A14350:80
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.
Of the ends of good and evil among the Christians. The first Chapter.
Of the ends of good and euill among the Christians. The first Chapter.
1AUGUSTINE in his 19. book De Civitate Dei, the fourth Chapter, very well declareth, how Christian hope is carried unto those good things, 2which cannot be seen. For if thou askest (saith he) a faithful man, what he maketh to be the end of good and evil things, he will answer; Life and death everlasting: 3which things can not be seen, nor comprehended by mans reason. And therefore the wise men among the Ethnics being puffed up with pride, would not settle their hope upon those things. For which cause, some held, that the ends of good things, are the goods of the mind; some the goods of the body, and some, either virtue, pleasure, or both joined together. But GOD laughed them to scorn, and saw how vain their cogitations were. For they would rather account those things for the chief good, which be tempered with many miseries and calamities, than to receive those sincere, perfect, and most firm things, which are offered by the word of God. For who can worthily express, unto what miserable and horrible mischances this body of ours is cast out? It is sick, it is wounded, it is dissolved, made crooked, torn, and maimed. Oftentimes men become blind, oftentimes deaf. And as touching the mind, they are oftentimes mad, oftentimes frantic, and they that most labour about the truth, can not attain to the knowledge of the same, without intermingling of infinite errors. How could the Ethnics boast of virtues, 4as the chief good things, seeing we have them as witnesses of our calamities? To what purpose serveth temperance, which is therefore given, to bridle drunkenness, gluttony, lusts, and the foul and shameful motions of the mind? For these things declare, that it hath no place, but in minds, which be yet subject to corruption. The which corruption, the more inward it is, the more miserable it maketh us: and, as a domesticall enemy, violently assaileth the secret parts of our harts. These affections (saith Augustine) are vices: