una ragione generale del periculo de esser indotro ad Idololatria i. e. Though the place in Deut. 7.6 be chiefely meant of the Canaanites yet it hath a generall reason from the danger of being drawne to Idolatry Deodat ibid. The Question is whether in case a man marry an Amorite now an Infidell he be to put her away by vertue of this Law Nehem. 1. v. 1. The words of Nehemiah the sonne of Hacheliah c. k Genebrard lib. 2. The Engl. Argument on the Book of Nehemiah l Sixtus Senensis Bibl. lib. 1. Vers. 6. Both I and my Fathers have sinned m Vid. Fewerbornij disputat An Deus posteros puniat ob Majorum suorum flagitiâ— n Ezek. 18. o Levit. 26.40 p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iniquitates praecedentium Rainold which we and our Fathers have committed genev â—ote Le. iniquita depassati Ital. i. e. de nostri maggiori è predecessoni le quali noâ— halliamo seguitate Deodat Cap. 2. v. 8. And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the Kings â—orest that he may give me timber to make beames for the gates of the Palace which appertaines to the House and for the Wall of the Citie and for the house that q 1. King 5.6 Chap. 8.1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water-gate and they spake unto Ezra the Scribe to bring the Booke of the Law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel Ver. 8. So they read in the Booke in the Law of God distinctly and gatâ— tâ—e sense 〈◊〉 caused them to understand the reading s Nehem. 8.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. â—aâ—ant intelligenciam per ipsam Scripturam They gâ—ve the sense by the Scripture it selfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testimoniis by coâ—feâ—ring of places Aug. lib. q. 83. quaest 69. tom 4. Bretewood in his Enquiries Chap. 9. As Schoolemasters doe when they construe lessons to their boyes in Grammar Schooles Vid. Syrum Paraphrastem u Vid. Pagnin Ion. 3.4 2. Chron. 17.9 Iehosaphat sent Levites and Priests who taught in Iudah and had the Booke of the Law of the Lord with them and went about throughout all the Cities of Iudah and taught the people This teaching was our preaching not only construing the words to the people for in those dayes the coÌ„moâ— people had not lost any of the languagâ— but vnderstood the Hebrew perfectly l Daniel stiles the Chaldaean Monarchie Golden by reason of the kinde and free usage the people of God found in their captivity there Daniel indeed hath a tincture of Chaldee writing in the Captivity and hee being in Chaldaea Cap. 9.8 And foundest his heart i. e. Abrahams faithfull before thee and madest a Covenant with him * Epist. 107. y Aquin. 1.2 q. 114. art 5. ad 2. Non â—â—men ita quòd priùs digâ—i fuerint sed quia ipse per grat iam eos facit dignos qui stolus pote facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine Vers. 20. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them z vid. Doughty of Divine mysteries p. 24. Inspirations saith hee examined by the touch of sacred writ may be a rule but I meane not new revelations respectu doctrinae revelatae but new enlightning both the Organ and Object Cap. 8 v. 9. Then Nehemiah which is Tirshasha and Ezra the Priest and Scribe Vers. 17. And all the Congregation of them that were come againe out of the Captivity made Boothes and sate under the Boothes For since the time of Ioshuah the sonne of Nun unto this day had not the children of Israâ—el done so and there was very great joy Zach. 14.16 17 28 19. Vers. 18. And he read in the Booke of the Law of God every day from the first day unto the last and they kept the feast 7. dayes and on the 8. day a solemne Assembly according to the manner a Deut. 31.11 b Pausanias in Areadicis Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 4. c. 5. Matth. 21.15 16. Cap. 11. Cap. 13.28 And one of the sons of Iehojada the sonne of Eliashâ—b the high Priest was the sonne in law of Sanballat the Horonite but I chased him from mee * Esai 15.5 Ier. 48.3 c Iudg. 9.7 Ioseph lib. 11. cap. ult Antiq. Ioh. 4.20 d Luc. 6.12 Rainold praelect 186. e 2. King 17. Gen. 33.18.20 e A me à vobis recedant qui dicunt Nolumus esse meliores quà m Paties nostri Bern. ep 93. Chrysost. 1. Cor. 2. Hom. 8. in Morali * Remember me O my God for good Cap. 5.19 Think upon me my God for good according to all that I have done for this people Cap. 13.15 Remember me O my God concerning this wipe not out my good deeds that I haue done for the house of my God and for the officers thereof Vers. 22. Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare mee according to the greatnesse of thy mercy f De Civit. Dei lib. 18. cap. 48. Cyril lib. 5. in Genesin Ambros. l. 3. cap. 10. Haggai 2.9 The glory of the later house shall be greater than the former saith the Lord of Hosts and in this place I will give peace saith the Lord of Hosts g Lib. 15. cap. 14. h Sanct. in Hag. c. 2.10 1. King 6. i Antiq. lib. 3. cap. 9. Ezek. 40.1 k These were but few and they were rather writing than preaching Prophets * Bibl. sanct 1.1 Iohn 3. 2. Chron. 3.18 2. King 24.13 Ier. 25.19 27.19 21. 2. King 24.15 Luc. 19.38 Luc. 2.14 Eph. 2.14 Ioh. 10.23 Acts. 3.11 5.12 De bell Iudaic c. 6. l. 6. Deodat annot on Ital. Transl. Ezek. 44.3 Ezek. 46.9 Dan. c. 1.8 Dan. cap. 1. v. 8. But Daniel had determined in his heart that he would not defile himselfe with the Kings meat nor with the wine which he dranke Deut. 14.3 Dan. 5.4 Rom. 14.21 1. Cor. 10.20 Dan. 1.7 8. Dan. 1.12 Vers. 4.19 Vers. 3. * Cap. 2.46 47. Then the King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and bowed himsâ—lfe unto Daniel and commanded that they should offer meat offerings and sweet â—dours unto him Also the King answered Daniel and said Of a truth it is that your God is a God of Gods and a Lord of Kings and a revealer of secrets seeing thou couldest revealâ— this secret k Ioseph antiq l. 11. cap. 8. Gen. 13.29.41 2. Sam. 10. l Lyran. Peter Sanctius ad locum Tremel Deodat è â—ostris Gal. 4.14 Acts. 10.25 14.13 28.6 Dan. 4.53 The same houre was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadâ—ezzar and he was driven from men and did eat grasse as Oxen and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his haires were growne like feathers and his â—ailes like birds clawes Mat. 4. Nehem. 13.17 Then I contended with the Nobles of Iudah and said unto them What evill thing is this that yee doe and prophane the Sabbath Vers. 18. Did not your
