Samson THe next shadow I select from many is Samson or according to Hebrew forme Shimshôn In whom wee will consider first his names signification secondly his calling His name being deriued of Shèmesh it is Sol-eius as much to say in English as his-sunne Amongst the Iudges stirred vp to saue Israel Samson shined as a Sunne in that Churches firmament All of them starres but this Deliuerer a Sunne among the starres casting his glorious lightsome beames through Canaan and Palestina But if we make transition from this shadow to his substance we shall finde Messiah to be that glorious bright Sunne wherewith the Church is environed in Reuel 12.1 c. out of whose Goshen there is nothing but Aegyptian darkenesse This in mystery is that Sunne in Psal. 19.6 Who is like a Bridegroome comming forth of his nuptiall chamber for hee that hath the Bride is the Bridegroome Ioh. 3.29 and he is that Gibbôt mightie strong-man that runneth his couâ—se and none can resist him When the Iewes and Gentiles by nailing him to the crosse and sealing him in a tomb did labour to stay his course they yet preuailed not for his sound went forth to the ends of the earth right quickely Rom. 10.18 Meane time as they abused him on the crosse the very firmamentall Sunne did preach to all the world that the diuine Sonne of heauen was suffering an eclipse in his course At the eclipsing of whose Glory that sphericall Sunne did blush did turne away his light as abashed at mankinde that shamed not to doe violence to the Authour of Nature the beginner and finisher of our saluation In comparison of this Sunne Samson was but a starre for from this Sunne all Churches starres doe mutuate their glittering shine doe deriue their Glory Which Sunne as it hath these fortie yeares together and vpward giuen a large shine in our land by the beames of his Gospel so God grant that our sinnes doe not cause this Sunne to set that wee naile him not in his members on the crosse lest spirituall darkenesse couer all our earâ—h at noone-tide For Samsons Calling it is twofold first Ceremoniall and secondly Morall His Ceremoniall Calling is that whereby hee was immeâ—iately sepâ—rate from the wombe for which hee was called Nazarite His Morall vocation is that whereby in ripe yeares he became a Martiall Iudge ouer Israel For his Ceremoniall title we wiâ—l first consider the Word then secondly his Ceremonie The worde Nazarite of Názar dooth signifie One seperated or exempted from common things to the end a certaine vowe may be performed to the Lord as in Numb 6.2 And indeede our sacred vowes to God will not be performed otherwise then with Henoch and the Nazarite wee seperate our selues from the common courses of Men that so we may walke with God And such perfect seperation was in Christ for which he is so oft of the Holy Ghost termed Nazarite I am not ignorant that many from Math. 2.23 doe affirme that Iesus is termed Nazarite not in respect of the ceremoniall terme but of the Citty Nazaret wherein hee sometimes dwelled And their reason is two-fold first because Saint Mathew saith that his dwelling in that Citty gaue cause why he should be called Nazarite secondly because the Syriak text reades Natsareth with tsadi not Nazareth with zaijn For the Syriaks forme of writing it is not much materiall seeing Translators vse much libertie in proper Names as in the Gospel one and the same word is written diuersly as Gersene Math. 8.28 is Gaderene Luke 8.26 Mark 5.1 so Simson in Hebrew if wee aspirate not Shin is Sampson in Greeke and Samson in Latine Which ouer much respect to the Syriake hath not onely led many to thinke that our Sauiour had the name Nazarite onely from that Citty but also that the towne Nazareth had allusion to Isaiah 11.1 where Christ being prophecied of the Prophet saieth And there shall come a rod forth of the stocke of Ishaj Venétser and a graffe out of his roote or as some will a goodly spring out of his rootes though indeede I cannot see how Netser can signifie a spring except by spring they meane a sprout twigge or â—prig But passing by the Syriaks tsâ— it is sufficient that the originall Greeke in the New testament doth neuer write it otherwise then with z because the Greekes zâ—ia doeth naturally expresse the Hebrewes zaijn not tsadi Nor would it be vnheeded that the Holy Ghost still readeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iesus the or that Nazarite rather than of Nazareth Touching Saint Mathew it is true that the people tooke occasion of so terming him in regard of that Citie but doth it therfore follow that the Holy-Ghost made the same to be his Only reason When as Caiphas prophecied that It was expedient one should die for the people vnderstode he as the Spirit of prophecy vnderstood No such matter The souldier percing our Sauiours side he therein fulfilled a prophesie in Zech. 12.10 and yet with no purpose to fulfil that prophesie But in this point the scripture is right copious nor vnto vs should it be strange that Man oft fulfilleth the scripture vnknowing and in aiming at one end dooth accomplish that which the Holy-Ghost