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

Of the goods that GOD hath bestowed vpon this miserable life of ours. CHAP. 24.

NOw let vs see what goods the Great Creator hath bestowed in his mercy vpon this life of ours made miserable by his iustice. The first was that blessing before our Parents fall, Increase and multiply, fill the earth, &c. And this hee reuoked not, for all that they sinned, but left the guift of fruitful∣nesse to their condemned off-spring: nor could their crime abolish that pow∣er of the (seede-producing) seed inherent, and as it were wouen vppe in the bodies of man and woman: vnto which neuerthelesse death was annexed, so that in one and the same current (as it were) of man-kinde, ranne both the euill me∣rited by the parent, and the good, bestowed by the creator. In which originall euill, lieth sinne, and punishment: and in which originall good, lieth propagati∣on, and conformation or information. But of those euills, the one whereof (sinne) came from our owne audaciousnesse, and the other, (punishment) from the iudgement of GOD, we haue sayd sufficient already.

This place is for the goods which GOD hath giuen, and doth still giue to the condemned state of man. In which condemnation of his GOD tooke not all from him that he had giuen him, (for so hee should haue ceased to haue had any beeing) nor did hee resigne his power ouer him, when hee gaue him thrall to the Deuill, for the Deuill him-selfe is his thrall, he is cause of his subsistence, he that is onely and absolutely essentiall, and giueth all things essence vnder him, gaue the Deuill his being also.

Of these two goods therefore which wee sayd that his Almighty goodnesse had allowed our nature (how euer depraued, and cursed) hee gaue the first (pro∣pagation) as a blessing in the beginning of his workes from which hee rested the seauenth day. The second, (conformation) hee giueth as yet, vnto euery worke which hee as yet effecteth. For if hee should but with-hold his efficient power from the creatures of the earth, they could neither increase to any further per∣fection, nor continue in the state wherein hee should leaue them. So then GOD creating man, gaue him a power to propagate others, and to allow them a pow∣er of propagation also, yet no necessity, for that GOD can depriue them of it, whome hee pleaseth: but it was his guift vnto the first parents of man-kinde, and hee hauing once giuen, hath not taken it any more away from all man-kinde.

But although sinne did not abolish this propagation, yet it made it farre lesse then it had beene if sinne had not beene. For man beeing in honour, vnderstood not, and so was compared vnto beasts, begetting such like as him-selfe: yet hath hee * 1.1 a little sparke left him of that reason whereby hee was like the image of GOD. Now if this propagation wanted conformation, nature could keepe no forme nor similitude in her seuerall productions. For if man and woman had not had copulation, and that GOD neuer-the-lesse would haue filled the earth with men, as hee made Adam with-out generation of man or woman, so could hee haue made all the rest. But man and woman coupling, cannot beget vnlesse hee create. For as Saint Paul saith in a spirituall sence, touching mans confor∣mation in righteousnesse: Neither is hee that planteth, any thing, nor hee that wa∣tereth, but GOD that giueth the increase: so may wee say heere; Neyther is * 1.2 hee that soweth any thing, nor shee that conceiueth, but GOD that giueth the forme.

It is his dayly worke that the seed vnsoldeth it selfe out of a secret clew as it were, and brings the potentiall formes into such actuall decorum. It is hee that maketh that strange combination of a nature incorporeall (the ruler) and a nature corporeall (the subiect) by which the whole becommeth a liuing creature. A worke so admirable, that it is able to amaze the minde, and force praise to the Creator from it, beeing obserued not onely in man, whose rea∣son giueth him excellence aboue all other creatures, but euen in the least flye that is, one may behold this wondrous and stupendious combination. It is hee that giuen mans spirit an apprehension (which seemeth, together with reason, to lye dead in an infant, vntill yeares bring it to vse) where-by hee hath a power to conceiue knowledge, discipline, and all habites of truth and good quality, and by which he may extract the vnderstanding of all the vertues, of pru∣dence, iustice fortitude, and temperance, to be thereby the better armed against viciousnesse and incited to subdue them by the contemplation of that high and vnchangeable goodnesse: which height, although it doe not attaine vnto, yet who can sufficiently declare how great a good it is, and how wonderfull a worke

of the Highest, beeing considered in other respects? for besides the disciplines of good behauiour, and the wayes to eternall happinesse (which are called ver∣tues) and besides the grace of GOD which is in IESVS CHRIST, impar∣ted onely to the sonnes of the promise, mans inuention hath brought forth so many and such rare sciences, and artes (partly (a) necessary, and partly volunta∣ry) that the excellency of his capacity maketh the rare goodnesse of his creation apparant, euen then when hee goeth about things that are either superfluous or pernicious, and sheweth from what an excellent guift, hee hath those his inuen∣tions and practises. What varieties hath man found out in Buildings, Attyres, Husbandry, Nauigation, Sculpture, and Imagery? what perfection hath hee shewen in the shewes of Theaters, in taming, killing, and catching wilde beasts? What millions of inuentions hath hee against others, and for him-selfe in poy∣sons, armes, engines, stratagems, and such like? What thousands of medecines, for the health, of meates for the weasand, of meanes and figures to perswade, of eloquent phrases to delight, of verses to disport, of musicall inuentions and instruments? How excellent an inuention is Geography, Arithmetique, Astro∣logie, and the rest? How large is the capacity of man, if wee should stand vpon perticulars? Lastly, how cunningly, and with what exquisite witte, haue the Phi∣losophers, and the Heretiques defended their very errors: it is strange to ima∣gine? for heere wee speake of the nature of mans soule in generall, as man is mortall, without any reference to the tract of truth, whereby hee commeth to the life eternall.