for answere So God was onely pleased with the sacrifice of Christ before his Baptisme For he was a perpetuall sacrifice from the beginning and the other sacrifices pleased him onely as Types and shadowes of Christs sacrifice of himselfe Secondly Moses sacrifices and such Types of Christ were acceptable unto God after his Baptisme which is plaine Matth. 8.3 where Christ after his Baptisme bids the Leper offer the gift that Moses commanded Which was Levit. 14.10 two Lambes and an Ewe Lambe for a trespasse offering and a burnt offering Answere Though the word signifie both wayes yet here it must be translated middle not halfe 1. By the consent of the Learned 2. By this reason out of the Text. Christ is here said to Cause to cease or to abolish sacrifice and oblations in the middest of the 70 th weeke Now this Action is not actio maneus and continuata but citò transiens For it is meant of the death of Christ. Vnlesse therefore wee will make Christs death to be a continued action and say that Christ dyed in the halfe of the Seventy Seven i.e. his crucifying and death continued for the space of 3. yeares and a halfe than which what more absurd we must needs grant that hee dyed in the middle Had it beene said that Christ should preach the Gospell in halfe the last 7. it had beene truly because it was a continued action Not only in this last weeke but in some of the former is this Synecdochâ— to be understood For the 70. weekes are divided into 3. parts ver 25. Knoâ— therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandement to bring againe the people and to build IerusaleÌ„ shall be seven Weeks there is the first part and threescore and two Weekes there is the second and the Wall and the Street shall be built againe in a troublous time After threescore and two weekes Christ shall be slaine v. 27. And he shall confirme the Covâ—nant for many one Weeke there is the third part and in the middest of the Weeke he shall abolish sacrifice and oblation The Reason is this then Seaven Weekes are said to passe before the building of the street and wall above 49. were past And therefore by these 7. Weekes more yeares are meant than are precisely set downe The Minor is proved by the storie of Scripture For Ezr. 4 the building both of the Temple and Citie as appeares by the Letter of Sâ—imshag was hindered all the dayes of Cyrus till the second yeare of Darius And from the 2. yeare of Darius along unto the 20. of Artaxerxes who succeeded him was it still hindred as appeares Nehem 1.1 The Wall was built afterward Cap. 4.6 The Street Cap. 7. Whereby it is manifest if wee reckon the yeares from Cyrus the first to Artaxerxes the 20. that the Wall and Street could not be builded in the first 7. Weekes Therefore those words In the other are falsely shuffled into the Text. Eusebius Iunius and Tremellius say That the Temple was built in the first 7. Weeks CHAP. IV. Observations and explanations on some places of Ezra and Nehemiah THe resolution is That we must reade on for that nothing is to be contemned in these holy writings no nor to be skipped over Say it be but the repeating and cataloguing onely of names There is no Booke no Chapter no line in the Word of God but is profitable given by inspiration of God and written for our learning And if wee understand it not in some places yet those places have in them an immanent power to edifie though as yet it be not transient conveighing the profit of it to us till in some measure we doe understand it 2. The way to come to the understanding of them is not to passe those places over but to reade them And when we are busie in reading places which we conceive not God opens the heart and sends us in the interpretation as he did Philip to the Eunuch Act. 8. 3. There is much to be had out of the Genealogies to a wise and diligent Reader Wee learne the increase or decrease of the Church the strange holding out of some Families as the Servants of Solomon and the Gibeonites called in these Bookes the Nethinims They were made drawers of water to the Temple as a kind of punishment God made this crosse a mercie Their employment so neere the house of God gave them fit occasion to be partakers of the things of God And the Lord wee see did wonderfully honour them The neerer they were to the Church the neerer to God In a word hee sees little that sees not many things of excellent use to be gathered out of Chapters full of names 4. Say that as yet we can pick nothing out of some such Chapters yet must we not step over them in our course of reading them but we are in any hand to take them along in our reading if it be but to shew our obedience to God in reading over all his sacred word Resp. He doth But he meanes Genealogies that were fabulous not such as doe edifie Now all the Scripture tends to edifying Cajetan notes that hee meanes by endlesse Genealogies such as are not in the word which gender questions that the Scripture doth not end and determine No question the