of iron and clay and brake them to peeces then was the iron the clay the brasse the siluer and the gold broken all together that no place was found for them and the stone that smote them became a great mountaine and filled the whole earth Dan. 2. Daniel sawe some great beasts come vp from the sea the first a Lyon the second a Beare the third a Leopard the fourth vnlike the former with teeth of iron and tenne hornes Dan. 7. These great beasts which are foure are foure Kings which shall take the kingdome of the Saints of the most high In the thirteenth of the Reuelation Iohn sawe a beast rise out of the sea hauing seauen heads and tenne hornes mouthed like a Lyon bodied like a Leopard footed like a Beare and the Dragon gaue him his power And Daniel beheld till the thrones were set vp and the Ancient of daies did sit whose garment was white as snowe and the haire of his head like the pure wooll his throne was like the fiery flame and his wheeles as burning fire a fiery streame issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministred vnto him and tenne thousand thousands stood before him the iudgement was set and the bookes opened the beasts were slaine and their bodies cast into the burning fire and behold one like the Son of man came in the clowdes of heauen and came to the Ancient of daies and he gaue him dominion and honour and a kingdome that all people nations and languages should serue him his kingdome shall neuer be destroyed so as Reuel 20. Iohn sawe a great white throne and one that sate on it from whose face flied both the earth and the heauen and he sawe the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which was the booke of life and the dead were iudged of those thinges which were written in the bookes according to their workes and whosoeuer was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire Dan. 3. Nebucadnetzar erecteth an Image and commaundeth to worshippe it Sidrach Mishach and Abednego refused This sheweth that wicked lawes cannot compell godly men to doe that which God forbiddeth for the faithfull are alwaies assured that God wil defend them this is the meaning of this place and will not feare him that can throwe the body into the fire but stand in awe of him that can throwe both body and soule into eternall fire so in Apoc. 1◠As many as would not worship the image of the beast were killed 3409. Ioachin three moneths HE was eight yeares old when he beganne to raigne and hee ruled three monthes and ten dayes in Ierusalem and did euill in the sigh of the Lord. And when the yeare was out King Nebucadnetzar sent and brought him to Babel with the pretious vessels of the house of the Lord. He beganne his raigne at eight yeares and raigned ten yeares when his father was aliue and after his fathers death which was the eighteenth yeare of his age he raigned alone three monthes and ten dayes So he was brought prisoner to Babel and Zedechias his brother but in truth his Vncle was made King in his steede so he continued in prison all the daies of Nebucadnetzar that is seauen and thirtie yeares after Nebucadnetzar had carried him captiue vnto the first yeare of euill Merodach King of Babel who succeeded Nebuchadnetzar This was foretold him by the Prophet Ieremie cap. 22. Thou that dwellest in Lebanon and makest thy nest in the Cedars how beautifull shalt thou be when sorrowes come vppon thee as the sorowes of a womā in trauaile as I liue saith the Lord though Coniah that is Ioachin or Ieconias the sonne of Iehoiachim King of Iuda were as the signet of my right hand yet would I plucke thee thence and I will giue thee into the hand of them that seeke thy life and into the land of them whose face thou fearest euen into the hand of Nebucadnetzar King of Babel and into the hand of the Chaldeans and I will cause them to carry thee away thy mother that bare thee into another countrie where ye were not borne and there shall yee die but to the land whereunto they desire to returne they shall not returne thither But after the death of Nebucadnetzar euill Merodach his sonne did lift vp the head of Ioachin or Ieconias King of Iudah out of the prison and spake kindely to him and set his throne aboue the throne of the Kings that were with him in Babel changed his prison garments and he did continually eate meate before him all the daies of his life and his portion was a continuall portion giuen him by the King euery day a certaine all the daies of his life 3410. Zedechias Eleauen yeares HIs name was first Mattamah but Nebucadnetzar changed his name to Zedechiah Hee was one and twentie yeares olde when he beganne to raigne And he did euill in the sight of the Lord according to all that Iehoiakim had done Therefore the wrath of the Lord was against Ierusalem and Iudah vntill he cast them out of his sight And Zedechias rebelled against the King of Babell and in the ninth yeare of Zedechias raigne the tenth month and which day of the month Nebucadnetzar King of Babel came he and all his host against Ierusalem and pitched against it and they built forts against it round about So the citie was besieged vnto the eleauenth yeare of King Zedechias and the ninth month the famine was so great in the citie that there was no bread for the people of the land So that the fourth of Ieremies Lamentations