A forme of Christian pollicie drawne out of French by Geffray Fenton. A worke very necessary to al sorts of people generally, as wherein is contayned doctrine, both vniuersall, and special touching the institution of al Christian profession: and also conuenient perticularly for all magistrates and gouernours of common weales, for their more happy regiment according to God.

¶ How God some times punisheth a whole people for a secret sinne: howe Gouernours ought to enquire therof, to the ende miserie happen not to the whole common weale. Chapter. vj.

AS we haue séene in what sort God striketh for sinnes that be manifest: so let vs consi∣der whether for the secret offences of some particular mē, he punish not euen a whole Nation: In which, if Gouernours sée pu∣blike scourges or roddes of God vpon a whole kingdom (as common sicknes, famine, warre, & such like punish∣ments) & vnderstand no publike offences, let thē searche out the cause the better to prouide and worke reconcili∣acion: as we sée good phisicions sift out the causes of the sicknesses of mans bodye, wee spake while eare of the shameful confusion in y^e battel against the Chananites, of whom they were ouerthrowne where they should haue had victorie. By which punishmēt as it was wel show∣ed to Josua that the people had sinned, or at least some of them, for the which God was iustly angrie so not being able to knowe where the fault was, he referred the in∣quisicion and truth of the matter to lottes, by which it was found that Achan was guiltie: so when Saule sawe that god would not auswer in any common maner to y^e which was asked of him touching the successe of y^e warr against the Philistines, he knewe God was angrie: for which cause laying Lottes vpon all the families, hée so examined it from linage to linage, that at last the lot fel vpon Jonatha••, who was found guiltie of the diuine in∣dignation.

We read that in the common famine of Is∣raell in the tyme of Dauid, when none knewe that the common trespasse of the people had deserued it, Dauid, demaunding answer of god by the priest, was told that there was no other cause of the famine, then the wrong that Saule had done to the Gabonites, to whom Josua and the princes had sworne that thei should haue no harme: And therfore as there must be iustice done for the tres∣passe, so the Gabonites required vii. children or successors of Saule to be put vpon a gibbet: after which execution plentie and aboundance of al things renued ouer al the land. By which example (be it spoken by the waye) ap∣peareth how God, for the trespas of one in particulare, punisheth a whole communaltie, not immediatly after the fact, but with long expectation: as euen in the tyme of Saule, Samuel by the commaundement of God, gaue charge to Saule to go sacke the countreys of the Amala∣chites, and to passe by the edge of the sword, womē, chil∣dren, and beastes without dispense or grace, giuinge a reason of that extréeme iustice, for that those people had done many oppressions to Israel, & resisted them in their voyage out of Egipt into Chanan, being more then fiue hundreth yeres betwene the offence and the reuenge: oftentymes god takes a great leasure to punish sinnes, aswell to show his patience, as to declare his boūtie ex∣specting the repentance of people: and yet as it is most true, that there is no sinne which either early or late, is not suer of his punishment, if the author do not iustice on him self. So withall, by these textes and examples, it is easy to vnderstand that God neuer sendes affliction to a whole nation, but for sinne: which, when it appea∣reth, brings with it sufficient? coniecture and iudgemēt that for some trespasse god is prouoked to punish them: which we sée not alwaies happen to one in particular: for often times he endureth either to kepe him from of∣fending, as S. Paule confesseth of him self, who suffred

a great affliction in trouble of mind, persecution, & tor∣ment of sathan, to the end he presumed not for his reue¦lacions: or else for proofe of his patience (with the aun∣ciēt fathers, and specially Iob:) or lastly for the manife∣sting of his glorie, in the deliuerance: But here is no question of sinne to be the cause of such euill: and there∣fore because gouernours mai aske how they may know that secret sinne is the cause of a calamitie, séeing that neyther the lot is now in vse, nor we haue not reuelaci∣ons by oracles, or prophecies: I sai, that albeit the secret cause of a common affliction can not be known, yet, by sermons there ought to be indeuor to stir vp euery one to thinke and enter into him selfe, declaring that right wretched were he for whose cause so many people shold endure, as it happeneth oftentimes whē a prince trans∣gresseth because the fault is publike, as was y^e of Dauid, who also required to be only afflicted, & not the people y^t had not sinned, at the least so horribly: neither is it to be doubted, but as God promised Abraham to preserue So¦dome if he found but ten good men, so also if ten come to God in praier wholly conuerted into continuall fastes, almes, & penances, but specially priests, as did they of y^e time of Joell, it is no doubt but they shalbe heard. Tou∣ching lots, I hold it not méete y^t they be vsed in thinges vaine, but in matters serious on the which the honour of God depends, & such as cannot be decided by certaine iudgement, as we find the Apostles did in y^e election of S. Mathie, which, notwithstanding was not done with∣out inuocation of the name of God, & prayer, wherein there is no doubt but god will direct the lot according to his will, as is witnessed in the text of Salomon: the lots (sayth he) are put in the bosome of some, and are tē∣pred, or gouerned of God: And so to returne to the mat¦ter of the euils that happen in the world, they are alrea¦die well proued to discend directly from God, and not by any prouidence of fortune, as the Epicuriens, and