applieth to another But to presse the point a litle furder Saint Mathew saying He went and dwelt in a Citty called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken according to the Prophets that he should be called a Nazarite in what Prophets is it so said Find that and â—he knot is vnloosed Reade the 4. great prophets and the 12. lâ—sser prophets and thou neuer finds it once In a word the prophecie appeareth in Iudges 13.5 where it is said of Samâ—on the figure Nezir Aelohimijhièh hannagnar and that boy shal be called a Nazarite Which howsoeuer found in this place alone may be said to be according or by the prophets first for that this booke containing an historie of so many yeares must be pend by moe thâ—n any one Prophet secondly it may be so said in respect of the Iewish diuision of the Bible who part the old testament into three bookes or seuerall volumes thus Genesis Exodus Leuit. Numb Deut. do make one booke Ioshua Iudges Samuel Kings Isaiah Ieremiah Ezekiel and the 12. small prophets all they make the second booke Iob Psalmes Prouerbs Preacher Canticles Daniel Chronicles Ezra and Hester make the third booke The booke of Iudges so con-ioyned in the second Volume may wel be numbred within the prophets specially seeing historie includeth propheticall mysterie And that S. Peter plainly intimates in Act. 3.24 when he saith All the Prophets from Samuel and thenceforth as many as haue spoken haue likewise foretold of these dayes Some vnderstanding Ioseph to be Nazarite from Gen. 49.26 where the worde Seperate is Nazir remembred also of Moses in Deut. 33.16 do therfore vnderstand the prophets Mathew speaks of to be Iaakob Moses
in the Church of the Gentiles euen before she was This falleth out by reason of the certaine execution of his decree as also by reason things past and to come are all present vnto him and his Spirite And heereof it is that his spirit very ordinarily in the prophets doth speake offuture things as already existing Nor but for such cause coulde Messiah and his church be introduced mutually parling in Salomons time about a thousand yeeres before Messiahs substance put away the shadowes that so the partition wall broke downe he might espouse the Gentile Which by the way must teach vs to thinke of things to come Gods word hauing taught that such things shall come as if they were already acting nay as if they were already acted Hath God threatned to destroy the impenitent If Noah Iob Daniel yea if Moses and Samuel should rise vp in their behoose they could not turne away the iudgement Hath God promised mercie to the contrite saluation to the faithfull victorie to his Church It is as good as done hell gates cannot preuaile against it For the time of Messiâ—hs absence it lieth in these two points first it should be till the day breake secondly till the shadowes flee away For the day-breake it implieth to the Gentiles onely that time of Messiâ—hs incarnâ—tion whereby the Day-starre from an high did visite vs or as the Greeke readeth wherein the Rising or East from an high did visite vs. Which implieth not so much the Day-starre called Phósphér and Lucifer growne into euill report because of their application to Satan and Nebuchadnetsar as the Sunne it selfe arising in the East True it is that Messiahs starre appeared in the East but that was not an ordinary but extraordinary starre fore-prophecied of by Balaam Iaakobs starre whereby the Easterne Sophies had intelligence of Messiahs birth The last writing Prophet of Israels Church hee prophecying of this Day breake doeth say The Sunne of Righteousnesse shall arise c. This light came amongst his owne but they louing darkenesse more then light laboured by false accusations to darken this Sunne as sackecloth they therefore kill him But the firmaments Sunne pulled in his head as ashamed to shine when the Sonne of God might not shine Hereupon the day did plainely breake for the vaile of the Temple brake asunder and as at his birth hee was highly honoured of the Gentiles so here at his death Pilate a Gentile did honour him with a Kingly inscription against the heart of the Iewes The heathen Centurian and his comâ—any seeing the euents They feared greatly saying Surely this was the Sonne of God With his birth the day did breake with his death the Sunne rose higher but with the Temples ouerthrow by the army abhominable of Romans which was about fortie yeares after his death the Gentiles had the Sunne of righteousnesse further risen vpon their Hemisphere whereof more hereafter Christ being thus as Simeon Iustus termes him a light to Gentiles and a glorious light to Israel it teacheth vs all to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called vs out of darkenesse into his maruelous light 1. Pet. 2.9 Lect. XII MEssiahs absence is secondly laide downe in thâ—se words Tâ—ll the shadowes flâ—e away q.d. retire my Wel-beloued till the nights darkenesse be put to flight till the ecclesiasticall shadowes be chased away by the Sunnes bright rising As Christ was this Sun comming gloriously forth as a Bridegroome so the Law was but a shadow of good things to come the body whereof was Christ Heb. 10.1 Coloss. 