Apostle finds fault with such fabulous genealogies as in those dayes were too coÌ„mon among the Iewes after were written in the Books of Talmud S. Paul 1. Tim. 4.7 cals them old wives tales And when men begin to be giddy and to be sicke of foolish pride they study much in doting pedegrees Paul to Timothy and Titus both means such genealogies as do move not end questions Which minister questions saith Paul to Timothy not which end questions What questions foolish questions And for those genealogies which had any pith in them they became also uncertaine and endlesse when Herod had burnt up the Records as Iosephus notes Now of such questions there is no end And we may all observe that to bee full of impertinent questions comes from a weak understanding as we see in children who will even tire one with babbling questions So the Apostles in their ruder time before the passion of Christ and after too before the comming downe of the holy Ghost were asking questions sometime not so profitable as When the day of Iudgement should be But when they were filled with the gifts of the holy Ghost Acts 2. we heare no more of such questions No no They then found fault with such curiosity The same holy Father doth observe that Thomas Iudas and Peter were full of questions But Iohn whom Christ loved and who might have beene most bold with him was very sparing that way In a word the Genealogies of the word are of great use and do satisfie the doubts of men and not move questions that can have no end This was not in his first
understood full well but the spirituall sense I cannot beleeve that the Iewes in Captivity lost the use of their native Tongue and I thinke it not credible that the Iewes in the space of seventy years should so forget their native Tongue they being a people so scrupulous as they were to haue no more commerce with strangers than needs must And lastly Haggai Zachary and Malachy who lived and wrote after the Captivity did speake and write to the people in the pure Hebrew Language Which they would not have done but that the people understood the Language The Hebrewes were in Egypt 220. in Chaldea but 70. In Egypt they were held to greater bondage than in Babylon yet they brought with them the purity of the Language out of Egypt What kept it 220. yeares in Egypt and not 70. yeares in Babel CHAP. XII That is hee gave him a faithfull heart first and then finds his heart faithfull not by nature but by grace and makes a Covenant with him So Augustine Pravenit hominis voluntatem nec eam cujusquam invenit in corde sed facit God doth at first not find but make our wills and hearts good So Aquinas God is sayd to give grace to the worthy not that they are worthy before hee gives them grace but because he by grace maketh them worthy who onely can cleanse that which is uncleane Hee then doth abuse plaine places of Scripture who doth hold that the spirit teacheth not but stirs up motions to learne It doth both It followes not to inferre that if wee say the Spirit teacheth we must grant Anabaptisticall Revelations Did wee say that the Spirit did teach by rote without the booke that were to joyne with the Anabaptists but to hold that the Spirit teacheth by the word is to speake with the Scripture Ephes. 1.17 The Spirit is called the Spirit of Revelation in the knowledge of him 1. Cor. 2.13 Which things also wee speake not in the words which mans wisdome teacheth but which the holy Ghost teacheth That men pretend the Spirit is no Argument against the teaching of the Spirit for men doe as much pretend the Church and doe father their fancies on the Church As for inward teaching without the word wee leave that to the Anabaptists and to the Papist who doth affixe and appropriate an infallible teaching to the private spirit of the Pope Which spirit the Papist in the Pope and the Anabaptist in his Enthusiast make the Standard of all truth and superior to the word But to say that the Spirit teacheth in and by the word by enlightening us and casting a cleering light on the word also is that which here we reade in Nehemiah and hath gone for good and sound doctrine till of late it hath beene otherwise taught without ground CHAP. XIII TIrshasha is a Persian word and signifieth a man in high Office about the Prince and such an one was Nehemiah Other there were that did beare the like office as Nehem. 7.70 't is said The Tirshasha gave to the Treasure a thousand drams of gold But this Tirshasha is some other officer and not our Nehemiah Wee see the great goodnesse of God who did preferre to great place and favour some of his servants about Heathen Princes And it is a comfort that if God send us or ours into the Countries or Courts of Pagans yet hee can preferre us then and preserve us there Nehemiah is very great and holds his goodnesse And Daniel with the rest were in as high place of dignity and command as ever they could have beene had the Court and Common-wealth of Israel stood Doubt nothing as long as wee follow God God can keepe us to our consciences and our consciences to him in Babylon it selfe Let us teach our posterity to pray and beleeve and though they have not one penny in their purses yet faith and prayer will carrie them all the world over And if God in his providence make them great in a land of Persians in the houses or Courts of Pagans faith will keepe them good This Feast of Boothes was a Feast of 7. dayes and it had these uses 1 That all Generations might by it understand that when Israël came out of Egypt the Lord made them to dwell in Booths 2 To remember their misery past 3 To look for redemption by the death of Christ. And therefore Zacharie makes the signification of this holy feast to be to shew us That