knowne to the contrary he might liue long after the worke was finished Another witnesse wee haue as aged if not more as Zerubbabel and a principall man also who with him returned from Babylon in the first yeere of Cyrus euen Ezra the Scribe the sonne of Seraiah the high Priest whose ancestors both in the seuenth chapter of his booke and in the first booke of the Chronicles are reckoned vp vnto Aaron Now the same Seraiah father to Ezra was carried to Riblah in the land of Hamah and there slaine by Nebuehadnezzar King of Babel in the nineteenth yeere of his raigne So that had Ezra been begot but the day of his fathers death which is not likely yet must he haue been fiftie yeeres aged at the returne from captiuitie in the first yeere of Cyrus since when had there been one hundred and sixe yeeres as some account to there building of the Temple then must Ezra haue been at that time one hundred fifty sixe yeeres old an age by much too long to retaine actiuenesse or to stand as hee did from morning till mid-day to reade and expound the Law to the people But to liue a long time after as it is said he did euen to the end of the Persians raigne which was eightie yeeres more his life must haue seene more yeeres then that shortned age of mans life could attaine vnto And therefore the vncertaine accounts of the Heathen must be measured by those men whom the scriptures haue made their measuring â—…eedes And seeing God hath ordained â—…hat by the mouth and testimonie of two â—…r three witnesses the truth shall bee established Let Mordecai an eminent man of Beniamin stand for another This Mordecai was carried away captiue into Babylon with Ieconiah King of Iudah in the eighth yeere of Nebuchadnezzar and nourished Ester in the dayes of Ahashuerosh King of Persia vnto the twelfth yeere of his raigne And that this Ahashuerosh was Darius Histaspis besides Lyra and others ancient the moderne Writers Beroaldus Broughten Willet More the Geneuian Annotation and many more affirme and Herodotus in his third booke nameth Atossa to bee the wife of Hystaspis sounding so neere to Adassa the other name of Ester as without preiudice we may call Ester his Queene And the rather for that the said Author reporteth she could preuaile in any thing with the King her husband which the Scripture confirmeth euen to the halfe of his Kingdome And likewise Hellanicus another Heathen Author reporteth that Atossa Queene of Persia was the first inuenter of Epistles which vndoubtedly was ministred vpon the Letters by her procured and sent vnto one hundred and twenty seuen Prouinces for the sauing of her people whom Ahashuerosh had condemned at the sute of wicked Haman But that this Ahashuerosh could be Xerxes and he eighty foure yeeres after Cyrus as he hath been set the age of Mordecai may not admit for had Mordecai been but eight yeeres of age when hee was carried away captiue with Ieconiah in the eight yeere of Nebuchadnezzar yet must he haue been seuenty at the returne from Babylon but to adde almost a hundred yeeres more neither humanitie could require his so aged knees to bow nor nature afford his body to bee of such agilitie as it was for State affaires mans terme of life as Solon told Croesus men of the same time to be onely threescore and tenne yeeres I am not ignorant that some will haue the relatiue which to be referred to the antecedent Kish which say they the text doth import in these words Mordecai the sonne of Iair the sonne of Shimei the sonne of Kish and this Kish they will haue the man that had been carried captiue vnto Babilon with Ieconiah But if the words of Esters Apocrypha may be herd it was not Kish but Mordecai for there Mordecai a Noble man that dwelt in Susis and bare office in the Kings Court was he that had the dreame and was the man which Nebuchadnezzar brought captiue from Ierusalem as Chap. 2. 4. Which booke though not Canonicall yet is it ancient and may well be a witnesse in a well knowne historie Besides we see that the intent of that story is not to relate of Kish his captiuitie if any such had been the miseries of those times now ouerblowne but rather the meanes that God then wrought to saue his Church by this his instrument Mordecai that had seene the deliuerance both of himself and others from that Captiuitie of Babylon and now was an acter to blunt the edge of wicked Hamans sword And that the time could extend to those yeeres thus inlarged betwixt Cyrus his Edict and the building of the Citie Nehemiah doth bring a whole Iury of witnesses against it who in his catalogue of twenty two men that returned with him and Zerubbabel from Chaldea vnto Iewrie â—…ameth twelue of them to be liuing â—…n the daies of his gouernment after that the walles of Ierusalem were finished which were Seraiah Amaziah Malluch Hattush Sebaniah Haâ—…im Merimoth Ginnethon Abbiiah Miiamin Bilgai and Shemaiah as in the tenth and twelfth Chapters of Nehemiah apparantly is seene But from these particulars let vs come to the generals That many of the same persons which had been caried