand years2 and when the thousand years are finished1 the devil shall be loosed from his imprisonment1 that we understand either that the thousand years of the reign of the saints does not terminate1 though the imprisonment of the devil does1--so that both parties have their thousand years1 that is1 their complete time1 yet each with a different actual duration appropriate to itself1 the kingdom of the saints being longer1 the imprisonment of the devil shorter1--or at least that1 as three years and six months is a very short time1 it is not reckoned as either deducted from the whole time of ,satan's imprisonment1 or as added to the whole duration of the reign of the saints1 as we have shown above in the sixteenth book#gda regarding the round number of four hundred years1 which were specified as four hundred1 though actually somewhat more2 and similar expressions are often found in the sacred writings1 if one will mark them4 #ad4 ,of the damnation of the devil and his adherents2 and a sketch of the bodily resurrection of all the dead1 and of the final retributive judgment4 ,after this mention of the closing persecution1 he summarily indicates all that the devil1 and the city of which he is the prince1 shall suffer in the last judgment4 ,for he says1 ,and the devil who seduced them is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone1 in which are the beast and the false prophet1 and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever4 ,we have already said that by the beast is well understood the wicked city4 ,his false prophet is either ,antichrist or that image or figment of which we have spoken in the same place4 ,after this he gives a brief narrative of the last judgment itself1 which shall take place at the second or bodily resurrection of the dead1 as it had been revealed to him3 ,i saw a throne great and white1 and ,one sitting on it from whose face the heaven and the earth fled away1 and their place was not found4 ,he does not say1 ,i saw a throne great and white1 and ,one sitting on it1 and from ,his face the heaven and the earth fled away1 for it had not happened then1 i4e4 before the living and the dead were judged2 but he says that he saw ,him sitting on the throne from whose face heaven and earth fled away1 but afterwards4 ,for when the judgment is finished1 this heaven and earth shall cease to be1 and there will be a new heaven and a new earth4 ,for this world shall pass away by transmutation1 not by absolute destruction4 ,and therefore the apostle says1 ,for the figure of this world passeth away4 ,i would have you be without anxiety4#gdb ,the figure1 therefore1 passes away1 not the nature4 ,after ,john had said that he had seen ,one sitting on the throne from whose face heaven and earth fled1 though not till afterwards1 he said1 ,and ,i saw the dead1 great and small3 and the books were opened2 and another book was opened1 which is the book of the life of each man3 and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books1 according to their deeds4 ,he said that the books were opened1 and a book2 but he left us at a loss as to the nature of this book1 which is1 he says1 the book of the life of each man4 ,by those books1 then1 which he first mentioned1 we are to understand the sacred books old and new1 that out of them it might be shown what commandments ,god had enjoined2 and that book of the life of each man is to show what commandments each man has done or omitted to do4 ,if this book be materially considered1 who can reckon its size or length1 or the time it would take to read a book in which the whole life of every man is recorded8 ,shall there be present as many angels as men1 and shall each man hear his life recited by the angel assigned to him8 ,in that case there will be not one book containing all the lives1 but a separate book for every life4 ,but our passage requires us to think of one only4 ,and another book was opened1 it says4 ,we must therefore understand it of a certain divine power1 by which it shall be brought about that every one shall recall to memory all his own works1 whether good or evil1 and shall mentally survey them with a marvellous rapidity1 so that this knowledge will either accuse or excuse conscience1 and thus all and each shall be simultaneously judged4 ,and this divine power is called a book1 because in it we shall as it were read all that it causes us to remember4 ,that he may show who the dead1 small and great1 are who are to be judged1 he recurs to this which he had omitted or rather deferred1 and says1 ,and the sea presented the dead which were in it2 and death and hell gave up the dead which were in them4 ,this of course took place before the dead were judged1 yet it is mentioned after4 ,and so1 ,i say1 he returns again to what he had omitted4 ,but now he preserves the order of events1 and for the sake of exhibiting it repeats in its own proper place what he had already said regarding the dead who were judged4 ,for after he had said1 ,and the sea presented the dead which were in it1 and death and hell gave up the dead which were in them1 he immediately subjoined what he had already said1 and they were judged every man according to their works4 ,for this is just what he had said before1 ,and the dead were judged according to their works4 #ae4 ,who the dead are who are given up to judgment by the sea1 and by death and hell4 ,but who are the dead which were in the sea1 and which the sea presented8 ,for we cannot suppose that those who die in the sea are not in hell1 nor that their bodies are preserved in the sea2 nor yet1 which is still more absurd1 that the sea retained the good1 while hell received the bad4 ,who could believe this8 ,but some very sensibly suppose that in this place the sea is put for this world4 ,when ,john then wished to signify that those whom ,christ should find still alive in the body were to be judged along with those who should rise again1 he called them dead1 both the good to whom it is said1 ,for ye are dead1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god1#gdc and the wicked of whom it is said1 ,let the dead bury their dead4#gdd ,they may also be called dead1 because they wear mortal bodies1 as the apostle says1 ,the body indeed is dead because of sin2 but the spirit is life because of righteousness2#gde proving that in a living man in the body there is both a body which is dead1 and a spirit which is life4 ,yet he did not say that the body was mortal1 but dead1 although immediately after he speaks in the more usual way of mortal bodies4 ,these1 then1 are the dead which were in the sea1 and which the sea presented1 to wit1 the men who were in this world1 because they had not yet died1 and whom the world presented for judgment4 ,and death and hell1 he says1 gave up the dead which were in them4 ,the sea presented them because they had merely to be found in the place where they were2 but death and hell gave them up or restored them1 because they called them back to life1 which they had already quitted4 ,and perhaps it was not without reason that neither death nor hell were judged sufficient alone1 and both were mentioned1--death to indicate the good1 who have suffered only death and not hell2 hell to indicate the wicked1 who suffer also the punishment of hell4 ,for if it does not seem absurd to believe that the ancient saints who believed in ,christ and ,his then future coming1 were kept in places far removed indeed from the torments of the wicked1 but yet in hell1#gdf until ,christ's blood and ,his descent into these places delivered them1 certainly good ,christians1 redeemed by that precious price already paid1 are quite unacquainted with hell while they wait for their restoration to the body1 and the reception of their reward4 ,after saying1 ,they were judged every man according to their works1 he briefly added what the judgment was3 ,death and hell were cast into the lake of fire2 by these names designating the devil and the whole company of his angels1 for he is the author of death and the pains of hell4 ,for this is what he had already1 by anticipation1 said in clearer language3 ,the devil who seduced them was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone4 ,the obscure addition he had made in the words1 in which were also the beast and the false prophet1 he here explains1 ,they who were not found written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire4 ,this book is not for reminding ,god1 as if things might escape ,him by forgetfulness1 but it symbolizes ,his predestination of those to whom eternal life shall be given4 ,for it is not that ,god is ignorant1 and reads in the book to inform ,himself1 but rather ,his infallible prescience is the book of life in which they are written1 that is to say1 known beforehand4 #af4 ,of the new heaven and the new earth4 ,having finished the prophecy of judgment1 so far as the wicked are concerned1 it remains that he speak also of the good4 ,having briefly explained the ,lord's words1 ,these will go away into everlasting punishment1 it remains that he explain the connected words1 but the righteous into life eternal4#gdg ,and ,i saw1 he says1 a new heaven and a new earth3 for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away2 and there is no more sea4#gdh ,this will take place in the order which he has by anticipation declared in the words1 ,i saw ,one sitting on the throne1 from whose face heaven and earth fled4 ,for as soon as those who are not written in the book of life have been judged and cast into eternal fire1--the nature of which fire1 or its position in the world or universe1 ,i suppose is known to no man1 unless perhaps the divine ,spirit reveal it to some one1--then shall the figure of this world pass away in a conflagration of universal fire1 as once before the world was flooded with a deluge of universal water4 ,and by this universal conflagration the qualities of the corruptible elements which suited our corruptible bodies shall utterly perish1 and our substance shall receive such qualities as shall1 by a wonderful transmutation1 harmonize with our immortal bodies1 so that1 as the world itself is renewed to some better thing1 it is fitly accommodated to men1 themselves renewed in their flesh to some better thing4 ,as for the statement1 ,and there shall be no more sea1 ,i would not lightly say whether it is dried up with that excessive heat1 or is itself also turned into some better thing4 ,for we read that there shall be a new heaven and a new earth1 but ,i do not remember to have anywhere read anything of a new sea1 unless what ,i find in this same book1 ,as it were a sea of glass like crystal4#gdi ,but he was not then speaking of this end of the world1 neither does he seem to speak of a literal sea1 but as it were a sea4 ,it is possible that1 as prophetic diction delights in mingling figurative and real language1 and thus in some sort veiling the sense1 so the words ,and there is no more sea may be taken in the same sense as the previous phrase1 ,and the sea presented the dead which were in it4 ,for then there shall be no more of this world1 no more of the surgings and restlessness of human life1 and it is this which is symbolized by the sea4 #ag4 ,of the endless glory of the ,church4 ,and ,i saw1 he says1 a great city1 new ,jerusalem1 coming down from ,god out of heaven1 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband4 ,and ,i heard a great voice from the throne1 saying1 ,behold1 the tabernacle of ,god is with men1 and ,he will dwell with them1 and they shall be ,his people1 and ,god ,himself shall be with them4 ,and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes2 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 but neither shall there be any more pain3 because the former things have passed away4 ,and ,he that sat upon the throne said1 ,behold1 ,i make all things new4#gej ,this city is said to come down out of heaven1 because the grace with which ,god formed it is of heaven4 ,wherefore ,he says to it by ,isaiah1 ,i am the ,lord that formed thee4#gea ,it is indeed descended from heaven from its commencement1 since its citizens during the course of this world grow by the grace of ,god1 which cometh down from above through the laver of regeneration in the ,holy ,ghost sent down from heaven4 ,but by ,god's final judgment1 which shall be administered by ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ1 there shall by ,god's grace be manifested a glory so pervading and so new1 that no vestige of what is old shall remain2 for even our bodies shall pass from their old corruption and mortality to new incorruption and immortality4 ,for to refer this promise to the present time1 in which the saints are reigning with their ,king a thousand years1 seems to me excessively barefaced1 when it is most distinctly said1 ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes2 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 but there shall be no more pain4 ,and who is so absurd1 and blinded by contentious opinionativeness1 as to be audacious enough to affirm that in the midst of the calamities of this mortal state1 ,god's people1 or even one single saint1 does live1 or has ever lived1 or shall ever live1 without tears or pain1--the fact being that the holier a man is1 and the fuller of holy desire1 so much the more abundant is the tearfulness of his supplication8 ,are not these the utterances of a citizen of the heavenly ,jerusalem3 ,my tears have been my meat day and night2#geb and ,every night shall ,i make my bed to swim2 with my tears shall ,i water my couch2#gec and ,my groaning is not hid from ,thee2#ged and ,my sorrow was renewed8#gee ,or are not those ,god's children who groan1 being burdened1 not that they wish to be unclothed1 but clothed upon1 that mortality may be swallowed up of life8#gef ,do not they even who have the first-fruits of the ,spirit groan within themselves1 waiting for the adoption1 the redemption of their body8#geg ,was not the ,apostle ,paul himself a citizen of the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and was he not so all the more when he had heaviness and continual sorrow of heart for his ,israelitish brethren8#geh ,but when shall there be no more death in that city1 except when it shall be said1 ,o death1 where is thy contention8#gei ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,the sting of death is sin4#gfj ,obviously there shall be no sin when it can be said1 ,where is--,but as for the present it is not some poor weak citizen of this city1 but this same ,apostle ,john himself who says1 ,if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us4#gfa ,no doubt1 though this book is called the ,apocalypse1 there are in it many obscure passages to exercise the mind of the reader1 and there are few passages so plain as to assist us in the interpretation of the others1 even though we take pains2 and this difficulty is increased by the repetition of the same things1 in forms so different1 that the things referred to seem to be different1 although in fact they are only differently stated4 ,but in the words1 ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes2 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 but there shall be no more pain1 there is so manifest a reference to the future world and the immortality and eternity of the saints1--for only then and only there shall such a condition be realized1--that if we think this obscure1 we need not expect to find anything plain in any part of ,scripture4 #ah4 ,what the ,apostle ,peter predicted regarding the last judgment4 ,let us now see what the ,apostle ,peter predicted concerning this judgment4 ,there shall come1 he says1 in the last days scoffers4444 ,nevertheless we1 according to ,his promise1 look for new heavens and a new earth1 wherein dwelleth righteousness4#gfb ,there is nothing said here about the resurrection of the dead1 but enough certainly regarding the destruction of this world4 ,and by his reference to the deluge he seems as it were to suggest to us how far we should believe the ruin of the world will extend in the end of the world4 ,for he says that the world which then was perished1 and not only the earth itself1 but also the heavens1 by which we understand the air1 the place and room of which was occupied by the water4 ,therefore the whole1 or almost the whole1 of the gusty atmosphere 7which he calls heaven1 or rather the heavens1 meaning the earth's atmosphere1 and not the upper air in which sun1 moon1 and stars are set7 was turned into moisture1 and in this way perished together with the earth1 whose former appearance had been destroyed by the deluge4 ,but the heavens and the earth which are now1 by the same word are kept in store1 reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men4 ,therefore the heavens and the earth1 or the world which was preserved from the water to stand in place of that world which perished in the flood1 is itself reserved to fire at last in the day of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men4 ,he does not hesitate to affirm that in this great change men also shall perish3 their nature1 however1 shall notwithstanding continue1 though in eternal punishments4 ,some one will perhaps put the question1 ,if after judgment is pronounced the world itself is to burn1 where shall the saints be during the conflagration1 and before it is replaced by a new heavens and a new earth1 since somewhere they must be1 because they have material bodies8 ,we may reply that they shall be in the upper regions into which the flame of that conflagration shall not ascend1 as neither did the water of the flood2 for they shall have such bodies that they shall be wherever they wish4 ,moreover1 when they have become immortal and incorruptible1 they shall not greatly dread the blaze of that conflagration1 as the corruptible and mortal bodies of the three men were able to live unhurt in the blazing furnace4 #ai4 ,what the ,apostle ,paul wrote to the ,thessalonians about the manifestation of ,antichrist which shall precede the day of the ,lord4 ,i see that ,i must omit many of the statements of the gospels and epistles about this last judgment1 that this volume may not become unduly long2 but ,i can on no account omit what the ,apostle ,paul says1 in writing to the ,thessalonians1 ,we beseech you1 brethren1 by the coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1#gfc etc4 ,no one can doubt that he wrote this of ,antichrist and of the day of judgment1 which he here calls the day of the ,lord1 nor that he declared that this day should not come unless he first came who is called the apostate--apostate1 to wit1 from the ,lord ,god4 ,and if this may justly be said of all the ungodly1 how much more of him8 ,but it is uncertain in what temple he shall sit1 whether in that ruin of the temple which was built by ,solomon1 or in the ,church2 for the apostle would not call the temple of any idol or demon the temple of ,god4 ,and on this account some think that in this passage ,antichrist means not the prince himself alone1 but his whole body1 that is1 the mass of men who adhere to him1 along with him their prince2 and they also think that we should render the ,greek more exactly were we to read1 not in the temple of ,god1 but for or as the temple of ,god1 as if he himself were the temple of ,god1 the ,church4#gfd ,then as for the words1 ,and now ye know what withholdeth1 i4e4 ye know what hindrance or cause of delay there is1 that he might be revealed in his own time2 they show that he was unwilling to make an explicit statement1 because he said that they knew4 ,and thus we who have not their knowledge wish and are not able even with pains to understand what the apostle referred to1 especially as his meaning is made still more obscure by what he adds4 ,for what does he mean by ,for the mystery of iniquity doth already work3 only he who now holdeth1 let him hold until he be taken out of the way3 and then shall the wicked be revealed8 ,i frankly confess ,i do not know what he means4 ,i will nevertheless mention such conjectures as ,i have heard or read4 ,some think that the ,apostle ,paul referred to the ,roman empire1 and that he was unwilling to use language more explicit1 lest he should incur the calumnious charge of wishing ill to the empire which it was hoped would be eternal2 so that in saying1 ,for the mystery of iniquity doth already work1 he alluded to ,nero1 whose deeds already seemed to be as the deeds of ,antichrist4 ,and hence some suppose that he shall rise again and be ,antichrist4 ,others1 again1 suppose that he is not even dead1 but that he was concealed that he might be supposed to have been killed1 and that he now lives in concealment in the vigour of that same age which he had reached when he was believed to have perished1 and will live until he is revealed in his own time and restored to his kingdom4#gfe ,but ,i wonder that men can be so audacious in their conjectures4 ,however1 it is not absurd to believe that these words of the apostle1 ,only he who now holdeth1 let him hold until he be taken out of the way1 refer to the ,roman empire1 as if it were said1 ,only he who now reigneth1 let him reign until he be taken out of the way4 ,and then shall the wicked be revealed3 no one doubts that this means ,antichrist4 ,but others think that the words1 ,ye know what withholdeth1 and ,the mystery of iniquity worketh1 refer only to the wicked and the hypocrites who are in the ,church1 until they reach a number so great as to furnish ,antichrist with a great people1 and that this is the mystery of iniquity1 because it seems hidden2 also that the apostle is exhorting the faithful tenaciously to hold the faith they hold when he says1 ,only he who now holdeth1 let him hold until he be taken out of the way1 that is1 until the mystery of iniquity which now is hidden departs from the ,church4 ,for they suppose that it is to this same mystery ,john alludes when in his epistle he says1 ,little children1 it is the last time3 and as ye have heard that ,antichrist shall come1 even now are there many antichrists2 whereby we know that it is the last time4 ,they went out from us1 but they were not of us2 for if they had been of us1 they would no doubt have continued with us4#gff ,as therefore there went out from the ,church many heretics1 whom ,john calls many antichrists1 at that time prior to the end1 and which ,john calls the last time1 so in the end they shall go out who do not belong to ,christ1 but to that last ,antichrist1 and then he shall be revealed4 ,thus various1 then1 are the conjectural explanations of the obscure words of the apostle4 ,that which there is no doubt he said is this1 that ,christ will not come to judge quick and dead unless ,antichrist1 ,his adversary1 first come to seduce those who are dead in soul2 although their seduction is a result of ,god's secret judgment already passed4 ,for1 as it is said1 his presence shall be after the working of ,satan1 with all power1 and signs1 and lying wonders1 and with all seduction of unrighteousness in them that perish4 ,for then shall ,satan be loosed1 and by means of that ,antichrist shall work with all power in a lying though a wonderful manner4 ,it is commonly questioned whether these works are called signs and lying wonders because he is to deceive men's senses by false appearances1 or because the things he does1 though they be true prodigies1 shall be a lie to those who shall believe that such things could be done only by ,god1 being ignorant of the devil's power1 and especially of such unexampled power as he shall then for the first time put forth4 ,for when he fell from heaven as fire1 and at a stroke swept away from the holy ,job his numerous household and his vast flocks1 and then as a whirlwind rushed upon and smote the house and killed his children1 these were not deceitful appearances1 and yet they were the works of ,satan to whom ,god had given this power4 ,why they are called signs and lying wonders we shall then be more likely to know when the time itself arrives4 ,but whatever be the reason of the name1 they shall be such signs and wonders as shall seduce those who shall deserve to be seduced1 because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved4 ,neither did the apostle scruple to go on to say1 ,for this cause ,god shall send upon them the working of error that they should believe a lie4 ,for ,god shall send1 because ,god shall permit the devil to do these things1 the permission being by ,his own just judgment1 though the doing of them is in pursuance of the devil's unrighteous and malignant purpose1 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth1 but had pleasure in unrighteousness4 ,therefore1 being judged1 they shall be seduced1 and1 being seduced1 they shall be judged4 ,but1 being judged1 they shall be seduced by those secretly just and justly secret judgments of ,god1 with which ,he has never ceased to judge since the first sin of the rational creatures2 and1 being seduced1 they shall be judged in that last and manifest judgment administered by ,jesus ,christ1 who was ,himself most unjustly judged and shall most justly judge4 #bj4 ,what the same apostle taught in the first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians regarding the resurrection of the dead4 ,but the apostle has said nothing here regarding the resurrection of the dead2 but in his first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians he says1 ,we would not have you to be ignorant1 brethren1 concerning them which are asleep1#gfg etc4 ,these words of the apostle most distinctly proclaim the future resurrection of the dead1 when the ,lord ,christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead4 ,but it is commonly asked whether those whom our ,lord shall find alive upon earth1 personated in this passage by the apostle and those who were alive with him1 shall never die at all1 or shall pass with incomprehensible swiftness through death to immortality in the very moment during which they shall be caught up along with those who rise again to meet the ,lord in the air8 ,for we cannot say that it is impossible that they should both die and revive again while they are carried aloft through the air4 ,for the words1 ,and so shall we ever be with the ,lord1 are not to be understood as if he meant that we shall always remain in the air with the ,lord2 for ,he ,himself shall not remain there1 but shall only pass through it as ,he comes4 ,for we shall go to meet ,him as ,he comes1 not where ,he remains2 but so shall we be with the ,lord1 that is1 we shall be with ,him possessed of immortal bodies wherever we shall be with ,him4 ,we seem compelled to take the words in this sense1 and to suppose that those whom the ,lord shall find alive upon earth shall in that brief space both suffer death and receive immortality2 for this same apostle says1 ,in ,christ shall all be made alive2#gfh while1 speaking of the same resurrection of the body1 he elsewhere says1 ,that which thou sowest is not quickened1 except it die4#gfi ,how1 then1 shall those whom ,christ shall find alive upon earth be made alive to immortality in ,him if they die not1 since on this very account it is said1 ,that which thou sowest is not quickened1 except it die8 ,or if we cannot properly speak of human bodies as sown1 unless in so far as by dying they do in some sort return to the earth1 as also the sentence pronounced by ,god against the sinning father of the human race runs1 ,earth thou art1 and unto earth shalt thou return1#ggj we must acknowledge that those whom ,christ at ,his coming shall find still in the body are not included in these words of the apostle nor in those of ,genesis2 for1 being caught up into the clouds1 they are certainly not sown1 neither going nor returning to the earth1 whether they experience no death at all or die for a moment in the air4 ,but1 on the other hand1 there meets us the saying of the same apostle when he was speaking to the ,corinthians about the resurrection of the body1 ,we shall all rise1 or1 as other ,,mss4 read1 ,we shall all sleep4#gga ,since1 then1 there can be no resurrection unless death has preceded1 and since we can in this passage understand by sleep nothing else than death1 how shall all either sleep or rise again if so many persons whom ,christ shall find in the body shall neither sleep nor rise again8 ,if1 then1 we believe that the saints who shall be found alive at ,christ's coming1 and shall be caught up to meet ,him1 shall in that same ascent pass from mortal to immortal bodies1 we shall find no difficulty in the words of the apostle1 either when he says1 ,that which thou sowest is not quickened1 except it die1 or when he says1 ,we shall all rise1 or all sleep1 for not even the saints shall be quickened to immortality unless they first die1 however briefly2 and consequently they shall not be exempt from resurrection which is preceded by sleep1 however brief4 ,and why should it seem to us incredible that that multitude of bodies should be1 as it were1 sown in the air1 and should in the air forthwith revive immortal and incorruptible1 when we believe1 on the testimony of the same apostle1 that the resurrection shall take place in the twinkling of an eye1 and that the dust of bodies long dead shall return with incomprehensible facility and swiftness to those members that are now to live endlessly8 ,neither do we suppose that in the case of these saints the sentence1 ,earth thou art1 and unto earth shalt thou return1 is null1 though their bodies do not1 on dying1 fall to earth1 but both die and rise again at once while caught up into the air4 ,for ,thou shalt return to earth means1 ,thou shalt at death return to that which thou wert before life began4 ,thou shalt1 when exanimate1 be that which thou wert before thou wast animate4 ,for it was into a face of earth that ,god breathed the breath of life when man was made a living soul2 as if it were said1 ,thou art earth with a soul1 which thou wast not2 thou shalt be earth without a soul1 as thou wast4 ,and this is what all bodies of the dead are before they rot2 and what the bodies of those saints shall be if they die1 no matter where they die1 as soon as they shall give up that life which they are immediately to receive back again4 ,in this way1 then1 they return or go to earth1 inasmuch as from being living men they shall be earth1 as that which becomes cinder is said to go to cinder2 that which decays1 to go to decay2 and so of six hundred other things4 ,but the manner in which this shall take place we can now only feebly conjecture1 and shall understand it only when it comes to pass4 ,for that there shall be a bodily resurrection of the dead when ,christ comes to judge quick and dead1 we must believe if we would be ,christians4 ,but if we are unable perfectly to comprehend the manner in which it shall take place1 our faith is not on this account vain4 ,now1 however1 we ought1 as we formerly promised1 to show1 as far as seems necessary1 what the ancient prophetic books predicted concerning this final judgment of ,god2 and ,i fancy no great time need be spent in discussing and explaining these predictions1 if the reader has been careful to avail himself of the help we have already furnished4 #ba4 ,utterances of the prophet ,isaiah regarding the resurrection of the dead and the retributive judgment4 ,the prophet ,isaiah says1 ,the dead shall rise again1 and all who were in the graves shall rise again2 and all who are in the earth shall rejoice3 for the dew which is from ,thee is their health1 and the earth of the wicked shall fall4#ggb ,all the former part of this passage relates to the resurrection of the blessed2 but the words1 the earth of the wicked shall fall1 is rightly understood as meaning that the bodies of the wicked shall fall into the ruin of damnation4 ,and if we would more exactly and carefully scrutinize the words which refer to the resurrection of the good1 we may refer to the first resurrection the words1 the dead shall rise again1 and to the second the following words1 and all who were in the graves shall rise again4 ,and if we ask what relates to those saints whom the ,lord at ,his coming shall find alive upon earth1 the following clause may suitably be referred to them3 ,all who are in the earth shall rejoice3 for the dew which is from ,thee is their health4 ,by health in this place it is best to understand immortality4 ,for that is the most perfect health which is not repaired by nourishment as by a daily remedy4 ,in like manner the same prophet1 affording hope to the good and terrifying the wicked regarding the day of judgment1 says1 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,behold1 ,i will flow down upon them as a river of peace1 and upon the glory of the ,gentiles as a rushing torrent3 their sons shall be carried on the shoulders1 and shall be comforted on the knees4 ,as one whom his mother comforteth1 so shall ,i comfort you2 and ye shall be comforted in ,jerusalem4 ,and ye shall see1 and your heart shall rejoice1 and your bones shall rise up like a herb2 and the hand of the ,lord shall be known by ,his worshippers1 and ,he shall threaten the contumacious4 ,for1 behold1 the ,lord shall come as a fire1 and as a whirlwind ,his chariots1 to execute vengeance with indignation1 and wasting with a flame of fire4 ,for with fire of the ,lord shall all the earth be judged1 and all flesh with ,his sword3 many shall be wounded by the ,lord4#ggc ,in ,his promise to the good he says that ,he will flow down as a river of peace1 that is to say1 in the greatest possible abundance of peace4 ,with this peace we shall in the end be refreshed2 but of this we have spoken abundantly in the preceding book4 ,it is this river in which he says ,he shall flow down upon those to whom ,he promises so great happiness1 that we may understand that in the region of that felicity1 which is in heaven1 all things are satisfied from this river4 ,but because there shall thence flow1 even upon earthly bodies1 the peace of incorruption and immortality1 therefore he says that ,he shall flow down as this river1 that ,he may as it were pour ,himself from things above to things beneath1 and make men the equals of the angels4 ,by ,jerusalem1 too1 we should understand not that which serves with her children1 but that which1 according to the apostle1 is our free mother1 eternal in the heavens4#ggd ,in her we shall be comforted as we pass toilworn from earth's cares and calamities1 and be taken up as her children on her knees and shoulders4 ,inexperienced and new to such blandishments1 we shall be received into unwonted bliss4 ,there we shall see1 and our heart shall rejoice4 ,he does not say what we shall see2 but what but ,god1 that the promise in the ,gospel may be fulfilled in us1 ,blessed are the pure in heart1 for they shall see ,god8#gge ,what shall we see but all those things which now we see not1 but believe in1 and of which the idea we form1 according to our feeble capacity1 is incomparably less than the reality8 ,and ye shall see1 he says1 and your heart shall rejoice4 ,here ye believe1 there ye shall see4 ,but because he said1 ,your heart shall rejoice1 lest we should suppose that the blessings of that ,jerusalem are only spiritual1 he adds1 ,and your bones shall rise up like a herb1 alluding to the resurrection of the body1 and as it were supplying an omission he had made4 ,for it will not take place when we have seen2 but we shall see when it has taken place4 ,for he had already spoken of the new heavens and the new earth1 speaking repeatedly1 and under many figures1 of the things promised to the saints1 and saying1 ,there shall be new heavens1 and a new earth3 and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind2 but they shall find in it gladness and exultation4 ,behold1 ,i will make ,jerusalem an exultation1 and my people a joy4 ,and ,i will exult in ,jerusalem1 and joy in my people2 and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her2#ggf and other promises1 which some endeavour to refer to carnal enjoyment during the thousand years4 ,for1 in the manner of prophecy1 figurative and literal expressions are mingled1 so that a serious mind may1 by useful and salutary effort1 reach the spiritual sense2 but carnal sluggishness1 or the slowness of an uneducated and undisciplined mind1 rests in the superficial letter1 and thinks there is nothing beneath to be looked for4 ,but let this be enough regarding the style of those prophetic expressions just quoted4 ,and now1 to return to their interpretation4 ,when he had said1 ,and your bones shall rise up like a herb1 in order to show that it was the resurrection of the good1 though a bodily resurrection1 to which he alluded1 he added1 ,and the hand of the ,lord shall be known by ,his worshippers4 ,what is this but the hand of ,him who distinguishes those who worship from those who despise ,him8 ,regarding these the context immediately adds1 ,and ,he shall threaten the contumacious1 or1 as another translator has it1 the unbelieving4 ,he shall not actually threaten then1 but the threats which are now uttered shall then be fulfilled in effect4 ,for behold1 he says1 the ,lord shall come as a fire1 and as a whirlwind ,his chariots1 to execute vengeance with indignation1 and wasting with a flame of fire4 ,for with fire of the ,lord shall all the earth be judged1 and all flesh with ,his sword3 many shall be wounded by the ,lord4 ,by fire1 whirlwind1 sword1 he means the judicial punishment of ,god4 ,for he says that the ,lord ,himself shall come as a fire1 to those1 that is to say1 to whom ,his coming shall be penal4 ,by ,his chariots 7for the word is plural7 we suitably understand the ministration of angels4 ,and when he says that all flesh and all the earth shall be judged with ,his fire and sword1 we do not understand the spiritual and holy to be included1 but the earthly and carnal1 of whom it is said that they mind earthly things1#ggg and to be carnally minded is death1#ggh and whom the ,lord calls simply flesh when ,he says1 ,my ,spirit shall not always remain in these men1 for they are flesh4#ggi ,as to the words1 ,many shall be wounded by the ,lord1 this wounding shall produce the second death4 ,it is possible1 indeed1 to understand fire1 sword1 and wound in a good sense4 ,for the ,lord said that ,he wished to send fire on the earth4#ghj ,and the cloven tongues appeared to them as fire when the ,holy ,spirit came4#gha ,and our ,lord says1 ,i am not come to send peace on earth1 but a sword4#ghb ,and ,scripture says that the word of ,god is a doubly sharp sword1#ghc on account of the two edges1 the two ,testaments4 ,and in the ,song of ,songs the holy ,church says that she is wounded with love1#ghd--pierced1 as it were1 with the arrow of love4 ,but here1 where we read or hear that the ,lord shall come to execute vengeance1 it is obvious in what sense we are to understand these expressions4 ,after briefly mentioning those who shall be consumed in this judgment1 speaking of the wicked and sinners under the figure of the meats forbidden by the old law1 from which they had not abstained1 he summarily recounts the grace of the new testament1 from the first coming of the ,saviour to the last judgment1 of which we now speak2 and herewith he concludes his prophecy4 ,for he relates that the ,lord declares that ,he is coming to gather all nations1 that they may come and witness ,his glory4#ghe ,for1 as the apostle says1 ,all have sinned and are in want of the glory of ,god4#ghf ,and he says that ,he will do wonders among them1 at which they shall marvel and believe in ,him2 and that from them ,he will send forth those that are saved into various nations1 and distant islands which have not heard ,his name nor seen ,his glory1 and that they shall declare ,his glory among the nations1 and shall bring the brethren of those to whom the prophet was speaking1 i4e4 shall bring to the faith under ,god the ,father the brethren of the elect ,israelites2 and that they shall bring from all nations an offering to the ,lord on beasts of burden and waggons 7which are understood to mean the aids furnished by ,god in the shape of angelic or human ministry71 to the holy city ,jerusalem1 which at present is scattered over the earth1 in the faithful saints4 ,for where divine aid is given1 men believe1 and where they believe1 they come4 ,and the ,lord compared them1 in a figure1 to the children of ,israel offering sacrifice to ,him in ,his house with psalms1 which is already everywhere done by the ,church2 and ,he promised that from among them ,he would choose for ,himself priests and ,levites1 which also we see already accomplished4 ,for we see that priests and ,levites are now chosen1 not from a certain family and blood1 as was originally the rule in the priesthood according to the order of ,aaron1 but as befits the new testament1 under which ,christ is the ,high ,priest after the order of ,melchisedec1 in consideration of the merit which is bestowed upon each man by divine grace4 ,and these priests are not to be judged by their mere title1 which is often borne by unworthy men1 but by that holiness which is not common to good men and bad4 ,after having thus spoken of this mercy of ,god which is now experienced by the ,church1 and is very evident and familiar to us1 he foretells also the ends to which men shall come when the last judgment has separated the good and the bad1 saying by the prophet1 or the prophet himself speaking for ,god1 ,for as the new heavens and the new earth shall remain before me1 said the ,lord1 so shall your seed and your name remain1 and there shall be to them month after month1 and ,sabbath after ,sabbath4 ,all flesh shall come to worship before me in ,jerusalem1 said the ,lord4 ,and they shall go out1 and shall see the members of the men who have sinned against me3 their worm shall not die1 neither shall their fire be quenched2 and they shall be for a spectacle to all flesh4#ghg ,at this point the prophet closed his book1 as at this point the world shall come to an end4 ,some1 indeed1 have translated carcases#ghh instead of members of the men1 meaning by carcases the manifest punishment of the body1 although carcase is commonly used only of dead flesh1 while the bodies here spoken of shall be animated1 else they could not be sensible of any pain2 but perhaps they may1 without absurdity1 be called carcases1 as being the bodies of those who are to fall into the second death4 ,and for the same reason it is said1 as ,i have already quoted1 by this same prophet1 ,the earth of the wicked shall fall4#ghi ,it is obvious that those translators who use a different word for men do not mean to include only males1 for no one will say that the women who sinned shall not appear in that judgment2 but the male sex1 being the more worthy1 and that from which the woman was derived1 is intended to include both sexes4 ,but that which is especially pertinent to our subject is this1 that since the words ,all flesh shall come apply to the good1 for the people of ,god shall be composed of every race of men1--for all men shall not be present1 since the greater part shall be in punishment1--but1 as ,i was saying1 since flesh is used of the good1 and members or carcases of the bad1 certainly it is thus put beyond a doubt that that judgment in which the good and the bad shall be allotted to their destinies shall take place after the resurrection of the body1 our faith in which is thoroughly established by the use of these words4 #bb4 ,what is meant by the good going out to see the punishment of the wicked4 ,but in what way shall the good go out to see the punishment of the wicked8 ,are they to leave their happy abodes by a bodily movement1 and proceed to the places of punishment1 so as to witness the torments of the wicked in their bodily presence8 ,certainly not2 but they shall go out by knowledge4 ,for this expression1 go out1 signifies that those who shall be punished shall be without4 ,and thus the ,lord also calls these places the outer darkness1#gij to which is opposed that entrance concerning which it is said to the good servant1 ,enter into the joy of thy ,lord1 that it may not be supposed that the wicked can enter thither and be known1 but rather that the good by their knowledge go out to them1 because the good are to know that which is without4 ,for those who shall be in torment shall not know what is going on within in the joy of the ,lord2 but they who shall enter into that joy shall know what is going on outside in the outer darkness4 ,therefore it is said1 ,they shall go out1 because they shall know what is done by those who are without4 ,for if the prophets were able to know things that had not yet happened1 by means of that indwelling of ,god in their minds1 limited though it was1 shall not the immortal saints know things that have already happened1 when ,god shall be all in all8#gia ,the seed1 then1 and the name of the saints shall remain in that blessedness1--the seed1 to wit1 of which ,john says1 ,and his seed remaineth in him2#gib and the name1 of which it was said through ,isaiah himself1 ,i will give them an everlasting name4#gic ,and there shall be to them month after month1 and ,sabbath after ,sabbath1 as if it were said1 ,moon after moon1 and rest upon rest1 both of which they shall themselves be when they shall pass from the old shadows of time into the new lights of eternity4 ,the worm that dieth not1 and the fire that is not quenched1 which constitute the punishment of the wicked1 are differently interpreted by different people4 ,for some refer both to the body1 others refer both to the soul2 while others again refer the fire literally to the body1 and the worm figuratively to the soul1 which seems the more credible idea4 ,but the present is not the time to discuss this difference1 for we have undertaken to occupy this book with the last judgment1 in which the good and the bad are separated3 their rewards and punishments we shall more carefully discuss elsewhere4 #bc4 ,what ,daniel predicted regarding the persecution of ,antichrist1 the judgment of ,god1 and the kingdom of the saints4 ,daniel prophesies of the last judgment in such a way as to indicate that ,antichrist shall first come1 and to carry on his description to the eternal reign of the saints4 ,for when in prophetic vision he had seen four beasts1 signifying four kingdoms1 and the fourth conquered by a certain king1 who is recognised as ,antichrist1 and after this the eternal kingdom of the ,son of man1 that is to say1 of ,christ1 he says1 ,my spirit was terrified1 ,i ,daniel in the midst of my body1 and the visions of my head troubled me1#gid etc4 ,some have interpreted these four kingdoms as signifying those of the ,assyrians1 ,persians1 ,macedonians1 and ,romans4 ,they who desire to understand the fitness of this interpretation may read ,jerome's book on ,daniel1 which is written with a sufficiency of care and erudition4 ,but he who reads this passage1 even half-asleep1 cannot fail to see that the kingdom of ,antichrist shall fiercely1 though for a short time1 assail the ,church before the last judgment of ,god shall introduce the eternal reign of the saints4 ,for it is patent from the context that the time1 times1 and half a time1 means a year1 and two years1 and half a year1 that is to say1 three years and a half4 ,sometimes in ,scripture the same thing is indicated by months4 ,for though the word times seems to be used here in the ,latin indefinitely1 that is only because the ,latins have no dual1 as the ,greeks have1 and as the ,hebrews also are said to have4 ,times1 therefore1 is used for two times4 ,as for the ten kings1 whom1 as it seems1 ,antichrist is to find in the person of ten individuals when he comes1 ,i own ,i am afraid we may be deceived in this1 and that he may come unexpectedly while there are not ten kings living in the ,roman world4 ,for what if this number ten signifies the whole number of kings who are to precede his coming1 as totality is frequently symbolized by a thousand1 or a hundred1 or seven1 or other numbers1 which it is not necessary to recount8 ,in another place the same ,daniel says1 ,and there shall be a time of trouble1 such as was not since there was born a nation upon earth until that time3 and in that time all ,thy people which shall be found written in the book shall be delivered4 ,and many of them that sleep in the mound of earth shall arise1 some to everlasting life1 and some to shame and everlasting confusion4 ,and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament2 and many of the just as the stars for ever4#gie ,this passage is very similar to the one we have quoted from the ,gospel1#gif at least so far as regards the resurrection of dead bodies4 ,for those who are there said to be in the graves are here spoken of as sleeping in the mound of earth1 or1 as others translate1 in the dust of earth4 ,there it is said1 ,they shall come forth2 so here1 ,they shall arise4 ,there1 ,they that have done good1 to the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil1 to the resurrection of judgment2 here1 ,some to everlasting life1 and some to shame and everlasting confusion4 ,neither is it to be supposed a difference1 though in place of the expression in the ,gospel1 ,all who are in their graves1 the prophet does not say all1 but many of them that sleep in the mound of earth4 ,for many is sometimes used in ,scripture for all4 ,thus it was said to ,abraham1 ,i have set thee as the father of many nations1 though in another place it was said to him1 ,in thy seed shall all nations be blessed4#gig ,of such a resurrection it is said a little afterwards to the prophet himself1 ,and come thou and rest3 for there is yet a day till the completion of the consummation2 and thou shalt rest1 and rise in thy lot in the end of the days4#gih #bd4 ,passages from the ,psalms of ,david which predict the end of the world and the last judgment4 ,there are many allusions to the last judgment in the ,psalms1 but for the most part only casual and slight4 ,i cannot1 however1 omit to mention what is said there in express terms of the end of this world3 ,in the beginning hast ,thou laid the foundations of the earth1 ,o ,lord2 and the heavens are the work of ,thy hands4 ,they shall perish1 but ,thou shalt endure2 yea1 all of them shall wax old like a garment2 and as a vesture ,thou shalt change them1 and they shall be changed3 but ,thou art the same1 and ,thy years shall not fail4#gii ,why is it that ,porphyry1 while he lauds the piety of the ,hebrews in worshipping a ,god great and true1 and terrible to the gods themselves1 follows the oracles of these gods in accusing the ,christians of extreme folly because they say that this world shall perish8 ,for here we find it said in the sacred books of the ,hebrews1 to that ,god whom this great philosopher acknowledges to be terrible even to the gods themselves1 ,the heavens are the work of ,thy hands3 they shall perish4 ,when the heavens1 the higher and more secure part of the world1 perish1 shall the world itself be preserved8 ,if this idea is not relished by ,jupiter1 whose oracle is quoted by this philosopher as an unquestionable authority in rebuke of the credulity of the ,christians1 why does he not similarly rebuke the wisdom of the ,hebrews as folly1 seeing that the prediction is found in their most holy books8 ,but if this ,hebrew wisdom1 with which ,porphyry is so captivated that he extols it through the utterances of his own gods1 proclaims that the heavens are to perish1 how is he so infatuated as to detest the faith of the ,christians partly1 if not chiefly1 on this account1 that they believe the world is to perish8--though how the heavens are to perish if the world does not is not easy to see4 ,and1 indeed1 in the sacred writings which are peculiar to ourselves1 and not common to the ,hebrews and us1--,i mean the evangelic and apostolic books1--the following expressions are used3 ,the figure of this world passeth away2#hjj ,the world passeth away2#hja ,heaven and earth shall pass away1#hjb--;expressions which are1 ,i fancy1 somewhat milder than ,they shall perish4 ,in the ,epistle of the ,apostle ,peter1 too1 where the world which then was is said to have perished1 being overflowed with water1 it is sufficiently obvious what part of the world is signified by the whole1 and in what sense the word perished is to be taken1 and what heavens were kept in store1 reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men4#hjc ,and when he says a little afterwards1 ,the day of the ,lord will come as a thief2 in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great rush1 and the elements shall melt with burning heat1 and the earth and the works which are in it shall be burned up2 and then adds1 ,seeing1 then1 that all these things shall be dissolved1 what manner of persons ought ye to be8#hjd--these heavens which are to perish may be understood to be the same which he said were kept in store reserved for fire2 and the elements which are to be burned are those which are full of storm and disturbance in this lowest part of the world in which he said that these heavens were kept in store2 for the higher heavens in whose firmament are set the stars are safe1 and remain in their integrity4 ,for even the expression of ,scripture1 that the stars shall fall from heaven1#hje not to mention that a different interpretation is much preferable1 rather shows that the heavens themselves shall remain1 if the stars are to fall from them4 ,this expression1 then1 is either figurative1 as is more credible1 or this phenomenon will take place in this lowest heaven1 like that mentioned by ,virgil1-- ,a meteor with a train of light ,athwart the sky gleamed dazzling bright1 ,then in ,idan woods was lost4#hjf ,but the passage ,i have quoted from the psalm seems to except none of the heavens from the destiny of destruction2 for he says1 ,the heavens are the works of ,thy hands3 they shall perish2 so that1 as none of them are excepted from the category of ,god's works1 none of them are excepted from destruction4 ,for our opponents will not condescend to defend the ,hebrew piety1 which has won the approbation of their gods1 by the words of the ,apostle ,peter1 whom they vehemently detest2 nor will they argue that1 as the apostle in his epistle understands a part when he speaks of the whole world perishing in the flood1 though only the lowest part of it1 and the corresponding heavens were destroyed1 so in the psalm the whole is used for a part1 and it is said ,they shall perish1 though only the lowest heavens are to perish4 ,but since1 as ,i said1 they will not condescend to reason thus1 lest they should seem to approve of ,peter's meaning1 or ascribe as much importance to the final conflagration as we ascribe to the deluge1 whereas they contend that no waters or flames could destroy the whole human race1 it only remains to them to maintain that their gods lauded the wisdom of the ,hebrews because they had not read this psalm4 ,it is the last judgment of ,god which is referred to also in the #ejth ,psalm in the words1 ,god shall come manifestly1 our ,god1 and shall not keep silence3 fire shall devour before ,him1 and it shall be very tempestuous round about ,him4 ,he shall call the heaven above1 and the earth1 to judge ,his people4 ,gather ,his saints together to ,him2 they who make a covenant with ,him over sacrifices4#hjg ,this we understand of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 whom we look for from heaven to judge the quick and the dead4 ,for ,he shall come manifestly to judge justly the just and the unjust1 who before came hiddenly to be unjustly judged by the unjust4 ,he1 ,i say1 shall come manifestly1 and shall not keep silence1 that is1 shall make ,himself known by ,his voice of judgment1 who before1 when ,he came hiddenly1 was silent before ,his judge when ,he was led as a sheep to the slaughter1 and1 as a lamb before the shearer1 opened not ,his mouth1 as we read that it was prophesied of ,him by ,isaiah1#hjh and as we see it fulfilled in the ,gospel4#hji ,as for the fire and tempest1 we have already said how these are to be interpreted when we were explaining a similar passage in ,isaiah4#haj ,as to the expression1 ,he shall call the heaven above1 as the saints and the righteous are rightly called heaven1 no doubt this means what the apostle says1 ,we shall be caught up together with them in the clouds1 to meet the ,lord in the air4#haa ,for if we take the bare literal sense1 how is it possible to call the heaven above1 as if the heaven could be anywhere else than above8 ,and the following expression1 ,and the earth to judge ,his people1 if we supply only the words1 ,he shall call1 that is to say1 ,he shall call the earth also1 and do not supply above1 seems to give us a meaning in accordance with sound doctrine1 the heaven symbolizing those who will judge along with ,christ1 and the earth those who shall be judged2 and thus the words1 ,he shall call the heaven above1 would not mean1 ,he shall catch up into the air1 but ,he shall lift up to seats of judgment4 ,possibly1 too1 ,he shall call the heaven1 may mean1 ,he shall call the angels in the high and lofty places1 that ,he may descend with them to do judgment2 and ,he shall call the earth also would then mean1 ,he shall call the men on the earth to judgment4 ,but if with the words and the earth we understand not only ,he shall call1 but also above1 so as to make the full sense be1 ,he shall call the heaven above1 and ,he shall call the earth above1 then ,i think it is best understood of the men who shall be caught up to meet ,christ in the air1 and that they are called the heaven with reference to their souls1 and the earth with reference to their bodies4 ,then what is to judge ,his people1 but to separate by judgment the good from the bad1 as the sheep from the goats8 ,then he turns to address the angels3 ,gather ,his saints together unto ,him4 ,for certainly a matter so important must be accomplished by the ministry of angels4 ,and if we ask who the saints are who are gathered unto ,him by the angels1 we are told1 ,they who make a covenant with ,him over sacrifices4 ,this is the whole life of the saints1 to make a covenant with ,god over sacrifices4 ,for over sacrifices either refers to works of mercy1 which are preferable to sacrifices in the judgment of ,god1 who says1 ,i desire mercy more than sacrifices2#hab or if over sacrifices means in sacrifices1 then these very works of mercy are the sacrifices with which ,god is pleased1 as ,i remember to have stated in the tenth book of this work2#hac and in these works the saints make a covenant with ,god1 because they do them for the sake of the promises which are contained in ,his new testament or covenant4 ,and hence1 when ,his saints have been gathered to ,him and set at ,his right hand in the last judgment1 ,christ shall say1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world4 ,for ,i was hungry1 and ye gave me to eat1#had and so on1 mentioning the good works of the good1 and their eternal rewards assigned by the last sentence of the ,judge4 #be4 ,of ,malachi's prophecy1 in which he speaks of the last judgment1 and of a cleansing which some are to undergo by purifying punishments4 ,the prophet ,malachi or ,malachias1 who is also called ,angel1 and is by some 7for ,jerome#hae tells us that this is the opinion of the ,hebrews7 identified with ,ezra the priest1#haf others of whose writings have been received into the canon1 predicts the last judgment1 saying1 ,behold1 ,he cometh1 saith the ,lord ,almighty2 and who shall abide the day of ,his entrance8 444 for ,i am the ,lord your ,god1 and ,i change not4#hag ,from these words it more evidently appears that some shall in the last judgment suffer some kind of purgatorial punishments2 for what else can be understood by the word1 ,who shall abide the day of ,his entrance1 or who shall be able to look upon ,him8 for ,he enters as a moulder's fire1 and as the herb of fullers3 and ,he shall sit fusing and purifying as if over gold and silver3 and ,he shall purify the sons of ,levi1 and pour them out like gold and silver8 ,similarly ,isaiah says1 ,the ,lord shall wash the filthiness of the sons and daughters of ,zion1 and shall cleanse away the blood from their midst1 by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning4#hah ,unless perhaps we should say that they are cleansed from filthiness and in a manner clarified1 when the wicked are separated from them by penal judgment1 so that the elimination and damnation of the one party is the purgation of the others1 because they shall henceforth live free from the contamination of such men4 ,but when he says1 ,and he shall purify the sons of ,levi1 and pour them out like gold and silver1 and they shall offer to the ,lord sacrifices in righteousness2 and the sacrifices of ,judah and ,jerusalem shall be pleasing to the ,lord1 he declares that those who shall be purified shall then please the ,lord with sacrifices of righteousness1 and consequently they themselves shall be purified from their own unrighteousness which made them displeasing to ,god4 ,now they themselves1 when they have been purified1 shall be sacrifices of complete and perfect righteousness2 for what more acceptable offering can such persons make to ,god than themselves8 ,but this question of purgatorial punishments we must defer to another time1 to give it a more adequate treatment4 ,by the sons of ,levi and ,judah and ,jerusalem we ought to understand the ,church herself1 gathered not from the ,hebrews only1 but from other nations as well2 nor such a ,church as she now is1 when if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us1#hai but as she shall then be1 purged by the last judgment as a threshing-floor by a winnowing wind1 and those of her members who need it being cleansed by fire1 so that there remains absolutely not one who offers sacrifice for his sins4 ,for all who make such offerings are assuredly in their sins1 for the remission of which they make offerings1 that having made to ,god an acceptable offering1 they may then be absolved4 #bf4 ,of the sacrifices offered to ,god by the saints1 which are to be pleasing to ,him1 as in the primitive days and former years4 ,and it was with the design of showing that ,his city shall not then follow this custom1 that ,god said that the sons of ,levi should offer sacrifices in righteousness1--not therefore in sin1 and consequently not for sin4 ,and hence we see how vainly the ,jews promise themselves a return of the old times of sacrificing according to the law of the old testament1 grounding on the words which follow1 ,and the sacrifice of ,judah and ,jerusalem shall be pleasing to the ,lord1 as in the primitive days1 and as in former years4 ,for in the times of the law they offered sacrifices not in righteousness but in sins1 offering especially and primarily for sins1 so much so that even the priest himself1 whom we must suppose to have been their most righteous man1 was accustomed to offer1 according to ,god's commandments1 first for his own sins1 and then for the sins of the people4 ,and therefore