the memorie of Christ redeeming us by his death is to be kept with all manner of spirituall joy 4 Of thankfulnesse for their fruits it being kept at this time But was this Feast disused since Iosua's time What for a matter of 1000. yeares such a Feast as this so expressely commanded by God so utterly omitted in the times of so many godly Princes and Priests I thinke not rather that it had not beene kept with such devotion and celebration from Iosuah till now which I thinke is the reason why mention is here made of the Feast of Booths For here we finde v. 18. That all the 7. dayes day after day the Booke of the Law of God was read and they had Congregations to that purpose each day and then they had a solemne Assembly on the 8. day according to the manner By which word we see that the manner had beene to have a solemne assembly on the 8. day But it seemes the manner had not beene to have Assemblies and reading from the first day to the last day no not from Iosua's time as it was now So that in Iosuah's time they did use to reade the Law in such order and manner as they did now In Levit. 23.35.36 there is required a holy Convocation onely the first day and the last 8. day Did they more now in this Feast than the very Law it selfe required If they did they must have warrant from the Spirit of God by some revelation made to Nehemiah Ezra or some other for it which appeares not or else who required this at their hands to doe more than God commanded And therefore I leave Iâ—nius and Deodate in this and doe rather thinke that in the Feast of Booths by the very Law reading of the Word was required all the dayes though that the first last were dayes of restraint more solemne Convocations and great holy-dayes in which they might doe no worke as they might in the interim dayes And so Iohn 3.7 the last is called the great day of the Feast I thinke there had beene an omission of such reading of the Law viz. day after day which was required by the institution in the Law had beene in use till Iosuah's time but was discontinued from his time till now and now was brought into use againe The manner had beene continued to reade on the 8. day the solemne day but now it was done every day of the Feast of Tabernacles And therefore
6. yeare of Darius Nothus Now say he was but 14. yeares of age the first of Cyrus yet to Darius Nothus is a matter of 100. years as appeares by the Chronologie Hence wee see that the Lord gave him a life much longer than ordinary Wee reade nothing when hee dyed after the edifying of the Temple This cleares that in Zacharie 4.9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house his hands also shall finish it The very phrase doth tell us that the Lord did draw out his life of purpose that he might live to make up that goodly worke Like as Moses Deut. ult had a longer life than usuall given him that he might bring the People of God out of Egypt In that place of Zechary the Lord doth promise Zerubbabel some singular matter in that the Prophet affirmeth that the hands of Zerubbabel that laid the foundation the same hand shall finish it meaning an exceeding long life Thus we see how God doth cause some to live to be wondrous old above others because hee hath something to bee done by them Then age is a crowne indeed when it is thus found in the wayes of Righteousnesse Neither hath it a good savour for men to say of an old Zerubbabel when he is going hence What matter is it to heare of such an aged man dying or dead What doth not the Lord threaten it as a curse that he will take away whom the youth No the prudent and the ancient Isa. 3.2 This Nehemiah was not Nehemiah the famous but another of the same name as there were sundry of the same name One Ezr. 3. Another Ezr. 8.10 For this Nehemiah came up with Zerubbabel in the first of Cyrus and Nehemiah the great lived till the time of Darius the last beaten by Alexander which is two hundred yeares and upwards Now that in those dayes Nehemiah should live above 200. yeares sounds not likely Nehemiah was the penner of the booke called Nehemiah in the book mention is made of Iaddua the Priest of whom we reade in Iosephus that he did meet Alexander the great in his Formalities and stayd him from doing hurt to the Citie and the Temple Againe we reade that Nehemiah was cup-bearer to Artaxerxes and the Persians used to have young men for their Gentlemen about them But this Nehemiah comming up the first yeare of King Cyrus must needs be stricken in yeares in Artaxerxes time Hee was not Mordecay Esters Vncle but another of the same name For this Mordecay came up with Zerubbabel Now if Esters Mordecay had returned with Zerubbabel he would not have dwelt at Susis and trayned up Ester among the Heathen but rather in the holy Land among the people of God And 't is plaine that this Mordecay did returne into Iudaea Neh. 7.7 But that ever Esters Vncle came into Iudaea is unlikely Wee must know that it was a common thing among the Iewes to have more names than one or two Which we must consider lest it breed mistakes in reading the Scriptures In the Captivity the Priests being in a strange Land were not to offer any other sacrifices except it were spirituall sacrifices of praise Whereupon there being not that commodity made of it as was used to arise out of their slaine sacrifices some Priests who had married themselves into the Noble Family of Barzillai tooke scorne to be in the Register of the Priests in the time of the Captivity of Babylon and tooke the name of Barzillai after the Family of their wives Now after the returne from the Captivity the Priesthood growing into fame gaine and request againe and there being holy things to eate of these degenerate Priests