captiue vnto Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar were returned and aliue at the building of the second Temple in the second yeere of Darius is manifest by this speech of Haggai who is left saith â—…e among you that saw this house in her first glory and how doe you see it now is it not in your eies in comparison of it as nothing Whereby it is apparant that many of the returned had seene the great beauty of Salomons Temple and were seated againe in Ierusalem according to the Vision of the gooâ—… figges seene by Ieremy concerninâ—… the captiuitie of Ieconiah whom thâ—… Lord had promised to bring again to Iudah to build them and not destroâ—… them to plant them and not to root theâ—… out And albeit that Zecariah told theâ—… that old men and old women shoulâ—… walke the streetes of Ierusalem vpon theâ—… staues through decrepit age yeâ—… such exceeding old age could not bâ—… retained in that age of the world foâ—… had an hundred and sixe yeeres beeâ—… expired from the first yeere of Cyrus to the rebuilding of Ierusalem anâ—… the Temple then should the returneâ—… each of them haue been at that timâ—… an hundred sixty seuen yeeres aged had they been but ten when Salomons Temple was destroyed anâ—… ten yeeres is the least age that caâ—… bee allowed to retaine memory oâ—… obseruation of the Temples curiouâ—… building and passing great beauty Wherefore those tentured timeâ—… of Daniels Seuens must bee again shrunke vnto the staple of the sacred accounts and the Persians raigne shortned vnto halfe the number almost that some ouer-lauishly haue giuen them For the chaine of Chronologie
is here in this ensuing Table expressed to sight so plaine and for truth so strong that a man running may reade and imbrace it with faith A generall Table of the Ancesters of Christ. ADAM Seth. Enos Cainan Mahalaleel Iared Enoch Methuselah Lamech Noah Sem. Arphaxad Salah Eber. Peleg Reu. Serug Nahor Terah Abram Isaac Iacob Iudah Pharez Hezron Aram. Aminadab Naasson Salmon Booz Obed. Iesse Iesus Christ by law is heire vnto these DAVID Salomon Roboam Abia. Asa. Josaphat Ioram These with Joakim are omitted by S. Matthew Achaziah Joash Amaziah Ozias Ioatham Achaz Ezechias Manasseh Auion Josiaâ—… Ioakim Jeconiah dying child Jesse his sonne is Salathiel Pedaiah Zerobabel Iesu Christ supposed and by law is son vnto these The Saints of the most High Dan. 7 Abiud Eliakim Azor. Sadoc Achim Elihud Eliazar Matthan Iacob Ioseph the husband of Mary JESVS CHRIST Iesus Christ by nature came of these DAVID Nathan Matthathi Menan Melea. Eliahim Ionan Joseph Iuda Simeon Leui. Matthat Jorim Eliezer Jose Er. Elmodan Cosam Addi Melchi Neri Salathiel Pedaiah Zerobabel Iesus Christ by nature is Son vnto these The holy Seed the Substance Esa. 6 Rhesa Ioanna Iuda Joseph Semel Matthathias Maath Nagge Essi Naum. Amos. Matthathias Joseph Ianna Melchi Leui. Matthat Heli. Ioseph the husband of Mary JESVS CHRIST CHAP. IX How the Euangelists Saint Matthew and Saint Luke doe agree in recording Christ Iesus to bee the sonne of Salomon by Law and the sonne of Nathan by Nature SAlomons House ending in Ieconiah according to the Prophets and Zerobbabel of Nathans familie made Prince of Iudah the right that Christ had to Dauids Throne is diuersly from them by our holy Euangelists inserted for Saint Matthew from Salomon Ieconiah Abiud and Ioseph legally interesteth Iesus vnto Dauids Crowne but Saint Luke naturally from Marie Eli Rhesa and Nathan asâ—…ndeth to the first man Adam to shew him the Immanuel according to the promise of God in Paradise both of them breathing from one and the same spirit that Christ is Dauids sonne and Iudahs King And with the former Prophets agreeing that in his person alone met al the promises that Goâ—… had made for his sonne Christ and so carrie themselues in making him heire of all as no discord is heard in their heauenly sounds But that the spirits of the Prophets may be subiect to the Prophets and the text not forced to a prâ—…uate interpretation let vs see how Salathiel is brought to be a sonne to Ieconiah by law and by Saint Matthew whom Saint Luke makâ—…th to be by nature the sonne of Neri vpon which seeming disagreement rests the supposed difference betwixt our Euangelists The affirmation of Saint Matthew is taking his record out of thâ—… first booke of the Chronicles that Iâ—…coniah begat Salathiel with this addition annexed After they were brought into Babylon In which place as Ieremie tels vs Ieconiah liuing Assâ—…r a captiue the space of thiâ—…tie seuen yeeres euen to the last of Nebucadnezzar was in the first of Euilmerodach King of Babel taken out of prison placed amongst his Princes and maintained in Kingly estate to the day of hâ—… death When hauing no issue of his owne body begot Salathiel his neerest kinsman must needs be his heire as the law required for thus by Moses it standeth written If a man dâ—…e and haue no sonne then yee shall turne his inheritance vnto his daughter and if he haue no daughter â—…ee shall giue his inhâ—…ritance vnto his