we must explain how we are to understand the words1 as in the primitive days1 and as in former years2 for perhaps he alludes to the time in which our first parents were in paradise4 ,then1 indeed1 intact and pure from all stain and blemish of sin1 they offered themselves to ,god as the purest sacrifices4 ,but since they were banished thence on account of their transgression1 and human nature was condemned in them1 with the exception of the one ,mediator and those who have been baptized1 and are as yet infants1 there is none clean from stain1 not even the babe whose life has been but for a day upon the earth4#hbj ,but if it be replied that those who offer in faith may be said to offer in righteousness1 because the righteous lives by faith1#hba--;he deceives himself1 however1 if he says that he has no sin1 and therefore he does not say so1 because he lives by faith1--will any man say this time of faith can be placed on an equal footing with that consummation when they who offer sacrifices in righteousness shall be purified by the fire of the last judgment8 ,and consequently1 since it must be believed that after such a cleansing the righteous shall retain no sin1 assuredly that time1 so far as regards its freedom from sin1 can be compared to no other period1 unless to that during which our first parents lived in paradise in the most innocent happiness before their transgression4 ,it is this period1 then1 which is properly understood when it is said1 as in the primitive days1 and as in former years4 ,for in ,isaiah1 too1 after the new heavens and the new earth have been promised1 among other elements in the blessedness of the saints which are there depicted by allegories and figures1 from giving an adequate explanation of which ,i am prevented by a desire to avoid prolixity1 it is said1 ,according to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people4#hbb ,and who that has looked at ,scripture does not know where ,god planted the tree of life1 from whose fruit ,he excluded our first parents when their own iniquity ejected them from paradise1 and round which a terrible and fiery fence was set8 ,but if any one contends that those days of the tree of life mentioned by the prophet ,isaiah are the present times of the ,church of ,christ1 and that ,christ ,himself is prophetically called the ,tree of ,life1 because ,he is ,wisdom1 and of wisdom ,solomon says1 ,it is a tree of life to all who embrace it2#hbc and if they maintain that our first parents did not pass years in paradise1 but were driven from it so soon that none of their children were begotten there1 and that therefore that time cannot be alluded to in words which run1 as in the primitive days1 and as in former years1 ,i forbear entering on this question1 lest by discussing everything ,i become prolix1 and leave the whole subject in uncertainty4 ,for ,i see another meaning1 which should keep us from believing that a restoration of the primitive days and former years of the legal sacrifices could have been promised to us by the prophet as a great boon4 ,for the animals selected as victims under the old law were required to be immaculate1 and free from all blemish whatever1 and symbolized holy men free from all sin1 the only instance of which character was found in ,christ4 ,as1 therefore1 after the judgment those who are worthy of such purification shall be purified even by fire1 and shall be rendered thoroughly sinless1 and shall offer themselves to ,god in righteousness1 and be indeed victims immaculate and free from all blemish whatever1 they shall then certainly be as in the primitive days1 and as in former years1 when the purest victims were offered1 the shadow of this future reality4 ,for there shall then be in the body and soul of the saints the purity which was symbolized in the bodies of these victims4 ,then1 with reference to those who are worthy not of cleansing but of damnation1 ,he says1 ,and ,i will draw near to you to judgment1 and ,i will be a swift witness against evil-doers and against adulterers2 and after enumerating other damnable crimes1 ,he adds1 ,for ,i am the ,lord your ,god1 and ,i am not changed4 ,it is as if ,he said1 ,though your fault has changed you for the worse1 and my grace has changed you for the better1 ,i am not changed4 ,and he says that ,he ,himself will be a witness1 because in ,his judgment ,he needs no witnesses2 and that ,he will be swift1 either because ,he is to come suddenly1 and the judgment which seemed to lag shall be very swift by ,his unexpected arrival1 or because ,he will convince the consciences of men directly and without any prolix harangue4 ,for1 as it is written1 in the thoughts of the wicked ,his examination shall be conducted4#hbd ,and the apostle says1 ,the thoughts accusing or else excusing1 in the day in which ,god shall judge the hidden things of men1 according to my gospel in ,jesus ,christ4#hbe ,thus1 then1 shall the ,lord be a swift witness1 when ,he shall suddenly bring back into the memory that which shall convince and punish the conscience4 #bg4 ,of the separation of the good and the bad1 which proclaim the discriminating influence of the last judgment4 ,the passage also which ,i formerly quoted for another purpose from this prophet refers to the last judgment1 in which he says1 ,they shall be mine1 saith the ,lord ,almighty1 in the day in which ,i make up my gains1#hbf etc4 ,when this diversity between the rewards and punishments which distinguish the righteous from the wicked shall appear under that ,sun of righteousness in the brightness of life eternal1--a diversity which is not discerned under this sun which shines on the vanity of this life1--there shall then be such a judgment as has never before been4 #bh4 ,that the law of ,moses must be spiritually understood to preclude the damnable murmurs of a carnal interpretation4 ,in the succeeding words1 ,remember the law of ,moses my servant1 which ,i commanded to him in ,horeb for all ,israel1#hbg the prophet opportunely mentions precepts and statutes1 after declaring the important distinction hereafter to be made between those who observe and those who despise the law4 ,he intends also that they learn to interpret the law spiritually1 and find ,christ in it1 by whose judgment that separation between the good and the bad is to be made4 ,for it is not without reason that the ,lord ,himself says to the ,jews1 ,had ye believed ,moses1 ye would have believed me2 for he wrote of me4#hbh ,for by receiving the law carnally1 without perceiving that its earthly promises were figures of things spiritual1 they fell into such murmurings as audaciously to say1 ,it is vain to serve ,god2 and what profit is it that we have kept ,his ordinance1 and that we have walked suppliantly before the face of the ,lord ,almighty8 ,and now we call aliens happy2 yea1 they that work wickedness are set up4#hbi ,it was these words of theirs which in a manner compelled the prophet to announce the last judgment1 in which the wicked shall not even in appearance be happy1 but shall manifestly be most miserable2 and in which the good shall be oppressed with not even a transitory wretchedness1 but shall enjoy unsullied and eternal felicity4 ,for he had previously cited some similar expressions of those who said1 ,every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the ,lord1 and such are pleasing to ,him4#hcj ,it was1 ,i say1 by understanding the law of ,moses carnally that they had come to murmur thus against ,god4 ,and hence1 too1 the writer of the #gc;d ,psalm says that his feet were almost gone1 his steps had well-nigh slipped1 because he was envious of sinners while he considered their prosperity1 so that he said among other things1 ,how doth ,god know1 and is there knowledge in the ,most ,high8 and again1 ,have ,i sanctified my heart in vain1 and washed my hands in innocency8#hca ,he goes on to say that his efforts to solve this most difficult problem1 which arises when the good seem to be wretched and the wicked happy1 were in vain until he went into the sanctuary of ,god1 and understood the last things4#hcb ,for in the last judgment things shall not be so2 but in the manifest felicity of the righteous and manifest misery of the wicked quite another state of things shall appear4 #bi4 ,of the coming of ,elias before the judgment1 that the ,jews may be converted to ,christ by his preaching and explanation of ,scripture4 ,after admonishing them to give heed to the law of ,moses1 as he foresaw that for a long time to come they would not understand it spiritually and rightly1 he went on to say1 ,and1 behold1 ,i will send to you ,elias the ,tishbite before the great and signal day of the ,lord come3 and he shall turn the heart of the father to the son1 and the heart of a man to his next of kin1 lest ,i come and utterly smite the earth4#hcc ,it is a familiar theme in the conversation and heart of the faithful1 that in the last days before the judgment the ,jews shall believe in the true ,christ1 that is1 our ,christ1 by means of this great and admirable prophet ,elias who shall expound the law to them4 ,for not without reason do we hope that before the coming of our ,judge and ,saviour ,elias shall come1 because we have good reason to believe that he is now alive2 for1 as ,scripture most distinctly informs us1#hcd he was taken up from this life in a chariot of fire4 ,when1 therefore1 he is come1 he shall give a spiritual explanation of the law which the ,jews at present understand carnally1 and shall thus turn the heart of the father to the son1 that is1 the heart of fathers to their children2 for the ,septuagint translators have frequently put the singular for the plural number4 ,and the meaning is1 that the sons1 that is1 the ,jews1 shall understand the law as the fathers1 that is1 the prophets1 and among them ,moses himself1 understood it4 ,for the heart of the fathers shall be turned to their children when the children understand the law as their fathers did2 and the heart of the children shall be turned to their fathers when they have the same sentiments as the fathers4 ,the ,septuagint used the expression1 and the heart of a man to his next of kin1 because fathers and children are eminently neighbours to one another4 ,another and a preferable sense can be found in the words of the ,septuagint translators1 who have translated ,scripture with an eye to prophecy1 the sense1 viz41 that ,elias shall turn the heart of ,god the ,father to the ,son1 not certainly as if he should bring about this love of the ,father for the ,son1 but meaning that he should make it known1 and that the ,jews also1 who had previously hated1 should then love the ,son who is our ,christ4 ,for so far as regards the ,jews1 ,god has ,his heart turned away from our ,christ1 this being their conception about ,god and ,christ4 ,but in their case the heart of ,god shall be turned to the ,son when they themselves shall turn in heart1 and learn the love of the ,father towards the ,son4 ,the words following1 and the heart of a man to his next of kin1--that is1 ,elias shall also turn the heart of a man to his next of kin1--how can we understand this better than as the heart of a man to the man ,christ8 ,for though in the form of ,god ,he is our ,god1 yet1 taking the form of a servant1 ,he condescended to become also our next of kin4 ,it is this1 then1 which ,elias will do1 lest1 he says1 ,i come and smite the earth utterly4 ,for they who mind earthly things are the earth4 ,such are the carnal ,jews until this day2 and hence these murmurs of theirs against ,god1 ,the wicked are pleasing to ,him1 and ,it is a vain thing to serve ,god4#hce #cj4 ,that in the books of the ,old ,testament1 where it is said that ,god shall judge the world1 the person of ,christ is not explicitly indicated1 but it plainly appears from some passages in which the ,lord ,god speaks that ,christ is meant4 ,there are many other passages of ,scripture bearing on the last judgment of ,god1--so many1 indeed1 that to cite them all would swell this book to an unpardonable size4 ,suffice it to have proved that both ,old and ,new ,testament enounce the judgment4 ,but in the ,old it is not so definitely declared as in the ,new that the judgment shall be administered by ,christ1 that is1 that ,christ shall descend from heaven as the ,judge2 for when it is therein stated by the ,lord ,god or ,his prophet that the ,lord ,god shall come1 we do not necessarily understand this of ,christ4 ,for both the ,father1 and the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost are the ,lord ,god4 ,we must not1 however1 leave this without proof4 ,and therefore we must first show how ,jesus ,christ speaks in the prophetical books under the title of the ,lord ,god1 while yet there can be no doubt that it is ,jesus ,christ who speaks2 so that in other passages where this is not at once apparent1 and where nevertheless it is said that the ,lord ,god will come to that last judgment1 we may understand that ,jesus ,christ is meant4 ,there is a passage in the prophet ,isaiah which illustrates what ,i mean4 ,for ,god says by the prophet1 ,hear me1 ,jacob and ,israel1 whom ,i call4 ,i am the first1 and ,i am for ever3 and my hand has founded the earth1 and my right hand has established the heaven4 ,i will call them1 and they shall stand together1 and be gathered1 and hear4 ,who has declared to them these things8 ,in love of thee ,i have done thy pleasure upon ,babylon1 that ,i might take away the seed of the ,chaldeans4 ,i have spoken1 and ,i have called3 ,i have brought him1 and have made his way prosperous4 ,come ye near unto me1 and hear this4 ,i have not spoken in secret from the beginning2 when they were made1 there was ,i4 ,and now the ,lord ,god and ,his ,spirit hath sent me4#hcf ,it was ,himself who was speaking as the ,lord ,god2 and yet we should not have understood that it was ,jesus ,christ had ,he not added1 ,and now the ,lord ,god and ,his ,spirit hath sent me4 ,for ,he said this with reference to the form of a servant1 speaking of a future event as if it were past1 as in the same prophet we read1 ,he was led as a sheep to the slaughter1#hcg not ,he shall be led2 but the past tense is used to express the future4 ,and prophecy constantly speaks in this way4 ,there is also another passage in ,zechariah which plainly declares that the ,almighty sent the ,almighty2 and of what persons can this be understood but of ,god the ,father and ,god the ,son8 ,for it is written1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,almighty1 ,after the glory hath ,he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you2 for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of ,his eye4 ,behold1 ,i will bring mine hand upon them1 and they shall be a spoil to their servants3 and ye shall know that the ,lord ,almighty hath sent me4#hch ,observe1 the ,lord ,almighty saith that the ,lord ,almighty sent ,him4 ,who can presume to understand these words of any other than ,christ1 who is speaking to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel8 ,for ,he says in the ,gospel1 ,i am not sent save to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel1#hci which ,he here compared to the pupil of ,god's eye1 to signify the profoundest love4 ,and to this class of sheep the apostles themselves belonged4 ,but after the glory1 to wit1 of ,his resurrection1--for before it happened the evangelist said that ,jesus was not yet glorified1#hdj--;,he was sent unto the nations in the persons of ,his apostles2 and thus the saying of the psalm was fulfilled1 ,thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people2 ,thou wilt set me as the head of the nations4#hda ,so that those who had spoiled the ,israelites1 and whom the ,israelites had served when they were subdued by them1 were not themselves to be spoiled in the same fashion1 but were in their own persons to become the spoil of the ,israelites4 ,for this had been promised to the apostles when the ,lord said1 ,i will make you fishers of men4#hdb ,and to one of them ,he says1 ,from henceforth thou shalt catch men4#hdc ,they were then to become a spoil1 but in a good sense1 as those who are snatched from that strong one when he is bound by a stronger4#hdd ,in like manner the ,lord1 speaking by the same prophet1 says1 ,and it shall come to pass in that day1 that ,i will seek to destroy all the nations that come against ,jerusalem4 ,and ,i will pour upon the house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and mercy2 and they shall look upon me because they have insulted me1 and they shall mourn for ,him as for one very dear1 and shall be in bitterness as for an only-begotten4#hde ,to whom but to ,god does it belong to destroy all the nations that are hostile to the holy city ,jerusalem1 which come against it1 that is1 are opposed to it1 or1 as some translate1 come upon it1 as if putting it down under them2 or to pour out upon the house of ,david and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem the spirit of grace and mercy8 ,this belongs doubtless to ,god1 and it is to ,god the prophet ascribes the words2 and yet ,christ shows that ,he is the ,god who does these so great and divine things1 when ,he goes on to say1 ,and they shall look upon me because they have insulted me1 and they shall mourn for ,him as if for one very dear 7or beloved71 and shall be in bitterness for ,him as for an only-begotten4 ,for in that day the ,jews--those of them1 at least1 who shall receive the spirit of grace and mercy--when they see ,him coming in ,his majesty1 and recognise that it is ,he whom they1 in the person of their parents1 insulted when ,he came before in ,his humiliation1 shall repent of insulting ,him in ,his passion3 and their parents themselves1 who were the perpetrators of this huge impiety1 shall see ,him when they rise2 but this will be only for their punishment1 and not for their correction4 ,it is not of them we are to understand the words1 ,and ,i will pour upon the house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and mercy1 and they shall look upon me because they have insulted me2 but we are to understand the words of their descendants1 who shall at that time believe through ,elias4 ,but as we say to the ,jews1 ,you killed ,christ1 although it was their parents who did so1 so these persons shall grieve that they in some sort did what their progenitors did4 ,although1 therefore1 those that receive the spirit of mercy and grace1 and believe1 shall not be condemned with their impious parents1 yet they shall mourn as if they themselves had done what their parents did4 ,their grief shall arise not so much from guilt as from pious affection4 ,certainly the words which the ,septuagint have translated1 ,they shall look upon me because they insulted me1 stand in the ,hebrew1 ,they shall look upon me whom they pierced4#hdf ,and by this word the crucifixion of ,christ is certainly more plainly indicated4 ,but the ,septuagint translators preferred to allude to the insult which was involved in ,his whole passion4 ,for in point of fact they insulted ,him both when ,he was arrested and when ,he was bound1 when ,he was judged1 when ,he was mocked by the robe they put on ,him and the homage they did on bended knee1 when ,he was crowned with thorns and struck with a rod on the head1 when ,he bore ,his cross1 and when at last ,he hung upon the tree4 ,and therefore we recognise more fully the ,lord's passion when we do not confine ourselves to one interpretation1 but combine both1 and read both insulted and pierced4 ,when1 therefore1 we read in the prophetical books that ,god is to come to do judgment at the last1 from the mere mention of the judgment1 and although there is nothing else to determine the meaning1 we must gather that ,christ is meant2 for though the ,father will judge1 ,he will judge by the coming of the ,son4 ,for ,he ,himself1 by ,his own manifested presence1 judges no man1 but has committed all judgment to the ,son2#hdg for as the ,son was judged as a man1 ,he shall also judge in human form4 ,for it is none but ,he of whom ,god speaks by ,isaiah under the name of ,jacob and ,israel1 of whose seed ,christ took a body1 as it is written1 ,jacob is my servant1 ,i will uphold ,him2 ,israel is mine elect1 my ,spirit has assumed ,him3 ,i have put my ,spirit upon ,him2 ,he shall bring forth judgment to the ,gentiles4 ,he shall not cry1 nor cease1 neither shall ,his voice be heard without4 ,a bruised reed shall ,he not break1 and the smoking flax shall ,he not quench3 but in truth shall ,he bring forth judgment4 ,he shall shine and shall not be broken1 until ,he sets judgment in the earth3 and the nations shall hope in ,his name4#hdh ,the ,hebrew has not ,jacob and ,israel2 but the ,septuagint translators1 wishing to show the significance of the expression my servant1 and that it refers to the form of a servant in which the ,most ,high humbled ,himself1 inserted the name of that man from whose stock ,he took the form of a servant4 ,the ,holy ,spirit was given to ,him1 and was manifested1 as the evangelist testifies1 in the form of a dove4#hdi ,he brought forth judgment to the ,gentiles1 because ,he predicted what was hidden from them4 ,in ,his meekness ,he did not cry1 nor did ,he cease to proclaim the truth4 ,but ,his voice was not heard1 nor is it heard1 without1 because ,he is not obeyed by those who are outside of ,his body4 ,and the ,jews themselves1 who persecuted ,him1 ,he did not break1 though as a bruised reed they had lost their integrity1 and as smoking flax their light was quenched2 for ,he spared them1 having come to be judged and not yet to judge4 ,he brought forth judgment in truth1 declaring that they should be punished did they persist in their wickedness4 ,his face shone on the ,mount1#hej ,his fame in the world4 ,he is not broken nor overcome1 because neither in ,himself nor in ,his ,church has persecution prevailed to annihilate ,him4 ,and therefore that has not1 and shall not1 be brought about which ,his enemies said or say1 ,when shall ,he die1 and ,his name perish8#hea until ,he set judgment in the earth4 ,behold1 the hidden thing which we were seeking is discovered4 ,for this is the last judgment1 which ,he will set in the earth when ,he comes from heaven4 ,and it is in ,him1 too1 we already see the concluding expression of the prophecy fulfilled3 ,in ,his name shall the nations hope4 ,and by this fulfilment1 which no one can deny1 men are encouraged to believe in that which is most impudently denied4 ,for who could have hoped for that which even those who do not yet believe in ,christ now see fulfilled among us1 and which is so undeniable that they can but gnash their teeth and pine away8 ,who1 ,i say1 could have hoped that the nations would hope in the name of ,christ1 when ,he was arrested1 bound1 scourged1 mocked1 crucified1 when even the disciples themselves had lost the hope which they had begun to have in ,him8 ,the hope which was then entertained scarcely by the one thief on the cross1 is now cherished by nations everywhere on the earth1 who are marked with the sign of the cross on which ,he died that they may not die eternally4 ,that the last judgment1 then1 shall be administered by ,jesus ,christ in the manner predicted in the sacred writings is denied or doubted by no one1 unless by those who1 through some incredible animosity or blindness1 decline to believe these writings1 though already their truth is demonstrated to all the world4 ,and at or in connection with that judgment the following events shall come to pass1 as we have learned3 ,elias the ,tishbite shall come2 the ,jews shall believe2 ,antichrist shall persecute2 ,christ shall judge2 the dead shall rise2 the good and the wicked shall be separated2 the world shall be burned and renewed4 ,all these things1 we believe1 shall come to pass2 but how1 or in what order1 human understanding cannot perfectly teach us1 but only the experience of the events themselves4 ,my opinion1 however1 is1 that they will happen in the order in which ,i have related them4 ,two books yet remain to be written by me1 in order to complete1 by ,god's help1 what ,i promised4 ,one of these will explain the punishment of the wicked1 the other the happiness of the righteous2 and in them ,i shall be at special pains to refute1 by ,god's grace1 the arguments by which some unhappy creatures seem to themselves to undermine the divine promises and threatenings1 and to ridicule as empty words statements which are the most salutary nutriment of faith4 ,but they who are instructed in divine things hold the truth and omnipotence of ,god to be the strongest arguments in favour of those things which1 however incredible they seem to men1 are yet contained in the ,scriptures1 whose truth has already in many ways been proved2 for they are sure that ,god can in no wise lie1 and that ,he can do what is impossible to the unbelieving4 ,,footnotes3 #fgc ,matt4 viii4 #bi4 #fgd ,rom4 ix4 #ad4 #fge ,rom4 xi4 #cc4 #fgf ,ps4 cxliv4 #d4 #fgg ,eccles4 i4 #b1 #c4 #fgh ,eccles4 ii4 #ac1 #ad4 #fgi ,eccles4 viii4 #ad4 #fhj ,eccles4 xii4 #ac1 #ad4 #fha ,rom4 iii4 #bj-bb4 #fhb ,matt4 xiii4 #eb4 #fhc ,matt4 xi4 #bb4 #fhd ,matt4 xi4 #bd4 #fhe ,matt4 xii4 #da1 #db4 #fhf ,augustine quotes the whole passage1 ,matt4 xiii4 #cg-dc4 #fhg ,matt4 xix4 #bh4 #fhh ,matt4 xii4 #bg4 #fhi #a ,cor4 xv4 #aj4 #fij #a ,cor4 vi4 #c4 #fia ,ep4 #aii4 #fib ,matt4 xxv4 #cd-da1 given in full4 #fic ,john v4 #bb-bd4 #fid ,john v4 #be1 #bf4 #fie ,matt4 viii4 #bb4 #fif ,cor4 v4 #ad1 #ae4 #fig ,ps4 ci4 #a4 #fih ,john v4 #bh1 #bi4 #fii ,rev4 xx4 #a-f4 ,the whole passage is quoted4 #gjj ,pet4 iii4 #h4 #gja ,serm4 #bei4 #gjb ,milliarii4 #gjc ,mark iii4 #bg2 ,vasa for goods4 #gjd ,matt4 xix4 #bi4 #gje #b ,cor4 vi4 #aj4 #gjf ,ps4 cv4 #h4 #gjg ,col4 i4 #ac4 #gjh #b ,tim4 ii4 #ai4 #gji ,ps4 cxxiii4 #b4 #gaj ,rev4 xx4 #i1 #aj4 #gaa #a ,john ii4 #ai4 #gab ,matt4 xxiv4 #ab4 #gac ,between ,his first and second coming4 #gad ,matt4 xxv4 #cd4 #gae ,matt4 xxviii4 #bj4 #gaf ,matt4 xiii4 #ci-da4 #gag ,matt4 v4 #ai4 #gah ,matt4 xxiii4 #c4 #gai ,matt4 v4 #bj4 #gbj ,col4 iii4 #a1 #b4 #gba ,phil4 iii4 #bj4 #gbb ,phil4 ii4 #ba4 #gbc ,matt4 xviii4 #ah4 #gbd #a ,cor4 v4 #ab4 #gbe ,rev4 xx4 #d4 #gbf ,rev4 xiv4 #ac4 #gbg ,rom4 xiv4 #i4 #gbh #b ,cor4 vi4 #ad4 #gbi ,and1 as ,augustine remarks1 are therefore called cadavera1 from cadere1 to fall4 #gcj ,col4 iii4 #a4 #gca ,rom4 vi4 #d4 #gcb ,eph4 v4 #ad4 #gcc ,ecclus4 ii4 #g4 #gcd ,rom4 xiv4 #d4 #gce #a ,cor4 x4 #ab4 #gcf #a ,peter ii4 #i4 #gcg ,matt4 xxv4 #da4 #gch ,ps4 lxix4 #i4 #gci ,isa4 xxvi4 #aa4 #gdj #b ,thess4 ii4 #h4 #gda ,ch4 #bd4 #gdb #a ,cor4 vii4 #ca1 #cb4 #gdc ,col4 iii4 #c4 #gdd ,matt4 viii4 #bb4 #gde ,rom4 viii4 #aj4 #gdf ,apud inferos1 i4e4 in hell1 in the sense in which the word is used in the ,psalms and in the ,creed4 #gdg ,matt4 xxv4 #df4 #gdh ,rev4 xxi4 #a4 #gdi ,rev4 xv4 #b4 #gej ,rev4 xxi4 #b-e4 #gea ,isa4 xlv4 #h4 #geb ,ps4 xlii4 #c4 #gec ,ps4 vi4 #f4 #ged ,ps4 xxxviii4 #i4 #gee ,ps4 xxxix4 #b4 #gef #b ,cor4 v4 #d4 #geg ,rom4 viii4 #bc4 #geh ,rom4 ix4 #b4 #gei ,augustine therefore read 1 and not with the ,vulgate1 4 #gfj #a ,cor4 xv4 #ee4 #gfa #a ,john i4 #h4 #gfb #b ,pet4 iii4 #c-ac4 ,the whole passage is quoted by ,augustine4 #gfc #b ,thess4 ii4 #a-aa4 ,whole passage given in the ,latin4 ,in ver4 #c refuga is used instead of the ,vulgate's discessio4 #gfd ,augustine adds the words1 ,sicut dicimus1 ,sedet in amicum1 id est1 velut amicus2 vel si quid aliud isto locutionis genere dici solet4 #gfe ,suetonius' ,nero1 c4 #eg4 #gff #a ,john ii4 #ah1 #ai4 #gfg #a ,thess4 iv4 #ac-af4 #gfh #a ,cor4 xv4 #bb4 #gfi #a ,cor4 xv4 #cf4 #ggj ,gen4 iii4 #ai4 #gga #a ,cor4 xv4 #ea4 #ggb ,isa4 xxvi4 #ai4 #ggc ,isa4 lxvi4 #ab-af4 #ggd ,gal4 iv4 #bf4 #gge ,matt4 v4 #h4 #ggf ,isa4 lxv4 #ag-ai4 #ggg ,phil4 iii4 #ai4 #ggh ,rom4 viii4 #f4 #ggi ,gen4 vi4 #c4 #ghj ,luke xii4 #di4 #gha ,acts ii4 #c4 #ghb ,matt4 x4 #cd4 #ghc ,heb4 iv4 #ab4 #ghd ,song of ,sol4 ii4 #e4 #ghe ,isa4 lxvi4 #ah4 #ghf ,rom4 iii4 #bc4 #ghg ,isa4 lxvi4 #bb-bd4 #ghh ,as the ,vulgate3 cadavera virorum4 #ghi ,here ,augustine inserts the remark1 ,who does not see that cadavera 7carcases7 are so called from cadendo 7falling78 #gij ,matt4 xxv4 #cj4 #gia #a ,cor4 xv4 #bh4 #gib #a ,john iii4 #i4 #gic ,isa4 lvi4 #e4 #gid ,dan4 vii4 #ae-bh4 ,passage cited at length4 #gie ,dan4 xii4 #a-c4 #gif ,john v4 #bh4 #gig ,gen4 xvii4 #e1 and xxii4 #ah4 #gih ,dan4 xii4 #ac4 #gii ,ps4 cii4 #be-bg4 #hjj #a ,cor4 vii4 #ca4 #hja #a ,john ii4 #ag4 #hjb ,matt4 xxiv4 #ce4 #hjc #b ,pet4 iii4 #f4 #hjd #b ,pet4 iii4 #aj1 #aa4 #hje ,matt4 xxiv4 #bi4 #hjf neid1 ii4 #fid4 #hjg ,ps4 l4 #c-e4 #hjh ,isa4 liii4 #g4 #hji ,matt4 xxvi4 #fc4 #haj ,ch4 #ba4 #haa #a ,thess4 iv4 #ag4 #hab ,hos4 vi4 #f4 #hac ,ch4 #f4 #had ,matt4 xxv4 #cd4 #hae ,in his ,proem4 ad ,mal4 #haf ,see ,smith's ,bible ,dict4 #hag ,mal4 iii4 #a-f4 ,whole passage quoted4 #hah ,isa4 iv4 #d4 #hai #a ,john i4 #h4 #hbj ,job xiv4 #d4 #hba ,rom4 i4 #ag4 #hbb ,isa4 lxv4 #bb4 #hbc ,prov4 iii4 #ah4 #hbd ,wisd4 i4 #i4 #hbe ,rom4 ii4 #ae1 #af4 #hbf ,mal4 iii4 #ag-;iv4 #c4 #hbg ,mal4 iv4 #d4 #hbh ,john v4 #df4 #hbi ,mal4 iii4 #ad1 #ae4 #hcj ,mal4 ii4 #ag4 #hca ,in innocentibus4 #hcb ,ps4 lxxiii4 #hcc ,mal4 iv4 #e1 #f4 #hcd #b ,kings ii4 #aa4 #hce ,mal4 ii4 #ag1 iii4 #ad4 #hcf ,isa4 xlviii4 #ab-af4 #hcg ,isa4 liii4 #g4 #hch ,zech4 ii4 #h1 #i4 #hci ,matt4 xv4 #bd4 #hdj ,john vii4 #ci4 #hda ,ps4 xviii4 #dc4 #hdb ,matt4 iv4 #ai4 #hdc ,luke v4 #aj4 #hdd ,matt4 xii4 #bi4 #hde ,zech4 xii4 #i1 #aj4 #hdf ,so the ,vulgate4 #hdg ,john v4 #bb4 #hdh ,isa4 xlii4 #a-d4 #hdi ,john i4 #cb4 #hej ,matt4 xvii4 #a1 #b4 #hea ,ps4 xli4 #e4 ,,book ,,twenty-,,first4 ,,argument4 ,,of ,,the ,,end ,,reserved ,,for ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,the ,,devil1 ,,namely1 ,,the ,,eternal ,,punishment ,,of ,,the ,,damned2 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,arguments ,,which ,,unbelief ,,brings ,,against ,,it4 #a4 ,of the order of the discussion1 which requires that we first speak of the eternal punishment of the lost in company with the devil1 and then of the eternal happiness of the saints4 ,i propose1 with such ability as ,god may grant me1 to discuss in this book more thoroughly the nature of the punishment which shall be assigned to the devil and all his retainers1 when the two cities1 the one of ,god1 the other of the devil1 shall have reached their proper ends through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 the ,judge of quick and dead4 ,and ,i have adopted this order1 and preferred to speak1 first of the punishment of the devils1 and afterwards of the blessedness of the saints1 because the body partakes of either destiny2 and it seems to be more incredible that bodies endure in everlasting torments than that they continue to exist without any pain in everlasting felicity4 ,consequently1 when ,i shall have demonstrated that that punishment ought not to be incredible1 this will materially aid me in proving that which is much more credible1 viz4 the immortality of the bodies of the saints which are delivered from all pain4 ,neither is this order out of harmony with the divine writings1 in which sometimes1 indeed1 the blessedness of the good is placed first1 as in the words1 ,they that have done good1 unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil1 unto the resurrection of damnation2#heb but sometimes also last1 as1 ,the ,son of man shall send forth ,his angels1 and they shall gather out of ,his kingdom all things which offend1 and shall cast them into a furnace of fire3 there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth4 ,then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of ,his ,father2#hec and that1 ,these shall go away into everlasting punishment1 but the righteous into life eternal4#hed ,and though we have not room to cite instances1 any one who examines the prophets will find that they adopt now the one arrangement and now the other4 ,my own reason for following the latter order ,i have given4 #b4 ,whether it is possible for bodies to last for ever in burning fire4 ,what1 then1 can ,i adduce to convince those who refuse to believe that human bodies1 animated and living1 can not only survive death1 but also last in the torments of everlasting fires8 ,they will not allow us to refer this simply to the power of the ,almighty1 but demand that we persuade them by some example4 ,if1 then1 we reply to them1 that there are animals which certainly are corruptible1 because they are mortal1 and which yet live in the midst of flames2 and likewise1 that in springs of water so hot that no one can put his hand in it with impunity a species of worm is found1 which not only lives there1 but cannot live elsewhere2 they either refuse to believe these facts unless we can show them1 or1 if we are in circumstances to prove them by ocular demonstration or by adequate testimony1 they contend1 with the same scepticism1 that these facts are not examples of what we seek to prove1 inasmuch as these animals do not live for ever1 and besides1 they live in that blaze of heat without pain1 the element of fire being congenial to their nature1 and causing it to thrive and not to suffer1--just as if it were not more incredible that it should thrive than that it should suffer in such circumstances4 ,it is strange that anything should suffer in fire and yet live1 but stranger that it should live in fire and not suffer4 ,if1 then1 the latter be believed1 why not also the former8 #c4 ,whether bodily suffering necessarily terminates in the destruction of the flesh4 ,but1 say they1 there is no body which can suffer and cannot also die4 ,how do we know this8 ,for who can say with certainty that the devils do not suffer in their bodies1 when they own that they are grievously tormented8 ,and if it is replied that there is no earthly body--that is to say1 no solid and perceptible body1 or1 in one word1 no flesh--which can suffer and cannot die1 is not this to tell us only what men have gathered from experience and their bodily senses8 ,for they indeed have no acquaintance with any flesh but that which is mortal2 and this is their whole argument1 that what they have had no experience of they judge quite impossible4 ,for we cannot call it reasoning to make pain a presumption of death1 while1 in fact1 it is rather a sign of life4 ,for though it be a question whether that which suffers can continue to live for ever1 yet it is certain that everything which suffers pain does live1 and that pain can exist only in a living subject4 ,it is necessary1 therefore1 that he who is pained be living1 not necessary that pain kill him2 for every pain does not kill even those mortal bodies of ours which are destined to die4 ,and that any pain kills them is caused by the circumstance that the soul is so connected with the body that it succumbs to great pain and withdraws2 for the structure of our members and vital parts is so infirm that it cannot bear up against that violence which causes great or extreme agony4 ,but in the life to come this connection of soul and body is of such a kind1 that as it is dissolved by no lapse of time1 so neither is it burst asunder by any pain4 ,and so1 although it be true that in this world there is no flesh which can suffer pain and yet cannot die1 yet in the world to come there shall be flesh such as now there is not1 as there will also be death such as now there is not4 ,for death will not be abolished1 but will be eternal1 since the soul will neither be able to enjoy ,god and live1 nor to die and escape the pains of the body4 ,the first death drives the soul from the body against her will3 the second death holds the soul in the body against her will4 ,the two have this in common1 that the soul suffers against her will what her own body inflicts4 ,our opponents1 too1 make much of this1 that in this world there is no flesh which can suffer pain and cannot die2 while they make nothing of the fact that there is something which is greater than the body4 ,for the spirit1 whose presence animates and rules the body1 can both suffer pain and cannot die4 ,here then is something which1 though it can feel pain1 is immortal4 ,and this capacity1 which we now see in the spirit of all1 shall be hereafter in the bodies of the damned4 ,moreover1 if we attend to the matter a little more closely1 we see that what is called bodily pain is rather to be referred to the soul4 ,for it is the soul1 not the body1 which is pained1 even when the pain originates with the body1--the soul feeling pain at the point where the body is hurt4 ,as then we speak of bodies feeling and living1 though the feeling and life of the body are from the soul1 so also we speak of bodies being pained1 though no pain can be suffered by the body apart from the soul4 ,the soul1 then1 is pained with the body in that part where something occurs to hurt it2 and it is pained alone1 though it be in the body1 when some invisible cause distresses it1 while the body is safe and sound4 ,even when not associated with the body it is pained2 for certainly that rich man was suffering in hell when he cried1 ,i am tormented in this flame4#hee ,but as for the body1 it suffers no pain when it is soulless2 and even when animate it can suffer only by the soul's suffering4 ,if1 therefore1 we might draw a just presumption from the existence of pain to that of death1 and conclude that where pain can be felt death can occur1 death would rather be the property of the soul1 for to it pain more peculiarly belongs4 ,but1 seeing that that which suffers most cannot die1 what ground is there for supposing that those bodies1 because destined to suffer1 are therefore destined to die8 ,the ,platonists indeed maintained that these earthly bodies and dying members gave rise to the fears1 desires1 griefs1 and joys of the soul4 ,hence1 says ,virgil 7i4e4 from these earthly bodies and dying members71 ,hence wild desires and grovelling fears1 ,and human laughter1 human tears4#hef ,but in the fourteenth book of this work#heg we have proved that1 according to the ,platonists' own theory1 souls1 even when purged from all pollution of the body1 are yet possessed by a monstrous desire to return again into their bodies4 ,but where desire can exist1 certainly pain also can exist2 for desire frustrated1 either by missing what it aims at or losing what it had attained1 is turned into pain4 ,and therefore1 if the soul1 which is either the only or the chief sufferer1 has yet a kind of immortality of its own1 it is inconsequent to say that because the bodies of the damned shall suffer pain1 therefore they shall die4 ,in fine1 if the body causes the soul to suffer1 why can the body not cause death as well as suffering1 unless because it does not follow that what causes pain causes death as well8 ,and why then is it incredible that these fires can cause pain but not death to those bodies we speak of1 just as the bodies themselves cause pain1 but not therefore death1 to the souls8 ,pain is therefore no necessary presumption of death4 #d4 ,examples from nature proving that bodies may remain unconsumed and alive in fire4 ,if1 therefore1 the salamander lives in fire1 as naturalists#heh have recorded1 and if certain famous mountains of ,sicily have been continually on fire from the remotest antiquity until now1 and yet remain entire1 these are sufficiently convincing examples that everything which burns is not consumed4 ,as the soul1 too1 is a proof that not everything which can suffer pain can also die1 why then do they yet demand that we produce real examples to prove that it is not incredible that the bodies of men condemned to everlasting punishment may retain their soul in the fire1 may burn without being consumed1 and may suffer without perishing8 ,for suitable properties will be communicated to the substance of the flesh by ,him who has endowed the things we see with so marvellous and diverse properties1 that their very multitude prevents our wonder4 ,for who but ,god the ,creator of all things has given to the flesh of the peacock its antiseptic property8 ,this property1 when ,i first heard of it1 seemed to me incredible2 but it happened at ,carthage that a bird of this kind was cooked and served up to me1 and1 taking a suitable slice of flesh from its breast1 ,i ordered it to be kept1 and when it had been kept as many days as make any other flesh stinking1 it was produced and set before me1 and emitted no offensive smell4 ,and after it had been laid by for thirty days and more1 it was still in the same state2 and a year after1 the same still1 except that it was a little more shrivelled1 and drier4 ,who gave to chaff such power to freeze that it preserves snow buried under it1 and such power to warm that it ripens green fruit8 ,but who can explain the strange properties of fire itself1 which blackens everything it burns1 though itself bright2 and which1 though of the most beautiful colours1 discolours almost all it touches and feeds upon1 and turns blazing fuel into grimy cinders8 ,still this is not laid down as an absolutely uniform law2 for1 on the contrary1 stones baked in glowing fire themselves also glow1 and though the fire be rather of a red hue1 and they white1 yet white is congruous with light1 and black with darkness4 ,thus1 though the fire burns the wood in calcining the stones1 these contrary effects do not result from the contrariety of the materials4 ,for though wood and stone differ1 they are not contraries1 like black and white1 the one of which colours is produced in the stones1 while the other is produced in the wood by the same action of fire1 which imparts its own brightness to the former1 while it begrimes the latter1 and which could have no effect on the one were it not fed by the other4 ,then what wonderful properties do we find in charcoal1 which is so brittle that a light tap breaks it and a slight pressure pulverizes it1 and yet is so strong that no moisture rots it1 nor any time causes it to decay4 ,so enduring is it1 that it is customary in laying down landmarks to put charcoal underneath them1 so that if1 after the longest interval1 any one raises an action1 and pleads that there is no boundary stone1 he may be convicted by the charcoal below4 ,what then has enabled it to last so long without rotting1 though buried in the damp earth in which its original wood rots1 except this same fire which consumes all things8 ,again1 let us consider the wonders of lime2 for besides growing white in fire1 which makes other things black1 and of which ,i have already said enough1 it has also a mysterious property of conceiving fire within it4 ,itself cold to the touch1 it yet has a hidden store of fire1 which is not at once apparent to our senses1 but which experience teaches us1 lies as it were slumbering within it even while unseen4 ,and it is for this reason called quick lime1 as if the fire were the invisible soul quickening the visible substance or body4 ,but the marvellous thing is1 that this fire is kindled when it is extinguished4 ,for to disengage the hidden fire the lime is moistened or drenched with water1 and then1 though it be cold before1 it becomes hot by that very application which cools what is hot4 ,as if the fire were departing from the lime and breathing its last1 it no longer lies hid1 but appears2 and then the lime lying in the coldness of death cannot be requickened1 and what we before called quick1 we now call slaked4 ,what can be stranger than this8 ,yet there is a greater marvel still4 ,for if you treat the lime1 not with water1 but with oil1 which is as fuel to fire1 no amount of oil will heat it4 ,now if this marvel had been told us of some ,indian mineral which we had no opportunity of experimenting upon1 we should either have forthwith pronounced it a falsehood1 or certainly should have been greatly astonished4 ,but things that daily present themselves to our own observation we despise1 not because they are really less marvellous1 but because they are common2 so that even some products of ,india itself1 remote as it is from ourselves1 cease to excite our admiration as soon as we can admire them at our leisure4#hei ,the diamond is a stone possessed by many among ourselves1 especially by jewellers and lapidaries1 and the stone is so hard that it can be wrought neither by iron nor fire1 nor1 they say1 by anything at all except goat's blood4 ,but do you suppose it is as much admired by those who own it and are familiar with its properties as by those to whom it is shown for the first time8 ,persons who have not seen it perhaps do not believe what is said of it1 or if they do1 they wonder as at a thing beyond their experience2 and if they happen to see it1 still they marvel because they are unused to it1 but gradually familiar experience of it dulls their admiration4 ,we know that the loadstone has a wonderful power of attracting iron4 ,when ,i first saw it ,i was thunderstruck1 for ,i saw an iron ring attracted and suspended by the stone2 and then1 as if it had communicated its own property to the iron it attracted1 and had made it a substance like itself1 this ring was put near another1 and lifted it up2 and as the first ring clung to the magnet1 so did the second ring to the first4 ,a third and a fourth were similarly added1 so that there hung from the stone a kind of chain of rings1 with their hoops connected1 not interlinking1 but attached together by their outer surface4 ,who would not be amazed at this virtue of the stone1 subsisting as it does not only in itself1 but transmitted through so many suspended rings1 and binding them together by invisible links8 ,yet far more astonishing is what ,i heard about this stone from my brother in the episcopate1 ,severus bishop of ,milevis4 ,he told me that ,bathanarius1 once count of ,africa1 when the bishop was dining with him1 produced a magnet1 and held it under a silver plate on which he placed a bit of iron2 then as he moved his hand with the magnet underneath the plate1 the iron upon the plate moved about accordingly4 ,the intervening silver was not affected at all1 but precisely as the magnet was moved backwards and forwards below it1 no matter how quickly1 so was the iron attracted above4 ,i have related what ,i myself have witnessed2 ,i have related what ,i was told by one whom ,i trust as ,i trust my own eyes4 ,let me further say what ,i have read about this magnet4 ,when a diamond is laid near it1 it does not lift iron2 or if it has already lifted it1 as soon as the diamond approaches1 it drops it4 ,these stones come from ,india4 ,but if we cease to admire them because they are now familiar1 how much less must they admire them who procure them very easily and send them to us8 ,perhaps they are held as cheap as we hold lime1 which1 because it is common1 we think nothing of1 though it has the strange property of burning when water1 which is wont to quench fire1 is poured on it1 and of remaining cool when mixed with oil1 which ordinarily feeds fire4 #e4 ,that there are many things which reason cannot account for1 and which are nevertheless true4 ,nevertheless1 when we declare the miracles which ,god has wrought1 or will yet work1 and which we cannot bring under the very eyes of men1 sceptics keep demanding that we shall explain these marvels to reason4 ,and because we cannot do so1 inasmuch as they are above human comprehension1 they suppose we are speaking falsely4 ,these persons themselves1 therefore1 ought to account for all these marvels which we either can or do see4 ,and if they perceive that this is impossible for man to do1 they should acknowledge that it cannot be concluded that a thing has not been or shall not be because it cannot be reconciled to reason1 since there are things now in existence of which the same is true4 ,i will not1 then1 detail the multitude of marvels which are related in books1 and which refer not to things that happened once and passed away1 but that are permanent in certain places1 where1 if any one has the desire and opportunity1 he may ascertain their truth2 but a few only ,i recount4 ,the following are some of the marvels men tell us3--,the salt of ,agrigentum in ,sicily1 when thrown into the fire1 becomes fluid as if it were in water1 but in the water it crackles as if it were in the fire4 ,the ,garamant have a fountain so cold by day that no one can drink it1 so hot by night no one can touch it4#hfj ,in ,epirus1 too1 there is a fountain which1 like all others1 quenches lighted torches1 but1 unlike all others1 lights quenched torches4 ,there is a stone found in ,arcadia1 and called asbestos1 because once lit it cannot be put out4 ,the wood of a certain kind of ,egyptian fig-tree sinks in water1 and does not float like other wood2 and1 stranger still1 when it has been sunk to the bottom for some time1 it rises again to the surface1 though nature requires that when soaked in water it should be heavier than ever4 ,then there are the apples of ,sodom1 which grow indeed to an appearance of ripeness1 but1 when you touch them with hand or tooth1 the peel cracks1 and they crumble into dust and ashes4 ,the ,persian stone pyrites burns the hand when it is tightly held in it1 and so gets its name from fire4 ,in ,persia1 too1 there is found another stone called selenite1 because its interior brilliancy waxes and wanes with the moon4 ,then in ,cappadocia the mares are impregnated by the wind1 and their foals live only three years4 ,tilon1 an ,indian island1 has this advantage over all other lands1 that no tree which grows in it ever loses its foliage4 ,these and numberless other marvels recorded in the history1 not of past events1 but of permanent localities1 ,i have no time to enlarge upon and diverge from my main object2 but let those sceptics who refuse to credit the divine writings give me1 if they can1 a rational account of them4 ,for their only ground of unbelief in the ,scriptures is1 that they contain incredible things1 just such as ,i have been recounting4 ,for1 say they1 reason cannot admit that flesh burn and remain unconsumed1 suffer without dying4 ,mighty reasoners1 indeed1 who are competent to give the reason of all the marvels that exist6 ,let them then give us the reason of the few things we have cited1 and which1 if they did not know they existed1 and were only assured by us they would at some future time occur1 they would believe still less than that which they now refuse to credit on our word4 ,for which of them would believe us if1 instead of saying that the living bodies of men hereafter will be such as to endure everlasting pain and fire without ever dying1 we were to say that in the world to come there will be salt which becomes liquid in fire as if it were in water1 and crackles in water as if it were in fire2 or that there will be a fountain whose water in the chill air of night is so hot that it cannot be touched1 while in the heat of day it is so cold that it cannot be drunk2 or that there will be a stone which by its own heat burns the hand when tightly held1 or a stone which cannot be extinguished if it has been lit in any part2 or any of those wonders ,i have cited1 while omitting numberless others8 ,if we were to say that these things would be found in the world to come1 and our sceptics were to reply1 ,if you wish us to believe these things1 satisfy our reason about each of them1 we should confess that we could not1 because the frail comprehension of man cannot master these and such-like wonders of ,god's working2 and that yet our reason was thoroughly convinced that the ,almighty does nothing without reason1 though the frail mind of man cannot explain the reason2 and that while we are in many instances uncertain what ,he intends1 yet that it is always most certain that nothing which ,he intends is impossible to ,him2 and that when ,he declares ,his mind1 we believe ,him whom we cannot believe to be either powerless or false4 ,nevertheless these cavillers at faith and exactors of reason1 how do they dispose of those things of which a reason cannot be given1 and which yet exist1 though in apparent contrariety to the nature of things8 ,if we had announced that these things were to be1 these sceptics would have demanded from us the reason of them1 as they do in the case of those things which we are announcing as destined to be4 ,and consequently1 as these present marvels are not non-existent1 though human reason and discourse are lost in such works of ,god1 so those things we speak of are not impossible because inexplicable2 for in this particular they are in the same predicament as the marvels of earth4 #f4 ,that all marvels are not of nature's production1 but that some are due to human ingenuity and others to diabolic contrivance4 ,at this point they will perhaps reply1 ,these things have no existence2 we don't believe one of them2 they are travellers' tales and fictitious romances2 and they may add what has the appearance of argument1 and say1 ,if you believe such things as these1 believe what is recorded in the same books1 that there was or is a temple of ,venus in which a candelabrum set in the open air holds a lamp1 which burns so strongly that no storm or rain extinguishes it1 and which is therefore called1 like the stone mentioned above1 the asbestos or inextinguishable lamp4 ,they may say this with the intention of putting us into a dilemma3 for if we say this is incredible1 then we shall impugn the truth of the other recorded marvels2 if1 on the other hand1 we admit that this is credible1 we shall avouch the pagan deities4 ,but1 as ,i have already said in the eighteenth book of this work1 we do not hold it necessary to believe all that profane history contains1 since1 as ,varro says1 even historians themselves disagree on so many points1 that one would think they intended and were at pains to do so2 but we believe1 if we are disposed1 those things which are not contradicted by these books1 which we do not hesitate to say we are bound to believe4 ,but as to those permanent miracles of nature1 whereby we wish to persuade the sceptical of the miracles of the world to come1 those are quite sufficient for our purpose which we ourselves can observe1 or of which it is not difficult to find trustworthy witnesses4 ,moreover1 that temple of ,venus1 with its inextinguishable lamp1 so far from hemming us into a corner1 opens an advantageous field to our argument4 ,for to this inextinguishable lamp we add a host of marvels wrought by men1 or by magic1--that is1 by men under the influence of devils1 or by the devils directly1--for such marvels we cannot deny without impugning the truth of the sacred ,scriptures we believe4 ,that lamp1 therefore1 was either by some mechanical and human device fitted with asbestos1 or it was arranged by magical art in order that the worshippers might be astonished1 or some devil under the name of ,venus so signally manifested himself that this prodigy both began and became permanent4 ,now devils are attracted to dwell in certain temples by means of the creatures 7,god's creatures1 not theirs71 who present to them what suits their various tastes4 ,they are attracted not by food like animals1 but1 like spirits1 by such symbols as suit their taste1 various kinds of stones1 woods1 plants1 animals1 songs1 rites4 ,and that men may provide these attractions1 the devils first of all cunningly seduce them1 either by imbuing their hearts with a secret poison1 or by revealing themselves under a friendly guise1 and thus make a few of them their disciples1 who become the instructors of the multitude4 ,for unless they first instructed men1 it were impossible to know what each of them desires1 what they shrink from1 by what name they should be invoked or constrained to be present4 ,hence the origin of magic and magicians4 ,but1 above all1 they possess the hearts of men1 and are chiefly proud of this possession when they transform themselves into angels of light4 ,very many things that occur1 therefore1 are their doing2 and these deeds of theirs we ought all the more carefully to shun as we acknowledge them to be very surprising4 ,and yet these very deeds forward my present arguments4 ,for if such marvels are wrought by unclean devils1 how much mightier are the holy angels6 and what cannot that ,god do who made the angels themselves capable of working miracles6 ,if1 then1 very many effects can be contrived by human art1 of so surprising a kind that the uninitiated think them divine1 as when1 e4g41 in a certain temple two magnets have been adjusted1 one in the roof1 another in the floor1 so that an iron image is suspended in mid-air between them1 one would suppose by the power of the divinity1 were he ignorant of the magnets above and beneath2 or1 as in the case of that lamp of ,venus which we already mentioned as being a skilful adaptation of asbestos2 if1 again1 by the help of magicians1 whom ,scripture calls sorcerers and enchanters1 the devils could gain such power that the noble poet ,virgil should consider himself justified in describing a very powerful magician in these lines3 ,her charms can cure what souls she please1 ,rob other hearts of healthful ease1 ,turn rivers backward to their source1 ,and make the stars forget their course1 ,and call up ghosts from night3 ,the ground shall bellow 'neath your feet3 ,the mountain-ash shall quit its seat1 ,and travel down the height2#hfa-- if this be so1 how much more able is ,god to do those things which to sceptics are incredible1 but to ,his power easy1 since it is ,he who has given to stones and all other things their virtue1 and to men their skill to use them in wonderful ways2 ,he who has given to the angels a nature more mighty than that of all that lives on earth2 ,he whose power surpasses all marvels1 and whose wisdom in working1 ordaining1 and permitting is no less marvellous in its governance of all things than in its creation of all6 #g4 ,that the ultimate reason for believing miracles is the omnipotence of the ,creator4 ,why1 then1 cannot ,god effect both that the bodies of the dead shall rise1 and that the bodies of the damned shall be tormented in everlasting fire1--,god1 who made the world full of countless miracles in sky1 earth1 air1 and waters1 while itself is a miracle unquestionably greater and more admirable than all the marvels it is filled with8 ,but those with whom or against whom we are arguing1 who believe both that there is a ,god who made the world1 and that there are gods created by ,him who administer the world's laws as ,his vicegerents1--our adversaries1 ,i say1 who1 so far from denying emphatically1 assert that there are powers in the world which effect marvellous results 7whether of their own accord1 or because they are invoked by some rite or prayer1 or in some magical way71 when we lay before them the wonderful properties of other things which are neither rational animals nor rational spirits1 but such material objects as those we have just cited1 are in the habit of replying1 ,this is their natural property1 their nature2 these are the powers naturally belonging to them4 ,thus the whole reason why ,agrigentine salt dissolves in fire and crackles in water is that this is its nature4 ,yet this seems rather contrary to nature1 which has given not to fire but to water the power of melting salt1 and the power of scorching it not to water but to fire4 ,but this1 they say1 is the natural property of this salt1 to show effects contrary to these4 ,the same reason1 therefore1 is assigned to account for that ,garamantian fountain1 of which one and the same runlet is chill by day and boiling by night1 so that in either extreme it cannot be touched4 ,so also of that other fountain which1 though it is cold to the touch1 and though it1 like other fountains1 extinguishes a lighted torch1 yet1 unlike other fountains1 and in a surprising manner1 kindles an extinguished torch4 ,so of the asbestos stone1 which1 though it has no heat of its own1 yet when kindled by fire applied to it1 cannot be extinguished4 ,and so of the rest1 which ,i am weary of reciting1 and in which1 though there seems to be an extraordinary property contrary to nature1 yet no other reason is given for them than this1 that this is their nature1--a brief reason truly1 and1 ,i own1 a satisfactory reply4 ,but since ,god is the author of all natures1 how is it that our adversaries1 when they refuse to believe what we affirm1 on the ground that it is impossible1 are unwilling to accept from us a better explanation than their own1 viz4 that this is the will of ,almighty ,god1--for certainly ,he is called ,almighty only because ,he is mighty to do all ,he will1--,he who was able to create so many marvels1 not only unknown1 but very well ascertained1 as ,i have been showing1 and which1 were they not under our own observation1 or reported by recent and credible witnesses1 would certainly be pronounced impossible8 ,for as for those marvels which have no other testimony than the writers in whose books we read them1 and who wrote without being divinely instructed1 and are therefore liable to human error1 we cannot justly blame any one who declines to believe them4 ,for my own part1 ,i do not wish all the marvels ,i have cited to be rashly accepted1 for ,i do not myself believe them implicitly1 save those which have either come under my own observation1 or which any one can readily verify1--such as the lime which is heated by water and cooled by oil2 the magnet which by its mysterious and insensible suction attracts the iron1 but has no effect on a straw2 the peacock's flesh which triumphs over the corruption from which not the flesh of ,plato is exempt2 the chaff so chilling that it prevents snow from melting1 so heating that it forces apples to ripen2 the glowing fire1 which1 in accordance with its glowing appearance1 whitens the stones it bakes1 while1 contrary to its glowing appearance1 it begrimes most things it burns 7just as dirty stains are made by oil1 however pure it be1 and as the lines drawn by white silver are black72 the charcoal1 too1 which by the action of fire is so completely changed from its original1 that a finely marked piece of wood becomes hideous1 the tough becomes brittle1 the decaying incorruptible4 ,some of these things ,i know in common with many other persons1 some of them in common with all men2 and there are many others which ,i have not room to insert in this book4 ,but of those which ,i have cited1 though ,i have not myself seen1 but only read about them1 ,i have been unable to find trustworthy witnesses from whom ,i could ascertain whether they are facts1 except in the case of that fountain in which burning torches are extinguished and extinguished torches lit1 and of the apples of ,sodom1 which are ripe to appearance1 but are filled with dust4 ,and indeed ,i have not met with any who said they had seen that fountain in ,epirus1 but with some who knew there was a similar fountain in ,gaul not far from ,grenoble4 ,the fruit of the trees of ,sodom1 however1 is not only spoken of in books worthy of credit1 but so many persons say that they have seen it that ,i cannot doubt the fact4 ,but the rest of the prodigies ,i receive without definitely affirming or denying them2 and ,i have cited them because ,i read them