would faine have taken place among the Priests of the Lord but the Magistrate would not suffer them because when time was they did scorne the Priesthood the Priesthood should now scorne them A iust reward of God and man for such proud and insolent kind of people 'T is common when men by their wit goe about to get a Name that they lose their Name After the flood they would needs build a tower to get a Name to themselves and not to God and it is their reproach to this day And this was all the use that those Creatures made of the late deluge the greatest judgement of God that ever was The Tirshatha It is a name of office viz. The Governour or Deputy of the King We see he was a man of power that could keep those great men from the Priesthood and forbid them to eat of the most holy things By Tirshatha I conceive the same who cap. 1.8 was called Shazbazzar as Daniel was called Balshazzar An use among the Chaldees to change the name of the Iewes Now Shazbazzar was Zâ—robbabel as we have shewed before Till there arose up a Priest with Vrim and Thummim viz. to aske the Lords advice and counsell By Priest is meant the high Priest for he had the Vrim and Thummim and none but he So when Saul murthered the Priests of the Lord Abtathar fled to t 1. Sam. 23 6. David with the Ephod saith the text that is with the Ephod of the high Priest and presently David began to enquire by the Ephod of the Lord. A great providence of God for the comfort of his poore servant David And hence it is that we reade that the Lord answered not Saul by v 1. Sam. 28.6 Vrim and Thummim for it was now with David not with Saul This Vrim Thummim was either lost or burned together with many other things when that the Chaldees tooke the City of Ierusalem was never found againe How then doth he here say Vntill there stand up a Priest with Vrim and Thummim 1 It may be that Zerubbabel did not know but that Vrim and Thummim might by the providence of God be had againe 2 Vntill that is Never An usuall Phrase in Scripture q. d. You shall never come to the Priesthood againe except God shall reveale his mind to be otherwise by Vrim and Thummim which will never be Vntill is thus taken in the word in many places 1 No. Was it not a great decay to Religion that Vrim and Thummim were lost Did not the Church now want a rule of certainty For the word of God was ever the lively Oracle the Rule of Rules that was the sacred Canon now the Scripture For the old Testament was compleat and when there was so much of the word written there was the lesse use of Vrim Thummim And therefore after the losse of Vrim and Thummim the Church was to keepe the closer to the Law of Moses as Malachy who lived after the losse of Vrim and wrote last of all the Prophets Mal. 4.4 did command Mal. 4.4 Remember the Law of Moses my servant which I commanded unto him in Hâ—reb for all Israel with the statutes and judgements 2 For ought I see the
child with some greater measure of punishment should personall sins in the guilt descend from fathers to the children wee should have more Originall sinnes than one When then in the Word they were commanded to confesse together with their owne sinnes the sinnes of their forefathers it was not that their forefathers sins that went no further any way than their forefathers persons should be remitted to their forefathers being dead or to them being aliue but that such sinnes which they themselues had also in their owne proper persons by occasion of the example of their forefathers committed by act or some consent might be forgiven unto them So Psal. 79.8 Remember not against whom Our forefathers No But Remember not agaist us former iniquities that is such sinnes as wee haue committed through the example of our forefathers at least haue one way or another made our owne The Translation reades it former Iniquities Word for word it is in the originall The Iniquities of those that were before us i. e. of our Ancestors CHAP. X. THat is * I shall â—â—ter into For the house that he himselfe was to have being made governour by the King It appeares by Ezr. 6.15 and Nohem 2.1 that the Temple was built before the walls of the Citie The wals of the Citie were first broken downe and last built up and that 14. yeares after the Temple And one reason hereof is given for that before in all the former edicts made in behalfe of the Iewes by Cyrus or any other there was no word as touching the reedifying of the City but onely to build againe the Temple Paraeus rather is in the truth who holds that Cyrus did by edict give leave to build the Citie Orat. de 70. hebdom Dan. but by reason of so great resistance they could doe little or nothing to the Citie And therefore Nehemiah gets Letters Patents to build the Citie and the wals of the Citie And the truth is That the Iewes after their returne grew secure and carelesse fell to r Vid. Calvin in Zach. cap. 1. v. 3. marrying strange wives and other disorders till the Lord stirred up the spirit and zeale of our Nehemiah and he never gave over till hee had finished the worke So much good may one man of place power and zeale and courage doe for the Church Neither was the Lord wanting to him in his blessed enterprize But hee sent in Haggai and Zachariah a paire of noble Prophets to encourage the people in the worke of the Lord Neither will the Lord be wanting to any of us in things that are good if we be not wanting to him and our selves As if hee should say Vers. 11. Should such a man as I flie and who is there that being as I am would goe into the Temple to save his life I will not goâ— in It is not for mee that haue a calling from God to doe what I doe which calling is a sufficient testimonie of his assistance and protection