2.17 wherein the Apostle may well allude to the shadow accompanying a mans body which sometimes is before sometimes behinde as occasion is ministred by the Sunnes course euen as some shadowes went before Messiahs incarnation some againe followed behinde not vnlike to the two spies of Israel carrying betweene them the cluster of grapes for the Churches comfoâ—â— As the Apostle calleth all a shadow so Salomon here vseth the plurall shadowes because the whole body of tipes would be considered in the particular members For the better effecting whereof I will giue a taste thereof by diuiding all ecclesiasticall shadowes into these three classes or heads Chronologicall Personall Sacramentall By Chronologicall shadowes I vnderstand such as consist in Number By Personall shadowes I intend such as rest specially in some Persons By Sacramentall shadowes I conceiue onely such as consist specially in typicall elements for externall signes for which they haue of ancients beene termed principally Sacraments For Chronologicall shadowes they be I doubt not so many as there be numbers in the old testament the handling whereof would make a large booke yea many bookes But as I am vnable to wade deepe in any part of this argument so for the present I wil obserue some few times or numbers and these also of such nature as this ages sluggard who despiseth this wisedome may be least able to spuâ—ne at The first shadowing number shall be â—ixe which I terme the number of creation In sixe dayes God begunne and finished his workes of creation not because it was of absolute necessitie for God to vse such time but for our instruction for whome both times and creatures were formed One is no number but as the seede of number because all number ariseth from it And for that cause it may well be giuen to God who as he is in esâ—â—nce One so all number hath his being flowing from hâ—m and returning backe againe into him like the Hierogliphick serpent which turneth his taile round about into his mouth And that is cause why Christ God doth terme himself Alpha and Omega the first and last of the Greeke letters the beginning and endâ—ng Two is the first number three the second and this Three is not onely made glorious in the first three dayes worke with a glorious light before Sunne Moone and Starres were created but also is closely inferred in the third word of the Bible Where after Breshâ—th Bara in the beginning created there followeth Aeloâ—im God but informe plurall together with the third place secretly teaching a pluralitie of persons that is a sacred Trinitie in Vnitie In three dayes moe heauens and earth are with their whole host perfected and therefore the number 6. well tâ—rmed of Diuines The perfect number or number of perfection But what may 6. in the naturall creation figure or shadow forth Beda Rabanus and others shall in effect answere for me These sixe dayes do insinuate the sixe ages of the world wherein a mysticall worke shal be finished represented by the former naturall worke The first age is from Adam to Noe the second from Noah to Abraham the third from thence to Dauid the fourth from Dauid to the transmigration to Babel the fift from thence to Christ the sixt from Christ to the worlds ending Some others doe also diuide the world into sixe ages but with some difference from the former ancients in
of seauen to be without Mother and off-spring So sacred is the number of seauen as ancient Gentiles gaue place to the seauenth day for rest as also for perfecting the Creature And to this end the former Greeke Antient introduceth Homer Hesiod and Callimachus their Antient Poets Nor proceeded it but from a deepe conceit in Balaam the Easterne Gentile Prophet when as he builded seauen Altars and offered vp seauen Bullockes But passing by such notes let me come to the right sacred booke of God and there shall plainely appeare how renowned this Sabbaticall number is And this shal be briefly obserued in God his sanctifying the seauenth day the seauenth moneth the seauenth yeare and the seauen times seauenth yeare in the old testament then afterwards by renewing a memoriall of the number so oft in the new testament Sixe dayes hauing finished the naturall worke of Creation the Seauenth day God rested and sanctified it to diuine contemplation Gen. 2.2 Exod. 20.11 Which resting from bodily trauels for giuing full scope to the spirit for meditating in the mercies of God did fore shadow a world of businesses in the world till the Seede promised in Paradise should come in whom alone the Church was to haue her soules rest And this was it which was shadowed by al other Sabatical or rest daies as plainely affirmeth the Apostle thus Holy-dayes new moones Sabaoths were but a shadow of things to come but the body is in Christ. On which ground the new testaments Church hath abolished these Sabaoths weekely and festiuall lest otherwise shee should Iudaize as if Christ were not come in the flesh Obiection then in abolishing of the day we abolish the fourth commandement