in the authors of our adversaries1 and that ,i might prove how many things many among themselves believe1 because they are written in the works of their own literary men1 though no rational explanation of them is given1 and yet they scorn to believe us when we assert that ,almighty ,god will do what is beyond their experience and observation2 and this they do even though we assign a reason for ,his work4 ,for what better and stronger reason for such things can be given than to say that the ,almighty is able to bring them to pass1 and will bring them to pass1 having predicted them in those books in which many other marvels which have already come to pass were predicted8 ,those things which are regarded as impossible will be accomplished according to the word1 and by the power of that ,god who predicted and effected that the incredulous nations should believe incredible wonders4 #h4 ,that it is not contrary to nature that1 in an object whose nature is known1 there should be discovered an alteration of the properties which have been known as its natural properties4 ,but if they reply that their reason for not believing us when we say that human bodies will always burn and yet never die1 is that the nature of human bodies is known to be quite otherwise constituted2 if they say that for this miracle we cannot give the reason which was valid in the case of those natural miracles1 viz4 that this is the natural property1 the nature of the thing1--for we know that this is not the nature of human flesh1--we find our answer in the sacred writings1 that even this human flesh was constituted in one fashion before there was sin1--was constituted1 in fact1 so that it could not die1--and in another fashion after sin1 being made such as we see it in this miserable state of mortality1 unable to retain enduring life4 ,and so in the resurrection of the dead shall it be constituted differently from its present well-known condition4 ,but as they do not believe these writings of ours1 in which we read what nature man had in paradise1 and how remote he was from the necessity of death1--and indeed1 if they did believe them1 we should of course have little trouble in debating with them the future punishment of the damned1--we must produce from the writings of their own most learned authorities some instances to show that it is possible for a thing to become different from what it was formerly known characteristically to be4 ,from the book of ,marcus ,varro1 entitled1 ,of the ,race ,of the ,roman ,people1 ,i cite word for word the following instance3 ,there occurred a remarkable celestial portent2 for ,castor records that1 in the brilliant star ,venus1 called ,vesperugo by ,plautus1 and the lovely ,hesperus by ,homer1 there occurred so strange a prodigy1 that it changed its colour1 size1 form1 course1 which never happened before nor since4 ,adrastus of ,cyzicus1 and ,dion of ,naples1 famous mathematicians1 said that this occurred in the reign of ,ogyges4 ,so great an author as ,varro would certainly not have called this a portent had it not seemed to be contrary to nature4 ,for we say that all portents are contrary to nature2 but they are not so4 ,for how is that contrary to nature which happens by the will of ,god1 since the will of so mighty a ,creator is certainly the nature of each created thing8 ,a portent1 therefore1 happens not contrary to nature1 but contrary to what we know as nature4 ,but who can number the multitude of portents recorded in profane histories8 ,let us then at present fix our attention on this one only which concerns the matter in hand4 ,what is there so arranged by the ,author of the nature of heaven and earth as the exactly ordered course of the stars8 ,what is there established by laws so sure and inflexible8 ,and yet1 when it pleased ,him who with sovereignty and supreme power regulates all ,he has created1 a star conspicuous among the rest by its size and splendour changed its colour1 size1 form1 and1 most wonderful of all1 the order and law of its course6 ,certainly that phenomenon disturbed the canons of the astronomers1 if there were any then1 by which they tabulate1 as by unerring computation1 the past and future movements of the stars1 so as to take upon them to affirm that this which happened to the morning star 7,venus7 never happened before nor since4 ,but we read in the divine books that even the sun itself stood still when a holy man1 ,joshua the son of ,nun1 had begged this from ,god until victory should finish the battle he had begun2 and that it even went back1 that the promise of fifteen years added to the life of king ,hezekiah might be sealed by this additional prodigy4 ,but these miracles1 which were vouchsafed to the merits of holy men1 even when our adversaries believe them1 they attribute to magical arts2 so ,virgil1 in the lines ,i quoted above1 ascribes to magic the power to ,turn rivers backward to their source1 ,and make the stars forget their course4 ,for in our sacred books we read that this also happened1 that a river turned backward1 was stayed above while the lower part flowed on1 when the people passed over under the above-mentioned leader1 ,joshua the son of ,nun2 and also when ,elias the prophet crossed2 and afterwards1 when his disciple ,elisha passed through it3 and we have just mentioned how1 in the case of king ,hezekiah1 the greatest of the stars forgot its course4 ,but what happened to ,venus1 according to ,varro1 was not said by him to have happened in answer to any man's prayer4 ,let not the sceptics then benight themselves in this knowledge of the nature of things1 as if divine power cannot bring to pass in an object anything else than what their own experience has shown them to be in its nature4 ,even the very things which are most commonly known as natural would not be less wonderful nor less effectual to excite surprise in all who beheld them1 if men were not accustomed to admire nothing but what is rare4 ,for who that thoughtfully observes the countless multitude of men1 and their similarity of nature1 can fail to remark with surprise and admiration the individuality of each man's appearance1 suggesting to us1 as it does1 that unless men were like one another1 they would not be distinguished from the rest of the animals2 while unless1 on the other hand1 they were unlike1 they could not be distinguished from one another1 so that those whom we declare to be like1 we also find to be unlike8 ,and the unlikeness is the more wonderful consideration of the two2 for a common nature seems rather to require similarity4 ,and yet1 because the very rarity of things is that which makes them wonderful1 we are filled with much greater wonder when we are introduced to two men so like1 that we either always or frequently mistake in endeavouring to distinguish between them4 ,but possibly1 though ,varro is a heathen historian1 and a very learned one1 they may disbelieve that what ,i have cited from him truly occurred2 or they may say the example is invalid1 because the star did not for any length of time continue to follow its new course1 but returned to its ordinary orbit4 ,there is1 then1 another phenomenon at present open to their observation1 and which1 in my opinion1 ought to be sufficient to convince them that1 though they have observed and ascertained some natural law1 they ought not on that account to prescribe to ,god1 as if ,he could not change and turn it into something very different from what they have observed4 ,the land of ,sodom was not always as it now is2 but once it had the appearance of other lands1 and enjoyed equal if not richer fertility2 for1 in the divine narrative1 it was compared to the paradise of ,god4 ,but after it was touched by fire from heaven1 as even pagan history testifies1 and as is now witnessed by those who visit the spot1 it became unnaturally and horribly sooty in appearance2 and its apples1 under a deceitful appearance of ripeness1 contain ashes within4 ,here is a thing which was of one kind1 and is of another4 ,you see how its nature was converted by the wonderful transmutation wrought by the ,creator of all natures into so very disgusting a diversity1--an alteration which after so long a time took place1 and after so long a time still continues4 ,as therefore it was not impossible to ,god to create such natures as ,he pleased1 so it is not impossible to ,him to change these natures of ,his own creation into whatever ,he pleases1 and thus spread abroad a multitude of those marvels which are called monsters1 portents1 prodigies1 phenomena1#hfb and which if ,i were minded to cite and record1 what end would there be to this work8 ,they say that they are called monsters1 because they demonstrate or signify something2 portents1 because they portend something2 and so forth4#hfc ,but let their diviners see how they are either deceived1 or even when they do predict true things1 it is because they are inspired by spirits1 who are intent upon entangling the minds of men 7worthy1 indeed1 of such a fate7 in the meshes of a hurtful curiosity1 or how they light now and then upon some truth1 because they make so many predictions4 ,yet1 for our part1 these things which happen contrary to nature1 and are said to be contrary to nature 7as the apostle1 speaking after the manner of men1 says1 that to graff the wild olive into the good olive1 and to partake of its fatness1 is contrary to nature71 and are called monsters1 phenomena1 portents1 prodigies1 ought to demonstrate1 portend1 predict that ,god will bring to pass what ,he has foretold regarding the bodies of men1 no difficulty preventing ,him1 no law of nature prescribing to ,him ,his limit4 ,how ,he has foretold what ,he is to do1 ,i think ,i have sufficiently shown in the preceding book1 culling from the sacred ,scriptures1 both of the ,new and ,old ,testaments1 not1 indeed1 all the passages that relate to this1 but as many as ,i judged to suffice for this work4 #i4 ,of hell1 and the nature of eternal punishments4 ,so then what ,god by ,his prophet has said of the everlasting punishment of the damned shall come to pass--shall without fail come to pass1--their worm shall not die1 neither shall their fire be quenched4#hfd ,in order to impress this upon us most forcibly1 the ,lord ,jesus ,himself1 when ordering us to cut off our members1 meaning thereby those persons whom a man loves as the most useful members of his body1 says1 ,it is better for thee to enter into life maimed1 than having two hands to go into hell1 into the fire that never shall be quenched2 where their worm dieth not1 and their fire is not quenched4 ,similarly of the foot3 ,it is better for thee to enter halt into life1 than having two feet to be cast into hell1 into the fire that never shall be quenched2 where their worm dieth not1 and the fire is not quenched4 ,so1 too1 of the eye3 ,it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of ,god with one eye1 than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire2 where their worm dieth not1 and the fire is not quenched4#hfe ,he did not shrink from using the same words three times over in one passage4 ,and who is not terrified by this repetition1 and by the threat of that punishment uttered so vehemently by the lips of the ,lord ,himself8 ,now they who would refer both the fire and the worm to the spirit1 and not to the body1 affirm that the wicked1 who are separated from the kingdom of ,god1 shall be burned1 as it were1 by the anguish of a spirit repenting too late and fruitlessly2 and they contend that fire is therefore not inappropriately used to express this burning torment1 as when the apostle exclaims1 ,who is offended1 and ,i burn not8#hff ,the worm1 too1 they think1 is to be similarly understood4 ,for it is written1 they say1 ,as the moth consumes the garment1 and the worm the wood1 so does grief consume the heart of a man4#hfg ,but they who make no doubt that in that future punishment both body and soul shall suffer1 affirm that the body shall be burned with fire1 while the soul shall be1 as it were1 gnawed by a worm of anguish4 ,though this view is more reasonable1--for it is absurd to suppose that either body or soul will escape pain in the future punishment1--yet1 for my own part1 ,i find it easier to understand both as referring to the body than to suppose that neither does2 and ,i think that ,scripture is silent regarding the spiritual pain of the damned1 because1 though not expressed1 it is necessarily understood that in a body thus tormented the soul also is tortured with a fruitless repentance4 ,for we read in the ancient ,scriptures1 ,the vengeance of the flesh of the ungodly is fire and worms4#hfh ,it might have been more briefly said1 ,the vengeance of the ungodly4 ,why1 then1 was it said1 ,the flesh of the ungodly1 unless because both the fire and the worm are to be the punishment of the flesh8 ,or if the object of the writer in saying1 ,the vengeance of the flesh1 was to indicate that this shall be the punishment of those who live after the flesh 7for this leads to the second death1 as the apostle intimated when he said1 ,for if ye live after the flesh1 ye shall die#hfi71 let each one make his own choice1 either assigning the fire to the body and the worm to the soul1--the one figuratively1 the other really1--or assigning both really to the body4 ,for ,i have already sufficiently made out that animals can live in the fire1 in burning without being consumed1 in pain without dying1 by a miracle of the most omnipotent ,creator1 to whom no one can deny that this is possible1 if he be not ignorant by whom has been made all that is wonderful in all nature4 ,for it is ,god ,himself who has wrought all these miracles1 great and small1 in this world which ,i have mentioned1 and incomparably more which ,i have omitted1 and who has enclosed these marvels in this world1 itself the greatest miracle of all4 ,let each man1 then1 choose which he will1 whether he thinks that the worm is real and pertains to the body1 or that spiritual things are meant by bodily representations1 and that it belongs to the soul4 ,but which of these is true will be more readily discovered by the facts themselves1 when there shall be in the saints such knowledge as shall not require that their own experience teach them the nature of these punishments1 but as shall1 by its own fulness and perfection1 suffice to instruct them in this matter4 ,for now we know in part1 until that which is perfect is come2#hgj only1 this we believe about those future bodies1 that they shall be such as shall certainly be pained by the fire4 #aj4 ,whether the fire of hell1 if it be material fire1 can burn the wicked spirits1 that is to say1 devils1 who are immaterial4 ,here arises the question3 ,if the fire is not to be immaterial1 analogous to the pain of the soul1 but material1 burning by contact1 so that bodies may be tormented in it1 how can evil spirits be punished in it8 ,for it is undoubtedly the same fire which is to serve for the punishment of men and of devils1 according to the words of ,christ3 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels2#hga unless1 perhaps1 as learned men have thought1 the devils have a kind of body made of that dense and humid air which we feel strikes us when the wind is blowing4 ,and if this kind of substance could not be affected by fire1 it could not burn when heated in the baths4 ,for in order to burn1 it is first burned1 and affects other things as itself is affected4 ,but if any one maintains that the devils have no bodies1 this is not a matter either to be laboriously investigated1 or to be debated with keenness4 ,for why may we not assert that even immaterial spirits may1 in some extraordinary way1 yet really be pained by the punishment of material fire1 if the spirits of men1 which also are certainly immaterial1 are both now contained in material members of the body1 and in the world to come shall be indissolubly united to their own bodies8 ,therefore1 though the devils have no bodies1 yet their spirits1 that is1 the devils themselves1 shall be brought into thorough contact with the material fires1 to be tormented by them2 not that the fires themselves with which they are brought into contact shall be animated by their connection with these spirits1 and become animals composed of body and spirit1 but1 as ,i said1 this junction will be effected in a wonderful and ineffable way1 so that they shall receive pain from the fires1 but give no life to them4 ,and1 in truth1 this other mode of union1 by which bodies and spirits are bound together and become animals1 is thoroughly marvellous1 and beyond the comprehension of man1 though this it is which is man4 ,i would indeed say that these spirits will burn without any body of their own1 as that rich man was burning in hell when he exclaimed1 ,i am tormented in this flame1#hgb were ,i not aware that it is aptly said in reply1 that that flame was of the same nature as the eyes he raised and fixed on ,lazarus1 as the tongue on which he entreated that a little cooling water might be dropped1 or as the finger of ,lazarus1 with which he asked that this might be done1--all of which took place where souls exist without bodies4 ,thus1 therefore1 both that flame in which he burned and that drop he begged were immaterial1 and resembled the visions of sleepers or persons in an ecstasy1 to whom immaterial objects appear in a bodily form4 ,for the man himself who is in such a state1 though it be in spirit only1 not in body1 yet sees himself so like to his own body that he cannot discern any difference whatever4 ,but that hell1 which also is called a lake of fire and brimstone1#hgc will be material fire1 and will torment the bodies of the damned1 whether men or devils1--the solid bodies of the one1 aerial bodies of the others2 or if only men have bodies as well as souls1 yet the evil spirits1 though without bodies1 shall be so connected with the bodily fires as to receive pain without imparting life4 ,one fire certainly shall be the lot of both1 for thus the truth has declared4 #aa4 ,whether it is just that the punishments of sins last longer than the sins themselves lasted4 ,some1 however1 of those against whom we are defending the city of ,god1 think it unjust that any man be doomed to an eternal punishment for sins which1 no matter how great they were1 were perpetrated in a brief space of time2 as if any law ever regulated the duration of the punishment by the duration of the offence punished6 ,cicero tells us that the laws recognise eight kinds of penalty1--damages1 imprisonment1 scourging1 reparation1#hgd disgrace1 exile1 death1 slavery4 ,is there any one of these which may be compressed into a brevity proportioned to the rapid commission of the offence1 so that no longer time may be spent in its punishment than in its perpetration1 unless1 perhaps1 reparation8 ,for this requires that the offender suffer what he did1 as that clause of the law says1 ,eye for eye1 tooth for tooth4#hge ,for certainly it is possible for an offender to lose his eye by the severity of legal retaliation in as brief a time as he deprived another of his eye by the cruelty of his own lawlessness4 ,but if scourging be a reasonable penalty for kissing another man's wife1 is not the fault of an instant visited with long hours of atonement1 and the momentary delight punished with lasting pain8 ,what shall we say of imprisonment8 ,must the criminal be confined only for so long a time as he spent on the offence for which he is committed8 or is not a penalty of many years' confinement imposed on the slave who has provoked his master with a word1 or has struck him a blow that is quickly over8 ,and as to damages1 disgrace1 exile1 slavery1 which are commonly inflicted so as to admit of no relaxation or pardon1 do not these resemble eternal punishments in so far as this short life allows a resemblance8 ,for they are not eternal only because the life in which they are endured is not eternal2 and yet the crimes which are punished with these most protracted sufferings are perpetrated in a very brief space of time4 ,nor is there any one who would suppose that the pains of punishment should occupy as short a time as the offence2 or that murder1 adultery1 sacrilege1 or any other crime1 should be measured1 not by the enormity of the injury or wickedness1 but by the length of time spent in its perpetration4 ,then as to the award of death for any great crime1 do the laws reckon the punishment to consist in the brief moment in which death is inflicted1 or in this1 that the offender is eternally banished from the society of the living8 ,and just as the punishment of the first death cuts men off from this present mortal city1 so does the punishment of the second death cut men off from that future immortal city4 ,for as the laws of this present city do not provide for the executed criminal's return to it1 so neither is he who is condemned to the second death recalled again to life everlasting4 ,but if temporal sin is visited with eternal punishment1 how1 then1 they say1 is that true which your ,christ says1 ,with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again8#hgf and they do not observe that the same measure refers1 not to an equal space of time1 but to the retribution of evil1 or1 in other words1 to the law by which he who has done evil suffers evil4 ,besides1 these words could be appropriately understood as referring to the matter of which our ,lord was speaking when ,he used them1 viz4 judgments and condemnation4 ,thus1 if he who unjustly judges and condemns is himself justly judged and condemned1 he receives with the same measure though not the same thing as he gave4 ,for judgment he gave1 and judgment he receives1 though the judgment he gave was unjust1 the judgment he receives just4 #ab4 ,of the greatness of the first transgression1 on account of which eternal punishment is due to all who are not within the pale of the ,saviour's grace4 ,but eternal punishment seems hard and unjust to human perceptions1 because in the weakness of our mortal condition there is wanting that highest and purest wisdom by which it can be perceived how great a wickedness was committed in that first transgression4 ,the more enjoyment man found in ,god1 the greater was his wickedness in abandoning ,him2 and he who destroyed in himself a good which might have been eternal1 became worthy of eternal evil4 ,hence the whole mass of the human race is condemned2 for he who at first gave entrance to sin has been punished with all his posterity who were in him as in a root1 so that no one is exempt from this just and due punishment1 unless delivered by mercy and undeserved grace2 and the human race is so apportioned that in some is displayed the efficacy of merciful grace1 in the rest the efficacy of just retribution4 ,for both could not be displayed in all2 for if all had remained#hgg under the punishment of just condemnation1 there would have been seen in no one the mercy of redeeming grace4 ,and1 on the other hand1 if all had been transferred from darkness to light1 the severity of retribution would have been manifested in none4 ,but many more are left under punishment than are delivered from it1 in order that it may thus be shown what was due to all4 ,and had it been inflicted on all1 no one could justly have found fault with the justice of ,him who taketh vengeance2 whereas1 in the deliverance of so many from that just award1 there is cause to render the most cordial thanks to the gratuitous bounty of ,him who delivers4 #ac4 ,against the opinion of those who think that the punishments of the wicked after death are purgatorial4 ,the ,platonists1 indeed1 while they maintain that no sins are unpunished1 suppose that all punishment is administered for remedial purposes1#hgh be it inflicted by human or divine law1 in this life or after death2 for a man may be scathless here1 or1 though punished1 may yet not amend4 ,hence that passage of ,virgil1 where1 when he had said of our earthly bodies and mortal members1 that our souls derive-- ,hence wild desires and grovelling fears1 ,and human laughter1 human tears2 ,immured in dungeon-seeming night1 ,they look abroad1 yet see no light1 goes on to say3 ,nay1 when at last the life has fled1 ,and left the body cold and dead1 ,e'en then there passes not away ,the painful heritage of clay2 ,full many a long-contracted stain ,perforce must linger deep in grain4 ,so penal sufferings they endure ,for ancient crime1 to make them pure2 ,some hang aloft in open view1 ,for winds to pierce them through and through1 ,while others purge their guilt deep-dyed ,in burning fire or whelming tide4#hgi ,they who are of this opinion would have all punishments after death to be purgatorial2 and as the elements of air1 fire1 and water are superior to earth1 one or other of these may be the instrument of expiating and purging away the stain contracted by the contagion of earth4 ,so ,virgil hints at the air in the words1 ,some hang aloft for winds to pierce2 at the water in whelming tide2 and at fire in the expression in burning fire4 ,for our part1 we recognise that even in this life some punishments are purgatorial1--not1 indeed1 to those whose life is none the better1 but rather the worse for them1 but to those who are constrained by them to amend their life4 ,all other punishments1 whether temporal or eternal1 inflicted as they are on every one by divine providence1 are sent either on account of past sins1 or of sins presently allowed in the life1 or to exercise and reveal a man's graces4 ,they may be inflicted by the instrumentality of bad men and angels as well as of the good4 ,for even if any one suffers some hurt through another's wickedness or mistake1 the man indeed sins whose ignorance or injustice does the harm2 but ,god1 who by ,his just though hidden judgment permits it to be done1 sins not4 ,but temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only1 by others after death1 by others both now and then2 but all of them before that last and strictest judgment4 ,but of those who suffer temporary punishments after death1 all are not doomed to those everlasting pains which are to follow that judgment2 for to some1 as we have already said1 what is not remitted in this world is remitted in the next1 that is1 they are not punished with the eternal punishment of the world to come4 #ad4 ,of the temporary punishments of this life to which the human condition is subject4 ,quite exceptional are those who are not punished in this life1 but only afterwards4 ,yet that there have been some who have reached the decrepitude of age without experiencing even the slightest sickness1 and who have had uninterrupted enjoyment of life1 ,i know both from report and from my own observation4 ,however1 the very life we mortals lead is itself all punishment1 for it is all temptation1 as the ,scriptures declare1 where it is written1 ,is not the life of man upon earth a temptation8#hhj ,for ignorance is itself no slight punishment1 or want of culture1 which it is with justice thought so necessary to escape1 that boys are compelled1 under pain of severe punishment1 to learn trades or letters2 and the learning to which they are driven by punishment is itself so much of a punishment to them1 that they sometimes prefer the pain that drives them to the pain to which they are driven by it4 ,and who would not shrink from the alternative1 and elect to die1 if it were proposed to him either to suffer death or to be again an infant8 ,our infancy1 indeed1 introducing us to this life not with laughter but with tears1 seems unconsciously to predict the ills we are to encounter4#hha ,zoroaster alone is said to have laughed when he was born1 and that unnatural omen portended no good to him4 ,for he is said to have been the inventor of magical arts1 though indeed they were unable to secure to him even the poor felicity of this present life against the assaults of his enemies4 ,for1 himself king of the ,bactrians1 he was conquered by ,ninus king of the ,assyrians4 ,in short1 the words of ,scripture1 ,an heavy yoke is upon the sons of ,adam1 from the day that they go out of their mother's womb till the day that they return to the mother of all things1#hhb--these words so infallibly find fulfilment1 that even the little ones1 who by the laver of regeneration have been freed from the bond of original sin in which alone they were held1 yet suffer many ills1 and in some instances are even exposed to the assaults of evil spirits4 ,but let us not for a moment suppose that this suffering is prejudicial to their future happiness1 even though it has so increased as to sever soul from body1 and to terminate their life in that early age4 #ae4 ,that everything which the grace of ,god does in the way of rescuing us from the inveterate evils in which we are sunk1 pertains to the future world1 in which all things are made new4 ,nevertheless1 in the heavy yoke that is laid upon the sons of ,adam1 from the day that they go out of their mother's womb to the day that they return to the mother of all things1 there is found an admirable though painful monitor teaching us to be sober-minded1 and convincing us that this life has become penal in consequence of that outrageous wickedness which was perpetrated in ,paradise1 and that all to which the ,new ,testament invites belongs to that future inheritance which awaits us in the world to come1 and is offered for our acceptance1 as the earnest that we may1 in its own due time1 obtain that of which it is the pledge4 ,now1 therefore1 let us walk in hope1 and let us by the spirit mortify the deeds of the flesh1 and so make progress from day to day4 ,for the ,lord knoweth them that are ,his2#hhc and as many as are led by the ,spirit of ,god1 they are sons of ,god1#hhd but by grace1 not by nature4 ,for there is but one ,son of ,god by nature1 who in ,his compassion became ,son of man for our sakes1 that we1 by nature sons of men1 might by grace become through ,him sons of ,god4 ,for ,he1 abiding unchangeable1 took upon ,him our nature1 that thereby ,he might take us to ,himself2 and1 holding fast ,his own divinity1 ,he became partaker of our infirmity1 that we1 being changed into some better thing1 might1 by participating in ,his righteousness and immortality1 lose our own properties of sin and mortality1 and preserve whatever good quality ,he had implanted in our nature1 perfected now by sharing in the goodness of ,his nature4 ,for as by the sin of one man we have fallen into a misery so deplorable1 so by the righteousness of one ,man1 who also is ,god1 shall we come to a blessedness inconceivably exalted4 ,nor ought any one to trust that he has passed from the one man to the other until he shall have reached that place where there is no temptation1 and have entered into the peace which he seeks in the many and various conflicts of this war1 in which the flesh lusteth against the spirit1 and the spirit against the flesh4#hhe ,now1 such a war as this would have had no existence1 if human nature had1 in the exercise of free will1 continued stedfast in the uprightness in which it was created4 ,but now in its misery it makes war upon itself1 because in its blessedness it would not continue at peace with ,god2 and this1 though it be a miserable calamity1 is better than the earlier stages of this life1 which do not recognise that a war is to be maintained4 ,for better is it to contend with vices than without conflict to be subdued by them4 ,better1 ,i say1 is war with the hope of peace everlasting than captivity without any thought of deliverance4 ,we long1 indeed1 for the cessation of this war1 and1 kindled by the flame of divine love1 we burn for entrance on that well-ordered peace in which whatever is inferior is for ever subordinated to what is above it4 ,but if 7which ,god forbid7 there had been no hope of so blessed a consummation1 we should still have preferred to endure the hardness of this conflict1 rather than1 by our non-resistance1 to yield ourselves to the dominion of vice4 #af4 ,the laws of grace1 which extend to all the epochs of the life of the regenerate4 ,but such is ,god's mercy towards the vessels of mercy which ,he has prepared for glory1 that even the first age of man1 that is1 infancy1 which submits without any resistance to the flesh1 and the second age1 which is called boyhood1 and which has not yet understanding enough to undertake this warfare1 and therefore yields to almost every vicious pleasure 7because though this age has the power of speech1#hhf and may therefore seem to have passed infancy1 the mind is still too weak to comprehend the commandment71 yet if either of these ages has received the sacraments of the ,mediator1 then1 although the present life be immediately brought to an end1 the child1 having been translated from the power of darkness to the kingdom of ,christ1 shall not only be saved from eternal punishments1 but shall not even suffer purgatorial torments after death4 ,for spiritual regeneration of itself suffices to prevent any evil consequences resulting after death from the connection with death which carnal generation forms4#hhg ,but when we reach that age which can now comprehend the commandment1 and submit to the dominion of law1 we must declare war upon vices1 and wage this war keenly1 lest we be landed in damnable sins4 ,and if vices have not gathered strength1 by habitual victory they are more easily overcome and subdued2 but if they have been used to conquer and rule1 it is only with difficulty and labour they are mastered4 ,and indeed this victory cannot be sincerely and truly gained but by delighting in true righteousness1 and it is faith in ,christ that gives this4 ,for if the law be present with its command1 and the ,spirit be absent with ,his help1 the presence of the prohibition serves only to increase the desire to sin1 and adds the guilt of transgression4 ,sometimes1 indeed1 patent vices are overcome by other and hidden vices1 which are reckoned virtues1 though pride and a kind of ruinous self-sufficiency are their informing principles4 ,accordingly vices are then only to be considered overcome when they are conquered by the love of ,god1 which ,god ,himself alone gives1 and which ,he gives only through the ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus1 who became a partaker of our mortality that ,he might make us partakers of ,his divinity4 ,but few indeed are they who are so happy as to have passed their youth without committing any damnable sins1 either by dissolute or violent conduct1 or by following some godless and unlawful opinions1 but have subdued by their greatness of soul everything in them which could make them the slaves of carnal pleasures4 ,the greater number having first become transgressors of the law that they have received1 and having allowed vice to have the ascendency in them1 then flee to grace for help1 and so1 by a penitence more bitter1 and a struggle more violent than it would otherwise have been1 they subdue the soul to ,god1 and thus give it its lawful authority over the flesh1 and become victors4 ,whoever1 therefore1 desires to escape eternal punishment1 let him not only be baptized1 but also justified in ,christ1 and so let him in truth pass from the devil to ,christ4 ,and let him not fancy that there are any purgatorial pains except before that final and dreadful judgment4 ,we must not1 however1 deny that even the eternal fire will be proportioned to the deserts of the wicked1 so that to some it will be more1 and to others less painful1 whether this result be accomplished by a variation in the temperature of the fire itself1 graduated according to every one's merit1 or whether it be that the heat remains the same1 but that all do not feel it with equal intensity of torment4 #ag4 ,of those who fancy that no men shall be punished eternally4 ,i must now1 ,i see1 enter the lists of amicable controversy with those tender-hearted ,christians who decline to believe that any1 or that all of those whom the infallibly just ,judge may pronounce worthy of the punishment of hell1 shall suffer eternally1 and who suppose that they shall be delivered after a fixed term of punishment1 longer or shorter according to the amount of each man's sin4 ,in respect of this matter1 ,origen was even more indulgent2 for he believed that even the devil himself and his angels1 after suffering those more severe and prolonged pains which their sins deserved1 should be delivered from their torments1 and associated with the holy angels4 ,but the ,church1 not without reason1 condemned him for this and other errors1 especially for his theory of the ceaseless alternation of happiness and misery1 and the interminable transitions from the one state to the other at fixed periods of ages2 for in this theory he lost even the credit of being merciful1 by allotting to the saints real miseries for the expiation of their sins1 and false happiness1 which brought them no true and secure joy1 that is1 no fearless assurance of eternal blessedness4 ,very different1 however1 is the error we speak of1 which is dictated by the tenderness of these ,christians who suppose that the sufferings of those who are condemned in the judgment will be temporary1 while the blessedness of all who are sooner or later set free will be eternal4 ,which opinion1 if it is good and true because it is merciful1 will be so much the better and truer in proportion as it becomes more merciful4 ,let1 then1 this fountain of mercy be extended1 and flow forth even to the lost angels1 and let them also be set free1 at least after as many and long ages as seem fit6 ,why does this stream of mercy flow to all the human race1 and dry up as soon as it reaches the angelic8 ,and yet they dare not extend their pity further1 and propose the deliverance of the devil himself4 ,or if any one is bold enough to do so1 he does indeed put to shame their charity1 but is himself convicted of error that is more unsightly1 and a wresting of ,god's truth that is more perverse1 in proportion as his clemency of sentiment seems to be greater4#hhh #ah4 ,of those who fancy that1 on account of the saints' intercession1 no man shall be damned in the last judgment4 ,there are others1 again1 with whose opinions ,i have become acquainted in conversation1 who1 though they seem to reverence the holy ,scriptures1 are yet of reprehensible life1 and who accordingly1 in their own interest1 attribute to ,god a still greater compassion towards men4 ,for they acknowledge that it is truly predicted in the divine word that the wicked and unbelieving are worthy of punishment1 but they assert that1 when the judgment comes1 mercy will prevail4 ,for1 say they1 ,god1 having compassion on them1 will give them up to the prayers and intercessions of ,his saints4 ,for if the saints used to pray for them when they suffered from their cruel hatred1 how much more will they do so when they see them prostrate and humble suppliants8 ,for we cannot1 they say1 believe that the saints shall lose their bowels of compassion when they have attained the most perfect and complete holiness2 so that they who1 when still sinners1 prayed for their enemies1 should now1 when they are freed from sin1 withhold from interceding for their suppliants4 ,or shall ,god refuse to listen to so many of ,his beloved children1 when their holiness has purged their prayers of all hindrance to ,his answering them8 ,and the passage of the psalm which is cited by those who admit that wicked men and infidels shall be punished for a long time1 though in the end delivered from all sufferings1 is claimed also by the persons we are now speaking of as making much more for them4 ,the verse runs3 ,shall ,god forget to be gracious8 ,shall ,he in anger shut up ,his tender mercies8#hhi ,his anger1 they say1 would condemn all that are unworthy of everlasting happiness to endless punishment4 ,but if ,he suffer them to be punished for a long time1 or even at all1 must ,he not shut up ,his tender mercies1 which the ,psalmist implies ,he will not do8 ,for he does not say1 ,shall ,he in anger shut up ,his tender mercies for a long period8 but he implies that ,he will not shut them up at all4 ,and they deny that thus ,god's threat of judgment is proved to be false even though ,he condemn no man1 any more than we can say that ,his threat to overthrow ,nineveh was false1 though the destruction which was absolutely predicted was not accomplished4 ,for ,he did not say1 ,nineveh shall be overthrown if they do not repent and amend their ways1 but without any such condition ,he foretold that the city should be overthrown4 ,and this prediction1 they maintain1 was true because ,god predicted the punishment which they deserved1 although ,he was not to inflict it4 ,for though ,he spared them on their repentance1 yet ,he was certainly aware that they would repent1 and1 notwithstanding1 absolutely and definitely predicted that the city should be overthrown4 ,this was true1 they say1 in the truth of severity1 because they were worthy of it2 but in respect of the compassion which checked ,his anger1 so that ,he spared the suppliants from the punishment with which ,he had threatened the rebellious1 it was not true4 ,if1 then1 ,he spared those whom ,his own holy prophet was provoked at ,his sparing1 how much more shall ,he spare those more wretched suppliants for whom all ,his saints shall intercede8 ,and they suppose that this conjecture of theirs is not hinted at in ,scripture1 for the sake of stimulating many to reformation of life through fear of very protracted or eternal sufferings1 and of stimulating others to pray for those who have not reformed4 ,however1 they think that the divine oracles are not altogether silent on this point2 for they ask to what purpose is it said1 ,how great is ,thy goodness which ,thou hast hidden for them that fear ,thee1#hij if it be not to teach us that the great and hidden sweetness of ,god's mercy is concealed in order that men may fear8 ,to the same purpose they think the apostle said1 ,for ,god hath concluded all men in unbelief1 that ,he may have mercy upon all1#hia signifying that no one should be condemned by ,god4 ,and yet they who hold this opinion do not extend it to the acquittal or liberation of the devil and his angels4 ,their human tenderness is moved only towards men1 and they plead chiefly their own cause1 holding out false hopes of impunity to their own depraved lives by means of this quasi compassion of ,god to the whole race4 ,consequently they who promise this impunity even to the prince of the devils and his satellites make a still fuller exhibition of the mercy of ,god4 #ai4 ,of those who promise impunity from all sins even to heretics1 through virtue of their participation of the body of ,christ4 ,so1 too1 there are others who promise this deliverance from eternal punishment1 not1 indeed1 to all men1 but only to those who have been washed in ,christian baptism1 and who become partakers of the body of ,christ1 no matter how they have lived1 or what heresy or impiety they have fallen into4 ,they ground this opinion on the saying of ,jesus1 ,this is the bread which cometh down from heaven1 that if any man eat thereof1 he shall not die4 ,i am the living bread which came down from heaven4 ,if a man eat of this bread1 he shall live for ever4#hib ,therefore1 say they1 it follows that these persons must be delivered from death eternal1 and at one time or other be introduced to everlasting life4 #bj4 ,of those who promise this indulgence not to all1 but only to those who have been baptized as catholics1 though afterwards they have broken out into many crimes and heresies4 ,there are others still who make this promise not even to all who have received the sacraments of the baptism of ,christ and of ,his body1 but only to the catholics1 however badly they have lived4 ,for these have eaten the body of ,christ1 not only sacramentally but really1 being incorporated in ,his body1 as the apostle says1 ,we1 being many1 are one bread1 one body2#hic so that1 though they have afterwards lapsed into some heresy1 or even into heathenism and idolatry1 yet by virtue of this one thing1 that they have received the baptism of ,christ1 and eaten the body of ,christ1 in the body of ,christ1 that is to say1 in the catholic ,church1 they shall not die eternally1 but at one time or other obtain eternal life2 and all that wickedness of theirs shall not avail to make their punishment eternal1 but only proportionately long and severe4 #ba4 ,of those who assert that all catholics who continue in the faith1 even though by the depravity of their lives they have merited hell fire1 shall be saved on account of the foundation of their faith4 ,there are some1 too1 who found upon the expression of ,scripture1 ,he that endureth to the end shall be saved1#hid and who promise salvation only to those who continue in the ,church catholic2 and though such persons have lived badly1 yet1 say they1 they shall be saved as by fire through virtue of the foundation of which the apostle says1 ,for other foundation hath no man laid than that which is laid1 which is ,christ ,jesus4 ,now if any man build upon this foundation gold1 silver1 precious stones1 wood1 hay1 stubble2 every man's work shall be made manifest3 for the day of the ,lord shall declare it1 for it shall be revealed by fire2 and each man's work shall be proved of what sort it is4 ,if any man's work shall endure which he hath built thereupon1 he shall receive a reward4 ,but if any man's work shall be burned1 he shall suffer loss3 but he himself shall be saved2 yet so as through fire4#hie ,they say1 accordingly1 that the catholic ,christian1 no matter what his life be1 has ,christ as his foundation1 while this foundation is not possessed by any heresy which is separated from the unity of ,his body4 ,and therefore1 through virtue of this foundation1 even though the catholic ,christian by the inconsistency of his life has been as one building up wood1 hay1 stubble1 upon it1 they believe that he shall be saved by fire1 in other words1 that he shall be delivered after tasting the pain of that fire to which the wicked shall be condemned at the last judgment4 #bb4 ,of those who fancy that the sins which are intermingled with alms-deeds shall not be charged at the day of judgment4 ,i have also met with some who are of opinion that such only as neglect to cover their sins with alms-deeds shall be punished in everlasting fire2 and they cite the words of the ,apostle ,james1 ,he shall have judgment without mercy who hath shown no mercy4#hif ,therefore1 say they1 he who has not amended his ways1 but yet has intermingled his profligate and wicked actions with works of mercy1 shall receive mercy in the judgment1 so that he shall either quite escape condemnation1 or shall be liberated from his doom after some time shorter or longer4 ,they suppose that this was the reason why the ,judge ,himself of quick and dead declined to mention anything else than works of mercy done or omitted1 when awarding to those on ,his right hand life eternal1 and to those on ,his left everlasting punishment4#hig ,to the same purpose1 they say1 is the daily petition we make in the ,lord's prayer1 ,forgive us our debts1 as we forgive our debtors4#hih ,for1 no doubt1 whoever pardons the person who has wronged him does a charitable action4 ,and this has been so highly commended by the ,lord ,himself1 that ,he says1 ,for if ye forgive men their trespasses1 your heavenly ,father will also forgive you3 but if ye forgive not men their trespasses1 neither will your ,father forgive your trespasses4#hii ,and so it is to this kind of alms-deeds that the saying of the ,apostle ,james refers1 ,he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shown no mercy4 ,and our ,lord1 they say1 made no distinction of great and small sins1 but ,your ,father will forgive your sins1 if ye forgive men theirs4 ,consequently they conclude that1 though a man has led an abandoned life up to the last day of it1 yet whatsoever his sins have been1 they are all remitted by virtue of this daily prayer1 if only he has been mindful to attend to this one thing1 that when they who have done him any injury ask his pardon1 he forgive them from his heart4 ,when1 by ,god's help1 ,i have replied to all these errors1 ,i shall conclude this 7twenty-first7 book4 #bc4 ,against those who are of opinion that the punishment neither of the devil nor of wicked men shall be eternal4 ,first of all1 it behoves us to inquire and to recognise why the ,church has not been able to tolerate the idea that promises cleansing or indulgence to the devil even after the most severe and protracted punishment4 ,for so many holy men1 imbued with the spirit of the ,old and ,new ,testament1 did not grudge to angels of any rank or character that they should enjoy the blessedness of the heavenly kingdom after being cleansed by suffering1 but rather they perceived that they could not invalidate nor evacuate the divine sentence which the ,lord predicted that ,he would pronounce in the judgment1 saying1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels4#ijj ,for here it is evident that the devil and his angels shall burn in everlasting fire4 ,and there is also that declaration in the ,apocalypse1 ,the devil their deceiver was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone1 where also are the beast and the false prophet4 ,and they shall be tormented day and night for ever4#ija ,in the former passage everlasting is used1 in the latter for ever2 and by these words ,scripture is wont to mean nothing else than endless duration4 ,and therefore no other reason1 no reason more obvious and just1 can be found for holding it as the fixed and immovable belief of the truest piety1 that the devil and his angels shall never return to the justice and life of the saints1 than that ,scripture1 which deceives no man1 says that ,god spared them not1 and that they were condemned beforehand by ,him1 and cast into prisons of darkness in hell1#ijb being reserved to the judgment of the last day1 when eternal fire shall receive them1 in which they shall be tormented world without end4 ,and if this be so1 how can it be believed that all men1 or even some1 shall be withdrawn from the endurance of punishment after some time has been spent in it8 how can this be believed without enervating our faith in the eternal punishment of the devils8 ,for if all or some of those to whom it shall be said1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels1#ijc are not to be always in that fire1 then what reason is there for believing that the devil and his angels shall always be there8 ,or is perhaps the sentence of ,god1 which is to be pronounced on wicked men and angels alike1 to be true in the case of the angels1 false in that of men8 ,plainly it will be so if the conjectures of men are to weigh more than the word of ,god4 ,but because this is absurd1 they who desire to be rid of eternal punishment ought to abstain from arguing against ,god1 and rather1 while yet there is opportunity1 obey the divine commands4 ,then what a fond fancy is it to suppose that eternal punishment means long-continued punishment1 while eternal life means life without end1 since ,christ in the very same passage spoke of both in similar terms in one and the same sentence1 ,these shall go away into eternal punishment1 but the righteous into life eternal6#ijd ,if both destinies are eternal1 then we must either understand both as long-continued but at last terminating1 or both as endless4 ,for they are correlative1--on the one hand1 punishment eternal1 on the other hand1 life eternal4 ,and to say in one and the same sense1 life eternal shall be endless1 punishment eternal shall come to an end1 is the height of absurdity4 ,wherefore1 as the eternal life of the saints shall be endless1 so too the eternal punishment of those who are doomed to it shall have no end4 #bd4 ,against those who fancy that in the judgment of ,god all the accused will be spared in virtue of the prayers of the saints4 ,and this reasoning is equally conclusive against those who1 in their own interest1 but under the guise of a greater tenderness of spirit1 attempt to invalidate the words of ,god1 and who assert that these words are true1 not because men shall suffer those things which are threatened by ,god1 but because they deserve to suffer them4 ,for ,god1 they say1 will yield them to the prayers of ,his saints1 who will then the more earnestly pray for their enemies1 as they shall be more perfect in holiness1 and whose prayers will be the more efficacious and the more worthy of ,god's ear1 because now purged from all sin whatsoever4 ,why1 then1 if in that perfected holiness their prayers be so pure and all-availing1 will they not use them in behalf of the angels for whom eternal fire is prepared1 that ,god may mitigate ,his sentence and alter it1 and extricate them from that fire8 ,or will there1 perhaps1 be some one hardy enough to affirm that even the holy angels will make common cause with holy men 7then become the equals of ,god's angels71 and will intercede for the guilty1 both men and angels1 that mercy may spare them the punishment which truth has pronounced them to deserve8 ,but this has been asserted by no one sound in the faith1 nor will be4 ,otherwise there is no reason why the ,church should not even now pray for the devil and his angels1 since ,god her ,master has ordered her to pray for her enemies4 ,the reason1 then1 which prevents the ,church from now praying for the wicked angels1 whom she knows to be her enemies1 is the identical reason which shall prevent her1 however perfected in holiness1 from praying at the last judgment for those men who are to be punished in eternal fire4 ,at present she prays for her enemies among men1 because they have yet opportunity for fruitful repentance4 ,for what does she especially beg for them but that ,god would grant them repentance1 as the apostle says1 that they may return to soberness out of the snare of the devil1 by whom they are held captive according to his will8#ije ,but if the ,church were certified who those are1 who1 though they are still abiding in this life1 are yet predestinated to go with the devil into eternal fire1 then for them she could no more pray than for him4 ,but since she has this certainty regarding no man1 she prays for all her enemies who yet live in this world2 and yet she is not heard in behalf of all4 ,but she is heard in the case of those only who1 though they oppose the ,church1 are yet predestinated to become her sons through her intercession4 ,but if any retain an impenitent heart until death1 and are not converted from enemies into sons1 does the ,church continue to pray for them1 for the spirits1 i4e41 of such persons deceased8 ,and why does she cease to pray for them1 unless because the man who was not translated into ,christ's kingdom while he was in the body1 is now judged to be of ,satan's following8 ,it is then1 ,i say1 the same reason which prevents the ,church at any time from praying for the wicked angels1 which prevents her from praying hereafter for those men who are to be punished in eternal fire2 and this also is the reason why1 though she prays even for the wicked so long as they live1 she yet does not even in this world pray for the unbelieving and godless who are dead4 ,for some of the dead1 indeed1 the prayer of the ,church or of pious individuals is heard2 but it is for those who1 having been regenerated in ,christ1 did not spend their life so wickedly that they can be judged unworthy of such compassion1 nor so well that they can be considered to have no need of it4 ,as also1 after the resurrection1 there will be some of the dead to whom1 after they have endured the pains proper to the spirits of the dead1 mercy shall be accorded1 and acquittal from the punishment of eternal fire4 ,for were there not some whose sins1 though not remitted in this life1 shall be remitted in that which is to come1 it could not be truly said1 ,they shall not be forgiven1 neither in this world1 neither in that which is to come4#ijf ,but when the ,judge of quick and dead has said1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world1 and to those on the other side1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into the eternal fire1 which is prepared for the devil and his angels1 and ,these shall go away into eternal punishment1 but the righteous into eternal life1#ijg it were excessively presumptuous to say that the punishment of any of those whom ,god has said shall go away into eternal punishment shall not be eternal1 and so bring either despair or doubt upon the corresponding promise of life eternal4 ,let no man then so understand the words of the ,psalmist1 ,shall ,god forget to be gracious8 shall ,he shut up in ,his anger ,his tender mercies8#ijh as if the sentence of ,god were true of good men1 false of bad men1 or true of good men and wicked angels1 but false of bad men4 ,for the ,psalmist's words refer to the vessels of mercy and the children of the promise1 of whom the prophet himself was one2 for when he had said1 ,shall ,god forget to be gracious8 shall ,he shut up in ,his anger ,his tender mercies8 and then immediately subjoins1 ,and ,i said1 ,now ,i begin3 this is the change wrought by the right hand of the ,most ,high1#iji he manifestly explained what he meant by the words1 ,shall ,he shut up in ,his anger ,his tender mercies8 ,for ,god's anger is this mortal life1 in which man is made like to vanity1 and his days pass as a shadow4#iaj ,yet in this anger ,god does not forget to be gracious1 causing ,his sun to shine and ,his rain to descend on the just and the unjust2#iaa and thus ,he does not in ,his anger cut short ,his tender mercies1 and especially in what the ,psalmist speaks of in the words1 ,now ,i begin3 this change is from the right hand of the ,most ,high2 for ,he changes for the better the vessels of mercy1 even while they are still in this most wretched life1 which is ,god's anger1 and even while ,his anger is manifesting itself in this miserable corruption2 for in ,his anger ,he does not shut up ,his tender mercies4 ,and since the truth of this divine canticle is quite satisfied by this application of it1 there is no need to give it a reference to that place in which those who do not belong to the city of ,god are punished in eternal fire4 ,but if any persist in extending its application to the torments of the wicked1 let them at least understand it so that the anger of ,god1 which has threatened the wicked with eternal punishment1 shall abide1 but shall be mixed with mercy to the extent of alleviating the torments which might justly be inflicted2 so that the wicked shall neither wholly escape1 nor only for a time endure these threatened pains1 but that they shall be less severe and more endurable than they deserve4 ,thus the anger of ,god shall continue1 and at the same time ,he will not in this anger shut up ,his tender mercies4 ,but even this hypothesis ,i am not to be supposed to affirm because ,i do not positively oppose it4#iab ,as for those who find an empty threat rather than a truth in such passages as these3 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire2 and ,these shall go away into eternal punishment2#iac and ,they shall be tormented for ever and ever2#iad and ,their worm shall not die1 and their fire shall not be quenched1#iae--such persons1 ,i say1 are most emphatically and abundantly refuted1 not by me so much as by the divine ,scripture itself4 ,for the men of ,nineveh repented in this life1 and therefore their repentance was fruitful1 inasmuch as they sowed in that field which the ,lord meant to be sown in tears that it might afterwards be reaped in joy4 ,and yet who will deny that ,god's prediction was fulfilled in their case1 if at least he observes that ,god destroys sinners not only in anger but also in compassion8 ,for sinners are destroyed in two ways1--either1 like the ,sodomites1 the men themselves are punished for their sins1 or1 like the ,ninevites1 the men's sins are destroyed by repentance4 ,god's prediction1 therefore1 was fulfilled1--the wicked ,nineveh was overthrown1 and a good ,nineveh built up4 ,for its walls and houses remained standing2 the city was overthrown in its depraved manners4 ,and thus1 though the prophet was provoked that the destruction which the inhabitants dreaded1 because of his prediction1 did not take place1 yet that which ,god's foreknowledge had predicted did take place1 for ,he who foretold the destruction knew how it should be fulfilled in a less calamitous sense4 ,but that these perversely compassionate persons may see what is the purport of these words1 ,how great is the abundance of ,thy sweetness1 ,lord1 which ,thou hast hidden for them that fear ,thee1#iaf let them read what follows3 ,and ,thou hast perfected it for them that hope in ,thee4 ,for what means1 ,thou hast hidden it for them that fear ,thee1 ,thou hast perfected it for them that hope in ,thee1 unless this1 that to those who through fear of punishment seek to establish their own righteousness by the law1 the righteousness of ,god is not sweet1 because they are ignorant of it8 ,they have not tasted it4 ,for they hope in themselves1 not in ,him2 and therefore ,god's abundant sweetness is hidden from them4 ,they fear ,god1 indeed1 but it is with that servile fear which is not in love2 for perfect love casteth out fear4#iag ,therefore to them that hope in ,him ,he perfecteth ,his sweetness1 inspiring them with ,his own love1 so that with a holy fear1 which love does not cast out1 but which endureth for ever1 they may1 when they glory1 glory in the ,lord4 ,for the righteousness of ,god is ,christ1 who is of ,god made unto us1 as the apostle says1 wisdom1 and righteousness1 and sanctification1 and redemption3 as it is written1 ,he that glorieth1 let him glory in the ,lord4#iah ,this righteousness of ,god1 which is the gift of grace without merits1 is not known by those who go about to establish their own righteousness1 and are therefore not subject to the righteousness of ,god1 which is ,christ4#iai ,but it is in this righteousness that we find the great abundance of ,god's sweetness1 of which the psalm says1 ,taste and see how sweet the ,lord is4#ibj ,and this we rather taste than partake of to satiety in this our pilgrimage4 ,we hunger and thirst for it now1 that hereafter we may be satisfied with it when we see ,him as ,he is1 and that is fulfilled which is written1 ,i shall be satisfied when ,thy glory shall be manifested4#iba ,it is thus that ,christ perfects the great abundance of ,his sweetness to them that hope in ,him4 ,but if ,god conceals ,his sweetness from them that fear ,him in the sense that these our objectors fancy1 so that men's ignorance of ,his purpose of mercy towards the wicked may lead them to fear ,him and live better1 and so that there may be prayer made for those who are not living as they ought1 how then does ,he perfect ,his sweetness to them that hope in ,him1 since1 if their dreams be true1 it is this very sweetness which will prevent ,him from punishing those who do not hope in ,him8 ,let us then seek that