for feare to leave the worke begun and so to discover disobedience and diffidence toward God Iunius is of opinion that hee being a stranger i. e. not a Priest was not by law to goe into the Temple As 't is Numb 3.38 But I rather follow Deodate who seemes to like better to say That hee would not flee to the Temple because it was for malefactors who used to take sanctuarie there to shift for their lives Exod. 21.14 1. King 1.51 2.28 Sâ—majah who perswaded him to run to the Temple was a Priest and he did put a colour of retyred Religion on it too So that even Priests were found ready to hinder the building of the Wals. But Nehemiah did looke to God and not to Man and therefore in the next verse he saith He perceived that God had not sent him for that he went about to draw him from his vocation which had a sure foundation Wee must not suffer no not Divines themselves to turne us out of our callings places and duties CHAP. XI HEre we see how forward the people were they called upon Ezra and Ezra thought it not much to be stirred up by the people to doe his duty The winde of Gods spirit bloweth where it lifteth and sometimes beginneth with the common people The duty that they pressed Ezra unto was a plaine Text Deut. 33.10 11. where God commanded in the feast of Tabernacles that the Law should be read unto the people Where the people have Scripture for it they must say to Archippus Doe thy dutie The people were too many to be taught by one and therefore they made sundry companies and congregations and had many Doctors of the Law to teach them Therefore it is said They read in the Book And having read they gave the sense and made the people to understand thereading The meaning is That by comparing places of the word of God they did clearly expound to them the meaning Reading expounding or preaching have used of old to goe together So in the case of Philip and the Eunuch And Act. 13.15 After the lecture of the Law Prophets the Rulers of the Synagogue sent unto them saying Men brethren if yee have any word of exhortation for the people say on We see more Scriptures were read than were presently expounded yet when reading of the word was there used to be expounding of some portion T is a poore conceit to say That before the Captivity there was nothing but bare reading but after when the people had lost much of their Language and did hardly understand the Tongue that then literall expounding came in by learned men that had the skill of the Tongue As though giving of the sense had bin nothing but a grammaticall interpretation of the word Preaching is ancienter than so Noah was a Preacher of righteousnesse And Acts 15.21 Moses of old time hath in every City them that preach him seing he is read in the Synagogue every Sabbath day Moses of old i. e. from the first time from the very beginning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab aetatibus antiquis A phrase never used of the Ages onely since the Captivity And that it is sayd Moses and not Moses and the Prophets as Acts 13.15 it seemes to me to note the times of Moses Law before the Prophets were The word translated Reading is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth properly signifie an Assembly or Convocation and here the Scripture is named by that name to shew us That the holy Scripture ought to be read in the Congregation and Assembly Take it then for a truth That before and after the Captivity the Church of the Iewes had their Teachers who did expound and preach unto them the meaning of the Scriptures And Ezra with the rest here are sayd to interpret not the words but the meaning They gave the sense that is not the literall sense of the Hebrew words which the Iewes
the Asse c. And therefore when the creature that is a necessary creature is in danger of receiving any notorious dammage that may make it unserviceable for man did they break the Sabbath if they did worke to save it No The Sabbath was broken except they did worke Neither is it any thing to say we must rather let our hay and corne fall into and lye in the suddes and accept therein the chastisement of our sinnes What and perhaps famish And must wee suffer our Oxe to sticke in the mire as a rod from God What not lift the poore Oxe out And yet a man that is rich feeles no losse in an Asse or a sheepe In mercy then to the poore creature wee must let all lye and see it done It is a conclusion held on all hands That an house on fire is warrant enough for a whole Parish to lay about them on the Sabbath day to quench it And is not water as unmercifull an element as fire Yea to preserve life man did fight and flee on the Sabbath day and did well Then wee conclude That in mercy to the creature to preserve it in mercy to our selves to preserve that which doth preserve us in good liking and in both to shew our obedience to God worke at any bodily worke wee must on the Sabbath and are free Nehemiahs case lay not in such exigents and therefore Nehemiah did like himselfe in reproving and reforming Nothing is to be concluded against what I have said out of that in Exodus That in harvest they were to cease on the seventh day I have read an answer That this was a priviledge of that Nation that they had a Wriâ— of protection against all Inundations As God undertooke for them during their Iourney up to the anniversary Feasts to keepe all well and safe at home the while So the promise of the former and latter raine in season was a peculiar to the Israelites But what needes this sith a reconciliation is at hand that this prohibition is to be construed with the exception still of necessity Tremellius a Iew by nature is of the mind that by very Talmud dangers of life though not evident