Now therefore seeing that the true and onely GOD, that ruleth all in his al∣mighty power and iustice, was the creator of this excellent essence him-selfe; doubtlesse man had neuer fallen into such misery, (which many shall neuer bee freed from, and some shall) if the sinne of those that first incurred it, had not beene extreamly malicious. Come now to the body: though it bee mortall as the beasts are, and more weaker then many of theirs are, yet marke what great goodnesse, and prouidence is shewen herein by GOD Almighty. Are not all the sinews and members disposed in such fitte places, and the whole body so compo∣sed, as if one would say, Such an habitation is fittest for a spirit of reason? You see the other creatures haue a groueling posture, and looke towards earth, whereas mans vpright forme bids him continually respect the things in heauen. The nimblenesse of his tongue and hand, in speaking, and writing, and working in trades, what doth it but declare for whose vse they were made so? Yet (exclu∣ding respect of worke,) the very congruence, and parilitie of the parts doe so concurre, that one cannot discerne whether mans body were made more for vse, or for comlinesse. For there is no part of vse in man, that hath not the proper decorum, as wee should better discerne, if wee knew the numbers of the propor∣tions wherein each part is combined to the other, which wee may perhaps come to learne by those that are apparant. As for the rest that are not seene, as the courses of the veines, sinews, and arteries, and the secrets of the spiritualls, wee cannot come to know their numbers: for though some butcherly Surgeons (b) (Anotamists they call them) haue often cut vp dead men, (and liue men some∣times) to learne the posture of mans inward parts, and which way to make in∣cisions, and to effect their cures; yet those members whereof I speake, and whereof the (c) harmony and proportion of mans whole body doth consist, no man could euer finde, or durst euer vndertake to enquire, which if they could bee knowne, we should finde more reason, and pleasing contemplation in the forming

of the interior parts, then wee can obserue or collect from those that lye open to the eye. There are some parts of the body that concerne decorum onely, and are of no vse: such are the pappes on the brests of men, and the beard, which is no strengthning, but an ornament to the face, as the naked chins of women (which being weaker, were other-wise to haue this strengthning also) do plainly declare. Now if there be no exterior part of man that is vse-full, which is not also come∣ly, and if there bee also parts in man that are comely and not vse-full, then GOD in the framing of mans body, had a greater respect of dignity then of necessity. For necessity shall cease, the time shall come when wee shall doe nothing but enioy our (lustlesse) beauties, for which we must especially glorifie him, to whom the Psalme saith; Thou hast put on praise, and comlinesse. And then for the beauty and vse of other creatures, which God hath set before the eyes of man (though as yet miserable, and amongst miseries) what man is able to recount them? the vni∣uersall gracefulnesse of the heauens, the earth, and the sea, the brightnesse of the light in the Sunne, Moone, and Starres, the shades of the woods, the colours and smells of flowres, the numbers of birds, and their varied hewes and songs, the many formes of beasts and fishes, whereof the least are the rarest (for the fa∣brike of the Bee or Pismier is more admired then the Whales) and the strange alterations in the colour of the sea, (as beeing in seuerall garments) now one greene, then another; now blew, and then purple? How pleasing a sight some∣times it is to see it rough, and how more pleasing when it is calme? And O what a hand is that, that giueth so many meates to asswage hunger? so many tastes to those meates (with-out helpe of Cooke) and so many medecinall powers to those tastes? How delightfull is the dayes reciprocation with the night? the tem∣peratenesse of the ayre, and the workes of nature in the barkes of trees, and skinnes of beasts? O who can draw the perticulars? How tedious should I be in euery peculiar of these few, that I haue heere as it were heaped together, if I should stand vpon them one by one? Yet are all these but solaces of mans mise∣ries, no way pertinent to his glories.

What are they then that his blisse shall giue him, if that his misery haue such blessings as these? What will GOD giue them whome hee hath predestinated vnto life, hauing giuen such great things euen to them whome hee hath prede∣stinated vnto death? What will hee giue them in his kingdome, for whome hee sent his onely sonne to suffer all iniuries, euen to death, vpon earth? Where∣vpon Saint Paul sayth vnto them; Hee who spared not his owne sonne, but gaue him * 1.3 for vs all vnto death, how shall hee not with Him giue vs all things also? When this promise is fulfilled, O what shall wee bee then? How glorious shall the soule of man bee, with-out all staine and sinne, that can either subdue or oppose it, or against which it need to contend; perfect in all vertue, and enthroned in all perfection of peace?

How great, how delightfull, how true, shall our knowledge of all things be there, with-out all error, with-out all labour, where wee shall drinke at the spring head of GODS sapience, with-out all difficulty, and in all felicity? How perfect shall our bodies bee, beeing wholy subiect vnto their spirits, and there-by suffi∣ciently quickned, and nourished with-out any other sustenance? for they shall now bee no more naturall, but spirituall, they shall haue the substance of •…•…sh, quite exempt from all fleshly corruption.

L. VIVES.

PArtly (a) necessary] Such as husbandry, the Arte of Spinning, weauing, and such as man cannot liue without. (b) Anatomists] that is, cutters vp; of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a section, incision, or cut∣ting. (c) Harmony] The congruence, connexion, and concurrence of any thing may be cal∣led so: it commeth of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to adapt, or compose a thing proportionably.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psalm. 49.
• * 1.2

  1. Cor. 3.
• * 1.3

  Rom. 8.