was trulie performed that mothers did eate their owne children So the citie was broken vp and the King Zedechias fledde but the armie of the Caldees pursued after him and tooke him in the deserts of Iericho and all his host was scattered from him Then they tooke the King and carried him vp to the King of Babel to Riblah where they gaue iudgment vpon him and they slue the sonnes of Zadechias before his eyes and put out the eyes of Zedechias and bound him in chaines and carried him to Babel Heere is performed the wordes of Ieremie the Prophet chap. 24. I will giue Zedechias the King of Iudah and his Princes and the rest of Ierusalem for a terrible plague to all the kingdomes of the earth and for a reproch and for a prouerb for a common talke for a curse in all places where I shall cast them and I will send the sword the famine and the pestilence among them till they be consumed out of the land that I gaue to them and their Fathers And Ier. 5. For the house of Israel and the house of Iudah haue grieuouslie transgressed against me saith the Lord they haue denied the Lord and said It is not he neither shall the plague come vpon vs neither shall wee see sword nor famine
THE TIMES PLACES AND Persons of the holie Scripture Otherwise entituled THE GENERALL VIEW OF THE HOLY Scriptures AT LONDON ¶ Printed by Thomas Purfoot for Richard Ockould 1607. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL SIR IOHN Brograue Knight his Maiesties Atturney generall of the Duchy of Lancaster RIght Worshipfull the written copie of this booke comming to my hands was thought worthy the presse by men of good iudgement and learning for that it might bee profitable to many aswell those that intend the studie and profession of Diuinitie as to all other good Christians The Author of the booke is vncertaine to me but his worke manifesteth that he was learned and religious which mooued me though with no small charge to impart the same to all and to make it publike And for that the same wanteth the Authors name I thought fit it should not want a Patron neither knew I any other more worthy to whom I might recommend the Patronage thereof than your worship in regard of that seruice wherein I stand bound to your selfe and that most worthy societie of Greyes Inne It may please you therefore to accept the same in good part And I shall euer remaine yours to be commanded Richard Ockould THE AVTHORS EPISTLE TO THE CHRIstian Reader HAuing long purposed to bring into one frame The generall view of the holy Scripture and resoluing the ease would been laying before your eyes The Times Places and principall Persons mentioned in Moses and scattered through the Prophets Opportunitie now fitting my purpose I thought it good by this Tract to manifest the plainnesse of the Truth which all either doe or ought to know that would enioy eternall happinesse by knitting into one bodie the ioynts of Histories The perfect vnderstanding whereof giueth light to the blind eyes to the ignorant and iudgment to such as willingly embrace the knowledge of heauenly wisedome A GENERALL VIEW OF THE HOLY SCRIPTVRES Iehouah our God Iehouah is one Deut. 6.4 Iehouah Is a name of great force to driue vs to the due reuerence of Gods eternall Maiestie for it containeth the Wisedome Power and Eternitie of God His Wisedome In giuing a name vnto himselfe answerable to the glorie of his Maiestie This name was had in great reuerence among the Iewes they trembled to name or read it but vsed the name Adoni Lord. After their comming from Babel they neuer vsed the name Iehouah but a name of twelue Letters containing Father Sonne and holy spirit Iehouah hath in it the fiue Vowels which are the sinewes of all tongues And as without them no tongue can be expressed so without the true knowledge of Iehouah no flesh can be saued It signifieth Praise me the eternall God it containeth in it Father Sonne and holy Ghost His Power In that from Iehouah all Creatures haue their breathing and their being which also in Iehouah is closely expressed For as it consisteth of fiue Vowels so also hath it two hh which schollers call aspirations or breathings which two aspirations make vp the number of 7 which is the number of the Sabbath Saint Paul closely alluding to the name of Iehouah sayth That from him we haue our breathing and our being and in Esay 57. the Lord saith The blasting goeth forth from me and is included in the bodie I made the breath So often therefore as we breath we are to remember the power and maiesty of Iehouah His Eternity Is closely expressed in these 3. letters י ו ה whose terminations are Iod Vaw He is a signe of the future tense presen tense preterperfect tense This is made plaine in Apo. 1. who was is will be to come Our God HErein is expressed the humanitie of Christ for it is neither added to the Father the first person in trinitie nor to the holy Ghost the third person but to the Sonne the second person who was to become ours by taking our nature vpon him Some hold it not to bee meant of the humanitie of Christ but for a word of separation of the God of the Iewes from the gods of the Gentiles To remooue such absurditie the holy Ghost in Marke 13. when there was no difference between the Iew and the Gentile repeateth the verie wordes of Moses Deut. 6. The Lord our God the Lord