Judges — Chapter 11

In the old testament marriage was ordinarily preferred before single life, but in the new it is better to keepe virginitie. 1. Cor. 7. v. 36.

vowed to offer im facrifice whofoeuer or whatfueucr; thonid firft meet him returning with victorie ,as it hapned fhe did , 1s a great and hard. queftion, faith S, Auguitine ‘q. 49. 1n Ub. Indic.) and not cafily aecided, the holie. feripture ni her approuing nor reprouing his fa&. Neuertheles by eonfcrence of other feriptures and difcourfe of reafon , he iudgeth it moft probable thar Tephie« ffended in vow ing without fpecial warrant from Ged , to facrifice , that which by the law was not facrincable; yet finned not in perferming his vew’, but rather pacified God therby, whofe wil it feefhed co be, tliat for punifhment of his finne i.e fhould facr fice his daughter , becaufe by his divine prouidence fhe firft met him: and the omifhon might rather haue been fcr his natural loue tov.ards his onlie child, then ‘or the vnlaw fulnes of the faciifice : fccing it once pleafed God to command Abraham to imunolate his forme Ifaac , though when in came to execution , he torbade the fame , appointing an ou er hofte in place of the child, which he:ehedid not, Neither was it miurious tothe daugther , feeing fe , as al mankinde . muft ence die when God appointeth, Yea further fhe cffc- red her felf freely (which feemedto be by Geds inftin& ) willing her father to doeto her whatfoeucr he had proinifed to God, This is the fumme of S. Augu- ftins large difcourfe. Likewife $. Ambrofe (li, 3, de Ufficsis c. 12.) fuppofeth afluredly thar this Prince lephte offended in vowing vnaduifedly , for it alfo re- pented him, when his daughter firft met him: yet that with goclie feare and dread: he performed to his owne bitter paine that which he had promifed : inftiruting an anniuerfarie lamentation ct his daughter, for a warning to pefteritie of more circumfpceftion in making vowes S. Hieroine alfo (li. 1, adwerf leviman, ) ap- proueth their opinion thatfay : It was Gods ordinance Jephte fhould feele the crrour of his vnaduifed vow, by the death of his daughter , for a ducument to others, The very fame teacheth $. Chrifoftome (hv, 14, ad pop. Antioch, ) that God q q fe’ In the old iteftamér mar- riage Was or- dinarily pre- } ferred before finele lite, but inthe new it is better to keep virginity. be Cor, 7, UegSe Iephte offen- ded in vowing ivndifcrectly but notin per- forming his iVOW',aS ancient \fathers thinke. ‘more propa>- ‘ble, S. Auguftine, S, Herome, is. Chryfo~ ‘Rome, *, Gregorie Nazianzen. Theodoret, Yrorefiants cenfure, («) That is,ex- pofed my telf to danger tru- fing to Gods helpe & myne owne hands, when others would net af- fit me. (6) Iephte being of Ma- nalfes tribe,the Ephraites en- tued his gloric and caluinni- oully obiedted thar he & his followers were fugitiues.fo rarfedarumualt ree their owne lone, 508 IVDGES. Abefan. Ahialon, Abdon, God would ae tnis errour to be thus punithed , thar otners might be warned from vowing the like, S.Gregorie Nazianzen (ovat, de Aachabeis) preferring the martyrdome of the feuen brothers and their mother, before this fac.1fice of Lephte as move aduifed ani more Fenourable , yet condemneth not this , but recounteth ic amongft uther commendadic ates. Theodoret (4.19 in Tudic. ) and al the afore- faid fathers doe highly ¢onmend the daughters promptnes in offering her fclf to be facrificed , which eithcr much extenuated her fathers fault , or wholly tu- ftifled his fa&. Thus the ancient fathers moderate their cenfures. Yet a new gleifer of the Englith Biole without feruple fayth , that by his rash vow , and wicked performance, bis uicier:e was defaced: and azaine , that he was overcome wath blind zeale , not consdering whether the vow was lawful or no,