sweetness of ,his1 which ,he perfects to them that hope in ,him1 not that which ,he is supposed to perfect to those who despise and blaspheme ,him2 for in vain1 after this life1 does a man seek for what he has neglected to provide while in this life4 ,then1 as to that saying of the apostle1 ,for ,god hath concluded all in unbelief1 that ,he may have mercy upon all1#ibb it does not mean that ,he will condemn no one2 but the foregoing context shows what is meant4 ,the apostle composed the epistle for the ,gentiles who were already believers2 and when he was speaking to them of the ,jews who were yet to believe1 he says1 ,for as ye in times past believed not ,god1 yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief2 even so have these also now not believed1 that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy4 ,then he added the words in question with which these persons beguile themselves3 ,for ,god concluded all in unbelief1 that ,he might have mercy upon all4 ,all whom1 if not all those of whom he was speaking1 just as if he had said1 ,both you and them8 ,god then concluded all those in unbelief1 both ,jews and ,gentiles1 whom ,he foreknew and predestinated to be conformed to the image of ,his ,son1 in order that they might be confounded by the bitterness of unbelief1 and might repent and believingly turn to the sweetness of ,god's mercy1 and might take up that exclamation of the psalm1 ,how great is the abundance of ,thy sweetness1 ,o ,lord1 which ,thou hast hidden for them that fear ,thee1 but hast perfected to them that hope1 not in themselves1 but in ,thee4 ,he has mercy1 then1 on all the vessels of mercy4 ,and what means all8 ,both those of the ,gentiles and those of the ,jews whom ,he predestinated1 called1 justified1 glorified3 none of these will be condemned by ,him2 but we cannot say none of all men whatever4 #be4 ,whether those who received heretical baptism1 and have afterwards fallen away to wickedness of life2 or those who have received catholic baptism1 but have afterwards passed over to heresy and schism2 or those who have remained in the catholic ,church in which they were baptized1 but have continued to live immorally1--may hope through the virtue of the sacraments for the remission of eternal punishment4 ,but let us now reply to those who promise deliverance from eternal fire1 not to the devil and his angels 7as neither do they of whom we have been speaking71 nor even to all men whatever1 but only to those who have been washed by the baptism of ,christ1 and have become partakers of ,his body and blood1 no matter how they have lived1 no matter what heresy or impiety they have fallen into4 ,but they are contradicted by the apostle1 where he says1 ,now the works of the flesh are manifest1 which are these2 fornication1 uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 idolatry1 witchcraft1 hatred1 variances1 emulations1 wrath1 strife1 heresies1 envyings1 drunkenness1 revellings1 and the like3 of the which ,i tell you before1 as ,i have also told you in time past1 for they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of ,god4#ibc ,certainly this sentence of the apostle is false1 if such persons shall be delivered after any lapse of time1 and shall then inherit the kingdom of ,god4 ,but as it is not false1 they shall certainly never inherit the kingdom of ,god4 ,and if they shall never enter that kingdom1 then they shall always be retained in eternal punishment2 for there is no middle place where he may live unpunished who has not been admitted into that kingdom4 ,and therefore we may reasonably inquire how we are to understand these words of the ,lord ,jesus3 ,this is the bread which cometh down from heaven1 that a man may eat thereof1 and not die4 ,i am the living bread which came down from heaven4 ,if any man eat of this bread1 he shall live for ever4#ibd ,and those1 indeed1 whom we are now answering1 are refuted in their interpretation of this passage by those whom we are shortly to answer1 and who do not promise this deliverance to all who have received the sacraments of baptism and the ,lord's body1 but only to the catholics1 however wickedly they live2 for these1 say they1 have eaten the ,lord's body not only sacramentally1 but really1 being constituted members of ,his body1 of which the apostle says1 ,we being many are one bread1 one body4#ibe ,he then who is in the unity of ,christ's body 7that is to say1 in the ,christian membership71 of which body the faithful have been wont to receive the sacrament at the altar1 that man is truly said to eat the body and drink the blood of ,christ4 ,and consequently heretics and schismatics being separate from the unity of this body1 are able to receive the same sacrament1 but with no profit to themselves1--nay1 rather to their own hurt1 so that they are rather more severely judged than liberated after some time4 ,for they are not in that bond of peace which is symbolized by that sacrament4 ,but again1 even those who sufficiently understand that he who is not in the body of ,christ cannot be said to eat the body of ,christ1 are in error when they promise liberation from the fire of eternal punishment to persons who fall away from the unity of that body into heresy1 or even into heathenish superstition4 ,for1 in the first place1 they ought to consider how intolerable it is1 and how discordant with sound doctrine1 to suppose that many1 indeed1 or almost all1 who have forsaken the ,church catholic1 and have originated impious heresies and become heresiarchs1 should enjoy a destiny superior to those who never were catholics1 but have fallen into the snares of these others2 that is to say1 if the fact of their catholic baptism and original reception of the sacrament of the body of ,christ in the true body of ,christ is sufficient to deliver these heresiarchs from eternal punishment4 ,for certainly he who deserts the faith1 and from a deserter becomes an assailant1 is worse than he who has not deserted the faith he never held4 ,and1 in the second place1 they are contradicted by the apostle1 who1 after enumerating the works of the flesh1 says with reference to heresies1 ,they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of ,god4 ,and therefore neither ought such persons as lead an abandoned and damnable life to be confident of salvation1 though they persevere to the end in the communion of the ,church catholic1 and comfort themselves with the words1 ,he that endureth to the end shall be saved4 ,by the iniquity of their life they abandon that very righteousness of life which ,christ is to them1 whether it be by fornication1 or by perpetrating in their body the other uncleannesses which the apostle would not so much as mention1 or by a dissolute luxury1 or by doing any one of those things of which he says1 ,they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of ,god4 ,consequently1 they who do such things shall not exist anywhere but in eternal punishment1 since they cannot be in the kingdom of ,god4 ,for1 while they continue in such things to the very end of life1 they cannot be said to abide in ,christ to the end2 for to abide in ,him is to abide in the faith of ,christ4 ,and this faith1 according to the apostle's definition of it1 worketh by love4#ibf ,and love1 as he elsewhere says1 worketh no evil4#ibg ,neither can these persons be said to eat the body of ,christ1 for they cannot even be reckoned among ,his members4 ,for1 not to mention other reasons1 they cannot be at once the members of ,christ and the members of a harlot4 ,in fine1 ,he ,himself1 when ,he says1 ,he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood1 dwelleth in me1 and ,i in him1#ibh shows what it is in reality1 and not sacramentally1 to eat ,his body and drink ,his blood2 for this is to dwell in ,christ1 that ,he also may dwell in us4 ,so that it is as if ,he said1 ,he that dwelleth not in me1 and in whom ,i do not dwell1 let him not say or think that he eateth my body or drinketh my blood4 ,accordingly1 they who are not ,christ's members do not dwell in ,him4 ,and they who make themselves members of a harlot1 are not members of ,christ unless they have penitently abandoned that evil1 and have returned to this good to be reconciled to it4 #bf4 ,what it is to have ,christ for a foundation1 and who they are to whom salvation as by fire is promised4 ,but1 say they1 the catholic ,christians have ,christ for a foundation1 and they have not fallen away from union with ,him1 no matter how depraved a life they have built on this foundation1 as wood1 hay1 stubble2 and accordingly the well-directed faith by which ,christ is their foundation will suffice to deliver them some time from the continuance of that fire1 though it be with loss1 since those things they have built on it shall be burned4 ,let the ,apostle ,james summarily reply to them3 ,if any man say he has faith1 and have not works1 can faith save him8#ibi ,and who then is it1 they ask1 of whom the ,apostle ,paul says1 ,but he himself shall be saved1 yet so as by fire8#icj ,let us join them in their inquiry2 and one thing is very certain1 that it is not he of whom ,james speaks1 else we should make the two apostles contradict one another1 if the one says1 ,though a man's works be evil1 his faith will save him as by fire1 while the other says1 ,if he have not good works1 can his faith save him8 ,we shall then ascertain who it is who can be saved by fire1 if we first discover what it is to have ,christ for a foundation4 ,and this we may very readily learn from the image itself4 ,in a building the foundation is first4 ,whoever1 then1 has ,christ in his heart1 so that no earthly or temporal things--not even those that are legitimate and allowed--are preferred to ,him1 has ,christ as a foundation4 ,but if these things be preferred1 then even though a man seem to have faith in ,christ1 yet ,christ is not the foundation to that man2 and much more if he1 in contempt of wholesome precepts1 seek forbidden gratifications1 is he clearly convicted of putting ,christ not first but last1 since he has despised ,him as his ruler1 and has preferred to fulfil his own wicked lusts1 in contempt of ,christ's commands and allowances4 ,accordingly1 if any ,christian man loves a harlot1 and1 attaching himself to her1 becomes one body1 he has not now ,christ for a foundation4 ,but if any one loves his own wife1 and loves her as ,christ would have him love her1 who can doubt that he has ,christ for a foundation8 ,but if he loves her in the world's fashion1 carnally1 as the disease of lust prompts him1 and as the ,gentiles love who know not ,god1 even this the apostle1 or rather ,christ by the apostle1 allows as a venial fault4 ,and therefore even such a man may have ,christ for a foundation4 ,for so long as he does not prefer such an affection or pleasure to ,christ1 ,christ is his foundation1 though on it he builds wood1 hay1 stubble2 and therefore he shall be saved as by fire4 ,for the fire of affliction shall burn such luxurious pleasures and earthly loves1 though they be not damnable1 because enjoyed in lawful wedlock4 ,and of this fire the fuel is bereavement1 and all those calamities which consume these joys4 ,consequently the superstructure will be loss to him who has built it1 for he shall not retain it1 but shall be agonized by the loss of those things in the enjoyment of which he found pleasure4 ,but by this fire he shall be saved through virtue of the foundation1 because even if a persecutor demanded whether he would retain ,christ or these things1 he would prefer ,christ4 ,would you hear1 in the apostle's own words1 who he is who builds on the foundation gold1 silver1 precious stones8 ,he that is unmarried1 he says1 careth for the things that belong to the ,lord1 how he may please the ,lord4#ica ,would you hear who he is that buildeth wood1 hay1 stubble8 ,but he that is married careth for the things that are of the world1 how he may please his wife4#icb ,every man's work shall be made manifest3 for the day shall declare it1--the day1 no doubt1 of tribulation--because1 says he1 it shall be revealed by fire4#icc ,he calls tribulation fire1 just as it is elsewhere said1 ,the furnace proves the vessels of the potter1 and the trial of affliction righteous men4#icd ,and ,the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is4 ,if any man's work abide--for a man's care for the things of the ,lord1 how he may please the ,lord1 abides--which he hath built thereupon1 he shall receive a reward1--that is1 he shall reap the fruit of his care4 ,but if any man's work shall be burned1 he shall suffer loss1--for what he loved he shall not retain3--but he himself shall be saved1--for no tribulation shall have moved him from that stable foundation1--yet so as by fire2#ice for that which he possessed with the sweetness of love he does not lose without the sharp sting of pain4 ,here1 then1 as seems to me1 we have a fire which destroys neither1 but enriches the one1 brings loss to the other1 proves both4 ,but if this passage of ,corinthians is to interpret that fire of which the ,lord shall say to those on ,his left hand1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire1#icf so that among these we are to believe there are those who build on the foundation wood1 hay1 stubble1 and that they1 through virtue of the good foundation1 shall after a time be liberated from the fire that is the award of their evil deserts1 what then shall we think of those on the right hand1 to whom it shall be said1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared for you1#icg unless that they are those who have built on the foundation gold1 silver1 precious stones8 ,but if the fire of which our ,lord speaks is the same as that of which the apostle says1 ,yet so as by fire1 then both--that is to say1 both those on the right as well as those on the left--are to be cast into it4 ,for that fire is to try both1 since it is said1 ,for the day of the ,lord shall declare it1 because it shall be revealed by fire2 and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is4#ich ,if1 therefore1 the fire shall try both1 in order that if any man's work abide--i4e4 if the superstructure be not consumed by the fire--he may receive a reward1 and that if his work is burned he may suffer loss1 certainly that fire is not the eternal fire itself4 ,for into this latter fire only those on the left hand shall be cast1 and that with final and everlasting doom2 but that former fire proves those on the right hand4 ,but some of them it so proves that it does not burn and consume the structure which is found to have been built by them on ,christ as the foundation2 while others of them it proves in another fashion1 so as to burn what they have built up1 and thus cause them to suffer loss1 while they themselves are saved because they have retained ,christ1 who was laid as their sure foundation1 and have loved ,him above all4 ,but if they are saved1 then certainly they shall stand at the right hand1 and shall with the rest hear the sentence1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared for you2 and not at the left hand1 where those shall be who shall not be saved1 and shall therefore hear the doom1 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire4 ,for from that fire no man shall be saved1 because they all shall go away into eternal punishment1 where their worms shall not die1 nor their fire be quenched1 in which they shall be tormented day and night for ever4 ,but if it be said that in the interval of time between the death of this body and that last day of judgment and retribution which shall follow the resurrection1 the bodies of the dead shall be exposed to a fire of such a nature that it shall not affect those who have not in this life indulged in such pleasures and pursuits as shall be consumed like wood1 hay1 stubble1 but shall affect those others who have carried with them structures of that kind2 if it be said that such worldliness1 being venial1 shall be consumed in the fire of tribulation either here only1 or here and hereafter both1 or here that it may not be hereafter1--this ,i do not contradict1 because possibly it is true4 ,for perhaps even the death of the body is itself a part of this tribulation1 for it results from the first transgression1 so that the time which follows death takes its colour in each case from the nature of the man's building4 ,the persecutions1 too1 which have crowned the martyrs1 and which ,christians of all kinds suffer1 try both buildings like a fire1 consuming some1 along with the builders themselves1 if ,christ is not found in them as their foundation1 while others they consume without the builders1 because ,christ is found in them1 and they are saved1 though with loss2 and other buildings still they do not consume1 because such materials as abide for ever are found in them4 ,in the end of the world there shall be in the time of ,antichrist tribulation such as has never before been4 ,how many edifices there shall then be1 of gold or of hay1 built on the best foundation1 ,christ ,jesus1 which that fire shall prove1 bringing joy to some1 loss to others1 but without destroying either sort1 because of this stable foundation6 ,but whosoever prefers1 ,i do not say his wife1 with whom he lives for carnal pleasure1 but any of those relatives who afford no delight of such a kind1 and whom it is right to love1--whosoever prefers these to ,christ1 and loves them after a human and carnal fashion1 has not ,christ as a foundation1 and will therefore not be saved by fire1 nor indeed at all2 for he shall not possibly dwell with the ,saviour1 who says very explicitly concerning this very matter1 ,he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me2 and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me4#ici ,but he who loves his relations carnally1 and yet so that he does not prefer them to ,christ1 but would rather want them than ,christ if he were put to the proof1 shall be saved by fire1 because it is necessary that by the loss of these relations he suffer pain in proportion to his love4 ,and he who loves father1 mother1 sons1 daughters1 according to ,christ1 so that he aids them in obtaining ,his kingdom and cleaving to ,him1 or loves them because they are members of ,christ1 ,god forbid that this love should be consumed as wood1 hay1 stubble1 and not rather be reckoned a structure of gold1 silver1 precious stones4 ,for how can a man love those more than ,christ whom he loves only for ,christ's sake8 #bg4 ,against the belief of those who think that the sins which have been accompanied with almsgiving will do them no harm4 ,it remains to reply to those who maintain that those only shall burn in eternal fire who neglect alms-deeds proportioned to their sins1 resting this opinion on the words of the ,apostle ,james1 ,he shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy4#idj ,therefore1 they say1 he that hath showed mercy1 though he has not reformed his dissolute conduct1 but has lived wickedly and iniquitously even while abounding in alms1 shall have a merciful judgment1 so that he shall either be not condemned at all1 or shall be delivered from final judgment after a time4 ,and for the same reason they suppose that ,christ will discriminate between those on the right hand and those on the left1 and will send the one party into ,his kingdom1 the other into eternal punishment1 on the sole ground of their attention to or neglect of works of charity4 ,moreover1 they endeavour to use the prayer which the ,lord ,himself taught as a proof and bulwark of their opinion1 that daily sins which are never abandoned can be expiated through alms-deeds1 no matter how offensive or of what sort they be4 ,for1 say they1 as there is no day on which ,christians ought not to use this prayer1 so there is no sin of any kind which1 though committed every day1 is not remitted when we say1 ,forgive us our debts1 if we take care to fulfil what follows1 as we forgive our debtors4#ida ,for1 they go on to say1 the ,lord does not say1 ,if ye forgive men their trespasses1 your heavenly ,father will forgive you your little daily sins1 but will forgive you your sins4 ,therefore1 be they of any kind or magnitude whatever1 be they perpetrated daily and never abandoned or subdued in this life1 they can be pardoned1 they presume1 through alms-deeds4 ,but they are right to inculcate the giving of alms proportioned to past sins2 for if they said that any kind of alms could obtain the divine pardon of great sins committed daily and with habitual enormity1 if they said that such sins could thus be daily remitted1 they would see that their doctrine was absurd and ridiculous4 ,for they would thus be driven to acknowledge that it were possible for a very wealthy man to buy absolution from murders1 adulteries1 and all manner of wickedness1 by paying a daily alms of ten paltry coins4 ,and if it be most absurd and insane to make such an acknowledgment1 and if we still ask what are those fitting alms of which even the forerunner of ,christ said1 ,bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance1#idb undoubtedly it will be found that they are not such as are done by men who undermine their life by daily enormities even to the very end4 ,for they suppose that by giving to the poor a small fraction of the wealth they acquire by extortion and spoliation they can propitiate ,christ1 so that they may with impunity commit the most damnable sins1 in the persuasion that they have bought from ,him a licence to transgress1 or rather do buy a daily indulgence4 ,and if they for one crime have distributed all their goods to ,christ's needy members1 that could profit them nothing unless they desisted from all similar actions1 and attained charity which worketh no evil4 ,he therefore who does alms-deeds proportioned to his sins must first begin with himself4 ,for it is not reasonable that a man who exercises charity towards his neighbour should not do so towards himself1 since he hears the ,lord saying1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself1#idc and again1 ,have compassion on thy soul1 and please ,god4#idd ,he then who has not compassion on his own soul that he may please ,god1 how can he be said to do alms-deeds proportioned to his sins8 ,to the same purpose is that written1 ,he who is bad to himself1 to whom can he be good8#ide ,we ought therefore to do alms that we may be heard when we pray that our past sins may be forgiven1 not that while we continue in them we may think to provide ourselves with a licence for wickedness by alms-deeds4 ,the reason1 therefore1 of our predicting that ,he will impute to those on ,his right hand the alms-deeds they have done1 and charge those on ,his left with omitting the same1 is that ,he may thus show the efficacy of charity for the deletion of past sins1 not for impunity in their perpetual commission4 ,and such persons1 indeed1 as decline to abandon their evil habits of life for a better course cannot be said to do charitable deeds4 ,for this is the purport of the saying1 ,inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these1 ye did it not to me4#idf ,he shows them that they do not perform charitable actions even when they think they are doing so4 ,for if they gave bread to a hungering ,christian because he is a ,christian1 assuredly they would not deny to themselves the bread of righteousness1 that is1 ,christ ,himself2 for ,god considers not the person to whom the gift is made1 but the spirit in which it is made4 ,he therefore who loves ,christ in a ,christian extends alms to him in the same spirit in which he draws near to ,christ1 not in that spirit which would abandon ,christ if it could do so with impunity4 ,for in proportion as a man loves what ,christ disapproves does he himself abandon ,christ4 ,for what does it profit a man that he is baptized1 if he is not justified8 ,did not ,he who said1 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he shall not enter into the kingdom of ,god1#idg say also1 ,except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and ,pharisees1 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven8#idh ,why do many through fear of the first saying run to baptism1 while few through fear of the second seek to be justified8 ,as therefore it is not to his brother a man says1 ,thou fool1 if when he says it he is indignant not at the brotherhood1 but at the sin of the offender1--for otherwise he were guilty of hell fire1--so he who extends charity to a ,christian does not extend it to a ,christian if he does not love ,christ in him4 ,now he does not love ,christ who refuses to be justified in ,him4 ,or1 again1 if a man has been guilty of this sin of calling his brother ,fool1 unjustly reviling him without any desire to remove his sin1 his alms-deeds go a small way towards expiating this fault1 unless he adds to this the remedy of reconciliation which the same passage enjoins4 ,for it is there said1 ,therefore1 if thou bring thy gift to the altar1 and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee2 leave there thy gift before the altar1 and go thy way2 first be reconciled to thy brother1 and then come and offer thy gift4#idi ,just so it is a small matter to do alms-deeds1 no matter how great they be1 for any sin1 so long as the offender continues in the practice of sin4 ,then as to the daily prayer which the ,lord ,himself taught1 and which is therefore called the ,lord's prayer1 it obliterates indeed the sins of the day1 when day by day we say1 ,forgive us our debts1 and when we not only say but act out that which follows1 as we forgive our debtors2#iej but we utter this petition because sins have been committed1 and not that they may be4 ,for by it our ,saviour designed to teach us that1 however righteously we live in this life of infirmity and darkness1 we still commit sins for the remission of which we ought to pray1 while we must pardon those who sin against us that we ourselves also may be pardoned4 ,the ,lord then did not utter the words1 ,if ye forgive men their trespasses1 your ,father will also forgive you your trespasses1#iea in order that we might contract from this petition such confidence as should enable us to sin securely from day to day1 either putting ourselves above the fear of human laws1 or craftily deceiving men concerning our conduct1 but in order that we might thus learn not to suppose that we are without sins1 even though we should be free from crimes2 as also ,god admonished the priests of the old law to this same effect regarding their sacrifices1 which ,he commanded them to offer first for their own sins1 and then for the sins of the people4 ,for even the very words of so great a ,master and ,lord are to be intently considered4 ,for ,he does not say1 ,if ye forgive men their sins1 your ,father will also forgive you your sins1 no matter of what sort they be1 but ,he says1 your sins2 for it was a daily prayer ,he was teaching1 and it was certainly to disciples already justified ,he was speaking4 ,what1 then1 does ,he mean by your sins1 but those sins from which not even you who are justified and sanctified can be free8 ,while1 then1 those who seek occasion from this petition to indulge in habitual sin maintain that the ,lord meant to include great sins1 because ,he did not say1 ,he will forgive you your small sins1 but your sins1 we1 on the other hand1 taking into account the character of the persons ,he was addressing1 cannot see our way to interpret the expression your sins of anything but small sins1 because such persons are no longer guilty of great sins4 ,nevertheless not even great sins themselves--sins from which we must flee with a total reformation of life--are forgiven to those who pray1 unless they observe the appended precept1 as ye also forgive your debtors4 ,for if the very small sins which attach even to the life of the righteous be not remitted without that condition1 how much further from obtaining indulgence shall those be who are involved in many great crimes1 if1 while they cease from perpetrating such enormities1 they still inexorably refuse to remit any debt incurred to themselves1 since the ,lord says1 ,but if ye forgive not men their trespasses1 neither will your ,father forgive your trespasses8#ieb ,for this is the purport of the saying of the ,apostle ,james also1 ,he shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy4#iec ,for we should remember that servant whose debt of ten thousand talents his lord cancelled1 but afterwards ordered him to pay up1 because the servant himself had no pity for his fellow-servant who owed him an hundred pence4#ied ,the words which the ,apostle ,james subjoins1 ,and mercy rejoiceth against judgment1#iee find their application among those who are the children of the promise and vessels of mercy4 ,for even those righteous men1 who have lived with such holiness that they receive into the eternal habitations others also who have won their friendship with the mammon of unrighteousness1#ief became such only through the merciful deliverance of ,him who justifies the ungodly1 imputing to him a reward according to grace1 not according to debt4 ,for among this number is the apostle1 who says1 ,i obtained mercy to be faithful4#ieg ,but it must be admitted1 that those who are thus received into the eternal habitations are not of such a character that their own life would suffice to rescue them without the aid of the saints1 and consequently in their case especially does mercy rejoice against judgment4 ,and yet we are not on this account to suppose that every abandoned profligate1 who has made no amendment of his life1 is to be received into the eternal habitations if only he has assisted the saints with the mammon of unrighteousness1--that is to say1 with money or wealth which has been unjustly acquired1 or1 if rightfully acquired1 is yet not the true riches1 but only what iniquity counts riches1 because it knows not the true riches in which those persons abound1 who even receive others also into eternal habitations4 ,there is then a certain kind of life1 which is neither1 on the one hand1 so bad that those who adopt it are not helped towards the kingdom of heaven by any bountiful almsgiving by which they may relieve the wants of the saints1 and make friends who could receive them into eternal habitations1 nor1 on the other hand1 so good that it of itself suffices to win for them that great blessedness1 if they do not obtain mercy through the merits of those whom they have made their friends4 ,and ,i frequently wonder that even ,virgil should give expression to this sentence of the ,lord1 in which ,he says1 ,make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness1 that they may receive you into everlasting habitations2#ieh and this very similar saying1 ,he that receiveth a prophet1 in the name of a prophet1 shall receive a prophet's reward2 and he that receiveth a righteous man1 in the name of a righteous man1 shall receive a righteous man's reward4#iei ,for when that poet described the ,elysian fields1 in which they suppose that the souls of the blessed dwell1 he placed there not only those who had been able by their own merit to reach that abode1 but added1-- ,and they who grateful memory won ,by services to others done2#ifj that is1 they who had served others1 and thereby merited to be remembered by them4 ,just as if they used the expression so common in ,christian lips1 where some humble person commends himself to one of the saints1 and says1 ,remember me1 and secures that he do so by deserving well at his hand4 ,but what that kind of life we have been speaking of is1 and what those sins are which prevent a man from winning the kingdom of ,god by himself1 but yet permit him to avail himself of the merits of the saints1 it is very difficult to ascertain1 very perilous to define4 ,for my own part1 in spite of all investigation1 ,i have been up to the present hour unable to discover this4 ,and possibly it is hidden from us1 lest we should become careless in avoiding such sins1 and so cease to make progress4 ,for if it were known what these sins are1 which1 though they continue1 and be not abandoned for a higher life1 do yet not prevent us from seeking and hoping for the intercession of the saints1 human sloth would presumptuously wrap itself in these sins1 and would take no steps to be disentangled from such wrappings by the deft energy of any virtue1 but would only desire to be rescued by the merits of other people1 whose friendship had been won by a bountiful use of the mammon of unrighteousness4 ,but now that we are left in ignorance of the precise nature of that iniquity which is venial1 even though it be persevered in1 certainly we are both more vigilant in our prayers and efforts for progress1 and more careful to secure with the mammon of unrighteousness friends for ourselves among the saints4 ,but this deliverance1 which is effected by one's own prayers1 or the intercession of holy men1 secures that a man be not cast into eternal fire1 but not that1 when once he has been cast into it1 he should after a time be rescued from it4 ,for even those who fancy that what is said of the good ground bringing forth abundant fruit1 some thirty1 some sixty1 some an hundred fold1 is to be referred to the saints1 so that in proportion to their merits some of them shall deliver thirty men1 some sixty1 some an hundred1--even those who maintain this are yet commonly inclined to suppose that this deliverance will take place at1 and not after the day of judgment4 ,under this impression1 some one who observed the unseemly folly with which men promise themselves impunity on the ground that all will be included in this method of deliverance1 is reported to have very happily remarked1 that we should rather endeavour to live so well that we shall be all found among the number of those who are to intercede for the liberation of others1 lest these should be so few in number1 that1 after they have delivered1 one thirty1 another sixty1 another a hundred1 there should still remain many who could not be delivered from punishment by their intercessions1 and among them every one who has vainly and rashly promised himself the fruit of another's labour4 ,but enough has been said in reply to those who acknowledge the authority of the same sacred ,scriptures as ourselves1 but who1 by a mistaken interpretation of them1 conceive of the future rather as they themselves wish1 than as the ,scriptures teach4 ,and having given this reply1 ,i now1 according to promise1 close this book4 ,,footnotes3 #heb ,john v4 #bi4 #hec ,matt4 xiii4 #da-dc4 #hed ,matt4 xxv4 #df4 #hee ,luke xvi4 #bd4 #hef neid1 vi4 #gcc4 #heg ,ch4 #c1 #e1 #f4 #heh ,aristotle does not affirm it as a fact observed by himself1 but as a popular tradition 7,hist4 anim4 v4 #ai74 ,pliny is equally cautious 7,hist4 nat4 xxix4 #bc74 ,dioscorides declared the thing impossible 7ii4 #fh74--,,saisset4 #hei ,so ,lucretius1 ii4 #ajbe3 ,sed neque tam facilis res ulla 'st1 quin ea primum ,difficilis magis ad credendum constet3 itemque ,nil adeo magnum1 nec tam mirabile quicquam ,principis1 quod non minuant mirarier omnes ,paulatim4 #hfj ,alluded to by ,moore in his ,melodies3 ,the fount that played ,in times of old through ,ammon's shade1 ,though icy cold by day it ran1 ,yet still1 like souls of mirth1 began ,to burn when night was near4 #hfa neid1 iv4 #dhg-dia4 #hfb ,see the same collocation of words in ,cic4 ,nat4 deor4 ii4 #c4 #hfc ,the etymologies given here by ,augustine are1 monstra1 a monstrando2 ostenta1 ab ostendendo2 portenta1 a portendendo1 i4e4 prostendendo2 prodigia1 quod porro dicant1 i4e4 futura prdicant4 #hfd ,isa4 lxvi4 #bd4 #hfe ,mark ix4 #dc-dh4 #hff #b ,cor4 xi4 #bi4 #hfg ,isa4 li4 #h4 #hfh ,ecclus4 vii4 #ag4 #hfi ,rom4 viii4 #ac4 #hgj #a ,cor4 xiii4 #i1 #aj4 #hga ,matt4 xxv4 #da4 #hgb ,luke xvi4 #bd4 #hgc ,rev4 xx4 #aj4 #hgd ,talio1 i4e4 the rendering of like for like1 the punishment being exactly similar to the injury sustained4 #hge ,ex4 xxi4 #bd4 #hgf ,luke vi4 #ch4 #hgg ,remanerent4 ,but ,augustine constantly uses the imp4 for the plup4 subjunctive4 #hgh ,plato's own theory was that punishment had a twofold purpose1 to reform and to deter4 ,no one punishes an offender on account of the past offence1 and simply because he has done wrong1 but for the sake of the future1 that the offence may not be again committed1 either by the same person or by any one who has seen him punished4--,see the ,protagoras1 #cbd1 b1 and ,grote's ,plato1 ii4 #da4 #hgi neid1 vi4 #gcc4 #hhj ,job vii4 #a4 #hha ,compare ,goldsmith's saying1 ,we begin life in tears1 and every day tells us why4 #hhb ,ecclus4 xl4 #a4 #hhc #b ,tim4 ii4 #ai4 #hhd ,rom4 viii4 #ad4 #hhe ,gal4 v4 #ag4 #hhf ,fari4 #hhg ,see ,aug4 ,ep4 #ih1 ad ,bonifacium4 #hhh ,on the heresy of ,origen1 see ,epiphanius 7,epistola ad ,joannem ,hierosol472 ,jerome 7,epistola #fa1 ad ,pammachium72 and ,augustine 7,de ,hres4 #dc74 ,origen's opinion was condemned by ,anastasius 7,jerome1 ,apologia adv4 ,ruffinum1 and ,epistola #gh1 ad ,pammachium71 and after ,augustine's death by ,vigilius and the ,emperor ,justinian1 in the ,fifth cumenical ,council 7,nicephorus ,callistus1 xvii4 #bg1 and the ,acts of the ,council1 iv4 #aa74--;,,coqu,,us4 #hhi ,ps4 lxxvii4 #i4 #hij ,ps4 xxxi4 #ai4 #hia ,rom4 xi4 #cb4 #hib ,john vi4 #ej1 #ea4 #hic #a ,cor4 x4 #ag4 #hid ,matt4 xxiv4 #ac4 #hie #a ,cor4 iii4 #aa-ae4 #hif ,jas4 ii4 #ac4 #hig ,matt4 xxv4 #cc4 #hih ,matt4 vi4 #ab4 #hii ,matt4 vi4 #ad1 #ae4 #ijj ,matt4 xxv4 #da4 #ija ,rev4 xx4 #aj4 #ijb #b ,pet4 ii4 #d4 #ijc ,matt4 xxv4 #da4 #ijd ,matt4 xxv4 #df4 #ije #b ,tim4 ii4 #be1 #bf4 #ijf ,matt4 xii4 #cb4 #ijg ,matt4 xxv4 #cd1 #da1 #df4 #ijh ,ps4 lxxvii4 #i4 #iji ,ps4 lxxvii4 #aj4 #iaj ,ps4 cxliv4 #d4 #iaa ,matt4 v4 #de4 #iab ,it is the theory which ,chrysostom adopts4 #iac ,matt4 xxv4 #da1 #df4 #iad ,rev4 xx4 #aj4 #iae ,isa4 lxvi4 #bd4 #iaf ,ps4 xxxi4 #ai4 #iag #a ,john iv4 #ah4 #iah #a ,cor4 i4 #cj1 #ca4 #iai ,rom4 x4 #c4 #ibj ,ps4 xxxiv4 #h4 #iba ,ps4 xvii4 #ae4 #ibb ,rom4 xi4 #cb4 #ibc ,gal4 v4 #ai-ba4 #ibd ,john vi4 #ej1 #ea4 #ibe #a ,cor4 x4 #ag4 #ibf ,gal4 v4 #f4 #ibg ,rom4 xiii4 #aj4 #ibh ,john vi4 #ef4 #ibi ,jas4 ii4 #ad4 #icj #a ,cor4 iii4 #ae4 #ica #a ,cor4 vii4 #cb4 #icb #a ,cor4 vii4 #cc4 #icc #a ,cor4 iii4 #ac4 #icd ,ecclus4 xxvii4 #e4 #ice #a ,cor4 iii4 #ad1 #ae4 #icf ,matt4 xxv4 #da4 #icg ,matt4 xxv4 #cd4 #ich #a ,cor4 iii4 #ac4 #ici ,matt4 x4 #cg4 #idj ,jas4 ii4 #ac4 #ida ,matt4 vi4 #ab4 #idb ,matt4 iii4 #h4 #idc ,matt4 xxii4 #ci4 #idd ,ecclus4 xxx4 #bd4 #ide ,ecclus4 xxi4 #a4 #idf ,matt4 xxv4 #de4 #idg ,john iii4 #e4 #idh ,matt4 v4 #bj4 #idi ,matt4 v4 #bc1 #bd4 #iej ,matt4 vi4 #ab4 #iea ,matt4 vi4 #ad4 #ieb ,matt4 vi4 #ae4 #iec ,jas4 ii4 #ac4 #ied ,matt4 xviii4 #bc4 #iee ,jas4 ii4 #ac4 #ief ,luke xvi4 #i4 #ieg #a ,cor4 vii4 #be4 #ieh ,luke xvi4 #i4 #iei ,matt4 x4 #da4 #ifj n4 vi4 #ffd4 ,,book ,,twenty-,,second4 ,,argument4 ,,this ,,book ,,treats ,,of ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,god1 ,,that ,,is ,,to ,,say1 ,,of ,,the ,,eternal ,,happiness ,,of ,,the ,,saints2 ,,the ,,faith ,,of ,,the ,,resurrection ,,of ,,the ,,body ,,is ,,established ,,and ,,explained2 ,,and ,,the ,,work ,,concludes ,,by ,,showing ,,how ,,the ,,saints1 ,,clothed ,,in ,,immortal ,,and ,,spiritual ,,bodies1 ,,shall ,,be ,,employed4 #a4 ,of the creation of angels and men4 ,as we promised in the immediately preceding book1 this1 the last of the whole work1 shall contain a discussion of the eternal blessedness of the city of ,god4 ,this blessedness is named eternal1 not because it shall endure for many ages1 though at last it shall come to an end1 but because1 according to the words of the gospel1 of ,his kingdom there shall be no end4#ifa ,neither shall it enjoy the mere appearance of perpetuity which is maintained by the rise of fresh generations to occupy the place of those that have died out1 as in an evergreen the same freshness seems to continue permanently1 and the same appearance of dense foliage is preserved by the growth of fresh leaves in the room of those that have withered and fallen2 but in that city all the citizens shall be immortal1 men now for the first time enjoying what the holy angels have never lost4 ,and this shall be accomplished by ,god1 the most almighty ,founder of the city4 ,for ,he has promised it1 and cannot lie1 and has already performed many of ,his promises1 and has done many unpromised kindnesses to those whom ,he now asks to believe that ,he will do this also4 ,for it is ,he who in the beginning created the world full of all visible and intelligible beings1 among which ,he created nothing better than those spirits whom ,he endowed with intelligence1 and made capable of contemplating and enjoying ,him1 and united in our society1 which we call the holy and heavenly city1 and in which the material of their sustenance and blessedness is ,god ,himself1 as it were their common food and nourishment4 ,it is ,he who gave to this intellectual nature free-will of such a kind1 that if he wished to forsake ,god his blessedness1 misery should forthwith result4 ,it is ,he who1 when ,he foreknew that certain angels would in their pride desire to suffice for their own blessedness1 and would forsake their great good1 did not deprive them of this power1 deeming it to be more befitting ,his power and goodness to bring good out of evil than to prevent the evil from coming into existence4 ,and indeed evil had never been1 had not the mutable nature--mutable1 though good1 and created by the most high ,god and immutable ,good1 who created all things good--brought evil upon itself by sin4 ,and this its sin is itself proof that its nature was originally good4 ,for had it not been very good1 though not equal to its ,creator1 the desertion of ,god as its light could not have been an evil to it4 ,for as blindness is a vice of the eye1 and this very fact indicates that the eye was created to see the light1 and as1 consequently1 vice itself proves that the eye is more excellent than the other members1 because it is capable of light 7for on no other supposition would it be a vice of the eye to want light71 so the nature which once enjoyed ,god teaches1 even by its very vice1 that it was created the best of all1 since it is now miserable because it does not enjoy ,god4 ,it is ,he who with very just punishment doomed the angels who voluntarily fell to everlasting misery1 and rewarded those who continued in their attachment to the supreme good with the assurance of endless stability as the meed of their fidelity4 ,it is ,he who made also man himself upright1 with the same freedom of will1--an earthly animal1 indeed1 but fit for heaven if he remained faithful to his ,creator1 but destined to the misery appropriate to such a nature if he forsook ,him4 ,it is ,he who1 when ,he foreknew that man would in his turn sin by abandoning ,god and breaking ,his law1 did not deprive him of the power of free-will1 because ,he at the same time foresaw what good ,he ,himself would bring out of the evil1 and how from this mortal race1 deservedly and justly condemned1 ,he would by ,his grace collect1 as now ,he does1 a people so numerous1 that ,he thus fills up and repairs the blank made by the fallen angels1 and that thus that beloved and heavenly city is not defrauded of the full number of its citizens1 but perhaps may even rejoice in a still more overflowing population4 #b4 ,of the eternal and unchangeable will of ,god4 ,it is true that wicked men do many things contrary to ,god's will2 but so great is ,his wisdom and power1 that all things which seem adverse to ,his purpose do still tend towards those just and good ends and issues which ,he ,himself has foreknown4 ,and consequently1 when ,god is said to change ,his will1 as when1 e4g41 ,he becomes angry with those to whom ,he was gentle1 it is rather they than ,he who are changed1 and they find ,him changed in so far as their experience of suffering at ,his hand is new1 as the sun is changed to injured eyes1 and becomes as it were fierce from being mild1 and hurtful from being delightful1 though in itself it remains the same as it was4 ,that also is called the will of ,god which ,he does in the hearts of those who obey ,his commandments2 and of this the apostle says1 ,for it is ,god that worketh in you both to will4#ifb ,as ,god's righteousness is used not only of the righteousness wherewith ,he ,himself is righteous1 but also of that which ,he produces in the man whom ,he justifies1 so also that is called ,his law1 which1 though given by ,god1 is rather the law of men4 ,for certainly they were men to whom ,jesus said1 ,it is written in your law1#ifc though in another place we read1 ,the law of his ,god is in his heart4#ifd ,according to this will which ,god works in men1 ,he is said also to will what ,he ,himself does not will1 but causes ,his people to will2 as ,he is said to know what ,he has caused those to know who were ignorant of it4 ,for when the apostle says1 ,but now1 after that ye have known ,god1 or rather are known of ,god1#ife we cannot suppose that ,god there for the first time knew those who were foreknown by ,him before the foundation of the world2 but ,he is said to have known them then1 because then ,he caused them to know4 ,but ,i remember that ,i discussed these modes of expression in the preceding books4 ,according to this will1 then1 by which we say that ,god wills what ,he causes to be willed by others1 from whom the future is hidden1 ,he wills many things which ,he does not perform4 ,thus ,his saints1 inspired by ,his holy will1 desire many things which never happen4 ,they pray1 e4g41 for certain individuals--they pray in a pious and holy manner--but what they request ,he does not perform1 though ,he ,himself by ,his own ,holy ,spirit has wrought in them this will to pray4 ,and consequently1 when the saints1 in conformity with ,god's mind1 will and pray that all men be saved1 we can use this mode of expression3 ,god wills and does not perform1--meaning that ,he who causes them to will these things ,himself wills them4 ,but if we speak of that will of ,his which is eternal as ,his foreknowledge1 certainly ,he has already done all things in heaven and on earth that ,he has willed1--not only past and present things1 but even things still future4 ,but before the arrival of that time in which ,he has willed the occurrence of what ,he foreknew and arranged before all time1 we say1 ,it will happen when ,god wills4 ,but if we are ignorant not only of the time in which it is to be1 but even whether it shall be at all1 we say1 ,it will happen if ,god wills1--not because ,god will then have a new will which ,he had not before1 but because that event1 which from eternity has been prepared in ,his unchangeable will1 shall then come to pass4 #c4 ,of the promise of eternal blessedness to the saints1 and everlasting punishment to the wicked4 ,wherefore1 not to mention many other instances besides1 as we now see in ,christ the fulfilment of that which ,god promised to ,abraham when ,he said1 ,in thy seed shall all nations be blessed1#iff so this also shall be fulfilled which ,he promised to the same race1 when ,he said by the prophet1 ,they that are in their sepulchres shall rise again2#ifg and also1 ,there shall be a new heaven and a new earth3 and the former shall not be mentioned1 nor come into mind2 but they shall find joy and rejoicing in it3 for ,i will make ,jerusalem a rejoicing1 and my people a joy4 ,and ,i will rejoice in ,jerusalem1 and joy in my people1 and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her4#ifh ,and by another prophet ,he uttered the same prediction3 ,at that time thy people shall be delivered1 every one that shall be found written in the book4 ,and many of them that sleep in the dust 7or1 as some interpret it1 in the mound7 of the earth shall awake1 some to everlasting life1 and some to shame and everlasting contempt4#ifi ,and in another place by the same prophet3 ,the saints of the ,most ,high shall take the kingdom1 and shall possess the kingdom for ever1 even for ever and ever4#igj ,and a little after he says1 ,his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom4#iga ,other prophecies referring to the same subject ,i have advanced in the twentieth book1 and others still which ,i have not advanced are found written in the same ,scriptures2 and these predictions shall be fulfilled1 as those also have been which unbelieving men supposed would be frustrate4 ,for it is the same ,god who promised both1 and predicted that both would come to pass1--the ,god whom the pagan deities tremble before1 as even ,porphyry1 the noblest of pagan philosophers1 testifies4 #d4 ,against the wise men of the world1 who fancy that the earthly bodies of men cannot be transferred to a heavenly habitation4 ,but men who use their learning and intellectual ability to resist the force of that great authority which1 in fulfilment of what was so long before predicted1 has converted all races of men to faith and hope in its promises1 seem to themselves to argue acutely against the resurrection of the body while they cite what ,cicero mentions in the third book ,de ,republica4 ,for when he was asserting the apotheosis of ,hercules and ,romulus1 he says3 ,whose bodies were not taken up into heaven2 for nature would not permit a body of earth to exist anywhere except upon earth4 ,this1 forsooth1 is the profound reasoning of the wise men1 whose thoughts ,god knows that they are vain4 ,for if we were only souls1 that is1 spirits without any body1 and if we dwelt in heaven and had no knowledge of earthly animals1 and were told that we should be bound to earthly bodies by some wonderful bond of union1 and should animate them1 should we not much more vigorously refuse to believe this1 and maintain that nature would not permit an incorporeal substance to be held by a corporeal bond8 ,and yet the earth is full of living spirits1 to which terrestrial bodies are bound1 and with which they are in a wonderful way implicated4 ,if1 then1 the same ,god who has created such beings wills this also1 what is to hinder the earthly body from being raised to a heavenly body1 since a spirit1 which is more excellent than all bodies1 and consequently than even a heavenly body1 has been tied to an earthly body8 ,if so small an earthly particle has been able to hold in union with itself something better than a heavenly body1 so as to receive sensation and life1 will heaven disdain to receive1 or at least to retain1 this sentient and living particle1 which derives its life and sensation from a substance more excellent than any heavenly body8 ,if this does not happen now1 it is because the time is not yet come which has been determined by ,him who has already done a much more marvellous thing than that which these men refuse to believe4 ,for why do we not more intensely wonder that incorporeal souls1 which are of higher rank than heavenly bodies1 are bound to earthly bodies1 rather than that bodies1 although earthly1 are exalted to an abode which1 though heavenly1 is yet corporeal1 except because we have been accustomed to see this1 and indeed are this1 while we are not as yet that other marvel1 nor have as yet ever seen it8 ,certainly1 if we consult sober reason1 the more wonderful of the two divine works is found to be to attach somehow corporeal things to incorporeal1 and not to connect earthly things with heavenly1 which1 though diverse1 are yet both of them corporeal4 #e4 ,of the resurrection of the flesh1 which some refuse to believe1 though the world at large believes it4 ,but granting that this was once incredible1 behold1 now1 the world has come to the belief that the earthly body of ,christ was received up into heaven4 ,already both the learned and unlearned have believed in the resurrection of the flesh and its ascension to the heavenly places1 while only a very few either of the educated or uneducated are still staggered by it4 ,if this is a credible thing which is believed1 then let those who do not believe see how stolid they are2 and if it is incredible1 then this also is an incredible thing1 that what is incredible should have received such credit4 ,here then we have two incredibles1--to wit1 the resurrection of our body to eternity1 and that the world should believe so incredible a thing2 and both these incredibles the same ,god predicted should come to pass before either had as yet occurred4 ,we see that already one of the two has come to pass1 for the world has believed what was incredible2 why should we despair that the remaining one shall also come to pass1 and that this which the world believed1 though it was incredible1 shall itself occur8 ,for already that which was equally incredible has come to pass1 in the world's believing an incredible thing4 ,both were incredible3 the one we see accomplished1 the other we believe shall be2 for both were predicted in those same ,scriptures by means of which the world believed4 ,and the very manner in which the world's faith was won is found to be even more incredible1 if we consider it4 ,men uninstructed in any branch of a liberal education1 without any of the refinement of heathen learning1 unskilled in grammar1 not armed with dialectic1 not adorned with rhetoric1 but plain fishermen1 and very few in number1--these were the men whom ,christ sent with the nets of faith to the sea of this world1 and thus took out of every race so many fishes1 and even the philosophers themselves1 wonderful as they are rare4 ,let us add1 if you please1 or because you ought to be pleased1 this third incredible thing to the two former4 ,and now we have three incredibles1 all of which have yet come to pass4 ,it is incredible that ,jesus ,christ should have risen in the flesh and ascended with flesh into heaven2 it is incredible that the world should have believed so incredible a thing2 it is incredible that a very few men1 of mean birth and the lowest rank1 and no education1 should have been able so effectually to persuade the world1 and even its learned men1 of so incredible a thing4 ,of these three incredibles1 the parties with whom we are debating refuse to believe the first2 they cannot refuse to see the second1 which they are unable to account for if they do not believe the third4 ,it is indubitable that the resurrection of ,christ1 and ,his ascension into heaven with the flesh in which ,he rose1 is already preached and believed in the whole world4 ,if it is not credible1 how is it that it has already received credence in the whole world8 ,if a number of noble1 exalted1 and learned men had said that they had witnessed it1 and had been at pains to publish what they had witnessed1 it were not wonderful that the world should have believed it1 but it were very stubborn to refuse credence2 but if1 as is true1 the world has believed a few obscure1 inconsiderable1 uneducated persons1 who state and write that they witnessed it1 is it not unreasonable that a handful of wrong-headed men should oppose themselves to the creed of the whole world1 and refuse their belief8 ,and if the world has put faith in a small number of men1 of mean birth and the lowest rank1 and no education1 it is because the divinity of the thing itself appeared all the more manifestly in such contemptible witnesses4 ,the eloquence1 indeed1 which lent persuasion to their message1 consisted of wonderful works1 not words4 ,for they who had not seen ,christ risen in the flesh1 nor ascending into heaven with ,his risen body1 believed those who related how they had seen these things1 and who testified not only with words but wonderful signs4 ,for men whom they knew to be acquainted with only one1 or at most two languages1 they marvelled to hear speaking in the tongues of all nations4 ,they saw a man1 lame from his mother's womb1 after forty years stand up sound at their word in the name of ,christ2 that handkerchiefs taken from their bodies had virtue to heal the sick2 that countless persons1 sick of various diseases1 were laid in a row in the road where they were to pass1 that their shadow might fall on them as they walked1 and that they forthwith received health2 that many other stupendous miracles were wrought by them in the name of ,christ2 and1 finally1 that they even raised the dead4 ,if it be admitted that these things occurred as they are related1 then we have a multitude of incredible things to add to those three incredibles4 ,that the one incredibility of the resurrection and ascension of ,jesus ,christ may be believed1 we accumulate the testimonies of countless incredible miracles1 but even so we do not bend the frightful obstinacy of these sceptics4 ,but if they do not believe that these miracles were wrought by ,christ's apostles to gain credence to their preaching of ,his resurrection and ascension1 this one grand miracle suffices for us1 that the whole world has believed without any miracles4 #f4 ,that ,rome made its founder ,romulus a god because it loved him2 but the ,church loved ,christ because it believed ,him to be ,god4 ,let us here recite the passage in which ,tully expresses his astonishment that the apotheosis of ,romulus should have been credited4 ,i shall insert his words as they stand3 ,it is most worthy of remark in ,romulus1 that other men who are said to have become gods lived in less educated ages1 when there was a greater propensity to the fabulous1 and when the uninstructed were easily persuaded to believe anything4 ,but the age of ,romulus was barely six hundred years ago1 and already literature and science had dispelled the errors that attach to an uncultured age4 ,and a little after he says of the same ,romulus words to this effect3 ,from this we may perceive that ,homer had flourished long before ,romulus1 and that there was now so much learning in individuals1 and so generally diffused an enlightenment1 that scarcely any room was left for fable4 ,for antiquity admitted fables1 and sometimes even very clumsy ones2 but this age of ,romulus was sufficiently enlightened to reject whatever had not the air of truth4 ,thus one of the most learned men1 and certainly the most eloquent1 ,m4 ,tullius ,cicero1 says that it is surprising that the divinity of ,romulus was believed in1 because the times were already so enlightened that they would not accept a fabulous fiction4 ,but who believed that ,romulus was a god except ,rome1 which was itself small and in its infancy8 ,then afterwards it was necessary that succeeding generations should preserve the tradition of their ancestors2 that1 drinking in this superstition with their mother's milk1 the state might grow and come to such power that it might dictate this belief1 as from a point of vantage1 to all the nations over whom its sway extended4 ,and these nations1 though they might not believe that ,romulus was a god1 at least said so1 that they might not give offence to their sovereign state by refusing to give its founder that title which was given him by ,rome1 which had adopted this belief1 not by a love of error1 but an error of love4 ,but though ,christ is the founder of the heavenly and eternal city1 yet it did not believe ,him to be ,god because it was founded by ,him1 but rather it is founded by ,him1 in virtue of its belief4 ,rome1 after it had been built and dedicated1 worshipped its founder in a temple as a god2 but this ,jerusalem laid ,christ1 its ,god1 as its foundation1 that the building and dedication might proceed4 ,the former city loved its founder1 and therefore believed him to be a god2 the latter believed ,christ to be ,god1 and therefore loved ,him4 ,there was an antecedent cause for the love of the former city1 and for its believing that even a false dignity attached to the object of its love2 so there was an antecedent cause for the belief of the latter1 and for its loving the true dignity which a proper faith1 not a rash surmise1 ascribed to its object4 ,for1 not to mention the multitude of very striking miracles which proved that ,christ is ,god1 there were also divine prophecies heralding ,him1 prophecies most worthy of belief1 which being already accomplished1 we have not1 like the fathers1 to wait for their verification4 ,of ,romulus1 on the other hand1 and of his building ,rome and reigning in it1 we read or hear the narrative of what did take place1 not prediction which beforehand said that such things should be4 ,and so far as his reception among the gods is concerned1 history only records that this was believed1 and does not state it as a fact2 for no miraculous signs testified to the truth of this4 ,for as to that wolf which is said to have nursed the twin-brothers1 and which is considered a great marvel1 how does this prove him to have been divine8 ,for even supposing that this nurse was a real wolf and not a mere courtezan1 yet she nursed both brothers1 and ,remus is not reckoned a god4 ,besides1 what was there to hinder any one from asserting that ,romulus or ,hercules1 or any such man1 was a god8 ,or who would rather choose to die than profess belief in his divinity8 ,and did a single nation worship ,romulus among its gods1 unless it were forced through fear of the ,roman name8 ,but who can number the multitudes who have chosen death in the most cruel shapes rather than deny the divinity of ,christ8 ,and thus the dread of some slight indignation1 which it was supposed1 perhaps groundlessly1 might exist in the minds of the ,romans1 constrained some states who were subject to ,rome to worship ,romulus as a god2 whereas the dread1 not of a slight mental shock1 but of severe and various punishments1 and of death itself1 the most formidable of all1 could not prevent an immense multitude of martyrs throughout the world from not merely worshipping but also confessing ,christ as ,god4 ,the city of ,christ1 which1 although as yet a stranger upon earth1 had countless hosts of citizens1 did not make war upon its godless persecutors for the sake of temporal security1 but preferred to win eternal salvation by abstaining from war4 ,they were bound1 imprisoned1 beaten1 tortured1 burned1 torn in pieces1 massacred1 and yet they multiplied4 ,it was not given to them to fight for their eternal salvation except by despising their temporal salvation for their ,saviour's sake4 ,i am aware that ,cicero1 in the third book of his ,de ,republica1 if ,i mistake not1 argues that a first-rate power will not engage in war except either for honour or for safety4 ,what he has to say about the question of safety1 and what he means by safety1 he explains in another place1 saying1 ,private persons frequently evade1 by a speedy death1 destitution1 exile1 bonds1 the scourge1 and the other pains which even the most insensible feel4 ,but to states1 death1 which seems to emancipate individuals from all punishments1 is itself a punishment2 for a state should be so constituted as to be eternal4 ,and thus death is not natural to a republic as to a man1 to whom death is not only necessary1 but often even desirable4 ,but when a state is destroyed1 obliterated1 annihilated1 it is as if 7to compare great things with small7 this whole world perished and collapsed4 ,cicero said this because he1 with the ,platonists1 believed that the world would