brethren and if hee haue no brethren ye shall giue hâ—… inheritance vnto his fathers brethren and if his father haue no brethren â—…e shall giuâ—… his inheritance vnto hâ—…s kinsman that is next to him of his family and this shall be vnto the children of â—…srael a statuâ—…e of iâ—…dgement In this state then stooâ—… Ieconiah without son without daughter without brother without vncle or fathers brother 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 was pro claimed a childles man When according to the prescript of the law Salathiel his neerest kinsman was declared successor and in that sense is hee called his sonne who was by nature the sonne of Neri as Saint Luke in recording the naturall line hath laid downe Salathiel thus made a sonne in succession his owne successor likewise is said to be his sonne which was Zerubbabel his grand-child the sonne of Pedaiah as 1. Chron. 3. 19. But the said Pedaiah dying in Babylon before his fathers adoption and Zerubbabel made Prince ouer the people returned hee is therefore called the sonne of Salathiel and in the bookes of Ezra Nehemiah and Haggai where the gouernment is touched Pedaiah is euer omitted and with the like silence for that cause is ouerpassed by both the Euangelists Lyra vpon Matthew iudgeth that his mention was smothered with the roles of Genealogies which Herod consumed when he burnt all the princely pedegrees of the Kings of Iudah intending thereby to deriue himselfe of some great parentage as saith he by the same combustions the old Testament is silent from Abiud to Ioseph either for names or actions onely the bookes of the Macchabees are some stay for stories of those times This silence then ouershadowing Abiud and Rhesa by those names vnknowne in the old Testaments record are notwithstanding by the learned iudged to be Meshullam Hananiah the sons of Zerubabel therin mentioned whose Genealogies as now they stand in our Euangelists escaping the flames of Herods destruction were preserued they thinke by some faithfull Iew or else were receiued from God by holy reuelation as many other things were at the comming of Christ. Which later opinion liketh some well who make a symptome betwixt the first age and this last thus As the first Fathers were reuealed by Gods owne oracle vnto Moses without president of writ so the last Fathers by the same Spirit were reuealed vnto the Euangelists without any prescrit of record which notwithstanding seemeth rather a shadow then any shew of truth But by what warrant soeuer they wâ—…ot this is most certen that their Records were neuer contradicted by any Pharise Scribe or Priest then liuing who daily waited occasions to impugne their Doctrines which thing in that age then yeelded vnto by the most malicious Iewes may not now with out offence be called in question among vs the beleeuing Christians And that the sonnes of Zerubbabell continued a race of posterities the Rabbins themselues doe auerre who in their Commentaries as some haue obserued auouch that Dauid in case of succession ordained if Salomons issue failed then the posterity of Nathan his other son by Bersheba should succeed which in Salathiel it did and those great Doctors daily expecting their King that should come with such power vndoubtedly kept the Genealogies as carefully for the times following as they had been diligent obseruers of the families before But to the purposes of the Euangelists Saint Mathew recording the heires of
yeer of King Cyrus the holy Scriptures plainely declare and that all that is writ was writ to and for Christ the Apostle doth affirme But how shall that fulnesse of time be knowen for the ending of the Ceremonies by the death of the Messiah which was then taught to the beloued Daniel and now much behooueth all men to know if from Cyrus downward the chaine of Chronologie in Daniels seuens be broken off for the space of 144. yeeres as Liuely doth them in his Olympicks table Where from the fiftie fiue to the eighty nine Olympiad in which and not before he beginneth to account Daniels weekes a Vacuety is left for so long a time Whereas contrariwise we see that Daniel beganne his prayer for their deliuerance immediately at the expiration of the seuenty yeeres captiuity and at the beginning of Daniels prayer the Angell Gabriel was sent from God to shew him that the Commandement for the deliuerance of the people was come forth and from that comming forth of the Commandement to the death of the Messiah seuenty seuens were determined for a full deliuery from the captiuity of sinne by the sacrifice of the Messiah Christ the Lamb figured in the Law And that this Commandement came forth in the first yeere of Cyrus the writers of the Chronicles and the booke of Ezra doe plainly declare both of them affirming and saying that in the first yeere of Cyrus when the Word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Ieremiah was finished the Lord stirred vp the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia and hee made a proclamation through all his kingdome and also