St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

How Hermes openly confessed his progenitors error, and yet bewayled the destruction of it. CHAP. 24.

FOr after much discourse, hee comes againe to speake of the gods men made but of these sufficient (saith hee): let vs returne againe to man, & to reason by which diuine guift man hath the name of reasonable. For we haue yet spoken no wonderfull thing of man: the (a) wonder of all wonders is that man could fi•…•…e out the diuine nature, and giue it effect. Wherefore our fathers erring excee∣dinly in incredulity (b) concerning the deities, and neuer penetrating into the depth of diuine religiō, they inuēted an art, to make gods, whervnto they ioyned

a vertue out of some part of the worlds nature, like to the other: and conioyning these two, because they could make no soules, they framed certaine Images whereinto they called either Angells, or deuills, and so by these mysteries gaue * 1.1 these Idols power to hurt or helpe them. I know not whether the deuills being admited would say asmuch as this man saith. Our fathers exceedingly erring (saith he) in incredulity concerning the deities, & not penetrating into the depth of diuine religion, inuented an arte to make gods. Was hee content to say they but erred, in this inuention? no, he addeth. Exceedingly, thus this exceeding error and incredulity of those that looked not into matters diuine, gaue life to this in∣uention of making gods. And yet though it were so, though this was but an in∣uention of error, incredulity, and irreligiousnes, yet this wise man lamenteth that future times should abolish it. Marke now whether Gods power compell him to confesse his progenitors error, & the diuills to bee made the future wrack of the said error. If it were their exceeding error, incredulity & negligence in matters diuine that giue first life to this god-making inuention, what wonder if this arte bee detestable, and all that it did against the truth cast out from the truth, this truth correcting that errour, this faith that incredulity, this conuersion that neglect? If he conceale the cause, and yet confesse that rite to be their inuention, we (if we haue any wit) cannot but gather that had they bin in the right way, they would neuer haue fallen to that folly: had they either thought worthily, or medi∣tated seriously of religion yet should wee a ffirme that their great, incredulous, contemptuous error in the cause of diuinity, was the cause of this inuention, wee should neuerthelesse stand in need to prepare our selues to endure the impudence of the truths obstinate opponēts. But since he that admires y^• power of this art a∣boue all other things in man, and greeues that the time should come wherein al those illusions should claspe with ruine, through the power of legall authority: since he confesseth the causes that gaue this art first original, namely the exceed∣ing error, incredulity & negligēce of his ancestor in matters diuine: what should wee doe but thinke GOD hath ouerthrowne these institutions by their iust con∣trary causes? that which errors multitude ordained, hath truths tract abolished: faith hath subuerted the worke of incredulity, and conuersion vnto Gods truth hath suppressed the effects of true Gods neglect: not in Egipt only, (where onely the diabolicall spirit bewaileth) but in all the world, which heareth a new song sung vnto the Lord, as the holy scripture saith. Sing vnto the Lord a new song: Sing * 1.2 vnto the Lord, all the earth: for the (c) title of this Psalme is, when the house was built after the captiuity: the City of God, the Lords house is built, that is the ho∣ly Church all the earth ouer: after captiuity wherein the deuills held those men slaues, who after by their faith in God became principall stones in the building: for mans making of these gods, did not acquit him from beeing slaue to these works of his, but by his willing worship he was drawn into their society: a society of suttle diuills, not of stupid Idols: for what are Idols but as the Scripture saith, haue eyes and see not, & all the other properties that may be said of a dead sence∣lesse Image, how well soeuer carued. But the vncleane spirits, therein by that tru∣ly black art, boūd their soules that adored thē, in their society, & most horrid cap∣tiuity: therefore saith the Apostle: We know that an Idol is nothing in the world: But the Gentiles offer to deuilis & not vnto God: I wil not haue them to haue society with the * 1.3 deuils. So then after this captiuity that bound men slaue to the deuils, Gods house began to be built through the earth: thence had the Psalme the beginning. Sing vnto the Lord a new song: sing vnto the Lord, all the earth. Sing vnto the Lord and