not perish4 ,it is therefore agreed that1 according to ,cicero1 a state should engage in war for the safety which preserves the state permanently in existence1 though its citizens change2 as the foliage of an olive or laurel1 or any tree of this kind1 is perennial1 the old leaves being replaced by fresh ones4 ,for death1 as he says1 is no punishment to individuals1 but rather delivers them from all other punishments1 but it is a punishment to the state4 ,and therefore it is reasonably asked whether the ,saguntines did right when they chose that their whole state should perish rather than that they should break faith with the ,roman republic2 for this deed of theirs is applauded by the citizens of the earthly republic4 ,but ,i do not see how they could follow the advice of ,cicero1 who tells us that no war is to be undertaken save for safety or for honour2 neither does he say which of these two is to be preferred1 if a case should occur in which the one could not be preserved without the loss of the other4 ,for manifestly1 if the ,saguntines chose safety1 they must break faith2 if they kept faith1 they must reject safety2 as also it fell out4 ,but the safety of the city of ,god is such that it can be retained1 or rather acquired1 by faith and with faith2 but if faith be abandoned1 no one can attain it4 ,it is this thought of a most stedfast and patient spirit that has made so many noble martyrs1 while ,romulus has not had1 and could not have1 so much as one to die for his divinity4 #g4 ,that the world's belief in ,christ is the result of divine power1 not of human persuasion4 ,but it is thoroughly ridiculous to make mention of the false divinity of ,romulus as any way comparable to that of ,christ4 ,nevertheless1 if ,romulus lived about six hundred years before ,cicero1 in an age which already was so enlightened that it rejected all impossibilities1 how much more1 in an age which certainly was more enlightened1 being six hundred years later1 the age of ,cicero himself1 and of the emperors ,augustus and ,tiberius1 would the human mind have refused to listen to or believe in the resurrection of ,christ's body and its ascension into heaven1 and have scouted it as an impossibility1 had not the divinity of the truth itself1 or the truth of the divinity1 and corroborating miraculous signs1 proved that it could happen and had happened8 ,through virtue of these testimonies1 and notwithstanding the opposition and terror of so many cruel persecutions1 the resurrection and immortality of the flesh1 first in ,christ1 and subsequently in all in the new world1 was believed1 was intrepidly proclaimed1 and was sown over the whole world1 to be fertilized richly with the blood of the martyrs4 ,for the predictions of the prophets that had preceded the events were read1 they were corroborated by powerful signs1 and the truth was seen to be not contradictory to reason1 but only different from customary ideas1 so that at length the world embraced the faith it had furiously persecuted4 #h4 ,of miracles which were wrought that the world might believe in ,christ1 and which have not ceased since the world believed4 ,why1 they say1 are those miracles1 which you affirm were wrought formerly1 wrought no longer8 ,i might1 indeed1 reply that miracles were necessary before the world believed1 in order that it might believe4 ,and whoever now-a-days demands to see prodigies that he may believe1 is himself a great prodigy1 because he does not believe1 though the whole world does4 ,but they make these objections for the sole purpose of insinuating that even those former miracles were never wrought4 ,how1 then1 is it that everywhere ,christ is celebrated with such firm belief in ,his resurrection and ascension8 ,how is it that in enlightened times1 in which every impossibility is rejected1 the world has1 without any miracles1 believed things marvellously incredible8 ,or will they say that these things were credible1 and therefore were credited8 ,why then do they themselves not believe8 ,our argument1 therefore1 is a summary one--either incredible things which were not witnessed have caused the world to believe other incredible things which both occurred and were witnessed1 or this matter was so credible that it needed no miracles in proof of it1 and therefore convicts these unbelievers of unpardonable scepticism4 ,this ,i might say for the sake of refuting these most frivolous objectors4 ,but we cannot deny that many miracles were wrought to confirm that one grand and health-giving miracle of ,christ's ascension to heaven with the flesh in which ,he rose4 ,for these most trustworthy books of ours contain in one narrative both the miracles that were wrought and the creed which they were wrought to confirm4 ,the miracles were published that they might produce faith1 and the faith which they produced brought them into greater prominence4 ,for they are read in congregations that they may be believed1 and yet they would not be so read unless they were believed4 ,for even now miracles are wrought in the name of ,christ1 whether by ,his sacraments or by the prayers or relics of ,his saints2 but they are not so brilliant and conspicuous as to cause them to be published with such glory as accompanied the former miracles4 ,for the canon of the sacred writings1 which behoved to be closed1#igb causes those to be everywhere recited1 and to sink into the memory of all the congregations2 but these modern miracles are scarcely known even to the whole population in the midst of which they are wrought1 and at the best are confined to one spot4 ,for frequently they are known only to a very few persons1 while all the rest are ignorant of them1 especially if the state is a large one2 and when they are reported to other persons in other localities1 there is no sufficient authority to give them prompt and unwavering credence1 although they are reported to the faithful by the faithful4 ,the miracle which was wrought at ,milan when ,i was there1 and by which a blind man was restored to sight1 could come to the knowledge of many2 for not only is the city a large one1 but also the emperor was there at the time1 and the occurrence was witnessed by an immense concourse of people that had gathered to the bodies of the martyrs ,protasius and ,gervasius1 which had long lain concealed and unknown1 but were now made known to the bishop ,ambrose in a dream1 and discovered by him4 ,by virtue of these remains the darkness of that blind man was scattered1 and he saw the light of day4#igc ,but who but a very small number are aware of the cure which was wrought upon ,innocentius1 ex-advocate of the deputy prefecture1 a cure wrought at ,carthage1 in my presence1 and under my own eyes8 ,for when ,i and my brother ,alypius1#igd who were not yet clergymen1#ige though already servants of ,god1 came from abroad1 this man received us1 and made us live with him1 for he and all his household were devotedly pious4 ,he was being treated by medical men for fistul1 of which he had a large number intricately seated in the rectum4 ,he had already undergone an operation1 and the surgeons were using every means at their command for his relief4 ,in that operation he had suffered long-continued and acute pain2 yet1 among the many folds of the gut1 one had escaped the operators so entirely1 that1 though they ought to have laid it open with the knife1 they never touched it4 ,and thus1 though all those that had been opened were cured1 this one remained as it was1 and frustrated all their labour4 ,the patient1 having his suspicions awakened by the delay thus occasioned1 and fearing greatly a second operation1 which another medical man--one of his own domestics--had told him he must undergo1 though this man had not even been allowed to witness the first operation1 and had been banished from the house1 and with difficulty allowed to come back to his enraged master's presence1--the patient1 ,i say1 broke out to the surgeons1 saying1 ,are you going to cut me again8 ,are you1 after all1 to fulfil the prediction of that man whom you would not allow even to be present8 ,the surgeons laughed at the unskilful doctor1 and soothed their patient's fears with fair words and promises4 ,so several days passed1 and yet nothing they tried did him good4 ,still they persisted in promising that they would cure that fistula by drugs1 without the knife4 ,they called in also another old practitioner of great repute in that department1 ,ammonius 7for he was still alive at that time72 and he1 after examining the part1 promised the same result as themselves from their care and skill4 ,on this great authority1 the patient became confident1 and1 as if already well1 vented his good spirits in facetious remarks at the expense of his domestic physician1 who had predicted a second operation4 ,to make a long story short1 after a number of days had thus uselessly elapsed1 the surgeons1 wearied and confused1 had at last to confess that he could only be cured by the knife4 ,agitated with excessive fear1 he was terrified1 and grew pale with dread2 and when he collected himself and was able to speak1 he ordered them to go away and never to return4 ,worn out with weeping1 and driven by necessity1 it occurred to him to call in an ,alexandrian1 who was at that time esteemed a wonderfully skilful operator1 that he might perform the operation his rage would not suffer them to do4 ,but when he had come1 and examined with a professional eye the traces of their careful work1 he acted the part of a good man1 and persuaded his patient to allow those same hands the satisfaction of finishing his cure which had begun it with a skill that excited his admiration1 adding that there was no doubt his only hope of a cure was by an operation1 but that it was thoroughly inconsistent with his nature to win the credit of the cure by doing the little that remained to be done1 and rob of their reward men whose consummate skill1 care1 and diligence he could not but admire when he saw the traces of their work4 ,they were therefore again received to favour2 and it was agreed that1 in the presence of the ,alexandrian1 they should operate on the fistula1 which1 by the consent of all1 could now only be cured by the knife4 ,the operation was deferred till the following day4 ,but when they had left1 there arose in the house such a wailing1 in sympathy with the excessive despondency of the master1 that it seemed to us like the mourning at a funeral1 and we could scarcely repress it4 ,holy men were in the habit of visiting him daily2 ,saturninus of blessed memory1 at that time bishop of ,uzali1 and the presbyter ,gelosus1 and the deacons of the church of ,carthage2 and among these was the bishop ,aurelius1 who alone of them all survives1--a man to be named by us with due reverence1--and with him ,i have often spoken of this affair1 as we conversed together about the wonderful works of ,god1 and ,i have found that he distinctly remembers what ,i am now relating4 ,when these persons visited him that evening according to their custom1 he besought them1 with pitiable tears1 that they would do him the honour of being present next day at what he judged his funeral rather than his suffering4 ,for such was the terror his former pains had produced1 that he made no doubt he would die in the hands of the surgeons4 ,they comforted him1 and exhorted him to put his trust in ,god1 and nerve his will like a man4 ,then we went to prayer2 but while we1 in the usual way1 were kneeling and bending to the ground1 he cast himself down1 as if some one were hurling him violently to the earth1 and began to pray2 but in what a manner1 with what earnestness and emotion1 with what a flood of tears1 with what groans and sobs1 that shook his whole body1 and almost prevented him speaking1 who can describe6 ,whether the others prayed1 and had not their attention wholly diverted by this conduct1 ,i do not know4 ,for myself1 ,i could not pray at all4 ,this only ,i briefly said in my heart3 ,o ,lord1 what prayers of ,thy people dost ,thou hear if ,thou hearest not these8 ,for it seemed to me that nothing could be added to this prayer1 unless he expired in praying4 ,we rose from our knees1 and1 receiving the blessing of the bishop1 departed1 the patient beseeching his visitors to be present next morning1 they exhorting him to keep up his heart4 ,the dreaded day dawned4 ,the servants of ,god were present1 as they had promised to be2 the surgeons arrived2 all that the circumstances required was ready2 the frightful instruments are produced2 all look on in wonder and suspense4 ,while those who have most influence with the patient are cheering his fainting spirit1 his limbs are arranged on the couch so as to suit the hand of the operator2 the knots of the bandages are untied2 the part is bared2 the surgeon examines it1 and1 with knife in hand1 eagerly looks for the sinus that is to be cut4 ,he searches for it with his eyes2 he feels for it with his finger2 he applies every kind of scrutiny3 he finds a perfectly firm cicatrix6 ,no words of mine can describe the joy1 and praise1 and thanksgiving to the merciful and almighty ,god which was poured from the lips of all1 with tears of gladness4 ,let the scene be imagined rather than described6 ,in the same city of ,carthage lived ,innocentia1 a very devout woman of the highest rank in the state4 ,she had cancer in one of her breasts1 a disease which1 as physicians say1 is incurable4 ,ordinarily1 therefore1 they either amputate1 and so separate from the body the member on which the disease has seized1 or1 that the patient's life may be prolonged a little1 though death is inevitable even if somewhat delayed1 they abandon all remedies1 following1 as they say1 the advice of ,hippocrates4 ,this the lady we speak of had been advised to by a skilful physician1 who was intimate with her family2 and she betook herself to ,god alone by prayer4 ,on the approach of ,easter1 she was instructed in a dream to wait for the first woman that came out from the baptistery#igf after being baptized1 and to ask her to make the sign of ,christ upon her sore4 ,she did so1 and was immediately cured4 ,the physician who had advised her to apply no remedy if she wished to live a little longer1 when he had examined her after this1 and found that she who1 on his former examination1 was afflicted with that disease was now perfectly cured1 eagerly asked her what remedy she had used1 anxious1 as we may well believe1 to discover the drug which should defeat the decision of ,hippocrates4 ,but when she told him what had happened1 he is said to have replied1 with religious politeness1 though with a contemptuous tone1 and an expression which made her fear he would utter some blasphemy against ,christ1 ,i thought you would make some great discovery to me4 ,she1 shuddering at his indifference1 quickly replied1 ,what great thing was it for ,christ to heal a cancer1 who raised one who had been four days dead8 ,when1 therefore1 ,i had heard this1 ,i was extremely indignant that so great a miracle1 wrought in that well-known city1 and on a person who was certainly not obscure1 should not be divulged1 and ,i considered that she should be spoken to1 if not reprimanded on this score4 ,and when she replied to me that she had not kept silence on the subject1 ,i asked the women with whom she was best acquainted whether they had ever heard of this before4 ,they told me they knew nothing of it4 ,see1 ,i said1 what your not keeping silence amounts to1 since not even those who are so familiar with you know of it4 ,and as ,i had only briefly heard the story1 ,i made her tell how the whole thing happened1 from beginning to end1 while the other women listened in great astonishment1 and glorified ,god4 ,a gouty doctor of the same city1 when he had given in his name for baptism1 and had been prohibited the day before his baptism from being baptized that year1 by black woolly-haired boys who appeared to him in his dreams1 and whom he understood to be devils1 and when1 though they trod on his feet1 and inflicted the acutest pain he had ever yet experienced1 he refused to obey them1 but overcame them1 and would not defer being washed in the laver of regeneration1 was relieved in the very act of baptism1 not only of the extraordinary pain he was tortured with1 but also of the disease itself1 so that1 though he lived a long time afterwards1 he never suffered from gout2 and yet who knows of this miracle8 ,we1 however1 do know it1 and so1 too1 do the small number of brethren who were in the neighbourhood1 and to whose ears it might come4 ,an old comedian of ,curubis#igg was cured at baptism not only of paralysis1 but also of hernia1 and1 being delivered from both afflictions1 came up out of the font of regeneration as if he had had nothing wrong with his body4 ,who outside of ,curubis knows of this1 or who but a very few who might hear it elsewhere8 ,but we1 when we heard of it1 made the man come to ,carthage1 by order of the holy bishop ,aurelius1 although we had already ascertained the fact on the information of persons whose word we could not doubt4 ,hesperius1 of a tribunitian family1 and a neighbour of our own1#igh has a farm called ,zubedi in the ,fussalian district2#igi and1 finding that his family1 his cattle1 and his servants were suffering from the malice of evil spirits1 he asked our presbyters1 during my absence1 that one of them would go with him and banish the spirits by his prayers4 ,one went1 offered there the sacrifice of the body of ,christ1 praying with all his might that that vexation might cease4 ,it did cease forthwith1 through ,god's mercy4 ,now he had received from a friend of his own some holy earth brought from ,jerusalem1 where ,christ1 having been buried1 rose again the third day4 ,this earth he had hung up in his bedroom to preserve himself from harm4 ,but when his house was purged of that demoniacal invasion1 he began to consider what should be done with the earth2 for his reverence for it made him unwilling to have it any longer in his bedroom4 ,it so happened that ,i and ,maximinus bishop of ,synita1 and then my colleague1 were in the neighbourhood4 ,hesperius asked us to visit him1 and we did so4 ,when he had related all the circumstances1 he begged that the earth might be buried somewhere1 and that the spot should be made a place of prayer where ,christians might assemble for the worship of ,god4 ,we made no objection3 it was done as he desired4 ,there was in that neighbourhood a young countryman who was paralytic1 who1 when he heard of this1 begged his parents to take him without delay to that holy place4 ,when he had been brought there1 he prayed1 and forthwith went away on his own feet perfectly cured4 ,there is a country-seat called ,victoriana1 less than thirty miles from ,hippo-regius4 ,at it there is a monument to the ,milanese martyrs1 ,protasius and ,gervasius4 ,thither a young man was carried1 who1 when he was watering his horse one summer day at noon in a pool of a river1 had been taken possession of by a devil4 ,as he lay at the monument1 near death1 or even quite like a dead person1 the lady of the manor1 with her maids and religious attendants1 entered the place for evening prayer and praise1 as her custom was1 and they began to sing hymns4 ,at this sound the young man1 as if electrified1 was thoroughly aroused1 and with frightful screaming seized the altar1 and held it as if he did not dare or were not able to let it go1 and as if he were fixed or tied to it2 and the devil in him1 with loud lamentation1 besought that he might be spared1 and confessed where and when and how he took possession of the youth4 ,at last1 declaring that he would go out of him1 he named one by one the parts of his body which he threatened to mutilate as he went out2 and with these words he departed from the man4 ,but his eye1 falling out on his cheek1 hung by a slender vein as by a root1 and the whole of the pupil which had been black became white4 ,when this was witnessed by those present 7others too had now gathered to his cries1 and had all joined in prayer for him71 although they were delighted that he had recovered his sanity of mind1 yet1 on the other hand1 they were grieved about his eye1 and said he should seek medical advice4 ,but his sister's husband1 who had brought him there1 said1 ,god1 who has banished the devil1 is able to restore his eye at the prayers of ,his saints4 ,therewith he replaced the eye that was fallen out and hanging1 and bound it in its place with his handkerchief as well as he could1 and advised him not to loose the bandage for seven days4 ,when he did so1 he found it quite healthy4 ,others also were cured there1 but of them it were tedious to speak4 ,i know that a young woman of ,hippo was immediately dispossessed of a devil1 on anointing herself with oil mixed with the tears of the presbyter who had been praying for her4 ,i know also that a bishop once prayed for a demoniac young man whom he never saw1 and that he was cured on the spot4 ,there was a fellow-townsman of ours at ,hippo1 ,florentius1 an old man1 religious and poor1 who supported himself as a tailor4 ,having lost his coat1 and not having means to buy another1 he prayed to the ,twenty ,martyrs1#ihj who have a very celebrated memorial shrine in our town1 begging in a distinct voice that he might be clothed4 ,some scoffing young men1 who happened to be present1 heard him1 and followed him with their sarcasm as he went away1 as if he had asked the martyrs for fifty pence to buy a coat4 ,but he1 walking on in silence1 saw on the shore a great fish1 gasping as if just cast up1 and having secured it with the good-natured assistance of the youths1 he sold it for curing to a cook of the name of ,catosus1 a good ,christian man1 telling him how he had come by it1 and receiving for it three hundred pence1 which he laid out in wool1 that his wife might exercise her skill upon1 and make into a coat for him4 ,but1 on cutting up the fish1 the cook found a gold ring in its belly2 and forthwith1 moved with compassion1 and influenced1 too1 by religious fear1 gave it up to the man1 saying1 ,see how the ,twenty ,martyrs have clothed you4 ,when the bishop ,projectus was bringing the relics of the most glorious martyr ,stephen to the waters of ,tibilis1 a great concourse of people came to meet him at the shrine4 ,there a blind woman entreated that she might be led to the bishop who was carrying the relics4 ,he gave her the flowers he was carrying4 ,she took them1 applied them to her eyes1 and forthwith saw4 ,those who were present were astounded1 while she1 with every expression of joy1 preceded them1 pursuing her way without further need of a guide4 ,lucillus bishop of ,sinita1 in the neighbourhood of the colonial town of ,hippo1 was carrying in procession some relics of the same martyr1 which had been deposited in the castle of ,sinita4 ,a fistula under which he had long laboured1 and which his private physician was watching an opportunity to cut1 was suddenly cured by the mere carrying of that sacred fardel1#iha--;at least1 afterwards there was no trace of it in his body4 ,eucharius1 a ,spanish priest1 residing at ,calama1 was for a long time a sufferer from stone4 ,by the relics of the same martyr1 which the bishop ,possidius brought him1 he was cured4 ,afterwards the same priest1 sinking under another disease1 was lying dead1 and already they were binding his hands4 ,by the succour of the same martyr he was raised to life1 the priest's cloak having been brought from the oratory and laid upon the corpse4 ,there was there an old nobleman named ,martial1 who had a great aversion to the ,christian religion1 but whose daughter was a ,christian1 while her husband had been baptized that same year4 ,when he was ill1 they besought him with tears and prayers to become a ,christian1 but he positively refused1 and dismissed them from his presence in a storm of indignation4 ,it occurred to the son-in-law to go to the oratory of ,st4 ,stephen1 and there pray for him with all earnestness that ,god might give him a right mind1 so that he should not delay believing in ,christ4 ,this he did with great groaning and tears1 and the burning fervour of sincere piety2 then1 as he left the place1 he took some of the flowers that were lying there1 and1 as it was already night1 laid them by his father's head1 who so slept4 ,and lo6 before dawn1 he cries out for some one to run for the bishop2 but he happened at that time to be with me at ,hippo4 ,so when he had heard that he was from home1 he asked the presbyters to come4 ,they came4 ,to the joy and amazement of all1 he declared that he believed1 and he was baptized4 ,as long as he remained in life1 these words were ever on his lips3 ,christ1 receive my spirit1 though he was not aware that these were the last words of the most blessed ,stephen when he was stoned by the ,jews4 ,they were his last words also1 for not long after he himself also gave up the ghost4 ,there1 too1 by the same martyr1 two men1 one a citizen1 the other a stranger1 were cured of gout2 but while the citizen was absolutely cured1 the stranger was only informed what he should apply when the pain returned2 and when he followed this advice1 the pain was at once relieved4 ,audurus is the name of an estate1 where there is a church that contains a memorial shrine of the martyr ,stephen4 ,it happened that1 as a little boy was playing in the court1 the oxen drawing a waggon went out of the track and crushed him with the wheel1 so that immediately he seemed at his last gasp4 ,his mother snatched him up1 and laid him at the shrine1 and not only did he revive1 but also appeared uninjured4 ,a religious female1 who lived at ,caspalium1 a neighbouring estate1 when she was so ill as to be despaired of1 had her dress brought to this shrine1 but before it was brought back she was gone4 ,however1 her parents wrapped her corpse in the dress1 and1 her breath returning1 she became quite well4 ,at ,hippo a ,syrian called ,bassus was praying at the relics of the same martyr for his daughter1 who was dangerously ill4 ,he too had brought her dress with him to the shrine4 ,but as he prayed1 behold1 his servants ran from the house to tell him she was dead4 ,his friends1 however1 intercepted them1 and forbade them to tell him1 lest he should bewail her in public4 ,and when he had returned to his house1 which was already ringing with the lamentations of his family1 and had thrown on his daughter's body the dress he was carrying1 she was restored to life4 ,there1 too1 the son of a man1 ,irenus1 one of our tax-gatherers1 took ill and died4 ,and while his body was lying lifeless1 and the last rites were being prepared1 amidst the weeping and mourning of all1 one of the friends who were consoling the father suggested that the body should be anointed with the oil of the same martyr4 ,it was done1 and he revived4 ,likewise ,eleusinus1 a man of tribunitian rank among us1 laid his infant son1 who had died1 on the shrine of the martyr1 which is in the suburb where he lived1 and1 after prayer1 which he poured out there with many tears1 he took up his child alive4 ,what am ,i to do8 ,i am so pressed by the promise of finishing this work1 that ,i cannot record all the miracles ,i know2 and doubtless several of our adherents1 when they read what ,i have narrated1 will regret that ,i have omitted so many which they1 as well as ,i1 certainly know4 ,even now ,i beg these persons to excuse me1 and to consider how long it would take me to relate all those miracles1 which the necessity of finishing the work ,i have undertaken forces me to omit4 ,for were ,i to be silent of all others1 and to record exclusively the miracles of healing which were wrought in the district of ,calama and of ,hippo by means of this martyr--,i mean the most glorious ,stephen--they would fill many volumes2 and yet all even of these could not be collected1 but only those of which narratives have been written for public recital4 ,for when ,i saw1 in our own times1 frequent signs of the presence of divine powers similar to those which had been given of old1 ,i desired that narratives might be written1 judging that the multitude should not remain ignorant of these things4 ,it is not yet two years since these relics were first brought to ,hippo-regius1 and though many of the miracles which have been wrought by it have not1 as ,i have the most certain means of knowing1 been recorded1 those which have been published amount to almost seventy at the hour at which ,i write4 ,but at ,calama1 where these relics have been for a longer time1 and where more of the miracles were narrated for public information1 there are incomparably more4 ,at ,uzali1 too1 a colony near ,utica1 many signal miracles were1 to my knowledge1 wrought by the same martyr1 whose relics had found a place there by direction of the bishop ,evodius1 long before we had them at ,hippo4 ,but there the custom of publishing narratives does not obtain1 or1 ,i should say1 did not obtain1 for possibly it may now have been begun4 ,for1 when ,i was there recently1 a woman of rank1 ,petronia1 had been miraculously cured of a serious illness of long standing1 in which all medical appliances had failed1 and1 with the consent of the above-named bishop of the place1 ,i exhorted her to publish an account of it that might be read to the people4 ,she most promptly obeyed1 and inserted in her narrative a circumstance which ,i cannot omit to mention1 though ,i am compelled to hasten on to the subjects which this work requires me to treat4 ,she said that she had been persuaded by a ,jew to wear next her skin1 under all her clothes1 a hair girdle1 and on this girdle a ring1 which1 instead of a gem1 had a stone which had been found in the kidneys of an ox4 ,girt with this charm1 she was making her way to the threshold of the holy martyr4 ,but1 after leaving ,carthage1 and when she had been lodging in her own demesne on the river ,bagrada1 and was now rising to continue her journey1 she saw her ring lying before her feet4 ,in great surprise she examined the hair girdle1 and when she found it bound1 as it had been1 quite firmly with knots1 she conjectured that the ring had been worn through and dropped off2 but when she found that the ring was itself also perfectly whole1 she presumed that by this great miracle she had received somehow a pledge of her cure1 whereupon she untied the girdle1 and cast it into the river1 and the ring along with it4 ,this is not credited by those who do not believe either that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ came forth from ,his mother's womb without destroying her virginity1 and entered among ,his disciples when the doors were shut2 but let them make strict inquiry into this miracle1 and if they find it true1 let them believe those others4 ,the lady is of distinction1 nobly born1 married to a nobleman4 ,she resides at ,carthage4 ,the city is distinguished1 the person is distinguished1 so that they who make inquiries cannot fail to find satisfaction4 ,certainly the martyr himself1 by whose prayers she was healed1 believed on the ,son of her who remained a virgin2 on ,him who came in among the disciples when the doors were shut2 in fine1--and to this tends all that we have been retailing1--on ,him who ascended into heaven with the flesh in which ,he had risen2 and it is because he laid down his life for this faith that such miracles were done by his means4 ,even now1 therefore1 many miracles are wrought1 the same ,god who wrought those we read of still performing them1 by whom ,he will and as ,he will2 but they are not as well known1 nor are they beaten into the memory1 like gravel1 by frequent reading1 so that they cannot fall out of mind4 ,for even where1 as is now done among ourselves1 care is taken that the pamphlets of those who receive benefit be read publicly1 yet those who are present hear the narrative but once1 and many are absent2 and so it comes to pass that even those who are present forget in a few days what they heard1 and scarcely one of them can be found who will tell what he heard to one who he knows was not present4 ,one miracle was wrought among ourselves1 which1 though no greater than those ,i have mentioned1 was yet so signal and conspicuous1 that ,i suppose there is no inhabitant of ,hippo who did not either see or hear of it1 none who could possibly forget it4 ,there were seven brothers and three sisters of a noble family of the ,cappadocian ,csarea1 who were cursed by their mother1 a new-made widow1 on account of some wrong they had done her1 and which she bitterly resented1 and who were visited with so severe a punishment from ,heaven1 that all of them were seized with a hideous shaking in all their limbs4 ,unable1 while presenting this loathsome appearance1 to endure the eyes of their fellow-citizens1 they wandered over almost the whole ,roman world1 each following his own direction4 ,two of them came to ,hippo1 a brother and a sister1 ,paulus and ,palladia1 already known in many other places by the fame of their wretched lot4 ,now it was about fifteen days before ,easter when they came1 and they came daily to church1 and specially to the relics of the most glorious ,stephen1 praying that ,god might now be appeased1 and restore their former health4 ,there1 and wherever they went1 they attracted the attention of every one4 ,some who had seen them elsewhere1 and knew the cause of their trembling1 told others as occasion offered4 ,easter arrived1 and on the ,lord's day1 in the morning1 when there was now a large crowd present1 and the young man was holding the bars of the holy place where the relics were1 and praying1 suddenly he fell down1 and lay precisely as if asleep1 but not trembling as he was wont to do even in sleep4 ,all present were astonished4 ,some were alarmed1 some were moved with pity2 and while some were for lifting him up1 others prevented them1 and said they should rather wait and see what would result4 ,and behold6 he rose up1 and trembled no more1 for he was healed1 and stood quite well1 scanning those who were scanning him4 ,who then refrained himself from praising ,god8 ,the whole church was filled with the voices of those who were shouting and congratulating him4 ,then they came running to me1 where ,i was sitting ready to come into the church4 ,one after another they throng in1 the last comer telling me as news what the first had told me already2 and while ,i rejoiced and inwardly gave ,god thanks1 the young man himself also enters1 with a number of others1 falls at my knees1 is raised up to receive my kiss4 ,we go in to the congregation3 the church was full1 and ringing with the shouts of joy1 ,thanks to ,god6 ,praised be ,god6 every one joining and shouting on all sides1 ,i have healed the people1 and then with still louder voice shouting again4 ,silence being at last obtained1 the customary lessons of the divine ,scriptures were read4 ,and when ,i came to my sermon1 ,i made a few remarks suitable to the occasion and the happy and joyful feeling1 not desiring them to listen to me1 but rather to consider the eloquence of ,god in this divine work4 ,the man dined with us1 and gave us a careful account of his own1 his mother's1 and his family's calamity4 ,accordingly1 on the following day1 after delivering my sermon1 ,i promised that next day ,i would read his narrative to the people4#ihb ,and when ,i did so1 the third day after ,easter ,sunday1 ,i made the brother and sister both stand on the steps of the raised place from which ,i used to speak2 and while they stood there their pamphlet was read4#ihc ,the whole congregation1 men and women alike1 saw the one standing without any unnatural movement1 the other trembling in all her limbs2 so that those who had not before seen the man himself saw in his sister what the divine compassion had removed from him4 ,in him they saw matter of congratulation1 in her subject for prayer4 ,meanwhile1 their pamphlet being finished1 ,i instructed them to withdraw from the gaze of the people2 and ,i had begun to discuss the whole matter somewhat more carefully1 when lo6 as ,i was proceeding1 other voices are heard from the tomb of the martyr1 shouting new congratulations4 ,my audience turned round1 and began to run to the tomb4 ,the young woman1 when she had come down from the steps where she had been standing1 went to pray at the holy relics1 and no sooner had she touched the bars than she1 in the same way as her brother1 collapsed1 as if falling asleep1 and rose up cured4 ,while1 then1 we were asking what had happened1 and what occasioned this noise of joy1 they came into the basilica where we were1 leading her from the martyr's tomb in perfect health4 ,then1 indeed1 such a shout of wonder rose from men and women together1 that the exclamations and the tears seemed like never to come to an end4 ,she was led to the place where she had a little before stood trembling4 ,they now rejoiced that she was like her brother1 as before they had mourned that she remained unlike him2 and as they had not yet uttered their prayers in her behalf1 they perceived that their intention of doing so had been speedily heard4 ,they shouted ,god's praises without words1 but with such a noise that our ears could scarcely bear it4 ,what was there in the hearts of these exultant people but the faith of ,christ1 for which ,stephen had shed his blood8 #i4 ,that all the miracles which are done by means of the martyrs in the name of ,christ testify to that faith which the martyrs had in ,christ4 ,to what do these miracles witness1 but to this faith which preaches ,christ risen in the flesh1 and ascended with the same into heaven8 ,for the martyrs themselves were martyrs1 that is to say1 witnesses of this faith1 drawing upon themselves by their testimony the hatred of the world1 and conquering the world not by resisting it1 but by dying4 ,for this faith they died1 and can now ask these benefits from the ,lord in whose name they were slain4 ,for this faith their marvellous constancy was exercised1 so that in these miracles great power was manifested as the result4 ,for if the resurrection of the flesh to eternal life had not taken place in ,christ1 and were not to be accomplished in ,his people1 as predicted by ,christ1 or by the prophets who foretold that ,christ was to come1 why do the martyrs who were slain for this faith which proclaims the resurrection possess such power8 ,for whether ,god ,himself wrought these miracles by that wonderful manner of working by which1 though ,himself eternal1 ,he produces effects in time2 or whether ,he wrought them by servants1 and if so1 whether ,he made use of the spirits of martyrs as ,he uses men who are still in the body1 or effects all these marvels by means of angels1 over whom ,he exerts an invisible1 immutable1 incorporeal sway1 so that what is said to be done by the martyrs is done not by their operation1 but only by their prayer and request2 or whether1 finally1 some things are done in one way1 others in another1 and so that man cannot at all comprehend them1--nevertheless these miracles attest this faith which preaches the resurrection of the flesh to eternal life4 #aj4 ,that the martyrs who obtain many miracles in order that the true ,god may be worshipped1 are worthy of much greater honour than the demons1 who do some marvels that they themselves may be supposed to be ,god4 ,here perhaps our adversaries will say that their gods also have done some wonderful things1 if now they begin to compare their gods to our dead men4 ,or will they also say that they have gods taken from among dead men1 such as ,hercules1 ,romulus1 and many others whom they fancy to have been received into the number of the gods8 ,but our martyrs are not our gods2 for we know that the martyrs and we have both but one ,god1 and that the same4 ,nor yet are the miracles which they maintain to have been done by means of their temples at all comparable to those which are done by the tombs of our martyrs4 ,if they seem similar1 their gods have been defeated by our martyrs as ,pharaoh's magi were by ,moses4 ,in reality1 the demons wrought these marvels with the same impure pride with which they aspired to be the gods of the nations2 but the martyrs do these wonders1 or rather ,god does them while they pray and assist1 in order that an impulse may be given to the faith by which we believe that they are not our gods1 but have1 together with ourselves1 one ,god4 ,in fine1 they built temples to these gods of theirs1 and set up altars1 and ordained priests1 and appointed sacrifices2 but to our martyrs we build1 not temples as if they were gods1 but monuments as to dead men whose spirits live with ,god4 ,neither do we erect altars at these monuments that we may sacrifice to the martyrs1 but to the one ,god of the martyrs and of ourselves2 and in this sacrifice they are named in their own place and rank as men of ,god who conquered the world by confessing ,him1 but they are not invoked by the sacrificing priest4 ,for it is to ,god1 not to them1 he sacrifices1 though he sacrifices at their monument2 for he is ,god's priest1 not theirs4 ,the sacrifice itself1 too1 is the body of ,christ1 which is not offered to them1 because they themselves are this body4 ,which then can more readily be believed to work miracles8 ,they who wish themselves to be reckoned gods by those on whom they work miracles1 or those whose sole object in working any miracle is to induce faith in ,god1 and in ,christ also as ,god8 ,they who wished to turn even their crimes into sacred rites1 or those who are unwilling that even their own praises be consecrated1 and seek that everything for which they are justly praised be ascribed to the glory of ,him in whom they are praised8 ,for in the ,lord their souls are praised4 ,let us therefore believe those who both speak the truth and work wonders4 ,for by speaking the truth they suffered1 and so won the power of working wonders4 ,and the leading truth they professed is that ,christ rose from the dead1 and first showed in ,his own flesh the immortality of the resurrection which ,he promised should be ours1 either in the beginning of the world to come1 or in the end of this world4 #aa4 ,against the ,platonists1 who argue from the physical weight of the elements that an earthly body cannot inhabit heaven4 ,but against this great gift of ,god1 these reasoners1 whose thoughts the ,lord knows that they are vain1#ihd bring arguments from the weights of the elements2 for they have been taught by their master ,plato that the two greatest elements of the world1 and the furthest removed from one another1 are coupled and united by the two intermediate1 air and water4 ,and consequently they say1 since the earth is the first of the elements1 beginning from the base of the series1 the second the water above the earth1 the third the air above the water1 the fourth the heaven above the air1 it follows that a body of earth cannot live in the heaven2 for each element is poised by its own weight so as to preserve its own place and rank4 ,behold with what arguments human infirmity1 possessed with vanity1 contradicts the omnipotence of ,god6 ,what1 then1 do so many earthly bodies do in the air1 since the air is the third element from the earth8 ,unless perhaps ,he who has granted to the earthly bodies of birds that they be carried through the air by the lightness of feathers and wings1 has not been able to confer upon the bodies of men made immortal the power to abide in the highest heaven4 ,the earthly animals1 too1 which cannot fly1 among which are men1 ought on these terms to live under the earth1 as fishes1 which are the animals of the water1 live under the water4 ,why1 then1 can an animal of earth not live in the second element1 that is1 in water1 while it can in the third8 ,why1 though it belongs to the earth1 is it forthwith suffocated if it is forced to live in the second element next above earth1 while it lives in the third1 and cannot live out of it8 ,is there a mistake here in the order of the elements1 or is not the mistake rather in their reasonings1 and not in the nature of things8 ,i will not repeat what ,i said in the thirteenth book1#ihe that many earthly bodies1 though heavy like lead1 receive from the workman's hand a form which enables them to swim in water2 and yet it is denied that the omnipotent ,worker can confer on the human body a property which shall enable it to pass into heaven and dwell there4 ,but against what ,i have formerly said they can find nothing to say1 even though they introduce and make the most of this order of the elements in which they confide4 ,for if the order be that the earth is first1 the water second1 the air third1 the heaven fourth1 then the soul is above all4 ,for ,aristotle said that the soul was a fifth body1 while ,plato denied that it was a body at all4 ,if it were a fifth body1 then certainly it would be above the rest2 and if it is not a body at all1 so much the more does it rise above all4 ,what1 then1 does it do in an earthly body8 ,what does this soul1 which is finer than all else1 do in such a mass of matter as this8 ,what does the lightest of substances do in this ponderosity8 this swiftest substance in such sluggishness8 ,will not the body be raised to heaven by virtue of so excellent a nature as this8 and if now earthly bodies can retain the souls below1 shall not the souls be one day able to raise the earthly bodies above8 ,if we pass now to their miracles which they oppose to our martyrs as wrought by their gods1 shall not even these be found to make for us1 and help out our argument8 ,for if any of the miracles of their gods are great1 certainly that is a great one which ,varro mentions of a vestal virgin1 who1 when she was endangered by a false accusation of unchastity1 filled a sieve with water from the ,tiber1 and carried it to her judges without any part of it leaking4 ,who kept the weight of water in the sieve8 ,who prevented any drop from falling from it through so many open holes8 ,they will answer1 ,some god or some demon4 ,if a god1 is he greater than the ,god who made the world8 ,if a demon1 is he mightier than an angel who serves the ,god by whom the world was made8 ,if1 then1 a lesser god1 angel1 or demon could so sustain the weight of this liquid element that the water might seem to have changed its nature1 shall not ,almighty ,god1 who ,himself created all the elements1 be able to eliminate from the earthly body its heaviness1 so that the quickened body shall dwell in whatever element the quickening spirit pleases8 ,then1 again1 since they give the air a middle place between the fire above and the water beneath1 how is it that we often find it between water and water1 and between the water and the earth8 ,for what do they make of those watery clouds1 between which and the seas air is constantly found intervening8 ,i should like to know by what weight and order of the elements it comes to pass that very violent and stormy torrents are suspended in the clouds above the earth before they rush along upon the earth under the air8 ,in fine1 why is it that throughout the whole globe the air is between the highest heaven and the earth1 if its place is between the sky and the water1 as the place of the water is between the sky and the earth8 ,finally1 if the order of the elements is so disposed that1 as ,plato thinks1 the two extremes1 fire and earth1 are united by the two means1 air and water1 and that the fire occupies the highest part of the sky1 and the earth the lowest part1 or as it were the foundation of the world1 and that therefore earth cannot be in the heavens1 how is fire in the earth8 ,for1 according to this reasoning1 these two elements1 earth and fire1 ought to be so restricted to their own places1 the highest and the lowest1 that neither the lowest can rise to the place of the highest1 nor the highest sink to that of the lowest4 ,thus1 as they think that no particle of earth is or shall ever be in the sky1 so we ought to see no particle of fire on the earth4 ,but the fact is that it exists to such an extent1 not only on but even under the earth1 that the tops of mountains vomit it forth2 besides that we see it to exist on earth for human uses1 and even to be produced from the earth1 since it is kindled from wood and stones1 which are without doubt earthly bodies4 ,but that upper fire1 they say1 is tranquil1 pure1 harmless1 eternal2 but this earthly fire is turbid1 smoky1 corruptible1 and corrupting4 ,but it does not corrupt the mountains and caverns of the earth in which it rages continually4 ,but grant that the earthly fire is so unlike the other as to suit its earthly position1 why then do they object to our believing that the nature of earthly bodies shall some day be made incorruptible and fit for the sky1 even as now fire is corruptible and suited to the earth8 ,they therefore adduce from their weights and order of the elements nothing from which they can prove that it is impossible for ,almighty ,god to make our bodies such that they can dwell in the skies4 #ab4 ,against the calumnies with which unbelievers throw ridicule upon the ,christian faith in the resurrection of the flesh4 ,but their way is to feign a scrupulous anxiety in investigating this question1 and to cast ridicule on our faith in the resurrection of the body1 by asking1 ,whether abortions shall rise8 ,and as the ,lord says1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 not a hair of your head shall perish1#ihf shall all bodies have an equal stature and strength1 or shall there be differences in size8 ,for if there is to be equality1 where shall those abortions1 supposing that they rise again1 get that bulk which they had not here8 ,or if they shall not rise because they were not born but cast out1 they raise the same question about children who have died in childhood1 asking us whence they get the stature which we see they had not here2 for we will not say that those who have been not only born1 but born again1 shall not rise again4 ,then1 further1 they ask of what size these equal bodies shall be4 ,for if all shall be as tall and large as were the tallest and largest in this world1 they ask us how it is that not only children but many full-grown persons shall receive what they here did not possess1 if each one is to receive what he had here4 ,and if the saying of the apostle1 that we are all to come to the measure of the age of the fulness of ,christ1#ihg or that other saying1 ,whom ,he predestinated to be conformed to the image of ,his ,son1#ihh is to be understood to mean that the stature and size of ,christ's body shall be the measure of the bodies of all those who shall be in ,his kingdom1 then1 say they1 the size and height of many must be diminished2 and if so much of the bodily frame itself be lost1 what becomes of the saying1 ,not a hair of your head shall perish8 ,besides1 it might be asked regarding the hair itself1 whether all that the barber has cut off shall be restored8 ,and if it is to be restored1 who would not shrink from such deformity8 ,for as the same restoration will be made of what has been pared off the nails1 much will be replaced on the body which a regard for its appearance had cut off4 ,and where1 then1 will be its beauty1 which assuredly ought to be much greater in that immortal condition than it could be in this corruptible state8 ,on the other hand1 if such things are not restored to the body1 they must perish2 how1 then1 they say1 shall not a hair of the head perish8 ,in like manner they reason about fatness and leanness2 for if all are to be equal1 then certainly there shall not be some fat1 others lean4 ,some1 therefore1 shall gain1 others lose something4 ,consequently there will not be a simple restoration of what formerly existed1 but1 on the one hand1 an addition of what had no existence1 and1 on the other1 a loss of what did before exist4 ,the difficulties1 too1 about the corruption and dissolution of dead bodies1--that one is turned into dust1 while another evaporates into the air2 that some are devoured by beasts1 some by fire1 while some perish by shipwreck or by drowning in one shape or other1 so that their bodies decay into liquid1--these difficulties give them immoderate alarm1 and they believe that all those dissolved elements cannot be gathered again and reconstructed into a body4 ,they also make eager use of all the deformities and blemishes which either accident or birth has produced1 and accordingly1 with horror and derision1 cite monstrous births1 and ask if every deformity will be preserved in the resurrection4 ,for if we say that no such thing shall be reproduced in the body of a man1 they suppose that they confute us by citing the marks of the wounds which we assert were found in the risen body of the ,lord ,christ4 ,but of all these1 the most difficult question is1 into whose body that flesh shall return which has been eaten and assimilated by another man constrained by hunger to use it so2 for it has been converted into the flesh of the man who used it as his nutriment1 and it filled up those losses of flesh which famine had produced4 ,for the sake1 then1 of ridiculing the resurrection1 they ask1 ,shall this return to the man whose flesh it first was1 or to him whose flesh it afterwards became8 ,and thus1 too1 they seek to give promise to the human soul of alternations of true misery and false happiness1 in accordance with ,plato's theory2 or1 in accordance with ,porphyry's1 that1 after many transmigrations into different bodies1 it ends its miseries1 and never more returns to them1 not1 however1 by obtaining an immortal body1 but by escaping from every kind of body4 #ac4 ,whether abortions1 if they are numbered among the dead1 shall not also have a part in the resurrection4 ,to these objections1 then1 of our adversaries which ,i have thus detailed1 ,i will now reply1 trusting that ,god will mercifully assist my endeavours4 ,that abortions1 which1 even supposing they were alive in the womb1 did also die there1 shall rise again1 ,i make bold neither to affirm nor to deny1 although ,i fail to see why1 if they are not excluded from the number of the dead1 they should not attain to the resurrection of the dead4 ,for either all the dead shall not rise1 and there will be to all eternity some souls without bodies1 though they once had them1--only in their mother's womb1 indeed2 or1 if all human souls shall receive again the bodies which they had wherever they lived1 and which they left when they died1 then ,i do not see how ,i can say that even those who died in their mother's womb shall have no resurrection4 ,but whichever of these opinions any one may adopt concerning them1 we must at least apply to them1 if they rise again1 all that we have to say of infants who have been born4 #ad4 ,whether infants shall rise in that body which they would have had had they grown up4 ,what1 then1 are we to say of infants1 if not that they will not rise in that diminutive body in which they died1 but shall receive by the marvellous and rapid operation of ,god that body which time by a slower process would have given them8 ,for in the ,lord's words1 where ,he says1 ,not a hair of your head shall perish1#ihi it is asserted that nothing which was possessed shall be wanting2 but it is not said that nothing which was not possessed shall be given4 ,to the dead infant there was wanting the perfect stature of its body2 for even the perfect infant lacks the perfection of bodily size1 being capable of further growth4 ,this perfect stature is1 in a sense1 so possessed by all that they are conceived and born with it1--that is1 they have it potentially1 though not yet in actual bulk2 just as all the members of the body are potentially in the seed1 though1 even after the child is born1 some of them1 the teeth for example1 may be wanting4 ,in this seminal principle of every substance1 there seems to be1 as it were1 the beginning of everything which does not yet exist1 or rather does not appear1 but which in process of time will come into being1 or rather into sight4 ,in this1 therefore1 the child who is to be tall or short is already tall or short4 ,and in the resurrection of the body1 we need1 for the same reason1 fear no bodily loss2 for though all should be of equal size1 and reach gigantic proportions1 lest the men who were largest here should lose anything of their bulk and it should perish1 in contradiction to the words of ,christ1 who said that not a hair of their head should perish1 yet why should there lack the means by which that wonderful ,worker should make such additions1 seeing that ,he is the ,creator1 who ,himself created all things out of nothing8 #ae4 ,whether the bodies of all the dead shall rise the same size as the ,lord's body4 ,it is certain that ,christ rose in the same bodily stature in which ,he died1 and that it is wrong to say that1 when the general resurrection shall have arrived1 ,his body shall1 for the sake of equalling the tallest1 assume proportions which it had not when ,he appeared to the disciples in the figure with which they were familiar4 ,but if we say that even the bodies of taller men are to be reduced to the size of the ,lord's body1 there will be a great loss in many bodies1 though ,he promised that not a hair of their head should perish4 ,it remains1 therefore1 that we conclude that every man shall receive his own size which he had in youth1 though he died an old man1 or which he would have had1 supposing he died before his prime4 ,as for what the apostle said of the measure of the age of the fulness of ,christ1 we must either understand him to refer to something else1 viz4 to the fact that the measure of ,christ will be completed when all the members among the ,christian communities are added to the ,head2 or if we are to refer it to the resurrection of the body1 the meaning is that all shall rise neither beyond nor under youth1 but in that vigour and age to which we know that ,christ had arrived4 ,for even the world's wisest men have fixed the bloom of youth at about the age of thirty2 and when this period has been passed1 the man begins to decline towards the defective and duller period of old age4 ,and therefore the apostle did not speak of the measure of the body1 nor of the measure of the stature1 but of the measure of the age of the fulness of ,christ4 #af4 ,what is meant by the conforming of the saints to the image of the ,son of ,god4 ,then1 again1 these words1 ,predestinate to be conformed to the image of the ,son of ,god1#iij may be understood of the inner man4 ,so in another place ,he says to us1 ,be not conformed to this world1 but be ye transformed in the renewing of your mind4#iia ,in so far1 then1 as we are transformed so as not to be conformed to the world1 we are conformed to the ,son of ,god4 ,it may also be understood thus1 that as ,he was conformed to us by assuming mortality1 we shall be conformed to ,him by immortality2 and this indeed is connected with the resurrection of the body4 ,but if we are also taught in these words what form our bodies shall rise in1 as the measure we spoke of before1 so also this conformity is to be understood not of size1 but of age4 ,accordingly all shall rise in the stature they either had attained or would have attained had they lived to their prime1 although it will be no great disadvantage even if the form of the body be infantine or aged1 while no infirmity shall remain in the mind nor in the body itself4 ,so that even if any one contends that every person will rise again in the same bodily form in which he died1 we need not spend much labour in disputing with him4 #ag4 ,whether the bodies of women shall retain their own sex in the resurrection4 ,from the words1 ,till we all come to a perfect man1 to the measure of the age of the fulness of ,christ1#iib and from the words1 ,conformed to the image of the ,son of ,god1#iic some conclude that women shall not rise women1 but that all shall be men1 because ,god made man only of earth1 and woman of the man4 ,for my part1 they seem to be wiser who make no doubt that both sexes shall rise4 ,for there shall be no lust1 which is now the cause of confusion4 ,for before they sinned1 the man and the woman were naked1 and were not ashamed4 ,from those bodies1 then1 vice shall be withdrawn1 while nature shall be preserved4 ,and the sex of woman is not a vice1 but nature4 ,it shall then indeed be superior to carnal intercourse and child-bearing2 nevertheless the female members shall remain adapted not to the old uses1 but to a new beauty1 which1 so far from provoking lust1 now extinct1 shall excite praise to the wisdom and clemency of ,god1 who both made what was not and delivered from corruption what ,he made4 ,for at the beginning of the human race the woman was made of a rib taken from the side of the man while he slept2 for it seemed fit that even then ,christ and ,his ,church should be foreshadowed in this event4 ,for that sleep of the man was the death of ,christ1 whose side1 as ,he hung lifeless upon the cross1 was pierced with a spear1 and there flowed from it blood and water1 and these we know to be the sacraments by which the ,church is built up4 ,for ,scripture used this very word1 not saying ,he formed or framed1 but built her up into a woman2#iid whence also the apostle speaks of the edification of the body of ,christ1#iie which is the ,church4 ,the woman1 therefore1 is a creature of ,god even as the man2 but by her creation from man unity is commended2 and the manner of her creation prefigured1 as has been said1 ,christ and the ,church4 ,he1 then1 who created both sexes will restore both4 ,jesus ,himself also1 when asked by the ,sadducees1 who denied the resurrection1 which of the seven brothers should have to wife the woman whom all in succession had taken to raise up seed to their brother1 as the law enjoined1 says1 ,ye do err1 not knowing the ,scriptures nor the power of ,god4#iif ,and though it was a fit opportunity for ,his saying1 ,she about whom you make inquiries shall herself be a man1 and not a woman1 ,he said nothing of the kind2 but ,in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage1 but are as the angels of ,god in heaven4#iig ,they shall be equal to the angels in immortality and happiness1 not in flesh1 nor in resurrection1 which the angels did not need1 because they could not die4 ,the ,lord then denied that there would be in the resurrection1 not women1 but marriages2 and ,he uttered this denial in circumstances in which the question mooted would have been more easily and speedily solved by denying that the female sex would exist1 if this had in truth been foreknown by ,him4 ,but1 indeed1 ,he even affirmed that the sex should exist by saying1 ,they shall not be given in marriage1 which can only apply to females2 ,neither shall they marry1 which applies to males4 ,there shall therefore be those who are in this world accustomed to marry and be given in marriage1 only they shall there make no such marriages4 #ah4 ,of the perfect ,man1 that is1 ,christ2 and of ,his body1 that is1 the ,church1 which is ,his fulness4 ,to understand what the apostle means when he says that we shall all come to a perfect man1 