fear of man is upon all animals when wolves, lions,
bears, wild boars, and tigers devour men, and are rather a terror to
men? So with the entire family of serpents, from which we flee at a
glance. What shall we say here? Is the Word of God untruthful? I
answer: Though we, being aware of our danger, flee from such beasts
and are afraid of them, yet they, likewise, fear man. Even the
fiercest beasts become terrified and flee at the first sight of man;
but when they become enraged they overcome man by reason of their
bodily strength.

17. But, you say, why do they fear when they are stronger? I answer:
They know that man is endowed with reason, which is more powerful than
any beast. The skill of man masters even elephants, lions, and tigers.
Whatever man's bodily strength is unable to do, that he accomplishes
by his skill and his reasoning powers. How would it otherwise be
possible for a boy of ten years to control an entire herd of cattle?
Or for man to guide a horse, an animal of singular fierceness and
strength, to go in whatever direction he desires, now urging it
forward and then compelling it to a more moderate gait? All these
things are done by man's skill, not by his strength. Hence, we do not
lack clear proofs that the fear of man remains upon the beasts, which
harm man when they become enraged, and for that reason are feared by
him.

18. I have no doubt, however, that at the time of Noah and the
patriarchs immediately succeeding, this fear in the beasts was
greater, because righteousness then flourished and there was less of
sin. Afterward, when holiness of life declined and sin increased, man
began to lose this blessing, and the wild beasts became a punishment
for sin. Moses threatens in Deut 32, 34 that God would send upon them
the teeth of beasts. How fearful, also, was the plague of the fiery
serpents in the desert! Num 21, 6. Bears tore to pieces the lads who
mocked the prophet, 2 Kings 2, 24. Why did the beasts here lose their
fear of man? Why did they rage against man? Was not sin the cause?

19. Therefore, as stated before, when new sins arise, new punishments
will also arise. So we see that in our day disease and misfortunes
heretofore rare become general, like the English sweat, the locusts
which in the year 1542 devastated great stretches of land in Poland
and Silesia, and other examples.

20. In like manner, God promised seasons of seeding and of harvest, of
heat and cold, and yet he does not so