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

Of Hell and the qualities of the eternall paines therein. CHAP. 9.

AS God therfore by his Prophet spake of the paines of the damned, such shall

they be: Their worme shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenshed Our Sauiour to cōmend this vnto vs, putting the parts that scandalize a mā, for mans right mem∣bers, * 1.1 and bidding him cut them of, addeth this: better it is for thee to enter into life maimed, then hauing two hands to go into Hell into the fire that neuer shalbe quenshed, where their worme dieth not, and their fire neuer goeth out, and likewise of the foote: * 1.2 Better for thee to goe halting into life, then hauing two feete to bee cast into Hell &c. And so saith he of the eye also, adding the Prophets words three seuerall times. O whom would not this thunder from the mouth of God strike a chill terror in∣to, sounding so often? Now as for this worme and this fire, they that make them only mental paines, do say that the fire implieth the burning of the soule in griefe and anguish, that now repenteth to late for being seuered from the sight of God: after the maner that the Apostle saith: who is offended and I burne not? And this anguish may be meant also by the worme, say they, as it is written, As the moth is * 1.3 to the garment, and the worme to the wood, So doth sorrow eate the heart of a man. Now such as hold them both mentall and reall, say that the fire is a bodily plague to the body, and the worme a plague of conscience in the soule. This seemeth more likely in that it is absurd to say, that either the soule or body shalbe cleare of paine; yet had I rather take part with them that say they are both bodily, then with those that say that neither of them is so; and therefore that sorrow in the Scriptures though it be not expressed so, yet it is vnderstood to bee a fruitlesse repentance con•…•…oyned with a corporall torment, for the scripture saith: the ven∣geance of the (flesh of the) wicked is fire and the worme: hee might haue said more * 1.4 briefely, the vengance of the wicked, why did hee then ad of the flesh, but to shew that both those plagues, the fire and the worme, shalbe corporall? If hee added it because that man shalbe thus plagued for liuing according to the flesh, (for it is therefore that hee incurreth the second death, which the A∣postle meaneth of when hee saith, If yee liue after the flesh yee die:) but euery man beleeue as hee like, either giuing the fire truely to the body, and the worme figuratiuely to the soule, or both properly to the body: for we haue fully proued already that a creature may burne and yet not consume, may liue in paine and yet not dye: which he that denyeth, knoweth not him that is the au∣thor of all natures wonders, that God who hath made all the miracles that I erst recounted, and thousand thousands more, and more admirable, shutting them all in the world, the most admirable worke of all. Let euery man therefore choose what to thinke of this, whether both the fire and the worme plague the body, or whether the worme haue a metaphoricall reference to the soule. The truth of this question shall then appeare plaine, when the knowledge of the Saints shall bee such as shall require no triall of it, but onely shalbe fully satisfied and resolued by the perfection and plenitude of the diuine sapience. We know but now in part, vntill that which is perfect be come, but yet may wee not beleeue those bodies to be such, that the fire can worke them no anguish nor torment.

L. VIVES.

THeir (a) worme.] Is. 66. 24. this is the worme of conscience. Hierome vpon this place. Nor is there any villany (saith Seneca) how euer fortunate, that escapeth vnpunished, but is plague to it selfe by wringing the conscience with feare and distrust. And this is Epi∣curus his reason to proue that man was created to avoyd sinne, because hauing committed it,

it scourgeth the conscience, and maketh it feare, euen without all cause of feare. This out of Seneca, •…•…pist. lib. •…•…6. And so singeth Iuuenall in these words:

Exemplo quod•…•…unque malo committitur, ipsi D•…•…splicet auctori: prima est haec vltio, quòd se Iudice nemo nocens absoluitur.—&c.

Each deed of mischiefe first of all dislikes The authout: with this whip Reuenge first strikes, That no stain'd thought can cleare it selfe,—&c.

And by and by after:

—Cur tamen hos tu•…•… Euasisse putes, quos diriconscia facti, Mens habet •…•…ttionitos▪ & surdo verbere caedit, Occultum quatiente animo tortore flagellum. Poena autem vehemens, & multo saeuior illis, Quas & Ceditius grauis inuenit, & Rhadamanthus Nocte dieque suum gestare in pectore testem.

—But why should you suppose Them free, whose soule blackt ore with ougly deeds Affrights and teares the conscience still, and feeds Reuenge, by nousling terrour, feare and warre, Euen in it selfe. O plagues farre lighter farre, To beare guilts blisters in a brest vnsound, Then Rhadamant, or sterne Ceditius found.

Nay the conscience confoundeth more then a thousand witnesses. Tully holdes there are no other hell furies then those stings of conscience, and that the Poets had that inuention from hence. In l. Pis. & Pro Ros•…•…. Amerin. Hereof you may read more in Quintilians Orations.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Isa. 66. 24.
• * 1.2

  Mar. 9. 47.
• * 1.3

  1. Cor. 11. 29.
• * 1.4

  Eccl. 7.