we must consider the connection of the whole passage1 which runs thus3 ,he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens1 that ,he might fill all things4 ,and ,he gave some1 apostles2 and some1 prophets2 and some1 evangelists2 and some1 pastors and teachers2 for the perfecting of the saints1 for the work of the ministry1 for the edifying of the body of ,christ3 till we all come to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the ,son of ,god1 to a perfect man1 to the measure of the age of the fulness of ,christ3 that we henceforth be no more children1 tossed and carried about with every wind of doctrine1 by the sleight of men1 and cunning craftiness1 whereby they lie in wait to deceive2 but1 speaking the truth in love1 may grow up in ,him in all things1 which is the ,head1 even ,christ3 from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth1 according to the effectual working in the measure of every part1 maketh increase of the body1 unto the edifying of itself in love4#iih ,behold what the perfect man is--the head and the body1 which is made up of all the members1 which in their own time shall be perfected4 ,but new additions are daily being made to this body while the ,church is being built up1 to which it is said1 ,ye are the body of ,christ and ,his members2#iii and again1 ,for ,his body's sake1 he says1 which is the ,church2#ajjj and again1 ,we being many are one head1 one body4#ajja ,it is of the edification of this body that it is here1 too1 said1 ,for the perfecting of the saints1 for the work of the ministry1 for the edification of the body of ,christ2 and then that passage of which we are now speaking is added1 ,till we all come to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the ,son of ,god1 to a perfect man1 to the measure of the age of the fulness of ,christ1 and so on4 ,and he shows of what body we are to understand this to be the measure1 when he says1 ,that we may grow up into ,him in all things1 which is the ,head1 even ,christ3 from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth1 according to the effectual working in the measure of every part4 ,as1 therefore1 there is a measure of every part1 so there is a measure of the fulness of the whole body which is made up of all its parts1 and it is of this measure it is said1 ,to the measure of the age of the fulness of ,christ4 ,this fulness he spoke of also in the place where he says of ,christ1 ,and gave ,him to be the ,head over all things to the ,church1#ajjb which is ,his body1 the fulness of ,him that filleth all in all4#ajjc ,but even if this should be referred to the form in which each one shall rise1 what should hinder us from applying to the woman what is expressly said of the man1 understanding both sexes to be included under the general term man8 ,for certainly in the saying1 ,blessed is he who feareth the ,lord1#ajjd women also who fear the ,lord are included4 #ai4 ,that all bodily blemishes which mar human beauty in this life shall be removed in the resurrection1 the natural substance of the body remaining1 but the quality and quantity of it being altered so as to produce beauty4 ,what am ,i to say now about the hair and nails8 ,once it is understood that no part of the body shall so perish as to produce deformity in the body1 it is at the same time understood that such things as would have produced a deformity by their excessive proportions shall be added to the total bulk of the body1 not to parts in which the beauty of the proportion would thus be marred4 ,just as if1 after making a vessel of clay1 one wished to make it over again of the same clay1 it would not be necessary that the same portion of the clay which had formed the handle should again form the new handle1 or that what had formed the bottom should again do so1 but only that the whole clay should go to make up the whole new vessel1 and that no part of it should be left unused4 ,wherefore1 if the hair that has been cropped and the nails that have been cut would cause a deformity were they to be restored to their places1 they shall not be restored2 and yet no one will lose these parts at the resurrection1 for they shall be changed into the same flesh1 their substance being so altered as to preserve the proportion of the various parts of the body4 ,however1 what our ,lord said1 ,not a hair of your head shall perish1 might more suitably be interpreted of the number1 and not of the length of the hairs1 as ,he elsewhere says1 ,the hairs of your head are all numbered4#ajje ,nor would ,i say this because ,i suppose that any part naturally belonging to the body can perish1 but that whatever deformity was in it1 and served to exhibit the penal condition in which we mortals are1 should be restored in such a way that1 while the substance is entirely preserved1 the deformity shall perish4 ,for if even a human workman1 who has1 for some reason1 made a deformed statue1 can recast it and make it very beautiful1 and this without suffering any part of the substance1 but only the deformity to be lost1--if he can1 for example1 remove some unbecoming or disproportionate part1 not by cutting off and separating this part from the whole1 but by so breaking down and mixing up the whole as to get rid of the blemish without diminishing the quantity of his material1--shall we not think as highly of the almighty ,worker8 ,shall ,he not be able to remove and abolish all deformities of the human body1 whether common ones or rare and monstrous1 which1 though in keeping with this miserable life1 are yet not to be thought of in connection with that future blessedness2 and shall ,he not be able so to remove them that1 while the natural but unseemly blemishes are put an end to1 the natural substance shall suffer no diminution8 ,and consequently overgrown and emaciated persons need not fear that they shall be in heaven of such a figure as they would not be even in this world if they could help it4 ,for all bodily beauty consists in the proportion of the parts1 together with a certain agreeableness of colour4 ,where there is no proportion1 the eye is offended1 either because there is something awanting1 or too small1 or too large4 ,and thus there shall be no deformity resulting from want of proportion in that state in which all that is wrong is corrected1 and all that is defective supplied from resources the ,creator wots of1 and all that is excessive removed without destroying the integrity of the substance4 ,and as for the pleasant colour1 how conspicuous shall it be where the just shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their ,father6#ajjf ,this brightness we must rather believe to have been concealed from the eyes of the disciples when ,christ rose1 than to have been awanting4 ,for weak human eyesight could not bear it1 and it was necessary that they should so look upon ,him as to be able to recognise ,him4 ,for this purpose also ,he allowed them to touch the marks of ,his wounds1 and also ate and drank1--not because ,he needed nourishment1 but because ,he could take it if ,he wished4 ,now1 when an object1 though present1 is invisible to persons who see other things which are present1 as we say that that brightness was present but invisible by those who saw other things1 this is called in ,greek 2 and our ,latin translators1 for want of a better word1 have rendered this ccitas 7blindness7 in the book of ,genesis4 ,this blindness the men of ,sodom suffered when they sought the just ,lot's gate and could not find it4 ,but if it had been blindness1 that is to say1 if they could see nothing1 then they would not have asked for the gate by which they might enter the house1 but for guides who might lead them away4 ,but the love we bear to the blessed martyrs causes us1 ,i know not how1 to desire to see in the heavenly kingdom the marks of the wounds which they received for the name of ,christ1 and possibly we shall see them4 ,for this will not be a deformity1 but a mark of honour1 and will add lustre to their appearance1 and a spiritual1 if not a bodily beauty4 ,and yet we need not believe that they to whom it has been said1 ,not a hair of your head shall perish1 shall1 in the resurrection1 want such of their members as they have been deprived of in their martyrdom4 ,but if it will be seemly in that new kingdom to have some marks of these wounds still visible in that immortal flesh1 the places where they have been wounded or mutilated shall retain the scars without any of the members being lost4 ,while1 therefore1 it is quite true that no blemishes which the body has sustained shall appear in the resurrection1 yet we are not to reckon or name these marks of virtue blemishes4 #bj4 ,that1 in the resurrection1 the substance of our bodies1 however disintegrated1 shall be entirely reunited4 ,far be it from us to fear that the omnipotence of the ,creator cannot1 for the resuscitation and reanimation of our bodies1 recall all the portions which have been consumed by beasts or fire1 or have been dissolved into dust or ashes1 or have decomposed into water1 or evaporated into the air4 ,far from us be the thought1 that anything which escapes our observation in any most hidden recess of nature either evades the knowledge or transcends the power of the ,creator of all things4 ,cicero1 the great authority of our adversaries1 wishing to define ,god as accurately as possible1 says1 ,god is a mind free and independent1 without materiality1 perceiving and moving all things1 and itself endowed with eternal movement4#ajjg ,this he found in the systems of the greatest philosophers4 ,let me ask1 then1 in their own language1 how anything can either lie hid from ,him who perceives all things1 or irrevocably escape ,him who moves all things8 ,this leads me to reply to that question which seems the most difficult of all1--,to whom1 in the resurrection1 will belong the flesh of a dead man which has become the flesh of a living man8 ,for if some one1 famishing for want and pressed with hunger1 use human flesh as food1--an extremity not unknown1 as both ancient history and the unhappy experience of our own days have taught us1--can it be contended1 with any show of reason1 that all the flesh eaten has been evacuated1 and that none of it has been assimilated to the substance of the eater1 though the very emaciation which existed before1 and has now disappeared1 sufficiently indicates what large deficiencies have been filled up with this food8 ,but ,i have already made some remarks which will suffice for the solution of this difficulty also4 ,for all the flesh which hunger has consumed finds its way into the air by evaporation1 whence1 as we have said1 ,god ,almighty can recall it4 ,that flesh1 therefore1 shall be restored to the man in whom it first became human flesh4 ,for it must be looked upon as borrowed by the other person1 and1 like a pecuniary loan1 must be returned to the lender4 ,his own flesh1 however1 which he lost by famine1 shall be restored to him by ,him who can recover even what has evaporated4 ,and though it had been absolutely annihilated1 so that no part of its substance remained in any secret spot of nature1 the ,almighty could restore it by such means as ,he saw fit4 ,for this sentence1 uttered by the ,truth1 ,not a hair of your head shall perish1 forbids us to suppose that1 though no hair of a man's head can perish1 yet the large portions of his flesh eaten and consumed by the famishing can perish4 ,from all that we have thus considered1 and discussed with such poor ability as we can command1 we gather this conclusion1 that in the resurrection of the flesh the body shall be of that size which it either had attained or should have attained in the flower of its youth1 and shall enjoy the beauty that arises from preserving symmetry and proportion in all its members4 ,and it is reasonable to suppose that1 for the preservation of this beauty1 any part of the body's substance1 which1 if placed in one spot1 would produce a deformity1 shall be distributed through the whole of it1 so that neither any part1 nor the symmetry of the whole1 may be lost1 but only the general stature of the body somewhat increased by the distribution in all the parts of that which1 in one place1 would have been unsightly4 ,or if it is contended that each will rise with the same stature as that of the body he died in1 we shall not obstinately dispute this1 provided only there be no deformity1 no infirmity1 no languor1 no corruption1--nothing of any kind which would ill become that kingdom in which the children of the resurrection and of the promise shall be equal to the angels of ,god1 if not in body and age1 at least in happiness4 #ba4 ,of the new spiritual body into which the flesh of the saints shall be transformed4 ,whatever1 therefore1 has been taken from the body1 either during life or after death1 shall be restored to it1 and1 in conjunction with what has remained in the grave1 shall rise again1 transformed from the oldness of the animal body into the newness of the spiritual body1 and clothed in incorruption and immortality4 ,but even though the body has been all quite ground to powder by some severe accident1 or by the ruthlessness of enemies1 and though it has been so diligently scattered to the winds1 or into the water1 that there is no trace of it left1 yet it shall not be beyond the omnipotence of the ,creator1--no1 not a hair of its head shall perish4 ,the flesh shall then be spiritual1 and subject to the spirit1 but still flesh1 not spirit1 as the spirit itself1 when subject to the flesh1 was fleshly1 but still spirit and not flesh4 ,and of this we have experimental proof in the deformity of our penal condition4 ,for those persons were carnal1 not in a fleshly1 but in a spiritual way1 to whom the apostle said1 ,i could not speak to you as unto spiritual1 but as unto carnal4#ajjh ,and a man is in this life spiritual in such a way1 that he is yet carnal with respect to his body1 and sees another law in his members warring against the law of his mind2 but even in his body he will be spiritual when the same flesh shall have had that resurrection of which these words speak1 ,it is sown an animal body1 it shall rise a spiritual body4#ajji ,but what this spiritual body shall be1 and how great its grace1 ,i fear it were but rash to pronounce1 seeing that we have as yet no experience of it4 ,nevertheless1 since it is fit that the joyfulness of our hope should utter itself1 and so show forth ,god's praise1 and since it was from the profoundest sentiment of ardent and holy love that the ,psalmist cried1 ,o ,lord1 ,i have loved the beauty of ,thy house1#ajaj we may1 with ,god's help1 speak of the gifts ,he lavishes on men1 good and bad alike1 in this most wretched life1 and may do our best to conjecture the great glory of that state which we cannot worthily speak of1 because we have not yet experienced it4 ,for ,i say nothing of the time when ,god made man upright2 ,i say nothing of the happy life of the man and his wife in the fruitful garden1 since it was so short that none of their children experienced it3 ,i speak only of this life which we know1 and in which we now are1 from the temptations of which we cannot escape so long as we are in it1 no matter what progress we make1 for it is all temptation1 and ,i ask1 ,who can describe the tokens of ,god's goodness that are extended to the human race even in this life8 #bb4 ,of the miseries and ills to which the human race is justly exposed through the first sin1 and from which none can be delivered save by ,christ's grace4 ,that the whole human race has been condemned in its first origin1 this life itself1 if life it is to be called1 bears witness by the host of cruel ills with which it is filled4 ,is not this proved by the profound and dreadful ignorance which produces all the errors that enfold the children of ,adam1 and from which no man can be delivered without toil1 pain1 and fear8 ,is it not proved by his love of so many vain and hurtful things1 which produces gnawing cares1 disquiet1 griefs1 fears1 wild joys1 quarrels1 law-suits1 wars1 treasons1 angers1 hatreds1 deceit1 flattery1 fraud1 theft1 robbery1 perfidy1 pride1 ambition1 envy1 murders1 parricides1 cruelty1 ferocity1 wickedness1 luxury1 insolence1 impudence1 shamelessness1 fornications1 adulteries1 incests1 and the numberless uncleannesses and unnatural acts of both sexes1 which it is shameful so much as to mention2 sacrileges1 heresies1 blasphemies1 perjuries1 oppression of the innocent1 calumnies1 plots1 falsehoods1 false witnessings1 unrighteous judgments1 violent deeds1 plunderings1 and whatever similar wickedness has found its way into the lives of men1 though it cannot find its way into the conception of pure minds8 ,these are indeed the crimes of wicked men1 yet they spring from that root of error and misplaced love which is born with every son of ,adam4 ,for who is there that has not observed with what profound ignorance1 manifesting itself even in infancy1 and with what superfluity of foolish desires1 beginning to appear in boyhood1 man comes into this life1 so that1 were he left to live as he pleased1 and to do whatever he pleased1 he would plunge into all1 or certainly into many of those crimes and iniquities which ,i mentioned1 and could not mention8 ,but because ,god does not wholly desert those whom ,he condemns1 nor shuts up in ,his anger ,his tender mercies1 the human race is restrained by law and instruction1 which keep guard against the ignorance that besets us1 and oppose the assaults of vice1 but are themselves full of labour and sorrow4 ,for what mean those multifarious threats which are used to restrain the folly of children8 ,what mean pedagogues1 masters1 the birch1 the strap1 the cane1 the schooling which ,scripture says must be given a child1 beating him on the sides lest he wax stubborn1#ajaa and it be hardly possible or not possible at all to subdue him8 ,why all these punishments1 save to overcome ignorance and bridle evil desires--these evils with which we come into the world8 ,for why is it that we remember with difficulty1 and without difficulty forget8 learn with difficulty1 and without difficulty remain ignorant8 are diligent with difficulty1 and without difficulty are indolent8 ,does not this show what vitiated nature inclines and tends to by its own weight1 and what succour it needs if it is to be delivered8 ,inactivity1 sloth1 laziness1 negligence1 are vices which shun labour1 since labour1 though useful1 is itself a punishment4 ,but1 besides the punishments of childhood1 without which there would be no learning of what the parents wish1--and the parents rarely wish anything useful to be taught1--who can describe1 who can conceive the number and severity of the punishments which afflict the human race1--pains which are not only the accompaniment of the wickedness of godless men1 but are a part of the human condition and the common misery1--what fear and what grief are caused by bereavement and mourning1 by losses and condemnations1 by fraud and falsehood1 by false suspicions1 and all the crimes and wicked deeds of other men8 ,for at their hands we suffer robbery1 captivity1 chains1 imprisonment1 exile1 torture1 mutilation1 loss of sight1 the violation of chastity to satisfy the lust of the oppressor1 and many other dreadful evils4 ,what numberless casualties threaten our bodies from without1--extremes of heat and cold1 storms1 floods1 inundations1 lightning1 thunder1 hail1 earthquakes1 houses falling2 or from the stumbling1 or shying1 or vice of horses2 from countless poisons in fruits1 water1 air1 animals2 from the painful or even deadly bites of wild animals2 from the madness which a mad dog communicates1 so that even the animal which of all others is most gentle and friendly to its own master1 becomes an object of intenser fear than a lion or dragon1 and the man whom it has by chance infected with this pestilential contagion becomes so rabid1 that his parents1 wife1 children1 dread him more than any wild beast6 ,what disasters are suffered by those who travel by land or sea6 ,what man can go out of his own house without being exposed on all hands to unforeseen accidents8 ,returning home sound in limb1 he slips on his own door-step1 breaks his leg1 and never recovers4 ,what can seem safer than a man sitting in his chair8 ,eli the priest fell from his1 and broke his neck4 ,how many accidents do farmers1 or rather all men1 fear that the crops may suffer from the weather1 or the soil1 or the ravages of destructive animals8 ,commonly they feel safe when the crops are gathered and housed4 ,yet1 to my certain knowledge1 sudden floods have driven the labourers away1 and swept the barns clean of the finest harvest4 ,is innocence a sufficient protection against the various assaults of demons8 ,that no man might think so1 even baptized infants1 who are certainly unsurpassed in innocence1 are sometimes so tormented1 that ,god1 who permits it1 teaches us hereby to bewail the calamities of this life1 and to desire the felicity of the life to come4 ,as to bodily diseases1 they are so numerous that they cannot all be contained even in medical books4 ,and in very many1 or almost all of them1 the cures and remedies are themselves tortures1 so that men are delivered from a pain that destroys by a cure that pains4 ,has not the madness of thirst driven men to drink human urine1 and even their own8 ,has not hunger driven men to eat human flesh1 and that the flesh not of bodies found dead1 but of bodies slain for the purpose8 ,have not the fierce pangs of famine driven mothers to eat their own children1 incredibly savage as it seems8 ,in line1 sleep itself1 which is justly called repose1 how little of repose there sometimes is in it when disturbed with dreams and visions2 and with what terror is the wretched mind overwhelmed by the appearances of things which are so presented1 and which1 as it were1 so stand out before the senses1 that we cannot distinguish them from realities6 ,how wretchedly do false appearances distract men in certain diseases6 ,with what astonishing variety of appearances are even healthy men sometimes deceived by evil spirits1 who produce these delusions for the sake of perplexing the senses of their victims1 if they cannot succeed in seducing them to their side6 ,from this hell upon earth there is no escape1 save through the grace of the ,saviour ,christ1 our ,god and ,lord4 ,the very name ,jesus shows this1 for it means ,saviour2 and ,he saves us especially from passing out of this life into a more wretched and eternal state1 which is rather a death than a life4 ,for in this life1 though holy men and holy pursuits afford us great consolations1 yet the blessings which men crave are not invariably bestowed upon them1 lest religion should be cultivated for the sake of these temporal advantages1 while it ought rather to be cultivated for the sake of that other life from which all evil is excluded4 ,therefore1 also1 does grace aid good men in the midst of present calamities1 so that they are enabled to endure them with a constancy proportioned to their faith4 ,the world's sages affirm that philosophy contributes something to this1--that philosophy which1 according to ,cicero1 the gods have bestowed in its purity only on a few men4 ,they have never given1 he says1 nor can ever give1 a greater gift to men4 ,so that even those against whom we are disputing have been compelled to acknowledge1 in some fashion1 that the grace of ,god is necessary for the acquisition1 not1 indeed1 of any philosophy1 but of the true philosophy4 ,and if the true philosophy--this sole support against the miseries of this life--has been given by ,heaven only to a few1 it sufficiently appears from this that the human race has been condemned to pay this penalty of wretchedness4 ,and as1 according to their acknowledgment1 no greater gift has been bestowed by ,god1 so it must be believed that it could be given only by that ,god whom they themselves recognise as greater than all the gods they worship4 #bc4 ,of the miseries of this life which attach peculiarly to the toil of good men1 irrespective of those which are common to the good and bad4 ,but1 irrespective of the miseries which in this life are common to the good and bad1 the righteous undergo labours peculiar to themselves1 in so far as they make war upon their vices1 and are involved in the temptations and perils of such a contest4 ,for though sometimes more violent and at other times slacker1 yet without intermission does the flesh lust against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh1 so that we cannot do the things we would1#ajab and extirpate all lust1 but can only refuse consent to it1 as ,god gives us ability1 and so keep it under1 vigilantly keeping watch lest a semblance of truth deceive us1 lest a subtle discourse blind us1 lest error involve us in darkness1 lest we should take good for evil or evil for good1 lest fear should hinder us from doing what we ought1 or desire precipitate us into doing what we ought not1 lest the sun go down upon our wrath1 lest hatred provoke us to render evil for evil1 lest unseemly or immoderate grief consume us1 lest an ungrateful disposition make us slow to recognise benefits received1 lest calumnies fret our conscience1 lest rash suspicion on our part deceive us regarding a friend1 or false suspicion of us on the part of others give us too much uneasiness1 lest sin reign in our mortal body to obey its desires1 lest our members be used as the instruments of unrighteousness1 lest the eye follow lust1 lest thirst for revenge carry us away1 lest sight or thought dwell too long on some evil thing which gives us pleasure1 lest wicked or indecent language be willingly listened to1 lest we do what is pleasant but unlawful1 and lest in this warfare1 filled so abundantly with toil and peril1 we either hope to secure victory by our own strength1 or attribute it when secured to our own strength1 and not to ,his grace of whom the apostle says1 ,thanks be unto ,god1 who giveth us the victory through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2#ajac and in another place he says1 ,in all these things we are more than conquerors through ,him that loved us4#ajad ,but yet we are to know this1 that however valorously we resist our vices1 and however successful we are in overcoming them1 yet as long as we are in this body we have always reason to say to ,god1 ,forgive us our debts4#ajae ,but in that kingdom where we shall dwell for ever1 clothed in immortal bodies1 we shall no longer have either conflicts or debts1--as indeed we should not have had at any time or in any condition1 had our nature continued upright as it was created4 ,consequently even this our conflict1 in which we are exposed to peril1 and from which we hope to be delivered by a final victory1 belongs to the ills of this life1 which is proved by the witness of so many grave evils to be a life under condemnation4 #bd4 ,of the blessings with which the ,creator has filled this life1 obnoxious though it be to the curse4 ,but we must now contemplate the rich and countless blessings with which the goodness of ,god1 who cares for all ,he has created1 has filled this very misery of the human race1 which reflects ,his retributive justice4 ,that first blessing which ,he pronounced before the fall1 when ,he said1 ,increase1 and multiply1 and replenish the earth1#ajaf ,he did not inhibit after man had sinned1 but the fecundity originally bestowed remained in the condemned stock2 and the vice of sin1 which has involved us in the necessity of dying1 has yet not deprived us of that wonderful power of seed1 or rather of that still more marvellous power by which seed is produced1 and which seems to be as it were inwrought and inwoven in the human body4 ,but in this river1 as ,i may call it1 or torrent of the human race1 both elements are carried along together1--both the evil which is derived from him who begets1 and the good which is bestowed by ,him who creates us4 ,in the original evil there are two things1 sin and punishment2 in the original good1 there are two other things1 propagation and conformation4 ,but of the evils1 of which the one1 sin1 arose from our audacity1 and the other1 punishment1 from ,god's judgment1 we have already said as much as suits our present purpose4 ,i mean now to speak of the blessings which ,god has conferred or still confers upon our nature1 vitiated and condemned as it is4 ,for in condemning it ,he did not withdraw all that ,he had given it1 else it had been annihilated2 neither did ,he1 in penally subjecting it to the devil1 remove it beyond ,his own power2 for not even the devil himself is outside of ,god's government1 since the devil's nature subsists only by the supreme ,creator1 who gives being to all that in any form exists4 ,of these two blessings1 then1 which we have said flow from ,god's goodness1 as from a fountain1 towards our nature1 vitiated by sin and condemned to punishment1 the one1 propagation1 was conferred by ,god's benediction when ,he made those first works1 from which ,he rested on the seventh day4 ,but the other1 conformation1 is conferred in that work of ,his wherein ,he worketh hitherto4#ajag ,for were ,he to withdraw ,his efficacious power from things1 they should neither be able to go on and complete the periods assigned to their measured movements1 nor should they even continue in possession of that nature they were created in4 ,god1 then1 so created man that ,he gave him what we may call fertility1 whereby he might propagate other men1 giving them a congenital capacity to propagate their kind1 but not imposing on them any necessity to do so4 ,this capacity ,god withdraws at pleasure from individuals1 making them barren2 but from the whole race ,he has not withdrawn the blessing of propagation once conferred4 ,but though not withdrawn on account of sin1 this power of propagation is not what it would have been had there been no sin4 ,for since man placed in honour fell1 he has become like the beasts1#ajah and generates as they do1 though the little spark of reason1 which was the image of ,god in him1 has not been quite quenched4 ,but if conformation were not added to propagation1 there would be no reproduction of one's kind4 ,for even though there were no such thing as copulation1 and ,god wished to fill the earth with human inhabitants1 ,he might create all these as ,he created one without the help of human generation4 ,and1 indeed1 even as it is1 those who copulate can generate nothing save by the creative energy of ,god4 ,as1 therefore1 in respect of that spiritual growth whereby a man is formed to piety and righteousness1 the apostle says1 ,neither is he that planteth anything1 neither he that watereth1 but ,god that giveth the increase1#ajai so also it must be said that it is not he that generates that is anything1 but ,god that giveth the essential form2 that it is not the mother who carries and nurses the fruit of her womb that is anything1 but ,god that giveth the increase4 ,for ,he alone1 by that energy wherewith ,he worketh hitherto1 causes the seed to develope1 and to evolve from certain secret and invisible folds into the visible forms of beauty which we see4 ,he alone1 coupling and connecting in some wonderful fashion the spiritual and corporeal natures1 the one to command1 the other to obey1 makes a living being4 ,and this work of ,his is so great and wonderful1 that not only man1 who is a rational animal1 and consequently more excellent than all other animals of the earth1 but even the most diminutive insect1 cannot be considered attentively without astonishment and without praising the ,creator4 ,it is ,he1 then1 who has given to the human soul a mind1 in which reason and understanding lie as it were asleep during infancy1 and as if they were not1 destined1 however1 to be awakened and exercised as years increase1 so as to become capable of knowledge and of receiving instruction1 fit to understand what is true and to love what is good4 ,it is by this capacity the soul drinks in wisdom1 and becomes endowed with those virtues by which1 in prudence1 fortitude1 temperance1 and righteousness1 it makes war upon error and the other inborn vices1 and conquers them by fixing its desires upon no other object than the supreme and unchangeable ,good4 ,and even though this be not uniformly the result1 yet who can competently utter or even conceive the grandeur of this work of the ,almighty1 and the unspeakable boon ,he has conferred upon our rational nature1 by giving us even the capacity of such attainment8 ,for over and above those arts which are called virtues1 and which teach us how we may spend our life well1 and attain to endless happiness1--arts which are given to the children of the promise and the kingdom by the sole grace of ,god which is in ,christ1--has not the genius of man invented and applied countless astonishing arts1 partly the result of necessity1 partly the result of exuberant invention1 so that this vigour of mind1 which is so active in the discovery not merely of superfluous but even of dangerous and destructive things1 betokens an inexhaustible wealth in the nature which can invent1 learn1 or employ such arts8 ,what wonderful--one might say stupefying--advances has human industry made in the arts of weaving and building1 of agriculture and navigation6 ,with what endless variety are designs in pottery1 painting1 and sculpture produced1 and with what skill executed6 ,what wonderful spectacles are exhibited in the theatres1 which those who have not seen them cannot credit6 ,how skilful the contrivances for catching1 killing1 or taming wild beasts6 ,and for the injury of men1 also1 how many kinds of poisons1 weapons1 engines of destruction1 have been invented1 while for the preservation or restoration of health the appliances and remedies are infinite6 ,to provoke appetite and please the palate1 what a variety of seasonings have been concocted6 ,to express and gain entrance for thoughts1 what a multitude and variety of signs there are1 among which speaking and writing hold the first place6 what ornaments has eloquence at command to delight the mind6 what wealth of song is there to captivate the ear6 how many musical instruments and strains of harmony have been devised6 ,what skill has been attained in measures and numbers6 with what sagacity have the movements and connections of the stars been discovered6 ,who could tell the thought that has been spent upon nature1 even though1 despairing of recounting it in detail1 he endeavoured only to give a general view of it8 ,in fine1 even the defence of errors and misapprehensions1 which has illustrated the genius of heretics and philosophers1 cannot be sufficiently declared4 ,for at present it is the nature of the human mind which adorns this mortal life which we are extolling1 and not the faith and the way of truth which lead to immortality4 ,and since this great nature has certainly been created by the true and supreme ,god1 who administers all things ,he has made with absolute power and justice1 it could never have fallen into these miseries1 nor have gone out of them to miseries eternal1--saving only those who are redeemed1--had not an exceeding great sin been found in the first man from whom the rest have sprung4 ,moreover1 even in the body1 though it dies like that of the beasts1 and is in many ways weaker than theirs1 what goodness of ,god1 what providence of the great ,creator1 is apparent6 ,the organs of sense and the rest of the members1 are not they so placed1 the appearance1 and form1 and stature of the body as a whole1 is it not so fashioned1 as to indicate that it was made for the service of a reasonable soul8 ,man has not been created stooping towards the earth1 like the irrational animals2 but his bodily form1 erect and looking heavenwards1 admonishes him to mind the things that are above4 ,then the marvellous nimbleness which has been given to the tongue and the hands1 fitting them to speak1 and write1 and execute so many duties1 and practise so many arts1 does it not prove the excellence of the soul for which such an assistant was provided8 ,and even apart from its adaptation to the work required of it1 there is such a symmetry in its various parts1 and so beautiful a proportion maintained1 that one is at a loss to decide whether1 in creating the body1 greater regard was paid to utility or to beauty4 ,assuredly no part of the body has been created for the sake of utility which does not also contribute something to its beauty4 ,and this would be all the more apparent1 if we knew more precisely how all its parts are connected and adapted to one another1 and were not limited in our observations to what appears on the surface2 for as to what is covered up and hidden from our view1 the intricate web of veins and nerves1 the vital parts of all that lies under the skin1 no one can discover it4 ,for although1 with a cruel zeal for science1 some medical men1 who are called anatomists1 have dissected the bodies of the dead1 and sometimes even of sick persons who died under their knives1 and have inhumanly pried into the secrets of the human body to learn the nature of the disease and its exact seat1 and how it might be cured1 yet those relations of which ,i speak1 and which form the concord1#ajbj or1 as the ,greeks call it1 harmony1 of the whole body outside and in1 as of some instrument1 no one has been able to discover1 because no one has been audacious enough to seek for them4 ,but if these could be known1 then even the inward parts1 which seem to have no beauty1 would so delight us with their exquisite fitness1 as to afford a profounder satisfaction to the mind--and the eyes are but its ministers--than the obvious beauty which gratifies the eye4 ,there are some things1 too1 which have such a place in the body1 that they obviously serve no useful purpose1 but are solely for beauty1 as e4g4 the teats on a man's breast1 or the beard on his face2 for that this is for ornament1 and not for protection1 is proved by the bare faces of women1 who ought rather1 as the weaker sex1 to enjoy such a defence4 ,if1 therefore1 of all those members which are exposed to our view1 there is certainly not one in which beauty is sacrificed to utility1 while there are some which serve no purpose but only beauty1 ,i think it can readily be concluded that in the creation of the human body comeliness was more regarded than necessity4 ,in truth1 necessity is a transitory thing2 and the time is coming when we shall enjoy one another's beauty without any lust1--a condition which will specially redound to the praise of the ,creator1 who1 as it is said in the psalm1 has put on praise and comeliness4#ajba ,how can ,i tell of the rest of creation1 with all its beauty and utility1 which the divine goodness has given to man to please his eye and serve his purposes1 condemned though he is1 and hurled into these labours and miseries8 ,shall ,i speak of the manifold and various loveliness of sky1 and earth1 and sea2 of the plentiful supply and wonderful qualities of the light2 of sun1 moon1 and stars2 of the shade of trees2 of the colours and perfume of flowers2 of the multitude of birds1 all differing in plumage and in song2 of the variety of animals1 of which the smallest in size are often the most wonderful1--the works of ants and bees astonishing us more than the huge bodies of whales8 ,shall ,i speak of the sea1 which itself is so grand a spectacle1 when it arrays itself as it were in vestures of various colours1 now running through every shade of green1 and again becoming purple or blue8 ,is it not delightful to look at it in storm1 and experience the soothing complacency which it inspires1 by suggesting that we ourselves are not tossed and shipwrecked8#ajbb ,what shall ,i say of the numberless kinds of food to alleviate hunger1 and the variety of seasonings to stimulate appetite which are scattered everywhere by nature1 and for which we are not indebted to the art of cookery8 ,how many natural appliances are there for preserving and restoring health6 ,how grateful is the alternation of day and night6 how pleasant the breezes that cool the air6 how abundant the supply of clothing furnished us by trees and animals6 ,who can enumerate all the blessings we enjoy8 ,if ,i were to attempt to detail and unfold only these few which ,i have indicated in the mass1 such an enumeration would fill a volume4 ,and all these are but the solace of the wretched and condemned1 not the rewards of the blessed4 ,what then shall these rewards be1 if such be the blessings of a condemned state8 ,what will ,he give to those whom ,he has predestined to life1 who has given such things even to those whom ,he has predestined to death8 ,what blessings will ,he in the blessed life shower upon those for whom1 even in this state of misery1 ,he has been willing that ,his only-begotten ,son should endure such sufferings even to death8 ,thus the apostle reasons concerning those who are predestined to that kingdom3 ,he that spared not ,his own ,son1 but delivered ,him up for us all1 how shall ,he not with ,him also give us all things8#ajbc ,when this promise is fulfilled1 what shall we be8 ,what blessings shall we receive in that kingdom1 since already we have received as the pledge of them ,christ's dying8 ,in what condition shall the spirit of man be1 when it has no longer any vice at all2 when it neither yields to any1 nor is in bondage to any1 nor has to make war against any1 but is perfected1 and enjoys undisturbed peace with itself8 ,shall it not then know all things with certainty1 and without any labour or error1 when unhindered and joyfully it drinks the wisdom of ,god at the fountainhead8 ,what shall the body be1 when it is in every respect subject to the spirit1 from which it shall draw a life so sufficient1 as to stand in need of no other nutriment8 ,for it shall no longer be animal1 but spiritual1 having indeed the substance of flesh1 but without any fleshly corruption4 #be4 ,of the obstinacy of those individuals who impugn the resurrection of the body1 though1 as was predicted1 the whole world believes it4 ,the foremost of the philosophers agree with us about the spiritual felicity enjoyed by the blessed in the life to come2 it is only the resurrection of the flesh they call in question1 and with all their might deny4 ,but the mass of men1 learned and unlearned1 the world's wise men and its fools1 have believed1 and have left in meagre isolation the unbelievers1 and have turned to ,christ1 who in ,his own resurrection demonstrated the reality of that which seems to our adversaries absurd4 ,for the world has believed this which ,god predicted1 as it was also predicted that the world would believe1--a prediction not due to the sorceries of ,peter1#ajbd since it was uttered so long before4 ,he who has predicted these things1 as ,i have already said1 and am not ashamed to repeat1 is the ,god before whom all other divinities tremble1 as ,porphyry himself owns1 and seeks to prove1 by testimonies from the oracles of these gods1 and goes so far as to call ,him ,god the ,father and ,king4 ,far be it from us to interpret these predictions as they do who have not believed1 along with the whole world1 in that which it was predicted the world would believe in4 ,for why should we not rather understand them as the world does1 whose belief was predicted1 and leave that handful of unbelievers to their idle talk and obstinate and solitary infidelity8 ,for if they maintain that they interpret them differently only to avoid charging ,scripture with folly1 and so doing an injury to that ,god to whom they bear so notable a testimony1 is it not a much greater injury they do ,him when they say that ,his predictions must be understood otherwise than the world believed them1 though ,he ,himself praised1 promised1 accomplished this belief on the world's part8 ,and why cannot ,he cause the body to rise again1 and live for ever8 or is it not to be believed that ,he will do this1 because it is an undesirable thing1 and unworthy of ,god8 ,of ,his omnipotence1 which effects so many great miracles1 we have already said enough4 ,if they wish to know what the ,almighty cannot do1 ,i shall tell them ,he cannot lie4 ,let us therefore believe what ,he can do1 by refusing to believe what ,he cannot do4 ,refusing to believe that ,he can lie1 let them believe that ,he will do what ,he has promised to do2 and let them believe it as the world has believed it1 whose faith ,he predicted1 whose faith ,he praised1 whose faith ,he promised1 whose faith ,he now points to4 ,but how do they prove that the resurrection is an undesirable thing8 ,there shall then be no corruption1 which is the only evil thing about the body4 ,i have already said enough about the order of the elements1 and the other fanciful objections men raise2 and in the thirteenth book ,i have1 in my own judgment1 sufficiently illustrated the facility of movement which the incorruptible body shall enjoy1 judging from the ease and vigour we experience even now1 when the body is in good health4 ,those who have either not read the former books1 or wish to refresh their memory1 may read them for themselves4 #bf4 ,that the opinion of ,porphyry1 that the soul1 in order to be blessed1 must be separated from every kind of body1 is demolished by ,plato1 who says that the supreme ,god promised the gods that they should never be ousted from their bodies4 ,but1 say they1 ,porphyry tells us that the soul1 in order to be blessed1 must escape connection with every kind of body4 ,it does not avail1 therefore1 to say that the future body shall be incorruptible1 if the soul cannot be blessed till delivered from every kind of body4 ,but in the book above mentioned ,i have already sufficiently discussed this4 ,this one thing only will ,i repeat1--let ,plato1 their master1 correct his writings1 and say that their gods1 in order to be blessed1 must quit their bodies1 or1 in other words1 die2 for he said that they were shut up in celestial bodies1 and that1 nevertheless1 the ,god who made them promised them immortality1--that is to say1 an eternal tenure of these same bodies1 such as was not provided for them naturally1 but only by the further intervention of ,his will1 that thus they might be assured of felicity4 ,in this he obviously overturns their assertion that the resurrection of the body cannot be believed because it is impossible2 for1 according to him1 when the uncreated ,god promised immortality to the created gods1 ,he expressly said that ,he would do what was impossible4 ,for ,plato tells us that ,he said1 ,as ye have had a beginning1 so you cannot be immortal and incorruptible2 yet ye shall not decay1 nor shall any fate destroy you or prove stronger than my will1 which more effectually binds you to immortality than the bond of your nature keeps you from it4 ,if they who hear these words have1 we do not say understanding1 but ears1 they cannot doubt that ,plato believed that ,god promised to the gods ,he had made that ,he would effect an impossibility4 ,for ,he who says1 ,ye cannot be immortal1 but by my will ye shall be immortal1 what else does ,he say than this1 ,i shall make you what ye cannot be8 ,the body1 therefore1 shall be raised incorruptible1 immortal1 spiritual1 by ,him who1 according to ,plato1 has promised to do that which is impossible4 ,why then do they still exclaim that this which ,god has promised1 which the world has believed on ,god's promise as was predicted1 is an impossibility8 ,for what we say is1 that the ,god who1 even according to ,plato1 does impossible things1 will do this4 ,it is not1 then1 necessary to the blessedness of the soul that it be detached from a body of any kind whatever1 but that it receive an incorruptible body4 ,and in what incorruptible body will they more suitably rejoice than in that in which they groaned when it was corruptible8 ,for thus they shall not feel that dire craving which ,virgil1 in imitation of ,plato1 has ascribed to them when he says that they wish to return again to their bodies4#ajbe ,they shall not1 ,i say1 feel this desire to return to their bodies1 since they shall have those bodies to which a return was desired1 and shall1 indeed1 be in such thorough possession of them1 that they shall never lose them even for the briefest moment1 nor ever lay them down in death4 #bg4 ,of the apparently conflicting opinions of ,plato and ,porphyry1 which would have conducted them both to the truth if they could have yielded to one another4 ,statements were made by ,plato and ,porphyry singly1 which if they could have seen their way to hold in common1 they might possibly have become ,christians4 ,plato said that souls could not exist eternally without bodies2 for it was on this account1 he said1 that the souls even of wise men must some time or other return to their bodies4 ,porphyry1 again1 said that the purified soul1 when it has returned to the ,father1 shall never return to the ills of this world4 ,consequently1 if ,plato had communicated to ,porphyry that which he saw to be true1 that souls1 though perfectly purified1 and belonging to the wise and righteous1 must return to human bodies2 and if ,porphyry1 again1 had imparted to ,plato the truth which he saw1 that holy souls shall never return to the miseries of a corruptible body1 so that they should not have each held only his own opinion1 but should both have held both truths1 ,i think they would have seen that it follows that the souls return to their bodies1 and also that these bodies shall be such as to afford them a blessed and immortal life4 ,for1 according to ,plato1 even holy souls shall return to the body2 according to ,porphyry1 holy souls shall not return to the ills of this world4 ,let ,porphyry then say with ,plato1 they shall return to the body2 let ,plato say with ,porphyry1 they shall not return to their old misery3 and they will agree that they return to bodies in which they shall suffer no more4 ,and this is nothing else than what ,god has promised1--that ,he will give eternal felicity to souls joined to their own bodies4 ,for this1 ,i presume1 both of them would readily concede1 that if the souls of the saints are to be reunited to bodies1 it shall be to their own bodies1 in which they have endured the miseries of this life1 and in which1 to escape these miseries1 they served ,god with piety and fidelity4 #bh4 ,what ,plato or ,labeo1 or even ,varro1 might have contributed to the true faith of the resurrection1 if they had adopted one another's opinions into one scheme4 ,some ,christians1 who have a liking for ,plato on account of his magnificent style and the truths which he now and then uttered1 say that he even held an opinion similar to our own regarding the resurrection of the dead4 ,cicero1 however1 alluding to this in his ,republic1 asserts that ,plato meant it rather as a playful fancy than as a reality2 for he introduces a man#ajbf who had come to life again1 and gave a narrative of his experience in corroboration of the doctrines of ,plato4 ,labeo1 too1 says that two men died on one day1 and met at a cross-road1 and that1 being afterwards ordered to return to their bodies1 they agreed to be friends for life1 and were so till they died again4 ,but the resurrection which these writers instance resembles that of those persons whom we have ourselves known to rise again1 and who came back indeed to this life1 but not so as never to die again4 ,marcus ,varro1 however1 in his work ,on the ,origin of the ,roman ,people1 records something more remarkable2 ,i think his own words should be given4 ,certain astrologers1 he says1 have written that men are destined to a new birth1 which the ,greeks call palingenesy4 ,this will take place after four hundred and forty years have elapsed2 and then the same soul and the same body1 which were formerly united in the person1 shall again be reunited4 ,this ,varro1 indeed1 or those nameless astrologers1--for he does not give us the names of the men whose statement he cites1--have affirmed what is indeed not altogether true2 for once the souls have returned to the bodies they wore1 they shall never afterwards leave them4 ,yet what they say upsets and demolishes much of that idle talk of our adversaries about the impossibility of the resurrection4 ,for those who have been or are of this opinion1 have not thought it possible that bodies which have dissolved into air1 or dust1 or ashes1 or water1 or into the bodies of the beasts or even of the men that fed on them1 should be restored again to that which they formerly were4 ,and therefore1 if ,plato and ,porphyry1 or rather1 if their disciples now living1 agree with us that holy souls shall return to the body1 as ,plato says1 and that1 nevertheless1 they shall not return to misery1 as ,porphyry maintains1--if they accept the consequence of these two propositions which is taught by the ,christian faith1 that they shall receive bodies in which they may live eternally without suffering any misery1--let them also adopt from ,varro the opinion that they shall return to the same bodies as they were formerly in1 and thus the whole question of the eternal resurrection of the body shall be resolved out of their own mouths4 #bi4 ,of the beatific vision4 ,and now let us consider1 with such ability as ,god may vouchsafe1 how the saints shall be employed when they are clothed in immortal and spiritual bodies1 and when the flesh shall live no longer in a fleshly but a spiritual fashion4 ,and indeed1 to tell the truth1 ,i am at a loss to understand the nature of that employment1 or1 shall ,i rather say1 repose and ease1 for it has never come within the range of my bodily senses4 ,and if ,i should speak of my mind or understanding1 what is our understanding in comparison of its excellence8 ,for then shall be that peace of ,god which1 as the apostle says1 passeth all understanding1#ajbg--that is to say1 all human1 and perhaps all angelic understanding1 but certainly not the divine4 ,that it passeth ours there is no doubt2 but if it passeth that of the angels1--and he who says all understanding seems to make no exception in their favour1--then we must understand him to mean that neither we nor the angels can understand1 as ,god understands1 the peace which ,god ,himself enjoys4 ,doubtless this passeth all understanding but ,his own4 ,but as we shall one day be made to participate1 according to our slender capacity1 in ,his peace1 both in ourselves1 and with our neighbour1 and with ,god our chief good1 in this respect the angels understand the peace of ,god in their own measure1 and men too1 though now far behind them1 whatever spiritual advance they have made4 ,for we must remember how great a man he was who said1 ,we know in part1 and we prophesy in part1 until that which is perfect is come2#ajbh and ,now we see through a glass1 darkly2 but then face to face4#ajbi ,such also is now the vision of the holy angels1 who are also called our angels1 because we1 being rescued out of the power of darkness1 and receiving the earnest of the ,spirit1 are translated into the kingdom of ,christ1 and already begin to belong to those angels with whom we shall enjoy that holy and most delightful city of ,god of which we have now written so much4 ,thus1 then1 the angels of ,god are our angels1 as ,christ is ,god's and also ours4 ,they are ,god's1 because they have not abandoned ,him2 they are ours1 because we are their fellow-citizens4 ,the ,lord ,jesus also said1 ,see that ye despise not one of these little ones3 for ,i say unto you1 ,that in heaven their angels do always see the face of my ,father which is in heaven4#ajcj ,as1 then1 they see1 so shall we also see2 but not yet do we thus see4 ,wherefore the apostle uses the words cited a little ago1 ,now we see through a glass1 darkly2 but then face to face4 ,this vision is reserved as the reward of our faith2 and of it the ,apostle ,john also says1 ,when ,he shall appear1 we shall be like ,him1 for we shall see ,him as ,he is4#ajca ,by the face of ,god we are to understand ,his manifestation1 and not a part of the body similar to that which in our bodies we call by that name4 ,and so1 when ,i am asked how the saints shall be employed in that spiritual body1 ,i do not say what ,i see1 but ,i say what ,i believe1 according to that which ,i read in the psalm1 ,i believed1 therefore have ,i spoken4#ajcb ,i say1 then1 they shall in the body see ,god2 but whether they shall see ,him by means of the body1 as now we see the sun1 moon1 stars1 sea1 earth1 and all that is in it1 that is a difficult question4 ,for it is hard to say that the saints shall then have such bodies that they shall not be able to shut and open their eyes as they please2 while it is harder still to say that every one who shuts his eyes shall lose the vision of ,god4 ,for if the prophet ,elisha1 though at a distance1 saw his servant ,gehazi1 who thought that his wickedness would escape his master's observation and accepted gifts from ,naaman the ,syrian1 whom the prophet had cleansed from his foul leprosy1 how much more shall the saints in the spiritual body see all things1 not only though their eyes be shut1 but though they themselves be at a great distance8 ,for then shall be that which is perfect1 of which the apostle says1 ,we know in part1 and we prophesy in part2 but when that which is perfect is come1 then that which is in part shall be done away4 ,then1 that he may illustrate as well as possible1 by a simile1 how superior the future life is to the life now lived1 not only by ordinary men1 but even by the foremost of the saints1 he says1 ,when ,i was a child1 ,i understood as a child1 ,i spake as a child1 ,i thought as a child2 but when ,i became a man1 ,i put away childish things4 ,now we see through a glass1 darkly2 but then face to face3 now ,i know in part2 but then shall ,i know even as also ,i am known4#ajcc ,if1 then1 even in this life1 in which the prophetic power of remarkable men is no more worthy to be compared to the vision of the future life than childhood is to manhood1 ,elisha1 though distant from his servant1 saw him accepting gifts1 shall we say that when that which is perfect is come1 and the corruptible body no longer oppresses the soul1 but is incorruptible and offers no impediment to it1 the saints shall need bodily eyes to see1 though ,elisha had no need of them to see his servant8 ,for1 following the ,septuagint version1 these are the prophet's words3 ,did not my heart go with thee1 when the man came out of his chariot to meet thee1 and thou tookedst his gifts8#ajcd ,or1 as the presbyter ,jerome rendered it from the ,hebrew1 ,was not my heart present when the man turned from his chariot to meet thee8 ,the prophet said that he saw this with his heart1 miraculously aided by ,god1 as no one can doubt4 ,but how much more abundantly shall the saints enjoy this gift when ,god shall be all in all8 ,nevertheless the bodily eyes also shall have their office and their place1 and shall be used by the spirit through the spiritual body4 ,for the prophet did not forego the use of his eyes for seeing what was before them1 though he did not need them to see his absent servant1 and though he could have seen these present objects in spirit1 and with his eyes shut1 as he saw things far distant in a place where he himself was not4 ,far be it1 then1 from us to say that in the life to come the saints shall not see ,god when their eyes are shut1 since they shall always see ,him with the spirit4 ,but the question arises1 whether1 when their eyes are open1 they shall see ,him with the bodily eye8 ,if the eyes of the spiritual body have no more power than the eyes which we now possess1 manifestly ,god cannot be seen with them4 ,they must be of a very different power if they can look upon that incorporeal nature which is not contained in any place1 but is all in every place4 ,for though we say that ,god is in heaven and on earth1 as ,he ,himself says by the prophet1 ,i fill heaven and earth1#ajce we do not mean that there is one part of ,god in heaven and another part on earth2 but ,he is all in heaven and all on earth1 not at alternate intervals of time1 but both at once1 as no bodily nature can be4 ,the eye1 then1 shall have a vastly superior power1--the power not of keen sight1 such as is ascribed to serpents or eagles1 for however keenly these animals see1 they can discern nothing but bodily substances1--but the power of seeing things incorporeal4 ,possibly it was this great power of vision which was temporarily communicated to the eyes of the holy ,job while yet in this mortal body1 when he says to ,god1 ,i have heard of ,thee by the hearing of the ear2 but now mine eye seeth ,thee3 wherefore ,i abhor myself1 and melt away1 and count myself dust and ashes2#ajcf although there is no reason why we should not understand this of the eye of the heart1 of which the apostle says1 ,having the eyes of your heart illuminated4#ajcg ,but that ,god shall be seen with these eyes no ,christian doubts who believingly accepts what our ,god and ,master says1 ,blessed are the pure in heart3 for they shall see ,god4#ajch ,but whether in the future life ,god shall also be seen with the bodily eye1 this is now our question4 ,the expression of ,scripture1 ,and all flesh shall see the salvation of ,god1#ajci may without difficulty be understood as if it were said1 ,and every man shall see the ,christ of ,god4 ,and ,he certainly was seen in the body1 and shall be seen in the body when ,he judges quick and dead4 ,and that ,christ is the salvation of ,god1 many other passages of ,scripture witness1 but especially the words of the venerable ,simeon1 who1 when he had received into his hands the infant ,christ1 said1 ,now lettest ,thou ,thy servant depart in peace1 according to ,thy word3 for mine eyes have seen ,thy salvation4#ajdj ,as for the words of the above-mentioned ,job1 as they are found in the ,hebrew manuscripts1 ,and in my flesh ,i shall see ,god1#ajda no doubt they were a prophecy of the resurrection of the flesh2 yet he does not say by the flesh4 ,and indeed1 if he had said this1 it would still be possible that ,christ was meant by ,god2 for ,christ shall be seen by the flesh in the flesh4 ,but even understanding it of ,god1 it is only equivalent to saying1 ,i shall be in the flesh when ,i see ,god4 ,then the apostle's expression1 face to face1#ajdb does not oblige us to believe that we shall see ,god by the bodily face in which are the eyes of the body1 for we shall see ,him without intermission in spirit4 ,and if the apostle had not referred to the face of the inner man1 he would not have said1 ,but we1 with unveiled face beholding as in a glass the glory of the ,lord1 are transformed into the same image1 from glory to glory1 as by the ,spirit of the ,lord4#ajdc ,in the same sense we understand what the ,psalmist sings1 ,draw near unto ,him1 and be enlightened2 and your faces shall not be ashamed4#ajdd ,for it is by faith we draw near to ,god1 and faith is an act of the spirit1 not of the body4 ,but as we do not know what degree of perfection the spiritual body shall attain1--for here we speak of a matter of which we have no