is one thrise naming God as commaunding vs thereby to vnderstand Father Sonne and holy spirit For this is alwayes to bee obserued whatsoeuer God speaketh of himselfe is to bee taken in the heauenlyest vnderstanding that can be made of it Iehouah our God Iehouah is one There be three in heauen the Father Word and holy Spirit And these Three are one 1. Ioh. 5.7 THe Trinitie is heere described to be one vnited God-head distinguishable in persons but vndiuidable in coeternitie one in three and three in one God who created redeemed and sanctified all one onely wise God who was shewed in the flesh was iustified in the spirite was seene among Angels was preached to the Gentiles was beleeued of the world and receiued vp in glorie 1. Timothy 3. Which to know is the first and chiefest point of all saluation as Iohn 17.3 This is eternall life to knowe the Father and him whome hee hath sent Iesus Christ which must be the true vnderstanding of the Bible as Iohn 5.39 Search the Scriptures and in them yee shall finde eternall life Some will say it is ynough to know Christ crucified Pilate Herod and Iudas the Traytor knewe that yet went to eternall destruction Wherefore saluation consisteth not in outward knowledge but in renewing the spirit of our vnderstanding which standeth first in the knowledge and feare of God then in the knowing of our selues which are the first two steppes to saluation for true knowledge is the mother of godlynesse And as the eye is the light of the body so is vnderstanding the light of the minde This a man hauing truly learned hee is to meditate of the graces of Christ offered vnto vs by his word God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world c. HErein wee are to consider the louing kindnesse of God to exceed our deserts in louing vs to saluation before wee were The Papists hold merite of saluation which cannot any way hold seeing God of his vnspeakable grace hath elected vs vnto saluation before wee knew him This misterie of gods Election is not fully receiued of all because men take not words of scripture in their proper sense as they are layd downe Election is the eternall counsell of God for the sauing and reiecting of some before the beginning of the world The Heathen neuer receiued comfort by this for being told before of thinges afterward to come to passe they could not knowe the reason but thought that the actions of men were gouerned by the motions of starres and the course of nature and not by the decree or fore-purpose of God who worketh euerie thing according to the counsell of his owne will and not according to our reason Then
and prouideth for the building of the Temple Thus we see how God is still true in his promises Cursed be Canaan a seruant of seruants shall he be Iob he goeth to Sems house for his possessions thereby shewing his religion which would not enioy earthly possessions amongest those whome God had cursed And wee may see in this the law of nature obserued that euerie one is to resort to his eldest brothers house Thus much concerning the place The next circumstance is of what kindred he is HE is of Abraham by Keturah for it is said that he was the richest of all the men of the East This cannot be meant generally for no doubt the kings of the east exceeded him in riches But if we take it of those of Abrahams house by Keturah to whome Abraham gaue gifts and sent them away it is true Besides hee calleth his friends which come to comfort him his brethren for hee sayth My Brethren are like Riuers of water This were improperly spoken if he were not of Abraham he cannot be of Esau for how could that then be true that Esau I haue hated being likewise cursed for despising the promise if so rare a man for godlinesse and sinceritie and that before Moses should be of Esaus kindred Ieremie speaketh in his Lamentations in this wise Lament 4. Reioyce thou Edom in the Land of Huts From hence some conclude that seeing Huts is in the Land of Edom and Iob of Huts therefore he is of Esaus kindred and not of Abraham by Keturah This obiection though it may seeme at the first sight of force yet it is easily answered by marking the times for many ages had passed betwixt Iobs age and Ieremies prophecie Esaus posteritie might at this time haue brought Huts vnder his subiection but in Iobs time wee doe not reade hee had done so And the scripture makes plaine that Abrahams Sonnes by Keturah went and dwelt East-ward And considering Iobs Religion which no doubt was not embraced in Esaus house we must needs thinke notwithstanding this obiection that Iob was of Abrahams kindred Thus much for the circumstance of his kindred ELihu whome God approoueth is of Aram by Milcah who hath Bethuel God is risen the Father of Rebecca and the Father of Aram of whome Elihu These two names containe in them great Religion for the rest of Nachors Sonnes they signifie nothing Here wee see Saint Paules rule true If the vnbeleeuing man will dwell with the beleeuing woman let them not depart for the vnbeleeuing man is sanctified by the beleeuing woman And I rather thinke that Milcah named these two than Nachor thereby to shew her faith in God hauing obtained that prerogatiue at her husbands hand for Nachor must needs learne Idolatrie from Terah his Father Wee may likewise obserue from Iobs kindred what