Atheists, of our time beleue: nor fatally, according to the opinion of the infidels, togither with the Astrologi∣ans, who attribute all to their aspects, constellations, oppositions, and reuolutions of starres: and much lesse according to the philosophicall perswasion of the Phisi∣tions, bringing in the alterations and corruption of E∣lements, and naturall bodies, not raising vp their spi∣rites to the consideration of the deuine prouidence, that the soule gouernes not better all the parts of our hu∣mane body, then the great God rules & measures this huge world, not suffring the least herb or plant to moue or grow without feeling his vertue and power: Nor little bird to fall vppon the branch of any trée without the prouidence and will of that omnipotent mouer of all things: nor lastly the least haire of our head which is not kept in reckoning by him: The Phisitions, or la∣ter Philosophers, do oftentimes beguile themselues by the second causes, as making them the imediat or first causes of any euill that hapneth (which is a kind of in∣fidelitie) not fixing their iudgmēts but on things which they see: as when the South wind hot and moyst, hath blowne much & most commonly in a yere: when ponds lakes, and fennes, are corrupted: when in a dearth of vittailes, people are constrayned to eate vnseasonable meates: when the ayre is close, and giues out an euill seat: when the winter, contrary to his nature, is hot and sootie: when many vile and vememous beastes en∣gender vppon the earth: and caterpillers, frogges, and other vermine fall out of the ayre: when such signes ap¦peare, the Phisitions say they are the cause of plague & sicknes, not considering that GOD vseth these second causes ordeyned by his prouidence as instruments and manifest signes of the same prouidence, & that for this reason: By those signes he giues warning to the world that he prepareth to execute his iustice vppon people & nations, and by these foretokens inuites and aduerti∣seth

men to fall to submission and supplication for par∣don to y^e end he thunder not suddenly his ful indignatiō & rigor vppon sinnes. A child, séeing his father prepare rods, and bindes them, & shake them in his hand, hath to thinke, that he hath offended, & the time of his scour∣ging draweth neare: and therfore, in feare, teares, & humilitie, he ought to fall prostrate afore the knées of his father, as we haue afore aduised: By these meanes sayth Joel: what know we, if God (of nature good and re¦concileable to our vices,) wilbe conuerted and aforde grace? at the least he will not condemne our soules, if with a changed harte, we performe action of penance: when the Prince, by long counsell and aduise, causeth to be erected in many publike places of his Realmes, great scaffoldes, gibbets, and the instruments of tor∣ment: such as haue offended the law, & haue no meane to flée, what other thing can they thinke of this prepa∣ration, then a resolute purpose of the Prince to execute smarting iustice vppon them: great is their present feare, but farre greater the griefe & displeasure which they ought to haue of their offences: ought they not to call into practise all meanes seruing for their deliuery? yea, if they tary till they be led to the scaffold, their hāds and feete bound with other attires of high offenders, & being ready to be offred to the execution, there is small hope or expectation of mercie: let them go themselues with their halters about their neckes, and taking their best friēds to solicit in their intercession to the Prince: let them discouer true effects of contricion, and implo∣ring the frée mercy of the Prince, let thē offer restitu∣tion to the parties offended, and better obedience and behauior here after in them selues: so shall they with Dauid not suffer the vtter most rigor of iustice, or els auoid it altogither as y^e Jsraelites escaped it in y^e time of Jonathas, & y^e Niniuits also by their seuere & wōderful pe∣nāce: euē so al these second causes, are but signes & in∣struments

of Gods iustice, tokens, preparations and fore shewes (as according to the examples of the rodds, skafoldes, and gibbets) by the which he declares his an∣ger and disposicion to punish sin: The semblance that is made, the preparation, and the rod, as they are no causes of gods iustice, but it is, for the punishment of our sinnes that execution is so aparantly prepared: So after such shewes and warnings, doeth not the Father begin to scourge his sonne? Doth he lay aside the rod, afore he sée y^e amendment of his sonne, or at least some hope that he will core••t him selfe, and not returne eft∣soones to his naughtines? The childe can not accuse the rod as the cause of his scourging, & much lesse the trée where it was gotten, and least of all his father that layd one the lashes: But entring in to the vew and iudgment of his owne life, let him accuse himselfe, and saye that his sinne is the first cause of the euill that he suffereth: For, if he had done well (because the lawe is not to punish the iuste) he had not feared that rod: as in déed to speak properly, he feareth it not though he haue offended, but feares his father which holdes it in his hand, since the rod can do him no harme, if he be re∣consiled to his father.

Notes

• 1. King. 14.
• •• Kings. 15
• Gen. 1••.
• Pro. 1••.
• Ioel. 2.
• 1. Tim. 1.