A14350:324
The Common Places
The common places of the most famous and renowned divine Doctor Peter Martyr divided into four principal parts: with a large addition of many theological and necessary discourses, some never extant before. Translated and partly gathered by Anthony Marten, one of the sewers of her Majesties most honourable chamber.The common places of the most famous and renowmed diuine Doctor Peter Martyr diuided into foure principall parts: with a large addition of manie theologicall and necessarie discourses, some neuer extant before. Translated and partlie gathered by Anthonie Marten, one of the sewers of hir Maiesties most honourable chamber.
Imprinted at London : In Pater noster Rowe, by Henry Denham and Henry Middleton at the costs and charges of Henry Denham, Thomas Chard, William Broome, and Andrew Maunsell, 1583Imprinted at London : In Pater noster Rovve, by Henry Denham and Henry Middleton at the costs and charges of Henrie Denham, Thomas Chard, VVilliam Broome, and Andrew Maunsell, 1583
No title page in the transcription: set from the catalogue record.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
15 Jonathan, in the first book of Samuel the 14. chapter, verse the 19, desired to have a sign or token to be showed him of the Lord; 2the Hebrews interpret this sign or token to be on this sort. If they had said; Let us come unto you, that would have been a sign of mind, both valiant and ready to fight: but contrariwise, if they had said; Come ye unto us, that would have been a sign, that they were already discouraged, and faint hearted. And Ben Gerson saith, that The beginning of persecutions comes from conquerors. Howbeit this is only a conjecture: for sometime it happeneth otherwise. But this is no new kind of understanding the will of God. For so in the book of Genesis, Eleazar the servant of Abraham made this to be his sign; The maid which shall say to me; 3Drink thou, and afterward I will give thy camels to drink: the same is she, whom the Lord hath assigned to be the wife of my masters son. The Philistines also decreed with themselves, that If the ark should be carried by wild and untamed cattle, directly to the Jews, 4they would take that as a sign of evil sent by God: but if it happened otherwise, they would impute it but to fortune and chance. And this is to ask a sign, 5even that a mans faith may be confirmed. But what faith do I mean? Not the faith of Moses law, or the truth of the prophets; for that hath been sufficiently confirmed before: but there is sometime a certain particular faith of some thing not expressed in the word of God; and therein confirmation by signs is often requisite. This we see happened in the history of Gideon; 6for he doubted not, but that GOD would deliver his people from their enemies; but he knew not that he himself should be the deliverer: wherefore he was to be confirmed by miracle. That Messiah would come, all men were sufficiently persuaded; but that Mary the virgin should be his mother, that, God had not specially promised: hereupon a sign was requisite to be had; Behold Elizabeth thy cousin hath in her old age conceived.