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

The Prophets words vnto Heli the priest, signifying the taking away of Aarons priest-hood, CHAP. 5.

BVt this was more plainely spoken vnto Heli the priest by a man of God, (a) whose name we read not, but his ministery proued him a Prophet: Thus it is written: There came a man of GOD vnto Heli, and said vnto him: Thus saith the * 1.1 Lord, did not I plainely appeare vnto the house of thy father when they were in Egiptin Pharaos house, and I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to bee my priest, to offer at mine Altar, to burne incense, and to weare (b) an Ephod, and I gaue thy fathers house al the burnt offrings of the house of Israel, for to eate, Why then haue you looked in scorne vpon my sacrifices, and offrings, and (c) honored thy children aboue me, to (d) blesse the first of all the offrings of Israell in my sight? wherefore thus saith the LORD GOD of Israell: I said, thy house and thy fathers house shall walke before mee for euer: nay not so now: for them that honour me (saith the Lord) will I honour, and them that despise me, will I despise. Behold the daies come that I will cast out thy seed, and thy fathers seed, that there shall not bee an (e) old man in thine house. I will destroy euery one of thine from mine Altar, that thine eyes may faile and thine heart faint, and all the re∣mainder of thy house shall fall by the sword, and this shalbe a signe vnto thee, that shall befall thy two sonnes, Ophi, and Phinees, in one day shall they both die. And I wil take my selfe vppe a faithfull Priest that shall doe according to mine heart: I will build him a sure house, and hee shall walke before mine Annointed, for euer. And the (f) re∣maines of thy house shall come and bow downe to him for an halfe-penny of siluer, say∣ing: Put mee I pray the in some office about the priest-hood, that I may eate a morsell of bread.

We cannot say that this prophecy, plainely denouncing the change of their old priest-hood, was fulfilled in Samuel (g) for though Samuel were of that tribe that serued the Altar, yee was he not of the sons of Aaron, to whose progeny God tied the priest-hood: (and therefore in this, was that change shadowed that Christ was to perfome, and belonged to the Old Testament, properly, but figu∣ratiuely, vnto the New: beeing now fulfilled both in the euent of the prophecy, and the historie, that recordeth these words of the Prophet vnto Heli.) For af∣terwardes there were Priests of Aarons race, as Abiathar and Zador in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 reigne, and many more, for the time came wherein the change was to bee effected by Christ. But who seeth not now (if hee obserue it with the eye of faith) that all is fulfilled, the Iewes haue no Tabernacle, no Temple, no Altar, nor any Priest of Aarons pedegree, as GOD commanded them to haue. Lust as this Prop•…•… said: Thou and thy fathers house shall walke before mee for euer. Nay not so now; for them that honour mee, will I honour &c. By his fathers house hee meaneth not Eli his last fathers, but Aarons, from whom they all descended, as these words: Did I not appeare to thy fathers house in Egipt &c. Doe plainely prooue. Who was his Father in the Egiptian bondage, and was chosen priest after their freedome, but Aaron? of his stocke then it was here said there should bee no more priests as wee see now come to passe. Let faith bee but vigilant, and

it shall discerne and apprehend truth, euen whether it will or no. Behold (saith he) the daies doe come, that I will cast out thy seed &c. T'is true: the daies are come. Aarons seede hath now no Priest: and his whole off-spring behold the sacrifice of the christians goriously offered all the world through, with fayling eyes and fainting hearts: but that which followeth; All the remainder of thine house 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fell by the sword &c. belongs properly to the house of Heli. And the death of his sonnes, was a signe of the change of the Priest-hood of Aarons house: and signified the death of the Priest-hood, rather then the men. But the next place to the priest that Samuel, Heli his successor, prefigured, I meane Christ the Priest of the New Testament. I will take mee vp a faith-full Priest, that shall do all according to mine heart: I will build him a sure house &c. (This house is the heauenly Ierusalem) and he shall walke before mine annoynted for euer: that is hee shall conuerse with them, as hee said before of the house of Aaron, I sayd, thou and thine house shall walke before mee for euer. Behold mine annointed, that is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 annointed flesh, not mine annointed Priest, for that is Christ himselfe, the Sauiour. So that his house and flocke it is that shall walke before him, it may bee meant also of the passage of the faithfull from death vnto life at the end of their mortality, and the last iudgement. But whereas it is said: He shall doe all according to mine heart, wee may not thinke that GOD hath any heart, bee∣•…•… 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hearts maker, but it is figuratiuely spoaken of him, as the scripture doth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…er members, the hand of the LORD, the finger of GOD, &c. And least 〈◊〉〈◊〉 should thinke that in this respect, man beareth the Image of GOD, the •…•…re giueth him wings, which man doth want: Hide mee vnder the shadow of * 1.2 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…gs: to teach men indeed, tha•…•… •…•…hose things are spoken with no true, but a •…•…ll reference vnto that ineffable essence. On now: and the remaines of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…use shall come and bow downe vnto him, &c. This is not meant of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Heli, but of Aarons, of which some were remayning vntill the comming 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…RIST, yea and are vnto this day. For that aboue, the remaynder of thy 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall fall by the sword was meant by Heli his linage. How then can both 〈◊〉〈◊〉 places bee true, that some should come to bow downe, and yet the sword 〈◊〉〈◊〉 deuoure all, vnlesse they bee meant of two, the first of Aarons linage, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…cond of Helies? If then they bee of those predestinate remainders whereof 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ophet saith: The remnant shalbe saued: and the Apostle, at this present time is * 1.3 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 remnant through the election of grace: which may well bee vnder-stood 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 remnant that the man of GOD speakes off heere, then doubtlesse they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in Christ, as many of their nations (Iewes) did in the Apostles time, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 (though very few) do now, fulfilling that of the Prophet, which followeth: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 downe to him, for an halfe penny of siluer: to whom but vnto the great * 1.4 〈◊〉〈◊〉, who is God eternall? For in the time of Aarons Priest-hood, the people 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…ot to the temple to adore or bow downe to the priest. But what is that, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 halfe pennie of siluer? Onely the breuity of the Word of •…•…aith, as the A∣•…•… saith, The Lord will make a short accompt in the earth, that siluer is put for •…•…ord, the Psalmist proueth, saying, The words of the Lord are pure words, as sil * 1.5 •…•…ied in the fire: what is his words now, that boweth to this Gods Priest, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…od and Priest: place me in some of fice about the Priest-hood, that I may eate a mor∣•…•… bread? I will not haue my fathers honours, they are nothing, but place me any 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thy Priest-hood. I would faine be a dore keeper, or any thing in thy seruice and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 thy people, for Priest-hood is put heere for the people, to whom Christ the •…•…or is the high Priest: which people the Apostle called, an holy nation and * 1.6

