A14350:577
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.
But why did those first men abstain so long from procreation of children? For it is written, 1that they begat children at the age of five hundred years, at a hundred and thirty, and not before. Augustine in the 15. book De civitate Del, the 15. chapter saith, that It may be answered two manner of ways; the first is, that in these men it was long before they came to the age of procreation, & that they enjoyed not the power of seed so soon as we do. Which answer may thus be confirmed; our age is divided into infancy, childhood, youth, and mans state. Wherein if so be the number of years be proportioned to the rate of our whole age, so was it then. And therefore, if their life did so greatly exceed ours, it behooved also that the time of their infancy & childhood should be more at length extended and enlarged. The second answer is, that in that genealogy, the descent is not reckoned from one first begotten to another. For it may be, that there were others begotten even before them; which thing is after this manner declared. The purpose of the scripture is to convey the course of the narration unto Abraham, from whom the people of Israel had their beginning: wherefore in the genealogy those children are chosen to be described, by whom they descend unto him. But it is of no necessity, that those had been of the first begotten. 2Even as in the gospel of Matthew, where the meaning of the Evangelist, in describing of the stock of Christ, is to descend by David unto Christ himself, therefore he doth not always take the first begotten; for Ismael was borne before Isaac, Esau went before Jacob: and in the order of the procreation, Judah among the children of Jacob was not the first begotten. And by Judah himself other children were begotten, before Phares & Zeram of Tamar. Neither was David the eldest son of his father, but the youngest among the rest of his brethren. But by others, the stock would not have descended unto Christ. But why specially it was so long before that Noah begat children, was (as saith Rabbi Selomoh) because that the children, which should have been begotten before of him, might easily have been infected with the vices of other men. And God would that they, at the time of the flood, should be younger, whereby they might not be infected with such horrible vices as others were.
But whie did those first men absteine so long from procreation of children? For it is written,