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

An exhortation to the Romaines to renounce their Paganisme. CHAP. 29.

LEt these rather bee the obiects of thy desires, thou couragious nation of the Romaines, thou progenie of the Reguli, Scaeuolae, Scipioes, and (a) Fabricii.

long after these, discerne but the difference betweene these, and that luxurious, filthy shamelesse maleuolence of the diuills. (b) If nature haue giuen thee any lawdable eminence, it must be true piety that must purge and perfect it: impie∣ty contaminates and consumes it. Now then, choose which of these to follow, that thy praises may arise, not from thy selfe that may bee misled, but from the true God, who is without all error. Long agoe, wast thou great in popular glory: but as then (as it pleased the prouidence of the high God), was the true Religion wanting, for thee to choose and embrace. But now, awake, and rowse thy selfe (c) it is now day, thou art already awake in some of thy children, of whose full ver∣tue, and constant sufferings for the truth we doe iustly glory: they euen these who fighting at all hands against the powers of iniquity, and conquering them all by dying vndaunted, haue purchased this * 1.1 possession for vs with the price of their bloud. To pertake of which possession wee do now inuite and exhorte thee, that thou wouldest become a Citizen, with the rest, in that citty wherein true re∣mission of sinnes standeth as a glorious sanctuary. Giue no eare vnto that de∣generate brood of thine, which barketh at the goodnesse of Christ and Christi∣anity, accusing these times of badnesse, and yet desiring such as should bee worse, by denying tranquillity to vertue, & giuing security vnto al iniquity: these times didst thou neuer approue, nor euer desiredst to secure they temporall estate by them. Now then reatch vp at the heauenly ones, for which, take but a little paines, and thou shalt reape the possession of them, vnto all eternity. There shalt thou finde no vestall fire, nor (e) stone of the capitoll, but one true God, (f) who will neither limmit thee blessednesse in quality, nor time, but giue thee an Empire, both vniuersal, perfect, & eternall. Be no longer led in blindnesse by these thy illu∣ding and erroneous gods; reiect them from the, and taking vp thy true liberty, shake of their damnable subiection. They are no gods, but wicked fiends; and all the Empire they can giue them is but possession of euerlasting paine. (g) Iuno * 1.2 did neuer greeue so much that the Troyans (of whom thou descendest) should arise againe to the state of Rome, as these damned deuills (whom as yet thou holdest for gods) doe enuie and repine, that mortall men should euer enioy the glories of eternity. And thou thy selfe hast censured them with no obscure note, in affording them such plaies, whose actors thou hast branded with expresse in∣famy. Suffer vs then to plead thy freedome against all those Impure deuills that imposed the dedication and celebration of their owne shame & filthinesse vpon thy neck and honor. Thou couldst remoue and dis-inable the plaiers of those vn∣cleanesses, from all honors: pray likewise vnto the true God, to quit thee from those vile spirits that delight in beholding their owne spots, whither they bee true, (which is most ignominious) or faigned, (which is most malicious). Thou didst well in clearing the state of thy Citty from all such scurrilous off-scummes as stage-plaiers: looke a little further into it: Gods Maiesty can neuer delight in that which polluteth mans dignity. How then canst thou hold these powers, that loued such vncleane plaies, as members of the heauenly society, when thou holdest the men that onely acted them, as vnworthy to bee counted in the worst ranke of the members of thy Cittie? The heauenly Cittie is farre aboue thine, where truth is the victory; holinesse the dignity; happinesse the peace, and eternity the continuance. Farre is it from giuing place to such gods, if thy cittie doe cast out such men. Wherefore if thou wilt come to this cittie, shunne all fellowshippe with the deuill. Vnworthy are they of honest mens seruice, that must bee pleased with dishonesty. Let christian reformation seuer thee from

hauing any commerce with those gods, euen as the Censors view seperated such men from pertaking of thy dignities. But as concerning temporal felicity, which is all that the wicked desire to enioye; and temporall affliction, which is all they seeke to auoide, hereafter wee meane to shew, that the deuills neither haue nor can haue any such power of either, as they are held to haue, (though if they had, wee are bound rather to contemne them all, then to worshippe them, for these benefites, which seeing that thereby we should vtterly debarre our selues of that, which they repine that wee should euer attaine:) hereafter (I say) shall it bee prooued, that they haue no such powre of those things, as these thinke they haue, that affirme that they are to bee worshipped for such endes. And here shall this booke end.

L. VIVES.

ANd (a) Fabricii.] Fabricius was Consull in Pyrrhus his warre at which time the Romaines * 1.3 vertue was at the height: he was, valourous, poore, continent, and a stranger to all pleasure, and ambition. (b) If nature haue giuen thee] The Stoikes held that nature gaue euery man * 1.4 some guifts: some greater some lesser: and that they were graced, increased, and perfitted by discipline, education, and excercise. (c) it is now day] Alluding vnto Paul. Rom. 13. 12. The night is past, and the day is at hand. The day, is the cleere vnderstanding of goodnesse, in whose * 1.5 powre the Sunne is, as the Psalmist faith. The night is darke and obscure. (d) in some of thy Children] Meaning, that some of the Romaines were already conuerted vnto Christ. (e) no stone of the Capitol] Ioues Idoll, vpon the capitoll was of stone: and the Romaines vsed to sweare by * 1.6 Ioue, that most holy stone: which oth became afterwards a prouerbe. (f) who will neither lim∣mit] They are the words of Ioue in Virgil, Aeneid. 1. promising the raysing vp of the Romaine Empire. But with farre more wisdome did Saluste (orat. ad Caium Caesarem senen) affirme, that the Romaine estate should haue a fal: And African the yonger seeing Carthage burne, with the teares in his eyes, recited a certaine verse out of Homer, which intimated that Rome one day should come to the like ruine. (g) Iuno did not] Aeneides the first.

Notes

• * 1.1

  He mean∣eth they haue bin a great en∣largement of the true Church of God, vpon earth, by suffring so constantly.
• * 1.2

  The hap∣pines that the deuills can bestow on men.
• * 1.3

  Fabucius.
• * 1.4

  Vertues seedes.
• * 1.5

  Day, how vsed.
• * 1.6

  Per Ioue un∣lapidem.