a royall Priest-hood. Some read (k) Sacrifice in the former place for Priest-hood, all is one, both signifie the christian flocke. Whereof S. Paul saith: Being many, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 are all one bread, and one body, and againe. (l) Giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice. So * 1.7 then the addition, that I may eate a morsel of bread, is a direct expression of the sa∣crifice, whereof the Priest himselfe saith, the bread which I will giue, is my flesh &c. This is the sacrifice not after the order of Aaron but of Melchisedech: hee that readeth, let him vnderstand. So then these words, Place me in some office about thy priest-hood that I may eate a morsell of bread, are a direct and succinct confession of the faith: this is the halfe penny of siluer, because it is briefe, and it is Gods word, that dwelleth in the house of the beleeuer: for hauing said before that hee had giuen Aarons house meate of the offring of the house of Israel, which were the sa∣crifices of the Iewes in the Old Testament, therefore addeth hee the eating of bread in this conclusion, which is the sacrifice of the New Testament.

L. VIVES.

HIs (a) name] It was Phinees, •…•…ay the Iewes: or Helias Hierome. (b) An Ephod] Of this read Hierome. Ad Marcellam, Contra Iouinian. Ad Fabiolam. The Greekes called it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Ioseph. de Antiq. Iud. lib. 3. So do the LXX. Ruffinus translateth it, Superhumerale and it was open at the sides from the arme-pits downe-wards. The high Priest onely wore such an * 1.8 one, and it was embrothered with gold and silke of diuers collours. The Leuits had a garment like it, but that was of linnen. Such an one did Anna make for Samuel: and such an one did * 1.9 Dauid dance in, before the Arke. [And herevpon I thinke our Rabbines, or most Doctor-like sort of Friers, haue got the tricke of wearing such •…•…esture hanging loose from the shoulders: as a badge of their super-eminent knowledg: and then your Ciuilian, and P•…•…isitian in emulati∣on of them, got vp the like.] But the Seauenty call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. (c) Honorest] [So was it in the time when the Iewes priests grew wealthy, and so is it now with vs: for who seeketh into the priest-hood for Godlinesse rather then gaine, as the world goeth now? and what sonne is per∣swaded by the father vnto an ecclesiasticall habite, but onely in hope of ritches? what •…•…est thinketh he doth not well, to sit and spend the churches goods (as they call them) frankly, with * 1.10 his sonnes if he haue them (and haue them hee will, vnlesse he bee an Eunuch) his brethren, his sisters and his cousins, let the poore goe shift where they can? Thus, thus will it bee, whilest ritches rule in the hearts of men.] (d) To blesse] The vulgar is not so: read it▪ each one hath the bookes, I must proceed. (e) An old man] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 an high priest, saith Hierome. (f) Romaines] A diuersity of reading, but nihil ad rem. (g) Though Samuel] His father was a leuite. Chron. 1. 6. his mother of the tribe of Iudah. This place Augustine recalleth, thus: whereas I said, hee was not of the sons of Aaron, I should haue said, hee was none of the priests sonnes. And they most com∣monly succeeded their fathers in the Priest-hood, but Samuels father was of Aarons seede, but he was no Priest, nor of his seed otherwise then all the Iewes were the seed of Iacob. Retracta∣tion. lib. 2. (h) Prophecy and history] And though these words seemed to another purpose, yet aimed they at Christ. (i) We should thinke] So thought by the Anthropomorphites. (k) Sacrifi•…•…] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is both▪ but rather, Priest-hood. (l) Giue vp] This is not in some copies, yet is it be∣fitting this place.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Sam. 2, 27
• * 1.2

  Psal. 17.
• * 1.3

  Isay. 10. Rom. 11. 5
• * 1.4

  Rom▪ 9. Psal. 12. 6
• * 1.5

  Psal. 84. 10
• * 1.6

  1 Pet. 29▪
• * 1.7

  1 Cor. 10, 17 Rom. 12, 1.
• * 1.8

  The Ephod.
• * 1.9

  [This is too bitter the Lo∣uainists like it not but leaue it out]
• * 1.10

  [Louuay∣nists vn∣lesse you had felt your selues toucht with this, you would neuer haue raz∣ed it out]