experience1 and upon which the authority of ,scripture does not definitely pronounce1--it is necessary that the words of the ,book of ,wisdom be illustrated in us3 ,the thoughts of mortal men are timid1 and our forecastings uncertain4#ajde ,for if that reasoning of the philosophers1 by which they attempt to make out that intelligible or mental objects are so seen by the mind1 and sensible or bodily objects so seen by the body1 that the former cannot be discerned by the mind through the body1 nor the latter by the mind itself without the body1--if this reasoning were trustworthy1 then it would certainly follow that ,god could not be seen by the eye even of a spiritual body4 ,but this reasoning is exploded both by true reason and by prophetic authority4 ,for who is so little acquainted with the truth as to say that ,god has no cognisance of sensible objects8 ,has ,he therefore a body1 the eyes of which give ,him this knowledge8 ,moreover1 what we have just been relating of the prophet ,elisha1 does this not sufficiently show that bodily things can be discerned by the spirit without the help of the body8 ,for when that servant received the gifts1 certainly this was a bodily or material transaction1 yet the prophet saw it not by the body1 but by the spirit4 ,as1 therefore1 it is agreed that bodies are seen by the spirit1 what if the power of the spiritual body shall be so great that spirit also is seen by the body8 ,for ,god is a spirit4 ,besides1 each man recognises his own life--that life by which he now lives in the body1 and which vivifies these earthly members and causes them to grow--by an interior sense1 and not by his bodily eye2 but the life of other men1 though it is invisible1 he sees with the bodily eye4 ,for how do we distinguish between living and dead bodies1 except by seeing at once both the body and the life which we cannot see save by the eye8 ,but a life without a body we cannot see thus4 ,wherefore it may very well be1 and it is thoroughly credible1 that we shall in the future world see the material forms of the new heavens and the new earth in such a way that we shall most distinctly recognise ,god everywhere present and governing all things1 material as well as spiritual1 and shall see ,him1 not as now we understand the invisible things of ,god1 by the things which are made1#ajdf and see ,him darkly1 as in a mirror1 and in part1 and rather by faith than by bodily vision of material appearances1 but by means of the bodies we shall wear and which we shall see wherever we turn our eyes4 ,as we do not believe1 but see that the living men around us who are exercising vital functions are alive1 though we cannot see their life without their bodies1 but see it most distinctly by means of their bodies1 so1 wherever we shall look with those spiritual eyes of our future bodies1 we shall then1 too1 by means of bodily substances behold ,god1 though a spirit1 ruling all things4 ,either1 therefore1 the eyes shall possess some quality similar to that of the mind1 by which they may be able to discern spiritual things1 and among these ,god1--a supposition for which it is difficult or even impossible to find any support in ,scripture1--or1 which is more easy to comprehend1 ,god will be so known by us1 and shall be so much before us1 that we shall see ,him by the spirit in ourselves1 in one another1 in ,himself1 in the new heavens and the new earth1 in every created thing which shall then exist2 and also by the body we shall see ,him in every body which the keen vision of the eye of the spiritual body shall reach4 ,our thoughts also shall be visible to all1 for then shall be fulfilled the words of the apostle1 ,judge nothing before the time1 until the ,lord come1 who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness1 and will make manifest the thoughts of the heart1 and then shall every one have praise of ,god4#ajdg #cj4 ,of the eternal felicity of the city of ,god1 and of the perpetual ,sabbath4 ,how great shall be that felicity1 which shall be tainted with no evil1 which shall lack no good1 and which shall afford leisure for the praises of ,god1 who shall be all in all6 ,for ,i know not what other employment there can be where no lassitude shall slacken activity1 nor any want stimulate to labour4 ,i am admonished also by the sacred song1 in which ,i read or hear the words1 ,blessed are they that dwell in ,thy house1 ,o ,lord2 they will be still praising ,thee4#ajdh ,all the members and organs of the incorruptible body1 which now we see to be suited to various necessary uses1 shall contribute to the praises of ,god2 for in that life necessity shall have no place1 but full1 certain1 secure1 everlasting felicity4 ,for all those parts#ajdi of the bodily harmony1 which are distributed through the whole body1 within and without1 and of which ,i have just been saying that they at present elude our observation1 shall then be discerned2 and1 along with the other great and marvellous discoveries which shall then kindle rational minds in praise of the great ,artificer1 there shall be the enjoyment of a beauty which appeals to the reason4 ,what power of movement such bodies shall possess1 ,i have not the audacity rashly to define1 as ,i have not the ability to conceive4 ,nevertheless ,i will say that in any case1 both in motion and at rest1 they shall be1 as in their appearance1 seemly2 for into that state nothing which is unseemly shall be admitted4 ,one thing is certain1 the body shall forthwith be wherever the spirit wills1 and the spirit shall will nothing which is unbecoming either to the spirit or to the body4 ,true honour shall be there1 for it shall be denied to none who is worthy1 nor yielded to any unworthy2 neither shall any unworthy person so much as sue for it1 for none but the worthy shall be there4 ,true peace shall be there1 where no one shall suffer opposition either from himself or any other4 ,god ,himself1 who is the ,author of virtue1 shall there be its reward2 for1 as there is nothing greater or better1 ,he has promised ,himself4 ,what else was meant by ,his word through the prophet1 ,i will be your ,god1 and ye shall be my people1#ajej than1 ,i shall be their satisfaction1 ,i shall be all that men honourably desire1--life1 and health1 and nourishment1 and plenty1 and glory1 and honour1 and peace1 and all good things8 ,this1 too1 is the right interpretation of the saying of the apostle1 ,that ,god may be all in all4#ajea ,he shall be the end of our desires who shall be seen without end1 loved without cloy1 praised without weariness4 ,this outgoing of affection1 this employment1 shall certainly be1 like eternal life itself1 common to all4 ,but who can conceive1 not to say describe1 what degrees of honour and glory shall be awarded to the various degrees of merit8 ,yet it cannot be doubted that there shall be degrees4 ,and in that blessed city there shall be this great blessing1 that no inferior shall envy any superior1 as now the archangels are not envied by the angels1 because no one will wish to be what he has not received1 though bound in strictest concord with him who has received2 as in the body the finger does not seek to be the eye1 though both members are harmoniously included in the complete structure of the body4 ,and thus1 along with his gift1 greater or less1 each shall receive this further gift of contentment to desire no more than he has4 ,neither are we to suppose that because sin shall have no power to delight them1 free will must be withdrawn4 ,it will1 on the contrary1 be all the more truly free1 because set free from delight in sinning to take unfailing delight in not sinning4 ,for the first freedom of will which man received when he was created upright consisted in an ability not to sin1 but also in an ability to sin2 whereas this last freedom of will shall be superior1 inasmuch as it shall not be able to sin4 ,this1 indeed1 shall not be a natural ability1 but the gift of ,god4 ,for it is one thing to be ,god1 another thing to be a partaker of ,god4 ,god by nature cannot sin1 but the partaker of ,god receives this inability from ,god4 ,and in this divine gift there was to be observed this gradation1 that man should first receive a free will by which he was able not to sin1 and at last a free will by which he was not able to sin1--the former being adapted to the acquiring of merit1 the latter to the enjoying of the reward4#ajeb ,but the nature thus constituted1 having sinned when it had the ability to do so1 it is by a more abundant grace that it is delivered so as to reach that freedom in which it cannot sin4 ,for as the first immortality which ,adam lost by sinning consisted in his being able not to die1 while the last shall consist in his not being able to die2 so the first free will consisted in his being able not to sin1 the last in his not being able to sin4 ,and thus piety and justice shall be as indefeasible as happiness4 ,for certainly by sinning we lost both piety and happiness2 but when we lost happiness1 we did not lose the love of it4 ,are we to say that ,god ,himself is not free because ,he cannot sin8 ,in that city1 then1 there shall be free will1 one in all the citizens1 and indivisible in each1 delivered from all ill1 ,filled with all good1 enjoying indefeasibly the delights of eternal joys1 oblivious of sins1 oblivious of sufferings1 and yet not so oblivious of its deliverance as to be ungrateful to its ,deliverer4 ,the soul1 then1 shall have an intellectual remembrance of its past ills2 but1 so far as regards sensible experience1 they shall be quite forgotten4 ,for a skilful physician knows1 indeed1 professionally almost all diseases2 but experimentally he is ignorant of a great number which he himself has never suffered from4 ,as1 therefore1 there are two ways of knowing evil things1--one by mental insight1 the other by sensible experience1 for it is one thing to understand all vices by the wisdom of a cultivated mind1 another to understand them by the foolishness of an abandoned life1--so also there are two ways of forgetting evils4 ,for a well-instructed and learned man forgets them one way1 and he who has experimentally suffered from them forgets them another1--the former by neglecting what he has learned1 the latter by escaping what he has suffered4 ,and in this latter way the saints shall forget their past ills1 for they shall have so thoroughly escaped them all1 that they shall be quite blotted out of their experience4 ,but their intellectual knowledge1 which shall be great1 shall keep them acquainted not only with their own past woes1 but with the eternal sufferings of the lost4 ,for if they were not to know that they had been miserable1 how could they1 as the ,psalmist says1 for ever sing the mercies of ,god8 ,certainly that city shall have no greater joy than the celebration of the grace of ,christ1 who redeemed us by ,his blood4 ,there shall be accomplished the words of the psalm1 ,be still1 and know that ,i am ,god4#ajec ,there shall be the great ,sabbath which has no evening1 which ,god celebrated among ,his first works1 as it is written1 ,and ,god rested on the seventh day from all ,his works which ,he had made4 ,and ,god blessed the seventh day1 and sanctified it2 because that in it ,he had rested from all ,his work which ,god began to make4#ajed ,for we shall ourselves be the seventh day1 when we shall be filled and replenished with ,god's blessing and sanctification4 ,there shall we be still1 and know that ,he is ,god2 that ,he is that which we ourselves aspired to be when we fell away from ,him1 and listened to the voice of the seducer1 ,ye shall be as gods1#ajee and so abandoned ,god1 who would have made us as gods1 not by deserting ,him1 but by participating in ,him4 ,for without ,him what have we accomplished1 save to perish in ,his anger8 ,but when we are restored by ,him1 and perfected with greater grace1 we shall have eternal leisure to see that ,he is ,god1 for we shall be full of ,him when ,he shall be all in all4 ,for even our good works1 when they are understood to be rather ,his than ours1 are imputed to us that we may enjoy this ,sabbath rest4 ,for if we attribute them to ourselves1 they shall be servile2 for it is said of the ,sabbath1 ,ye shall do no servile work in it4#ajef ,wherefore also it is said by ,ezekiel the prophet1 ,and ,i gave them my ,sabbaths to be a sign between me and them1 that they might know that ,i am the ,lord who sanctify them4#ajeg ,this knowledge shall be perfected when we shall be perfectly at rest1 and shall perfectly know that ,he is ,god4 ,this ,sabbath shall appear still more clearly if we count the ages as days1 in accordance with the periods of time defined in ,scripture1 for that period will be found to be the seventh4 ,the first age1 as the first day1 extends from ,adam to the deluge2 the second from the deluge to ,abraham1 equalling the first1 not in length of time1 but in the number of generations1 there being ten in each4 ,from ,abraham to the advent of ,christ there are1 as the evangelist ,matthew calculates1 three periods1 in each of which are fourteen generations1--one period from ,abraham to ,david1 a second from ,david to the captivity1 a third from the captivity to the birth of ,christ in the flesh4 ,there are thus five ages in all4 ,the sixth is now passing1 and cannot be measured by any number of generations1 as it has been said1 ,it is not for you to know the times1 which the ,father hath put in ,his own power4#ajeh ,after this period ,god shall rest as on the seventh day1 when ,he shall give us 7who shall be the seventh day7 rest in ,himself4 ,but there is not now space to treat of these ages2 suffice it to say that the seventh shall be our ,sabbath1 which shall be brought to a close1 not by an evening1 but by the ,lord's day1 as an eighth and eternal day1 consecrated by the resurrection of ,christ1 and prefiguring the eternal repose not only of the spirit1 but also of the body4 ,there we shall rest and see1 see and love1 love and praise4 ,this is what shall be in the end without end4 ,for what other end do we propose to ourselves than to attain to the kingdom of which there is no end8 ,i think ,i have now1 by ,god's help1 discharged my obligation in writing this large work4 ,let those who think ,i have said too little1 or those who think ,i have said too much1 forgive me2 and let those who think ,i have said just enough join me in giving thanks to ,god4 ,amen4 ,,footnotes3 #ifa ,luke i4 #cc4 #ifb ,phil4 ii4 #ac4 #ifc ,john viii4 #ag4 #ifd ,ps4 xxxvii4 #ca4 #ife ,gal4 iv4 #i4 #iff ,gen4 xxii4 #ah4 #ifg ,isa4 xxvi4 #ai4 #ifh ,isa4 lxv4 #ag-ai4 #ifi ,dan4 xii4 #a1 #b4 #igj ,dan4 vii4 #ah4 #iga ,dan4 vii4 #bg4 #igb ,another reading has diffamatum1 published4 #igc ,a somewhat fuller account of this miracle is given by ,augustine in the ,confessions1 ix4 #af4 ,see also ,serm4 #bhf1 and ,ambrose1 ,ep44 #bb4 ,a translation of this epistle in full is given in ,isaac ,taylor's ,ancient ,christianity1 ii4 #bdb1 where this miracle is taken as a specimen of the so-called miracles of that age1 and submitted to a detailed examination4 ,the result arrived at will be gathered from the following sentence3 ,in the ,nicene ,church1 so lax were the notions of common morality1 and in so feeble a manner did the fear of ,god influence the conduct of leading men1 that1 on occasions when the ,church was to be served1 and her assailants to be confounded1 they did not scruple to take upon themselves the contrivance and execution of the most degrading impostures4--,p4 #bgj4 ,it is to be observed1 however1 that ,augustine was1 at least in this instance1 one of the deceived4 #igd ,alypius was a countryman of ,augustine1 and one of his most attached friends4 ,see the ,confessions1 passim4 #ige ,cleros4 #igf ,easter and ,whitsuntide were the common seasons for administering baptism1 though no rule was laid down till towards the end of the sixth century4 ,tertullian thinks these the most appropriate times1 but says that every time is suitable4 ,see ,tertull4 de ,baptismo1 c4 #ai4 #igg ,a town near ,carthage4 #igh ,this may possibly mean a ,christian4 #igi ,near ,hippo4 #ihj ,augustine's #cbeth sermon is in honour of these martyrs4 #iha ,see ,isaac ,taylor's ,ancient ,christianity1 ii4 #ced4 #ihb ,see ,augustine's ,sermons1 #cba4 #ihc ,sermon #cbb4 #ihd ,ps4 xciv4 #aa4 #ihe ,c4 #ah4 #ihf ,luke xxi4 #ah4 #ihg ,eph4 iv4 #ac4 #ihh ,rom4 viii4 #bi4 #ihi ,luke xxi4 #ah4 #iij ,rom4 viii4 #bi4 #iia ,rom4 xii4 #b4 #iib ,eph4 iv4 #ac4 #iic ,rom4 viii4 #bi4 #iid ,gen4 ii4 #bb4 #iie ,eph4 iv4 #ab4 #iif ,matt4 xxii4 #bi4 #iig ,matt4 xxii4 #cj4 #iih ,eph4 iv4 #aj-af4 #iii #a ,cor4 xii4 #bg4 #ajjj ,col4 i4 #bd4 #ajja #a ,cor4 x4 #ag4 #ajjb ,another reading is1 ,head over all the ,church4 #ajjc ,eph4 i4 #bb1 #bc4 #ajjd ,ps4 cxii4 #a4 #ajje ,luke xii4 #g4 #ajjf ,matt4 xiii4 #dc4 #ajjg ,cic4 ,tusc4 ,qust4 i4 #bg4 #ajjh #a ,cor4 iii4 #a4 #ajji #a ,cor4 xv4 #dd4 #ajaj ,ps4 xxvi4 #h4 #ajaa ,ecclus4 xxx4 #ab4 #ajab ,gal4 v4 #ag4 #ajac #a ,cor4 xv4 #eg4 #ajad ,rom4 viii4 #cg4 #ajae ,matt4 vi4 #ab4 #ajaf ,gen4 i4 #bh4 #ajag ,john v4 #ag4 #ajah ,ps4 xlix4 #bj4 #ajai #a ,cor4 iii4 #g4 #ajbj ,coaptatio1 a word coined by ,augustine1 and used by him again in the ,de ,trin4 iv4 #b4 #ajba ,ps4 civ4 #a4 #ajbb ,he apparently has in view the celebrated passage in the opening of the second book of ,lucretius4 ,the uses made of this passage are referred to by ,lecky1 ,hist4 of ,european ,morals1 i4 #gd4 #ajbc ,rom4 viii4 #cb4 #ajbd ,vide ,book xviii4 c4 #ec4 #ajbe ,virg4 n4 vi4 #gea4 #ajbf ,in the ,republic1 x4 #ajbg ,phil4 iv4 #g4 #ajbh #a ,cor4 xiii4 #i1 #aj4 #ajbi #a ,cor4 xiii4 #ab4 #ajcj ,matt4 xviii4 #aj4 #ajca #a ,john iii4 #b4 #ajcb ,ps4 cxvi4 #aj4 #ajcc #a ,cor4 xiii4 #aa1 #ab4 #ajcd #b ,kings v4 #bf4 #ajce ,jer4 xxiii4 #bd4 #ajcf ,job xlii4 #e1 #f4 #ajcg ,eph4 i4 #ah4 #ajch ,matt4 v4 #h4 #ajci ,luke iii4 #f4 #ajdj ,luke ii4 #bi1 #cj4 #ajda ,job xix4 #bf4 #ajdb #a ,cor4 xiii4 #ab4 #ajdc #b ,cor4 iii4 #ah4 #ajdd ,ps4 xxxiv4 #e4 #ajde ,wisd4 ix4 #ad4 #ajdf ,rom4 i4 #bj4 #ajdg #a ,cor4 iv4 #e4 #ajdh ,ps4 lxxxiv4 #d4 #ajdi ,numbers4 #ajej ,lev4 xxvi4 #ab4 #ajea #a ,cor4 xv4 #bh4 #ajeb ,or1 the former to a state of probation1 the latter to a state of reward4 #ajec ,ps4 xlvi4 #aj4 #ajed ,gen4 ii4 #b1 #c4 #ajee ,gen4 iii4 #e4 #ajef ,deut4 v4 #ad4 #ajeg ,ezek4 xx4 #ab4 #ajeh ,acts i4 #g4 ,,indexes4 ,i4--,,index ,,of ,,texts ,,of ,,scripture4 ,,genesis4 ,,vol4 ,,page i4 #a1 i4 #dci1 #ddf1 #eja i4 #a1 #b1 i4 #cbb i4 #f1 i4 #dgi i4 #ad1 i4 #ejb i4 #ad-ah1 i4 #deh i4 #bd1 i4 #edd2 ii4 #aaf i4 #bf1 ii4 #aad1 #cbc i4 #bg1 #bh1 ii4 #ch i4 #bh1 ii4 #ba1 #cg1 #ebc i4 #ca1 i4 #dfd ii4 #b1 #c1 ii4 #edc ii4 #f1 i4 #eeb ii4 #g1 i4 #edi ii4 #ag1 i4 #ecc1 #ece1 #edh2 ii4 #adb ii4 #bb1 ii4 #eaj ii4 #be1 ii4 #cb iii4 #e1 ii4 #bg1 #edc iii4 #f1 ii4 #cb iii4 #g1 ii4 #cb1 #cc iii4 #i1 i4 #ece iii4 #ab1 ii4 #bd iii4 #ab1 #ac1 ii4 #bh iii4 #af1 ii4 #fj iii4 #ai1 i4 #ece1 #edh2 ii4 #che iv4 #f1 #g1 ii4 #eg iv4 #ag1 ii4 #ea1 #fb iv4 #ah-bb1 ii4 #hb iv4 #be1 ii4 #fc iv4 #bf1 ii4 #hb v4 #a1 ii4 #hi v4 #b1 ii4 #ha v4 #f1 ii4 #gg v4 #h1 ii4 #gg vi4 #a-d1 ii4 #id vi4 #c1 ii4 #bij vi4 #e-g1 ii4 #ig vi4 #f1 ii4 #bb vi4 #ai1 #bj1 ii4 #ajc vi4 #aj1 #aa1 ii4 #gc viii4 #d1 #e1 ii4 #gc ix4 #be1 i4 #ajd ix4 #bf1 #bg1 ii4 #ajd x4 #ba1 ii4 #aji x4 #be1 ii4 #aai1 #abb xi4 #a1 ii4 #abh xi4 #a-i1 ii4 #aab xi4 #f1 ii4 #aae xi4 #bg-bi1 ii4 #abe xi4 #ca1 ii4 #abe xi4 #cb1 ii4 #abf1 #ach xii4 #a1 ii4 #abg1 #abh1 #abi xii4 #a1 #b1 ii4 #aff xii4 #a-c1 ii4 #acj xii4 #c1 ii4 #aff xii4 #d1 ii4 #abg xii4 #g1 ii4 #acb xiii4 #h1 #i1 ii4 #acc xiii4 #ad-ag1 ii4 #acc xv4 #d1 ii4 #adj xv4 #f1 ii4 #ace xv4 #g1 ii4 #acf xv4 #ag1 i4 #cib xv4 #ai1 #ba1 ii4 #acf xvi4 #c1 ii4 #aej xvi4 #f1 ii4 #adj xvii4 #a-bb1 ii4 #adj xvii4 #e1 ii4 #cie xvii4 #e1 #f1 #af1 ii4 #adc xvii4 #ad1 ii4 #adb xvii4 #ag1 ii4 #adi xviii41 i4 #cic xviii4 #b1 #c1 ii4 #ade xviii4 #ah1 i4 #cib2 ii4 #adf xix4 #b1 ii4 #ade xix4 #af-ai1 ii4 #ade xix4 #ba1 ii4 #ade xx4 #ab1 ii4 #adf xxi4 #f1 ii4 #adg xxi4 #aj1 ii4 #ahg xxi4 #ab1 ii4 #aee xxi4 #ab1 #ac1 ii4 #adg xxii4 #aj1 #ab1 ii4 #adh xxii4 #ad1 ii4 #adi xxii4 #ae-ah1 ii4 #adi xxii4 #ah1 i4 #dcb2 ii4 #ccc1 #cie xxiv4 #b1 #c1 ii4 #aej xxiv4 #aj1 ii4 #abe xxv4 #a1 ii4 #aej xxv4 #e1 #f1 ii4 #aej xxv4 #g1 ii4 #bbj xxv4 #i1 i4 #bd xxv4 #bc1 ii4 #aea1 #afa xxv4 #bg1 ii4 #aed xxvi4 #a-e1 ii4 #aeb xxvi4 #bd1 ii4 #aec xxvii4 #bg-bi1 ii4 #aed xxvii4 #cc1 ii4 #aee xxviii4 #a-d1 ii4 #aee xxviii4 #aj-ai1 ii4 #aef xxxii4 #bh1 ii4 #aeg xxxii4 #bh-cj1 ii4 #aii xxxv4 #bi1 i4 #bd xlvi4 #h1 ii4 #aei xlvi4 #bg1 ii4 #g xlvii4 #bi1 i4 #ba xlviii4 #ai1 ii4 #afa xlix4 #h-ab1 ii4 #afj xlix4 #aj1 ii4 #bbc1 #bgg xlix4 #ab1 ii4 #afa l4 #bb1 #bc1 ii4 #aei l4 #bc1 ii4 #aei l4 #bd1 i4 #ba ,,exodus4 iii4 #ad1 i4 #cbc1 #dhb x41 ii4 #aab xii4 #cg1 ii4 #fc xvii4 #f1 ii4 #bha xxi4 #bd1 ii4 #dcf xxii4 #bj1 i4 #chg2 ii4 #ccb1 #cch xxxiii4 #ac1 i4 #djb ,,leviticus4 xxvi4 #ab1 ii4 #eda ,,deuteronomy4 v4 #ad1 ii4 #edd ,,joshua4 xxiv4 #b1 ii4 #abd ,,judges4 iii4 #cj1 ii4 #aii #a ,,samuel4 ii4 #a-aj1 ii4 #aga ii4 #bg-cf1 ii4 #agi vii4 #i-ab1 ii4 #ahh vii4 #ad1 #ae1 ii4 #aib xiii4 #ac1 #ad1 ii4 #ahe xv4 #aa1 ii4 #bb xv4 #bc1 ii4 #ahf xv4 #bf-bi1 ii4 #ahf xxiv4 #e1 #f1 ii4 #ahe #b ,,samuel4 vii4 #h1 ii4 #aih vii4 #h-af1 ii4 #aij vii4 #aj1 #aa1 ii4 #aih bis vii4 #ai1 ii4 #aig vii4 #bi1 ii4 #aih #a ,,kings4 xiii4 #b1 ii4 #bjj xix4 #aj1 #ad1 #ae1 ii4 #bad #b ,,kings4 ii4 #aa1 ii4 #dje v4 #bf1 ii4 #ecf xiii4 #ae-ag1 ii4 #bjj #b ,,chronicles4 xxx4 #i1 i4 #chd ,,job4 i4 #ba1 i4 #ae vii4 #a1 ii4 #cab1 #cdb1 #ddj xiv4 #d1 ii4 #dja xv4 #ac1 ii4 #aab xix4 #bf1 ii4 #ech xxxiv4 #cj1 i4 #baf xxxviii4 #g1 i4 #ddf xl4 #ad1 i4 #dee1 #def xlii4 #e1 #f1 ii4 #ecg ,,psalms4 iii4 #c1 ii4 #dg iii4 #e1 ii4 #bje iv4 #g1 ii4 #ab vi4 #b1 ii4 #agc vi4 #e1 i4 #ecb vi4 #f1 ii4 #cgh ix4 #ah1 ii4 #bj x4 #c1 i4 #ajg xi4 #e1 ii4 #aa xii4 #f1 ii4 #ahb xii4 #g1 i4 #dii xiii4 #a1 ii4 #aid xvi4 #b1 i4 #chh2 ii4 #cci xvi4 #i1 #aj1 ii4 #bjg xvi4 #aj1 ii4 #agd xvi4 #aa1 ii4 #ab xvii4 #f1 i4 #ded xvii4 #h1 ii4 #ahb xvii4 #ae1 ii4 #def xviii4 #a1 ii4 #dg xviii4 #dc1 ii4 #bjc1 #djh xviii4 #de1 ii4 #aeh xix4 #i1 ii4 #ai xix4 #ab1 i4 #dij xxii4 #af1 #ag1 ii4 #bje xxii4 #ah1 #ai1 ii4 #bje xxiv4 #af1 i4 #dge xxv4 #aj1 i4 #ebj xxv4 #ag1 ii4 #caj xxvi4 #b1 ii4 #af xxxi4 #ai1 ii4 #ddg1 #dee xxxii4 #a1 ii4 #bji xxxii4 #aa1 ii4 #ab xxxiv4 #e1 ii4 #ech xxxiv4 #h1 ii4 #def xxxvi4 #h1 ii4 #eag xxxix4 #b1 ii4 #cgi xxxix4 #h1 ii4 #cgh xl4 #b1 ii4 #bfa xl4 #b1 #c1 ii4 #bef xl4 #d1 i4 #bbi2 ii4 #ij xl4 #e1 ii4 #bhb xl4 #f1 ii4 #bab xli4 #e1 ii4 #daa xli4 #e-h1 ii4 #bjf xli4 #i1 ii4 #bjf xli4 #aj1 ii4 #bjf xlii4 #c1 ii4 #cgh xlii4 #f1 i4 #edf xlii4 #aj1 i4 #da xlv4 #a-i1 ii4 #bjb xlv4 #g1 ii4 #bjc xlv4 #i-ag1 ii4 #bjc xlv4 #af1 ii4 #bjd xlvi4 #d1 i4 #dcf xlvi4 #h1 i4 #ebj xlvi4 #aj1 ii4 #edc xlviii4 #a1 i4 #dcf xlviii4 #b1 ii4 #agb1 #bjc xlix4 #aa1 ii4 #ij xlix4 #ab1 i4 #ebc xlix4 #bj1 ii4 #ebd l4 #a1 i4 #cgj l4 #c-e1 ii4 #cig l4 #ab1 #ac1 i4 #chi l4 #ad1 #ae1 i4 #chi l4 #af1 #ag1 i4 #chh li4 #c1 ii4 #hh lii4 #h1 ii4 #ij liii4 #c1 #d1 ii4 #aba lvii4 #e-aa1 ii4 #bec lix4 #i1 i4 #edf lxii4 #aa1 #ab1 i4 #aib lxvii4 #a1 #b1 i4 #dcb lxviii4 #bj1 ii4 #bjh lxix4 #f1 ii4 #bab lxix4 #i1 ii4 #cgj lxix4 #aj1 #aa1 ii4 #bgh lxix4 #bj1 ii4 #ai lxix4 #ba1 ii4 #bjh lxix4 #bb1 #bc1 ii4 #bjh1 #bgh lxxii4 #h1 ii4 #aia1 #bij lxxiii41 ii4 #djd lxxiii4 #ah1 ii4 #bg lxxiii4 #bj1 ii4 #ij lxxiii4 #bh1 i4 #cia1 #dji1 #daf lxxiv4 #ab1 ii4 #agg lxxvii4 #i1 ii4 #ddf1 #dec lxxvii4 #aj1 ii4 #ded lxxxii4 #f1 i4 #cgi1 #che2 ii4 #ie lxxxiii4 #af1 ii4 #bh lxxxiii4 #bh1 i4 #chg lxxxiv4 #b1 i4 #dag lxxxiv4 #d1 ii4 #edj lxxxiv4 #aj1 ii4 #ahc lxxxvii4 #c1 i4 #bib1 #dcf lxxxvii4 #e1 ii4 #djb lxxxix4 #b1 #c1 i4 #ai lxxxix4 #c1 #d1 ii4 #aia lxxxix4 #ai-bi1 ii4 #aib lxxxix4 #cj-cc1 ii4 #aib lxxxix4 #cb1 i4 #aj lxxxix4 #cd1 #ce1 ii4 #aic lxxxix4 #cf1 #cg1 ii4 #aic lxxxix4 #ch1 ii4 #aic bis lxxxix4 #ci-de1 ii4 #aid lxxxix4 #df1 ii4 #aid lxxxix4 #df1 #dg1 ii4 #aie lxxxix4 #dg1 ii4 #aie lxxxix4 #dh1 ii4 #aie lxxxix4 #di-ea1 ii4 #aif xc4 #aj1 ii4 #gd xciv4 #d1 i4 #di xciv4 #aa1 ii4 #agc1 #cjb1 #eja xciv4 #ae1 i4 #a xciv4 #ai1 ii4 #bhd1 #bhe xcv4 #c1 i4 #cgi xcv4 #e1 i4 #djh xcv4 #f1 ii4 #aab xcvi4 #a1 i4 #cdd xcvi4 #a-e1 i4 #cde xcvi4 #d1 #e1 i4 #db xcvi4 #e1 ii4 #cch xcvi4 #e1 #f1 i4 #cgi ci4 #a1 ii4 #ced cii4 #be-bg1 ii4 #cie civ4 #a1 ii4 #ebh civ4 #d1 ii4 #ib civ4 #bd1 i4 #dgg civ4 #bf1 i4 #dee1 #deg cv4 #bh1 ii4 #ceh cv4 #ae1 ii4 #aib cx4 #a1 ii4 #bjj1 #bjd cx4 #b1 ii4 #bjd cx4 #d1 ii4 #ace1 #bje bis cxi4 #a1 ii4 #ahg cxi4 #b1 ii4 #df cxii4 #a1 ii4 #eab cxv4 #e1 i4 #cdd cxvi4 #aj1 ii4 #ece cxvi4 #ae1 i4 #ai1 #ebg cxvi41 ii4 #bee cxviii4 #a-e1 i4 #ddf cxix4 #bj1 ii4 #aa cxix4 #aai1 ii4 #adb cxix4 #afd1 i4 #dge cxxiii4 #b1 ii4 #cbi cxxxvi4 #b1 i4 #cgi cxxxvii4 #a1 ii4 #aih cxxxviii4 #c1 ii4 #cg cxliv4 #d1 ii4 #aie1 #cdg1 #ded cxliv4 #ae1 ii4 #cda cxlvii4 #e1 i4 #ejh cxlvii4 #ab-ad1 ii4 #cad cxlviii4 #b1 i4 #dgh cxlviii4 #d1 i4 #eji cxlviii4 #h1 i4 #eed ,,proverbs4 i4 #aa-ac1 ii4 #baj iii4 #ah1 i4 #dde2 ii4 #djd vi4 #bf1 i4 #ed viii4 #ae1 i4 #baf viii4 #bg1 i4 #dci ix4 #a1 ii4 #agd ix4 #a-e1 ii4 #baa ix4 #f1 ii4 #baa x4 #e1 ii4 #aje xviii4 #ab1 ii4 #bg xxiv4 #af1 i4 #dge ,,ecclesiastes4 i4 #b1 #c1 ii4 #cdh i4 #i1 #aj1 i4 #dii ii4 #ac1 #ad1 ii4 #cdh ii4 #bd1 ii4 #baa iii4 #ac1 ii4 #baa iii4 #ah1 ii4 #baa iii4 #bb1 i4 #eed vii4 #d1 ii4 #bab vii4 #bi1 ii4 #bb viii4 #ad1 ii4 #cdi viii4 #ae1 ii4 #baa x4 #ac1 i4 #dhe x4 #af1 #ag1 ii4 #bab xi4 #i1 i4 #chd xii4 #ac1 #ad1 ii4 #cdi ,,canticles ,,or ,,songs4 i4 #c1 ii4 #aje i4 #d1 ii4 #bab ii4 #d1 ii4 #ib ii4 #e1 ii4 #cij iv4 #ac1 i4 #edf vii4 #f1 ii4 #bac ,,isaiah4 i4 #a1 ii4 #bdg ii4 #b1 #c1 i4 #dcc ii4 #c1 ii4 #bhb1 #bij iv4 #d1 ii4 #djj v4 #g1 ii4 #ajf vii4 #ad1 ii4 #bgg x4 #ba1 ii4 #ahb x4 #bb1 ii4 #beh1 #bgh xi4 #b1 i4 #dgf xi4 #d1 ii4 #bhh xiv4 #ab1 i4 #ded xix4 #a1 i4 #cdb xxvi4 #aa1 ii4 #cga xxvi4 #ai1 ii4 #chg xxviii4 #bb1 ii4 #ahc xxix4 #ad1 i4 #dbb xl4 #bf1 i4 #ejh xlii4 #a-d1 ii4 #daj xlv4 #h1 ii4 #cgh xlviii4 #ab-af1 ii4 #djg xlviii4 #bj1 ii4 #bce li4 #h1 ii4 #dcc lii4 #ac-liii4 #ab1 ii4 #ddi liii4 #g1 ii4 #bih1 #djg liv4 #a-e1 ii4 #bdi lvii4 #ba1 ii4 #ac lxv4 #e1 ii4 #cic lxv4 #ag-ai1 ii4 #chi1 #dgf lxv4 #bb1 ii4 #djb lxvi4 #ab-af1 ii4 #chg lxvi4 #ah1 ii4 #cij lxvi4 #bb-bd1 ii4 #cia lxvi4 #bd1 ii4 #ded lxvi4 #cd1 ii4 #dcb ,,jeremiah4 i4 #e1 i4 #eag ix4 #bc1 #bd1 ii4 #bef xvi4 #ai1 ii4 #beg xvi4 #bj1 i4 #bda1 #cdf xvii4 #g1 ii4 #hc xvii4 #i1 ii4 #beg xxiii4 #e1 #f1 ii4 #beg xxiii4 #bd1 i4 #eag2 ii4 #ecg xxix4 #g1 ii4 #cda xxxi4 #ca1 ii4 #beg ,,lamentations4 iv4 #bj1 ii4 #beg ,,ezekiel4 xx4 #ab1 ii4 #edd xxviii4 #ac1 i4 #ded xxxiii4 #f1 i4 #ad xxxiv4 #bc1 ii4 #bei xxxvii4 #bb-bd1 ii4 #bei ,,daniel4 iii41 i4 #bb vii4 #ac1 #ad1 ii4 #beh vii4 #ae-bh1 ii4 #cic vii4 #ah1 ii4 #dgf vii4 #bg1 ii4 #dgf xii4 #a1 #b1 ii4 #dgf xii4 #a-c1 ii4 #cid xii4 #ac1 ii4 #cie ,,hosea4 i4 #a1 ii4 #bdf i4 #aj1 ii4 #bdh i4 #aa1 ii4 #bdh iii4 #d1 ii4 #bdh iii4 #e1 ii4 #bdh vi4 #b1 ii4 #bdh vi4 #f1 i4 #cij2 ii4 #cii ,,joel4 ii4 #ac1 ii4 #bed ii4 #bh1 #bi1 ii4 #bea ,,amos4 i4 #a1 ii4 #bdg iv4 #ab1 #ac1 ii4 #bdi ix4 #aa1 #ab1 ii4 #bdi ,,obadiah4 ver4 #ag1 ii4 #bea ver4 #ba1 ii4 #bea ,,jonah4 iii4 #d1 ii4 #bgc ,,micah4 i4 #a1 ii4 #bdg iv4 #ac1 ii4 #bej v4 #b-d1 ii4 #bej vi4 #f-h1 i4 #chi ,,nahum4 i4 #ad-;ii4 #a1 ii4 #beb ,,habakkuk4 ii4 #b1 #c1 ii4 #beb ii4 #d1 i4 #aeg2 ii4 #cja1 #cbh iii4 #b1 ii4 #beb iii4 #c1 ii4 #bec iii4 #d1 ii4 #bec ,,zephaniah4 ii4 #aa1 ii4 #beh iii4 #h1 ii4 #beg iii4 #i-ab1 ii4 #beh ,,haggai4 ii4 #f1 ii4 #bei ii4 #g1 ii4 #bge1 #bha ii4 #i1 ii4 #bge1 #bhj1 #bha ,,zechariah4 ix4 #i1 #aj1 ii4 #bei ix4 #aa1 ii4 #bfj xii4 #i1 #aj1 ii4 #djh xiii4 #b1 i4 #cd ,,malachi4 i4 #aj1 #aa1 ii4 #bfj ii4 #e-g1 ii4 #bfj ii4 #g1 ii4 #ic ii4 #ag1 ii4 #djd1 #djf iii4 #a1 #b1 ii4 #bfa iii4 #a-f1 ii4 #cii iii4 #ac-af1 ii4 #cfb iii4 #ad1 ii4 #djf iii4 #ad1 #ae1 ii4 #djd iii4 #ag-;iv4 #c1 ii4 #bfb1 #djc iv4 #d1 ii4 #djd iv4 #e1 #f1 ii4 #dje 99 99 99 99 99 ,,apocrypha4 ,,esdras4 iii4 iv41 ii4 #bfc ,,tobit4 xii4 #ab1 i4 #ba xii4 #ai1 i4 #edg ,,judith4 v4 #e-i1 ii4 #abf vii4 #bj1 i4 #chd ,,wisdom4 i4 #i1 ii4 #djc ii4 #ab-ba1 ii4 #baj vi4 #bj1 ii4 #aa vii4 #bb1 i4 #dej vii4 #bd-bg1 i4 #cje viii4 #a1 i4 #eag2 ii4 #ec ix4 #ac-ae1 i4 #eja ix4 #ad1 ii4 #eci ix4 #ae1 i4 #ecf2 ii4 #d1 #cjc xi4 #bj1 i4 #dge1 #ejh xi4 #ch1 i4 #ecb ,,ecclesiasticus4 ii4 #g1 ii4 #cfh iii4 #bg1 i4 #ch vii4 #ac1 ii4 #ad vii4 #ag1 ii4 #dcc x4 #ac1 ii4 #be xv4 #ag1 ii4 #adb xxi4 #a1 ii4 #dff xxiv4 #c1 i4 #dee xxvii4 #e1 ii4 #dfa xxx4 #ab1 ii4 #eah xxx4 #bd1 i4 #cij2 ii4 #dff xxxiii4 #ae1 i4 #deg xxxvi4 #a-e1 ii4 #baj xl4 #a1 ii4 #dda ,,baruch4 iii4 #bf1 #bg1 ii4 #ig iii4 #ce-cg1 ii4 #beg ,,hymn ,,of ,,the ,,three ,,children4 ver4 #ce1 i4 #dff 99 99 99 99 99 ,,new ,,testament4 ,,matthew4 i41 ii4 #gg i4 #a1 #ah1 ii4 #aib i4 #ba1 ii4 #bjh i4 #bc1 ii4 #bgg iii4 #b1 ii4 #bhb iii4 #h1 ii4 #dfe iv4 #c-aa1 i4 #cgg iv4 #i1 i4 #dgh iv4 #ag1 ii4 #bhb iv4 #ai1 ii4 #djh v4 #d1 ii4 #bed v4 #h1 ii4 #chh1 #ech v4 #af1 i4 #bjf v4 #ai1 ii4 #cfd v4 #bj1 ii4 #cfd1 #dfg v4 #bc1 #bd1 ii4 #dfg v4 #bh1 ii4 #ba v4 #de1 i4 #aj1 #ach2 ii4 #ded vi4 #a1 i4 #bjf vi4 #b1 i4 #bjg vi4 #ab1 ii4 #cdb1 #cdi1 #dfe1 #dfg1 #ebb vi4 #ad1 ii4 #dfh vi4 #ad1 #ae1 ii4 #ddi vi4 #ae1 ii4 #dfh vi4 #ai-ba1 i4 #af vi4 #bh-cj1 i4 #djc vii4 #g1 #h1 ii4 #aif vii4 #ab1 ii4 #ac vii4 #ah1 ii4 #bf vii4 #bj1 ii4 #ajf viii4 #bb1 i4 #bab2 ii4 #ced1 #cge viii4 #bi1 i4 #cdb2 ii4 #cde x4 #bb1 ii4 #af x4 #bg1 ii4 #bee x4 #bh1 i4 #ai1 #bab1 #ebb2 ii4 #bhc x4 #cj1 i4 #ejh x4 #cb1 i4 #ebg x4 #cc1 i4 #bje x4 #cd1 ii4 #cij x4 #cf1 ii4 #cjh x4 #cg1 ii4 #dfd x4 #da1 ii4 #dgj xi4 #ac1 ii4 #bag xi4 #bb1 ii4 #cej xi4 #bd1 ii4 #cej xii4 #bg1 ii4 #cea xii4 #bi1 ii4 #djh xii4 #cb1 ii4 #dec xii4 #da1 #db1 ii4 #cea xiii4 #cg-dc1 ii4 #cea xiii4 #ci-da1 ii4 #bfd xiii4 #da-dc1 ii4 #dad xiii4 #dc1 ii4 #ead xiii4 #dg-ej1 ii4 #bhb xiii4 #eb1 ii4 #cej xvi4 #af1 i4 #cdb xvi4 #be1 i4 #ebh xvii4 #a1 #b1 ii4 #daj xvii4 #g1 ii4 #cac xviii4 #aj1 i4 #dci xviii4 #ae1 ii4 #ef xviii4 #ah1 ii4 #cfe xviii4 #bc1 ii4 #dfi xviii4 #ce1 ii4 #ef xix4 #d1 #e1 ii4 #ch xix4 #bg1 #bh1 ii4 #age xix4 #bh1 ii4 #cea xix4 #bi1 ii4 #ceh xx4 #bb1 ii4 #ajf xxii4 #aa-ad1 ii4 #bha xxii4 #ad1 ii4 #bgc xxii4 #bi1 ii4 #eaj xxii4 #cj1 i4 #dgg2 ii4 #eaj xxii4 #cg-dj1 i4 #chg xxii4 #ci1 ii4 #dff xxii4 #dj1 i4 #cij xxii4 #dd1 ii4 #bjj xxiii4 #c1 ii4 #cfd xxiii4 #bf1 i4 #dag xxiv4 #ab1 ii4 #af1 #cac1 #cfc xxiv4 #ac1 ii4 #agh1 #ddh xxiv4 #ae1 ii4 #ahc xxiv4 #ba1 ii4 #ach xxiv4 #be1 ii4 #cif xxiv4 #bi1 ii4 #cif xxv4 #bd1 ii4 #djg xxv4 #cj1 ii4 #cib xxv4 #cc1 ii4 #ddi xxv4 #cd1 ii4 #cfd1 #cii1 #dfb xxv4 #cd-da1 ii4 #cec xxv4 #cd1 #da1 #df1 ii4 #edc xxv4 #ce1 ii4 #bjg xxv4 #dj1 ii4 #bjg xxv4 #da1 ii4 #cgj1 #dcd1 #dej1 #dea1 #dfb xxv4 #de1 ii4 #dff xxv4 #df1 i4 #dec1 #cgf1 #dad1 #dea xxvi4 #aj-ac1 ii4 #ac xxvi4 #ch1 ii4 #ah xxvi4 #ci1 ii4 #ajf xxvi4 #fc1 ii4 #cih xxvi4 #ge1 ii4 #af xxvii4 #cd1 #dh1 ii4 #bjh xxviii4 #ai1 i4 #eed xxviii4 #bj1 ii4 #cfd ,,mark4 i4 #b1 ii4 #ic i4 #bd1 i4 #cgg iii4 #e1 ii4 #ag iii4 #bg1 ii4 #ceg ix4 #dc1 #dh1 ii4 #dcb ,,luke4 i4 #bg1 ii4 #aib i4 #cc1 ii4 #dgb i4 #cd1 ii4 #acg i4 #ce1 ii4 #acg ii4 #ad1 ii4 #ad ii4 #be-cj1 ii4 #agb ii4 #bi1 #cj1 ii4 #ech iii4 #f1 ii4 #ech v4 #aj1 ii4 #djh vi4 #ac1 ii4 #bhb vi4 #ch1 ii4 #dcg xii4 #d1 i4 #ai xii4 #g1 ii4 #eac xii4 #di1 ii4 #cij xvi4 #i1 ii4 #dfi1 #dgj xvi4 #bd1 ii4 #daf1 #dce xix4 #aj1 ii4 #ahe xx4 #cd1 ii4 #ci1 #he xx4 #ce1 ii4 #ha xxi4 #ah1 ii4 #ejd1 #ejg xxii4 #ae1 ii4 #ah xxiii4 #cd1 ii4 #bec xxiv4 #bg1 ii4 #bij xxiv4 #dd-dg1 i4 #dcc xxiv4 #de-dg1 ii4 #bhc ,,john4 i4 #a-e1 i4 #dbf i4 #f-i1 i4 #chf i4 #i1 i4 #ddg i4 #ad1 i4 #dae1 #dbf2 ii4 #c i4 #cb1 ii4 #daj i4 #dg1 #ea1 ii4 #aef ii4 #ai1 i4 #afj2 ii4 #bfa iii4 #e1 i4 #ebg2 ii4 #dfg iii4 #ag1 ii4 #bed iv4 #bd1 i4 #eed v4 #ag1 ii4 #ebc v4 #bb1 ii4 #daj v4 #bb-bd1 ii4 #cec v4 #be1 #bf1 ii4 #cec v4 #bh1 ii4 #cid v4 #bh1 #bi1 ii4 #cee v4 #bi1 ii4 #dac v4 #dd1 i4 #bje v4 #df1 ii4 #djd vi4 #ej1 #ea1 ii4 #ddg1 #deh vi4 #ea1 ii4 #ahc vi4 #ef1 ii4 #deh vi4 #fj-fd1 i4 #dae vi4 #gj1 ii4 #bjg vii4 #ci1 ii4 #djh viii4 #be1 i4 #dae1 #dgf viii4 #cd1 ii4 #cbd viii4 #cf1 ii4 #bc viii4 #dd1 i4 #dec2 ii4 #cbj x4 #i1 i4 #bgj x4 #ah1 i4 #afj1 #aie xi4 #ae1 ii4 #ah xi4 #ce1 ii4 #ah xii4 #dc1 i4 #bje xiv4 #f1 i4 #dcb2 ii4 #f xvi4 #ac1 i4 #dgf xix4 #cj1 ii4 #afj xix4 #ch1 i4 #ba xx4 #ac1 ii4 #c xx4 #bb1 i4 #eea xxi4 #ae-ag1 ii4 #aa ,,acts4 i4 #f1 #g1 ii4 #bhh i4 #g1 ii4 #edd i4 #g1 #h1 ii4 #bhc i4 #ag1 ii4 #bjg ii4 #c1 ii4 #cij ii4 #bg1 #ca1 ii4 #agd ii4 #de1 i4 #bac vii4 #b1 ii4 #acj vii4 #b1 #c1 ii4 #abh vii4 #d1 ii4 #abi vii4 #bb1 ii4 #aja1 #bfd vii4 #ec1 i4 #djc ix4 #d1 ii4 #aic x4 #db1 ii4 #agg xiii4 #df1 ii4 #aif xv4 #ae-ag1 ii4 #bdi xvii4 #bh1 i4 #cbj xvii4 #cj1 #ca1 ii4 #bij ,,romans4 i4 #c1 ii4 #ahf1 #aij1 #bdh i4 #aa-ac1 ii4 #ag i4 #ag1 ii4 #dja i4 #ai1 #bj1 i4 #caf1 #cbj i4 #bj1 i4 #cbc2 ii4 #eci i4 #ba1 i4 #cda1 #chc i4 #ba-bc1 i4 #cbj i4 #ba-be1 ii4 #dh i4 #be1 i4 #agj i4 #bf1 ii4 #da i4 #ca1 ii4 #ah ii4 #d1 i4 #aj ii4 #ae1 #af1 ii4 #djc iii4 #b1 ii4 #agc iii4 #d1 ii4 #ace iii4 #g1 ii4 #f iii4 #bj1 ii4 #bg iii4 #bj-bb1 ii4 #cej iii4 #bc1 ii4 #cij iii4 #bf1 ii4 #agb iii4 #bh1 #bi1 ii4 #aif iv4 #ae1 ii4 #adb v4 #e1 ii4 #bab v4 #ab1 ii4 #bd v4 #ab1 #ai1 ii4 #adb vi4 #d1 ii4 #cfh vi4 #i1 i4 #dii2 ii4 #aie vi4 #ab1 #ac1 ii4 #eg vi4 #ac1 i4 #cij2 ii4 #fj vi4 #bb1 ii4 #cae vii4 #ab1 #ac1 i4 #ebf vii4 #ag1 ii4 #fj viii4 #f1 ii4 #chi viii4 #aj1 ii4 #cge viii4 #ac1 ii4 #dcc viii4 #ad1 ii4 #dda viii4 #ae1 ii4 #ai viii4 #ah1 i4 #bae viii4 #bc1 ii4 #af1 #cgi viii4 #bd1 i4 #eej2 ii4 #cjg viii4 #bd1 #be1 i4 #dah viii4 #bh1 i4 #ad2 ii4 #bhd viii4 #bh1 #bi1 i4 #edi viii4 #bi1 ii4 #bhe1 #eje viii4 #cb1 ii4 #adh1 #agd1 #ebi viii4 #cg1 ii4 #ebb ix4 #b1 ii4 #ag1 #cgi ix4 #e1 ii4 #hf ix4 #g1 #h1 ii4 #adh1 #aej xi4 #aj-ac1 ii4 #aea ix4 #ad1 ii4 #cdf ix4 #ba1 ii4 #cj ix4 #bb1 #bc1 ii4 #eb ix4 #bg1 ii4 #beh ix4 #bg1 #bh1 ii4 #bgh ix4 #bh1 ii4 #ahc x4 #c1 ii4 #ag1 #agb1 #bef1 #def x4 #e1 ii4 #bjc x4 #ac1 ii4 #hc xi4 #e1 ii4 #ahb xi4 #aa1 ii4 #bgh xi4 #bj1 ii4 #ab xi4 #cb1 i4 #ci2 ii4 #ddg1 #def xi4 #cc1 ii4 #cdf xii4 #a1 i4 #cij2 ii4 #ahc xii4 #b1 i4 #cia xii4 #c1 i4 #ejd xii4 #c-f1 i4 #cia xii4 #ab1 ii4 #bee1 #bhd xii4 #ae1 ii4 #ag xiii4 #aj1 ii4 #dei xiii4 #bd1 #be1 ii4 #hc xiv4 #d1 ii4 #cfh xiv4 #i1 ii4 #cff #a ,,corinthians4 i4 #ai-be1 i4 #dbc i4 #be1 ii4 #ajg i4 #bg1 ii4 #baa i4 #cj1 #ca1 ii4 #def i4 #ca1 ii4 #bef ii4 #aa1 i4 #ch1 #eec ii4 #aa-ad1 ii4 #g iii4 #a1 ii4 #g1 #eag iii4 #b1 ii4 #afa iii4 #c1 ii4 #g iii4 #g1 i4 #eag2 ii4 #ebd iii4 #i1 ii4 #aad1 #cbh iii4 #aa-ae1 ii4 #ddh iii4 #ac1 ii4 #dfa1 #dfb iii4 #ad1 #ae1 ii4 #dfb iii4 #ae1 ii4 #dfj iii4 #ag1 ii4 #aia iii4 #bj1 ii4 #agc1 #cjb iv4 #e1 ii4 #edj iv4 #g1 ii4 #agf iv4 #i1 ii4 #ag v4 #ab1 ii4 #cff vi4 #c1 ii4 #ceb vii4 #d1 ii4 #adj vii4 #be1 ii4 #dfi vii4 #ca1 ii4 #cif vii4 #ca1 #cb1 ii4 #cgd vii4 #cb1 ii4 #dfa vii4 #cc1 ii4 #dfa viii4 #a1 i4 #cgf viii4 #e1 #f1 i4 #chj x4 #d1 i4 #ede2 ii4 #bha x4 #ab1 ii4 #cfh x4 #ag1 ii4 #ahc1 #ddh1 #deh1 #eaa x4 #ai1 #bj1 i4 #cde xi4 #ad1 i4 #hf xi4 #ai1 ii4 #aje xii4 #ab1 ii4 #agh1 #bjg xii4 #bg1 ii4 #eaa xiii4 #d1 ii4 #ajg xiii4 #i1 #aj1 ii4 #dcd1 #ece xiii4 #aj1 #ab1 ii4 #dgf xiii4 #aa1 #ab1 ii4 #ecf xiii4 #ab1 ii4 #ece1 #ech xv4 #aj1 ii4 #ceb xvi4 #ba1 #bb1 i4 #eej xv4 #bb1 ii4 #che xv4 #bh1 ii4 #dh1 #cic1 #eda xv4 #cb1 i4 #edd xv4 #cf1 ii4 #che xv4 #ch1 i4 #eag xv4 #ci1 ii4 #b xv4 #db-de1 i4 #edi xv4 #dd1 ii4 #eag xv4 #df1 ii4 #ej xv4 #df1 #dg1 ii4 #bbh xv4 #dg-di1 i4 #eej xv4 #ea1 ii4 #che xv4 #ed1 ii4 #af xv4 #ee1 ii4 #cgi xv4 #ef1 i4 #ebe xv4 #eg1 ii4 #ebb #b ,,corinthians4 i4 #ab1 i4 #bja iii4 #ae1 #af1 ii4 #ahh iii4 #ah1 ii4 #ech iv4 #af1 i4 #eeb2 ii4 #d v4 #a-d1 ii4 #d v4 #d1 ii4 #cgi v4 #f1 ii4 #cbh v4 #aj1 ii4 #agg v4 #ad1 #ae1 ii4 #ced vi4 #g-aj1 i4 #deg vi4 #aj1 ii4 #ceh vi4 #ad1 ii4 #cfi vii4 #e1 ii4 #ag vii4 #h-aa1 ii4 #ae viii4 #i1 ii4 #agd ix4 #g1 ii4 #af x4 #ab1 i4 #ejf xi4 #a-c1 ii4 #ag xi4 #c1 i4 #ab xi4 #ad1 i4 #cig2 ii4 #cac xi4 #bi1 ii4 #dcc xii4 #ba1 ii4 #ag ,,galatians4 ii4 #ad-bj1 ii4 #bdh iii4 #aa1 ii4 #b iii4 #ag1 ii4 #ach iii4 #ai1 i4 #dcb iii4 #bg1 i4 #eej iv4 #ba-ca1 ii4 #ea iv4 #bb-ca1 ii4 #afh iv4 #be1 ii4 #ahh iv4 #bf1 i4 #ddd2 ii4 #chh v4 #f1 ii4 #cdb1 #dei v4 #ag1 i4 #ecd2 ii4 #ee1 #ei1 #cjc1 #dda1 #eba v4 #ai-ba1 ii4 #c1 #deg vi4 #a1 ii4 #af1 #ef vi4 #b1 ii4 #ef vi4 #c1 ii4 #agb vi4 #d1 i4 #bja ,,ephesians4 i4 #d1 ii4 #ahe1 #bha i4 #ah1 ii4 #eci i4 #bb1 #bc1 ii4 #eab iv4 #i1 #aj1 ii4 #agh iv4 #aj-af1 ii4 #eaa iv4 #ab1 ii4 #eaj iv4 #ac1 ii4 #eje iv4 #bf1 ii4 #ef v4 #h1 i4 #dgg v4 #ad1 ii4 #cfh v4 #be1 ii4 #ci v4 #bh1 #bi1 ii4 #fa vi4 #e1 i4 #chc vi4 #bj1 ii4 #agb ,,colossians4 i4 #ab1 ii4 #ceh i4 #ac1 ii4 #bea i4 #bd1 ii4 #eaa ii4 #h1 i4 #cai iii4 #a1 ii4 #bdi1 #cfh iii4 #a1 #b1 ii4 #cfe iii4 #a-c1 ii4 #agd iii4 #c1 ii4 #cge ,,philippians4 i4 #c1 ii4 #ag i4 #ah1 ii4 #ajf i4 #bc1 ii4 #aa ii4 #g1 ii4 #aib ii4 #h1 ii4 #bi ii4 #ab1 ii4 #ab ii4 #ba1 ii4 #cfe iii4 #g1 #h1 ii4 #age iii4 #ad1 ii4 #ag iii4 #ai1 ii4 #chi iii4 #bj1 ii4 #cfe iv4 #g1 ii4 #ecd #a ,,thessalonians4 iv4 #d1 ii4 #ca iv4 #ac-af1 ii4 #chd iv4 #af1 i4 #dii iv4 #ag1 ii4 #cih v4 #e1 i4 #ddd1 #dgi v4 #ad1 #ae1 ii4 #ef #b ,,thessalonians4 i4 #i1 ii4 #bhh ii4 #a-aa1 ii4 #cha ii4 #h1 ii4 #cga #a ,,timothy4 i4 #e1 ii4 #dd ii4 #e1 i4 #cgd2 ii4 #ih1 #ahc1 #ahf1 #bhj ii4 #ad1 ii4 #bd iii4 #a1 ii4 #cbi v4 #h1 ii4 #cbc v4 #bj1 ii4 #ef vi4 #f-aj1 i4 #ae vi4 #ag-ai1 i4 #af #b ,,timothy4 ii4 #i1 ii4 #agb ii4 #ai1 ii4 #bhe1 #cei1 #dda ii4 #be1 #bf1 ii4 #deb iii4 #b1 ii4 #aa iii4 #g1 i4 #di iii4 #ab1 ii4 #bhd iii4 #af1 ii4 #bad iv4 #a1 ii4 #bjg ,,titus4 i4 #b1 #c1 i4 #ejd i4 #h1 ii4 #aj ,,hebrews4 ii4 #d1 ii4 #bhc iv4 #ab1 ii4 #cij vii4 #aa-bg1 ii4 #ahc viii4 #h1 ii4 #afh ix4 #ae1 ii4 #ahe xi4 #g1 ii4 #bfd xi4 #aa1 ii4 #add xi4 #ab1 ii4 #add xi4 #ac-af1 ii4 #bee xi4 #ag-ai1 ii4 #adf xii4 #ad1 ii4 #ef xiii4 #b1 ii4 #add xiii4 #af1 i4 #chi ,,james4 i4 #b1 ii4 #af i4 #ag1 i4 #dfj ii4 #ac1 ii4 #ddi1 #dfd1 #dfi ii4 #ad1 ii4 #dfj ii4 #ag1 ii4 #cdb iv4 #f1 i4 #b1 #dgh2 ii4 #age1 #cdb #a ,,peter4 ii4 #b1 ii4 #afa ii4 #i1 ii4 #ahc1 #bfi iii4 #d1 i4 #ad iii4 #bj1 #ba1 ii4 #bfd iv4 #e1 ii4 #bjg v4 #e1 i4 #b1 #age v4 #f1 ii4 #cdb #b ,,peter4 ii4 #d1 i4 #dgg2 ii4 #ic1 #dej ii4 #ai1 i4 #ach2 ii4 #cbd iii4 #c-ac1 ii4 #chj iii4 #f1 ii4 #cif iii4 #h1 ii4 #cef iii4 #aj1 #aa1 ii4 #cif #a ,,john4 i4 #h1 ii4 #af1 #ai1 #cgi1 #djj ii4 #ae1 ii4 #aa ii4 #ag1 ii4 #cif ii4 #ah1 #ai1 ii4 #cha ii4 #ai1 ii4 #cfb iii4 #b1 ii4 #ece iii4 #h1 i4 #dec1 #ded iii4 #i1 ii4 #cic iii4 #ab1 ii4 #eh iv4 #g1 ii4 #agf iv4 #ah1 ii4 #ai1 #dee ,,jude4 ver4 #ad1 ii4 #bfd ,,revelation4 i4 #d1 ii4 #agc iii4 #a1 i4 #dgf iii4 #ad1 i4 #dgf xiv4 #ac1 ii4 #cff xv4 #b1 ii4 #cgg xx4 #a-f1 ii4 #cef xx4 #d1 ii4 #cff xx4 #i1 #aj1 ii4 #cfj xx4 #aj1 ii4 #dce1 #dej1 #ded xxi4 #a1 ii4 #cgg xxi4 #be1 ii4 #cgh ,,ii4--,,index ,,of ,,principal ,,subjects4 ,abel1 the relation of1 to ,christ1 ii4 #hb1 #hc4 ,see ,cain4 ,abraham1 the era in the life of1 from which a new succession begins1 i4 #abd2 time of the migration of1 #abg1 etc42 the order and nature of ,god's promises to1 #abi1 etc42 the three great kingdoms existing at the time of the birth of1 #acj1 #aca2 the repeated promises of the land of ,canaan made to1 and to his seed1 #aca2 his denial of his wife in ,egypt1 #acb2 the parting of ,lot and1 #acb1 #acc2 the third promise of the land to1 #acc2 his victory over the kings1 #acd2 the promise made to1 of a large posterity1 #ace2 the sacrifices offered by1 when the covenant was renewed with1 #acf2 the seed of1 to be in bondage #djj years1 #ach2 ,sarah gives ,hagar to1 #aci2 the promise of a son given to1--receives the seal of circumcision1 #adj2 change of the name of1 #adc2 visit of three angels to1 #add2 his denial of his wife in ,gerar1 #adf2 birth of his son ,isaac1 #adg2 his offering up of ,isaac1 #adg2 death of his wife ,sarah1 #adi2 what is meant by marrying ,keturah after ,sarah's death8 #aej2 the time of the fulfilment of the promise made to1 respecting ,canaan1 #aff4 ,abyss1 casting ,satan into the1 ii4 #ceh4 ,achior1 his answer to ,holofernes' inquiry respecting the ,jews1 ii4 #abf4 ,adam forsook ,god before ,god forsook him1 i4 #ece2 in ,paradise2 his temptation and fall1 ii4 #bb1 etc42 nature of his first sin1 #be2 an evil will preceded his evil act1 #be1 #bf2 the pride involved in the sin of1 #bh2 the justice of the punishment of1 #bh1 etc42 the nakedness of1 seen after his base sin1 #cb2 the fearful consequences of the sin of1 i4 #eae1 #eba1 ii4 #a1 #b4 neas1 i4 #id2 time of the arrival of1 in ,italy1 ii4 #bch4 sculanus1 the god1 i4 #aei4 sculapius1 sent for to ,epidaurus by the ,romans1 i4 #aae1 #aaf2 a deified man1 #cdi4 ,affections of the soul1 right or wrong according to their direction1 ii4 #aj1 #ab1 #ae4 ,africa1 a fearful visitation of1 by locusts1 i4 #acd4 ,ages of ages1 i4 #ejh1 etc4 1 ii4 #ada4 ,albans1 the wickedness of the war waged by the ,romans against1 i4 #aje4 ,alcimus1 ii4 #bgf4 ,alexander the ,great1 the apt reply of a pirate to1 i4 #adj2 and ,leo1 an ,egyptian priest1--a letter of1 to his mother ,olympias1 i4 #cac1 #cea2 invades ,judea1 ii4 #bge4 ,alexandra1 queen of the ,jews1 ii4 #bgf4 ,alms-deeds1 of those who think that they will free evil-doers from damnation in the day of judgment1 ii4 #ddi1 #dfd4 ,altor1 i4 #bhh4 ,alypius1 ii4 #dhe4 ,amor and dilectio1 how used in ,scripture1 ii4 #aj1 etc4 ,amulius and ,numitor1 ii4 #bdj1 #bda4 ,anaxagoras1 i4 #cjh2 ii4 #bfh4 ,anaximander1 i4 #cjg4 ,anaximenes1 i4 #cjh4 ',ancient compassions1 ,thine1' sworn unto ,david1 ii4 #aie1 etc4 ,andromache1 i4 #ajd4 ,anebo1 ,porphyry's letter to1 i4 #cig1 etc4 ,angels1 the holy things common to men and1 i4 #cdg1 etc42 not mediators1 #cgj2 the difference between the knowledge of1 and that of demons1 #cgg2 the love of1 which prompts them to desire that we should worship ,god alone1 #cib2 miracles wrought by the ministry of1 for the confirmation of the faith1 #cib1 etc41 #djj1 etc42 the ministry of1 to fulfil the providence of ,god1 #djc2 those who seek worship for themselves1 and those who seek honour for ,god1 which to be trusted about life eternal1 #djd2 rather to be imitated than invoked1 #dah2 the creation of1 #dde1 etc42 whether those who fell partook of the blessedness of the unfallen1 #dej2 were those who fell aware that they would fall8 #deb2 were the unfallen assured of their own perseverance8 #deb1 #dec2 the separation of the unfallen from the fallen1 meant by the separation of the light from the darkness1 #deh2 approbation of the good1 signified by the words1 ',god saw the light that it was good1' #dei2 the knowledge by which they know ,god in ,his essence1 and perceive the causes of ,his works1 #dgc2 of the opinion that they were created before the world1 #dgf2 the two different and dissimilar communities of1 #dgg1 etc42 the idea that angels are meant by the separation of the waters by the firmament1 #dgi2 the nature of good and bad1 one and the same1 #dha2 the cause of the blessedness of the good1 and of the misery of the bad1 #dhg2 did they receive their good-will as well as their nature from ,god8 #dia2 whether they can be said to be creators of any creatures1 #eaf2 the opinion of the ,platonists that man's body was created by1 #eah2 the wickedness of those who sinned did not disturb the order of ,god's providence1 ii4 #df2 the 'sons of ,god' of the #fth chapter of ,genesis not1 #ib1 etc42 what we are to understand by ,god's speaking to1 #aad2 the three1 which appeared to ,abraham1 #add2 ,lot delivered by1 #adf2 the creation of1 #dgb4 ,anger of ,god1 the1 ii4 #ig1 etc41 #ded4 ,animals1 the dispersion of those preserved in the ark1 after the deluge1 ii4 #aae1 etc4 ,animals1 rational1 are they part of ,god8 i4 #aea4 ,antediluvians1 the long life and great stature of1 ii4 #fc1 etc42 the different computation of the ages of1 given by the ,hebrew and other ,,mss4 of the ,old ,testament1 #fe1 etc42 the opinion of those who believe they did not live so long as is stated1 considered1 #fh2 was the age of puberty later among1 than it is now8 #ge1 etc4 ,antichrist1 the time of the last persecution by1 hidden1 ii4 #bhh1 etc2 whether the time of the persecution by1 is included in the thousand years1 #cga2 the manifestation of1 preceding the day of the ,lord1 #cha1 etc42 ,daniel's predictions respecting the persecution caused by1 #cic1 etc4 ,antiochus of ,syria1 ii4 #bge4 ,antipater1 ii4 #bgf1 #bgg4 ,antipodes1 the idea of1 absurd1 ii4 #aah4 ,antiquities1 ,varro's book respecting human and divine1 i4 #bcd1 #bce4 ,antiquity of the world1 the alleged1 i4 #did1 etc4 ,antisthenes1 ii4 #bfh4 ,antithesis1 i4 #deg4 ,antoninus1 quoted1 i4 #ah4 ,antony1 i4 #acb4 ,apis1 and ,serapis1 the alleged change of name2 worshipped1 ii4 #bbb1 #bbc4 ,apocryphal ,scriptures1 ii4 #ie4 ,apollo and ,diana1 i4 #bgi4 ,apollo1 the weeping statue of1 i4 #aja4 ,apostles1 the1 whence chosen1 ii4 #bhb4 ,apples of ,sodom1 the1 ii4 #dba4 ,apuleius1 referred to1 or quoted1 i4 #ef1 #acg1 #cbd2 his book concerning the ,god of ,socrates1 #cbf2 his definition of man1 #cbi2 what he attributes to demons1 to whom he ascribes no virtue1 #ced1 #cee2 on the passions which agitate demons1 #cfj2 maintains that the poets wrong the gods1 #cfa2 his definition of gods and men1 #cfb2 the error of1 in respect to demons1 #dai1 etc4 ,aquila1 the translator1 ii4 #ie1 and note4 ,archelaus1 i4 #cjh4 ,areopagus1 the1 ii4 #bbg4 ,argos1 the kings of1 ii4 #bbb1 #bbc2 the fall of the kingdom of1 #bcc4 ,argus1 ,king1 ii4 #bbc1 #bbd4 ,aristippus1 ii4 #bfh4 ,aristobulus1 ii4 #bgf4 ,aristotle1 and ,plato1 i4 #cbc4 ,ark1 the1 of ,noah1 a figure of ,christ and of ,his ,church1 ii4 #ih1 etc42 and the deluge1 the literal and allegorical interpretation of1 #ajj2 the capacity of1 #aja2 what sort of creatures entered1 #aja1 #ajb2 how the creatures entered1 #ajb2 the food required by the creatures in1 #ajb1 #ajc2 whether the remotest islands received their fauna from the animals preserved in1 #aae1 etc4 ,ark of the covenant1 the1 i4 #djg4 ,art of making gods1 the invention of the1 i4 #cdc4 ,asbestos1 ii4 #dba4 ,assyrian empire1 the1 ii4 #bai2 close of1 #bdj4 ,athenians1 the1 ii4 #bai4 ,athens1 the founding of1 and reason of the name1 ii4 #bbf4 ,atlas1 ii4 #bbd4 ,atys1 the interpretation of the mutilation of1 i4 #bia1 #bib4 ,audians1 i4 #dgi1 and note4 ,augury1 the influence of1 i4 #afb1 #afh1 #afi4 ,augustus ,csar1 i4 #acb4 ,aulus ,gellius1 the story he relates in the ,noctes ,attic of the ,stoic philosopher in a storm at sea1 i4 #cef1 #ceg4 ,aurelius1 ,bishop1 ii4 #dhg4 ,aventinus1 king of ,latium1 deified1 ii4 #bdj1 #bda4 ,babylon1 the founding of1 ii4 #aaa1 etc42 meaning of the word1 #aab1 #bfi4 ,bacchanalia1 the1 ii4 #bcb4 ,baptism1 the confession of ,christ has the same efficacy as1 i4 #ebg1 #ebh1 #edd2 of those who think that ,catholic1 will free from damnation1 ii4 #ddg1 etc41 #deg1 etc42 other references to1 #dhi1 #dij4 ,barbarians1 the1 in the sack of ,rome1 spared those who had taken refuge in ,christian churches1 i4 #b4 ,barren1 the1 hath born seven1 ii4 #agc1 #agd4 ,bassus1 the daughter of1 restored to life by a dress from the shrine of ,st4 ,stephen1 ii4 #did4 ,bathanarius1 count of ,africa1 and his magnet1 ii4 #dbj4 ,beast1 the1 and his image1 ii4 #cff1 #cfg4 ,beatific vision1 the nature of1 considered1 ii4 #ecd-edj4 ,beauty of the universe1 the1 i4 #deg4 ,beginning1 in the1 i4 #dgf4 ,berecynthia1 i4 #eb1 and note4 ,binding the devil1 ii4 #ceg4 ,birds1 the1 offered by ,abraham1 not to be divided1--import of this1 ii4 #acg4 ,birds1 the1 of ,diomede1 ii4 #bcd1 #bch4 ,blessed life1 the1 not to be obtained by the intercession of demons1 but of ,christ alone1 i4 #cgd4 ,blessedness1 the1 of the righteous in this life compared with that of our first parents in ,paradise1 i4 #dea2 of good angels1--its cause1 #dhg1 etc42 the true1 ii4 #dc2 eternal1 the promise of1 #dge4 ,blessings1 the1 with which the ,creator has filled this life1 although it is obnoxious to the curse1 ii4 #ebb-ebi4 ,boasting1 ,christians ought to be free from1 i4 #bji4 ,bodies1 earthly1 refutation of those who affirm that they cannot be made incorruptible and eternal1 i4 #ech2 refutation of those who hold that they cannot be in heavenly places1 #edj1 etc42 of the saints1 after the resurrection1 in what sense spiritual1 #edf2 the animal and spiritual1 #edg-eea2 can they last for ever in burning fire8 ii4 #dad-dah2 against the wise men who deny that they can be transferred to heavenly habitations1 #dgf2 the ,platonists refuted1 who argue that they cannot inhabit heaven1 #eja2 all blemishes shall be removed from the resurrection bodies1 the substance of1 remaining1 #egb2 the substance of1 however they may have been disintegrated1 shall in the resurrection be reunited1 #eae2 the opinion of ,porphyry1 that souls must be wholly released from1 in order to be happy1 exploded by ,plato1 #eca4 ,body1 the1 sanctity of1 not polluted by the violence done to it by another's lust1 i4 #bf1 #bg2 the ,platonic and ,manichan idea of1 ii4 #h1 etc42 the new spiritual1 #eaf2 obviously meant to be the habitation of a reasonable soul1 #ebf4 ,body1 the1 of ,christ1 against those who think that the participation of1 will save from damnation1 ii4 #ddg1 #ddh4 ,body of ,christ1 the ,church the1 ii4 #eaa4 ,books opened1 the1 ii4 #cgd4 ,bread1 they that were full of1--who8 ii4 #agc4 ,breathing1 the1 of ,god1 when man was made a living soul1 distinguished from the breathing of ,christ on ,his disciples1 i4 #eea4 ,brutus1 ,junius1 his unjust treatment of ,tarquinius ,collatinus1 i4 #fh1 #aaa1 #aab2 kills his own son1 #baj4 ,bull1 the sacred1 of ,egypt1 ii4 #bbc4 ,burial1 the denial of1 to ,christians1 no hurt to them1 i4 #ai2 the reason of1 in the case of ,christians1 #bj1 etc4 ,busiris1 ii4 #bcj4 ,csar1 ,augustus1 i4 #acb4 ,csar1 ,julius1 the statement of1 respecting an enemy when sacking a city1 i4 #g1 etc42 claims to be descended from ,venus1 #id2 assassination of1 #acb4 ,cain1 and ,abel1 belonged respectively to the two cities1 the earthly and the heavenly1 ii4 #ej2 the fratricidal act of the former corresponding with the crime of the founder of ,rome1 #ed1 etc42 cause of the crime of1--,god's expostulation with1--exposition of the viciousness of his offering1 #eg-fa2 his reason for building a city so early in the history of the human race1 #fa1 etc42 and ,seth1 the heads of the two cities1 the earthly and heavenly1 #ha2 why the line of1 terminates in the eighth generation from ,adam1 #hd-hi2 why the genealogy of1 is continued to the deluge1 while after the mention of ,enos the narrative returns to the creation1 #hi1 etc4 ,cakus 771 the giant1 ii4 #cag4 ,camillus1 ,furius1 the vile treatment of1 by the ,romans1 i4 #fh1 #aae1 #baa4 ,canaan1 the land of1 the time of the fulfilment of ,god's promise of1 to ,abraham1 ii4 #aff4 ,canaan1 and ,noah1 ii4 #ajf4 ,candelabrum1 a particular1 in a temple of ,venus1 ii4 #dbc1 #dbd4 ,cann1 the battle of1 i4 #aba4 ,canon1 the ecclesiastical1 has excluded certain writings1 on account of their great antiquity1 ii4 #bfd1 #bfe4 ,canonical ,scriptures1 the1 i4 #dch1 ii4 #bfc2 the concord of1 in contrast with the discordance of philosophical opinion1 #bfg1 #bfh4 ,cappadocia1 the mares of1 ii4 #dbb4 ,captivity of the ,jews1 the1 the end of1 ii4 #bdf4 ,captivity1 the1 of the saints1 consolation in1 i4 #bb4 ,carnal life1 the1 ii4 #b1 etc4 ,carthaginians1 the1 their treatment of ,regulus1 i4 #bc4 ,cataline1 i4 #hj4 ,catholic truth1 the1 confirmed by the dissensions of heretics1 ii4 #bhc-bhe4 ,cato1 what are we to think of his conduct in committing suicide8 i4 #cd2 excelled by ,regulus1 #ce2 his virtue1 #bjb2 was his suicide fortitude or weakness8 ii4 #cje4 ,catosus1 the cook1 ii4 #dib4 ,cecrops1 ii4 #bbd1 #bbf4 ,ceres1 i4 #bgi2 the rites of1 #bhc4 ,chremon1 cited by ,porphyry in relation to the mysteries of ,isis and ,osiris1 i4 #cii4 ,chaldan1 a certain1 quoted by ,porphyry as complaining of the obstacles experienced from another man's influence with the gods to his efforts at self-purification1 i4 #cie1 #cif4 ,charcoal1 the peculiar properties of1 ii4 #dah4 ,chariots1 the1 of ,god1 ii4 #chi4 ,charity1 the efficacy of1 ii4 #dff4 ,chickens1 the sacred1 and the treaty of ,numantia1 i4 #abd4 ,children of the flesh1 and children of promise1 ii4 #ea4 ,chiliasts1 the1 ii4 #ceg4 ,christ1 the preserving power of the name of1 in the sack of ,rome1 i4 #b1 etc41 #i1 etc42 the mystery of the redemption of1 at no past time awanting1 but declared in various forms1 #bii1 etc42 the incarnation of1 #dad2 faith in the incarnation of1 alone justifies1 #daf2 the true ,wisdom1 but ,porphyry fails to recognise1 #dbb1 #dbc2 the ,platonists blush to acknowledge the incarnation of1 #dbc1 etc42 the grace of1 opens a way for the soul's deliverance1 #dcj1 etc42 the knowledge of ,god attained only through1 #dcg1 etc42 possessed true human emotions1 ii4 #ag1 etc42 the passion of1 typified by ,noah's nakedness1 #ajf2 described in the #deth ,psalm1 #bja-bjd2 the priesthood and passion of1 described in the #aajth and #abb;d ,psalms1 #bjd2 the resurrection of1 predicted in the ,psalms1 #bje2 the passion of1 foretold in the ,book of ,wisdom1 #bji2 the birth of1 #bgg2 the birth and death of1 #bij1 #bia2 ,porphyry's account of the responses of the oracles respecting1 #ccd1 etc42 the world to be judged by1 #djf1 etc42 the one ,son of ,god by nature1 #dda2 the ,foundation1 #dfj2 the world's belief in1 the result of divine power1 #dhc2 the measure of the stature of1 #ejh2 the ,perfect ,man1 and ,his ,body1 #eaa2 the body of1 after ,his resurrection1 #ead2 the grace of1 alone delivers us from the misery caused by the first sin1 #ebj1 #eba4 ,christian faith1 the certainty of1 ii4 #cbh4 ,christian religion1 the1 health-giving1 i4 #hh2 alone1 revealed the malignity of evil spirits1 #cjj2 the length it is to last foolishly and lyingly fixed by the heathen1 ii4 #bhi-bib4 ,christianity1 the calamities of ,rome attributed to1 by the heathen1 i4 #bc1 #ej1 #ea2 the effrontery of such an imputation to1 #acb4 ,christians1 why they are permitted to suffer evils from their enemies1 i4 #ci2 the reply of1 to those who reproach them with suffering1 #da2 ought to be far from boasting1 #bji2 the ,god whom they serve1 the true ,god1 to whom alone sacrifice ought to be offered1 ii4 #ccc1 etc4 ,chronology1 the enormously long1 of heathen writers1 i4 #did1 #die1 #dif2 the discrepancy in that of the ,hebrew and other ,,mss4 in relation to the lives of the antediluvians1 ii4 #fe1 etc4 ,church1 the sons of the1 often hidden among the wicked1 and false ,christians within the1 i4 #df2 the indiscriminate increase of1 ii4 #bha1 #bhb1 #bhc2 the endless glory of1 #cgg1 etc42 the body of ,christ1 #eaa1 etc4 ,cicero1 his opinion of the ,roman republic1 i4 #gd2 on the miseries of this life1 #cjb2 his definition of a republic1--was there ever a ,roman republic answering to it8 #ccj1 #cca2 variously quoted1 #eg1 #eh1 #fb1 #fc1 #hg1 #aji1 #aag1 #abi1 #afe1 #agj1 #aga1 #agc1 #bje1 #bef1 #eaa1 ii4 #dhj1 #dhb4 ,cincinnatus1 ,quintus1 i4 #bac4 ,circe1 ii4 #bce1 #bcg4 ,circumcision1 instituted1 ii4 #ada2 the punishment of the male who had not received1 #ada1 #adb4 ,city1 the celestial1 i4 #bjg4 ,city of ,god1 the1 i4 #dah2 the origin of1 and of the opposing city1 #dcf2 nature of1 and of the earthly1 ii4 #dg2 ,abel the founder of1 and ,cain of the earthly1 #ej2 the citizens of1 and of the earthly1 #ea2 the weakness of the citizens of1 during their earthly pilgrimage1 #ef2 and the earthly1 compared and contrasted1 #bib2 what produces peace1 and what discord1 between1 and the earthly1 #cbf1 etc42 the eternal felicity of1 #edj-ede4 ,claudian1 the poet1 quoted1 i4 #bbe4 ,clestis1 i4 #eb1 and note2 the mysteries of1 #hf4 ,collatinus1 ,tarquinius1 the vile treatment of1 by ,junius ,brutus1 i4 #fh1 #aaa1 etc4 ,concord1 the temple of1 erected1 i4 #abf2 the wars which followed the building of1 #abh1 etc4 ,confession of ,christ1 the efficacy of1 for the remission of sins1 i4 #ebg4 ,conflagration of the world1 the1 ii4 #cgg2 where shall the saints be during8 #chj4 ,confusion of tongues1 the1 ii4 #aaa1 etc42 ,god's coming down to cause1 #aac1 etc4 ,conjugal union1 the1 as instituted and blessed by ,god1 ii4 #ch4 ,constantine1 i4 #bai1 etc42 the prosperity granted to1 by ,god1 #bbc1 etc4 ,consuls1 the first ,roman1 their fate1 ii4 #aaa1 etc4 ,corn1 the gods which were supposed to preside over1 at the various stages of its growth1 gathering in1 etc41 i4 #add4 ,creation1 i4 #dci1 #ddc2 the reason and cause of1 #dfa1 #dfb2 the beauty and goodness of1 ii4 #beh4 ,creation1 the1 of angels1 i4 #dde2 of the human race in time1 #ejj2 of both angels and men1 ii4 #dgb1 etc4 ,creator1 the1 is distinguished from ,his works by piety1 i4 #big1 etc42 sin had not its origin in1 #def4 ,creatures1 the1 to be estimated by their utility1 i4 #dee4 ,cuman ,sibyl1 the1 i4 #dba4 ,curiatii and ,horatii1 the1 i4 #aje4 ,curtius leaps into the gulf in the ,forum1 i4 #baa4 ,curubis1 a comedian1 miraculously healed1 ii4 #dij4 ,cybele1 i4 #eb1 #ec2 the priests of1 #ef4 ,cycles of time maintained by some1 i4 #dih1 #eje1 etc41 #eaa1 #eac4 ,cynics1 the foolish beastliness of the1 ii4 #cf2 further referred to1 #big4 ,cynocephalus1 i4 #fe4 ,damned1 the punishment of the1 ii4 #dcb4 ,dane1 ii4 #bcb4 ,darkness1 the1 when the ,lord was crucified1 i4 #ajh1 #aji4 ,david1 the promise made to1 in his ,son2 ,nathan's message to1 ii4 #ahi1 etc41 #aic1 etc42 ,god's ancient compassions sworn to1 #aie1 etc41 #aih2 his concern in writing the ,psalms1 #aii2 his reign and merit1 #bji4 ,day1 the seventh1 the meaning of ,god's resting on1 i4 #ddd4 ,days1 the first1 i4 #ddc4 ,days1 lucky and unlucky1 i4 #ahf1 #ahg4 ,days of the tree of life1 the1 ii4 #djb4 ,dead1 the1 given up to judgment by the sea1 death1 and hell1 ii4 #cge4 ,dead1 prayers for the1 ii4 #dec4 ,dead men1 the religion of the pagans has reference to1 i4 #cdg4 ,death1 caused by the fall of man1 i4 #eba2 that which can affect an immortal soul1 and that to which the body is subject1 #eba1 #ebb2 is it the punishment of sin1 even in case of the good8 #ebb-ebd2 why1 if it is the punishment of sin1 is it not withheld from the regenerate8 #ebd2 although an evil1 yet made a good to the good1 #ebe2 the evil of1 as the separation of soul and body1 #ebf2 that which the unbaptized suffer for the confession of ,christ1 #ebg1 etc42 the saints1 by suffering the first1 are freed from the second1 #ebh2 the moment of1 when it actually occurs1 #ebh1 #ebi2 the life which mortals claim may be fitly called1 #ebi1 #ecj2 whether one can be living and yet in the state of1 at the same time1 #eca2 what kind of1 involved in the threatenings addressed to our first parents1 #ecc2 concerning those philosophers who think it is not penal1 #ecf2 the second1 ii4 #cdc1 etc4 ,death1 when it may be inflicted without committing murder1 i4 #cb4 ,deborah1 ii4 #bcc4 ,debts1 forgive us our1 ii4 #dfg1 #dfh4 ,decii1 the1 ii4 #bab4 ,deliverance1 the way of the soul's1 which grace throws open1 i4 #dcj4 ,demnetus1 ii4 #bce4 ,demon of ,socrates1 the1 ,apuleius on1 i4 #cbf1 #cbg4 ,demoniacal possessions1 ii4 #cjc4 ,demonolatry1 illicit acts connected with1 i4 #cid4 ,demons1 the vicissitudes of life1 not dependent on1 i4 #gi2 look after their own ends only1 #hb2 incite to crime by the pretence of divine authority1 #hc2 give certain obscure instructions in morals1 while their own solemnities publicly inculcate wickedness1 #he1 etc42 what they are1 #cbf2 not better than men because of their having aerial bodies1 #cbg1 etc42 what ,apuleius thought concerning the manners and actions of1 #cbi1 etc42 is it proper to worship8 #cca1 etc42 ought the advocacy of1 with the gods1 to be employed8 #ccb1 #ccd2 are the good gods more willing to have intercourse with1 than with men8 #cce2 do the gods use them as messengers1 or interpreters1 or are they deceived by8 #cce1 etc42 we must reject the worship of1 #cch2 are there any good1 to whom the guardianship of the soul may be committed8 #ced2 what ,apuleius attributes to1 #ced1 #cee2 the passions which agitate1 #cfj2 does the intercession of1 obtain for men the favour of the celestial gods8 #cfc2 men1 according to ,plotinus1 less wretched than1 #cfd2 the opinion of the ,platonists that the souls of men become1 #cfe2 the three opposite qualities by which the ,platonists distinguish between the nature of man1 and that of1 #cfe1 #cff2 how can they mediate between gods and men1 having nothing in common with either8 #cff2 the ,platonist idea of the necessity of the mediation of1 #cga2 mean1 by their intercession1 to turn man from the path of truth1 #cge2 the name has never a good signification1 #cge2 the kind of knowledge which puffs up the1 #cgf2 to what extent the ,lord was pleased to make ,himself known to1 #cgf1 #cgg2 the difference between the knowledge possessed by1 and that of the holy angels1 #cgg2 the power delegated to1 for the trial of the saints1 #daa2 where the saints obtain power against1 #dab2 seek to be worshipped1 #dai2 error of ,apuleius in regard to1 #dai1 etc42 strange transformations of men1 said to have been wrought by1 ii4 #bce1 #bch2 the friendship of good angels in this life1 rendered insecure by the deception of1 #cac1 etc4 ,demons1 various other references to1 i4 #agd1 #bbb1 #bbc1 #bha1 #bhh1 #cja1 #cjb1 #cjc1 #cjd1 #cje1 #cab1 #cbf1 #cbg1 #cde1 #cgj1 #daa1 #dbj1 ii4 #bbc1 #bhi1 #cdg4 ,desired ,one1 the1 of all nations1 ii4 #bge4 ,deucalion's flood1 ii4 #bbh4 ,devil1 the1 how he abode not in the truth1 i4 #ded2 how is it said that he sinned from the beginning8 #ded1 #dee2 the reason of the fall of 7the wicked angel71 ii4 #df1 #dg2 stirs up persecution1 #bhd2 the nature of1 as nature1 not evil1 #cbj1 #cba2 the binding of1 #ceg2 cast into the abyss1 #ceh2 seducing the nations1 #cei2 the binding and loosing of1 #cfj1 etc42 stirs up ,gog and ,magog against the ,church1 #cfi1 etc42 the damnation of1 #cgc2 of those who deny the eternal punishment of1 #dej4 ,devil1 a young man freed from a1 at the monument of ,protasius and ,gervasius1 ii4 #dia2 a young woman freed from a1 by anointing1 #dib4 ,devils1 marvels wrought by1 ii4 #dbd4 ,diamond1 the1 the peculiar properties of1 ii4 #dai4 ,diana1 and ,apollo1 i4 #bgi4 ,dictator1 the first1 i4 #aaf4 ,diomede and his companions1 who were changed into birds1 ii4 #bcd1 #bch4 ,dis1 i4 #bgi1 #bhh1 #bif4 ,discord1 why not a goddess as well as ,concord8 i4 #abg4 ,divination1 i4 #cjb4 ,doctor1 a gouty1 of ,carthage1 miraculously healed1 ii4 #dhi4 ,duration and space1 infinite1 not to be comprehended1 i4 #dda4 ,earth1 the1 affirmed by ,varro to be a goddess1--reason of his opinion1 i4 #bhf4 ,earth1 in the midst of the1 ii4 #agf1 #agg1 #agh4 ,earth1 holy1 from ,jerusalem1 the efficacy of1 ii4 #dij1 #dia4 ,ecclesiasticus and ,wisdom1 the ,books of1 ii4 #bji4 ,eclipses1 i4 #ajh1 #aji4 ,education1 the divine1 of mankind1 i4 #djb4 ,egeria1 the nymph1 and ,numa1 i4 #cjc4 ,egypt1 a fig-tree of a peculiar kind found in1 ii4 #dba4 ,egyptians1 the mendacity of1 in ascribing an extravagant antiquity to their science1 ii4 #bff1 #bfg4 ,eleusinian rites of ,ceres1 the1 i4 #bhc4 ,eleven1 the significance of the number1 ii4 #hh4 ,eli1 the message of the man of ,god to1 ii4 #agi-ahc4 ,elias1 the coming of1 before the judgment1 ii4 #dje4 ,elisha and ,gehazi1 ii4 #ecf1 #ecg4 ,emotions1 mental1 opinions of