praise his name (d) declare his saluation (e) from day to day. Declare his glorie amongst all nations, and his wonders amongst all people. For the Lord is great and much to be praised: hee is to be feared aboue all gods. For all the gods of the people are I∣dols, but the Lord made the heauens. Hee then that bewailed the abolishment of these Idols in the time to come, and of the slauery wherein the deuills held men captiue, did it out of an euill spirits inspiration, and from that did desire the con∣tinuance of that captiuity which beeing dissanulled, the Psalmist sung that gods house was built vp through the earth. Hermes presaged it with teares; the Prophet with ioy, and because that spirit that the Prophet spake by is euer vic∣tor: Hermes himselfe that bewailed their future ruine, and wisht their eternity is by a strange power compelled to confesse their original from error, increduli∣ty and contempt of GOD, not from prudence, faith, and deuotion. And though he call them gods, that in saying yet men did make them (and such men as wee should not imitate) what doth he (despite his heart) but teach vs that they are not to be worshiped of such men, as are not like thē that made them: namely of those that be wise, faithful and religious: shewing also that those men that made them, bound themselues to adore such gods as were no gods at al. So true is that of the Prophet: If a man make gods, behold, they are no gods. Now Hermes in calling those gods that are made by such meanes, that is, deuills bound in Idols, by an arte, or rather, by their owne elections, and affirming them the handy-workes of * 1.4 men, giueth them not so much as Apuleius the Platonist doth (but wee haue shewne already how grosely and absurdly) who maketh them the messengers be∣tweene the gods, that God made, and the men that hee made also; to carry vp praiers and bring downe benefites: for it were fondnesse to thinke that a god of mans making could doe more with the gods of Gods making then a man whom he made also could. For because, a deuill bound in a statue by this damned arte, is made a god: not to each man, but to his binder (g) such as he is. Is not this a sweete god now, whome none but an erroneous, incredulous, irreligious man would goe about to make? furthermore if the Temple-deuills, beeing bound by arte (forsooth) in those Idols by them that made them gods at such time as they themselues were wanderers, vnbeleeuers, and contemners of gods true religion, are no messengers, betweene the gods and them; and if by reason of their damna∣ble conditions, those men that do so wander, beleeue so little, and despise religion so much, be neuerthelesse their betters, as they must needs bee, beeing their god∣heads makers: then remaineth but this, that which they doe, they doe as deuills onely, either doing good, for the more mischiefe, as most deceitfull, or doing o∣pen mischi•…•…fe: yet neither of these can they doe without the high inscrutable * 1.5 prouidence of God: nothing is in their power as they are the gods friends, and messenger to and from men: for such they are not: for the good diuine powers, whom wee call the holy angells, and the reasonable creature inhabiting heauen, whether they be Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, or Powers, can hold no frind∣ship at all with these spirits: from whom they differ as much in affection as ver∣tue differeth from vice, or (h) malice from goodnesse.

L. VIVES.

THE wonder (a)] There also hee calleth man a great miracle, a venerable, honorable crea∣ture. (b) Concerning the] Or, against the deities. (c) The title] The greeke saith: A pray •…•…g song of Dauid, that the house was built after the captiuity. Hieromes translation from the

Hebrew hath no title, and therefore the Greekes call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Vntitled. (d) Declare] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and afterwards 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Annunciate, declare, tell. (e) From day] A Greeke phraise * 1.6 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. (f) An arte] Porphyry saith the gods doe not only afford men their familiar com∣pany but shew them what allureth them, what bindeth them, what they loue, which daies to auoide, which to obserue, and what formes to make them, as Hecate shewes in the Oracle, say∣ing, shee cannot neglect a statue of brasse, gold or siluer: and shewes further, the vse of worm∣wood, a Mouses bloud, Mirrh, Frankincense, and stirax. (g) Such as he] An euill man, for such an one Hermes describes. (h) Malice] Malice is here vsed for all euill: as the Greekes vse * 1.7 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, but Tully saith he had rather interprete 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by vice, then by malice: for malice is a Spe∣cies of vice, opposite to honest simplicity, and mother to all fraude and deceite.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Spirits and deuills cal∣led into I∣mages.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 96. 1.
• * 1.3

  Cor. 1. 8. 4.
• * 1.4

  How man doth make the deuill god.
• * 1.5

  The deuills benef•…•…es hurtfull.
• * 1.6

  De Philo∣soph. Orac.
• * 1.7

  Malice.