therefore many Phylosophers were of opinion, That all the power of
the Gods were not able to mooue it from it's place. But because nothing is
impossible vn∣to God and his omnipotent power, the Scripture almost in euerie
place saith, That the Heauen, the earth, and that which is vnder the earth, and
all the firme∣nesse and strong foundation thereof, are mooued, and shake and
tremble at the twinckling of his eyes. If then to mooue the Earth (which is a
dead thing, and which cannot make resistance, nor contradiction) bee onely the
Blazon and Cog∣nisance of God; What a thing then is it, to mooue this liuing
Earth, which en∣ioyes it's owne libertie, and may out of it's stubbornenesse
say vnto God, I will not. But admit it should say, I will, the miracle is no
lesse, but rather a manifest token of Gods diuine power and omnipotencie.
It is likewise to be noted, That all the entrances which our
Sauiour Christ made, were with a great deale of noyse and clamour. In that
first which he made in the world, Haggie prophecied, That he should turne the Heauen and the
Earth topsi-turuie. And God did performe it, vsing as his Instrument therein,
the Em∣perour Octauianus Augustus. In that which hee made into Aegypt,
he did trou∣ble all that Kingdome, by throwing their Idolls downe to the
ground, as it was prophecied by Esayas, Commouebuntur simulachra
Aegypti: So doth Procopius de∣clare it, Eusebius,
Athanasius, and Saint Austen: But say, That in these his
entran∣ces there was a generall motion, yet was there not a generall obedience.
But here Commota est vniuersa Ciuitas: The Greeke saith, Velut
terrae motu concussa fuit. As if it had suffered an vniuersal earthquake;
there was neither old man, nor wo∣man, nor child, &c.
This is a great encarecimiento, or endeering of the
matter.
First, Because our Sauiour preaching about the Cities and Townes
of that Kingdome, the Euangelists deliuer vnto vs, That all the Inhabitants
that were in those parts, left their houses and their villages emptie and
forsaken, and only for to follow him. S. Marke, he saith, Et
conueniebant ad eum vndique, vt iam non posset manifeste introire in Ciuitatem,
sed in Desertis locis esset. And Saint Luke, That they troad one
another vnder foot, and crusht the breath out of their bodies, and on∣ly to
presse to heare him; Ita vt se mutuò suffocarent. But it is to
be supposed, that many likewise staid at home; but in this his entrance into
Hierusalem, God would haue this lot to light vpon all, and therefore it is
said, Vniuersa Ciuitas, The whole Citie.
Se••ondly, In regard of
the infinite number of Inhabitants that were in that Citie; which (as
Plinie reporteth) was in those dayes the famousest in all the East:
And, in a manner, all those that haue writ thereof make mention of foure
millions of persons. Iosephus relateth, That the President of Syria
beeing desi∣rous to render an account vnto Nero, of the greatnesse of
that Commonwealth, did desire of the high Priests, that they would giue him a
true note of the num∣ber of those Lambs which they sacrificed one Sabboth,
which were afterwards eaten by seuerall companies and Housholds, some
consisting of ten, some of 15, and some, 20 soules; and they found, that they did
sacrifice at euerie one of those their solemne Sabboths, two hundred fiftie six
thousand and fiue hundred Lambes; which, according to the rate of fifteene
persons in a companie, amount to foure millions and fiue hundred thousand. But
withall, it is to be noted, that neither the Sicke nor the children were
present thereat. But here, Vniuersa Ciui∣tas, The whole Citie came,
some out of passion, and some out of affection.
Thirdly, For that our Sauior Christ was alreadie condemned to
death by the Chapter house of the Clergie, who had called a Conuocation, to
send out