a care Abraham had yea euen in his old age to teach his posteritie the law of God seeing hee instructed Keturah and her Sonnes And this care God affirmeth when hee sayth Gen. 18. That hee cannot keepe secret from Abraham his Counsels for he will teach it his posteritie Therefore we shall find that this booke of Iob is a Commentarie on this sentence Now we come to the question and the summe of the Booke THe question is not concerning Adams fall or the goodnesse and purenesse of workes they doubt not of the Resurrection nor of the Trinitie nor of any other points of faith but it is only a Question of Practise that is to say Whether a man which aboundeth in wealth and being brought to pouertie can be in fauour of God and whether God do so gouern the world that those whom he loueth he will suffer to see affliction Iob is declared to be merueilous great his blessings multiplied in his sonnes in his daughters in Sheepe Oxen Asses and Cammels He himselfe could not bee old perhaps at this time sixtie yeeres for they say they had then liuing elder then his father and after his temptation he liued 140. yeeres and we must take heed we make him not to outliue Isaack Now all his wealth is taken from him himselfe in great miserie remembreth Iacobs storie going with his staffe and his scrip ouer Iordan and by the remembrance thereof comforteth himselfe and confesseth Chap. 1. Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither the Lord giueth and the Lord taketh away blessed therefore be his name Saint Paul in the 1. Tim. cap. 6. Tels him that godlinesse is great riches if a man be content with that he hath for we brought nothing into the world and it is certaine we can carrie nothing out And the children of Israel euery yere when they came to offer after the Priests had taken the basket of first fruits and set it before the Altar of the Lord were wont to say Deu. 26. A Syrian was my father to wit Iacob who went ouer Iordan with his staffe and his bagge and after he returned into Canaan and being readie to perish went downe into Egypt and soiourned there with a small company and grew there vnto a nation great mightie and full of people This confession was not miraculous in Iob. For the heathen could say thus much as they cōfesse in their Epigrams that naked they came out of the earth and naked they shall goe thither Sathan touched his bodie and left him him nothing free but the flesh of his teeth and his tongue that with his tongue he might by desperation blaspheme God Suidas thinketh his torments endured seuen yeeres by matters mentioned in his orations which likelihood could not fall out sooner as that euery one mocked him and fleed from him Then it was a great while after that his kins-men heard of his temptation yet they could come being Dukes and great men and dwelling farre When they come they tarry seuen dayes without speaking any word so great was his griefe vpon him that all this while it droue them into an amazednesse Then they begun to dispute with him Their disputations are true and voide of oathes they make mention of the Sabbath the inueigh against adulterie and other sinnes of the second table they confute iustification by workes they pray not to Saints departed for Iobs recouerie By their orations wee may easily learne to confute these fond opinions which Popery holdeth His friends may seeme to stacker concerning his saluation by reason of his rauing and speaking so doubtfully of the truth for the which God condemneth him after and asketh Iob 38. Who is he that obscureth knowledge with many words Eliphas therefore beginneth thus Chap. 4. Wilt thou be grieued if one assay to commune with thee but who can hold himselfe from speaking Thou thy selfe hast taught many and hast strengthened the weary hands Thou hast had great hope patience and confidence And yet I can tell thee thy case is very ill and if thou dost not repent thou wilt not be saued For who euer perished being an innocent Indeed the
and goe through hard and bitter contentions and afflictions of this life And yet then we are not in rest for the next Station we come to is Sin Thorny There the people murmure against Moses for meat In the euening God fedde them with Quailes and they came to the place of Sepulches leanenesse entred into their soules In the morning they were fed with Manna to know that Man liueth not by bread onely but by euerie word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Deut. 8. They did all eat of the same spirituall meat 1. Cor. 10. This Manna was to be gathered as euerie man had need of it If any were reserued till morning it brought foorth wormes Exod. 16.20 This Saint Paul applyeth to the vse of wealth 2. Cor. 8. Let it be of equality at this time that your aboundance fulfill their want that their aboundance may reach to your want that there may bee an equalitie as it is written He that gathered much had not ouer-much and hee that gathered little had not ouer-little The summe of these standings is this that the soyle being good and bad sheweth vs the manners of the men which liue on the earth and with whome wee liue at whose hands we must looke for badde dealing more than for good This Christ taught in the Gospell when hee willed that those who would embrace him should take vp his Crosse and follow him