were cause enough for a Iew to worke vpon the Sabbath day And Lyra another Christian of the same Nation writing on the very words of the Law is plaine that for all the words of the Law it was lawfull to doe those workes which could not well be deferred to the next day nor done the day before He saith not which could not simply bee deferred but which could not well be deferred His meaning is in casualties as he himselfe cals them A maine observation out of the words of Nehemiah is touching the persons with whom Nehemiah is sayd here to contest Our last and best Translation reads it Nobles I have read that it were fitter to translate it Freemen And this is to beare out an Opinion that even among the Iewes a servant did not sinne in working on the Sabbath day in case his Master command him As though Nehemiah had contested with all and with onely Freemen and that therefore the servants were in no blame Navarrus to helpe this his Opinion puts in two Clauses of exception One is That the servant is to heare one Masse the other that the Master doe not enjoyne him worke on the holy day in contempt If hee doe then the servant is rather to dye the death than to worke at his Masters command CHAP. XIX A word of the Argument and then more at large of the proofe of the Argument Say the word did signifie Masters which it doth not yet I deny the Argument He contested with the Masters therefore the Masters onely were in fault And the reason why I deny it because I find it granted that the servants would have rested with thankes if they had not beene constrained to worke What needs then to urge the servants to doe that which of themselves they would faine doe The Masters were chiefe in fault therefore hee contests with them The Masters had in their power to reforme all therefore Nehemiah like a wise and just Prince deales with them Hee was a Magistrate and his businesse being not for correction of what was done but for reformation that they might doe so no more whom in reason should hee speake unto but the Superiours mend them mend all The servants would come in of themselves if they would not the Masters had power to force them to it whether they would or not Mee thinkes then it is an argument to be pitied to fall from the penne of any learned man and from this to conclude That the Servants did not sinne because in that sabbaticall reformation Nehemiah did contest with the Masters and not with them by name But what if wee prove out of this very Chapter That Nehemiah did contest with all Servants and all Looke but into the 15. verse and there wee reade that Nehemiah saw some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath day and these are confessed to be Servants and bringing in sheaves and lading Asses as also wine grapes and figges and all manner of burdens which they brought into Ierusalem on the Sabbath day All these or the most of these I am sure were Servants For who used to beare burdens but the Servants And were not these in fault Else why did Nehemiah contest with them Hee was to deale wisely and justly The Text saith That hee testified against them and therefore not onely the worke was done by them but a sinne was committed by them As good an Argument as the former might have arose to inferre That onely Servants were in the sinne because he testified againsts the Servants and not the Masters by name But the thing wee looke is not to be denied and that is Because here ver 15. Nehemiah testified against the Servants that did beare burdens that therefore They did sinne For wee have it confessed that they would not have troden the wine-presses nor carried the burdens except their Masters had commanded them And therefore albeit their Masters did charge them to doe it just and wise Nehemiah did testifie against those Servants for those workes on the Sabbath day which workes they did in obedience to their Masters And out of this hee that hath halfe an eye may see that the Servants did sinne Hee did look besides the Booke then who did and durst write That Nehemiah did not reprove the Servants by whose employment and labour these things were done For the Text is expresse That Nehemiah did testifie first against them The Servants that did tread the Presses and beare the Burdens ver 15. and then the Nobles ver 17. Once more from the very Text in hand I prove That Servants as servants were in the same sinne with their Masters though not in the same point and degree of sinning I say in the sinne as sinne to shut out all cavill For 't
into any Mans head that all or most of the Freemen must meet many times to write many letters to Tobijah Thus we see how often in this very booke of Nehemiah which best of all opens it selfe the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used where it can possibly both by the Scripture and by the Translation of the 70. signifie nothing but Nobles And were not the Septuagint Iewes Did not they best know how to give the right meaning of their owne Language Now what say we to other places of Scripture We reade Esay 34.12 They shall call the Nobles to the Kingdome The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reade the word Freemen it is ridiculous They shall call the Freemen to the Kingdome And here once more the Septuagint are for us The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Princes great officers men of place power and the like we finde Ier. 27.20 The words be Nebuchadnezzar carryed away with King Ieconiah all the Nobles The originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What did he carry away all the Freemen No such matter He left all the Freemen or all almost behind him They were not carried away in the deportation of Ieconiah But