the ,peripatetics and ,stoics respecting1 i4 #cee1 #cef4 ,emotions and affections1 good and bad1 ii4 #aj1 #ab1 #ae4 ,emperors1 the ,christian1 the happiness of1 i4 #bbb1 etc4 ,empire1 a great1 acquired by war1--is it to be reckoned among good things8 i4 #ach2 should good men wish to rule an extensive8 #aeb1 #aec1 #aed4 ,empire1 the ,roman4 ,see ,roman ,empire4 ,enemies of ,god1 the1 are not so by nature1 but by will1 i4 #dhd4 ,enlightenment from above1 ,plotinus respecting1 i4 #che4 ,enoch1 the seventh from ,adam1 the significance of the translation of1 ii4 #hd2 left some divine writings1 #if4 ,enoch1 the son of ,cain1 ii4 #ha4 ,enos1 the son of ,seth1 ii4 #ha2 a type of ,christ1 #hb-hd4 ,entity1 none contrary to the divine1 i4 #dhc4 ,epictetus1 quoted on mental emotions1 i4 #ceg4 ,ericthonius1 ii4 #bcj4 ,errors1 the1 of the human judgment1 when the truth is hidden1 ii4 #bji1 etc4 ,erythran ,sibyl1 the1 her predictions of ,christ1 ii4 #bdb4 ,esau and ,jacob1 the dissimilarity of the character and actions of1 i4 #ahb2 the things mystically prefigured by1 ii4 #aec1 etc4 ,esdras and ,maccabees1 the ,books of1 ii4 #bfb4 ,eternal life1 the gift of ,god1 i4 #beg2 the promise of1 uttered before eternal times1 #ejd4 ,eternal punishment1 ii4 #dcc4 ,see ,punishment4 ,eucharius1 a ,spanish bishop1 cured of stone by the relics of ,st4 ,stephen1 ii4 #dic4 ,eudemons1 i4 #cfe1 #cfh4 1 i4 #chd4 ,evil1 no natural1 i4 #dfa4 ,evil will1 a1 no efficient cause of1 i4 #dij4 ,existence1 and knowledge of it1 and love of both1 i4 #dfi1 etc41 #dga1 etc4 ,eye1 the1 of the resurrection body1 the power of1 ii4 #ecg4 ,fables invented by the heathen in the times of the judges of ,israel1 ii4 #bca4 ,fabricius and ,pyrrhus1 i4 #bac4 ,faith1 justification by1 i4 #daf1 etc4 ,faith and ,virtue1 honoured by the ,romans with temples1 i4 #aef1 #aeg4 ,fall of man1 the1 and its results1 foreknown by ,god1 i4 #ead2 mortality contracted by1 #eba2 the second death results from1 ii4 #a2 the nature of1 #bb1 etc41 #be1 etc4 ,fate1 i4 #agh2 the name misapplied by some when they use it of the divine will1 #ahi4 ,fathers1 the two1 of the two cities1 sprung from one progenitor1 ii4 #ha4 ,fear and ,dread1 made gods1 i4 #afa4 ,felicity1 the gift of ,god1 i4 #beg2 the eternal1 of the city of ,god1 ii4 #edj-ede4 ,felicity1 the goddess of1 i4 #aee2 the ,romans ought to have been content1 with ,virtue and1 #aeg1 #aeh2 for a long time not worshipped by the ,romans2 her deserts1 #afa1 #afb1 #afc4 ,fever1 worshipped as a deity1 i4 #fe and note1 #ajb4 ,fig-tree1 a singular1 of ,egypt1 ii4 #dba4 ,fimbria1 the destruction of ,ilium by1 i4 #if1 #ig4 ,fire1 the peculiar properties of1 ii4 #dah4 ,fire1 the1 whirlwind1 and the sword1 ii4 #chi4 ,fire1 saved so as by1 ii4 #dfj4 ,fire1 the1 which comes down from heaven to consume the enemies of the holy city1 ii4 #cgj4 ,fire1 the1 and the worm that dieth not1 ii4 #dcc2 of hell1--is it material8 and if it be so1 can it burn wicked spirits8 #dcd1 etc4 ,first man 7our first parents71 the1 the plenitude of the human race contained in1 i4 #eai2 the fall of1 #eba2 what was the first punishment of8 #ecd2 the state in which he was made1 and that into which he fell1 #ecd1 #ece2 forsook ,god1 before ,god forsook him1 #ece2 effects of the sin of1--the second death1 ii4 #a1 etc42 was he1 before the fall1 free from perturbations of soul8 #bj2 the temptation and fall of1 #bb-be2 nature of the first sin of1 #be2 the pride of the sin of1 #bh2 justice of the punishment of1 #bh-ca2 the nakedness of1 #cb2 the transgression of1 did not abolish the blessing of fecundity1 #cg2 begat offspring in ,paradise without blushing1 #dd-df4 ,first parents1 our4 ,see ,first ,man4 ,first principles of all things1 the1 according to the ancient philosophy1 i4 #cac4 ,first sin1 the nature of the1 ii4 #be4 ,flaccianus1 ii4 #bdb4 ,flesh1 the1 of believers1 the resurrection of1 i4 #edd2 the world at large believes in the resurrection of see ,resurrection1 ii4 #dgg2 of a dead man1 which has become the flesh of a living man1--whose shall it be in the resurrection8 #eae4 ,flesh1 living after the1 ii4 #b1 etc41 #d1 etc41 #f1 etc42 children of the1 and of the promise1 #ea4 ,florentius1 the tailor1 how he prayed for a coat1 and got it1 ii4 #dib4 ,foreknowledge1 the1 of ,god1 and the free-will of man1 i4 #aij1 etc4 ,forgiveness of debts1 prayed for1 ii4 #dfg1 #dfh4 ,fortitude1 ii4 #cjd1 #cje4 ,fortune1 the goddess of1 i4 #aee1 #bfc4 ,foundation1 the1 the opinion of those who think that even depraved ,catholics will be saved from damnation on account of1 considered1 ii4 #ddh1 etc41 #dfj1 etc42 who has ,christ for8 #dfj1 #dfa4 ,fountain1 the singular1 of the ,garamant1 ii4 #dba4 ,free-will of man1 the1 and the foreknowledge of ,god1 i4 #aij1 etc4 ,free-will1 in the state of perfect felicity1 ii4 #edb4 ,friendship1 the1 of good men1 anxieties connected with1 ii4 #caa2 of good angels1 rendered insecure by the deceit of demons1 #cac1 etc4 ,fruit1 i4 #dfg4 ,fugalia1 the1 i4 #ed1 #ee4 ,furnace1 a smoking1 and a lamp of fire passing between the pieces of ,abraham's sacrifice1 the import of1 ii4 #aci4 ,galli1 the1 i4 #ef1 and note1 #bhi1 #bij4 ,games1 restored in ,rome during the first ,punic war1 i4 #aah4 ,ganymede1 ii4 #bcb4 ,garamant1 the singular fountain of the1 ii4 #dba4 ,gauls1 the1 ,rome invaded by1 i4 #aae1 #aaf4 ,gehazi and ,elisha1 ii4 #ecf1 #ecg4 ,generation1 would there have been1 in ,paradise if man had not sinned8 ii4 #ci1 etc41 #da1 etc4 ,genius1 and ,saturn1 both shown to be really ,jupiter1 i4 #bge1 etc4 ,giants1 the offspring of the sons of ,god and daughters of men1--and other1 ii4 #ic1 etc41 #if4 ,glory1 the difference between1 and the desire of dominion1 i4 #bae2 shameful to make the virtues serve human1 #bag2 the1 of the latter house1 ii4 #bhj1 #bha2 the endless1 of the ,church1 #cgg1 etc4 ,god1 the vicissitudes of life dependent on the will of1 i4 #gi1 etc42 not the soul of the world1 #aea2 rational animals not parts of1 #aea1 #aeb2 ,,the ,,one1 to be worshipped1 although ,his name is unknown1 the giver of felicity1 #afd1 #afe2 the times of kings and kingdoms ordered by1 #age2 the kingdom of the ,jews founded by1 #age2 the foreknowledge of1 and the free-will of man1 #aij1 etc42 the providence of1 #aih1 etc41 #djc2 all the glory of the righteous is in1 #bje2 what ,he gives to the followers of truth to enjoy above ,his general bounties1 #aii2 the worship of1 #chc1 #chd1 #chf2 the sacrifices due to ,him only1 #chg1 etc42 the sacrifices not required1 but enjoined by1 for the exhibition of truth1 #chh2 the true and perfect sacrifice due to1 #cij1 etc42 invisible1 yet has often made ,himself visible1 #dja1 etc42 our dependence for temporal good1 #djb2 angels fulfil the providence of1 #djc1 #djd2 sin had not its origin in1 #deg2 the eternal knowledge1 will1 and design of1 #dei1 etc42 has ,he been always sovereign ,lord1 and has ,he always had creatures over whom ,he exercised ,his sovereignty8 #eja1 etc42 ,his promise of eternal life uttered before eternal times1 #ejd2 the unchangeable counsel and will of1 defended against objections1 #eje2 refutation of the opinion that ,his knowledge cannot comprehend things infinite1 #ejg2 the fall of man foreknown by1 #ead2 the ,creator of every kind of creature1 #eaf2 the providence of1 not disturbed by the wickedness of angels or of men1 ii4 #df2 the anger of1 #ig1 etc41 #ded2 the coming down of1 to confound the language of the builders of ,babel1 #aac1 etc42 whether the1 of the ,christians is the true1 to whom alone sacrifice ought to be paid1 #ccc1 etc42 the will of1 unchangeable and eternal1 #dgd4 ,gods1 the1 cities never spared on account of1 i4 #c1 etc42 folly of the ,romans in trusting1 #d1 etc42 the worshippers of1 never received healthy precepts from1--the impurity of the worship of1 #ea2 obscenities practised in honour of the ,mother of the1 #ec2 never inculcated holiness of life1 #ee2 the shameful actions of1 as displayed in theatrical exhibitions1 #eg2 the reason why they suffered false or real crimes to be attributed to them1 #ei2 the ,romans showed a more delicate regard for themselves than for the1 #fa2 the ,romans should have considered those who desired to be worshipped in a licentious manner as unworthy of being honoured as1 #fb2 ,plato better than1 #fc2 if they had any regard for ,rome1 the ,romans should have received good laws from them1 #ff2 took no means to prevent the republic from being ruined by immorality1 #gg1 etc42 the vicissitudes of life not dependent on1 #gi1 etc42 incite to evil actions1 #hc1 etc42 give secret and obscure instructions in morals1 while their solemnities publicly incite to wickedness1 #he2 the obscenities of the plays consecrated to1 contributed to overthrow the republic1 #hg2 the evils which alone the pagans feared1 not averted by1 #ia1 etc42 were they justified in permitting the destruction of ,troy8 #ib2 could not be offended at the adultery of ,paris1 the crime being so common among themselves1 #ic2 ,varro's opinion of the utility of men feigning themselves to be the offspring of1 #id2 not likely they were offended at the adultery of ,paris1 as they were not at the adultery of the mother of ,romulus1 #id2 exacted no penalty for the fratricidal conduct of ,romulus1 #ie2 is it credible that the peace of ,numa's reign was owing to8 #ih2 new1 introduced by ,numa1 #aja2 the ,romans added many to those of ,numa1 #ajb2 ,rome not defended by1 #aad1 etc42 which of the1 can the ,romans suppose presided over the rise and welfare of the empire8 #adc1 etc42 the silly and absurd multiplication of1 for places and things1 #add2 divers set over divers parts of the world1 #adf2 the many1 who are asserted by pagan doctors to be the one ,jove1 #adh1 etc42 the knowledge and worship of the1 which ,varro glories in having conferred on the ,romans1 #aei2 the reasons by which the pagans defended their worshipping the divine gifts themselves among the1 #afc1 etc42 the scenic plays which they have exacted from their worshippers1 #afe2 the three kinds of1 discovered by ,scvola1 #aff1 etc42 whether the worship of1 has been of service to the ,romans1 #afh2 what their worshippers have owned they have thought about1 #agj2 the opinions of ,varro about1 #agb2 of those who profess to worship them on account of eternal advantages1 #bbi1 etc42 ,varro's thoughts about the1 of the nations1 #bcc1 etc42 the worshippers of1 regard human things more than divine1 #bce1 etc42 ,varro's distribution of1 into fabulous1 natural1 and civil1 #bch1 etc42 the mythical and civil1 #bdj2 natural explanations of1 #bdf1 etc42 the special offices of1 #bdh2 those presiding over the marriage chamber1 #bdi1 #bej2 the popular worship of1 vehemently censured by ,seneca1 #beb-bed2 unable to bestow eternal life1 #bef1 #beg2 the select1 #beh1 #bei2 no reason can be assigned for forming the select class of1 #bfj2 those which preside over births1 #bfj2 the inferior and the select compared1 #cfd2 the secret doctrine of the pagans concerning the physical interpretation of1 #bff2 ,varro pronounces his own opinions concerning1 uncertain1 #bhj1 #bha2 ,varro's doctrine concerning1 not self-consistent1 #bie1 etc42 distinguished from men and demons1 #cbf2 do they use the demons as messengers8 #cce2 ,hermes laments the error of his forefathers in inventing the art of making1 #cdc2 scarcely any of1 who were not dead men1 #cdh2 the ,platonists maintain that the poets wrong the1 #cfa2 ,apuleius' definition of1 #cfc2 does the intercession of demons secure the favour of1 for men8 #cfc2 according to the ,platonists1 they decline intercourse with men1 #cga1 etc42 the name falsely given to those of the nations1 yet given in ,scripture to angels and men1 #cgh1 etc42 threats employed towards1 #cii2 philosophers assigned to each of1 different functions1 ii4 #cbg4 ,gods1 the multitudes of1 for every place and thing1 i4 #add1 etc41 #aeh1 #aei1 #bdh1 #bdi1 #bei1 #bfj4 ,gods1 the invention of the art of making1 i4 #cdc4 ,gog and ,magog1 ii4 #cfi4 ,good1 no nature in which there is not some1 ii4 #cbj4 ,good1 the chief1 ii4 #bhh2 various opinions of the philosophers respecting1 #bic2 the three leading views of1 which to be chosen1 #bii1 etc42 the ,christian view of1 #cja1 etc4 ,good men1 and wicked1 the advantages and disadvantages indiscriminately occurring to1 i4 #aj2 reasons for administering correction to both together1 #aa1 etc42 what ,solomon says of things happening alike to both1 #cdh4 ,goods1 the loss of1 no loss to the saints1 i4 #ad1 etc4 ,gospel1 the1 made more famous by the sufferings of its preachers1 ii4 #bhb4 ,gracchi1 the civil dissensions occasioned by1 i4 #abf4 ,grace of ,god1 the1 the operation of1 in relation to believers1 ii4 #dda2 pertains to every epoch of life1 #ddb2 delivers from the miseries occasioned by the first sin1 #ebj1 #eba4 ,great ,mother1 the1 the abominable sacred rites of1 i4 #bib1 #bic4 ,greeks1 the conduct of the1 on the sack of ,troy1 i4 #f1 #g4 ,habakkuk1 the prophecy and prayer of1 ii4 #beb4 ,hagar1 the relation of1 to ,sarah and ,abraham1 ii4 #aci4 ,haggai's prophecy respecting the glory of the latter house1 ii4 #bhj1 #bha4 ,hadrian yields up portions of the ,roman empire1 i4 #afi1 #agj4 ,ham1 the conduct of1 towards his father1 ii4 #aje2 the sons of1 #aji4 ,hannah's prophetic song1 an exposition of1 ii4 #agj-agi4 ,hannibal1 his invasion of ,italy1 and victories over the ,romans1 i4 #abj2 his destruction of ,saguntum1 #aba1 #abb4 ,happiness1 the gift of ,god1 i4 #beg2 of the saints in the future life1 ii4 #cad1 #cae4 ,happiness1 the1 desired by those who reject the ,christian religion1 i4 #gb1 etc4 ,happy man1 the1 described by contrast1 i4 #ach4 ,heaven1 ,god shall call to1 ii4 #cih4 ,hebrew ,bible1 the1 and the ,septuagint1--which to be followed in computing the years of the antediluvians1 ii4 #gj1 etc4 ,hebrew language1 the original1 ii4 #aba1 etc42 written character of1 #bfe1 #bff4 ,hebrews1 the ,epistle to the1 ii4 #ace4 ,hecate1 the reply of1 when questioned respecting ,christ1 ii4 #cce4 ,heifer1 goat1 and ram1 three years old1 in ,abraham's sacrifice1--the import of1 ii4 #acf1 #acg4 ,hell1 ii4 #dcb2 is the fire of1 material8 and if so1 can it burn wicked spirits8 #dcd4 ,hercules1 ii4 #bbe1 #bcj2 the story of the sacristan of1 i4 #bdd4 ,here1 i4 #daa4 ,heretics1 the ,catholic faith confirmed by the dissensions of1 ii4 #bhc1 #bhd4 ,hermes1 the god1 i4 #cdi4 ,hermes ,trismegistus1 respecting idolatry and the abolition of the superstitions of the ,egyptians1 i4 #cci1 etc42 openly confesses the error of his forefathers1 the destruction of which he yet deplores1 #cdb1 etc4 ,herod1 ii4 #bgg2 a persecutor1 #bhg4 ,heroes of the ,church1 the1 ii4 #daa4 ,hesperius1 miraculously delivered from evil spirits1 ii4 #dij4 ,hippocrates quoted in relation to twins1 i4 #agi4 ,histriones1 i4 #fc1 note4 ,holofernes1 his inquiry respecting the ,israelites1 and ,achior's answer1 ii4 #abf4 ,holy ,ghost1 the1 i4 #eec4 ,homer1 quoted1 i4 #ib1 #ahi4 ,hope1 the influence of1 ii4 #cjg2 the saints now blessed in1 #ccj4 ,horace1 quoted1 i4 #e1 #bjd4 ,horatii and ,curiatii1 the1 i4 #aje1 #ajf4 ,hortensius1 the first dictator1 i4 #aaf4 ,hosea1 his prophecies respecting the things of the gospel1 ii4 #bdg-bdi4 ,human race1 the1 the creation of1 in time1 i4 #ejj2 created at first in one individual1 #eac1 #ead2 the plenitude of1 contained in the first man1 #eai4 ,hydromancy1 i4 #cjb4 ,hyrcanus1 ii4 #bgf4 ,ilium1 modern1 destroyed by ,fimbria1 i4 #if1 #ig4 ,image of the beast1 the1 ii4 #cff1 #cfg4 ,image of ,god1 the human soul created in the1 i4 #eae4 ,images of the gods1 not used by the ancient ,romans1 i4 #agc4 ,imitation of the gods1 i4 #ef4 ,immortality1 the portion of man1 had he not sinned1 i4 #eba1 #edb1 etc4 ,incarnation of ,christ1 the1 i4 #dad1 ii4 #bgg2 faith in1 alone justifies1 #daf1 etc42 the ,platonists1 in their impiety1 blush to acknowledge1 #dbc1 etc4 ,innocentia1 of ,carthage1 miraculously cured of cancer1 ii4 #dhh1 #dhi4 ,innocentius1 of ,carthage1 miraculously cured of fistula1 ii4 #dhe-dhh4 ,ino1 ii4 #bcc4 ,intercession of the saints1--of those who think that1 on account of1 no man shall be damned in the last judgment1 ii4 #dde1 etc41 #dea1 etc4 ,io1 daughter of1 ii4 #bba4 ,ionic school of philosophy1 the founder of the1 i4 #cjg4 ,irenus1 a tax-gatherer1 the son of1 restored to life by means of the oil of ,st4 ,stephen1 ii4 #did4 ,isaac1 and ,ishmael1 ii4 #eb2 a type1 #ec2 the birth of1 and import of his name1 #adf1 #adg2 the offering up of1 #adh2 ,rebecca1 the wife of1 #adi2 the oracle and blessing received by1 just as his father died1 #aeb4 ,isaiah1 the predictions of1 respecting ,christ1 ii4 #bdi4 ,isis and ,osiris1 i4 #cdi1 #cea1 #cie1 ii4 #bba1 #bbc1 #bfd1 #bff4 ,israel1 the name given to ,jacob1--the import of1 ii4 #aeg4 ,israel1 the nation of1 its increase in1 and deliverance from ,egypt1 ii4 #afa-afc2 were there any outside of1 before ,christ1 who belonged to the fellowship of the holy city8 #bgi1 etc4 ,italic school of philosophy1 the1 i4 #cjf4 ,jacob1 and ,esau1 the things mysteriously prefigured by1 ii4 #aec1 etc42 his mission to ,mesopotamia1 #aee2 his dream1 #aef2 his wives1 #aeg2 why called ,israel1 #aeg2 how said to have gone into ,egypt with seventy-five souls1 #aeh2 his blessing on ,judah1 #aei2 his blessing the sons of ,joseph1 #afa2 the times of1 and of ,joseph1 #bba1 etc4 ,janus1 the temple of1 i4 #ih2 the relation of1 to births1 #bfj1 #bfa2 nothing infamous related of1 #bfe2 is it reasonable to separate ,terminus and8 #bfh2 why two faces1 and sometimes four1 given to the image of8 #bfi2 compared with ,jupiter1 #bgj2 why he has received no star1 #bgh4 ,japhet1 ii4 #aje4 ,jeroboam1 ii4 #bad4 ,jerome1 his labours as a translator of ,scripture1 ii4 #bga2 his commentary on ,daniel referred to1 #cid4 ,jerusalem1 the new1 coming down from heaven1 ii4 #cgg1 etc4 ,jews1 the1 the kingdom of1 founded by ,god1 i4 #age2 what ,seneca thought of1 #bee1 #bef2 their unbelief1 foretold in the ,psalms1 ii4 #bjh2 end of the captivity of1--their prophets1 #bdf1 etc42 the many adversities endured by1 #bgd1 etc42 the dispersion of1 predicted1 #bgg-bgi2 whether1 before ,christ1 there were any outside of1 who belonged to the heavenly city1 #bgi4 ,joseph1 the sons of1 blessed by ,jacob1 ii4 #afa2 the times of1 #bba2 the elevation of1 to be ruler of ,egypt1 #bbb2 who were kings at the period of the death of8 #bbd4 ,joshua1 i4 #afc2 who were kings at the time of the death of8 ii4 #bbi2 the sun stayed in its course by1 #dbi1 #dcj2 the ,jordan divided by1 #dcj4 ,jove1 are the many gods of the pagans one and the same ,jove8 i4 #adh2 the enlargement of kingdoms improperly ascribed to1 #aeb2 ,mars1 ,terminus1 and ,juventus refuse to yield to1 #afb1 #afi4 ,see ,jupiter4 ,judah1 ,jacob's blessing on1 ii4 #aei1 etc4 ,judgment1 ever going on1--the last1 ii4 #cde1 #cdf2 ever present1 although it cannot be discerned1 #cdf2 proofs of the last1 from the ,new ,testament and the ,old1 #cdi1 etc42 words of ,jesus respecting1 #cej1 #cgc1 #cgd1 #cge2 what ,peter says of1 #cgi2 predictions respecting1 #chi1 #cij1 etc41 #cie1 etc41 #cii1 etc42 separation of the good and bad in the1 #djc2 to be effected in the person of ,christ1 #djf1 etc4 ,julian the apostate1 i4 #bai2 a persecutor1 ii4 #bhg4 ,juno1 i4 #adg1 #adh1 #bfj4 ,jupiter1 the power of1 compared with ,janus1 i4 #bgj1 etc42 is the distinction made between1 and ,janus1 a proper one8 #bgc2 the surnames of1 #bgc2 called ,pecunia1--why8 #bge2 scandalous amours of1 ii4 #bcb4 ,justinus1 the historian1 quoted respecting ,ninus' lust of empire1 i4 #ada4 ,juventus1 i4 #afb1 #afi4 ,keturah1 what is meant by ,abraham's marrying1 after the death of ,sarah8 ii4 #aej4 ,killeth and maketh alive1 the ,lord1 ii4 #agd4 ,killing1 when allowable1 i4 #cb4 ,kingdom1 the1 of ,israel1 under ,saul1 a shadow1 ii4 #ahd2 the description of1 #ahf2 promises of ,god respecting1 #ahi1 etc41 #aic1 etc42 varying character of1 till the captivity1 and1 finally1 till the people passed under the power of the ,romans1 #bad1 #bae4 ,kingdom of ,christ1 the1 ii4 #cfc1 #cfd4 ,kingdoms1 without justice1 i4 #aci2 have any been aided or deserted by the gods8 #adb2 the enlargement of1 unsuitably attributed to ,jove1 #aeb2 the times of1 ordained by the true ,god1 #age2 not fortuitous1 nor influenced by the stars1 #agg-agi2 the three great1 when ,abraham was born1 ii4 #acj1 #aca4 ,kings1 of ,israel1 the times of the1 ii4 #afc2 after ,solomon1 #bac2 after the judges1 #bci2 of the earthly city which synchronize with the times of the saints1 reckoning from ,abraham1 ii4 #bah1 etc42 of ,argos1 ii4 #bbc1 #bbd2 of ,latium1 #bdj4 ,knowledge1 the eternal and unchangeable1 of ,god1 i4 #dci1 etc42 of our own existence1 #dfi1 etc41 #dga1 etc42 by which the holy angels know ,god1 #dgc1 etc4 ,labeo1 cited1 i4 #fd4 #abg1 #cbe1 ii4 #ecc4 ,lactantius1 quotations made by1 from a certain ,sibyl1 ii4 #bdc1 #bdd4 ,language1 the origin of the diversity of1 ii4 #aaa1 etc42 the original1 #aba1 etc42 diversities of1 how they operate to prevent human intercourse1 #caj1 #caa4 ,larentina1 the harlot1 i4 #bdd4 ,latinius1 ,titus1 the trick of1 to secure the re-enactment of the games1 i4 #afe4 ,latium1 the kings of1 ii4 #bdj4 and 1 i4 #chc1 #chf4 ,laurentum1 the kingdom of1 ii4 #bcc4 ,laver of regeneration1 the1 ii4 #dda4 ,law1 the1 confirmed by miraculous signs1 i4 #djg1 etc42 of ,moses1 must be spiritually understood1 to cut off the murmurs of carnal interpreters1 ii4 #djc1 #djd4 ,lethe1 the river1 i4 #dbh4 ,lex ,voconia1 the1 i4 #abd4 ,liber1 the god1 i4 #bcj2 and ,libera1 #bdh1 #bfj1 #bfa1 ii4 #bcb4 ,liberty1 the1 which is proper to man's nature1 ii4 #cbc1 etc4 ,life1 the end of1 whether it is material that it be long delayed1 i4 #ah2 the vicissitudes of1 not dependent on the favour of the gods1 but on the will of the true ,god1 #gi4 ,life1 eternal1 the gift of ,god1 i4 #beg2 the promise of1 uttered before the eternal times1 #ejd4 ,light1 the1 the division of1 from the darkness1--the significance of this1 i4 #deh2 pronounced good1--meaning of this1 #dei4 ,lime1 the peculiar properties of1 ii4 #dah1 #dai4 ,livy1 quoted1 i4 #afe4 ,loadstone1 the1 ii4 #dbj4 ,locusts1 a fearful invasion of ,africa by1 i4 #acd4 ,lot1 the parting of ,abraham and1 ii4 #acb2 the deliverance of1 from captivity1 by ,abraham1 #acd4 ,lot's wife1 i4 #bic4 ,love and regard used in ,scripture indifferently of good and evil affections1 ii4 #aj4 ,lucan's ,pharsalia1 quoted1 i4 #bj1 #ajc1 #abi4 ,lucillus1 bishop of ,sinita1 cured of a fistula by the relics of ,st4 ,stephen1 ii4 #dic4 ,lucina1 the goddess1 i4 #adi1 #bfj4 ,lucretia1 her chastity and suicide1 i4 #bh1 #bi4 ,lucretius1 quoted1 ii4 #dai4 ,lust1 the evil of1 ii4 #ca2 and anger1 to be bridled1 #ce1 etc42 the bondage of1 worse than bondage to men1 #bbd1 #bbe4 ,lying-in woman1 the1 her god-protectors1 i4 #bdi4 ,maccabus1 ,judas1 ii4 #bgf4 ,maccabees1 the ,books of1 ii4 #bfb4 ,madness1 the strange1 which once seized upon all the domestic animals of the ,romans1 i4 #abf4 ,magic art1 the impiety of1 i4 #cc2 the marvels wrought by1 ii4 #dbd4 ,magicians of ,egypt1 the1 i4 #cic4 ,magnets1 two1 an image suspended between1 in mid air1 ii4 #dbe4 ,malachi1 ii4 #cii4 ,mammon of unrighteousness1 ii4 #dfi1 #dgj4 ,man1 though mortal1 can enjoy true happiness1 i4 #cfi2 recentness of the creation of1 #dif1 etc42 the first1 #eai1 etc42 the fall of the first1 #eba2 the death with which he first was threatened1 #ecc2 in what state made1 and into what state he fell1 #ecd2 forsook ,god before ,god forsook him1 #ece2 effects of the sin of the first1 ii4 #a1 etc42 what it is to live according to1 #f1 etc4 ,see ,first ,man4 ,manichans1 the1 references to1 i4 #dfa1 #dfb1 #dfc2 their view of the body1 ii4 #h1 etc4 ,manlius1 ,cneius1 i4 #abc4 ,manturn1 the goddess1 i4 #bdi1 #bej4 ,marcellus1 ,marcus1 destroys ,syracuse1 and bewails its ruin1 i4 #h4 ,mares1 the1 of ,cappadocia1 ii4 #dbb4 ,marica1 the ,minturnian goddess1 i4 #ha4 ,marius1 i4 #gi1 #hj1 #ha2 the war between1 and ,sylla1 #abh1 #abi1 #acj4 ,marriage1 as originally instituted by ,god1 ii4 #ch2 among blood relations in primitive times1 #gh2 between blood relations1 now abhorred1 #gi4 ,marriage bed-chamber1 the1 the gods which preside over1 i4 #bdi1 #bej4 ,mars1 ,terminus1 and ,juventus1 refuse to yield to ,jove1 i4 #afb1 #afi2 and ,mercury1 the offices of1 #bgf4 ,martial1 a nobleman1 converted by means of flowers brought from the shrine of ,st4 ,stephen1 ii4 #dic4 ,martyrs1 the honour paid to1 by ,christians1 i4 #cej1 etc42 the heroes of the ,church1 #daa2 miracles wrought by1 ii4 #dii1 #ejj4 ,marvels related in history1 ii4 #dag-dbc1 #dbf1 #dbg2 wrought by magic1 #dbd1 #dbe4 ,massephat1 ii4 #ahh4 ,mathematicians1 the1 convicted of professing a vain science1 i4 #ahc4 ,mediator1 ,christ the1 between ,god and man1 i4 #cfi2 the necessity of having ,christ as1 to obtain the blessed life1 #cgd2 the sacrifice effected by1 #daj1 etc4 ,melchizedek1 blesses ,abraham1 ii4 #ace4 ,melicertes1 ii4 #bcc4 ,men1 the primitive1 immortal1 had they never sinned1 i4 #edb2 the creation of1 and of angels1 ii4 #dgb-dgd4 ,mercury1 and ,mars1 i4 #bgf2 the fame of1 ii4 #bbe4 ,metellus1 rescues the sacred things from the fire in the temple of ,vesta1 i4 #aai4 ,methuselah1 the great age of1 ii4 #ff4 ,millennium1 the1 ii4 #cef4 ,mind1 the capacity and powers of1 ii4 #ebe4 ,minerva1 i4 #adf1 #bfb1 #bgi1 #bif1 ii4 #bbe4 ,miracles1 wrought by the ministry of angels1 i4 #cib1 etc41 #djj1 etc41 #dje2 the1 ascribed to the gods1 #dje1 #djf2 the1 by which ,god authenticated the law1 #djg1 etc42 against such as deny the1 recorded in ,scripture1 #djh1 etc42 the ultimate reason for believing1 #dbe-dbh2 wrought in more recent times1 #dhd-dii2 wrought by the martyrs in the name of ,christ #dii1 etc4 ,miseries1 the1 of this life1 ,cicero on1 ii4 #cjb2 of the human race through the first sin1 #eag-ebj2 deliverance from1 through the grace of ,christ1 #ebj1 #eba2 which attach peculiarly to the toil of good men1 #eba1 etc4 ,mithridates1 the edict of1 enjoining the slaughter of all ,roman citizens found in ,asia1 i4 #abe4 ,monstrous races1--are they derived from the stock of ,adam1 or from ,noah's sons8 i4 #aaf1 #aah4 ,moses1 miracles wrought by1 i4 #cic2 the time of1 ii4 #afa-afc2 who were kings at the period of the birth of8 #bbd2 the time he led ,israel out of ,egypt1 #bbh2 the antiquity of the writings of1 #bfd4 ,mother of the gods1 the obscenities of the worship of1 i4 #eb1 #ec1 etc42 whence she came1 #ajb4 ,mucius1 and king ,porsenna1 i4 #baa4 ,mysteries1 i4 #bff2 the ,eleusinian1 #bhc2 the ,samothracian1 #bif4 ,mystery1 the1 of ,christ's redemption often made known by signs1 etc41 i4 #bii4 ,mystery of iniquity1 the1 ii4 #cha1 #chb4 ,nahor1 ii4 #abe4 ,nakedness of our first parents1 the1 ii4 #cb4 ,nathan1 his message to ,david1 ii4 #ahi2 the resemblance of ,psalm lxxxix4 to the prophecy of1 #aia1 etc4 ,natural history1 curious facts in3--the salamander1 ii4 #dag2 the flesh of the peacock1 #dag1 #dah2 fire1 #dah2 charcoal1 #dah2 lime1 #dah1 #dai2 the diamond1 #dai2 the loadstone1 #dbj2 the salt of ,agrigentum1 #dba2 the fountain of the ,garamant1 and of ,epirus1 #dba2 asbestos1 #dba2 the wood of the ,egyptian fig-tree1 #dba2 the apples of ,sodom1 #dba2 the stone pyrites1 #dba1 #dbb2 the stone selenite1 #dbb2 the ,cappadocian mares1 #dbb2 the island ,tilon1 #dbb2 the star ,venus1 #dbi4 ,nature1 not contrary to ,god1 but good1 i4 #dhd2 of irrational and lifeless creatures1 #dhe2 none in which there is not good1 #cbj1 #cba4 ,natures1 ,god glorified in all1 i4 #dhf4 ,necessity1 is the will of man ruled by8 i4 #aie4 ,necromancy1 i4 #cjb4 ,neptune1 i4 #bgi1 #bif2 and ,salacia1 and ,venilia1 #bhe4 ,nero1 the first to reach the citadel of vice1 i4 #baf2 curious opinions entertained of him after his death1 ii4 #chb4 ,new ,academy1 the uncertainty of1 contrasted with the ,christian faith1 ii4 #cbh4 ,new heavens1 and new earth1 the1 ii4 #cgc1 #cgd1 #cgf1 etc4 ,nigidius1 cited in reference to the birth of twins1 i4 #aha4 ,nimrod1 ii4 #ajh1 #aji1 #aab1 #abb4 ,nineveh1 ii4 #aji2 curious discrepancy between the ,hebrew and ,septuagint as to the time fixed for the overthrow of1 in ,jonah's prophecy1 #bgc1 #bgd2 spared1 #ddf2 how the prediction against1 was fulfilled1 #dee4 ,ninus1 ii4 #bai1 #bbj4 ,noah1 commanded by ,god to build an ark1 ii4 #ih2 whether after1 till ,abraham1 any family can be found who lived according to ,god1 #ajd2 was prophetically signified by the sons of8 #aje2 the nakedness of1 revealed by ,ham1 but covered by ,shem and ,japheth1 its typical significance1 #ajf1 #ajg2 the generation of the sons of1 #ajh1 etc4 ,noctes ,attic1 the1 of ,aulus ,gellius1 quoted1 #cef1 #ceg4 ,numa ,pompilius1 the peace that existed during the reign of1 is it attributable to the gods8 i4 #ih2 introduces new gods1 #aja1 etc42 the ,romans add new gods to those introduced by1 #ajb2 the story of finding the books of1 respecting the gods1 and the burning of the same by the senate1 #cja1 etc42 befooled by hydromancy1 #cjb4 ,numantia1 i4 #abd4 ,numitor and ,amulius1 ii4 #bdj1 #bda4 ,ogyges1 ii4 #bbe1 #bbf4 ,old ,testament ,scriptures1 caused by ,ptolemy ,philadelphus to be translated out of ,hebrew into ,greek1 ii4 #bgj1 #bga4 ,opimius1 ,lucius1 and the ,gracchi1 i4 #abf4 ,oracles of the gods1 responses of1 respecting ,christ1 as related by ,porphyry1 ii4 #cdd1 etc4 ,order and law1 the1 which obtain in heaven1 and on earth1 ii4 #cbb4 ,origen1 the errors of1 i4 #dfc-dfe4 1 #cjc4 ,orpheus1 ii4 #bcc4 ,pagan error1 the probable cause of the rise of1 i4 #bha1 #bhb1 #cdg4 ,paradise1 man in1 ii1 #bc2 would there have been generation in1 had man not sinned8 #ci1 etc41 #da1 etc41 #dd1 etc42 ,malachi's reference to man's state in1 #dja4 ,paris1 the gods had no reason to be offended with1 i4 #ic4 ,passions1 the1 which assail ,christian souls1 i4 #cei1 etc42 which agitate demons1 #cfj4 ,paterfamilias1 ii4 #cbe4 ,patricians and ,plebs1 the dissensions between1 i4 #fi1 #gj1 #aac4 ,paulinus1 i4 #af4 ,paulus and ,palladia1 members of a household cursed by a mother-in-law1 miraculously healed at the shrine of ,st4 ,stephen1 ii4 #dig-dii4 ,peace1 the eternal1 of the saints1 ii4 #cad1 #cae2 the fierceness of war1 and the disquietude of men make towards1 #cae-cai2 the universal1 which the law of nature preserves1 #cai1 etc42 the1 between the heavenly and earthly cities1 #cbf1 etc42 the1 of those alienated from ,god1 and the use made of it by ,god's people1 #cda2 of those who serve ,god in this mortal life1 cannot be apprehended in its perfection1 #cda-cdc2 of ,god1 which passeth all understanding1 #ecd1 #ece4 ,peacock1 the antiseptic properties of the flesh of1 ii4 #dag4 ,pecunia1 i4 #bfd2 ,jupiter so named1 #bge4 ,peleg1 ii4 #abb1 #abc4 ,peripatetic sect1 the1 i4 #cbc4 ,peripatetics1 and ,stoics1 the opinion of1 about mental emotions1--an illustrative story1 i4 #cee-ceh4 ,perish1 ii4 #bif4 ,periurgists1 i4 #djd4 ,persecution1 all ,christians must suffer1 ii4 #bhd2 the benefits derived from1 #bhe2 the ten persecutions1 #bhf-bhh2 the time of the final1 hidden1 #bhh-bij4 ,persius1 quoted1 i4 #ee1 #ef4 ,perturbations1 the three1 of the souls of the wise1 as admitted by the ,stoics1 ii4 #ab2 in the souls of the righteous1 #ae1 etc42 were our first parents before the fall free from8 #bj4 ,peter1 ridiculously feigned by the heathen to have brought about by enchantment the worship of ,christ1 ii4 #bhi2 heals the cripple at the temple gate1 #bia4 ,petronia1 a woman of rank1 miraculously cured1 ii4 #dif4 ,philosopher1 origin of the name1 i4 #cjg4 ,philosophers1 the secret of the weakness of the moral precepts of1 i4 #ee2 the ,italic and ,ionic schools of1 #cjf1 etc42 of some who think the separation of soul and body not penal1 #ecf2 the discord of the opinions of1 contrasted with the concord of the canonical ,scriptures1 ii4 #bfg-bgj4 ,philosophy1 ,varro's enumeration of the multitudinous sects of1 ii4 #bic-big4 ,phoroneus1 ii4 #bba4 ,picus1 king of ,argos1 ii4 #bcc4 ,piety1 i4 #chd4 ,pirate1 the apt reply of a1 to ,alexander the ,great1 i4 #adj4 ,plato1 would exclude the poets from his ideal republic1 i4 #fc1 etc42 his threefold division of philosophy1 #caj1 etc42 how he was able to approach so near ,christian knowledge1 #cba1 etc42 his definition of the gods1 #cbd2 the opinion of1 as to the transmigration of souls1 #dbg2 the opinion of1 that almost all animals were created by inferior gods1 #eai2 declared that the gods made by the ,supreme have immortal bodies1 #ecf1 ii4 #eca2 the apparently conflicting views of1 and of ,porphyry1 if united1 might have led to the truth1 #ecb1 #ecc4 ,platonists1 the opinions of1 preferable to those of other philosophers1 i4 #cab1 etc42 their views of physical philosophy1 #cad1 etc42 how far they excel other philosophers in logic1 or rational philosophy1 #caf2 hold the first rank in moral philosophy1 #cag2 their philosophy has come nearest the ,christian faith1 #cah2 the ,christian religion above all their science1 #cai2 thought that sacred rites were to be performed to many gods1 #cbc2 the opinion of1 that the souls of men become demons1 #cfe2 the three qualities by which they distinguish between the nature of men and of demons1 #cfe1 etc42 their idea of the non-intercourse of celestial gods with men1 and the need of the intercourse of demons1 #cga1 etc42 hold that ,god alone can bestow happiness1 #chb2 have misunderstood the true worship of ,god1 #chf2 the principles which1 according to1 regulate the purification of the soul1 #dac2 blush to acknowledge the incarnation of ,christ1 #dbc2 refutation of the notion of1 that the soul is co-eternal with ,god1 #dbi1 #dcj2 opinion of1 that angels created man's body1 #eah2 refutation of the opinion of1 that earthly bodies cannot inherit heaven1 ii4 #eja1 etc4 ,players1 excluded by the ,romans from offices of state1 i4 #fj1 #fa4 ,plays1 scenic1 which the gods have exacted from their worshippers1 i4 #afe4 ,pleasure1 bodily1 graphically described1 i4 #bag4 ,plebs1 the dissensions between1 and the ,patricians1 ii4 #fi1 #gj1 #aac2 the secession of1 #aac4 ,plotinus1 men1 according to1 less wretched than demons1 i4 #cfd2 regarding enlightenment from above1 #che4 ,plutarch1 his ,life of ,cato quoted1 i4 #cd2 his ,life of ,numa1 #agc4 ,pluto1 i4 #bif4 1 i4 #eec1 #eed1 #eee4 ,poetical licence1 allowed by the ,greeks1 restrained by the ,romans1 i4 #eg1 #fa4 ,poets1 the1 ,plato would exclude from his ideal republic1 i4 #fc1 etc41 #cbe2 the theological1 ii4 #bcb1 #bcc4 ,pontius1 ,lucius1 announces ,sylla's victory1 i4 #hb4 ,poor1 ,he raiseth the1 out of the dunghill1 ii4 #age4 ,porphyry1 his views of theurgy1 i4 #cid1 etc41 #cif1 etc42 epistle of1 to ,anebo1 #cig1 etc42 as to how the soul is purified1 #dac2 refused to recognise ,christ1 #dad2 vacillation of1 between the confession of the true ,god and the worship of demons1 #dah2 the impiety of1 #dai2 so blind as not to recognise the true wisdom1 #dbb2 his emendations of ,platonism1 #dbf1 etc42 his ignorance of the universal way of the soul's deliverance1 #dcj1 etc42 abjured the opinion that souls constantly pass away and return in cycles1 #eaa2 his notion that the soul must be separated from the body in order to be happy1 demolished by ,plato1 #eca1 etc42 the conflicting opinions of ,plato and1 if united1 might have led to the truth1 #ecb1 #ecc2 his account of the responses of the oracles of the gods concerning ,christ1 ii4 #ccd-cci4 ,portents1 strange1 i4 #acc2 meaning of the word1 ii4 #dbi4 ,possidonius1 the story of1 i4 #agi4 ,postumius1 the augur1 and ,sylla1 i4 #ha1 #hb1 #hc4 ,prstantius1 the strange story related by1 respecting his father1 ii4 #bcg4 ,praise1 the love of1 why reckoned a virtue8 i4 #bjd2 of the eradication of the love of human1 #bje4 ,prayer for the dead1 ii4 #dec4 ,predictions of ,scripture1 i4 #dcd4 ,priest1 the faithful1 ii4 #aha4 ,priesthood1 the1 the promise to establish it for ever1 how to be understood1 ii4 #ahd2 of ,christ1 described in the ,psalms1 #bjd1 #bje4 ,proclus1 ,julius1 i4 #ajh4 ,projectus1 ,bishop1 and the miraculous cure of blind women1 ii4 #dib1 #dic4 ,proletarii1 the1 i4 #aaf4 ,prometheus1 ii4 #bbd4 ,promises1 the1 made to ,abraham1 ii4 #abi1 etc41 #aca1 etc41 #acc4 ,prophetic age1 the1 ii4 #afe4 ,prophetic records1 the1 ii4 #afc4 ,prophecies1 the threefold meaning of the1 ii4 #afg-afi2 respecting ,christ and ,his gospel1 #bdg-bdi1 #bej1 #bea1 #beb1 #bef1 #beh1 #bei4 ,prophets1 the later1 ii4 #bae2 of the time when the ,roman kingdom began1 #bdf4 ,proscription1 the1 of ,sylla1 i4 #acj4 ,proserpine1 i4 #bhd1 #bhh4 ,protasius and ,gervasius1 martyrs1 a blind man healed by the bodies of1 at ,milan1 ii4 #dhe2 a young man freed from a devil by1 #dia4 ,providence of ,god1 the1 i4 #aig1 #djc2 not disturbed by the wickedness of angels or men1 ii4 #df4 ,prudence1 ii4 #cjd4 ,psalms1 the1 ,david's concern in writing1 ii4 #aii4 ,ptolemy ,philadelphus causes the ,hebrew ,scriptures to be translated into ,greek1 ii4 #bgj1 #bga4 ,puberty1 was it later among the antediluvians than it is now8 ii4 #ge1 etc4 ,pulvillus1 ,marcus1 i4 #bab4 ,punic wars1 the1 the disasters suffered by the ,romans in1 i4 #aag2 the second of these1 its deplorable effects1 #aai1 etc4 ,punishment1 eternal1 ii4 #dac2 whether it is possible for bodies to last for ever in burning fire1 #dad2 whether bodily sufferings necessarily terminate in the destruction of the flesh1 #dad-dag2 examples from nature to show that bodies may remain unconsumed and alive in fire1 #dag2 the nature of1 #dcb1 etc42 is it just that it should last longer than the sins themselves lasted8 #dcf1 etc42 the greatness of the first transgression on account of which it is due to all not within the pale of the ,saviour's grace1 #dcg1 etc42 of the wicked after death1 not purgatorial1 #dch-ddj2 proportioned to the deserts of the wicked1 #ddd2 of certain persons1 who deny1 #ddd2 of those who think that the intercession of saints will deliver from1 #dde2 of those who think that participation of the body of ,christ will save from1 #ddg2 of those who think that ,catholic baptism will deliver from1 #ddg2 of the opinion that building on the ,foundation will save from1 #ddh2 of the opinion that alms-giving will deliver from1 #ddi2 of those who think that the devil will not suffer1 #dej2 replies to all those who deny1 #dea1 #deg1 etc41 #dfj4 ,punishments1 the temporary1 of this life1 ii4 #ddj2 the object of1 #dda4 ,purgatorial punishments1 ii4 #cii1 #djj1 #dec4 ,purification of heart1 the1 whence obtained by the saints1 i4 #dab2 the principles which1 according to the ,platonists1 regulate1 #dac2 the one true principle which alone can effect1 #dad4 ,purifying punishment1 the1 spoken of by ,malachi1 ii4 #cii4 ,pyrites1 the ,persian stone so called1 ii4 #dba4 ,pyrrhus1 invades ,italy1--response of the oracle of ,apollo to1 i4 #aaf2 cannot tempt ,fabricius1 #bac4 ,pythagoras1 the founder of the ,italic school of philosophy1 i4 #cjg4 ,queen1 the1 the ,church1 ii4 #bjb1 #bjc4 ,quiet1 the temple of1 i4 #aed4 ,radagaisus1 king of the ,goths1 the war with1 i4 #bba4 ,rain1 portentous1 i4 #acc4 ,rape of the ,sabine women1 the1 i4 #ajc1 #ajd4 ,rebecca1 wife of ,isaac1 ii4 #adi2 the divine answer respecting the twins in the womb of1 #aea4 ,recentness of man's creation1 an answer to those who complain of1 i4 #dif4 ,regeneration1 the laver or font of1 ii4 #dij4 ,regulus1 as an example of heroism1 and voluntary endurance for religion's sake1 i4 #bb1 etc42 the virtue of1 far excelled that of ,cato1 #ce4 ,reign of the saints with ,christ for a thousand years1 #bfc1 etc4 ,religion1 i4 #chd2 no true1 without true virtues1 ii4 #cdj4 ,religions1 false1 kept up on policy1 ii4 #agd4 ,republic1 ,cicero's definition of a1--was there ever a ,roman1 answering to8 ii4 #ccj-ccc2 according to what definition could the ,romans or others assume the title of a8 #cci1 #cdj4 ,resting on the seventh day1 ,god's1 the meaning of1 i4 #ddd1 #dde4 ,restitutus1 presbyter of the ,calamensian ,church1 a curious account of1 ii4 #db1 #dc4 ,resurrection1 the1 of the flesh of believers1 to a perfection not enjoyed by our first parents1 i4 #edd1 #edf1 #edg2 the first and the second1 ii4 #cec-cef1 #cfg1 #cfh2 ,paul's testimony on1 #chd2 utterances of ,isaiah respecting1 #chg1 etc42 some refuse to believe1 while the world at large believes1 #dgg2 vindicated against ridicule thrown on it1 #ejd1 etc42 whether abortions shall have part in1 #ejf2 whether infants shall have that body in1 which they would have had if they had grown up1 #ejg2 whether in the1 the dead shall rise the same size as the ,lord's body1 #ejh2 the saints shall be conformed to the image of ,christ in the1 #ejh1 #eji2 whether women shall retain their sex in1 #eji1 #eaj2 all bodily blemishes shall be removed in1 #eab2 the substance of our bodies1 however disintegrated1 shall be entirely reunited1 #eae2 the new spiritual body of1 #eag2 the obstinacy of those who impugn1 while the world believes1 #ebi1 etc4 ,resurrection of ,christ1 the1 referred to in the ,psalms1 ii4 #bje1 #bjf4 ,reward1 the1 of the saints1 after the trials of this life1 #cad4 ,rhea1 or ,ilia1 mother of ,romulus and ,remus1 ii4 #bdj1 #bda4 ,rich man1 the1 in hell1 ii4 #dce4 ,righteous1 the glory of the1 is in ,god1 i4 #bje4 ,righteous man1 the1 the sufferings of1 described in the ,book of ,wisdom1 ii4 #bji1 etc4 ,rites1 sacred1 of the gods1 i4 #bde4 ,rituals of false gods1 instituted by kings of ,greece1 from the exodus of ,israel downward1 ii4 #bbi4 ,roman empire1 the1 which of the gods presided over8 i4 #adc2 whether the great extent and duration of1 should be attributed to ,jove1 #afe2 whether the worship of the gods has been of service in extending1 #afh2 the cause of1 not fortuitous1 nor attributable to the position of the stars1 #agg1 etc42 by what virtues the enlargement of1 was merited1 #aih1 etc4 ,roman kings1 what manner of life and death they had1 i4 #ajh1 etc4 ,roman republic1 was there ever one answering to ,cicero's definition8 i4 #cca-ccc1 #cci1 #cdj4 ,romans1 the1 the folly of1 in trusting gods which could not defend ,troy1 i4 #d1 etc42 by what steps the passion of governing increased among1 #dc2 the vices of1 not corrected by the overthrow of their city1 #de2 the calamities suffered by1 before ,christ1 #ej1 etc41 #fg1 etc42 poetical licence restrained by1 #eg1 etc42 excluded players from offices of state1 and restrained the licence of players1 #fj1 #fa2 the gods never took any steps to prevent the republic of1 from being ruined by immorality1 #gg1 etc2 the obscenities of their plays consecrated to the service of their gods1 contributed to overthrow their republic1 #hg1 etc42 exhorted to forsake paganism1 #hi2 was it desirable that the empire of1 should be increased by a succession of furious wars8 #ii2 by what right they obtained their first wives1 #ajc2 the wickedness of the wars waged by1 against the ,albans1 #aje1 #ajf2 the first consuls of1 #aaa1 etc42 the disasters which befell1 in the ,punic wars1 #aag1 etc41 #aai1 etc42 the ingratitude of1 to ,scipio1 the conqueror of ,hannibal1 #abc2 the internal disasters which vexed the republic1 #abe1 etc42 multiplied gods for small and ignoble purposes1 #add2 to what profit they carried on war1 and how far to the well-being of the conquered1 #bjh2 dominion granted to1 by the providence of ,god1 #bah4 ,rome1 the sack of1 by the ,barbarians1 i4 #b2 the evils inflicted on the ,christians in the sack of1--why permitted1 #ci2 the iniquities practised in the palmiest days of1 #fg1 etc42 the corruption which had grown up in1 before ,christianity1 #ga1 etc42 ,cicero's opinion of the republic of1 #gd2 frost and snow incredibly severe at1 #aag2 calamities which befell1 in the ,punic wars1 #aag1 etc41 #aai1 etc42 ,asiatic luxury introduced to1 #abc2 when founded1 ii4 #bda2 the founder of1 made a god1 #dhj4 ,romulus1 the alleged parentage of1 i4 #id1 #ie2 no penalty exacted for his fratricidal act1 #ie1 etc42 the death of1 #ajh1 #aji1 ii4 #bdj2 suckled by a wolf1 ii4 #bdj1 #bda2 made a god by ,rome1 #dhj1 etc4 ,rule1 equitable1 ii4 #cbe4 ,rulers serve the society which they rule1 ii4 #cbb1 #cbc4 ,sabbath1 the perpetual1 ii4 #edc4 ,sabine women1 the rape of the1 i4 #fg1 #ajc1 #ajd4 ,sack1 of ,rome1 the1 by the ,barbarians1 i4 #b1 etc42 of ,troy1 #f1 etc4 ,sacrifice1 that due to the true ,god only1 i4 #chg2 the true and perfect1 #cij2 the reasonableness of offering a visible1 to ,god1 #dji2 the supreme and true1 of the ,mediator1 #daj2 of ,abraham1 when he believed1--its meaning1 ii4 #acf4 ,sacrifices1 those not required by ,god1 but enjoined for the exhibition of the truth1 i4 #chh4 ,sacrifices of righteousness1 ii4 #djj1 #dja4 ,sacristan of ,hercules1 a1 the story of1 i4 #bdd4 ,sages1 the seven1 ii4 #bdd1 #bde4 ,saguntum1 the destruction of1 i4 #aba1 #abb4 ,saints1 the1 lose nothing in losing their temporal goods1 i4 #ad1 etc42 their consolations in captivity1 #bb2 cases in which the examples of1 are not to be followed1 #cg2 why the enemy was permitted to indulge his lust on the bodies of1 #ci2 the reply of1 to unbelievers1 who taunted them with ,christ's not having rescued them from the fury of their enemies1 #da1 etc42 the reward of1 after the trials of this life1 ii4 #cad2 the happiness of the eternal peace which constitutes the perfection of1 #cad1 #cae2 in this life1 blessed in hope1 #ccj4 ,salacia1 i4 #bhe4 ,salamander1 the1 ii4 #dag4 ,sallust1 quoted1 i4 #g1 #h1 #fg1 #fi1 #ib1 #ajj1 #ajg1 #aac1 #aih1 #bja1 #bfc1 ii4 #bai4 ,salt1 the1 of ,agrigentum1 the peculiar qualities of1 ii4 #dba4 ,samnites1 the1 defeated by the ,romans1 i4 #aae4 ,samothracians1 the mysteries of the1 i4 #bif4 ,samuel1 the address of1 to ,saul on his disobedience1 ii4 #ahf1 etc42 sets up a stone of memorial1 #ahh4 ,saul1 spared by ,david1 ii4 #ahd1 #ahe2 forfeits the kingdom1 #ahe1 #ahf4 ,sanctity1 the1 of the body1 not violated by the violence of another's lust1 i4 #bf1 #bg4 ,sancus1 or ,sangus1 a ,sabine god1 ii4 #bch4 ,sarah1 and ,hagar1 and their sons1--the typical significance of1 ii4 #ea1 #eb2 ,sarah's barrenness1 #eb1 #ec2 preservation of the chastity of1 in ,egypt1 and in ,gerar1 #cb1 #adf2 change of the name of1 #adc1 #add2 the death of1 #adi4 ,satan1 transforms himself into an angel of light1 ii4 #cac4 ,see ,devil4 ,saturn1 i4 #adg1 #bfj1 #bfa1 #bfe2 and ,genius1 thought to be really ,jupiter1 #bge1 etc42 interpretations of the reasons for worshipping1 #bhb2 and ,picus1 ii4 #bcc4 ,saved by fire1 ii4 #dfj4 ,scvola1 the pontiff1 slain in the ,marian wars1 i4 #abi1 #aca2 distinguishes three kinds of gods1 #aff1 #afg4 ,scenic representations1 the establishment of1 opposed by ,scipio ,nasica1 i4 #dd2 the obscenities of1 contributed to the overthrow of the republic1 #hd1 etc4 ,schools of philosophers1 i4 #cjf1 etc4 ,scipio ,nasica1 ,rome's best man1 opposes the destruction of ,carthage1 i4 #db1 #dc2 opposes scenic representations1 #add4 ,scripture1 the obscurity of1--its advantages1 i4 #deh4 ,scriptures1 the canonical1 the authority of1 i4 #dch2 of the ,old ,testament1 translated into ,greek1 ii4 #bgj1 #bga4 ,sea1 the1 gives up the dead which are in it1 ii4 #cge2 no more1 #cgg4 ,sects of philosophy1 the number of1 according to ,varro1 ii4 #bic-big4 ,selenite1 the stone so called1 ii4 #dbb4 ,semiramis1 ii4 #bbj4 ,seneca1 ,annus1 recognises the guiding will of the ,supreme1 i4 #ahi2 censures the popular worship of the gods1 and the popular theology1 #beb-bee2 what he thought of the ,jews1 #bee1 #bef4 ,septuagint1--is it or the ,hebrew text to be followed in computing years8 ii4 #gj1 etc42 origin of the1 #bgj1 #bga2 authority of1 in relation to the ,hebrew original1 #bga-bgc2 difference between1 and the ,hebrew text1 as to the days fixed by ,jonah for the destruction of ,nineveh1 #bgc-bge4 ,servitude introduced by sin1 ii4 #cbc4 ,servius ,tullius1 the foul murder of1 i4 #aaj4 ,seth and ,cain1 heads of two lines of descendants1 ii4 #ha2 relation of the former to ,christ1 #hb4 ,seven1 the number1 i4 #dge1 ii4 #agc1 #agd4 ,seventh day1 the1 i4 #dge4 ,severus1 bishop of ,milevis1 ii4 #dbj4 ,sex1 shall it be restored in the resurrection8 ii4 #eji1 #eaj4 ,sexual intercourse1 ii4 #cd2 in the antediluvian age1 #ge1 etc4 ,shem1 ii4 #aje2 the sons of1 #aji2 the genealogy of1 #aai1 etc4 ,sibyl1 the ,cuman1 i4 #dba2 the ,erythran1 #dbb4 ,sibylline books1 the1 i4 #aah4 ,sicyon1 the kingdom and kings of1 ii4 #bai1 #bbj1 #bba1 #bci4 ,silvanus1 the god1 i4 #bdi4 ,silvii1 ii4 #bci4 ,simplicianus1 bishop of ,milan1 his reminiscence of the saying of a certain ,platonist1 i4 #dbf4 ,sin1 should not be sought to be obviated by sin1 i4 #cf2 should not be sought to be shunned by a voluntary death1 #ch2 had not its origin in ,god1 but in the will of the creature1 #def2 not caused by the flesh1 but by the soul1 ii4 #d2 servitude introduced by1 #cbc4 ,sins1 how cleansed1 i4 #dac4 ,six1 the perfection of the number1 i4 #dgd4 ,slave1 when the word1 first occurs in ,scripture2 its meaning1 ii4 #cbd4 ,social life1 disturbed by many distresses1 ii4 #cjg1 etc4 ,socrates1 a sketch of1--his philosophy1 i4 #cjh-caj2 the god or demon of1 the book of ,apuleius concerning1 #cbe1 #cbg4 ,sodom1 the region of1 ii4 #dca4 ,solomon1 books written by1 and the prophecies they contain1 ii4 #bji1 etc42 the kings after1 both of ,israel and ,judah1 #bac4 ,son of ,god1 but one by nature1 ii4 #dda4 ,sons of ,god1 the1 and daughters of men1 ii4 #ia1 etc42 not angels1 #ib1 etc4 ,soranus1 ,valerius1 i4 #bgd4 ,soul1 the1 immortal1 i4 #beg2 the way of its deliverance1 #dcj2 created in the image of ,god1 #eae2 ,porphyry's notion that its blessedness requires separation from the body1 demolished by ,plato1 #eca2 the separation of1 and the body1 considered by some not to be penal1 #ecf4 ,soul of the world1 ,god not the1 i4 #aea2 ,varro's opinion of1 examined1 #bfg4 ,souls1 rational1 the opinion that there are three kinds of1 i4 #cbe1 #cbf2 the1 of men1 according to the ,platonists1 become demons1 #cfc2 views of the transmigration of1 #dbg1 #dbh2 not co-eternal with ,god1 #dbi2 do not return from blessedness to labour and misery1 after certain periodic revolutions1 #eji4 1 ii4 #cjc4 ,speusippus1 i4 #cbd4 ,spirit1 i4 #eec1 #eed1 #eee4 ,spiritual body1 the1 of the saints1 in the resurrection1 #eaf4 ,stars1 the supposed influence of1 on kingdoms1 births1 etc41 i4 #agg1 #agh1 #agi1 #ahj2 some1 called by the names of gods1 #bgg1 etc4 ,stephen1 ,st41 miracles wrought by the relics of1 and at the shrine of1 ii4 #dib1 #dic1 #did1 #die1 #dif1 #dig4 ,stoics1 opinions of1 about mental emotions1 i4 #cee1 etc42 the three perturbations admitted by1 in the soul of the wise man1 ii4 #ab1 etc42 the belief of1 as to the gods1 #bfh2 suicide permitted by1 #cjd1 #cje4 ,strong man1 the1 ii4 #cef4 ,substance1 the1 of the people of ,god1 ii4 #aid4 ,suicide1 committed through fear of dishonour or of punishment1 i4 #be2 ,christians have no authority for committing1 under any circumstances1 #cj2 can never be prompted to1 by magnanimity1 #cb2 the example of ,cato in relation to1 #cd2 should it be resorted to1 to avoid sin8 #ch2 permitted by the ,stoics1 ii4 #cjd1 #cje4 ,sun1 the1 stayed in its course by ,joshua1 ii4 #dbi1 #dcj4 ,superstition1 i4 #aga4 ,sylla1 the deeds of1 i4 #ha-hc2 and ,marius1 the war between1 #abh1 #abi4 ,sylva1 i4 #ie4 ,symmachus1 i4 #ea1 and note4 ,tarquinius1 ,priscus1 or ,superbus1 his barbarous murder of his father-in-law1 i4 #aaj2 the expulsion of1 from ,rome1 #aaj1 #aaa4 ,tatius1 ,titus1 introduces new gods1 i4 #afa4 ,tellus1 i4 #adg2 the surnames of1 and their significance1 #bhi4 ,temperance1 ii4 #cjc4 ,ten kings1 the1 ii4 #cid4 ,terah1 the emigration of1 from ,ur of the ,chaldees1 ii4 #abe2 the years of1 #abf4 ,terence1 quoted1 i4 #ef4 ,terentius1 a certain1 finds the books of ,numa ,pompilius1 i4 #cja4 ,terminus1 i4 #afb1 #afi2 and ,janus1 #bfh4 ,thales1 the founder of the ,ionic school of philosophy1 i4 #cjg4 ,theatrical exhibitions1 publish the shame of the gods1 i4 #eg2 the obscenities of1 contributed to overthrow the republic1 #hg4 ,theodorus1 the ,cyrenian philosopher1 his reply to ,lysimachus1 i4 #bj1 note4 ,theodosius1 the faith and piety of1 i4 #bbd1 etc4 ,theological poets1 ii4 #bcb1 #bcc4 ,theology1 ,varro's threefold division of1 i4 #bch-bdc4 1 i4 #chd4 ,theurgy1 i4 #cid1 etc41 #cif1 etc4 ,thousand years1 the1 of the ,book of ,revelation1 ii4 #cef2 the reign of the saints with ,christ during1 #cfb1 etc4 ,threats employed against the gods to compel their aid1 i4 #cii4 1 i4 #chd4 ,tilon1 the island of1 ii4 #dbb4 ,time1 i4 #ddb4 ,time1 times1 and a half time1 ii4 #cid4 ,times and seasons1 the hidden1 ii4 #bhh1 #bhi4 ,titus1 ,latinius1 i4 #cbe4 ,torquatus1 slays his victorious son1 i4 #baj4 ,transformations1 strange1 of men1 ii4 #bce2 what we should believe respecting1 #bce-bch ,transgression1 the first1 the greatness of1 ii4 #cdg1 #cdh4 ,transmigration of souls1 the ,platonic views of1 amended by ,porphyry1 i4 #dbg1 #dbh4 ,tree of life1 the1 the days of1 ii4 #djb4 ,trinity1 the1 i4 #dad2 further explained1 #ddg-dej2 further statements of1--indications of1 scattered everywhere among the works of ,god1 #dfe2 indications of1 in philosophy1 #dff-dfh2 the image of1 in human nature1 #dfh4 ,troy1 the gods unable to afford an asylum during the sack of1 i4 #f2 were the gods justified in permitting the destruction of8 #ic1 etc4 ,truth1 the sad results where it is hidden1 ii4 #cji1 etc4 ,tullus ,hostilius1 i4 #aji1 #aaj4 ,twelve thrones1 ii4 #cea4 ,twenty ,martyrs1 the1 how a tailor got a new coat by praying at the shrine of1 ii4 #dib4 ,twins1 on the difference of the health1 etc41 of1 i4 #agi1 #ahj2 of different sexes1 #ahe4 ,unbaptized1 the1 saved through the confession of ,christ1 i4 #ebg1 #ebh4 ,unbelief of the ,jews1 the1 foretold1 ii4 #bjh4 ,unity1 the1 of the human race1 i4 #eac1 etc4 ,universe1 the beauty of the1 i4 #deg4 ,valens1 a persecutor1 ii4 #bhg4 ,valentinian1 protected by ,theodosius1 i4 #bbd2 a confessor1 ii4 #bhg4 ,valerius1 ,marcus1 i4 #bac4 ,varro1 his opinion of the utility of men feigning themselves to be the offspring of gods1 i4 #id2 boasts of having conferred the knowledge of the worship of the gods on the ,romans1 #aei1 #afj2 what he thought of the gods of the nations1 #bcb2 his book concerning the antiquities of divine and human things1 #bcd1 #bce1 etc42 his threefold division of theology into fabulous1 natural1 and civil1 #bch1 etc42 the opinion of1 that ,god is the soul of the world1 #bfg1 #bgb2 pronounces his own opinions respecting the gods uncertain1 #bhj2 holds the earth to be a goddess1 #bhf1 etc42 his doctrine of the gods not self-consistent1 #bie2 assigns the reason why ,athens was so called1 ii4 #bbf2 the opinion of1 about the name of ,areopagus1 #bbg1 #bbh2 what he relates of the strange transformations of men1 #bce1 etc42 on the number of philosophical sects1 #bic-bii1 etc2 in reference to a celestial portent1 #dbi2 his story of the ,vestal virgin falsely accused1 #ejc2 his work on ,the ,origin of the ,roman ,people1 quoted in relation to the ,palingenesy1 #ecc4 ,vaticanus1 i4 #adi4 ,venilia1 i4 #bhe4 ,venus1 a peculiar candelabrum in a temple of1 ii4 #dbc1 #dbd4 ,venus1 the planet1 a strange prodigy that occurred to1 ii4 #dbi4 ,vesta1 i4 #adg1 #adh1 #bgi4 ,vestal virgin1 a1 to prove her innocence1 carries water in a sieve from the ,tiber1 ii4 #ejc4 ,vestal virgins1 the punishment of those caught in adultery1 i4 #ie4 ,vice1 not nature1 contrary to ,god1 and hurtful1 i4 #dhd4 ,vicissitudes of life1 the1 on what dependent1 i4 #gi1 etc4 ,victoria1 the goddess1 i4 #aeb1 #aec2 ought she to be worshipped as well as ,jove8 #aed4 ,virgil1 quoted1 i4 #b1 #d1 #e1 #f1 #bi1 #gh1 #hi1 #ib1 #aja1 #ajc1 #ajf1 #ajg1 #aii1 #bjj1 #bgj1 #bgb1 #bid1 #ccb1 #ccc1 #chd1 #dab1 #dba1 #dbh1 ii4 #e1 #bcd1 #cig1 #dbe1 #dci1 #dgj4 ,virgin ,mary1 the1 ii4 #bjd4 ,virgins1 the violation of1 by force1 does not contaminate1 i4 #be4 ,virtue and ,faith1 honoured by the ,romans with temples1 i4 #aef1 #aeg2 the ,romans ought to have been content with1 and ,felicity1 #aeg2 the war waged by1 ii4 #bjc4 ,virtues1 as disgraceful to make them serve human glory as to serve bodily pleasure1 i4 #bag2 true1 necessary to true religion1 ii4 #cdj1 #cda4 ,virtumnus and ,sentinus1 i4 #bfj1 #bfa4 ,virtus1 the goddess1 i4 #bfc1 #bfd4 ,vision1 the beatific1 ii4 #ecd-edj4 ,vulcan1 i4 #bgi4 ,warfare1 the ,christian1 ii4 #ddb4 ,war1 against the ,albans1 i4 #aje2 with ,pyrrhus1 #aaf2 the ,punic1 #aag1 etc42 #aai1 etc42 the civil1 of the ,gracchi1 #abf2 the civil1 between ,marius and ,sylla1 #abh1 etc42 the ,gothic and ,gallic1 #acj2 severe and frequent1 before the advent of ,christ1 #aca2 the duration of various1 #bbj2 with ,radagaisus1 #bba2 the miseries of1 ii4 #caa4 ,waters1 the separation of the1 i4 #dgi4 ,wicked1 the1 the ills which alone are feared by1 i4 #ia2 ,god makes a good use of1 ii4 #bhd2 going out to see the punishment of1 #cib2 the end of1 #cdc2 and the good1 one event befalls1 i4 #aj1 ii4 #cdh2 the connection of1 and the good together1 i4 #aa4 ,wickedness1 not a flaw of nature1 i4 #def4 ,will1 the consent of1 to an evil deed1 makes the deed evil1 i4 #bf2 is it ruled by necessity8 #aie2 the enemies of ,god are so by1 #dhd1 #dhg2 no efficient cause of an evil1 #dij2 the misdirected love by which it fell away from the immutable to the mutable good1 #dij1 #dia2 whether the angels received their good1 from ,god1 #dia1 #dib2 the character of1 makes the affections of the soul right or wrong1 ii4 #i1 etc42 in the state of perfect felicity1 #edb4 ,will of ,god1 the eternal and unchangeable1 ii4 #dgd4 ,wisdom1 described in the ,book of ,proverbs1 ii4 #baa4 ,wisdom1 the ,book of1 a prophecy of ,christ in the1 ii4 #bji4 ,wives1 how the ,romans obtained their first1 i4 #ajc4 ,woman1 shall she retain he sex in the resurrection8 ii4 #eji1 #eaj2 the formation of1 from a rib of sleeping ,adams1 a type1 #eaj4 ,world1 the1 not eternal1 i4 #dci2 the infinite ages before1 not to be comprehended1 #dda2 and time had both one beginning1 #ddb2 falseness of the history which ascribes many thousand years to the past existence of1 #did2 of those who hold a plurality of worlds1 #dif2 predictions respecting the end of1 ii4 #cie1 etc4 ,worlds without end1 or ages of ages1 i4 #ejh1 etc4 ,wonders1 lying1 ii4 #dhc4 ,worm1 the1 that dieth not1 ii4 #cic1 #dcc4 ,worship of ,god1 distinction between latria and dulia1 i4 #chc1 #chd1 #chf1 etc4 ,xenocrates1 i4 #cbd4 ,years1 in the time of the antediluvians1 ii4 #fh1 etc41 #gc1 etc42 in the words1 their days shall be an hundred and twenty years1 #ig1 etc42 the thousand1 of the ,book of ,revelation1 #cef2 the three and a half1 of the ,book of ,revelation1 #cid4 ,zoroaster1 ii4 #ddj4 ,,murray ,,and ,,gibb1 ,,edinburgh1 ,,printers ,,to ,,her ,,majesty',s ,,stationery ,,office4 ,t4 and ,t4 ,clark's ,publications4 ,ante-,nicene ,christian ,library4 ,a ,,collection ,,of ,,all ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,the ,,fathers ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,church1 ,,prior ,,to ,,the ,,council ,,of ,,nic,a1 ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,alexander ,,roberts1 ,d4,d41 ,author of ',discussions on the ,gospels1' etc41 ,,and ,,james ,,donaldson1 ,,ll4,d41 ,rector of the ,royal ,high ,school1 ,edinburgh1 and ,author of ',early ,christian ,literature and ,doctrine4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,messrs4 ,clark are now happy to announce the near completion of this ,series4 ,it has been received with marked approval by all sections of the ,christian ,church in this country and in the ,united ,states1 as supplying what has long been felt to be a want1 and also on account of the impartiality1 learning1 and care with which ,editors and ,translators have executed a very difficult task4 ,the whole ,series will be completed in ,twenty-four ,volumes1 of which ,eighteen are ready1 and the remaining ,six will be published in the course of this year4 ,each ,work is supplied with a good and full ,index2 but1 to add to the value of the completed ,series1 an ,index ,volume is preparing for the whole ,series1 which will be sold separately to those who may desire it1 at a moderate price2 and the complete ,series 7exclusive of ,general ,index71 in ,twenty-four ,volumes1 will cost ,six ,guineas4 ,the ,subscription for #ast1 #b;d1 #c;d1 #dth1 and #eth ,years is now due--#e1 #es4 ,the ,subscription to the ,series is at the rate of #bas4 for ,four ,volumes when paid in advance 7or #bds4 when not so paid71 and #ajs4 #f;d4 each ,volume to ,non-,subscribers4 ,the ,publishers1 however1 do not bind themselves to continue to supply the complete ,series at this rate4 ,single ,years cannot be had separately1 with the exception of current year1 unless to complete sets1 but any ,volume may be had separately1 price #ajs4 #f;d4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,homilies of ,origen are not included in the ,series1 as the ,publishers have received no encouragement to have them translated4 ,the ,works are arranged as follow3-- ,,first ,,year4 ,,apostolic ,,fathers1 comprising ,clement's ,epistles to the ,corinthians2 ,polycarp to the ,ephesians2 ,martyrdom of ,polycarp2 ,epistle of ,barnabas2 ,epistles of ,ignatius 7longer and shorter1 and also the ,syriac version72 ,martyrdom of ,ignatius2 ,epistle to ,diognetus2 ,pastor of ,hermas2 ,papias2 ,spurious ,epistles of ,ignatius4 ,in ,one ,volume4 ,,justin ,,martyr2 ,,athenagoras4 ,in ,one ,volume4 ,,tatian2 ,,theophilus2 ,,the ,,clementine ,,recognitions4 ,in ,one ,volume4 ,,clement ,,of ,,alexandria1 ,volume ,first1 comprising ,exhortation to ,heathen2 ,the ,instructor2 and a portion of the ,miscellanies4 ,,second ,,year4 ,,hippolytus1 ,volume ,first2 ,refutation of all ,heresies and ,fragments from his ,commentaries4 ,,iren,,us1 ,volume ,first4 ,,tertullian ,,against ,,marcion4 ,,cyprian1 ,volume ,first2 the ,epistles and some of the ,treatises4 ,,third ,,year4 ,,iren,,us 7completion72 ,,hippolytus 7completion72 ,fragments of ,third ,century4 ,in ,one ,volume4 ,,origen3 ,de ,principiis2 ,letters2 and portion of ,treatise against ,celsus4 ,,clement ,,of ,,alexandria1 ,volume ,second2 ,completion of ,miscellanies4 ,,tertullian1 ,volume ,first3 ,to the ,martyrs2 ,apology2 ,to the ,nations1 etc4 ,,fourth ,,year4 ,,cyprian1 ,volume ,second 7completion72 ,novatian2 ,minucius ,felix2 ,fragments4 ,,methodius2 ,,alexander ,,of ,,lycopolis2 ,,peter ,,of ,,alexandria2 ,anatolius2 ,clement on ,virginity1 and ,fragments4 ,,tertullian1 ,volume ,second4 ,,apocryphal ,,gospels2 ,,acts ,,and ,,revelations1 comprising all the very curious ,apocryphal ,writings of the first ,three ,centuries4 ,,fifth ,,year4 ,,tertullian1 ,volume ,third 7completion74 ,,clementine ,,homilies2 ,,apostolical ,,constitutions4 ,in ,one ,volume4 ,,arnobius4 ,,dionysius2 ,,gregory ,,thaumaturgus2 ,,syrian ,,fragments4 ,in ,one ,volume4 7,,arnobius and ,,dionysius1 etc41 in ,may47 ,,sixth ,,year 7to be ready in #ahga74 ,,lactantius4 ,two ,volumes4 ,,origen1 ,volume ,second 7completion74 ,,early ,,liturgies ,,and ,,remaining ,,fragments4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,obvious punctuation and spelling errors have been fixed throughout4 ,inconsistent hyphenation is as in the original4