by writing saying Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia all the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heauen giuen mee and hee hath commanded mee to build him a house in Ierusalem that is in Iudah Who is among you of all his people with wbom the Lord his God is let him goe vp And of this commandement made by Cyrus for the returne of the Iewes to build their Citie and Temple the Prophet Isaiah foretould aboue an hundred yeeres before Cyrus was borne for saith he He saith to Cyrus thou art my Shepheard he shal performe all my desire saying to Ierusalem thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy foundation shal be surely laid By which words of the Prophets wee conclude That not a linke of the sacred chaine of Chronologie is either broken or opened betwixt the commandement giuen by Cyrus the Lords Shepheard and the death of Christ the great Shepheard when hee gaue his life for his Flock For as time is chained linke vnto linke from Adam to Cyrus so is it chained linke vnto linke from Cyrus to the death of Christ by the speech of an Angel without al helps of the disagreeing Olympicks who in this diuine Chronologie do but trouble the waters of Shiloh and can be no let for time but that the Messiah in Daniels text is Christ Iesus our Lord and Sauiour And therefore let vs measure vnto him the true Temple and Altar with the Reed of Gabriel as Iohn did the Temple and Altar with the Reed of the Angel and in this case cast out the accoūts of the heathenish Olympiads as Iohn did cast out and not measure the Court for that was giuen to the Gentiles And so come we to his other Assertion which is that the text of holy Scrip ture in Daniel will not permit the name Messiah to be referred vnto Christ Iesus our Sauiour That Christ Iesus saith hee could be the Messiah mentioned in Daniel the hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not proue it being an attribute giuen to King Priest and Prophet must there be so taken and not appropriated to any one particular person which the text will not beare So that the word Messiah in Daniels text he will haue not to be meāt of Christ as it is in Iohns Gospel and in the second Psalme but rather a succession of gouernors both Iewes and Romans that ruled in Ierusalem from the rebuilding thereof by Nehemiah vntill the finall destruction both of Citie and Temple by Titus the Emprour And those that referre the word Messiah in that place vnto Christ Iesus saith hee cannot so doe without straining or wresting of the text which they who so vnderstād it are driuen vnto For as the Chronologie here fitteth not for Messiah to be vnderstood of Christ our Lord so the very text it selfe is against it And therefore he pitieth that the Message of an holy Angell containing a most excellent prophecy from Gods owne mouth should be so peruerted and depraued as it hath beene by those that picke out that sense But is it not a greater pitie that learning should thus turne edge vpon Diuinity to depraue vs of one of the most pregnant prophecy for Christ his passion reuealed in the whole Scriptures of God or that this most holy message of the Angell should be appropriated onely vnto prophane Gouernours people and place whose period had beene prophecied and whose tennor was shortly to be determined rather then vnto him who by that his foreshewed death was to bring an estate of euerlasting life and whose Kingdom should neuer haue end Therefore to free the text from any such interpretation let vs take the consent of all almost those malicious Iewes excepted that either speake against their owne knowledge and conscience or haue the vaile of Moses as yet vndrawne from before their hearts But the best approued Docters among them as Rabbi Saadias Rabbi Nahman and Rabbi Hadarson expounding that text of Daniel agree rhat the Messiah there spoken of is Christ the very annointed of God so farre are they from attributing that name to any other besids him though God hath giuen them the spi rit of slumber not to insee what themselues say And of Christian expositers wee take the testimony euen of the aduersarie himselfe who saith that the most part and best learned of those who haue laboured for the vnderstanding of this Prophecy haue vnderstood the Messiah here spoken of to bee Iesus Christ. And how generally true that opinion is and hath beene the worthy instrument of Gods truth the learned Du. Plessie in his truenesse of Christian Religion doth testify where he saith That this text is meant of the Messiah Christ is so euident and absolute that it is a starke shame to deny it And Lyra our Countryman against the resisting Iewes from the adiunct giuen vnto the Messiah frameth this argument The Messiah in Daniel saith he is called Messiah Prince for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie but none is called Messiah the prince but only Christ therefore is Christ the very Messiah spoken of in Dvniel Neither doth that Prophet speake of many but of one and the same Messiah and he to bee slaine to