the Nobles hee did all or as good as all But wee must consult with the Septuagint There it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Potentates And one place more if you will in Ier. 39.6 Where we reade That after Nebuchadnezzar had slaine the sons of King Zedekiah the Text saith That the King of Babel slew all the Nobles of Iudah The Originall hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Translate it Freemen and there is as little truth as good sense in it For he did not then kill all the Freemen of Iudah So to English it is to father untruth's upon the booke of God We must not leave out the Septuagint They must be heard by all meanes And how doe they Greeke it here Why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Princes againe By all these places we see how little truth there is in such bold assertions as these that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly signifie Freemen That the Septuagint who were Iewes by Nature and could best say what is the signification of the words in their owne Language doe so understand it Which we see is neither so nor so But if a 1000 Septuagints had said that Freemen is the proper and naturall signification of the word sith wee see the contrary in almost all the places of the Bible where the Word is used we must crave pardon if we be hard of beliefe in the point But doe not the 70 here in the very place Nehemiah 13.17 translate the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They doe Doth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naturally and Grammatically signifie Freemen It doth And did not the 70 know what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meant They did What will you doe now No hurt done I meane not nor need to disable the Version of the 70 as a great Hebrician and Divine both doth Nor am I about to say That the Edition that we now have is so vitiate that one would thinke it were not the same but some impostor rather Yet Bellarmine is so bold with the 70. T is enough to carry it on our side that in so many places as above the 70 themselves construe the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by such Greeke words as never can signifie a Freeman as such but ever A man of Eminency Port. And now whereas in our place the Septuagint doe translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The meaning is not to note out free Men simply but such Freemen as were also Men of Note and Quality above the rest And let the reason of this Metaphoricall use of the word be Because such Men should be of a free and generous spirit Or else Because Rulers were taken and chosen when chosen never out of Servants but of such whose houses were free in Israel We will not looke after other Authors but to leave this place till anon prove out of some other places of Scripture That the 70 cannot still meane Freemen when they doe translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which they doe but rare and seldome To begin with 1 Kings 21.8 Where we find That Iezabel wrote Letters in Ahabs name to the Elders and to the Nobles that were in his City The Hebrew word translated by our English Nobles is our word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where it is by the 70 done into Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now by the very Text it appeares that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cannot be translated a Freeman For it is not to be imagined that Iezabell did write and direct her Letters to the Elders and Freemen of that City What had the Freemen to doe with her practise She had a bloudy secret in hand which she neyther would nor need to impart to every Freeman But the Rulers and Nobles they were the men that were onely fit to be entrusted with her feat and able to satisfie her wicked turne Her drift was to put off the matter with a faire colour and to cover it from the eyes of the Commons Which she could not doe nor meant to doe if so bee shee had writen to the Freemen in the Kings Name Except such and such Freemen that were fit for her designe were not to be made acquainted with that horrid plot What writeth that to the Freemen which by all meanes her desire was to secret from the Freemen And she might well thinke That all the Freemen would not have come in to her mind to massacre a man and his family for nothing but his conscience And therefore I take it a clere case That by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here are meant Nobles and not Freemen And yet the 70. have it in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore in this place they doe not thinke that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Freemen Nor doe they by their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intend to expresse Freemen quà tales but great men And the same is also proved by Eccles. 10.17 Blessed saith the holy Ghost there art thou Land when thy King is the sonne of Nobles The Hebrew is our word in question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Septuagint it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What English is this Blessed is the Land when the King is the sonne of Freemen A wise blessednesse And translations agree in the best Linguists to give the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such words in Latine as can beare no good English except by such a word as Nobles Illustrious Renowned And in these places 't is not to be denyed That when the 70. translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe in the Grammaticall signification of it properly signifie any Freemen as Freemen yet the 70. doe by it understand a Potent a Man of place and accompt As it is plaine and proved