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

Of the Mediator of god and man, the man Christ Iesus. CHAP. 15.

〈◊〉〈◊〉 if that bee true (which is farre more probable) that all men of necessity 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bee (a) miserable whilest they are mortall, then must a meane be found 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is God as well as man, who by the mediation of his blessed mortality may 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vs out of this mortall misery vnto that immortall happynesse: And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 meane must bee borne mortall, but not continue so. He became mortall

not by any weakening of his Deity, but by taking on him this our fraile flesh: he remained not mortall, because hee raized him-selfe vp from death: for the fruit of his mediation is, to free those whom he is mediator for, from the eternall death of the flesh: So then it was necessary for the mediator betweene God and vs, to haue a temporall mortality, and an eternall beatitude, to haue correspondence with mortals by the first, and to transferre them by eternity to the second. Where∣fore the good Angels cannot haue this place, beeing immortall and blessed. The euill may, as hauing their immortality, and our misery: And to these is the good mediator opposed, beeing mortall for a while, and blessed for euer, against their immortall misery. And so these proud immortals, and hurtfull wretches, least by the boast of their immortality they should draw men to misery, hath hee by his humble death and bountifull beaitude expelled from swaying of all such hearts as he hath pleased to cleanse and illuminate by faith in him: what mean the shal a wretched mortall, far seperate from the blessed immortals, choose to attain their societies? The diuels immortality is miserable: But Christs mortality hath nothing vndelectable. There we had need beware of eternall wretchednesse: heere we need not feare the death (which cannot be eternal) and we cannot but loue the happines which is eternal for the me an that is immortally wretched aimes al at keeping vs frō immortal beatitude, by persisting in the contrary misery: but the mean that is mortal & blessed, intends after our mortality to make vs immortal (as he shewewed in his resurrection) and of wretches to make vs blessed, w^t he neuer wanted. So that ther is an euill meane that seperateth friends, and a good that re∣conciles them: & of the first sort (b) is many, because the blessednes that the other multitude attaineth, comes al frō participating of one God: wherof the miserable multitude of euil Angels being (c) depriued, w^t rather are opposite to hinder, then interposed to further, doth al that in it lieth to withdraw vs from that only one way that leadeth to this blessed good, namely the word of God, not made, but the maker of al: yet is he no mediator as he is the word: for so is hee most blessed, and immortal, farre from vs miserable men. But as he is man: therein making it plaine that to the attainment of this blessed, and blessing good, we must vse no other me∣diators wherby to work: God him-selfe, blessed and blessing al, hauing graced our humanity with participation of his deity: for when hee freeth vs from misery and mortality, he doth not make vs happy by participation of blessed Angels but of y^• trinity, in whose participation the Angels themselues ar blessed▪ and therfore (d) when he was below the Angels in forme of a seruant, then we also aboue them in * 1.1 forme of a god: being the same way of life below, and life it selfe aboue.

L. VIVES.

BE (a) miserable] Homer cals men 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is miserable, and so do the La∣tines. (b) Is many] Vertue is simple, and singular, nor is there many waies to it. Vice is con∣fused, and infinite paths there are vnto it. Arist. Ethic. So the diuels haue many wayes to draw a man from God, but the Angels but one to draw him vnto him by Christ the Mediator. (c) Depriued] As darkenesse is the priuation of light, so is misery of beatitude. But not contrarywise. (d) When he was] Plin. 2. Who being in the forme GOD, thought it no robb•…•… to be equall with GOD, but made him-selfe of no reputation, and took on him the forme of a ser∣uant. These are Pauls wordes proouing that though CHRIST were most like to his fa∣ther, yet neuer professed him-selfe his equall here vppon earth, unto vs that respected but his manhood: Though hee might lawfully haue done it: But the LORD of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 pu•…•…te on him the forme of a seruant, and the high GOD debased him-selfe into one degree with vs, that by his likenes to ours, he might bring vs to the knowledge of his power & essence, and so estate vs in eternity before his father: and that his humanity might so inuite vs, that his

Diuinity did not terrifie vs, but take hold of our acceptance of this inuitation, and so translate vs into ioy perpetuall. But hee could neither haue bin inuited nor allured to this, but onely by one like our selues: nor yet could wee bee made happy, but onely by God the fountaine of happynesse. So then there is but one way, Christs humanity by which all accesse lyeth to his Deity, that is life eternall and beatitude.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Phil, 2.