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restored to tho earth, but mas assigned to a seW; and this iustico is nothing elso than tho pious and religious Worship of the ono God. But perhaps somo may bo inclined to ain, Why, ii thisbe justice, it is not given to ali mankiud, and the whias multitudo does not agres to it. This is a matter of great disputation, Wis a differenes mas retained by God When IIo gave justico lotho earth; and this I have shown in another place, and wheneor a favourable opportunity shali occur it shali be explain . Now it is sussicient very briefly to signisy it: that virtus cannelther bo discerned, unieas it has vices opposed in it; norbe perfeci, uniem it is exercised by adversi . For God d signed that thero aliould be this distinction be-een good and
io turn us a V hom God For on this account He permitted the uniust to bo more poWersui, that they might bo abis is compet to erit; and on this account to bs more numerous, that Virtus might be precio , becanso it is raro. And this very
ine p-er of man. othemiae, is nature had given to ali menequat affections, piety Would be nothing. How true this is, ths necessity of the case iraeli teaches. Foris it is virtve to resist Wissi fortitude eviis and vices, it is evident stat, mithout erit and vice, there is no virtuo; and that God might render this complete and perfeci, He retianed that Which was contra in it, With Which it might contend. For,
Caput obvolutum.' This appears to M the liuo es a laat deolamationos Quintilian.
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in proportion to the frequency With Whicli it is urged onmard, is the firmn s With whicli it is strengthened. This is evidentlytho causo which effecis stat, although justico is sent in men, yet it cannot M said that a goiden age exista; because God hasnes inhen a V evit, that Ho might retain that diversity Whichalone preserves the mystery of a divino religion.
They, therelare, Who ibinli that no one is iust, havo justice soro their ves, but are unWilling to discern it. For mliatroason is there Why they should describe it either in poems orin ali their discourae, complaining of iis absence, When it is
como to pass. But it Was not possibio even at that timo when
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nected by the sacred and inviolabie bond of divino relationsilii , them Would bo no plottings, in much as they Would knowwhat hind of punishmenta God prepared sor tho destruersos fouis, Who sees through secret crimes, and even the very thoughis themselves. There Would bo no frauda or piunde
bo content With that which was their own, though litile, sothat thv might preser solid and eternat things to those Whichars frail and perishable. There Mould be no adulteries, and debaucheries, and prostitution os Women, is it nere known inali, that Whateuer is fought Myond the destro of procreationis condemned by God. Nor Would necessity compei a Womanto dishonour her modes , to seeh for heraeis a most disgracefulmode of sustenance; since the males also Would restrain tholatust, and the pious and religious contributions of tho richwould succour the destitute. Thers mouid not, thereiore, as I havo said, be these eviis on the earth, is there mere by common consent a generat observance δ of the law of God, ii thosa things nero dono by ail Whicli our peoplo Hone persom. HOWhapy and hoW Miden Would be the condition of human assaira, ii throughout ths Worid gentieness, and pie , and peace, and inn cence, and equi , and temperance, and salta, took up their abodella shori, thero Would bo no need os so many and va ing lawato rese men, since the law of God alone mould bo sumetent for persect innocence; nor Would there be any need os priscus, orthe sWords of rulers, or the terror of punishmenta, since tho holesomenem of the divine precepta iniusta into the breasta os men would of itseli instruct them to moris of justico. Butn- men are miched through ignorance of What is right and
agreeing With one another, coheres and depends upon one and
Si ab omnibus in legem Dei conjuraretur ' me mord conjuro,'' contrary to ita generat use, is here emplued in a good sense.
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the samo nature, so ali men, being naturalty confused among themsolves, disagreo through depravi ; nor do they unde Mand that they ars related by blood, and that they aro alla ieci in ono and tho samo Mardianship: for it this Wero
Gol the common parent os all. CHAP. IX.- the erimes of the wielia, and the tortures insisted in the Christiaura. At times, ho-ver, they perceive that they ars miched, and presso tho condition of tha former ages, and conjecturo that justico is absent Minuse of their charactera and deseris;
so Whon they alay the righteous, and account tho followersos iustico themselves as enemies, yea, as more than Enemies;
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as ius poet says, as though inspired by the Divino Spirit, or arothv ashamed in bo bad in the presence of tho just and good l
placed in hope,' and not ignorant os God, rose up against GodHimself; and the fame necessity follows ths righteous whichattached tho Author os righteo ness Ηimself. Thereiam theyharam and torment them With studied Ends ot punishmenis, and
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means sparo their body; as though anything could bo more desperate, than to torture and tear in piems him Whοm you
know to be innocent. Thus no sense of shams remalias among
incestuous passiona neither from a daughter, nor sister, normother, nor priestem; Who conspiro against their own citigens
remove or excludo the just heirs; who prostituto their omn
mith mild Masta, and applied in christiana as Ming ready to devoto their lives to the causo os God. 3 Thers is an allusion to tho punishment of parricides, Who vero en-olosed in a bag via a dog, a serpent, an ape, and a coch, and throWn into
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aWay in public; Who, is they sit as judges, corrupted by a bribe,
eister dest y tho innocent ox set ires ins guilty Without punishment; Who grasp at the heaven itself by forceries, asthough tho earth Would not contain their Wichedness. Thesscrimes, I say, and more stan these, ars plainly committed by those Who are Worshippers of the goci. Amidst theso crimes of such number and magnitude, What place is thero for justice And I have collected a feW only out of many, not for the purpose of censure, but in aho their nature. Let thoso who inalt wish to know ali talio in hand tho books
of Seneca, Who Was at the fame time a most truo describerand a most vehement accuser of the public morata and vices.
But Lucilius also briossy and concisoly described that dark liso
perceived hom this, both that they Who do What is good ars pio , and that they themselves Who commit Wiched actions a impio . For it is impossibis that they who do not ere in alline actions of their lite, should err in the main poliis that is, in
Patientia,' in a bad senso. contra fas omne. Indulam. Indu V and endo P are archaisma, uaed by Lucreti and other Writera in the fame aenae in. ε i.e. Christians.
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religion, Which is the clitet os ali things. For impiety, is talienup in that whicli is tho most important, mouid folloW throughali tho rest. Αnd thoratore' it is impossibis that they Who errin the whois of thela liso fhould not bo deceived also in religion; inasmuch as pietn is it hept iis ruis in the clitet
polat, Would maintain iis conres in othera. Thus it happens, that on eister fido the character of the main subject may boknown hom the state of the actions Whicli are carried on. CHAP. X.-Offatis pie y, and offatis and true religion. Ιt is morti, whilo to investigato their pie , that hom their mercisul and plous actions it may bs undarstood What is thecharacter of thom things Which aro done by them contrary lathe laWs of pietn And that Ι may not seem to attach any one th harshnem, Ι mill taho a character hom the poets, and onevhich is the greatest example of piety. In Maro, stat lang
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belloved is deserve nothing os that hind whicli they Osten
deservedly followed by punishment; and the deity ostended
fhip Jupiter, Hercules, Liber, Apollo, and the others, Whose
adulterios and debaucheries With men and women are not onlyknown to the learned, but aro even set sortii in tho theatres, and made the subject of songs, so that they are notorious' to
comes to pass that the god fashions the liso of his Worshippors according to the character of his oWn wili,' sinco the most religious Worship is to imitate. CHAP. XI.-of the eruesty of the Mathens against the Christiana. Theresore, becauso iustice is burthensome and unple aut tostose men Who agree With the character of their gοds, they
λ Hominum pravo religiosorum. Omnibus notiora. Pro qualitate numinis sui.