Answere no we reserue the morall duetie which is as the life and substance of that precept in so resting and meditating the next day after onely we put away the seauenth day which in regard of his number was a shadow Which next day after the eight after a sorte the Ancients still vnderstood by the eight day alotted to circumcision but in nature being the first day it was of Origen vnderstoode to be the day wherein Manna first came downe from heauen representing Messiah the true bread of life to the faithfull As the Sabaot day God rested from creating any new worke so Messiah on that day wholy did rest in the Sepulchre Hauing on the crosse when he cried It is finished put an end to the worke of redemption They that afterwardes haue inuented new workes for redemption they doe with Anah but find out the generation of Mules and with the cursed earth but bring forth thorns thistles degenerate vermine When he was come in whom the father did rest and the church was to rest the shadow was to giue place to the substance the typicall seauen to Messiah thereby typed and forefigured Lect. XIIII Sabbaoth of Moneths AS sixe dayes brought with them a sabbaticall seauenth day so the time of sixe moneths brought with it his Sabbaticall seauenth moneth The first was the Sabbaot of dayes this second as an Ancient well termeth it is Sabbathum Mensium the Sabbaot of Moneths Not so termed because the seauenth moneth was wholy but because a great parte of it was to be rested The first day of this seauenth moneth called Tisri was the feast of Trumpets The tenth day was the feast of Reconciliation The fifteenth day was the feast of Tabernacles and that continued seauen dayes after euery which day had his peculiar sacrifice The feast of Trumpets was a solemne memoriall of the benefites which they had receiued by the vse of that kinde of instrument By the trumpets of Rammes hornes a simple meane it pleased God to shutter downe Ierichoes walls Iosh. 6. By the two legall siluer trumpets the congregation was enformed of the times of assembly and departure secondly of warre thirdly of festiuall solemnities Numb 10.1 c. Wherein were represented these two spirituall things the Word of God preached and holy faithfull Prayer By that blessed word sounded as Isaiah was commanded in chap. 58.1 it pleasâ—th to shutter downe the walls of the false church to contrite the hard heart to ouer â—hrow the mightie imaginations of mankinde The sounding of an instrument was but a weake meanes for ruinating wal's chasing of the aduersarie but the arme of Iehouah did accompany such meanes so the preaching of Christ crucified and that by such meane instruments as the Apostles of it selfe was vnable to conquer one soule but it being the ordinance of God and so accompanied with the powerfull operation of his spirit it so hath cast downe the Oracle-walls of Idolatrie broken downe the high imaginations of flesh and blood expulsed the Romish familiar Hobgoblins dispelled the clowdes of golden legendarie lies By the sounding of this word we are also taught how to assemble and how to depart about our seuerall affâ—ires the word of God is to be our delight and counsailour Yea this same word is to be sounded ouer all our sacrifices and spirituall exultations as one sacred ordinance for hallowing all our worship The trumpets also did represent Prayer when it is saide that vppon their sound in warre-time they should thereby be remembred before their God And hereupon it is that we are enioyned to Call vpon him in time of trouble euen as Salomon in his dedication of the temple did interceede with the Lord for hearing Israel when they should stretch forth their voice vnto God in the time of their straits And so Hezekiah stretching the aduersaries letter before him Isa. 37. did lift vp his complaint to God whereupon Iehouahs Angel issued out and â—lue of his enemies an hundred foure score and fiue thousand The feast of reconciliation was an act of humbling the soule before God to whom they could not be reconciled without him that was preached in their sacrifice The feast of tabernacles or boothes put them in minde of their flitting estate while they were in the wildernesse and is to vs a representation of our mooueable state in this wildernesse of the world All these things accompany this sabbaticall moneth the first moneth according to Hebrues ciuill accompt but from the time of their comming from Aegypt it became their Seauenth For then the moneth Abib called also Nisan it was made the First Exod. 12.2 13.4 The Ciuil reckning thus 1 Tishri 2 Marchesuan 3 Cisleu 4 Tebet 5 Shebet 6 Adar 7 Abib 8 Ijar 9 Siuan 10 Tamuz 11 Ab 12 Aelúl The Ecclesiasticall thus 1 Abib 2 Ijar 3 Siuan 4 Tamuz 5 Ab 6 Aelúl 7 Tishri 8 Marches 9 Cisleu 10 Teb 11 Sheb 12 Adar The Ciuill First became thus the ecclesiasticall Seauenth for teaching vs that All is become anew to the faithfull who are to rest in him who was figured by the High-priest entring into the Temples Sanctum sanctorum this very seauenth moneth and in no other This seauenth day and seauenth moneth doe both leade vs to rest