After they come to Rephidim where was no water for the people to drinke the people murmure against Moses the place is called Tentation according to that of Dauid Psal 95. Hebr. 3. To day if you will heare my voice harden not your hearts as is the prouocation in the day of Temptation in the wildernesse c. Moses striketh the Rocke and the Rocke was Christ 1. Cor. 10. They dranke all of the same spirituall drinke c. Iesus fighteth with Ameleck Moses erecteth an Altar and calleth it Iehouah my Banner Christ by death ouercame him that had the power of death and wee haue an Altar Iesus Christ the righteous Heb. 11. Then they come to Horeb which had the soyle verie drie But Sina on the toppe a hole where the winde made a fearefull noyse But Sion was a pleasant and fruitfull soyle full of springs to wash away the blood of the beasts that there were slaine The Land of Chush alwaies in seruitude So we if wee looke onely to haue our liues sauour of ciuilitie our soules not lightned with the knowledge by Christ we shall bee continually in seruitude And as these places come short of the glorie of Ierusalem so the Iewes not thinking on Christ haue their cogitations wandring not finding rest in their soules Saint Paul handleth these two Mountaines in this sort Galat. 4. By the which things another thing is meant saith he for these two hils are two Testaments the one Agar of Mount Sinay which gendreth vnto bondage being a Mountaine in Arabia and it answereth to Ierusalem which now is and shee is in bondage with her children but Ierusalem which is aboue is free the mother of vs all The Persians wonder at the statelinesse of Ierusalem being in glorie One Thousand yeares Saint Paul calleth this time to Christ the time of a childe vnder a Tutor The Sonne is Rom. 15. Whatsoeuer is written is written for our learning that wee through patience might haue hope Now saith Saint Paul These things are our examples to the end wee should not lust after euill things as some of them lusted and fell in one day three and twentie Thousand 1. Cor. 10. In this place Sinay where the Lawe was giuen many things are to be considered The Law was giuen that sinne might be knowne to abound It was giuen by Angels Deut. 33. By a Mediator Moses There is one Mediator of God and man the man Christ Iesus the Mediator of the new Testament Heb. 9. It was giuen on the Lords day in the morning the Lord arising and shining from Pharan with Thousands of his Angels with thunder lightnings and earth-quake Moses erecteth an Altar on Twelue pillars and hauing made a sacrifice doth read the Booke of the couenant and taking the blood of Oxen and Buls with water purple wooll and Isope doth sprinkle the Booke saying This is the blood of the Couenant which God hath commanded for you This is handled in the 9. to the Hebrewes If the blood of Oxen and Bulles doth sanctifie to cleanenesse of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse our conscience from dead workes to serue the liuing Lord Moses goeth vp to the Mountaine and fasteth Fortie dayes Exod. 32. Christ in the Wildernesse fasteth Fortie daies Luk. 4. The people turne the glorie of God into the similitude of a Calfe that eateth hay Exod. 32.6 Be not Idolatrers as some of them were as it is written The people sat downe to eat and drinke and rose vp to play 1. Cor. 16. Moses breaketh the two Tables which hee receiued from God written with the finger of God The Leuites kill three thousand of Israel that had committed Idolatrie They regarded not Father mother brethren or sisters This Christ applyeth to all men Mat. 10. Hee that loueth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of mee Moses goeth vp againe to the Mountaine with two Tables prepared of himselfe continueth Fortie dayes fasting writeth the words of the former tables in these This Paul handleth 2. Cor. 3. Yee are the Epistle of Christ ministred of vs written not with inkes but with the spirite not in Tables of stone but in the Tables of hearts of flesh The second yeare after their comming from Egypt the Tabernacle is erected out of which the Lord speaketh in a more manifest gracious sort than at any time before he had done to shew himselfe in a speciall sort mercifull Christ his humane nature is the Tabernacle The word became flesh and had his Tabernacle amonge vs Ioh. 1. In him all fulnesse dwelled bodily Col. 4 By grace all Christians are a Tabernacle Es 10. Ap. 21. A cloude ouer-shadowed the Tabernacle To the Virgine Marie Gabriel saith Luk. 1. The power of the highest shall ouer-shadow thee So Moses could not enter into the tabernacle of testimonie because the cloude abode therevpon and the glorie of the Lord filled the Tabernacle When Christ is glorified on the Mountaine and a bright cloude ouer-shadowed him Peter said Let vs make here three Tabernacles one for thee one for Moses and one for Elias Mat. 17. The Temple of the Tabernacle of witnesse was open and the temple was full of the smoke of the glorie of God and no man could enter into the Temple Ap. 15. Where the cloude remained they went forward with the Arke Christ hath a white cloude vnder him Ap. 14. Nadab and Abihu are consumed with fire for offering strange fire before the Lord. To be an example how God is a consuming fire against foolish zeale After this the children